Ludology

Geoff has an insight about how game structure can keep players engaged, and is excited to share. Duration 56:39

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about how we are really bad at telling how good we really are. Duration: 6:03

Gil and Geoff are delighted to welcome Tim Fowers to discuss player psychology, and how that can be leveraged by game designers. Tim is the designer of Burgle Bros, Paperback, and more, and the owner of Fowers Games, which publishes his titles. Duration: 1:11:46

Scott Rogers is back with a super-sized Bio of a Board Game, with the history of The Settlers of Catan! Duration: 12:14

Gil and Geoff discuss the very early stages of design and play testing. How much should be on paper, and how much in your head? Duration 1:05:21

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a different angle on the connection between theme, mechanics, and player experience. Duration: 6:40

Gil and Geoff are pleased to welcome guests Patrick Leader (Vast) and Cole Wehrle (Root, An Infamous Traffic) to discuss asymmetry in games, and the particular challenges it presents to the designer. Duration: 1:07:19

Scott Rogers is back with another Biography of a Board Game! This time, he talks about the history of Scotland Yard, and early SdJ winner! Duration: 7:25

Gil and Geoff take a deep dive into the design of Terraforming Mars. What makes it tick? What works and what doesn't? Duration: 1:17:52

In this classic GameTek, Geoff looks at classic story-telling techniques to see how they might apply to game design. Duration: 05:52

Gil and Geoff are delighted to welcome Jason Morningstar, designer of Fiasco, The Shab-Al-Hiri Roach, Night Witches, and other innovative RPGs. We discuss how to better integrate story and narrative into games when there is no GM, the social contract that requires, and pitfalls along the way. Duration: 1:10:35

In this Biography of a Board Game, Scott Rogers reveals the secret history of Uno! Duration: 07:45

Gil and Geoff take a look at the different ways of controlling turn order in a game. What are the rules of thumb for when to use the different methods? Duration: 1:23:17

What would you do if you were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors for $20,000,000? Duration: 04:42

Gil and Geoff are pleased to welcome Professor Scott Nicholson from Wilfrid Laurier University to discuss Escape Rooms. What are they, how do they work, and what lessons do they hold for game design? If you're not familiar with Escape Rooms, please check out this video from Scott with an overview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqnw7g5iIFQ Duration: 1:19:47

Biography of a Board Game returns with the classic Operation! Duration: 06:12

Gil and Geoff host the first-ever Ludology live Q&A from Gencon 50! Duration: 51:39

Gil and Geoff are pleased to welcome guest Matt Wolfe, to discuss the concept of Decision Scales in games. Duration 1:10:04

In this classic GameTek, Geoff dives into the details of Alpha Go, Google's Go-playing AI. Duration: 06:41

 Gil and Geoff are joined by the gang from the Flip The Table podcast to talk about Roll & Move games. What works (and doesn't) with this much-maligned mechanic? Duration: 1:07:00

Scott takes a look at the history of the Mystery Rummy series, by a designer y'all might know... Duration: 6:24

Gil and Geoff talk about different methods for using mathematical modeling and simulation during the design process. Duration: 1:12:12

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at the physics behind the coin toss. Duration 5:39

Gil and Geoff are pleased to welcome Morten Monrad Pedersen, to discuss the art of designing solo games. Morten has designed several popular solo variants to games, including Scythe and Viticulture. What are the design techniques for solo games? How do they differ from multiplayer games? Duration:  1:14:38

Scott Rogers joins us with a new Biography of a Board Game - Arkham Horror! Duration: 6:16