Guest host, Sarah Shipp, discusses Artistotle's Classical Unities and explores how unity of action, time, and place can be used to design a more cohesive game.

Guest host, Sarah Shipp, discusses Artistotle's Classical Unities and explores how unity of action, time, and place can be used to design a more cohesive game.

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 3

Erica and Sen discuss their comings and goings over the past few months. Sen attended Origins in June and Erica went to SDCC in July. So before they both head to Gen Con in August, they figured they should touch base and see what each other were up to!

Erica and Sen discuss their comings and goings over the past few months. Sen attended Origins in June and Erica went to SDCC in July. So before they both head to Gen Con in August, they figured they should touch base and see what each other were up to!

Ludology 305 Co-Host Catch Up

In this episode, Steph talks about their use of safety tools and how they modified some for use with their son.

In this episode, Steph talks about their use of safety tools and how they modified some for use with their son.

TTRPG Kids Ep 3

Erica and Sen welcome designer, author and game studies professor, Gordon Calleja to the show to discuss his book "Unboxed: Board Game Experience and Design" from the MIT Press (ISBN 978-0-262-54395-8). Gordon gives a chapter-by-chapter rundown of the book that will be the focus of our first Ludology Book Club event - stay tuned for further information!

Erica and Sen welcome designer, author and game studies professor, Gordon Calleja to the show to discuss his book "Unboxed: Board Game Experience and Design" from the MIT Press (ISBN 978-0-262-54395-8). Gordon gives a chapter-by-chapter rundown of the book that will be the focus of our first Ludology Book Club event - stay tuned for further information!

Ludology 304 Unboxing Game Design

Segment host Sarah Shipp returns to talk about the concept of immersion in tabletop games. Amongst others, Sarah references Gordon Calleja theories on immersion in her discussion - Gordon will be next week's guest on the main Ludology podcast.

Segment host Sarah Shipp returns to talk about the concept of immersion in tabletop games. Amongst others, Sarah references Gordon Calleja theories on immersion in her discussion - Gordon will be next week's guest on the main Ludology podcast.

 Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Episode 2

Erica and Sen welcome Danielle Reynolds and Nick Bentley to the show to talk about how HerStory from Underdog Games was designed.

Erica and Sen welcome Danielle Reynolds and Nick Bentley to the show to talk about how HerStory from Underdog Games was designed.

Ludology 303 Making HerStory

Join Steph Campbell of TTRP Kids as they delve into the difficult topic of kids wanting to do "bad" things when playing TTRPGs. How can parents and educators deal with this in a constructive way. Is the child actually being "bad" or are they just inquisitive? How can we determine this and what learning can occur from "bad" behavior?  (Sound Effects from Pixabay)

Join Steph Campbell of TTRP Kids as they delve into the difficult topic of kids wanting to do "bad" things when playing TTRPGs. How can parents and educators deal with this in a constructive way. Is the child actually being "bad" or are they just inquisitive? How can we determine this and what learning can occur from "bad" behavior? (Sound Effects from Pixabay)

TTRPG Kids Episode 2

Erica and Sen talk to Nicholas Yu, the designer responsible in part for games like Adventure Tactics and the recent release D&amp;D Onslaught. Nick brings a wealth of knowledge about playing and designing tactical war games in the tabletop space. We discuss LOS, competitive wargaming, and more in this episode.

Erica and Sen talk to Nicholas Yu, the designer responsible in part for games like Adventure Tactics and the recent release D&amp;D Onslaught. Nick brings a wealth of knowledge about playing and designing tactical war games in the tabletop space. We discuss LOS, competitive wargaming, and more in this episode.

Ludology 302 Line of Insight

This segment features guest host Sarah Shipp of Shippboard Games. For the next year, Sarah will be taking a look at aspects of game design that go beyond the basics of rolling dice or drawing cards. In this introductory monthly mini-sode, Sarah posits that the question of theme first or mechanics first is a false dichotomy.

