Player Lair Podcast
46 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 days ago -In the Player Lair podcast, we delve into the process of making games and interview various game designers, publishers and people involved in the gaming community.
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
35: Andrew Bosley
April 12, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 43.5 MBAndrew Bosley is one of the co-designers of Planecrafters by Paisley Board Games and the artist behind Everdell, The River, Mission: Red Planet, and Citadels. He is a freelance illustrator, game designer, and writer working primarily in the board and video game industries. Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
34: Richard Garfield
March 26, 2024 12:00 - 1 hour - 45.6 MBRichard Garfield is a game designer and mathematics professor known for creating the immensely popular card game Magic: The Gathering. In our conversation, we delve into topics such as game design, discovering fun where we don't initially feel it, playtesting, auto battlers, and much more! Additionally, we explore some of his other games, including Keyforge, Treasure Hunter, The Hunger, and, of course, Magic. Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming...
33: Andrew Stiles
March 14, 2024 17:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBAndrew is an American game designer and co-host of the Tabletop Submarine podcast. His new game Wine Cellar is coming to Kickstarter in April 2024. Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
32: Daniel Piechnick
March 07, 2024 12:00 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBDaniel is a former Magic: The Gathering external developer and designer of Radlands. He also writes illuminating board game design articles, which can be found at daniel.games. "This (referring to daniel.games) is an excellent resource for people who want to get into game design; it is filled with great language for them to learn the craft, and the hard truths of getting something to be worth publishing." - Richard Garfield, designer of Magic: The Gathering. Support the show Links to my ...
31: Chris Backe
February 14, 2024 15:00 - 1 hour - 43.2 MBChris Backe (rhymes with hockey) is the founder of Entro Games. His games typically play in under 30 minutes, feature a wide variety of player counts, and a diverse range of themes. The thing they all have in common: they're easy to learn, easy to play, and offer plenty of strategy and replayability. Chris is the co-creator of No Box Games alongside Kristian Fosh and Roque A. Deleon, and Virtual Playtesting alongside Ian Brocklebank. He also runs Tabletop Publishers, a database of publisher...
30: Daryl Andrews
January 02, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 43.2 MBDaryl is a game designer and a member of the Game Artisans of Canada (GAC). He has published over 30 board games, actively visits conventions, offers consultations, and much more! Twitter: http://twitter.com/darylmandrews Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/darylandrews/ Website: http://www.darylmandrews.com/ Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
29: Brett J. Gilbert and Trevor Benjamin
December 04, 2023 19:00 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBBrett and Trevor are both board game designers, who have an amazing portfolio of games. Mandala, Undaunted, Guild of Merchant Explorers are all games one or both of them have worked on. In this episode, we talked about their community of game designers, and how they design and co-design games. If you listen closely you're sure to hear some well-kept secrets of board game success. Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
28: Joe Slack
November 08, 2023 17:00 - 55 minutes - 38 MBCheck out Mayan Curse on Kickstarter! Joe Slack is the designer and publisher of Relics of Rajavihara and the Montalo's Revenge expansion, the designer of King of Indecision and Zoo Year's Eve, and the co-designer of Four Word Thinking, and Kingdom's Candy: Monsters. Many of his current designs are on display at www.crazylikeabox.com. Joe is also a game design instructor and author of 4 books on game design, including the #1 best-seller, The Board Game Designer's Guide. He previously taug...
27: Scott Rogers
October 31, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 59.4 MBScott Rogers has helped design many successful video games including: Pac-Man World, the Maximo series, God of War, Drawn to Life series and Darksiders. A former Disney Imagineer and VR designer, Scott currently teaches game design at the New York Film Academy and the University of Southern California's interactive media department. His segment "Biography of a Board Game" can be heard on the award-winning Ludology Podcast (and back episodes of the Dice Tower Podcast). Link to Scott's Amazon...
