Happy Mitten Podcast: Board games, business, and...

In this episode… Happy Mitten is joined by creative game designer, family man, and all around great guy, Matt Worden. Happy Mitten and Matt share some exciting news. Introduction We welcome you all to the Happy Mitten Podcast, proud member of the Dice Tower Network, and reveal ground-breaking news with the help of our guest, Matt Worden. Feature: -Who is Matt Worden and what does he have going on in his life right now? -Matt explains his game design process, detailing how his idea’s typically start and what keeps him motivated to see those ideas through to completion. -Matt describes the types of individuals that would buy a game of his. -What exactly makes boardgames so special to Matt? -Matt explains his experiences designing both tabletop games and computer games, detailing the differences between his creative process when creating one or the other. -How does Matt prefer to tackle projects? Is he happy with his current work method? Helpful Tips Get an idea and see it through to completion. Hear about Matt’s reason for selecting this often “easier said than done” tip. Company Updates -WE’VE SIGNED OUR FIRST GAME!! WOOHOO! We’re dedicated to making the game the best it can be and we are very excited for the coming months. -Even though we’ve signed Matt, we’re still working through a few prototypes. Ideally we’d like to have 2 to 3 games on our starting lineup. -Jeff will be at UConn in Ann Arbor Michigan on Saturday Nov 23. Find him to say hi, pitch a game, or playtest ours. -As always, don’t forget to sign up for the mailing list for exclusive content and updates!

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by Boyan “Bo” Radakovich, a producer of Geek & Sundry’s popular web series Tabletop, Creative Director of Gamesmith, and Origins award nominated game designer. Boyan discusses his experience as a producer for Tabletop and how that opportunity came about, explains what makes a game stand out using a rather hilarious analogy, and reveals what he feels is the most important thing to keep in mind in your professional life. Hear about the episode of Tabletop that almost never happened, and the takeaways that Boyan has learned from his involvement in Gamesmith. Introduction We welcome you to our fifteenth show, introduce you to Boyan, and discuss some of our recent favorite games. Feature: -Who is Boyan Radakovich? -What does Boyan’s involvement in Tabletop entail and what has he learned throughout the process of working on such a successful show? -What does Boyan look for in a game to be featured on Tabletop? -What is Gamesmith and what makes the company unique? -Boyan discusses his experience as a researcher in cognitive neuroscience. What exactly is the science behind the minds experience during a board game? Helpful Tips “Follow your passion.” Listen to Boyan’s simple advice and learn why he personifies his own advice perfectly. Company Updates -The Happy Mitten Podcast has officially joined the Dice Tower Network! We are very proud to be among such a great group of fellow podcasters. -Make sure to sign up for our mailing list for a “behind the scenes” look at Happy Mitten and fun videos.

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle discuss various tabletop game mechanics and popular gaming terms in this back to the basics podcast. Mechanics discussed include: area control, co-operative play, auction/bidding, deck building, hand-management, racing, press your luck, card drafting, tile placement, and set collection. More importantly, we discuss some of our favorite games that utilize each mechanic. If you are new to the hobby of tabletop gaming, or new to thinking about games in relation to their primary game mechanic, you may discover something you enjoy in this week's episode! Introduction We welcome you to our fourteenth show and get right into discussing game mechanics. Feature: - Most of the conversation was spent discussing popular tabletop game mechanics and a few other board game terms that we find ourselves using often. - The three of us discuss what game mechanics are our personal favorites and what our favorite games in each category are. Helpful Tips Through out this podcast we mention quite a few games that have given us an incredible amount of enjoyment since we discovered them and decided to pick them up. All of these games would be worth checking out if you are unfamiliar with them. All links to the games included in the bottom of this post! Company Updates We have officially put an end to the accepting of game submissions on our website. Big thanks for the submissions that we did receive and we are working on giving everyone a response in the coming months as our focus shifts to giving each game a proper evaluation. We hint at a secret regarding the Happy Mitten Podcast. Hint: It will be revealed by the time this posts, so it likely won’t take long for you to find out. For those of you still interested in knowing a secret, Kyle once walked all the way to work with his fly down.

