The Mind-Blown Episode

February 18th, 2026  |  Season 2  |  56 mins 33 secs

game design, homework

Nathan and Eppy assigned homework off-mic, to discuss some games that showcase thinking about games in a way we never would have, or that made such an impression on us that we've made them part of our toolkits. We discuss what we mean by our minds being blown, then go over our lists. Then, we assign homework for next episode: to sketch out what one of our works-in-progress would look like, if we used one of our mind-blowing influences as a model! We're still aiming to make new games this season, and this was a really productive conversation to help us both along.

The Survey Episode

February 4th, 2026  |  Season 2  |  53 mins 7 secs

game design, listener feedback

In this episode, Nathan and Eppy respond to listener feedback, talk about a recent play experience, and then go through some of the projects we're each working on or thinking about that are not the One Without Master. It's a high-level survey of where we're at, game-design-wise, going into 2026!

The Shel Kahn Episode

January 21st, 2026  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 13 mins

art, guests, shel kahn, swords without master

In this episode, we sit down with friend, artist, game designer and art director for Swords Without Master Shel Kahn to talk about... all of those things! We touch on the different roles of art in game design, working with abstract imagery, refining your taste as a chooser-of-images even if commissioning original art isn't realistic, and the ways artwork and visual design elements help out the game design endeavor. Art... it's good!

The Constraints Episode

December 17th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 4 mins

game design, train of thought

In this episode, Eppy brings a discussion of where the "technological" creative constraints in game design come from. We talk about what this means in the context of tabletop, how constraints surface through the design, and how we handle them as designers. This builds a little on our conversation about design surfaces, and is ultimately another part of a long-term conversation about, well, game design! We also do our final homework for 2025, bringing some holidays from different projects in our back catalogue to celebrate the season.

The Reflection Episode

December 3rd, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 1 min

feedback, reflection

In this episode, Nathan and Eppy reflect on the first year of this podcast, talk about how things change in the doing, and discuss how creating a community is part of the overall endeavor. This leads into a survey of feedback tools and frameworks that can be used to reflect on your game sessions and playtests.

Thanks so much for joining us! With one year of the show in the books, we're excited for the next.

The Surfaces Episode

November 19th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 21 secs

game design, pet crimes, season two

In this episode, Nathan and Eppy report back on their recent work on PET CRIMES, centering on making digital tools for play. This leads into a discussion of the concept of designing the "surfaces" of your game - what are the things (physical, relational, temporal) that you need to design in order to enable someone to play? This is just the start of this conversation, but it feels like a useful framework as we continue to make games in this season of the podcast!

The Card Concepts Episode

November 5th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 3 mins

game design, homework

In this all-homework episode, we each bring an initial sketch of the cards that could drive each of our card-based game concepts. Nathan's "Big Lore" game explores using card decks to reveal things about the game world and guide character progression, while Eppy's "Exploration Legacy" game uses cards to map out geography as well as encounter types for a game that becomes more unique the more its played. This is early-stage concept stuff, so listen in to hear how the vegan sausage is made!

The Season Two Premiere Episode

October 22nd, 2025  |  Season 2  |  45 mins

game design, season two

We're moving into the next season of our podcast! In this one, Nathan and Eppy talk about how we're turning from the scholarly side of our project to the instructional side, and how our show homework is changing to match. What this means for our listeners is that you'll be hearing more about new game designs and works in progress, and less research and hunting out arcane gems from other games. Thanks for listening, Scholars!

The Episode Without Master

October 8th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 20 secs

game design, swords without master

The Season of Swords is upon us! Nathan and Eppy talk about Eppy's sword & sorcery classic Swords Without Master, how it came to be, how it works, and what's next for the game: a full standalone release, coming early 2026!

The TBR Pile Episode

September 17th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 3 mins

arcane gems, homework

In this episode we tackle our to-be-read piles of recent game acquisitions for our homework, highlighting more recent work that we've both been digging and finding some common themes across different genres and types of game. We then talk about "instructional" and "non-instructional" text in games, what that divide even means, and pursue some questions that that brings up for our own work.

The Playtesting Episode

September 3rd, 2025  |  Season 1  |  51 mins 56 secs

conventions, play design, train of thought

In this episode Eppy leads off with a hot take about playtesting, leading us to a discussion of the multiple purposes of playtests, playstorming, techniques for effective playtests, and an introduction of a new feature of the Unwritten Earths Symposium Discord: Playtest Tuesdays!

The Ludography Episode

August 13th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  54 mins 51 secs

arcane gems, game discovery

In this episode we do our game design homework of looking through game ludographies to chase down a chain of influence. It's a fun journey and we end up in very different places for our arcane gems! We also give an update on the Adventurer & Hobbyist Annual 2025, coming out soon!