The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast

Why do game titles matter? What makes for a great game box? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor search for patterns in I Know...You Don't.

Why subtract points for leftover cards? What makes once-per-game actions compelling? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda climb the ladder in Scout.

What 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.

What makes for satisfying blocking mechanics? Why does repetition matter? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie duke it out in Tag Team.

Are choices necessary to keep players engaged? How does art support gameplay? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor choose their racers in Magical Athlete.

How 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.

Does phase order matter? How do you reward bookkeeping? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor pick up some flashy tricks in The Cones of Dunshire.

What 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.

What 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.

Should 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.

Do keywords make deckbuilding approachable? How do you spotlight certain cards? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda tap their lands for mana in Magic: The Gathering.

How do thresholds differ from spending? Are there any genres set collection doesn't work with? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about Set Collection.

When should all actions be mandatory? How can turn structure foreshadow interactions? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor get out the popcorn in Spooktacular.

When should players be encouraged to make trades? What is the point of charging players for a third plot if everybody buys one anyway? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda grow beans in Bohnanza.

How do you balance wildcards while still making them appealing? Can mechanics serve as mnemonics? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie dig up gems in Splendor.

When do you end the game? Why does urgency matter? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor discuss engine-building games.

How do you keep players engaged when it is not their turn? Should you use faction-specific disadvantages? Charlie, Ananda, and Trevor spin their gears in Sprocketforge.

What makes for a good Winston draft? How can you make wildcards strategically interesting? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor cram for finals in Studies in Sorcery.

How do you create long-term goals for players? Can one-shot cards progress your engine? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie excavate lairs in Wyrmspan.

How much theme can an abstract strategy game have? What makes abstract strategy games replayable? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor talk about multiplayer abstract strategy games.

Can supply limits define a game? How do you define spatial relationships without a board? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor destroy stars in Homeworlds.

How do you design zero level heuristics for abstract strategy games? What are the benefits of limiting how many actions a player can perform? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda break the ice in Hey, That's My Fish!

What is better, strategy or tactics? How does attack-left benefit multiplayer games? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie manipulate nature in Element.

Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie run the 2025 Iron Designer Challenge, a game jam event.

How do you get players to value things differently? What styles of auction are there? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about Auction games.

Where should the money from an auction go? Does research need to be complicated? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor merge companies in Indonesia.

How do you encourage players to lead with their best bid? Why are catchup mechanics so important in auction games? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda petition the gods in Cyclades.

Should currency be hidden? Why is liquidity so powerful? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie pass the buck in No Thanks!

How do you make a game fun when players lose most of the hands they play? Should cards have effects when played? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about trick takers.

Should players be encouraged to exploit catch-up mechanics? What are the benefits of stacking decks? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor trawl the depths in Fishing.

Why is bidding popular in trick-taking games? What is a suit, really? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda collapse superpositions in Cat in the Box.

How do you make each suit feel different? Why shoot the moon? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie avoid the queen in Hearts.

Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor each give their top 10 takeaways in this very special 100th episode.

Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda respond to listener takeaways in this special 99th episode.

What should happen when two locations are joined by a route? Which mechanics work well with route-building? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda talk about Route-Building games.

Do routes need to branch? How do you get players to care about action resolution order? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor build a public transit network in Bus.

When players share control of assets, how do you give them unique advantages? What should happen to the money spent in an auction game? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie listen to the jingle, the rumble, and the roar in Wabash Cannonball.

Can victory points and progression go together without snowballing? How can you draw a map to something when even the game doesn't know where it is? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda discover temples in Akrotiri.

How should authority be divided amongst players? How should conflicts be resolved? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie discuss tabletop role-playing games.

How does the illusion of control affect players' perception of conflict resolution mechanics? Can players be made to look forward to their elimination? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda face their fears in Dread.

Broken glasses, angry ghosts, and dwarven journalists. Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda seek justice.

Loss, baby dragons, and giant pecs. Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda flee their doom.

What is a player's role in worldbuilding? When should a campaign end? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor make moves in Dungeon World.

Bounty hunters, magic rituals, and burning roots. Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor traverse the wilds.

Crazy cows, omens, and magical trails. Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor attempt a side quest.

How often should players level up? Should you split the party? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie roll for initiative in Dungeons and Dragons

Berries of straw, free wine, and priceless vases. Trevor, Charlie, and Ananda meet the villain.

New adventures, squishy rocks, and magical flowers. Trevor, Charlie, and Ananda start a new game.

A world, a villain, and three heroes. In this (true) bonus episode, Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor create an RPG setting from scratch using In This World.

What are the advantages of dwindling options? What information should players have? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda discuss drafting games.