PODCAST · leisure
The Great Game
by Patrick Doyle
Jack and Patrick talk about Megagames in the Australian environment - how it all started, how we do things down under, and how our players and designers find the world of megagaming. The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy.
Episodes
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63: Neverwood with Jack
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Once there was, and once there wasn't, a terrible haunted wood deep in a place outside time. A place where lost things go, and lost…
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62: Watch the Skies: Legacy and Legends with Sam
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Do you believe megagame titles are best with colons? Have you always wanted to run a 12-hour, 3-games-in-a-row legacy megagame? Come hear…
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61: Becky (Background Briefing)
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Patrick got to talk with BeckyBecky Ladley from... well, megagames eveywhere. Hear about Becky's introduction to the world of megagames pre-WTS,...
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60: Tales of the Allfather with Ciaran and George
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server We talk with co-designers Ciaran and George about their latest megagame, Tales of the Allfather - a narrative-focussed game about viking mythology,...
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59: Are you now, or have you ever been... with Andrew
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server We talk with Andrew from Redding Megagames about his game Are you now, or have you ever been...? to hear about the first recorded use of 'Megagamers' as…
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58: Small Megagames with LJ
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server We got to speak with LJ from the Megagame Coalition about her game Gathering Darkness, a triple threat in the megagame world - it's a prequel, it's a...
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57: Trenton (Background Briefing)
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Trenton takes us through his 3 arcs of megagaming, from his love of media/news teams (and giving copious feedback to megagame makers) to playing the role of...
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56: Social Deduction with Justin and Ben
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server We speak with Justin (Adelaide Megagames) and Ben (BK Game Design) about social deduction, traitors and hidden roles in the megagame world. Check out the...
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55: What is a megagame, again?
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Warning: this episode uses a lot of generalisations and specifcially the words 'generally' and 'in general'. Listener discretion is advised. We revisit our...
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54: Vroom with Carl
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server We spoke with Carl from Sydney Megagamers about the megagame of F1 racing that came to the wasteland. Learn about the art of broken economies, pizzazz and mad…
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53: Rob (Background Briefing)
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Make friends before you need them. People are on the same team, not necessarily the same side. Want more wisdom? Listen along! The second in our background briefing...
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52: Megagame Initiative with Peter and Liam
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server We connected with Peter and Liam from the Megagame Initiative (check them out online) to talk about about megagames have developed in Cape Town over the last few years....
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51: The Company Archives with NB
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Jack sat down with Non-Breaking Space games to talk about the John Company inspired megagame, The Company Archives. Read a player's experience of the game here. You can find...
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50: Raising Spirits with James
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Jack and Pat talk with James (Sydney Megagamers) on how he came to designing Raising Spirits, a mini-megagame based on the renowned social deduction game Blood on the Clock…
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49: Ciaran (Background Briefing)
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server An experiment with the rambling, longer form, Patrick sits down with Ciaran (of The Generalissimo is Dead fame) to talk about what makes a megagame designer. This is the first...
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48: Crossovers with Trenton and Scott
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Jack talks with Trenton (Megagame Coalition) and Scott (West Coast Megagames, certified 'megagame crazy') to talk about the crossover event of their Gencon 2025 Megagames Deephaven...
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47: The Lighthouse with Dave
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Jack talks with Dave, Sydney Megagamers, about his 2025 Megagame The Lighthouse. Check out the game (and buy it to run yourself) here: https://littlemegagames.itch.io/the-lighthouse The...
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46: Last Turn Madness with Justin and Sam
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server We finally got to sit down with some passionate Megagame aficionados (Justin from Adelaide Megagames and Sam from Basenti Games) and get to the bottom of Last Turn Madness - the good, the…
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45: This City Sucks with Chris
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server The gang talks to Chris from Melbourne Megagames about This City Sucks - a game about vampires, turf wars, real estate and auctions... and figuring out what the hell happened to the mayor! The...
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44: Tales from the Scrapheap
Keep in touch:linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation onour Discord server Jack and Pat delve into the dire archives for designs and concepts that landed in their scrapheap - not gone, not forgotten, but long-abandoned ideas that just didn't make it. The Great Game theme...
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43: Bound by Desire with Ben
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server We regroup with the Architect of Megagames, Ben of BKGameDesign, to tackle the romance-inspired megagame Bound by Desire. We talk about the secret to getting megagamers to a megagame, why Lady…
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42: Team Time - Councils
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server For the inaugural session of Team Time, Jack, Pat, Trenton and Ciaran hash out what's going on with councils in megagames and ask the question - do we really need 'em? Find Ciaran and Trenton…
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41: Our 10 Years of Megagaming
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Just in time for the New Year, it's our self-indulgent, parasocial, bottle episode. Jack and Pat talk about what 10 years of megagaming has done to them. The Great Game theme is Balrog…
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40: Megagame Bugbears
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server Are you down for some Agency Death? A bit of Player Lock? Maybe a journey into the Three Table Trap? Or do you just want to hear Jack further his vendetta against the English and their tea? Whatever...