This segment features guest host Sarah Shipp of Shippboard Games. For the next year, Sarah will be taking a look at aspects of game design that go beyond the basics of rolling dice or drawing cards. In this introductory monthly mini-sode, Sarah posits that the question of theme first or mechanics first is a false dichotomy.

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Episode 1

Sen and Erica welcome Morten Monrad Pedersen, founder of the Automa Factory, to the podcast to discuss designing solo modes for tabletop games. Morten has been involved with the solo modes for games such as Scythe, Viticulture, and Gaia Project. 

Sen and Erica welcome Morten Monrad Pedersen, founder of the Automa Factory, to the podcast to discuss designing solo modes for tabletop games. Morten has been involved with the solo modes for games such as Scythe, Viticulture, and Gaia Project.

Ludology 301 Flying Solo

Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the how’s and why’s of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, and discusses game history, game design and game players.Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.

If you wanna learn about the nitty gritty of board gaming, this is basically the best podcast.

Great for gamers

Ludology is an example for all others to follow.

The best game design podcast

Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the how’s and why’s of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, and discusses game history, game design and game players. Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.

Ludology

Ryan and Geoff take a look at the use of uncertainty and randomness in games. What works and what doesn't? When should you have more randomness and when less? Duration: 1:09:45

Ryan and Geoff take a look at the use of uncertainty and randomness in games. What works and what doesn't? When should you have more randomness and when less? Duration: 1:09:45

Ludology Episode 34 - The Good, The Bad, and The Random

Ryan and Geoff take a close look at the body of work of Reiner Knizia, one of the most influential and prolific designers of the modern era. What common threads run through Knizia's work? What lasting impact has he had on the hobby? What are the highlights, lowlights, and hidden gems of his oeuvre? And just how do you pronounce 'oeuvre' anyway? Duration: 01:24:54

Ryan and Geoff take a close look at the body of work of Reiner Knizia, one of the most influential and prolific designers of the modern era. What common threads run through Knizia's work? What lasting impact has he had on the hobby? What are the highlights, lowlights, and hidden gems of his oeuvre? And just how do you pronounce 'oeuvre' anyway? Duration: 01:24:54

Ludology Episode 90 - Kniziathon

Hot on the heels of talking about Set Collection, Ryan and Geoff tackle its cousin, Area Majority, a mechanic which comes wearing many disguises.  How does it differ from Set Collection? What makes it work or not? Duration: 01:11:12

Hot on the heels of talking about Set Collection, Ryan and Geoff tackle its cousin, Area Majority, a mechanic which comes wearing many disguises.  How does it differ from Set Collection? What makes it work or not? Duration: 01:11:12

Ludology Episode 69 - Area 69

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome returning guest Stephen Buonocore of Stronghold Games to discuss the state of the gaming industry going into 2017. Duration: 1:19:43

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome returning guest Stephen Buonocore of Stronghold Games to discuss the state of the gaming industry going into 2017. Duration: 1:19:43

Ludology Episode 144 - The Edge of Seventeen

Emma and Gil welcome Justin Gary, designer of Ascension and Shards of Infinity, to discuss card-based strategy games. What makes them so different than other games? How does one handle things like balance, plans for expansions, and in-game marriage proposals?

Emma and Gil welcome Justin Gary, designer of Ascension and Shards of Infinity, to discuss card-based strategy games. What makes them so different than other games? How does one handle things like balance, plans for expansions, and in-game marriage proposals?

