NOTE: THE AUDIO QUALITY OF THIS EPISODE IS LOWER THAN THE EXPECTED TPBN STANDARD. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED AS IS. FUTURE EPISODES OF TCG SCOOPS WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO THESE SAME ISSUES. —Rands Nico, Parker & Tyler unpack the news from the "Big 3" TCGs for the month of February 2023. Untitled Pilot Episode — https://youtu.be/ud8fklL-7N8 _TBPN____________________________________________ Let us know feedback, topic suggestions or games you'd like to hear about via email or any of our...

This episode of BOOSTER PACK THROWBACK stands out as one of the most unique episodes yet. Joining Rands today is Brian Lewis, and unlike nearly all the previous guests, Brian doesn't create games—rather he helps protect them by using the law. As the first in-house lawyer hired by Wizards of the Coast, Brian shares his experiences working to help Magic become the gaming juggernaut that it is today. The conversation ranges on everything from the TCG Patent, gambling, counterfeiting, satanism...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks to Kryptik TCG’s creator, Tanner McBride, about designing combat mechanics. Combat is a staple in trading card games, but is it an essential part of their design? How much does combat influence the other mechanics of a game’s design? Considering combat is often a huge factor for players in deciding whether or not to play a game, balancing the system’s simplicity and familiarity are crucial to the design of a great game. Learn more about...

This time we have a special bonus, end-of-year episode. You are going to get a little look behind the curtain here at The Booster Pack Network. What we have here is a pilot episode record from a new podcast we are developing. The idea is simple: Rands is joined by a trio of TCG experts each specializing in one of the "Big 3" TCGs—Magic, Pokemon & Yu-Gi-Oh. Please let us know what you think & share your feedback about the show's format. Also, feel free to drop any suggestions for...

On this "BOOSTER PACK THROWBACK", Rands is lucky enough to be joined by *the* John Wick. John was the person behind the story for the original L5R CCG, as well as the creator of the 7th Sea setting (which also had its own CCG). Famously, the L5R's story tournament system allowed players to craft the story in those games though competitive play. John speaks to the challenges & advantages of that story structure. John also explains what when into crafting those much loved & intricate...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks to Alpha Clash TCG’s lead designer, Ridge Kiley, about designing around theme. Trading card games typically center around an already established world or IP, which provides a framework for the game’s design. However, it can sometimes prove to be difficult to stay true to the source material. Maintaining the balance between your game’s mechanics and how it relates to your lore is both a challenging and rewarding aspect of game design. Find...

On this episode of the Rare Slot podcast, Rands is joined by previous guest & D-Spirits creator, STERLING. Since the last time they chatted STERLING has been busy managing and expanding the D-Spirits card game & brand. He catches Rands up on the challenges & successes he has faced since becoming a pioneer in this new era of crowdfunded, indie TCGs. He also discuss his brand new Kickstarter campaign that brings D-Spirits into a whole new...

[[ We apologies for the audio quality of this episode. This technical difficulty is limited to this episode only — TBPN ]] On this "BOOSTER PACK THROWBACK", Rands is visited by a man of many talents! As a writer, an editor, an art director, a game designer & even president of a publishing company; Matt Forbeck has done so much in gaming—both analogue & digital. As someone who was coming up in the tabletop gaming industry in the 1990s, it was inevitable that Matt's career would...

On this episode of TCG Design Theory, Jay talks to fellow TBPN collaborator Rands Lincoln about the different historical periods so far in collectible trading card game history. Trading card games are a notoriously difficult product to produce successfully. With that in mind, an essential lesson for any TCG designer is the history of the genre. If you are willing to learning from the mistakes of the games & designers which came before, you may be able to avoid some of the less-obvious...

[[ Formally titled The Booster Pack: Rare Slot ]] On this first standalone Rare Slot episode, Rands sits down with gaming historian & author Ben Riggs. Ben shares his perspective on how TCGs changed the tabletop hobby landscape after their arrival in 1993. Specifically we discuss what happened to the then-most popular genre of gaming—Roleplaying Games—as collectible games began to take hold of the industry. We also discuss how Wizards of the Coast, the first-ever publisher of TCGs,...

[[ Formally titled The Booster Pack Podcast ]] On this very first episode of the newly retitled "BOOSTER PACK THROWBACK", Rands chats to one of the most influential figures in tabletop gaming—Peter Adkison! Peter founded Wizards of the Coast & suggested that Magic: The Gathering designer Richard Garfield try creating a simple, portable card game. This one suggestion changed not only the course of his life but the lives of millions of others. Kick back & join Peter and Rands for...

On this debut episode of TCG Design Theory, host Jay Dotson kicks off the series with a chat to game designer, content creator & community builder Gabe Barrett. Gabe is the host of the BOARD GAME DESIGN LAB podcast & has launched several successful board games of his very own. Here he discusses his 7 tips for becoming an accomplished & prolific game designer. These universal principles can be applied to every genre of gaming but are essential to a successful creator's...

[[ Originally released as "TBP: Rare Slot" — a Bonus Episode of the former "The Booster Pack Podcast" ]] [[ To find TCG DESIGN THEORY, sub to this podcast feed — Episode #1 goes live Oct 11, 2022 ]] Some big changes are coming to The Booster Pack podcast. In this episode Rands introduces the start of theses changes & then chats with the host of a brand-new trading card game design podcast, titled TCG Design Theory. Join Rands & his friend Jay to discover all about the next...

