This is a copy of the “script” we used to organise Brainwaves Episode 172. It is not a full transcript but should give you an overview of the news as we reported it. Quotes are in italics.
Headlines
Mythic is gone
- Over the last year or two we have reported on the troubles that Mythic Games has suffered. A once lauded Kickstarter focused publisher the company has suffered numerous issues delivering its projects to backers.
- In the last year, it has sold two of those projects, Hel and Anastyr to CMON, a publisher in deep trouble itself. After having launched numerous crowdfunding campaigns, Mythic struggled to fulfill its promises, frequently asking for more money from backers and undergoing major restructuring to try and weather the storm.
- It has not succeeded
- Reported by Boardgamewire on the 10th of December, Mythic has finally been liquidated. It was forced into this position at the end of October when it failed to submit its accounts.
- A Mythic representative told Boardgamewire this
- “For nearly two years, the board game industry has been facing a difficult economic climate. The stock sales we were relying on were not only far below expectations, but eventually became completely non-existent.
- “At the same time, we were confronted with several unforeseen financial issues that severely impacted our cash flow: the increase in refund requests, including unexpected direct withdrawals initiated by Stripe, banks or PayPal (withdrawals that came in addition to the monthly refunds we were already issuing); and a VAT adjustment following a tax audit.
- “The Luxembourg tax authorities believed that VAT had not been collected in certain countries, even though the payments had in fact been made. However, the external accounting firm we used had apparently failed to file the required documentation.
- “We were ordered to pay a very large amount immediately, which we contested, and despite our proposal for a payment plan – while we proved our good faith – the authorities refused any compromise and seized and emptied the company’s accounts.
- They go on to apologise for the situation and to not blame any of the publishers and studios they partnered with on the various projects they have yet to deliver. The rights for these games have mostly returned to the publishers in question.
- In a final act of contrition, they are providing STL files for some of the products they are now unable to make a reality.
- They finish by saying this
- “For us, Mythic Games was far more than a company. It was a human adventure driven by a love of games shared by the entire team, and by the desire to create memorable experiences. Knowing that we were not able to deliver to all our backers is a failure that will weigh heavily on us for a long time.
- “We are deeply sorry for not having been able to honor all our commitments, and we sincerely thank all those who supported us throughout this journey.”
Ryan Dancey embraces AI
- Our last episode really is rolling out our greatest hits
- Back in 2023 Ryan Dancey, head of US games publisher Alderac Entertainment Group, weighed on a post by Elizebth Hargrave the well regarded designer of Wingspan amongst other titles. Elizabeth regularly shares the breakdown of female designers nominated for the Spiel Des Jahres. In a shock to no-one it was vanishingly small. Ryan started by saying that AEG had seen many pitches from female designers but had only taken on Mariposas by Elizabeth. He then said this
- I think there is a significant gap between when someone decides to try and become a game designer and when they produce their first publishable game. Life in that gap consists of a lot of rejection and negative criticism.
- I wonder if that gap accounts for a good part of the missing female design cohort – females are socialized in the West to avoid situations where they’re subjected to fairly harsh criticism of their abilities and creative ideas. Males are socialized to take the punches and keep moving forward.
- Getting across the gap is how you turn someone into a “real game designer” who gets paid for their work and who makes designs that are attractive to publish.
- Ryan was understandably shamed into walking back this statement and even pledged to consider more designs from marginalised groups, challenging folks to ‘hold him accountable’. We did, AEG are still to make good on this pledge.
- All this is just to put what comes next in context.
- On a recent post in Linkedin Ryan responded to a piece from Meeple Mountain that questioned the use of AI in games and wondered why folk think that human creativity should be replaced by algorithms.
- Ryan compares ‘this moment’ to the rise of digital tools to make art and points out that early digital art wasn’t great until folks learnt to use these new tools. He finishes by saying
- Intuitively, great art will be made by Humans + AI. Eventually.
- Iain (I) shared this on Bluesky pointing out that Ryan was effectively embracing generative AI.
- On the 11th of December Ryan replied to me on Bluesky saying this
- Feels inevitable to me
- I pointed out that NFTs were at one point inevitable, to which he replied
- There is a place for NFTs, but the valuations for dumb uses of that tech were clearly a mania. It is hard to accept that the move towards AI is a mania, or that the trajectory of capability it is on will soon plateau.
- I responded by saying that NFTs are effectively dead tech at this point and no-one cares about them. Almost the same with cryptocurrency, which was also inevitable. I received no further reply.
- Responding to J from 3 minute boardgames who wrote
- I really hope that isn’t AEG’s official point of view
- Ryan said
- AEG’s official policy is that we don’t use AI in our products without prior written authorization, which currently is limited to marketing materials and pre-production work on text. We don’t use it for art or graphic design.
- When I asked for clarification on what prior written authorization meant he replied
- All our contracts stipulate that the contractors can’t use AI without prior written permission, from AEG, with pretty stiff penalties. We have not, and have no plans to, provide such permission.
