Designer Brian Mayer talks about the inspiration and challenges involved in creating a cooperative game that gives players key roles in the Abolitionist movement and sets them the task of ending slavery.

Tom Donelan from Heartland Consumer Products talks about the Square Shooters Game Design Contest. Submit an original game using their card/dice and you could be published AND win $2,000!

Al Waller from Out of the Box stops by to talk about Snake Oil, a game about shifty salesmen pitching crazy products to skeptical customers. We also learn about the development of Quack-a-Doodle-Moo, a reboot of the very popular Snorta party game.

Diceometry Puzzle by David Coleson. 10 clues lead to 10 game titles. Use the hidden art of "diceometry" to unlock the solution. Solve the puzzle and you could win a prize!

Bernie DeKoven is Major Fun. He has dedicated his life to the idea of fun and the importance of play for all! Part 3 of our interview explores his game commune, a public play day in Philadelphia, the Whole Earth Catalog and early video game design.

Movies have the Oscars. Games have the Spiel des Jahres. We play and review the three nominees, Augustus, Hanabi, and Qwixx, and try to predict the winner.

High stakes, higher strategy? The Kennerspiel des Jahres is given to the best advanced board game of the year. From Belgium to Italy to a realm in need of heroes, we review Bruges, Palaces of Carrara and Legends of Andor and try to predict the winner.

Child's play. From treasure hunters to mechanical towers and crazy cosmic cows, we review three games nominated for the Kinderspiel des Jahres (German Children's Game of the Year) and try to predict the winner.

Mind manipulators. We review 3 family friendly games that mess with your head in 3 different ways: Just In Time (twist your pieces to solve timed puzzles), Dotzee (a slide puzzle with dice), and Clubs (a mash up of Spades and ladder games like Tichu).

A well-placed banana. From comrades in rockets to apes in bumper cars, we review Kosmonauts and Spin Monkeys - two programmed movement games that give us a fresh look at the genre.