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The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
7 reviews
This podcast has
125 episodes
Language
English
Date created
2023/11/29
Latest episode
2026/02/04
Average duration
27 min.
Release period
7 days

Description

Join game designers Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, and Trevor Muller-Hegel as they analyze published games from a game developer's perspective. Each month, they pick a new game mechanic and three games to play in that genre. Each episode is 20 minutes of pure game design nerdiness!

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Check latest episodes from The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast podcast


118. Splendor
2026/02/04
How do you balance wildcards while still making them appealing? Can mechanics serve as mnemonics? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie dig up gems in Splendor.
117. Engine Building Games
2026/01/28
When do you end the game? Why does urgency matter? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor discuss engine-building games.
116. Sprocketforge
2026/01/21
How do you keep players engaged when it is not their turn? Should you use faction-specific disadvantages? Charlie, Ananda, and Trevor spin their gears in Sprocketforge.
115. Studies in Sorcery
2026/01/14
What makes for a good Winston draft? How can you make wildcards strategically interesting? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor cram for finals in Studies in Sorcery.
114. Wyrmspan
2026/01/07
How do you create long-term goals for players? Can one-shot cards progress your engine? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie excavate lairs in Wyrmspan.
113. Multiplayer Abstract Strategy Games
2025/12/31
How much theme can an abstract strategy game have? What makes abstract strategy games replayable? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor talk about multiplayer abstract strategy games.
112. Homeworlds
2025/12/24
Can supply limits define a game? How do you define spatial relationships without a board? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor destroy stars in Homeworlds.
111. Hey, That's My Fish!
2025/12/17
How do you design zero level heuristics for abstract strategy games? What are the benefits of limiting how many actions a player can perform? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda break the ice in Hey, That's My Fish!
110. Element
2025/12/10
What is better, strategy or tactics? How does attack-left benefit multiplayer games? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie manipulate nature in Element.
109. Iron Designer Challenge 2025
2025/12/03
Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie run the 2025 Iron Designer Challenge, a game jam event.
108. Auction Games
2025/11/26
How do you get players to value things differently? What styles of auction are there? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about Auction games.
107. Indonesia
2025/11/19
Where should the money from an auction go? Does research need to be complicated? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor merge companies in Indonesia.
106. Cyclades
2025/11/12
How do you encourage players to lead with their best bid? Why are catchup mechanics so important in auction games? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda petition the gods in Cyclades.
105. No Thanks!
2025/11/05
Should currency be hidden? Why is liquidity so powerful? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie pass the buck in No Thanks!
104. Trick Taking Games
2025/10/29
How do you make a game fun when players lose most of the hands they play? Should cards have effects when played? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about trick takers.

Podcast reviews

Read The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast podcast reviews


5 out of 5
7 reviews
★★★★★
Annoyed123 2025/10/31
Great food for thought
The hosts are very likable and engaging. Each episode takes a subject and analyzes it with a wide ranging perspective. Very thought provoking if yo...
★★★★★
AMKELL23 2024/08/23
Taken Away
I used to have so many tabletops. They came to my house and took them all away now I don’t have any.
★★★★★
Juggler9000 2024/08/07
Great music, better game analysis
First off, the theme song is entirely too catchy. I find myself singing it often. Second, these guys know their stuff. This may not be the podcast for...
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