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Jacob Frydman

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Decision Space
Decision SpaceBONUS EPISODE - Things We Hate About Our Favorite GamesDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 104 - Things We Hate About Games We Love and Things We Love About Games We Hate What's this?! A full bonus episode of Decision Space is in your feed thanks to our incredibly generous patreon supporters. In this episode, we discuss a topic...
2023-01-271h 00Decision Space
Decision SpaceThirteen Recent Plays at Geekway Mini (Five Knizia Reviews Inside!)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 103 - Thirteen Recent Plays at Geekway Mini An atypical episode of Decision Space, this week focuses on Jake's thirteen recent plays at the Geekway Mini convention. There were plenty of high highs and low lows among the games covered, but perhaps most exciting...
2023-01-251h 14Decision Space
Decision SpaceRenature - This Game Is a UnitDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 102 - Renature Renature, jointly designed by Kramer and Kiesling, is the third Kramer design (El Grande and Palaces of Carrara) and third Kiesling design (Azul and Palaces of Carara) we've covered on the show. These guys are fast become Decision Space favorites. Will...
2023-01-181h 07Decision Space
Decision SpaceDecision Space 101 - Start Here (Top 10 Touchstone Episodes)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 101 - Decision Space 101 Welcome Interdecisional Space Travelers from this world and beyond, you are in the right space. That's right this is Decision Space 101, the best starting point to on board yourself to Decision Space: The Podcast About Decisions in Games. In this...
2023-01-1159 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceEpisode 100! The Next 100 Episodes and Games Played Over BreakDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 100 - Episode 100 We made it to 100 episodes of Decision Space. There isn't much else to do but give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this possible. Thanks Brendan for taking this show to greater heights and deeper dives than I would...
2023-01-041h 09Decision Space
Decision SpaceIn the Year of the Dragon - Most PUNISHING Game Ever?Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 99 - In the Year of the Dragon From the designer who brought you the masochistic pain land of Carpe Diem, we ask, is In the Year of the Dragon the most punishing game ever? Today on Decision Space, we will pilot our Interdecisional...
2022-12-211h 05Decision Space
Decision SpaceWe Rank EVERY Game - 2022 End of Year SpecialDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 98 - We Rank EVERY Game 2022 Year End Special We have finally made it to the end of the year special in which we rank every game featured on Decision Space in 2022. It is pretty amazing that we have been at this now for...
2022-12-211h 40Decision Space
Decision SpaceBattleCON - Do Video Game Fighters Work Without a Screen?Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 97 - BattleCON We have been interested in covering BattleCON since day one of this show, and it only took us 96 episodes to get to it. Fortunately, the wait was worth it because this game is awesome. It really is, but is it for...
2022-12-071h 12Decision Space
Decision SpaceGames as Gifts and $100 Budget CollectionsDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 96 - Games as Gifts and $100 Collections In this two part episode, we first discuss the benefits, risks, and what to think about when giving games as gifts. We follow that up with a semi-related excercise where we each build our ideal collection, BUT...
2022-11-301h 04Decision Space
Decision SpaceMemoir ’44 - Boy Meets War GameDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 95 - Memoir '44 This is an episode of firsts. We cover our first war game, our first didactic game, and our first ameritrash game all in one shot. Today, we dive deep into Memoir '44, the award winning game designed by Richard Borg a...
2022-11-231h 05Decision Space
Decision SpaceRajas of the Ganges - A Log Rolling Good TimeDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 94 - Rajas of the Ganges This week we deep dive a worker placement, tile placement, dice manipulation euro game with, and I can't stress this enough, a river that you can move forward down but never back! If that doesn't get you fired up then your name must not be Jake Frydman! Welcome interdecisional spaceship tr...
2022-11-161h 10Decision Space
Decision SpaceBoard Game Podcasters Review MARVEL SNAPDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games and, apparently, video games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 93 - MARVEL SNAP You are reading that right. There is not an error on your phone, computer, tablet, etc. We've done board games, we've done sports, and now, for the first time, Decision Snap veers into the exclusively digital play area of video games. Specifically, we are covering MARVEL SNAP, the new digital dueling card ga...
2022-11-091h 11Decision Space
Decision SpaceDeveloping Decisions in Games, The Wolves, and a Special Announcement with Alex CutlerDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 92 - Developing Decisions in Games with Special Guest Alex Cutler We are joined by Alex Cutler, the the lead board game developer at Pandasaurus, to talk about what it is a developer does. Alex brings his wealth of experience and uses Pandasaurus' new hot game The Wolves as a case study to teach us a thing or two. The ep...
2022-11-021h 09Decision Space
Decision SpacePoint Salad - Jake Sends His Salad BACK TO THE KITCHENDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 91 - Point Salad Hope you are hungry, but not that hungry because it is salad week on Decision Space. Point Salad that is -- designed by Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, Shawn Stankewich and published by AEG. We provide our usual ratings and capsule reviews, deep dive this small game's decision space, think about the implication of "bound" and "unbound" card s...
2022-10-2658 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceBonfire - We Attempt To “Find the Path” Through this EpisodeDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 90 - Bonfire We get to talk about another Stefan Feld game, and I just have to say it feels so good. This time we talk about the 2020 hit (I'd call it a hit), Bonfire. It's a psychedelic game about gnomes, guardians, and colorful bonfires, man. Truly, that is really all I can tell you about it. Also, it's a cl...
