Here’s a list of all the episodes to date. If you click the links you’ll be taken to the expanded entry for that episode, complete with a more in-depth description of the contents and a further link to a direct download.
All Little Metal Dog Show episodes are also available on iTunes – thanks for listening, and don’t forget to leave a review!
The latest episode
Episode 80: Trust in the Realm! – This one’s a doozy! First of all, Darwin Kastle from White Wizard Games steps up to chat. Who? Well, just one of the guys behind one of the hottest games around at the moment: Star Realms. After pretty much taking over every square inch of space at Origins, he’s gearing up to do pretty much the same at Gen Con 2014; we talk design, Darwin and co.’s background (which is hardcore) and all the usual rambling you expect from one of my interviews. After that, I’m joined by friends of the show Jason Kotarski and Philip duBarry to discuss their latest game Fidelitas.
Previous Episodes
Episode 79: UKGE 2014 Part Two – Another pair of big names grace the hotseat on The Little Metal Dog Show, live from the show floor at the UK Games Expo (or the Esdevium stock room in one case)! First up, the Z Man himself, Zev Shlasinger comes on to talk about what’s happening in his world. We’ve been able to meet up a few times at Essen previously but this is the first time we’ve managed to sit down and talk about the company and the great games they’ve put out over the years. This is followed by a chat with Justin Ziran, the president of WizKids, who are hitting it out of the park with their latest release, Marvel Dice Masters.
Episode 78: After The Hiatus – Two of my favourite people come in to talk on the show this time around. First up, the glorious return of the naughty boy of gaming himself, Tony Boydell! With a brand new game under his belt (Ivor The Engine) we discuss the joys of creating things to play based on one of the mainstays of our childhoods and well as slip down many random mental alleyways. After that, quite a coup for the show: Fantasy Flight’s very own Christian Petersen. Designer of Twilight Imperium, owner of one of the biggest companies around… there’s quite a lot to cover!
Episode 77: Accessing the Agents! – Saar Shai, designer of The Agents (one of Kickstarter’s breakout games of 2013) joins me to discuss the terror of having a large amount of money hitting your bank account, commandeering parental homes as makeshift offices and the future of a world with no Agency. I also speak with Richard and Emily Gibbs of 64oz Games who are making your favourite titles blind accessible thanks to some very simple ideas.
Episode 76: Mice, Lemmings, Aliens and Gamblers – Scott Almes and I get together to shamelessly plug our new release through Sprocket Games, Of Mice and Lemmings! We also discuss his incredibly successful Tiny Epic Kingdoms and reveal a few secrets… Area 1851 designer Justin Blaske then drops by to talk about his love of Cowboys and Aliens, then the amazing James Ernest – one of the guys responsible of Lords of Vegas amongst many more titles! – discusses gambling and the best way to Kill Doctor Lucky.
Episode 75: The Dice Guild – Mat Hart and Rich Loxam have combined their skills to create a new tabletop sports / skirmish game, Guild Ball that is currently destroying all before it on Kickstarter. I’m also joined by the man in the big chair at Chessex, the worlds’ biggest manufacturer of dice, Don Reents, to discuss the company’s history, how hard it can be to innovate in that area and how Chessex stay vital.
Episode 74: 2013/2014 – Some high quality mulling this time around. First of all, two old men look back on a fine year (in other words, I talk with Tony Boydell, designer of Snowdonia and one of the finest people I know). Afterwards, I’m joined by my two writers on the site, Stuart and Emma, to cover the best and worst of the year.
Episode 73: More Space! More Ponies! – Joey Vigour is one of the guys behind Chaosmos, a game that is looking to take its place on the pantheon of classic space adventure games along with TI3 and Cosmic Encounter – but is it up to scratch? (Clue: Yes, yes it is) This is followed by a chat with Darrell Hardy, lead designer on the MLP CCG, as we get a bit more indepth with this new card game.
Episode 72: Friendship is Spacecraft – My Little Ponies clash head to head with Gravwell! Gail Tilden from Enterplay, makers of the brand new (and really good) MLP CCG, discusses how it came about and what we can expect from the game, then Corey Young and I discuss his excellent Gravwell, a game that’s been getting a lot of buzz from gamers I think a lot of.
Episode 71: Essen 2013 Day Two – Another selection of interviews from the show floor of the world’s biggest games show! This time you’ll hear from NSKN, Ludonaute, Blast City, Treefrog, Matagot, Ultra Pro, Grublin and many, many more!
