Episodes

  • Episode #99: What Makes a Great Game? Jared and Guest Co-Host Matt Rendar Chat with Alessio Cavatore!
    Apr 25 2025

    Folks- this was a special one for me, as I've admired Alessio Cavatore's work for 25+ years! We get into all things Alessio- his start in gaming, his role at Games Workshop, his love for Lord of the Rings, and his current career as a freelance wargames designer. Matt co-hosted the show with me, as we just finished up our own discussion of Red Jungle. Matt couldn't resist the chance to ask Alessio some questions! It was a lovely conversation, and quite insightful when it comes to effective game design. Please enjoy the episode, and be on the lookout for Episode #100, coming soon!


    20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!


    https://patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC


    And, don't forget about our sponsor, BetterHelp! If you're interested in inquiring about what BetterHelp can offer you, please use the link below and get 10% off your first month!


    https://betterhelp.com/20sidedgamified




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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Episode #98: Welcome to "Red Jungle", We've Got Fun and Games! w/game designer Matt Rendar
    Apr 11 2025

    Podcast Friends! Please enjoy my recent conversation with friend Matt Rendar, owner of Battle Tribe. Throughout the episode, we discuss Matt's recent endeavor- a skirmish game called "Red Jungle", which is in the process of being released. Matt went into depth on the world he's developing, what his inspirations were, and what his goals are with the game. While we talked about plenty of other topics, this was our primary focus. I hope you enjoy the show! Also, see the link below to Matt's youtube channel, where you can watch some previews of the game, to get you hyped!


    https://www.youtube.com/@TheRendar/videos


    20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!


    https://patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC


    And, don't forget about our sponsor, BetterHelp! If you're interested in inquiring about what BetterHelp can offer you, please use the link below and get 10% off your first month!


    https://betterhelp.com/20sidedgamified


    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Episode #97: My Favorite Napoleonic Campaign System: Russ Lockwood, Peter Anderson, and the Joy of the Snappy Nappy Wargame Rules!
    Mar 28 2025

    Listeners- if you like Napoleonic wargaming, or continue to search for that campaign system that actually WORKS- you're in luck! Check out our latest episode with author Russ Lockwood, who designed the wonderful set of wargames rules, Snappy Nappy! He's been featured all over the place, including on the incomparable Little Wars TV, and his games are played all over the place both domestically and internationally. More than anything- Snappy Nappy, which I've both played and run myself, gives a feel for a Napoleonic campaign better than any other game I know of. Played across numerous tables, armies literally march across the room quickly, and players need to use a map to keep track of where they are which objectives they're heading towards! Also featured on this episode is my dear friend and wargaming confidant Peter Anderson, who is a multi-time award winning GM at HMGS cons, and simply put, one of the best GMs I know. He is warm, kind, and a living encyclopedia for anything related to the Napoleonic age. Each year, Peter runs or helps run a Snappy Nappy campaign in a day at the Portal, an awesome gaming store in Manchester CT, about 45mins from 20SG HQ. Peter is also an author himself, having wrote several rulesets/supplements for Piquet and Piquet related systems. I'll stop there- please enjoy this episode! And, check out the link below to see Peter's website, Blunders on the Danube!


    https://blundersonthedanube.blogspot.com/


    20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!


    https://patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC


    And, don't forget about our sponsor, BetterHelp! If you're interested in inquiring about what BetterHelp can offer you, please use the link below and get 10% off your first month!


    https://betterhelp.com/20sidedgamified

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Episode #96: Using Games to Fuel Discourse: Alessio Cavatore, Christopher McElroen, and Neal Wilkinson of the Fight for America! project
    Mar 14 2025

    Podcast fans- I hope you are well on this Thursday evening! A few weeks ago, Kelly, Brian and I had the privilege to interview three remarkable people- renowned game designer Alessio Cavatore (Mordheim, Warmaster, Kings of War, to name a few) and Christopher McEleron and Neal Wilkinson from the american vicarious. Together, they created a project which is in part art installation, in part a LARP like theater, in part performance art, and in part one of the largest wargame style games you'll ever play- all focused on one of the more traumatic experience in recent American political memory- January 6th. In many ways, this episode was easily one of the heaviest we've done. That being said, I do think that the overall premise- that we as Americans need to have conversations about difficult topics- is important to explore, and what better way to do that than through an immersive gaming experience! Rather than explain the project further, I asked Chris and Neal to provide a description of the project. Give it a read, grab yourself a coffee, and fire up the episode. It was a good one! Please enjoy!


