Intertextual Experience: A Board Game Podcast

The first ever "Vodcast." So while a warning that this one is just me is potentially apt, it's a huge step up from the "Yearly Reflection" episode. Part of the reason this exists is due to the fact that now is my turbo-busy season. Another reason it exists is because there are some good thoughts in here that I want to keep continuing in this Vodcast format, whether that's due to being too backed up to have scheduled interviews or not, and elsewhere. The show discusses this in more detail. Future episodes will have less administrative stuff too, but there is a lot of gratitude being expressed in the early part of this episode, so thank you for being a part of my board gaming journey.Apocalands/Duel Intro (22:12)Radlands Intro (30:42)----------------------------------------------------------Contact, follow, and support information:vodthepod@gmail.comTwitterInstagramGeneral feedback form - (your thoughts are appreciated!)Buy Me a Coffee

Ray Billings, Digital Content Specialist for The Op, joins the show to share her expertise in all things related to marketing and creating media for board games. Don’t let my lack of knowledge on the subject make you Tapple out of this conversation, as Ray’s wit and wisdom will provide many Hues and Cues as to how you too can authentically create for the things you are passionate about.Cheesiness aside, this episode is amazing. Being able to look at board games through this lens provides a ton of insight not just for the sake of how we might pitch games as products, but also as to how we can create and talk in ways that make games a more welcoming space. Additionally, there’s talk about Katamari, email factories, live streaming, lingo, and so much more.Check out Ray’s work on The Op’s TikTok page, her own Bluesky account, the R&R Show, and the BoardGameWire feature discussed in the episode!Games Mentioned in this Episode⚀ Intro (0:00) The moment where Ray’s skills and interests intersected. Also, job titles.⚁ Hats (10:23) The aforementioned “Email Factory” is just a part of Ray’s day to day. Furthermore, the day to day will vary with all sorts of different days at the office, conventions, and everything else that can pop up. Ray also talks about being on the R&R Show, live streaming, and other fun work stories.⚂ “How board game maker The Op got 8 million TikTok views last month” (31:19)Early in her position at The Op, Ray wrote a feature for BoardGameWire based on some wild success she achieved. This section discusses the article, both from how that core vision holds and how things have changed with time/changes in media/experience.⚃ Hypotheticals (40:26) “How would you approach digital media and marketing if you were the Digital Content Specialist of …?” That’s this section.⚄ Wrap-up Questions (59:12) A big shout out for the fact that Ray was recently recognized as a finalist for the Wonder Woman Award for Women in Toys nonprofit organization! Per usual, we’re talking about some texts on her mind and looking forward to some things in Ray’s future.-----------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

2025 World Series Game One Release DateIntertextual Experiences enthusiastically welcomes back the once 16th guest of the show, Ruel Gaviola. Ruel’s passion for baseball was made known to me through our first episode, seeing his social media posts (check out Ruel’s Bluesky), and running into Ruel in his vibrant Dodger blue hat at Gen Con. So when “my” Brewers (attempted to) face his Dodgers, I knew I had to reach out. In this episode, we chat about baseball, a couple baseball related games, seventh-inning stretches, what a “seventh-inning stretch” type of game could be, baseball movies, and so much more. Come for the baseball, stay for a delightful conversation with insights about how constantly refocusing in the midst of creating media that brings people joy so that things are well-balanced while one (Ruel in this instance) is making so ——rewordIn addition to his Bluesky, check out Ruel’s YouTube channel, Good Morning Society, and The R&R Show (on Rahdo’s Runthrough–just linked an episode here.Much like a seventh inning stretch, where you’re trying to cram in a bathroom break, vending trips for a hot dog, maybe some nachos, beers (?), and, of course, singing, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” this episode tries to pack a lot into a short period of time. The chapters will just be the three “outs” of an inning because the sections in this episode are a little less concrete than normal (which is saying something), which kind of makes sense within the context of an inning’s structure.First Out (0:00)Welcoming back Ruel to the showRuel’s love of the gameGoing to the ballpark Baseball moviesTed Lasso?MoreSecond Out (19:57)Seventh-inning stretch board games?Seventh-inning stretch in generalMascot racesBaseball scorekeepingBaseball board gamesMoreFinal Out (46:03)Usual wrap-up questions:A text on Ruel’s mind & where to check out Ruel and his work!Games mentioned in this episode document.Episode Image Credits:Image by Books Sun from Pixabay-----------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