Happy Mitten Podcast: Board games, business, & the GrandCon recap In this episode… Leandra was able to interview a wide variety of the cool and talented individuals that made up the Grand Con conventions including: Colby (Plaid Hat Games) Chris (Greater than Games) Rob and Jason (Building the Game) Frank (R&R Games) Nick (Floating Island Studios) Tim (Capstan Comics) (End Times) Lynnae (Passport Game Studios) John (Arcane Wonders) Jeremiah (Zombie in my Pocket) Jae (Float a Goat Games) Bobby (GTS Distribution) Jeff (Out of the Box Games) Tony and Matt (Drunk on Comics) Introduction Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle talk about what their experience at Grand Con was like, what they enjoyed the most, and who they got to speak with about board games! Feature: Leandra’s quick and sweet interviews with Game Designers, Publishers, Graphic Novelists, Artists, a mere handful of the individuals present at Grand Rapids first ever board game convention. Questions include: How has their Grand Con experience been so far? What brings them to Grand Con? What are the perks of going to a smaller convention as opposed to a larger convention? What was their favorite part of Grand Con? Will they be back in 2014? What are their future projects going to be and where can people find you? Company Updates We are no longer accepting submissions on our site. Thank all of you for submitting your game. We will be spending the coming months properly evaluating each submission.

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by Chris Kirkman, founder of Dice Hate Me Games, host of the State of the Games Podcast, and publisher of "Belle of the Ball," by Daniel Solis! Chris discusses why he felt starting Dice Hate Me games was an endeavor he wanted to partake in, and what he did to prepare for the launch of DHM. Hear about how Chris knows a game is right for Dice Hate Me, and what game features he likes to see. Learn about Belle of the Belle, Dice Hate Me's already funded, yet still in progress Kickstarter, get the inside scoop on how he has been consistently successful! Introduction We welcome you to our twelfth show and let Chris talk a little about the timeline for starting Dice Hate Me. Feature: Chris Kirkman Interview What has been Chris' favorite project so far and why? Having a background in graphic design, Chris shares advice on how publishers and self-publishers can handle the art and layout of their games? Common mistakes included. How has the State of the Games podcast evolved over time? What impact has State of the Games had on building the Dice Hate Me community and generating interest? Dicehateme.com has plenty of great content, what goes into generating that content and how many people are involved? Helpful Tips Having experience as a graphic designer, Chris shares some good advice over how important and involved the graphic design process can be. Mistakes can be costly. Company Updates Due to the amount of submissions we have been receiving, we are no longer accepting new game submissions. Thank all of you who have taken the time to submit their game to Happy Mitten! We are doing a PRIZE drawing for all of our email subscribers, make sure you sign up before the window closes on September 13th. We will be at Grand Con on September 13th, it will be our first convention as a publisher! We are very excited, hope to see you there!

In this episode… We change it up and Jeff hosts the podcast solo, recapping many of the interesting meetings and inside information he experienced while he was there. Introduction Well to the Gen Con 2013 recap with your host Jeff Large! Feature: Jeff spoke with many amazing people in the board game game industry. However, about half of his interviews either were never recorded or got deleted in-between Gen Con and home. With that in mind, the podcast is a mixture of interviews recorded live at Gen Con and retellings of the meetings had. People mentioned and interviewed in the podcast include: Matt Riddle, designer Colby Dauch, Plaid Hat Games JT Smith and Tavis Parker, The Game Crafter Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone, Stonemaier Games Randy Hoyt, Foxtrot TC Petty the 3rd, deisigner Chris Kirkman, Dice Hate Me Ben Rosset, designer Bryan Fischer, Nevermore Patrick Nickell, Crash Games Michael Coe, Gamelyn Games Mark Specter and Brian Lenz, Grand Con Grant Rodiek, designer Jeff King and Jordan Stienoff, All Us Geeks podcast And more! Helpful Tips No helpful tips were included in the podcast but check out Jeff’s blog on the highlights and takeaways of what gained from Gen Con 2013. Company Updates If you sign up for our mailing list you will be automatically be entered into a contest for some free board game promos and goodies. Times running out so sign up now!

