Pros and Cons Ep 8
In this episode, Sen interviews Smoox Chen at the Gathering of Friends in 2023, talking about his work with Taiwan Boardgames Design and how he's trying to get more eyes on games by Taiwanese designers.
Aug 04, 2024•59 min
Ludology
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.
Episodes
TTRPGKids Ep 15
This week, special guest host Steph Campbell tells us about the TTRPG Inspirisles and breaks down the specifics of what makes it "educational" beyond it simply being a TTRPG.
Jul 28, 2024•7 min
Ludology 326 Little Rascals
Sen and Erica welcome Lin Codega and Chase Carter from Rascal News to talk about the importance of independent journalism in the tabletop gaming space. Rascal News has a few weeks left in their funding drive, so if you value the independent press, support efforts like theirs at www.rascal.news
Jul 21, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Ludology 325 Shh!
Sen and Erica interview Rebecca Strang, a librarian and game designers who promotes gaming in libraries and is active on the Gaming Round Table of the American Library Association. Rebecca was also recently featured in "Games for a Rainy Day," a book with 54 micro-games, puzzles, and more. Why do boardgames and libraries go hand in hand? Let's find out!
Jul 07, 2024•45 min
TTRPGKids Ep 14
In this installment of TTRPGKids, Special Guest Host Steph Campbell talks about how TTRPGs can be used in the classroom to help students gain social and emotional learning (SEL) skills.
Jul 01, 2024•10 min
Pros and Cons Ep 7
Sen talks to Patrick Leder from Leder Games at Origins 2023 in this installment of Pros and Cons. We're almost caught up with 2023's shows and we're recording 2024's Pros and Cons episodes right now! So much more to come!
Jun 23, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Pros and Cons Ep 6
Sen interviews Matt Faulisi, marketing manager at Skybound Tabletop, at Origins 2023. The Pros and Cons series continues in 2024 and we'll be slowly releasing those over the 2024/2025 season, first to Patreon subscribers and later in the schedule. Thanks for listening!
Jun 16, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Ludology 324 Coffee Talk
Sen and Erica welcome Whitney Red Loraine to the podcast to talk about how her experiences as a boardgame cafe owner / operator has informed her as she transitioned to become a boardgame designer.
Jun 10, 2024•1 hr 4 min
TTRPGKids Ep 13
To start off their second year with Ludology, Steph Campbell of TTRPGKids sets the stage for the next 12 episodes that will deal with using TTRPGs for educational purposes. They start the discussion off by talking about the various ways that TTRPGs can help students connect more with learning materials versus more traditional routes.
Jun 02, 2024•7 min
Ludology 323 Sounds Like A Real Winner!
Sen and Erica welcome Nat Delaney-John and Cam Jasson, creators and publishers of That Sound Game - a noisy game for weird people to Ludology to talk about how they connected with their audience in order to take a different road to publication than what it typically done these days.
May 26, 2024•47 min
Ludology 322 Digital Dice
Erica and Sen welcome Mandi Hutchinson from Salt & Sass to talk about trends in videogames using tabletop gaming mechanisms as well as ports from the console to the tabletop.
May 18, 2024•1 hr 11 min
TTRPGKids Ep 12
Special Guest Host Steph Campbell gives several suggestions on how to keep a good pace for younger players through using story and shifting focus from player to player while playing TTRPGs at home or in the classroom.
May 06, 2024•11 min
Ludology 321 Once Upon A Puzzletale
Sen and Erica interview Rita Orlov, the mind behind the enchanting and challenging Postcurious line of puzzle games, or puzzletales as she calls them. Find out more about how Rita conceptualizes, designs, and tests her games and what's so intriguing about them.
Apr 29, 2024•47 min
Pros and Cons Ep 5
Sen talks with the always awesome Omari Akil at Origins 2023. They talk about making games, making music, and making authenticity the goal for the next year.
Apr 21, 2024•57 min
Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 10
In her 10th installment, special guest host Sarah Shipp lends her insights into how thematic win condition not only drive play, but allow for better immersion.
