Table Talk

Who better to see KeyForge through its next era than the founder of Fantasy Flight Games - Christian T. Petersen. Join us for a wonderfully candid conversation about GameFound, crowdfunding, retail, organized play, PvE, and the future of the first unique deck game with an undeniable visionary of the tabletop gaming space.

Card games - and so many things in life - aren't always about having it all. As the expectations around "instant" card access and competitive advantage skew the original TCG (and LCG) equation, we look to our recent Sorcery One Box Meta series as proof that a more joyful approach may well be available to all of us.

When the largest TCG marketplace buys one of the largest TCG content and event management entities, it's sure to have an impact on the industry. Join two non-Magic players as they look into the future - and inevitably dig up old questions about the concept of collectibility.

This week, Ghost Galaxy (run by former FFG founder Christian Petersen) announced that their reboot of KeyForge would be kicked off by a GameFound campaign for the first "new" set, Winds of Exchange. The questions this raises, and their potential answers, says as much about the industry as it does about KeyForge - so join us as we try to unpack it all. We'd love to hear your thoughts about this podcast on the #podcast-discussion channel of our Discord - cov.link/discord!

Hot on the heels of SolForge Fusion's release and our subsequent podcast (Ep 194) about the Future of Unique Deck Games, Christian Petersen's Ghost Galaxy Games announces their acquisition of KeyForge and a full release of two PvE scenarios - Keyracken and Abyssal Conspiracy. Does the future look different for either of the unique deck games now that there's more competition in the space? Join us as we entertain that exact question!

Confused or overwhelmed by all the seemingly insane things that players say in this hobby? Join us as we define terms like "aggro", "limited", "bounce", and even TC classics like "bugatti". You'll be up to speed in no time!

For the final episode of the series, Steven and Zach tackle the issue of "free" effects in games with an approach now influenced by all of the previous Power Seven conversations. Notably, can anything really be "free"?

Concepts like "mana screw" and "non-games" have existed in card gaming from the start, stemming from the reality that sometimes you do not draw the resource cards you need to play out your deck. With more recent designs doing away with resource cards entirely, we call up Isaac Vega (Dead of Winter, Ashes, Rose Gauntlet) to ask if this approach to game systems still has value, or if it is simply an outdated mechanic with more downside than upside.

Designers often employ powerful effects that target specific cards or archetypes when a meta becomes unbalanced. But is this ever the right answer? Our dear friend Alex Davy (Star Wars: X-Wing, Star Wars: Legion) joins us for an enticing conversation about silver bullets, with clear examples from Star Wars: X-Wing and Lord of the Rings TCG!

Huge board states, compounding static effects, unlimited stacked triggers - some games can get to a point where simply operating the rules is difficult and making meaningful decisions feels impossible. We've brought in Justin Gary (Ascension, SolForge, Magic PT) to unpack the benefits and drawbacks of certain mechanics as they relate to the memory tax, and whether or not modern game design should include them.