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 Table
Civ Series Finale Part 2 - Civilization VII
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…
- The Game Design Round Table
BtC - Scott Rogers on Prototyping
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…
- The Game Design Round Table
Civ Series Finale Part 1 - Civilization VII
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…
- The Game Design Round Table
BtC - Naming Games with Peter Hayward
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…
- The Game Design Round Table
Civ Series 10 - Listener Questions
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…
- The Game Design Round Table
BtC - Sen-Foong Lim on Motivation
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.
- The Game Design Round Table
Civ Series 9 - Where are we now with Soren Johnson
The Civilization Series returns with Soren Johnson, lead designer of Civilization IV, Offworld Trading Company, and Old World. They discuss the teasers for…
- The Game Design Round Table
BtC - Daryl Andrews on Generating Ideas
Ellie Dix is joined for the inaugural episode of Behind the Cardboard by Daryl Andrews, designer of Sagrada, The Real Truth, and Kodama 3D among many others…
- The Game Design Round Table
#334 New Year, New Format, New Us
2024 was an excellent year for game design, and 2025 is looking to be even better. As time moves forward, TGDRT must evolve just as our favorite games do. Dirk…
- The Game Design Round Table
#333 App-Integration with Andrew Fischer
Dirk and David are joined by Andrew Fischer, lead designer of the Cosmere RPG. In this first of two interviews, the crew discusses Andrew's career, from…
- The Game Design Round Table
#332 Listener Questions with Ellie Dix Show
The Game Design Round Table rounds out its best year yet with another set of Listener Questions! Dirk and David are joined by Ellie Dix once more to answer…
- The Game Design Round Table
#331 Solforge Fusion with Justin Gary
Dirk and David are joined this week by Justin Gary, founder of Stone Blade Entertainment and co-designer of Solforge Fusion. They discuss the life, death, and…
- The Game Design Round Table
#330 Xenolanguage with Kathryn Hymes
This week, Dirk and David are joined by Kathryn Hymes, co-owner of Thorny Games and former co-host of the show. Together, they discuss Kathryn's new game…
- The Game Design Round Table
#329 Small Games with Ellie Dix
This episode, Dirk and David are joined by Ellie Dix, owner of The Dark Imp and author of The Board Game Family. They discuss Ellie's career and path into game…
- The Game Design Round Table
#328 Civilization Series 8 - Ara
Dirk and David convene once more to discuss the release of Ara: History Untold by Oxide Games. They analyze the game's strengths and weaknesses, how it feels…
- The Game Design Round Table
#327 Undergrove with Elizabeth Hargrave and Mark Wootton
David is at the helm this week, joined by Elizabeth Hargrave (Wingspan, Mariposas) and Mark Wooton (Legend of the Five Rings, Mariposas). The trio discuss…
- The Game Design Round Table
#326 Therapeutic TTRPGs with Daniel Hand
Dirk is joined by Daniel Hand, therapeutic counselor and author of "Role-playing Games in Psychotherapy: A Practitioners Guide". Together, the pair discusses…
- The Game Design Round Table
#325 Civilization Series 7 with Jon Shafer
Enjoy episode #325 of The Game Design Round Table. In this episode, we discuss the new Civ 7 game with Jon Shafer, the co-founder of the show and a digital…
- The Game Design Round Table
#324 Civilization Series 6: Civ 7 First Look
Civilization 7 has just been revealed! Dirk and David discuss their first impressions from the reveal stream, from the exciting new mechanics to what should…
- The Game Design Round Table
#323 Tunic with Andrew Shouldice
Dirk is joined this week by Andrew Shouldice, creator of isometric action-exploration game Tunic. They discuss the journey of developing Tunic, and the lessons…
- The Game Design Round Table
#322 Future of Legacy Games with Rob Daviau
In this episode, Dirk and David welcome Rob Daviau, known for creating legacy board games. They discuss what Rob has been working on, the process of designing…
- The Game Design Round Table
#321 Civilization Series 5 with Will Thompson
Welcome back to the Civilization Series! In this episode, Dirk welcomes Will Thompson, the creator of the upcoming game Winter Rabbit. Here, they discuss…
