Shows
Player Lair Podcast40: Finding your game's hook FAST with Renato SimõesSend us a textBrazilian designer and publisher Renato Simões (FlipToons, Piratas, OZOB: A Cyberpunk Board Game) joins me to talk about the importance of finding the hook in game design. We discuss his journey from King of Tokyo fan to publishing Brazil’s best-selling card game, how FlipToons went from idea to contract in just a month, and why OZOB became a $1,000,000+ crowdfunding success. Renato also shares insights into collaboration, the Brazilian market, and why networking is just as vital as design. Support the show
2025-09-101h 03
Player Lair Podcast39: Co-Design, Pitching, and Elegant Mechanics with David GordonSend us a text I chat with designer David Gordon (Floristry, Finspan, Making Monsters) about co-designing, filtering feedback, pitching to publishers, and crafting tense, elegant mechanics like Floristry’s Dutch auction. We also dive into his process, inspiration, and lessons from working with top publishers like Stonemaier Games. Support the show
2025-08-1249 min
Player Lair Podcast38: Creating Simple-to-Play Games with Cole SmithSend us a textIn this episode of the Player Lair Podcast, we sit down with Cole Smith, designer of Tanuki, 3 Magi, and Sauros, to talk about his journey from pandemic hobbyist to published game designer. We dive into his roots in childhood rule-bending, how being a graphic designer informs his prototypes, and why sometimes it's better to shelve a game, or fight for it.Cole shares insights on pitching, playtesting, balancing creativity with feedback, and why quick overview videos might be more important than your rulebook. We also explore his latest game Sauros, a...
2025-06-1154 min
Player Lair Podcast37: Publishing and Pitching with Zev ShlasingerSend us a textZev Shlasinger has been in the hobby game industry for almost 30 years. He founded Z-Man Games in 1999, sold it in 2011, then worked for the new owners until mid-January 2016. At the end of January, he took the position of Director of Board Games with Wizkids. Some of the titles you might be familiar with are: Pandemic, Fantasy Realms, Agricola, Sidereal Confluence, Clash of Cultures, Merchants & Marauders, Tales of the Arabian Nights, Shadow Hunters, Arboretum, Tragedy Looper, Grave Robbers from Outer Space, Tournament at Camelot, Super Skill Pinball, and a host of others....
2025-02-251h 16
Player Lair Podcast36: Finding Your Board Game's Superfans with Ori KaganSend us a textOri Kagan is the creative force behind Kagan Productions, a renowned agency specializing in high-quality animated trailers for board games. With a proven track record of helping campaigns raise over $19 million, Ori collaborates with both established publishers and first-time creators to bring their tabletop games to life with captivating storytelling and marketing expertise.Main Kagan Productions website: https://kaganproductions.com/ Kickstarter Health Scorecard: https://ori-y8ghfgfd.scoreapp.com/ Kagan Duckademy Waitlist sign up: https://kaganproductions.com/lp-kagan-duckademy/Support the show
2024-07-181h 18
Player Lair Podcast35: Andrew BosleySend us a textAndrew Bosley is one of the co-designers of Planecrafters by Paisley Board Games and the artist behind Everdell, The River, Mission: Red Planet, and Citadels. He is a freelance illustrator, game designer, and writer working primarily in the board and video game industries.Support the show
2024-04-121h 03
Player Lair Podcast34: Richard GarfieldSend us a textRichard Garfield is a game designer and mathematics professor known for creating the immensely popular card game Magic: The Gathering.In our conversation, we delve into topics such as game design, discovering fun where we don't initially feel it, playtesting, auto battlers, and much more! Additionally, we explore some of his other games, including Keyforge, Treasure Hunter, The Hunger, and, of course, Magic.Support the show
2024-03-261h 06
Player Lair Podcast33: Andrew StilesSend us a textAndrew is an American game designer and co-host of the Tabletop Submarine podcast. His new game Wine Cellar is coming to Kickstarter in April 2024.Support the show
2024-03-1453 min
Player Lair Podcast32: Daniel PiechnickSend us a textDaniel is a former Magic: The Gathering external developer and designer of Radlands.He also writes illuminating board game design articles, which can be found at daniel.games. "This (referring to daniel.games) is an excellent resource for people who want to get into game design; it is filled with great language for them to learn the craft, and the hard truths of getting something to be worth publishing." - Richard Garfield, designer of Magic: The Gathering.Support the show
2024-03-071h 36
Player Lair Podcast31: Chris BackeSend us a textChris Backe (rhymes with hockey) is the founder of Entro Games. His games typically play in under 30 minutes, feature a wide variety of player counts, and a diverse range of themes. The thing they all have in common: they're easy to learn, easy to play, and offer plenty of strategy and replayability.Chris is the co-creator of No Box Games alongside Kristian Fosh and Roque A. Deleon, and Virtual Playtesting alongside Ian Brocklebank. He also runs Tabletop Publishers, a database of publishers to help designers pitch their games better....
