In episode 95 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Carol Mertz about multi-disciplinary designing. She starts with the concept before deciding on the form (tabletop, video game, robotic couch, etc.). The focus is on the experience then she builds the medium around it. In the case of Exploding Kittens: Good Vs. Evil she to…

Jason and John talk about the Starfinder 2e Playtest announcements made at GenCon! Listen Now! **Apologies in advance for my poor audio – I am in the process of moving and my gear wasn’t set up properly – John**

Alex and James line up some hot, hotter, and infernal wings for this hot tribute to the complete first edition of Starfinder. Listen Now! (mp3)

The scoundrels find an immense imperial cache along with an artifact that draws a dangerous foe! Listen Now!(mp3)

With My Little Pony playing a major part in The Pony Puzzle at this weekend’s Gen Con, and the My Little Pony Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook up for an ENnie award later today, Ryan decided to take a closer look at why and how to crossover My Little Pony content into other Essence20 settings. Note: I might reupload this later. A chunk of audio is mi…

Esther and Navaar explore the latest Pathfinder Remaster setting hardcover, Pathfinder Howl of the Wild. Also available in writing. Listen Now! (mp3)

In episode 94 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Phil Gross about his design ContraBanter, a Word-Smuggling game where you’ll work as a team to sneak secret words into a conversation! Phil talks about his design breakthroughs in the game like making the players work on teams versus fully competitive. And how there seems…

John, Jason, and Ron talk about some of the Sci-Fi games being released at GenCon, including Starfinder 2nd Edition Playtest. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

There’s always a catch! Our scoundrels are double-crossed and end up stuck between a rock and a hard place. Listen Now!(mp3)

Stuck in traffic due to the rain, Ryan decides to record a podcast about Duke, and how Skybound has him turning around on his long held opinion that there’s always a better choice than Duke. But for real, you can hear the rain, his turn signal, and his GPS throughout the episode. If you find that distracting, you won’t miss much missing this one. L…

In episode 93 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Julie Chen about her personality type social deduction game inspired by the Myers Briggs test and CLUE. We focus on how learning more about ourselves helped us both in life and in our designing process. She aimed to find a way to help players learn more about the assumpti…

John, Jason, and Ron talk about Ennie Nominations, GenCon, and the future of Intrepid Heroes! Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Second Contact, the Free RPG Day 2024 Starfinder offering, is the first published material for the Starfinder 2e playtest. Alex and James dive into it to see what it tells them to expect in the future. Listen Now! (mp3)

Our scoundrels run afoul of an imperial star destroyer and find they have mynocks! Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 92 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Joseph Brower, one of the designers of Mondrian: Color in Motion. This Ion Award finalist design brought manufacturing challenges when they had to figure out what materials made the cards stop sliding during gameplay. Learn how they created an abstract game inspired by th…

John, Jason, and Ron talk about Paizo’s offerings for Free RPG day, including The Great Toy Heist written by Jason Keeley for Pathfinder 2e, and Second Contact for Starfinder 2nd Edition! Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

The crew learn more about Zeke’s backstory as they are forced to take a side mission to settle a debt. Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 91 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Alex Flagg about Crafty Games’ latest release Buru. Learn how a publisher was able to inject more of the theme into a midweight euro-style game using a TTRPG background and cultural consultants. Listen Now! (mp3) Featuring: Alex Flagg – Guest Danielle Reynolds – Host…

John, Jason, and Ron talk about some of their favorite and most memorable conventions. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

The crew has to “force” their way out of yet another tough situation! Listen Now!(mp3)

Alex and James look at the Starfinder news out of PaizoCon 2024, which saw a mix of firsts for 2e and finals for 1e. Listen Now! (mp3)

In episode 90 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication Danielle talks with Joel Sparks about his cat based RPG titled Catthulhu. Joel moved away from a D20 system to try and create a more accessible game for players who haven’t played many RPGs by leaning into the story telling more than the math. Players take on the roles of cats in this…

Esther and Navaar crack open the latest Pathfinder setting hardcover, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Tian Xia World Guide for the first time, but definitely not the last time. Listen Now! (mp3)

John, Jason, and Ron talk about some of the new Starfinder 2 information revealed at PaizoCon as well as Jason’s playtest of the new Battlecry! classes. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Without a plan, the scoundrels try to wing it and might end up getting their ship blown up! Listen Now!(mp3)

Renegade crammed a lot of Essence20 news into the four weeks since the last episode of Upshift, and Ryan’s here to go over it with you. Listen Now! (mp3) Featuring Letter From Snake Eyes part 4, generously provided by Wordburglar. Check it and other amazing 80s-inspired out at Wordburglar.com. Although the hosts both work for Renegade Game Studios …

