Indie Talks Episode 46 – Game School with Aerjen Tamminga

Aerjen comes on the show to talk about his newest project, Pleasant Dreams, a card game currently on Kickstarter and doing quite well, thank you very much! He’s also an avid student of game design and design theory and we go into what it takes to make a good game. Aerjen’s got some interesting insight that I’ve not really stumbled upon before! We also talk about a local (to me and him) event, the Boston Festival of Indie Games.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1143256637/pleasant-dreams-a-card-game-of-nightmares/widget/video.html

Like what you hear? Support the podcast through Patreon! $2 a month from you allows me to create a lot more content, get more great guests and improve the quality of the show!

We would love to get your feedback about our show! Contact me with comments: ben@trollitc.com, follow me on twitter @trollitc, and also check us out on iTunes! Hell, you can even catch us on Stitcher. While you’re at it, there’s the Indie Talks Facebook page and the Indie Talks Google+ page. MySpace…well, I won’t go there if you wont. Please do rate this podcast on iTunes, and leave feedback through any of these links!

March 21, 2014 0

Indie Talks Episode 45 – Jonathan Nelson and Jen Page

In this episode I’m joined by Jonathan Nelson who’s got a wonderful Snow White adventure cooking on Kickstarter! Or at least he will, starting tomorrow! Jonathan is the creator of the Snow White RPG adventure for Pathfinder and D&D 3.5. He can also be found at Adventure a Week and Nerd Trek. Jen Page (an Indie Talks Favored Guest!) joins as as well to talk about her role in the stretch goals of this soon-to-be-live Kickstarter. Both Jonathan, Jen and I also talk at length about the act of being creative and what it takes to capture those creative moments in useful ways. Drop the the Snow White Facebook page for info before the Kickstarter kicks off.

Like what you hear? Support the podcast through Patreon! $2 a month from you allows me to create a lot more content, get more great guests and improve the quality of the show!

March 13, 2014 0

Indie Talks Episode 44 – Nathan Paoletta

There are two Nathan’s I’ve wanted on this podcast, and one has an agent that won’t return my call. Nathan Paoletta however was entirely gracious and is my guest on episode 44!

Nathan is a real creative guy with a passion for making small, self contained and entirely original games. He’s got a Patreon page that’s well worth checking out too!

Like what you hear? Support the podcast through Patreon! $2 a month from you allows me to create a lot more content, get more great guests and improve the quality of the show!

March 5, 2014 0

Indie Talks Episode 43 – Jay Little

Jay Little is our guest in this episode! Jay’s designed over 50 titles, many of which grace my (and probably your) gaming shelves! He’s had his part in such huge games as X-Wing, Star Wars Edge of Empire, Warhammer Fantasy RPG, Blood Bowl Team Manager and so many more.

Jay talks about how he got into table top games, his experiences working in the industry and what it’s like to fly star fighters and get paid for it.

Like what you hear? Support the podcast through Patreon! $2 a month from you allows me to create a lot more content, get more great guests and improve the quality of the show!

February 26, 2014 0

Indie Talks Episode 42 – Danny Devine

Danny Devine, creator of Mob Town joins us! Mob Town is currently on Kickstarter with 24 days to go and is well on track to fund. In Mob Town, 2-4 players take on the role of Mob Families vying for control of unique towns that build differently every time you play. Surprisingly, it’s an awesome family game! Special guest on this podcast – Phil Kilcrease, owner of 5th Street Games!

Like what you hear? Support the podcast through Patreon! $2 a month from you allows me to create a lot more content, get more great guests and improve the quality of the show!

February 12, 2014 0

Indie Talks Episode 41 – Curt Covert of Smirk and Dagger Games

Curt Covert joins me today as we talk game design, being back stabby and the process of publishing games! Curt is the driving force behind Smirk and Dagger games. For more of Curt’s history in the world of table top gaming, and just as a generally good idea all around, check out Tom Vasel’s Board Game University podcast! Episode 28 features Curt.

