Ancient Robot Games

This week, Dougal and Gelb are joined by Laurence Phillips of Hardy Roach Games to discuss their new game ‘Il Fantasma del Giallo’ - a new TTRPG based on the proto-slasher, horror genre of 1960’s Italian cinema. This new game has everyone guessing who the killer could be, because it could even be YOU and you would have no idea! Laurence also goes into detail about writing systems with tension and...

Jamie Heitler joins with Dougal and Gelb to discuss his start in writing TTRPG adventures for various roleplaying systems - especially his favourite of the bunch Mothership - and choosing the right system for the story you want to tell!   Find more of Jamie at his itch.io account under Windblown Vagrant - https://windblown-vagrant.itch.io/ If you have any burning game questions, or special events...

Dougal and Gelb are back from a long weekend at the UK Games Expo - with Dougal scouring the convention for new games to stock his shop and Gelb selling and demoing his latest games. In this episode, the guys share insights as to what to expect when selling at conventions, and tips on making the most of your time there both as an attendee or a vendor, and some gaming highlights from the weekend! ...

Dougal and Gelb are joined by Leithal Hits own, Greg Foster, to discuss the wargaming hobby and their own growing community in Edinburgh of avid 40K fans. Expect usual chaos and derailment as always. Find out more about Leithal Hits at - https://www.leithalhits.co.uk/ If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at ancie...

Dougal and Gelb delve into the niche world of asymmetrical games. One game with different playstyles and mechanics for certain players - or in some cases for every player!  Talking about asymmetrical classics like Root, Nemesis, Terrorscape, and more - the guys discuss what makes a good game with asymmetry and how much you can truly balance an unbalanced game. If you have any burning game question...

The Ancient Robot Games Podcast is now 1 year old! And what better way to celebrate than bringing back our first ever guest, Judson Cowan, to talk about what he's been up to in the last year.  Judson talks about the process of designing his first ever expansion and how funding/publishing can differ from that of a game, and also his upcoming release Personal Demons - a new game themed around mental...

Dougal and Gelb talk about abstract games and their long history in influencing the industry and culture of tabletop gaming. Covering games from the Vikings’ ultimate strategy game, reimagining classics like chess, and contemporary designs like Aster from Midnight Trading Co. If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us...

Dougal and Gelb talk some of the best BIG games out now, and how they can offer some of the most fun and exciting experiences in board gaming. If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us at ancientrobotpod@gmail.com and we’ll endeavour to answer in an upcoming episode! Ancient Robot Games -  https://ancientrobotgames.co...

In this episode, we’re joined by Ronan Jennings of Secret Solstice Games - another board game cafe in Leith - and creator of escape rooms and immersive experiences through Case Closed Escape Rooms. Listen in for chats on creating immersive narrative experiences, and Ronans unique approach to escape room design. See more of Ronan at: https://www.secretsolsticegames.co.uk/ https://www.caseclosededin...

Have you ever found yourself amongst a group of people who you don’t know very well and it falls to you to break the ice with a game? What do you pick for a room full of people you don’t know? Well Dougal and Gelb answer these question in the next episode - discussing the best party games for a group of people you don’t know, everything from word games, card games, and social deduction games that...

In this episode we are joined by Andrew Stoddart and Pavel Shepan, organisers of Edinburgh Board Gamers - a club focused on bringing together fans of games into a social and welcoming atmosphere - discussing the growth of their group, their impact on the community of gamers in Edinburgh, and some of their own opinions on the games they play. See more of Edinburgh Board Gamers on their Facebook pag...

In this episode, we’re joined by Paul Scott Canavan - Art Director, Illustrator, and Artist - to discuss working as an artists in the games industry and developing your own Tabletop Roleplaying Game. Paul has worked with a range of clients from independent studios and designers, to larger companies such as Wizards of the Coast and Games Workshop, and is currently developing his TTRPG, Pale Tides -...

Dougal and Gelb are joined by Tanya Floaker - award-winning game designer of ‘Lo! Thy Dread Empire’, ‘Be Seeing You’ and ‘Mum Chums’ - to discuss her process of designing games with a focus on the players emotional response, how she approaches publishing new games, and her upcoming release, 'The Thunder Perfect Mind' - a game that delves into toxic nostalgia with breakneck action and occult thrill...

