The Misplay

We had author, board game designer, and board game design teacher, Joe Slack join us on the show. We got to learn about Joe's board game design story, ask questions about game design theory, and ask all the last minute questions we have about launching our kickstarter campaign. it was like getting a high quality preview class of the online board game design course that Joe teaches on his website.

We discuss the feedback from the First Exposure Playtest Hall and events we ran at Gen Con this year. We share notes from blind playtests, quotes from our wonderful players, and plot out our next steps for Under One Sky. With our Kickstarter launch coming up we also go over our plans for the local events we will be organizing to promote the game's launch on kickstarter.

We sat down on the 50 yard line again of Lucas Oil Stadium to reflect on Gen Con 2026. We recapped the different types of events we ran over the weekend in the First Exposure Playtest Hall, the event halls, and event the hotel lobby. We also told stories about the new friends and familiar faces we got to see and spend time with over the course of the weekend.

We preview The Misplay's trip to Gen Con 2026—including the itinerary of the formal events we'll be running during the weekend. We also talk about our marketing strategies, metrics, and goals. At the end of the show we spotlight fellow game designer Mike C's game “Avarice”.https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/themisplay/under-one-sky

Jason took The Misplay on the road to the 2026 Bay Area Protospiel and he came back with a bounty of feedback for Under One Sky, live audio from his introduction to board game design workshop, and good vibes. We assess the feedback and celebrate Jason's growth as a game designer.

We happily welcome our illustrator, Zeta Gaston, to the podcast to share the story of how she became the artist behind Under One Sky. We talk about the creative journey, the revisions, the tools, and the process that brought the artwork to life.

Jason and Mark took a pause from all the business and logistics talk surrounding Under One Sky. They sat down together to develop an old game concept. They outline the reason for beginning development of another game and learn about 18-card card games. They touch on what's coming up next for Under One Sky.

Jason and Mark go through the logistics and planning leading into Jason's weekend at KublaCon and the 3rd annual Misplay trip to GenCon. They give in depth updates about Under One Sky's, art, manufacturer, logistics, and next steps.Jason gives a special thanks to Game Crafter for a donation towards the summer board game design program Jason will be teaching this summer.

Jason and Mark discuss the possibility of pitching Under One Sky to publishers. Mark shares an outline for how to go from concept to submitting to publishers. Jason explains the reasons why The Misplay never considered looking for a publisher. He also shares a little glimpse into the plan for the summer after a sit down with Randy O' Connor before KublaCon later this month.

We were fortunate to have Dan Thurot of Space-Biff join us for a conversation. Dan shared his thoughts on his ethics based approach towards reviewing games. He also broke down the difference between previews, reviews, and how to play videos and shared his insight into the nuances and objectives of each from his perspective.https://spacebiff.com/

We took a half step back to review our work on the constellation cards for Under One Sky. The constellation cards have always been challenging to the game's design and we are coming up to the deadline we need to meet to continue moving forward with the game's art. Jason is still millimeters deep into working out the physical dimensions of the game board for the manufacturer.

We took the podcast and Under One Sky down the road to San Jose for the March edition of Game Market West. Jason manned our table and got to teach the game to another group of playtesters. Mark continued learning about manufacturing by interviewing designers that had games for sale at the event. The Misplay would like to extend it's appreciation for the organizers at Golden Gate Game Makers and Guildhouse.

We follow up our components exploration with some in depth discussion of the decisions around our tiles and board for Under One Sky. The questions we grapple with will have implications for our search for a manufacturer and influence the continued direction we ask the artist to go for us. Later, Jason tells some stories from his visit to GDC.

We just turned the page on two milestone opportunities in the development of Under One Sky. We found out if we made the cut or not for the Cardboard Edison finals and Jason ran a set of blind playtests. We took turns running each other through the feedback we received from each event and debriefed in real time about what the feedback means for our game going forward.

We took a field trip to local game café The Game Parlour to look at, handle, and study the components of a variety of games. We broke down boards, tiles, counters, and unique pieces in search of the materials and aesthetics that best serve Under One Sky. The Game Parlour was incredibly generous in giving us the time and space to work and record in one of their highly sought-after gaming rooms, and we’re deeply grateful for their hospitality.

We recount the steps we took to prepare our submission for the prestigious board game design competition Cardboard Edison. We dig into how we crafted the game’s written description, planned and filmed our introduction video, and refined the rulebook to present the strongest version possible. At the end of the episode, we reveal the official title of The Misplay’s debut board game.

We interview graphic designer Drew Corkill, whose passion and talent for designing board games shapes his thoughtful approach to the craft. He shares insight from his experience working at the intersection of board game production and graphic design, unpacking the practical and creative decisions that bring a game to life.

Season 3 of The Misplay starts now! Same game. More mistakes. For new listeners, we recap the first two seasons to get you caught up. Join us on the path to crowdfunding!

This is it—the end of Season 2. We look back on how we got here and share highlights from the year, including our recent two-player meetup. Are we ready to launch a crowdfunding campaign for our abstract game? Will there be a Season 3?

We ask ourselves every episode, “Where are we?”—and today we really mean it. We take stock of our abstract tile-placement game and ask the big question: Are we ready to move into Season 3 or head toward crowdfunding?

At Kublacon, we asked the ultimate question: Would you play the game again? Hear what playtesters told us, our responses to their feedback, and how their honest insights may shape the next version of the game.

We’re hitting the road—the road to Season 3! But before we get there, we’ve got some serious playtesting ahead to make sure the game is both fun and replayable. Next stops: Kublacon, Golden Gate Gamemaker events, and a Misplay board game community night.

