On Who, What, Why? I discuss game design with those who make games and try to learn more about the game design process. Each episode I interview a designer, publisher, developer, artist, etc. of tabletop games such as card, board, or role playing. Some episodes discuss big ideas in design rather than individual games. I have both mainstream and independent developers as guests.
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Jonny and Jeff joined me on the show to discuss less popular mechanics, at least, according to us. We went through three mechanics: area enclosure like in games Through the Desert, simultaneous action selection like in games Wallenstein, and threat tracks like in games the Battle at Kemble's Cascade. It was a fun discussion to explore mechanics we …
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Who, What, Why S35.E10 :: Dead Poets Rise with Anna and David
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I received a very unique text one day from my father-in-law. One of his patients had designed a game, and he shared with her that his son-in-law (yours truly) was a game podcaster. So, we connected, and I invited her and her co-designer onto the show. Here is that show. Anna Purves and David Schwittek joined me to discuss Dead Poets Rise, a unique …
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Kelp me! Kelp me! All joking aside... this is a serious podcast... Carl Robinson, the designer of the 2-player game Kelp, joined me to talk more about his games and expand upon frustrating games in general. We discussed his game in detail, but we also branched off into games that use frustration in good and bad ways. Check out Kelp, live on Kicksta…
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Joe Slack, a frequent guest of the show, joined me once again to help me dip our toes into the conversation about AI art in board games. We did our best to explain AI art from our knowledge base and to explore some of the uses of it so far and even what future uses should look like. I have an ongoing cough, so I did my best to remove those loud cou…
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Jason Peercy, co-designer of The Real Thing RPG, joined me to talk about the expansions he is crowdfunding titled Angel Dust and King For a Day. You might remember The Real Thing RPG as the Faith No More inspired RPG. Jason and his co-designer Jason took the themes and stories they heard in Faith No More's The Real Thing album and created an RPG sy…
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I planned to have on Jeff Warrender to talk about his game Lost Adventures, out on Kickstarter now, but Jonny Pac and the always fun Ben Maddox happened to join the podcast. We had a blast on this one. We mostly stayed on topic focusing on some of the interesting design decisions in Lost Adventures. If you have any interest in this game, check it o…
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Becky Annison, designer of Wreck This Deck and co-owner of Black Armada Games, joined me to talk about her latest design up on BackerKit right now. Wreck This Deck is a solo-journaling RPG where you trap demons in playing cards and wreck those cards in all sorts of artistic ways, whatever you fancy. You can burn cards, fold them, paint them, cut th…
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Who, What, Why S35.E04 :: Forges of Ravenshire with Sam and Ed... or is it Ed and Sam?
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Sam and Ed Stockton... or Ed and Sam Stockton... joined me to talk about their newest game live on Kickstarter right now. Forges of Ravenshire is a unique dice worker placement game where you are crafting items and using dice, but the hitch is that the dice aren't owned by one particular player. We talked about a lot of topics here from the allure …
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Who, What, Why S35.E03 :: The Return of the Super Show with Steve Resk
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Wrestling fans and gaming fans! I have a guest to unite you both. Steve Resk, designer of The Super Show, joined me to talk about how to keep LCG/CCGs alive and well. We explored how the Super Show grew from just a couple of decks with a small fanbase to a community with its own regional federations and belts. We also talked about some of our favor…
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Who, What, Why S35.E02 :: That Competitive Spirit with Jonny and Jeff
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Jonny Pac and Jeff Warrender return for another episode about a topic in game design. In this episode we discuss competitiveness in games. We focus on games with a lot of direct interaction compared with games with indirect interactions (like Multiplayer Solitaire games). No, we do not come down on "which is better," but we muse on what makes each …
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Who, What, Why S35.E01 :: The Boys with Nick Accardi
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Nick Accardi, co-designer and artistic director for The Boys: This Is Going to Hurt, joined me to talk about this game from Dynamite Entertainment. We discussed the intricacies of adapting a licensed property into a board game. Nick talked about how the game doesn't follow the comics exactly, but instead crafts its own plausible story, so players c…