Episode 70: Dreams of Gaming – Tiffany “TheOneTar” Ralph, games reviewer and videographer extraordinaire joins me to discuss getting people into the hobby, why everyone on earth should go to GenCon and what games she’d really like in her collection. Dreaming Spires designer Jeremy Hogan also comes along and reveals the story behind his new game based around the true history of Oxford University.
Episode 69: Essen 2013 Day One! – The doors open and the madness begins. This episode sees Michael speak with folks from Repos Production, The Rats In The Walls, Plaid Hat Games, Asynchron Games, Flatlined Games, North and South, Jamoma Games and dv Giochi. Prepare for talk of currywurst, the new 7 Wonders expansion, storytelling and much much more!
Episode 68: Essen 2013 Day Zero! – LMDS heads to Germany for the third year running to cover the world’s largest games fair. This episode, taken from the show floor the day before the door open has interviews with people from TF-22, Japon Brand, Ludicreations, Artipia Games, Z-Man Games (Zev himself actually), Granna, MAGE Company, R&R Games and Portal!
Episode 67: LMDS Nights – The filth and the fury makes its presence felt (in the most loveliest of ways) as Matt Loter from Prettiest Princess Games comes along to talk about Glamazons vs The Curse of the Chainmail Bikini and why women in games deserve proper armour! The occasional moment of salty language makes itself felt as The Little Metal Dog Show goes adult!
Episode 66: Codes and Keys – Leonard Boyd and David Brashaw of Backspindle Games return to reveal their two new games, the abstract strategy of Codinca and the dice rolling mayhem of Luchador, Mexican Wrestling Dice! I’m also joined by the excellent Mike Elliot, the dark mind behind Thunderstone, Quarriors, and the upcoming Sangoku…
Episode 65: Welcome to the Jungle! – Anthony Racano, leader of the Cardboard Jungle podcast and head of the newly formed Cardboard Studios, comes along to discuss the world of board game media as well as the highs and lows of GenCon 2013. Gamelyn Games’ own Michael Coe also appears to talk about his new Kickstarter release, Fantasy Frontier – exploration, resource management and airships, all in one fantastic package!
Episode 64: Lords of Darkness! – Martin Vaux brings Lords of War to the table, the first release from a new British company called Black Box Games. A simple (at first!) card based war/strategy game, it’s perfectly portable and splendid to play. We then start what will be the first in a series of interviews with the team behind an upcoming release: We Are Darkness. Our plan is to follow them through the whole production process, from initial design through to hopeful publication…
Episode 63: All A-Board! – Fleet designers Ben and Matt show up to talk about possibly the only game inspired by Dangerous Catch and their new expansion, Fleet: Arctic Bounty. The creative team behind new webseries Board With Life also appear to reveal the secrets behind making good comedy and who is most closely playing a fictionalised version of themselves.
Episode 62: Sweep the Board – Jason Kotarski comes along to talk about The Great Heartland Hauling Company and his partnership with our own Sprocket Games label for FrogFlip! The Spiel’s Stephen Conway also appears to discuss ancient card games, charitable works and terrible jackets…
Episode 61: Age Before Beauty – A triple interview show with Daniel Solis discussing everything from card layout to his new release through Dice Hate Me Games, Belle of the Ball! Brett Murrell, designer of the classic Duel of Ages, comes on to talk about the newly released second edition, and first-timer Matthew Dunstan reveals the story behind the new Days of Wonder release, Relic Runners.
Episode 60: Does Your Heart Go Boom? – Fablesmith’s Joost Das talks about Ortus, their new strategy game due for release at Essen 2013, while Patrick Nickell returns (briefly!) to plug the splendid Council of Verona. Finally, Two Rooms And A Boom co-designers Alan Gerding and Sean McCoy come along to discuss the future of party gaming…
Episode 59: Live from UK Games Expo 2013 – A whole bunch of speedy interviews from this year’s Games Expo at the Birmingham International Hilton!
Episode 58: Epic In Every Way – Sam Lamont and Beth Hughes, designers of Epic Death!, talk about their adventures in developing their first game. I’m also joined by the fantastic chaps from Flip The Table, the greatest podcast about the worst games out there…
Episode 57: Crashin’ In – Patrick Nickell was one of the first people to get in on the Kickstarter train when it launched, finding success with his excellent little abstract strategy game Rise. He’s now producing some excellent releases such as The Lost Dutchman, is currently running Paradise Fallen on the site, and has plans to take the world of microgames by storm with the fantastic Council of Verona.
