Tabletop Throwdown
GamingTrend’s tabletop podcast where Mark Streed, Sean Brown and Mike Dunn chat with game designers, game publishers, and other gaming adjacent folks about, well, games and other nerdy pursuits. Spoiler- sometimes we get a little silly and we can almost guarantee that the conversation will veer into whatever we are geeking out about at any moment during the last half of the show.
Episodes
This week we welcome Paul Salomon, designer of Honey Buzz and the Creative Director for fledgling publisher Gamehead. We talk about his experiences with game design and how he has transitioned into a more collaborative role now that he is with Gamehead.
Tabletop Throwdown is GamingTrend’s tabletop podcast where Mark Streed, Sean Brown and Mike Dunn chat with game designers, game publishers, and other ga...
Ammon Anderson returns to the Throwdown! Last time, he teased Space Potato, this time? You'll have to watch and find out! Join Mark Streed, Mike Dunn, and Sean Brown this episode as we talk to Ammon about all the amazing work he's been doing these last two years, not exclusive to just designing his own games, even! This one is a silly one, folks!
#ammonanderson #gnomehollow #catsvscucumbers
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Did you know Twilight Struggle, the Cold War 'wargame' that dominated the BGG top 100 for years is twenty years old this year? We got to chat with Jason Matthews the co-designer of the classic about the history of the game, historical games as a genre, and almost managed to not dip into politics (hey, it isn't much! promise!) Oh, and there is a GIANT Twilight Struggle he's bringing to cons these days...
#twil...
Scott Brady has designed and co-designed several of the most compelling games of the last few years and shares with us some behind-the-scenes info on how they got made and his design process in general. Learn how even the Covid pandemic couldn't keep Hues & Cues from becoming a smash hit! Hear the origins of the thinky cat game boop. and it's many spin-offs. Marvel at Scott's wall of components!
#boop #ga...
It's an Origins Gamefair special! This week we bring back our two co-hosts from season one- Dan Hinkin and Mark Julian- joining Sean, Mark, and Mike for an all hosts no guests special after con report! Find out what games caught their fancy at the show, and hang on for some spicy hot takes on the awards show and the event in general.
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Travis Reynolds joins Mike, Sean, and Mark on our latest episode of Tabletop Throwdown! Travis' story of the boardgaming world is a tale told in conventions- Sean and Travis wax nostalgic over all of the cons they have worked at together, becoming close friends in spite of the distance between them. Travis goes on to tell tales of working with designers such as Vital Lacerda and Stefan Feld. Also, watch/listen as Mi...
In this episode, Mike, Mark, and Sean are joined by Dustin Hatchett, President of Gamersgiving, a Colorado nonprofit organization dedicated to helping gamers and gaming communities in Colorado and beyond. Join these four corners of Colorado boardgaming as they discuss the important work Gamersgiving is doing, convention memories, and more!
GamersGiving: https://www.gamersgiving.org/
SpringGiving: https://w...
In this episode, our special guest Dan Madsen shares his incredible journey from starting the first official Star Trek fan club at age 18 to working closely with Lucasfilm on Star Wars projects. Discover behind-the-scenes stories, fan culture evolution, and the impact of fandom on Hollywood and personal careers. Join us for an engaging conversation with Dan Madsen as he shares his extensive experience in the Star Wa...
Sean and Mike welcome Mark Streed to the Throwdown (and to GamingTrend!). After a chat about covering crowdfunding and playing prototype games, Mark opens up about some passion projects he plans to work on now that he's a part of the team!
Chapters
04:52 Cinematic Previews and Content Creation
14:36 Crowdfunding Insights and Surprises
21:32 Unexpected Successes in Game Funding
36:36 Finding Va...
Our first guest of the season joins us this week- Nick Medinger from Renegade Games! Yes, we talk a bit about Dungeon Crawler Carl and other TTRPGs that Renegade publishes, a tangent involving cult classic film Repo Man goes on waaaay too long, and Mike subjects everyone to a walkthrough of the main grounds of the Geneva Grand Resort, home of Gary Con.
This weeks episode is sponsored by Hell of a Deal- go bac...
This week Sean and Mike give a bit of a ‘post-action’ report on this year’s GAMA Expo! From all of the panels Mike foolishly agreed to do, to Dungeon Crawler Carl, to Sean taking a big step towards becoming a published game designer??? Welcome to another packed episode, and if you’ve ever wondered what the game industry does when the players aren’t around, you’ll definitely want t...
The long-awaited return of Tabletop Throwdown! This time it's All-new! All-Different! Sean Brown of Mr. B and Mayfair Games has cast aside all common sense and has agreed to be Mike Dunn's cohost for the foreseeable future! Join these two silly old nerds as they talk about just how bad 2025 was for the Tabletop Industry, and what they have done about it!
Tabletop Throwdown Season 2, featuring Sean Brown as co-host, a...
In the season finale of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn and his co-hosts discuss the Colorado Springs Board Game Club, its history, community impact, and fundraising efforts for Extra Life. They share personal experiences, the importance of community in gaming, and provide advice for starting a board game club. The episode concludes with reflections on the past season and plans for the future. Season Two coming in Jan...
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, host Mike Dunn is joined by co-host Mark Julian and special guests Talia Rosen and Jason Matthews. The conversation explores various aspects of board game design, including the importance of accurate game duration (a callback to S1E10!) , the collaborative process in creating games, and the evolution of themes in historical gaming. They discuss the challenges of game aesthetics...
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn and Dan Hinken welcome Jay Cormier, a game designer and founder of Off The Page Games. They discuss Jay's journey in game design, the development of the Mind Management game, and how comic books influence his work. Jay shares insights on the challenges faced during game development, the importance of honoring the source material, and his passion for creating games bas...
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn, Mark Julian, and guest Ammon Anderson discuss their recent gaming experiences, including a charity event for children's hospitals, the success of Ammon's game Gnome Hollow, and the upcoming release of Twinkle Twinkle. They delve into the intricacies of game design, collaboration with publishers, and the evolution of production quality in board games. The conversation...
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn and James Van Tonningen chat with Sean Brown, the head of Mayfair Games, discussing the relaunch of the brand and their latest Kickstarter project, Empire Builder: Europe. They explore the success of the Kickstarter campaign, the importance of reviving classic games, and the strategy behind targeting both mass market and dedicated gamers. Sean shares insights on the g...
Christian Hoffer joins us to talk about corp vs. community in the D&D world—Tabletop Throwdown S1E10
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn and Steven Starkey speak with Christian Hoffer, a prominent voice in the Dungeons & Dragons community. They discuss Hoffer’s journey from writing about comics to becoming a key figure in tabletop RPG journalism, his experiences at Comic Book, and the impact of corporate changes on the industry. The conversation delves into the OGL controversy, the current st...
We're back and about to go to Gen Con! Join us as we talk about games we are excited about seeing at Gen Con this year, and tease a bit about what else we are doing!
Games we are looking forward to:
- Gnome Hollow
- Luthier
- Undaunted 2200 Calisto
- Boop the Halls
- Comic Hunters
- Seers Catalog
- Creepshow
- The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era
- Button Kingdoms
- Dead Reckoning: Port of Call
- Happy Home
- Terminus
- Gone to ...
Game durations on the side of the box- who comes up with those? Why do they always seem wildly inaccurate? What is the point? We talk with five luminary game designers and ask them those questions and more on this week's episode. There are definitely some spicy takes out there, but we get into the nitty gritty of what goes into coming up that number and why, as well as what it doesn't measure and why it is actually ...
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