Ancient Robot Games

We’re speaking with our very own Robert Gelb, co-host of the pod, to discuss his new upcoming game, Aster.

Aster is an ancient space strategy game set in the ever expanding Solari universe, gifted to our ancestors by stellar travellers who sailed the stars on streams of sunlight. With your pieces representing your Skysails, Castras, and Asters you will travel the stellar map and lay claim to unoccupied areas of space on a board in a Seed of Life design.

Gelb discusses the full three year design timeline - experimenting with pieces and new shapes, diving into geometrical patterns, building the lore of Aster, and finding enjoyment in others' fun! 

Show your support for Aster at:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/midnighttradingco/aster-a-game-of-skysails-strategy-and-stellar-influence 

Or go to:
https://midnighttradingco.com/


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

In this episode, we are joined by BadCatGames CEO and founder Justin Morgan-Davies to talk about designing solo, narrative driven games and building games with theme first! 

BadCatGames is an award winning Scottish publisher and creative studio with incredible thematic games such as Gladiatores, Elemenz, and of course DreamEscape - their solo narrative driven adventure through a Lovecraftian nightmare! Justin also discusses their upcoming release, ZeeDice - a frantic, quick-thinking dice game - a riff on his first ever game Elemenz. 

So join in for discussions on Lovecraftian horrors, narrative game design, and building game mechanics around your theme!

See more of BadCatGames at their website - https://badcatgames.co.uk/


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

This week on the Ancient Robot Podcast, we are joined by Jon Hodgson, founder of Handiwork Games (Cold City: Hot War, a|state, Beowulf) a Scotland-based production company of tabletop games.

Handiwork Games is now in its eighth year, starting as an experiment to see if a company like this could exist with full-time employees, offering job security and good working conditions - so far it seems it can!

Tune in to listen to the guys talk about the inception of Handiwork Games, ENNIE wins, grand heists, and his past life working on the likes of The One Ring and the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game.


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

New episode is out now! Dougal and Gelb sit down to discuss the presence of deduction across ALL games - not just where you’d expect!


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

This week we are joined by Alysa Thomas to discuss accessibility in game design and how to assess your game to ensure you are producing a game with others in mind - using Alysa’s constantly evolving Accessibility Framework. 

See Alysa's Accessibility Framework here - https://a11yframework.s.gy/tabletop2026


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

In this weeks episode, the guys sit down to discuss pocket-sized games to take on your travels and entertain your friends no matter where you go!
From trick-taking games, tile laying games, and even strategy games - there isn't any type of game that designers won't cram into your pocket.


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

This week, Dougal and Gelb are joined by Laurence Phillips of Hardy Roach Games to discuss their new game ‘Il Fantasma del Giallo’ - a new TTRPG based on the proto-slasher, horror genre of 1960’s Italian cinema.
This new game has everyone guessing who the killer could be, because it could even be YOU and you would have no idea! Laurence also goes into detail about writing systems with tension and suspense in mind and ways in which he has made his game a horror experience that GMs and players won’t forget! 💀 

👉 Find more of Laurence and his game at his website - https://hardyroachgames.co.uk/il-fantasma-del-giallo/


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

Jamie Heitler joins with Dougal and Gelb to discuss his start in writing TTRPG adventures for various roleplaying systems - especially his favourite of the bunch Mothership - and choosing the right system for the story you want to tell!
 
Find more of Jamie at his itch.io account under Windblown Vagrant - https://windblown-vagrant.itch.io/


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

Dougal and Gelb are back from a long weekend at the UK Games Expo - with Dougal scouring the convention for new games to stock his shop and Gelb selling and demoing his latest games. In this episode, the guys share insights as to what to expect when selling at conventions, and tips on making the most of your time there both as an attendee or a vendor, and some gaming highlights from the weekend! 

For more on the UK Games Expo go to - https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/

Games to check out! 

• Le Chocolat - https://www.allplay.com/board-games/le-chocolat
• Shakespeare the Card Game - https://www.alliesorenemies.com/shakespearethecardgame
• Circadia - https://www.jeuxsynapsesgames.com/products/pre-order-circadia?_pos=1&_sid=07314e4ef&_ss=r&variant=47389812654329
• Not Alone: Remastered Edition - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/468801/not-alone
• Onan - https://www.godcone.studio/product/onan
• Twisted Realms Series - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/insideupgames/crits-and-tricks-tug-of-roar-and-thieves-of-eldris

If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho

Dougal and Gelb are joined by Leithal Hits own, Greg Foster, to discuss the wargaming hobby and their own growing community in Edinburgh of avid 40K fans. Expect usual chaos and derailment as always.

Find out more about Leithal Hits at - https://www.leithalhits.co.uk/


If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode!

Ancient Robot Games - https://ancientrobotgames.co.uk
Midnight Trading Co - https://midnighttradingco.com
Podcast Producer Ryan Scott - https://www.ryanscottmedia.com/

Making or want to make tabletop games in Edinburgh? A new community and coworking space opens May 2025 in Edinburgh! https://ancientrobotworkshop.co.uk

Music: Coffee Break by Sensho