The Board Game Secret Show

neongorillasgames
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shhhh....don't tell anyone but we talk to interesting people in the board game hobby.

  1. Jul 25

    From Teacher To KTBG Founder | Helaina Cappelโ€™s Story | BGSS ep_026

    Helaina Cappel turned down more games than she published โ€” and that's why KTBG and Burnt Island look the way they do. Teacher, publisher, and the one who rescued โš“ ENDEAVOR off Z-Man's shelf and steered it into ๐ŸŒŠ DEEP SEA. โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ IN THIS EPISODE: ๐ŸŽ“ Teacher to publisher โ€” FOODFIGHTERS at the kitchen table โš“ A year convincing Jarratt & Carl to hand her ENDEAVOR ๐ŸŒŠ Leaving the colonization theme behind for DEEP SEA ๐ŸŒฑ Zero plastic โ€” "but it's flammable" ๐Ÿ—๏ธ LAIRS: $33, three print runs, all sold out ๐Ÿ”ฎ Ten more years of Endeavor โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐Ÿ”— LINKS ๐ŸŽฒ Kids Table Board Gaming & Burnt Island Games โ–ถ https://www.kidstablebg.com/ โค๏ธ Support My Work โ€” Join Cardboard โ–ถ https://crdbrd.app/ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐ŸŽง TOO LONG TO WATCH? THIS IS NOW A PODCAST! ๐ŸŽ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-board-game-secret-show/id6785378165 ๐ŸŸข Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033GRnTDINaxqcoJksaCl4 ๐Ÿ”ต Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01414914-23bd-4f4c-a29f-50daa231f364 โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โฑ๏ธ CHAPTERS 00:00 - Cold open 00:33 - Intro โ€” who is Helaina Cappel 01:45 - Before we started rolling 02:24 - The teacher, Josh, and Foodfighters 08:53 - Funding on day 31 โ€” Kickstarter in 2015 13:23 - "When did KTBG become a business?" 20:08 - Catan, Carcassonne, Caylus โ€” becoming a gamer 22:53 - The KTBG DNA: fun, and scalable 26:13 - The "family weight" problem 32:23 - Cystic fibrosis โ€” an unexpected connection 37:03 - Why Burnt Island exists 39:38 - Endeavor: from Z-Man's shelf to a year of convincing 44:43 - Decolonising Endeavor into Deep Sea 53:53 - Zero plastic: the bagasse insert fight 59:23 - Age of Sail is out of print for good 1:02:53 - Fall of the Mountain King โ€” the one that should have hit 1:08:23 - Killing the print ads 1:13:23 - "New is better" โ€” the treadmill 1:17:23 - Tariffs, Play the North, looking past the US 1:25:43 - Lairs โ€” the $33 game she can't print fast enough 1:42:23 - How Lairs found her โ€” an Eric Lang post 1:47:43 - Gen Con and Essen slate 1:49:33 - The future of Endeavor โ€” ten games in ten years 1:56:48 - Advice: ask every single question #cardboard #bgss #endeavor #kidstableboardgaming #burntisland

