Victory Pointers: Recent Episodes

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In this episode:

It's a big crossover podcast for Action Points and Victory Pointers as we all got together on the last day of PAX Aus 2016 to chat about the expo, the games we enjoyed, the panels we attended and other cool stuff we saw.

Feel free to send us any feedback at mail@theactionpointspodcast.com. You can also follow us on Twitter as @action_points and @victorypointers, and on Facebook and Google+. You can also find us on Twitter as @ehronlime, @adam_holdswater, @MostStrange, @pinkytweets and @melodatron. For Victory Pointers, you can follow @syelon and @goodgamespub.

Music: Theme for Harold (var. 2) and Overworld by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0.

Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

Links for the things we talked about:

Tabletop Game Designers Australia

Dungeon League

The American Dream

Swordcraft

Ticket to Earth

Mini Metro

Paper Mario: Color Splash

Nintendo Switch

Steppy Pants

Bramblelash

Objects in Space (which we also covered in our GX Australia episode)

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We were at PAX Aus 2016 and had a chat with some local creators about their projects, with the organizers behind the TGDA, and chat about connecting with the local RPG design community.

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / Good Games Publishing

Aaron Lim - @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson - @syelon / syelon.com

Feel free to send us any feedback or questions for the show at mail@theactionpointspodcast.com (for now). You can also follow us on Twitter as @victorypointers.

What we talked about

1:22 - Interview with Allan "Chesh" Chesher of Kingdom of Aer: Kingmaker

7:29 - Interview with Alex Wynnter and Wesley Lamont from Tabletop Game Designers Australia

23:30 - Interview with Sam Appleby of Final War from Games Lab

31:01 - Interview with Michael "Barantas" McIntyre, designer of the Hand of Fate board game and Sugoi Bento

48:22 - Interview with Steve Dee of Tin Star Games

Links to what we talked about

• Kingdom of Aer: Kingmaker
• Tabletop Game Designers Australia
• Tabletop DevCon 2016
• Dice Hard (check out the episode I was on here, where we made games based on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World)
• Final War
• Hand of Fate, and Hand of Fate 2
• Rule & Make and Defiant Development announced the Hand of Fate board game
• Rule & Make and Table Tyrant Games announce partnership
• Penny Arcade The Game: Gamers vs. Evil
• Barantas Games
• Tin Star Games
• D-constructions
• Wild Cards
• Roleplaying Game Designers of Australia

Games we mentioned

• Nippon
• Thornwatch
• Phoenix: Dawn Command
• Marrying Mr. Darcy
• Sheriff of Nottingham
• Fiasco
• Fragged Empire
• Crucible

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at h

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We are joined by Sean Carroll of 93 Made Games to chat about Gen Con 2016 from the perspective of a publisher attending for the first time.

Sean Carroll - @93MadeGames / 93 Made Games

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / Good Games Publishing

Aaron Lim - @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson - @syelon / syelon.com

Feel free to send us any feedback or questions for the show at mail@theactionpointspodcast.com (for now). You can also follow us on Twitter as @victorypointers.

What we talked about

0:44 - Introducing Sean Carroll of 93 Made Games

2:20 - The power and beauty of spreadsheets in designing games

10:30 - How UI design affects how people play games

12:05 - Considering emotional highlights in balancing games

14:10 - The Kickstarter for Unfair just launched after GenCon

15:05 - Learnings from running Kickstarters: You can't please everyone all the time and maintaining communication

17:50 - What is a "murder board", and why should you have one?

21:40 - Exhibiting games is difficult

23:45 - The importance of taking time off

28:58 - GenCon 2016, first time experience at the convention as publishers

41:32 - Response from American audience to smaller publishers

44:50 - Giant versions of games

51:10 - Getting help with local demos through Envoy and the Indie Game Alliance

55:05 - Meetings happening around GenCon

Links to what we talked about

• Gen Con
• Paperize
• Unfair on Kickstarter
• Good Games Publishing and CMON announce strategic relationship
• Grail Games
• Thylacine Games
• Man vs. Meeple
• The Envoy Program
• The Indie Game Alliance

Games we mentioned

• Viewpoint
• Unfair
• Bamboleo

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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We are joined by guests Phil Walker-Harding and David Harding (in a rare back-to-back appearance) to chat about their different paths taken in designing and publishing games, getting your foot in the door with publishers, game design competitions, theme in games, and second editions of games.

