Shows / The Game Design Round Table
The Game Design Round Table
Covering the full breadth of digital, tabletop, and role playing games, The Game Design Round Table inspires and educates aspiring and experienced game designers.
Episodes
The Game Design Round TableNavigating Steam Market Saturation with Jon Shafer
Host Dirk Knemeyer and co-host David Heron are joined by returning guest Jon Shafer, former lead designer of Civilization V and creator of At the Gates. In…
The Game Design Round TableDesigning and Publishing Science Board Games with John Coveyou
In this episode, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron are joined by John Coveyou, founder of Genius Games. John is widely known for designing and publishing…
The Game Design Round TableThe Horizon of AI in Video Game Development: What Can Current Frontier Models Actually Do?
Hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron answer a Discord listener question from Langal about the realistic scale and capabilities of AI in modern video game…
The Game Design Round TableThe Economics and Design of Sustainable Live Services
In this episode of Design Talks, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron engage in a deep-dive conversation about what actually makes live service games…
The Game Design Round TableHands-On with AI: From Tabletop Redesigns to the Compiler Paradigm
In this episode, host Dirk Knemeyer and co-host David Heron dive deep into their hands-on workflows with artificial intelligence in game design and software…
The Game Design Round TableThe Economics and Ethics of Live Service Game Design
In this episode, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron dive into a complex listener question regarding the incentives and ethics of Games as a Service (GaaS)…
The Game Design Round TableThe Great Contraction: Navigating the Video Game Job Market
In this episode, host Dirk Knemeyer is joined by co-host David Heron, a veteran game executive known for his six-year tenure at Warner Brothers, to discuss the…
The Game Design Round TableThe No-Hit Wonder Strategy: Survival and Success with Jake Birkett
In this episode, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron sit down with Jake Birkett, the veteran indie developer behind Grey Alien Games. Jake is perhaps most…
The Game Design Round TableBizarro World: Indie Devs Feel the Fury Over AI in Games
The show is hosted by Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron. In this episode, they dive deep into the current cultural and technical landscape of AI in game…
The Game Design Round TableRevisiting Civ 7
In this episode, host Dirk Knemeyer, a long-time game designer and industry veteran, sits down with co-host David Heron, known for his deep technical and…
The Game Design Round TableSeason: RPG - Exploring the Success Behind Neon Odyssey with Mikey Gilder
In this episode, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron sit down with Mikey Gilder, the Chief Creative Officer of Avantress Entertainment, known for their hit…
The Game Design Round TableListener Questions, AI and the Future of Game Design
Host Dirk Knemeyer, a veteran in user experience (UX) design, is joined by co-host David Heron, a long-time game industry professional known for his work…
The Game Design Round TableListener Questions May 2026
In this episode, host Dirk Knemeyer is joined by co-host David Heron to answer a series of deep dives from their community. The discussion explores the…
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Design Talk - Exploring Claude with Dirk & David
Join host Dirk Knemeyer and Co-Host David Heron as they discuss Dirk's transformative first month using Claude. Dirk, who previously avoided technical tools…
- The Game Design Round Table
Design Talk - Buried Giant with Cole Werhle
Join hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron as they welcome back Cole Werhle, the designer of hits like Root and Oath. In this episode, Cole details his major…
- The Game Design Round Table
Design Talk - Exploring Nevaros with Raven Zachary
Hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron are joined by Raven Zachary, a veteran tech executive and product leader known for his work in spatial computing, AI, and…
- The Game Design Round Table
Design Talk - NYT Games with Rohit Crasta
Join hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron as they welcome Rohit Crasta, a longtime game designer and former lead designer of Wordscapes who now serves as a lead…
- The Game Design Round Table
Civ Series 13 - Rogue Hex with Reed Erlandson
In this episode of the Civ Series, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron sit down with Reed Erlandson, designer of Rogue Hex. Reed shares the inspiration behind…
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Design Talk - Designing large group games with Rikki Tahta
In this Design Talk episode, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron are joined by Rikki Tahta, designer of the hit bluffing game Coup. Rikki shares the origins of…
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Season: RPG - Interlude: The Final Round Table
Today, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron sit down today to have a discussion about RPGs stemming from a comment left by a user from the Discord channel. They…
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Season: RPG - Exploring RPGs with Rob Daviau
Today, Rob Daviau joins us again after a year to contribute to a conversation about RPGs. Dirk, David, and Rob talk about some of the practicalities of RPG's…
- The Game Design Round Table
BtC with Ellie Dix and Dirk Knemeyer - Series Wrap-Up
Today, in an unusual turn of events, Ellie Dix, host of the series Behind the Cardboard, and Dirk Knemeyer, co-host of TGDRT, have a powerful conversation…
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Season: RPG - D&D with Mike Mearls
In this episode of the RPG series, host David Heron speaks with Mike Mearls , a key figure behind Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. They dive into what makes…
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BtC- Brett Gilbert on Abandonment and Rejection
In this episode of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix sits down with designer Brett Gilbert for a candid conversation about one of the most challenging parts…
- The Game Design Round Table
Season: RPG - Constructing Eberron with Keith Baker
In this RPG episode, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron welcome legendary designer Keith Baker, writer and designer for Eberron, to explore the world-building…
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BtC- Marcus Ross on conventions
In this episode of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix sits down with designer Marcus Ross for a deep dive into the world of conventions and trade shows in…
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Round Table - The season RPG reflection
In this Round Table episode, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron reflect on the most recent season — revisiting major takeaways, surprises, and what realistic…
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BtC- Chris Backe on Digital Tools
In this episode of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix sits down with Chris Backe , a designer and digital playtesting expert, to explore the world of digital…
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Season: RPG - Interlude: The Third Round Table
Today, Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron sit down to discuss many of the previous episodes from the last two months, diving deeper into conceptual ideas about RPG…
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BtC- Chrissy Fagerholt on social media
Host Ellie Dix chats with Chrissy Fagerholt of EAP Toys & Games, designer of The Lunch Room and Go Big or Go Broke. They discuss Chrissy's approach to social…
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Season: RPG - Play-by-email with Jeff Perkins
In this episode of the RPG series, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron are joined by Jeff Perkins, founder and still player of the long-running play-by-email…
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BtC - Ross Connell on art and marketing for games
In this episode of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix is joined by Ross Connell, curator and advocate for beautiful board games. Together, they dive into the…
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Season: RPG - Conversing with MJ Newman on the different RPG writing scenes, what are their experiences?