  2. Jul 14

    Justin Gary is a Pioneer | Magic, Ascension & LOTR | BGSS ep_025

    He won a Magic: The Gathering national championship at 17 โ€” the youngest ever โ€” and got the cards he won with banned. Then he built Ascension in 18 months, bet his life savings on 10,000 copies, and sold out at Gen Con. Justin Gary of Stone Blade Entertainment opens up 15 years of design secrets: why balance is a misnomer, how the One Ring broke his game (and the story moment that fixed it), and what's coming in Ascension: The Lord of the Rings. Guest: Justin Gary โ€” https://x.com/Justin_Gary Stone Blade Entertainment: https://stoneblade.com Justin's podcast & book: Think Like a Game Designer Lord of the Rings Ascension Campaign: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/stoneblade/the-lord-of-the-rings-ascension#/section/project-story TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Cold open & guest intro 1:07 Welcome + the Tim Ferriss DM story 13:53 The Magic pro years & the hacker mentality 14:54 $30,000 and two banned cards 25:59 Dominion & the deckbuilding boom 29:25 Building Ascension: 18 months, 10,000 copies 46:35 "Balance is a misnomer" 1:07:07 Lord of the Rings Ascension 1:24:03 Taming the One Ring 1:28:33 Favorite set + what's next 1:38:37 The crowdfund + where to find Justin GAMES IN THIS EPISODE Magic: The Gathering โ€” https://crdbrd.app/hub/game/4dd82420-e5a0-4cc4-afaa-3b7d2b60ce97 Ascension: Deckbuilding Game โ€” https://crdbrd.app/hub/game/077eee6c-9a23-4f10-b72b-776c45514d2a Dominion โ€” https://crdbrd.app/hub/game/0b300d7c-f019-4594-8d4b-ef94c0e26585 SolForge Fusion โ€” https://crdbrd.app/hub/game/874e3f7f-413f-47df-bc57-8b603d33937b Discover every game mentioned on the show: https://crdbrd.app #cardboard #bgss #ascension

  3. Jul 8

    John D. Clair is UNSTOPPABLE | BGSS ep_024

    He invented card crafting โ€” and he may have just reinvented deck building. John D. Clair designed ๐Ÿš€ SPACE BASE, ๐Ÿดโ€โ˜ ๏ธ DEAD RECKONING, ๐ŸŽฒ CUBITOS, ๐ŸŽ READY SET BET, and ๐Ÿ”ฎ MYSTIC VALE โ€” and his new "momentum" system in โš”๏ธ UNSTOPPABLE is the engine behind the smash-hit ๐Ÿ‘‘ DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL board game. In this one, I review Unstoppable to the designer's face for the very first time. โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ IN THIS EPISODE, WE GO DEEP: ๐Ÿง’ Designing his first game at 9 (thanks, Mom) ๐Ÿ’ฐ Quitting the day job โ€” royalties, risk & the AEG deal ๐Ÿƒ Dominion, Ascension & why deck building is a design "cheat code" โœ‚๏ธ Card crafting โ€” why it never spawned a genre โšก Momentum deck building & the 2009 prototype that waited a decade ๐ŸŽฒ Luck vs. agency โ€” why new players blame the dice ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ The BGG comments he SAVES & the review that stung ๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ BREAKING: Floors 5 & 6 in the works for Dungeon Crawler Carl ๐Ÿ”ฎ What's next โ€” Stormlight Archive, Mystic Lands & Electrify ๐Ÿ‘‰ If you want to get inside the mind of the most inventive card game designer working today, this one's a masterclass. โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐Ÿ”— LINKS โš”๏ธ Unstoppable โ€” Renegade Game Studios โ–ถ https://renegadegamestudios.com/unstoppable/ ๐Ÿ‘‘ Dungeon Crawler Carl: Unstoppable + RPG โ–ถ https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/renegade-game-studios/dungeon-crawler-carl-rpg-unstoppable โค๏ธ Support My Work โ€” Join Cardboard โ–ถ https://crdbrd.app/ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐ŸŽง TOO LONG TO WATCH? THIS IS NOW A PODCAST! ๐ŸŽ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-board-game-secret-show/id6785378165 ๐ŸŸข Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033GRnTDINaxqcoJksaCl4 ๐Ÿ”ต Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01414914-23bd-4f4c-a29f-50daa231f364 โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โฑ๏ธ CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro โ€” who is John D. Clair 00:52 - Designing his first game at 9 (Monster Cards) 05:19 - Maze books & gamifying mazes as a kid 13:24 - Going full-time in 2018 & the AEG deal 16:52 - Why Unstoppable went to Renegade โ€” the IP bet 18:52 - The games he loves (and the two kinds he doesn't) 22:59 - Inspiration & giving credit to other designers 27:12 - Playing Dominion for the first time 30:46 - Why deck building is so addicting 34:38 - Ascension's influence & Dead Reckoning's 2D market 38:52 - Card crafting โ€” a lateral evolution, not a genre 42:16 - The deck building problem card crafting solves 46:05 - Deck-driven board games โ€” Dune: Imperium & Arnak 47:35 - Unstoppable & momentum deck building 50:45 - The 2009 prototype behind Unstoppable 58:04 - The magic moment โ€” two dead cards into a combo 1:00:27 - Difficulty & learning to pump the brakes 1:08:08 - Luck, agency & why new players blame the dice 1:17:48 - How many plays before Unstoppable clicks? 1:18:46 - What do reviewers owe designers? 1:22:03 - BGG comments, Space Base's two bad cards & the review that stung 1:31:36 - Fixing the card market โ€” six levels, straight to hand 1:41:44 - Has momentum transcended deck building? 1:46:01 - The bosses & designing variety 1:52:26 - My gripes โ€” sleeving and that theme 1:55:06 - The IP vision & the future of the Unstoppable line 1:56:36 - Patching a physical game & the new co-op rule 2:00:35 - Dungeon Crawler Carl's campaign mode 2:04:47 - BREAKING โ€” Floors 5 & 6 expansion in the works 2:05:54 - What's new in DCC โ€” looming bosses, races & mana 2:13:39 - The "Unbeatable" difficulty & how John playtests 2:15:17 - Stormlight Archive: War of Roshar (September) 2:17:14 - Mystic Lands & the art problem of card crafting 2:21:03 - Mistborn expansion, Electrify & a 2027 auto-battler 2:23:01 - Wrap-up โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” #boardgames #boardgamedesign #unstoppable #dungeoncrawlercarl #deckbuilding #tabletop #renegadegamestudios #boardgamepodcast