Phil Walker-Harding - @AdventurelandG

David Harding - @grailgames / Grail Games

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / Good Games Publishing

Aaron Lim - @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson - @syelon / syelon.com

Feel free to send us any feedback or questions for the show at mail@theactionpointspodcast.com (for now). You can also follow us on Twitter as @victorypointers.

What we talked about

2:58 - How did you start designing?

14:30 - How did crowdfunding platforms impact your experience designing and publishing games?

17:38 - Getting your name out there at the start

19:27 - Setting a design goal based on a publisher's catalogue/style

21:00 - Breaking in and pitching to publishers

26:20 - Advice for budding designers wanting to get published - getting your name out there and submitting to design competitions

32:22 - The Grail Games approach to Kickstarter, and going beyond crowdfunding

40:37 - Factoring in production costs in designing games

42:26 - Changing themes/settings for games, collaboration between publishers and designers

53:45 - Seeing games being published after a long time

55:15 - Second editions of games

1:02:25 - The 2016 Spiel des Jahres nomination for Imhotep and the impact of a nomination

1:10:15 - What's it like working with Reiner Knizia?

1:14:55 - The best game(s) Phil thinks he's designed so far

Links to what we talked about

• Our previous interview with Phil on the Action Points Podcast
• Spiel des Jahres 2016 Nominees

Games we mentioned

• Elevenses
• Sushi Go!
• The Mad Magazine Game
• Test Match
• Park and Shop
• Cacao
• Imhotep
• Archaeology, Archaeology: The Card Game and Archaeology: The New Expedition
• Pirates of the Spanish Main: Shuffling the Deck
• Automania
• Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization and Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
• 51st State and 51st State: Master Set
• Codenames
• Medici
• Sushi Go Party!

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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We were just in Albury for BorderCon, an annual board game convention that attracts plenty of board gamers from the surrounding states. While we were there, we caught up with fellow game designers/publishers Joel Finch and David Harding to chat about what they've been up to. We also talk about games that we played at the con, setting up consecutive playtests and other conventions coming up where you might find us.

Joel Finch - joelfinch on BGG / Unfair

David Harding - @grailgames / Grail Games

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / Good Games Publishing

Aaron Lim - @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson - @syelon / syelon.com

What we talked about

1:14 - Chatting with Sye about BorderCon and games we played there

10:38 - How the presentation of a game affects the expectations of the game length/weight

14:03 - Interview with Joel Finch, designer of Unfair

23:00 - Interview with David Harding, game designer and publisher at Grail Games

24:45 - Upcoming games from Grail Games

44:48 - Three types of playtesters, and playtesting consecutive games

55:00 - Promotional cards for playtesters

56:55 - Upcoming conventions

Links to what we talked about

• Spiel des Jahres 2016 Nominees
• The Obligatory $1 Pledge Level Board Game
• Cheapass Games
• Gen Con 2016
• LFG 2016 at Bankstown
• PAX Aus 2016
• The Lamont Brothers of Fragor Games
• PandaCon, July 1-3 2016
• ConCentric Games

Games we mentioned

• Between Two Cities
• Monarch
• Karuba
• Imhotep
• Grand Austria Hotel
• Tiny Epic Galaxies
• Unfair
• The Gallerist
• Paperback
• Elevenses
• Medici
• Medici: The Card Game
• Rome: Imperium
• Guns & Steel: Renaissance
• Cat Box
• Circus Flohcati
• Elevenses for One + Bowling Solitaire
• One Zero One
• IKI
• Cuisine a la Card
• Pictomania
• Mombasa
• Matcha
• Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King
• COGZ

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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We are joined by consummate game designer, Philip duBarry to talk about designing games around experiences, working with intellectual property, getting games published in the era of Kickstarter, playtesting on Tabletopia, and designing with kids. We also chat about searching out uncommon themes, editing content as part of game design, and what happens when someone else makes the game you were also designing.

