Ludology

Emma and Gil welcome Dr. Mary Flanagan, designer of , , , , and plethora of other games in a myriad of styles and platforms, from party to strategy on digital in tabletop. Dr. Flanagan is also an artist, having exhibited works (many game-related) all...

Join Scott as he recounts the history of the game that blurred the line between a game and a toy: Mousetrap.  Bibliography of a Board Game for Mouse Trap It’s All a Game by Tristan Donovan A World Without Reality: Inside Marvin Glass’s Toy...

Today, we put Emma in the spotlight to find out what went into designing her newest game, , how many cards she actually designed for it, and how the game was almost derailed by an Infinite Potato Problem. SHOW NOTES 5m44s: and the marvelous...

Geoff ruminates on the limitations of using AI to balance games. Why can't we use machine learning to fully balance a game experience, and finally make a game that everyone on BGG will find perfectly fair on the first play? SHOW NOTES 1m17s: For more...

Emma and Gil sit down with Chris Rowlands of Funko Games to discuss the design of IP-based games, and what it's like to design as part of a group collective. SHOW NOTES 0m00s: Playtest safely online with  and ! 4m11s: is one of the...

Scott goes into the checkered history of , which has had many inspirations and incarnations, and is still going strong.  (Content warning: this episode contains quick, passing references to sex and suicide.) 0m00s: Join and remote playtesting...

Emma and Gil welcome Anya Combs and Luke Crane from Kickstarter to discuss how crowdfunding is changing, especially in light of recent events. Anya: anya@kickstarter.com, games@kickstarter.com, @anyayna Luke: @burning_luke, burningwheel.com Note that...

Geoff continues the discussion about Alpha Zero, this time pointing out the impact a self-learning AI can have on an established tournament meta, like Magic or Hearthstone. Show Notes: 0m47s: , the DeepMind AI that can beat humans at 57 different...

Emma and Gil welcome accomplished designer , designer of , , and , back to the show (Cole previously appeared on ). We discuss fairness in games. Has it been around for as long as we think it has? What can an "unfair" game do that other games can't?...

In today's Biography of a Board Game, Scott takes us through the long history of , which became a template for almost every roll-and-move game into Victorian times and beyond. Show notes: 1m49s:   2m04s: 2m24s: , also known as the Phaistos...