Podcast
The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast
Hosted by Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, Trevor Muller-Hegel · EN
Join game designers Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, and Trevor Muller-Hegel as they analyze published games from a game developer's perspective. Each month, they pick a new game mechanic and three games to play in that genre. Each episode is 20 minutes of pure game design nerdiness!
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
131. Scout
May 600:24:10Tap to summarizeWhy subtract points for leftover cards? What makes once-per-game actions compelling? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda climb the ladder in Scout.
Transcribe →130. Autobattler Board Games
Apr 2900:24:28Tap to summarizeWhat are the advantages of board games over video games for autobattlers? How do you make random actions look intentional? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor discuss autobattlers.
Transcribe →129. Tag Team
Apr 2200:22:01Tap to summarizeWhat makes for satisfying blocking mechanics? Why does repetition matter? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie duke it out in Tag Team.
Transcribe →128. Magical Athlete
Apr 1500:22:01Tap to summarizeAre choices necessary to keep players engaged? How does art support gameplay? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor choose their racers in Magical Athlete.
Transcribe →127. Challengers
Apr 800:28:15Tap to summarizeHow do you scale the strength of an automa opponent? Is it okay to score random amounts of points? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda fill up the bench in Challengers.
Transcribe →126. The Cones of Dunshire
Apr 100:36:49Tap to summarizeDoes phase order matter? How do you reward bookkeeping? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor pick up some flashy tricks in The Cones of Dunshire.
Transcribe →125. Trading Card Games
Mar 2500:41:27Tap to summarizeWhat can you do if you want to make a TCG? What makes a good resource system? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda talk about Trading Card Games.
Transcribe →124. Star Wars: Unlimited
Mar 1800:31:38Tap to summarizeWhat limits should there be on deck construction? Should all cards be usable as resources? The Force is with Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie in Star Wars: Unlimited.
Transcribe →123. Pokémon TCG
Mar 1100:32:25Tap to summarizeShould mechanics call out specific cards by name? Why would a player use a weaker attack instead of a stronger one? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor gotta catch 'em all in the Pokémon TCG.
Transcribe →122. Magic: The Gathering
Mar 400:42:57Tap to summarizeDo keywords make deckbuilding approachable? How do you spotlight certain cards? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda tap their lands for mana in Magic: The Gathering.
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