20 Sided Gamified Podcast

Today on the pod we've got Logan and Kitty from Coyote and Crow Games. I had an absolute blast speaking with them, as they broke down the history, methodology, and mechanics of the popular roleplaying game, Coyote and Crow. This is a Science Fantasy game exploring a major "what if"- what if the indigenous people of the Americas never came into contact with Europeans coming overseas beginning in th...

Please enjoy this short but great podcast with Dr. Gavin Lawson. He is professor of Biology from Bridgewater College in Virginia, who just so happens to be a gamer, and just so happens to have a ton of experience gamifying education for students. Gavin and I met at Historicon 2023, becoming acquainted quickly. When he reached out regarding the rules I used for my Belleau Wood scenario, I asked him...

On today's Friendcast, 2 of my good buddies, Titch White and Cory Ring from Cigar Box Battles have come on the show to discuss the age old question in historical wargaming: the big game vs the little game. In other words, what has more merit- the massive miniatures game that requires 14 players and 10,000 miniatures on the table? Or, is there more merit to the smaller game on a 4x4 table with 10 m...

Hello friends! This week on the pod, I spoke with Dr. Thomas O'Toole. He is the Executive Director of Public Affairs Programming at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, at Cornell University. Tom and I met at Brunswick School, after I a) saw a really cool Cold War Simulation in our printer and b) found out that there was a guest professor running a simulation for some upper school students....

For our 20th episode of the pod, I spoke with Dave Taylor. If you don't know who Dave Taylor is (shame, shame, shame!), he came to the US several decades ago to work on Games Workshop's US team. He has been here ever since, and is as prolific as anyone I know when it comes to wargaming, miniatures painting, and publishing. In addition to maintaining his own site, Dave Taylor Miniatures, Dave also...

On this edition of everyone's favorite Friendcast, Kelly, Steve and I chat about command systems in wargames. When is a command system so EXTRA that you sit around doing nothing, hoping for your troops to move? When is it too little, where a gamer has little to think about other than how many dice they need to roll? All this and more on Friendcast #2! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Much as you can tell by the title, I really felt this was a "big deal" kind of podcast. Wayne Arthur Turner has worked for Battlefield Miniatures for a number of years, writing sourcebooks for the standard Flames of War game as well as Team Yankee. He was a blast to talk to- the kind of conversation I wish was happening in person, following by a Flames of War game and possibly a pint or two (sorry...

Hey there friends! Today on the pod is none other than Ray Kimball of 42ed Games. I first met Ray at NASAGA 2022, where I got the chance to play his Cuban Missile Crisis simulation, which was an absolute highlight for me. Only then did I find about his career in the US Army, along with all the work he has been doing with 42ed Games. We had a robust discussion about gamified education, and talked u...

Today on the pod 20 Sided Gamified features two fantastic, interesting, easy to talk to boardgame designers- Kevin Bertram and Tory Brown of Fort Circle Games. Located in/near Washington DC, Fort Circle Games, with CEO and founder Kevin at the helm, is dedicated to designing games that take complex historical events and transform them into easy to learn games. With popular titles like "The Halls o...

On a "friendcast", I shoot the breeze with friends both near and far on different topics related to gaming. In this particular case, Kelly, Steve and I discuss how much a player's army choice (or character choice in an RPG) is a reflection on them. For example- is a player a "bad" person for playing Germans in WW2, or insurgents in Iraq? If you play a psychotic rogue hellbent on murder in D&D,...

Had an amazing conversation with Jamey from Stonemaier Games. It was one of those "do you want to be on the pod?" conversations that I've had a bunch of times, but never did everything come together as smooth as this one. Jamey was super easy to talk to, and it was nice going back in time to think about the beginning days of Magic. In terms of content, we also spoke a lot about the trials of runni...

Shawn Taylor is the author of numerous wargaming rulesets, including a personal favorite of mine, Great War Spearhead. In this wide ranging conversation, Shawn and I discussed all sorts of things related to the First World War, as well as more tangential topics such as Games Workshop, Canada, and military service. It was a really fun chat, one that I hope you enjoy as much as I did recording it! H...

