
Ludology
Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the how’s and why’s of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, and discusses game history, game design and game players.
Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.
Latest episodes

May 26, 2019 • 12min
Biography of a Board Game 200.5 - Cluedo
Scott discusses the history of the legendary deduction game Cluedo.

May 19, 2019 • 1h 3min
Ludology Episode 200 - Auld Lang... Engelstein?
After 200 episodes, Geoff has decided to step back from Ludology to focus on game design and book writing. So we've gathered previous co-hosts Ryan Sturm and Mike Fitzgerald, as well as future co-host Emma Larkins and future contributor Professor Scott Rogers, for a big slam-bang going away party! You'll continue to hear Geoff with his GameTek segment every 4 weeks. And if you'd like to stay in touch, follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gengelstein

May 12, 2019 • 6min
GameTek Classic 199 - Crystallography
Geoff discusses the art of x-ray diffraction, and how it relates to board games.

May 5, 2019 • 1h 4min
Ludology Episode 199 - What's In the Box?
Gil and Geoff discuss uncertainty in games, using Greg Costikyan's _Uncertainty in Games_ as a guide. What kinds of uncertainty are there in games? How do they affect the game experience?

Apr 27, 2019 • 10min
Biography of a Boardgame 198 - Othello
Scott takes a deep dive into the twisted and fascinating history of the game Othello.

Apr 21, 2019 • 56min
Ludology Episode 198 - Inspired
Gil and Geoff are delighted to be joined by Anthony Giovannetti, one of the designers of the popular video game Slay the Spire, a deck-building rogue-like dungeon crawl. How did the board game concepts of deckbuilding translate into a computer game? What advantages did the solo roguelike format give the designers?

Apr 14, 2019 • 9min
GameTek Classic 197 - Drinking Games
Geoff takes a look at the long history of drinking games.

Apr 7, 2019 • 47min
Ludology Episode 197 - Empires Up In Arms
Gil and Geoff welcome Mikael Jakobsson and Rick Eberhardt from the MIT Game Lab to discuss their research into colonial themes in board games, and the game design workshops they run in former colonial countries.

Mar 31, 2019 • 16min
GameTek Classic 196 - Apples Against Humanity
Scott Rogers is back with a new Biography of a Board Game, this time looking at Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity.

Mar 24, 2019 • 1h 6min
Ludology Episode 196 - Word Up
Gil and Geoff welcome guests Allison Parrish and Tim Szetela, designers of Rewordable, to discuss word games. What particular design techniques are required for this type of game?