Philip duBarry - @pdubarry / Phantasio Games

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / secretbasegames.com

Aaron Lim - @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson - @syelon / syelon.com

What we talked about

2:01 - Variants in games and publisher changes

4:05 - Looking out for uncommon game themes

10:08 - Getting into the thought processes behind Codenames

13:23 - Epic failure moments in games

14:24 - Editing content for games

20:26 - Letting go of game designs when someone else designs a similar game

25:18 - Inspirations and sources of ideas for games

28:23 - Graphic design for Spirits of the Rice Paddy

30:19 - How do you design for a specific game experience?

35:09 - Designing games within existing settings and intellectual properties

40:30 - Designing and publishing games in the era of Kickstarter

45:20 - Do considerations for stretch goals influence game design?

47:51 - Have game contracts changed with considerations for Kickstarter?

49:00 - Black Orchestra, using pre-orders vs crowdfunding

53:51 - Making Black Orchestra available on Tabletopia

57:03 - Playtesting games on Tabletopia

1:05:48 - Caravan will be released in two different versions, but with the same game mechanics

1:08:00 - Designing games with kids

Links to what we talked about

• Threadsteading is a game played with a sewing machine
• Laputa: Castle in the Sky
• Porco Rosso
• Schwarze Kapelle (Black Orchestra)
• Pre-orders for Black Orchestra
• Tabletopia
• Games Laboratory Incubator
• Tabletop Simulator
• Caravan is a game that will be released in two different versions, but the same gameplay

Games we mentioned

• Revolution!
• Marrying Mr. Darcy
• Chief Inspector
• Codenames
• Codenames: Pictures
• Dixit
• The Big Book of Madness
• Skyway Robbery
• Spirits of the Rice Paddy
• Canalis
• Courtier
• Eminent Domain: Battlecruisers
• Kingdom of Solomon
• Monstrous
• Unfair
• Black Orchestra
• Caravan
• Tiger Stripes

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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Kim's game, Monstrous, is now being shipped to backers! We also chat about shipping games, dexterity games and designing games with kids and families in mind. In the second half of the show, we are joined by ex-Melbourne based designer Peter C Hayward about his (just finished) first Kickstarter for Scuttle!, designing with kids in mind, and the benefits of networking when making board games.

Also, we have our own iTunes feed now!

(Huge apologies for the lateness of this episode. Aaron's hard drive suffered a catastrophic failure and we couldn't get this episode out in time while Peter's Kickstarter was still running. Sorry!)

Peter C Hayward - @peterchayward / beard.blue / jellybean-games.com / scuttlegame.com

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / secretbasegames.com

Aaron Lim - @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson - @syelon / syelon.com

What we talked about

1:16 - Monstrous is being delivered to backers!

2:48 - Early bird shipping vs early bird discounts

4:55 - Shipping games with Send From China

10:52 - Sye's issues with the loose structure of dexterity games

19:05 - Being bad at dexterity games

22:19 - Designing games with and for kids and families

35:33 - Playing games while out camping

39:14 - Interview with Peter C Hayward, Kickstarting Scuttle!

49:13 - The amazing story of how Scuttle! found its artist

50:40 - Networking and making friends in board games

54:42 - Being in Australia vs being in the US

57:30 - Next steps after Kickstarter i.e. distribution, more Jellybean Games

Links to what we talked about

• Dirk Knemeyer's Tesla vs Edison Kickstarter campaign
• Send From China
• Scuttle! on Kickstarter
• The Dice Men Cometh
• HABA
• HABA USA
• Gamewright
• Green Couch Games
• The Saga of Erik the Viking
• Kelly Jo at idleafternoon.com
• Greater Than Games
• Games Laboratory Incubator
• Unpub
• Cardboard Edison
• Cardboard Edison Awards
• Rule & Make
• Tomb of Doom aka Enemy Anemone
• Freeplay

Games we mentioned

• Monstrous
• Snow Tails
• Robots & Rockets
• The Resistance: Avalon
• Munchkin
• Sushi Go!
• Scuttle!
• Cuttle
• Story War

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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Kim and Sye have been busy attending some game industry conventions, GAMA in Las Vegas and the Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair in Melbourne, so we catch up with them to find out what goes on at those events. We also chat about playtesting etiquette, especially in typical board game convention settings.

