PODCAST · leisure
Why We Game
by The Influence Foundation
Why We Game is a podcast delving into the nuts and bolts of the how the gaming hobby works as a business. No, not video games. Analog games. Real games. Starring O.G.s (Orignal Gamers) like Dave Arneson.
Episodes
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Why We Game: Craig Campbell
Craig Campbell of NerdBurger Games discovered tabletop gaming as a freshman in college. The year? 1991. The place? Milwaukee WI. The game? 2nd Edition AD&D. It was fated. In 1999 he started writing for consumption outside his gaming group. Living Greyhawk needed content for its first year and…
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Why We Game: Louis Porter Jr.
Louis Porter Jr. is a freelance writer, designer, and YouTuber. He’s an old school Gen-X gamer who is not shy with his opinions regarding the industry. We cover a lot and Louis is very candid. Topics include: the D20 abortion book, elves are Nazis, his lack of diversity, and the RPG industry’s...
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Why We Game: EB Hunter & Justice
I got to spend quality time venting to a couple of friends. EB Hunter is a Fear the Boot super fan and a good pal. He and his special lady friend, Justice – whom I like even more – stop by the studio. We talk about: The Slap, WWIII, the impending apocalypse, Intersectional Feminism, and Urban...
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Why We Game: Brostradamus
I make three predictions. The last of which I’m only about 30% certain on. https://www.patreon.com/whywegame
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Why We Game: WashingCon DC
This episode I break down my experiences at WashingCon and in the city of DC. I rant about inconsistent and unenforced mask rules, and I marvel at a world that cannot see that social media is almost exclusively our only public forum. My Zombicide Chronicles RPG review link:...
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Why We Game: Desiree Vaughn
Desiree Vaughn is the founder of Dream Ultra Big LLC and the creator of the card game, Dub This! She was inspired by her passion of music and games to make something anyone who enjoys music can play. Desiree is a former elementary school teacher that advocates for parents to be their child’s…
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Why We Game: Joell Palmer
Joell Palmer of Stronghold LARP Foam cut his teeth on Vampire the Masquerade 1E, and quickly delved into World of Darkness LARPing. From there Joell discovered foam fighting LARPs. He became a forger of foam weapons and a tutor to others. Since Indie’s first GenCon Joell has been there leading…
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Why We Game: Pete Petrusha 2
Pete Petrusha, Creative Director at Imagining Games, is back. We talk about their latest project, the most anticipated RPG of 2022, the foodie crime drama CHEW. Marinated in the Forged in the Dark system, CHEW brings us into a world of cooks, crooks, cannibals, and clairvoyants. Not to mention…
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Why We Game: Molly Zeff
CEO and Co-founder of Flying Leap Games, Molly Zeff designs games for people who enjoy debating ridiculous things and having a good laugh. Think of them as family friendly games that easily become NSFW. Molly recounts some of her experiences as a woman in the industry and discloses that sometimes...
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Why We Game: Alex Yeager
Alex Yeager has worked in the hobby industry for decades. His resume includes a tenure at Steve Jackson Games, Mayfair Games, and now as COO at Amigo Games. And he’s seen a lot of industry firsts: the organized play team, the demo team, and gaming-related videos as a blend of tutorial and...
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Why We Game: Jason Brick 2
Episode 22 guest Jason Brick returns to discuss his new book There I Was When Nothing Happened, coming to Kickstarter February 22. The book is about defusing conflict and is filled with real world examples from the experts that lived them. We talk about how we can apply those lessons to gaming…
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Why We Game: Rico Corazon
Former special education instructor, Rico Corazon, preaches the value of tabletop roleplaying games as a therapeutic tool. Initially pitching Dungeons & Dragons as an after-school program, he nurtured many substantial relationships with students. When he left teaching, the kids, and the parents,...
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Why Wee Game: The Fantasy is 40. Plus, Hot Goss…
We talk forty years of the Fantasy Shop and some hot goss drops. Dave Wallace joins us to espouse the eternal importance of making new gamers. For the health of the hobby and its industry. And he persuades me away from the edge. CLARIFICATIONS / EDITS: We were not actually in public. But other...
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Why We Game: Jon Cleaves
Jon Cleaves is the CEO and Lead Designer of DGS Games. He was first exposed to the hobby with a classic chit and silhouette game well beyond his ken, Avalon Hill’s Panzer Blitz. Though Jon really cut his teeth on White Box D&D and En Garde! We reminisce about the early days of Kickstarter when it...
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Why We Game: Jim Pinto
Jim Pinto is a twenty-year veteran of the gaming industry. He served several years as Art Director at Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) simultaneously overseeing collectible card games Doomtown, 7th Sea, and Legend of the Five Rings, in addition to their roleplaying games. Jim highlights the...
