Life Beyond Board Games

Travis Deverell aka. Shirtaloon joins us to put his own protagonist on trial from his well-loved LitRPG books, He Who Fights with Monsters, how Clive's wife survived the series and became cosplay, and book tour including Gen Con 2026! Ps. so super excited to have him in our podcast!  Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us create more conten...

 What goes on inside the mind of one of Britain’s best-known board game designers? Tony Boydell shares his love of books, board games, and a blog he has somehow kept alive since 2011.  Along the way, we discuss British games, unusual books, incorrect maps, and why starting a “small personal project” is how lifelong obligations are born.  Tony's BoardGameGeek blog site - https://boardgamegeek....

Danielle Reynolds joins us again to talk about turning life into board games — including dating apps, and the possibility that your personal flaws could become a party game.  Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us create more contents, chat about the topics you hear - https://www.facebook.com/groups/lifebeyondboardgamespodcast Find the episode t...

Content warning: This episode contains grown-up chat about dating,  and some light sex-related jokes. Nothing too spicy, but maybe don’t play it next to your kids. Or grandma.  In this episode, we discuss warning signs — both literal road signs and the kind you experience in a date - based on Danielle Reynold's two recent designed games, in which she joined us in this episode! Find us on Face...

What makes a difficult board gamer? Oh, only the classics: loud talkers, sulkers, interrupters, rules-ignorers, card-benders, and random strangers flipping you off over cardboard. In this episode, the gang shares battle stories from the tabletop world and proves that sometimes the rarest resource in gaming is not wood, gold, or wheat — it’s basic manners.  Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a l...

What begins as a conversation about website updates and friendship updates quickly becomes a deeply honest chat about grief, losing loved ones, and why emotions refuse to follow our schedules. And Eric's 2 hours website update. Sorry Eric!  Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us create more contents, chat about the topics you hear - https:/...

Phil Walker-Harding is back! We dive head-first into the magical world of freelancing—where you’re your own boss… and your boss is terrible. From working till late because “your boss said so,” to valuing your time somewhere between $10 and $100 an hour staring at a wall, this episode explores the fine art of burning the candle at both ends… and then designing a board game about it.  Find out Phil&...

Well known board game designer Phil Walker-Harding and we dive into the glamorous world of… getting told “no.” A lot. Turns out even designing 30+ hit games doesn’t unlock the “immune to rejection” achievement. From pitching to the wrong publisher, not the right time, to being rejected by yourself, this episode is hopefully a relatable life piece. Find out Phil's board game company Joey Games...

Does Matt Dunstan, a prolific Australian board game designer, have fun outside of designing award-winning board games… or is it just more tiny plastic pieces? Spoiler, it's Lego. Lego pieces. We dive into Matt's secret as a Lego restorer. Content warning: This episode contains things some listeners may find creepy — specifically, some very creepy dolls. There. You’ve been warned. This ep...

We bravely tackle the true final boss of adulthood: moving house (Australian/British). Alright, for our American friends, it is relocation or moving. Complete with removalists (What is removalist??), undersized tea chest boxes, shrink-wrapped issues, and the emotional trauma saying goodbye to some of your board games. With guest Matt Dunstan, an Australian board game designer.  Link to Matt Dunsta...

In this episode, we swing wildly between fair use, plagiarism, pirate websites, ghostwriters, board-game mechanics you can’t copyright, and—yes—one of us accidentally confessing to childhood publishing crimes. We are joined by ThinkTwice a.k.a. Ashley Falcon, a renowned published author of Fantasy LitRPG books (welcome back Ashley!). If you're not familiar with BGG - BoardGameGeek https://boa...

What do a broken leg, one million failed words, and a surprise Amazon bestseller have in common? Apparently… success. This episode is the first episode where we have our very first guest, Ashley Falcon (ThinkTwice) a renowned published author of Fantasy LitRPG books !  This episode is also a guide for accidental life upgrades, writing while physically broken (literally), and why being bad at thing...

We bravely venture into “watching television and having opinions.” From “Wait… books become TV shows??” into Dungeon Crawler Carl dream casting, Batman, and video games so cozy but sad.  Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us create more contents, chat about the topics you hear - https://www.facebook.com/groups/lifebeyondboardgamespodcast Find t...