2024-02-141h 02
Player Lair Podcast30: Daryl AndrewsSend us a textDaryl is a game designer and a member of the Game Artisans of Canada (GAC).He has published over 30 board games, actively visits conventions, offers consultations, and much more!Twitter: http://twitter.com/darylmandrewsInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/darylandrews/Website: http://www.darylmandrews.com/Support the show
2024-01-021h 02
Player Lair Podcast29: Brett J. Gilbert and Trevor BenjaminSend us a textBrett and Trevor are both board game designers, who have an amazing portfolio of games. Mandala, Undaunted, Guild of Merchant Explorers are all games one or both of them have worked on. In this episode, we talked about their community of game designers, and how they design and co-design games. If you listen closely you're sure to hear some well-kept secrets of board game success.Support the show
2023-12-041h 20
Player Lair Podcast28: Joe SlackSend us a textCheck out Mayan Curse on Kickstarter!Joe Slack is the designer and publisher of Relics of Rajavihara and the Montalo's Revenge expansion, the designer of King of Indecision and Zoo Year's Eve, and the co-designer of Four Word Thinking, and Kingdom's Candy: Monsters.Many of his current designs are on display at www.crazylikeabox.com.Joe is also a game design instructor and author of 4 books on game design, including the #1 best-seller, The Board Game Designer's Guide. He previously taught at Laurier University in the Game Design...
2023-11-0855 min
Player Lair Podcast27: Scott RogersSend us a textScott Rogers has helped design many successful video games including: Pac-Man World, the Maximo series, God of War, Drawn to Life series and Darksiders. A former Disney Imagineer and VR designer, Scott currently teaches game design at the New York Film Academy and the University of Southern California's interactive media department. His segment "Biography of a Board Game" can be heard on the award-winning Ludology Podcast (and back episodes of the Dice Tower Podcast).Link to Scott's Amazon page. Be sure to check out Scott's new book "Your Turn! The Guide...
2023-10-311h 26
Player Lair Podcast26: Adrian AdamescuSend us a textAdrian Adamescu has been designing games for the last decade! He is known for designing light-to-midweight games with clean mechanics. He co-designed Sagrada, Dice Theme Park, Mistwind, and so many more great games! Enjoy the conversation!Check out my games! :99 Ninja - Currently on Kickstarter!Rise of Babel - Coming Q1-Q2 2024Support the show
2023-10-2157 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 25: Sandy PetersenSend us a textSandy Petersen has been creating RPGs, video games, and board games for over 40 years! He's been on the team of successful video games like Age of Empires, Civilization, Doom, and Quake. In 2013 he returned to the tabletop realm with the successful Kickstarter project Cthulhu Wars.He is now the founder of Petersen Games, and in addition to the Cthulhu Wars game line, has designed the Orcs Must Die board game, Glorantha: The Gods War, and upcoming projects.Episode hosted by Ivan Alexiev and Nikola Petrov...
