The Essence20 roleplaying system turned 3 years old this year (technically). Ryan tells Charles about the wild early days of how the system came to be. Listen Now! (mp3) Featuring Letter From Snake Eyes part 4, generously provided by Wordburglar. Check it and other amazing 80s-inspired out at Wordburglar.com. Although the host works for Renegade Ga…

John, Ron, and Jason give an overview of Paizo’s latest release for Starfinder 2nd Edition – the Galaxy Guide! Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

The Starfinder 2e drought is over, Alex and James have new content to cover! They share their thoughts on the mechanic and technomancer classes from the Tech Class Playtest. Listen Now! (mp3)

Our heroes safely subdue a grossly mutated Spike and bring the squox and her kits back to their home. Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 114 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ace Ellett, half of Bluefish Games – the company he and his wife Anna founded as a result of their love for escape rooms and puzzles. Danielle and Ace talk about what went into the fictional world of Hincksville and the character Bluefish created as a mechanism to drive …

Ryan is joined by new Upshift cohost Charles Cushman in an episode intended to establish his credentials, but quickly turns into two hours of fond memories of and accomplishments within G.I.JOE from the last 25 years. Listen Now! (mp3) Featuring Letter From Snake Eyes part 4, generously provided by Wordburglar. Check it and other amazing 80s-inspir…

John and Jason talk about the new Mechanic and Technomancer classes for Starfinder 2e that were released this week for the Tech Class Playtest! Listen Now!

Our heroes search for Spike the missing squox, and find something very unexpected. Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 113 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Nicole Amato about transitioning into tabletop design after starting out as a video game journalist, small local game jams leading to big opportunities and how people choosing to use your innovative game mechanic in their prototype is flattering! They also chat about the…

Our heroes negotiate with some hungry goblins for the return of stolen loot – what could go wrong? Listen Now!(mp3)

After the recent Paizo Live stream with the Starfinder staff, Alex and James cover a lot of little bits of news about Starfinder 2e. Listen Now! (mp3)

In episode 112 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Bug Boll about their first published solo design in the RPG space, Sentai & Sensibility! A new, niche-themed adventure from 9th Level Games where the unique – but surprisingly similar – worlds of Super Sentai and Jane Austen collide! They talk about the process of writin…

John, Ron, and Jason talk about about what games they are playing now as they wait for Starfinder 2nd Edition. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Our heroes encounter a deadly moonwalking robot as they find someone has beat them to the vault! Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 111 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with TAM about his game, Floristry, which is the first release by UP Games – a new publishing company in the tabletop space that he is a co-founder of! Danielle and TAM talk about how game design has always been a passion (growing up without easy access to games led to invent…

Esther is here with a quick update about the Know Direction Network’s flagship podcast. Listen Now! (mp3)

John, Ron, and Jason talk about about conventions, including those they’ll be attending starting this weekend! Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Based on what’s been said in Paizo Live streams with the Starfinder 2e staff, Alex and James discuss what we know and what they’d like to see out of the new edition’s first releases. Listen Now! (mp3)

Our heroes battle laser turrets and robots as they try to get to the vault! Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 110 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication, your friendly neighborhood editor, Amanda Rivera, takes over as host once again as we recap the fifth season and catch up with Danielle! They talk about this season’s guests, their games, and reflect on some of the amazing advice they shared for new and aspiring game designers. Dani…

John, Ron, and Jason talk about the recently announced Lost Odyssey: Godfall actual play along with what a top talent Starfinder 2E actual play might look like. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Our heroes visit Abadar Corp Bank Golden Vault Neighborhood Branch #9 to make a withdrawal. Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 109 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ian Clayman about collaborating with the game design team at Exploding Kittens – and an awesome surprise guest – to create a new game based on the longest running reality TV show, Survivor. Ian dives into his unique approach for working on this well-known IP, the Explodi…

