Subject Matter: Table Top

SMTT sits down with game designer, Jo Kelly, to discuss their newly released Molly House, along with Cole Wehrle of Wehrlegig Games. Tune in to hear more about the inspiration behind Molly House, as well as the process of researching this important -- but often under-represented -- moment for queer history in the UK!

In this episode, SM:TT is joined by Corey the Village Dog Walker, to play Bark Avenue, a game about walking dogs in New York City. They discuss dog park etiquette, balancing people skills with pooch skills, and the various pressures, and pleasures, of working with animals on the bustling streets of New York.

New Casual Catch-Up episode is now available! In this episode, we discuss our recent trip to Philadelphia for PAX Unplugged. You'll also hear from the designers and developers of several stand-out SM:TT games that we spoke with at the con.

New casual catch-up is out! In this episode, Jordan and Steve spend some time discussing the impacts of settler-colonialism on board games, and celebrating the work of the indigenous designers whose games often cut against the grain of colonial play.

Games by Indigenous Creators
Dog Eat Dog by Liam and William Burke; Liwanag Press
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/198050/dog-eat-dog
https://liwanagpress.com/

Coyote & Crow by Connor Alexander et al.; Coyote and Crow LLC
https://coyoteandcrow.net/
https://coyoteandcrow.net/games-accessories/

Wolves by Connor Alexander; Coyote and Crow LLC
https://coyoteandcrow.net/wolves/

Potlatch by N.D.N. Players’ Research Group
https://www.ndnplayers.com/informaton-resources
https://www.ndnplayers.com/

Nunami by Thomassie Mangiok
http://www.nunamigame.com/index.php/en/

Burn the Fort by Klee Benally; Indigenous Action
https://burnthefort.com/

Further Reading / Viewing
No Pun Included, (2021). “Colonialism – The Board Game Struggle” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQuFSxs9VXA&t=21s

LaPensée, E. A., (2016). Indigenous Board Game Design in The Gift of Food. Analog Game Studies, 11(2). https://analoggamestudies.org/2016/03/indigenous-board-game-design-in-the-gift-of-food/

LaPensée, E. A., Laiti, O., & Longboat, M. (2022). Towards Sovereign Games. Games and Culture, 17(3), 328-343. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120211029195

Murray, Soraya. (2021). On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender, and Space. Bloomsbury Publishing. New York. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/on-video-games-9781350217706/

In this episode, SM:TT is joined by Philip Stern, a historian of the British empire, to play John Company 2nd Edition, a game about the rise and fall of the British East India Company. They discuss the colonial origins of the modern corporation, the complex historical relationship between public and private interests, and the capacity for games to dramatize how an empire happens.