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39: Touched by Darkness with Ben
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Join the conversation on our Discord server The Architect of Megagames, Ben of BKGameDesign, has arrived. We touched on Touched By Darkness (...) during the GenCon episodes, but now we get a full deep dive into the game, where it came from, and what...
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38: The (Second) Gencon Episode with Forrest, Trenton, Scott and Tony
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Tony, the Duke of Highland, takes us to Gencon 2024... again! Part 2 of 2. Make sure you check out episode 37 of the Great Game to hear the first 5 interviews. 01:20 - Forrest, Gods of the Ancient World 18:50 - Trenton, Grimvale Ventures 30:05 - Scott…
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37: The Gencon Episode with Ben, Pinto, Tony, Riley and Josh
Keep in touch: linktr.ee/greatgamepod Tony, the Duke of Highland, takes us to Gencon 2024. Part 1 of 2, in which we hear from a bunch of interesting people about their megagames! 01:47 - Ben, Touched by Darkness 11:28 - Pinto, Pantheon 22:00 - Tony, It Came From the Skies 39:20 - Riley, Jungle...
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36: The Megagame Coalition with Riley and Trenton
Do you know what the opposite of a piggyback is? Neither do we. We spoke to Riley and Trenton from the Megagame Coalition about... the Megagame Coalition! Established as an umbrella organisation that connects and supports megagame groups all across North America, we spoke about how the Coalition...
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35: Megagames Argentina with Pedro and Yaguaretè
We venture south again, chatting with the Megagames Argentina gang about what their experience in the megagame world has been and how they're bringing megagame design to the homeland, its culture and its history. EPISODE LINKS: - Learn more about Megagames Argentina - Open Veins of Latin America,...
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34: Megagame Re-Runs with Paddy
Diving into some listener requested subjects, we regrouped with Paddy (of Running Hot fame - see episode 13 back in 2020) to talk about the art of running the same megagame over and over and over... EPISODE LINKS:- Paddy is from Pennine Megagames- You can read more about Running Hot here…
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33: Uruguay Megagames with Javier
The Great Game enters a new continent as we meet with Javier, Uruguay Megagames, to hear how things are done down south. From translating entire games to Spanish, to running one megagame a month (...!), we learned just much enthusiasm and momentum the team in Uruguay have! Episode links: Learn…
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32: Infinite Horizons with Dave
We tackle Infinite Horizons, bushwalks and how Disney Land keeps you entertained... with Dave from Sydney Megagamers! Episode links: Brisbane Megagames are back, check the out Check out the free rulebook to Infinite Horizons at the Megagame Assembly or reach Zane on our Discord (below) Join our...
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31: Tone and Theme with Nellie and Chris
We got into the weeds of tone and theme for megagames - what's good, what's bad, what role does tone/theme play in the success and 'fun' of a game. To help navigate, we welcomed back recurring guests Nellie (Melbourne Megagames) and Chris (Very Large Huge Games). Episode links: Adelaide Megagames...
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30: Den of Wolves with John
We finally sat down to chat with John Mizon, SW Megagames, about the infamous, iconic and world-renowened megagame of sci-fi politics and paranoia - Den of Wolves. Listen along if you'd like to hear about the game, how it came to be, and why it's so damned popular (well, I mean, we tried to…
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29: Megagame Communities with Nellie and Justin
We were joined by Nellie (Melbourne) and Justin (Adelaide) to talk about how we got our start and how we got our different megagame communities to where they are today. In what ended up being a disjointed wander down memory lane, we ended up with more of a 'slice of life' than a 'megagame...
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28: Crunch in Megagames
The lads take a break from international (and domestic) VIP guests to spend some time on their entirely underqualified analysis of crunch in megagames. Ever got tired of the word 'crunch'? No? Well, you will today! Bonus: hear the lads rag on those damn Brits! Got a guest you want to hear from? A...
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27: Event Horizon with Johan
Cosmic horror and good game design! We spoke to Johan from Gothenberg megagames about Event Horizon. EPISODE LINKS: Connect with Johan at Gothenberg Megagames Get a copy of the Event Horizon megagame for your local group (publishing this weekend, 23/24 March 2024!) Find us at The Great Game on...