2021-12-251h 01
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 24: Megapulse with Nicolas FournierSend us a textWe talk to Nicolas Fournier about game design, loss aversion, player interaction, racing and his debut board game - Megapulse. Learn more about Megapulse here! - www.jeux-orion.com/megapulseSupport the show
2021-10-261h 05
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 23: Circadians: Chaos Order with Sam and ZachSend us a textZachary Smith and Sam Macdonald tell us about their upcoming game - Circadians: Chaos Order. We talk about game design, development, player interaction, and making a game feel balanced for both new and experienced players. Circadians: Chaos Order is coming to Kickstarter on October 19th, along with a second printing of Circadians: First Light. Thank you for listening!Support the show
2021-09-221h 37
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 22: Renegade Legion with Budgie Smuggler GamesSend us a textMatt and Josh from Budgie Smuggler Games tell us about their upcoming project Renegade Legion: Centurion. We talked about acquiring intellectual property, working in a team, war games and much more!Check them out on their social media platforms:Twitter: https://twitter.com/GamesBudgieFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/budgiesmugglergames/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/budgiesmugglergames/Support the show
2021-07-2858 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 21: Micro Games with Ben DowntonSend us a textBen is the creator of Micro Dojo and Prometheus Game Labs. We talked about his process running his first successful Kickstarter project and what he learned in the past year of making Micro Dojo.Thank you for listening!Support the show
2021-07-1357 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 20: Making Artwork with The MicoSend us a textMihajlo Dimitrievski shares his experience making artwork for board games, comic books, animated movies and more! He's worked on games like The North Sea Trilogy, The West Kingdom Trilogy, Endless Winter and many more! Check out his work on Facebook and Instagram!Support the show
2021-05-1953 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 19: Bruno FaiduttiSend us a textBruno Faidutti joins us to talk game design! Bruno has worked on games including Citadels, Mission: Red Planet, Raptor, Queen's Necklace and many more!Get a free quote from Hero Time using promo code "playerlair"Support the show
2021-04-0648 minPlayer Lair PodcastBonus Episode: Questeros with Wes WoodburySend us a textWes comes on the Player Lair Podcast to tell us about his new project - Questeros. Wes runs FunDaNental Games, hosts a podcast and a YouTube channel about games.Check out Questeros - http://kck.st/3rl8u5GThank you for listening!Support the show
2021-04-0227 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 18: Targi with Andy SteigerSend us a textWe talk to Andreas Steiger, designer of Targi and Targi: The Expansion. Andy shares the story of how he created this fantastic game, his ideas for future projects, advice for new designers and much more! Check out the recommended Kickstarter - DawnSome games mentioned in episode:TargiArchitects of the West KingdomPaladins of the West KingdomViscounts of the West KingdomRaiders of the North SeaCoraquestGloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion7 Wonders DuelMy Citya...
2021-02-231h 09
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 17: Eduardo Baraf and Pencil First GamesSend us a textEduardo Baraf from Pencil First Games joins us to share his experience as a seasoned game maker. He is a game designer, publisher, reviewer and much more! He has experience in both tabletop and digital games and gives a very unique perspective on "game-making".Some mentioned games:HerbaceousSkulk HollowBibliosEdo's video about Mechanics, Dynamics, AestheticsThank you for listening!Support the show
2021-02-1559 minPlayer Lair PodcastBonus Episode: Game of Ham with George BernsGeorge, the designer of Game of Ham, joins us to talk about making a game using prompt cards.Game of Ham WebsiteThanks for listening!Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/playerlair?locale.x=en_US)
2021-01-1813 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 16: Dexterity games with Aron WestSend us a textAron West, co-designer of Catacombs and CEO of Elzra Games, joins us to share his experience from over 10 years in the industry. We talk about dexterity games, publishing, Kickstarter, and more. We also talk about their upcoming Kickstarter project- Catacombs: Monster PitThanks for listening!Support the show
2021-01-181h 05
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 15: Spirit Island with R. Eric ReussSend us a textWe chat with R. Eric Reuss, designer of Spirit Island, about game design. He tells us about the process he went through in the making of Spirit Island and it's expansions, his new game- For Science! and all of the in's and out's of game design! Thanks for listening!Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0Support the show
2020-11-231h 05
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 14: Bruno CathalaSend us a textBruno Cathala joins us to give us his views on game design, with over 20 years of experience in making games. We talk about his processes on games like Kingdomino, 7 Wonders Duel, 5 Tribes and more. We also talk about his collaborations, where he finds inspiration and ideas. Thanks for listening!If you have a game which you want playtested go to playerlair.net. We have an experienced team and we will do our best to help your game become the best it can be. All playtests are recorded and you...
