Victory Pointers

A podcast about creating games everywhere. We look at what it's like to design games in different regions of the world. An Action Points Podcast production.

Victory Pointers 018 - The Great Action Victory Pointers Crossovercast 11/23/2016

Victory Pointers 018 - The Great Action Victory Pointers Crossovercast In this episode: It's a big crossover podcast for Action Points and Victory Pointers as we all got together on the last day of PAX Aus 2016 to chat about the expo, the games we enjoyed, the panels we attended and other cool stuff we saw. Feel free to send us any feedback at [email protected]. You can also follow us on Twitter as and , and on and . You can also find us on Twitter as , , , and For Victory Pointers, you can follow and . Music: Theme for Harold (var. 2) and Overworld by is licensed under a . Something Small (Instrumental) by is licensed under a . Based on a work at Links for the things we talked about: (which we also covered ) /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4856585

Victory Pointers 017 - PAX Aus 2016 Interviews 11/16/2016

Victory Pointers 017 - PAX Aus 2016 Interviews We were at PAX Aus 2016 and had a chat with some local creators about their projects, with the organizers behind the TGDA, and chat about connecting with the local RPG design community. Kim Brebach – / Aaron Lim - / Sye Robertson - / Feel free to send us any feedback or questions for the show at [email protected] (for now). You can also follow us on Twitter as . What we talked about 1:22 - Interview with Allan "Chesh" Chesher of Kingdom of Aer: Kingmaker 7:29 - Interview with Alex Wynnter and Wesley Lamont from Tabletop Game Designers Australia 23:30 - Interview with Sam Appleby of Final War from Games Lab 31:01 - Interview with Michael "Barantas" McIntyre, designer of the Hand of Fate board game and Sugoi Bento 48:22 - Interview with Steve Dee of Tin Star Games Links to what we talked about (check out the episode I was on ) , and Games we mentioned Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by is licensed under a . Based on a work at /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4835694

Victory Pointers 016 - GenCon 2016 with Sean Carroll 09/02/2016

Victory Pointers 016 - GenCon 2016 with Sean Carroll We are joined by Sean Carroll of 93 Made Games to chat about Gen Con 2016 from the perspective of a publisher attending for the first time. Sean Carroll - / Kim Brebach – / Aaron Lim - / Sye Robertson - / Feel free to send us any feedback or questions for the show at [email protected] (for now). You can also follow us on Twitter as . What we talked about 0:44 - Introducing Sean Carroll of 93 Made Games 2:20 - The power and beauty of spreadsheets in designing games 10:30 - How UI design affects how people play games 12:05 - Considering emotional highlights in balancing games 14:10 - The Kickstarter for Unfair just launched after GenCon 15:05 - Learnings from running Kickstarters: You can't please everyone all the time and maintaining communication 17:50 - What is a "murder board", and why should you have one? 21:40 - Exhibiting games is difficult 23:45 - The importance of taking time off 28:58 - GenCon 2016, first time experience at the convention as publishers 41:32 - Response from American audience to smaller publishers 44:50 - Giant versions of games 51:10 - Getting help with local demos through Envoy and the Indie Game Alliance 55:05 - Meetings happening around GenCon Links to what we talked about Games we mentioned Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by is licensed under a . Based on a work at /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4637901

Victory Pointers 015 - Designing and Publishing with David Harding and Phil Walker-Harding 07/12/2016

