Decision Space

Episode 287- Playing OGs Together All four hosts are together for a discussion of the Old School games they played together during Brendan's visit to St. Louis. That Stefan Dorra... so hot right now... Time Stamps4:50- BattleCON: War of Indines17:00- Hellas30:00- Big Shot48:15- Witch's Brew1:03:00- Medina Preplanners Next week is a deep dive of Modern Art and after that we'll be making a tier list of the best games by Taiki Shinzawa Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You --…

Episode 286- Cole Wehrle on Economic Games and An Infamous Traffic Pete chats with Cole Wehrle about his history with economic games like Container and how these nasty designs inspired An Infamous Traffic, which currently has a second edition in development for Wehrlegig Games. An Infamous Traffic on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/colewehrle/an-infamous-traffic-second-edition Cole's design diaries: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/475323/an-infamous-traffic-second-edition/forums/0 Time Stamps3:10- economic games27:15- Container50:30- An Infamous Traffic Games Mentioned Modern Art, The Estates, 1817, Indonesia, Reef Encounter, Automobile, Neuland, Nippon: Zaibatsu, Sol: Last Days of a Star, Container, An Infamous Traffic, Brass, John Company Preplanners Next week we'll talk about games we played together as a group while Brendan was in town! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube…

Episode 285- Stonemaier Design Day 2026 All four hosts are together to share their experiences of hanging out together IN PERSON for Stonemaier Design Day. Paul talks about games he's working on for GameHead and Pete, Jake, and Brendan discuss the games they brought to showcase at the event. Time Stamps6:00- GameHead playtesting23:00- about Stonemaier Design Day29:45- Franchise Wars (Pete and Brendan's game)41:30- Kiuic (Jake's game)52:15- Among Mortals (Brendan's game)1:06:00- Teacher's Pest (Jake's game)1:12:15- other prototypes we played Preplanners Next week is the return of a special guest! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to…

Episode 284- Schotten Totten and Lane Battlers Pete and Brendan explore the card game genre known as lane battlers and deep dive the 1999 Knizia Classic Schotten Totten that gave birth to these dueling games. Time Stamps5:15- what is a lane battler?10:00- Schotten Totten deep dive44:30- other lane battlers Games Mentioned Battle Line, Lost Cities, Hanamikoji, Radlands, Riftforce, Air Land and Sea, Marvel Snap, Compile, Toy Battle, Brawl, Omen Reign of War, The Old King's Crown, Dracula vs Van Helsing Preplanners The hosts will be talking about their first 4 host meetup and Stonemaier Design day next week! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album…

Episode 283- Indonesia Pete is joined by Arnie, Jared and Luke to discuss Splotter's 2005 economic masterpiece Indonesia. These 4 have played the game sixteen times together this year and have learned a lot. Listen to their tales of business blunder and triumph! Arnie's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@analog_arnie Luke's Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/off-board-podcast/ Jared has nothing going on worth sharing. Preplanners Deep dive on Schotten Totten and an exploration of Lane Battlers is coming up next. Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere:…

Episode 282- Gen Con Impressions Pete and Paul recap their Gen Con experience and give quick impressions of games they picked up there! Time Stamps13:15- Trick to the Future16:15- Jibber Jabble20:30- Jusayo24:30- Stonk Market29:00- The Glorious Guilds of Buttonville35:30- Soundwave Length39:00- Grandma I'm Hungry44:15- Sushi Go Chef's Party48:00- Brave and Bold Bag Building Combat Game52:15- Looney Tunes Hunting Wabbits54:30- Realm of Reckoning59:15- Big Shot1:05:30- Bordeaux1:10:15- Woo1:12:15- Greylune1:18:30- Moustache Preplanners Deep dive roundtable discussion of Indonesia is coming up next week! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to…

Episode 281- Libertalia and Reimplementations Paul, Brendan, and Pete discuss the benefits and potential pitfalls of making new editions of old games. Then they deep dive Paolo Mori's 2012 classic Libertalia and the excellent update from Stonemaier Games in 2022's Winds of Galecrest. Time Stamps2:40- second editions and reimplementations22:00- Libertalia deep dive Preplanners Pete and Paul are going to chat about fresh plays of Gen Con hotness! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You --…

Episode 280- Listener Questions We open the mail bag to answer a bunch of questions from the Decision Space community! Time Stamps2:15- who would win?4:50- what is a YOU game?9:00- design choice you disagree with18:00- design choice you love23:20- games for roommates27:30- games you wish existed34:30- bad games we like40:00- who you want to play a game with44:30- spoiler strategies50:00- emotional responses to games53:00- how our tastes have changed56:30- where do you see the pod in 5 years?1:00:30- game night pick1:02:45- deep dive redo1:05:30- time for games1:09:00- state of the hobby1:13:15- superlatives1:14:15- has the podcast changed you as a gamer?1:16:45- host disagreements1:18:00- dueling game advice Preplanners We have a deep dive of Paolo Mori's Libertalia coming up! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You…

Episode 279- Sandbox Objectives and Frosted Blooms This week Brendan tries to convince his co-hosts that "sandbox objectives" and "point salad" are not not the same thing. Jake isn't convinced. Also the gang deep dives the new polyomino game Frosted Blooms, designed by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc. Time Stamps3:20- sandbox objective systems30:00- Frosted Blooms deep dive Preplanners Next week is listener questions! Send them to us via email or join our Discord! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3…

Episode 278- Who, What, When, Where, Why, How? That types of questions do games ask us as players? When should I score? Who can I trust? Why did they do that? How should I sequence this? This week we dig into what the central questions are in different games and think about how this can help us as players and designers. Time Stamps4:30- Who?18:00- What?26:00- When?34:00- Where?42:00- Why?54:00- How? Games Mentioned Magic the Gathering, The Resistance, Root, Castles of Burgundy, A Feast for Odin, Tag Team, Bus, Dominion, Medina, Ra, El Grande, Star Wars Rebellion, The Crew, Root, Zoo Vadis, Tikal, Bus Preplanners Email us or join our discord to submit questions for a future episode! Also we'll be doing a deep dive on Frosted Blooms soon! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree…

Episode 277- Deckbuilding 301 and Slay the Spire Trick-taking wiz Taylor Reiner joins Pete, Jake, and Brendan to take the next step on our deckbuilding exploration. This time we're going digital! How do games like Balatro and Slay the Spire build on physical games and where do they diverge? Also how are we seeing the reverse influence on tabletop games?Check out Taylor's amazing Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ClaudeAndTaylor Time Stamps 4:00- introduce Taylor Reiner9:30- digital card games21:30- deckbuilding roguelikes46:45- Slay the Spire 1:26:15- Balatro1:32:00- digital games inspiring tabletop design Preplanners I actually don't know what the next episode will be about! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash…

Episode 276- SD HistCon North 2026 Pete is joined by Cardner Babakitis of Odd Candy Games and Buried Giant Studios. They discuss the historical games they played at the inaugural SD HistCon North. Check out Cardner's games here: https://www.oddcandygames.com/ Time Stamps 15:00- Hellraisers in Kanawha County19:30- An Infamous Traffic 2nd Edition27:30- Baltic Empires33:00- Penitent42:00- Nicaea49:00- John Company megagame1:01:50- Oath with New Foundations1:08:05- Muddy Buddies1:09:15- Virgin Queen1:23:00- Big Shot Preplanners The next episode is Deckbuilding 301 which focuses on the relationship of Slay the Spire to tabletop games! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a…