2020-11-021h 11
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 13: Under Falling Skies with Tomáš UhlířSend us a textTomáš Uhlíř tells us about Under Falling Skies - a game that started out as a 9-card print and play contest winner and went on to be picked up by Czech Games Edition. We also talk about his work as a developer on Sanctum and his views on game design. Thanks for listening!If you have a game which you want playtested go to playerlair.net. We have an experienced team and we will do our best to help your game become the best it can be. All playtes...
2020-10-2238 minPlayer Lair PodcastEpisode 12: Deck of Wonders with Dennis FuriaSend us a textFirst-time kickstarter creator Dennis Furia talks about his project Deck of Wonders. Deck of Wonders is a solo-first expandable card game with legacy elements. It captures the feel of games like Hearthstone and MTG, but in a solo/co-op format.Deck of Wonders on Kickstarter! Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page.You can also help us by purchasing Amazon products through this link.Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by...
2020-09-1541 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 11: Treasure Island with Marc PaquienSend us a textMarc Paquien, designer of Treasure Island and Yamatai, joins us to talk about his game design process. He tells us how he went from thinking about designing a board game to actually doing it. He also talked about working with Bruno Cathala and the publisher Matagot. Thanks for listening!Check out the Board Game Design Virtual Summit which will feature interviews with various experts in the board game industry on September 14th-20th!Arcana Magica on Kickstarter! We post bonus content and early access to...
2020-09-0649 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 10: Festivals, Contests and Game Design with Vassil LozanovSend us a textVassil Lozanov is the designer of Among Thieves, as well as one of the organizers of Sofia Board Game Weekend. We talk about the history of the festival, design groups, hosting and judging prototype contests and more!Thanks for listening!Check out the Board Game Design Virtual Summit which will feature interviews with various experts in the board game industry on September 14th-20th! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page.You can also help us by purchasing...
2020-08-3153 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 9: Dining with DraculaSend us a textGiuliano Draguleanu, from 2Fat2Fly Games, joins us to talk about Dining with Dracula. We talked about how they approach making games and the twists they've added to the worker placement genre in Dining with Dracula. Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page.You can also help us by purchasing Amazon products through this link.Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0Support the show
2020-08-1827 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 8: Lore, Gore and More with John De CamposSend us a textJohn de Campos of Terrible games joins us to talk about his game Token Terrors Battlegrounds. John is co-designer and illustrator of the project and walks us through the process of making miniatures, lore, mechanics and kickstarting the game. Token Terrors has been a passion project of John and the team behind Terrible Games for the past 3 years and is now on Kickstarter!Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page.You can also help us by purchasing...
2020-08-0746 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 7: Making and Marketing a Mail-in Mystery with Lisa and AnnaSend us a textLisa Levina and Anna Lysova join me to talk about Scarlet Envelope: a series of mail-in mystery games. They went from an initial idea for a game to 25 times over their funding goal in just 4 months! Though it’s their first Kickstarter, they both have a background in marketing and they really go in depth on their approach to making and marketing the game.Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page.Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lo...