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / secretbasegames.com

Aaron Lim – @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson – @syelon / syelon.com

What we talked about

1:00 - Playtesting etiquette, tips on playtesting

6:08 - Pitching and promoting a game while playtesting

11:00 - Information on local playtesting events in Melbourne and Sydney

13:30 - What goes on at the GAMA Trade Show?

16:05 - How to get to the GAMA Trade Show

19:30 - How costly is the GAMA Trade Show?

20:18 - Dealing with distributors

23:45 - Being a designer at GAMA

26:54 - Investing in graphic design for board games

32:22 - Going to GAMA as a publisher

34:18 - Importance of US presence for publishers outside the US

38:56 - Alternate avenues for board games outside specialty retail

42:54 - What goes on at the Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair

Links to what we talked about

• OzBunnycon
• BorderCon
• ConCentric
• BGG thread on Playtesting Principles
• Incubator Playtesting Meetup
• Good Games Publishing Game Designers' Meetings
• Protospiel
• Local game design resources for Australia
• GAMA - The Game Manufacturers Association
• Impressions
• PSI
• Board Games Insider
• IcV2 on the growth of the board game industry
• Catan on Parks & Recreation
• Stronghold Games on TV
• Ares Games
• Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair Nuremberg
• Tokyo Game Market
• Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair
• Good Games - Let's Play Games Distribution
• Pocket Sports

Games we mentioned

• Monstrous
• Unfair
• Just Chocolate
• Pocket Sports

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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We are joined by Allen Chang and Alistair Kearney from Rule & Make to discuss collaborating on designs, focusing on the core of games, Kickstarting a publishing company, communicating with backers, taking backer suggestions, ideal player counts and building relationships.

Rule & Make – @ruleandmake / ruleandmake.com

Aaron Lim – @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson – @syelon / syelon.com

What we talked about

2:37 – Collaborating on making games in Rule & Make

4:55 – Craziest things Alistair has said yes or no to when designing with Allen

9:00 – Major changes late in design for Rise to Power and Burger Up

14:10 – Reassessing the core of a game

16:14 – What makes a “Rule & Make game”

19:10 – Focusing on core mechanics in a game

20:43 – Kickstarting a publishing company

25:05 – Designing games vs publishing games

28:53 – Lifestyle games and competition

36:00 – Communication with backers post-Kickstarter, maintaining a record through regular updates

42:48 – Taking on backer suggestions and getting backer involvement

49:07 – Balancing backer suggestions with the core of the game

56:34 – Ideal player counts

1:02:35 – Looking beyond Australia with publishing and finding designers

1:05:56 – Building relationships with publishers and designers

1:10:06 – Choosing to be a designer or a publisher

Links to what we talked about

• GAMA – The Game Manufacturers Association
• Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair
• Grail Games
• Previous interview with Allen and Alistair on the Action Points Podcast
• Games Laboratory Incubator
• Czech Games Edition
• Portal Games

Games we mentioned

• Entropy
• Rise to Power
• Ninja Dojo Fight
• Burger Up
• Robots & Rockets
• Elevenses
• One Zero One
• Munchkin
• Android: Netrunner
• Dominion
• Android
• Android: Infiltration
• Steam Works
• After the Flood
• Too Many Cinderellas

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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We are joined by Matt Dunstan to discuss finding a community, collaborating on designs, how we come up with game ideas, working with publishers, and recognizing different philosophies of game design.

Matt Dunstan – @wisegoldfish / matthewdunstan.com

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / secretbasegames.com

Aaron Lim – @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson – @syelon / syelon.com

What we talked about

1:50 – Starting game groups and Australian game design scene growth.

6:00 – Collaborating on game design

8:48 – On the spectrum of design and development

10:00 – How we come up with game ideas

17:10 – On missing rules documents in prototypes

26:17 – Setting design goals and agreeing on a vision for a game

31:10 – Will collaboration lead to more projects being finished?

