E27 Proud to Gayme - Card Game Lovers to Board Game Designers

E27 Proud to Gayme - Card Game Lovers to Board Game Designers

Danielle Reynolds interviews Aki and Fernando Suarez-Laurinaho (both he/him), the creative duo and co-owners behind Finland-based studio Shy Finn Games. They share their individual queer journeys, including Aki’s teenage moment of clarity while watching the British TV show Queer as Folk and then coming out at the Helsinki Pride parade, and Fernando’s path to embracing his identity at age 28 while living away from home. They tell the story ofgoing from casual tabletop players to indie designers, and how their trip to Iceland (where Fernando proposed to Aki inside a glacier) sparked the initial idea for their latest game, Fluffypede. They open up about the lessons of self-publishing, why they prioritized creative ownership over pitching to traditional publishers, and what it’s like to navigate the notoriously introverted Finnish tabletop scene as an openly gay couple. See more about Aki and Fernando on shyfinngames.com or @shyfinngames on social media.  In the bonus segment, Clara Mount talks to Nala J. Wu (they/them), freelance art director and illustrator, about their journey from fashion illustration to pushing for diversity and accessibility in tabletop gaming. They discuss how Nala’s art piece for July in the Seasons of Pride calendar incorporates multiple genders, visible queerness, people of color, fat bodies, vitiligo, and other details to showcase that all bodies are welcome. Find more of Nala J. Wu’s work at naladraws.com or @naladraws on social media.

E26 Proud to Gayme - Defy the Gods

Danielle Reynolds interviews Chrys Sellers (she/her) of Hectic Electron Games, a trans, queer game designer and the brain behind Raccoon Sky Pirates. Chrys opens up about transitioning later in life and shares how writing her latest tabletop RPG, Defy the Gods, unexpectedly became a mirror that revealed her own identity. They discuss the process of developing Defy the Gods, a queer Bronze Age sword-and-sorcery romance RPG with mechanics based on Powered by the Apocalypse and flirting inspired by Thirsty Sword Lesbians. Chrys also shares lessons learned from both successful and unsuccessful crowdfunding campaigns, the value of mentorship, and learning to unapologetically center queer themes in her games. You can follow Chrys on social media as @HecticElectron and find out more about her work at hecticelectron.com.  In the bonus segment, Clara Mount chats with digital illustrator Narfil (he/him) about the art he created for June in the Seasons of Pride calendar, which depicts a community coming together to protect a trans child from a mob of shadowy creatures. Narfil digs into the emotion and research that inspired the piece, then discusses his design work with ReRoll Works on inclusive, adult board games. Check out Narfil and his projects at narfil.com, on Instagram as @narfilart, or on Bluesky as @narfil.

E25 Proud to Gayme - Seven & Multiplicity in Identity

Danielle Reynolds chats with Seven Dane Asman (they/them), AKA the "Publishing Goblin," a queer author, publisher, artist, and game designer. Seven opens up about their multi-faceted queer journey and the evolution of their gender identity, as well as how they found a sense of gender-neutral anonymity within Denver’s pup and kink communities. They also chat about Seven’s professional journey, from self-publishing poetry to their massive success with crowdfunding tarot decks and other divination projects – including The Alleyman’s Tarot, which remains the most funded tarot project to date. You can learn more about Seven and their array of creative projects at publishinggoblin.com.  In the bonus segment, Clara Mount interviews award-winning miniature painter Jamie Daggers (she/her) about the vivid mechs she painted for the Seasons of Pride calendar, the importance of being visible as a queer woman in the wargaming community, and her latest project, Lyctor: a necromantic skirmish game with combat powered by a standard deck of playing cards. Check out Jamie and her projects at daggers.tv or on socials as @jamiedaggers.

E24 Proud to Gayme - FiveToedSloth

Danielle Reynolds chats with Alex Condie (he/they), a fiction writer, video editor, and content creator. They discuss the “second puberty” Alex experienced in his 20s as he started to explore his queer identity, and bond over fictional crushes. Alex shares stories about the transition from writing books into writing LitRPGs and what it’s like to pitch novels to publishing houses. He also talks about starting a YouTube channel because he wanted to post a video about an obscure fictional game from the show Recess. They wrap up by talking about the power of having a community around writing, Alex’s recommendations for getting into LitRPGs, and his latest book: Reborn as a Tamer’s Monster.  In the Seasons of Pride bonus segment, Clara Mount chats with Haley Boros (she/they) about her artistic influences, the inspiration behind the art she created for April, and details that would be easy to miss. Check out her other work at haleyboros.com or @tripawdpress on Instagram and Bluesky.

E23 Proud To Gayme - Marceline Leiman & Going Big on Small Ideas

Danielle Reynolds chats with Marceline Leiman (she/her), a game designer, developer, and educator who received the Diana Jones Emerging Designer award in 2025. Marceline shares her queer journey from labeling herself as an ally to coming out as trans femme, and they discuss the nuance among queer identities and experiences. They also talk about Marceline’s career, including how she broke into game design through a Twitter post that went "viral" and how she's used game design contests to motivate and challenge herself.  Stay tuned for the Seasons of Pride bonus segment, where Clara Mount talks about the way LGBTQIA+ artist Nolan Nasser (he/him) brings his passion for gaming to life through his work. See what Nolan's up to on n3-studios.com, @n3_nolan on Instagram, and nolann3 on Bluesky.