20 Sided Gamified Podcast

Max Brooks. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross. Do I have to say anything else? If I do- here goes- Max totally redefined and added to the genre of "zombies" with his groundbreaking novels (The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z). Daveed- the CEO of Expert Theory- a company which I believe is redefining the design and implementation of simulations in the professional world. Together, they worked designed a z...

Folks- the interview you're about to listen to, in my mind, was one of the most fascinating I've ever recorded. Expert Theory is really doing revolutionizing work using traditional methods coupled with an intelligent AI platform. Eleanor and Jesse were wonderful to talk with- we hit it off immediately and had a lovely conversation. We've never really tackled the use (or even the potential use) of...

Folks- this is a special one! On today's episode, I sit down with famed game designer Jason Morningstar, to discuss "The Blue Way- A game of lost stories"- an absolutely fantastic roleplaying game which focuses on the dangers of colonialism, the losing/changing of one's culture, and the aftermath of such events. This game is being published through 20SG's friends at the Center for Learning Through...

Hey Folks! Please enjoy our latest episode with Columbia Games' Grant Dalgliesh! If you like block wargaming, look no farther than Grant and his father Tom, who are THE innovators. They are the OG- the originals- the people who really put this style of wargaming on the map. In addition- and I do not say this lightly- Alliance is a very unique game, one that combines tactical battles with grand str...

Folks- When Kelly and I chatted about hosting an episode on making modifications to games, what better guests to bring on than John and Greg from Pico Armor! In addition to running one of the best companies for small scale figures (mostly 3mm), they are constantly running games, and constantly innovating! We went deep in this episode- please enjoy it! https://picoarmor.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqlD8zalIM...

Folks- this is a really special episode, made possible by our friend Dr. Frank Rausch. A number of his students- whom you'll get to know in this episode- talk about their experiences learning in a game based environment. Frank, Kelly and I walk through all of the amazing things they're doing in school- everything from game based assignments, to public history outings, to the plans they have when t...

Friends- Peter Dennis is an absolute legend in the field of wargaming. Not only is he an illustrator of literally hundreds of books on wargaming (with Osprey and others), but Peter runs Peter's Paperboys- a company built around paper soldiers for multiple eras. He is a treasure trove of knowledge about the hobby, and a delightful person to chat with. We covered a ton of ground, but ran out of time...

Folks- please enjoy this conversation with Mark Fry, author behind the newly updated Future War Commander 2, recently published by Pendraken Miniatures! I absolutely love these rules, haven't been playing them for a number of years. When I saw that Mark was working on a newly renovated version of the game, I knew that I had to contact Leon and get him on the show! We had a blast recording this one...

Friends- Jim Wallman is such an important person in the field of wargaming, having decades of experience in a number of facets of the profession and the hobby. Following my interview with Evan D'Alessandro, Evan's first recommendation to me was getting Jim on the show, particularly to discuss his pioneering of the "mega-game", which can best be described (IMO) as roleplay gaming meets historical w...

Surprise! I wanted to drop this episode to support a colleague in the gaming world- Adam Watson and his organization, Kentucky Educators for Role Playing Gaming. Adam is an author of book called "Tabletop Role-Playing Games in the Classroom- Infusing Gameplay into K-12 Instruction", which provides support to teachers who want to use role playing in the classroom. As a teacher, I recognize how valu...

Folks- please enjoy this interview between two similar organizations- 20SG and Game Bard LLC! Simply put, Rob and Karissa are awesome. They are spectacular classroom teachers that have not only embraced game based learning, but continually share out their ideas in order to build community. In this episode, we talk through some games they've used in the classroom (teaching English), as well as some...

Friends- a few weeks ago, the game club got together and tried out Nemesis, an absolutely fantastic board game set in a sci-fi/Alien Universe type of setting. We get into the nitty gritty of things and go through basic mechanics and formulas the game uses. Huge thanks to Kelly for bringing the game, and running it. Also, this episode was great in the sense that we got to introduce all of you to Ge...

Folks- this episode was a real treat, and no, the title is not there just to get you interested! CLGS is a program at Central Michigan University that gives students an opportunity to play games and simulations in a variety of courses, and earn a minor in Game Design. Moreover, CLGS publishes its own educational boardgames and has numerous titles under its belt. This includes Greg Loring-Albright'...