26: Adrian Adamescu
October 21, 2023 15:00 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MBAdrian Adamescu has been designing games for the last decade! He is known for designing light-to-midweight games with clean mechanics. He co-designed Sagrada, Dice Theme Park, Mistwind, and so many more great games! Enjoy the conversation! Check out my games! : 99 Ninja - Currently on Kickstarter! Rise of Babel - Coming Q1-Q2 2024 Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Episode 25: Sandy Petersen
December 25, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 42.4 MBSandy Petersen has been creating RPGs, video games, and board games for over 40 years! He's been on the team of successful video games like Age of Empires, Civilization, Doom, and Quake. In 2013 he returned to the tabletop realm with the successful Kickstarter project Cthulhu Wars. He is now the founder of Petersen Games, and in addition to the Cthulhu Wars game line, has designed the Orcs Must Die board game, Glorantha: The Gods War, and upcoming projects. Episode hosted by Ivan Alexi...
Episode 24: Megapulse with Nicolas Fournier
October 26, 2021 15:00 - 1 hour - 44.9 MBWe talk to Nicolas Fournier about game design, loss aversion, player interaction, racing and his debut board game - Megapulse. Learn more about Megapulse here! - www.jeux-orion.com/megapulse Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Episode 23: Circadians: Chaos Order with Sam and Zach
September 22, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBZachary Smith and Sam Macdonald tell us about their upcoming game - Circadians: Chaos Order. We talk about game design, development, player interaction, and making a game feel balanced for both new and experienced players. Circadians: Chaos Order is coming to Kickstarter on October 19th, along with a second printing of Circadians: First Light. Thank you for listening! Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Episode 22: Renegade Legion with Budgie Smuggler Games
July 28, 2021 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40.1 MBMatt and Josh from Budgie Smuggler Games tell us about their upcoming project Renegade Legion: Centurion. We talked about acquiring intellectual property, working in a team, war games and much more! Check them out on their social media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/GamesBudgie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/budgiesmugglergames/ Instagram: https...
Episode 21: Micro Games with Ben Downton
July 13, 2021 11:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBBen is the creator of Micro Dojo and Prometheus Game Labs. We talked about his process running his first successful Kickstarter project and what he learned in the past year of making Micro Dojo. Thank you for listening! Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Episode 20: Making Artwork with The Mico
May 19, 2021 17:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBMihajlo Dimitrievski shares his experience making artwork for board games, comic books, animated movies and more! He's worked on games like The North Sea Trilogy, The West Kingdom Trilogy, Endless Winter and many more! Check out his work on Facebook and Instagram! Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Episode 19: Bruno Faidutti
April 06, 2021 07:00 - 48 minutes - 33 MBBruno Faidutti joins us to talk game design! Bruno has worked on games including Citadels, Mission: Red Planet, Raptor, Queen's Necklace and many more! Get a free quote from Hero Time using promo code "playerlair" Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Bonus Episode: Questeros with Wes Woodbury
April 02, 2021 14:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBWes comes on the Player Lair Podcast to tell us about his new project - Questeros. Wes runs FunDaNental Games, hosts a podcast and a YouTube channel about games. Check out Questeros - http://kck.st/3rl8u5G Thank you for listening! Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Episode 18: Targi with Andy Steiger
February 23, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 47.7 MBWe talk to Andreas Steiger, designer of Targi and Targi: The Expansion. Andy shares the story of how he created this fantastic game, his ideas for future projects, advice for new designers and much more! Check out the recommended Kickstarter - Dawn Some games mentioned in episode: Targi Architects of the West Kingdom Paladins of the West Kingdom Viscounts of the West Kingdom Raiders of the North Sea Coraquest Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion 7 Wonders Duel My City and more! Thanks for list...
