

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

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

Nov 27, 2024 • 59min
Double Feature! Dracula vs Van Helsing / Castle Combo
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 193 - Dracula vs Van Helsing, Castle Combo Double Feature
This double feature episode includes deep-dive reviews of Dracula vs Van Helsing and Castle Combo! We've never attempted to cram two full-on decision space explorations into a single episode, so we hope you enjoy this attempt. Please do let us know what you think of this format, so we can upload that feedback directly into our Interdecisional Spaceship command module! Thank you and enjoy!
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Dracula VS Van Helsing - 2:55
Intermission - 27:56
Castle Combo - 33:11
Games Mentioned at Least Briefly
Sea Salt and Paper, Jekyll vs Hyde
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!

Nov 20, 2024 • 1h 19min
The 5 Types of Rules (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 192 - What We Talk About When We Talk About the Five Types of Rules
In this podcast, we've talked a lot about games, mechanisms, and the rules that call these things forth from the page and bring the game to life on our table. We haven't, however, talked a lot about rules themselves, in the what even really are rules, man, kind of way. This is an oversight that we try to correct in this what we talk about episode on the topic. This episode was built around the five types of rules discussed in The Rule Book: The Building Blocks of Play by Jaakko Stenros and Markus Montola. You can buy this book here (not a sponsor).
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Main Topic - 5:25
Games Mentioned at Least Briefly
Lots of sports, video games, Castles of Tuscany, Magic: the Gathering, and more.
Preplanners
We are planning to cover Castle Combo and Mexica on upcoming deep dive episodes!
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 14, 2024 • 1h 2min
Quintessential Jake 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 191 - Quintessential Jake Games
What is a game that is quintessential to a person's taste? With Jake as the guinea pig, we try to answer that question and determine what defines Jake's taste in this week's episode.
Timestamps
Intro and Updates - 0:00
Main Topic - 6:57
The Contenders - 42:23
Games Mentioned at Least Briefly
In The Year of the Dragon, Chess, Kingdomino, Walking in Burano, Tournament at Avalon, San Francisco, Challengers, Tikal, A Feast for Odin, Great Western Trail, Bonfire, BattleCON, Castles of Burgundy, Dracula vs Van Helsing, El Grande, Bruges, The Resistance, Zoo Vadis, Imperial 2030, I'm the Boss, Cascadia, Planet Unknown, Broom Service, Carpe Diem, Findorff, Riftforce, Voyages of Marco Polo, Sea Salt & Paper, Monikers, So Clover, and more.
Preplanners
We are planning to cover Castle Combo and Mexica on upcoming deep dive episodes!
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!