Kickin’ The Tires with Sean Nittner (Evil Hat Productions) ep. 271

Kickin’ The Tires with Sean Nittner (Evil Hat Productions) ep. 271

From TABLETOP TALK - Third Floor Wars by Craig Shipman

February 10, 2026 · 2h 9m · Season 1 · Episode 271

About this episode

Sean Nittner discusses gameplay styles, mechanics, and storytelling in TTRPGs.

Sean is the Director of Projects at Evil Hat Productions, a game developer and TTRPG enthusiast who has played more games than almost anyone we know. He’s been part of the design team for great titles like Agon, Apocalypse Galactica, Blades in the Dark, Dead World, and Stone Dragon Mountain. He adds a refreshing energy and commitment to the world of TTRPG’s—he’s been doing it for decades. In today’s episode, we break down different gameplay styles and the realities of various mechanics, how they affect the flow of play, and how players interact with the world. It’s a deep dive into how game hacking and open-source development work, and it's great for homebrewers and developers alike. Sean discusses what makes for a robust mechanical structure and how best to integrate a game's structure and story into an evocative product. He explores how to deliver mechanics to your audience, how to tell more enticing stories, red and green flags in game-making, and details his awesome experiences in the field over This conversation was a blast, running nearly two hours. A true deep dive, there’s a lot to learn here. Check out Sean’s website Visit the amazing titles sold by Evil Hat Productions…

People in this episode

Guest: Sean Nittner

Topics covered

  • gameplay styles
  • game mechanics
  • TTRPG
  • game hacking
  • open-source development
  • homebrewing
  • storytelling

Keywords

  • Evil Hat Productions
  • Agon
  • Apocalypse Galactica
  • Blades in the Dark
  • Dead World
  • Stone Dragon Mountain

Mentioned in this episode

Products: TTRPG, Agon, Evil Hat Productions

Books & works: Kickin’ The Tires with Sean Nittner, Apocalypse Galactica, Blades in the Dark, Dead World, Stone Dragon Mountain, Tales of the Immortal God Ship Outgunned Shadows of Truth, Tales of the Manticore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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