2020-07-2254 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 6: Joe Slack: Making Puzzles and Teaching DesignSend us a textJoe Slack, game designer and game design teacher, joins us to talk about his project Relics of Rajavihara, which is live on Kickstarter. We also talk about the design community, which he has built through his books and courses, his design process, pitching to publishers and more. You can find out more about his projects at his website- Board Game Design Course. Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page.Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco...
2020-07-2142 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 5: Sam Macdonald: Focusing on Player InteractionSend us a textSam Macdonald, designer of Circadians and codesigner of all of the West Kingdom games, joins us to talk about his experience in game design. He's been designing games for only 3 years, but already many of his games are extremely popular and have some great aspects to their designs. Thanks for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page.Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0Support the show
2020-07-0648 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 4: Keith Matejka and Thunderworks GamesSend us a textWe talk to Keith Matejka from Thunderworks Games. Keith has a ton of experience in board games as well as video games. We talk about game design, Kickstarter, game manufacturing and publishing. Some notable games he's worked on include: Roll Player, Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale, Bullfrogs, Lockup: A Roll Player Tale and Dual Powers: Revolution 1917. Keith's latest game, Roll Player Adventures, is coming to kickstarter on June 23rd. Thank you for listening! We post bonus content and early access to future episodes on our Patreon page.I...
2020-06-181h 03
Player Lair PodcastBonus Episode: Salvo Guastella and Fox on the RunIvan talks to Salvo Guastella, designer of Fox on the Run, which is coming to Kickstarter on June 16th. He shares his love for the project and tells us what he hopes to accomplish with the Kickstarter. Fox on the Run started out as a 1 hour design contest winner and has since turned into a very well-polished, fast-paced game which stands out with it's replayability and player interaction. Thank you for listening! Link to Kickstarter PageIntro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0Support the...
2020-06-1109 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 3: Nikola Petrov and The King of All BardsSend us a text Ivan from The Player Lair sits down with Nikola Petrov to talk about game design. Nikola is a full time game designer and shares his experience working with publishers. He is also the narrative director for ZenART VR and has experience working in both analogue and digital gaming. You can find bonus content, where Nikola shares his experience in the video game industry on our Patreon Page.Thank you for listening! Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0Support the sh...
2020-06-0546 min
Player Lair PodcastBonus Episode: Lake Leafty and Everything Board GamesIvan welcomes Lake Leafty from Everything Board Games to talk about their new digital magazine which is now on Kickstarter. Everything Board Games have been producing high-quality reviews for years as well as hosting board game giveaways and offering promotional services to publishers. The Player Lair Podcast relies on funding from listeners like you Support us on PatreonSupport the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=11x9bZRzPFghHmSZTk2pFn4LkG0zGbPxbp8RZBRdHiCC6EeRg4GD-yQcK5-ZWeu0pdcGA0&country.x=US&locale.x=EN_US)
2020-05-2006 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 2: Garphill Games and Shem PhillipsSend us a textIvan from The Player Lair talks to Shem Phillips from Garphill Games. We talk about various challenges that he's faced in his experience, which spans longer than a decade. We discuss the general design process and differences between working by yourself and sharing the creative process. Support us on Patreon Intro music- "Madness is everywhere" by Lobo Loco is licensed under CC BY 2.0Support the show
2020-05-1558 min
Player Lair PodcastEpisode 1: Arcana Magica and Mihail IvanovSend us a textIvan from The Player Lair welcomes Mihail Ivanov, designer of Arcana Magica. We talk about his creative process when designing board games, kickstarting projects, narrative in games and the influence of gaming in culture throughout history. He is currently doing a PhD in narrative in the digital age and shares many insights throughout the episode. Support for this podcast comes from donations by listeners like you. If you want to support this podcast, you can do so by donating to www.playerlair.netIntro music- "Madness is everywhere"...
2020-05-0552 min