- The Game Design Round Table
#320 Civilization Series 4
Dirk and David come together once more to discuss the civilization series! This week, topics include David's thoughts on Civilization 6, the value in how the…
- The Game Design Round Table
#319 Listener Questions June 2024
Join us for another round of listener questions! David and Dirk discuss topics such as whether and how to avoid game-breaking synergies, what impact finances…
- The Game Design Round Table
#318 Modules and RPGSEA with Pam Punzalan
Dirk and David are joined by Pam Punzalan, known for her work on personal projects such as Navthem's End and A Rising Tide, as well as commissioned pieces for…
- The Game Design Round Table
#317 Earthborne Rangers with Andrew Navaro
Dirk and David are joined by Andrew Navaro, creator of open-world board game Earthborne Rangers. They discuss how Earthborne Rangers was developed, and the…
- The Game Design Round Table
#316 Citizen Sleeper with Gareth Damian Martin
Dirk and David meet with Gareth Damian Martin, creator of In Other Waters and Citizen Sleeper. They discuss Gareth's design journey, as well as the process of…
- The Game Design Round Table
#315 Civilization Series 3
Welcome back to the Civilization Series. In the third installment, David and Dirk break down their experiences with Millennia, the latest 4X offering from C…
- The Game Design Round Table
#314 Designing to Ship with Xalavier Nelson Jr
Dirk and David interview prolific designer and leader Xalavier Nelson Jr. They discuss Xalavier's illustrious and busy career, focusing on his philosophy of…
- The Game Design Round Table
#313 Civilization Series 2
Welcome to the second episode of the series on the "Civilization" games, as well as other 4X titles. Continuing from episode one, the pair talk about the…
- The Game Design Round Table
#312 Civilization Series 1
This episode marks the beginning of a new series focused on the Civilization series of games. Dirk and David are joined by Soren Johnson to discuss their…
- The Game Design Round Table
#311 Innovating Themes with Anna Anthropy
Dirk and Kathryn Hymes meet this episode to talk with Anna Anthropy, digital and tabletop designer known for her prolific work with non-traditional themes…
- The Game Design Round Table
#310 Listener Questions
Dirk and David answer another round of listener questions! They discuss how mobile and desktop games differ, what makes a game "broken", and tips to follow…
- The Game Design Round Table
#309 Industry and Loose Leaf with Tanya X. Short
Dirk and David are joined by Tanya X. Short, Captain of Kitfox Games. They discuss the balance between appealing to market sensibilities and following one's…
- The Game Design Round Table
#308 Narrative AI with Emily Short
Dirk and David are joined by legendary interactive fiction writer and creative director of Failbetter Games Emily Short. The trio discuss Emily's career, her…
- The Game Design Round Table
#307 Roundtable with Soren Johnson
Dirk and David are joined by Soren Johnson, friend of the show and founder of Mohawk Games. The trio answers questions and design problems from the community…
- The Game Design Round Table
#306 A Highland Song with Jon Ingold
Dirk and David are joined by Jon Ingold, narrative designer and co-founder of Inkle Studios. They discuss Inkle's newly released video game A Highland Song…
- The Game Design Round Table
#305 Thirsty Suitors with Chandana Ekanayake
Dirk and David are joined by Chandana Ekanayake, Game Director of Outerloop Games and long-time designer. They discuss Eka's newly released Thirsty Suitors, a…
- The Game Design Round Table
#304 Listener Questions November 2023
It's time for another round of listener questions! In this episode, Dirk and David field questions from the community, discussing a variety of subjects. Topics…
- The Game Design Round Table
#303 Darkest Dungeon 2 with Chris Bourassa and Tyler Sigman
This week, David is joined by Chris Bourassa, creative director and cofounder of Red Hook Studios, as well as Tyler Sigman, designer and fellow co-founder…
- The Game Design Round Table
#302 Wildermyth with Nate Austin
Dirk and David are joined by Nate Austin, co-creator of myth-making tactical RPG Wildermyth. In this entry in the series on worldbuilding, Nate describes the…
