Decision Space

Jamey Stegmaier, the President/CEO of Stonemaier Games and a board game innovator, shares insights on communication in cooperative games. He delves into the challenges of player dynamics and the phenomenon of 'quarterbacking' that can dominate gameplay. The conversation shifts to his upcoming game, Vantage, focusing on its design mechanics that emphasize limited communication and teamwork. Listeners will enjoy anecdotes highlighting how these dynamics foster deeper connections and enhance the overall gaming experience.

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 211 - Let's Duel! Toy Battle and Dueling Games Get back to basics with Jake and Brendan as we discuss how there are duel games and then there are duel games. Then, we toe tap into the kiddie pool with Toy Battle. Timestamps Show Business - 0:00 Dueling Games - 3:56 Main Topic - 30:41   Games Mentioned Toy Battle, The Fox in the Forest, Lost Cities, Dracula VS Vanhelsing, 7 Wonders: Duel, Magic: the Gathering, Patchwork, Jaipur, BattleCon, Chess, and more.   Preplanners Whoops. Change of plans. We will cover Faraway for our next deep dive and Guild of Merchant Explorers a little later on.   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0   Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

Two hosts dive into their gaming tastes, reflecting on the quintessential games that shape their preferences. They explore the balance between strategy and tactics, discussing how game mechanics affect decision-making. Engaging in a friendly game show format, they guess each other's favorites while highlighting the importance of player interaction. The duo also shares insights on ideal game lengths and the spectrum of player engagement, ensuring a thrilling blend of randomness and strategy for all board game enthusiasts.

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 208 - F Is for Filler and Faraway This week's episode, hosted by Pete and featuring Brendan and Paul, asks the question, "Are filler games just bad?" Enjoy this discussion on fillers before transitioning to a quick dip into Faraway. Timestamps Show Business - 0:00 Filler Games - 3:58 Faraway - 43:07   Games Mentioned Root, Cascadia, Castles of Burgundy, and many, many more.   Preplanners Whoops. Change of plans. We will cover Faraway for our next deep dive and Guild of Merchant Explorers a little later on.   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0   Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 208 - This Episode Is Broken Welcome back to another episode of Decision Space, the only game that takes place right here, between the episodes of your favorite podcast! Good luck to all of our contestants and happy April Fools day! Timestamps Who Should Go First - 3:07 What's in the Box?! - 13:25 Allege the Pledge - 22:45 The Soloman Scale - 32:04 Top 25 Designer Edition - 41:35 The Kennerspieler - 49:33 Higher or Lower - 56:38 Bonus Round - 1:00:12   Games Mentioned Root, Cascadia, Castles of Burgundy, and many, many more.   Preplanners Whoops. Change of plans. We will cover Faraway for our next deep dive and Guild of Merchant Explorers a little later on.   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0   Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

The hosts share heartfelt eulogies for three beloved board games that have faded from their tables. They reflect on the emotional journey of gaming nostalgia and the thrill of initial excitement. Seven Wonders receives a mix of praise and critique, while Key Forge's community-driven memories are bittersweet. Mysterium garners memories of cooperative play marred by gameplay frustrations. Each story is a humorous reminder of the impermanence of our favorite games and the challenge of saying goodbye.

The hosts dive into the intriguing concept of 'mean' games, debating whether aggressive strategies reflect game flaws or player choices. They share personal anecdotes revealing the complex emotional responses players have during intense gameplay. The discussion includes examples like Catan and Barrage, analyzing how game mechanics foster feelings of frustration and unfairness. The balance between competition and camaraderie is explored, highlighting the nuanced dynamics of player interactions that can turn friendly competition into something more cutthroat.

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 205 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Drawing Cards It's an OG host episode, with the twist that Jake made the notes for once (with a little help from our discordians). In this episode Jake and Brendan talk about drawing cards in board games in two parts. Part one is all the reasons why drawing cards is so much fun. Part two is a discussion of the levers that designers can pull when designing card draw into their games. Timestamps Intro - 0:00 Why Drawing Cards is Fun (Part One) - 2:37 Designing Card Draw (Part Two) - 35:22   Games Mentioned Keyforge, yugioh, Magic: the Gathering, Incan Gold, High Society, Enchanted Plumes, Exploding Kittens, Terraforming Mars, Netrunner, Ark Nova, Schoten Totten, Circus Flocati, Brass, and more.   Preplanners Guild of Merchant Explorers will be our next deep dive.   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

Brendan and Pete dive deep into how board games can act as a canvas for self-expression. They explore identity, personal storytelling, and the impact of game mechanics on player interactions. Character selection in games like BattleCON showcases individual strategies, while emergent storytelling in titles like Oath allows for collaborative narratives. The significance of expression shines through auction gameplay in Modern Art, where creative pitches take center stage. The discussion also highlights RPGs for their rich storytelling and character embodiment.

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 203 - Fromage What the heck! The first episode ever with no Jake and no Brendan. It's up to Paul and Pete to lead the way, and they do an awesome job discussing the types of simultaneous play that you'll find in board game before deep diving Fromage.   Timestamps Intro and Simultaneous Play - 0:00 Fromage Deep Dive - 23:28   Games Mentioned  El Grande, Five Tribes, Wingspan, Dominion, Haggis, Earth, Tiny Towns, Race for the Galaxy, Fuse, Escape from the Cursed Temple, Atlantis Rising, Slay the Spire, Spot It, Kites, The Mind, Fit to Print, Galaxy Trucker, Pendulum, Bananagrams, Scrabble, Sushi Go, 7 Wonders, Stamp Swap, Fantastic Factories, Isle of Skye, Tzolkin, and more.   Preplanners Possibly covering Guild of Merchant explorers soon.   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!