People have experiences that are hard to explain all the time. But when do they actually reveal a deeper meaning? The game Mysterium plays with the idea of messages from the beyond—something its co-designer, Oleksandr Nevskiy, has reasons for t

Must See TV – The Networks – S1E7

Sep 3rd, 2019 28m 6s

The game The Networks puts players in the armchairs of TV executives. Designer Gil Hova tells us about the game’s origins and whether or not it’s meant to simulate what’s it’s like to schedule a TV network. And special guest Preston Beckman tak

BONUS: Tea Time – Ceylon

Jul 26th, 2019 15m 27s

The island of Sri Lanka built its world-renowned tea industry using the infrastructure of its ruined coffee trade. The game Ceylon, designed by your hosts, went through a similar transformation during its development. In this special bonus epis

Liberté – Guillotine – S1E6

Jul 1st, 2019 27m 55s

Guillotine is a very silly game about a very somber subject. It’s hard to take it seriously… but that doesn’t mean we can’t try. In this episode, we talk with history professor Dr. Jennifer J. Popiel about some fascinating events of the French

Defiant - Black Orchestra - S1E5

Jun 3rd, 2019 22m 47s

They say nothing goes according to plan. That was true of the dozens of assassination plots against Adolf Hitler while he led Nazi Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. And it’s also often true of the plots enacted by players in Black Orchestra,

Crisis - Hostage Negotiator - S1E4

Apr 1st, 2019 26m 55s

Hostage situations are dark material for a game, but the solo board game Hostage Negotiator puts you in the middle of one of these intense standoffs. We talk with designer and publisher A.J. Porfirio about walking the line on a sensitive topic.

The Threat - Pandemic - S1E3

Mar 4th, 2019 26m 34s

The global fight against infectious diseases has a new tactic called “genetic surveillance.” Dr. Bronwyn MacInnis leads a team of researchers that uses genetic surveillance to halt the spread of deadly microbes. To do it, she and her colleagues

The Double Event - Mr. Jack - S1E2

Feb 4th, 2019 22m 32s

This time we’re tracking the movements of a killer, as we learn about a key moment in the dark story of Jack the Ripper called “the Double Event.” Clinical psychologist and author Dr. Mark Vogel is our guide. The Ripper’s reign of terror 130 ye

Place of Miracles - Viticulture - S1E1

Jan 7th, 2019 20m 42s

Villa Milagro is a vineyard and winery in western New Jersey. There are green fields with trees along the edges, rolling hills on the horizon, and grape vines in nice neat rows. Chief winemaker Audrey Gambino takes us behind the "dream life"

Preview

Dec 17th, 2018 2m 3s

A good board game design can use the world around us to give players experiences that they might never get a chance to have in real life. But are these games actually true to life, or are they glossing over some things? And how do game desig