- The Game Design Round Table
#301 Design and Controls with Richard Lemarchand
Dirk is joined by returning guest host Soren Johnson in today's episode in the Design Talk series. Dirk and Soren speak with Richard Lemarchand, distinguished…
- The Game Design Round Table
#300 Tricentennial Celebration
Welcome to episode 300 of The Game Design Round Table! Dirk and David take the opportunity to celebrate this momentous milestone. They reflect on the role the…
- The Game Design Round Table
#299 Worldbuilding with Ryan Laukat
Dirk is joined by Ryan Laukat, designer, illustrator, and co-founder of Red Raven Games, for the second installation in this series on worldbuilding. Ryan…
- The Game Design Round Table
#298 Tchia with Phil Crifo
Today on the show, Dirk and David are joined by Phil Crifo, game director at Awaceb, most prominently known for his work on Fossil Echo and Tchia. He discusses…
- The Game Design Round Table
#297 Gerson Da Silva Talks Kingdom Rush
Dirk and David are joined by Gerson Da Silva, Director at Ironhide Game Studio and co-founder of Totem Games. Gerson is best known for his work on the Kingdom…
- The Game Design Round Table
#296 Listener Questions
Dirk and David gather for another round of listener questions! They answer how to balance mechanical options and variety in a game, trends in how genres are…
- The Game Design Round Table
#295 Kingdoms and Castles with Lion Shield Studios
Dirk is joined by Pete Angstadt and Michael Peddicard, co-founders of Lion Shield Studios, to talk about the design and success of Kingdoms and Castles. They…
- The Game Design Round Table
#294 Worldbuilding with Kaitlin Tremblay
Dirk and David join Kaitlin Tremblay, fiction and collaborative game design author and co-founder of Soft Rains Games. In this inaugural episode in the new…
- The Game Design Round Table
#293 Interview with Mark Rosewater
Dirk and David interview Mark Rosewater, the long-time lead designer of the legendary card game Magic: the Gathering. Mark shares his wisdom on how to make a…
- The Game Design Round Table
#292 TGDRT Roundtable With Dirk and David
Dirk and David take a stroll down memory lane and discuss their personal journeys, as well as the evolution the show has taken. They discuss the process of…
- The Game Design Round Table
#291 Tana Tanoi Talks Mini Motorways
Tana Tanoi, technical designer at Dinosaur Polo Club, joins Dirk to discuss designing Mini Motorways and Mini Metro, as well as what goes into designing games…
- The Game Design Round Table
#290 Sustainability in Games with Carlos Flores and jess Metheringham
Carlos Flores, director of NABERS, and Jess Metherigham, chair of Unlock Democracy, join Dirk in discussing the Green Games Guide, a resource geared towards…
- The Game Design Round Table
#289 AI and Generative Content with Matt Kim
Matt, Creative Director for Inworld AI, joins Dirk and David to talk about the potential of generative AI to push the boundaries of what games can do. The…
- The Game Design Round Table
#288 Augmented Reality in Games with Graham Moore
AR game designer Graham Moore joins Dirk and David to talk about his work merging tabletop wargaming with augmented reality technology. Topics discussed…
- The Game Design Round Table
#287 Diving Into Cards With Rob Daviau
Former cohost Rob Daviau joins Dirk and David to discuss card games in the context of his upcoming game Unmatched Adventures. After catching up on the state of…
- The Game Design Round Table
#286 Listener Questions February 2023
Kathryn rejoins Dirk and David to answer several questions from listeners in our Discord channel. Former cohost Rob Daviau also records a bonus answer to a…
- The Game Design Round Table
#285 Round Table on Knowing "When"
In another round table episode, Kathryn joins Dirk and David to discuss three previous episodes on the podcast. The first topic is a discussion on information…
- The Game Design Round Table
#284 Fertessa Allyse Talks Book of Villain
Fertessa Allyse joins Dirk and David to talk about her path in the tabletop industry. She talks about the relatively quick progress she made by iterating over…
- The Game Design Round Table
#283 Nikki Valens Talks Artisans of Splendent Vale
Designer Nikki Valens joins Dirk and David once again to talk about a couple of Nikki's projects since they were last on the show. The discussion focuses on…