Tabletop Throwdown
GamingTrend’s tabletop podcast where Mark Streed, Sean Brown and Mike Dunn chat with game designers, game publishers, and other gaming adjacent folks about, well, games and other nerdy pursuits. Spoiler- sometimes we get a little silly and we can almost guarantee that the conversation will veer into whatever we are geeking out about at any moment during the last half of the show.
Episodes
31 episodes
Paul Salomon on what Gamehead looks for in a pitch and how he designs differently now | TTT S2E12
This week we welcome Paul Salomon, designer of Honey Buzz and the Creative Director for fledgling publisher Gamehead. We talk about his experiences with game design and how he has transitioned into a more collaborative role now that he is with ...
What has Ammon Anderson been doing? | TTTS2E11
Ammon Anderson returns to the Throwdown! Last time, he teased Space Potato, this time? You'll have to watch and find out! Join Mark Streed, Mike Dunn, and Sean Brown this episode as we talk to Ammon about all the amazing work he's been doing th...
History-onics with Jason Matthews | TTT S2E10
Did you know Twilight Struggle, the Cold War 'wargame' that dominated the BGG top 100 for years is twenty years old this year? We got to chat with Jason Matthews the co-designer of the classic about the history of the game, historical games as ...
Hues & boops with game designer Scott Brady | TTTS2E9
Scott Brady has designed and co-designed several of the most compelling games of the last few years and shares with us some behind-the-scenes info on how they got made and his design process in general. Learn how even the Covid pandemic couldn'...
So how was Origins? Come for the games, stay for the controversy! | TTT S2E8
It's an Origins Gamefair special! This week we bring back our two co-hosts from season one- Dan Hinkin and Mark Julian- joining Sean, Mark, and Mike for an all hosts no guests special after con report! Find out what games caught their fancy at ...
Travis Reynolds: From King of Queen to Lord of Eagle-Gryphon | TTT S2E7
Travis Reynolds joins Mike, Sean, and Mark on our latest episode of Tabletop Throwdown! Travis' story of the boardgaming world is a tale told in conventions- Sean and Travis wax nostalgic over all of the cons they have worked at together, becom...
Gamersgiving's Dustin Hatchett and the four corners of Colorado boardgaming | TTT S2E6
In this episode, Mike, Mark, and Sean are joined by Dustin Hatchett, President of Gamersgiving, a Colorado nonprofit organization dedicated to helping gamers and gaming communities in Colorado and beyond. Join these four corners of Colorado boa...
Dan Madsen's Journey: From Fan to Fandom Icon | TTT S2E5
In this episode, our special guest Dan Madsen shares his incredible journey from starting the first official Star Trek fan club at age 18 to working closely with Lucasfilm on Star Wars projects. Discover behind-the-scenes stories, fan culture e...
Tabletop Throwdown S2E4—Mark Streed pulls up a chair
Sean and Mike welcome Mark Streed to the Throwdown (and to GamingTrend!). After a chat about covering crowdfunding and playing prototype games, Mark opens up about some passion projects he plans to work on now that he's a part of the team!<...
Tabletop Throwdown S2E3—Dungeon Crawling Melonfarmers w/Nick Medinger
Our first guest of the season joins us this week- Nick Medinger from Renegade Games! Yes, we talk a bit about Dungeon Crawler Carl and other TTRPGs that Renegade publishes, a tangent involving cult classic film Repo Man goes on waaaay too long,...
So much GAMA Expo!
This week Sean and Mike give a bit of a ‘post-action’ report on this year’s GAMA Expo! From all of the panels Mike foolishly agreed to do, to Dungeon Crawler Carl, to Sean taking a big step towards becoming a published game designer??? Welcome ...
S2E1- All-New! All-Different!
The long-awaited return of Tabletop Throwdown! This time it's All-new! All-Different! Sean Brown of Mr. B and Mayfair Games has cast aside all common sense and has agreed to be Mike Dunn's cohost for the foreseeable future! Join these two silly...
