Welcome back to a new episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week we are sitting down with Travis Hancock, founder of Facade Games -- the company behind Salem 1692, Tortuga 1667, Deadwood 1876, Bristol 1350, and the newly Kickstarted Roma XLI. Travis talks about how a slow college summer tweaking Mafia rules turned into a full-blown game company, why social deduction games pull emotions out of people in ways other games can't, and what 70+ iterations of a rulebook actually looks like. We also get into why teachers keep using his games in history classrooms, the magic of giving students a hidden identity to inhabit, and the two very different themes he's considering for his next strategic game. He also shared a game in our ever popular segment “What’cha been playin’...?”! Follow Travis on the socials! Check for @facadegames and will surely find them! (tiktok, IG, Youtube)

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts -- it helps more teachers find the show! Join our Discord community at rebelteacheralliance.com and find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, BlueSky @rtalliance.bsky.social, and TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. You can also find Fabian @hofmannedu.bsky.social, Jamie @jedijamie.bsky.social, and John @meehanedu.bsky.social on BlueSky.

Things mentioned on the show:

• Facade Games -- facadegames.com

• Salem 1692

• Ticket to Ride Legacy

• Pandemic Legacy Season 1 & 2

• Flip Seven