- I followed up by questioning why they needed to have the permission structure in place at all to which Ryan said
- Because we want to be sure no one who works on an AEG product thinks it will be easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
- I have replied with this
- While I understand that position do you not think it would show leadership for AEG to take a more obvious stance on the matter? This feels like you are leaving the door open to say yes at some point.
Oliver/Iain
Diamond Bankruptcy Court Denies Motions to Dismiss + Advisors Bill Another $900k
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/61085/bankruptcy-court-denies-motions-dismiss
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/61108/diamond-advisors-bill-another-900k
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/61214/bank-pulls-plug-diamond
- As we reported previously, Diamond Distribution, one of the largest distribution companies for comics and RPGs in North America, ran into financial difficulties earlier in the year and was declared bankrupt. Since then, the company has been in the news a few more times, most recently for asking a court to allow it to sell any stock in its warehouses in order to pay off creditors
- Now, we have some updates on the various claims, counterclaims and numerous motions filed by all the involved parties.
- As reported on the 24th of November by ICv2, the news website for geek culture retailers, the federal bankruptcy court in Maryland denied Alliance Entertainment’s motion to dismiss a counterclaim filed by Diamond Comic Distributors following a hearing held in the week prior to the ruling.
- Diamond’s counterclaim alleges that Alliance Entertainment breached agreements signed during the sale process and violated court-ordered bidding procedures.
- The court also denied four motions to dismiss complaints filed by Alliance Entertainment against Diamond Comic Distributors and related companies, investment bank Raymond James, restructuring consultants Getzler, Henrich & Associates LLC, Chief Restructuring Officer Robert Gorin, and Alliance Game Distributors co-CEOs Charlie Tyson and Dan Hirsch.
- In its lawsuit, Alliance Entertainment claims that the defendants intentionally concealed the end of the distribution contract between Alliance Game Distributors and Wizards of the Coast until after the Asset Purchase Agreement was signed and approved by the court.
- Alliance Entertainment alleges that this concealment caused it to terminate its asset purchase agreement for the company’s comic and game distribution assets.
The court also refused to dismiss claims of fraud against theDiamondcompanies, restructuring consultants, Tyson and Hirsch, and claims of aiding and abetting fraud against Raymond James, the restructuring consultants, and Tyson and Hirsch.- Claims of negligent misrepresentation against the Diamond companies, restructuring consultants, and Tyson and Hirsch were also allowed to proceed.
- The court further refused to dismiss the claim of breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing against the Diamond companies.
- By denying the motions to dismiss, the court confirmed that both Alliance Entertainment’s claims and Diamond’s counterclaim will move forward to trial.
- In the meantime, creditors who were worried that the funds in Diamond’s accounts would quickly dwindle seem to have been vindicated, when advisors in the bankruptcy case and related litigations billed nearly 900,000 US Dollars in October. That’s substantially up from the roughly 700,000 US Dollars billed in September.
- Total legal, banking, and consulting fees have now reached a total of around 16.6 million US Dollars, which means that money is no longer available to pay creditors.
- DROP IN
- After we recorded the Diamond case took a turn as reported by icv2
- The bank that was funding the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., decided to stop doing so. The Bankruptcy proceedings will now proceed to Chapter 7, effectively paving the way for liquidation of Diamond Comic Distributors.
- The bank has allowed an extra ‘additional amount’ to fund the path to chapter 7.
- Under Chapter 7 the court will now appoint a Trustee whose job will be to wrap up the company and sell off any remaining assets and distribute the money to debtors.
- There is some money still in the Diamond accounts after the sale of assets over the last couple of months.
- The fate of the stock that Diamond still holds from its debtors is still to be determined. Diamond was trying to seize and sell this stock before the debtors put a stop to that in court.
News
Promotion at Asmodee
- On the 27th of November 2025, Asmodee, the worldwide tabletop gaming giant, announced the promotion of Marjolein Lubberman, currently Deputy Chief Commercial Officer, to Chief Commercial Officer and EVP Route to Market by spring 2026, succeeding Steve Buckmaster.
- Lubberman has over 23 years of experience in the games industry and distribution, including founding Enigma Distribution Benelux in 2011, which was later acquired by Asmodee. She also serves as Chairwoman of the Dutch Toy Industry Association and was nominated for the Wonder Woman Award for her leadership and influence in the industry.
- Lubberman will report to Thomas Kœgler, CEO of Asmodee, and will become a member of the company’s Executive Management Team.
- Buckmaster decided to step aside after nearly 24 years and will move into an advisory role within the company. He began his career with Asmodee at Esdevium in the UK, serving in roles including Sales Director, Managing Director, and later as Head of Distribution at a global level. Over his tenure, Buckmaster was instrumental in driving Asmodee’s growth, mentoring teams, and building relationships with retailers and partners worldwide.
