Explore every episode of the podcast The Covenant Cast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| The Perfect Lap | 28 Sep 2026 | 01:33:54 | |
The Sorcery TCG Dust launch illustrates a number of lessons in the pursuit of perfection and the reality of the world. Join us as we wrestle with them. | |||
| Balance is Overrated | 24 Sep 2026 | 01:49:43 | |
People often optimize for efficiency and fairness, which is often times counter to optimizing for fun. Alpha Clash has pivoted to maximizing fun at their tournaments and now Sorcery with their Avatar prizes. Zach is hot off rebuilding his Earthborne Rangers decks to make them harder to play and Steven has a long history of making weak characters in D&D for greater roleplaying opportunity. With players, to some extent, seemingly going down this road themselves, we ask how companies can support fun over fairness. | |||
| Just Find One Person | 01 Sep 2026 | 01:49:21 | |
The best and hardest part of tabletop games is that they require other people to play. It's what leads to such amazing communities, but also a lot of frustration for those who just want to play their favorite games. Today, we talk about the lessons we've learned from over a decade of bringing people together.
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| Say Less | 28 Aug 2026 | 02:19:24 | |
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| Playing Outside the LGS | 18 Aug 2026 | 01:51:48 | |
A great game can happen anywhere two people want to gather. With breweries, libraries, and community centers opening their doors to tabletop, what can an LGS do to become that preferred third space? | |||
| Is a Great Game Enough? | 13 Aug 2026 | 02:20:50 | |
We ask ourselves if, in our current moment, it is enough to make the best game possible, or if there is now an even more competitive meta game that designers need to understand to ensure success.
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| There and Back Again - New Zealand & Vegas | 31 Jul 2026 | 01:56:53 | |
In this episode, we share highlights from our recent travels to the Flesh and Blood TCG Pro Tour in Las Vegas and to the Erik's Curiosa offices in New Zealand (Sorcery TCG). The filming and conversations at each were enlightening.
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| The TCG Fatigue Is Real | 17 Jul 2026 | 02:06:27 | |
We can all feel it. So many new TCGs on the market, so many new products from the old games, digital repacks, exclusives, stretch goals, and a seemingly endless supply of gimmicks. Perhaps we've lost our way. Perhaps it's time to return to the fundamentals.
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| Is This the Perfect Indie TCG? | 03 Jul 2026 | 02:04:09 | |
This week, Here Be Monsters TCG launched their Kickstarter campaign with a game-changing business model. Are they the first to solve the problem of TCGs without jettisoning all the upsides? We think that just might be the case!
Get your own demo deck: https://www.teamcovenant.com/games/here-be-monsters-tcg Learn more: http://cov.link/here-be-monsters | |||
| Are TCGs Gambling? | 19 Jun 2026 | 02:13:55 | |
It's time we addressed the perennial question.
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| Tabletop Isn't Digital | 12 Jun 2026 | 01:45:06 | |
On a fateful Monday, BradW shared an ad for Rush of Ikorr, the TCG from Upper Deck, coming to their ePack platform. What's the ePack platform, you ask? An abomination. It's not what tabletop is, and it misses the point completely. Digital integration? We don't want it, and it's ruining the hobby. Join us for a direct message to publishers thinking this is the future—it isn't.
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| FOMO is Necessary | 05 Jun 2026 | 02:01:01 | |
Our current crowdfunding and tcg-heavy tabletop gaming era necessitates a question: is there nobility in removing overtly FOMO-creating elements from your campaigns and product design, or are you just losing sales?
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| Earthborne Trailblazer First Impressions | 29 May 2026 | 02:04:49 | |
A few weeks ago, the Earthborne team came to our office to share a vertical slice of their new game, Earthborne Trailblazer, with us, our team, and three fans of Rangers. Now, with the launch of the Earthborne Trailblazer Kickstarter, we are excited to share our thoughts with the world! Earthborne Trailblazer Kickstarter: cov.link/earthborne-trailblazer
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| Why Distribution Had to Change | 22 May 2026 | 01:32:36 | |
Traditional distribution serves a critical function for tabletop gaming, but for many publishers it is often a hindrance to success—that's why we launched Covenant Fulfilled earlier this year. With the platform receiving a number of updates this week, including the addition of Earthborne Games, we're diving into exactly how our approach to distribution was a necessary improvement for indie publishers.