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Why We Game: John Perks 2
John Perks, buyer and holistic manager of the Fantasy Shop Inc., is back. We talk supply chain impacts in gaming. Are they in the past or are we waiting for the other shoe? And we do a deep dive into the new moving parts in comic book distribution. Fair warning: we meander and we get sappy.
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Why We Game: Alex Kammer
Alex Kammer does a lot. From writing legal documents, to freelance RPG writing, to being an owner of True Dungeon, and running muddy obstacle courses. He’s also one of the minds behind Gamehole Con, arguably the best kept secret in tabletop gaming. We talk D&D Adventure League, Red Wizards, and...
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Why We Game: Morgan Weeks
Morgan Weeks is a writer, a developer, and an editor, but his passion lies in design. Specifically, how a game’s mechanics are essential to communicating what that game is about. Morgan touches on Kickstarter psychology for setting stretch goals. Having backed over 700 projects personally, and...
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Why We Game: Seppy Yoon
Seppy Yoon is the chief game designer at Fight in a Box. They create titles that celebrate rambunctious fun. Seppy believes the purpose of games is bringing people together. He’s bright and charming, and our conversation goes all over the road. From the value of TikTok, to optimizing our…
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Why We Game: GameHole Con VIII Special
This episode provides some cursory coverage of GameHole Con VIII. Admittedly I spent more time attending seminars than getting sound bites, so this episode is a little different than my previous convention content. I promise no singing. But there is a juicy toot.
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Why We Game: ORIGINS Special 2021 Part Two
Some highlights from Origins 2021. Part Two.
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Why We Game: ORIGINS Special 2021 Part One
Some highlights from Origins 2021. Part One.
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Why We Game: GENCON Special 2021
Some highlights from my GenCon 2021 trip. Featuring Keep by Amtgard. Check out this episode!
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Why We Game: The LARP Special, Part 2
Please allow me to tell you about my character.
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Why We Game: The LARP Special, Part 1
I fell in love.
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Why We Game: John Perks
John Perks is the Holistic Manager of The Fantasy Shop in St. Louis, overseeing the daily operations of their four area locations. A hippy and a hobbit, his hobby journey began at an early age with a family steeped in fantasy. Educated in the sacred halls of St. George the dragon slayer, and...
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Why We Game: Wayne Cole
I finally got off my ass and asked Fear the Boot’s Wayne Cole to join me. Wayne’s initiation to the tribe was unconventional. He started gaming in his late twenties and his first two years were spent playing exclusively homebrewed systems. In a short time, he went from new gamer to host on a...
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Why We Game: Derian Stennett 2
Magic the Gathering subject matter expert Derian Stennett returns to discuss Modern Horizons 2, digital set remasters that trim the fat, the future of the Reserve List… and feces.
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Why We Game: Episode 37
I’m 37? – Dante Hicks
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Why We Game: Chad Wattler – 2
Chad Wattler from Fear the Boot is back. He breaks down the RPG equation. Conflict plus tension and a healthy amount of failure are the bulk of every story. Chad explains how the dice are there to randomly introduce failure, and says that’s lazy. We stay topical until the Broney stuff at the end....
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Why We Game: Gaming and BS (Brett & Sean)
Brett and Sean from Gaming and BS have over 330 episodes of their RPG podcast in the can. Brett’s an outdoors enthusiast, a hunter, and a former collegiate thespian. Sean is an avid swashbuckler who enables his paddock of poker pets. Gaming and BS is a sounding board where each host discusses…
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Why We Game: Gage Verronneau
Gage Verronneau is the host of Gaming With Gage, an interview podcast focusing on the tabletop RPG hobby. Season 7 is out, and yours truly had the pleasure of being a guest. Plus, Gage was gracious enough to reciprocate. As avid devotees, we laud Savage World’s versatility and Gage distinguishes...
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Why We Game: Lynn Potyen
Lynn Potyen is a dedicated mother who discovered board games while perusing speech therapy for her eldest child. While promoting games as not merely entertainment, but equipment for brain health, she realized she had a business, and Lynn was confident that she could do it better than her FLGS....
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Why We Game: Anne Richmond
Pro gamer Anne Richmond is everything I want to be when I grow up: brave, bright, creative, and rocks a killer work ethic. She sees a gaming group akin to a polyamorous relationship: communication is always open and conversations are never concluded. She understands the importance of the…
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Why We Game: Brett Condit
WARNING: We discuss Brett’s impending mortality… and I sing. Brett Condit is a manager, and veritable Jack-of-all-Trades, working the hobby retail chain The Fantasy Shop outside St. Louis. He’s a baby-faced child of the 90s that grew up an outsider. Brett’s first D&D character ever was killed by...
