Game Design Deep Dive

Dan Bullock
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Dan Bullock interviews game designers with a focus on the challenges of historical board game design. 

  1. 29/11/2025

    Come Out Fighting with John Carnahan

    Our guest is designer John Carnahan. His latest, Come Out Fighting will be on Kickstarter on November 30th. I am not sure how many listeners have dipped their toe in miniature games, but I had to invite John to discuss his latest design, because it incorporates something extraordinary and radical in that space.  Come Out Fighting on BGG Come Out Fighting on Kickstarter Outro Music: Gene Autry "Don't Fence Me In" Send us a text

    27 min

  2. 19/11/2025

    Live from SD HistCon: Narrative in Solitaire Games

    Recorded live at SD HistCon, our esteemed panel was comprised of designers John Butterfield (RAF, Enemy Action Series, D-Day Omaha, Ambush), David Thompson (Valiant Defense Series, War Story, Undaunted), and Jeremy White (Skies Above Series, Enemy Coast Ahead Series, Atlantic Chase). We discuss embedded vs emergent narrative in historical games and how one leverage mechanisms to achieve the desired play experience in solitaire design.  Outro music: Might Hannibal "All Nite Long" Send us a text

    1h 2m

  3. 25/09/2025

    Radical Rulebooks with Greg Loring-Albright, PhD

    Greg Loring-Albright is the designer of Ahoy, Keep the Faith, and co-designed Bloc by Bloc: Uprising with T.L. Simmons. Moreover, he teaches Game Studies and Game Design at Harrisburg University. We discuss his recent zine RULEBOOKS FOR RADICALS on the importance of designing games in dire times.  Outro music: Radioactivity "Time Won't Bring Me Down"  Send us a text

    47 min

  4. 22/08/2025

    Trench Raid with Lisa Smedman

    Lisa Smedman is a best-selling author, journalist, and designer of many RPG games and modules. We discuss Trench Raid, her first solitaire tabletop wargame for Compass, the tactical approach to the topic of WW1, and the relationship between serious games and design intent.  Trench Raid from Compass Games Outro music: "Kingdom Come" by Cindy Lee  Cindy Lee is marvelous! Go check out Diamond Jubilee by Cindy Lee here: https://cindylee.bandcamp.com/album/diamond-jubilee Send us a text

    53 min

  5. 14/07/2025

    Interview with Fred Serval

    In this episode, a proper interview with Fred Serval, designer of A Gest of Robin Hood, Red Flag Over Paris, and A Very Civil Whist. Fred is also the host of an excellent channel dedicated to historical tabletop gaming, Homo Ludens. We discuss his design approach and how it informs critique of other games. Outro music: "All Good Things Will Come to Pass" - Lael Neale Send us a text

    1h 1m

  6. 09/07/2025

    Playing Oppression with Mary Flanagan

    Mary Flanagan, is a game designer, professor, and an author. She joins us to discuss her book, co-authored with Mikael Jakobson, PLAYING OPPRESSION: THE LEGACY OF CONQUEST AND EMPIRE IN COLONIALIST BOARD GAMES. We discuss representation of non-western cultures, colonialist mechanisms, and whether or not decades of conquest and exploitation based games have calcified to form the bedrock of competitive play.   Outro Music: "Funeral for Justice" - Mdou Moctar Public Nominations for the Summit Award are open. Complete the survey here: https://sdhist.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=985b96c86d7bad0572684acc4&id=677c3ab117&e=3333a4975d Send us a text

    1h 6m

  7. 05/05/2025

    Interview with Brian Asklev

    Brian Asklev designed my favorite wargame of last year, 1812: Napoleon's Fateful March. We discuss what went into his phenomenal design, his upcoming game Baltic Empires, event design, and the challenges of playtesting multiplayer games.  Outro music: Sons of Kemet "The Hour of Judgement" Send us a text

    57 min

  8. 07/03/2025

    Interview with Pako Gradaille

    Pako Gradaille has flexed an impressive range of historical topics and systems with his designs Plantagenet, Cuius Regio, Habemus Papam, and Onoda. We discuss how solitaire games can present challenging narratives, considerations when designing negotiation-based systems, and much more.  https://gamefound.com/en/projects/saltandpepper/habemus-papam Send us a text

    1 hr
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About

Dan Bullock interviews game designers with a focus on the challenges of historical board game design. 

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Bullock
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Game Design Deep Dive
  • Show Website
    Game Design Deep Dive