The Game Design Round Table

Tana Tanoi, technical designer at Dinosaur Polo Club, joins Dirk to discuss designing Mini Motorways and Mini Metro, as well as what goes into designing games that simulate the real world. Topics include the power of simulation, the difficulties in making a realistic yet entertaining city builder, differences in scale between mobile and desktop games, and knowing when a prototype has hit the mark.

Carlos Flores, director of NABERS, and Jess Metherigham, chair of Unlock Democracy, join Dirk in discussing the Green Games Guide, a resource geared towards  sustainability in games, and the reality of what it takes to make a game truly sustainable.  Topics include real-world concerns of environmental policy, what options are available to companies both large and small, the expenses involved with making a sustainable game, and transitioning consumers into new materials and product quality.

Matt, Creative Director for Inworld AI, joins Dirk and David to talk about the potential of generative AI to push the boundaries of what games can do. The three discuss how AI has developed, and what possibilities the technology may hold. Topics include the history of AI, how Inworld serves game developers, current practical uses for AI tools, and how player-driven experiences can be created to draw people together.

AR game designer Graham Moore joins Dirk and David to talk about his work merging tabletop wargaming with augmented reality technology. Topics discussed include how AR can benefit wargaming, the balance of information clarity and tactical decision making, and how things like variable setup options and additional data can help gamers feel better about victory and defeat. Graham also talks about the experience of working with his son on their game project and offers some advice for game designers.

Former cohost Rob Daviau joins Dirk and David to discuss card games in the context of his upcoming game Unmatched Adventures.  After catching up on the state of Rob’s company Restoration Games, the trio start their deep dive into the card game Unmatched, including its origins with Star Wars: Epic Duels and what makes the system deep enough for tournament play but simple enough for casual or family play. Rob also talks about adding co-op to the system with Unmatched Adventures, and the challenges that came with making it backwards compatible with previous Unmatched sets. The group ends the show talking about cards as components. Link for crowdfunding campaign: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/856d2baa-cefb-4ae3-a7af-09966bf90339/landing  

Kathryn rejoins Dirk and David to answer several questions from listeners in our Discord channel. Former cohost Rob Daviau also records a bonus answer to a question about legacy games.

In another round table episode, Kathryn joins Dirk and David to discuss three previous episodes on the podcast. The first topic is a discussion on information presentation, specifically how much info to include on cards. The middle topic covers unique types of games that the hosts have always enjoyed and wished they could see more of. Finally, the trio talks at length about the tricky art of knowing when to ship a game and how to set a deadline.

Fertessa Allyse joins Dirk and David to talk about her path in the tabletop industry. She talks about the relatively quick progress she made by iterating over and over on her core idea for Book of Villainy. Then the group discusses her other design projects, Wicked and Wise as well as Mansplaining, before moving on to her current role at Funko Games. Fertessa talks at length about how Funko Games’ IP-focused designs are handled, and how her work as a producer has helped her become a better designer as well

Designer Nikki Valens joins Dirk and David once again to talk about a couple of Nikki’s projects since they were last on the show. The discussion focuses on Artisans of Splendent Vale, a co-op narrative and tactical game coming out this December. The trio also talk about Quirky Circuits, a co-op programming game that came out a few years ago. Other topics include the effect of the pandemic on design and development, as well as Nikki’s experience at Fantasy Flight.

Board game designer Julio Nazario joins Dirk and David to talk about his success in publishing a variety of distinct games in a relatively short amount of time. The trio talk about the vertical, 3D elements of Ctrl and Holi: Festival of Colors, and then the conversation turns to how layering mechanics makes Dulce a deeper game with a shorter playtime. Then a detailed discussion on pitching to publishers eventually leads to an explanation of Julio’s game Borikén: The Taíno Resistance.