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by Bryan Fischer of Nevermore Games who discusses his experience co-founding Nevermore Games and launching two successful Kickstarter Campaigns. Bryan reveals what social media platform has done the most for building and informing the Nevermore Games audience, as well as his thoughts on the marketing of the board game industry as a whole. Hear all about their hit games, Chicken Caesar and Mars Needs Mechanics, and discover why "Nevermore Games" is a perfect name for their company. Introduction We welcome you to our tenth show and discuss what's been going on in our life related to games. Feature: Feature: Bryan Fischer Interview Bryan Fischer talks about who he is as a person and goes into detail about the formation of Nevermore Games. Having experience in advertising and marketing, learn what Bryan is doing to make sure Nevermore games reaches its target audience and stands out among other designers and publishers. What social media platforms have done the best job at building and informing the Nevermore audience? Outside of social media, what are the third party websites that have done a lot in terms of getting the word out there about Nevermore games? In light of the recent events with “The Doom that came to Atlantic City, a lot of focus has been placed on the costs of making a game and running a company. On average, how much time and money has Bryan and his partners put into their company and each of their games? Helpful Tips Hear about the important elements of a board game that Bryan feels get neglected if a designer is too careful during their creative process. Company Updates We just ordered some shirts for the three of us to wear at conventions. We're pretty pleased with how they turned out. Additionally we ordered some promotional buttons to pass out at GenCon and future conventions. Check the site for new blogs and podcast episodes. We are posting new content weekly. Jeff will be at Gencon with the Grand Gaming Academy. That's this week guys, BE ON THE LOOKOUT!

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by JT Smith of The Game Crafter who tells the story of how The Game Crafter was formed and why every gamer could use a company like them. One of the aspects of The Game Crafter that took us by surprise, is how much work was put into its software behind the scenes. JT goes into detail with what he and his two other business partners do at The Game Crafter and how they have been handling their increasing popularity. Hear about their plans on growing and the incredible feature JT would like to incorporate into The Game Crafter someday. Introduction We welcome you to our ninth show and discuss what's been going on in our life related to games. Feature: JT Smith Interview Who is JT Smith and what is his background in gaming? What is The Game Crafter and why do we need a company like it? How was The Game Crafter formed and what is JT’s role in the company? How does The Game Crafter fit in the current board game industry? Has it progressed as JT thought it would? How can someone get their game on TGC? What requirements do designers need to fulfill before adding their game to their site? How many games can they have in their roster at once? Helpful Tips When JT first developed his board game “Merc,” it took over six hours to play! Hear JT’s advice on how he scaled and polished his game down to an hour of stellar game play. Find his game on The Game Crafter this week!

In this bonus episode… As a thank you for helping us reach 100 Twitter followers, the Happy Mitten crew put together this episode for your delight! It’s made up of random outtakes and microphone checks from the first five episodes including snippets from our interviews with Jamey Stegmaier, Grant Rodiek and Daniel Solis. We hope you enjoy the short behind the scenes look at the podcast and again, thank you for your support! -HMG

