Please take a look at Radlands on Kickstarter. I honestly think the game looks amazing. And I don’t only mean the astonishing art, but also the gameplay and mechanics. I just backed it myself and am looking forward to adding it to my collection. (and no, I don’t get paid for saying that (unfortunately not )

Today we have a very interesting guest in the Nerdlab. He is not only a former winner of the Australian Scrabble Championship. In 2005 he also placed third in the Magic the Gathering Australian National Championship and represented Australia in the World Championship. And while that’s pretty impressive already, that’s not why he’s here on the show today. I invited him to the show because he is also a fellow game designer. He is a former Magic the Gathering external developer and the designer of Radlands, one of the hottest games currently on Kickstarter. At the time we speak, the game has reached almost 240k euros on Kickstarter and I am pretty confident that this number will go up over the next couple of days. I am very happy to have Daniel Piechnick on board for today’s show. So please welcome with me, the Designer of Radlands.

Here are some of the topics we talked about in the show:

In today’s episode, I analyze the new keywords and mechanics of the Magic the Gathering set “Kaldheim”. Especially “Foretell” and “Boast” which are very different. One has a lot of clear visible information and asks a very precise and direct question to your opponent, while the other is adding hidden information and keeps your opponent in the dark.

I used this interplay of hidden and visible information in this set to dive a bit deeper into the topic of hidden information and what it can add to your game if done correctly.

In today’s episode, I explain my method of learning the language of my target audience? In order to do so, I asked people over at Reddit about what they like about Dueling Strategy Card Games and identified their answers and especially the words and language they used. The goal is to later adopt their words, their problems, needs, emotions, and experiences to better deliver your marketing message.

Link to the Reddit post:

Important Links for this episode:

Today we have a fellow game designer in the Nerdlab. I can remember that I followed his Instagram profile a time ago because I was impressed by the art of the game. It is hard to explain on a podcast without any visual support, but it looks very natural and hand-drawn and not digitally overpolished like many other art styles. For me, it felt unique and sparked my interest. While reading through the rules of the game on Instagram I became more and more curious (because it had a lot of exploring, discovering, and adventuring aspects) and decided to reach out and ask for an interview. And I mean who doesn’t like a Cthulhu theme. So please welcome with me Patrick Kelleher, the Designer of Heart of Cthulhu.

Topics of the show:

Important Links for this episode:

Today I have the honor to talk to a very experienced and very successful game designer. I don’t think I know anyone else who has worked with so many super exciting IPs . This includes brands such as Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Dungeons and Dragons, Marvel, Star Trek and X-Men. But he doesn’t just work with IPs in, let’s call them, ” existing universes”. No, he also thinks up his own game worlds. And that’s also something we want to talk about today. The differences between working with an IP and starting from scratch. His own creations include games like Dungeon Alliance and Core Worlds. Core Worlds in particular is a game I’d like to learn a bit more about today. Please join me in welcoming Andrew Parks, designer of Core Worlds.

Some Topics of this Episode:

Connect with the Nerdlab Community:

Important Links for this episode:
Crimson Company Website
Upcoming Kickstarter Expansion of Crimson Company

Today we have two special guests in the Nerdlab. And if it weren’t for Corona they might even be physically in the Nerdlab right next to me because we live very close together. But not only do we live very close to each other, but we also have very very similar tastes when it comes to games. They enjoy strategy card games as much as I do and have designed and published their own card game. It relies heavily on skill, is about sellswords, and my all-time favorite mechanic drafting. I am very curious to talk about their game, their journey, and their plans for the future.

Some Topics of this Episode:

Today I would like to talk a bit about the highlights and pitfalls of the past year to derive my new goals for 2021. 
If you haven’t set your own goals for 2021, I recommend you listen to Episode 8 of the Nerdlab about Goalsetting. In this episode, I describe my 4 step approach to setting goals as a game designer. 

Looking back on the past year I have to make a clear distinction between my role as a game designer and as a podcaster.

I will start with the role as a podcaster.

Connect with the Nerdlab Community:
Join the Nerdlab Discord
Join the Nerdlab Community
Nerdlab Website
Nerdlab Facebook Page
Nerdlab on Twitter
Nerdlab on Instagram