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Breaking Into Board Games

Breaking into Board Games is a podcast about breaking into the hobby game industry. Every week, we interview a person of note, and give tips and tricks to make your way into the business of games. Hosts: Dan Letzring -- Publisher -- @letimangames Dan Letzring has been publishing games through his company Letiman Games since 2014 and is also the co-owner of Galactic Raptor Games. A designer, publisher, and father, Dan lives in Rochester, NY with his family. Ian Zang -- Developer -- @ianzangdesign Ian Zang is the lead developer with Deepwater Games. He has been making games since an early age with his most recent work being in the realms of corporate and educational game design. Ian lives with his wife in Pittsburgh, PA. Tony Miller -- Designer -- @beardedroguegames Tony Miller is the designer of Fire in the Library and is currently pitching other designs that you may see soon. He lives in the Portland, OR area where he continues to furiously get his designs ready for publishers while working at his IT job and taking care of his family.
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Now displaying: 2020
Dec 27, 2020

Ian and Tony talk to Kevin Ude about Redcap Ruckus, a game developed in parallel to Tony's Kabuto Sumo. 

How would handle a very similar game to yours coming out around the same time? Tony and Kevin can tell you! 

You can reach out to Kevin on twitter: @UdeGames

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/qfBXfNT

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Dec 6, 2020

Geoff Engelstein joins us after five years to talk about how the industry has moved forward. Geoff has a breadth of insight and is an established author of books like GameTek, Building Block of Game Design, and his newest about Game Production. 

You can reach out to Geoff on twitter: @gengelstein 

Future Ian here: Apologies for Dan's track. Something seemed to go wrong with the audio, and I did my best to fix it. 

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/qfBXfNT

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Nov 22, 2020

We talk to Chad DeShon, owner of BoardGameTables.com. He talks about creating a table business, then transferring it to a board game publishing business.

You can reach out to chad via email: chad AT boardgametables.com

Or, on twitter @BGtables

Also, go check out Tony's game! https://www.boardgametables.com/products/kabuto-sumo-board-game

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/qfBXfNT

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Nov 8, 2020

We talk to Crystal Dax about her work in board game media. She's built a great following and is an excellent example of how to network with others!

You can reach out to her @crystaldax

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/qfBXfNT

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Oct 18, 2020

The hosts talk to Suzanne Sheldon, a big personality in the board game world. Suzanne currently hosts the Dice Tower with Mandi every other week, and contributes often to the network. 

Listen as we chat about how she forged her path in this industry!

You can reach out to Suz on twitter: @425Suzanne

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/qfBXfNT

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Oct 7, 2020

The hosts talk to Joseph Chen, owner and publisher behind Fantastic Factories, the breakout hit from the past year. Joseph talks about the initial design process, and taking on more and more duties behind publishing. 

You can reach out to Joseph on Twitter: @fanfactories

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/qfBXfNT

 

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Sep 22, 2020

The hosts talk to Tatiana Quigley, an amazing 3d artist (and 2d!) that jumped right into the world of games straight out of college. We discuss the differences between the mass market world and the tabletop sphere, and how to transition between them.

You can follow Tatiana on any social media platform @tatianaquigley

Her website is here: http://tatianaquigley.com/

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Sep 4, 2020

Ian, Tony, and Dan are joined by Daniel Newman and Aaron Wilson, who recently formed New Mill Industries and Gravitation Games, respectively. We all talk about the formation of our companies and how different approaches can be taken to get into the publishing business.

You can find out more about the companies at the links below:

Gravitation Games:

https://gravitation.games

@gravgames on twitter

 

New Mill Industries

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/46276/new-mill-industries

@new_mill on twitter

 

You can reach out to Aaron or Daniel at the following twitter handles.

@internetsmagic

@dnlnwmn

Aug 13, 2020

We talk to y'all about what we did over the past season. A lot has happened, despite the pandemic and all. Take a listen to find out!

Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/VDyFXB6

Follow us on twitter: @breakingintobg

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Jul 21, 2020

Grant Rodiek of Hyperbole Games joins us on the podcast, talking about a self-publishing route he took to get to now! He is the designer of Fort, releasing July 21st from Leder Games! 

You can reach out to Grant on twitter: @hyperbolegrant 

Or you can visit his website: hyperbolegames.com

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Jun 29, 2020

Brenna Noonan joins us to talk about board game development and brand management. She previously worked with Starling Games (Game Salute), and has since started a new development company, Quillsilver. 

