Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Great Big Table Podcast - Episode 009 - Growing Your Game Night Community

In this return episode of the Great Big Table Podcast, Adrienne and Jim talk about some of the things that they have learned while running a successful community game night for the past seven years. We discuss what it means to be in community around the gaming table and some things that might help you expand the role of gaming in your wider community.

Some of the games we mention in this episode include:
Topiary
Cardline: Animals
Fauna


Download the episode: GBT-EP009-Growing-Your-Game-Night-Community-Final.mp3


Subscribe to the podcast: via RSS
Subscribe to the podcast: via iTunes


Send us an Email: podcast@greatbigtable.com
Follow us on Twitter: Jim: @greatbigtable
                                 Adrienne: @babytoolkit

Leave us a voicemail: (401) It is big or (401) 484-7244


This episode of the Great Big Table is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 3.0 license.


The My favorite game console is a table and chairs image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license by Daniel Solis. If you like the image, head over to Daniel's blog, danielsolis.com, and buy the t-shirt. If you buy a t-shirt, tell Daniel that the Great Big Table podcast sent you. Daniel has an amazing blog with many interesting thoughts about gaming. Check it out.


***Great Big Table is a late-night conversation between two Midwestern geeks with dreams of world domination through board games. It's not a great plan, but it's our plan and we're sticking to it. Join as we plot to put a meeple in every pot- or at least on every table. We slipped the bonds of our robot masters, so the only opinions represented here are our own. We are however in league with Amazon, so a percentage of every purchase made through our links goes into our onshore accounts (thanks!). Some games have been provided by publishers for review while we picked up others for a buck or two at a thrift store or yard sale. Others are from our own collections or games we played with friends and strangers. You should be proud of yourself for reading all this small print- we are!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Great Big Table Talk: North Star Games Public Relations Director and Head of Specialty Accounts Luke Warren at Gen Con 2014

I've been able to finally resurrect the rest of the audio interviews that Adrienne and I conducted at Gen Con 2014. I really enjoyed some of the insights that the publishers gave into the growth of the industry and how to be good advocates for the hobby.

A case in point is this great interview with Luke Warren, the Public Relations Director for North Star Games. Luke gave us an overview of the games that North Star Games currently has out including its first foray into a the full on strategy game side of the board games market. Luke also gave some insight as to why North Star Games was venturing into this space as well as offering some ideas on why games like Ticket to Ride, by Days of Wonder, and North Star Games' own Wits and Wagers are good games to use to introduce people into our hobby.

The North Star Games titles that we mentioned or discussed in this episode include:

Evolution
Happy Birthday
Crappy Birthday
Wits and Wagers
Wits and Wagers Party
Clubs
 

Download the episode: GBT-EPGEN14-4-North-Star-Games.mp3


Subscribe to the podcast: via RSS
Subscribe to the podcast: via iTunes

Send us an Email: podcast@greatbigtable.com
Follow us on Twitter: @greatbigtable
Leave us a voicemail: (401) It is big or (401) 484-7244


This episode of the Great Big Table is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 3.0 license.


The My favorite game console is a table and chairs image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license by Daniel Solis. If you like the image, head over to Daniel's blog, danielsolis.com, and buy the t-shirt. If you buy a t-shirt, tell Daniel that the Great Big Table podcast sent you. Daniel has an amazing blog with many interesting thoughts about gaming. Check it out.


***Great Big Table is a late-night conversation between two Midwestern geeks with dreams of world domination through board games. It's not a great plan, but it's our plan and we're sticking to it. Join as we plot to put a meeple in every pot- or at least on every table. We slipped the bonds of our robot masters, so the only opinions represented here are our own. We are however in league with Amazon, so a percentage of every purchase made through our links goes into our onshore accounts (thanks!). Some games have been provided by publishers for review while we picked up others for a buck or two at a thrift store or yard sale. Others are from our own collections or games we played with friends and strangers. You should be proud of yourself for reading all this small print- we are!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Great Big Table Talk: R&R Games President and CEO Frank DiLorenzo at Gen Con 2014

At Gen Con, we were very fortunate to spend some time with game publishers and designers.

In another of those Gen Con conversations, we spoke with R&R Games' President and CEO, Frank DiLorenzo. R&R Games is known for great gateway games, popular party games (like the Times Up series), and heavier strategy games like Coal Baron and New Haven. They are also the publisher of 2013 Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) winner, Hanabi. We spent some time talking about a wide swath of games offered by R&R Games and had a great time.

