Subject Matter: Table Top

New casual catch-up is out! In this episode, Jordan and Steve spend some time discussing the impacts of settler-colonialism on board games, and celebrating the work of the indigenous designers whose games often cut against the grain of colonial play.

Games by Indigenous Creators

Dog Eat Dog by Liam and William Burke; Liwanag Press

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/198050/dog-eat-dog

https://liwanagpress.com/

Coyote & Crow by Connor Alexander et al.; Coyote and Crow LLC

https://coyoteandcrow.net/

https://coyoteandcrow.net/games-accessories/

Wolves by Connor Alexander; Coyote and Crow LLC

https://coyoteandcrow.net/wolves/

Potlatch by N.D.N. Players’ Research Group

https://www.ndnplayers.com/informaton-resources

https://www.ndnplayers.com/

Nunami by Thomassie Mangiok

http://www.nunamigame.com/index.php/en/

Burn the Fort by Klee Benally; Indigenous Action

https://burnthefort.com/

Further Reading / Viewing

No Pun Included, (2021). “Colonialism – The Board Game Struggle” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQuFSxs9VXA&t=21s

LaPensée, E. A., (2016). Indigenous Board Game Design in The Gift of Food. Analog Game Studies, 11(2). https://analoggamestudies.org/2016/03/indigenous-board-game-design-in-the-gift-of-food/

LaPensée, E. A., Laiti, O., & Longboat, M. (2022). Towards Sovereign Games. Games and Culture, 17(3), 328-343. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120211029195

Murray, Soraya. (2021). On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender, and Space. Bloomsbury Publishing. New York. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/on-video-games-9781350217706/

In this episode, SM:TT is joined by Philip Stern, a historian of the British empire, to play John Company 2nd Edition, a game about the rise and fall of the British East India Company. They discuss the colonial origins of the modern corporation, the complex historical relationship between public and private interests, and the capacity for games to dramatize how an empire happens.

In this episode, SM:TT is joined by Michael Goetjen, a musicologist whose research focuses on eighteenth-century opera and the music of Mozart, to play Lacrimosa, a game about Mozart’s final and unfinished composition: “The Requiem.” Together, they discuss the rumor mill of the 18th century music scene, the working conditions of classical composers, and the historical construction of Mozart’s persona as an “artistic genius.”

Happy International Women’s Day! — In this episode, SM:TT is joined by Lisa Tetrault, a historian of U.S. democracy, to play Votes for Women, a game about the struggle for women’s suffrage in America and the historic passage of the 19th amendment. They discuss the obstacles faced by social movements throughout history, the ongoing struggle for voter rights today, and the challenge of making complex historical events more accessible through games.

In this designer deep dive, SMTT talks with Banana Chan, co-designer of Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall and owner and co-founder of Game and a Curry. Banana talks about finding a way into the world of RPG design, what types of games inspired the development of Jiangshi and offers some advice for aspiring designers hoping to write their own RPGs.

Check out Banana's work: https://www.gameandacurry.com/

At long last, the first full-episode of season 2 has arrived! — SM:TT sits down with MIchelle King and Heidi Kim, scholars of Chinese history and Asian American literature respectively, to play Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall, a tabletop RPG about an immigrant family struggling against discrimination while trying to manage their family business in a 1920’s Chinatown.  Along the way, they discuss the centrality of family in Chinese food cultures, the economic challenges faced by Asian immigrants in the twentieth century, and the potential pitfalls of pursuing the historical experiences of marginalized communities through play.

Jordan and Steve catch up with each other after some time away from your feeds. In this episode, they spend a while discussing the many layers of time in tabletop gaming.