Intertextual Experience: A Board Game Podcast

Back like it never left, Intertextual Experience welcomes Amabel Holland—designer, video essayist, author, and co-owner of Hollandspiele—for its forty-sixth episode. Amabel has been making my favorite board game media through her video essays, so this conversation is in conversation with those videos. While the title of the episode is “Episode of Six Video Essays,” technically only four wind up being explicitly chosen through this installment’s game. With that being said, Amabel’s nuanced responses connect to more than the selected six, weaving in various other essays (future ones as well), games, movies, and more media to explore the ways in which art can impact us, why preservation is important, and how being unique and filling different niches will push boundaries of what games can do or be even if it might not be the most commercially viable strategy. Additionally, there is discussion of immersive sims and the correct way to eat skittles, some very impressive word game play, and much more. This is not an episode to miss.
Speaking of things you don’t want to miss, check out following things from Amabel:
Video Essays
Hollandspiele Website
Patreon
Bluesky
Here are the documents used in this episode: the reference document (serves as the games mentioned in this episode as well) and the word game itself. In order to not spoil too much, the sections of the episode are going to not have too many extra notes. Technically, you could cross reference the show notes, episode cover image, and the reference document to figure out what’s being talked about within each section; it’s a mini-puzzle in a sense. Regardless, each section is basically just the title of each video essay.

Intro and State of the Video Essays (0:00)

Should Board Games Be Frustrating (24:32)
The general frame of the word game is described right at the beginning, and then it moves to frustration in some various games.

Boxes: Selling, Framing, Meaning (44:42)
[There is a small, fun, post-credit audio bit that was originally in this section.]

Replay Value: Repetition, Ritual, and Improvement (57:07)

Expanding Board Games (1:09:27)

Wrap-up Questions (1:19:31)
A text on Amabel’s mind and things to look forward to from her!
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If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.
That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).
All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

Taylor Reiner. The Quiz 2.
Since Taylor was on the show in September 2023, he’s been busy with designing, developing, making videos, and more. We get to explore some of the things Taylor has been working on through the lens of sequels, other media, and just general chaos by the way of The Return of the Quiz.

Check out Taylor’s Trick Taking Table
See Taylor’s designs and developments.
Follow Taylor’s Bluesky.

Games Mentioned in this Episode

Intro (0:00)
Reflecting on my butchered introduction, the time that’s passed, and the extreme success of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — Trick-Taking Game. Then we set up the quiz.

The Quiz 2 (8:14)
Can’t spoil the contents of the newest quiz, but there’s a new fun section called “The Tricky Minute.”
Also, the question on everyone’s mind is if SSX Tricky makes a return.
Home Alone 2
The Crew 2
Renaissance - Enlightenment - Romanticism
2

Mini-Director’s Commentary (55:45)
Keeping the quiz short and then doing a full Director’s Commentary as a later episode that paired with this was an initial thought of mine. Fortunately that didn’t work out, especially as that will allow more breath and rumination for The Quiz 3. Taylor reflects on sequels in general, Slay the Spire 2, and Oreos here.

Wrap-up Questions (1:05:32)
A non-StS2 text on Taylor’s mind and what to look out for from him.
There’s a 250 character limit for the titles, in case you’re wondering.

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If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.
That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).
All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

Shut Up & Sit Down’s Tom Brewster joins Intertextual Experience for our 44th episode, perhaps with the show’s most adventurous format yet (so adventurous that time stamps honestly wouldn’t make much sense–and that’s not just me trying to get out of doing the time stamps).
In a roguelite/like/who the heck knows the difference (& don’t go barking at me; I’ve watched all the videos that try to differentiate them and then see everyone else still arguing in the comments) structure, we fight the Western canon, make bean wine, create and remix the game we’re playing in real time, converse about wanting to share the beautiful parts of our hobbies with others, and just have so many other great moments sprinkled within a pretty wild time. This “roguelike” winds up being “4X” in a sense; it explores exploration, experience, expectations, and extermination–poor bat.
If none of that makes sense, you’ll just have to listen.
If all of that makes sense, you’re in the right spot.
You know where to find Shut Up & Sit Down, but here’s their YouTube channel & here’s Tom on Bluesky.
In lieu of the various time-stamped sections, attached below is a comprehensive slides presentation that includes the slides for Chip Cat Breach, images of the games within the game, the character creation page, the games mentioned in this episode, and more? Tom does an excellent job of bringing the visual elements of this audio-only show to life. I suggest waiting until after a listen to check out these slides to see how everything matches up in your head, but you’re your own person.
Click here for slides.

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If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.
That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).
All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

Intertextual Experience is ecstatic to bring in the New Year with Alex Hague, the CEO of board game company CMYK. For a show that likes to explore ideas and stories through different lenses, CMYK provides a perfect color model for us to create these different colored lenses. Through a twisted version of the game Figment, Alex is subjected to a slew of challenges and questions while coming out victorious. Come explore CMYK’s vision, the Hot Streak that was 2025 for the company, an alternate reality where CMYK is a war game publisher, and so much more. As an audio only podcast, you might feel as if you’re missing out on some of the fun, but do not anguish! Here is the slide show presented for Alex (and for the sake of saving links, the games mentioned in the episode will get their own slide after the main images of “the game”).
Check out CMYK’s games here.
Sign up for their newsletter at the bottom.
Follow Alex on Bluesky

“Oh, it's like the tip-off of a basketball game.” (0:00)
Story, beginning, and a tale told through colors.

“We're looking at, like, a… is that an axial view?” (17:07)
Vibing. A throughline of sorts for CMYK games.
Noted in this section!
Recently, Alex was interviewed for one of Amabel Holland’s amazing video essay series. The most recent video titled “Boxes: Selling, Framing, Meaning” is linked. Check that out and then check out the rest of Amabel’s videos if you haven’t.

“A series of concentric circles with some stars inside of it.” (38:44)
Gaps/lines/connections were all possible topics for this one; based on Alex’s selection, the line of questioning was mostly focused on the first option, gaps.. Lacuna.

“Anthropomorphic hot dog mascot with, you know, some, like, sort of soulless eye holes.” (49:52)
All versions of this question focused on CMYK’s 2025 in some way (outside of one really out of pocket option).

Wrap-up Questions (1:03:04)
A text on Alex’s mind and things to look out for from CMYK in 2026 (don’t be greedy—wasn’t their 2025 output enough?!)!

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If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.
That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).
All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree

Happy New Year! In a couple weeks, the show returns with an awesome guest. If you hang around here with me for just a little bit though, you'll get to hear about the state of the show (changes were made this year, and things have been a little slower than desired anticipated—all good though), some video and board games I rank quite highly in my end of year thoughts, and a potential giveaway.
My logged plays from this year (a bit wonky—explained in episode).
The Steam link mentioned.
Board Game Giveaway Bohnanza!

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If you like this show, liking it on whatever platform you listen to and writing a review would mean so much! Furthermore, it's as independent as it gets, so any financial support would help with the subscriptions that make this project go smoothly.
That can be done by "buying me a coffee" and/or buying a copy of my board game (I like it).
All of my socials and support information can be found here: Intertextual Experience Linktree