Emma and Gil welcome game designer, developer, solo mode designer, and self-described "grump" Dávid Turczi to the show. We discuss the design of complex games with many interlocking systems, how to play with time in games, and the six (plus one) things Dávid looks for in a strategy board game. SHOW NOTES 1m18s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/37111/battlestar-galactica-board-game"> Battlestar Galactica</a> 2m03s - Dávid's game <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161578/redacted">[redacted]</a> (yes, that's the name of the game) 2m34s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/163068/trickerion-legends-illusion"> Trickerion</a>, published by <a href= "https://mindclashgames.com/">Mindclash Games</a> 3m01s - Dávid's game <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/185343/anachrony">Anachrony</a> 4m36s - Dávid's games <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/223953/kitchen-rush">Kitchen Rush</a> and <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/230267/dice-settlers">Dice Settlers</a> 8m32s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148228/splendor">Splendor</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/209685/century-spice-road">Century: Spice Road</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/246192/gizmos">Gizmos</a> 9m05s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/230802/azul">Azul</a> 11m40s - Dice Settlers' expansion is <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/270624/dice-settlers-western-sea"> Dice Settlers: Western Sea</a> 14m17s - For some outstanding Martin Wallace loan mechanisms, check out <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4098/age-steam">Age of Steam</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28720/brass-lancashire">Brass</a>, and <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/236191/london-second-edition">London</a>. 15m24s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260/agricola">Agricola</a> 15m43s - The "Taschini method" refers to Daniele Tascini, co-designer of <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/126163/tzolk-mayan-calendar">Tzolk'in</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/229853/teotihuacan-city-gods">Teotihuacan</a>, and <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171623/voyages-marco-polo">The Voyages of Marco Polo</a>. 20m22s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125153/gallerist">The Gallerist</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/262211/cloudspire">Cloudspire</a> 21m15s - Vital Lacerda is the designer of The Gallerist, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/42052/vinhos">Vinhos</a>, and <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/109276/kanban-drivers-edition"> Kanban</a> 21m43s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/6045/mac-gerdts">Mac Gerts</a> is the designer of <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124361/concordia">Concordia</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/66589/navegador">Navegador</a>, and other clever rondel games. 22m00s - Dávid's new game <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/256997/perseverance-castaway-chronicles-episodes-1-2"> Perseverance</a> 22m48s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/154825/arkwright">Arkwright</a> 24m00s - Dávid's new game <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/297030/tekhenu-obelisk-sun">Tekhenu</a> 27m39s - Dávid's new games <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/306481/tawantinsuyu-inca-empire"> Tawantinsuyu</a> and <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/267009/rome-roll">Rome & Roll</a> 32m05s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/183394/viticulture-essential-edition"> Viticulture</a> 35m13s - Dávid is referring to scoring using a <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_number">triangular sequence</a>, which many board games adopt as a gentler alternative to the harsh slope of exponential scoring.  37m13s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/230244/black-angel">Black Angel</a> 38m05s - Dávid's criteria for games he likes, 1/6: Narrative integration, or the fiction/action rule. 38m39s - Dávid's criteria for games he likes, 2/6: Elegance, or depth/rules ratio. 39m07s - Dávid's criteria for games he likes, 3/6: Strategic curve. 39m19s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/164928/orleans">Orléans</a> 39m52s - Dávid's criteria for games he likes, 4/6: Replayability. 40m30s - Dávid's criteria for games he likes, 5/6: Achievement. 43m00s - Dávid's criteria for games he likes, 6/6: Interaction. 44m27s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/120677/terra-mystica">Terra Mystica</a> 48m12s - David's criteria for games he likes, 7/6: Uniqueness 55m38s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/286096/tapestry">Tapestry</a> 55m48s - David's solo modes - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/229853/teotihuacan-city-gods">Teotihuacan</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/212516/keyper">Keyper</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/218479/cerebria-inside-world">Cerebria</a>. If you want to hear more about designing solo modes for games, check out our episode with Morten Monrad Pedersen, <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-154-leave-me-alone">Ludology 154 - Leave Me Alone!</a> 1h01m49s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/281442/trismegistus-ultimate-formula"> Trismegistus</a> 1h03m36s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/177736/feast-odin">A Feast for Odin</a> 1h05m32s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/210274/petrichor">Petrichor</a> 1h06m16s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/104197/john-brieger">John Brieger</a> is an excellent developer. <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/50716/heiko-gunther">Heiko Günther</a> is the best graphic designer (Gil may be a bit biased here, though) 1h09m11s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/254888/high-rise">High Rise</a> (Gil is blushing right now!) 1h09m30s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/66362/glen-more">Glen More</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171879/kraftwagen">Kraftwagen</a> (Dávid named a seminal German electronic band instead), <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/123540/tokaido">Tokaido</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/126163/tzolk-mayan-calendar">Tzolk'in</a> 1h10m08s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/300/tutankhamen">Tutenkhamen</a> 1h15m33s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/192802/days-ire-budapest-1956"> Budapest: Days of Ire</a> 1h17m43s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/292126/excavation-earth">Excavation Earth</a> 1h18m35s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/255651/pocket-dragon">Pocket Dragon</a> 1h19m34s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/211047/steal-game">Steal This Game!</a> 1h20m40s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/70332/david-j-mortimer"> David Mortimer</a> - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224133/cousins-war">Cousins' War</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/301030/ming-voyages">Ming Voyages</a> 1h23m49s - <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/user/TDaver">Dávid's BGG profile</a> 1h24m16s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/318184/imperium-classics">Imperium: Classics</a> and <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/318182/imperium-legends">Imperium: Legends</a>

Ludology

Ludology 234 - Playing with Time

Scott covers the "beautiful game" of <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3720/subbuteo">Subbuteo</a>, the tabletop association football flicking game, as well as its predecessor <a href= "http://www.peter-upton.co.uk/newfooty.htm">Newfooty</a>.