  4. Jul 1

    From Z-Man to Play-to-Z | 30 Years of Board Game Publishing | BGSS ep_023

    One of the most storied rรฉsumรฉs in the entire board game industry. Zev founded Z-Man Games, published ๐Ÿฆ  PANDEMIC and the first English ๐ŸŒพ AGRICOLA (and basically invented the "animeeple" by deluxing it), signed the original ENDEAVOR, spent seven years exploding the WizKids catalog with ~100 games, and now runs his own publisher โ€” โœจ PLAY TO Z. โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ IN THIS EPISODE, WE GO DEEP: ๐Ÿ’ฐ The real economics of conventions ๐Ÿ† Why Origins beats GenCon for a premiere ๐Ÿƒ The CCG days & Shadow Fist ๐Ÿค Betting on co-op when NOBODY wanted it ๐Ÿ“ฆ Under-printing Pandemic ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ His (spicy) take on expansions ๐Ÿ“œ IP licensing headaches & the Middle-earth project ๐Ÿš€ Crowdfunding, paid previews vs. review copies ๐Ÿ”ฎ What's next for Play to Z ๐Ÿ‘‰ If you care at all about how the board game industry ACTUALLY works, this one's a masterclass. โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐Ÿ”— LINKS โš”๏ธ Siege Perilous โ€” LIVE on Gamefound now (through July 14) โ–ถ https://gamefound.com/en/projects/play-to-z/siege-perilous โœจ Everything Play to Z has going โ–ถ https://www.playtozgames.com/ โค๏ธ Support My Work โ€” Join Cardboard โ–ถ https://crdbrd.app/ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” ๐ŸŽง TOO LONG TO WATCH? THIS IS NOW A PODCAST! ๐ŸŽ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-board-game-secret-show/id6785378165 ๐ŸŸข Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033GRnTDINaxqcoJksaCl4 ๐Ÿ”ต Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01414914-23bd-4f4c-a29f-50daa231f364 โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โฑ๏ธ CHAPTERS 00:00 โ–ธ Intro โ€” who is Zev Schlasinger 00:39 โ–ธ Origins & how the con has changed 03:04 โ–ธ Why publisher attendance is dropping 04:15 โ–ธ Conventions are marketing โ€” money is gravy 05:03 โ–ธ The ROI secret: premiere something new 06:56 โ–ธ Why release at Origins instead of GenCon ๐Ÿƒ THE CCG YEARS 09:07 โ–ธ From CCGs to board games โ€” the Z-Man origin 09:53 โ–ธ Always a gamer: wargames, Magic & judging 11:31 โ–ธ Grave Robbers From Outer Space changes everything 13:16 โ–ธ Breaking into board games & the "Rio Grande wall" 16:40 โ–ธ How you found games to sign back then 18:33 โ–ธ Selling off Shadow Fist / leaving CCGs 23:38 โ–ธ Would he ever do a CCG again? ๐Ÿ“ˆ BUILDING Z-MAN 24:49 โ–ธ When did Z-Man feel like a success? ("one disaster from bankruptcy") 28:21 โ–ธ Under-printing Pandemic & Agricola / print runs 33:04 โ–ธ Lead times then vs. now / the Soothsayers reprint ๐Ÿฆ  THE BIG HITS 36:01 โ–ธ Meeting Matt Leacock & signing Pandemic 38:03 โ–ธ Betting on co-op when nobody wanted it 42:22 โ–ธ Play to Z's philosophy: engaging & different 43:31 โ–ธ Signing Agricola, the $70 euro risk & animeeples 48:48 โ–ธ Publishing the very first Endeavor 52:40 โ–ธ Zev's honest take on expansions ๐Ÿข Z-MAN, WIZKIDS & IP 1:05:00 โ–ธ Why he sold Z-Man (and kept working there) 1:07:28 โ–ธ The WizKids years โ€” 100 games in 7 1:11:47 โ–ธ The reality of working with IP & licensing 1:20:54 โ–ธ The Middle-earth game & Asmodee's curation โœจ PLAY TO Z & THE INDUSTRY TODAY 1:27:08 โ–ธ Why start Play to Z โ€” hitting the ground running 1:29:40 โ–ธ Crowdfunding โ€” why he resisted it for so long 1:33:02 โ–ธ Crowdfunding vs. bank loans & publisher risk 1:39:37 โ–ธ Paid previews, review copies & marketing ROI 1:47:27 โ–ธ Social media & staying transparent with the community 1:52:29 โ–ธ Board games vs. digital / BGA & the tactile future ๐ŸŽฏ WHAT TO PLAY NOW 1:54:40 โ–ธ Play to Z's lineup โ€” Siege Perilous, 23 Knives & more 1:56:52 โ–ธ The most slept-on Play to Z game 2:00:45 โ–ธ Late-year releases โ€” Dogs of War, Soul Journey 2:03:21 โ–ธ Where to find Siege Perilous & wrap-up โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” #boardgames #boardgamedesign #zmangames #pandemic #agricola #tabletop #playtoz #boardgamepodcast