2022-10-191h 11Decision Space
Decision SpaceTOP 15 Waning Decision Space Games with Jamey StegmaierDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 89 - Top 15 Waning Decision Space Games with Jamey Stegmaier Today special guest Jamey Stegmaier is back on the pod, and we count down the top 15 games with a waning decision space. That means you get 5 games from Brendan, Jake, and Jamey to sink your interdecisional fangs into. Also, we'll learn that it's all about the shape of the wane, ba...
2022-10-121h 00Decision Space
Decision SpaceVisual Design (What We Talk About)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 88 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Visual Design This week we are back with another in our series of what we talk about episodes focused on game design. In this episode, we touch on a topic we don't often give enough credence to in our game deep dives -- visual design. We discuss why visual design is...
2022-10-051h 05Decision Space
Decision SpaceGet on Board: New York & London - Brendan Says Mean Things About Old LadiesDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 87 - Get on Board: New York & London This week in lighter fare, the Interdecisional Spaceship veers towards London & New York in the aptly named Get on Board: London & New York, designed by Sashi and published by IELLO games. As always we explore the decision of flip and write turned flip and write and place components on a board game.  ...
2022-09-2856 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceBlood Rage - A Game That Is Bigger Than Its BoxDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 86 - Blood Rage For the first time and at long last, we steer our Interdecisional Spaceship towards the Eric Lang galaxy. Our first stop in this sector of the known decisioverse is with the 2015 smash hit Blood Rage -- currently ranked as the 40th best board game of all time according to the users at Board Game Geek. In th...
2022-09-211h 01Decision Space
Decision SpaceDecision Space Debate - Cult of the Old VS. Cult of the New (Brendan Hansen VS. Paul Salomon)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 85 - First Decision Space Debate: Cult of the New VS Cult of the Old (Brendan Hansen VS. Paul Salomon) At long last the first decisional debate night has arrived. Today features a debate between Brendan Hansen and Paul Salomon (Designer of Honey Buzz), with Brendan representing cult of the old and Paul representing cult of the new. The debate fe...
2022-09-1459 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceMechanical Artifice (What We Talk About)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 84 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Mechanical Artifice This week we get old school with a throwback What We Talk About style episode. This time our co-pilots are talking through Brendan's new concept that he's calling mechanical artifice. In this episode, we'll define it, discuss how it fits into our understanding of decision space, and provide ga...
2022-09-071h 11Decision Space
Decision SpaceDice Hospital - Our Biggest Fight YetDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 83 - Dice Hospital This week, we make significant use of the Interdecisional Spaceships infirmary. Not only is Brendan recovering from an illness and more than a little raspy on the record, but we are recording about Dice Hospital. Designed by Stan Kordonsky and Mike Nudd, Dice Hospital is a worker placement dice manipulation game about administering a hospital for di...
2022-08-311h 00Decision Space
Decision SpaceAgricola - Getting More Workers Is Bad Because They Cost FoodDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 82 - Agricola The day has finally arrived when our intrepid decisionaughts take on one of the titans of the industry, Uwe Rosenberg's Agricola! Though intimidation is a small factor, your co-pilots press forward to present the game through our decision-focused lens and even bring in a little more game background than normal. Strap in, you won't want to miss th...
2022-08-241h 13Decision Space
Decision SpacePower Grid, Playing Games in Teams, and Other Odds & EndsDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 81 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Power Grid, Playing Games in Teams, and Other Odds & Ends Not going to lie, this episode is a bit of an odd duck. Brendan and I were both out traveling this past week/weekend, so we had to record and edit this in a day to get it into your fe...
2022-08-171h 00Decision Space
Decision SpaceVacation Games - The Best Games To Play on VacationDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 80 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Vacation Games You are likely in your car, train, or plane and on your way to your long-awaited vacation right now! That's why we decided to record this episode just for you. In it, we will talk about the kinds of games we like to bring on vacation, introspect on so...
2022-08-1059 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceThe Isle of Cats - Are These Ghost Cats?!Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 79 - The Isle of Cats If you are reading this then you have been lured into our basket by the wafting smell of fresh fish. Ha! Never fear, we are transporting you to safety in our Interdecisional Spaceship. While you are here though, you might as well enjoy our deep dive discussion about the decisions in The Isle of Ca...
2022-08-041h 10Decision Space
Decision SpaceLiving Forest - WE’RE DOING THE HOTNESSDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 78 - Living Forest Interdecisional Spaceship passengers, it is the moment you have been waiting for. A moment many thought, us included, would never come. Though it may go against our morals, religion, and ethos, for one day only on Decision Space, we are doing the hotness! That's right, we are covering Living Forest hot off the presses after having ju...
2022-07-271h 10Decision Space
Decision SpaceTOP 10 - Games We Are Enjoying in 2022 (So Far)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 77 - Top 10 Games We Are Enjoying in 2022 (So Far) Interdecisional Spaceship passengers, there has been a sudden change of course. Today we are back with another discussion topic episode, rather than the aforementioned plan to cover Living Forest (next week). Instead, today we each share the top 10 games that we have been enjoying the most in 2022 so far. To be...
2022-07-201h 22Decision Space
Decision SpaceMechanics that MAKE the Game with Special Guest Gnarly CarleyDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 76 - Mechanics that Make the Game with Special Guest Gnarly Carley This week we are joined on the Interdecisional Spaceship bridge by a special guest, co-pilot Gnarly Carley. In the episode, we each highlight four games that we individually feel are examples where a single mechanic MAKES the game... whatever that means. Thanks so much to Carley for joining us...
