Lens and Veil Podcast

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Wallguards of the East Empire, the first game in the new East Empire trilogy, by Shem Phillips and S J Macdonald. Wallguards is live on Kickstarter here. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:04:21 -...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Skute, a cute new card game designed by the whole Lens and Veil crew. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:07:36 - Intro 0:07:53 - Overview of Skute 0:09:08 - Discussion of Skute 0:58:50 - Questions...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this special episode they discuss three more Japanese card games: Gummi Trick (also known as Sweet Takes) by Hisashi Hayashi, Nokosu Dice by Yusuke Matsumoto and dnup by Kei Kajino. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:06:06...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Coimbra by Flaminia Brasini and Virginio Gigli. Coimbra is a competitive euro dice drafting game. As the head of one of Coimbra's oldest houses in the Age of Discovery, players seek to earn prestige by dee...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this special episode they discuss the early years of Garphill Games when Shem was self publishing as a brand new designer. Get ready to do a deep dive on the origin story of Garphill Games! 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer?...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Raiders of Scythia: Omens and Skara Brae: Headlands by Shem Phillips. The first ever expansions to Ancient Anthology titles. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:5:33 - Intro 0:5:49 - Why are we doi...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon by Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone. Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon is a competitive euro worker placement game in which players lead one of the space agencies t...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this special episode they discuss three Japanese card games: Disney Villains by Jun Sasaki and Taiki Shinzawa, Nanatoridori by Toshiki Arao, and Robotrick by Domi. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:06:58 - Intro 0:07:17 -...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this special episode they discuss the nominees for the Kennerspiel Des Jahres 2026: Rebirth by Reiner Knizia, Boss Fighters QR by Michael Palm and Lukas Zach, and Moon Colony Bloodbath by Donald X. Vaccarino. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Whic...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Eternal Decks by Hiroken. Eternal Decks is a limited communication co-operative game in which players try to complete the stage objectives before any one player cannot take an action. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which w...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Men-Nefer by Germán P. Millán. In Men-Nefer you relive one of the greatest periods of ancient Egypt, carrying out tasks typical to Egyptian culture: acquiring knowledge in the houses of life, navigating and tr...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Towers of Sifnos by Shem Phillips and S J Macdonald. In Towers of Sifnos players step into the role of an ancient Greek military commander! Prepare your people against raiding pirates by constructing towers, m...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss The Great Sea by S J Macdonald and Zachary Smith. In The Great Sea players take on the role of Phoenician city states vying for military and commercial control of the Mediterranean Sea. Players must construct...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Moon Colony Bloodbath by Donald X. Vaccarino. Moon Colony Bloodbath is an engine-building, engine-losing tableau game, with a shared deck the players build that makes things happen, many of them bad things that ki...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they each count down the ten games that made them the gamers and designers they are today, starting with games 5-1. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:05:45 - Intro 0:06:03 - Preamble & Criteria 0:07:10 -...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they each count down the ten games that made them the gamers and designers they are today, starting with games 10-6. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:05:24 - Intro 0:05:45 - Preamble & Criteria 0:07:24 -...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss First Rat by Gabriele Ausiello and Virginio Gigli. In First Rat, players take on the role of rats trying to build a rocket and take over the cheese moon. They do this by moving their rat meeples up the board (junk...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Spirited, their first co-design all together. Spirited is a fast card driven game with push your luck elements where players must build wonders or forge allegiances with the numerous clans of the world. Featuring...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this second part of the countdown of their top 10 games, they cover games 5-1. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:04:06 - Intro 0:04:21 - Preamble 0:04:37 - Games 5-1 0:41:28 - Questions for audience 0:41:45 - Top 200 Draf...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they count down their top ten games, starting with games 10-6. 📜Chapters: 0:00:00 - Which would you prefer? 0:05:16 - Intro 0:05:31 - Preamble, Criteria and Crossover Predictions 0:12:57 - Games 10-6 0:48:14 - Questions f...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship by Matt Leacock. Fate of the Fellowship is a co-operative game in which each player controls two characters, lending their unique abilities to protect Frodo, battl...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Through the Ages by Vlaada Chvátil. Through the Ages is a civilisation building game. Each player attempts to build the best civilisation through careful resource management, and by: discovering new technologi...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Slay the Spire by Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti and Casey Yano. Slay the Spire: The Board Game is a co-operative deck-building, dungeon-crawling adventure based on the video game of the same name. Each p...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss Secret Societies by S J Macdonald. This is Sam's second ever solo design after Circadians: First Light. The aim of Secret Societies is to gain the most Power by outbidding and outsmarting your opponents to...

🎙️Welcome to the Lens and Veil podcast, join Shem, Sam and Zach as they discuss games they've played together, specifically focusing on game design elements. In this episode they discuss A Feast for Odin by Uwe Rosenberg. In A Feast for Odin, players Viking civilisations. In this game, you will raid and explore new territories. You will also engage in the day-to-day activity of collecting good...