35:39 – Working with publishers in developing games and finding the “best direction” for a game

41:43 – Level of polish in game prototypes at the pitching stage

44:26 – Building relationships with publishers

47:10 – Philosophies of game design

56:00 – The influence of who we play with and how we play

59:28 – Designing for a specific person

1:01:29 – Designing for the mass market

Links to what we talked about

• Cambridge Playtest Meetup at the Playtest UK Games Meetup Group
• Brett J. Gilbert’s blog at 55cards.com
• Slack
• Check out our interview with Jamey Stegmaier here
• Sierra Madre Games
• Oink Games
• Here’s an article on some of Matt Hall’s game design philosophy
• User personas in UX design
• The Game Design Roundtable
• Check out Disciple on the Global Game Jam site here

Games we mentioned

• Costa Rica
• Elysium
• Relic Runners
• Empire Engine
• Robots & Rockets
• Pergamon
• Last Will
• Colt Express
• The Game
• Petals Around the Rose
• World Without End
• Five Tribes
• Rights
• Sushi Go!
• Carcassonne
• Ticket to Ride

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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We are at yet another board game convention, recording at CanCon 2016. We take some time to take stock of what we’ve achieved in our game design journeys in 2015 and look ahead to what excites us in 2016.

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / secretbasegames.com

Aaron Lim – @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson – @syelon / syelon.com

What we talked about

2:30 The impact of timing and the lag between designing and publishing games

9:40 Designing with the constraint of an existing IP (Sye’s been working on a board game design tying in to Rule & Make’s Rise to Power)

11:00 Playtesting games at a general board gaming event, managing expectations of prototypes

15:40 Planning ahead and setting output goals for making board game design a career

19:20 Connecting with the board game community and building networks

21:20 Global Game Jam

29:00 The importance of board game communities and conventions for designers

33:30 Good Games Publishing to bring Unfair to Kickstarter in 2016

36:00 Being a game designer vs a game developer

41:10 Learning about global distribution, retail and attending events overseas

43:30 Taking successfully Kickstarted games to retail

49:10 Portal Games announced First Martians; app integration in board games

53:00 Hoping for cross-pollination of board game and video game creators

54:40 Tabletopia and online virtual tables, for playtesting and promotion

56:30 Legacy games and narrative design in board games; meta-Legacy games

Links to what we talked about

• CanCon
• Good Games Publishing
• Art & Graphic Design for Tabletop Games
• Global Game Jam
• Concentric Games (September 2016)
• PAX Australia (4 – 6 November 2016)
• BorderCon (10 – 13 June 2016)
• Looking for Gamers (9 – 10 July 2016)
• MeepleCon (9 – 11 December 2016)
• Malaysian Table Top Game Designers
• Games Laboratory Incubator Playtesting Meetup
• Tabletopia
• VASSAL
• Tabletop Simulator

Games we mentioned

• Monstrous
• Lanterns: The Harvest Festival
• Robots & Rockets
• Rise to Power
• Just Chocolate
• Giant Snail Will Not Prevail
• Unfair
• Camel Up
• First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet
• Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
• XCOM: The Board Game
• Alchemists
• World of Yo-Ho
• Wits & Wagers
• Cards Against Humanity
• Jackbox Party Pack
• Tharsis
• Battlestar Galactica
• A Game of Thrones
• Ophir
• Chronicles: Origins
• Explorers of the North Sea and The North Sea Runesaga
• Guns & Steel

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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We are joined by Jamey Stegmaier to discuss seeking excellence in board game design. We discuss setting expectations, blind playtesting, how our views on excellence have changed, and figuring out what games to publish.

Jamey Stegmaier – @jameystegmaier / stonemaiergames.com

Kim Brebach – @secretbasegames / secretbasegames.com

Aaron Lim – @ehronlime / theactionpointspodcast.com

Sye Robertson – @syelon / syelon.com

What we talked about

What makes a game exceptional? 2:20

Meeting audience expectations 8:25

Changing views of excellence across Stonemaier games 11:12

Blind playtesting 13:40

Play testers as promoters 28:00

Our changing views on excellence and uniqueness 30:00

The game ‘experience’ 34:30

Studying the craft of game design 37:40

Outside inspiration 42:28

Top 3 resources for improving your game design craft 46:45

How important is the meld between theme and mechanics in game design for the promise of excellence? 56:00

Importance of art in the promise of excellence 58:33

What does Stonemaier games look for in other peoples designs it considers
publishing? 1:04:55

Retheming 1:06:12

How is kickstarter mixing things up in game design and publishing? 1:09:00

What is the publisher’s role in publishing exceptional games? 1:10:20

Links to what we talked about

• Check out Jamey’s blog here
• Jamey’s book “A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide” can be found here
• Jamey’s blog post “An Open Letter to Game Designers”
• Ignacy Trzewiczek’s blog post “I challenge you! Honest publisher manifesto!”