Episode 275- Inside the Deck This week Jake, Paul, and Brendan explore the different deck structures of card games. Things get mathy in this design focused discussion about how combinations of suits and numbers create different decision spaces in games. Time Stamps 2:00- Air Land and Sea13:00- The Fox in the Forest21:45- Jekyll vs Hyde27:45- Dracula vs Van Helsing34:30- Coloretto42:00- Pet Quartet45:00- Flip 750:00- The Mind55:00- No Thanks1:01:30- Arboretum1:09:30- Lost Cities1:14:00- Schotten Totten1:16:15- Scout and dnup Preplanners Up next is a recap from a historical game convention. Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere:…

Episode 274- 2010-2014 Showdown All four hosts are together to play a game as a way to choose a consensus list of the best board games from the early 2010's. The format here is from April Mitchell's This/That Showdown: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/463458/thisthat-showdown Games Mentioned BattleCon, Keyflower, The Resistance Avalon, The Castles of Burgundy, The Great Zimbabwe, Trajan, Charms, Haggis, Hanabi, Glen More, Hanamikoji, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Patchwork, Linko, Troyes, Libertalia Preplanners Up next is a discussion of deck design and a recap from a historical game convention. Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to…

Episode 273- dnup and Iterative Game Design In this episode we talk about iterative game design. Why do designers go back to ideas they've already explored? On that note, we also discuss the new hotness dnup and how designer Kai Kajino built it upon the foundation of his modern classic hit Scout. Timestamps 3:30- iterative design32:20- Scout46:00- dnup Preplanners We have another decade draft coming up soon! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License:…

Episode 272- The Old King's Crown Pete is joined by Jaffles ( https://www.youtube.com/@Jaffles-gaming ) to do a deep dive of the hottest game from last year: The Old King's Crown. They also chat about what types of games inspire players to dig deep and get obsessed. Timestamps 5:00- why we get obsessed with games18:15- intro to Old King's Crown24:00- personal reviews27:30- exploring the decision space47:15- spring decisions56:45- player count considerations1:10:15- summer and autumn decisions1:20:00- faction asymmetry1:39:00- final thoughts Preplanners We have another decade draft coming up soon! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to…

Episode 271- Hand Management Pete and Brendan dissect one of the most ubiquitous mechanisms in tabletop games: hand management. What kinds of puzzles can a hand of cards present to players and what makes it so timelessly satisfying? Timestamps 3:00- defining hand management18:00- why we love hand management29:00- types of hand management36:15- trick-taking and ladder climbing42:45- hand management as a core mechanism57:30- hand management as a support mechanism Games Mentioned love letter, dominion, enchanted plumes, concordia, el grande, scout, haggis, fox in the forest, inis, race for the galaxy, arboretum, seer's catalog, hanabi, lost cities, battle line, hanamikoji, fantasy realms, 6nmmt, 7 wonders, twilight struggle, frosted blooms, gloomhaven, modern art, arcs, magic the gathering, keyforge, mind bug Preplanners Look out for the long awaited deep dive of Old King's Crown! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full…

Episode 270- Interview with Phil Walker-Harding Paul sits down for a wonderfully insightful discussion with game designer Phil Walker-Harding. Last week's tier list episode should have you primed to get into this man's head! They discuss game inspiration and how to design in ways that can heal game related trauma. Timestamps 1:45- how Phil got into design10:35- design philosophy25:30- balancing games36:30- what Phil likes to play45:00- inspiration from games54:15- design process1:06:00- negative experiences games1:19:30- what's Phil working on? Preplanners A classic 'what we talk about' on hand management is up next! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their…

