John D. Clair
Interview date September 5, 2019
Designer of such new classics as Mystic Vale and Space Base. If not the creator, certainly the perfecter of the card-crafting system. We discussed games past, present and future over lunch at Tara’s Himalayan, a little Nepalese restaurant in L.A.
Matt Leacock
Interview date September 18, 2019
Designer of Pandemics of all shapes and sizes, Matt Leacock did not invent the cooperative game, but he certainly brought it to the forefront. Matt and I enjoyed festive Greek fare at Evvia in Palo Alto, CA, discussing intricate aspects of game design.
Scott Caputo
Interview date September 28, 2019
Designer of Whistle Stop and its Rocky Mountains Expansion, as well as Völuspá, Unearth and the upcoming One Hundred Torii. We had an amazing breakfast at Stacks in Campbell, CA. Blog posts coming soon.
Friedemann Friese
Interview date October 25, 2019
The first of 3 interviews from Essen, Friedemann Friese has designed well over 100 very different, very bizarre, very green games. We had an amazing visit at Tatort Essen, one of the most efficient gourmet restaurant experiences of my life.
Frank West
Interview date October 26, 2019
The designer of City of Kings, Isle of Cats, and Vandoran Gardens, Frank is both a good friend, and a master of the business of game design. Frank and I found a random Poutine restaurant in Essen, of all things.
Uwe Rosenberg
Interview date October 27, 2019
The last interview at Essen, Uwe Rosenberg needs no introduction. Uwe started his career with one of the most popular card games of all time, Bohnanza, then followed that up by reinventing the worker placement game with Agricola and Caverna. And not satisfied with that achievement, Uwe has been most recently innovating the tile laying, polyomino market with Patchwork, Feast for Odin and many others.
Rob Daviau
Interview date January 9, 2020
I was lucky enough to meet up with the master of Legacy games in San Mateo, CA, while Rob was on a whirlwind Return to Dark Tower tour. Rob is, of course, known as for Pandemic Legacy and Risk Legacy, but is also an instrumental part of Restoration Games. Rob is also an unabashed foodie, so the food is a co-star here.
Jonny “Pac” Cantin
Interview date January 15, 2020
JonnyPac and I drive around gold country in the Sierra Mountains of California, before partaking of extraordinary Chinese food. Jonny is the hot designer of recent hits Coloma, Sierra West and Fistful of Meeples.
Glenn Drover
Interview date January 28, 2020
Stuck on a cruise ship in the Carribbean, Glenn Drover had no choice but to talk with me. The founder of Eagle Games, Glenn is best known for Empires: Age of Discovery, as well as recent hits Raccoon Tycoon and Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates! from his company, Forbidden Games.
Emerson Matsuuchi
Interview Date February 28, 2020
During Dice Tower West in Las Vegas, I sat next to an unassuming, incredibly nice guy at the opening dinner, and hopefully have made a lifelong friend. Emerson Matsuuchi is the amazingly wonderful, friendly, and brilliant designer of Century: Spice Road, Reef, Specter Ops and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid board game.
John Coveyou
Interview Date March 10, 2020
Self-made Genius Games designer John Coveyou has taken the world of educational board games and elevated them up out of the museum gift shop. Hits such as Subatomic and Cytosis are now compared to the best of hobby tabletop games.
Colby Dauch
Interview Date March 12, 2020
Right before the world was plunged into darkness, I cornered Colby Dauch in a fine steak house in Reno during the GAMA Expo. The founder of Plaid Hat Games, Colby had one of the first studios absorbed into Asmodee, and is one of the first to become independent once again. Hits such as Summoner Wars, Crystal Clans and Dead of Winter made the studio the powerhouse it is today, and new release Forgotten Waters looks to continue that trend.
Coming Soon Geoff Engelstein
Interview Date March 12, 2020
In person interviews are no longer possible, and after much deliberation my first foray into the uncharted world of dinner over the internet has occurred. And I could not have picked a better test subject than Geoff Engelstein. Not only is Geoff a world expert on games of all types and author of several books on game design, he is of course, the designer of The Expanse Board Game, Dragon and Flagon, Space Cadets: Dice Duel, and the recent roll and write, Super Skill Pinball 4-cade. I join Geoff and his family for some imported Cajun food to celebrate a slightly obese Tuesday.