2022-07-131h 02Decision Space
Decision SpaceSpace Base - Augmenting Randomness in SpaceDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 75 - Space Base New microphone who dis? That's right, you are hearing new crispy clean audio thanks to our crew at Patreon. Jake has finally updated from a usb microphone to a full-on podmic and audio interface (ooh shiny). We hope it makes a difference and than you sincerely for supporting our show! But that's not all, we also co...
2022-07-0659 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceDepth and Size in Board Games (What We Talk About)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 74 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Depth and Size in Board Game Decision Space This week on Decision Space we break out a fan-favorite format and go deep into the concepts of decision space size and depth in board games. We try to define these terms as well as discuss how they are useful in thinking ab...
2022-06-291h 08Decision Space
Decision SpaceLost Cities - Reiner Knizia Master of ThemeDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 73 - Lost Cities It's Reiner Knizia day on the Decision Space Podcast! This time we are deep diving and exploring the decisions in Lost Cities. Like last week's feature game, Riftforce, this is a lane-based, 2-player card game, only this one came out 22 years prior -- making it a fantastic companion to last week's episode. Join us in the In...
2022-06-231h 02Decision Space
Decision SpaceRiftforce - What’s This Lifestyle Dueling Card Game Doing In My Euro Filler?Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 72 - Riftforce Dust off your rift rocks (as they say) because today we are covering Riftforce. It isn't every day that we cover a new game on Decision Space, but Riftforce (2021), designed by Carlo Bortolini, was something of a perfect storm. First, Jake had the opportunity to play it at Geekway to the West and was blown away. Days la...
2022-06-151h 10Decision Space
Decision SpaceBoard Game Design Process (What We Talk About)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 71 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Board Game Design Process This week is a throwback "what we talk about" format, where Jake and Brendan chat about board game design process. We share our personal design histories and then talk about the game design process, including idea origination, prototyping, playtesting, publishers, a great tip for falling asleep fa...
2022-06-081h 04Decision Space
Decision SpaceBärenpark - PWH Fan Club Meeting with Special Guest Paul SalomonDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 70 - Bärenpark We welcome you to the first Phil Walker-Harding fan club meeting of 2022. Jake and Brendan are joined by PWH Fan Club president, Paul Salomon (designer of Honey Buzz), giving us a quorum. Today's agenda includes a discussion and exploration of Bärenpark, designed by Phil Walker-Harding and published by Lookout Games. This meeting has now come to or...
2022-06-011h 08Decision Space
Decision SpaceGanz Schön Clever (That’s Pretty Clever) - Wolfgang’s WorldDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 69 - Ganz Schön Clever (That's Pretty Clever) This week we deep dive Ganz Schön Clever / That's Pretty Clever / Ganz Schön Whatever by the inspirational designer Wolfgang Warsch. Say what you will about the saturation of roll and write games in the market today. Way back in 2018, this clever little game was making major waves and bringing new a...
2022-05-251h 05Decision Space
Decision SpaceReviewing FOURTEEN Games - Geekway Convention RecapDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 68 - Geekway Convention Recap Jake attended a board game convention for the first time in three years. In this episode, you'll hear Jake recount his experiences with the 14 games he played last weekend, while Brendan steers the Interdecisional Spaceship and keeps the run time to under 90 minutes.    Timestamps Riftforce - 6:24 Bonfire - 14:49 ...
2022-05-181h 26Decision Space
Decision SpaceGames Are Agency As Art - A New Way To Talk about Games With C. Thi NguyenDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 67 - Games are Agency as Art with C. Thi Nguyen We are joined by philosopher and author C. Thi Nguyen to discuss the ideas in his incredible book Games: Agency as Art. We touch on the value of games as an artistic medium, striving play vs. achievement play, flow state, and why fly fishing is the 18XX of, well, fi...
2022-05-111h 11Decision Space
Decision SpaceDownforce - We Have ConcernsDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 66 - Downforce Buckle your safety belts because this one gets a little bit bumpy. This week we cover Downforce, a Restoration Games remake of Wolfgang Kramer's original design with design work by Kramer, Rob Daviau, and Justin D. Jacobsen.   Timestamps Intro - 0:00 Rules Overview - 7:36 Feature Discussion - 9:26   Mu...
2022-05-041h 01Decision Space
Decision SpaceSushi Go! with Azul Queen’s Garden on My MindDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 65 - Sushi Go! Sushi Go! by Phil Walker-Harding is our feature game in this week's episode. As card-carrying members of the PWH fan club, we're excited to sink our teeth into this super-light game. We'll explore the decisions in the game and offer card-by-card analysis. If that wasn't enough, it is also the return of the "What's on My Mi...
2022-04-271h 06Decision Space
Decision SpaceAudience Q&A - What Is the Best Board Game To Eat?Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games!   Call to Action Please nominate Decision Space for a Golden Geek award!   Episode 64 - Audience Q&A You asked, and in this episode, we answer. We take on tons of great questions submitted by our audience (thank you so much to everyone who submitted a question) that range from seriously thought-provoking to seriously silly. More than ever before, join us in the Interdecisional Spaceship as we take off!   Games Discussed Tigris and...
2022-04-201h 05Decision Space
Decision SpaceTigris and Euphrates, Pt.2Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 63 - Tigris and Euphrates Part Two Interdecisional Spaceship recalibrating. Charting return course to Tigris and Euphrates. Read Message: "Please join us for the exciting conclusion of our two-part series on the modern board game classic Tigris and Euphrates, the one where we actually Decision Space!"  Now commencing exploration.   Ga...
