
Decision Space
Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games.
Latest episodes

Feb 19, 2025 • 1h 10min
Age of Innovation and Discussion on Sequels, Expansions, and Reimplementations
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 202 - Age of Innovation
For the first time ever, it is Jake and Pete. We start with a discussion on Sequels, Expansions, Reimplementations and the muck that gets kicked up when certain publishers iterate. We then move into a notable example of game design iteration with the newest Terra Mystica game, Age of Innovation.
Timestamps
Business - 0:00
Sequels, Expansions, and Reimplementations - 2:51
Age of Innovation - 26:14
Special announcement (Crits and Tricks) - 1:07:12
Games Mentioned
Age of Innovation, Wingspan, Wyrmspan, Finspan, Azul, Feast for Odin, and more
Preplanners
Age of Innovation and Fromage coming up soon as deep dives!
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!

Feb 12, 2025 • 1h 2min
Action Points in Board Games (What We Talk About)
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 201 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Action Point Systems
It's a throwback to the early days of Decision Space. Jake and Brendan have a wide-ranging, loosely planned conversation about a topic in board games. Today that topic is action point systems, which we've explored recently in Tikal and Mexica. We also bring cooperative games into the conversation and think about implication of action points for game design. All aboard! The Interdecisional Spaceship sets off for the next 200 episodes.
Games Mentioned
Tikal, Mexica, Torres, Pandemic, Arkham Horror: the Living Card Game, Tigris & Euphrates, and more.
Preplanners
Age of Innovation and Fromage coming up soon as deep dives!
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!

Feb 5, 2025 • 1h 16min
Episode 200! Our Favorite Decisions in Board 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 find this podcast!
Episode 200 - Our Favorite Board Game Decisions
The big 200! We take the opportunity to share our favorite decisions in board games with all 4 hosts!
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
5:59 - Our Favorite Decisions
Games Mentioned Briefly
Race for the Galaxy, Avalon, The Resistance, Skull, Coup, Game of Thrones, Dune Imperium Uprising, Dune, Big Top, For Sale, Isle of Skye, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Key Harvest, Lunarchitects, Glen Moore 2, Heaven and Ale, First in Flight, Ticket to Ride, Dominion, Star Realms, Palaces of Carrara, Kodama, Herbaceous, Coloretto, Yummy World, Dice Heist, Foundations of Rome, Ra, Barenpark, Castles of Burgundy, Civolution, Voyages of Marco Polo, Troyes, Magic: the Gathering, Broom Service, Babylonia
Preplanners
Age of Innovation likely to be the next game featured for a 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!

Jan 29, 2025 • 1h 21min
Shedding in Board Games (What We Talk About) and a Haggis Review
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 199 - Shedding Games and Haggis
It's Pete, Paul, and Brendan this week discussing the shedding mechanism in board games before pivoting into a review of one of the most notable of these card games, Haggis!
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
3:38 - Shedding Games WWTA
34:45 - Scout
43:20 - Don't L.L.A.MM.A.
45:24 - Mask Men
46:37 - Five Three Five
47:06 - Haggis
Other Games Mentioned
Uno, The Great Dalmutti, Rainbow, Tichu, Scout, of what's left/seers catalog, Zheng Shangyou, Big Two, Bacon, Spring Cleaning, Bridge, and more.
Preplanners
Age of Innovation likely to be the next game featured for a 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!

Jan 22, 2025 • 1h 8min
The Best 2024 Board Game Decisions and Games We Look Forward to in 2025
The hosts award medals for the best board game decisions of 2024, diving into interesting strategic choices. They share personal stories about balancing game design and fatherhood amidst sleepless nights. Exciting announcements for new Kickstarter games feature prominently, alongside playful discussions of titles like 'Magical Openings' and 'Stamp Swap.' Collaborative storytelling and innovative mechanics, such as auction-based gameplay, spark their enthusiasm for the unique gaming experiences ahead.

Jan 15, 2025 • 1h 6min
Our Top 5 Kramer & Kiesling Games and Mexica Deep Dive
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 197 - Our Top 5 Kramer & Kiesling Games and Mexica Deep Dive
It's Jake and Brendan again this week. We start off be each sharing our top 5 Kramer and Kiesling games. Then we get into the long promised Mexica deep dive. We are trying out the new deep dive format with a short topic followed by a traditional deep dive, so let us know how it works for you! Enjoy.
Timestamps
0:00 - Top 5 Kramer and Kiesling Lists
15:22 - Mexica Deep Dive
Preplanners
We are considering Haggis, Age of Innovation,
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!

Jan 8, 2025 • 57min
The State of Decision Space - Big News, Reflections, and the 2024 Listener List
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 196 - The State of Decision Space
We like to start the new year by reflecting on the show, what we are doing here, and where we want to go from here. In this episode, you will hear our honest thoughts about the last year of our show, some big news and ideas about the show moving forward, and we cap it off with our listeners' ranking of the games covered in 2024. Welcome to 2025, decision space travelers. Let's make it the best year aboard the Interdecisional Spaceship yet!
Timestamps
Catching Up About Break - 0:00
The State of Decision Space - 12:38
The Listeners' Ranking of 2024 Games - 47:15
Preplanners
Mexica is next up for a deep dive review!
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
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 25, 2024 • 1h 18min
RANKING ALL THE GAMES 2024: Year End Rank-A-Thon
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 195 - 2024 Year End Rank-a-thon
It's the last episode of 2024, so that means it is time to rank all the games featured on Decision Space in 2024. This is a great opportunity both as a chance to pit the games against each other and see which ones really rose to the top and as a chance to reflect on the games that left a lasting impression on us this year. Happy New Years to you, intrepid Decision Space traveler.
Timestamps
Intro and Discussion - 0:00
Ranking Starts - 9:51
Burgle Bros - 10:11
Dracula vs Van Helsing - 12:34
Loot - 15:27
Azul: Summer Pavillion - 20:04
Captain Flip - 23:27
Ticket to Ride - 28:39
Five Tribes - 33:10
EGO - 38:57
Castle Combo - 43:51
Bunny Kingdom - 46:54
Nimalia - 51:10
Planet Unknown - 54:27
Quantum - 59:30
Tikal - 1:04:16
The Resistance - 1:10:50
Preplanners
Mexica is next up for a deep dive review!
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
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 18, 2024 • 1h 13min
Quintessential Brendan 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 find this podcast!
Episode 194 - Quintessential Brendan Games
Back after a short baby-hiatus, Decision Space returns with the one about Quintessential Brendan Games. We get to pull out the entire Decision Space lexicon and see how Brendan's taste in games fit into what we do here. Enjoy!
Timestamps
Message from Jake - 0:00
Show Starts - 2:24
Games Mentioned at Least Briefly
Chess, Babylonia, Feast for Odin, Cascadia, Quantum, Broom Service, Praga Caput Regni, Root, Zoo Vadis, Unrest, Enchanted Plumes, Ramen Ramen, Cosmic Encounter, BattleCON, Lost Cities, Fox in the Forest, Cascadia, Dice Hospital, Welcome To, KeyFlower, Lost Ruins of Arnak, The Mind
Preplanners
Mexica is next up for a deep dive review!
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
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 12, 2024 • 1min
Quick Show Update
Jake's family welcomed a baby, which is why the show was on a brief hiatus for last week and this week.
Next week you can look forward to an episode on quintessential Brendan games, and following that, our year end ranking all the games episode.
-Jake