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| Artistic Inspiration vs Plagiarism | 08 May 2026 | 01:47:32 | |
All last week we stared at the beautiful Earthborne Trailblazer board, created by Evan Simonet and inspired by Jaro Hess's "The Land of Make Believe". This week we wake up to a fresh controversy involving long time Magic: The Gathering artist Dan Frazier. There is clearly a line somewhere between the kind of artistic inspiration that both grounds and elevates a project and sticking so close to your reference that whatever you create lacks soul. Join us as we dive into the murky but refreshing waters of references, inspiration, and the act of creation in a post-modern world. | |||
| Q&A with Andrew Navaro, Head of Studio at Earthborne Games | 01 May 2026 | 01:51:17 | |
Fresh off of their Earthborne Trailblazer announcement, Andrew Navaro joins us to answer your questions and ours! | |||
| The End of Crowdfunding | 24 Apr 2026 | 01:57:16 | |
In the early days of crowdfunding, we were very hesitant to consider games that used the platform. Crowdfunding was seen as a negative. Somewhere along the way we entered an era where crowdfunding every game, or even every set, is seen as the standard. We wonder aloud how we got here and what the future holds.
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| How the LCG Succeeds | 17 Apr 2026 | 02:06:44 | |
In this episode, we revisit the topic of LCG viability. Are there ways, tested or untested, that an LCG can prosper as a long-running game and also on the balance sheet of the local game store? After a week of reflection and so many good comments across the internet, there may indeed be some light at the end of the tunnel. We'll try to find it with you.
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| There is No "LCG Model" | 11 Apr 2026 | 02:12:03 | |
Gudnak has pulled off the pipe dream of LCG fans everywhere by creating a functional limited experience. Hubworld announced that every set will be also be a draftable cube. Arkham Horror continues to tweak how it's products are delivered. None of these games are taking a similar path, but we have to wonder, will any of these paths finally create an offering that is as appealing to the game store as it is to the players?
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| The Perfect Organized Play | 06 Apr 2026 | 02:13:54 | |
Sorcery TCG has announced its Cornerstone events emphasizing Creativity, Mastery, and Wonder. Alpha Clash has gone international, announcing an even more open tournament scene in locations from Vegas to Dubai to the Philippines. FAB continues to deliver ever more on it's promise of high-level face-to-face competition. With all of this swirling in the wind, we ask ourselves, what does the perfect organized play experience look like?
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| The Mirage of the Crowdfunded TCG | 27 Mar 2026 | 01:55:36 | |
First Sorcery TCG, then Altered TCG, and now Cyberpunk 2027 TCG. These games continue to break crowdfunding records, but what does that mean for the actual health of the game? Zach and Steven sit down for an all new podcast format where we talk about all things indie card games. | |||
| Erik Olofsson - Sorcery TCG | Gothic Reflections and Future | 11 Dec 2025 | 00:36:02 | |
At the end of our 12-hour Gothic release stream, we got to chat with Erik Olofsson—founder of Erik's Curiosa and co-founder of Grinding Gear Games—about Sorery's new Gothic set and the future of the game. That content was over the archive limit for YouTube live, so we're releasing it here in its totality. Enjoy! | |||
| 227: Andrew Navaro - From Fantasy Flight Games to Earthborne Games | 22 Jul 2025 | 01:37:33 | |
"I think as long as you're following your heart, your life will take you wherever you're intended to go." Andrew Navaro, Former Head of Studio at FFG and current Head of Studio at Earthborne Games, sits down with us to talk about his journey so far. Join us as we discuss Netrunner, Asmodee, Earthborne Rangers, Hubworld: Aidalon and the many, many things in between. It's an inspirational interview with a truly inspirational person. | |||
| 226: When Comic Books are the Answer - Alpha Clash | 27 May 2025 | 01:00:21 | |
Ridge Kiley, co-founder of Rising Empire Studios, sits down with Zach to discuss their recently announced Alpha Clash comic book series and how the comics allow for a top-down design approach that will completely reshape the Alpha Clash trading card game. | |||
| 225: Alpha Clash Blazes New Path For Indie Card Games | 13 May 2025 | 01:29:32 | |
Garett Kiley, co-founder of Rising Empire Studios, sits down with Zach to discuss their recent move away from traditional distribution and into direct LGS relationships via their Champion Store program. This is the most honest accounting of what it's actually like working with traditional distributors as an indie publisher, and a must-listen for publishers and players of these games. | |||
| 224: Gudnak - In Pursuit of the Third Way | 18 Mar 2025 | 01:48:33 | |