Ludology 207 - Card Advantage

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome Justin Jacobson from Restoration Games, to talk about what they've learned from bringing older games back for a modern audience. Duration: 1:01:35

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome Justin Jacobson from Restoration Games, to talk about what they've learned from bringing older games back for a modern audience. Duration: 1:01:35

Ludology Episode 149 - Blast From The Past

Mike and Geoff discuss the different ways you can win a game, and how that effects the design and player experience. Duration: 1:13:29

Mike and Geoff discuss the different ways you can win a game, and how that effects the design and player experience. Duration: 1:13:29

Ludology Episode 138 - Hug To Win

Ryan and Geoff talk about maps, geography, and spatial relations in game design. Duration: 1:25:15

Ryan and Geoff talk about maps, geography, and spatial relations in game design. Duration: 1:25:15

Ludology Episode 38 - You Are Here

A little window into dinner time at the Engelstein household: Young Brian asks the question "Can a board game make the players cry?" and he ends up on a podcast. So can they? Mike, Geoff, and Brian explore what makes people sad, and whether board games can do that - and how that affects their status as 'art'. Duration: 56:13

A little window into dinner time at the Engelstein household: Young Brian asks the question "Can a board game make the players cry?" and he ends up on a podcast. So can they? Mike, Geoff, and Brian explore what makes people sad, and whether board games can do that - and how that affects their status as 'art'. Duration: 56:13

Ludology Episode 133 - The Crying Game

Ryan and Geoff are joined by special guest Corey Koneiczka of Fantasy Flight Games designer of such classics as Battlestar Galactica, Mansions of Madness, and the upcoming Eldritch Horror. The topic? Expansions! Are they good or bad for the industry? Do you design a game with expansions in mind or bolt things on afterwards? What are the do's and don't's of expansions?  Duration: 01:03:29 This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Scott King Photography, for all of your game photographing needs!

Ryan and Geoff are joined by special guest Corey Koneiczka of Fantasy Flight Games designer of such classics as Battlestar Galactica, Mansions of Madness, and the upcoming Eldritch Horror. The topic? Expansions! Are they good or bad for the industry? Do you design a game with expansions in mind or bolt things on afterwards? What are the do's and don't's of expansions?  Duration: 01:03:29 This episode of Ludology is sponsored by <a href="http://scottking.info/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scott King Photography</a>, for all of your game photographing needs!

Ludology Episode 66 - Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome slot machine game design Jeremy Hornik. Jeremy has been designing slots for over 15 years, including Money Burst, Willy Wonka, Monopoly, and Baron von Bacon's Million Credit Bonus. What are the special considerations for slot machine design, and what do they learn from video and board games? Duration: 1:16:28

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome slot machine game design Jeremy Hornik. Jeremy has been designing slots for over 15 years, including Money Burst, Willy Wonka, Monopoly, and Baron von Bacon's Million Credit Bonus. What are the special considerations for slot machine design, and what do they learn from video and board games? Duration: 1:16:28

Ludology Episode 142 - Slots O Fun

Mike and Geoff take a deep dive into Martin Wallace's latest game, Via Nebula. They look at all the design choices, from game play to theme to production. Duration: 1:09:04

Mike and Geoff take a deep dive into Martin Wallace's latest game, Via Nebula. They look at all the design choices, from game play to theme to production. Duration: 1:09:04

Fog of Wallace

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome guests Sen-Foong Lim and Jay Cormier, designers of Godfather: A New Don, Junk Art, and many more games. How does their collaboration work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of working as a team? Duration: 1:04:54

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome guests Sen-Foong Lim and Jay Cormier, designers of Godfather: A New Don, Junk Art, and many more games. How does their collaboration work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of working as a team? Duration: 1:04:54

Ludology Episode 134 - There's No "I" In Team

Gil and Geoff take a deep dive into the design of Terraforming Mars. What makes it tick? What works and what doesn't? Duration: 1:17:52

Gil and Geoff take a deep dive into the design of Terraforming Mars. What makes it tick? What works and what doesn't? Duration: 1:17:52

Ludology Episode 162 - The Ares Project

Emma, Gil, and Scott discuss a theory Scott is working on that describes 6 distinct physical zones when playing a board game. How does the physical dimensionality of a board game affect its gameplay? Read more about the 6 Zones of Play here:  https://mrbossdesign.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-6-zones-of-play.html  https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/94203/pleasure-arousal-dominance

