Sinopse
Focusing on both digital and tabletop gaming, The Game Design Round Table provides a forum for conversation about critical issues to game design.
Episódios
-
#331 Solforge Fusion with Justin Gary
03/12/2024 Duração: 56minDirk and David are joined this week by Justin Gary, founder of Stone Blade Entertainment and co-designer of Solforge Fusion. They discuss the life, death, and rebirth of Solforge, as well as its unique approach to content generation. Topics include the history of Solforge, how the usage of the Blockchain affects monetization, the community of Solforge, and how the game successfully incorporates procedural generation into its card design.
-
#330 Xenolanguage with Kathryn Hymes
19/11/2024 Duração: 52minThis week, Dirk and David are joined by Kathryn Hymes, co-owner of Thorny Games and former co-host of the show. Together, they discuss Kathryn’s new game Xenolanguage, a roleplaying game where players take the role of humans tasked with deciphering an alien language. They give their thoughts on designing GMless games, especially focusing on how to facilitate interesting experiences within the rules. Topics include an in-depth look at Xenolanguage’s design, the breadth in experience of GMless games, approaching the business side of GMless games, and what future games may look like in the field of language.
-
#329 Small Games with Ellie Dix
05/11/2024 Duração: 52minThis episode, Dirk and David are joined by Ellie Dix, owner of The Dark Imp and author of The Board Game Family. They discuss Ellie’s career and path into game design, as well as the intricacies of how she manages to design so many games. Topics include managing small projects, how to choose which designs to focus on, the importance of managing a playtest group, and the worth of games as educational tools.
-
#328 Civilization Series 8 - Ara
22/10/2024 Duração: 55minDirk and David convene once more to discuss the release of Ara: History Untold by Oxide Games. They analyze the game’s strengths and weaknesses, how it feels to play, and how it compares to the actual Civilization series of games. Topics include managing expectations, the clunkiness of the crafting and relationship systems, performance and technical issues, what it does right, and who Ara is even for.
-
#327 Undergrove with Elizabeth Hargrave and Mark Wootton
08/10/2024 Duração: 01h05minDavid is at the helm this week, joined by Elizabeth Hargrave (Wingspan, Mariposas) and Mark Wooton (Legend of the Five Rings, Mariposas). The trio discuss Elizabeth and Mark’s new game Undergrove, a resource management and tile placement game about building a mycelial and arboreal network. Topics include how Undergrove was developed, designing for the mushroom theme, Mark and Elizabeth’s relationship with nature, and how a competitive game can be developed without encouraging antagonistic relationships between players.
-
#326 Therapeutic TTRPGs with Daniel Hand
24/09/2024 Duração: 54minDirk is joined by Daniel Hand, therapeutic counselor and author of “Role-playing Games in Psychotherapy: A Practitioners Guide”. Together, the pair discusses Daniel’s journey into TTRPGs and his process of introducing them into his practice, and eventually designing his own game for therapeutic purposes. Topics include adjusting crunch, the benefits and difficulties of using games in therapy, what kinds of issues they can help with, and what the future of this treatment modality might look like.
-
#325 Civilization Series 7 with Jon Shafer
10/09/2024 Duração: 57minEnjoy episode #325 of The Game Design Round Table. In this episode, we discuss the new Civ 7 game with Jon Shafer, the co-founder of the show and a digital games designer. This will be our seventh episode in the Civ games series.
-
#324 Civilization Series 6: Civ 7 First Look
27/08/2024 Duração: 57minCivilization 7 has just been revealed! Dirk and David discuss their first impressions from the reveal stream, from the exciting new mechanics to what should have been left behind. They also talk about what they would like the Civilization Series to eventually be. Topics include the potential inclusion of RPG mechanics, focus on population centers, and technology and civilization advancement.
-
#323 Tunic with Andrew Shouldice
13/08/2024 Duração: 51minDirk is joined this week by Andrew Shouldice, creator of isometric action-exploration game Tunic. They discuss the journey of developing Tunic, and the lessons learned from a lengthy production. Topics include Andrew’s attitude toward storytelling, how to manage a project long-term, how to focus on what’s important, and knowing when you need help.
