The Cardboard Herald

Kathleen Donahue didn't start as a gamer, but that didn't stop her from opening one of the most celebrated and beloved game stores in recent years, Labyrinth Games & Puzzles in Washington DC! We cover everything from FLGS etiquette to her secret origins brokering chemical cleaner deals with Mexico, not to mention what it's like to live, game, and retail on capital hill. Kathleen has led a fascinating life, and her impact on the gaming scene in DC, through her store, community outreach, and founding the thriving regional convention WashingCon, has been immeasurable.

Aron West, best known as the co-designer of Catacombs, the dexterity dungeon crawl, comes onto the Cardboard Herald to talk with Jack about the development of catacombs, storytelling, designing dexterity games, Kickstarter delays, and the importance of stretching before a con. It was an absolute pleasure to talk with Aron, and with so many upcoming Catacombs projects on the horizon, Jack can't wait to get his flick on. 

Time stamps:

00:00:13 - Intro monologue

00:03:34 - (Interview Starts) - Exercise before / during a convention

00:04:50 - Growing up in Canada / Interests /

00:08:20 - Early Gaming & Design leading to the design of Catacombs

00:14:43 - Reflections on gaming habits and career decisions

00:21:39 - In depth discussion about Catacombs development & release

00:32:00 - Kwanchai Moriya's reimagining of the Catacombs universe

00:42:52 - New games (Catacombs Conquest, Catacombs & Castles, etc...)

00:47:20 - Loyalty to Kickstarter backers

00:53:47 - Advice in designing dexterity / all games

01:00:51 - Outro monologue

If you want to talk with Aron West, he and Catacombs will be at the inaugural Shut Up & Sit Down convention in October and the inaugural PAX Unplugged in November. 

Helpful links of stuff mentioned in the show:

Elzra Games - https://www.elzra.com

BGG Link for Catacombs - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/195137/catacombs-third-edition

Cardboard Cutouts Episode 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yok25uN0-A

The Cardboard Herald on Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Thanks everyone for such great response to the Cardboard Cutouts episode 1. We'll have lots and lots more video content include reviews, early impressions, and Cardboard Cutout recommendations soon!

Morten Monrad Pedersen is best known for his work on the Scythe and Viticulture solo modes, but did you know he too scoffed at solo games just over 5 years ago? I was thrilled to talk with Morten, not only because of his involvement in some of the most celebrated solo games in the industry, but also because his Scythe Automa design was the game that opened my eyes to how and why solo play can be meaningful. We talk about his life growing up in Denmark, his history with computer programming, and how he got wrapped up in all of this solo play stuff with Stonemaier Games.

On this episode, Jack and David talk about Asymmetry in Games, the development of Vast (once known as Trove), family, creativity, story telling, and inspiration. Have you listened to our other podcast TCbH reviews yet? Check it out here http://www.cardboardherald.com/tcbhreviews

You may know Isaac from his numerous Plaid Hat releases, including co-designing the mega-hit Dead of Winter. But what you might not know is that Isaac originally intended to play video games, or how his passion in life is to tell stories. Good thing he found a way to combine the two through tabletop gaming and he couldn't be happier or more appreciative. We talk about life, games, goals, and acceptance. Enjoy!

Jon and Gary of Stone Circle Games come on to talk about how this band of brothers came together, what it's like to start a publishing company from scratch, and their upcoming projects including the October 2017 relaunch of the Battle for Biternia kickstarter. Jack also takes some time to talk about 2017 Spiel des Jahres winner Kingdomino and the expansions Tuscany: Essential Edition and Champions of Midgard: Valhalla & The Dark Mountains.

Here it is, folks! I've been talking about it for almost a year. I finally get a chance to talk with my all-time favorite Magic: the Gathering Artist, Anson Maddocks. Jack and Anson talk about moving to the desert, evolving art styles, the history of some of the most iconic pieces of Magic art, and how he met fellow Alaskan MTG artist Mark Tedin.

Thank you to Rob Conley for extra production help on this episode. You can find Rob on twitter through his D&D live-play podcast, Paper Heroes www.twitter.com/paperheroescast

Jack talks with Gord! designer of Santorini and the brain behind Math Pickle. Gordon talks about his proudest achievements in life, the importance of mathematics AND gaming in a child's education, and the long and storied history of Santorini coming into publication. This episode wraps up my coverage of Dice Tower Con 2017. Special thanks to Chris Douglas and The Death Force for their instrumental track "Barbecue Rag" to exit the show. You can find our review of La Granja: No Siesta here - http://www.cardboardherald.com/reviews/2017/8/3/la-granja-no-siesta-a-pen-paper-pig-allocation-simulator

Jack gets to talk again with Andrew Birkett, one of his favorite people just starting out in the biz! We cover everything from how to deal with the highs and lows of starting out, to how to deal with the highs and lows of a big giant burrito. We also get a glimpse into what going to a hometown convention is like for Andrew.

Jack also talks about new collaborator Luke Muench of Budget Board Gamer in the intro, you can find his review of Champions of Midgard here: http://www.cardboardherald.com/reviews/2017/7/27/champions-of-midgard-trolling-for-wood-with-killer-dice

Jack talks with the podfather himself, Stephen Buonocore. Stephen's company Stronghold has published many of our favorite games, including Terraforming Mars, Space Cadets Dice Duel, and La Granja. We talk about podcasting, beer, conventions, and how great of a community and industry tabletop gaming is. 

Our Terraforming Mars review can be found here: http://www.cardboardherald.com/reviews/2017/6/28/terraforming-mars