We are keeping the momentum going! We might be seasoned professionals juggling multiple full-time jobs, but we always find the time to bring you your regular dose of tabletop insights, design deep dives, and general studio chaos.
In this episode, we bounce from workshop safety to major convention announcements, before diving into a massive, double-stuffed stack of listener letters.
Opening Banter
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Climate Control: It's so hot! Everyone needs air conditioners.
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Workshop Safety: A public service announcement on the office "finger slicing machine" and a comprehensive guide on how to actually use it without losing a digit. Oh, wait, it's actually more of a discussion on how to improperly use it and actually cut off at least one finger.
GTG News
We pull back the curtain a little on what's currently sitting on our design tables, including updates on:
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Defenders of the Realm
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Project Gold
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Project Transparisteel
Gen Con is right around the corner, and we have a jam-packed schedule for you:
- Booth Number: Still 2856! Don't forget it!
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Thursday Evening: Join us for the official Play Greater Party! Info here and here!
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Crime Scene Tamperer Events: Come experience Crime Scene Tamperer events featuring an incredibly real-life, live-action appearance from Dangeresque!
- Saturday Night Greater Than Games Party: We are hosting a party starting at 7:00 PM at O'Reilly's Pub in downtown Indianapolis. Mark your calendars!
World Report
Our occasional foray into global events:
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Soccer: A discussion of the US vs. Bosnia match.
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Seismic Shifts: Recent earthquakes in Venezuela.
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Geopolitics: Birthright citizenship upheld! For now!
The Mailbag
Your letters pushed us into some fascinating logistical and existential directions this week:
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Where in the World Are We Working? We break down our current operational footprint, from bustling away at GTG HQ, to our respective work-from-home setups, and that one memorable live-streamed session broadcast directly from Pieces Board Game Cafe.
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Time Travel Complications: If you found yourself caught in a temporal anomaly, would you do things differently? More importantly, how would altering the timeline complicate your own past game design work?
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The Myth of Ethical Consumption: We talk about ethical consumption under capitalism. Our short, definitive answer? There is none!
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Business XP: Gathering real-world experience points while navigating the tabletop publishing industry.
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The 37-Player Spirit Island Mega-Game: We recount the legendary, terrifying saga of running a massive 37-player game of Spirit Island at Origins. It was dangerous. It was scary. It featured a cameo by designer Eric Reuss. But against all mathematical odds... it ended in ultimate success!
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Dryer Vents: A quick-fire look at household ventilation maintenance.
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Roman Empires: How many? How to remember them?
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Time Loop Nonsense: Exploring the narrative headaches of time loops, specifically featuring chess masters and sword fighting.
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The Milk Tent: We return to Paul's Milk Tent. It's too much milk. Far too much.
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Llama Costumes: Paul explicitly confirms that he has photos. We aren't releasing them to the public just yet (I still have yet to see them...) but the photographic evidence apparently exists.
- Rememberance: Reflections on navigating the passing of a loved one.
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Sweet Stuff: A sugary breakdown of candy names, candy types, and terrible confectionery puns.
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Shakespearean Homework: A highly specific Romeo & Juliet question sent in directly from M'Bender.
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A critical culinary debate: Broccoli in a fritters?! Sounds good to us!
Closing things out with a look inside a book of uncommon wisdoms.
Interview!
Notice: There is absolutely no wheel spinning in this episode! The Wheel of Topics has been given a temporary rest.
Instead of letting fate decide our final segment, we sit down for an exclusive studio interview with our fantastic new summer interns, Alec and Dario! Tune in to hear how they're adjusting to life behind the scenes at Greater Than Games.
That is all for this week! Listen more, tell your friends, and keep feeding the studio mailbag. If you want your question, weird design theory, or wheel topic answered in a future episode, send it our way!
Submit Your Letters to the Play Greater Podcast Here!
