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Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to PublicationAuthor: Danielle Reynolds
Game Design Unboxed features interviews with tabletop game designers on specific games or series of games they have created. Listeners will learn where the initial idea for the game came from, how the game developed over time and where the game is now after being published. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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GDU 140 - Wine Cellar
Episode 140
Monday, 4 May, 2026
In episode 140 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Andrew Stiles, game designer and co-host of the podcast Tabletop Submarine, about how discovering GDU early in his design journey helped him better understand the tabletop space, and how a life reset during COVID (and a challenge to get a game signed in 6-months by his wife) sparked a career pivot into game design. We talk about his first game, Wine Cellar, and how the inspiration came from his previous background as a sommelier, prompting him to lean into the “design what you know” mentality. Andrew talks us through key development decisions, such as scaling player counts, reworking card math, and how table space and visibility shape the player experience. The episode also covers other topics, including the realities of breaking into the industry, the value of the UNPUB mentorship program, researching and targeting the right publishers, why smaller conventions are a great place to network for new designers, Board Game Arena (BGA) implementations, designing for non-gamers, and bad fonts that keep you up at night. Featuring: Andrew Stiles - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host
