Space-Biff! Space-Cast!

The climate crisis! That's a dour topic, isn't it? Today we're joined by Matteo Menapace and Matt Leacock to discuss Daybreak, their board game about world governments coming together to combat climate change. Along the way we discuss cardboard incentives, producing board games without plastic, and why optimism is necessary when thinking about big problems.

For this month's episode, we're unexpectedly joined by Amabel Holland to discuss board games — except this time, we cover three titles in total, ranging from Kaiju Table Battles to Doubt Is Our Product and But Then She Came Back. Along the way, we dive into the advantages of board games over other artistic mediums, that New Yorker article, and Amabel's birthday orgy. Be warned: ther...

Which is more unexpected, science-fiction bees or realistic dragons? For today's episode, we're joined by Connie Vogelmann to discuss that very issue. In addition to discussing Apiary and Wyrmspan, we also dig into how these games came to be, the benefits of grounding a setting, and the behavioral biology of leaving negative ratings on a game one hasn't played.

How much work goes into a successful social deduction game? If Blood on the Clocktower is anything to go by, a whole lot. Today we're joined by Steven Medway, designer of this long-awaited game about the improper use of timekeeping apparatuses, to discuss unreliable identities, player elimination, and how chaos fosters memorable stories.

Jenna Felli is the well-known designer of some truly unique board games, among them Shadows of Malice, Zimby Mojo, Bemused, Dûhr: The Lesser Houses, Cosmic Frog, and The Mirroring of Mary King. Despite her relative fame, however, Jenna is appearing for the first time on today's episode. Join us as we discuss chaos, identity, and authenticity in board games and in life.

 As befits as large and ambitious a game as Undaunted: Stalingrad, today on the Space-Cast! we're joined by Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson to discuss WWII, inclusions and omissions in historical games, and whether board games are art — or at least what it means for them to have authorial intent. 

On this day in 1969, a police raid in Greenwich Village sparked three days of intense rioting by members of the gay community. This was the turning point in the fight for LGBT+ rights in the United States. Today we're joined by Taylor Shuss, designer of Stonewall Uprising, to discuss how his game charts the beginnings of the Pride movement, wading into the muddy waters of gamifying the AIDS e...

 What's the commonality between Shackleton's voyage to the Antarctic, brain hemorrhages, and the virtue of watching R-rated movies? Today, it's Amabel Holland's Endurance , a board game about the strength of the human spirit in the face of abject misery. Join Dan and Amabel as we chat about this game's difficult development, throwing out historical determinism, and why not...

Ever wondered what a translator's life is like? R.F. Kuang's  Babel lends readers an accurate impression of higher education, British colonialism, and the magical powers of silversmithing. Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss this wonderfully dense and evocative book.

The politics of the Spanish Civil War are complicated — which only makes it all the more impressive that Alex Knight's Land and Freedom distills them so elegantly into a three-player scrum for control of the Second Republic. Today, Alex joins us to discuss the genesis of his game, including how he solved the semi-cooperative problem with a silk bag, evolving the card-driven formula so popular...

Dan Bullock is one of a handful of  up-and-coming  wargame designers determined to do things a little differently. Today, we sit down to chat about some of his games, including No Motherland Without, 1979: Revolution in Iran, and the yet-unpublished Blood & Treasure. Sadly, this was recorded before I'd played Bowie. Although maybe that's a good thing, since otherwise that's all...

Now that Tory Brown's supernal Votes for Women has escaped into the wild, it's time to sit down and discuss the important questions. Listen in as we chat about approachable "war" games, the importance of understanding one's political opposition, and why Brown chose to include a guano magnate's whining about Emmeline Pankhurst. As a bonus, we also delve into the game&a...

What's the difference between a puzzle and a game? Heck if we know. Today's Space-Cast delves into two puzzle titles by designer Blaž Gracar, the 18-card microgame All Is Bomb and the pen-and-transparent-sheet game LOK.  Listen in as we discuss both games, the value of nonsense words, and share some of our favorite puzzle recommendations. 

Like everybody else, Jon Perry and Dan Thurot have been playing Marvel Snap. Unlike everybody else, Jon Perry has designed games such as Time Barons, Scape Goat, and — more relevantly — Air, Land, & Sea. Listen in as we discuss lane battlers, Marvel Snap, the perils of porting digital games to tabletop, and much more. 

Once again we're joined by Amabel Holland. This year, we discuss her forthcoming freebie game Watch Out! That's a Dracula!, along with legacy games, textually queer games, and a transition in the tone of her work.

After a bit of a pause, the Space-Biff! Book-Space! returns to discuss natural magic vs. orderly magic, crusty old wizards vs. vigorous young witches, and Naomi Novik's Uprooted.

Have you ever gone mad pursuing a parent's ambition? That's the topic of T.C. Petty III's My Father's Work, a game of intergenerational trauma, weird science, and scaring off your loved ones. Also an app.

Today on the Space-Cast!, we're joined by Matilda Simonsson, designer (and crafter) of Turncoats. Listen in as we discuss the inspirations, production, and implications of a game that seems ten times its size.

Come to hear about Jeff Warrender's The Acts of the Evangelists, stay for the rambling discussion about New Testament scholarship. Or don't. Stay away, all ye who fear extended chats about religion, independent publication, and games as devotion.

Everybody knows psychics aren't real. What Mind MGMT presupposes is... what if they are? Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss Matt Kindt's graphic novel, including professional conspiracy theories, non-professional relationship advice, and our mutual bewilderment when people say they don't like the art.

In the midst of a time of social unrest, one game dares to investigate the polarities of popular protest. That game is Bloc by Bloc by T.L. Simons and Greg Loring-Albright. For today's episode, join Dan, T.L., and Greg as we discuss how their game offers both contradiction and clarity in politics, violent and nonviolent disobedience, popular expropriation, and the danger of having an uprising...

For the first time ever,* game designer, instructor, writer, and overall wizard Geoff Engelstein appears on a podcast to discuss a trio of his games, along with some insider baseball. Join us as we discuss getting an author's permission to treat a protagonist like a doofus, what it's like to gamify a peace conference, and why "gravity" is one of the greatest gaming metaphors of...

What goes up must come down. That's the proposition of James Naylor's Magnate: The First City, the modern Monopoly that sees its housing boom through to the inevitable bust. Today, James joins Dan to chat about real estate development, game development, and what makes Humbleburg more of a "first" city than the many counter-examples that are undoubtedly popping into your head.

Nearly seventeen hundred years ago, a bunch of theology nerds were called together to answer one simple question: what is the nature of God? Their answer has shaped the way we've thought about the divine ever since. That's the topic of Amabel Holland's Nicaea, plus an irreverent twist or two. Today, Amabel joins us to chat about orthodoxy,  heresy, and the politicking that happened...

Andy Weir got famous writing about a man stranded in an isolated environment who uses science and pluck to solve his way out of danger; in Project Hail Mary , he flexes his authorial talents to their limit with a novel about a man stranded in an isolated environment who uses science and pluck to solve his way out of danger. Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss Ryland Grace's portentous n...