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26: The Generalissimo is Dead with Ciaran
A long awaited (and re-recorded) conversation with Ciaran from True North, talking about The Generalissimo is Dead - the megagame that inspired The Death of Stalin (or maybe the other way around?) EPISODE LINKS: Connect with Ciaran and see more of his work Purchase The Generalissimo is Dead game...
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25: Publishing Megagames with Tony and Zane
Tony (Dukes of Highland) schools the megagame community in megagame administration...! We were lucky to welcome back Tony and Zane to chat about their experiences publishing megagames and getting their ideas out into the community. An insightful conversation with lots of good-practice nuggets on...
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24: So Say We All with Justin and Tristan
We spoke with Justin (Adelaide Megagames, alumni of Sydney Megagamers) and Tristan (Melbourne Megagames) about their revised run of So Say We All at the end of 2023. The conversation goes into the game itself, the collaboration process of redesigning some elements, and the experience of megagame...
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23: International Megagame Survey 2023 with Rob
An a special double-episode, we sit down with Rob Grayston from East Midlands Megagames to talk about the 2023 International Megagame Survey. EPISODE LINKS: Read the full report on the International Megagame Survey over at the Megagame Assembly website - Part 1, with Part 2 on the way shortly....
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22: Watch the Skies with Adelaide Megagames
To kick off 2024 (although this definitely could have been recorded in 2023...) we got to chatting with the newly formed Adelaide Megagames. Kaity, Justin and Monte walk us through the origins of this new group and how they came to run Watch the Skies as their third game at the end of 2023.…
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21: Aftermath with Zane and Chris
Tea and biscuits at the end of the world. Quaint. Pat had a chat with Zane and Chris from Very Large Huge Games about their Aftermath event, which saw over 150 players in London simulate the post-collapse world of the UK. EPISODE LINKS: Find out more about Very Large Huge Games Find us at The…
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20: Gods of the Ancient World with Tony
In the ancient world, amongst gods and armies, even the humblest can make a name for themselves. Just watch out for that Spartan Hole! Jack and Pat discuss Gods of the Ancient world with megagame designer Tony, from the Dukes of Highland megagame society. We delve into Tony's origins in…
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19: God Emperor with Jack
Blood, lies and regicide - does it get any more megagamey? Pat speaks with Jack about God Emperor's origin, design process and legacy. This episode is relatively spoiler-free and delves into the design of God Emperor and how its different mechanisms work. EPISODE LINKS: Listen to Jack speak about...
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18: First Contact with Tom, Chris and Zane
Grab a cup of tea, ready your seventeen rulebooks, and secure your fishing rights - we've got a special treat this episode. Pat and Jack sat down with Tom, Chris and Zane from Very Large Huge Games to talk about First Contact and learn just how easy it was to run their 200 player megagame of...
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17: Death in Megagames
A little late to publication again, Patrick and Jack sit down to sort out the biggest problem facing the Megagame community since last turn madness - player death. We delve into the reasons for death in games, the different ways it is sometime portrayed, and ultimately solve EXACTLY how death...
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16: Crisis in Elysium with Leon and Jef
A slightly late episode recorded late 2022 with Leon (Melbourne Megagames) and Jef. The team speaks about Crisis in Elysium - run by Melbourne Megagames in November 2022 - and debriefs on the design, the day, and the vibe of getting back to in-person games again. CORRECTION: we incorrectly noted...
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15: It Belongs in a Museum with Nellie, Tristan and Theo
A lost episode of the Great Game, recorded in May 2021 and dusted off 18 months later for your listening pleasure. Patrick and Jack sat down Nellie, Tristan and Theo from Melbourne Megagames to talk about It Belongs in a Museum, the first megagame run in Australia (and perhaps the world!) since…
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14: Deephaven with Trenton
Patrick and Jack (Click and Clack?) sat down with Trenton Greyoak for a long overdue look at Deephaven - a megagame legally distinct to Dwarf Fortress! The conversation took us to a lot of nitty gritty about this story-driven, roleplay-heavy game - from maps to random tables to wooden block…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Jack and Patrick talk about Megagames in the Australian environment - how it all started, how we do things down under, and how our players and designers find the world of megagaming.
The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra
The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy.
HOSTED BY
Patrick Doyle
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Great Game have?
The Great Game currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Great Game about?
Jack and Patrick talk about Megagames in the Australian environment - how it all started, how we do things down under, and how our players and designers find the world of megagaming. The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors...
How often does The Great Game release new episodes?
The Great Game has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Great Game?
You can listen to The Great Game on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Great Game?
The Great Game is created and hosted by Patrick Doyle.
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