Biography of a Board Game 233.5 - Subbuteo

Emma and Gil welcome game designer and publisher <a href= "https://twitter.com/OmariAkil">Omari Akil</a> to the show to discuss the plight of the sports-themed board game. What kinds of unique challenges do we face when designing one of these games? Omari's game <a href= "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/omariakil/hoop-godz">Hoop Godz</a> will be on Kickstarter soon. SHOW NOTES 1m21s: <a href="https://linktr.ee/bgbrothas">Board Game Brothas</a>, <a href="https://tabletopbackerparty.com/">Tabletop Backer Party</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/pwaysfship">Pathways Fellowship</a> 4m55s: Gil was 5 years off - Mike's game is <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/151022/baseball-highlights-2045"> Baseball Highlights: 2045</a>. 12m09s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/951/football-strategy">Football Strategy</a> 12m47s: Gil would like to shout out Arthur Franz IV's self-published game <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/196348/breakaway-football">Breakaway Football</a> as a game with a really nice mix of play deciding versus output randomness. 15m32s: Gil will defend the term "soccer," seriously. It's a perfectly good way to refer to association football! 16m06s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2251/strat-o-matic-baseball">Strat-O-Matic Baseball</a>, released in 1962. 17m41s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/235494/dino-dunk">Dino Dunk</a> 18m07s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/521/crokinole">Crokinole</a> 18m25s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18536/nok-hockey">Nok Hockey</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_hockey">Air Hockey</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Football">Electric Football</a>. We also neglected to mention the flicking game family <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subbuteo">Subbuteo</a>, which represents all sorts of sports. 22m43s: Gil eventually gets to his curling thoughts at 39m22s. 25m48s: <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_NFL">Madden</a> is EA's long-running NFL gridiron football video game sim (named for legendary player, coach, and broadcaster <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Madden">John Madden</a>). 28m58s: <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_(sport)">Ultimate</a> is a competitive sport using a throwable disc (like a Frisbee) instead of a ball. 29m50s: In 2017, <a href="https://geekandsundry.com/">Geek and Sundry</a> launched a "<a href= "https://geekandsundry.com/t-sports-is-actually-coming-for-real-this-time/">T-Sports</a>" league for competitive tabletop games (strangely, announcing it on April 1, and then having to explain that it was real). Sadly, <a href= "https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/40570/oomba-shuts-down-unrivaled-tournament-series"> it did not go far</a>. 30m57s: Bennett Foddy's talk "<a href= "https://youtu.be/5uUPPtBJqR0">Making it Matter: Lessons from Real Sports</a>". Foddy is known for making punishingly-hard digital games like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWOP">QWOP</a> and <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Over_It_with_Bennett_Foddy">Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy</a>. 38m36s: Omari is referring to the common sports term GOAT, an acronym of Greatest Of All Time. 41m28s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21798/hystericoach">Hystericoach</a> 43m16s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/166286/bottom-9th">Bottom of the Ninth</a> 45m09s: <a href="https://www.blaseball.com/">Blaseball</a>. RPG designer Meguey Baker's <a href= "https://twitter.com/NightSkyGames/status/1291894199097470979">thread on it</a>. 46m56s: Omari wrote more <a href= "https://medium.com/@OmariAkil/for-the-love-black-people-boardgames-da05a6297094"> about how his lived experience affected the design of Rap Godz</a>. 48m24s: <a href= "https://abc11.com/rap-godz-board-game-omari-akil-black-lives-matter/6241317/"> More info</a> about how Omari and YouTuber (and all-around excellent person) <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyMnRlty9ShC3lFIPnvql3w">Danny Plays Gamez</a> raised $80,000 for BLM:  56m25s: Paula Deming's channel, <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbTN4UyXYhnddRJsu6emIhw">Things Get Dicey</a>, is absolutely amazing to behold. Top-notch writing, performing, and filming. 57m11s: For those of you who don't have the honor of consuming <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capri_Sun">Capri Sun</a> in the part of the world where you live, it's a (vaguely) fruit-flavored beverage.  1h01m16s: <a href= "https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/fairy-princess-skater-rayssa-leal-3-5a0d5eb8c4d41__700.gif"> The GIF Omari is referring to</a>, featuring young Brazilian skater Rayssa Leal. <a href= "https://twitter.com/tonyhawk/status/1290472128723087361">The GIF Gil is referring to</a>, linked to from famous skater Tony Hawk.

Ludology 233 - A Sporting Chance

Geoff ponders a tricky question: how come we get iconic characters from video games, like Mario or Pac-Man, but none from board games?