We play a live match of Starfold that you can watch along with in real time. Follow the action to see who wins—and get a better feel for how the game works.https://tinyurl.com/mujmabd9

We’re getting close to locking in a theme, so this week we explore where and how it can weave into the game. Mark takes “The Night Sky” and runs with it—imagining two friends lying on the ground, gazing up at the stars.

We present to you "Starfold"—our abstract game with a theme! We talk about entering the BoardGameGeek Two-Player Design Contest and how playtester advice pushed us to build a proper Print-and-Play to meet the requirements.

We kick things off with a funny misplay in Harmonies and share news about our new sponsor, Spielmas. Then it’s time for a round of “Jason Can’t Possibly Disagree,” where we debate whether our abstract game Currents should have a theme—or stay theme-free.

We spent four consecutive nights playtesting online with Protospiel Online and Golden Gate Gamemakers (GGG). We gathered a ton of notes and are busy folding them into the next build of the game.

We're back in studio and give a more complete Gen Con debrief and share highlights from playtesting in the First Exposure Playtest Hall. We cover a BoardGameGeek contest we entered and our recent Unpub mentorship program. Plus, we look ahead to the upcoming Protospiel Online and a Golden Gate Gamemakers online meetup.https://playingcards.io/tvsqr6

Mark is joined by Mike C. of Brickly Games, live from Lucas Oil Stadium at Gen Con 2025. With Jason out this episode, the two dive into their Gen Con highlights and share insights from testing in the First Exposure Playtest Hall.

As we prep for the First Exposure Playtest Hall at Gen Con, we get real advice from designers at the East Bay Board Game Con. We sharpen our elevator pitches and learn what makes a great demo.

We pause our abstract board game design to play the real game: chasing likes, shares, and followers. We’re pulling back the curtain on our marketing—sharing stats, analytics, and what’s working (or not) as we try to build an audience before finishing the game.

We took our abstract game into the wild—to Golden Gate Gamemakers, to friends, to family—and came back with real feedback and big takeaways. Plus, we debut a new segment on the show called Not A Game.

We dig into the mechanics of our abstract strategy game—how tiles interact, the patterns they create, early balance issues, and the ongoing challenge of designing a system for drawing new tiles.

A dark forest would be a great setting for Animal Kingdom. However, it has become the basis for a pivot. Listen in to hear about the new direction we are heading as Gen Con and Indianapolis loom over us.

If we can invent the word unstucking, we'd better figure out how to do it. We talk through the sticky stuff and create a plan to continue moving forward. Plus, we lighten things up with a game where we try to guess board game titles.

We know creative blocks come with the creative process—and we’re squarely in one. Do we change direction? Scrap everything? Simplify? Or maybe just admit our game will never be as good as Monopoly and move on?

We laugh at a ridiculous misplay we made in our own game. A broken strategy in Animal Kingdom forces us back to the redesign table. Along the way, we dive into gamer identities and how they shape both playstyles and game design.

We attend our first Golden Gate Gamemakers event at Guildhouse in San Jose, where we meet Board Game Casual. We also share highlights from recent meetings, including one with breakout rooms to spark new ideas and get things done.

We chat with game designer Randy O'Connor from Randy O Games, creator of Roll in One and Gun It. We explore the art of playtesting—especially defining "the turn", the moment when you’ve gone from idea to game.

We discuss our latest playtest of Animal Kingdom, inspired by a fresh take on the game. Plus, we attempt a round of board game trivia—but it doesn’t go exactly as planned.

We sit down with the talented and creative minds behind City Square Studios, a game design team from New Zealand. They share their story, their ethos about sustainability in games, and give us a glimpse into their brand, including 52 Pickup and the world of TTRPG zines. Plus, we discuss fostering community engagement and strategies for growth.https://www.patreon.com/CitySquareStudios

Our playtest protocol has been put into action for the first time with Animal Kingdom this season. Tuckman would be proud! Plus, we share a quote from our notes—what were we thinking?

We begin defining how we want our game to feel. From physical engagement to the atmosphere we create, and the emotions we want players to experience, we explore the three levels of feelings in game design.

In this season opener, we reveal the board game we've chosen to build. We hone our design skills in a quickfire challenge inspired by the word “tender” and share our roadmap for the year ahead. We’re officially ready to bring our board game to life!

We’re visited by three ghosts and take a spirited journey through our podcast past, present, and future. We reflect on what we’d do differently if we could start from scratch, celebrate what’s going well, and share lessons learned as we look ahead to season two!

The team is zeroing in on a game direction! We dive into each game, Depths and Animal Kingdom, and share key takeaways from their playtests. Next time, we’ll face the challenge of making the final decision.

Try not to let the clickbait title fool you—we’re definitely not in panic mode. Nope. Not even close. Couldn’t be further from panicking. Not us. Never ever. Instead, we’re diving into Tuckman’s Group Theory and breaking down how our team is formin’, stormin’, normin’, and performin’. See? Totally chill. No panic here.

We pitch fresh themes for "Succession", reimagining the game’s world and setting to create new dynamics and depth. From the political landscapes to gang wars to dating games, we're on a mission to find a theme to build mechanics that match.

We recap each board game pitch from our team and put them to the test in a round of 'Hit or Miss.' Join us to find out which ideas scored big and which ones are still in the prototype phase.

We realized we need way more game ideas, so we hit the reset button! The team is hard at work crafting pitches that we’ll dive into on the next show. Mark walks us through a pitch example for "Climb On", a climbing game where players race to the top.