Tim O'Brien, co-designer of Gudnak, sits down with Zach for a far-reaching discussion that offers a behind-the-scenes look into Chaotic Great's journey as a new indie card game publisher. At the heart of the discussion is the inevitable question for this new round of "LCGs" - what has to change for this format to truly succeed? Check out the second Gudnak Kickstarter campaign to see potential answers to that question: https://cov.link/gudnak-ks | |||
| 223: Kingswood Games - The Warlord CCG Interview | 07 May 2024 | 01:07:45 | |
Woodrow and Josh, the founders of Kingswood Games, are relaunching the AEG classic card game, Warlord, into the modern era. It's an incredible story of two longtime fans bringing back something that they clearly love, with serious echoes of FFG's Android: Netrunner relaunch. Catch our interview to hear the full story. | |||
| 222: Andrew Navaro - The Reality of Independent Publishing | 02 Feb 2024 | 01:06:48 | |
We're back after seven months with one of our favorite creators in the tabletop gaming industry, Andrew Navaro (former Fantasy Flight Games Head of Studio, founder of Earthborne Games), for a deeper look at independent publishing through the lens of someone who has been on both sides of the equation. Recorded in the midst of the second highly successful Earthborne Rangers crowdfunding campaign, Andrew expounds upon the challenges faced since the launch of the game, the influence of distribution on production, and the importance of holding to your vision. | |||
| 221: Introducing the Alpha Clash TCG ft. Ridge (Founder) | 20 Jun 2023 | 00:53:24 | |
We've been following Alpha Clash since 2022, and have consistently been impressed with the drive and output of the people behind it. Join us for a conversation with Ridge Kiley, founder of Rising Empire Studios and creator of the Alpha Clash TCG, as we learn more about the game, Cirque de Soleil, collegiate wrestling, and the ambitious plans ahead. | |||
| 220: Andrew Parks - Stories from The Nightmare Before Christmas TCG | 01 May 2023 | 01:05:58 | |
A remarkable moment - a random comment on our Nighmare Before Christmas TCG stream turns into a conversation and relationship with its designer, Andrew Parks, who then blows us away with fascinating stories from the early days of tabletop (Z-Man, Ed Beard Jr., Iron Crown Enterprises, NECA, Wizkids, and more). Every conversation brings more context to this industry, how we got here, and where we're going - we hope you'll join us for a listen. | |||
| 219: Getting Into Magic: The Gathering | 18 Mar 2023 | 01:07:16 | |
Zach has been taken in by the upcoming Lord of the Rings "Universes Beyond" set of Magic: The Gathering. So much so that he's now learning everything about what to buy, where to buy it, and where to play it. | |||
| 218: The Retail Incentive | 25 Feb 2023 | 01:10:12 | |
Conversations around expandable games and the LGS continue to swirl online, especially amid things like Magic's continued embrace of direct sales, Flesh and Blood's presence (or non-presence) at retail, and Sorcery's "one set a year, play how you want" approach. Join us as we attempt to cut through it all and get down to the basics of how incentives for publishers, distributors, and retailers continue to alter the simple act of getting products to players. | |||
| 217: Event Theory Into Practice - FuseFest 2023 | 11 Feb 2023 | 01:10:04 | |
We recently hosted our first big event since COVID shut everything down (technically our biggest to date!). As those of you following for the past few years are certainly aware, we've been fascinated by the competitive v casual paradigm, especially as it relates to local events and our plan for Covenant Tulsa 3.0. | |||
| 216: The End of an Era | 17 Dec 2022 | 01:10:35 | |
As 2022 wraps up, in many ways it signals the end of the "pandemic" era of thinking, both professionally and personally. Join us for a recap of 2022 in the context of the past few years, and a look ahead to a world that is once again full of possibility. | |||
| 215: Questioning Culture - Are You Casual or Competitive? | 23 Oct 2022 | 01:19:42 | |
These two words seem to haunt the tabletop gaming landscape, and after many decades of exposure there still is not broad agreement as to what they mean. Behind these terms is a more accurate understanding of what each of us is looking for in the hobby, knowledge that has the potential to fundamentally improve everything about the gaming space, so join us as we take however much time is needed to get to the bottom of it. | |||
| 214: KeyForge Gets It Right | 15 Oct 2022 | 01:09:17 | |
A lesson to publishers, and to every human being who communicates - Ghost Galaxy's "Dis In Formats" article is everything we could have hoped for as concern over new Organized Play formats spread throughout the online community. Even if you've never heard of KeyForge, join us for a breakdown of this illuminating story. | |||
| 213: KeyForge Returns w/ Christian T. Petersen | 09 Sep 2022 | 01:20:36 | |