The R&R Games titles that we mentioned or discussed in this episode include:
Times Up

Get a Life
Guess the Mess (Board Game Geek Link)
Strike a Pose
Hearts of Attraction
Plucking Pairs
Hide and Seek Safari
Flea Circus
Spectaculum

Igor: The Monster Making Game
Igor: The Life of the Party
Hanabi
R&R Games' version of Deluxe Hanabi - Coming in October
Coal Baron
New Haven
Qin
Home Stretch
1st & Goal



Download the episode: GBT-EPGEN14-3-RnR-Games.mp3


Subscribe to the podcast: via RSS
Subscribe to the podcast: via iTunes

Send us an Email: podcast@greatbigtable.com
Follow us on Twitter: @greatbigtable
Leave us a voicemail: (401) It is big or (401) 484-7244


This episode of the Great Big Table is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 3.0 license.


The My favorite game console is a table and chairs image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license by Daniel Solis. If you like the image, head over to Daniel's blog, danielsolis.com, and buy the t-shirt. If you buy a t-shirt, tell Daniel that the Great Big Table podcast sent you. Daniel has an amazing blog with many interesting thoughts about gaming. Check it out.


***Great Big Table is a late-night conversation between two Midwestern geeks with dreams of world domination through board games. It's not a great plan, but it's our plan and we're sticking to it. Join as we plot to put a meeple in every pot- or at least on every table. We slipped the bonds of our robot masters, so the only opinions represented here are our own. We are however in league with Amazon, so a percentage of every purchase made through our links goes into our onshore accounts (thanks!). Some games have been provided by publishers for review while we picked up others for a buck or two at a thrift store or yard sale. Others are from our own collections or games we played with friends and strangers. You should be proud of yourself for reading all this small print- we are!

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Great Big Table Talk: Mindtwister USA National Marketing Director Jesse Den Herder at Gen Con 2014

At Gen Con, we were very fortunate to spend some time with game publishers and designers.

In the second of those conversations, we spoke with Mindtwister USA's National Marketing Director, Jesse Den Herder. Mindtwister is probably best known for its beautifully crafted, five-in-a-row, abstract game, Pentago. We had a great time talking with Jesse about some of Mindtwister's games and really enjoyed hearing his ideas about the possible demographic roots to the recent surge in the popularity of board games.

The Mindtwister USA games that we discussed in this episode include:
Fandooble
Pentago LE
Pentago CE (with travel case)
Pentago (classic wooden design)
Pentago multi player


Download the episode: GBT-EPGEN14-2-MindTwister-USA.mp3


Subscribe to the podcast: via RSS
Subscribe to the podcast: via iTunes

Send us an Email: podcast@greatbigtable.com
Follow us on Twitter: @greatbigtable
Leave us a voicemail: (401) It is big or (401) 484-7244


This episode of the Great Big Table is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 3.0 license.


The My favorite game console is a table and chairs image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license by Daniel Solis. If you like the image, head over to Daniel's blog, danielsolis.com, and buy the t-shirt. If you buy a t-shirt, tell Daniel that the Great Big Table podcast sent you. Daniel has an amazing blog with many interesting thoughts about gaming. Check it out.


***Great Big Table is a late-night conversation between two Midwestern geeks with dreams of world domination through board games. It's not a great plan, but it's our plan and we're sticking to it. Join as we plot to put a meeple in every pot- or at least on every table. We slipped the bonds of our robot masters, so the only opinions represented here are our own. We are however in league with Amazon, so a percentage of every purchase made through our links goes into our onshore accounts (thanks!). Some games have been provided by publishers for review while we picked up others for a buck or two at a thrift store or yard sale. Others are from our own collections or games we played with friends and strangers. You should be proud of yourself for reading all this small print- we are!

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Great Big Table Talk: HABA USA President Lea Culliton at Gen Con 2014

At Gen Con, we were very fortunate to spend some time with game publishers and designers.

In the first of those conversations, we meet HABA USA President Lea Culliton. This year's Gen Con is HABA USA's first time as an exhibitor. We were delighted to see this iconic family and children's game publisher joining the Family Pavillion.

Join us as we discuss some of the newest games in HABA USA's lineup.

The HABA games that we discussed in this episode include:


Shiver-stone Castle
Animal Upon Animal
My Very First Games: Animal Upon Animal
Animal Upon Animal: Small and Yet Great! (Travel game)
Pizzeria Allegro (Link to HABA USA)
Pirate’s Blast 
My Very First Games: Feeling and Touching 
My Very First Games: First Orchard 
Dancing Eggs 
Plucky Pilots

A surprise hit for HABA USA at Gen Con, that we actually didn't cover in our interview with Lea, was Rhino Hero. Rhino Hero is a dexterity game where you build a skyscraper out of cards while moving a rhinoceros superhero up the levels. You are trying to be the player with the fewest cards left in your hand when the whole thing comes tumbling down. Jim has played this in public on a couple of occasions now and it always garners a lot of interest. (Board Game Geek link

Download the episode: GBT-EPGEN14-1-Haba-USA.mp3


Subscribe to the podcast: via RSS
Subscribe to the podcast: via iTunes


Send us an Email: podcast@greatbigtable.com
Follow us on Twitter: @greatbigtable
Leave us a voicemail: (401) It is big or (401) 484-7244


This episode of the Great Big Table is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 3.0 license.


