

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

Jan 10, 2024 • 1h 3min
Planet Unknown - More Is 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 152 - Planet Unknown
The Interdecisional Spaceship blasts off for the first deep dive of 2024. This week we cover Planet Unknown, designed by Ryan Lambert, Adam Rehberg. This game is a mess... but we kind of love it for that. Listen in to a great discussion on why that is in this week's episode of DECISION SPACE SPACE SPACE.
Pre-Planners
Ticket To Ride, Food Chain Magnate, Taverns of Tiefenthal??
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Ratings and Reviews - 5:28
Game Background - 8:12
Rules Overview - 11:25
Deep Dive - 13:23
Other Games Mentioned
Patchwork, Moon, Magic: the Gathering
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!

Jan 3, 2024 • 1h 8min
The Future of Decision Space
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 151 - The Future of Decision Space
The future is now. We've conquered the first 150 episodes (I still can't believe that number) of Decision Space, and so we set our Interdecisional Spaceship on course for a new frontier. While long-time listeners will notice some passing similarities to our mission planning episode, this episode feels a little different. We unpack what we've done with the show thus far, our goals moving forward, and only end by sharing a few games we hope to cover in the year ahead. I hope you travelers enjoy this honest conversation (if at times a little naval gazing) about our show.
Pre-Planners
Ticket To Ride, Planet Unknown, and Food Chain Magnate
Timestamps
Intro - 0:00
Main Discussion - 1:57
Other Games Mentioned
The Resistance, Paperback Adventures, Concordia, Navagadore, Zoo Vadis, Ra, Bunny Kingdom, 7 Wonders, Through the Ages, Nokosu Dice, My Island, Arkham Horror LCG (more cooperative games), Wingspan
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 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!


