Skip to content
Artwork for The Covenant Cast
LeisureGamesHobbies

The Covenant Cast

Covenant

We've spent over a decade in the tabletop gaming space, as content creators, local store owners, and online retailers. Now it's time to answer your questions, dive into complex topics, and have an incredible amount of fun along the way -- featuring exclusive updates, candid dialogue, and fascinating interviews with designers, publishers, and visionaries.

Play
  • 22 episodes
  • Avg 1 hr 52 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • Yesterday · 2 hr 19 min

    Say Less

    00:09:03 "Let's Cover the News" 00:09:35 Earthborne Games News 00:18:39 Sorcery TCG News 00:40:40 Warlord TCG News 00:41:45 Covenant News 00:50:49 Main Topic: Say Less

  • August 18 · 1 hr 51 min

    Playing Outside the LGS

    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?

  • August 13 · 2 hr 20 min

    Is a Great Game Enough?

    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. 00:11:21 Flesh and Blood TCG News 00:11:53 Warlord TCG News 00:15:17 Arkham Horror LCG and Marvel Champions LCG News 00:19:27 Alpha Clash TCG News 00:39:46 Sorcery TCG News 00:57:46 Can Sorcery be Successful as Simply a Great Game? 01:00:22 Earthborne Games News 01:06:50 Covenant News 01:07:14 Social Segment 01:25:28 Main Topic: Is a Great Game Good Enough?

  • July 31 · 1 hr 56 min

    There and Back Again - New Zealand & Vegas

    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. 00:06:12 Here Be Monsters TCG News 00:08:57 Hubworld: Aidalon News 00:25:26 Alpha Clash TCG News 00:32:07 Flesh and Blood TCG News 00:37:35 Warlord TCG News 00:42:07 Marvel Champions LCG and Arkham Horror LCG News 00:45:46 Main Topic: There and Back Again - New Zealand & Vegas

  • July 17 · 2 hr 6 min

    The TCG Fatigue Is Real

    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. 00:02:36 Here Be Monsters TCG News 00:09:05 Alpha Clash TCG News 00:20:48 TCGs in the Internet Age 00:22:03 FAB TCG News 00:25:37 Sorcery TCG News 00:43:53 Ashes Ascendancy News 00:44:19 Warlord TCG News 00:44:27 Earthborne Games News 00:47:39 Arkham Horror and Marvel Champions News 00:48:14 Covenant News 00:51:34 Social Segment 01:13:59 Main Topic: The TCG Fatigue Is Real

  • July 3 · 2 hr 4 min

    Is This the Perfect Indie TCG?

    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! 00:00:00 Intro 00:08:32 Here Be Monsters TCG News 00:12:02 Zattic News 00:13:39 Alpha Clash TCG News 00:14:56 Flesh and Blood TCG News 00:19:07 Sorcery TCG News 00:19:31 Subjective Assessment of Art 00:24:34 Earthborne Games News 00:31:22 Viewer Question 1 00:32:28 Viewer Question 2 00:38:31 Ashes Ascendency News 00:43:13 Covenant News 00:48:35 Canadian News 00:54:16 Lightning Round! 01:04:13 Main Topic: Is Here Be Monsters the Perfect Indie TCG? Get your own demo deck: https://www.teamcovenant.com/games/here-be-monsters-tcg Learn more: http://cov.link/here-be-monsters

  • June 19 · 2 hr 13 min

    Are TCGs Gambling?

    It's time we addressed the perennial question. 00:36:38 Main Topic: Are TCGs Gambling?

  • June 12 · 1 hr 45 min

    Tabletop Isn't Digital

    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. 40:30 Main Topic

  • June 5 · 2 hr 1 min

    FOMO is Necessary

    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? 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:42 Sorcery TCG News 00:07:23 Warlord TCG News 00:07:44 Alpha Clash TCG News 00:08:03 Arkham Horror The Card Game & Marvel Champions News 00:21:42 FAB TCG News 00:22:04 Covenant News 00:23:24 Main Topic: FOMO

  • May 29 · 2 hr 4 min

    Earthborne Trailblazer First Impressions

    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 00:50:49 Main Topic: Earthborne Trailblazer First Impressions

  • May 22 · 1 hr 32 min

    Why Distribution Had to Change

    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. 27:51 Steven Rafts the Valley 41:07 Main Topic: Why Distribution Had to Change

  • May 8 · 1 hr 47 min

    Artistic Inspiration vs Plagiarism

    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.

  • April 24 · 1 hr 57 min

    The End of Crowdfunding

    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. 00:07:15 Preview Pack 2026 Update 00:08:53 Sorcery TCG News 00:09:55 "What is Fulfilled?" 00:15:46 Covenant News 00:21:59 Earthborne Games News 00:26:18 Main Topic: The End of Crowdfunding

  • April 17 · 2 hr 6 min

    How the LCG Succeeds

    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. 00:03:39 Announcing the Preview Pack 2026 00:11:25 Gudnak News 00:16:39 Arkham Horror: The Card Game News 00:17:01 Flesh and Blood TCG News 00:19:18 Covenant News 00:22:00 "Are you interested in Onward by Skytear Games?" 00:23:10 Main Topic: How the LCG Succeeds

  • April 11 · 2 hr 12 min

    There is No "LCG Model"

    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? 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:46 Arkham Horror: The Card Game News 00:10:45 Alpha Clash TCG News 00:15:16 Sorcery TCG News 00:17:27 "I Can't Stand It!" Steven Opens Up About Tutors 00:29:54 Question: "How Does Sorcery Not Get Stale With a Yearly Release?" 00:34:16 Back to Sorcery TCG News 00:36:57 Covenant News 00:45:44 Main Topic: There is No "LCG Model"

  • April 6 · 2 hr 13 min

    The Perfect Organized Play

    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? 00:03:09 Covenant News 00:12:56 Earthborne Games, Hubworld: Aidalon News 00:24:35 Arkham Horror: The Card Game News 00:26:48 Sorcery TCG News 00:35:01 Alpha Clash TCG 00:45:52 Main Topic: What Makes the Perfect Organized Play Experience?

  • March 27 · 1 hr 55 min

    The Mirage of the Crowdfunded TCG

    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.

  • Dec 11, 2025 · 36 min

    Erik Olofsson - Sorcery TCG | Gothic Reflections and Future

    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!

  • S6 · E6
    Jul 22, 2025 · 1 hr 37 min

    227: Andrew Navaro - From Fantasy Flight Games to Earthborne Games

    "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.

Showing 1–20 of 22 episodes