-
#322 Future of Legacy Games with Rob Daviau
30/07/2024 Duração: 56minIn this episode, Dirk and David welcome Rob Daviau, known for creating legacy board games. They discuss what Rob has been working on, the process of designing legacy games, staying true to the original, and the future of the company's vision.
-
#321 Civilization Series 5 with Will Thompson
16/07/2024 Duração: 47minWelcome back to the Civilization Series! In this episode, Dirk welcomes Will Thompson, the creator of the upcoming game Winter Rabbit. Here, they discuss Will's vision for Civilization and the integration of Indigenous technologies into the game. They also talk about the differences between warfare and how the 4cs fit into history.
-
#320 Civilization Series 4
02/07/2024 Duração: 56minDirk and David come together once more to discuss the civilization series! This week, topics include David’s thoughts on Civilization 6, the value in how the world map is created, what the games choose to simulate, and what can be improved in the technology and religion systems.
-
#319 Listener Questions June 2024
18/06/2024 Duração: 57minJoin us for another round of listener questions! David and Dirk discuss topics such as whether and how to avoid game-breaking synergies, what impact finances has on the love of design, and balancing strategy and role play mechanics.
-
#318 Modules and RPGSEA with Pam Punzalan
04/06/2024 Duração: 53minDirk and David are joined by Pam Punzalan, known for her work on personal projects such as Navthem’s End and A Rising Tide, as well as commissioned pieces for Dungeons and Dragons, Blades in the Dark, and Starfinder. Together, the trio discusses the differences between producing hired work and indie projects, as well as the importance of RPGSEA. Topics include how her cultural background affects her work, queerness and race as themes, the processes surrounding commissioned games and working with an editor, tactics games, and being a working TTRPG designer.
-
#317 Earthborne Rangers with Andrew Navaro
21/05/2024 Duração: 58minDirk and David are joined by Andrew Navaro, creator of open-world board game Earthborne Rangers. They discuss how Earthborne Rangers was developed, and the lessons learned from the project. Topics include the making of an open-world board game, diverging story paths, expansions, and when to stop supporting an ongoing game.
-
#316 Citizen Sleeper with Gareth Damian Martin
07/05/2024 Duração: 55minDirk and David meet with Gareth Damian Martin, creator of In Other Waters and Citizen Sleeper. They discuss Gareth’s design journey, as well as the process of creating Citizen Sleeper. Topics include the use of tabletop mechanics in video games, when to obscure probabilities, using literary prose effectively, and how a game of Citizen Sleeper develops as it’s played.
-
#315 Civilization Series 3
23/04/2024 Duração: 52minWelcome back to the Civilization Series. In the third installment, David and Dirk break down their experiences with Millennia, the latest 4X offering from C Prompt Games and Paradox Interactive. They discuss what aspects of the game worked for them, as well as what they would like to see develop as patches and updates are to come. Topics include how Millennia iterates on the concept of Ages, thematic dissonance, the unfinished nature of modern games, and what kinds of strategies the game mechanics reward.
-
#314 Designing to Ship with Xalavier Nelson Jr
09/04/2024 Duração: 56minDirk and David interview prolific designer and leader Xalavier Nelson Jr. They discuss Xalavier’s illustrious and busy career, focusing on his philosophy of how to ship a game as well as knowing your own capabilities. Topics include his work and inspiration for El Paso, Everywhere, how he manages to produce so many games, treating staff fairly and with respect, and the benefits of working within your box.
-
#313 Civilization Series 2
26/03/2024 Duração: 57minWelcome to the second episode of the series on the “Civilization” games, as well as other 4X titles. Continuing from episode one, the pair talk about the phenomenon of “One More Turn”, using overlapping progression paths, and quality life improvements for the genre. They also share their insights on the game “Humankind”, as well as how their attitudes toward real life affect how they act within a 4X game.
-
#312 Civilization Series 1
12/03/2024 Duração: 55minThis episode marks the beginning of a new series focused on the Civilization series of games. Dirk and David are joined by Soren Johnson to discuss their background with the Civilization games, and how they got introduced to the series. They discuss the development of the earlier games, as well as the broader strokes of Civilization, including the hallmarks of a 4X game, what design space Civ occupies, and where they would like the series to go in Civ 7 and beyond.