Gametek Classic 232.5 - Characters

In the past few years, Ludology has recorded a live episode at Gen Con. We weren't going to let a global pandemic stop us this year!  Recorded as part of Gen Con Online 2020, Emma, Gil, and Scott streamed this recording live on Twitch. We had an excellent turnout in the chat, and everyone seemed to really enjoy this new twist on Ludology Live! You can watch <a href="https://youtu.be/hiFy3SMs1mw">unedited video of this chat here</a>. It's possible we may return to this format in the future! Stay tuned… SHOW NOTES 1m54s: We mention <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/gilhova">Gil's Twitch channel</a> several times in this episode. 2m13s: Of course, this note to turn it tickets doesn't apply to people listening to the podcast. Don't let that note trigger any vague feelings of guilt! Also, for reference, we began recording at 5 pm EDT. 3m29s: "This much on the timeline" - at this point, Gil is holding up his finger and thumb with a few centimeters of space in between. 4m46s: Scott is holding up a <a href= "https://www.gamemasterdoc.com/">Gamemaster</a> DVD at this point. 5m40s: You can watch the <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogfab_OG3mI">Gen Con Gamemaster panel here</a>. 6m01s: <a href= "https://twitter.com/gilhova/status/1292661660184915968">The shot in question</a> (no Gil to be found, sadly). 7m16s: Alas, neither the Instagram Live nor Table Takes interviews are archived anywhere. :( 8m36s: <a href="https://bit.ly/rem-play-intro">Remote Playtesting</a> (#rpt) is the playtest group that Gil helps to run. You can <a href= "https://shop.spreadshirt.com/endsim/glitched+meeple">see and buy the t-shirt with Aaron Wilson's logo here</a>. 8m54s: Aaron's new publishing company with Ian Zang, <a href= "https://gravitation.games/">Gravitation Games</a>. 9m55s: Here's Scott's <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/270794/scotts-self-quarantine-playlist-going"> quarantine playlist</a>. 10m10s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/302260/abandon-all-artichokes"> Abandon All Artichokes</a> 11m43s: <a href= "https://formalferretgames.com/products/high-rise/">High Rise</a> is almost sold out! And <a href= "https://the-rival-networks.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders">Rival Networks pre-orders</a> are still going strong. 12m02s: <a href= "https://formalferretgames.com/products/check-in-cards/">Check-In Cards</a>. 12m37s: Here's the video for <a href= "https://youtu.be/eAUtl_cL8TM">Animal Crossing Fiasco</a>. More info for one of Gil's favorite games, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/275010/de-vulgari-eloquentia-deluxe-edition"> De Vulgari Eloquentia</a>. 14m38s: <a href="https://app.diagrams.net/">draw.io</a>, a collaboration tool that Emma really likes. 14m56s: <a href= "https://twitter.com/PaulCzege/status/1294771499987951616">Here's a tweet</a> that sums up Emma's game Unravel quite well. Emma also mentions the <a href= "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/travisdhill/our-innermost-thoughts-a-mostly-solo-zine-of-small-rpgs"> Our Innermost Thoughts Kickstarter</a> project by Travis Hill. 18m27s: More info on the <a href= "https://sites.google.com/view/tabletop-mentorship-program/">Tabletop Mentorship Program</a>. 18m42s: Glenn Cotter's <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/270350/fickle">Fickle</a>. 22m01s: Gil presented a lot of these thoughts in <a href= "https://gil.hova.net/2020/08/03/what-i-hope-to-see-in-future-virtual-game-conventions/"> this blog post</a>. 25m47s: The "G" Gil is trying to point to would be a fraction of a millimeter large in most screens. 26m21s: There will be another <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2457012/bgg-host-virtual-gaming-con-nov-2020-instead-bggco"> Virtual Gaming Con</a> in November. 32m59s: <a href="https://www.gencant.com/">GenCan't</a> has been an online alternative to Gen Con for several years now. 36m21s: <a href= "https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek/status/1014208841720979456">Here is an example</a> of BuonoCardboard making the rounds. 39m27s: <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/biography-of-a-board-game-2315-rayguns-and-rocketships"> Scott's 50th episode of Biography of a Board Game</a> just dropped, and it's wonderful! He covers the history of his own game, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/164147/rayguns-and-rocketships"> Rayguns and Rocketships</a>.  40m24s: We at Ludology were all touched by <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2448037/article/35382638#35382638"> Marcel Claxton's thoughtful analysis</a> of Ludology's recent direction and its significance in the current age.  43m21s: Jason Morningstar appeared in <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-161-whats-the-story-morning-glory"> Ludology 161 - What's The Story Morning Glory?</a> 50m32s: There aren't many board games about falling in love, but quite a few digital and RPGs! (Gil would also like to suggest wargames and games coming out of that historical/political sphere as the board game parallel to documentaries.) 59m34s: For those who may not have heard of it, the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Fellows_Program">MacArthur Fellows Program</a> is awarded to 20-30 Americans every year who show "extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction." Between the high criteria for being named and the generous amount of money received ($625,000), it's nicknamed the "Genius Grant." 1h03m49s: Emma mentions a few tools here: <a href= "https://www.tabletopsimulator.com/">Tabletop Simulator</a>, <a href="https://tabletopia.com/">Tabletopia</a>, <a href= "https://trello.com/">Trello</a>, and <a href= "https://slack.com/">Slack</a>. 1h06m25s: At this point, Scott holds up a Playstation controller. 1h14m57s: <a href="https://willjobst.itch.io/ghosts">This Discord Has Ghosts In It</a>. 1h17m57s: Scott's links: <a href= "http://mrbossdesign.blogspot.com/">his blog</a>, <a href= "https://www.patreon.com/ScottRogersDesigner">his Patreon</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/mightybedbug">his Twitter</a>, and his <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/mightybedbug/">Instagram</a>. 1h18m54s: Emma's links: <a href="https://www.emmalarkins.com/">her website</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/emmalarkins">her Twitter</a>, and <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/emmalarkins/">her Instagram</a>. 1h19m28s: Gil's links: <a href="https://formalferretgames.com/">his company website</a>, <a href="https://gil.hova.net/">his personal website</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/gilhova">his Twitter</a>, and <a href="twitch.tv/gilhova">his Twitch</a>.

Ludology 232 - The Show Must Go On...line

This is the 50th Biography of a Board Game episode! To celebrate, Scott takes us through the history of his first board game, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/164147/rayguns-and-rocketships"> Rayguns and Rocketships</a>. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF A BOARD GAME 0m36s: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THQ">Video game publisher THQ</a> 0m51s: <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War_(2005_video_game)">God of War</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man_World">Pac Man World</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Edge">Soul Blade</a> 1m37s: <a href= "https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Star_Wars_Album">The Star Wars Album</a> 1m43s: The legendary filmmaker <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa">Akira Kurosawa</a>, and <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Pictures">Republic Pictures</a>, responsible for many well-remembered serials 5m17s: More info on <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hodgkin_lymphoma">Hodgkin's lymphoma</a> 8m22s: More info on <a href="https://www.gamemasterdoc.com/">the new Gamemaster film</a>

Biography of a Board Game 231.5 - Rayguns and Rocketships

Emma and Gil welcome game designer, educator, and birder <a href="http://chidipaige.com/">Chidi Paige</a> to discuss how games and play benefit education, how she designed her bird-themed game Birdwiser, and how competitive birdwatching has affected her as a person. SHOW NOTES 0m22s: From <a href= "https://educationcloset.com/what-is-steam-education-in-k-12-schools"> educationcloset.com</a>: "STEAM Education is an approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking." It is an evolution of the older STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) approach in that it adds the arts. 1m29s: The <a href="https://www.newarkmuseumart.org/">Newark Museum</a> in Newark, NJ. Fun fact: back when Chidi was working at the museum, Gil was a block away working at audible.com. Small world! 1m36s: <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> in New York, NY. 2m45s: Wonderstar Foundation has no web presence yet. Hopefully soon! 7m11s: <a href="https://www.classcraft.com/">ClassCraft</a> 7m36s: <a href="https://www.labster.com/">Labster</a> 8m01s: Chidi is referring to <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction">polymerase chain reaction</a> (PCR) for DNA replication, and to <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRISPR">CRISPR</a> for genome editing. 13m43s: <a href= "https://www.newarkmuseumart.org/Explorers">Explorer's Program</a> at the Newark Museum 23m06s: Our episode with Dr. Mary Flanagan was <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-226-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo"> Ludology 226 - Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo</a> 23m43s: You can hear more from Elizabeth Hargrave on <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-203-winging-it">Ludology 203 - Winging It</a>. 25m31s: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053810">The Big Year</a> on IMDB. 27m29s: Sadly, we could not find the video that Emma mentioned! 30m40s: Chidi's web site for <a href= "https://birdwiser.com/">Birdwiser</a>. 32m00s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9251/whot">Whot</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2223/uno">Uno</a> are variations on the public domain game <a href= "https://bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/crazy-eights/">Crazy Eights</a>. 33m18s: Birdwiser’s illustrations are by Emily Willoughby, with graphics by Kristine Mathieson of Tropikality Designs 36m26s: <a href="https://www.sibleyguides.com/">Sibley</a> and <a href="http://petersonguides.com/">Peterson</a> are two of the best-known bird guides out there. 38m43s: We discussed Emma's Infinite Potato Problem in <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-225-a-study-in-emma-rald">Ludology 225 - A Study in Emma-rald</a>. 41m09s: The site Chidi is referring to is <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upwork">Upwork</a>, originally called oDesk. 42m29s: Gil is talking about his word game <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/208480/wordsy">Wordsy</a>. 42m45s: "<a href= "https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/PierreAlexandreGarneau/20151019/256711/Interview_Richard_Garfield_on_Getting_Design_from_Good_to_Great.php">Complexity Budget</a>," an idea Richard Garfield popularized. 47m09s: More info about <a href= "https://www.nwf.org/garden-for-wildlife/certify">certifying your garden for wildlife</a>. 50m01s: More info about the <a href= "https://worldseriesofbirding.org/">World Series of Birding</a>. 1h00m05s: The scientists Chidi mentions are <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Kandel">Eric Kandel</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Axel">Richard Axel</a>.