  5. Jun 24

    Letโ€™s Talk Rolling Deep & More w/ Peter C. Hayward | BGSS ep_022

    Board game designer Peter Hayward (Rolling Deep, Things & Rings, That Time You Killed Me) sits down for a wide-ranging, 3-hour conversation about what actually makes a game fun, why he's stepping back from designing to chase screenwriting, and how he reverse-engineered the feeling of Balatro into a tabletop roguelike. We get into the apex of game design, the difference between fun, satisfaction, and winning, why Flip Seven sparked a friendly fight, the $120k debt that nearly ended it all, the "offer he couldn't refuse," and the absurd timeline that took Rolling Deep from first prototype to Kickstarter in under six months. ๐ŸŽฒ Rolling Deep hits Kickstarter June 23rd: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitewinggamesnick/rolling-deep-and-eureka-dice-adventure-roguelike-and-campaign โฑ๏ธ CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 0:42 Designer vs. salesman: the dream nobody warns you about 1:37 The real daily grind of a working designer 3:02 Willow, his sisters & "external processing" 5:27 23 Slack channels with his sister 8:44 How does Peter have fun? 9:07 Fun vs. satisfaction vs. winning 11:02 The apex of game design 11:48 Making "dumb apes feel clever" 12:32 Puzzles, Sudoku & writing sitcoms 15:47 Intrinsic vs. extrinsic joy 22:20 Breaking So Clover (and co-op games) 23:59 Is Flip Seven even a game? 25:29 The threshold of agency 26:03 Why Flip Seven might be a top design of 20 years 30:34 Being a board game "sommelier" 32:30 The Candyland question 33:40 Why he's ending the Fun Problems podcast 34:50 The screenwriting dream & getting into the US 39:02 A "typical" day & external obligations 43:12 $120k of debt to a net worth of zero 44:32 The offer he couldn't refuse 50:14 The ridiculous Rolling Deep timeline 51:36 The Cuphead artist & the cover 53:42 Why Peter designs mechanics-first 55:05 The three hooks: mechanical, component, thematic 1:08:42 Falling in love with Balatro 1:09:31 What Balatro actually is 1:24:08 So what is Rolling Deep? 1:30:39 Translating planet cards into mushrooms 1:33:08 Turning interest into a real decision 1:38:13 Bosses & engine destroyers 1:43:41 Jokers become tableau rows 1:48:13 Broken combos: feature or bug? 1:55:21 "Use the paints already on the tray" 2:04:48 Custom dice faces & the rules budget 2:19:11 Discovery cards 2:28:35 Achievements & roguelike unlocks 3:02:00 Going full-time: f**k around and find out 3:07:45 Peter's other income streams 3:09:40 Building an "engine" on YouTube 3:11:17 Wrap up #boardgames #gamedesign #rollingdeep #kickstarter #tabletop #balatro