Episode 269- Phil Walker Harding Tier List Paul gets to rate every game in the prolific catalogue of his favorite designer: Phil Walker Harding. He's joined by Brendan and the Dice Tower's Chris Yi for this monumental task. Timestamps 8:30- Archaeology the New Expedition12:00- Dungeon Raiders15:15- Pack of Heroes19:00- Sushi Go / Sushi Go Party28:45- Sushi Roll34:15- Cacao41:00- Imhotep / Imhotep the Duel49:15- Barenpark54:15- Gizmos58:15- Gingerbread House1:00:00- Llamaland1:02:30- Silver and Gold1:04:30- Explorers1:06:00- Tetris1:08:15- Monolyth1:11:30- Scribbly Gum1:12:15- Super Mega Lucky Box1:14:00- Snakesss1:15:30- Don't Fall For It1:17:30- Planted1:19:15- Pass the Party Food1:20:15- Dungeons and Dragons Edge of the Realms1:21:15- My Shelfie1:23:15- Tanis1:24:30- Yummy World: Party and Picnic Palace1:25:45- Busy Beaks1:27:30- All In Predictions1:31:15- Tropicalia1:33:45- Museum Suspects1:36:15- Cities / Cities USA1:41:15- Neoville1:43:00- Cloud City1:45:45- Misfit Heroes1:47:30- Spellbook1:50:00-…

Episode 268- Geekway Convention Plays 2026 Jake and Pete recap the best weekend of the year: Geekway to the West! They discuss their favorite new plays, old favorites, and also give first impressions of some hot new titles. Timestamps 17:00- Feya's Swamp21:50- Dark Pact28:10- Market Fresh34:40- I'm the Boss38:45- Auf Teufel Komm Raus43:00- Lowenherz51:30- John Company Second Edition59:00- Broom Service1:03:30- Oath1:09:30- Tikal1:15:30- TRICKTAKERs, Skull Queen, Daytime Minutes1:18:00- Indonesia1:19:30- Guards of Atlantis II, El Grande, Big Shot1:22:00- L'Oaf Preplanners We've got a tier list episode in the works! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their…

Episode 267- Shared Infrastructure Games and Bus Time to deep dive the new hotness... from 1999. In this episode we do a deep dive on Splotter's first major hit Bus and discuss other shared infrastructure games. Why are we drawn to these crowded, brutal logistics puzzles? Timestamps 3:00- shared infrastructure games32:00- Bus deep dive Other Games Mentioned Barrage, Brass Birmingham, Medina, Keyflower, Food Chain Magnate Preplanners Geekway to the West 2026 recap is coming soon! Also, Paul is going to take us through a tier list of his favorite designer: Phil Walker Harding! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere:…

Episode 266- Storytelling with Cole Wehrle Big day here for Pete. In this episode he chats one on one with Cole Wehrle from Buried Giant Studios. They talk a lot about player agency, emergent storytelling, and what it's like the make and play long, heavy games. Timestamps 1:00- how Cole thinks about making games18:45- storytelling in games40:00- long heavy games49:30- agency and fairness59:20- fun1:04:30- learning rules1:14:00- designing historical games Games Mentioned Oath, Root, Arcs, John Company Preplanners Next week we are doing a deep dive on Bus! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere:…

Episode 265- Euro Games "Euro" has been used as a descriptor for decades and it is inarguable that its meaning has changed over time. On this episode, the hosts try to hash out what the word means today and how that differs from the "old school" design philosophy. Also, the episode ends with an unhinged exploration of what games in the BGG top 100 could conceivably be classified as Euros. (also just a warning, Pete's dog wouldn't shut up during the recording of this) Timestamps 3:00- defining Euros12:45- modern vs old school55:00- categorizing the BGG top 100 Preplanners Next week we are doing a deep dive on Bus! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their…

Episode 264- Top 10 Games of All Time (2026) Part 2 It's the fiiiiiiinal countdown! We gush over how much we love the games that made our top 5 favorite games! Some things have changed this year! There are brand new releases on this list! However, did the new hotness dethrone our old favorites? Timestamps 3:30- Medina8:15- Big Top11:00- Indonesia16:00- Broom Service19:15- Isle of Skye21:15- Unlock26:15- Lord of the Rings Trick-Taking Games31:30- Babylonia34:30- Santiago39:15- Cozy Stickerville44:55- Old King's Crown49:15- Root52:45- El Grande57:15- The Castles of Mad King Ludwig1:02:45- Nokosu Dice1:09:30- Tag Team1:14:15- Tikal1:19:30- Ra / Priests of Ra1:24:10- Root1:27:30- The Resistance Preplanners Next week we discuss what the term "Euro game" means today! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more…

