
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 5, 2013 • 1h 14min
Ludology Episode 55 - The Box is Half Full
Ryan and Geoff reivew the status of "Trading in the Mediterranean", their publicly-developed board game. After talking about the current version and how it has evolved, they talk about what's working and what's not, and how to fix it.
Duration: 01:13:50
This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Sissyfight 2000, now on Kickstarter!

Apr 28, 2013 • 27min
GameTek Classic 54 - Designing Word Games
In this classic GameTek, Geoff interviews Gil Hova, who designed the game Prolix, about the different concerns in designing a word game versus other genres of games.
Duration: 26:35

Apr 21, 2013 • 1h 4min
Ludology Episode 54 - The Long and the Short of it.
Ryan and Geoff discuss the interplay between short and long-term objectives in games. How can designers use these to create a richer game experience? What impact do they have on complexity and the learning curve?
Duration: 01:04:15
This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Relic Expedition, currently on Kickstarter!

Apr 14, 2013 • 7min
GameTek Classic 53 - Quantum Tic-Tac-Toe
In this classic GameTek, Geoff continues talking about Entanglement and quantum physics by introducing the game Quantum Tic-Tac-Toe. Check out the full rules on Wikipedia, which also links to several online implementations.
Duration: 06:54
This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Relic Expedition, currently on Kickstarter!

Apr 7, 2013 • 1h 1min
Ludology Episode 53 - PAX Ludologica
This special episode of Ludology is a recording of a game design panel Geoff particiated in at PAX East 2013, in Boston. The topic was "Impact of Video Game Design Techniques on Board Games".
Joining Geoff were Christopher Badell, designer of Sentinels of the Multiverse, Colby Dauch, designer of Summoner Wars, Matt Morgan, writer for Wired GeekDad, and Russ Wakelin of the D6 Generation.
Duration: 1:05
This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Relic Expedition, currently on Kickstarter!

Mar 31, 2013 • 9min
GameTek Classic 52 - Entanglement
In this classic Gametek, Geoff talks about Entanglement, Quantum Mechanics, and why our intuition about probability can be woefully incorrect. One of Geoff's favorite episodes!
Duration: 09:00
This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Relic Expedition, currently on Kickstarter!

Mar 24, 2013 • 1h 13min
Ludology Episode 52 - Let's Make a Deal!
This episode Ryan and Geoff tackle games that feature negotiation, either as a designed-in feature, or a by-product of the player interactions. What features make for a great negotiation game? What types of player experiences can they engender? Can Ryan get Geoff to agree to anything?
Duration: 1:13:10
This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Relic Expedition, currently on Kickstarter!

Mar 17, 2013 • 6min
GameTek Classic 51 - Regret
In this classic GameTek, Geoff examines regret - why we would rather not make a choice at all, rather than make it and have it not work out.
Duration: 6:26

Mar 10, 2013 • 1h 21min
Ludology Episode 51 - 50 for 50, Part 2
Ryan and Geoff return with the second half of their new games for 2012. Plus their top picks for the year!
Duration 1:20:55
This episode is sponsored by the game Influence, now on Kickstarter!

Mar 3, 2013 • 8min
GameTek Classic 50 - Monty Hall
In this classic GameTek, Geoff introduces the Monty Hall problem, an old chestnut that never fails to amaze those who have not heard it before.
Duration: 08:25
This episode is sponsored by the game Influence, now on Kickstarter!