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.

Tabletop Throwdown is a leisure podcast hosted by GamingTrend, with 29 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 81. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

GamingTrend hosts Tabletop Throwdown, a leisure show with 29 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #10

  History-onics with Jason Matthews | TTT S2E10

  Aug 7, 20261h 26mS2

  Send us Fan Mail 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 a genre, and almost managed to not dip into politics (hey, it isn't much! promise!) Oh, and there is a GIANT Twilight Struggle he's bringing to cons these days... #twilightstruggle #historicalgames #anniversary 0:00 Cold Open: Star Wars Kids & Historical Games 1:02 Welcome to the Tabletop Throwdown 2:55 The Giant Magnetic Twilight Struggle 4:09 Building the First Prototype (Craft Foam & All) 6:41 Balancing Politics, Civility & the Gaming Table 11:14 Patriotism, the Smithsonian & America 250 15:08 The 50-Year Lens: Why History Needs Distance 21:43 Twilight Struggle as an Educational Tool 27:01 Growing Up in Cold War West Berlin 31:25 The 20th Anniversary: Revisiting Your Own Design 34:22 The Card-Driven Brilliance of Twilight Struggle 37:44 What Would You Tell Your Past Self? 39:31 The Alan Moon Story: How Twilight Struggle Took Off 44:05 Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey & Nerd Culture 46:16 Handling Historical Accuracy & Political Bias 50:47 Fort Circle Games & Paying It Forward 53:13 Votes for Women & The Evolution of Historical Gaming 58:04 Throwdown Question 1:03:57 Diplomacy, Acquire & The Games That Shaped Us 1:13:28 Star Wars Top 3: Ewoks, Andor & Rogue One 1:22:04 Anniversary Edition Details & Wrapping Up Subscribe for more gaming and gaming culture content: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingTrendVideos Need more? Head on over to https://gamingtrend.com Subscribe to our weekly round-up newsletters: https://gamingtrend.com/#/portal/signup/free Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gamingtrend.com Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/gamingtrend Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GamingTrend/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealgamingtrend/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/gamingtrend Discord: https://discord.gg/T8jNjYP

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  Episode #9

  Hues & boops with game designer Scott Brady | TTTS2E9

  Jul 16, 20261h 12mS2

  Send us Fan Mail 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't keep Hues & Cues from becoming a smash hit! Hear the origins of the thinky cat game boop. and it's many spin-offs. Marvel at Scott's wall of components! #boop #gamedesign #huesandcues 0:00 - Intro & Welcome Scott Brady 2:00 - The Prototype Piece Wall: Scott's Game Design Workshop 5:00 - How Scott Got Into Game Design: From Mom Blog to Tabletop 10:00 - Pantone the Game & Why IP Matters in Design 15:00 - Hues & Cues Origin: Publishing During COVID 20:00 - Mass Market Success: Target, Walmart & 13 Languages 24:00 - Designing for the Social Experience, Not Just Mechanics 26:30 - Failed Prototypes: Pacifier Mouthpieces & COVID's Impact 29:00 - Collaboration in Game Design: Caution Signs & Out of Words 32:00 - Boop Origin: The Shockwave Mechanic No One Had Done 37:00 - Gekitai to Boop: Naming, Theming & Smirk & Dagger 42:00 - National Boop Tournaments & Hearing "Boop" Across the Hall 45:00 - Boop Shuffle: Shared Deck Design & Board Visualization 51:00 - Scott's Boop Shuffle + Mike's Boop Variant (Boop Shuffle Boop) 54:00 - Star Wars vs. Star Trek: Scott's Top 3 58:00 - Deep Space Nine, Farscape & the Monetization of Meanness 1:03:00 - Kevin Sussman, Big Bang Theory & Why Nerds Are Now Cool 1:08:00 - Outro & Where to Find Scott at Gen Con Subscribe for more gaming and gaming culture content: 🔴 https://www.youtube.com/@GamingTrendVideos Need more? 🌐 Head on over to https://gamingtrend.com 📈 Subscribe to our weekly round-up newsletters: https://gamingtrend.com/#/portal/signup/free Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gamingtrend.com Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/gamingtrend Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GamingTrend/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealgamingtrend/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/gamingtrend Discord: https://discord.gg/T8jNjYP

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  Episode #8

  So how was Origins? Come for the games, stay for the controversy! | TTT S2E8

  Jun 30, 20261h 26mS2

  Send us Fan Mail 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 the show, and hang on for some spicy hot takes on the awards show and the event in general. Subscribe for more gaming and gaming culture content: 🔴 https://www.youtube.com/@GamingTrendVideos Need more? 🌐 Head on over to https://gamingtrend.com 📈 Subscribe to our weekly round-up newsletters: https://gamingtrend.com/#/portal/signup/free Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gamingtrend.com Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/gamingtrend Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GamingTrend/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealgamingtrend/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/gamingtrend Discord: https://discord.gg/T8jNjYP

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  Episode #7

  Travis Reynolds: From King of Queen to Lord of Eagle-Gryphon

  Jun 9, 20261h 29mS2

  <p>Send us Fan Mail</p><p>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, becoming close friends in spite of the distance between them. Travis goes on to tell tales of working with designers such as Vital Lacerda and Stefan Feld. Also, watch/listen as Mike in his utter sportsball ignorance almost confuses the United Kingdom for University of Kentucky.</p><p>Subscribe for more gaming...

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  Episode #6

  Gamersgiving's Dustin Hatchett and the four corners of Colorado boardgaming | TTT S2E6

  May 12, 20261h 23mS2

  <p>Send us Fan Mail</p><p>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 boardgaming as they discuss the important work Gamersgiving is doing, convention memories, and more!<br/><br/>GamersGiving: https://www.gamersgiving.org/<br/>SpringGiving: https://www.gamersgiving.org/springgiving<br/>Remembering Jodi Black: https://shop.peginc.com/pages/jodi-black<br/><br/>Chapters<br/>00:00 Introduction to Gamersgiving and the Hosts<br/>09:09 The Colorado Gaming Scene and Its Growth<br/>14:12...

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