Episode 263- Top 10 Games of All Time (2026) Part 1 It's time for the annual countdown of our favorite games! In this episode we count down numbers 10-6. What has fallen from the ranks since last year? What are we hot on right now? Listen and find out! Timestamps 8:55- Fives12:15- Lunarchitects16:00- Pax Renaissance20:00- Chicago Express23:30- Bus26:30- Incan Gold30:10- Modern Art35:10- Fox in the Forest38:20- Renature42:20- Skyrise46:50- Dune Imperium Uprising51:20- El Grande53:30- Lost Cities58:20- Fromage / Formaggio1:01:50- Ito1:05:40- My City1:09:00- Nokosu Dice1:13:00- Heat1:16:20- Arcs1:21:30- Keyflower Preplanners Top 5 of all time is next week! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song…

Episode 262- Depth, Complexity, and Luck Game designer Jon Perry returns to Decision Space to participate in a discussion about what makes games deep. Are heavy games deeper than light games? Can games with a high luck factor also reward skilled play? Why is there a heavy game bias on BGG? Check out some of Jon's games: Air Land and Sea, Hot Streak, Spots, and more!Brendan was inspired after this episode to write an article about game depth. Read it here: https://www.decisionspacepodcast.com/articles/going-deep-on-depth-in-games Timestamps 2:15- game depth and complexity41:15- high luck, high skill games Preplanners The next two weeks will be the annual countdown of our top 10 games of all time! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank…

Episode 261- Arcs Blighted Reach Campaign Pete is joined by returning guest Jared Ingersoll and muppet board game critic Analog Arnie to deep dive the Blighted Reach campaign expansion for Arcs. This is the sequel to episode 247 in case you missed our original Arcs deep dive! Find Analog Arnie here: https://www.youtube.com/@analog_arnie Timestamps 2:50- intro to Blighted Reach15:45- act 142:45- act 259:45- act 31:15:30- final thoughts Preplanners Another returning guest is coming to discuss depth and light games. Also we'll be deep diving Bus soon! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere:…

Episode 260- Duel for Cardia Jake and Brendan deep dive yet another dueling game! This time it's 2025's Duel for Cardia. After the review, they discuss gameplay modules and try to decide when they add value to a game and when they just add noise. Timestamps 3:50- Cardia deep dive50:00- modular content Preplanners We are returning to Arcs! Also more special guests! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing --…

Episode 259- April Fool's Game Show Spectacular The only game show that takes place right here, in the space between the episodes of your favorite podcast. Preplanners We deep dive Cardia next week! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Contact Follow…

Episode 258- Gamer's Ranch 2026 Report Pete and Jake played a ton of games together! New hotness, old beige games, and a big dramatic session of Blood on the Clocktower! Timestamps 9:45- The Old King's Crown20:15- Blood on the Clocktower34:15- Renature41:30- Medina48:40- Skyrise52:15- Here Lies1:00:30- Indonesia1:08:15- Gudnak1:10:15- Keyforge1:12:15- Mindbug1:15:45- Moon Colony Bloodbath1:21:30- El Grande Preplanners Upcoming deep dives of Bus and Cardia will be in the coming weeks, so get those plays in so you're ready! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere:…

Episode 257- Game Difficulty and Sail What makes games difficult and why do we sometimes enjoy that? When does it go too far? Pete and Brendan explore the topic after discussing a very difficult game: the 2 player cooperative trick-taker Sail. Timestamps 3:50- Sail deep dive35:30- difficult games discussion Other Games Mentioned Final Girl, Palaces of Carrera, Pandemic, The Mind, Take Time, The Crew, Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game Preplanners Upcoming deep dives of Bus and Cardia will be in the coming weeks, so get those plays in so you're ready! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere:…

