053: Rose Gauntlet

Listen now (42min) | Our heroes in the final interview of the season clamber before Isaac Vega of the Rose Gauntlet Foundation, who shares his 13-year journey in the board game industry, transitioning from a game designer to a publisher. The Rose Gauntlet Foundation’s mission is to foster diversity and inclusivity within the gaming community. He offers insights into the financial and strategic aspects of game publishing and emphasizes the importance of passion and message in game design.

Read the transcript.

Things discussed on this episode:

  • 00:00 – Introduction to Isaac Vega
  • 00:35 – Founding Rose Gauntlet Entertainment
  • 00:59 – Nonprofit Initiatives and Community Outreach
  • 02:23 – Big Gay Dinner and Inclusivity Efforts
  • 04:32 – Game Design Journey
  • 05:20 – Early Gaming Experiences
  • 06:45 – Current Projects and Game Preferences
  • 08:52 – Rose Gauntlet’s Publishing Philosophy
  • 13:08 – Advice for Aspiring Game Designers
  • 16:00 – Budgeting and Marketing for Games
  • 23:17 – Rose Gauntlet Foundation and Events
  • 24:46 – D12: The Q&A Game

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051: Archduke John De Campos, Death to Videodrome

Listen now (34 min) | John De Campos, founder of Terrible Games, shares his journey from a comic book-obsessed child to an independent board game publisher, designer, and illustrator. Our heroes glean insights on the comparisons between self-publishing and traditional publishing, and the creative collaborations involved, into building a brand, maintaining a small business, and the importance of community and collaboration in creative ventures.

Read the transcript.

Things discussed on this episode:

  • 00:00 – Introduction to John De Campos and Terrible Games
  • 00:56 – Early Life and Inspirations
  • 01:33 – Journey into Board Game Design
  • 02:48 – Building the Terrible Games Team
  • 04:34 – Challenges and Successes in Game Publishing
  • 06:36 – Insights on Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
  • 08:25 – Creative Collaborations and Game Development
  • 20:49 – The Influence of Magic: The Gathering
  • 28:01 – “Death to videodrome.”

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048: The Man, The Brand, the Gay Edge Lord – Daddy Chaddy

Listen now (41 min) | This fork in the road takes our heroes before an aspiring professional gamer to understand the core element of the player experience: the player.

Read the transcript.

Things discussed on this episode:

  • 00:00 – The Man, the Brand, the Gay Edgelord
  • 01:10 – Baby Chad’s Exposure to Games
  • 02:02 – Zelda Left the Right Impression
  • 02:50 – The Physicality of Early Video Games
  • 04:20 – How the Dynamic of Chad’s Gaming Experience Changed
  • 06:00 – The Cultural Zeitgeist of Elden Ring
  • 08:48 – The Nostalgia Weapon
  • 18:09 – Choosing Which Games to Stream
  • 21:00 – The Catalyst for Doubling Down on Streaming
  • 23:00 – The Trade-Off of Turning Streaming into a Job
  • 25:50 – Dealing with Envy or Impostor Syndrome Stoked by Other People’s Success
  • 27:00 – How to Connect with Daddy Chaddy
  • 28:00 – D12

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036: Aspire SRD and Theatre LARPing with S. Kaiya J.

Listen now (57 min) | With the Forest of Trees behind them, we stumble upon a battle – but a mysterious game designer on the periphery explains that it’s just a Boffer LARP. S. Kaiya J. discusses game design, the Aspire SRD, Diversity Saves, and the complexity of LARP design. Read the transcript.

Things discussed on this episode:

  • 01:53 Theater LARP
  • 07:18 Designing a LARP
  • 10:13 Aspire SRD
  • 11:00 Caltrop Core
  • 16:24 Her Odyssey
  • 19:35 Solo-Journaling RPGs
  • 21:47 Galatea
  • 25:07 Diversity Saves
  • 33:09 Mass Effect
  • 33:54 Knights of the Old Republic
  • 34:51 Tyranny
  • 37:01 Magic the Gathering
  • 40:19 Vampire Survivors
  • 42:10 Tunic
  • 45:06 Root
  • 46:07 Dragon Quest

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Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames.
Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames.

Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on Twitter.
Michael Schofield is @schoeyfield on Twitter.

Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/

028: Designing Games with Breeze Grigas

Listen now (37 min) | After leaving summer camp, our heroes have a chance encounter with a game designer of some renown. Read the transcript.

Games discussed on this episode:

  • 1:53 AEGIS Combining Robots
  • 12:15 Magic the Gathering
  • 12:42 Warhammer 40K
  • 20:02 Gloomhaven
  • 23:15 Protospiel

Support the show on Patreon!

Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast.
Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames.
Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames.

Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on Twitter.
Michael Schofield is @schoeyfield on Twitter.

Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/

Categories

003: Customization vs. Personalization

Listen now (36 min) | Emerging from the pit of despair, on their never-ending quest for the most usable game, our heroes go on a side quest to explore the role of customization. Read the transcript.

Games discussed on this episode:

  • HeroQuest,
  • Dungeons & Dragons,
  • Magic the Gathering,
  • Pokemon,
  • City of Heroes,
  • Monster Hunter,
  • Golden Layout Framework,

Support the show on Patreon!

Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast.
Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames.
Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames.

Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on Twitter.
Michael Schofield is @schoeyfield on Twitter.

Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/