

Ludology
Erica Hayes-Bouyouris, Sen-Foong Lim
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.
Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.
Episodes
Mentioned books

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

Nov 8, 2015 • 6min
GameTek Classic 115 - Microbes
In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about the revolutionary studies about the human microbiome, and what that can teach us about playing and designing games.
Duration: 06:13

Nov 1, 2015 • 1h 21min
Ludology Episode 115 - Take Two
What changes are usually made between a first and second edition of a game? And what does that teach us about the design process?
Mike and Geoff are joined by guest Paul Grogan, who was heavily involved in the new edition of Through The Ages with CGE, to examine these questions.
And since we're talking about Through The Ages, we had to invite Ryan Sturm to come back for an encore visit to the program.
Duration 01:21:00

Oct 25, 2015 • 8min
GameTek Classic 114 - Civilization
Geoff gives a quick report on his play of Advanced Civilization last week.
Duration: 08:17

Oct 18, 2015 • 1h 5min
Ludology Episode 114 - The Butterfly Effect
Mike and Geoff talk CHAOS! Mike loves it in his games. Can he convince Geoff of its charms?
Duration: 1:04:37