The BoardGameGeek Podcast

Episode 87: Andrew Stiles - HIs experience and tips for designers working with publishers - Top 5 games we take everywhere

Get to know Andrew Stiles and his incredible journey to being a published designer. We talk tips for meeting with publishers, pitches, and sell sheets. Then we talk about 5 games that we usually will have with us, just in case. Then end with celebrating meeting people, other board gamers, and the next generation of gamers.

00:00:00 Introduction to Andrew Styles
00:01:53 Andrew's Journey into Game Design
00:04:22 Inspiration Behind Wine Cellar
00:06:49 The Process of Getting Published
00:10:48 Balancing Hobbies and Game Design
00:15:24 Networking and Pitching to Publishers
00:21:59 The Art of the Sell Sheet
00:25:36 Thoughts on Rejection and Persistence
00:27:38 Crafting the Perfect Pitch
00:30:59 Collaboration with Publishers to develop games
00:32:03 Designing with Expansions or Promos in Mind
00:34:04 Managing Multiple Prototypes
00:34:20 Summary - 3 Key Tips for working with publishers
00:35:00 5 Games we take everywhere
00:36:46 Forest Shuffle
00:38:35 Flip 7
00:40:51 Azul Travel Edition
00:43:24 Duck and Cover
00:45:52 Voyages
00:49:02 Scout
00:51:17 Marvel Remix
00:53:11 Trinket Trove
00:56:54 Wine Cellar and Lost Cities
00:59:28 Rumble Nation
01:03:10 Moment of Positivity
01:10:32 Where to find Andrew and His Games
Andrew Stiles on Facebook
Tantrum Con, Gama, Origins, Gen Con, and maybe Pax Unplugged
Tabletop Submarine & the Dice, Camera, Action Podcasts
Digging for Dinos 
           Garden Club & Pedal
            Wine Cellar
3Tricky Pigs
01:14:42 Outro

(Please note that these time stamps might not be accurate due to the use of dynamic ads.)
If you like cooperative games, check out Take Time from Libellud.
https://www.libellud.com/en/our-games/take-time/
 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 
Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Get to know Daniel Newman, board game designer and owner of New Mill Industries. We discuss the indie game markets that have been popping up at conventions over the last couple of years. They are a wonderful place to find unique games that only have very small print runs. And you get some insights on what the Tokyo Game market is like. We then talk about trick taking games that stood out to us from Japan and America. Some games might be hard to get but they might be interesting enough to you that you will want to hunt down. Then we talk about the mahjong resurgence and how Daniel connects to his son through Pokemon.

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:23 Getting to know Daniel Newman
00:02:27 The Journey of a Game Designer
00:04:35 The Indie Game Market Phenomenon
00:09:25 Defining Indie Games and Their Market
00:12:08 Criteria for Indie Game Market Participation
00:19:45 5 Trick Takers that Stood out to us
Skull King and Mythical Dice baseline
00:24:01 Where to buy Japanese Games
       https://trickyimports.com/
       Tanoki games
       UK - travel-games.co.uk
      Amazon.jp
      booth.jp
      Consolidation services: Buyee
00:28:58 Bid Coin
00:32:09 No Loose Ends
00:34:45 Karaoke Trick
00:36:50 Cat in the Box
00:39:08 Recurrring
00:41:21 Mu and More
      Zoo and More - Taylor Reiner - Seers catalog
00:45:47 Sumida River
00:48:04 Mystery Tricks
00:53:24 I'm the CEO
00:56:41 The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Trick-Taking Game
00:58:56 Vegeterrors
01:00:12 Tezuma Trick
      The Six of VIII
01:03:36 Honorable Mentions
01:03:54 Rebel Princess (Zombie Princess)
      Spring Cleaning / Haunted Mouse
01:05:02 Rascally Rabbits
01:08:07 Moment of Positivity: The Resurgence of Mahjong
01:12:07 Connecting Generations Through Pokemon
01:13:38 Where to find Daniel & New Mill Industries
      Daniel Newman on Bluesky
     New Mill Industries Website
01:14:58 Outro
(Please note that these time stamps might not be accurate due to the use of dynamic ads.)
If you like cooperative games, check out Take Time from Libellud.
https://www.libellud.com/en/our-games/take-time/
 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 
Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Happy new year! And welcome to the 1st episode of 2026. Christina and Dan “Shoe” are the hosts of Going Analog. They join me to talk about our gaming goals for 2026. We talk about our top 5 pretty / not ugly euro style games. And then Shoe gets a little sappy in the moment of positivity while Christina gets hungry. Let us know if you think any of these games are not euros and let us know your gaming goals / resolutions for the new year!

