Intertextual Experience: A Board Game Podcast

Ryan Vodnik
  • 5.0 (4)
  • GAMES
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

A primarily interview-based podcast grounded in the board game hobby. By exploring the connections between board games and other mediums, Intertextual Experience is looking to tap into some links that may not have been considered much previously. Through interesting guests, audience feedback, and general revision, there is an experiential element of this channel to grow and change in unique ways. By keeping the door open to various forms of entertainment, the myriad of possibilities and combinations to consider and discuss is limitless. In addition to always trying to create cleverly constructed episodes and questions for the guests, another goal is to continually answer the question "why this podcast?" Those ideas serve as the pulse of this show, and I'm excited to keep trying to answer (and then re-answer) that question.

  1. #44 - Tom Brewster: Board Games, Board Games, and… Chip Cat Breach

    6H AGO

    #44 - Tom Brewster: Board Games, Board Games, and… Chip Cat Breach

    Shut Up & Sit Down’s Tom Brewster joins Intertextual Experience for our 44th episode, perhaps with the show’s most adventurous format yet (so adventurous that time stamps honestly wouldn’t make much sense–and that’s not just me trying to get out of doing the time stamps). In a roguelite/like/who the heck knows the difference (& don’t go barking at me; I’ve watched all the videos that try to differentiate them and then see everyone else still arguing in the comments) structure, we fight the Western canon, make bean wine, create and remix the game we’re playing in real time, converse about wanting to share the beautiful parts of our hobbies with others, and just have so many other great moments sprinkled within a pretty wild time. This “roguelike” winds up being “4X” in a sense; it explores exploration, experience, expectations, and extermination–poor bat. If none of that makes sense, you’ll just have to listen. If all of that makes sense, you’re in the right spot. You know where to find Shut Up & Sit Down, but here’s their YouTube channel & here’s Tom on Bluesky. In lieu of the various time-stamped sections, attached below is a comprehensive slides presentation that includes the slides for Chip Cat Breach, images of the games within the game, the character creation page, the games mentioned in this episode, and more? Tom does an excellent job of bringing the visual elements of this audio-only show to life. I suggest waiting until after a listen to check out these slides to see how everything matches up in your head, but you’re your own person. Click here for slides. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it). All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

    1h 19m
  2. #43 - Alex Hague: Gaming Through Magenta-Colored Glasses

    JAN 14

    #43 - Alex Hague: Gaming Through Magenta-Colored Glasses

    Intertextual Experience is ecstatic to bring in the New Year with Alex Hague, the CEO of board game company CMYK. For a show that likes to explore ideas and stories through different lenses, CMYK provides a perfect color model for us to create these different colored lenses. Through a twisted version of the game Figment, Alex is subjected to a slew of challenges and questions while coming out victorious. Come explore CMYK’s vision, the Hot Streak that was 2025 for the company, an alternate reality where CMYK is a war game publisher, and so much more. As an audio only podcast, you might feel as if you’re missing out on some of the fun, but do not anguish! Here is the slide show presented for Alex (and for the sake of saving links, the games mentioned in the episode will get their own slide after the main images of “the game”). Check out CMYK’s games here. Sign up for their newsletter at the bottom. Follow Alex on Bluesky “Oh, it's like the tip-off of a basketball game.” (0:00) Story, beginning, and a tale told through colors. “We're looking at, like, a… is that an axial view?” (17:07) Vibing. A throughline of sorts for CMYK games. Noted in this section! Recently, Alex was interviewed for one of Amabel Holland’s amazing video essay series. The most recent video titled “Boxes: Selling, Framing, Meaning” is linked. Check that out and then check out the rest of Amabel’s videos if you haven’t. “A series of concentric circles with some stars inside of it.” (38:44) Gaps/lines/connections were all possible topics for this one; based on Alex’s selection, the line of questioning was mostly focused on the first option, gaps.. Lacuna. “Anthropomorphic hot dog mascot with, you know, some, like, sort of soulless eye holes.” (49:52) All versions of this question focused on CMYK’s 2025 in some way (outside of one really out of pocket option). Wrap-up Questions (1:03:04) A text on Alex’s mind and things to look out for from CMYK in 2026 (don’t be greedy—wasn’t their 2025 output enough?!)! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it). All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

    1h 12m
  3. Vodcast 7 - ID EST What ID EST—2025 Reflection

    JAN 2

    Vodcast 7 - ID EST What ID EST—2025 Reflection

    Happy New Year! In a couple weeks, the show returns with an awesome guest. If you hang around here with me for just a little bit though, you'll get to hear about the state of the show (changes were made this year, and things have been a little slower than desired anticipated—all good though), some video and board games I rank quite highly in my end of year thoughts, and a potential giveaway. My logged plays from this year (a bit wonky—explained in episode). The Steam link mentioned. Board Game Giveaway Bohnanza! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it). All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

    32 min
  4. #42 - Ray Billings — The Host: A Board Game Virus (or How Authenticity Will Cure Virality)

    12/03/2025

    #42 - Ray Billings — The Host: A Board Game Virus (or How Authenticity Will Cure Virality)

