The Outpost Podcast

Feeling extra methodical lately? Us too. For the community question, we discuss the tools that keep us working hard and hardly working. Whether it’s Note-Taking-Apps, mediations, or some unexpected ones that have helped us build our projects. Then, we turn to the main topic: what reviewers often miss when it comes to board games. How do these things really affect people? How can we be intentional...

In this episode, we start off with a look at the impact of the natural world on our work here at O-Neb. How do we connect with nature? How do we interpret what we see and put it into our designs? Perhaps it is the shapes and patterns that inspire. Or maybe its a sense of something more cosmic and grand that moves us to insight? We each come at this a little different and this was a more interestin...

What other tabletop experiences have influenced our games? We’re not huge proponents of “all design is iterative” or “great artists steal” as overarching ethos, but we do love to weave a healthy thread of inspiration from other creations into our own. Find out what other games had their voice in the creation of Vindication, Unsettled, and Spirit Fire.  Would you have guessed those influences? Are...

We're talking lore(s)! First, some real-life O-Neb lore, which ends up being more full of feels and substance than we would have guessed. Then, some make-believe Vindication lore, which ends up being exactly as full of oddness and hilarity as we would have guessed. In a format we will definitely be returning to, our producer throws cards from Vindication onto the screen in front of us and we impro...

Jam-packed with creative-thinky things, this episode dissects the traits of board game developers and all the depth, faux-depth, context, and contextless crazy logic trains that run through our "brains". We ponder quickly if these are good things (and decide: they totally are). Things then turn to a broader discussion on the struggles and agonies (excuse us, "nuances") of being a creative team. Th...

You know how people are, like, people, and how that can be *rough*? And then you put people on the internet and...oof? And then, you know how you make creative projects and share them with people on the internet, but sometimes things don't go according to plan, and all those internet-ing people have big big feelings about that? This episode is about all these things. More specifically, it's about...

How Many Mummies Should You Own? / How Much Are You All Just Winging It? / What Are Some Of The Weird Little Things You Love About Your Craft? 05:03 - Tom's thoughts on optimal mummy quantity  07:32 - An answer filled with Neb-Soul 10:58 - Main Topic - Weird Little Things We Love 21:26 - Tom on Jared presenting ideas in a meeting

What Would You Do If You Knew You Could Do It? / What's The Worst Creature To Give Wings To / Fantasy Vs. Sci-fi  00:58 - What Lacey Would Do If She Could 08:40 - Tom's apt research 10:50 - Main Topic - Fantasy Vs. Sci-fi 23:41 - Subdividing The Two

How Do You Make Your Work Feel Like Play? / What Is Your Coffee Order? / What Are Ghosts That Haunt Your Creative Mind? 02:18 - How Krista Adds Objects To Her Work & Process 08:00 - Marc's Coffee Order 12:51 - Main Topic - Ghosts That Haunt Your Creative Mind 24:52 - Krista's Thoughts On Creative Ghosts Relating To Our

Obstacles You Wrestled With Early In Your Career? / How Would You Like To Die Vs. How You Think You're Going To Die? / How Does Media's Portrayal Of Your Artistry Effect You? CONTENT WARNING: This episode of the Outpost contains descriptions of ways someone could die. The context is playful, but if this is a subject you’d like to avoid, we recommend skipping the segment between minutes 13 and 17....

What Is An Old Reliable Muse? / What Is The State Of Your House? / Fail Share 04:07 - Jared's musical musings  17:43 - Tom's major fixer-upper 20:16 - Main Topic - Fail Share 36:26 - Approaching repeated failures 

What's Your Favorite Way To Consume Media? / If You Could Be A Music Genre, What Would You Be? / What Does Your Work Day Look Like? 02:03 - Derick describes his preferred environment for media consumption 06:59 - Krista has an existential crisis as to her music-genre personification 10:00 - Main Topic - What Does Your Work Day Look Like? 17:50 - Derick describes the merits of switching between tas...

