

Decision Space
Jacob Frydman, Brendan Hansen
Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 20, 2023 • 1h 29min
We Rank Every Game - 2023 Year End Special (Episode 150!!!)
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 found this podcast!
Episode 150 - We Rank Every Game Year End Special (Episode 150!!!)
This is the 150th episode of Decision Space. I really can hardly believe it, and how fitting it is that it lands on the annual year-end special where we look back at and rank every game from every deep dive this year. Everyone, join is the Interdecisional Spaceship bridge at once!
Pre-Planners
Ticket To Ride, Planet Unknown, and Food Chain Magnate
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Main Discussion - 5:10
Zooleretto - 5:50
Messina 1357 - 7:55
Santa Monica - 10:24
Spots - 13:17
Architects of the west Kingdom - 15:30
Ark Nova - 19:55
Tikal - 24:22
Torres - 28:00
Chicago Express/Wabash Canonball - 32:25
Barrage - 37:18
In the Year of the Dragon - 41:15
Troyes - 45:38
Can't Stop - 49:15
Coloretto - 52:17
Babylonia - 55:39
Heat - 59:33
Renature - 1:02:35
My City - 1:08:01
Challengers - 1:13:55
Community Top 10 - 1:19:50
Patreon Patron Goal - 1:24:00
Other Games Mentioned
Azul, Broom Service, Santas Workshop
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!

Dec 13, 2023 • 58min
Nine Paradigm Shifting Games!
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 found this podcast!
Episode 149 - Paradigm Shifting Games
Jake and Brendan share nine games that shifted the way we think about games. Oops! Jake even included a video game. Stupid Jake, bad! Ahem. Interdecisional Spaceship travellers, suit up. It's time to get out there into the paradigm shift!! Awoooooosh.
Pre-Planners
Ticket To Ride, Planet Unknown, and Food Chain Magnate
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Main Discussion - 3:11
Hanabi - 9:04
Keyforge - 12:46
Soulforge Fusion - 15:11
High Society - 18:45
Voyages of Marco Polo - 22:22
Super Smash Bros Melee - 23:26
7 Wonders - 27:55
Challengers! - 30:20
Sidereal Confluence - 36:15
Magic: the Gathering - 36:44
The Mind - 39:55
Twenty-One - 45:50
A Feast for Odin - 50:24
Barrage - 53:54
Zoo Vadis - 55:27
Other Games Mentioned
Azul, Broom Service, Santas Workshop
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!

Dec 6, 2023 • 1h 4min
Heat: Pedal to the Metal - But, Is It a Board Game?
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 found this podcast!
Episode 148 - Heat Deep Dive
This week we are doing a classic, patented Decision Space Deep Dive (where we say our ratings at the beginning of the episode) on Heat: Pedal to the Metal. Heat is a hot new board game (classic us) designed by Asger Harding Granerud, Daniel Skjold Pedersen, with art by Vincent Dutrait and published by Days of Wonder.
Pre-Planners
Ticket To Ride, Planet Unknown, and Food Chain Magnate
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Game Background - 4:55
Rules Overview - 9:03
Deep Dive Review - 12:08
Other Games Mentioned
Azul, Broom Service, Santas Workshop
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!

Nov 29, 2023 • 1h 9min
2023 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
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 found this podcast!
Episode 147 - 2023 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
This week Decision Space veers towards consumerism at the seasonally appropriate time. We bring you our best insights on what games will make good gifts to the people in your life (we hope) by answering prompts shared in our discord. Interdecisional Spaceship passengers, prepare your wallets!
Pre-Planners
Heat, Ticket To Ride, and Planet Unknown
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Main Discussion - 3:11
Heat - 4:16
Ticket to Ride: Legacy - 5:01
Apiary - 5:47
Azul - 6:52
Frosthaven - 7:22
Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition - 11:59
Warhammer Underworlds - 12:45
Marvel United - 13:33
The Resistance - 16:15
Modern Art - 16:46
Raiders of the North Sea - 17:49
Spicy - 21:10
Sushi Go - 23:41
Cascadia - 27:34
My City - 28:19
The Fox in the Forest - 29:15
A Feast for Odin - 30:12
Riftforce - 30:35
Planet Unknow - 30:40
Can't Stop - 34:30
Just One - 35:49
Challengers! - 39:29
Set - 41:43
Claim it! - 44:21
Draftasaurus - 45:56
Coconuts - 47:19
Mysterium/Mysterium Park - 49:16
Celebrity - 49:22
Renature/Babylonia/Zoo Vadis - 50:50
Findorff - 52:08
Paperback - 53:58
The Isle of Cats - 55:30
Calico - 56:18
Potion Explosion - 57:08
Forgotten Waters - 59:05
Crokinole - 1:00:58
QE - 1:02:01
Wingspan - 1:03:07
Sea Salt & Paper - 1:03:38
Air, Land, & Sea - 1:04:19
Blue Lagoon - 1:04:53
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!

Nov 22, 2023 • 1h 1min
Top 5 Knizia Hidden Gems with Jared Ingersoll
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 found this podcast!
Episode 146 - Five Knizia Hidden Gems with Jared Ingersoll
Oops, Jake forgot his microphone! No worries though, Jared Ingersoll President of the Reiner Knizia Fan Club was willing to jump in and share his top 5 hidden Knizia gems. These picks come straight out of his personal collection of *checks notes* over 100 Knizia games. Enjoy!
Pre-Planners
Heat and Ticket to Ride
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Knizia Histories - 3:15
5 Hidden Gems - 9:45
Tower of Babel - 10:34
Rhinelander - 17:00
Orongo - 23:46
Beowulf: the Legend - 34:44
Municipium - 42:13
Indigo - 50:35
Reif für die Insel - 57:15
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!

