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
63. Just One
Should you penalize players for guessing wrong? How can you force players to rely on each other? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor think of unique clues in Just One.
00:21:32 |
Wed 15 Jan 2025
62. Codenames
How do you choose a good word list? Why should games have multiple end conditions? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie avoid the assassin in Codenames.
00:25:29 |
Wed 08 Jan 2025
61. Racing Games
What mechanics go well with racing games? How can roll-and-move be made strategic? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie discuss racing games.
00:27:54 |
Wed 01 Jan 2025
60. Thunder Road: Vendetta
Why must Bumpo always bump? How can instant death mechanics mitigate feel-bad moments? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda jockey for position in Thunder Road: Vendetta.
00:26:38 |
Wed 25 Dec 2024
59. Robo Rally Transformers
How do you make losing fun? What makes a satisfying arc in a racing game? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor visit Velocitron in Robo Rally Transformers.
00:19:18 |
Wed 18 Dec 2024
58. Heat: Pedal to the Metal
Why should you pay off player debts automatically? What is the benefit of running two laps versus one? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie put the pedal to the metal in Heat.
00:24:42 |
Wed 11 Dec 2024
57. Asymmetric Games
Why are two-player asymmetric games easier to design? How do you come up with variants on a core ruleset? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie discuss asymmetric games.
00:34:19 |
Wed 04 Dec 2024
56. The Great Zimbabwe
How do you make turn order feel important? Why should you limit your players' ability to adjust their own prices? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor honor the gods in The Great Zimbabwe.
00:24:06 |
Wed 27 Nov 2024
55. Android: Netrunner
What makes creating a server so satisfying? Should you include both passive and active playstyles? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda fight the system in Android: Netrunner.
00:24:05 |
Wed 20 Nov 2024
54. Root
How can you get players to understand what other players are doing when their factions are different? How can common resources be made to feel different to different factions? Trevor, Ananda, and Cha…
00:31:30 |
Wed 13 Nov 2024
53. Semi-Cooperative Games
Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor talk about Semi-Cooperative games.
00:32:58 |
Wed 06 Nov 2024
52. Nemesis
Do enemies need a clearly defined health stat? What should happen to a player who is eliminated early? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda chart a course for Earth in Nemesis.
00:32:14 |
Wed 30 Oct 2024
51. Hellapagos
What sorts of resources encourage players to betray their allies? When should you use spherical components? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie build a raft in Hellapagos.
00:16:37 |
Wed 23 Oct 2024
50. Cosmic Encounter
How can you make attacking other players feel less hostile? What advantage do board games have over digital games? Ananda, Charlie, and Trever encounter the cosmos in Cosmic Encounter.
00:38:35 |
Wed 16 Oct 2024
49. Live at 2D Con
Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda hold a live episode at 2DCon, the same convention where the podcast originated! They discuss lessons board game and video game designers can learn from each other.
00:51:29 |
Wed 09 Oct 2024
48. PlateUp!
How can you frame new challenges to make players excited about them? Why do people enjoy performing mundane tasks in video games? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie run a restaurant in Plate Up.
00:21:54 |
Wed 02 Oct 2024
47. Unrailed!
Why are breaks important in a real-time game? Do players need an inventory? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor go off the rails in Unrailed!
00:23:51 |
Wed 25 Sep 2024
46. Ultimate Chicken Horse
Can players distinguish themselves when all are adding to the same challenge? How do you incentivize players to make a challenge the right difficulty? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda build an obstacle co…
00:20:10 |
Wed 18 Sep 2024
45. Roll and Write Games
What are the strengths and weaknesses of roll-and-writes for designers and publishers? How do you ensure dice rolls are exciting? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor discuss Roll-and-Write games.
00:31:27 |
Wed 11 Sep 2024
44. Cartographers Heroes
What are the advantages of scoring an objective twice over the course of a game? How can you represent combat in a roll and write? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda map the territories of Cartographers Her…
00:21:51 |
Wed 04 Sep 2024
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.