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Why We Game: Eric Ausley
I could say a lot about Eric Ausley, but I will say this. His formative years were spent in a sanctum of Choose Your Own Adventures, D&D, and publicly peddled porn. In this sanctum, a place of reverence was made for The Anarchist’s Cookbook. Eric’s a DM that won’t merely throw the book at your…
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Why We Game: Chris Hussey
Chris Hussey is a freelance gaming writer, Actual Play producer, and podcaster. He first saw D&D in a Sears catalog, and his parents gave him the Red Box that Christmas. In high school, his art teacher hung the works of Frank Frazetta in her classroom, and his science teacher proudly displayed a...
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Why We Game: Derian Stennett
Derian Stennett is an MTG SME (Magic the Gathering Subject Matter Expert) for The Collector Store (collectorstore.com). We discuss the two current realities of Magic: competitive head-to-head digital play and casual multi-player in person table play. We delve into the etymology of the term...
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Why We Game: Dan Repperger – 2
Fear the Boot’s Dan Repperger is back to delve into his RPG creative method, espousing the importance of the group template and party interconnection from conception. Never creating a game in a vacuum as character creation spawns campaign inspiration. Instead, he follows a strict philosophy of...
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Why We Game: Ruben Smith-Zempel
Ruben Smith-Zempel is a print designer who has been beautifying gaming-related word documents for the better part of two decades. He abhors a poorly formatted text. That keen eye got him his first paying gaming gig while still in art school. Ruben may have been responsible for cutting an index or...
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Why We Game: Pete Petrusha
Pete Petrusha is a game designer and an Indy RPG insider. He cut his teeth on MTG, JPRGs, and solely mechanics focused 2nd Ed AD&D. Despite his crunchy origins, Pete always craved something more immersive and narrative driven. This is certainly reflected in his game design, which is progressively...
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Why We Game: Chad Wattler
Chad Wattler is one of the original hosts of the RPG podcast Fear the Boot. As a child he juggled savage beatings from neighborhood bullies, both parents that worked very long hours, and a treasure trove of board games without friends with whom to play. Eventually Chad fought back, found the…
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Why We Game: Danielle Reynolds
Danielle Reynolds is a game designer, a podcaster, and a brand-new member of the GPI Game Manufacturing team. She has been playing games since childhood, but in the past two years she has made herself a force in the hobby. As lead host of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication, Danielle,...
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Why We Game: Jason Brick
Multi-class jock/geek, and freelance writer, Jason Brick is a lifelong gamer. Introduced to the hobby young by his uncle, and firmly rooted in it by his father, Jason immediately began running games for other kids. He learned to fight because his father made him join the wrestling team. He had to...
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Why We Game: Dave Wallace – Round 2
Round 2 with Dave Wallace! I sat down again with The Fantasy Shop’s mastermind and we discussed: how private equity firms are screwing up the hobby industry, ACD Distribution’s chances of survival without being able to carry Wizards of the Coast products, and the importance of the Game...
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Why We Game: Kathleen Mercury
Kathleen Mercury is a gifted educator teaching game design in the classroom. She formally served on the Geekway to the West board of directors, and currently serves on both the Meeples for Peeples and the GAMA Education Advisory boards. Did I mention that Kathleen is also a game designer with a...
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Why We Game: Heath Aldrich – Part 2
Heath Aldrich is still the host of Hobby Time in the Murder Basement of YouTube. In part two of this crossover we discuss: The internet is a child and certainly acts as one, The Classics (i.e. Dead Baby Jokes), Heath reveals his practice of close-up magic, and I pitch my vision of the miniature...
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Why We Game: Heath Aldrich – Part 1
Heath Aldrich is the host of Hobby Time in the Murder Basement of YouTube. He’s only been involved with miniature gaming for a few short years, but already has far more hours logged painting figs than I have. Having a knack for creation, Heath has replaced an addiction to drinking with one to...
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Why We Game: Mindy Johnson
Although a relatively recent member to the deep end of the hobby, Mindy Johnson is a cut above most of us. After being exposed to Catan at 33, she dove in head first. Five years later, she has both a collection, and an attitude to be envied. As one of the co-founders of the charity Meeples for...
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Why We Game: Walker Fitzroy
Walker Fitzroy has been playing role playing games for over four decades. He hasn’t been selling them that entire time, but he has been selling them for a long time. Walker owns Game Nite, a seven thousand square foot gaming store in the St. Louis area. We discuss the importance of play space in...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Why We Game is a podcast delving into the nuts and bolts of the how the gaming hobby works as a business. No, not video games. Analog games. Real games. Starring O.G.s (Orignal Gamers) like Dave Arneson.
HOSTED BY
The Influence Foundation
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Why We Game have?
Why We Game currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Why We Game about?
Why We Game is a podcast delving into the nuts and bolts of the how the gaming hobby works as a business. No, not video games. Analog games. Real games. Starring O.G.s (Orignal Gamers) like Dave Arneson.
How often does Why We Game release new episodes?
Why We Game has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Why We Game?
You can listen to Why We 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 Why We Game?
Why We Game is created and hosted by The Influence Foundation.
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