Episode 256- Isle of Skye Jake and Paul deep dive the 2016 Kinnerspiel des Jahres Winner: Isle of Skye. Yo, that was 10 years ago? That's craaaazy! They go deep on the joys of variable scoring, catch up mechanisms, and the cozy vibes of building your own little thing. Timestamps 4:30- Isle of Skye deep dive Other Games Mentioned Whispwood, Ohanami, Nimalia, Castles of Mad King Ludwig Preplanners Next week is a discussion of game difficulty and the 2p trick-taker Sail. Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part…

Episode 255- Art and Games with C. Thi Nguyen Professor C. Thi Nguyen returns to the pod! We discuss process art, getting good, value capture, empathy, and his new book The Score. Timestamps 2:00- about The Score10:00- art is a game18:30- how games affect us25:00- depth and difficulty32:30- getting good45:00- empathy and intimacy53:00- value capture1:03:30- process art1:18:00- closing thoughts Preplanners Next week is a discussion of Isle of Skye! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You --…

Episode 254- Concordia It's an old school episode in every way! The original Decision Space duo (Brendan and Jake) do a deep dive on a new classic with an old school soul: Mac Gerdts' Concordia! Timestamps 4:20- intro to Concordia21:00- Concordia deep dive1:18:00- other Gerdts games Preplanners Next week is the return of C Thi Nguyen to the podcast and after that we're deep diving Isle of Skye! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0…

Episode 253- Historical Games and Pax Renaissance Pete is joined by Andy Nealen, an academic, game maker, and podcaster. Together they explore what makes the historical war games so special but also so niche in the hobby. Also, Pax Renaissance is in both of their top 10 games of all time, so they do a full deep dive on that game. This is a long one, so buckle up! Andy is a co-host on the Secret Lives of Games podcast: https://secretlives.games/ Timestamps 14:30- historical games26:30- accessibility and chrome46:15- simulating difficult subjects57:15- intro to Pax games1:17:30- Pax Renaissance deep dive1:48:30- wrapping up Games Mentioned Molly House, John Company 2nd Edition, Twilight Imperium, Here I Stand, Cross Bronx Expressway, Campaign for North Africa, Votes for Women, Nevsky, Imperial Struggle, This Guilty Land, Pax Porfiriana, Pax Pamir 2nd Edition, Pax Transhumanity, Pax Renaissance, Pax Emancipation, Shores of Tripoli, Undaunted Normandy Preplanners We have a deep dive on Concordia coming up next,…

Episode 252- Area Control (WWTA) In this "what we talk about" episode, Pete and Brendan try to sort through vocabulary and feelings related to area control and area majority games. Brendan tries to pitch "area conflict" as a new term for the genre. Do you buy that? Listen and find out! Timestamps 3:45- introduction to the genre15:00- defining mechanisms29:45- area majority47:06- area control1:11:00- the decision space1:17:00- how conflict makes us feel Games Mentioned Risk, Chess, El Grande, Root, Mission Red Planet, Tammany Hall, Ethnos, Joraku, Calimala, Tikal, Mexica, Babylonia, Samurai, Rebirth, Hanamikoji, War of the Ring, Blood Rage, Arcs, Risk, Scythe, Inis, Game of Thrones the Board Game, Kemet, King of Tokyo, 1960 the Making of a President, Tigris and Euphrates, Hansa Teutonica, Carcassone, Rumble Nation, Star Wars Rebellion Preplanners Upcoming episodes will include a discussion about incentives, some special guests, and the next course in our deckbuilding series. Also Arcs part two at some point…

Episode 251- The Shapes of Games In this episode, Pete and Brendan go back to the basics. How should we characterize a decision space? What shapes the arc of a game? Timestamps 5:00- types of decision spaces36:00- game arcs1:04:30- other terminology Games Mentioned Keyflower, Decrypto, Viticulture, Wingspan, Vantage, Arcs, Dominion, the Resistance, Root, Codenames, Scout, Pax Pamir, Pax Renaissance, Race for the Galaxy, Spades, El Grande, Chicago Express, Agent Avenue Preplanners Upcoming episodes will include a discussion about incentives, some special guests, and the next course in our deckbuilding series. Also Arcs part two at some point! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your…