John, Ron, and Jason talk about the latest Starfinder 2nd edition news released by Paizo last week. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Our heroes fight a deadly menace hiding in a scrapyard. Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 108 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication, we chat with Connie Vogelmann about her design Apiary. What started as her journey as a playtester for Stonemaier Games, quickly dominoed into an invitation to a designer day where she showcased Apiary and ultimately led to it being signed. Connie shares the lessons she learned alon…

Alex and James share their thoughts on the latest revisions to the Starfinder 2e playtest rules. Listen Now! (mp3)

John, Ron, and Jason talk about crafting encounters for Starfinder 2nd Edition. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Moldy cultists can wreak havoc on team chemistry! Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 107 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with David Gordon about his co-design Monkey Palace, the new LEGO game! Learn about how he and TAM took a design brief given to them and designed an engine building game about building temples to upgrade your engine to earn banana points. Also, hear about the constraints that…

John, Ron, and Jason talk about crafting monsters for Starfinder 2nd Edition. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Look out for grabby oozes dropping from above! Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 106 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jason Slingerland about his co-design Tír na nÓg. When Jason started designing in 2012 there weren’t many resources for designers so he started the Building the Game podcast with a friend. He used the podcast to help himself and other designers learn more about games, th…

Alex and James recount their experiences running and playing in Starfinder 2e playtest sessions. Listen Now! (mp3)

John, Ron, and Jason talk about some of the latest news coming out about Starfinder 2nd Edition. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Our heroes encounter dangerous creatures and ghost couriers as they travel the catwalks of the ghost levels. Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 105 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Bernie Lin and Brendan Kendrick about their first design Omicron Protocol, a skirmish miniatures game designed to help bring more people to the love of miniatures. They were inspired by a convention panel to self-publish knowing they wanted to create an “intra-apocalypti…

Transformers historian and super fan Jim Sorenson tells Ryan about joining the Essence20 writing team on Enigma of Combination and Technorganic Secrets. Listen Now! (mp3) Featuring Letter From Snake Eyes part 4, generously provided by Wordburglar. Check it and other amazing 80s-inspired out at Wordburglar.com. Although the host works for Renegade G…

John and Jason stray off topic with the closing of the year and talk about their holiday traditions. Listen Now!

Our heroes are inundated with holographic ads that do more than try to sell products! Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 104 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Mads Fløe about their co-design Shake that City. The draw of the game was a device that randomized how to drop out 9 different cubes in a 3×3 grid. These cubes worked to help you decide what tiles you could draft and place into your city. Figuring out how to make the mac…

Alex takes James, Randal, and Rob through a Thanksgiving one shot of the Starfinder Second Edition playtest. Listen Now! (mp3)

John and Ron talk about bringing Pathfinder 2e characters into a Starfinder 2e adventure. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

The newly formed team tackle a dangerous animated statue! Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 103 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Nick Bentley on how he redesigned Underdog Game’s Trekking the World and why they decided to call it a second edition versus a new name. Learn what changes were made to make the game both more streamlined and more gamery. How they chose to keep some graphic design choice…

John, Jason, and Ron talk about Thanksgiving Plans, Dogs, and Monstrous Cybernetic Turkeys! Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Our heroes find themselves in the ghost levels of Absalom Station! Listen Now!(mp3)

In episode 102 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Mike Danovich about his RPG system created to partner with different events and businesses in the Chicago area including Revolution Brewery. In that partnership he got to design character sheets for the different hops that are featured on their Hero IPA variety packs as …

John, Jason, and Ron talk about Starfinder Theme Parks. Listen Now! Ron Lundeen is an employee of Wizards of the Coast and his opinions are his own.

Ryan talks about using politics in Essence20 campaigns after ranting about the absurdity of a second Trump presidential term. Listen Now! (mp3) Featuring Letter From Snake Eyes part 4, generously provided by Wordburglar. Check it and other amazing 80s-inspired out at Wordburglar.com. Although the host works on Essence20 as a freelancer for Renegade…