The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast
- Episodes
- 165
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 11, 2026
About the podcast
Join game designers Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, and Trevor Muller-Hegel as they analyze published games from a game developer's perspective. Each month, they pick a new game mechanic and three games to play in that genre. Each episode is 20 minutes of pure game design nerdiness!
Episodes 165
158. Time Loop Games
What gives NPCs moral weight? How do you shake things up between loops? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor talk about Time Loop Games.
157. Monikers
How do you create familiarity? Where do inside jokes come from? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie guess the words in Monikers.
156. Moon Colony Bloodbath
How can you make negative events fun? When do players feel they are 'all in this together'? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda work things out in Moon Colony Bloodbath.
155. Tragedy Looper
Why do mysteries work well with time travel? How should you model NPC relationships? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor try again in Tragedy Looper.
154. Recipe Fulfillment Games
How complicated should recipes be? To what extent can they be customized? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor talk about Recipe Fulfillment games.
153. Cannes
Do resources need multiple uses? What is the appeal of resource compression? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor join the old boy's club in Cannes.
152. Age of War
What provokes revenge? How should you mitigate dice rolls? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda pick their battles in Age of War.
151. Distilled
What is the difference between recipe fulfillment and set collection? How much uncertainty is okay when completing a recipe? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie age their spirits in Distilled.
150. Civilization Building Games
How should civilizations interact? Why does obsolescence matter? Ananda, Charlie, and Trever talk about Civilization-building games.
149. Terra Mystica
Does slowing down resource recovery benefit players? Should bonuses have a cost? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda join the cult in Terra Mystica.
148. Innovation
How do you keep low-level abilities relevant? Is it okay to have broken combos? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor demand you listen in Innovation.
147. Through the Ages
How do opportunities drive decisions? What creates strategy? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie build their wonders in Through The Ages.
146. Worker Placement Games
In what ways can workers interact? How do you vary the efficiency of an action? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda talk about Worker Placement Games.
145. Alchemists
How do you determine who goes first? Should you place workers one at a time or all at once? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor publish or perish in Alchemists.
144. The White Castle
How many turns does a player actually need? Should personal actions be less efficient than public ones? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie cross the bridge in The White Castle.
143. Architects of the West Kingdom
Do workers need to block each other? How do you limit exponential growth? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda free their workers in Architects of the West Kingdom.
142. Gateway Games
How do you identify genre-defining mechanics? When does replayability matter? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about Gateway Games.
141. Small World
What makes unique abilities legible to other players? When should victory points be spent as currency? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor go into decline in Small World.
140. Azul
How do you escalate risk and reward? Should game markets be predictable? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda make mosaics in Azul.
139. Ticket to Ride
When are wildcards necessary? How do you reward topdecking? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie punch their tickets in Ticket to Ride.
138. Miniature Wargames
Should players roll defense dice? When should you use counterattacks? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor discuss miniature wargames.
137. X-Wing
How do you represent momentum? What should be the consequences of holding debt? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda shoot first in X-Wing.
136. Necromolds
What distinguishes melee and ranged attacks? Do persistent corpses enhance combat? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie don their caster rings in Necromolds.
135. Heroscape
How do you make the entire map important? Does line of sight need to be complicated? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor summon their warriors in Heroscape.
134. Card Shedding Games
When is losing options a relief? How many cards should players be able to play per turn? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda talk about card shedding games.
133. Custom Heroes
Must progression be personal? How can you customize a card? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie craft heroes in Custom Heroes.
132. I Know...You Don't
Why do game titles matter? What makes for a great game box? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor search for patterns in I Know...You Don't.
131. Scout
Why subtract points for leftover cards? What makes once-per-game actions compelling? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda climb the ladder in Scout.
130. Autobattler Board Games
What are the advantages of board games over video games for autobattlers? How do you make random actions look intentional? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor discuss autobattlers.
129. Tag Team
What makes for satisfying blocking mechanics? Why does repetition matter? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie duke it out in Tag Team.
These are the latest 40 of 165 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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