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by Cardboard Edison, consisting of game designers Christopher and Suzanne . Their website, Cardboard Edison, is an accumulation of tips and resources gathered from around the web, designed specifically for board game inventors. Cardboard Edison has turned into an incredible resource for anyone interested in learning more about the board game industry. Chris and Suzanne discuss what Cardboard Edison is, how it began, and what the inspiration behind their creation was. Hear about how Cardboard Edison plans to evolve over time, and about Cardboard Edison’s debut samurai game, Tessen. Introduction We welcome you to our eighth show and discuss what's been going on in our life related to games. Feature: Cardboard Edison Interview Hear everything you need to know about what Cardboard Edison is, and how it can help you. When creating a great resource like Cardboard Edison, how influential is the game design community to the sites growth and effectiveness? Why did they name their site Cardboard Edison? Hear a little about their debut game Tessen, including the story behind how it almost never came to be. If you haven't checked out the art for Tessen, make sure to give it a look, it’s great. What was the inspiration behind the art for Tessen, and why did they decide to change the art when they originally had some pretty nice art to begin with. Learn about the other games Cardboard Edison is working on, as well as a live, on-air playtest of one of their party games in the works! Helpful Tips Cardboard Edison has gathered plenty of their resources and networked with all kinds of individuals at various gaming conventions. Gaming conventions are a great opportunity to meet some fantastic people. Hear how C.E. does it! Company Updates A big thanks for the submissions we have been receiving! We are still accepting possible games! Jeff talks a little more on his time at Protospiel. Check the site for new blogs and podcast episodes. We are posting new content weekly.

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by game and graphic designer, Chevee Dodd who discusses his feelings on how a game designer should court a board game publisher. Does Chevee feel the conversation should be focused more on the game, the designer as a person, or their feelings toward the company they’re courting? Should a designer remain firm on their creative vision, or is it better to be flexible? These questions are answered as Chevee reveals the methods of game design that have lead him to success and shares some of his fantastic time management tips for game designers. Hear about the impact joining the Marines and having two daughters has had on both Cheeve’s life, and his profession as a game designer. Additionally, Chevee discusses the evolution of his blog, CheveeDodd.com! Introduction We welcome you to our seventh show and discuss what's been going on in our life related to games Feature: Chevee Dodd Interview Who is Chevee Dodd, and how did he get such a cool name? When did Chevee get into gaming/ designing? How should a game designer go about courting game publishers in person? What impact has having two daughters had on Chevee’s game design? What can you expect to see on Chevees blog, CheveeDodd.com? Also covered some questions from Twitter. Helpful Tips Rapid Prototyping. Hear about some methods Chevee has adopted to better manage his time as a game designer. Don’t learn about these common game design mistakes the hard way! Company Updates Happy Mitten is still accepting game submissions! Check out the site for new blogs and podcast episodes. We will continue to post new content weekly. Jeff went to Protospiel and had an amazing time checking out the unpublished games and meeting some great people in the board game community.

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by Marc Specter, founder of the Grand Gaming Academy and Co-Founder of GrandCon, Grand Rapids first ever gaming and comics convention. Marc discusses what the Grand Gaming Academy is, as well as his ultimate goal with it. Marc talks about the various board game publishers involved with the Grand Gaming Academy such as, Tasty Minstrel, Dice Hate Me, Stronghold, and R&R games and what makes the GGA service special. Hear about some of the challenges the Grand Gaming Academy has taken on as well as a few hilarious memories from this year's Origins Game Convention! Introduction We welcome you to our sixth show and discuss what's been going on in our life related to games. Feature: Marc Specter Interview Marc tells us a little about himself and explains a little about the Grand Gaming Academy. Marc dives into some of the amazing people he has been able to work with through the Grand Gaming Academy and some of the tasks the GGA has undertaken. Marc, Kyle, and Leandra share their favorite memory from Origins 2013 and all have a good laugh. Marc’s involvement in the Grand Gaming Academy has him playing a TON of games. What kind of games does Marc like, and what elements of a board game does he find impressive? Helpful Tips Marc shares some great advice for those planning on attending a gaming convention. Company Updates Submissions are still being accepted. We want to thank everyone that has taken the time to send us their game. Thank you for your patience during this process. Look for Happy Mitten at Protospiel in Ann Arbor. Look for Jeff at GenCon, representing both Happy Mitten and the Grand Gaming Academy. Check the site for new blogs and podcast episodes. We are posting new content weekly.