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:30 Who is Shoe & Christina?
00:05:12 Board Game Goals for 2026
00:29:25 The Aesthetics of Euro Games
00:29:53 Top 5 Pretty Euro Games
00:35:15 Obvious Choice: Takenoko
00:38:36 Older Gem: Coimbra
00:40:35 Stunning Presence: River of Gold
00:42:49 Art and Strategy: The Gallerist
00:44:50 Unique Mechanics: The White Castle
00:46:34 Thematic Depth: Formosa Tea
00:50:22 Serene Gameplay: Pergola
00:52:19 Exploration and Strategy: Stroganoff
00:54:58 Charming Aesthetics: Flamecraft
00:57:19 Prohibition Era: Speakeasy
00:01:00:18 Honorable Mentions: More Beautiful Games
00:01:03:13 Moments of Positivity: Gratitude and Good Food
00:01:07:58 Where to find Going Analog
Going Analog’s Website
00:01:08:47 Outro

(Please note that these time stamps might not be accurate due to the use of dynamic ads.)
Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Let’s get to know who Board Gamer Steph is. We talk about our top 5 games that we love to bring to holiday or family gatherings. And let’s celebrate something that we are really excited about coming up in the new year.

00:00 Intro
     Board Game Geek - Holiday Gift Guide
01:19 Steph Hodge: Plays All the Games!
     https://linktr.ee/boardgamersteph
     https://boardgamersteph-shop.fourthwall.com/
05:11 Gift Ideas for Board Gamers
06:51 Steph’s New Year's Eve Board Game Alphabet Challenge
12:21 Steph’s Other Hobbies
16:12 Top Games for Holiday Gatherings
18:16 Green Team Wins
20:36 Hues & Cues
24:38 Illusion
26:34 Catch the Moon
28:29 America
31:59 Duck and Cover
35:40 Ready Set Bet
38:04 Super Mega Lucky Box
39:50 Subjective
43:23 Flip 7
46:52 Honorable Mentions
47:01 Jingle bell roll
48:22 Don't mess with Cthulu
50:24 Moment of Wow / Excitement
     BGG@Sea
     OrcaCon
59:17 Outro

(Please note that these time stamps might not be accurate due to the use of dynamic ads.)

If you like cooperative games, check out Take Time from Libellud.
https://www.libellud.com/en/our-games/take-time/
 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 
Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

The wonderful AnnaMaria Jackson Phelps, the owners of Violet Daisy Games, joins me to discuss why we play games and some of the games we played together over the weekend.
Introduction / How we met
Girls Game Shelf
Pivoting to the publishing side of the industry
Violet Daisy Games
What do we get out of gaming? What compels us to play tabletop games?
PhelpsCon
Our gaming highlights of the weekendCrokinole
ElectropolisSurfosaurus Max
Sail or Die (that Shark-Butt game)
Ghost Lift

Brian Boru: High King of Ireland 
Duck and Cover
Chicken Fried Dice (Prototype)Ashwin Kamath & Urban Professional Games (Rob Newton)

Let’s Go to Japan
Team Play aka Duos
So clover
Menagerie: Unlock the Wonders of a miniature worldFertessa Allyse

Where you can find usViolet Daisy Games
AnnaMaria on Instagram
Northwest Indian College Games Program
Amanda's Links

Outro
If you like cooperative games, check out Take Time from Libellud.
https://www.libellud.com/en/our-games/take-time/
 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 
Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]