The Ready Up Podcast S06E05 – Cardboard Shields

We’re joined by special guest, Chris Birch from Modiphius Entertainment, a boardgame/roleplaying game publisher based in the UK. Chris started Modiphius in 2012 with his wife, Rita before launching the Achtung! Cthulu gaming universe via Kickstarter. Modiphius has since run a series of successful Kickstarters including the Thunderbirds co-op game by Matt Leacock (who Dean interviewed a while back), the Conan roleplaying game, and the reboot of the Mutant Chronicles RPG. Modiphius will also be publishing the forthcoming Star Trek Adventures game.

Find out more at modiphius.com, follow @modiphius on Twitter, or find Modiphius on Facebook.

What have you been playing?

• Chris has been playing the twisted and creepy game Lobotomy. But is it all just in his head?
• Susan has made her first foray into Dungeons and Dragons by creating a character called Finnan Tosscobble. We then take a little detour to hear about Chris’s very extensive history with roleplaying games, wargames and other boardgames.
• Dean has been enjoying the giant fighting robots in Titanfall 2, but doesn’t click with the reflex-based gameplay.

Guest Spotlight

• Given Chris’s long-lasting love for board games and roleplaying games, it seemed almost inevitable that he would start Modiphius Entertainment. Chris talks us through his career path, from fashion designer to cardboard king, how Kickstarter opened up a lot of quest doors, and how Modiphius Entertainment grew from humble beginnings. Chris also talks about upcoming projects from Modiphius, including Star Trek Adventures.

Theme of the Week: Boardgame recommendations

• We take some time to talk about our boardgame recommendations which range from the complicated (from Dean, surprise surprise) through to the casual (and yes, Susan’s choice involves some kind of cute animal).

Two Truths, One Lie

• Chris’s office is being tidied behind him so it’s time to move on but there’s still time to quiz him on his statements. Does he have an affinity for squirrels? Is he a LARPer? Or did he really very nearly become mayor of his hometown?

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Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico