Game Design Deep Dive

For this episode, I chat with Betsy Joslyn, a Research Associate for the Joint Advanced Wargaming Division at the Institute for Defense Analysis. Her recent design TURNING TIDES is a microgame demonstrating competing interests between nations to reduce global greenhouse gases at a geopolitical level. We discuss her design approach to great power competition and the virtues of micro-gaming heavy topics.

You can download Turning Tides here

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I chat with 3 first-time designers that I met at San Diego HistoCon. We spoke with Taylor Shuss, designer of Stonewall Uprising(Catastrophe Games), Justin Fassino, designer of Seljuk: Byzantium Besieged (GMT) and with Non-Breaking Space, designer of Cross Bronx Expressway (GMT). 

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Matilda Simonsson is a brilliant designer from Sweden that incorporates handmade components into some incredibly clever games about historical subjects that fuse the intimate with the abstract. I chat with her about her recent release Turncoats, upcoming projects and her collaboration for the second CONSIM Game Jam. 
Milda Matilda Games – I make these by hand (wordpress.com)

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We chat with prolific designer David Thompson of the Undaunted Series (Osprey), Valiant Defense Series (DVG) and his recent collaborations Sniper Elite and Resist!

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In the final episode of Season 1, I chat with Volko Ruhnke. His designs have covered everything from insurgencies in Andean Abyss & Labyrinth to medieval warfare in his Levy & Campaign Series, so his insights draw on a broad design palette. We chat about the impact of assumptions held by historical participants when designing historical games. 

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For a change of pace, we discuss game development with Kai Jensen. Her recent credits include Dominant Species: Marine, SpaceCorp, Welcome to Centerville and Downfall. We discuss her collaborations with the late Chad Jensen, the upcoming Downfall and Kai offers some great development insight for designers.

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In a special crossover episode with Homo Ludens, I chat with Catherine Ramen, designer of Red Carnations on a Black Grave and Fred Serval, designer of Red Flag Over Paris to discuss their distinct approaches to the Paris Commune in their designs while we explore what we can learn from how role-playing games and board games tackle historical subjects. 

Red Carnations on a Black Grave: Red Carnations on a Black Grave [Print+PDF] :: Print+PDF Bundles :: IPR (indiepressrevolution.com)

Red Flag Over Paris 2nd Printing is available on the GMT P500

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I sat down with Emily Yoder and Sebastian Bae to chat about their brilliant design Malign, which was developed to explore the impact of misinformation/malinformation influence campaigns. 

We discuss their game, malign influence and the differences in approach between the world of professional wargame design and its commercial cousin. 

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Amabel Holland has one of the most varied design catalogs, having created train games, dinosaur games, wargames, and unapologetically weird games. She is also one half of the creative force behind the publisher Hollandspiele. 

We discuss her catalogue, the upcoming Siege of Mantua and much much more. 

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In this episode we chat with Damon Stone. Damon has considerable design experience, having created expansions for Netrunner, Call of Cthulhu and Game of Thrones LCGs. He has recently been putting the finishing touches on his board game design Liberation Haiti, which was a Zenobia Award finalist about the Haitian Revolution and his collaboration with Ted Torgersen on the design of Free At Last from the Dietz Foundation. 

We discuss the virtues of designing within constraints, historical game design vs established IP, and the role of narrative in games. 

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