  6. Jun 15

    We Talk Board Games & Books w/ โจ@ZeBoardandShieldโฉ | BGSS ep_21

    I need your help to keep this going. The #1 way you can support me is join my community here: https://crdbrd.app/ Zeshawn from Board and Shield has played over 500 board games โ€” and he's just as deep in the book world as the board game one. In this episode of the Board Game Secret Show we go all the way down the rabbit hole: how a Game of Thrones version of Risk pulled him into the hobby, why he merged books and board games onto one account, the narrative campaign games worth your table (Dragon Eclipse, Oathsworn, Spire's End), a hot take that might get him canceled (Castles of Burgundy is overrated), and his complete all-time Top 10 โ€” including why Black Rose Wars will NEVER leave the #1 spot. We also cover the board-game-to-book pipeline: what to read if you love Blood Rage, the cozy parallel to CozyStickerville, and the standalone novels every gamer should pick up. ๐ŸŽฒ Follow Zeshawn here: @ZeBoardandShield https://www.instagram.com/boardandshield/ https://www.tiktok.com/@boardandshield The #1 way you can support me is join my community here: https://crdbrd.app/ โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€” โฑ๏ธ TIMESTAMPS โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€” 0:00 โ€” Cold open / teaser 0:30 โ€” Who is Zeeshan & Board and Shield 1:03 โ€” How we connected on TikTok 2:34 โ€” Cross-posting TikTok / IG / YouTube + why he hates editing 5:08 โ€” Being authentic beats high production 6:07 โ€” His first videos: nerves, photos โ†’ talking to camera 7:53 โ€” Will we ever get long-form? The monthly-recap idea 9:29 โ€” The origin story: Game of Thrones Risk changed everything 13:08 โ€” Champions of Midgard & his first worker placement 14:31 โ€” Getting people into the hobby (the gateway-game problem) 16:13 โ€” Top 10 lists & the YouTubers that hooked him 18:26 โ€” Books or board games โ€” which came first? 18:53 โ€” Between Two Fires: a horror book deep dive 21:57 โ€” His reading journey & the deluxe-edition parallel to board games 25:01 โ€” Why he merged books + board games onto one account 27:21 โ€” Niching down vs. being yourself (and dealing with haters) 29:13 โ€” Booktok creators worth following โ€” and how huge that world is 31:39 โ€” The golden age of Lord of the Rings board games 33:35 โ€” There and Back Again & the "cozy" debate 34:22 โ€” Cozy Stickerville obsession 37:15 โ€” Corey Konieczka (Twilight Imperium โ†’ Cozy Stickerville) & Vantage 41:33 โ€” Narrative campaign games: Dragon Eclipse & Oathsworn 44:04 โ€” Dragon Eclipse as an arena battler ("I wish it were Pokรฉmon") 47:03 โ€” Can board game writing ever match a real novel? 48:32 โ€” Tainted Grail & the Spire's End games 53:08 โ€” Sponsor break: Cardboard 54:01 โ€” Getting board gamers INTO books 56:08 โ€” Legends & Lattes: the cozy book pick 57:06 โ€” Can a book capture the *feeling* of a board game? 59:36 โ€” Standalone book recs (The Sword of Kaigen, Blood Over Bright Haven) 1:00:21 โ€” The paid-content & publisher journey 1:03:36 โ€” Staying selective + the one publisher he hasn't worked with (Awaken Realms) 1:04:40 โ€” Auto-buy publishers & designers: Board & Dice + Stefan Feld 1:05:41 โ€” HOT TAKE: Castles of Burgundy is overrated 1:08:38 โ€” Favorite Board & Dice game (Teotihuacan) 1:09:46 โ€” Windmill Valley & Danny Garcia 1:11:20 โ€” More hot takes: Ark Nova & Viticulture 1:14:07 โ€” THE ALL-TIME TOP 10 โ€” #10 Marvel Champions 1:17:36 โ€” #9 Avalon 1:19:09 โ€” #8 Nusfjord 1:21:13 โ€” #7 Blood Rage 1:22:23 โ€” #6 Primal: The Awakening 1:23:31 โ€” #5 Dominion 1:26:36 โ€” #4 Santorini 1:29:30 โ€” #3 Inis 1:30:57 โ€” #2 Spirit Island (is it really cozy?) 1:33:01 โ€” #1 Black Rose Wars (the forever #1) 1:38:09 โ€” Breaking into the list: Grimm Coven 1:44:15 โ€” The future of Board and Shield & where to follow him 1:45:20 โ€” How he finds time for all of it 1:46:37 โ€” Closing thoughts: the stories behind the hobby #boardgames #boardgamecommunity #tabletopgames #booktok #blackrosewars

