Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication

In episode 69 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Mike Belsole and Grace Kendall about their co-design Smug Owls published by Runaway Games. What started as a game made for a convention Christmas gift exchange turned into an owl themed game about generating riddles for players to solve. The last player to think of an answer will become the smug owl and judge the round’s...

In episode 68 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Corey Andalora and Donnie Coleman about their asymmetric space themed co-op game Mission Control: Critical Orbit. What started as a game design challenge inspired by the initial parts of COVID grew into this unique real-time puzzle game you can play with your friends. Listen to how they decided what puzzles to make and h...

In episode 67 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we kick off season 4 with Julie Ahern the designer of BarBEARian Battlegrounds: Tales of BarBEARia. The reason she chose this design in particular is because it was a sequel to a game designed by Walter Barber and Ian VanNest. These designers were tasked with creating a sequel to the game but weren’t able to make it happen so Julie h...

In episode 66 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we recap the third season with guest host Beneeta Kaur. We talk about some fun games from the past season, heartfelt inspirations, interesting systems designed for RPGs and catch up on what’s been going on with Danielle’s career in the gaming industry outside the podcast. We also discuss what’s coming up for season 4 airing on Tuesda...

In episode 65 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Pophouse Collective's Josh Kemper and Robert Smith about their getting to know you party game It's Kind of a Fun Story. They talk about how the game was inspired by a Halloween Party game night with salaciously probing questions that they wanted to turn into an experience you could find in a brightly colored box. Through...

In episode 64 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Taylor Shuss about his asymmetric deck building game Stonewall Uprising inspired by LGBTQ+ History. The mechanics of the game came quickly to him. It was researching events and figureheads from our past that was more difficult. He found it a fun challenge to create a game where people are not only learning but have a vis...

In episode 63 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with two Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famers Robert Dougherty and Darwin Kastle, the designers of Star Realms. They speak about how their love of trading card games and wanting to help Darwin find a job brought the deckbuilder known as Star Realms into reality. Their development process was fueled by wanting to beat each othe...

In episode 62 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Sarah Shipp the designer of Deadly Dowagers. This game started with a theme of generations of people trying to improve their positions in life that quickly became a theme about you playing as a middle-class Victorian woman who would kill to be a duchess. In Sarah’s card-drafting game you will marry, collect money, and mu...

In episode 61 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Chris Chung the designer of Lanterns: The Harvest Festival. What started out as a game jam design quickly became an evergreen game. With its simplistic rules, unique theme and beautiful artwork. Plus, a fun easter egg that Chris’s grandma was excited to spot in the artwork. Listen to how Chris grew as a designer and turn...

In episode 60 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Joe Barron from Gray Matters Games about how he teamed up with graphic design students at the College of DuPage to create a word game during the Wordle craze. Through playtesting they not only improved the graphics of the game but realized that their electronic timer could be improved to help the hearing impaired by addi...

In episode 59 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ben Goldman the designer of Paint the Roses published by Northstar Games. He talks about designing co-op games and how adding the Alice and Wonderland theme to a previous quilting theme added to the design of the game. From the stacking of roses to grow the Queen’s height and speed to adding the white rabbit to help peop...

In episode 58 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Scott Brady the designer of Hues and Cues published by the Op Games. Scott was able to use his connections as a reviewer to get in touch with publishers once his color swatch themed party game was ready to pitch. The game was inspired by his printing background that only got better through playtesting. Hear him talk abou...

In episode 57 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Chris O'Neill about both his game Mazes and the RPG system he designed for the game called Polymorph. Chris spent years creating a new system based around each player playing as a specific single die. Each character will come with a die and an amount of stars. In the system stars allow players to forgo rolling to achieve...

In episode 56 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Heather O'Neill about her first solo design Meeple Party. What started out as a logic puzzle for your brain quickly got themed around hosting a party with your fellow roommates. Meeples were given colors and stereotypes that tied into how they moved other party-goers around the modular board. In order to win you had to s...

In episode 55 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ami Baio about her first co-design Lost for Words that she worked on with her son. The initial inspiration for the game came from her love of languages and how different words carry different meanings that can invoke memories that are worth sharing. Learn some new words as well as the feelings that can be expressed throu...

Episode 54: Relics of Rajavihara   In episode 54 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Joe Slack about his solo puzzle game Relics of Rajavihara. Starting from an enjoyment of puzzle video games of moving blocks Joe worked to create his almost legacy game themed in an Indiana Jones like world that was suggested by the Solo Board Game Facebook Groups. Joe learned through s...

In episode 53 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Michael Guigliano about Batman: The Animated Series – Gotham City Under Siege. We speak about how he got into the gaming hobby through playing Twilight Imperium then met the designer Richard Launius who’d become his co-designer on the Batman game. The design started as a way to help kids learn simple math equations playi...

In episode 52 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ashwin Kamath and Clarence Simpson about their game The Wolves, published by Pandasuarous Games. These designers met through the Tabletop Mentorship Program and created this game design in a matter of months during the worst of the pandemic. Utilizing online playtests they were able to iterate quickly even while living i...

In episode 51 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Marge Rosen about her card game Pirate Party: Women of the High Seas. A card game loosely based on the mechanics of Rummy that took on it’s own character by theming it after historical women pirates! The game offers different gameplays, historical facts in the rulebook and diverse artwork. Plus, if you collect all three...

In episode 50 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Daniel Newman about his co-published game London Necropolis Railway. He talks about how a Wikipedia link on a historic event in London inspired this morbidly themed game. Also, how he and his company New Mill Industries work to take interestingly themed games that might have a hard time finding a home and turning them in...

In episode 49 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Roberta Taylor about her game Creature Comforts published by KTGB. This game was initially inspired by the changing of the seasons in Canada. The worker placement with the interesting dice mechanics came shortly after. Roberta talks about her design process, having Helaina Cappel look at her design then sign it after the...

In episode 48 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Molly Zeff a co-owner of Flying Leap Games and co-designer of Million Dollar Doodle, a semi-collaborative entrepreneurship-themed drawing party game. She took an idea her friends thought up at a restaurant and enhanced the idea by adding additional elements and playtesting. Listen to what she learned about marketing her...

In episode 47 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Michael Pittre on his co-design game “On the Rocks”. He talks about starting a company around this initial design. How he sourced such premium components and worked through the initial Kickstarter Campaign not going their way. Plus, them deciding to create custom cards for their second campaign!    Featuring:  Michael Pi...

In episode 46 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Steve Resk about his game Supershow. A design that started out as a fix to the TOPs trading card game, it was later turned into a pro-wrestling game. He started by making the first printing out of a local non-game manufacturing company and placing it inside of Chinese food containers to sell at a convention. Now he has a...

In episode 45 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with James Hewitt & Sophie Williams about their co-design Hellboy: The Board Game published by Manic Games. This co-op Dark Horse comic book inspired game is filled with minis used to explore ever evolving case based maps. Players are investigating cases while fighting their famous foes playing as BPRD members, such as Hellbo...