2022-04-131h 07Decision Space
Decision SpaceTigris and Euphrates, Pt. 1Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 62 - Tigris and Euphrates Part One This is a bit of a doozy. In the first part of the first two-part episode ever, Brendan and Jake spar about the merits of Tigris and Euphrates. Is this a great game? Would you recommend it to new gamers in the year 2022? And of course we talk about whether or not this ga...
2022-04-071h 15Decision Space
Decision SpaceGreat Western Trail - A Straight Shootin’ Strategy GameDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 61 - Great Western Trail Howdy! Today, we cover a game that, fittingly, Brendan and I have both had our own long and winding journeys with. And wouldn't you know it, it appears we hit a fork in the road and ended up in very different places. Great Western Trail is designer Alexander Pfister's biggest hit. It's a rondel building an...
2022-03-301h 07Decision Space
Decision SpacePlaying 30 Games at Once! What We’ve Learned from Digital Play (What We Talk About)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 60 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Digital Play This episode is all about the way we play board games digitally and what we've learned from the experience. Our show would not be what is without the learnings that digital play affords. Jake also reveals just how many games he is playing simultaneously at any given time......
2022-03-231h 00Decision Space
Decision SpaceA Feast for Odin - The Feast Is a LIEDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 59 - A Feast for Odin An extravagant menu, satisfying options, and playing out over 7 courses, A Feast for Odin by Uwe Rosenberg delivers on the promise of a decadent gaming experience and then some. In this week's episode of Decision Space, we take a bite out of this sprawling decision space and give you, as always, our honest opinions ab...
2022-03-161h 06Decision Space
Decision SpaceA New Way To Talk About Objectives in Games (What We Talk About)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 58 - What We Talk About When We Talk About A New Way To Talk About Objectives In Games Holy S***! It's a new way to talk about type episode after long last. In this one, Brendan presents his new framework for describing scoring/objective systems in games. These come in three types, solitary, juxtaposed, and overlaid. We quickly go th...
2022-03-091h 09Decision Space
Decision SpaceBroom Service - Knowing the COWARDLY Mind of the OpponentDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 57 - Broom Service Imagine if to fold in poker you had to say, "I'm a cowardly hill witch." Well, that is basically Broom Service in a nutshell, and I don't need to say more than that to tell you that Broom Service is an incredible game. We won't bury the lead this week. In today's episode, we hop into th...
2022-03-021h 13Decision Space
Decision SpaceOur Board Game Biases (What We Talk About)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 56 - Our Board Game Biases and Affinities Today's show topic is arguably the first one we should have ever done. In this What We Talk About episode, we dive into our board gaming biases and affinities. It is our hope that this episode helps you get to know your interdecisional spaceship co-pilots just a bit better, and in turn ma...
2022-02-231h 05Decision Space
Decision SpaceCartographers - You Draw a Map!Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 55 - Cartographers In this week's episode of Decision Space, we chart a course (heh) for the flip-n-write game Cartographers, designed by Jordy Aidan and published by Thunderworks Games, where players get to, get this, draw a map on their sheet of paper! If that sounds like fun, it is. But what does the game have to offer beyond its ap...
2022-02-161h 05Decision Space
Decision SpaceCascadia - The Cascadia Kid with Special Guest Maya PolanDecision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 54 - Cascadia Sorry to all previous guests on Decision Space, but it must be said that on today's episode of Decision Space we welcome our most special guest to date. For our deep-dive discussion of the decisions in Cascadia, we are joined by none other than Brendan's wife Maya Polan. Brendan and Maya have cranked out 65 plays of Cascadia so...
2022-02-091h 09Decision Space
Decision SpaceTempo in Board Games and What It Isn’t (What We Talk About)Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 53 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Tempo in Board Games and What It Isn't This game has a great tempo! That move just gained you so much tempo! I have tempo in this situation! All of these phrases can say a lot about a game, a game state, and a game's decision space. The challenge is th...
2022-02-011h 00Decision Space
Decision SpaceEvolution: Climate - Keep Your Politics in My Evolution Board Game?!Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games! Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 52 - Evolution: Climate This week we begin with a brief "What's on Your Mind" discussion. Brendan has been playing Calico, and Jake recaps an epic birthday game day. After that, we hop right into our signature deep dive discussion of the Evolution system with a focus on Evolution: Climate, designed by Dominic Crapuchettes, Dmitry Knorre, and Sergey Machin with art...
2022-01-261h 10Decision Space
Decision SpacePalaces of Carrara - Can You Grok the Block?Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon)   Episode 51 - Palaces of Carrara Jake and Brendan are back in the interdecisional spaceship and - look out! - we're heading straight for Kramer and Kiesling's 2012 game Palaces of Carrara -- a decision space some call ungrokable. Find out what we say as wee discuss this sleek design that's oddly hard to talk about in this week;s episode of Decision Space, the podcast about decisions in games. Stick around for the en...
2022-01-191h 08Decision Space
Decision SpaceEpisode 50! (Mission Planning 10 Games We Want to Explore in 2022 and Aspirations)Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 50 - Mission Planning 10 Games We Want to Explore in 2022, Podcast Aspiration, Book Club, and a Big Announcement Our biggest milestone yet -- episode 50! In this episode, we do a little pre-planning of our own and discuss 10 we want to cover imminently in 2022. We also share our podcast aspirations for 2022. If that wasn't enough, we have two announcements. For one, we will be starting the first ever Decision Space book club and reading Games: Agency as Art by C. Thi Nguyen. (Mo...
