The Game Design Round Table

Apr 08 2025 344 ep. 56 mins 2.4k

The Game Design Round Table Podcast artwork

Covering the full breadth of digital, tabletop, and role playing games, The Game Design Round Table inspires and educates aspiring and experienced game designers.

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BtC - Rikki Tahta on Designer Community

Apr 08 2025 39 mins

In this episode, Ellie chats with Rikki, creator of Coup, The Chameleon, and Melee, about his inspiring journey in design. He highlights the importance of process and how a supportive community has influenced his path. They discuss what makes the design community unique and the benefits of connecting with fellow creatives.

Season: RPG - Prologue

Apr 01 2025 64 mins

TDGRT kicks off its first season on RPGs with a discussion on Dirk and David’s experiences, and where they want to take the season from here. They talk about the pros and cons of modern Dungeons and Dragons, and alternative styles of game design that better suit different genres of play.

BtC - Adam Porter on Playtesting

Mar 25 2025 38 mins

Ellie Dix is joined by Adam Porter, designer of Kompromat, Pikoko, and Doodle Rush. Together, they discuss the playtesting process, why it’s so important, and the biggest mistakes people make while playtesting. Topics include tracking confusion during sessions, structuring how and what feedback is given, and being a good playtester.

Civ Series Finale Part 2 - Civilization VII

Mar 18 2025 58 mins

Dirk and David continue their discussion in part 2 of TGDRT’s Civilization Series Finale! They dive into many of the systems that didn’t work for them, and what they wish had been done instead. Topics include religion and trade, the problems with Civ VII’s map generation, and the costs associated with stripping away flavor in favor of starker mechanics. They also talk about w

BtC - Scott Rogers on Prototyping

Mar 11 2025 52 mins

Ellie Dix is joined by Scott Rogers, designer Alien: Fate of Nostrodomo, Pantone the Game, and Marvel Villainous and writer of many books on game design. Together, they discuss how to build the prototype for a game, how to decide whether to continue with a design, and what makes a prototype attractive for publishers among other topics.

Civ Series Finale Part 1 - Civilization VII

Mar 04 2025 53 mins

The time has finally come; Civilization VII is out! After many hours with the game, Dirk and David come together to share their thoughts on the game. Did it live up to the hype? How does Civ VII stack up to previous games? Will David ever play another Civ game again? All these questions and more on part 1 of 2 for TGDRT’s Civ Series Finale. Topics include the power of the butterf

BtC - Naming Games with Peter Hayward

Feb 25 2025 35 mins

Ellie is joined by Peter Hayward, designer of games such as Robotopia, Fiction, and That Time You Killed Me. Ellie and Peter discuss not only the process for naming a game, but also how names affect pitching and publishing, naming your prototypes, and how the process works for indie and mass market titles.

Civ Series 10 - Listener Questions

Feb 18 2025 63 mins

Civilization 7 approaches! As we prepare to share our thoughts on Civ 7, we answer another round of listener questions. Topics include Dirk and David’s ideal Civ game, how to approach kingmaking in multiplayer games, and why diplomacy in Civilization is often so underwhelming.

BtC - Sen-Foong Lim on Motivation

Feb 11 2025 46 mins

This week on Behind the Cardboard, Ellie is joined by Sen-Foong Lim, ENNIE winner and designer of Mind: MGMT, Corpse of Discovery, and The Revenant Society.

Civ Series 9 - Where are we now with Soren Johnson

Feb 04 2025 67 mins

The Civilization Series returns with Soren Johnson, lead designer of Civilization IV, Offworld Trading Company, and Old World. They discuss the teasers for Civilization VII, what they’re excited for, what they’re worried about, and what they hope will change about the series. They also discuss the 4X releases since their last meeting, including Humankind.