Fun Problems

By AJ Brandon and Peter C. HaywardLeisure Games

Fun Problems episodes

August 01, 2021 #13 Jeff Fraser Interview (Cartouche, Codesigning and more!)
Today we are talking to Jeff Fraser about his experience codesigning Cartouche, and touch on many other topics, such as rule book writing, the psychology of numbers, and more!

Cartouche is coming to KS Aug 3, sign up to get notified when it launches here; https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peterchayward/cartouche

You can try Cartouche right now for free on TTS here; https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2545396343

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

Contact Jeff here; jwfraser.ca

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

Steam curator page - https://store.steampowered.com/cur.../40748469-Fun-Problems/

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
54 min
July 16, 2021 #12 Fixing BGG (Rethinking Genres)
Today we are talking about how to think about genres from new angles by considering the core of what makes games tick. We hope you enjoy!

Cartouche TTS mod - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2545396343

0 Player game - https://youtu.be/N-BbgqOjIqk

MDA original - https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf

Extra Credits has a great breakdown of aesthetics and added the "dominance" aesthetic to the original list here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uepAJ-rqJKA

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

Steam curator page - https://store.steampowered.com/cur.../40748469-Fun-Problems/

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 8 min
July 06, 2021 # 11 Elegance and Cognitive Load
Today we are talking about how to keep depth in your game without overwhelming players with complexity. We hope you enjoy!

Steam curator page - https://store.steampowered.com/cur.../40748469-Fun-Problems/
Pitch Meeting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAhKOV3nImQ
Newsletter - https://jellybean.games/funproblems/
Toby Macguire in the MCU (AJ's 3 favourite clips) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F91UO9xmwo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR-OSmOgPr4
https://youtu.be/p_fm-Cf8qDc?t=469

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 13 min
July 01, 2021 #10 - BONUS Game Names
Today we are talking about naming games. Specifically we work through naming an upcoming title! This is a bonus episode so it's a bit shorter and won't follow our usual format. We hope you enjoy!

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
50 min
June 15, 2021 #9 - Onramping (Designing for the first play)
Today we are talking about onramping; how to get new players into playing and having fun as easily and quickly as possible. Our topics include everything from scenario design to rulebooks to component design and more!

Jeff Fraser - jwfraser.ca

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 8 min
June 02, 2021 #8 - Board Game Terminology (Part 3)
Join us for an in depth conversation on game design!

Today we are talking about board game terms; what they mean, and why they are important and useful.

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 5 min
May 15, 2021 #7 - Board Game Terminology (Part 2)
Join us for an in depth conversation on game design!

Today we are talking about board game terms; what they mean, and why they are important and useful.

Extra Credits
https://www.youtube.com/user/ExtraCreditz
Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics
https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/pubs/MDA.pdf
The Characteristics of Games
https://amzn.to/3v3zc56

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 8 min
April 25, 2021 #6 - Board Game Terminology (Part 1)
Join us for an in depth conversation on game design!

Today we are talking about board game terms; what they mean, and why they are important and useful.

Peter's talk on the "shape" of the game:
https://genesisoflegend.podbean.com/e/episode-181-the-shape-of-your-game/
Peter's talk on "blind/cold" playtesting:
https://boardgamedesignlab.com/the-secret-sauce-of-game-design-with-peter-c-hayward/
Output/Input Randomness thread:
https://twitter.com/peterchayward/status/1140663740804861952?s=20
The thread Peter referenced about verb based design:
https://twitter.com/coilingoracle/status/1237931019153674240

Here are all the books we referenced:
1984: https://amzn.to/3sNJh4z
The Princess Bride: https://amzn.to/3dRvGVH
Fifth Business: https://amzn.to/3dP1sTc
The Uploaded: https://amzn.to/2QUUMtH
S.: https://www.amazon.ca/S-Doug-Dorst/dp/0316201642

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 1 min
March 15, 2021 #5 - Community Submitted Pitches/Hooks
Join us for an in depth conversation on game design!

Today we are talking about "elevator pitches" that members of the community have sent in. What they get right and where they can improve.

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 10 min
February 25, 2021 #4 - Design Space
Join us for an in depth conversation on game design!

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

[email protected]

Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

Noah "Angels" clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbkjkJzREd4

A big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr

About Fun Problems

From the publisher's feed

Board game design is a deep and often challenging pursuit. We explore all aspects of game design and the fun problems (and solutions) that come with it.