Victory Pointers 015 - Designing and Publishing with David Harding and Phil Walker-Harding We are joined by guests Phil Walker-Harding and David Harding (in a rare back-to-back appearance) to chat about their different paths taken in designing and publishing games, getting your foot in the door with publishers, game design competitions, theme in games, and second editions of games. Phil Walker-Harding - David Harding - / Kim Brebach – / Aaron Lim - / Sye Robertson - / Feel free to send us any feedback or questions for the show at [email protected] (for now). You can also follow us on Twitter as . What we talked about 2:58 - How did you start designing? 14:30 - How did crowdfunding platforms impact your experience designing and publishing games? 17:38 - Getting your name out there at the start 19:27 - Setting a design goal based on a publisher's catalogue/style 21:00 - Breaking in and pitching to publishers 26:20 - Advice for budding designers wanting to get published - getting your name out there and submitting to design competitions 32:22 - The Grail Games approach to Kickstarter, and going beyond crowdfunding 40:37 - Factoring in production costs in designing games 42:26 - Changing themes/settings for games, collaboration between publishers and designers 53:45 - Seeing games being published after a long time 55:15 - Second editions of games 1:02:25 - The 2016 Spiel des Jahres nomination for Imhotep and the impact of a nomination 1:10:15 - What's it like working with Reiner Knizia? 1:14:55 - The best game(s) Phil thinks he's designed so far Links to what we talked about Games we mentioned and and and Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by is licensed under a . Based on a work at /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4509284

Victory Pointers 014 - BorderCon with Joel Finch and David Harding 06/27/2016

Victory Pointers 014 - BorderCon with Joel Finch and David Harding We were just in Albury for BorderCon, an annual board game convention that attracts plenty of board gamers from the surrounding states. While we were there, we caught up with fellow game designers/publishers Joel Finch and David Harding to chat about what they've been up to. We also talk about games that we played at the con, setting up consecutive playtests and other conventions coming up where you might find us. Joel Finch - / David Harding - / Kim Brebach – / Aaron Lim - / Sye Robertson - / What we talked about 1:14 - Chatting with Sye about BorderCon and games we played there 10:38 - How the presentation of a game affects the expectations of the game length/weight 14:03 - Interview with Joel Finch, designer of Unfair 23:00 - Interview with David Harding, game designer and publisher at Grail Games 24:45 - Upcoming games from Grail Games 44:48 - Three types of playtesters, and playtesting consecutive games 55:00 - Promotional cards for playtesters 56:55 - Upcoming conventions Links to what we talked about Games we mentioned Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by is licensed under a . Based on a work at /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4472875

Victory Pointers 013 - Designing Experiences and Tabletopia Playtesting with Philip duBarry 06/09/2016

Victory Pointers 013 - Designing Experiences and Tabletopia Playtesting with Philip duBarry We are joined by consummate game designer, Philip duBarry to talk about designing games around experiences, working with intellectual property, getting games published in the era of Kickstarter, playtesting on Tabletopia, and designing with kids. We also chat about searching out uncommon themes, editing content as part of game design, and what happens when someone else makes the game you were also designing. Philip duBarry - / Kim Brebach – / Aaron Lim - / Sye Robertson - / What we talked about 2:01 - Variants in games and publisher changes 4:05 - Looking out for uncommon game themes 10:08 - Getting into the thought processes behind Codenames 13:23 - Epic failure moments in games 14:24 - Editing content for games 20:26 - Letting go of game designs when someone else designs a similar game 25:18 - Inspirations and sources of ideas for games 28:23 - Graphic design for Spirits of the Rice Paddy 30:19 - How do you design for a specific game experience? 35:09 - Designing games within existing settings and intellectual properties 40:30 - Designing and publishing games in the era of Kickstarter 45:20 - Do considerations for stretch goals influence game design? 47:51 - Have game contracts changed with considerations for Kickstarter? 49:00 - Black Orchestra, using pre-orders vs crowdfunding 53:51 - Making Black Orchestra available on Tabletopia 57:03 - Playtesting games on Tabletopia 1:05:48 - Caravan will be released in two different versions, but with the same game mechanics 1:08:00 - Designing games with kids Links to what we talked about Games we mentioned Music: Something Small (Instrumental) by is licensed under a . Based on a work at /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4430577

Victory Pointers 012 - Designing for Kids and Networking with Peter C Hayward 05/02/2016

Victory Pointers 012 - Designing for Kids and Networking with Peter C Hayward Kim's game, Monstrous, is now being shipped to backers! We also /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4337056