Like what you hear? Support the podcast through Patreon! $2 a month from you allows me to create a lot more content, get more great guests and improve the quality of the show!

February 6, 2014 0

Indie Talks Episode 40 – Fred Hicks of Evil Hat

Episode 40 finds me chatting with Fred Hicks of Evil Hat Productions! We talk Fred’s gaming history, including the venerable MUSH, game design, openness (of which Evil Hat is just about the most open company out there) and much, much more. We also get a preview of Evil Hat’s latest card game – Zeppelin Attack, which is on Kickstarter right now. We also cover crowd sourcing in general, and the newest craze, Patreon.

Speaking of Patreon, I’ve launched a campaign for this very podcast! Please come on over to Patreon.com/Trollitc and check it out. There’s a $2 a month buy in (that’s a max of $2) and other tiers as well to get you some free games, or a chance to join me on a podcast with one of our guests! Having some support would go a very long way towards keeping this podcast alive, getting better equipment to make it sound better and help fulfill a longer term goal of more content, more often. Thanks!

Another great way to support the podcast is to head on over to the iTunes page and rate it! If you enjoy this podcast, taking five or ten minutes to give us some stars and write a quick review will go a long way towards getting this show more popular, with more listeners. This means greater content and more shows!

And as promised – Fred’s Gamer Chili recipe!

Variants include throwing in a cup of ditalini or macaroni pasta half an hour before it’s done, which can soak up liquid when the chili is being especially wet. The presence of the pasta can also mitigate the feeling of “denseness”.

Hardware

Slow cooker (high capacity if you have it)
Measuring spoons and cup

Software

Ground beef (1-2 lbs depending on “meatiness” desired), browned and drained separately
1 jar of medium salsa
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1-2 onions, chopped
1 can of (dark) red kidney beans
2-4 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/4-1/2 cup tequila (proportional to beef)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon (saigon) cinnamon

Procedure

Brown ground beef separately, draining off the fat. Combine with other ingredients in a hot pot. Cook High for 3-4 (you can double this and go low, but the flavors blend almost too much, and our experience with it is that the high method works best, keeping the flavors more distinct and “bright”). Serve, eat.

January 29, 2014 0

Become an Indie Talks patron – get satisfaction and stuff!

After spending a few nights this week talking with three folks involved in gaming – the Zeppeldrome guys (Anthony Gallela and Jeff Wilcox) and Fred Hicks of Evil Hat, I’ve decided I really need to keep doing the Indie Talks Podcast. I love doing it! I very much enjoy talking with people in the gaming industry who are entirely responsible for the hobby we all love. And I love sharing it with the world.

To that end, I’ve revamped, and relaunched a Patreon campaign to help garner support for Indie Talks. I really do want to keep this podcast vibrant and alive, but justifying the time it takes away from my family and other projects is getting tough.

Here’s a chance to support me and the podcast. Get a bunch of my games, and even a chance to hang out and virtually schmooze with me and some folks in the industry. You could be a guest interviewer along with me on an episode of Indie Talks! Support levels range from a buck an episode (to a total of $2 a month, even if more episodes are released) to $10 in a limited support level where you get to be a guest host with me on Indie Talks. There’s also a middle tier of $3 an episode (up to a maximum of $6/month) that gets you access to all of my current and future game releases as PDFs.

Having some support would go a very long way towards keeping this podcast alive, getting better equipment to make it sound better and help fulfill a longer term goal of more content, more often.

Thanks!

-Ben

January 24, 2014 0

Indie Talks Episode 39 – Anthony Gallela and Jeff Wilcox introduce Zeppeldrome!

I’m joined by Jeff Wilcox and Anthony Gallela of 12 SP Entertainment to talk about their wonderful new game Zeppeldrome! We’ll talk gaming influences, industry cred, and just what got them back into the game with 12 SP Entertainment and the Zeppeldrome Kickstarter which is going on right now!

January 23, 2014 0