Intertextual Experience is now over the hill with its 40th guest and is also over the moon that it’s with designer, developer, and podcaster, Pete Wissinger. Pete’s also a teacher, so this episode thinks about the relationships between teaching and gaming as well as how the unique schedule of being a teacher can aid and/or hinder being creative in the board game space. We talk about coffee consumption, games that work well in the classroom, the idea of learning in general, designer diaries, cursed concoctions of board game mechanisms, and so much more.Check out Pete on the Decision Space Podcast, Bluesky, and BoardGameGeek.The show is structured around a “Play-CT” test, which isn’t really like the ACT in any way whatsoever. While having the freedom to choose going through this line of questioning in any way he’d like, Pete—**spoilers**—chooses to go through it chronologically. The document provided for Pete is going to be linked here, and I’ll also add the games mentioned in the episode at the bottom of that document: That documentSeeing as the document provides all of the questions and it’s easily accessible, the chapter breakdowns will be short (and/or goofier than normal, if possible).Intro (0:00)English (13:19)It’s all about context here. Some introductory questions in addition to chatting about what designer diaries can add to the experience of all parties involved.Quick Math (43:20)Only the most accurate percentages are accepted as correct answers here, and there’s a Google Drawn balancing scale thing on the document linked above that’s definitely worth checking out.Reading [Into Things] (55:00)This section is mostly about connections:Links between designing, podcasting, and developingPeople to the hobby itselfetc.Science? (1:11:56)Like a peanut butter and mayo sandwich, Pete concocts some game combinations that might sound disgusting but are actually delicious (the game ideas do actually sound fun though—that sandwich would be puke-inducing).Writing and Extra Credit (1:17:01)Writing here is the substitute for the usual wrap-up questions, and extra credit is extra credit.-----------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

What does it mean to exist? In a world where humans are essentially replaced by bees that have evolved in their sentience and capabilities (primarily in space travel, as they already were super capable), that’s a question for them to deal with.Anyway/fortunately, designer Connie Vogelmann is the captain of the cosmic journey that is this show’s 39th episode. Through Connie’s beekeeping knowledge and design acumen, the flight is much more smooth than if I were to navigate the design spaces of her fantastic game Apiary.Each action is paired with hopefully not too tenuously connected questions, and Connie additionally details the actions as well as some strategies behind those actions. For the sake of not spoiling those choices too much (Connie picks each action after initially being assigned Explore), each chapter/section that matches the action will be vaguely described.Check out Connie’s designs on BoardGameGeekSocial media on Blueskyand the upcoming expansion to Wyrmspan, the Dragon Academy expansion.Intro (0:00)Explore (8:48)I did say this was the first action, and Connie discusses what caused the bees to rise in power.The Titular Cleansing Flight (15:24)Some fun facts linked to specific tiles in the game (hopefully vague enough).Before the Bees Went to Space (23:44)Apiary didn’t initially take place in space. How did that alter/potentially open up the design?Queen Competition? (31:35)There is no queen competition in the game. Connie explains how that doesn’t really fit into the game’s general feeling and mechanisms.Wyrmspan! (44:52)Birds to dragons. Dragons to the comments. Lore and more.How Much Favor is Too Much Favor? (49:06)The sheer amount of content and variety in Apiary is staggering. It allows for you to play radically different from game to game, and adapting my plays in different tactical ways is one of my favorite parts about the game. Connie talks about balancing all of that here.“Hibenation” (55:03)AKA the typical wrap up questions: a text on Connie’s mind and what to look out for from her as she transitions to board game design full time!Games mentioned in the episode document.-----------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

Mr Ben, a creator with many hats, joins the show to talk about his online store, travel-games.co.uk and the different sides of the hobby travel-games is entering by way of design, publication, localization, mystery boxes that expose people to a variety of games coming out of the Tokyo Game Market, and much more. Instead of blathering on, I’ll leave you with this great quote of Mr Ben’s in the episode: “He’s not harmful; he just drives you a little bit mad, which I think is quite nice, so I made a little story about that, which I’m going to put in the box, I think.” Travel-games is linked above, but here it is again!Information about Best of Neapolitan on Trickster's Table.Mr Ben's Design PageIntroduction (0:00)How Mr Ben’s board gaming background led to travel-games.co.uktravel-books.games.movies.adaptations (11:06)Opening the mystery box.Intertextuality at its finest. What Mr Ben is reading as well as some book adaptations that work on the screen and cardboard.Rotating Poultry (25:49)Mr Ben’s design process and a whole bunch of awesome games to look forward to!”The Underdog” (45:26)This title really doesn’t have that much to do with the section? But it’s a Spoon song.I guess I can BOAST that I make really ridiculous chapter titles.Or that I eat a lot of Neapolitan.Or both. 8-bits and bobs (1:12:46) Handhelds and retro gaming.Wrap-up Questions (1:25:32)Some texts on Mr Ben’s mind as well as even more to look out for from him![As it's about one in the morning, I'm realizing the "games mentioned Google Doc" is incomplete. That will be uploaded some time during the day of 8/13]-----------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