Kicking off the New Year with Morgan Edmonds, creator of Minion - the TTRPG in which you are the faithful Minion to a Dark Lord and must do their bidding or protect their treasure from the “brave heroes” Morgan and the guys talk everything from writing your own RPG systems, getting games published, and some new and exciting TTRPGs that are trying out new mechanics - like jenga or cards instead of...

Dougal and Gelb sit down to wrap up some of the game highlights of 2025 and dive into a couple of Dougal's choices for Christmas gifts for your loved ones (or just for yourself)! Check out Enthrone at https://www.smirkanddagger.com/product-page/enthrone See more of Light Speed: Arena at https://lightspeedarena.com/ If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some a...

In this episode we are joined by game designer and award winning editor, Roz Leahy. Roz talks on lots of points, including editing and writing captivating RPG adventures, her favourite types of games (and least favourite), and hottakes on some tropes of TTRPGs.  This episode is full of tips and advice for budding tabletop writers that may be a little lost on this incredibly unique and baffling wri...

In this episode, we're joined by Dave Wright, organiser of Tabletop Scotland - a board game, card game, and RPG convention made for everyone, whether you're a long time enthusiast or brand new to the hobby! Dave discusses his inspiration to start the convention despite a disappointment with his first business running a game store, and the complexities that come along with running Scotland's bigges...

In this weeks episode, we are joined by Will Tempest, an illustrator for graphic novels, board games, and roleplaying games. Best known for his TTRPG work with his brother, Sam, and their publishing company Grave Goods Pub - including Frogmen, and the upcoming Strang Beorn, a Grimdark setting based on Ancient Britain and Celtic Mythology for the MORKBORG system.  See more of Wills work at: https:/...

In this episode, we're joined by Phil Harris, a Creative Consultant for all things game and narrative design, and is the coordinator for Conpulsion, Scotland’s longest running tabletop game convention! From working on MMORPGs, writing tabletop roleplaying systems, and running tabletop games at conventions (you may recognise him from Tabletop Scotland), this episode covers a lot for those intereste...

In this episode, we’re joined by Eve Greenwood and Brian Tyrrell. Eve is a writer, artist, and founder of Quindire Press, an independent publisher of graphics novels and comics, and Brian is a tabletop game designer and founder of Stout Stoat Press, a game-and-book publisher. Together, they have founded TAGS Fest (Tabletop and Graphic Storytelling) to celebrate independent artists and designers in...

We are joined by Tom Inglis of Teomach Games, to discuss his first upcoming project Pivot, an entrepreneurial start-up game, and dive into the works of Reiner Knizia, of whom Tom is a huge fan and collector. See more of Tom and Teomach Games at https://www.teomachgames.com/  If you have any burning game questions, or special events coming up and need some advice for what game to bring - email us a...

Dougal and Gelb are joined by the wonderful Mill Valentine! Co-Owner of Dissent Games, and founder of the Paradice Board Game Convention and the Facebook group Dundee Boardgamers. Dissent has a new game coming soon, Loose in the Library, a sort of reimagining of their first game, Library Labyrinth. Listen in to hear more about the process of designing and developing during lockdown and how the onl...

Dougal and Gelb are joined with special guest Andy Law, sharing his decades worth of experience working with some of the biggest names in tabletop gaming - including Critical Role and Warhammer. In Andys (limited) spare time from designing some of the best known games, he hosts his own actual play, Lawhammer, using the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game system - that he himself worked on - and is...

Dougal and Gelb are joined by Dylan Balfour, creator of the upcoming game Rat King. Dylan has been developing this game for the last year while also holding down a full time job AND working on his PHD. This episodes got it all from managing time effectively, tips for developing your first game, and Dougal's completely not flawed idea for a Teeth game.  See more of Rat King at https://www.shrimptan...

Dougal and Gelb are joined by the owner of Paverson Games (Distilled, and Luthier), Dave Beck. Dave discusses his love for big games that have a big table presence, and his journey from video game design to owning his own board game company - doing everything from design, development, and publishing. A great episode for those wanting to make that leap into the world of board game design and publis...