
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

Jan 11, 2015 • 1h 3min
Ludology Episode 95 - The Pitch
Ryan and Geoff talk about their search for a publish for "Trading in the Mediterranean", and what the next steps are.
There is also an important announcement about the future of the show, so stick around until the end.
Duration: 1:03:10

Dec 21, 2014 • 7min
GameTek Classic 94 - Cheating, Part 2
In this classic GameTek, Geoff discusses Reputation as an antidote to Cheating, and how it breaks down as groups grow in size.
Duration: 06:40

Dec 14, 2014 • 41min
Ludology Episode 94 - Hearth of Stone
Ryan and Geoff are thrilled to welcome Ben Brode, Senior Game Designer for Hearthstone, the online card game from Blizzard Entertainment.
Ben joins us to discuss the design considerations behind Hearthstone, how they took advantage of the digital medium while still feeling like a physical card game, and why you should deliver pizza to your favorite game studio.
Duration: 41:20

Dec 7, 2014 • 6min
GameTek Classic 93 - Cheating, Part 1
In this classic GameTek, Geoff begins a two-part exploration of cheating with a personal admission.
Duration: 6:10

Nov 30, 2014 • 57min
Ludology Episode 93 - The Truthiness of Board Game Themes
With Geoff goofing off, Ryan is very pleased to welcome noted designer Bruno Faidutti to discuss his article Postcolonial Catan, about how boardgames use cliches and stereotypes as shortcuts to generate theme.
DurationL 56:30

Nov 23, 2014 • 7min
GameTek Classic 92 - Incentives
In this classic GameTek episode, Geoff explores an experiment that uses loss aversion to create an incentive. Is this a new type of carrot?
Duration: 07:15

Nov 16, 2014 • 56min
Ludology Episode 92 - Envoys of Excellence
Ryan and Geoff welcome Vincent Salzillo to the show! Vincent runs a variety of cons, including Metatopia, for game designers. He also runs the First Exposure Hall at Gencon for new designers to publishers and playtesters.
His most recent venture is the Envoy program, which helps publishers get their product demonstrated at stores and cons.
Duration: 55:48

Nov 9, 2014 • 7min
GameTek Classic 91 - Hindsight Bias
In this classic GameTek, Geoff discusses the psychological phenomenon of Hindsight Bias, and how it may prevent us from being better players.
Duration: 06:37

Nov 2, 2014 • 1h 16min
Ludology Episode 91 - Olotka Encounter
In this episode of Ludology we are thrilled to welcome Peter Olotka, one of the designers of Cosmic Encounter, Dune, and many other classic games. We discuss the early development of Cosmic Encounter, how it evolved, and other games in the Eon line.
Duration: 01:16:25

Oct 26, 2014 • 6min
GameTek Classic 90 - Expectation Value Revisited
In this classic GameTek, Geoff discusses expectation value, and how it can be used - and misused - in games.
Duration: 05:39