On Today’s episode, we catch up with Janice Turner of Wren Games! By day, Janice is a product and project manager with a background in physics and engineering. We get the lowdown on Janice’s origins as a designer, her process, and her newest ga

[PIP #014] - Kingdom Connections w/ Steven Aramini

Jan 29th, 2019 49m 1s

On this week’s pip, we catch up with Steven Aramini! Steven is the designer of many games including the ever-popular wallet games Circle the Wagons and Sprawlopolis, as well as 2018 releases Groves, Coin and Crown, and Barker’s Row. Steven is a

[PIP #013] - Flicks of the Trade w/ Gabe Barrett

Dec 8th, 2018 47m 2s

On our latest pip, we catch up with Gabe Barrett, the mind and hustle behind the Board Game Design Lab (or BGDL for short) whose podcast, mailing list, and website’s mission is to help tabletop designers create fun and engaging board games. Gab

#008 - Auction/Bidding w/ Amanda Erven

Aug 31st, 2018 1h 1m

We start the bidding at the Blue Highway Games board game auction and end it in an elevator! On our latest episode we welcome Amanda Erven, Blue Highway Games manager extraordinaire and board game auction coordinator to discuss the auction/bidd

[PIP #012] - Cthulhu: Unsealed w/ Sean Epperson

Jun 12th, 2018 29m 6s

On this week’s pip, we catch up with super-awesome-nerd extraordinaire, Sean Epperson of Thing 12 Games. We take a look at the design of his new game The Seals of Cthulhu which is on Kickstarter now, and also debut our new REALTIME round of que

[PIP #011] - Factory Tour w/ Joseph Z Chen

May 29th, 2018 1h 1m

We catch up with Joseph Z Chen to take a closer look at his dice-placement, simultaneous-play, engine-builder: Fantastic Factories! We discuss the full spectrum of design from conceptualization to product, from sketches to finished art, from pr

[PIP #010] - Bull Dozers - Design Diary 01

May 16th, 2018 32m 55s

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a fly on the wall during a Flatout Games brainstorm session? Well, wonder no more! We take you behind the scenes as we discuss the progression of an elevator pitch challenge game that we though

#007 - Area Movement w/ Joseph Z Chen

Apr 18th, 2018 1h 6m

Moving right along, we continue to expand our mechanics horizons as we take a look at Area Movement. Joseph Z Chen joins us to discuss the finer details while also getting us trapped in an elevator for far too long…We talk about: Axis and All

[PIP #009] - Spreading the Fire w/ Carla Kopp

Apr 6th, 2018 1h 13m

On the second part of our series on Fire in the Library, we talk to Carla Kopp, gamer, game designer, publisher, and founder of Weird Giraffe Games. We check in with Carla about her process and get the scoop on her hot new game!Things we talk

[PIP #008] - Lighting the Fire w/ Tony Miller

Mar 25th, 2018 1h 14m

On our latest pip, we chat with Tony Miller, the Bearded Rogue, about all things board games, and take a dive into the design of his first signed game, Fire in the Library, which is now burning up Kickstarter!Check out Fire in the Library her

[PIP #008] - Lighting the Fire

Mar 25th, 2018 1h 14m

#006 - Area Impulse w/ Chris Domes

Mar 8th, 2018 59m 23s

On our latest episode, we try to wrap our heads around the area impulse mechanic. We are joined by our good friend Chris Domes who explains Twilight Imperium and how area impulse is used in the game.We talk about: Twilight Imperium, bluffing,

[PIP #007] - 2017 in Review - Game States

Feb 19th, 2018 1h 13m

We worked on a few projects this year, so we take some time to reflect on the design process and where we are headed in 2018.We talk about: Dollars to Donuts, Abstract Academy, The Big Dig, Rewild, Chilkoot Rush, Chop, DenCity, Black Hat, Med

[PIP #006] - Quality Beasts and Where to Find Them w/ Dylan Howard Cromwell

Feb 12th, 2018 54m 34s

On our latest pip we catch up with Dylan Cromwell from Quality Beast! Dylan has been very busy working on Quality Beast’s first major release: Seize the Bean - a game about satisfying customers as you build your coffee empire in Berlin! We chat

[PIP #005] - 2017 in Review - Top Games

Feb 5th, 2018 51m 45s

We played some pretty amazing games this year, however, only the best of the best can grace the Flatout Games top 3 of 2017! Find out about the games we loved the most this year, and what made them great!We talk about: not providing spoilers

#005 - Area Enclosure

Jan 23rd, 2018 54m 5s

We’re back! The holidays got the best of us, but we’re jumping right back in with one of our favorite board game mechanics - Area Enclosure! Join us as we dig into the spatial implications and dynamics found in both classic and new game systems

[PIP #004] - Illustrator Conversator w/ Ross Connell

Dec 20th, 2017 39m 54s

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

#004 - Area Control

Dec 15th, 2017 59m 31s

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

[PIP #003] - Patchwork

Dec 6th, 2017 35m 3s

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

#003 - Action Point Allowance System

Nov 26th, 2017 1h 13m

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, Dea

[PIP #002] - 24 Hour Gaming

Nov 20th, 2017 51m 16s

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 vicar

#002 - Action / Movement Programming

Nov 10th, 2017 1h 7m

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

[PIP #001] - What's in a Name?

Oct 31st, 2017 8m 53s

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

Oct 26th, 2017 1h 9m

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 ha

#000 - Gaming Origins

Oct 20th, 2017 1h 2m

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 LARP