Episode 250- Best of the Rest (re upload to fix a file error) All four hosts share their favorite games that have never been covered in the show's extensive 249 episode back catalogue of deep dives and lists! Timestamps 6:30- The King of Frontier11:05- Star Wars Rivals16:45- Gravwell21:10- Bus28:15- Clans of Caledonia35:40- Old West Empresario40:30- Star Wars Rebellion49:30- Trails of Tucana54:15- The Princes of Florence1:03:15- Cartouche1:09:15- Jekyll vs Hyde1:16:45- Brass Birmingham Preplanners We plan on making at least 250 more episodes!!! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere:…

Episode 249 - Family Games Paul and Pete are joined by Happy Camper Games founder Jason Schneider to dissect what makes for a great family game experience Timestamps 3:50- mission of Happy Camper 8:45- what is a family game?20:10- Trio33:30- game development40:30- Jungo52:15- gaming with the family Preplanners Next up is our 250th extravaganza! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing --…

Episode 248 - Ra Jake and Paul deep dive Reiner Knizia's 1999 classic auction game Ra. They dig into the elegant systems and the unique push your luck element. Also, Paul explores the various Ra spin off titles! Timestamps 4:45- Ra overview12:30- the decision space40:00- the tiles1:00:00- expansions and spinoffs Preplanners Next up is a discussion on what makes a good small box game! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with…

Episode 247 - Arcs Pete is joined by Kniziologist and Blighted Reach afficionado Jared Ingersoll to do a deep dive on the hottest game of 2024: Cole Wehrle's Arcs! Timestamps 3:40- Arcs introduction9:30- rules overview16:30- personal reviews23:00- trick-taking system30:30- actions and resources36:30- ambitions46:00- combat55:30- influencing the court1:01:30- leaders and lore1:08:00- player count1:12:30- frustration points Preplanners Next up is a deep dive on Ra! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by…

Episode 246 - The 2025 Decidies The hosts continue their now TWO year tradition of awarding our bronze, silver, and gold medal decisions of the year. Congrats to all the winners! Timestamps 11:15- honorable mentions24:45- Agent Avenue29:15- Vantage33:05- Bomb Busters38:00- Waddle41:05- Toy Battle45:15- Old King's Crown50:50- Formaggio54:55- Vantage57:55- Tag Team1:05:40- Hot Streak1:11:55- Duel for Cardia1:18:30- Bid Coin1:24:00- hopes for 2026 honorable mentions: Bid Coin, Molly House, Bested Another Time, Two Towers Trick-Taking Game, EGO, Formaggio, Fives, Snack Rabbits Preplanners We have deep dives coming up soon for Ra and Arcs as well as part 3 of our deckbuilding series! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods…

Episode 245 - Year in Review We look back at the past year, which was full of changes for the show. We also rank all the games we deep dived LIVE together and chart a course for 2026. Timestamps 4:10- reflections on the past year21:15- favorite episodes from 202527:30- ranking the games we covered in 202555:50- what we learned this year1:00:30- looking ahead to 2026 Preplanners We're taking a week off for Christmas but will return with our awards for the best decisions of 2025! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator…

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 244 - Our Favorite Video Games Are we allowed to talk about video games instead of board games? Jake, Brendan, and Pete break down some of their favorite games and examine their decision space and potential connections to tabletop games. Timestamps 5:00- personal video game histories19:00- video games vs board games25:15- Yoshi's Island31:00- Pokémon Gold and Silver37:30- Slay the Spire43:30- Heroes of Might and Magic III50:30- Gears of War57:30- Dark Souls / Bloodborne1:07:10- Pokken Tournament 1:14:00- Super Smash Bros Ultimate1:17:15- Final Fantasy Tactics Preplanners End of the year recap is coming up soon! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here:…