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Gonzalo and Will joined me to talk about their game called Nawalli. It's a head-to-head card battling game with some incredible artwork inspired by the Aztecs. It's an easy game to learn and play because of its relative language independence (once you know it all). I was drawn to this game because of its artwork and knew I had to find out more. Wha…
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Who, What, Why S34.E09 :: PaxU Recap with Mike
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So, I recently went to PaxU (again) with my wife and baby daughter. I decided to try something new for when I go to cons. I put all of my thoughts together in this episode about the con and what I love about it.Mike Bonet
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Who, What, Why S34.E08 :: Thrown Under the Bus with James S Cole
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James Cole, designer of the upcoming game Thrown Under the Bus, joined me to talk about his game about corporate intrigue and power positioning. The game is a lighthearted look at the kind of stuff that may happen in a corporate office between people who want to be in the best position they can be. We talked about a lot of different things about th…
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Who, What, Why S34.E07 :: Unconscious Mind with Jonny Pac
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Jonny Pac, co-designer of Unconscious Mind, joined me to talk about the design of this big game. We focused on the way this game keeps players involved thematically and helps keep these various mechanisms flowing intuitively between one another. If you are interested in this game, check it out on Kickstarter.…
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Joe Slack joins me yet again! It's a second threepeat! In this episode, Joe and I discuss when to pitch your game vs. when to self-publish. There are a lot of things to consider with both avenues. First, you've got to have a game worth publishing at all. Then you have to decide to either give your creation to someone else where you may lose some cr…
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Fabricio Leotti, designer of Hyperwars (now on KS), joined me to talk about the genre of real-time games. We explore what the term means to us, what games embody it, and where it falls flat. We also weave in discussion of how Fabricio's latest game, Hyperwars, attempts to capture the feel of real-time action. If you'd like to learn more about Hyper…
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Joe Slack joined me (again!) to talk about when he shelves a design and when he returns to one on that shelf. This was a good conversation where I get to wax lyrical about some of my own lost designs. Remember, designers, it's okay to put something away for a little while to give yourself some clarity on it. Check out Joe's Kickstarter for 14 Frant…
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Joe Slack, designer of Relics of Rajavihara and the forthcoming 14 Frantic Minutes, joined me for another threepeat of episodes. The first one explores the idea of a game being "done." How does one know when to call their design done and move on to the next phase of its life? Joe and I attempt to provide some insight into this quesiton. Joe also ha…
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Who, What, Why S34.E02 :: Academia and Games with Analog Games Studies
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Aaron Trammel, Shelley Jones, Edmond Y. Chang, and Evan Tormer are four of the members of the editorial board at Analog Games Studies. This group of smart folk joined me to talk about the journal itself and about the importance of treating games from an academic lens. This episode involved a lot of smart discussion from these four about some deeper…
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Another ska-cast is back from Who, What, Why! This time I invited on Crystal Mazur who's been on my show to talk about games, but now she helps me talk about ska. We look at some of the ways ska music shows up in all sorts of media from movies to commercials. Check out Crystal's work at The Geeky Panda…
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My friend and game designer, Isaac Shalev, joined me to talk in depth about Hanabi. When I thought about who to invite on for this game, I knew I had to talk to Isaac because I know of his love for it. I was more like a passenger on this episode because Isaac said a lot of really smart things about Hanabi's design and why it is such an incredibly g…
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Who, What, Why S33.E10 :: Votes for Women with Tory Brown
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In the last couple of years, I've been looking to interview more designers of games that have something to say about history and through history about the world we currently live in. Tory Brown, designer of Votes for Women, joined me on the podcast to talk about the design of her new game from Fort Circle Games. I think there is a lot of learn from…
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Who, What, Why S33.E09 :: The Last Temptation of Slice
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This episode is a departure from my normal gaming guests. I invited two guys I know from my backyard wrestling federation on to talk about a tv pilot they are self-funding called The Last Temptation of Slice. This episode is about the creative process, which has parallels no matter what you are creating. We discussed the inspiration for the show an…