Games we mentioned

• Scythe on Kickstarter
• Scythe art by Jakub Rozalski
• Viticulture
• Euphoria
• Between Two Cities
• MONSTROUS
• Robots and Rockets
• Gloomhaven
• Consentacle
• Bycatch
• …and then we held hands
• Patchwork

Game Design Resources

• Ludology
• The Game Design Round Table
• Stuff You Missed in History Class
• History of Pirates Podcast
• Art and Graphic Design for Tabletop Games on Facebook
• Cardboard Edison
• Gamasutra
• 99% Invisible
• The Psychology of Video Games
• MailChimp
• Print and Play Productions
• Board Game Geek Design Forum – Brief crash course on game design
• Perfect Information Podcast
• Tabletop Game Designers Australia

Other Facebook Groups:

• Card & Board Game Designers Guild
• Kickstarter Best Practices
• Tabletop Games Kickstarter Advice
• Tabletop Game Publisher’s Guild
• Writing for Tabletop Games

Check out our interviews with Malaysian board game designers in our previous episode

If you’re in Australia, there are some Australia-specific resources here as well.

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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One of the things we want to do on this podcast is examine what it’s like to make games outside the European and American hotbeds of the industry. I was very excited to catch up with some board game designers from Malaysia during my last trip home and find out what it’s like for them. Big thanks to all of the designers who stopped for a chat, and to All Aboard Community Gaming Center for organizing KotakCon Mini to support the budding Malaysian industry.

Links for things we talked about:

All Aboard Community Gaming Center

Some photos from KotakCon Mini 2015 here, and a report on the event here.

Boardgamecafe.net

Malaysian Table Top Game Designers

Tokyo Game Market

Avarium Academy

Avarium Academy on BGG

Politiko

BoxFox Games

Monster Hero Academy

Blue Mana Games

Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by Minden is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://needledrop.co

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One last convention related podcast to end the year. Sye and I checked out what was on at MeepleCon, and chatted with Mathew Utting (organizer of MeepleCon) and fellow game designers Josh Harvey (CatTube Famous) and Stacey Borg (Deeply Boring). We also chat about our different approaches to conventions and game design in general.

Links for things we talked about:

MeepleCon

CatTube Famous

You can find interviews with Josh and Stacey on the Action Points Podcast as well:

Josh and CatTube Famous

Stacey and Global Game Jam 2015

Two Rooms and a Boom

Johann Sebastian Joust

Trotofant

Games Laboratory Incubator

Robots and Rockets

Galaxy Trucker

Games vs Play on MeepleCon

Games vs Play Video Round Up of MeepleCon

Music: “Take a Chance” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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We close out the month with the last of our PAX-related podcast episodes. Join us as we share our experiences at the convention and also share tips on how to survive one of these and how to pitch to publishers at conventions.

Links for things we talked about:

Check out our previous episodes for more on PAX Aus 2015

I live-tweeted the other panels I attended at PAX

Monstrous

Rise to Power

Robots and Rockets

Entropy

Ninja Dojo Fight

El Luchador Fantastico Grande

COGZ

Fragged Empire

CatTube Famous

Burger Up

Skyward

Dreary Hamlet

Elevenses

F**k the Game

Too Many Cinderellas

Ragnaroll

Cacao

Hedron

Monster Town

NinjitZoo

No Fish!

Articulate Sex

Tempest: Shards of the Gods

Neurobota

Spy: Goonz

Dizzy Goblins

Funemployed

Glory to Rome

Pandemic Legacy

Rhino Hero

Tabletop Game Designers Australia

Boardgames Australia

Other resources for board game designers in Australia

Music: Gaslamp Funworks by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0.

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Aaron interviewed some indie board game designers, publishers and artists while he was at PAX Australia 2015. Listen on to find out what’s going on here in Australia.

Links for things we talked about:

Grail Games

Circus Flohcati (on Kickstarter now)

Medici

One Zero One

Matcha

Elevenses

Too Many Cinderellas

93 Made Games

Viewpoint

No Fish!