In this episode of RPG, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron sit down with writer and designer MJ Newman to dive into the many sides of RPG writing. Known for…
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BtC - Bez Shahriari on Your Brand as a Designer
In this episode of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix speaks with designer Bez Shahriari about the importance of building and embracing your brand as a game…
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Season: RPG - Cthulhu fhtagn! with Mike Mason
In this episode of the RPG series, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron are joined by Mike Mason, creative director of Call of Cthulhu at Chaosium. Together…
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Season: RPG - Cthulhu fhtagn! with Mike Mason
In this episode of the RPG series, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron are joined by Mike Mason, creative director of Call of Cthulhu at Chaosium. Together…
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BtC - Matthew Dunstan on Making and Nurturing Connections with Publishers
In this episode of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix sits down with prolific designer Matthew Dunstan, co-designer of Battle for Boulders, to talk about the…
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Season: RPG - Interlude: The Second Round Table
In this RPG interlude, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron return to the table to revisit some of the big conversations from recent episodes. From the debate…
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BtC with April Mitchell on Sizzle Reels
In this episode of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix chats with game designer April Mitchell about the power of sizzle reels in pitching and promoting…
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Season: RPG - GM as Designer with Justin Alexander
In this episode of the RPG series, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron are joined by Justin Alexander , a renowned game designer and thought leader in tabletop…
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BtC with Fertessa Allyse on Sell Sheets
In this episode of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix talks with game designer Fertessa Allyse, known for Wicked & Wise and Cascadia Junior. They dive into…
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Season: RPG - Interlude: Welcome to Willowbank
David and Dirk go over David's newest project, Willow Bank. Revolving around DnD, (for all of you DnD enthusiasts), they have a captivating conversation on the…
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Season: RPG - Listener Question
Today, Dirk and David come together to answer some listener questions from the Discord. Most of these questions surround RPG's, although the discussions branch…
- The Game Design Round Table
BtC - Special Edition: Dominic Crapuchettes
In this special edition of Behind the Cardboard, host Ellie Dix sits down with legendary game designer and publisher Dominic Crapuchettes, the creative mind…
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Season: RPG - Serious Games Pt.2
Host Kathryn Hymes (@katehymes, thornygames.com) is joined by renowned designers Jason Morningstar (bullypulpitgames.com) and Randy Lubin (@randylubin…
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Season: RPG - Serious Games Pt.1
Host Kathryn Hymes (@katehymes, thornygames.com) is joined by renowned designers Jason Morningstar (bullypulpitgames.com) and Randy Lubin (@randylubin…
- The Game Design Round Table
BtC - Sydney Engelstein on Delivering a Winning Pitch
Ellie Dix sits down with Sydney Engelstein to unpack what makes a game pitch succeed — and fail. Sydney shares some of the worst pitches she's witnessed, what…
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BtC with Danielle Reynolds on Preparing for Pitches
Host Ellie Dix sits down with Danielle Reynolds to dive deep into the art of pitching tabletop games. Danielle shares what draws her to the process, the…
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Season: RPG - Randy Lubin - RPGs in Organizational Settings
In this episode, we are joined by Randy Lubin, a well known game designer who has had experience in RPGs, Tabletop gaming, and Mega games. We will dive into…
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BtC- Dave Neale on Identifying Potential Publishers
Today, Ellie Dix and Dave Neale dive into the complexity of forming publisher relationships, as well as choosing the correct publisher. Taking a perspective…
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Season: RPG - Interlude: The First Round Table
Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron look back on TGRT's most recent topics, along with taking time to dive into many of the conversations brought up by Ellie Dix in…
- The Game Design Round Table
BtC - Isaac Vega on Self Publishing
Today, Ellie Dix and Isaac Vega take a deep dive into what it means to self publish, both the struggles and the benefits. Touching on collaborating with others…
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Season: RPG - Luke Hughes - Leadership RPGs
An in depth dive into the makings of Burden of Command, along with the strategies and tools used to create the realistic nature of the game. Conversations…
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BtC - Richard Heayes on Protecting Your Idea
Ellie Dix is joined by Richard Heayes, former design director for Hasbro and current co-founder of 7pips. They discuss the ins and outs of trademarking, idea…
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Season: RPG - Ben Robbins on GMless Games
Dirk and David are joined by Ben Robbins, designer of Microscope and many other narrative games. They discuss the play culture of Microscope, the differences…
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BtC - Mandela Grandon on Co-Designing
Ellie Dix is joined by Mandela Grandon, designer of Glasgow, Overstocked, and The Shakespeare Game. They talk about the benefits and process of co-design, the…
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Season: RPG - Cosmere RPG with Andrew Fischer
The season of RPGs starts off with flare! Dirk and David are joined once more by Andrew Fischer, here to discuss his experience designing the Cosmere RPG. They…
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BtC - Rikki Tahta on Designer Community
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…
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Season: RPG - Prologue
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…
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BtC - Adam Porter on Playtesting
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…