Tried something new, so the episode is broken into chapters or "acts" in the notes here and in the episode. I provide a brief explanation at the beginning of the episode highlighting this attempt, so hopefully it works well.

Act I - Setting Sail (4:40)

Maybe not the most apt title, unless Alan and I are Imperialist targets for Captain Nemo. Nonetheless, Alan talks about how Nemo's War came to be and his subsequent integration of history on the narrative of the game.

Act II - Taking Over the Helm (28:50)

Another slight misnomer, as Alan was always at the helm of VPG, but here he shares a powerful story of what it meant to be given design control for the second edition and beyond. Additionally, we talk about the scope of the stories different games tell and how they're adapted in different ways from the source material.

Act III - Twenty-Eight Games in a Year & A Ten Table Game (41:47)

Pretty self explanatory! In one year, Alan developed and published twenty-eight games. Alan also shares some information about a current project and the different ways that war/history games present themselves.

Act IV - 4X (&5X) (52:27)

Being able to talk to the person who coined the term 4x, I had a few questions!

Act V - Finalés D(eveloping) and E(diting) (58:08)

Alan discusses why he's drawn to the process of editing and developing; he provides some stories of collaborations as well.

Epilogue - Explore Motive Triumph (1:05:03)

Final discussion and a mentioning as to how Ian O'Toole became a part of the project.

Check out the Ship's Logs mentioned on the episode (seriously- they're so good).

Contact me at [email protected] or my Instagram with the same name. There's also now an Intertextual Cardboard Experience Twitter account.