Nov 15, 2023 • 1h 4min
Something Old, Something New, & Something Never Getting Reprinted (7 Mini-Reviews)
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 found this podcast!
Episode 145 - Something Old, Something New, & Something Never Getting Reprinted
This week, Jake and Brendan talk about some recent plays in a mini-review format. Our gift to you, dear listener is covering something new (2024 release!), something Old (1997), and something out of print and (probably) never getting reprinted (???). Brendan also reveals a new segment that you are probably really going to like. And hey wait, what's that music in the background?
Pre-Planners
Heat and Ticket to Ride
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Main Discussion - 3:15
Nokosu Dice - 4:18
Glory To Rome - 15:50
Zoo Vadis - 26:58
Hansa Teutonica (The East Expansion Board) - 37:23
Tigris and Euphrates - 42:20
Abluxxen/Linko/Scout - 46:39
MLEM: Space Agency - 51:05
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!

Nov 8, 2023 • 1h 14min
Replayability and Why It Doesn’t Matter (What We Talk About)
The podcast discusses factors that make a game replayable and debates if replayability even matters. They explore the role of decision-making, variability, randomness, and depth in creating replayable experiences. The hosts share examples from board games like Villagers, Can't Stop, Spirit Island, and Chess. They also touch on the relationship between replayability and self-governance in video games. Ultimately, they delve into the subjective nature of replayability and the influence of external factors on its importance.

Nov 1, 2023 • 52min
Santa Monica - Dreams of Variabilityication
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 found this podcast!
Episode 143 - Santa Monica
This week, the Interdecisional Spaceship takes a much-needed detour to the beach. That's right, we are catching some waves in sunny Santa Monica. In the episode, Brendan and Jake will deep dive into the game and get into some pretty deep waters about the implementation and nature of variability in this game. Enjoy!
Pre-Planners
Santa Monica coming up next week!
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Ratings and Review - 2:09
Game Background - 5:29
Rules Overview - 6:17
Santa Monica Deep Dive - 8:15
Takes from Preplanners - 16:34
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!

Oct 25, 2023 • 1h 4min
What Do Our Most Played Games Tell Us About Replayability? (Top 5 Most Played Digital and Physical Games Lists!)
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 found this podcast!
Episode 142 - Our Most Played Physical and Digital Games
Brendan and Jake share their top 5 most played games digitally and physically and think about what these lists mean through a lens focused on replayability. We hope you decisionaughts enjoy this discussion as much as we enjoyed having it!
Pre-Planners
Santa Monica coming up next week!
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Main Topic - 2:46
Most Played Games Digitally - 10:47
My City - 11:09
Bruges - 12:54
Star Realms - 14:13
Hey, That's My Fish - 17:34
Lost Ruins of Arnak - 19:12
Claim It! - 24:!8
Tigris and Euphrates - 26:56
The Castles of Burgundy - 29:52
Challengers - 32:44
7 Wonders - 35:48
Most Played Games Physically - 39:23
Kingdomino - 39:42
The Fox in the Forest - 41:21
Monikers - 44:54
Dominion - 47:06
Arkham Horror: The Living Card Game - 50:29
The Resitance - 53:56
Keyforge/Magic: the Gathering - 55:55
Cascadia - 57:58
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!

Oct 18, 2023 • 50min
Catching Up on Jake’s Vacation, Stonemaier Design Day, and More
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 found this podcast!
Episode 141 - Catching Up
We didn't prepare for this episode at all! Without time to create a full fat episode of Decision Space, Jake and Brendan hop on the mic to catch up with eachother on what has been going on over the past few weeks. We invite you to listen in. Topics include Jake's vacation, the games we've squeezed in, TV shows, and Stonemaier Design Day. Enjoy and we will see you next week for an episode we've actually prepared for.
Pre-Planners
New to the list Taverns of Tiefenthal! Santa Monica, Food Chain Magnate, and social deduction games et. al remain in our backlog. Santa Monica will likely be the next deep dive we do!
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Can Games Be Scary - 3:50
Can't Stop - 11:35
Zombie Dice - 12:36
Jenga - 13:00
Dread (RPG) - 15:33
Pandemic/Pandemic Legacy - 16:59
The Princes of Florence - 18:10
Incan Gold/Diamont - 20:37
Clockwork Wars - 21:42
Hidden Movement (Fury of Dracula, Letters from Whitechappel, Beast) - 23:46
Star Wars Rebellion - 25:11
Codenames - 25:32
The Resistance - 27:01
Spooktacular - 33:25
Broom Service - 33:47
Mysterium/Mysterium Park - 35:35
The Mind - 37:45
Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition - 41:45
Return to Dark Tower - 43:55
The Hunger - 48:04
Social Deduction (Werewolf, Blood on the Clocktower, Deception: Murder in Hongkong, etc.) - 50:20
Arkham Horror: The Living Card Game - 51:10
Alice is Missing - 53:33
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
Contact
We can be reached individually on Twitter at @jakefryd and @burnsidebh. You can also follow Decision Space on Instagram @DecisionSpacePod and talk to us there! 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!


