The Game Design Round Table

Dirk speaks with game designers Geoff Engelstein and Isaac Shalev about their co-authored book, Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: an Encyclopedia of Mechanisms.

Dirk speaks with former co-host and former Civilization designer Soren about his next game, 10 Crowns. This episode will be the first in a series with Soren that follows different steps in the game's development.

Dirk speaks with Skye and Tony Tran about their experiences attending and starting local game design guilds and how those groups helped them progress as designers.

Dirk and David speak with TTRPG game designer and streamer Adam Koebel about how RPGs often influence one another and how to get your TTRPG in front of an audience.

Dirk talks with digital and tabletop game designer Will Thompson about game themes, including the recent controversy surrounding the game Scramble for Africa. 

What happens when a Kickstarter doesn't go as planned? Dirk speaks with Carla Kopp from Weird Giraffe games about publishing, Kickstarters, and the game Big Easy Busking.

Take a look back at previous TGDRT episodes with a focus on tabletop prototyping. Dirk, David, Kathryn, Harrison, and Isaac Shalev are all featured in this retrospective episode. 

David and Dirk are joined by Anthony Giovannetti, designer of the game Slay The Spire. Together they take a deep dive into the creation and game mechanics of the game.

Skye Larsen calls in from SaltCON to answer listener questions with Dirk and Cole about board and video games.

David and Dirk are joined by game designer, Kevin Kulp. They discuss his new game, Swords of the Serpentine and Timewatch. They also discuss how a beta test for a RPG works.

This week Dirk is joined by Jennifer Scheurle, a multi-award-winning, world-travelling Game Designer and public speaker. They discuss her work, her experience with NASA as well as some tips for game designers.

This week Dirk is joined by Emily Grace Buck, Creative Director at Buckshot Interactive. They discuss Emily's background in game design and what she is currently working on.

This week David and Dirk are joined by Jon Shafer, a co-founder of The Game Design Round Table. They discuss Jon's game At the Gates and some of the innovative systems designed into the game.

Cole and Dirk are joined by Kaitie Aidley and take a deep dive into Cole's game Root.

Dirk share results from the recent listener questionnaire. He also shares some exciting changes coming up for the show.

David and Dirk chat with TL Simons of Out of Order Games. They discuss the creation of the game Bloc by Bloc, it's connection to social issues as well as the differences between the first and second editions.

Cole, Dirk and Kathryn take listener questions. They have a great discussion surrounding the topic of accessibility. Additionally they discuss the topic of 'get-back' mechanics.

Tim Burrell-Saward joins The Game Design Roundtable and discusses games that use smart speakers.

On this 200th episode of The Game Design Roundtable, many members of the team share thier thoughts on the show, the industry and people who have inspired them to be where they are today. Enjoy!

In this episode, Dirk and Cole have a conversation with tabletop game designer Scott Almes. The discuss tiny box games as well as Scott's experience with a variety of publishers.

In this episode, Dirk and David have a conversation with Michael Woods. Michael previously worked at 38 Studios as well as Subatomic Studios. He shares his experiences with work on games large and small.

In this episode, Dirk is joined by Ben Kanelos and Leslie Loy about megagames, also known as large scale simulation event with up to hundreds of participants.

In this episode, Cole, Dirk and Kathryn name some admired designers, some unlikely games that they enjoy and answer some listener questions.

In this episode, Dirk and Harrison chat with game designer Alex Roberts. They discuss her recent experience with The Star Crossed Kickstarter as well differences between live action and table top game design.

In this episode, David, Dirk and Rob get together for a discussion recapping a Kickstarter campaign for Restoration Games' Fireball Island. They also take a couple listener questions and discuss the idea of replayability.