Who better to see KeyForge through its next era than the founder of Fantasy Flight Games - Christian T. Petersen. Join us for a wonderfully candid conversation about GameFound, crowdfunding, retail, organized play, PvE, and the future of the first unique deck game with an undeniable visionary of the tabletop gaming space. | |||
| 212: Rekindling the Magic | 18 Aug 2022 | 01:02:28 | |
Card games - and so many things in life - aren't always about having it all. As the expectations around "instant" card access and competitive advantage skew the original TCG (and LCG) equation, we look to our recent Sorcery One Box Meta series as proof that a more joyful approach may well be available to all of us. | |||
| 211: TCGPlayer Buys Channel Fireball | 13 Aug 2022 | 01:19:15 | |
When the largest TCG marketplace buys one of the largest TCG content and event management entities, it's sure to have an impact on the industry. Join two non-Magic players as they look into the future - and inevitably dig up old questions about the concept of collectibility. | |||
| 210: Crowdfunding KeyForge | 05 Aug 2022 | 00:54:05 | |
This week, Ghost Galaxy (run by former FFG founder Christian Petersen) announced that their reboot of KeyForge would be kicked off by a GameFound campaign for the first "new" set, Winds of Exchange. The questions this raises, and their potential answers, says as much about the industry as it does about KeyForge - so join us as we try to unpack it all. | |||
| 209: The Future of Unique Deck Games, Part 2 | 22 Jul 2022 | 00:57:23 | |
Hot on the heels of SolForge Fusion's release and our subsequent podcast (Ep 194) about the Future of Unique Deck Games, Christian Petersen's Ghost Galaxy Games announces their acquisition of KeyForge and a full release of two PvE scenarios - Keyracken and Abyssal Conspiracy. Does the future look different for either of the unique deck games now that there's more competition in the space? Join us as we entertain that exact question! | |||
| 208: Tabletop Terms - TCG & TC Edition | 15 Jul 2022 | 01:12:18 | |
Confused or overwhelmed by all the seemingly insane things that players say in this hobby? Join us as we define terms like "aggro", "limited", "bounce", and even TC classics like "bugatti". You'll be up to speed in no time! | |||
| The Power Seven: Free | 01 Jul 2022 | 01:07:21 | |
For the final episode of the series, Steven and Zach tackle the issue of "free" effects in games with an approach now influenced by all of the previous Power Seven conversations. Notably, can anything really be "free"? | |||
| The Power Seven: Resource Cards w/ Isaac Vega | 18 Jun 2022 | 00:50:43 | |
Concepts like "mana screw" and "non-games" have existed in card gaming from the start, stemming from the reality that sometimes you do not draw the resource cards you need to play out your deck. With more recent designs doing away with resource cards entirely, we call up Isaac Vega (Dead of Winter, Ashes, Rose Gauntlet) to ask if this approach to game systems still has value, or if it is simply an outdated mechanic with more downside than upside. | |||
| The Power Seven: Silver Bullets w/ Alex Davy | 09 Jun 2022 | 01:24:29 | |
Designers often employ powerful effects that target specific cards or archetypes when a meta becomes unbalanced. But is this ever the right answer? | |||
| The Power Seven: Memory w/ Justin Gary | 03 Jun 2022 | 00:56:39 | |
Huge board states, compounding static effects, unlimited stacked triggers - some games can get to a point where simply operating the rules is difficult and making meaningful decisions feels impossible. | |||
| The Power Seven: Denial w/ Nick Conley | 20 May 2022 | 01:02:14 | |
How many metagames have been ruined by a deck that just simply says "no" to whatever you want to do? And yet how many of your friends absolutely love playing said decks? Denial mechanics might be the most difficult game design needle to thread. | |||
| The Power Seven: Recursion w/ Lukas Litzsinger | 11 May 2022 | 00:50:59 | |
A simple act - replaying a card or two from your discard pile - has been the bane of countless metagames. Does such a seemingly innocent mechanic really cause problems? Should designers stay away from the idea of recursion entirely? Join us as we catch up with the King of Recursion, Lukas Litzsinger (Netrunner, Star Wars: Destiny), now working for Wizards of the Coast and keen to discuss the past, and future, of recursion. | |||
| The Power Seven: Limit 1 w/ MJ Newman | 06 May 2022 | 01:09:05 | |
Should cards ever be limited to "1 per deck", especially as a balancing mechanic? Can strong cards exist if they are drawn less often? Can the variance of rare cards be fun for all players? | |||
| The Power Seven: Introduction | 29 Apr 2022 | 00:45:41 | |
Get ready for our most ambitious podcast series to date! Expanding on the principles of our "How to Ruin a Game" series, we've identified seven common design mechanics that are particularly troublesome to game balance, and are interviewing an esteemed designer about each! | |||