Episode 56: Into the Galactic Arena – Still riding high on the success of Sentinels of the Multiverse, Christopher Badell joins me again to reveal the brand new release from Greater Than Games: Galactic Strike Force! Also, representing the team from Japanime Games, Eric Lee comes on to talk about maids, manga and – above all – their latest game: Krosmaster Arena.
Episode 55: Kickstarting Controversy – Jonathan H. Liu is probably best known for his GeekDad columns over on wired.com, but I don’t think anyone ever thought that him launching a simple Kickstarter campaign would cause such a stir. What originally started as something of an experiment (admittedly with the overtones of seeing how many people would come in on the joke) became a rather major cause of rage in certain quarters.
Episode 54: Tasty Tabletops! – Boyan Radakovich (Associate Producer of Geek & Sundry’s Tabletop) joins me to discuss how the show came about, what actually happens on set and the celebration of gaming that is Tabletop Day. Michael Mindes from Tasty Minstrel Games also comes on to talk about the company’s rise in recent years and their brand new Kickstarter project, Dungeon Roll.
Episode 53: Story Time with James, Colby and David! – James Wallis, ‘the godfather of indie RPGs’, talks about Alas Vegas and reveals a little family history, while Colby Dauch from Plaid Hat games returns to talk about what the company’s up to. Meanwhile, David Malki! of Wondermark fame comes on to discuss The Machine of Death…
Episode 52: Get Your Phil(s) – Monopoly guru Phil Orbanes joins me to talk about the game’s reboot for 2013 as well as his new book. Designer Philip duBarry also comes on to talk about working in the world of Tempest and what people can expect from his new game, Family Vacation.
Episode 51: Future Time – Will Freeman from UK broadsheet The Observer comes along to discuss how the mainstream press sees gaming as well as to talk about what he reckons 2013 will hold for us. Meanwhile, Ben Harkins from Floodgate Games talks time travel and his new game Legacy: Gears of Time.
Episode 50 – Half Century! – Wowsers. I never every thought I’d get to fifty episodes of the show, but here we are! To celebrate the half century, I’m joined by people from both sides of the Atlantic to talk – what else – games!
Episode 49: Essen 2012, Day Four – The conclusion of the show’s coverage of Essen 2012 is another epic. Ten interviews with faces old and new from the gaming world as Spiel winds down for another year. WARNING: contains Stephen Buonocore!
Episode 48: Essen 2012, Day Three! – Welcome to Day Three of The Little Metal Dog Show’s coverage of the Essen 2012 Fair. It’s another long one, clocking in at just under 100 minutes of interviews straight from the show floor with some of the biggest movers and shakers in the industry as well as newcomers aplenty.
Episode 47: Essen 2012, Day Two! So, here’s the second of four episodes from The Little Metal Dog Show covering Spiel 2012! This one is massive, clocking in at over 100 minutes of interviews direct from the show floor. As always, thanks for listening and supporting the show!
Episode 46: Essen 2012, Day One! The biggest games show in the world requires a huge amount of coverage, so here’s the first of four episodes. In this one I speak with Dennis Kirps from TF22, Bezier Games’ Ted Alspach, Max Michael of Stratamax Games, Zev from Z-Man and many more…
Episode 45: Hordes and Awards. Jonny Roberts comes on to talk about WoWTCG and how organised play works here in the UK, as well as what’s happening with the upcoming National Championships. Then I’m joined by the Daddy of Dominion, Donald X. Vaccarino. A two time Spiel des Jahres winner, Donald is also the creator of Kingdom Builder, Nefarious and much much more. Get an insight into his world and how he makes his games!
Episode 44: Keep Up! An episode filled with stories of all kinds, it opens with Robert Groller from The Grumpy Owl Gamery talking about his new project to help gamers port their gear around – The Keep. Angie Hickman reveals her new game that encourages family based story telling in less than an hour, Story Realms. Finally, telling tales of a more alcohol-fuelled kind, Drunk Quest creators Athena Cagle and Jasn Painter stumble along too.
Episode 43: Salutempest! Todd Rowland from AEG returns to discuss their new game world Tempest. Setting a whole new series of games in an already developed world is their plan, and with four due for release already by the time Essen 2012 rolls round, it’s a big move from the company. Dan Yarrington, head of Game Salute, also joins me to talk about Kickstarter and what his Springboard system can do for developers. It’s candid and he pulls no punches, so it’s well worth a listen!