2022-01-1259 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceSplendor - The Little Engine That Could (Not Be Killed?)Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 49 - Splendor The week we change things up. No, really! It's the return of the "What's on Your Mind" segment where Jake and Brendan each share one game that we've been playing lately. Then we take off for Splendor's decision space in our interdecisional spaceship. We ask if this mega-hit is truly an engine building game, and, returning to Splendor after some time away, we ask if these gems still shine as brightly as they once did. You'll have to li...
2022-01-051h 12Decision Space
Decision SpaceWe Rank EVERY Game - 2021 End of Year SpecialClick on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 48 - End of Year Special where We Rank Every Game Featured on Decision Space in 2021 In the end of year special edition of Decision Space, we rank every game featured on the show this year from 30 to 1. Thank you for making this first year of Decision Space such a wonderful experience. Here's to even bigger things in 2022. Games Featured in this Episode Kanagawa, Carpe Diem, Res Arcana, Underwater Cities, The Fox in the Forest, Terraforming Mars, Ma...
2021-12-291h 24Decision Space
Decision SpaceAzul - Clones The Castles of Burgundy‘s Decision Space?!Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!  Click on this link to participate in our end of the year community top 10 poll.    Episode 47 - Azul 2018 Spiel Des Jahres winner, the 58th best game of all time on Board Game Geek, and designed by the esteemed Michael Kiesling, you don't need our podcast to tell you that Azul is a good game. So today on Decision Space, we dive deep into the decision space that emerges from Azul's simple set of mechanisms as players tussle over tile sup...
2021-12-221h 06Decision Space
Decision SpaceRaiders of the North Sea - A Raid to RememberClick on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 46 - Raiders of the North Sea If you've been playing hobby board games over the past six years, then you likely have at least a passing awareness of the output of Garphill games and designer Shem Phillips. (If you are new to hobby board games, then welcome!) In today's episode we cover the Garphill Game that first put Shem on ther radar for many of us, Raiders of the North Sea. Raiders is a worker placement game, with an efficiently br...
2021-12-151h 05Decision Space
Decision SpaceIrrational Actors (What We Talk About with Tony Faber)Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 45 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Irrational Actors with Special Guest Tony Faber Is a new player pretty much the same thing as a drunk player? This is just one of the many hard-hitting questions we'll dig into (seriously) on this week's episode of Decision Space. The topic of irrational actors at the board game table, an unwieldy topic that spans social contracts, sobriety, siding with spies, and so much more. There's no way we could tackle th...
2021-12-081h 01Decision Space
Decision SpaceKingdom Builder - We‘re Gonna Need A Bigger Decision SpaceClick on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 44 - Kingdom Builder Back with yet another classic game and yet another Spiel De Jahres winner, this week on Decision Space it is Kingdom Builder. We bring out our magnifying glasses to explore the decisions in this game, and it is a good thing we did because is the smallest decision space we've come across yet. But perhaps a small decision space is all you need to have a great time and, after all, this game did win the most pr...
2021-12-011h 03Decision Space
Decision SpacePatchwork - Buttons Rule Everything Around MeClick on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 43 - Patchwork We may have topped ourselves and put out our giggliest episode ever! It's true, we laughed a lot and had a great time exploring the decisions in Uwe Rosenberg's classic Patchwork. This is a game that hides a lot (of negative points) under its adorable (or gruesome - hello Halloween edition) exterior. Don't get it twisted. The game's cute, but to become the Button Master, you'll hash it out in a strategic, no-luck affair. So are these decisions fo...
2021-11-241h 01Decision Space
Decision SpaceObjective Vs. Subjective Decision Space (What We Talk About)Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 42 - Objective Versus Subjective Decision Space (WWTA) For the first time, we revisit a topic discussed on our 3rd ever episode, decision space. (Yeah, like the name of the show.) Specifically, we try to add nuance to the original discussion with something that has been coming up a lot in our game discussions, the subjective nature of decision space. We look at what parts of a decision space are objective, what parts are subjective (most of it), and whatever the he...
2021-11-1758 minDecision Space
Decision Space7 Wonders Duel with Special Guest Jamey StegmaierClick on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 41 - 7 Wonders Duel Jake, Brendan, and Jamey Stegmaier hop in the Interdecisional Spaceship to talk 7 Wonders Duel on this week's episode. We talk about the way that three truly viable win conditions and the many simultaneous games of tug-of-war shape the decision space in this powerhouse Bauza and Cathala team-up design. You won't want to miss it. And if you can spare a moment to like and review this podcast, then that would mean the world to us! ...
2021-11-101h 01Decision Space
Decision SpaceRace for the Galaxy - Phases Set To FunClick on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 40 - Race for the Galaxy Race for the Galaxy, designed by Tom Lehman. Enough said. Get in here!   Preplan Your Next Turn Next time on Decision Space we explore the decisions in Seven Wonders: Duel!   Music 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/watc...
2021-11-031h 05Decision Space
Decision Space10 Decision Spaces We Want To Explore ASAP - Mission Planning (New type of episode?!)Click on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 39 - 10 Decision Spaces We Want To Explore ASAP (Mission Planning #1) For the first time, we discuss games we haven't played. That's right. We are trying out a brand new type of episode that we are tentatively titling Mission Planning. In this episode, we discuss 10 games (5 each) that we can't wait to get to play. This includes new games, hotness, and it wouldn't be Decision Space if it didn't include some old games too. We had a giggly, good time chatting, but...