Ludology 231 - STEAM Engine

Geoff muses on the difference between explicitly calling out the way a game system works, versus letting players implicitly discover how the players discover how the system works. Is one clearly better than the other? Tell us how you feel in <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/guild/1011">the Ludology forums</a>! Here's more information about <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/253506/versailles-1919">Geoff's game Versailles 1919</a>.

GameTek Classic 230.5 - Implicit vs. Explicit

Emma and Gil invite award-winning game designer, teacher, and not-scholar Sharang Biswas to the show to discuss verbs in games. What actions do we actually perform when we play a game, what actions do they represent, and how does that impact the game experience? You can find Sharang on <a href= "https://twitter.com/SharangBiswas">Twitter</a> or on <a href= "https://sharangbiswas.myportfolio.com/">the web</a>. Here is his <a href="https://astrolingus.itch.io/">itch.io store</a>. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains references to sex and sexuality. Show Notes 2h31m: Sharang teaches at <a href="https://www.icp.org/mfa">The International Center of Photography (Bard College)</a>, and at <a href= "https://www.fordham.edu/info/20709/new_media_and_digital_design">Fordham University</a>. 3m05s: We had Dr. Mary Flanagan on the show for <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-226-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo"> Ludology 226 - Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo</a> 3m26s: <a href="https://playcrafting.com/">Playcrafting</a> is an organization that holds game design events, mainly for digital games, in New York City, San Francisco, and Boston. 5m04s: <a href="https://twitter.com/adult_witch">Anna Anthropy</a> is an influential game designer, and current designer-in-residence at DePaul College in Chicago. 5m15s: Ian Bogost's <a href= "https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/persuasive-games">Persuasive Games</a>. 10m08s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124742/android-netrunner">Android: Netrunner</a> 11m33s: We discussed ludonarrative dissonance, especially in board games, in <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-190-diabolus-in-ludica"> Ludology 190 - Diabolus in Ludica</a>. 12m05s: The uselessness of 1:1 scale maps came up in our conversation with Volko Ruhnke for <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-178-coin-operated">Ludology 178 - COIN-Operated</a>. 12m29s: If you haven't heard us discuss at length what a "game" is, check out <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-151-high-definition">Ludology 151 - High Definition</a>. 12m35s: More information about the word <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autotelic">autotelic</a>, which is extremely useful when discussing games and play. 13m35s: <a href="http://www.franklantz.net/">Frank Lanz</a> is a game designer and director of the NYU Game Center. 16m35s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/193738/great-western-trail">Great Western Trail</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175914/food-chain-magnate">Food Chain Magnate</a> 17m10s: Ryan and Geoff discussed the magic circle with game designer and professor Eric Zimmerman in <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-79-the-magic-circle">Ludology 79 - The Magic Circle</a>. 17m29s: You can find more about Honey & Hot Wax, edited by Sharang and <a href="https://twitter.com/oh_theogony">Lucian Kahn</a>, <a href= "https://site.pelgranepress.com/index.php/honey-hot-wax-an-anthology-of-erotic-art-games/"> here</a>. 18m25s: The phrase <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down">"turtles all the way down"</a> is one of Gil's favorites. 20m54s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5895/hungry-hungry-hippos">Hungry Hungry Hippos</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2679/mouse-trap">Mouse Trap</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6549/pretty-pretty-princess">Pretty Pretty Princess</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6578/electronic-dream-phone">Electronic Dream Phone</a> 21m30s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266304/megacity-oceania">MegaCity Oceania</a> 21m54s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/214293/mountains-madness">Mountains of Madness</a> 23m10s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1"> Pandemic Legacy: Season One</a> 24m11s: Sharang's game with Max Seidman, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194229/mad-science-foundation"> Mad Science Foundation</a> 26m35s: The RPG <a href= "https://thornygames.com/pages/sign">Sign</a>. 28m10s: More information about the larp <a href= "https://nordiclarp.org/wiki/Sarabande">Sarabande</a>. 29m42s: Geoff and Gil discussed "soft incentives" in <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-185-soft-boiled">Ludology 185 - Soft Boiled</a>. 30m38s: <a href= "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jiangshi/jiangshi-blood-in-the-banquet-hall"> Jiangshi</a>, an RPG about Chinese immigrants juggling running a haunted restaurant, by Banana Chan and Sen-Foong Lim. We had Banana on the show a few weeks ago, for <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-228-the-roles-we-play">Ludology 228 - The Roles We Play</a>. 31m10s: <a href= "https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/AndrewVestal/20141105/229523/All_Due_Respect_Press_F_for_Farce.php"> Some of the discussion</a> about "Press F To Pay Respects" in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. 31m31s: <a href="https://goose.game/">Untitled Goose Game</a> 35m53s: Sharang compares <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/43111/chaos-old-world">Chaos in the Old World</a> to <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/201455/assault-giants">Assault of the Giants</a>. Chaos was designed by the incomparable Eric Lang, who we had on the show for <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-175-auld-lang-design"> Ludology 175 - Auld Lang Design</a>. 37m13s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199561/sagrada">Sagrada</a> 38m19s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125678/dc-comics-deck-building-game"> DC Comics Deck-Building Game</a> 40m00s: John Cage's <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4%E2%80%B233%E2%80%B3">4'33"</a>, which instructs the performer to play no notes for the duration of the piece. 40m27s: Positive examples of ludonarrative dissonance: <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Typing_of_the_Dead">Typing of the Dead</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/24304/unspeakable-words">Unspeakable Words</a> 40m58s: Brenda Romero's well-known art game <a href= "https://venturebeat.com/2013/05/11/brenda-romero-train-board-game-holocaust/"> Train</a>. 41m16s: Sharang's game <a href= "https://sharangbiswas.myportfolio.com/feast">Feast</a>, inspired by Felix Gonzalez-Torres' original art piece <a href= "https://www.artic.edu/artworks/152961/untitled-portrait-of-ross-in-l-a"> Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)</a>. 41m45s: The RPG <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_Great_Power...">With Great Power… </a> 42m31s: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3IGn4rhEE8">Team Fun's interview with Sharang</a>, featuring the phrase "Jump, Decapitate, Kill." 43m44s: Journalist, larp designer, and game writer <a href= "https://lizziestark.com/work/games/">Lizzie Stark</a>. 45m00s: The 2001 video game <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_%26_White_(video_game)">Black & White</a>. 45m17s: French literary critic Roland Barthes proposed the idea of the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_the_Author">Death of the Author</a> in a 1967 essay, suggesting that critics don't need to understand an author to contextualize their work. 45m24s: The <a href="https://www.effing.org/">Effing Foundation for Sex Positivity</a>. 47m16s: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumb_war">Thumb Wars</a> (or thumb wrestling) 51m45s: The games <a href="https://worldchampgame.co/guide">A Guide to Casting Phantoms In The Revolution</a>, and <a href= "https://200wordrpg.github.io/2018/rpg/finalist/2018/05/20/Canyouhearme.html"> Can You Hear Me?</a>  52m34s: Sharang's game <a href= "https://astrolingus.itch.io/several-miles-from-heaven">Several Miles from Heaven</a>. 53m36s: The Jenga-implementing RPGs <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dread_(role-playing_game)">Dread</a> and <a href="https://bullypulpitgames.com/games/star-crossed/">Star Crossed</a>, and the apocalyptic RPG <a href= "https://cavalrygames.com/ten-candles">Ten Candles</a>. 54m45s: <a href= "https://www.dexposure.com/m2019.html">Metatopia</a> is a game designer convention based in the northeastern US that specializes in tests of board games, TTRPG, and larp. 56m41s: Sharang's solo food-based RPG <a href= "https://sharangbiswas.myportfolio.com/verdure">Verdure</a>. 57m52s: We had Jenn Sandercock on in <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-210-the-way-to-a-gamers-heart"> Ludology 210 - The Way to a Gamer's Heart</a> to discuss her edible games.  58m41s: The 200-word RPG <a href= "https://200wordrpg.github.io/2016/rpg/winner/2016/04/09/Stardust.html"> Stardust</a>. 1h00m00s: The bizarre <a href= "https://www.hellcouch.com/">Hellcouch</a> (taking the idea of the "couch co-op to the next level), amd Mattie Brice's <a href= "http://www.mattiebrice.com/empathy-machine/">empathy machine</a>. 1h00m45s: Marina Abramović's seminal performance art piece <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_0">Rhythm 0</a>, in which she allowed visitors to do whatever they wanted to her body for 6 hours. Visitors were gentle at first, but became more cruel as the piece went on, several times aiming a loaded gun in her head. The most powerful part of the performance emerged at the end; once the 6 hours ended, Abramović stood up and approached the audience, who promptly left, unable to face her as a person who had regained her bodily autonomy. 1h06m08s: Alex Roberts' Pop! is part of Sharang's project Honey and Hot Wax, co-edited by Lucian Kahn. 1h06m37s: Emma's degree is in Product Design. 1h08m45s: Sharang <a href= "https://killscreen.com/previously/author/sharang-biswas/">has written a couple of articles for Killscreen</a>. 1h10m38s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192/wingspan">Wingspan</a>. We had the pleasure of chatting with designer Elizabeth Hargrave for <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-203-winging-it">Ludology 203 - Winging It</a>. 1h12m15s: <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire">The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire</a> was a horrifying tragedy in which 146 sweatshop workers in New York City were killed by a fire. The workers were locked into their working space, so they could not exit on foot; many leapt to their deaths. The fire resulted in legislation that improved factory safety standards and strengthened union powers.  1h14m42s: Clio Yun-Su Davis' RPG Pass the Sugar Please was run by <a href= "https://www.creativenorthshore.com/pass-the-sugar-please-the-virtual-game-making-late-night-sweeter/"> theater company Intramersive</a>. 1h16m44s: Sharang is referencing <a href= "https://thekatreturns.itch.io/">Kat Jones</a>' game Glitzy Nails. 1h17m43s: The RPG <a href= "https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/99847/Flatpack-Fix-the-Future"> Flatpack</a> 1h19m34s: The productivity games <a href= "https://habitica.com/">Habitica</a>, <a href= "https://www.superbetter.com/">SuperBetter</a>, <a href= "http://www.chorewars.com/">Chore Wars</a>, and <a href= "https://zombiesrungame.com/">Zombies Run</a>. 1h20m58s: Sharang's game <a href= "https://sharangbiswas.myportfolio.com/a-shroud-for-the-seneschal">A Shroud for the Seneschal</a>.