Episode 42: Pixels and Pirates. A deckbuilding game involving Abraham Lincoln and far too much meat? It can only be Pixel Lincoln by Jason Tagmire! We discuss exactly how much insanity is too much when creating a game based around the 16th President of the USA. Clint Herron, designer of Pirate Dice also tags along to talk about his game’s journey from RoboRally tribute to something all of its own.
Episode 41: Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone’s Top Ten Games. Exactly what it says in the title, this is the audio from the panel held at the 2012 UK Games Expo where these two massive influences on the UK gaming scene reveal their favorites, including a few slightly curious choices.
Episode 40: Cadets, Cards and Caves! More videogame and tabletop mashups this time around as Arthur O’Dwyer talks about how he turned an old school text game called Adventure into a multiplayer card game. Max Temkin tells us about the world’s most horrible party game, the wonderful Cards Against Humanity and how it’s exceeded all expectations. Finally, Geoff and Brian Engelstein reveal Space Cadets, a new title from Stronghold Games where players must co-operate to win – even more so when they tell us there’s plans for a live action version!
Episode 39: An Episode You Can’t Refuse! Another triple interview blowout! Gary Weis from Playdek talks iOS / boardgaming crossovers, focusing on their excellent interpretation of Ascension, then Jump Gate creator Matt Worden joins me to discuss his award winning game as well as plans for the future. Finally, The Dice Tower’s Tom Vasel returns with his partner in crime Steve “Voice of Ameritrash” Avery to reveal their new game Capo (now officially titled Nothing Personal).
Episode 38: Question Time. Philip duBarry, creator of Steve Jackson’s Revolution, comes on to discuss his new release entitled Kingdom of Solomon. Chris and Daisy also help me out with a bunch of listener questions that need answering!
Episode 37: Triple Trouble. Three excellent guests this time around. Ted Torgerson, designer of 1989: Dawn of Freedom talks about how remixing can be better than starting from scratch. Friend of the show Daniel Solis returns once more to discuss design, then I’m honoured to speak with Rob Daviau (the guy behind the new hotness that is Risk: Legacy). Great folks talking about great games – what more could you ask for?
Episode 36: A Few Good (Mad) Men. Oh my. It’s always a privilege to speak with my guests whoever they are, but when one of them happens to be from the award winning TV show Mad Men? Well, blimey, that’s just pretty awesome. Rich Sommer is an actor and gamer, spreading the word about the hobby while also appearing in one of the best shows out there. Also appearing this time round are Steve, Ben and Campfire for what will hopefully prove to be the first of many round tables talking about the games that have interested us in recent times. It’s a little different to what the show normally does, but I hope you enjoy it.
Episode 35: Lava, Heroes and 3d6. Chris James, the head of Stratus Games, joins me to discuss the importance of having games that cater to wider markets but can also be played by those who like a bit of a challenge. Sentinels of the Multiverse creator Christopher Badell comes on to talk about the difficulties they faced when putting out their first game, and there’s even a musical interlude too as the mighty nerdcore punks 3d6 talk about games and gigs.
Episodes 31, 32, 33 and 34: The Essen 2011 Specials! Four whole shows dedicated to the world’s biggest gaming event. With over 150,000 people walking through the doors and more than 700 games released all in the space of four days, four episodes isn’t even enough – but it’s all I can do! Interviews with designers old and new about a huge range of games – check out the individual posts for who I get to talk to in each episode.
Episode 30 – Bob and Richard and Drizzt and Michael. Two proper big names from two different worlds join me this time around. First, the one and only Richard Launius, the man behind Arkham Horror comes along to talk not just about his legendary game based on H.P. Lovecraft’s work but also other great designs like Defenders of the Realm and his latest effort, Elder Sign. New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore then joins me to discuss his latest book, Neverwinter, starring his most famous creation: Drizzt Do’Urden.
Episode 29 – Choose Your Own Podcast. RA Montgomery is one of the driving forces behind the first Interactive Fiction series for children, the Choose Your Own Adventure books. We talk about the history of the books, how the company came to be, what he has planned for the future and just how you get to that secret ending on Inside UFO 54-40. Chris also joins me again for more questions and answers (and to show off what he got for his birthday)!
Episode 28 – Shut Up, Horsey! Quins and Paul from the Actual Internet Sensation that is Shut Up and Sit Down come on to discuss their plans for future world domination. If you’ve not seen their excellent programme, go and watch it immediately. I’m also joined by Don from Knight Works to talk about his brand new game Dark Horse. Another product of the great Kickstarter revolution, it promises to be a truly interesting little game.