Victory Pointers 011 – Game Industry Conventions 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 011 – Game Industry Conventions /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4283123

Victory Pointers 010 – Kickstarting Publishing with Allen Chang and Alistair Kearney 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 010 – Kickstarting Publishing with Allen Chang and Alistair Kearney We are joined by Allen Chang and Alistair Kearney from Rule & Make to discuss collaborating on designs, focusing on the core of games, Kickstarting a publishing company, communicating with backers, taking backer suggestions, ideal player counts and building relationships. /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4283021

Victory Pointers 009 – Design Philosophies and Collaboration with Matt Dunstan 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 009 – Design Philosophies and Collaboration with Matt Dunstan We are joined by Matt Dunstan to discuss finding a community, collaborating on designs, how we come up with game ideas, working with publishers, and recognizing different philosophies of game design. /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4283019

Victory Pointers 008 – CanCon, Looking Back at 2015 and Ahead to 2016 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 008 – CanCon, Looking Back at 2015 and Ahead to 2016 We are at yet another board game convention, recording at CanCon 2016. We take some time to take stock of what we’ve achieved in our game design journeys in 2015 and look ahead to what excites us in 2016. /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4283015

Victory Pointers 007 – Seeking Excellence with Jamey Stegmaier 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 007 – Seeking Excellence with Jamey Stegmaier We are joined by Jamey Stegmaier to discuss seeking excellence in board game design. We discuss setting expectations, blind playtesting, how our views on excellence have changed, and figuring out what games to publish. /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4283003

Victory Pointers 006 – Designing Board Games in Malaysia at KotakCon Mini 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 006 – Designing Board Games in Malaysia at KotakCon Mini One of the things we want to do on this podcast is examine what it’s like to make games outside the European and American hotbeds of the industry. I was very excited to catch up with some board game designers from Malaysia during my last trip home and find out what it’s like for them. Big thanks to all of the designers who stopped for a chat, and to All Aboard Community Gaming Center for organizing KotakCon Mini to support the budding Malaysian industry. /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4282998

Victory Pointers 005 – MeepleCon 2015 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 005 – MeepleCon 2015 One last convention related podcast to end the year. Sye and I checked out what was on at MeepleCon, and chatted with Mathew Utting (organizer of MeepleCon) and fellow game designers Josh Harvey (CatTube Famous) and Stacey Borg (Deeply Boring). We also chat about our different approaches to conventions and game design in general. /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4282993

Victory Pointers 004 – Convention Pointers from PAX Aus 2015 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 004 – Convention Pointers from PAX Aus 2015 We close out the month with the last of our PAX-related podcast episodes. Join us as we share our experiences at the convention and also share tips on how to survive one of these and how to pitch to publishers at conventions. /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4282992

Victory Pointers 003 - Indie Board Game Designers at PAX Australia 2015 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 003 - Indie Board Game Designers at PAX Australia 2015 Aaron interviewed some indie board game designers, publishers and artists while he was at PAX Australia 2015. Listen on to find out what’s going on here in Australia. /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4282990

Victory Pointers 002 - Growing Local Board Game Design Communities 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 002 - Growing Local Board Game Design Communities This was a panel that Aaron organized at PAX Australia 2015, titled “Growing Local Board Game Design Communities”. Here’s the panel description: “No designer is an island. You’ll need people to playtest your games and help you make it the best it can be. A party of fellow brave adventurers. People who share your passion. Where do you go? Who’s there to help you? The Australian board game design community is growing, and we want to share it with you. Our panel of playtest organizers and designers discuss the challenges and lessons learned from running tabletop game design communities and events. And you? You may have just found your party.” /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4282988

Victory Pointers 001 - Designing Board Games in Australia 04/09/2016

Victory Pointers 001 - Designing Board Games in Australia Welcome to the first ever episode of the Victory Pointers podcast! In our inaugural show, we talk about what it’s like to be designing board games in Australia. The panel for this episode consists of: /episode/index/show/victorypointers/id/4282984

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