A word game that uses puzzle pieces sounds like a gimmick until you watch how fast it turns into strategy. We’re hanging out with Julian and Debbie Montgomery, a powerhouse creative couple who went from Minnesota to Los Angeles and somehow ended up building a real tabletop game you can actually hold in your hands. Julian brings the storyteller brain and the systems brain, composer and software engineer energy, while Debbie brings architectural design instincts that make ideas physical. Together, they built Puzzingo, a word building board game that feels familiar at first glance but plays in a totally different way once you’re placing tiles, locking shapes, and trying to outthink the table.
We get into the origin story: a poetry children’s book, experiments with puzzles, a late-night moment watching a mobile word game, and the question that changed everything: what if word building and puzzle mechanics were the same experience? From there, it’s prototypes, playtests, rule tweaks, bonuses, and the satisfying grind of making something that works, not just something that sounds cool. If you’re into board game design, tabletop gaming culture, 3D printing, laser cutting, or launching an indie product, you’ll hear the real steps it takes to move past “I want to” into “we did it.”
We also talk about what comes next: prepping for a Kickstarter board game launch, getting copies into the hands of reviewers, and the long-term dream of seeing Puzzingo on store shelves. Plus, we love how they blend modern convenience with classic game night by adding optional online tools like phone-based scorekeeping and timers, without losing the face-to-face connection that makes board games special.
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