x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

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

13:53

105. No Thanks!

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2025/11/05

Should currency be hidden? Why is liquidity so powerful? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie pass the buck in No Thanks!

en-us

27:12

104. Trick Taking Games

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

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.

en-us

17:48

103. Fishing

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2025/10/22

Should players be encouraged to exploit catch-up mechanics? What are the benefits of stacking decks? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor trawl the depths in Fishing.

en-us

14:08

102. Cat in the Box

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2025/10/15

Why is bidding popular in trick-taking games? What is a suit, really? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda collapse superpositions in Cat in the Box.

en-us

16:20

101. Hearts

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2025/10/08

How do you make each suit feel different? Why shoot the moon? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie avoid the queen in Hearts.

en-us

1:14:20

100. Top 10 Takeaways

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2025/10/01

Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor each give their top 10 takeaways in this very special 100th episode.

en-us

27:28

99. Listener Takeaways

The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast ·

2025/09/24

Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda respond to listener takeaways in this special 99th episode.

en-us

125 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

詭哭郎嚎

郎祖筠 & FMTaiwan製作團隊

Ron en Erik Podcast

Ron en Erik

Poor Man"s Pinball Podcast

Poor Men Ian and Drew

WeAreChange on Odysee

WeAreChange