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Who, What, Why S33.E08 :: Wicked Ones with Ben Nielsen
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Mike Bonet
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Who, What, Why S33.E07 :: The Game Builders with Ode
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A recurring guest comes back to the show to talk about his new game studio and publisher, The Game Builders. Ode (@AndreasOdendahl) joins me to talk about making the leap into publishing and how his deep connection to famed designer Uwe Rosenberg will help jumpstart this company. We also discuss emo music, punk music and how Ode's DIY roots helped …
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Who, What, Why S33.E06 :: Rebels of the Outlaw Waste with Michael Addison
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Michael Addison, designer of Rebels of the Outlaw Waste, joined the show to talk about his role-playing game due out later in the Fall. We covered a lot of topics ranging from the inspirations that Michael drew upon for this game to the way this game brings new life to a genre that might feel a bit tired at this time.…
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Who, What, Why S33.E05 :: Life as a Game Designer with Matthew Dunstan
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Matthew Dunstan (@wisegoldfish), full-time designer of many games such as the Kosmos Adventure game series and the Ravensburger Echoes series, joined me to talk about some of the nitty gritty of what it was like to be a game designer. We discussed contracts, payments, and more. Anyone who likes what they hear from Matthew can support him by going t…
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Who, What Why S33.E04 :: Stonewall Uprising with Taylor Shuss
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This episode is 2 weeks late because my side of the audio needed to be rebuilt, but it is finally here! Taylor Shuss, designer of Stonewall Uprising, joined me to talk about this game. It was an interesting discussion exploring the ways in which the game's theme really shines through some incredibly smart design decisions by Taylor. The game is cur…
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Who, What, Why S33.E03 :: Being an RPG Writer with Crystal Mazur
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Crystal Mazur, freelance RPG writer and more, joined me on the show to delve more deeply into what it is like to be a freelance writer for RPGs. We discussed a lot here. Crystal knows an incredible amount about the process of writing and preparing RPGs for publishing. We discussed compensation, duties of a writer, and red flags to watch out for. If…
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Who, What, Why S33.E02 :: A Case Study in Agricola
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Re-Released! I've re-released this episode with a file that takes up less of my monthly allotment. Enjoy (again). Welcome to another case study episode. This time me, Jonny, and Jeff tackle the game often called misery farm... Agricola. We discuss a where the game hits and misses for us. I find myself at odds with my guests since I like Agricola. T…
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Who, What, Why S33.E01 :: Representing History in Games with Dan Thurot
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Dan Thurot, game critic extraordinaire, joined me to delve into a difficult topic: representing history through games. We focused on ways that history is represented poorly and ways that it is represented successfully and thoughtfully in games. This is a big topic, and one I will likely explore in future episodes. For now, enjoy my time with Dan Th…
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Who, What, Why S32.E10 :: A Case Study in Dominion featuring Jonny and Jeff
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I am starting a new series of episodes called "A Case Study in..." Each episode will feature me and some designers discussing a particular game that none of us designed. The games we will focus on will have made an impact on the hobby. My first episode of this series is on Dominion featuring Jeff and Jonny. We discussed the impact Dominion made on …
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Listening to music on your discman or Zune might seem like the pinacle experience, but nothing beats being at a live show. In this episode, I talk about some of my favorite venues that I've been to over the years. What are some of your favorite venues to see your favorite bands? Tweet at me to share. @whowhatwhycast…
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The CEO of Massive Black, Melissa Lee, joined me to talk about both her life in the games industry and what she has been trying to accomplish with Massive Black. The company focuses on creating art for all sorts of games and tech projects, notably Elder Scrolls and Betrayal at the House on the Hill 3rd Edition. To learn more about Massive Black, vi…
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David Malki, director of product development at Cut.com and Cut Games, joined me to talk about developing games that connect with the kind of content Cut.com creates. Cut is a media company that puts people in situations to connect with others and maybe even learn something about themselves in the process. We discussed how the game wing aimed to re…