Emma, Gil, and Scott discuss a theory Scott is working on that describes 6 distinct physical zones when playing a board game. How does the physical dimensionality of a board game affect its gameplay? Read more about the 6 Zones of Play here: <a href="https://mrbossdesign.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-6-zones-of-play.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> https://mrbossdesign.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-6-zones-of-play.html</a> <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/94203/pleasure-arousal-dominance" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/94203/pleasure-arousal-dominance</a>

Ludology 209 - The 6 Zones of Play

Mike and Geoff are thrilled to welcome guest Mark Herman to the program. Mark is the designer of a slew of games, including the first Card Driven Game (CDG) We The People. His latest design is Churchill. However the focus of our conversation is on Mark's work designing and executing simulations for the military and businesses, to test out their assumptions and strategies. He details these in his book  Wargaming For Leaders. Duration 1:16:59

Mike and Geoff are thrilled to welcome guest Mark Herman to the program. Mark is the designer of a slew of games, including the first Card Driven Game (CDG) <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/620/we-people" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">We The People</a>. His latest design is <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/132018/churchill" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Churchill</a>. However the focus of our conversation is on Mark's work designing and executing simulations for the military and businesses, to test out their assumptions and strategies. He details these in his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wargaming-Leaders-Strategic-Battlefield-Boardroom" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Wargaming For Leaders</a>. Duration 1:16:59

Ludology Episode 140 - Training Day

Finally! Ryan corrals his buddies into trying Trading in the Mediterranean, and records their thoughts afterwards.  Reviewing the rules, cards, and other playtest materials may be helpful to understanding this episode. Duration: 33:30

Finally! Ryan corrals his buddies into trying Trading in the Mediterranean, and records their thoughts afterwards.  <a href="http://howtoplaypodcast.com/ludology/trading-in-the-mediterranean/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reviewing the rules, cards, and other playtest materials</a> may be helpful to understanding this episode. Duration: 33:30

Ludology Episode 44a - The Rubber Meets the Road

Mike and Geoff discuss the way that constraints, both internal and external, affect the design process. They are pleased to welcome guest Grant Rodiek, designer of Cry Havoc, to discuss his 54-card Guild, which challenges designers to develop games using only 54 cards. Duration: 1:06:26

Mike and Geoff discuss the way that constraints, both internal and external, affect the design process. They are pleased to welcome guest Grant Rodiek, designer of Cry Havoc, to discuss his 54-card Guild, which challenges designers to develop games using only 54 cards. Duration: 1:06:26

Ludology Episode 136 - Thinking Inside The Box

Scott did some research and came up with all the different ways a board game can end. In this super-sized episode, Scott, Emma, and Gil go through this list and share our thoughts on how a game experience concludes, and how we designers can affect our players based on the different ways we wrap up our games. 

Scott did some research and came up with all the different ways a board game can end. In this super-sized episode, Scott, Emma, and Gil go through this list and share our thoughts on how a game experience concludes, and how we designers can affect our players based on the different ways we wrap up our games.

Ludology 205 - All's Well That Ends Well

Gil and Geoff are thrilled to welcome Chris Cobb from Riot Games, creator of the number one online game in the world, League of Legends. Until recently Chris was the technical lead for the Player Behavior team, which was tasked with designing in-game and out-of-game systems to encourage players to be nicer to each other, and deal with players who don't. Over the years, what did they learn about behavior, and how to design systems to encourage it to improve? Duration: 1:02:29

Gil and Geoff are thrilled to welcome Chris Cobb from Riot Games, creator of the number one online game in the world, League of Legends. Until recently Chris was the technical lead for the Player Behavior team, which was tasked with designing in-game and out-of-game systems to encourage players to be nicer to each other, and deal with players who don't. Over the years, what did they learn about behavior, and how to design systems to encourage it to improve? Duration: 1:02:29

Ludology Episode 152 - The Better Angels Of Our Nature

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