2021-10-271h 00Decision Space
Decision SpaceSpirit Island - Imposing Depths of Indomitable Board GameClick on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 38 - Spirit Island This week is Spirit Island by designer R. Eric Reuss. A serious game for serious gamers that defies expectations in the best possible way. Here's an admission, we were a bit nervous to cover this game and its mammoth decision space. As we explored the game in preparation for this episode, t felt as if no amount of plays would be enough, but perhaps more than anything else that is a testament to the game and engine at...
2021-10-201h 13Decision Space
Decision SpacePraga Caput Regni - The Actions on the Wheel Go Round and RoundClick on the link to join our active and welcoming Discord community!    Episode 37 - Praga Caput Regni We discuss designer Vladimir Suchý's follow-up to Underwater Cities, Praga Caput Regni, where instead of building underwater cities, players will build one on land city! This is a heavy euro game with tons of decisions centered around an innovative action selection mechanic that encourages players not to put all of their eggs in one basket. In our discussion, we won't walk on eggshells as we the decisions in the game and ask the question all of...
2021-10-131h 04Decision Space
Decision SpaceA New Way To Talk About Theme (What We Talk About)Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode 36 - What We Talk About When We Talk About A New Way To Talk About Theme In this week's episode, we go old-school Decision Space and hit you with a new framework for discussing themes in board games. There is an environmental theme, a mechanical theme, and, of course, a decision space theme! We explain the framework and then put it through its paces trying to fill out the entire gaming theme matrix from high, high, high (high levels of theme in...
2021-10-061h 16Decision Space
Decision SpaceKingdomino - What‘s Hiding Beneath This Quirky Art?Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode 35 - Kingdomino Zany kingdoms, quirky art, and dominos make Kingdomino one of the warmest welcomes to the board game hobby we've ever come across, but could there be a demanding competitive experience hidden beneath this apparently simple game? You'll have to hop in to find out, the Interdecisional Space ship takes off in 3... 2... 1! Music Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on...
2021-09-291h 03Decision Space
Decision SpaceImhotep - The Perfect Poached Egg?Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode 34 - Imhotep This week on Decision Space, Imhotep! Designed by Phil Walker-Harding and a 2016 Spiel Des Jahres Nominee is a game about placing rocks, sailing boats, and getting in each other's way all the while. There isn't much more to it than that in this incredibly simple poached egg. I mean game. Will Jake and Brendan find this poached egg of a game to be bland, or will a perfectly runny yolk, fluffy texture, and pinch of salt prove that a po...
2021-09-221h 04Decision Space
Decision SpaceOur Personal Top 10 Games (What We Talk About)Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode 33 - What We Talk When We Talk About Our Top 10 Games After 32 episodes Jake and Brendan break down and give you the board game content that you want and deserve. In this very special episode, we each share our personal top 10 games as well as a few honorable mentions. What are your top 10 games? Who's list is better? Jump into the conversation in our Discord channel to let us know what you think! Music Credits Thank you to...
2021-09-151h 08Decision Space
Decision SpaceJaipur - Jake EVISCERATES ItClick on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode 32 - Jaipur Jaipur is a widely revered, frequently recommended two-player set collectin' card game designed by Sebastian Pauchon and published in 2009. We give Jaipur a bath in the Decision Spa and then take it out back and give it what for as we discuss its decision space and some of the design choices that we don't agree with! Join us in the Interdecisional Spaceship as we set course for a brutal new episode of Decision Space. Music Credits ...
2021-09-0846 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceVillagers - Are These Combos?Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode 31 - Villagers Villagers is a 2019 game with art and design by Haakon Gaarder and published by Sinister Fish. To be frank, we go all over the place as we discuss this lightweight tableau-building card-drafting game. The free-flowing conversation takes us through rigidity in combos, satisfaction in decisions, frustration in limitations and much more. Whether you like Villagers, don't like Villagers, or have never even heard of the game, I think there will be something of interest for you in this episode of...
2021-09-011h 10Decision Space
Decision SpaceFeedback In Games (What We Talk About)Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode Thirty - Positive and Negative Feedback Types In this "What We Talk About Episode" Jake and Brendan reveal our new intro and outro music courtesy of Hembree. After that we discuss the various types of feedback in board games. This includes positive feedback, negative feedback, positive agency loops, incremental victory conditions, achievements, jackpots, losspots, and more. As always, it is our sincere hope that our discussion starts a conversation that will continue in our discord on Board Game Geek, or wherever el...
2021-08-2559 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceThe Sport of Kickball - Highest Rated Game Ever?!Click on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 29 - The Sport of Kickball In this week's episode, Jake sits down with two friends in Lawrence, Kansas to talk about the sport of kickball. Special guest hosts Angela Finch and Simon Skinner share their passion for the game and knowledge about the decisions you'll make in kickball on and off the field. Just because it isn't a board game, doesn't mean there are a ton of great decisions to be found. Join us in our interdecisional spaceship and let's explore this gateway s...
2021-08-181h 04Decision Space
Decision SpaceBruges - You've Got GrailClick on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 28 - Bruges In this week's episode, Brendan is back! If that wasn't good enough news, we are also covering Bruges by Stefan Feld, the point salad game where you pay people to live in your houses. Never mind the thematic disconnect because these mechanisms are just, chefs kiss, amazing. We have a great discussion and we hope you will join us in the interdecisional spaceship as we set off for 15th century Belgium!   Preplan Your Next Turn Ne...