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by Daniel Solis, designer of recent games that include Belle of the Ball, Koi Pond, and Suspense! Daniel discusses his brilliant game designing methods and why he chooses to be completely open with his game ideas. Hear about the dramatic evolution of Belle of the Ball (soon to be published by Dice Hate Me) and why he uses Drive Thru Cards to get his Zen-like card game, Koi Pond into your game collection. Learn about how he made the transition from part-time to full-time game designer, and get the inside scoop on his top-secret project currently in the works! Introduction We welcome you to our fifth show and discuss what's been going on in our life related to games. Feature: Daniel Solis Interview Daniel tells a little about himself. How is Daniel so productive and what does a typical day of his look like? What was Daniel’s inspiration for Koi Pond? The advantages of using a service such as Drive Thru Cards. Overview of Belle of the Ball. Was Belle of the Ball developed with a clear vision in mind from the start? What are a game designers options when they decide to get their game published? What makes Daniel’s game Suspense so...suspenseful? When creating a game, does Daniel think about the theme or its mechanics first? How does Daniel get his hair looking so nice?! Helpful Tips Regular white paper, a deck of cards from the dollar store, and a cheap package of card sleeves is a cheap and easy way to make a game prototype. Company Updates Another huge thanks for the submissions we’ve been receiving! We are still accepting prototypes! Kyle and Leandra had a fantastic time at Origins Game Convention with the Grand Gaming Academy! Big thanks to everyone for such a great time! Look for Happy Mitten at Protospiel in Ann Arbor next month. Check the site for new blogs and podcast episodes. We are posting new content weekly.

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by Grant Rodiek, designer of Farmageddon, Battle for York, and Blockade. Grant discusses his experience getting Farmegeddon published through the eyes of a game designer, his ambitious plans for the Farmageddon universe, and his thought process while he developed Battle for York and Blockade. Hear about what Grant values as a game designer, where he draws his inspiration from, and his adorable corgi, Peaches. Introduction We welcome you to our fourth show and discuss what's been going on in our life related to games. Feature: Grant Rodiek Interview What's one of Grants favorite games, and what elements of its design strike him as impressive? How does Grant choose a particular theme for his game? Grant explains what he means by "It's a designer's job to help players feel clever." Grant describes the balance between having a rough game idea and seeing it through to completion. What was Grant’s experience like getting Farmageddon published and as a game designer, what was his most difficult task? Details of where you can find his upcoming game that's sure to delight, "Battle for York." Helpful Tips Game-icons.net includes hundred of free icons that you can customize and include in your game. Pinterest is an underutilized resource for discovering artists. Company Updates A big thanks for the submissions we have been receiving! We are still accepting possible games! Kyle and Leandra prepare for Origins Game Convention and anticipate a great time! Check the site for new blogs and podcast episodes. We are posting new content weekly.

In this episode… Jeff, Leandra, and Kyle are joined by Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games who discusses his experience developing two successful board games. Jamey explains his innovative methods of creating a solid Kickstarter Campaign and reveals how he dealt with the unexpected variables that arose after the successful funding of his first board game project, "Viticulture." Hear about the creation and exciting game features of Jamey's second game, "Euphoria," currently on Kickstarter now! Introduction We welcome you to our third show and discuss what's been going on in our life related to games Feature: Jamey Stegmaier Interview Who is Jamey Stegmaier and what got him into the board game business? What were his Kickstarter experiences like and what's great about his current "Euphoria," Kickstarter campaign? Also discussed: What did Jamey learn from his first successful Kickstarter? What sets his new game Euphoria apart from other games? Lee and Jamey talked about their mutual love for The Office and the season finale. Helpful Tips If you have a little extra money, it is highly beneficial to get some rough sketches, especially done in black and white, drawn out while you play-test your game. Having as much art done, prior to the launch of your Kickstarter is ideal. This helps spruce up your Kickstarter project. DeviantArt.com is a great site to find freelance artists. Company Updates Thank you for the submissions! We are eager to get moving with a product and are still accepting possible games! Check the site for new blogs and podcast episodes. We are posting new content weekly. Jeff will not be at Origins, however Leandra and Kyle will and would love for you to say hi to them!