Flatout at the Table: Board Game Design Talk

[PIP #004] - Illustrator Conversator

flatoutgames — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 08:49:33 -0700

On our latest pip we catch up with board game illustrator interviewer extraordinaire, Ross Connell of www.moregamesplease.com. We get the scoop on his motivations, process, and what’s next!

We talk about: Dixit, Ryan Laukat, Old Maid, Scrabble, Ross’s grandma, Yahtzee, Happy Families, Arboretum, Commodore 64, Fury of Dracula, Above and Below, premium design, Inis, box art, Mr Cuddington, Santorini, Brass, board game budgets, The Grimm Forest, Unfair, Pandemic Iberia, Atha Kanaani, SHUX, Sami Laakso, Near and Far, Islebound, Sagrada, Peter Wocken, Dead of Winter, Ex Libris, integrated design teams, board games as collectible items, love, and logos!

Join the conversation on Twitter @flatoutgames and give Ross a follow @moregamespls on Twitter and @moregamesplease on Instagram!

#004 - Area Control

flatoutgames — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 00:23:05 -0700

In our fourth mechanics podcast, the discussion gets as heated as a good ole fashioned friendship-breaking game of Risk. We discuss the area control mechanic and the complex player interactions that come with it.

We talk about: Coup, The Game of Thrones Board Game, Small World, aggression, Twilight Struggle, Risk, Lords of Waterdeep, Ethnos, Samurai, Kahuna, Mission Red Planet, mandatory quests, Hansa Teutonica, Caracassone, Rise of Tribes, Barony, exploration, tile placement, Ponzi Scheme, Food Chain Magnate, The Last Garden, King of Tokyo, aiming for monopolies, and Monopoly.

Join the conversation by following us @flatoutgames on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

[PIP #003] - Patchwork

flatoutgames — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 02:53:29 -0700

Molly gets Robb to talk about one of his favorite games: Patchwork. If you want some serious analysis about what makes this game so good and Robb’s strategies for WINNING - you’ll have to listen right through to the end.

We talk about: winning, buttons, Patchwork, Five Tribes, strategy, math, apps, AI, Cottage Garden, time, Mastermind, multiplayer take-that, Race for the Galaxy, setting your opponent up for wonderful opportunities, give and take, chisels, and the fact that time is money, literally.

Join the conversation @flatoutgames !

#003 - Action Point Allowance System

flatoutgames — Sun, 26 Nov 2017 14:09:20 -0700

In this action-packed episode, we discuss the finer points of action selection in worlds where we want to do everything, but cannot. We also (barely) avoid talking about the holiday season until after Thanksgiving!

We talk about: Pandemic, Dead of Winter, Blood Rage, Hansa Teutonica, Flashpoint Fire Rescue, Netrunner, Barony, Twilight Imperium, analysis paralysis, Survive, Forbidden Island, Forbidden Desert, Last Will, Through the Ages, Trickerion, Evolution, worker placement, Mystery Express, Orleans, feeding your dying mother, truck drivers that moonlight as clowns, deer meat, deer meet, reindeer games, The yet-to-be-announced Dead of Winter legacy game, Ticket to Ride, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Join the conversation @flatoutgames

[PIP #002] - 24 Hour Gaming

flatoutgames — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 02:14:49 -0700

In PIP #002 Robb interviews Molly and Shawn about their recent experience playing board games for 24 hours at Blue Highway Games in Seattle. Many games were played, no sleep was had. We share the experience, so that you can sleep and live vicariously through us!

We talk about: Word Slam, Concept, coffee, flipping birds, lies, Tides of Time, What’s Up?, spies, Codenames: Pictures, Codenames: Duet, Gen Con packing, candy, CGE’s generosity, packaging, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Echidna Shuffle, Two Rooms and a Boom, The Resistance, Top That, Go Go Gelato, Dr. Eureka, Junk Art, Animal Upon Animal, Mysterium, Sagrada, Roll Player, Oktoberfest, Cartagena, Cacao, Oh Captain, Tiny Epic Quest, The Big Dig, Dollars to Donuts, Flipships, Rhino Hero, Nevermore, Elder Sign, Skull King, and Wizaaard!

#002 - Action / Movement Programming

flatoutgames — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 23:45:46 -0700

1-2-3 GO! Robb leads the group through a discussion of the action/movement programming mechanic. We discuss the value of chaos, how the mechanic creates a different experience in co-op games, then program our way out of an elevator! Plus: more dancing!

We talk about: Colt Express, luck, chaos, Robo Rally, chaos, Gloomhaven, the abyss, beauty in the context of chaos, epic wins, Robinson Crusoe, Fresco, life lessons, Space Alert, luck, bulls, bulldozers, china shops, life lessons, luck, and chaos.

[PIP #001] - What’s in a Name?

flatoutgames — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 01:46:06 -0700

Join Flatout Games as we explain the origins of our name and logo in our first bite-sized episode!
Join the conversation on Twitter @FlatoutGames

#001 - Acting

flatoutgames — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 01:51:46 -0700

What is acting in games? Join the Flatout Games crew as we discuss the acting mechanic, debate its boundaries, and ‘get our dance on’ as we take on our first elevator pitch challenge!

We talk about: Charades, 2 Rooms and a Boom, getting our hair did, Sheriff of Nottingham, Dixit, Fiasco, Cranium, Guesstures, Avalon, cheat days, Coup, The Resistance, Balderdash, Spyfall, and Monikers

#000 - Gaming Origins

flatoutgames — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 23:42:21 -0700

In our first episode we take a stroll down memory lane recalling our humble beginnings as gamers. Get to know the members of Flatout Games as we discuss why we are gamers and what we bring to the design space.

Molly realizes she should be LARPing, Robb’s lifelong gambling skills are revealed, Justin fails to identify a murderer, and Shawn seeks his first Scrabble victory.

We talk about: Chess, Poker, Fun House, Curling, Rummy, Crokinole, Monopoly, Backgammon, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Jump Start, Math Blaster, JRPGs, Grinding in games, Horse Racing, Clue, Scrabble, Mousetrap, 13 Dead End Drive, Power Grid, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, 31, Catan, Carcassonne, 20 Things in a Pan, I’m Going on a Picnic, Dominion, Agricola, Pandemic, Apples to Apples, Monikers, Werewolf, and Insider.