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 243 - Donkey Space: Agent Avenue and Hanamikoji Pete and Brendan go head to head with a pair of "I cut, you choose" games. You know that scene in Princess Bride where the guy is talking himself in and out of which cup of win to drink? It's basically like that. Timestamps 4:20- defining donkey space17:30- Unrest23:15- Agent Avenue43:45- Hanamikoji Preplanners Next up is a list of our favorite video games! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from…

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 242 - Evaluating Auction Games Ok n00bs, it's time to get good. All four hosts are present to participate in a deep conversation about why we play games and whether getting good at them is a worthwhile endeavor. There are a lot of references to the work of CT Nguyen, who was interviewed on this podcast way back in episode 67. Check it out Timestamps 1:45- do you want to get good at games?9:00- achievement play vs striving play36:15- why we try to get good1:08:00- does this connect to game design?1:18:00- final thoughts Preplanners Next up is a deep dive on the donkey space of Hanamikoji and Agent Avenue Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here:…

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 241 - Evaluating Auction Games Going once, going twice... Pete, Paul, and Brendan chat about their favorite auction games and how different twists on the concept create unique, interactive decision spaces in games. Timestamps 05:15- intro to auctions24:15- Going Going Gone30:30- Modern Art34:00- Big Top36:25- For Sale43:30- Castles of Mad King Ludwig 47:00- Ra56:10- QE1:04:50- Skyrise1:07:20- The Estates1:09:30- Chicago Express1:13:45- Rising Sun1:15:15- Keyflower1:20:15- No Thanks1:24:30- Spyrium Preplanners Next up is a discussion on getting good! Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find…

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 240 - Deckbuilding 201 Part 2 of our deckbuilding series continues with hybrid designs! Pete and Jake discuss board games that utilize deckbuilding as a mechanism, with a special focus on Paul Dennen's Dune Imperium games. Also Jake comes to the realization that a deckbuilding game is really just a deck shuffling game. He was quite proud of this epiphany. Also, DECISON SPACE MERCH! Get your sweet, sweet, podcast supporting t-shirts and hats right here - https://www.decisionspacepodcast.com/merch Timestamps 02:30- Pete Essen recap10:00- deckbuilding evolution24:30- Clank!31:45- Quest for El Dorado37:00- Aeon's End43:00- Lost Ruins of Arnak46:30- Heat50:30- Challengers53:10- Undaunted55:30- Dune Imperium Preplanners We're planning a WWTA episode on types of auctions in games! Music and Sound…

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 239 - Spatial Puzzles and Tile Laying Tropes Brendan and Paul dig deep into the mechanisms behind tile-laying games. What are the different decisions players make with tiles and what makes them special? Also, a mini deep dive on Paris: La Cite de la Lumiere Also, DECISON SPACE MERCH! Get your sweet, sweet, podcast supporting t-shirts and hats right here - https://www.decisionspacepodcast.com/merch Timestamps 04:30- adjacency10:00- filling a frame15:00- color matching20:00- region closure26:00- route building36:15- tiling39:30- tile stacking47:15- pattern building52:15- spatial combos55:45- Paris: La Cite de la Lumiere case study Games Mentioned Carcassone, My City, Baren Park, Kingdominio, Floristry, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Carpe Diem, Isle of Skye, Cascadia, Isle of Cats, Land vs Sea,…

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 238 - Fighting Games and Tag Team Jake, Brendan, and special guest Luke Williams of the Laughing Table Friends are here to talk about the fighting game video game genre and review a new card game that simulates the very same thing, Tag Team. Also, we announce DECISON SPACE MERCH! Get your sweet, sweet, podcast supporting t-shirts and hats right here - https://www.decisionspacepodcast.com/merch Timestamps 0:00 - Special Announcement (Merch!)3:15 - Fighting Games39:40 - Tag Team Preplanners Tiles part 2 is coming at you next week from Paul and Brendan. Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find…