Ludology 230 - Design Re-Verb

Scott takes us through the rise, fall, and rise again of the game <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/60/vinci">Vinci</a>, which designer Philippe Keyaerts and publisher Days of Wonder re-implemented as <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40692/small-world">Small World</a>. Bibliography of a board game <div id="1594949436.001000" class="c-virtual_list__item" tabindex= "-1" role="listitem" aria-expanded="false" data-qa= "virtual-list-item"> <div class= "c-message_kit__background p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message" role="document" data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed= "false" data-qa-placeholder="false"> <div class="c-message_kit__hover" role="document" data-qa-hover= "true"> <div class="c-message_kit__actions c-message_kit__actions--above"> <div class="c-message_kit__gutter"> <div class="c-message_kit__gutter__right" data-qa= "message_content"> <div class= "c-message_kit__blocks c-message_kit__blocks--rich_text"> <div class= "c-message__message_blocks c-message__message_blocks--rich_text"> <div class="p-block_kit_renderer" data-qa="block-kit-renderer"> <div class= "p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper--first"> <div class="p-rich_text_block" dir="auto"> <div class="p-rich_text_section">Text: <a href= "https://meepletown.com/2011/06/game-designer-interview-philippe-keyaerts/"> Meepletown interviews designer Keyaerts</a>.</div> <div class="p-rich_text_section"> Text: <a href= "https://boardtime.pl/2014/10/michel-sorbet-pyta-3-philippe-keyaerts-wywiad.html"> Boardtime interviews designer Keyaerts</a> (the site is Polish, but the interview is in English).</div> <div class="p-rich_text_section"> </div> <div class="p-rich_text_section">Text: <a href= "https://www.daysofwonder.com/smallworld/en/content/links/">Related Small World products from publisher Days of Wonder</a>. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="c-message_kit__attachments"> <div class="c-message_attachment"> <div class="c-message_attachment__border"> Text: Tabletop Gaming magazine September 2019 - <a href= "https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/Store/Back-Issues/tabletop-gaming/tabletop-gaming-issue-34"> How We Made Small World</a> (paywall)</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="1594949557.002700" class="c-virtual_list__item" tabindex= "-1" role="listitem" aria-expanded="false" data-qa= "virtual-list-item"> <div class= "c-message_kit__background p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message" role="document" data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed= "false" data-qa-placeholder="false"> <div class="c-message_kit__hover" role="document" data-qa-hover= "true"> <div class="c-message_kit__actions c-message_kit__actions--above"> <div class="c-message_kit__labels__offscreen_message" aria-live= "assertive"> </div> <div class="c-message_kit__gutter"> <div class="c-message_kit__gutter__left"> <div class= "p-message_pane_message__compact_timestamp p-message_pane_message__compact_timestamp--light p-message_pane_message__compact_timestamp--adjacent"> Text: Tabletop Gaming magazine #10 Jun/Jul 2017 - <a href= "https://pocketmags.com/us/tabletop-gaming-magazine/issue-ten/articles/147934/first-turn-philippe-keyaerts"> First Turn: Phillipe Keyaerts</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Biography of a Board Game 229.5 - Vinci/Small World

