Jon Barron, designer of Tricky Time Crisis, Best Candy on the Block, and a few more extremely exciting games in an upcoming Kickstarter (let’s just pause to link the Kickstarter <<< it’s right there!), joins the show to discuss [redacted], injecting theme and flavor into card games, [redacted], [redacted], proxy decks, and a whole bunch of trick-taking and Halloween-ish topics. If you can’t tell already, Dr. Tricky Time has unfortunately messed with the show notes, so you’ll need to tune in for an extremely fun conversation here.

Intro (0:00)

Longest set of prefaces ever (from me) and an interesting explanation of the card distribution in Trick Time Crisis (from Jon).

Halloween #1 (6:47)

Formative Gaming Memory (8:03)

Halloween #2 (10:39)

Notes on Upcoming Kickstarter Project (12:45)

Jon recently talked on the “Dads on a Map” Podcast regarding the upcoming group of games coming to Kickstarter, so I asked him about something he didn’t discuss there. Speaking of there, check that episode out too!

“Halloween” #3 (19:16)

Tricky Time Crisis, Theme, and Daylight Savings Time (25:44)

Jon talks about the creation of the characters in Tricky Time Crisis and how he approaches design in general. And there’s a bit about daylight savings time (and more).

Halloween #4 (44:44)

Proxy Decks (49:09)

Wrap-up Questions (56:50)

A text on Jon’s mind, and things to look out for from him!

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Dust off your headphones and get ready for an amazing talk with Jonathan Cox of JonGetsGames. As a voice that I started listening to early in my time in “the hobby,” being able to talk about Jon’s experiences with board games and how that’s led to this culmination of different work and creation within the space was a real treat. And he designed Spring Cleaning, which I’ve been binging and cannot recommend enough. Listen to us talk about all of that and more!

Order Spring Cleaning Here!

JonGetsGames on YouTube

Introduction (0:00)

Formative gaming experiences and other background information.

Learn While _____ (13:04)

This section spans quite a bit of time (and perhaps could be broken into more chapters?), but Jon talks about what led to the learn while playing format, different processes of learning, and other things he’s created through these various processes (some of this within the framework of a “twist” set of questions [some not]).

Developing Development Work (39:05)

Cleaning Up and/or Mutating One’s Own Designs (46:07)

Jon reflects on creating a learn while playing video for his own game, how creating videos for card games didn’t wind up being too different in general, and a game he’s bringing to the Indie Games Night Market at Pax Unplugged.

Wrap-up Questions (1:06:15)

A text on Jonathan’s mind and things to look out for from him in the future.

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In this episode, I set up some questions (per usual), and Patrick Leder, founder of Leder Games, takes them and leads a delightful conversation about the company, robots, baby simulators, and other less random things not included in this cherry-picked short list. In all seriousness, this episode covers a range of stories and sentiments, and it’s a real (Trick or) Treat.

Check out the Leder Games website.

Check out the upcoming Kickstarter for the next Root expansion.

Introduction (0:00)

A slightly tweaked first question asking Patrick about some foundational gaming memories, transition to design/publishing, and where asymmetry entered into all of this.

All Things Four - Part I: Words (19:18)

Four words to describe Leder Games.

All Things Four - Part II: Titles (27:19)

Titling various things to only words with four letters.

All Things Four - Part III: Texts (38:20)

Various texts Patrick picks that capture the essence of Leder in some way.

All Things Four - Part IV: Potluck (50:36)

Semi-random questions that all just kind of fit here.

Wrap-up Questions (1:07:56)

A couple of texts on Patrick’s mind and things to look out for from him and Leder Games.

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These will be the shortest show notes yet because I have more than enough words in the episode itself.

Listen for some unique insights from Board Game Arena developer ufm, and check out all of their BGA adaptations here (you might need to have an account to see this page?).

Also, thanks for being a part of this journey. It's been a blast.

Also also, I think the instructions for the giveaway are pretty clear, so listen to the episode for details on that.

