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PODCAST

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast

Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, Trevor Muller-Hegel

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!

leisure games

All Episodes

41:27

125. Trading Card Games

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2026/03/25

What can you do if you want to make a TCG? What makes a good resource system? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda talk about Trading Card Games.

en-us

31:38

124. Star Wars: Unlimited

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2026/03/18

What limits should there be on deck construction? Should all cards be usable as resources? The Force is with Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie in Star Wars: Unlimited.

en-us

32:25

123. Pokémon TCG

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2026/03/11

Should mechanics call out specific cards by name? Why would a player use a weaker attack instead of a stronger one? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor gotta catch 'em all in the Pokémon TCG.

en-us

42:57

122. Magic: The Gathering

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2026/03/04

Do keywords make deckbuilding approachable? How do you spotlight certain cards? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda tap their lands for mana in Magic: The Gathering.

en-us

23:12

121. Set Collection Games

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2026/02/25

How do thresholds differ from spending? Are there any genres set collection doesn't work with? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about Set Collection.

en-us

21:52

120. Spooktacular

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2026/02/18

When should all actions be mandatory? How can turn structure foreshadow interactions? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor get out the popcorn in Spooktacular.

en-us

19:11

119. Bohnanza

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2026/02/11

When should players be encouraged to make trades? What is the point of charging players for a third plot if everybody buys one anyway? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda grow beans in Bohnanza.

en-us

25:52

118. Splendor

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

31:29

117. Engine Building Games

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2026/01/28

When do you end the game? Why does urgency matter? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor discuss engine-building games.

en-us

35:35

116. Sprocketforge

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

25:47

115. Studies in Sorcery

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

26:59

114. Wyrmspan

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

27:12

113. Multiplayer Abstract Strategy Games

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

25:02

112. Homeworlds

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

18:50

111. Hey, That's My Fish!

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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!

en-us

18:56

110. Element

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2025/12/10

What is better, strategy or tactics? How does attack-left benefit multiplayer games? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie manipulate nature in Element.

en-us

46:52

109. Iron Designer Challenge 2025

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2025/12/03

Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie run the 2025 Iron Designer Challenge, a game jam event.

en-us

27:15

108. Auction Games

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

21:03

107. Indonesia

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

22:42

106. Cyclades

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

132 results

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