Emma, Gil, and Scott go back to a topic that Ryan and Geoff discussed earlier in the show's history: Deckbuilding! With all that's changed (including Emma having designed a deckbuilder), what has changed, and what have we learned? 0m41s: The episode that Ryan and Geoff did was <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-119-deck-the-halls">Ludology 119 - Deck the Halls</a>. 0m46s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36218/dominion">Dominion</a> (which did come out in 2008) 2m39s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22827/starcraft-board-game">StarCraft: The Board Game</a>, which is generally believed to be the first game with an in-game deckbuilding component (if we assume that Magic: The Gathering's deckbuilding component is technically not "in-game," but is part of the metagame). 5m12s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/121408/trains">Trains</a>, and <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/79828/few-acres-snow">A Few Acres of Snow</a> 6m26s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/122522/smash">Smash Up</a> 14m45s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124361/concordia">Concordia</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/283393/aquatica">Aquatica</a> 17m13s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/69789/ascension-deckbuilding-game"> Ascension</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/53953/thunderstone">Thunderstone</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/88408/nightfall">Nightfall</a> 22m26s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206299/eschaton">Eschaton</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/114031/copycat">Copycat</a> 30m08s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191189/aeons-end">Aeon's End</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/215341/thunderstone-quest">Thunderstone Quest</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171233/big-book-madness">Big Book of Madness</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199042/harry-potter-hogwarts-battle"> Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle</a> 31m39s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/67928/puzzle-strike">Puzzle Strike</a> 32m36s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/244521/quacks-quedlinburg">The Quacks of Quedlinburg</a> 33m19s: I think we have the name to Scott's next game... :) 34m03s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39242/black-friday">Black Friday</a> 34m47s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91536/quarriors">Quarriors</a> (and its themed re-implementation, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/25290/game-dice-masters"> Dice Masters</a>) 36m58s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150146/rattlebones">Rattlebones</a>  37m40s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194594/dice-forge">Dice Forge</a> (which Gil mistakenly called Dice Vault) 38m25s: According to designer Stephen Glenn, <a href= "https://rpggeek.com/blogpost/22103?commentid=3973169#comment3973169"> Rattlebones had been in the works since 2009</a>.  40m05s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206753/blank-white-dice">Blank White Dice</a> (which Emma called Blank Dice) 41m07s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/302260/abandon-all-artichokes"> Abandon All Artichokes</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176530/xenon-profiteer">Xenon Profiteer</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257733/fine-sand">Fine Sand</a> 44m18s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194607/mystic-vale">Mystic Vale</a>, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/229491/edge-darkness">Edge of Darkness</a> 46m21s: The game Scott was thinking of is <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/276182/dead-reckoning">Dead Reckoning</a> 46m36s: <a href="https://www.megacrit.com/">Slay the Spire</a> 48m09s: Gil is using the definition of "atom" from the book <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/characteristics-games">Characteristics of Games</a>: "The smallest complete unit of play, in the sense that the players feel they've 'really played' some of the game." 49m51s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeekstore.com/products/geekup-bit-set-quacks-of-quedlinburg"> The bits in question</a> 50m05s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/174802/venom-assault">VENOM Assault</a> 51m27s: <a href="https://www.themonstertrain.com/">Monster Train</a> 54m17s: Self-promotion time! <ul> <li>Gil <ul> <li><a href= "https://formalferretgames.com/products/high-rise/">High Rise</a></li> <li><a href= "https://formalferretgames.com/products/the-networks-family/the-rival-networks/"> The Rival Networks</a> (Gil was totally wrong, but the rulebook is with the graphic designer now, so it's close to done!)</li> <li><a href="https://www.twitch.tv/gilhova">Gil's Twitch channel</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.gencon.com/event_finder?search=formal+ferret">Gil's games at Gen Con</a></li> <li><a href="https://bit.ly/rem-play-intro">Gil's remote playtest group</a></li> <li>Gil's upcoming storytelling game Weird Stories (<a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36LDnqTDHMg">watch a playthrough here</a>)</li> <li><a href= "https://formalferretgames.com/products/check-in-cards/">Check-In Cards</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>Emma <ul> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/553119851392341/">The Seattle Tabletop Game Designers</a> group on Facebook</li> <li><a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/302260/abandon-all-artichokes"> Abandon All Artichokes</a> <ul> <li><a href= "https://whatsericplaying.com/2020/06/01/abandon-all-artichokes/">The What's Eric Playing review</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPLwauAWSE8">Top 10 Games on our Radar</a></li> <li><a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/103218/designer-diary-abandon-all-artichokes-or-heartless"> The Abandon All Artichokes design diary</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://www.gencon.com/events/186782">Ludology Live</a> at Gen Con Online</li> </ul> </li> <li>Scott <ul> <li><a href="https://comicbookcrisisgame.blogspot.com/">Comic Book Crisis</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7530404/">Gamemaster</a> film</li> </ul> </li> </ul>

Ludology 229 - Hit the Deck!