  7. Jun 6

    The Unhinged Takes of โจ@BigPastiโฉ + Much More | BGSS ep_20

    BigPasti makes $1,000 a month on YouTube, refuses every free game publishers send him, and is building his own game designed to make you miserable. So we sat him down and ran through 20 of the spiciest board game takes on the internet โ€” Earth, Secret Hitler, Zombicide, FOMO, sleeving, AI art, and whether the designer even matters. Agree? Disagree? Drop your own hot take in the comments. ๐Ÿ‘‡ ๐ŸŽฒ Back his game, SUNLIT'S EULOGY, on GameFound: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/dear-euthyphro-studio/sunlits-eulogy ๐Ÿ“บ Subscribe to BigPasti: https://www.youtube.com/@BigPasti Support this show by becoming a member: https://www.crdbrd.app/pricing Join the Secret Club Here: https://www.crdbrd.app/hub/clubs?club=the-board-game-secret-show Want to work together?: https://crdbrd.app/hub/creator/neon_gorilla โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โฑ๏ธ CHAPTERS โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” 0:00 Intro 2:58 Who is BigPasti 3:31 How the channel blew up 4:21 He makes ~$1K/month (and won't take free games) 13:11 Why he refuses publisher copies 18:10 His game: Sunlit Eulogy (the religion game) 32:03 How Sunlit Eulogy actually plays 49:14 Designed to make you miserable 51:09 TAKE: If you bring it, you learn it 52:10 TAKE: A game is 90% discovery 58:43 TAKE: Bad rulebooks & the 30-second rule 1:02:22 TAKE: House rules aren't cheating 1:05:37 TAKE: Camel Up is the best game ever made 1:08:12 TAKE: Did you even play the game? 1:11:34 TAKE: Suboptimal play is still playing to win 1:12:45 TAKE: Don't trash a borrowed game 1:14:22 TAKE: Sleeving is a waste of time 1:18:12 TAKE: "Good mad" is good game design 1:30:10 TAKE: Multiplayer solitaire is boring 1:33:48 TAKE: Can you trust BGG ratings? 1:40:28 TAKE: What even IS a game? 1:45:51 TAKE: All games are art 1:53:00 TAKE: Looks-maxing wins 1:53:52 TAKE: Be honest about player count on the box 1:56:15 TAKE: Complexity isn't depth 2:02:18 TAKE: Secret Hitler is a baby game 2:05:02 TAKE: FOMO is the sin of the decade 2:13:42 TAKE: Zombicide is Funko Pop board gaming 2:14:35 TAKE: Earth is hollow 2:16:16 TAKE: AI art is cringe 2:27:26 TAKE: Reveal your income 2:31:29 TAKE: Does the designer matter? (Phil Eklund) 2:44:26 Wrap-up + the thumbnail A/B challenge โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” #boardgames #boardgame #tabletop #hottakes #bgg #boardgamereview #gamefound #kickstarter

  8. Jun 4

    He Made 40+ Elder Scrolls Videos | BGSS ep_019

    Daniel from@thinkgaming fled his country in 2022 with no job, no money, and no plan. Three years later he's running one of YouTube's most dedicated nerdy strategy channels โ€” 500+ hours into Elder Scrolls, the official How-to-Play creator for Too Many Bones, and somehow he's never missed an upload week. We talked about losing everything in a single day, sleeping on a friend's couch in London, why he treats his channel like a library instead of a newsstand, and what it actually takes to build a niche board game channel without selling out to the algorithm. If you've ever been told "the only way to grow is top-10 lists and preview videos," this episode is your permission slip to ignore that advice. Support this show by becoming a member: https://www.crdbrd.app/pricing Join the Secret Club Here: https://www.crdbrd.app/hub/clubs?club=the-board-game-secret-show Want to work together?: https://crdbrd.app/hub/creator/neon_gorilla Chapters 0:00 โ€” Cold open 1:24 โ€” Fleeing Moscow with nothing 6:15 โ€” The bus across the border 9:14 โ€” Discovering the Global Talent visa 10:25 โ€” Falling into board games (Mice and Mystics โ†’ Gloomhaven) 14:23 โ€” Finding purpose during visa limbo 16:11 โ€” The first (failed) YouTube channel 20:03 โ€” "A library, not a newspaper kiosk" 23:26 โ€” Hobby vs. business: the Ali Abdaal scale 31:55 โ€” Ikigai and the why behind the work 34:17 โ€” The two things he's most proud of 35:50 โ€” Two jobs, never a missed week 44:30 โ€” Watching metrics without serving them 49:58 โ€” Only covering games he actually loves 57:44 โ€” Family, Cheltenham, and the introvert problem 1:04:08 โ€” "I have to do this. This is my mission." 1:14:15 โ€” Going deep on Grimcoven 1:24:03 โ€” Too Many Bones and the Wave 2 wait 1:29:15 โ€” Filming the official Too Many Bones tutorial 1:32:41 โ€” Elder Scrolls vs. Too Many Bones 1:39:17 โ€” Why he still hasn't reviewed Elder Scrolls 1:49:03 โ€” Advice for aspiring creators

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About

shhhh....don't tell anyone but we talk to interesting people in the board game hobby.

Information

  • Creator
    neongorillasgames
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ยฉ Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Board Game Secret Show