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Justin Jacobson, owner and president of Restoration Games, joins the show to talk about what drives the company, especially as it's doing something quite different in the hobby board game space. In a world of “digital” remakes, remasters, and re-imaginings of all sorts of different texts, there really aren’t many analogous examples in the analog space. Hearing a lot of the story of Restoration Games, having a lengthy chat about one of my favorite game systems (I say one of, but it’s probably number one), and everything in-between makes this a very special episode.

Check out the Restoration Games website here.

Games, Law, and a Perfect Partnership (0:00)

Introductory information about the things Justin was playing, his work in law, and how all of that came together when he first started working with Rob Daviau.

UN-FREAKING-MATCHED (25:20)

The conversation here is simply Unmatched…

This section talks about card titles, evolution in the creation process, tournament play, the strength of the Restoration Games team, and more.

Return to Restoration Tower (50:25)

Part One- The soul of the restored game.

Part Two- Other texts in other mediums that Justin would like to see restored or brought back in some way.

Wrap-up Questions (1:06:47)

A text on Justin’s mind and what to look out for from Restoration Games in the future!

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Daniel Newman, board game designer and New Mill Industries owner, joins the show today to talk about a bunch of really fun topics. The conversation includes, but is not limited to, New Mill, trick-taking games, punk rock, and how one could make impromptu card stands. With a focus on making different designs more readily available and finding work that might be a little too niche for the mainstream market, Daniel’s vision and work in the board gaming space fills a very unique and important space.

Check out the site for some pre-orders: https://www.newmillindustries.com/

Introduction (0:00)

What sort of things Daniel was playing and then designing and how that all led to the awesome publishing company he’s running these days.

“Punk Rock Starter Pack” (9:08)

A little bit of a discussion as to what punk means- its ethos and message and how that ties to Daniel’s vision- is followed by the show’s first ever Genre Starter Pack. Daniel brings up some awesome musicians and texts that capture the aforementioned ethos.

Focus and Design (24:45)

The evolution and increased output of New Mill demand different things from the publishing standpoint, so we talk about that balance and considerations regarding Daniel’s designs and how he’s looking to publish them.

A Couple of Trick-Takers (39:16)

With the preceding “twist” of the episode revealed by now, Daniel talks about a couple of his favorite trick-takers, with and without the additional mechanisms (twists, wrinkles, etc.).

Indie Games Night Market and Wrap-up Questions (45:45)

After briefly talking about the Indie Games Night Market previously in the episode, the little chat about it here ties well to the wrap-up questions (primarily the many things to look out for from Daniel and New Mill in the future).

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Vodcast 3 - Summer Solo-stice: ROVE (a great solo game) and all Solitary Things

A hair shorter than the last couple of “Vodcasts,” and that was a part of this episode’s solo challenge. With that mild dose of brevity, there are some interesting thoughts here, and they’re a bit punchier. In this episode, I break down the awesome solo game, ROVE: Results-Oriented Versatile Explorer. Additionally, and hopefully in a not “preachy” way, I just talk about some of the ways in which I’ve enjoyed doing all sorts of different things “solo,” how I have held myself back from doing others, and what sort of things might stand in one’s way when trying to jump into something new. The whole message is just meant to be a positive one, hopefully encouraging both you and me to keep pushing towards doing the things we truly want to do.

Happy June Solstice and Happy Seasons to everyone, wherever and whenever you’re listening to this episode.

There's another giveaway! Fill out the General Feedback Form in the contact information below if you're interested in the first official VOLPG, or "Vod Offloading Lightly Played Games." Listen to the episode to find out which GAMES(!) are being given away to a lucky winner. The one thing I forgot to mention in the episode is that this would be US only due to shipping. That said, if you're elsewhere in the world, please fill out this survey anyway, and I'll see if I can enter you in a future drawing or send something fun your way, somehow.

Fill out this feedback form to enter!

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Insanely talented artist and creator, Tyler Miles Lockett joins the show to talk about some upcoming projects. Tyler is creating the art for Renier Knizia’s Ichor, Lockett Studio (a really exciting project that we chat about for a bit!), and his HUGE upcoming book, Lockett Studio: Greek Gods and Heroes. Through a long time of traveling and creating, Tyler is looking to bring forth stories from throughout history and the world.

Check out Tyler’s work through this Linktree.