Geoff uses an interesting bag-building example to discuss how a mechanism that is designed to be fair and equitable to all colors in the bag winds up favoring a single color over time. This example has incredible significance to our hobby, and our world. You can reach out to Geoff via <a href= "https://twitter.com/gengelstein">Twitter</a> or email (geoff@ludology.net).

GameTek Classic 228.5 - Fairness and Bag-Building

Emma and Gil welcome Banana Chan: game writer, larp/RPG designer, board game publisher, horror movie buff, and pop-up museum aficionado. We talk about writing for all kinds of games, how game mechanisms support intense experiences in larp and RPG, the effects of emancipatory bleed, and the effect of moving roleplay online. Content warning: we discuss games with intense themes, like human sacrifice. 4m29s: <a href="https://rowanrookanddecard.com/spire-rpg/">The Spire</a> RPG  5m59s: <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Circle_(American_TV_series)">The Circle</a> is a reality show in which contestants are isolated in their homes and can only communicate with others via a text-based app. They're free to adopt any persona they wish. <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-m4gFdrQ8M">You can watch the first episode of the American reboot here</a>. 6m27s: Pork roll vs. Taylor ham (two names for the same kind of processed meat) <a href= "https://jerseydigs.com/taylor-ham-or-pork-roll-history-of-nj-great-debate/"> is a long-running debate</a> in the Garden State.  7m01s: Jean-Paul Sartre's <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Exit">No Exit</a>, a legendary play with a classic twist. 9m03s: The RPGs <a href="https://willjobst.itch.io/ghosts">This Discord Has Ghosts In It</a> and <a href= "https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/236713/Long-Time-Listener-Last-Time-Caller"> Long Time Listener, Last Time Caller</a>  10m06s: For those of you just joining Ludology, welcome, and we just covered safety tools in <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-228-respect-the-x">Ludology 227 - Respect the X</a>. 11m27s: To make it clear, <a href= "https://nordiclarp.org/2015/03/02/bleed-the-spillover-between-player-and-character/"> bleed</a> is a general term to describe a phenomenon (occurring mainly in larp) where a character's emotions and identity start mixing into a player's emotions and identity, and vice versa. It can be extremely intense, and larps usually feature necessary wrap-up sessions where players can talk out feelings that the game brought up. Here is <a href= "https://geekandsundry.com/coping-with-emotional-bleed-during-roleplay/"> an article with a couple of excellent examples</a> of bleed. Jonaya Kemper, who Banana mentions, <a href= "https://nordiclarp.org/2017/06/21/the-battle-of-primrose-park-playing-for-emancipatory-bleed-in-fortune-felicity/"> has written about emancipatory bleed here</a>. Read more about <a href="http://www.jonayakemper.com/">Kemper and her work here</a>. 11m59s: Here's <a href= "https://twitter.com/lethalbeef/status/997571016426704896?lang=en">Albert Kong's tweet about emancipatory bleed</a>. 12m21s: <a href="https://www.pantrilogy.com/baphomet">More info about the Baphomet larp</a>. 17m29s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/483/diplomacy">Diplomacy</a> is a game that's long-established for challenging friendships. 18m41s: Banana's new RPG, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/rpg/61747/jiangshi-blood-banquet-hall">Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall</a>, co-designed with Sen-Foong Lim 22m44s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/296237/warps-edge">Warp's Edge</a> 24m51s: <a href= "https://storyboardgamer.com/2018/07/27/chasing-the-muse-of-appropriation/"> Angelus Morningstar has a good write-up on cultural appropriation in board games here</a>. (Also, when Gil says "I wish this is something more board games would do," he means "hire cultural sensitivity readers.") 29m07s: <a href= "http://www.goldencobra.org/pdf/2016/TheyreOntoMe_Chan.pdf">They're Onto Me</a>. The <a href="http://www.goldencobra.org/">Golden Cobra Challenge</a> is a contest for freeform larp.  31m06s: <a href= "http://gameandacurry.com/bananachan/2019/07/10/dads-on-mowers-kids-on-bikes-module/"> Dads on Mowers</a>, a module for the RPG <a href= "https://www.renegadegamestudios.com/kids-on-bikes">Kids on Bikes</a>. 31m57s: <a href= "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/exaltedfuneral/cobwebs">Cobwebs</a> RPG. 32m19s: <a href= "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/huntersbooks/alice-is-missing-a-silent-role-playing-game"> Alice is Missing</a> RPG. 32m37s: Banana is talking about an episode of the TV series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448190/">Masters of Horror</a>. This particular episode (which Gil and Emma will never watch) is called "<a href= "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0643109/">John Carpenter's Cigarette Burn</a>s."  33m53s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/302809/betrayal-mystery-mansion"> Betrayal at Mystery Mansion</a> is a re-implementation of <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10547/betrayal-house-hill">Betrayal at House on the Hill</a>, but with a Scooby-Doo theme. 35m58s: <a href= "http://www.goldencobra.org/pdf/2015/Asweknowit_AlexCarlson.pdf">As We Know It</a>. 37m32s: <a href="https://roll20.net/">Roll20</a> is a website that facilitates online RPG play. <a href= "https://discord.com/">Discord</a> is an online text/voice chat program for gamers. 38m48s: By "corpse," Gil is referring to the surrealist writing exercise <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse">Exquisite Corpse</a>. 41m39s: Banana's dinner party films: <a href= "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2400463/">The Invitation</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448">Get Out</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2866360">Coherence</a>. She also mentions <a href= "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8772262">Midsommar</a>. 42m28s: <a href= "https://www.thecut.com/2019/03/wikipedia-horror-movies.html">Here's the article Gil mentions</a> that describes the benefits of experiencing a horror movie entirely from its Wikipedia page. 43m02s: Here's Avery Alder's body horror RPG, <a href= "https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Abnormal-a-game-about-body-horror-PDF.html"> Abnormal</a>. 44m08s: <a href="http://www.armoryonpark.org/">The Park Avenue Armory</a>, one of Gil's favorite places in NYC. Banana discusses <a href="https://www.funhousetoronto.com/">The Funhouse</a> in Toronto, which is now closed. 46m05s: The mangaka <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junji_Ito">Junji Ito</a>. 46m58s: <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/296136/battle-boybands">Battle of the Boy Bands</a>, a game by <a href= "https://twitter.com/cysdavis">Clio Yun-su Davis</a> and <a href= "https://twitter.com/vicciho">Vicci Ho</a> that Banana published under the Game and a Curry label. Enjoy some music from <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQTlCHxyuu8">Stray Kids</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdVXkSdhwU">BTS</a>. 50m05s: <a href= "https://bullypulpitgames.com/games/night-witches/">Night Witches</a>, by Jason Morningstar. We had Jason on in <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-161-whats-the-story-morning-glory"> Ludology 161 What's the Story, Morning Glory?</a> Banana also mentions his game <a href= "https://bullypulpitgames.com/games/juggernaut/">Juggernaut</a>. 50m52s: Avery Alder's <a href= "https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/monsterhearts">Monsterhearts</a>. 51m25s: <a href="https://youtu.be/xePlZLVLHq4?t=145">Here's the moment in the video</a> Gil was mentioning. <a href= "https://twitter.com/muscularpikachu">Alex Roberts</a>, who plays the ghost, is the designer of <a href= "https://bullypulpitgames.com/games/star-crossed/">the award-winning RPG Star Crossed</a>. 52m13: Gil is referring to <a href= "https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-226-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo"> Ludology 226 - Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo</a>, in which Dr. Mary Flanagan discussed how psychological distance helps people better associate with a subject. 53m39s: If you're interested in <a href= "https://www.sweetfarm.org/goat-2-meeting">Goat-2-Meeting, here are the details</a>. 56m44s: The designers Banana mentions are: <a href= "https://twitter.com/GoblinPrincete">Jabari Weathers</a>, <a href= "https://twitter.com/VioletRiotGames">Jonaya Kemper</a> (mentioned above), and <a href="https://twitter.com/fertessa">Fertessa Allyse</a>.