Josh Wood, designer and developer at AEG, joins the show as I lead him on a tour of my great home state, Wisconsin. Despite my chaotic whims as a tour guide, Josh had some say in the destination choices, “drafting” between one of two locations for our third through sixth stops—with those selections discarding a different set of prepared questions. Fortunately for you, the third member of this trip, you were in for a treat no matter what locations/questions were selected, as Josh’s attention to detail, place, movement, stories, art, and experience leave you with a fantastic episode (and awesome games; go check out Josh’s games).Josh’s: BGG PageInstagramBlueskyLet’s Go! To Japan Designer Diary #1…. and #2Pre-timestamp/chapter notes note:As the structure of this a selection between locations that each have their own linked question, these notes won’t explicitly spell out “where” we’re going or what the question is explicitly, but there will be a high-level idea mentioned. The first two locations were kind of linked to some introductory thoughts, so those will be more normal. Additionally, the travel distances will be posted on the Games Mentioned in this Episode Google Doc (click if you listened, otherwise you’ll be spoiled a bit).Show Introduction and the Apostle Islands (0:00)How Josh’s background in visual effects has entered his game design mixed in with some stories behind his art/art direction.Spring Green/House on the Rock (10:33)Josh talks about the story behind Let’s Go! To Japan and other autobiographical elements of his design. Some of the aforementioned focus on place and theme take place here as well.[Semi-related, but I misspoke and said this was a Frank Lloyd Wright design. While he is a part of the story, he definitely wasn’t the person who designed it, as that was Alex Jordan Jr., so look up more of that story because it’s pretty interesting.]All That Glitters is not Bronze? (28:33)The first selected location!Production, pieces, and tactility.Dark of the Moon (37:50)Development and curation.On the Shoulders of Mammoths (46:24)Movement as an extra dimension in games.Burratahead (54:31)Green and gold and cheesy goodness.Wrap-up Questions (1:00:25)We take an unexpected final stop to talk about the show’s expected final questions: some texts on Josh’s mind as well as designs and developments to look out for from him.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBluesky — @intertextuality.bsky.socialCheck out my game, Oversized Sandwich, on BGG and DriveThruCards (to purchase)‬

Chad Elkins, Founder and Lead Developer at 25th Century Games, joins the show for its 25th 36th episode. This episode is so piping hot that you’ll need your best stoneware mug to keep it contained. Through a ton of insightful commentary on general development, localization, and reprinting games, and the fun stories surrounding all of these processes, there are so many takeaways to things I’d been wondering about for some time. Chad also gives away the “formuoli” for getting the rights to something like Ra. With so much enjoyable conversation here, make sure you Run Run Run! to wherever you listen to your podcasts and check out this episode.There’s a lot to look out for 25th Century Games, so check out their website, social media profiles, and current crowdfunding project (wrapping up soon, but there will be a late-pledge option on Kickstarter until the the pledge manager on Backerkit opens, where late-pledging will be available as well!)25th Century Games Website25th Century Games on BlueskyObservatory and Star Gazers on KickstarterIntro, The State of 25th Century Games in 2025, and Mugs (0:00)Chad and I technically connected first through mugs, so we start off the conversation chatting about those, a game group that's been going strong for one-tenth of a decade, and how 25th is doing in ‘25.Some of that Sweet, Homegrown Localization [is that an oxymoron?] (20:39)25th Century Games has published a whole bunch of games through several different means over not too long of a history. Listening to the process, care, and relationships built through different types of publications was a treat for me!“I Invoke Ra!” (37:18)We talk about Ra, which is pretty obvious based on this chapter title, BUT Chad also discusses different approaches when it comes to handling reworking games for reprints.Furthermore, he brings up a fun fact about the number in the BGG url matching its entry in the site’s database (Ra being 12). When I was adding the links to the document that tries to capture all of the games mentioned in this episode (see below), I saw that Catan was 13th–fun coincidence.Import Collections (52:32)A quick bit where Chad has to guess my most played 25th Century Game.Wrap-up Questions (1:01:29)A text on Chad’s mind and things to look out for from 25th Century Games.Games Mentioned in this Episode If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBlueskyOversized Sandwich (to purchase) —check its BGG too—these show notes are too long with that hyperlinked (lol)