You can reach out to Brenna on twitter: @brennanoonan

Her website is https://www.brennanoonan.com

Or check out the Quillsilver website: https://www.quillsilver.com

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Jun 15, 2020

We talked to Connor Alexander, vendor services rep for Publisher Services Incorporated, about working with a business middleman. If you're a publisher just getting started, this is a great episode to listen to!

You can reach out to Connor with further questions here: @ConnorAlexander

Connor is also launching a great indigenous RPG called Coyote and Crow that you should check out here: coyoteandcrow.net

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

May 31, 2020

We talk to Danny Quach, of Danny Plays Gamez and the Variable Player Podcast about breaking into the content creation scene. Being an excellent hype man is a wonderful way to get into this industry, and Danny is one of the best. 

 

You can reach out to Danny on twitter: @DannyPlaysGamez

The Variable Player Power Podcast is at: variableplayerpower.libsyn.com

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

May 18, 2020

We talked to Shawn, Molly, and Robb of Flatout Games, publishers of Calico and designers of Point Salad. They explain how their co-lab works, and provide tips for new folks to try out their methods!

You can reach out to them on all social media: @flatoutgames

Their website is: flatout.games

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

May 4, 2020

We talk to John Brieger, who quit his job designing multimedia experiences at Apple to become a full-time game developer. He's since grown a small company of development specialists who work with many companies to improve their games to top-notch quality. 

 

You can reach out to John on twitter: @dasbrieger

You can find out more about Mike's work on www.briegerdevelopment.com

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Apr 19, 2020

Hello all! Due to COVID-19, we have had issues recording. Ian took this opportunity to share some information on the different types of experience in game design. 

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Mar 29, 2020

The hosts talk to Mike Selinker, founder of Lone Shark Games about his work in the industry. He has been involved in major companies like Wizards of the Coast and Paizo Publishing, working primarily in production and writing. 

You can reach out to Mike on twitter: @mikeselinker

You can find out more about Mike's work on www.lonesharkgames.com

Mike also writes quite a bit on Medium. His blog is here: https://medium.com/@mikeselinker

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Mar 16, 2020

Dan and Tony talk with Jeremy Howard, of Jambalaya Plays Games and Man vs. Meeple talks about his work in the content creation realm of board gaming. Take a listen to his journey!

You can reach out to Jeremy on twitter:

@jambapg

@manvsmeeple

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Feb 26, 2020

Tony talks to four fantastic playtest group organizers about how they formed their groups, and how they have continued to maintain the health of them. Each has some great input into how best to manage a large group of people, all wanting to playtest their own games. If you're interested in setting up a group like it, listen in!

You can reach out to our guests on twitter:

Daniel Newman: @dnlnwmn

Emma Larkins: @emmalarkins

John Brieger: @dasbrieger

Matt Wolfe: @mattwolfe

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts of Breaking into Board Games:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Feb 12, 2020

Dan moderates a roundtable amongst a great group of rulebook editors. Listen in as they discuss how their work helps make a great game shine.

All of these editors are looking for new work, feel free to contact them via twitter!

Calvin Wong - @ithayla

Travis Hill - @travisdhill

Sam Hillier - @Philosocopter

Dustin Schwartz - @dustinbschwartz

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Jan 29, 2020

The hosts talk to Victoria Caña and Alex Uboldi, the team behind an upcoming game Gladius. They have taken a different approach to creating a game themselves from scratch. Listen in to hear their tips and tricks, and what to watch out for!

You can reach out to them at the links below:

Victoria - @victoriacana

Alex - @alexuboldi

Gladius - @gladiuscardgame

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Jan 15, 2020

The hosts review their predictions from 2019, and look forward to 2020. Let's see if they're right!

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

Jan 1, 2020

Ian and Dan talk to Banana Chan, the founder of the publishing company Game and a Curry (gameandacurry.com) about her work in the industry. She has been a prolific creator, making board games, live action role play, online role play, and has written content for many other companies. 

You can reach her on twitter, facebook, and instagram: @bananachangames

 

Please support our Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/breakingintoboardgames

Hosts:

Tony - Designer - @beardedrogue

Ian - Developer - @ianzangdesign

Dan - Publisher - @letimangames

"There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org

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