- Thomas Kœgler, CEO of Asmodee, said this about the changes:
- “For almost 25 years, Steve has played an extraordinary role in shaping who we are as a company and as a growing community. His leadership and genuine love of games have inspired so many across the group. As he moves into a new chapter, I want to sincerely thank him for his contribution and friendship. I am equally proud to welcome Marjolein to the role. I appreciate her vision, collaborative spirit, and deep industry knowledge that she demonstrated through her contribution to our Executive Management Team meetings for the past months. I am confident the transition will be seamless and that this evolution will help asmodee continue its successful trajectory while staying true to our DNA.”
- Lubberman had this to say about her appointment:
- “This journey started years ago and I am committed to keep reinforcing the relationships we’ve built with our partners over the years and bring them to the next level. I believe we have an unmatched infrastructure in place to keep thriving as one of the leaders in the industry. I want to thank Steve for his continued support and the pleasure of working with him over these many years, and Thomas for his trust in me. I am looking forward to this new chapter together with him and the Executive Management Team.”
- Transparency: Oliver has done paid work for Asmodee.
GAMA moves chairs
- GAMA, the Game Manufacturers Association has a reputation for reorganising more than it actually organises efforts to help the tabletop games industry, and this month is no exception.
- John Stacy left the organisation as executive director last month and has been replaced in the interim by Zaria Davis. Davis has a background in leadership, restorative practice through her consultancy New Direction Coaching and Consulting.
- If that has a tone of the new age about it, you aren’t wrong as Zaria is also a past lives regression hypnotherapist.
- GAMA president Nicole Brady said this of the hire to Boardgamewire
- “The board has brought Zaria Davis in as interim executive director to ensure we keep moving forward during this transitional stage.
- “She will be helping the organization build on our existing procedures with a primary objective of ensuring a strong foundation for when we hire the new executive director. We are incredibly excited to tap into Zaria’s knowledge and expertise.”
- Davis said that she was “looking forward to engaging with members, strengthening organizational process and advancing GAMA’s mission to support and connect the tabletop industry” according to Boardgamewire.
Mongoose licenses Traveller
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/61113/mongoose-licenses-traveller-5e-version
- Mongoose Publishing, the UK RPG company that publishes Traveller and Paranoia amongst other titles, has announced an expansion of the Traveller line.
- Licensing the veteran sci-fi RPG to the company Worlds Largest RPG, Mongoose have announced that Traveller is going to see a new edition using the current 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons ruleset.
- The project will be about 4-5 books presented in a slipcase. This is similar to the format for the world’s largest dungeon that the company Worlds Largest RPG crowdfunded earlier this year to the tune of $1 million.
- The new version will be developed by Timothy Brown, a Traveller veteran who developed the 2300 version of the game for Game Designers Workshop in 1986.
The Picts
https://www.rascal.news/carved-in-stone-is-both-a-history-book-and-an-eye-catching-rpg/ – paying subscribers only
- Descended from Iron Age tribes, the Picts were one of the largest indigenous groups in Scotland in the early medieval era, with Pictland stretching from north of the Firth of Forth all the way to Shetland, with the heart of the kingdom in Moray and Aberdeenshire. Despite this, there is scant information about them as a civilisation, even in Scotland. Until now.
- Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, Carved In Stone: A Storyteller’s Guide To The Picts is both a roleplaying setting guide and an archaeological and anthropological study to dispel the common idea of Picts as tattooed blue barbarians.
- Developed over four years, it is published with the help of Edinburgh-based Stout Stoat Press and Dr Heather Christie of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
- At 160 pages, it contains a thorough examination (with gorgeous illustrations) of elements of Pictish life, from clothing and settlements to art and faith.
- Dr Jeffrey Sanders, head of outreach at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said:
- “There have been so many exciting archaeological discoveries about the Picts in recent years and we wanted to find a way to really bring these stories to life. So we spoke to Stout Stoat Press about designing a setting for a tabletop role-playing game where people could actually use this information to play as a Pict. But to do justice to their diversity of cultures, languages and social life, they ended up creating a book that far exceeded our original plan, effectively producing a sweeping guide which captures early medieval Pictish life in its rich entirety.”
- It can be ordered at the Stout Stoat website, for pdf and or a physical copy.
Obituaries
RIP Burt Meyer
- The Brainwaves team is sad to report the passing of Burt Meyer at age 99. Meyer is probably best known for creating the game Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots in 1964, and collaborating on a host of other games including Lite-Brite, a light-up peg art board, Gooey Louie, where players pull bogies out of a giant man’s nose until his brain pops out, and Mouse Trap, where a fantastical trap is created by players and there’s also a game about mice in there somewhere.
- Some of his creations found their way into pop culture- Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots featured in Toy Story 2, and Lite-Brite was more recently seen in Stranger Things.
- Mr Meyer, who had a car license plate reading ‘TOYKING’, was also a pilot into his late 80s; travelled to the North Pole when he was 69, a scuba diver and a prolific motorcyclist.
- Author Tim Walsh said of Mr Meyer:
- “There was a little mischievousness in him… he was joyful and playful, like a kid, and treated toy design as an art form.”
- The whole team sends their condolences to his family.
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