Technology
The Design Deck
Why do some games hook you in seconds while others collect dust?
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Episodes
The archive
22 episodes, newest first.
- King's Gambit and the 74,000 Buyer TestGrant and Miles trade Gen Con predictions for post-show numbers, using a record 74,000 attendees and $83.5 million in local spending to grade which design bets actually converted at the booth.
- King's Gambit and the Grail Game GambleGrant and Miles come back from a sold-out Gen Con 2026 and grade their own pre-show predictions on The King's Gambit, Brass: Pittsburgh, and the StarCraft miniatures game against what 72,000 attendees actually lined up for.
- Brass Pittsburgh and the Sequel ProblemGrant and Miles grade their own Gen Con 2026 preview predictions against what actually happened to Brass: Pittsburgh, The King's Gambit, and the StarCraft miniatures game before the doors open in Indianapolis on Thursday.
- Drillers CGE's Push-Your-Luck Deckbuilding BetGrant and Miles preview Czech Games Edition's Gen Con 2026 deckbuilder Drillers and use it to map two decades of deckbuilding design evolution, from Dominion's hand-cycling to today's hybrid engines.
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- Gen Con 2026 Preview: The Design Bets That MatterGrant and Miles preview the design-defining games hitting the Gen Con 2026 show floor, using King's Gambit, Space Hunt, and Dungeon Crawler Carl as case studies in what publishers think tabletop players want right now.
- Kennerspiel 2026: Three Nominees, One Theory of What Gamers WantGrant and Miles do the design autopsy on all three 2026 Kennerspiel nominees, breaking down exactly what Boss Fighters QR, Moon Colony Bloodbath, and Rebirth each argue a connoisseur game should feel like, and what the jury's July 12 verdict means for designers building the next one.
- Kennerspiel 2026 — Three Games, One CrownGrant and Miles break down the three Kennerspiel des Jahres nominees, dissecting what Boss Fighters QR, Moon Colony Bloodbath, and Reiner Knizia's Rebirth each reveal about what the jury thinks a gamer's game should feel like in 2026, with the winner announcement locked in for July 12 in Berlin.
- Spiel des Jahres 2026 — Three Games, One QuestionGrant and Miles crack open the three 2026 Spiel des Jahres nominees — Cozy Stickerville, JinxO, and Morty Sorty Magic Shop — and debate the design choices that got each one shortlisted, with a July 12 winner announcement adding real deadline urgency to every take.
- Brass: Pittsburgh and the $9 Million Sequel ProblemGrant and Miles dig into the design choices behind Brass: Pittsburgh, the $9.1 million Gamefound phenomenon, asking whether its new mechanics earn their place next to the BGG number one game and what a record crowdfund actually tells designers about what players want.
- Root, Oath, Arcs — One Designer's Expanding VisionCole Wehrle left Leder Games in January 2026 to found Buried Giant Studios, taking Arcs and Oath with him. Grant and Miles trace the design through-line across his catalog and ask what his independence means for the hobby's most ambitious games.
About
What the show is
The Design Deck breaks down the hidden mechanics, forgotten prototypes, and risky creative bets behind the games you love. Each week, two hosts pick apart a specific game (board, card, or video) and trace the design choices that made it click, from early sketches through final playtesting. Built for players who want to understand what they're feeling at the table, and for aspiring designers looking for concrete lessons from shipped games.
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