All Systems Brough - 868-HACK

All Systems Brough - 868-HACK

Author: The Secret Lives of Games December 19, 2025 Duration: 2:07:10

We're joined by Shawn Alexander Allen (Beatdown City Survivors), Cole Wehrle (Root), and Drew Wehrle (Pax Pamir) to discuss the first title in our year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough: 868-HACK.

Next Month: Vertex Dispenser

 

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway

 

Discussed in this episode:

 

868-HACK

https://868-hack.neocities.org/ 

Michael Brough's Website

https://www.smestorp.com/ 

XPerience Studios

https://xperiencestudios.org/

"King Me": A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UraJElx1ebg

Leder Games

https://ledergames.com/

Wehrlegig Games

https://wehrlegig.com/ 

7-Day Roguelike Jam blog post

https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/03/7drl-day-2.html 

868-HACK Release Trailer (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMH-yDR35lI 

PRACTICE 2013: Michael Brough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4iswqa8r-Q 

Michael Brough on balancing prog costs:

https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2014/06/868-hack-prog-costs.html 

Michael Brough on streak scoring

https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/05/score-conditions.html 

https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2017/09/streak-scoring-redux.html 

James Lantz on 868-HACK

https://web.archive.org/web/20160531060339/https://www.decisionproblem.com/inmachinam/?p=175 

Dewan

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/439742/dewan 

Zaynation Complete UFO50 Alternate History Voicemails

https://discord.com/channels/690388280767807518/1298414011368607796/1440018452050870385 

Michael OBlivion tutorials:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R92zN2899s&t=586s 

Rock Paper Shotgun 868-HACK Review (2015)

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/868-hack-review-pc 

Michael Brough on passive vs active abilities

https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/05/uniform-activations.html 

Vivafringe blog post on 868-HACK Secret Level and Good vs. Bad Secrets

https://vivafringe.wordpress.com/2017/07/20/lets-spoil-868-hacks-secret-level-and-talk-about-good-secrets-vs-bad-secrets/ 

Beatdown City Survivors

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3383040/Beatdown_City_Survivors/

Molly House & John Company Reprinting

https://john-company-molly-house-reprint.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders 

Michael Brough on Plan B design notes

https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2017/07/planb-notes.html 

Brick101 - new Steam guide for Powerups

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3577171247 

Spawn count chart:

https://discord.com/channels/690388280767807518/1418970536137981962/1425545294032146494 



https://secretlives.games/ 

https://discord.gg/tslog

https://www.patreon.com/tslog


Ever wonder what really happens between the initial spark of an idea and the final product you play? The Secret Lives of Games pulls back the curtain, offering a rare, unvarnished look at the creative journey. Each episode is built around a candid conversation with a game creator, moving far beyond simple promotion to explore the messy, beautiful, and often surprising realities of their work. You’ll hear about the late-night breakthroughs, the frustrating dead ends, and the personal philosophies that shape the games we love. This podcast is less about reviews or news and more about understanding the human effort behind the pixels and code. It’s for anyone who’s curious about the art and craft of game development, whether you’re a seasoned player, an aspiring designer, or simply fascinated by creative processes. Listen in for genuine stories about problem-solving, narrative design, artistic choices, and the intricate process of building interactive worlds. These are the detailed, behind-the-scenes discussions that reveal how games truly come to life.
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