On this episode of the pod, I interview Veronica Brown and Jeremy Caddel, two wonderful people who have been knee-deep in planning for NASAGA 2023, being held October 18th-21st in St. Louis, Missouri. NASAGA stands for North American Simulations and Games Association. The organization runs a yearly conference in which game enthusiasts, designers, educators, and people within the corporate world co...

There are multiple reasons why this particular podcast should be at the top of your listening queue. First and foremost, Eric Farrington is a killer rules writer/author whose titles include "Men of Bronze", "Wars of the Republic", and "Castles in the Sky", all published through Osprey Games. The conversation was really fun, given how much of an expert and enthusiast he is for games and game design...

What has this guy NOT done??? Sit back and enjoy this conversation I had with the incomparable Matt Rendar, owner of Battle Tribe, and wargamer extraordinaire. I had so much fun talking to Matt about his many life experiences, everything from the tabletop, to real life battles, to art, and everything in between. Easily one of the more humbling pods I've done thus far. Please enjoy! Also, be on the...

On this episode of the podcast, I chat with Dr. Steve O'Rourke, who is a professor of psychology at Westchester Community College. We talked at length about how he arrived at the school, how he implements games in the classroom, and what it's like to build community through gaming. This was a really easy conversation and I could tell quickly that Steve was a kindred spirit, as we had much in commo...

Today on the podcast I interview a friend, collaborative partner, and key player within the field of game based learning in the classroom- Professor Trent Hergenrader of RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). Trent is, in my eyes, a pioneer of gaming pedagogy. Having seen his work first hand at NASAGA conferences, as well as at some of teaching conferences I ran at Hackley, he is an innovator, a...

20 Sided Gamified went live on Saturday night, July 22nd, 2023! Tony and Miles came by to chat about Little Wars TV, Historicon, and what it's like being one of the most popular wargaming groups around. If you have no experience with Little Wars TV, this podcast will give a little insight into who they are and what they do. They are massive promoters of the hobby, and their video episodes and game...

Chelsea Viteri is the Program Coordinator and an instructor within Washington University's Global Citizenship Program. We talked about community building, the intersection between games and theater, and the importance of travel to raise student's global awareness. Chelsea is going to be on the presenters at NASAGA 2023, being held October 18-21 in St Louis. For more information, please use the fol...

Friends! If you've ever sat down to do some gaming, of any sort, and thought to yourself, "I need to upgrade my game mat/felt/tabletop", then this is the podcast for you! Cory Ring, one of the most low key innovators in the gaming community, founded Cigar Box Battle mats many, many years ago. If you're using a highly crafted battle mat with images of fields, asteroids, stars, water features, etc,...

Please enjoy this (dare I say) raucous conversation with Martin Goddard of Peter Pig Miniatures. Peter Pig has one of the most extensive lines of 15mm historical wargaming figures- period- end of story. The line is unbelievable and covers a wide variety of figure lines including WW1, WW2, Vikings, Mexican Revolution, etc. Even more interesting are the various rulesets the company has to offer, whi...

20 Sided Gamified fans! Today on the pod we've got a real legend within the wargaming community- Barry Hilton of "Beneath the Lilly Banners" fame! Barry is a prolific writer of rules, and a staple in the community. We talked about his start in the hobby, how he became an author, and his thoughts on the state of wargaming in 2023. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him, and I hope you get something...

Greetings friends! Today on the pod we've got much talked about author Peter van Dop in tow! If you haven't come across Peter's name, he is the owner and rules author of BelloLudi games, a series of supplements that can both stand alone as interesting games themselves, but are also meant to bring in new players to the historical miniatures hobby. I had a blast speaking with him, and I hope you enj...

Today on the pod, we've got Dr. Franklin Rausch from Lander University, which is located in Greenwood, South Carolina. Frank is an award winning professor of history, who also happens to be a big advocate for game based learning in the classroom. His primary area of study is Asian history, with an emphasis on Korea. However, Frank is also well versed in Japanese and Chinese history, as well as int...

On today's pod, Brent Oman, author of the tremendous Field of Battle series of miniature wargames, and most recently, Battle Command, comes on to discuss his theories on gaming, game design, and the rewards of rules' authoring. It was a fun conversation and covered everything from Brent's earliest forays into gaming, as well as the plans he has for future publications. If you've never played Pique...