On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks with Max Fieve, Art Director for Altered TCG & Equinox, about the process of making sure the visual elements of a trading card game are cohesive. Max talks about the responsibilities of an art director, as well as the other artistic roles an art director oversees when working on a project. Check out our sponsor for new TCG cards: https://www.trollandtoad.com/ Use code "TBPN5" to get a discount on all cards sold from Troll & Toad...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks with Justin Parnell, Manager of Organized Play for Altered TCG & Equinox North America, about organized play at every level. Justin defines exactly what organized play is, along with the pros and cons that come with the territory. Check out our sponsor for new TCG cards: https://www.trollandtoad.com/ Use code "TBPN5" to get a discount on all cards sold from Troll & Toad directly (Look for the T&T logo in the card's listing) Video...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks with Chris Haskins, Lead Designer of Paragon: Monsters & Mayhem TCG, about his design journey since the conception of the idea. Chris talks through some of his design choices and where his inspiration came from in making Paragon. Check out our new sponsor for new TCG cards: https://www.trollandtoad.com/ Use code "TBPN5" to get a discount on all cards sold from Troll & Toad directly (Look for the T&T logo in the card's...

In this episode of TCG SCOOPS! Nico, Parker & Tyler unpack the news from the "Big 3" TCGs for the month of August 2023 Check out our new sponsor for new TCG cards: https://www.trollandtoad.com/ Use code "TBPN5" to get a discount on all cards sold from Troll & Toad directly (Look for the T&T logo in the card's listing). Check out our original sponsor for classic TCG singles: https://www.categoryonegames.com/ _TBPN____________________________________________ Let us know...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks with Hunter Angell, creator of the Nostalgix TCG, about building a community around your trading card game. You could create a TCG that is truly spectacular, but if no one knows about it, you're going to have a hard time building the game from there. Starting and maintaining a community of fans and players can be a daunting challenge. Hunter touches on just a few of the many ways to start building a following, whether it be digital, in person,...

TL;DR— After 3 years, The Booster Pack Network is going to change. Three of our shows—Booster Pack Throwback, Rare Slot and TCG SCOOPS—will go through some degree reorganization or reformatting.  Now is your chance to let us know what you want in regards to TCG content. Tell us what you like to see about TCGs (Set reviews, news, history, deck-building, et al) and we will try to use your ideas when the time comes to launch new content. Reach out via email ( rands@theboosterpacknetwork ) to...

In this episode of TCG SCOOPS! Nico, Parker & Tyler unpack the news from the "Big 3" TCGs for the month of July 2023 Check out our new sponsor for new TCG cards: https://www.trollandtoad.com/ Use code "TBPN5" to get a discount on all cards sold from Troll & Toad directly (Look for the T&T logo in the card's listing). Check out our original sponsor for classic TCG singles: https://www.categoryonegames.com/ _TBPN____________________________________________ Let us know feedback,...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks with Mike Taylor, co-creator and project lead of the Animal Kingdom TCG, about designing a game without using traditional combat mechanics. In the overwhelming majority of trading card games, you’ll often find the game centered around tried and true, but typical, combat mechanics. Is it possible to make a compelling game without classic combat? Mike walks through the design challenges he and his team went through with trying to create an...

Rands is joined by two designers from the HPTCG Revival group and together they all explore what when into their most recent virtual expansion: "Echoes of the Past", based on the second half of the Prisoner of Azkaban novel. _HARRY POTTER TCG REVIVAL____________________________________________ The Harry Potter TCG database: https://accio.cards/ Find the Harry Potter TCG Revival Group on social...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks to Chuck Kallenbach, former game designer at Decipher and Sony Online Entertainment, about the different challenges of designing a TCG in the physical space vs digital space. Is it easier to design games in the digital space? Can designing a digital game lead to mechanics that are too complex? What design challenges are present in digital games that aren’t in physical games? Thinking about these types of questions will help you plan ahead in...

In this episode of TCG SCOOPS! Nico, Parker & Tyler unpack the news from the "Big 3" TCGs for the month of June 2023 Check out our new sponsor for new TCG cards: https://www.trollandtoad.com/ Use code "TBPN5" to get a discount on all cards sold from Troll & Toad directly (Look for the T&T logo in the card's listing). Check out our original sponsor for classic TCG singles: https://www.categoryonegames.com/ _TBPN____________________________________________ Let us know feedback,...

THIS EPISODE IS A PART OF TBPN's CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING (1993-2023) On this Rare Slot, Rands is joined by Magic: The Gathering historian, eclectic cardboard collector and trained pressman—Ryan W. Rooks—to discuss a variety of Magic: The Gathering cards that should not have ever existed. Thats right these cards were either made in error, or never intended to reach the public's hands. Furthermore, during the journey that Ryan takes us on we learn about some very...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks to Joey Senart, who has over a decade of marketing experience with several well-known companies. How important is marketing when trying to launch and grow a trading card game? How does your marketing approach change once your game launches successfully? Joey discusses what he thinks can be a simple and effective marketing strategy for small-time creators, as well as giving examples of what that looks like in a practical...