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The third episode in my short series with Joe Slack is here! We discuss the do's and don'ts of crowdfunding campaigns based on Joe Slack's experience as a successful crowdfunder and my experience as a successful crowdfundee. I think we came up with some excellent tips and tricks. Check out Joe's work at: The Board Game Design Course…
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Who, What, Why S32.E06 :: Brutal Orchestra with Maceo Mair
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Maceo Mair, designer of the game Brutal Orchestra, joined me to talk about 2 important topics with this game: the first one being Heironymous Bosch, a Dutch painter from the 1400s and the ways this game tries to stand out in such a crowded field of rogue-lites and RPGs. Check out Brutal Orchestra on Steam if you are so interested. Also, check out B…
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Douglas Zeilsdorf, the organized play administrator for Frog God Games, joined me to talk about what is organized play and what administrating it entails doing. We also discussed the Splinters of Faith Kickstarter (live now) and what this world is bringing to the RPG world of Frog God Games.Mike Bonet
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Who, What, Why S32.E04 :: Bezzy Bargain Bags with Bez
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Bez stopped by the show to talk about her Bezzy Bargain Bags. There is currently a Kickstarter campaign running for A Game About Quickly Grabbing Creatures That Are Totally Different and Counting Your Beetroots. Say that 5 times fast! We discuss Bez's bargain bag model for producing games and how she can use that to create interesting games and use…
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Jason Piercy, James Mosingo, and Jason Ward, creators of The Real Thing RPG, joined me to talk about their role-playing game set in the world of Faith No More's album The Real Thing. I thought this was a unique opportunity to talk to creators who did something I hadn't considered before: created a game out of a band's album. We discussed how this p…
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Joe Slack, a 2-time guest, has returned for a short series of episodes exploring some broad ideas for game designers. This first episode with Joe in the series explores advice for first time designers and how to get people over that hump to design their first game.Mike Bonet
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Another episode of Why Ska?! Why are you all so lucky? My friend from college, Jon, joins me to reminisce about a New Paltz local ska band we used to see in all sorts of venues: college cafeterias, other college campuses, on my final college radio show, etc. We were excited when we discovered this band because it was some local ska to connect with.…
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In this second episode, I wanted to provide a bit of context for those who may not know how ska has been informing Who, What, Why for quite a while now. This is also a chance for me to give some public credit to the Mexican ska bands that have helped give me some kick ass intro and outro music.Mike Bonet
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Takashi Sawada, designer of Floating Floors, and Stella Jahja, co-founder of Guf Studios, both joined me to talk about this unique balancing strategy game live on Kickstarter right now. We discussed the game's origins, its development, and its life with Guf Studios. We also discussed Guf Studios game publishing ethos. If you are interested in Float…
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Who, What, Why S31.E09 :: Summit with Conor McGoey
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Conor McGoey, designer of Summit and owner of Inside Up Games, joined me to talk about Summit, Inside Up Games, so, so many other topics. It was a great conversation about all sorts of topics. Check this one out. Inside Up GamesMike Bonet
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Who, What, Why S31.E08 :: Worldbreakers with Elli Amir
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Elli Amir, designer of Worldbreakers, joined me to talk about this interesting 2 player game set in a pre-colonial Western Asia (think Mongol Empire sort of era). We discussed the intricacies of designing 2 player card games, Elli's decision to set the game in an underrepresented era, and ways to keep the game's production nimble. If you are intere…
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Who, What, Why S31.E07 :: Postmark Games and Voyages
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Rory Muldoon and Matthew Dunstan, co-founders of Postmark Games and co-creators of Voyages, join me to talk about their newest game venture--a print-at-home game company. We discuss Postmark's genesis and Voyages' uniqueness as an engaging single sheet pen and dice game. Check out Postmark Games if you're interested: Postmark Games website…
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This is a new sub-podcast to celebrate my other love: ska music. In this episode I explore my anti-ska phase in high school and some of the reasons behind that phase.Mike Bonet
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Who, What, Why S31.E06 :: Skull Canyon Ski Fest with Jason & Kip
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Jason and Kip, designers of Skull Canyon Ski Fest, joined me to talk about their game and its design. We gushed about skiing and how few skiing games are out. There is a lot to like about this game.Mike Bonet
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