Podcast #44: Politics, premium bits, and remakes (guest: James Hudson)

After weeks of Black Lives Matter protests, we reflect on how current events are affecting the board game world with guest James Hudson, senior director of tabletop gaming at Skybound Games (Wonderland's War, Sorcerer City, Superfight) and outspoken critic on a lot of things going on in the world today. What have we learned from these events, and how do we think game publishers and designers should respond?

We also discuss premium components from both DIY and business perspectives. And what makes us pull the trigger when older or classic board games get remade with fresh graphics or gameplay? Do we need a new Kemet or King of Tokyo or Dune? (Spoiler: The answer is pretty much "yes.")

The four topics on this episode:

  1. Christina (host): How should game publishers/designers respond to calls for a) more inclusiveness in games vs. b) "less politics" in games? (3:05)
  2. Shoe (producer): Remakes and updates to older games...do you buy them? (29:09)
  3. Mike Zipkin (contributor): What premium upgrades have we added to our own games that we are proud of or recommend? (37:54)
  4. James Hudson (guest): Discussing the business side of premium upgrades (49:28)

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Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Christina's topic: How should game publishers respond to calls for more inclusiveness vs. "less politics" in games?

Shoe's topic: Board game remakes...do you buy them?

Mike's topic: What are some premium upgrades you've personally added to games?

James's topic: Deluxe components from the manufacturer's perspective

Final thoughts