This episode of Booster Pack Throwback we see the return of Erik Olofsson to the network. Since we first spoke 18 months ago, Erik and his team have been busy getting Sorcery: Contested Realm made. Erik tells about his experience managing his initial Kickstarter, finding printers and finalizing the card set for S:CR's Alpha edition. So whether or not you know Sorcery: Contested Realm, kickback and hear a tale about what it takes to make the dream of creating a trading card game a...

*corrected audio version (the original upload of this podcast was the pre-edit version, this has been corrected within an hour of the original upload going live) Check out our new sponsor for new TCG cards: https://www.trollandtoad.com/ Use code "TBPN5" to get a discount on all cards sold from Troll & Toad directly (Look for the T&T logo in the card's listing). Check out our original sponsor for classic TCG singles: https://www.categoryonegames.com/   In this (belated) episode of...

THIS EPISODE IS A PART OF TBPN's CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING (1993-2023) On this Rare Slot, Rands is regaled with first-hand stories from the first-ever finalist of a public TCG tournament. That event was of course a Magic: The Gathering tournament, featuring the very first Alpha Magic cards. It was held at Gen Con 1993. _______Links from @MTGhistory related to this episode______ Posts about Magic at Gen Con 1993— Picture and play-by-play of the last...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks to Anya Combs, Tabletop Account Manager at BackerKit. The past few years have brought countless new TCGs to the marketplace, and that has been made possible primarily due to crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter. With so many trading card games being brought to life with crowdfunding, and with more and more crowdfunding platforms popping up, it can be difficult to not only navigate how to run a campaign, but also which site to choose. Learn...

In this (belated) episode of TCG SCOOPS! Nico, Parker & Tyler unpack the news from the "Big 3" TCGs for the month of March 2023 Find  Cimoooooooo's video about Yu-Gi-Oh's make a wish card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOZOhogpK_w Find  OmniPoke's vids in ZoroBox: https://www.youtube.com/@OmniPoke/videos _TBPN____________________________________________ Let us know feedback, topic suggestions or games you'd like to hear about via email or any of our social media (DMs are also open to...

On this Rare Slot, Peter from Card Game Crypt on YouTube breaks down his top independent TCGs releasing in 2023. Take a listen & learn about some games you might be hearing about this year. Peter's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx8twHnxHRs6bUUyUbatp7g  Team APS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqlCjzSFmunjBOP4EmYpxg  Game #5: https://www.elestrals.com/  Game #4: https://www.boundlesstcg.com/ Game #3: https://www.primaltcg.com/  Game...

On this episode of BOOSTER PACK THROWBACK, Rands chats with the CEO of the (former) Precedence Entertainment. Precedence was a major TCG publisher in the 1990s, releasing over 6 different games including Babylon 5 CCG, Tomb Raider CCG & the Wheel of Time TCG. Throughout this chat, Paul not only shares his business & game industry stories but also shares many of the tough lessons he learnt about game design, licensing and management from the many years he spent in the tabletop gaming...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks to Alex Miller, lead designer of Genesis: Battle of Champions TCG. An often overlooked area in trading card games is movement and positioning. There are usually zones on the playing field, but rarely do we see games that allow you to move your cards as if they're on a board. Perhaps the reason few games attempt to use card movement is because it adds too much complexity. Or perhaps movement mechanics in trading card games have yet to really be...

Nico, Parker & Tyler unpack the news from the "Big 3" TCGs for the month of February 2023. EM Cards & Collectibles — https://www.emcards.ca/ (Canada-wide shipping) _TBPN____________________________________________ Let us know feedback, topic suggestions or games you'd like to hear about via email or any of our social media (DMs are also open to anyone) Find The Booster Pack Network via https://www.theboosterpacknetwork.com/ Join the conversation in our *brand new*...

On this Rare Slot Rands & Assad go deep on the recent history and changes in the TCG industry. Please share this conversation if you found value in it. Find Genesis; Battle of Champions— https://www.genesisbattleofchampions.com Assad's previous @TBPN podcast: https://youtu.be/bUsvm-HY7Sg Genesis: BoC on Twitter: https://twitter.com/genesisboc _____________________________________________ Audio version of this podcast: https://pod.link/1553640008 Find...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks to Gem Blender TCG’s creator, Steve Sekula, about designing resource systems and mechanics. Arguably the most important design aspect of your trading card game is how the resource system works. How do players actually play the cards? How do you implement your resource mechanics in a way that fits within your story or lore? Resources can take many forms, such as cards in your deck, specific rules restrictions, as well as being automatically...