In episode 89 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Seppy Yoon about his design Conquest Princess: Fashion is Power. This crisis management game was inspired by Sailor Moon and Star Trek. Seppy took his love for strong women like Wonder Woman and created a game that included characters that were trans, non-binary and femal…

John, Jason, and Ron talk about how to make player downtime activities in Starfinder and other RPGs more meaningful and fun. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

After a stressful heist its time to relax and indulge your vices. Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 88 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication Amanda Rivera takes over as the host as she helps recap the fourth season with Danielle. They talk about past guests and their games. Speaking about matching mechanics with IPs and how brands can be split between many different publishers. Danielle talks about her upcoming games Cauti…

Jenny Jarzabsk joins Alex and James to look high and wide at Starfinder 1e’s swan song release, the Mechageddon! hardcover Adventure Path. Listen Now! (mp3)

John, Jason, and Ron talk about issues surrounding generative AI Gamemasters. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

When all else fails, use the Force! Listen Now!(mp3)

Esther and Navaar continue their Pathfinder Remaster coverage with an in depth review of the new take on the 2e Bestiary, Monster Core. Listen Now! (mp3)

In episode 87 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Sen-Foong Lim on his comicbook IP game Mind MGMT. A game that grows with the players in strategy as well as difficulty. One player controls Mind MGMT and must scour the city for new recruits. They move around on a secret map, trying to visit locations that match one of th…

After sharing all he knows about Essence20, former Renegade developer Jason Keeley moves on to other projects. But not before saying goodbye. Listen Now! (mp3) Featuring Letter From Snake Eyes part 4, generously provided by Wordburglar. Check it and other amazing 80s-inspired out at Wordburglar.com. Although the hosts both work for Renegade Game St…

John, Jason, and Ron talk about using player driven narratives in Pathfinder, Starfinder, D&D, and Scum and Villainy. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

The crew takes a side trek as Jason Keeley GMs Scum and Villainy for a new group of Intrepid Scoundrels! Listen Now!(mp3)

Alex and James look at what the Field Test version of the Envoy means for Starfinder 2e. Listen Now! (mp3)

John, Jason, and Ron talk about session zero of their upcoming Scum and Villainy campaign as well as the session zero panel Ron participated in at Norwescon. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Esther and Navaar chat with Dr. Emily Friedman, an Associate Professor of English at Auburn University, writer for Polygon, and senior scholars in the field of creating things outside of mass commercial capitalism. That includes Actual Play podcasts. Also available in writing. Listen Now! (mp3)

In episode 86 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with David Abelson about his Mensa award winning game Gartenbau published by 25th Century Games. Initially the game started as a color theory tile placement game but grew into a three-layer tile stacking game of beautifully arranged flowers that gain prestige using a rondel dr…

In the climactic conclusion of the Devastation Ark adventure path, our heroes defeat the evil Siv AI core and now look forward to their lives after adventuring. Listen Now!(mp3) The GM is Ron Lundeen, an employee of Wizards of the Coast, whose opinions are his own.

Ryan shares his thoughts and Jason shares his experiences as the developer working on Transformers Roleplaying Game Decepticon Directive. Listen Now! (mp3) Featuring Letter From Snake Eyes part 4, generously provided by Wordburglar. Check it and other amazing 80s-inspired out at Wordburglar.com. Although the hosts both work for Renegade Game Studio…

John, Jason, and Ron, talk about anti-heroes, evil campaigns, and power washing! Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

In episode 85 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jim Fitzpatrick about his game Mission to Planet Hexx. Inspired by a love of SyFy he designed a hex tile game about exploring space with different abilities triggered by moving your ship around the tiles. He learned through playtesting how to create thematic ties between …

Our heroes battle their way closer to the Siv AI core. Listen Now!(mp3) The GM is Ron Lundeen, an employee of Wizards of the Coast, whose opinions are his own.

Ryan and Jason go over the Essence20 products revealed at the most recent Renegade Con. Reveals G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game Beginner Box: Boot Camp A 32-page Playing the Game booklet A 26-page first adventure (Snake Pit) A 26-page second adventure (Operation Cold Iron Mission 1: Slithering About) 8 pre-generated characters Steeler Firewall Bullet-Pro…

Alex and James share their thoughts on the Scoured Stars Starfinder adventure path. Listen Now! (mp3)

John, Ron, and newly named Paizo Senior Game Designer Jason talk about the differences between Game Developers and Game Designers. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.