    "Internationally acclaimed multi-media performance company the american vicarious presents Fight for America!, a mega-wargaming event that examines the gamification of American politics and the legacy of the January 6th Capitol riot. Created by artists Neal Wilkinson and Christopher McElroen, with game design by renowned designer Alessio Cavatore (Warhammer 40K, Bolt Action, Kings of War, Lord of the Rings), this immersive experience invites participants to step into the events of January 6, 2021—reshaping (or not) its outcome.


    At the heart of Fight for America! is a massive 50’ x 50’ game board featuring over 12,000 hand-painted 28mm miniatures and a 15-foot-wide model of the U.S. Capitol. Led by a gamemaster in the form of Uncle Sam, up to 20 players take on roles in one of two factions: TEAM RED (protesters, both armed and unarmed) or TEAM BLUE (U.S. Capitol Police and D.C. Metro Police). As the game unfolds, strategic decisions shape the battlefield, forcing players to confront the question: What about America is worth fighting for?


    Blending immersive performance with turn-based strategy, Fight for America! challenges players to navigate political extremism, uncertainty, and the escalating tensions of democracy itself."


    http://www.FightforAmerica.games


    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fightforamerica/fight-for-america

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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Episode #95: Mark's Game Room Presents: "Glory", New Bedford, and Wargaming!
    Feb 28 2025

    Friends- this is a very special episode, as we're previewing and showcasing the work of Mark Fastoso of Mark's Game Room. He's put together a great video- in some ways, a prototype of where he sees his channel going in the future. I don't wanna ruin the surprise, but the movie "Glory", starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes and others features prominently in the episode, as well as a miniature wargaming and a little bit of travel! Thanks to Mark for coming on the show to showcase all of this! It was a very moving episode. Enjoy! I've included a trailer for the show, as well as a link to Mark's Youtube page.


    https://www.youtube.com/@MarksGameRoom


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB_FPRsN0JU&authuser=1


    20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!


    https://patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC


    And, don't forget about our sponsor, BetterHelp! If you're interested in inquiring about what BetterHelp can offer you, please use the link below and get 10% off your first month!


    https://betterhelp.com/20sidedgamified

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Episode #94: One of the Best in the Business: Uwe Eickert of Academy Games
    Feb 14 2025

    Friends- please enjoy our conversation with Uwe Eickert of Academy Games, publisher of some of the the finest historical board games on the market today. I absolutely love some of their titles, including Vikings 878 and 1775, the American Revolution. These games are perfect for the classroom, as their design philosophy prioritizes decision making with simple game mechanics. The conversation we had was pretty natural, and both Kelly and I agreed that we could have talked for hours longer. Have fun with this one, and be sure to check out the Academy Games website!


    https://www.academygames.com/


    20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!


    https://patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC


    And, don't forget about our sponsor, BetterHelp! If you're interested in inquiring about what BetterHelp can offer you, please use the link below and get 10% off your first month!


    https://betterhelp.com/20sidedgamified


    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Episode #93: Returning to the Squared Circle- Author and Friend Mark Backhouse!!!
    Jan 31 2025

    Friends- for our second posting of January, we have our friend Mark Backhouse returning to the 20SG studio! Mark is a wonderful guy and an equally capable rules author, historian, teacher, and wargamer. This episode was recorded very, very early this past weekend while I supervised my MUN team at YMUN. We had a blast chatting. While we covered a number of different topics, our main focus was his new supplement for his popular game, "Strength and Honour". Please enjoy!


    20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!


    https://patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC


    And, don't forget about our sponsor, BetterHelp! If you're interested in inquiring about what BetterHelp can offer you, please use the link below and get 10% off your first month!


    https://betterhelp.com/20sidedgamified


    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • The Game Group Spoketh: Episode #2- Happy New Year and Shogun!!!!
    Jan 3 2025

    Friends- Happy New Year from 20SG and the Tuesday Night Game Group! Please enjoy this discussion of the classic board game Shogun, also known as Samurai Swords and Ikusa. We had a ton of fun playing it, and we hope you get something out of the discussion. Huge thanks to Kelly, Chris, and Brian for taking the time to chat. Keep an eye out for more episodes of TGGS!


    20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!


    https://patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC


    And, don't forget about our sponsor, BetterHelp! If you're interested in inquiring about what BetterHelp can offer you, please use the link below and get 10% off your first month!


    https://betterhelp.com/20sidedgamified


    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    56 mins
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