Episode 17: Eduardo Baraf and Pencil First Games
February 15, 2021 12:00 - 59 minutes - 41.1 MBEduardo Baraf from Pencil First Games joins us to share his experience as a seasoned game maker. He is a game designer, publisher, reviewer and much more! He has experience in both tabletop and digital games and gives a very unique perspective on "game-making". Some mentioned games: Herbaceous Skulk Hollow Biblios Edo's video about Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics Thank you for listening! Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Episode 16: Dexterity games with Aron West
January 18, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 44.9 MBAron West, co-designer of Catacombs and CEO of Elzra Games, joins us to share his experience from over 10 years in the industry. We talk about dexterity games, publishing, Kickstarter, and more. We also talk about their upcoming Kickstarter project- Catacombs: Monster Pit Thanks for listening! Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Bonus Episode: Game of Ham with George Berns
January 18, 2021 11:00 - 13 minutes - 8.99 MBGeorge, the designer of Game of Ham, joins us to talk about making a game using prompt cards. Game of Ham Website Thanks for listening! Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/playerlair?locale.x=en_US)
Episode 15: Spirit Island with R. Eric Reuss
November 23, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 44.8 MBWe chat with R. Eric Reuss, designer of Spirit Island, about game design. He tells us about the process he went through in the making of Spirit Island and it's expansions, his new game- For Science! and all of the in's and out's of game design! Thanks for listening! Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Episode 14: Bruno Cathala
November 02, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 49 MBBruno Cathala joins us to give us his views on game design, with over 20 years of experience in making games. We talk about his processes on games like Kingdomino, 7 Wonders Duel, 5 Tribes and more. We also talk about his collaborations, where he finds inspiration and ideas. Thanks for listening! If you have a game which you want playtested go to playerlair.net. We have an experienced team and we will do our best to help your game become the best it can be. All playtests are recorded and ...
Episode 13: Under Falling Skies with Tomáš Uhlíř
October 22, 2020 10:00 - 38 minutes - 26.2 MBTomáš Uhlíř tells us about Under Falling Skies - a game that started out as a 9-card print and play contest winner and went on to be picked up by Czech Games Edition. We also talk about his work as a developer on Sanctum and his views on game design. Thanks for listening! If you have a game which you want playtested go to playerlair.net. We have an experienced team and we will do our best to help your game become the best it can be. All playtests are recorded and you will receive video...
Episode 12: Deck of Wonders with Dennis Furia
September 15, 2020 15:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBFirst-time kickstarter creator Dennis Furia talks about his project Deck of Wonders. Deck of Wonders is a solo-first expandable card game with legacy elements. It captures the feel of games like Hearthstone and MTG, but in a solo/co-op format. Deck of Wonders on Kickstarter! Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page. You can also help us by purchasing Amazon products through this link. Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lo...
Episode 11: Treasure Island with Marc Paquien
September 06, 2020 15:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MBMarc Paquien, designer of Treasure Island and Yamatai, joins us to talk about his game design process. He tells us how he went from thinking about designing a board game to actually doing it. He also talked about working with Bruno Cathala and the publisher Matagot. Thanks for listening! Check out the Board Game Design Virtual Summit which will feature interviews with various experts in the board game industry on September 14th-20th! Arcana Magica on Kickstarter! We post bonus content ...
Episode 10: Festivals, Contests and Game Design with Vassil Lozanov
August 31, 2020 11:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBVassil Lozanov is the designer of Among Thieves, as well as one of the organizers of Sofia Board Game Weekend. We talk about the history of the festival, design groups, hosting and judging prototype contests and more! Thanks for listening! Check out the Board Game Design Virtual Summit which will feature interviews with various experts in the board game industry on September 14th-20th! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page. You can also help us by...
Episode 9: Dining with Dracula
August 18, 2020 12:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBGiuliano Draguleanu, from 2Fat2Fly Games, joins us to talk about Dining with Dracula. We talked about how they approach making games and the twists they've added to the worker placement genre in Dining with Dracula. Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page. You can also help us by purchasing Amazon products through this link. Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Support the show Links...