What is a holiday tradition, really? Is it spending time with family… or is it eating a dry bird nobody likes because your ancestors once did it? In this festive episode, we talk Christmas traditions from awkward family photos, why we eat turkey, to spoilers for our next episode😆 Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us create more contents, chat...

What games do you bring to the holidays when your luggage allowance is only 7kg? In this episode, we spiral joyfully through holiday board-gaming: carry-on-only packing strategies, games that expose your relationship values, and why bringing coffee into the bedroom is apparently a high-value love language . Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us...

Board game conventions: the games! the people! the flashing lights! the constant CLACK-CLACK of dice! 🎲 For some, it’s pure cardboard heaven. For others… it’s five minutes away from hiding behind a Kallax. We share the other side of the convention, when to go out and get some fresh air, when to swap your 7 inches heels with flats, should we bring portable loo?😆 We share our thoughts and experien...

Welcome to the episode where board games, food crimes, and the truth about hot Cheetos finally a podcast discussion! Join us as we uncover the forbidden secrets of game day etiquette — from mayo-soaked cards to the myth of board-game heaven, and the legendary moment Stella bought 400 Costco hot dogs. Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us create...

In this episode, we chat about our Essen Spiel adventures: the mysterious kebab shop that everyone but Candice knows about, Stella & Candice reunion at Essen, and Candice discovering the secret Copenhagen airport zone—the good one. We also accidentally design a new board game about luggage conveyor belts, celebrate being recognized by one podcast listener (we are famous now, don’t talk to us),...

In this episode, we dive into the real endgame — the postgame therapy session. We roasted Melissa’s 7-hour Dune Imperium match (yes, seven hours), and we celebrate rubbing salt in the Victory Points wound. What really happens at game end? Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us create more contents, chat about the topics you hear - https://www.fa...

We dive into the wild world of fall board game conventions — from Melbourne’s PAX Australia to Seattle’s PAX West and the massive Essen Spiel in Germany. Expect chaotic stories about dice-throwing raves, false board game cons and more... oh, and the occasional chlamydia-ridden drop bear / koala. 😅 Stella recounts meeting her favorite LitRPG authors (and realizing they’re also board gamers!), Eric...

In today’s bite-sized chaos, we explained how to find adult friends in 3 legacy chapters: 1.  Tutorial: Find random people at board game public meetup. Roll charisma and reroll awkward.  (yes or no) 2.  Campaign : If yes, invite the fun humans to your home for further board gaming.  (find out more interesting things and maybe you're slightly attracted to the person) 3.  Legacy Unlock: Get mar...

In this episode of Life Beyond Board Games , we talk house rules—like banning Monopoly, fudging Avalon roles, and hacking drafting games😆. It’s chaotic, could be controversial, and proof that the only real house rule is:...  Find us on Facebook Group and drop us a line, love letters, rate/write us review to help us create more contents, chat about the topics you hear - https://www.facebook.com/gr...

Bad first plays are like bad first dates—you’re hungry, tired, and secretly hoping the game would just end. Sometimes a game falls flat because of bad rules. Sometimes it’s because Eric is texting during the teach (jokes of course). Sometimes it’s because Splendor tricked us with its giant empty box. We answer the eternal question: is it the game, or is it me? Find us on Facebook Group and drop us...

We're diving deep into the ancient gamer art of “Wait, wait, I didn’t mean that move!” From back seats to backtracks, we explore how far gamers will go to reclaim their choices… and their dignity. Laughs, debates, and just a sprinkle of regret and trauma might be included. "Send us a love letter" Our podcast link - https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2441648.rss Facebook Group - https://ww...

 In this episode of Life Beyond Board Games , Stella, Candice, and Eric attempt to discuss their escape rooms experience. From the “ancient origins” of escape rooms (aka, forgetting your keys) to tips that are not advised will work, like “just start breaking stuff,” (jokes, don't do this at home). This conversation is part comedy roast, part puzzle-solving therapy session. Expect absurd tange...