2021-08-111h 13Decision Space
Decision SpaceAnkh, Snakesss, and Sagrada - Paul and Jake Volume 2Click on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 27 - Jake and Paul Volume 2 Congratulations to Brendan on the birth of his child! We are so happy for him and his family. In his stead, friend of the show Paul Salomon (Honey Buzz designer) is here again to talk with Jake about a few recent plays including new hotness, Ankh! Interdecisional spaceship, set a course for fun!   Preplan Your Next Turn Next week we discuss the decisions in Bruges by Stefan Feld!   Cal...
2021-08-0458 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceKeyflower - Keylove It or Keyhate ItClick on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 26 - Keyflower Today on Keycision Space, Keyflower! Keyflower is design by Sebastian Bleasdale and Richard Breese and published by R&D games in 2012. This game is a tangled web of auctions and logistics. Fun! Fun? It depends who you ask, but one thing is for sure, this is the 78th best board game of all time at the time of recording on BGG. Hop into our interdecisional keyship and we'll get into it PLUS we'll- explore a village while we do. See you t...
2021-07-281h 14Decision Space
Decision SpaceThe Art of Being Good (What We Talk About)Click on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 25 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Being Good Jake and Brendan are back together on the microphones doing what we do best, talking about games and game peripheral things. Today's episode is a "what we talk about episode" where we talk about being good at games. This episode is a companion to a prior discussion on getting good. Once you have reached the mountain top, we ask the question, what next? Preplan Your Next Turn Next w...
2021-07-211h 02Decision Space
Decision SpaceAres Expedition, Summer Camp, Juicy Fruits, and Fireball Island - Paul and Jake Talk GamesClick on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 24 - Paul and Jake Talk Games When Brendan is away, Paul comes in to save the day. On this episode, I'm joined in studio (my house) by Paul Salomon (Honey Buzz and Genotype) to talk unscripted about our recent plays. We talk about Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition, Summer Camp, Juicy Fruits, Fireball Island, and more. Hop in the Interdecisional Spaceship and enjoy the episode, then join us to continue the conversation on discord!   Preplan Your Next Turn Ne...
2021-07-1448 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceHey, That's My Fish! - Decisions Have Never Waned HarderClick on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 23 - Hey, That's My Fish Hey, That's My Fish! takes one minute to learn. In today's episode, we dive deep into that simple ruleset and emerge into a decision space larger, richer, and more interesting than we could have possibly imagined! There's nothing left to do now but to fire up the Interdecisional Spaceship and set a course for fish. Hey! those are my fish! Hey, That's My Fish! is designed by  Games Discussed Chess, Kickball, Checkers, Chicken, Disc Gol...
2021-06-3059 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceCastles of Burgundy - Crème de la CrèmeClick on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 22 - The Castles of Burgundy Today, friends, feast your ears on one of tastiest point-salad morsels ever served up by the master chef himself, Mr. Stefan Feld. The Castles of Burgundy is a great, great game. Quite possibly the best board game ever made by the tastes of one of our hosts. But why is it so good? What is it about the decision space that makes it an experience so many people want to return to time and time again. We'll try t...
2021-06-231h 10Decision Space
Decision SpaceMistakes are GOOD but sometimes they HURT (What We Talk About)Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode 21 - Mistakes in Board Games Why did I do that? I'm such an idiot. Can I take that back?! Mistakes are all around us in the world of board games, or are they the game itself? In this episode we talk about the act, experience, and impact of mistakes in board games. This episode also features a mini-review of Dune Imperium in comparison to Ruins of Arnak! Hop into the Interdecisional Space ship and set your audio device to play! Not li...
2021-06-161h 04Decision Space
Decision SpaceCarcassonne - A Funny Thing Keeps HappeningClick on the link to join our Discord community!   Episode 20 - Carcassonne The big episode 20 is here and with it a game that is 20 years old. Wow! That works so well that you'd think we planned it, but as you are likely well aware, this isn't really that kind of show. Hop into the interdecisional spaceship and travel with us to a time long ago, the year 2000. Specifically, we'll travel to a time and place where a cutting-edge board game with a strange name has just been released. The game? Carcassonne. I...
2021-06-091h 04Decision Space
Decision SpaceGrand Austria Hotel - Jake Gives Strategy Tips But Doesn't Know The RulesClick on the link to join our brand new Discord community!  Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Nineteen - Grand Austria Hotel Welcome distinguished guests to this week's episode of Decision -Space. Our Interdecisional Spaceship has taken us straight into the service industry of the Viennese modern age in Grand Austria Hotel, a board game designed by Virginio Gigli, Simone Luciani with iconic illustrations by Klemens Franz. As always, we provide our traditional ratings and slogans, explore the game's decision spa...
2021-06-021h 16Decision Space
Decision SpaceBOARD GAME SIGNPOSTS! (What We Talk About)Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!    Episode Eighteen - What the HECK are Signposts in Board Games In this "What We Talk About Episode" Jake and Brendan discuss signposts in board games. We ask important questions like what are they even? And further, what do they do? To this end, Jake becomes increasingly more confused. Fortunately, we eventually come to some steady footing and draw conclusions about this board game terminology that we believe will lead to even more productive board game discussions moving forward. If that sounds li...
2021-05-261h 08Decision Space
Decision SpaceKeyForge - The MOST Skill Intensive Dueling Card Game?!Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!  Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode 17 - KeyForge   At long last, our interdecisional spaceship has successfully navigated to the Crucible, the land of KeyForge. This is old stomping grounds for Jake and Brendan who have long -- like kind of absurdly -- histories with the game. KeyForge is designed by Richard Garfield and published by Fantasy Flight Games. In today's episode, we explore the decision space in KeyForge and whet...