In the show’s 35th episode, we are super electrified to have designer Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher join us and to talk about Power Vacuum and so much more. The stories here might shock you! The puns I force Kaleb to make might make your hair stand on end! That’s all a part of the guarantee that you are in for a more fun time than a stroll down the aisle of your local appliance store.But in all seriousness, this is a great episode. You already knew that.Check out Kaleb’s work:WebsiteBlue SkyPower Vacuum (purchasable through Keen Bean Studio)[The intro kind of forgot the number initially, making things sound a little funky–but that was corrected shortly after–lol.]NEW SHOW NOTES FEATURE–Google Doc of Games Mentioned this EpisodePrologue (0:00)Several fun introductory anecdotes, and Kaleb is set up with a task that will help “set the scene” for each of the following acts.Act I (18:30)Exploring Kaleb’s backgrounds in film and sound in order to see how they have made their way into Kaleb’s board game design thoughts. Kaleb and Malachi Ray Rempen (Keen Bean Studio) have a very interesting backstory, and Kaleb reflects on that here as well.Act II (48:11)Some quotes taken from The Death of Stalin, an inspiration for Power Vacuum, and some random questions based on those quotes.Act III (1:15:16)What constitutes an appliance?How did Power Vacuum come to exist?What is the meaning of life?Two of those three questions are answered.Probably.Epilogue (1:41:26)A text on Kaleb’s mind and things to look out for from him in the future.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBlueskyInstagramTikTokOversized Sandwich BGGOversized Sandwich (to purchase)

In this interview, fun isn’t actually competing, but different types of fun and the way they interact with each other are being examined. As a little thought experiment, which games pop into your head when you think about the thrill of danger? Carl Robinson, designer of the hit game Kelp: Shark vs. Octopus, joins the show to discuss something that has been on his mind for quite some time, and that’s the way fun is discussed when examining board games. As a designer of a game that is a whole lot of fun, Carl has some great insights into this matter. And the discussion is well… it’s just fun. Enjoy!Check out Carl’s work on BoardGameGeek and reflections on Bluesky.Introductory Questions (0:00)Carl’s early experiences with board games.Introduction to this Episode’s Structure (12:38)And why Carl has been thinking about this topic.Here is the trimmed up sheet with the links and everything for all of the game’s Carl mentioned. It serves as a good extra set of show notes to link the BGG pages of the games (so you can all see credits on there), and it’s a fun look behind the scenes, of sorts.Social Interaction and Fellowship (23:11)Discovery (26:53)Winning/Competition (37:07)Comedy (49:00)Application of an Ability (54:25)Being Silly (59:31)Relaxation/Immersion/Submission (1:09:46)Discovery Revisited (1:22:08)Sensation (1:26:47)Failing/”Stupid” Games (1:34:48)Power (1:41:08)Fun in Kelp! (1:51:07)Wrap-up Questions (1:59:52)A text on Carl’s mind, what to look out for from him, and how thinking about the focus of this episode has impacted those particular projects.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBlueskyInstagramTikTok

A close second place option for the episode title was “Meeplekeeper’s Palace.”Also, there’s a little bit of a note in the episodes after the credits (kind of as an epilogue). In the past, I’ve done a couple prologue/pre-show notes; if necessary, I’d do them again. This particular note makes more sense at the end, so make sure you’re tuned in until the “end end.”ANYWAY, Candice Harris joins the show for a super special thirty-third episode! Candice is a lifelong musician and took a similar proclivity of deep-diving things she’s passionate about to board games, where she’s a media creator for BoardGameGeek. The list of things she doesn’t do there would be shorter than what she does, but a few of her contributions include hosting the BoardGameGeek Podcast, Cardboard Creations, TeaForge, The Quad, and probably something else I’m missing. Candice also writes, creates, and contributes in many other capacities, with recent work on BGG’s 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Inductees (click here for video!).The confluence of those interests is what this episode is about, and excitingly Candice has designed a board game, Rivals of Rock, coming to crowdfunding later this year (the game came up organically within some of the topics several times with fun and insightful stories from Candice, but I had a section with a few more questions 🙁 —this note is part of the epilogue). Subscribe to Rivals of Rock’s game page to receive updates about the game here!Tune in for an amazing episode about board games, music, games about music, peculiar game night habits, reticular activating systems, and more!Follow Candice's upcoming newsletter, Squawk 'N' Roll!Intro (0:00)Candice’s musical journey and current relationship with music.Verse (11:31)Band TitlesMusic skills and approaches transferring into other elements of lifeShows/movies that feature drumsTrick-taking Interlude (34:27)In hindsight, I should’ve dubbed this one “trick-taking solo,” not as in solo trick-taking games but a section featuring trick-taking games—its solo.Verse (52:09)Board games about musicMusic with games: Games with music created specifically for them, playlists, and other ways in which you can listen while playingMusically-driven board game charactersOutro (1:23:16)A text on Candice’s mind and what to look out for from her!****Drum kit image courtesy of Clker-Free-Vector-Images via PixabayMeeple picture taken by me.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBlueskyInstagramTikTok

Designer Marceline Leiman joins the show for an episode that ebbs and flows in such an engaging way, much like the tides and other marvels in nature. Amongst many other games, Marceline recently designed High Tide, which was an extreme success at the Indie Games Night Market and serves as an anchor for much of this conversation. The game was handcrafted with so many unique considerations and stories that I was fortunate enough to hear, and you will be able to too now. In addition to this indie market release, there will be a subsequent production through Underdog Games! I’m by no stretch an expert in the tides (or the ocean, or much of anything for that matter), but my cursory “research” shows that the biggest waves typically come in right before high tide. And a wave is an apt descriptor of how Marceline has been creating lately, with many things to look forward to from her. Grab yourself a tea (or coffee) and enjoy a wonderful episode.Check out Marceline on Bluesky and BoardGameGeek Intro and Character/Craft/Creation (0:00)TeaSeeing something and feeling the human creation that went into itThermostat boxes“I [the tide] am inevitable.” (35:18)After discussing a lot of the physicality and process of creating everything needed to play the game, Marceline dives into stories of how the game plays–how a main focus was the intentionality of having the game constantly moving forward.“To Indie or Not to Indie?” (50:00)This sub-header probably isn’t the most apt, but I liked it.Anyway, Marceline reflects on researching games throughout history, the purposefulness of seeing those connections in modern games, and how that’s being worked into her designs.Bluer Skies Ahead (1:12:50)In addition to appreciating Marceline’s designs, I cannot overstate how thoughtful her social media presence is. The threads read like stories and touch on game design, social issues, the overlap between them, and a multitude of other things. Thank you, Marceline!Wrap-up Questions (1:30:27)A text on Marceline’s mine and future games to look out for.***The cover image is currently a picture from Marceline, posted on BGG and elsewhere. As I like trying to personally make unique episode images, I have a plan for something here (just not the time, as I want this one to be really good/different; there are a couple others I want to go back and redo). Regardless, this is a gorgeous picture, and you get to see the awesome production of the game from it being the current image.***-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBlueskyInstagramTikTok

Intertextual Cardboard Experience is excited to start the new year in atypical fashion, and it couldn’t be more exciting. Cole Wehrle, Creative Director at Leder Games and Co-Founder of Wehrlegig Games, joins the show, and I had the bright idea of having us not talk about board games… In all seriousness, we do talk directly about board games a handful-ish times, but, for the most part, those thoughts are scattered between some deep and personal insights that Cole shares about a couple of other things: reading (specifically Pynchon) and running. Through Cole’s reflections on these topics, approaching a text where it’s trying to meet you, and other ideas that Cole elaborates a lot more eloquently than I could put here, beautiful intersections in these hobbies are highlighted, demonstrating how those intersections translate into lifestyle choices and creative approaches.Wehrlegig GamesLeder GamesCole on BlueskyIntroduction (0:00)A little bit of context behind the idea of the episode and a formative gaming memory.“Beyond the Board Game” (10:00)This section explores Cole’s experiences and thoughts reading Gravity’s Rainbow (amongst other related topics).“What does running mean to you?” (58:26)Short answer: a lot (for both of us). But Cole shares a powerful account of his running history here, and we just chat about running for a bit.Wrap-up Questions (1:26:00)A text on Cole’s mind and what work you should be on the lookout for.Random note: Listening back to this episode, I noticed that I said some iteration/tense of "(insert person here) tried to do (insert something here)" a couple of times, and I say that with no negative connotation. It's meant to be something where I'm trying to acknowledge authorial intent, not saying that whoever tried to do something didn't (probably beyond unnoticeable and/or is being heard the way I intended it to be—just a phrase that gave me a slight pause).The episode logo is me trying to sketch a version of the kid on the cover of Fort that's holding a book but with them running instead of standing and shouting. My apologies to Kyle Ferrin for butchering that.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBlueskyInstagramTikTok

Part of me wanted to jokingly name this episode, “The Official Podcast of Indie Games Night Market,” but it would have probably been more confusing than funny. Anyway, this one is a special episode for so many reasons! First off, it’s the first time the show has had a repeat guest. It’s also the first time there have been guest episodes released in back to back weeks, as this “bonus” episode gets to serve as a little holiday present, making it the year’s twentieth guest episode (I had four solo, rambly things to make the total count for the year twenty-four) and thirtieth guest episode overall. I am very proud of this. None of that would have been possible without awesome guests, so a huge thank you to Daniel for mentioning he’d chat with me on the podcast about the FIRST EVER Indie Games Night Market. It was a smashing success, and I was extremely fortunate to have been a part of it with a game of my own (a couple notes on that below). With Game Market West and Indie Games Night Market being the first couple of independent events like this in the states, there’s a huge wave of excitement to see where this goes, and I’m here for it.Check out Daniel’s site, New Mill Industries, for the two games he brought to the event (and many more awesome titles currently there while also being on the lookout for that batch of climbers he mentions are coming in February as well!!. The site also has a link to some information on Indie Games Night Market.Daniel on BlueskyA Discord for indie markets (seems like the link might expire, so check out US Indie Markets [Board Games] on Discord).As this episode is a little treat for you, I’m treating myself to not breaking this one up into chapters. Honestly, everything here kind of just flows from the episode’s main idea.My game! It’s called Oversized Sandwich. There’s a BGG page. The deck is available for purchase on DriveThruCards. In the product’s description, I try to make it very clear that there were elements of what I took to IGNM that aren’t present when you buy just a deck, but you’d still be able to play the game if you pull up the rules. Check it out; I think it’s cool.I typically try to come up with a "clever" episode logo, but Daniel's logo for IGNM is just really cool as is, so that's from his site.If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets (pretty fitting for this episode), so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBlueskyInstagramTikTok

Prolific designer Matthew Dunstan joins the show in a unique opportunity to link to the last episode as well as Intertextual Cardboard Experience’s famous Collabstraction Trilogy. There are many unique topics discussed here, and, to me, the ethos of most everything we talked about boiled down to the idea of community and the relationships Matthew has with others in the gaming space. Unsurprisingly, this episode is a real treat.Last episode, I was fortunate enough to chat with Rory Muldoon, Matthew’s partner at Postmark Games. If you haven’t, check out that episode. Additionally, keep refreshing your browser until 52 Realms: Adventures is available on the Postmark site (some time in January). Matthew on BlueskyIntro and Matthew’s Version (0:00) Matthew talks about a special person in his life that fostered an early love for gaming. The story of the “Cambridge Cabal” or Cambridge design groups had been discussed a few times on the show. Hearing a little bit more from another perspective, keeps adding to that fun. Some of the Collabstraction staples make it into here, and Matthew discusses some of the decision making behind whether a game will be a solo design or co-design.A Little Voyage to Postmark (23:55) This section introduces the aforementioned episode with Rory. In this portion, I do correctly say that I’m going to bring up portions of the conversation with Rory where he asked (or just mentioned) that I ask or bring up certain things to Matthew. In later parts, I think I accidentally kind of clump that verbiage into saying that Rory asked me to ask you this. Anyway, in this introductory part, I tell Matthew to bring back his designer live streams (a request from Rory [and me and others!]).Continued Adventures (33:17) This portion dives into some design decisions made for 52 Realms: Adventures, the idea of community, and how the design relationship between Rory and Matthew works so well. Matthew also reflects on some other possibilities for games designed specifically for print and play.Wrap-up Questions (1:00:36) A couple of texts on Matthew’s mind and what to look out for from him next!----------------------------------------------------------***Postcard image courtesy of Schmidsi via Pixabay***Other images from Postmark's site----------------------------------------------------------IF YOU FILLED OUT THE "SOLOWEEN SURVEY," THANK YOU! Each person, including the winner (of course), will receive an email response in the next ten days.Contact, follow, and support information:If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done here: Buy Me a Coffeevodthepod@gmail.comBlueskyInstagramTikTok