
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

Feb 7, 2016 • 56min
Ludology Episode 121 - Pandemonium
Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome guest Matt Leacock, co-designer of new #1 game on Board Game Geek, Pandemic Legacy. We get into the spoiler-free details on designing a Legacy game.
What are the special design considerations for Legacy games? What worked and what didn't? How do production considerations enter into the design process?
Duration: 56:16

Jan 31, 2016 • 6min
GameTek Classic 120 - Cloning
In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at the question of how much you can copy a game and still call it 'new'.
Duration: 06:06

Jan 24, 2016 • 1h 14min
Ludology Episode 120 - State of Games 2016
For our annual State of Games episode, Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome back Stephen Buonocore of Stronghold games, to discuss the state of the board game industry.
Duration: 1:14:20

Jan 17, 2016 • 6min
GameTek Classic 119 - Rock Paper Scissors
In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at research performed in China on Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Duration: 06:02

Jan 10, 2016 • 1h 19min
Ludology Episode 119 - Deck The Halls
Mike and Geoff take a look at the Deck Building mechanic. How has it evolved over the last
Duration: 1:18:45

Dec 13, 2015 • 1h 17min
Ludology Episode 118 - Knock, Knock
Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome special guest Jamie Madigan, author of the Psychology of Video Games blog, and author of the just released Getting Gamers.
Our topic is Avatars, and player representation in games. How does the role we take on in a game affect our experience and behavior?
Duration: 1:16:48

Dec 6, 2015 • 7min
GameTek Classic 117 - Werewolf
In this classic GameTek Geoff takes a look at the math behind the popular game Werewolf.
Duration: 06:35

Nov 29, 2015 • 1h 8min
Ludology Episode 117 - Publish or Perish
During BGG.CON 2015, Mike asked several publishers the same question:
How do you decide what games you want to publish?
With the myriad of pitches and submissions that publishers receive, it is vital for designers to understand what attracts someone's eye.
Publishers interviewed:
Stronghold Games
Dice Hate Me / Greater Than Games
R&R Games
Portal Games
Arcane Wonders
Crash Games
Gamelyn Games
ZMan Games
Duration: 01:07

Nov 22, 2015 • 26min
GameTek Classic 116 - Gutsy
New Content! Geoff interviews Barry Joseph and Eric Teo about the game Gutsy. Barry is the Associate Director of Digital Learning at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and as part of a new exhibit on the human microbiome the team at AMNH worked with Eric Teo, to develop the card game Gutsy.
Many of you know Eric Teo as the host of the Push Ur Luck Podcast, and he is also a graduate student studying game design at the NYU Game Center.
Why do a card game? What do they hope to teach, and what other roles do games have to augment museum exhibits?
A Print & Play copy of Gutsy can be downloaded at the AMNH website!
Duration 25:45

Nov 15, 2015 • 1h 14min
Bam! Pow! Oof!
Mike and Geoff take a look at "Take That" games. When does this mechanic work, and when does it fail?
Duration: 1:13:34