The Covenant Cast

How is it possible that the least amount of in-person play, maybe ever, is creating an unbelievable surge in demand for collectible games? We try to make sense of the current seller's market and unexpectedly veer into a discussion that would make Chidi proud...hopefully. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs, on our website: https://teamcovenant.com

With the recent announcement that Legend of the Five Rings is reaching its end, an era of competitive games in the LCG format comes to a close. Starting with Game of Thrones, Living Card Games promised a reprieve from the costs of collectible games and a monthly injection of excitement for players. But given they've all ended, we have to ask - does this format even work? Find all previous casts, a...

The pandemic has brought many new changes to the tabletop landscape, and like other industries, those changes are likely here to stay (and perhaps overdue, in retrospect). One incredible shift, particularly for card games, is playing over web cam. As it becomes normalized, we may well see larger, more connected audiences for games that play to this new paradigm. Find all previous casts, as well as...

We certainly never expected a pandemic to be the event that re-opened the door to competitive games, but with Skytear, Ashes Reborn, and Flesh and Blood all hitting the scene in 2020, it was, in retrospect, unavoidable. Join us as we talk about re-discovering that competitive spark, and the undeniable energy and excitement that comes with the genre. Find all previous casts, as well as products, su...

We've grown up in a world of our favorite games being discontinued (and the majority of players moving on). Going from game to game, hoping that your current obsession keeps getting published, so that you can keep playing, is the result of community building and retail sales being connected - a retail store has no incentive to build community around a game it can't sell. It certainly makes sense,...

Watching Flesh and Blood has brought up numerous questions about the strengths and frustrations of collectible games among players, investors, and collectors - particularly among our audience. But more than that, it demands inquiry into the deeper question of how and why collectibility exists, and whether it should be promoted or prevented. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptio...

Having looked back at this year - and what a notable year it has been - we discuss what it will be like to move on in 2021. More games? Less games? More social engagement? Less social engagement? Calling it right is an unrivaled opportunity. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs, on our website: https://teamcovenant.com  

Having talked to a number of guests about how they adapted to such an exceptional year, we thought it best to do the same. Join us for a look back, often way back, on challenges faced and lessons learned. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs, on our website: https://teamcovenant.com

In a "strategic realignment" by Asmodee, all current FFG miniatures games (that, importantly, also happen to be Star Wars games) have moved to Atomic Mass, the Asmodee-owned studio responsible for Marvel: Crisis Protocol. What does it all mean? Join us for an episode of pure speculation. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs, on our website: https://teamcovenant.co...

James White started Legend Story Studios to launch the Flesh and Blood TCG in 2019, after over seven years of development. But like so many publishers, 2020 became a crucible of determination and adaptation. Surprisingly, though, the game is now growing by leaps and bounds - and according to James, the next set, Monarch, is when the system becomes fully realized for the first time. Join us for a f...

Last week's Ashes stream was filled with an excitement that is familiar to most of us - the moment when you see behind the curtain, when your understanding of a game is catapulted into new territory that reveals previously unknown possibilities. The best games find ways to create those moments over, and over, and over, while others lose steam before those eureka moments can take place. Join us for...

We've seen so many card games come and go over the years - but we've never seen an explosion quite like Flesh and Blood over this past month. New partnerships, $1,000 boxes, a thriving singles market, and a migration of disenchanted Magic players - join us as we ask the never-ending question: is this the next one? Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs, on our websi...

Eric Lang, designer or co-designer of - Game of Thrones LCG, Call of Cthulu LCG, Warhammer: Invasion, Star Wars LCG, Conquest LCG, Dice Masters, Arcadia Quest, Blood Rage, Rising Sun, Ankh, Song of Ice & Fire Miniatures, Bloodborne, Ankh, Marvel United, and more - sits down with us for an exceedingly insightful 90 minutes on COVID, philanthropy, activism, and principled opposition. Find all previo...

The second publisher featured on our Industry Insight series, Jamey Stegmaier (Viticulture, Scythe) of Stonemaier Games (Wingspan, Pendulum) discusses the lead up to COVID, the adaptations made in 2020, and where things go from here - for both publishing and retail. Nothing is off the table. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs, on our website: https://teamcovenan...

We've kept up with Brenda and Paraic of Knight Watch Games since they won the Power Retailer Award at GAMA (after which we interviewed the former), watching their space improve and their vision come to life. What happens, though, when COVID injects uncertainty into those long term plans? How can retailers adapt? Let's find out. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs...

If you've been in this hobby for any amount of time, you've probably seen a video from Rodney's iconic Watch It Played YouTube channel. In this continuation of our Industry Insight series, join us for a closer look at content creation in the age of COVID, and the impact it might have on the future of tabletop. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs, on our website:...

"The only way to stop us is to kill us." Kicking off our Industry Insight series, Giacomo and Riccardo share the inspiring (and terrifying) story of PvP Geeks' first foray into tabletop games - right as COVID-19 shut down the world. Find all previous casts, as well as products, subscriptions, and blogs, on our website: https://teamcovenant.com

In our final episode of the "How to Ruin a Game" series, and our final episode of Season 3, we embrace one of the most sacred necessities of any modern business - what to say, how to say it, and perhaps most importantly, when to say it. It's particularly relevant for community-driven games, where even a day of silence can compromise everything. We'll be back after a few weeks with Episode 150 to k...

The ultimate buzzword for any business, marketing is yet another way that tabletop games can fail - and effective marketing is a particularly unique quandary in this industry. Join us for an exploration of marketing considerations for every publisher, from our perspective as an online and local retailer. Find all previous casts, as well as learning content and products, on our website: https://tea...

There's a hard reality behind every expandable game. The system can be perfectly designed without extraneous, floating information and rules bloat. The content can stick to first principles while adding exciting new decision points. The organized play program can be robust and focused on the right things. But if production is erratic, delayed, and uncertain, none of it matters. Find all previous c...

Expandable card games thread the middle ground between the fixed costs of board games and the evolving meta of collectible games, but non-cooperative titles have struggled to survive in the standard three tier system. Join us for a discussion about the fundamental reasons for this difficulty, and a potential solution to them - one we're pioneering in partnership with Plaid Hat Games. Find all prev...

Organized play is so much more than tournaments, and so often a tremendous source of dysfunction for the long-term health of an expandable game. It's incredibly important, and surprisingly simple - but few publishers understand that it's as critical as the content being printed. Find all previous casts, as well as learning content and products, on our website: https://teamcovenant.com

On our second installment of this hyperbolically titled mini-series, we spotlight how information can build during the course of a game - or even before it begins - to the point that meaningful decisions cease to exist. Stacking an ever-growing burden of need-to-remember information does not give a game more depth, just as taxing a computer's RAM is usually a crutch for sloppy development. Will ne...

So you get excited for an expandable game, buy in, and fall in love. Each new expansion opens up new, unexplored ways to play. Time passes, players come and go, and then suddenly you find yourself sitting down to play and realizing that you don't really enjoy it much anymore. Something about the game just isn't what it used to be, and you long for the magic of those first moments. Sound familiar?...

Collectibility is usually a divisive topic - with some claiming the format is predatory and ethically dubious. But what happens when you view the model as something more productive than a convoluted and expensive way to get everything? Lessons from the past may well cause a realignment of expectations, and a much more enjoyable - and sustainable - approach to a game like Flesh and Blood. Find all...