    Ray Billings, Digital Content Specialist for The Op, joins the show to share her expertise in all things related to marketing and creating media for board games. Don’t let my lack of knowledge on the subject make you Tapple out of this conversation, as Ray’s wit and wisdom will provide many Hues and Cues as to how you too can authentically create for the things you are passionate about. Cheesiness aside, this episode is amazing. Being able to look at board games through this lens provides a ton of insight not just for the sake of how we might pitch games as products, but also as to how we can create and talk in ways that make games a more welcoming space. Additionally, there’s talk about Katamari, email factories, live streaming, lingo, and so much more. Check out Ray’s work on The Op’s TikTok page, her own Bluesky account, the R&R Show, and the BoardGameWire feature discussed in the episode! Games Mentioned in this Episode ⚀ Intro (0:00) The moment where Ray’s skills and interests intersected. Also, job titles. ⚁ Hats (10:23) The aforementioned “Email Factory” is just a part of Ray’s day to day. Furthermore, the day to day will vary with all sorts of different days at the office, conventions, and everything else that can pop up. Ray also talks about being on the R&R Show, live streaming, and other fun work stories. ⚂ “How board game maker The Op got 8 million TikTok views last month” (31:19) Early in her position at The Op, Ray wrote a feature for BoardGameWire based on some wild success she achieved. This section discusses the article, both from how that core vision holds and how things have changed with time/changes in media/experience. ⚃ Hypotheticals (40:26) “How would you approach digital media and marketing if you were the Digital Content Specialist of …?” That’s this section. ⚄ Wrap-up Questions (59:12) A big shout out for the fact that Ray was recently recognized as a finalist for the Wonder Woman Award for Women in Toys nonprofit organization! Per usual, we’re talking about some texts on her mind and looking forward to some things in Ray’s future. ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it). All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

    1h 12m
  5. #41 - Ruel Gaviola: Seventh Inning Stretch—Roll Out the Board Games

    10/24/2025

    #41 - Ruel Gaviola: Seventh Inning Stretch—Roll Out the Board Games

    2025 World Series Game One Release Date Intertextual Experiences enthusiastically welcomes back the once 16th guest of the show, Ruel Gaviola. Ruel’s passion for baseball was made known to me through our first episode, seeing his social media posts (check out Ruel’s Bluesky), and running into Ruel in his vibrant Dodger blue hat at Gen Con. So when “my” Brewers (attempted to) face his Dodgers, I knew I had to reach out. In this episode, we chat about baseball, a couple baseball related games, seventh-inning stretches, what a “seventh-inning stretch” type of game could be, baseball movies, and so much more. Come for the baseball, stay for a delightful conversation with insights about how constantly refocusing in the midst of creating media that brings people joy so that things are well-balanced while one (Ruel in this instance) is making so ——reword In addition to his Bluesky, check out Ruel’s YouTube channel, Good Morning Society, and The R&R Show (on Rahdo’s Runthrough–just linked an episode here. Much like a seventh inning stretch, where you’re trying to cram in a bathroom break, vending trips for a hot dog, maybe some nachos, beers (?), and, of course, singing, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” this episode tries to pack a lot into a short period of time. The chapters will just be the three “outs” of an inning because the sections in this episode are a little less concrete than normal (which is saying something), which kind of makes sense within the context of an inning’s structure. First Out (0:00) Welcoming back Ruel to the show Ruel’s love of the game Going to the ballpark Baseball movies Ted Lasso? More Second Out (19:57) Seventh-inning stretch board games? Seventh-inning stretch in general Mascot races Baseball scorekeeping Baseball board games More Final Out (46:03) Usual wrap-up questions: A text on Ruel’s mind & where to check out Ruel and his work! Games mentioned in this episode document. Episode Image Credits: Image by Books Sun from Pixabay ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it). All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

    55 min
  6. #40 - Pete Wissinger—Crit(ical Thinking Skill)s and Trick(y question)s: A Back to School Special

    10/01/2025

    #40 - Pete Wissinger—Crit(ical Thinking Skill)s and Trick(y question)s: A Back to School Special

    Intertextual Experience is now over the hill with its 40th guest and is also over the moon that it’s with designer, developer, and podcaster, Pete Wissinger. Pete’s also a teacher, so this episode thinks about the relationships between teaching and gaming as well as how the unique schedule of being a teacher can aid and/or hinder being creative in the board game space. We talk about coffee consumption, games that work well in the classroom, the idea of learning in general, designer diaries, cursed concoctions of board game mechanisms, and so much more. Check out Pete on the Decision Space Podcast, Bluesky, and BoardGameGeek. The show is structured around a “Play-CT” test, which isn’t really like the ACT in any way whatsoever. While having the freedom to choose going through this line of questioning in any way he’d like, Pete—**spoilers**—chooses to go through it chronologically. The document provided for Pete is going to be linked here, and I’ll also add the games mentioned in the episode at the bottom of that document: That document Seeing as the document provides all of the questions and it’s easily accessible, the chapter breakdowns will be short (and/or goofier than normal, if possible). Intro (0:00) English (13:19) It’s all about context here. Some introductory questions in addition to chatting about what designer diaries can add to the experience of all parties involved. Quick Math (43:20) Only the most accurate percentages are accepted as correct answers here, and there’s a Google Drawn balancing scale thing on the document linked above that’s definitely worth checking out. Reading [Into Things] (55:00) This section is mostly about connections: Links between designing, podcasting, and developing People to the hobby itself etc. Science? (1:11:56) Like a peanut butter and mayo sandwich, Pete concocts some game combinations that might sound disgusting but are actually delicious (the game ideas do actually sound fun though—that sandwich would be puke-inducing). Writing and Extra Credit (1:17:01) Writing here is the substitute for the usual wrap-up questions, and extra credit is extra credit. ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it). All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