2021-05-191h 21Decision Space
Decision SpaceLost Ruins of Arnak - This Game Won Us OverClick on the link to join our brand new Discord community!  Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Sixteen - Lost Ruins of Arnak  UH OH! The Interdecisional Spaceship has crash-landed into some kind of overrun forest. Is that some generic ruins of nonspecific civilization over there?! That's right, it's another deckbuilding game, but is it just another deckbuilding game? Today on Decision Space, we explore Lost Ruins of Arnak, designed by Elwen and Mín and published by Czech Games Editi...
2021-05-121h 22Decision Space
Decision SpaceReturn of the Game Night (What We Talk About)Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!  Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Fifteen - Return of the Game Night (What We Talk About) Jake and Brendan have a nice chat about returning to in-person play after so much time away. It's a conversation, as Brendan eloquently points out, that is like the scene in Star Wars where everyone takes a break to play chess, except with no mad Wookies. We also congratulate Brendan on his ne...
2021-05-0555 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceStar Realms with Paul Salomon - But Why Four Factions?!Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!  Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Fourteen - Star Realms with Paul Salomon  We are honored to be joined by board game designer Paul Salomon, perhaps best known for his recent hit game Honey Buzz, to talk about Star Realms. Star Realms, designed by Robert Dougherty and Darwin Kastle, is a game Paul is very familiar with, and he came prepared to school us on the inner workings of this...
2021-04-281h 18Decision Space
Decision SpaceEl Grande - Is this "Classic" Game Actually GOOD?Click on the link to join our brand new Discord community!  Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Thirteen - Does El Grande Hold Up to 25 Years of Innovation?   The year was 1996, one year after the release of a little game we like to call Settlers of Catan (or just Catan now, I guess). The German board game circuit is absolutely buzzing about the exciting future for board games hobby and designers are poised to risk it all with the...
2021-04-211h 15Decision Space
Decision SpaceA New Way To Talk About Games (What We Talk About)Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Twelve - We Invented a New Way To Talk About Games There's Waxing and Waning and Dynamic and Static, but do you recall, the most famous decision framework of all?  Well, Brendan has really went and done it this time. That's right, he invented a whole new way to talk about games. On this episode, we'll talk about this new paradigm and way to frame future discussions of decision space on Decision Space. Woof. We...
2021-04-141h 08Decision Space
Decision SpaceWelcome To... - Little BoxesClick on the link to join our brand new Discord community!  Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Eleven Little boxes on the worksheet Little boxes filled with tricky tracks Little boxes on the worksheet Little boxes all the same There's a pool one and a park one And a fence one and a double one And they all cross off scoring tracks And they all work just the same   W...
2021-04-071h 11Decision Space
Decision SpaceMagic: The Gathering - A Battle of Wits?Join our brand new Discord community!  Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Ten It's our the big one-zero, and we make it a doozy by covering the legendary Magic: The Gathering. Was it perhaps too bold to attempt to cover the decisions in Magic: The Gathering in a single podcast episode? Yes. Definitely yes. But hey, you have to give us some points for trying. Magic is a game that needs no introduction. It's a game that has stood the te...
2021-03-311h 21Decision Space
Decision SpaceCompetitive Play (What We Talk About)Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Nine - What We Talk About When We Talk About Competitive Play It turns out we talk about a whole lot when we talk about competitive play.* We ask what is competitive play and try to define it. We share our own histories in competitive gaming. We also think of the benefits and not-so-benefits of engaging in competitive play, including the potential pitfall of the "Levine Ravine." We conclude the episode with Brendan and Jake both s...
2021-03-241h 21Decision Space
Decision SpaceTerraforming Mars - Brendan Pans ItDecision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Eight We discuss the super, mega-hit Terraforming Mars designed by Jacob Fryxelius and published by FryxGames. It's the 4th best game of all time according to the consensus of users on Boardgamegeek.com, and yet Brendan totally pans it. Come on Brendan, get with the program! (If it wasn't apparent already, Jake writes these episode blurbs... and episode titles. Sorry, Brendan).   0:00 - Intro, Ratings, and Synopses 4:11 - Rules Ove...
2021-03-1759 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceThe Fox in the Forest - It's Like Chess and BasketballDecision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Seven We discuss the two-player trick-taking game The Fox in the Forest, designed by Joshua Buergel and published by Foxtrot Games. For the first time, Jake and Brendan significantly disagree on their rating for this game, but both agree that the game is a lot like basketball. No really.   Preplan Your Next Turn On Next week's episode, we will discuss the terraforming mars game, Terraforming Mars!   Cal...
2021-03-101h 06Decision Space
Decision SpaceThe Value of Games with Jamey Stegmaier (What We Talk About)Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Six In our second "What We Talk About" episode, we had the pleasure to speak with Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games about the "Value" of games. While we talk a lot on Decision Space about the decisions in games, this conversation focuses instead on the decision to games... and why you should games too. Games Mentioned in this episode: Red Rising The Fox in the Forest Sagrada Magic: the Gathering Hallertau Sleeping Gods Terra...
2021-03-0337 minDecision Space
Decision SpaceUnderwater Cities - Let Them Eat KelpDecision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games and now on YouTube.   Episode Five Today we discuss a game that is definitively not about terraforming Mars. This game could literally not be any less about terraforming Mars if tried! That's right. We are talking, of course, about the wonderful Underwater Cities. After all, as a wise lobster once said, life under the sea is better than anything they got up there. On this episode, we consider the lobster, and it may be on to something...   Lo...
2021-02-2456 min