Tabletop SportCast

This week, James heads Beyond the Table for a relaxed, off-the-cuff episode featuring ten personal recommendations inspired by his recent interests and everyday life. The topics span books, television, movies, podcasts, YouTube, music, apps, food, everyday purchases, and experiences. It’s a chance to get to know the person behind the projects—and explore some of the other interests that fill the t...

In this episode, James takes a look back at Q3 and opens up his planning dashboard to share what’s coming to the table for the final quarter of 2026. Projects on tap include an Early Integration History Maker Baseball tournament, a collection of dream college football rivalry matchups, a 1975-76 NHL tournament with 49 Highlight Hockey, and historical replays featuring the 1966 Masters playoff, the...

What if you could change just one thing in sports history and play out everything that follows? In this episode of the Tabletop Sportcast, James shares five project starter ideas that bridge historical and fictional gaming. We're talking NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, Expansion, Relocation, Mergers, and historical redos! These ideas offer new ways to make history your own. Change one thing. Play everythi...

This week on the Tabletop SportCast, I sit down with Matt McKeever of D12 Gaming to talk about the design of their new golf game, Pocket Pro Tour. Matt takes us behind the design process and explains how the philosophy behind Pocket Pennant Run — small footprint, quick resolution, and doing more with less — carried over to golf, while still requiring a very different game engine. We talk about fin...

In this episode of the Tabletop Sportcast, James discusses the upcoming holiday sale and the changes happening within the PLAAY community. He reflects on the past year's events, including the departure of key personnel and the impact on business operations. James speculates on what the holiday sale might look like, emphasizing the importance of PDFs and new game releases while considering the...

Celebrating five years of the Tabletop Sportcast, this episode reflects on the show's evolution, personal hobby updates, and future plans. Host James shares insights on community-created content, hobby tools, and project management, emphasizing the importance of engagement and passion in the hobby.

What if the secret to finishing a massive tabletop project is deciding you don’t have to finish the whole thing? This week, James looks at using milestones to turn oversized projects into manageable chunks, using his 1973 Hall of Fame Starting Pitcher project as a real-world example. Plus, some thoughts on money, change, nostalgia, and why the sports we remember continue to shape what we play on t...

James sits down with designer Arthur Franz for an inside look at Breakaway Football Dynasty , an upcoming game that puts players in the role of a modern football general manager. They discuss the game’s original concept, resource-management approach, randomly generated coaches and players, two different game simulation engines, and the many ways gamers might build their own dynasty. Arthur also sh...

What if you had to reduce your entire tabletop sports game collection to just ten titles? In Episode 261, James takes on that challenge—but this is not simply a list of his ten favorite games. With only one game allowed per sport and one per designer or game company, he builds a collection designed to provide variety, replayability, historical projects, fictional worlds, solo play, multiplayer opt...

In this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James opens with a review of Sports Sim Magazine Issue #23, highlighting the articles, community voices, and free playable content that make the magazine such a valuable part of the hobby. Then, in the main topic, James looks back at ten moments that redefined his tabletop journey, from discovering Statis-Pro Baseball and MicroLeague Baseball to fantasy f...

Summer has arrived on the tabletop, and episode 259 is all about turning the page from a busy spring into a fresh season of gaming. James recaps his Q2 gaming numbers, including 154 sessions, 37 different games, 23 projects, and a spring table led heavily by baseball. He also looks back at key projects like the 1973 Hall of Fame Starting Pitcher Project, the 1986 MLB Tournament, XSE’s road to Apex...

In this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James sits down with Roy Paeth for a Father’s Day conversation about games, family, community, and finding time for ourselves. Roy shares his journey from Strat-O-Matic Football and Statis-Pro Baseball to rediscovering tabletop sports games during COVID, eventually finding his way to live gaming conventions and a welcoming community of fellow hobbyists. T...

This week on the Tabletop SportCast, James sits down with Ian Brooke, designer of On Deck Baseball, for a conversation about creating a baseball game that captures more than just stats on a card. Ian shares the game’s origins, the importance of fictional leagues, player artwork, fatigue, confrontation rolls, and the design choices that help each game tell its own story. Along the way, they discuss...

This episode explores how to categorize tabletop sports projects into five tiers based on size and commitment, helping gamers plan and execute their projects more effectively. The host shares personal insights and frameworks to tailor project scope to individual preferences.

On this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James explores the art of managing baseball teams in tabletop sports games. He discusses the balance between historical accuracy and personal strategy, from replaying seasons with realistic usage patterns to creating your own managerial style within historical guardrails. In Around the Table, he shares updates from around the hobby, and highlights from hi...

In Episode 254 of the Tabletop SportCast , James Cast recaps his experience at Digital to DiceCon 2026 and explores what happens after the convention ends. From new games and community connections to project ideas and post-convention motivation, this episode focuses on how tabletop gamers can turn convention energy into meaningful action at the home table. James also shares thoughts on avoiding th...

In this episode, S.T. Patrick shares insights on game design, the hobby's golden age, and the impact of AI on game creation. The host, James Cast, along with S.T., explore the evolution of sports simulation games, the importance of quality over quantity, and the future of the hobby. In this in-depth interview, S.T. shares insights into designing sports simulation games, focusing on basketball...

In this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James takes a closer look at playtesting and why “just play it and tell me what you think” usually is not enough. Using the DMAIC process — Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control — he breaks down how playtesting can serve a different purpose at each stage of game design. The episode focuses on how designers can ask better questions before, during,...

In this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James Cast takes a look at The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. by Robert Coover — a novel that may be one of the most fascinating books ever written for tabletop sports gamers. He summarizes the story of Henry Waugh and his deeply immersive fictional baseball universe, then explores the UBA from a gamer’s perspective, including...

On this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James Cast recaps IndiCon 2026, explores the milestone 250th episode, and reflects on the community of tabletop sports gaming. Keywords tabletop sports gaming, IndieCon 2026, podcast milestone, community, game design, project planning, interviews, hobby events Chapters 00:00 Celebrating 250 Episodes: A Milestone Reflection 01:17 IndieCon Recap: Conversati...

In this episode, James discusses his preparations for IndiCon, shares insights on planning gaming projects, and highlights what makes a great gaming event. He emphasizes the importance of good games, access to designers, and the power of community in enhancing the hobby experience. keywords board games, IndieCon, gaming events, game design, community, project planning, sports board games, game dev...

In this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, James reflects on the winter season of tabletop gaming, shares insights on project management, and previews the spring season's plans, including upcoming events and new projects. keywords tabletop gaming, winter recap, spring plans, game projects, in-person events, hobby seasonality key topics Winter gaming recap and metrics Project management and in-...

In this episode, James discusses how he prioritizes his hobbies and projects, balancing game playing, content creation, and game design. He shares practical strategies like effort vs. value analysis and routine management to make informed decisions about where to focus his limited time. keywords hobby prioritization, time management, game design, content creation, effort vs. value, hobby routine,...

James explores the impact of AI on the tabletop hobby, emphasizing the importance of maintaining high standards and authenticity. He highlights common pitfalls of AI-generated content and advocates for thoughtful, intentional use of AI tools to preserve the creativity and trust within the community. keywords tabletop gaming, AI, creativity, hobby standards, content quality, community trust, game d...

In this episode, James reflects on his 2024 Mets replay using History Maker Baseball, analyzing what worked, what didn't, and lessons learned. He explores the nuances of managing a full season replay, the impact of strategic decisions, and how the replay mirrored or diverged from real life. keywords sports replay, baseball simulation, history maker baseball, Mets 2024, tabletop sports, sports...