The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast
Join game designers Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, and Trevor Muller-Hegel as they analyze published games from a game developer's perspective. Each month, they pick a new game mechanic and three games to play in that genre. Each episode is 20 minutes of pure game design nerdiness!
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 27 minutes
- Episodes
- 103
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
83. Trio
How can players ask questions without revealing too much information about their motivations? What happens when players forget? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda fish for sets in Trio.
00:20:28 |
Wed 04 Jun 2025
82. Listener Q&A
Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie answer questions from the listeners.
00:53:49 |
Wed 28 May 2025
81. Meet Ananda Guneratne
Trevor and Charlie join forces to interview Ananda in this third special episode about your co-hosts.
00:34:08 |
Wed 21 May 2025
80. Meet Charlie McCarron
Trevor interviews Charlie in this second special episode introducing your co-hosts.
00:28:43 |
Wed 14 May 2025
79. Meet Trevor Muller-Hegel
Charlie interviews Trevor in this special episode, the first of three introducing your co-hosts.
00:32:47 |
Wed 07 May 2025
78. Programming Games
What influence do default options have on player choices? How can you provide quick feedback on actions that are delayed? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor talk about programming games.
00:32:20 |
Wed 30 Apr 2025
77. Mechs vs. Minions
How much do players need to be able to change their programs? What are the benefits of sharing experience? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda smash, burn, and trample their way through Mechs vs Minions.
00:22:06 |
Wed 23 Apr 2025
76. Roll for the Galaxy
What is player interaction, really? Do players need the option to reroll their dice? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie roll for the Galaxy.
00:14:44 |
Wed 16 Apr 2025
75. Food Chain Magnate
How do you make the beginning of a game as interesting as the end? Do games always need catch-up mechanics? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor sell $20 lemonades in Food Chain Magnate.
00:27:59 |
Wed 09 Apr 2025
74. Candyland
What advantages do colors have over rolling dice for randomization? How is randomness a catch-up mechanic? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor rescue the kingdom from the wicked Lord Licorice in Candy Land.
00:21:07 |
Tue 01 Apr 2025
73. Numerical Coordination Games
How far can players stretch communication limitations? What sort of an arc does strict numerical progression create? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor talk about numerical coordination games.
00:25:16 |
Wed 26 Mar 2025
72. Hanabi
Can you infer anything from other players not communicating with you? What is the difference between knowledge and common knowledge? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda play with fireworks in Hanabi.
00:21:17 |
Wed 19 Mar 2025
71. The Mind
Can you create memorable moments at random? What do shared actions add to coop real-time games? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor sync brainwaves in The Mind.
00:18:45 |
Wed 12 Mar 2025
70. The Game
What information should you hide? How do you make things go better than right? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie count to and from one hundred in The Game.
00:24:12 |
Wed 05 Mar 2025
69. Real-Time Games
What determines how complex a real-time game can be? How long should a real-time game take? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor discuss real-time games.
00:27:49 |
Wed 26 Feb 2025
68. Skyrockets
Are turns compatible with real-time mechanics? What encourages players to flip timers early? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda juggle live fireworks in Skyrockets.
00:24:11 |
Wed 19 Feb 2025
67. Magic Maze
How can you make a player necessary to the team's success? Are players willing to spend valuable resources to talk to each other? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie rob a mall in Magic Maze.
00:20:17 |
Wed 12 Feb 2025
66. Dutch Blitz
Is it better to compete in one race or many? How do you verify that players are not accidentally cheating? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor blitz their opponents in Dutch Blitz.
00:25:14 |
Wed 05 Feb 2025
65. Word Association Games
Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about Word Association games.
00:26:40 |
Wed 29 Jan 2025
64. So Clover
What encourages people to share their thought processes? How do you prevent players from getting stuck? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda link words in So Clover.
00:19:11 |
Wed 22 Jan 2025
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, Trevor Muller-Hegel. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.