Episode 27 – Back to Normality. Justin Gary, founder of Gary Games, comes on to talk about Ascension and Redakai, as well as their plans for the future and the importance of iOS versions of games. I also get to speak with Travis Worthington of Indie Boards and Cards Games, where we cover how he started the company and how Kickstarter is changing the industry (including their latest release, Flash Point – Fire Rescue).
Episode 26 – Weeny Dancers. What happens when you get Michael, Chris and Campfire Burning to answer questions sent in by listeners? Something that was originally meant to be stuck at the end of an episode that spiralled out of control and ended up as far too long! Rather than binning the whole thing, I decided to put it out as a regular episode. See what you think!
Episode 25 – On The Cards. Johnny O’Neal, the manager of a brand new CCG from Spin Master called Redakai, talks about the game and how the brought it from inception to market. I’m also joined by David Sirlin, creator of one of the best card games out there – Yomi. Ever wanted Street Fighter in card format? Check it out!
Episode 24 – Tales of Derring Do. This episode sees a bit of Story Time on the Little Metal Dog Show with Rory O’Connor, the designer of Rory’s Story Cubes and Michael Ward, the writer of the Destiny Quest gamebook. Fire up your imagination!
Episode 23 – A Bit of Magic. An exclusive interview with the man responsible for Collectible Card Games himself, the original designer of Magic: The Gathering, Richard Garfield. Having also designed classics like Netrunner and Roborally (as well as his new release, King of Tokyo), Richard seems to be able to turn his hand to any genre. Chris is back again to tackle your questions too!
Episode 22 – First Time for Everything! Two first time publishers talk about their experiences in getting their first games out there. Clever Mojo’s W. David MacKenzie (purveyors of the splendid Alien Frontiers) and VicTim Games’ Vic Moyer regale us with their tales.
Episode 21 – House of Spirits designer Mark Thomas discusses the fun of putting together a game all on your own, plus Chris returns!
Episode 20 – A Home Nations special! David Brashaw and Leonard Boyd, designers of forthcoming Discworld game Guards! Guards! along with Gen 42’s John Yianni (Hive, Junkyard Racers and more).
Episode 19 – D&D Special! A visit to the UK D&D Tweetup (complete with a chunk of our adventure) and a chat with Sersa V, one of the guys at the forefront of Fourthcore.
Episode 18 – Author and editor of “The 100 Best” books James Lowder, plus Todd Rowland – brand manager from AEG
Episode 17 – Game designer Peter Olotka (Cosmic Encounter, Dune and more)
Episode 16 – Internet celebrity special! Scott Nicholson (Board Games With Scott / The Game Professor) and Jeff Cannata (Totally Rad Show)
Episode 15 – Days of Wonder founder Mark Kaufman and the return of designer Daniel Solis
Episode 14 – Chris K from dicehateme.com and North Star Games’ Dominic Crapuchettes
Episode 13 – Under The Boardwalk director Kevin Tostado, Leigh Anderson (writer of The Games Bible) and Holly Gramazio (co-designer of The Board Game Remix Kit)
Episode 12 – Stephen Buonocore from Stronghold Games and Steve Buckmaster from Esdevium (the UK’s largest games distributors)
Episode 11 – Podcast panel with Thru-the-Portal and Boardgames in Blighty, plus the Game Night Guys
Episode 10 – Nick Medinger (founder of Fun Again Games) and Play in Public’s Kevin Schlabach
Episode 9 – Designer Daniel Solis and D&D writer Susan Morris
Episode 8 – Game Camp’s James Wallis, plus Wok Star designer Tim Fowers
Episode 7 – Tom Vasel and Eric Summerer from The Dice Tower, and Interaction Point’s Brent Evanger
Episode 6 – Mathematician/game designer Anthony Brown and Mathew Anderson from Petroglyph Games
Episode 5 – The Ragnar Brothers’ Gary Dicken with Peter Gifford (aka: rules genius Universal Head)
Episode 4 – Charles Ryan (Esdevium Games) and design legend Bruno Faidutti
Episode 3 – Documentarian Lorien Green and Matt Leacock, creator of Pandemic and more
Episode 2 – Colby Dauch discusses Summoner Wars while Tyma Hughes talks WoWTCG
Episode 1 – Xibxang from GamerDork and Warheads’ Mark Brendan
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