    1h 28m
  7. #39 - Connie Vogelmann—Bee, Beeing, Beeen: A Cleansing Space Flight

    09/10/2025

    #39 - Connie Vogelmann—Bee, Beeing, Beeen: A Cleansing Space Flight

    What does it mean to exist? In a world where humans are essentially replaced by bees that have evolved in their sentience and capabilities (primarily in space travel, as they already were super capable), that’s a question for them to deal with. Anyway/fortunately, designer Connie Vogelmann is the captain of the cosmic journey that is this show’s 39th episode. Through Connie’s beekeeping knowledge and design acumen, the flight is much more smooth than if I were to navigate the design spaces of her fantastic game Apiary. Each action is paired with hopefully not too tenuously connected questions, and Connie additionally details the actions as well as some strategies behind those actions. For the sake of not spoiling those choices too much (Connie picks each action after initially being assigned Explore), each chapter/section that matches the action will be vaguely described. Check out Connie’s designs on BoardGameGeek Social media on Bluesky and the upcoming expansion to Wyrmspan, the Dragon Academy expansion. Intro (0:00) Explore (8:48) I did say this was the first action, and Connie discusses what caused the bees to rise in power. The Titular Cleansing Flight (15:24) Some fun facts linked to specific tiles in the game (hopefully vague enough). Before the Bees Went to Space (23:44) Apiary didn’t initially take place in space. How did that alter/potentially open up the design? Queen Competition? (31:35) There is no queen competition in the game. Connie explains how that doesn’t really fit into the game’s general feeling and mechanisms. Wyrmspan! (44:52) Birds to dragons. Dragons to the comments. Lore and more. How Much Favor is Too Much Favor? (49:06) The sheer amount of content and variety in Apiary is staggering. It allows for you to play radically different from game to game, and adapting my plays in different tactical ways is one of my favorite parts about the game. Connie talks about balancing all of that here. “Hibenation” (55:03) AKA the typical wrap up questions: a text on Connie’s mind and what to look out for from her as she transitions to board game design full time! Games mentioned in the episode document. ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it). All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

    1h 5m
  8. #38 - Mr Ben: (Mr) Ben or Nothing [Mystery Box #1]

    08/13/2025

    #38 - Mr Ben: (Mr) Ben or Nothing [Mystery Box #1]

    Mr Ben, a creator with many hats, joins the show to talk about his online store, travel-games.co.uk and the different sides of the hobby travel-games is entering by way of design, publication, localization, mystery boxes that expose people to a variety of games coming out of the Tokyo Game Market, and much more. Instead of blathering on, I’ll leave you with this great quote of Mr Ben’s in the episode: “He’s not harmful; he just drives you a little bit mad, which I think is quite nice, so I made a little story about that, which I’m going to put in the box, I think.” Travel-games is linked above, but here it is again! Information about Best of Neapolitan on Trickster's Table. Mr Ben's Design Page Introduction (0:00) How Mr Ben’s board gaming background led to travel-games.co.uk travel-books.games.movies.adaptations (11:06) Opening the mystery box. Intertextuality at its finest. What Mr Ben is reading as well as some book adaptations that work on the screen and cardboard. Rotating Poultry (25:49) Mr Ben’s design process and a whole bunch of awesome games to look forward to! ”The Underdog” (45:26) This title really doesn’t have that much to do with the section? But it’s a Spoon song. I guess I can BOAST that I make really ridiculous chapter titles. Or that I eat a lot of Neapolitan. Or both. 8-bits and bobs (1:12:46) Handhelds and retro gaming. Wrap-up Questions (1:25:32) Some texts on Mr Ben’s mind as well as even more to look out for from him! [As it's about one in the morning, I'm realizing the "games mentioned Google Doc" is incomplete. That will be uploaded some time during the day of 8/13] ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly. That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it). All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

    1h 38m
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About

A primarily interview-based podcast grounded in the board game hobby. By exploring the connections between board games and other mediums, Intertextual Experience is looking to tap into some links that may not have been considered much previously. Through interesting guests, audience feedback, and general revision, there is an experiential element of this channel to grow and change in unique ways. By keeping the door open to various forms of entertainment, the myriad of possibilities and combinations to consider and discuss is limitless. In addition to always trying to create cleverly constructed episodes and questions for the guests, another goal is to continually answer the question "why this podcast?" Those ideas serve as the pulse of this show, and I'm excited to keep trying to answer (and then re-answer) that question.

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