41: Async digital games, designing during COVID, and more (guest: Emerson Emerson Matsuuchi)

Which games transport us to new places or worlds? What makes a good asynchronous digital game? And how does sheltering in place change how a designer goes about his business?

Board game designer Emerson Matsuuchi (Century series, Metal Gear Solid, Specter Ops) joins us to discuss.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

• Century
• Metal Gear Solid
• Foundations of Rome

Christina's topic: What are your top board games that help you escape?

• Tokaido
• Namiji
• Tales of Arabian Nights
• Hive Mind
• King of Tokyo
• Mansions of Madness
• Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
• Dead of Winter
• Above & Below
• Near & Far
• Mice & Mystics
• Aftermath
• Forgotten Waters
• Suburbia

Emerson's topic: How important is it for a game to have something innovative?

• The Mind
• Dead Man's Cabal
• In the Hall of the Mountain King
• The Castles of Burgundy
• Lost Cities
• Codenames
• Paladins of the West Kingdom
• Architects of the West Kingdom

Nick's topic: Asynchronous digital games

• The Castles of Burgundy
• Lost Cities
• Carcassonne
• Patchwork
• Ticket to Ride
• Tokaido
• Ascension
• Shards of Infinity
• Lords of Waterdeep
• Kingsburg

Shoe's topic: How does shelter-in-place impact game design work?

• Infiltrator

Final thoughts

• Just One
• Rising Sun