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In this episode of the Player Lair Podcast, we sit down with Cole Smith, designer of Tanuki, 3 Magi, and Sauros, to talk about his journey from pandemic hobbyist to published game designer. We dive into his roots in childhood rule-bending, how being a graphic designer informs his prototypes, and why sometimes it's better to shelve a game, or fight for it.

Cole shares insights on pitching, playtesting, balancing creativity with feedback, and why quick overview videos might be more important than your rulebook. We also explore his latest game Sauros, a clever blend of trick-taking and puzzly tile placement… with dinosaurs.

Whether you're just getting into game design or looking to refine your pitch process, this episode is packed with honest advice, practical tools, and a good dose of creative encouragement.

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Links to my games:
99 Ninja
Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024

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Zev Shlasinger has been in the hobby game industry for almost 30 years. He founded Z-Man Games in 1999, sold it in 2011, then worked for the new owners until mid-January 2016. At the end of January, he took the position of Director of Board Games with Wizkids. Some of the titles you might be familiar with are: Pandemic, Fantasy Realms, Agricola, Sidereal Confluence, Clash of Cultures, Merchants & Marauders, Tales of the Arabian Nights, Shadow Hunters, Arboretum, Tragedy Looper, Grave Robbers from Outer Space, Tournament at Camelot, Super Skill Pinball, and a host of others.

Check out Zev's new publishing company Play to Z here!

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Links to my games:
99 Ninja
Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024

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Ori Kagan is the creative force behind Kagan Productions, a renowned agency specializing in high-quality animated trailers for board games. With a proven track record of helping campaigns raise over $19 million, Ori collaborates with both established publishers and first-time creators to bring their tabletop games to life with captivating storytelling and marketing expertise.


Main Kagan Productions website: https://kaganproductions.com/
Kickstarter Health Scorecard: https://ori-y8ghfgfd.scoreapp.com/
Kagan Duckademy Waitlist sign up: https://kaganproductions.com/lp-kagan-duckademy/

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Links to my games:
99 Ninja
Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024

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Andrew Bosley is one of the co-designers of Planecrafters by Paisley Board Games and the artist behind Everdell, The River, Mission: Red Planet, and Citadels. He is a freelance illustrator, game designer, and writer working primarily in the board and video game industries.

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Links to my games:
99 Ninja
Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024

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Richard Garfield is a game designer and mathematics professor known for creating the immensely popular card game Magic: The Gathering.

In our conversation, we delve into topics such as game design, discovering fun where we don't initially feel it, playtesting, auto battlers, and much more! Additionally, we explore some of his other games, including Keyforge, Treasure Hunter, The Hunger, and, of course, Magic.

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Links to my games:
99 Ninja
Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024

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Andrew is an American game designer and co-host of the Tabletop Submarine podcast. His new game Wine Cellar is coming to Kickstarter in April 2024.

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Links to my games:
99 Ninja
Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024

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Daniel is a former Magic: The Gathering external developer and designer of Radlands.
He also writes illuminating board game design articles, which can be found at daniel.games.

"This (referring to daniel.games) is an excellent resource for people who want to get into game design; it is filled with great language for them to learn the craft, and the hard truths of getting something to be worth publishing." - Richard Garfield, designer of Magic: The Gathering.

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Links to my games:
99 Ninja
Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024

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Chris Backe (rhymes with hockey) is the founder of Entro Games. His games typically play in under 30 minutes, feature a wide variety of player counts, and a diverse range of themes. The thing they all have in common: they're easy to learn, easy to play, and offer plenty of strategy and replayability.

Chris is the co-creator of No Box Games alongside Kristian Fosh and Roque A. Deleon, and Virtual Playtesting alongside Ian Brocklebank. He also runs Tabletop Publishers, a database of publishers to help designers pitch their games better.

Support the show

Links to my games:
99 Ninja
Rise of Babel on Kickstarter coming in 2024