We once again follow history's path back to the golden age of collectible trading card games. Our adventure finds us exploring the origins of the Middle Earth CCG by Iron Crown Enterprises. The sagely wizard that is guiding us this time is none other than tabletop gaming veteran S. Coleman Charlton. Coleman shares his personal stories of bring the world of Tolkien to the tabletop throughout his long career & tells us about his design philosophy that led to creating the MECCG. Learn more...

We've got something special on this RARE SLOT! Rands chats to the producers of a brand-new documentary that covers the history & community of Magic: The Gathering. This film, titled Igniting The Spark, features over 50 interviews with people who have impacted or been impacted by the most iconic & influential CCG of all time: MAGIC! Join us for this fun & exclusive chat with the filmmakers of this amazing new feature length movie. [[The last few minutes of this podcast feature...

Today we are joined for our second episode with collectible game pioneer Tom Braunlich. Tom, along with his design partner Rollie Tesh, designed 2 of the biggest CCGs of the 1990s: Decipher's Star Trek & Star Wars CCGs. This episode Tom chats to Rands about how he went from the Star Trek CCG design period straight into working on the Star Wars CCG. He also shares how important it was to him that he capture the cinematic feel of Star Wars universe in the rule set of this game. Be sure...

Today we are joined for our first of two episodes with collectible game pioneer Tom Braunlich. Tom, along with his design partner Rollie Tesh, designed 2 of the biggest CCGs in the 1990s: Decipher's Star Trek & Star Wars CCGs. This episode Tom chats to Rands about how he came to be involved with gaming professionally & eventually shares how his pre-existing relationship with Decipher lead to the creation of the Star Trek CCG. Be sure to subscribe wherever you're finding this...

[NOTE: [[THIS EPISODE WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR A 2022 GENCON TRIP. It is now kept in this feed for archival purposes]] ] In this very short, glasses-free Singles episode, shameless Rands brags about an upcoming trip to GenCon. Will you be there too? Also, share your past GenCon stories with me! EMAIL — [email protected] Find @CCG History on socials: https://www.facebook.com/CCGhistory https://twitter.com/CCGHistory This show is also available as...

On this episode Rands talks to Stephen Domzalski, the former Manager of Game Development for the Fleer Trading Card Company. During the first CCG craze of the mid-1990s, Fleer eagerly jumped into the game publishing world with the launch of 2 collectible games based on huge franchises—Marvel & Star Trek. The Marvel game would become the Overpower CCG, which eventually expanded to incorporate DC characters. Meanwhile their Star Trek CCG would only involve characters from the original 1966...

On this RARE SLOT episode of The Booster Pack podcast, Rands is joined by a veteran of hobby card game creation—Andrew Navaro. For over 15 years Andrew worked with Fantasy Flight Games to produce several hobby card games inc. Android: Netrunner, Call of Cthulhu CCG/LCG, Game of Thrones CCG/LCG & many more. However, at the start of 2020, Andrew founded  Earthborne Games to design, produce & publish a card game of his very own: Earthborne Rangers.  Not only is Earthborne Rangers a...

On this episode Rands is joined by lauded Dungeons & Dragon's author & worldbuilder Steven E. Schend. Steven's time in collectible trading card games was short but impactful—he designed the Blood Wars CCG in 1995 at TSR. However, Steven's history with tabletop gaming runs a lot deeper! He & Rands discuss his long history with D&D & how he went from editing RPG books to creating his own CCG. Steven also tells a very unique story about one of the most intriguing chapters...

[[[The Booster Pack's interview with SCRYE magazine founder JM White can be found elsewhere on this podcast feed or via YouTube: https://youtu.be/1P0OvkUrFVo]]] On this bonus episode of The Booster Pack podcast, celebrated author John Jackson Miller walks us back through the pages of history to share his story as Directorial Editor of the world's most popular collectible card game magazine—SCRYE. He also tells us about all the work & effort that went into creating the definitive guide...

On this episode of The Booster Pack, Rands talks to tabletop game designer Matt Hyra. Matt's stories with collectible games actually start even before the very first one—Magic: The Gathering—is released. Since those days he has worked on several CCGs, including the much-loved VS System TCG—and was even responsible for a special start-of-game-rule that many collectible trading card games still use to this day.   Matt is also known for dozens of other games designs, so join jus as he shares...

On this episode of the Rare Slot, Rands discusses the history & future of cooperative (or solo) modes in collectible trading card games with game designer Brett Schofield. These modes (often called "Player vs Environment" or "PvE" modes) are something that have been quite a rarity in the world of collectible trading card games to date. Brett offers a brief history of these types of collectible games & also offers his perspective on why PvE could become an important element of...

Some snake or something once said "...And Now For Something Completely Different". Well, on today's show things are a bit different. On this super-sized "Singles" episode, Rands discusses a brief history of collectible trading card games based on other media properties & why the future of them might be vastly different from the past. If this is your first "Singles" episode, it is just Rands talking on the topic—no guests or co-hosts; just Rands, a mic & some probably fallible...