Additionally, be on the lookout for Bitewing game’s upcoming Kickstarter that has Ichor as one of two Knizia games specifically designed for two and put in a Greek Mythology setting.

In the interview, Tyler asks for some “casual game” recommendations. At the end, I said I’d send them over and put them in the show notes. So you’ll be privy to all of the words that I shared (some behind the scenes stuff here so as to not be left out. Due to that, I’ll just title the sections and timestamp them instead of going into depth for each.

Convergence of Art and Mythology (0:00)

Digital Nomad (26:34)

Lockett Studio (41:56)

Wrap-up Questions [Text on Mind & Things to Look out for from Tyler] (1:02:14)

GAME RECOMMENDATIONS

Santorini (2) - You mentioned Chess, and this one is an “abstract” like that, but much simpler. It’s really dynamic and has fun physicality. It’s typically quite quick; it’s my most played game of all time (has the slightest “Greek Mythology” setting to it with the special powers, but I hardly use those anyway).

Prey Another Day (4-5) - This one feels as social of a card game as it gets. It’s kind of like “double think” the game. Your group will make up metas and counter-metas and just be vocal through the whole experience.

Ra (2-5 [two seems polarizing though]) - On the higher end of the casual spectrum, but I don’t think it’s too challenging to learn and teach. Designed by Reiner Knizia himself, so the game does a lot with its minimal ruleset.

DroPolter (2-5) - New to my collection, but I think this one will always be with me in a game bag. It’s a dexterity game where you try to drop certain pieces from your hand. If you win a round, you gain a bell as a victory point. That bell gets added to your hand, and you do not want to drop it. This game is great.

Sprawlopolis (1-2) - I’ve only played this one solo, but it’s a puzzly game using just eighteen cards. For me, it’s one of several Buttonshy Games that I’ll bust out if I need a quick break to play a game but do not have much time.

Just One (4-7+ [the plus would need some extra white boards or paper could work too) and So Clover! (2-6) - I’ve had Just One longer but have technically played So Clover! more. You can’t really go wrong with either, but I do think that Just One needs more people in order to make it a better experience. They’re both just really social word-party games.

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Artist of a million different things (with many of those most recent projects being board games), Alisha Giroux joins the podcast to discuss art, board games, some neat stories about how some collaborations came to be, AI, and a whole bunch of other great insights.

Check out Alisha’s work in these links below:

Store

Portfolio

Linkpop for Instagram and other pages

BoardGameGeek

Art 101

Alisha’s background in graphic design and how that’s been a base for which the ever-present passion for art has grown.

Games and Collaboration and Redwall and Creative Advice (17:02)

The third “and” in Redwall ties to the other elements extremely heavily, and it’s a special story about how Alisha was able to work with legendary artist, Gary Chalk. Additionally, Alisha shares how some of the cats in Cat Blues: The Big Gig were created. This is a really special and inspiring portion that makes you think about all of the stories that show the love, circumstances, and unique ways in which things happen are behind the art that we consume.

AI AIn’t It (1:01:42)

A little over a year ago, Alisha gave a presentation titled “The Creative Fingerprint” at CreativeMornings Ottawa. This talk goes over what’s being done with AI in art, and this section of the episode goes over what’s changed since then.

Projects (1:12:45)

A look into some of the aforementioned different mediums where Alisha is creating.

Wrap-up Questions (1:17:06)

A “current hyper-fixation” and what to look out for from Alisha.

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General feedback form - (your thoughts are appreciated!)

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A just me episode where I (start to) discuss "balance" in board games, other mediums, and life in general. A lot of the purpose of the episode is to introduce future topics while bringing up some of the things I've been up to that made me think about those topics. There wound up being some interesting connections in here too, and I'm looking forward to many future guests/topics mentioned here. The episode then thinks about ways in which board games use expansions/new versions/etc. to follow up an initial entry. And then there's a brief ramble about Hades II.

There's another giveaway! Fill out the General Feedback Form in the contact information below if you're interested in the first official VOLPG, or "Vod Offloading Lightly Played Games."

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Contact, follow, and support information:

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General feedback form - (your thoughts are appreciated!)

Buy Me a Coffee