Skyward

Rule & Make

Rise to Power

Robots & Rockets (designed by Victory Pointers host Sye Robertson)

Entropy

Tabletop Games Design Australia (TGDA)

Game Salute

Area 1851

Nothing Personal

Poseidon’s Kingdom

Skyway Robbery

The Princess Bride: A Battle of Wits, As You Wish, Miracle Pill

Cyborgs: Earth Twin I

Sweet Tooth (on Kickstarter now)

Cookie Defender

Burger Up (on Kickstarter now)

Drinking Quest

Haiku Warrior

Billionaire Banshee

QPC Games

Prettiest Princess Games

Music: Gaslamp Funworks by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0.

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This was a panel that Aaron organized at PAX Australia 2015, titled “Growing Local Board Game Design Communities”. Here’s the panel description: “No designer is an island. You’ll need people to playtest your games and help you make it the best it can be. A party of fellow brave adventurers. People who share your passion. Where do you go? Who’s there to help you? The Australian board game design community is growing, and we want to share it with you. Our panel of playtest organizers and designers discuss the challenges and lessons learned from running tabletop game design communities and events. And you? You may have just found your party.”

Links for things we talked about:

Panelists were:

Aaron Lim (@ehronlime) – Games Laboratory Incubator, The Action Points Podcast, this podcast right here

Ben Nelson (@concentricgames) – Concentric Games

Jason Kotzur-Yang (@endgamegames) – Brisbane Playtest Fest, End Game Games, Tablepop

Kate Raynes-Goldie (@oceanpark) – Playup Perth, Games We Play, FTI

Paul Sztajer (@pdyxs) – Unpub Mini Sydney, Board Games Australia, SeeThrough Studios, The Game Engine Podcast

Thomas Eliot (@sixpencegames) – NYC Playtest, Protospiel North East, Sixpence Games

I live-tweeted Kate’s panel here.

You can find out about the effect of visual quality of prototypes on feedback here.

I’ve compiled some resources that we talked about on the podcast in one handy page.

Music: Gaslamp Funworks by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0.

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Welcome to the first ever episode of the Victory Pointers podcast! In our inaugural show, we talk about what it’s like to be designing board games in Australia. The panel for this episode consists of:

Aaron Lim (@ehronlime) – board game enthusiast, designer and podcaster

Kim Brebach (@secretbasegames) – board game publisher and designer

Sye Robertson (@syelon) – board game designer and graphic designer

Our plan is to have some other regular panelists joining us on and off as well, so look out for them in future episodes!

The main focus of this podcast is on creating games everywhere. We mean this in the geographical sense, since we’re interested in how designers work outside the main board game industry hotbeds in the United States, Germany and France, and also the metaphorical sense of taking a holistic approach to design and inspiration.

We hope you enjoy our first episode. We’re still figuring out the best way to run this podcast and growing, but we guarantee it will be an entertaining and hopefully enlightening ride together. Please do let us know if you have any feedback.

Links for things we talked about:

Look for us at PAX Aus!

Aaron will be on two panels – “Play With Us: Wits & Wagers LIVE” and “Growing Local Board Game Design Communities”

Kim will be on one panel – “Kick…Stop!: Before You Crowd-Fund Your Game”

Sye will be at the Rule & Make booth

Meet the Designer events on Friday and Sunday

“Getting Your Indie Tabletop Game Made” panel at PAX Aus 2015

The Action Points Podcast

Monstrous

Announcing Good Games Publishing

Robots & Rockets

Syelon Art

Australian Board Games Design in the Modern Age at Freeplay 2015

Squatter

World in Flames

7 Ages

Phil Walker-Harding

Sushi Go!

Peter Hawes

Colonial Diplomacy

Triassic Terror

Francis Drake

Glory to Rome

GMT’s P500 program

Matt Dunstan

Tabletop

Scrimish on Kickstarter

Entropy on Kickstarter

Grail Games

Senyac Games

93 Made Games

Pocket Sports

Relic Runners published out of the Hippodice contest

Tabletop Game Designers Australia

Game Artisans of Canada

Taiwan Boardgame Design

Australian Tabletop Games and Media List at PAX Australia

Music: Gaslamp Funworks by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0.