Ludology 228 - The Roles We Play

Scott takes us through the twisted history of the classic game Twister. How did it overcome its risqué premise to become a perennial favorite? Bibliography of a Board Game: <ul> <li>Video - <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAHUpMAkIO0">Twister was created 55 years ago</a></li> <li>Video - <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADQAWGv6aNA">Ren Guyer: The Man Who Invented Twister & Nerf</a></li> <li>Video - <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g2eEZu_0L4">Original Twister Commercial </a></li> <li>Video - <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2V2Ok8q1oU">Twister Mania for Xbox 360 review</a></li> <li>Text - <a href= "http://www.reynguyer.com/ajax/pages/twister.html">Ren Guyer's story of Twister from his official website</a></li> <li>Text - <a href= "https://board-games-galore.fandom.com/wiki/Twister">Twister on Board Games Galore Fandom Wikia</a></li> <li>Text - <a href= "https://www.math.uni-bielefeld.de/~sillke/Twister/history/">Patent information on Twister</a></li> <li>Book - <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Timeless-Toys-Classic-Playmakers-Created/dp/0740755714"> Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them</a>, by Tim Walsh</li> </ul> 7m46: One interesting note is that Shuffle Twister's gameplay is similar to Bez Shahriari's independently-released <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/160012/bind">In a Bind</a>, but Shahriari released her game in 2015, one year earlier. In a Bind went on to be re-implemented by French publisher Gigamic as <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224271/yogi">Yogi</a>. 9m19s: To clarify, <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/24109/monkey-auto-races">Monkey Auto Races</a> wasn't #1 on the BGG Hot Games; as an April Fool's joke in 2007, a bunch of BGG users gave the game a high rating, and <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/256388/item/6917191#item6917191"> it was actually the #1 game on BGG</a> for one day.

Biography of a Board Game 227.5 - Twister

Emma and Gil moderate a roundtable on safety tools in games, with guests <a href="https://twitter.com/kiennas">Kienna Shaw</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jl_nicegirl">Lauren Bryant-Monk</a> (creators of the <a href= "http://bit.ly/ttrpgsafetytoolkit">TTRPG Safety Toolkit</a>) and John Stavropoulos (creator of the <a href= "http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg">X-Card</a>).  We discuss consent and safety in games, starting with tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs), but expanding to all sorts of games. How can safety tools help in games, and in what ways do they help? Content Warning: this episode mentions occurences of consent violations, domestic abuse, and sexual assault. SHOW NOTES 23m25s - The <a href= "https://dnd.wizards.com/ddal_general">D&D Adventurers League</a> is an official ongoing play, organized by D&D's publisher Wizards of the Coast. 32m29s - <a href= "https://www.renegadegamestudios.com/kids-on-bikes">Kids on Bikes</a>, by Jon Gilmour and Doug Levandowski. 33m17s - <a href="https://twitter.com/avonelle">Avonelle Wing</a> is a longtime RPG/LARP player, convention organizer, and advocate for equality and justice for games. She's one of Gil's idols. 34m11s - <a href="http://www.bluestockings.ca/">Kate Bullock</a> is a TTRPG designer, advocate, writer, and president of the Indie Game Developer Network. 39m58s - <a href= "https://nordiclarp.org/what-is-nordic-larp/">Nordic LARP</a> is a form of LARP with minimal rules and GMing, but heavy atmosphere and story. Compare it to demonstrative (boffer) LARPs, which tend to be more fantastical and have NPCs and combat rules. 43m20s - An <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otome_game">otome game</a> is a story-based video game that generally has the player control a female character, to try to develop a relationship with one of the game's male characters. 46m10s - Here's an <a href= "https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-48483746"> especially horrifying story</a> about an awful GM that came out of UKGE last year (BIG CONTENT WARNING for sexual assault in that link). Note that this is one story, but there are many more that never get this much coverage. The story about <a href= "https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/6/21207309/rollplay-far-verona-sexual-assault-lets-play-season-2-canceled"> the public live stream that went wrong</a> is here, and carries a similar content warning. 52m07s - You didn't think we were going to go a full episode without bringing board games into it, did you? :) 1h00m26s - Self-Promotion: you can find more info about Gil's Check-In Cards <a href= "https://gil.hova.net/2020/03/26/announcing-a-new-tool-for-gaming-check-in-cards/"> here</a>. 1h00m57s - <a href= "https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/233078/twilight-imperium-fourth-edition"> Twilight Imperium</a> being a 6 hour game about galactic conquest. 1h06m58s - Psychologist Susan Silk and her friend Barry Goldman wrote about this in the LA times. They called it "<a href= "https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/promoting-hope-preventing-suicide/201705/ring-theory-helps-us-bring-comfort-in">Ring Theory</a>," and in it, they discuss how you can comfort a grieving person while not burdening them with your own pain, by placing them in the "center" of the crisis and being mindful of where you are relative to others in that ring. 1h10m03s - <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restorative_justice">Restorative justice</a> is a methodology that has the victim and offender meeting (often with community members), with the expectation that the two parties will come to a consensus on what happened, how much damage was caused, and how the damage can be repaired. This gives the offender a clear path to righting the wrong, and empowers the victim in the process of seeking justice.

Ludology 227 - Respect the X

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.

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Ludology

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