The My favorite game console is a table and chairs image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license by Daniel Solis. If you like the image, head over to Daniel's blog, danielsolis.com, and buy the t-shirt. If you buy a t-shirt, tell Daniel that the Great Big Table podcast sent you. Daniel has an amazing blog with many interesting thoughts about gaming. Check it out.


***Great Big Table is a late-night conversation between two Midwestern geeks with dreams of world domination through board games. It's not a great plan, but it's our plan and we're sticking to it. Join as we plot to put a meeple in every pot- or at least on every table. We slipped the bonds of our robot masters, so the only opinions represented here are our own. We are however in league with Amazon, so a percentage of every purchase made through our links goes into our onshore accounts (thanks!). Some games have been provided by publishers for review while we picked up others for a buck or two at a thrift store or yard sale. Others are from our own collections or games we played with friends and strangers. You should be proud of yourself for reading all this small print- we are!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Gen Con 2014: Gaming For Good

Come chat with us about charitable gaming during Gen Con 2014 in beautiful Indianapolis! There are only 9(!) tickets left [out of 50, I'm as surprised as you are], so reserve yours today.

Gaming for Good: An Insider's Guide to Playing Games for Charity  [SEM1459505]
Friday, August 15   10 AM
Crowne Plaza : Pennsylvania Stn C
Turn your gaming hobby into a force for good. Veteran charity gaming event organizers share their secrets for joining, organizing, promoting & hosting successful fundraisers.
Panelists will include Jim & Adrienne Jones, organizers of an Extra Life weekend for Riley Children's Hospital, Dan Patriss, organizer of Gamers for Cures, and Jamey Stegmaier, co-founder of Stonemaier Games. [We regret that Bill Corey, Gaming Hoopla organizer, is unable to attend this Gen Con.]
You know how much we love Gen Con from the podcast, but you may not know about their great partnerships with Indiana charities.

Gen Con, though housed in Seattle, is a great community partner with Indianapolis. Each year Gen Con and its attendees support a local non-profit in the Circle City.  This year's charity partner is Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana which "serves more than 350 hunger relief agencies and 250 schools throughout 21 counties in central and southeastern Indiana, providing emergency food and grocery products to thousands of Hoosiers in need."[Gen Con]

Very specifically, the money will go to the BackSacks program which "provides healthy food for school children over the weekend. BackSacks serves over 10,000 children at 230 schools in 21 Indiana counties." [Gen Con]

These generous efforts will help feed kids in urban, suburban, and rural communities. As Hoosiers, we thank Gen Con and its attendees for their consistent attentions to the needs of Hoosier families, especially Indiana's kids in need.

We've talked about the family experience at Gen Con on Baby Toolkit, so swing by if you want to take an AMAZING family gaming vacation this August!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Upcoming Show Topic: Gaming on a Budget


The next episode of the Great Big Table podcast (http://greatbigtable.com) will be all about gaming on a budget. Once you've been infected by a deep seated love for board games, you've probably also quickly become aware of how expensive a hobby it can be.

Let's face it, while board gaming is gaining in popularity, with more gamers coming to the table every day, most games are still printed in boutique level batches. A popular game may only have ten thousand copies printed across it's lifetime. There's no economy of scale to help keep the prices down. Add to that the cost of shipping lately and you start to see why games can cost a pretty penny.

So, what's a new or renewed board gamer to do?

How do you get into hobby board gaming without breaking the bank?

What tips have worked for you to help you spend your gaming dollar wisely and get the most bang for your gaming buck?

We've said from the beginning that Great Big Table is a conversation about expanding the board game hobby. Luckily our listeners have stepped up to the table and helped to keep up their side of the conversation.

If you'd like to share some of your tips, post them below. If you post a comment in this thread, we may read it on the show.

Don't want to post a comment? Great, give us a call and leave a voicemail message that's less than three minute's long.

Our phone number is (401) IT IS BIG or (401) 484-7244.

You have more to say than will fit in a three minute voicemail, send us an MP3 audio file that's 5 MB or less in size to podcast@greatbigtable.com and we may use all or part of it in the show.

If you don't like the sound of your voice or don't trust our editing skills, send us an email to podcast@greatbigtable.com and we may read all or part of it in the show.

Thanks.

Jim Jones
co-host, Great Big Table podcast