Episode 8: Lore, Gore and More with John De Campos
August 07, 2020 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MBJohn de Campos of Terrible games joins us to talk about his game Token Terrors Battlegrounds. John is co-designer and illustrator of the project and walks us through the process of making miniatures, lore, mechanics and kickstarting the game. Token Terrors has been a passion project of John and the team behind Terrible Games for the past 3 years and is now on Kickstarter! Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page. You can also hel...
Episode 7: Making and Marketing a Mail-in Mystery with Lisa and Anna
July 22, 2020 11:00 - 54 minutes - 37.6 MBLisa Levina and Anna Lysova join me to talk about Scarlet Envelope: a series of mail-in mystery games. They went from an initial idea for a game to 25 times over their funding goal in just 4 months! Though it’s their first Kickstarter, they both have a background in marketing and they really go in depth on their approach to making and marketing the game. Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page. Intro music- "Madness is everywher...
Episode 6: Joe Slack: Making Puzzles and Teaching Design
July 21, 2020 11:00 - 42 minutes - 29.4 MBJoe Slack, game designer and game design teacher, joins us to talk about his project Relics of Rajavihara, which is live on Kickstarter. We also talk about the design community, which he has built through his books and courses, his design process, pitching to publishers and more. You can find out more about his projects at his website- Board Game Design Course. Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page. Intro music- "Madness is e...
Episode 5: Sam Macdonald: Focusing on player interaction
July 06, 2020 13:00 - 48 minutes - 33.2 MBSam Macdonald, designer of Circadians and codesigner of all of the West Kingdom games, joins us to talk about his experience in game design. He's been designing games for only 3 years, but already many of his games are extremely popular and have some great aspects to their designs. Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page. Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Support the show (https://ww...
Episode 5: Sam Macdonald: Focusing on Player Interaction
July 06, 2020 13:00 - 48 minutes - 33.2 MBSam Macdonald, designer of Circadians and codesigner of all of the West Kingdom games, joins us to talk about his experience in game design. He's been designing games for only 3 years, but already many of his games are extremely popular and have some great aspects to their designs. Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page. Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Support the show Links to m...
Player Lair Episode 4: Keith Matejka and Thunderworks Games
June 18, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 43.6 MBWe talk to Keith Matejka from Thunderworks Games. Keith has a ton of experience in board games as well as video games. We talk about game design, Kickstarter, game manufacturing and publishing. Some notable games he's worked on include: Roll Player, Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale, Bullfrogs, Lockup: A Roll Player Tale and Dual Powers: Revolution 1917. Keith's latest game, Roll Player Adventures, is coming to kickstarter on June 23rd. Thank you for listening! We post bonus content and...
Episode 4: Keith Matejka and Thunderworks Games
June 18, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 43.6 MBWe talk to Keith Matejka from Thunderworks Games. Keith has a ton of experience in board games as well as video games. We talk about game design, Kickstarter, game manufacturing and publishing. Some notable games he's worked on include: Roll Player, Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale, Bullfrogs, Lockup: A Roll Player Tale and Dual Powers: Revolution 1917. Keith's latest game, Roll Player Adventures, is coming to kickstarter on June 23rd. Thank you for listening! We post bonus content and...
Bonus Episode: Salvo Guastella and Fox on the Run
June 11, 2020 11:00 - 9 minutes - 6.41 MBIvan talks to Salvo Guastella, designer of Fox on the Run, which is coming to Kickstarter on June 16th. He shares his love for the project and tells us what he hopes to accomplish with the Kickstarter. Fox on the Run started out as a 1 hour design contest winner and has since turned into a very well-polished, fast-paced game which stands out with it's replayability and player interaction. Thank you for listening! Link to Kickstarter Page Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco...
Player Lair Bonus Episode: Salvo Guastella and Fox on the Run
June 11, 2020 11:00 - 9 minutes - 6.41 MBIvan talks to Salvo Guastella, designer of Fox on the Run, which is coming to Kickstarter on June 16th. He shares his love for the project and tells us what he hopes to accomplish with the Kickstarter. Fox on the Run started out as a 1 hour design contest winner and has since turned into a very well-polished, fast-paced game which stands out with it's replayability and player interaction. Thank you for listening! Link to Kickstarter Page Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco...
