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Ludology

Author: Erica Hayes-Bouyouris, Sen-Foong Lim

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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.
640 Episodes
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Sen and Erica welcome special guest host Sarah Shipp for her segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms. In this episode, Sarah discusses Game Theory and the importance of studying the design of tabletop games in a more academic manner.
Erica and Sen welcome Theresa Duringer to talk about her role as a tabletop game app developer at Temple Gates Games. They discuss what it takes to make an app translation of a tabletop hit, what some differences might be between the physical and digital versions, how the AI opponents are trained, and more!
Sen and Erica welcome Dr. Mary Flanagan and Max Seidman from Resonym Games to talk about their latest game, Phantom Ink, that has generated a lot of buzz around the industry as it made the SdJ short list for 2024. They discuss design, international licensing, and even the afterlife!
TTRPG Kids Ep 17

TTRPG Kids Ep 17

2024-10-2308:05

Sen and Erica welcome special guest host Steph Campbell who brings you their latest segment, TTRPGKids. This week, Steph talks about how to incorporate math into games in the classroom and at the dinner table.
In this episode of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, Sen and Erica welcome guest host Sarah Shipp as she takes on the contentious issue of Take That mechanicsms but frames it in terms of player investment to shed light on when the mechanism in question might rub people the wrong way and when it might be exactly what's needed to spice up a game.
Ludology 329 Puzzle It Out

Ludology 329 Puzzle It Out

2024-10-0601:12:59

Sen and Erica talk to Jonathan Chaffer, designer and illustrator of the Holiday Hijinks series of 18-card puzzle games. We chat about Jonathan's take on puzzle design, his use of technology to drive the component-light system, and his opinion on things like clues vs. hints and the concept of red herrings.
TTRPGKids Ep 16

TTRPGKids Ep 16

2024-09-2911:43

Erica and Sen welcome guest host, Steph Campbell, as they talk about how parents and educators can use TTRPGs to foster a love of learning in young students in this 16th installment of TTRPGKids.
Sen and Erica welcome Daniel Cunningham (AKA Iron Kitten Games) to discuss his role as a mechanical engineer and how he parlays those skills into helping publishers design storage trays, dice towers, and cardboard constructibles for modern tabletop games.  
Erica and Sen welcome special guest (and new mom!), Sarah Shipp, back to her role on the Ludology Network as the host of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms. In this episode, Sarah talks about the concept of perception and how game designers need to hone their skills in this area, particularly when it comes to playtesting.
Erica and Sen talk to Michael Orion of www.rollingwizards.com about his recent move to Vietnam and his thoughts on the country's developing game design scene and, more broadly, the tabletop scene across South East Asia.
In this episode of Pros and Cons, Sen talks to Steph, Gordon, and Liam at Origins 2023 as they were getting ready for their biggest Kickstarter to date: Mistwind designed by Daryl Andrews and Adrian Adamescu which is currently making a splash!
Pros and Cons Ep 9

Pros and Cons Ep 9

2024-08-1159:12

In this interview, Sen talks to Jessica Geyer, President of the Indie Game Developers Network (https://www.igdnonline.com/) at Origins 2023 to find out what the IGDN can do for indie game devs and how that differs from the Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDN) would like to offer members.
Pros and Cons Ep 8

Pros and Cons Ep 8

2024-08-0459:01

In this episode, Sen interviews Smoox Chen at the Gathering of Friends in 2023, talking about his work with Taiwan Boardgames Design and how he's trying to get more eyes on games by Taiwanese designers.
TTRPGKids Ep 15

TTRPGKids Ep 15

2024-07-2807:24

This week, special guest host Steph Campbell tells us about the TTRPG Inspirisles and breaks down the specifics of what makes it "educational" beyond it simply being a TTRPG. 
Ludology 326 Little Rascals

Ludology 326 Little Rascals

2024-07-2101:11:20

Sen and Erica welcome Lin Codega and Chase Carter from Rascal News to talk about the importance of independent journalism in the tabletop gaming space.  Rascal News has a few weeks left in their funding drive, so if you value the independent press, support efforts like theirs at www.rascal.news
Ludology 325 Shh!

Ludology 325 Shh!

2024-07-0745:24

Sen and Erica interview Rebecca Strang, a librarian and game designers who promotes gaming in libraries and is active on the Gaming Round Table of the American Library Association. Rebecca was also recently featured in "Games for a Rainy Day," a book with 54 micro-games, puzzles, and more. Why do boardgames and libraries go hand in hand? Let's find out!
TTRPGKids Ep 14

TTRPGKids Ep 14

2024-07-0109:41

In this installment of TTRPGKids, Special Guest Host Steph Campbell talks about how TTRPGs can be used in the classroom to help students gain social and emotional learning (SEL) skills.
Pros and Cons Ep 7

Pros and Cons Ep 7

2024-06-2301:07:56

Sen talks to Patrick Leder from Leder Games at Origins 2023 in this installment of Pros and Cons. We're almost caught up with 2023's shows and we're recording 2024's Pros and Cons episodes right now! So much more to come!
Pros and Cons Ep 6

Pros and Cons Ep 6

2024-06-1601:04:341

Sen interviews Matt Faulisi, marketing manager at Skybound Tabletop, at Origins 2023. The Pros and Cons series continues in 2024 and we'll be slowly releasing those over the 2024/2025 season, first to Patreon subscribers and later in the schedule. Thanks for listening!
Ludology 324 Coffee Talk

Ludology 324 Coffee Talk

2024-06-1001:03:581

Sen and Erica welcome Whitney Red Loraine to the podcast to talk about how her experiences as a boardgame cafe owner / operator has informed her as she transitioned to become a boardgame designer. 
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Comments (6)

Joel Enwald

Ex-CIA? The organization behind a ton of drug smuggling and numerous coups? You have some colorful guests on this show.

Mar 18th
Reply (1)

Joel Enwald

This is an excellent game design podcast, maybe the best! I've learned a ton. just a bit surprised that in the first 200 or so episodes you have not had a single woman as a guest. Looking forward to hearing the rest of the episodes!

Feb 2nd
Reply

Joe Drimmer

One of the best board games episodes that I've ever heard, at any podcast of any topic out there! That good. Thank you...

Oct 18th
Reply

Matthew Loewen

Perpetual Potato Problem

May 18th
Reply

Abe Kwiatkowski

Excellent way to learn about the nuts and bolts of board games and their design.

Jun 20th
Reply