Apr 14, 2024•7 min
TTRPG Kids EP 11
TTRPG Kids' host Steph Campbell joins us once again to drop knowledge about how to set up great encounters for your children or students. Whether those encounters are in a familiar system or a new one, whether they focus on combat or puzzles or social relationships, Steph gives great advice to set your kids up for success!
Apr 07, 2024•9 min
Ludology 320 Imitation is NOT the Best Form of Flattery
In this episode, Sen and Erica speak with Laia Gonzales, one half of Wonderbow Games about their amazingly successful Kickstarter project, Kelp, and the unfortunate issues that arose because of said success. Laia talks about the illicit copies of Kelp that were being sold even before their campaign ended and the continuous struggle she experiences as she wages war against the counterfeiters.
Apr 04, 2024•43 min
Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 9
In the last episode, Sarah Shipp discussed the concept of gates that actively and intentionally restrict player agency as a useful tool for game design. In this episode, she takes a more in depth look at gates that specifically force players to confront loss. Spoiler Alert: if you intend to play the videogames Portal or Death Stranding, you may wish to avoid this episode. The Death Stranding video that Sarah refers to can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCCfeAvlNeQ...
Mar 24, 2024•6 min
Ludology 319 How to Earn Your Badge
This episode, Erica and Sen welcome David Mullich to the show. David is a game designer and educator who was involved with outlining the requirements for the Game Design Merit Badge for the Boy Scouts of America. We talk about all of the things a Scout must accomplish to earn this badge as well as David's long and storied career in making games.
Mar 19, 2024•1 hr 6 min
TTRPG KIds Ep 10
Guest host Steph Campbell talks about how to include educational elements to TTRPG sessions for children in the classroom and at the dining room table in this installment of their TTRPG Kids series.
Mar 11, 2024•8 min
Ludology 318 Like Fire and Water
Erica and Sen welcome Asger Granerud to the podcast to talk about the design decisions behind the hit deckbuilder, Heat: Pedal to the Metal, Asger also discusses his new publishing partnership, Sidekick Games, and their mission to create generational games like their forthcoming title, Aqua.
Mar 03, 2024•47 min
Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 8
In this episode, special guest host, Sarah Shipp, talks about how gates restrict player agency and still manage to create interesting player decisions despite these constraints.
Feb 25, 2024•6 min
Ludology 317 State of the Industry 2024
Erica and Sen welcome the Podfather of Gaming, Stephen Buonocore. to the show for his annual update on what is currently impacting the tabletop gaming industry. Stephen talks about everything from post-lockdown fallout to AI use. Listen to see what he thinks about many of the pressing issues hobby gaming is facing. What are your thoughts?
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min
TTRPG Kids Ep 9
In this installment of Steph Campbell's TTRPGKids, they discuss how to tailor-make a system for YOUR particular child, creating something custom that both you and your little gamer will enjoy!
Feb 12, 2024•9 min
Ludology 316 Toy Included!
Dave Chalker (co-designer of Restoration Game's Thunder Road) joins Erica and Sen to talk about toys, games, and toyetic games.
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 7
In this installment of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, Sarah Shipp discusses the concept of Decision Space and the five elements that comprise it: Logic, Strategy, Agency, Motivation, and Emotion.
Jan 29, 2024•8 min
Ludology 315 Happy 2024
Erica and Sen make some resolutions about game design and predictions about the tabletop industry to ring in the new year!
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 20 min
Pros and Cons Ep 4
In this episode of Pros and Cons Sen meets with Kristen Mott, who talks about how she recently broke into the industry, how she designs with her children as playtesters, and how she's explored non-traditional markets for publication. Recorded at Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH in June 2023.
Jan 14, 2024•53 min
Pros and Cons Ep 3
Sen chats with Jordan Goddard about the growth of his family endeavor - Indy Toy Lab, a toy and game design studio with hobby roots that's aiming it's sights at the mass market. This podcast was recorded at Origins Game Fair in June of 2023 in Columbus, OH.
Jan 07, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Pros and Cons Ep 2
In this second installment of talking to industry pros at gaming conventions, Sen chats with Tuesday Badell and Ben Begeal at Origins in Columbus, June 2023. We talk about design-centric conventions in general and the specific philosophy behind UnPub.
Jan 01, 2024•53 min