Episode 3: Nikola Petrov and The King of All Bards
June 05, 2020 09:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBIvan from The Player Lair sits down with Nikola Petrov to talk about game design. Nikola is a full time game designer and shares his experience working with publishers. He is also the narrative director for ZenART VR and has experience working in both analogue and digital gaming. You can find bonus content, where Nikola shares his experience in the video game industry on our Patreon Page. Thank you for listening! Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY...
Player Lair Episode 3: Nikola Petrov and The King of All Bards
June 05, 2020 09:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBIvan from The Player Lair sits down with Nikola Petrov to talk about game design. Nikola is a full time game designer and shares his experience working with publishers. He is also the narrative director for ZenART VR and has experience working in both analogue and digital gaming. You can find bonus content, where Nikola shares his experience in the video game industry on our Patreon Page. Thank you for listening! Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY...
Player Lair Bonus Episode: Lake Leafty and Everything Board Games
May 20, 2020 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.61 MBIvan welcomes Lake Leafty from Everything Board Games to talk about their new digital magazine which is now on Kickstarter. Everything Board Games have been producing high-quality reviews for years as well as hosting board game giveaways and offering promotional services to publishers. The Player Lair Podcast relies on funding from listeners like you Support us on Patreon Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=qboUIYgbpIejtu2OxAYG1S4nqSNitz4psOJaYDTuX-KgR_wrD48RNEeFyuT6obo...
Bonus Episode: Lake Leafty and Everything Board Games
May 20, 2020 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.61 MBIvan welcomes Lake Leafty from Everything Board Games to talk about their new digital magazine which is now on Kickstarter. Everything Board Games have been producing high-quality reviews for years as well as hosting board game giveaways and offering promotional services to publishers. The Player Lair Podcast relies on funding from listeners like you Support us on Patreon Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/playerlair?locale.x=en_US)
Episode 2: Garphill Games and Shem Phillips
May 15, 2020 10:00 - 58 minutes - 40.2 MBIvan from The Player Lair talks to Shem Phillips from Garphill Games. We talk about various challenges that he's faced in his experience, which spans longer than a decade. We discuss the general design process and differences between working by yourself and sharing the creative process. Support us on Patreon Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Support the show Links to my games: 99 Ninja Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024
Player Lair Episode 2: Garphill Games and Shem Phillips
May 15, 2020 10:00 - 58 minutes - 40.2 MBIvan from The Player Lair talks to Shem Phillips from Garphill Games. We talk about various challenges that he's faced in his experience, which spans longer than a decade. We discuss the general design process and differences between working by yourself and sharing the creative process. Support us on Patreon Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=qboUIYgbpIejtu2OxAYG1S4nqSNitz4psOJaYDTuX-KgR_wrD...
Player Lair Episode 1: Arcana Magica and Mihail Ivanov
May 05, 2020 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBIvan from The Player Lair welcomes Mihail Ivanov, designer of Arcana Magica. We talk about his creative process when designing board games, kickstarting projects, narrative in games and the influence of gaming in culture throughout history. He is currently doing a PhD in narrative in the digital age and shares many insights throughout the episode. Support for this podcast comes from donations by listeners like you. If you want to support this podcast, you can do so by donating to www.playe...
Episode 1: Arcana Magica and Mihail Ivanov
May 05, 2020 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBIvan from The Player Lair welcomes Mihail Ivanov, designer of Arcana Magica. We talk about his creative process when designing board games, kickstarting projects, narrative in games and the influence of gaming in culture throughout history. He is currently doing a PhD in narrative in the digital age and shares many insights throughout the episode. Support for this podcast comes from donations by listeners like you. If you want to support this podcast, you can do so by donating to www.playe...