Folks- if you've ever wondered about the OG of OG wargames, Kriegspiel, this is the episode for you! While not our only topic, professional wargaming guru Jan Heinemann (letsplayhistory on Instagram) and I discuss professional wargaming, Jan's entry points into wargaming, and the importance of game based learning in the modern world. Jan was a great conversationalist, and I truly hope we end up in...

Happy New Year from 20SG! We're kicking off the New Year with a bang- a conversation with an absolute delight of a wargamer- Jeff Wailewski! Jeff is a true Renaissance Man with a background in law and acting, and for purposes of this show, will provide great advice and tips about running a wargame. Jeff has been honored numerous times for his half roleplay, half wargame convention games that steal...

Surprise! Following each of our own holiday parties, Kelly and I decided to record an impromptu episode covering - well- whatever we wanted! We bantered about recent games, goals for 2026, and some highlights from 20SG's year. Please enjoy the recording- and be prepared for anything! See you soon! 20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes th...

Friends- Several weeks ago, we had the chance to speak with Nick "the Medieval Wargamer", who hosts a popular YouTube Channel dedicated to- you guessed it- medieval wargaming! Nick and I had have a lot in common, specifically when it comes to our taste in wargaming rules, so it made total sense to have him on the show. At some point or another, Kelly and I are going to guest on his channel (more o...

Friends! Happy Holidays! I hope everyone here in the states had a great Thanksgiving. And for those of you not in the states happy......December? Kidding aside, I had a killer time interviewing Evan D'Alessandro, a Ph.d. student in the Department of War Studies at Kings College London. Besides being a great guy and an interesting chat, Evan has done a lot in the field of wargaming. He's design and...

Friends- Please enjoy my conversation with "games" specialist and educator Ryan Schaaf. His resume is such that I decided to take his bio directly from his website to plug in directly for your reading pleasure. To say Ryan is accomplished is the understatement of the century. Have fun with this one! Professor, Educator, Author, Speaker, Futurist, Lifelong Learner, Global Citizen Ryan L. Schaaf is...

Friends- please enjoy our most recent podcast with a true pioneer in the field of wargaming- Matthew B. Caffrey Jr. Matt is one of the kindest guys you'll ever meet- super easy to talk to, with tremendous amounts of knowledge about wargaming at the highest levels. Some of his stories, which came out in this episode, are absolutely fascinating, and he is true gem in our small, niche world of wargam...

Podcast Listeners- this episode was definitely a bucket list interview! For the next 90 minutes, enjoy our conversation with wargames author Simon Miller. Most well known for "To the Strongest", Simon is an experienced gamer and rules designer who, in my humble opinion, has done a lot for the world of ancient, medieval, and renaissance miniature wargaming. While TTS can be played in a competitive...

Friends- please enjoy my conversation with author Damond Crump, author of "Patrol: World War Two". It was fantastic chatting with Damon and hearing his story of growing up in the gaming community. He talks quite a bit about game design, the Pacific Northwest, and his relationship with Bryan Shein of Pacific Sky Games. I absolutely love what this company is doing, and their new website looks fantas...

Friends- please enjoy my conversation with Rick Priestley, who returns from Episode #1 with a new game to discuss! Space Battles is a fascinating game, written by Rick and published by Wombat Wargames. There are a bunch of supplements, a miniatures line, and a ton of promise for future releases! The game has a modern feel, with vintage aesthetics. Rick is always a blast to chat with- we had an awe...

Friends- please enjoy the most selfish episode I've ever recorded- my conversation with Skaff Elias, one of the original playtesters, developers, and right hand man to Richard Garfield of Magic the Gathering the fame. As many of you know, Challenge to Power will be 20SG's first published game (more on this soon), and as it turned out, I knew that I would be talking with Skaff for the show. It seem...

Friends- please enjoy my chat with friend and gaming contemporary Tony Marano of Little Wars TV! We focused our discussion on Tony and his love of old school RPGs. He is a veteran game master, storyteller, and all around D&D guru, and we had a blast talking about the history of RPGS, their connections with miniatures, and some strategies for running a good game. Have fun with this episode! 20...