How Different Is O-Neb Off Camera Compared To On Camera? / What Makes Designing Games More Problematic Than Designing Other Things? / Is Creativity Contagious? 01:42 - Tom claims off camera to be funnier  04:50 - Jared compares fulfillment of a game online to a board game 12:42 - Main Topic - Is Creativity Contagious? 16:39 - Krista describes the inherent creative force within us all

In What Ways Do You Sabotage Your Own Creative Potential? / Do You Think People's Interests Are Remaining Childish For Longer Than Past Generations? / Comparison & Cynicism In the Creative Space 03:10 - Tom discusses frittering away creativity on frittery things  17:50 - Childish Vs Childlike  23:25 - Main Topic - Comparison & Cynicism In The Creative Space 24:08 - Krista's ideal process of compar...

When You Switch To A New Project, How Often Do You Resurrect Old Ideas? / When Are You Most Creatively Motivated? / The Language of Visual & Verbal 03:37 - How Tom usually goes to his Idea Well 10:13 - Marc differentiates inspiration & motivation  16:36 - Main Topic - The Language of Visual & Verbal 19:25 - Tom discusses what you control & what is out of your control, in writing

What Is A Misunderstood Pop Culture Franchise That Doesn't Get Enough Credit? / Does A Team Made Up Of Creative-Types Handle Adversity Better Or Worse Than A More Traditional Team? / Fear's Role In Creativity 01:32 - Lacey shares which franchise she wishes was still around 08:23 - Kevin, joined by everyone, struggles to say "adversity" 12:46 - Main Topic - Fear's Role In Creativity  23:50 - Adorab...

What is missing from Pop culture that would make it more for you? / How much do you think people's interests are the results of everyone else's? / Using Pop Culture as Escapism vs Catharsis 2:46 - Lacey recounts super powered squirrel 9:30 - Krista being suggested media 12:37 - Main Topic - Pop Culture As Escapism Vs Catharsis  22:45 - Derick's Escapisms 

Is Creativity Narcissistic? / Collecting Vs Consuming / Relationships With Hobbies  4:31 - Creating For Yourself Vs Others 12:23 - The Major Difference Between Consuming & Collecting  19:22 - Main Topic 19:17 - Jared's Hobbies 

How Important Is It To Keep Up On Emerging Industry Tech? / Best Or Most Powerful Memories At Orange Nebula / Villains In Storytelling 6:30 - Lacey distinguishes different ambitions of growth 13:23 - Lacey Recounts Vindication's First Kickstarter 22:42 - Main Topic - Villains In Storytelling  28:48 - Lacey discusses the background of the word "Villain" 

Do You Follow The Industry Happenings? / The Most Frustrating Things In The Board Game Business? / Control Issues 4:29 - Lacey's Industry Analysis  13:41 - Marc's Least Favorite Part Of It All 25:03 - Main Topic - Control Issues 37:40 - Jared Tells A Story Where He Seized Control 

What Is Creativity To You / Is Creativity Inherent or Nurtured / Importance of Environment on Creativity 2:05 - Theresa illustrates the two variations of creativity 14:23 - The difference between creatives & creative professionals 16:14 - Main Topic - Importance of Environment on Creativity 23:48 - Marc on exploring environments & horizons 

Working With Freelancers & Other Creatives / Is It More Productive To Work On A Single Project Or Several? / Destruction's Role In Creativity  10:21 - Krista's forest research 17:13 - Tom's focus cube 24:45 - Main Topic - Destruction's Role In Creativity  36:47 - Lacey's ritual of out destruction 

What Memories Does Theresa Have From Her Time At O-Neb? / What Perspective Has Tom Gained From Heart Surgery? / Passion Burnout 1:49 - Theresa recalls witnessing her impact 6:28 - Tom's inverse relationship with how connected you are to the world and how much you bring to it 15:04 - Main Topic - Passion Burnout 30:56 - Theresa's estimation on Marc & Tom's shifting ratio of passion

What Lasting Impression Do You Hope Your Work Will Have On Others? / Have Childhood Experiences Influenced Your Creative Endeavors? / Knowing When To Quit  4:43 - What kind of impression does Derick want to leave?  13:45 - Marc looks back on childhood  26:25 - Main Topic - Knowing When To Quit 38:30 - Lacey's describes productively starting over 

Is There Anything You Haven't Yet Achieved That You Feel Compelled To In The Future / How Much Of Your Own Life Is Reflected In Your Work / The Lottery Lie  5:50 - Marc's book on his suffering  8:46 - Lacey's 3 Core values as a person 14:51 - Main Topic - The Lottery Lie  19:50 - Jared's reframe of the "Lottery"