24 Hours of gaming with the Colorado Springs Board Game Club—Tabletop Throwdown S1E17 SEASON FINALE
In the season finale of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn and his co-hosts discuss the Colorado Springs Board Game Club, its history, community impact, and fundraising efforts for Extra Life. They share personal experiences, the importance of commu...
Talia Rosen and Jason Matthews are bringing the Supreme Court to the table—Tabletop Throwdown S1E16
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, host Mike Dunn is joined by co-host Mark Julian and special guests Talia Rosen and Jason Matthews. The conversation explores various aspects of board game design, including the importance of accurate game ...
Jay Cormier makes awesome games out of awesome comics—Tabletop Throwdown S1E15
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn and Dan Hinken welcome Jay Cormier, a game designer and founder of Off The Page Games. They discuss Jay's journey in game design, the development of the Mind Management game, and how comic books ...
Ammon Anderson talks Gnome Hollow, Twinkle, Twinkle, and Space Potato?—Tabletop Throwdown S1E13
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn, Mark Julian, and guest Ammon Anderson discuss their recent gaming experiences, including a charity event for children's hospitals, the success of Ammon's game Gnome Hollow, and the upcoming rele...
Sean Brown on Mr B, Mayfair, and making old games new again—Tabletop Throwdown S1E13
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn and James Van Tonningen chat with Sean Brown, the head of Mayfair Games, discussing the relaunch of the brand and their latest Kickstarter project, Empire Builder: Europe. They explore the succes...
Christian Hoffer joins us to talk about corp vs. community in the D&D world—Tabletop Throwdown S1E10
In this episode of Tabletop Throwdown, Mike Dunn and Steven Starkey speak with Christian Hoffer, a prominent voice in the Dungeons & Dragons community. They discuss Hoffer’s journey from writing about comics to becoming a key figure in tabl...
Gen Con 2024 Preview! — Season 1 Episode 11
We're back and about to go to Gen Con! Join us as we talk about games we are excited about seeing at Gen Con this year, and tease a bit about what else we are doing! Games we are looking forward to:Gnome Hollow...
Game durations on the box: why are they so wrong?—Tabletop Throwdown S1E10
Game durations on the side of the box- who comes up with those? Why do they always seem wildly inaccurate? What is the point? We talk with five luminary game designers and ask them those questions and more on this week's episode. There are defi...
Kinfire Council is a game for the BGG crowd—Tabletop Throwdown S1E9
Incredible Dream has been publishing hit game after hit game since their co-operative adventure Kinfire Chronicles, with long-time game designer and Fantasy Flight Games vet Kevin Wilson at the helm. James and Mike got to chat recently with Kev...
When a convention is actually a tribal gathering- Tabletop Throwdown S1E8
Mike finally recounts his magical trip to Lake Geneva, WI, where he attended Gary Con XVI, kicking off the fiftieth year of Dungeons & Dragons with current and past designers, artists, and luminaries of the game. Luke Gygax explains how Gar...
The games of GAMA Expo 2024-Tabletop Throwdown S1E7
We saw a lot of great games at GAMA Expo last month, and we’ve got a few quick looks at some of them on today’s podcast! In addition to several new games that we saw for the first time, we got a few updates on some that we’ve been tracking sinc...
Let's get more games in libraries & schools with GameRT & Tabletop Alliance-Tabletop Throwdown S1E6
Tabletop gaming has blown up in recent years, and thanks to organizations like Games & Gaming Roundtable (GameRT) and Tabletop Alliance bringing games and game awareness into libraries and schools, that awareness is growing! We chat with Ge...
TTRPG ALERT: Coriolis is BACK!—Tabletop Throwdown S1E4
This week we chat with Nils Karlén (ALIEN RPG, Blade Runner RPG) and Kosta Kostulas (Coriolis — The Third Horizon, Mutant: Year Zero) about a new installment to the dark sci-fi TTRPG universe of Coriolis — The Third Horizon that just hit Kickst...
