Vox Republica 143: Dominant Strategies
Vox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Release Date: 05/25/2017
Vox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 164: The End Length: 39:28 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: All good things must come to an end. And that happens to include the Vox itself. This week, Erin and Ryan explain the decision to bring this project to a close and then share some of their favorite episodes of its nearly five year run. We’d love to hear from you! You can send...
info_outline Vox Republica 163: Reskins - The Good, The Bad, And The Formerly UglyVox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 163: Reskins - The Good, The Bad, And The Formerly Ugly Length: 56:28 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: There are themes and then there are themes. And then there are themes. But...what if those are all the same game? This week, Erin and Ryan talk about reskinning games. When is it worth it and when is it a money grab? Can it be both? GUESTS: None RECENTLY...
info_outline Vox Republica 162: Without a Fight: Aggressive GamesVox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 162: Without a Fight: Aggressive Games Length: 57:49 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: In gaming, there's conflict and then there's conflict. This week, Erin and Ryan talk about why some competitive games are more aggressive than others, and what to do when a game demands a level of intensity that you don’t want to give to it. GUESTS: None RECENTLY PLAYED...
info_outline Vox Republica 161: The Asmo-dazeVox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 161: The Asmo-daze Length: 1:05:01 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: Well, we didn't even get six weeks in before Asmodee announced its first major company purchase of 2018. Just like previous purchases, the reaction from the community is varied and wide-ranging. This week, Erin and Ryan take a deep look into some of those various areas of discussion. ...
info_outline Vox Republica 160: Escape the PodcastVox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 160: Escape the Podcast Length: 1:25:52 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: 2018 may only be a month old, but that doesn't mean the hobby hasn't found itself stumbling over a couple notable mistakes by the publisher CMON. This week, Erin and Ryan dive into those issues, and gush about Charterstone, before diving into a lengthy discussion about what makes an...
info_outline Vox Republica 159: Gaming Predictions (And Omens) for 2018Vox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 159: Gaming Predictions (And Omens) for 2018 Length: 1:10:27 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: A new year means different things to different people. For us, aside from running screaming from 2017, it means it's time for Erin and Ryan to sit down and make some predictions for what lies in store in 2018 regarding games and the games industry! GUESTS: None...
info_outline Vox Republica 158: What Even Is A Game?Vox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 158: What Even Is A Game? Length: 58:09 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: They say time flies when you're having fun, right? Well we must've been having a ton of fun, because 5 years have passed in a flash. That's right - The Cardboard Republic is now 5 years old! And this week, Erin and Ryan reflect on that fact, sharing some thoughts about the era when...
info_outline Vox Republica 157: Five Years Of CardboardVox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 157: Five Years Of Cardboard Length: 1:15:13 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: They say time flies when you're having fun, right? Well we must've been having a ton of fun, because 5 years have passed in a flash. That's right - The Cardboard Republic is now 5 years old! And this week, Erin and Ryan reflect on that fact, sharing some thoughts about the era when...
info_outline Vox Republica 156: BGG Recap & Game Gifts For Non-GamersVox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 156: BGG Recap & Game Gifts For Non-Gamers Length: 1:05:40 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: Game nights may have been lacking lately, but Ryan returns from BGGCon to make up for that with plenty to spare! In this episode Erin and Ryan recap some of the highlights of this years's BGGCon and then pivot into the holidays by suggesting some games...
info_outline Vox Republica 155: Charitable GamingVox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic
Episode 155: Charitable Gaming Length: 46:47 Show Links: | | | Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast! We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long. Vox Republica is proudly supported by . Consider contributing today! DESCRIPTION: Gaming can sometimes be seen from the outside as a childish or selfish pastime. Contrary to that thought, however, the hobby is actually known for charitable acts both large and small. On the heels of one such event, this week Erin and Ryan discuss Extra Life and a few other board game...
info_outlineEpisode 143: Dominant Strategies
Length: 1:04:35
Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode
Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!
We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long.
Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!
DESCRIPTION: Big money, big money, big money - stop! Nearly every game invokes some kind of strategy, and, generally, the more complicated the game, the deeper and more varied those strategies may be. Most of the time, this is all part of the game's appeal. But...what happens when not every strategy is created equal? What do you do when one particular path is so much better than the rest that it warps the entire experience. This week, Erin and Ryan discuss dominant (aka broken) gaming strategies, and what you can do about them.
GUESTS: None
RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (01:28):
- Yokohama by Tasty Minstrel Games (BGG Link)
- Zephyr: Winds of Change by Portal Dragon (BGG Link)
QUICK TOPICS – (19:30):
- Erin reflects on why it is she finds it so hard to play new games of late, and how that can be compounded by things such as the pressure of content creation, the added mental energy of learning new systems constantly, and even the paradox of having too many options to choose from.
FEATURED TOPIC - (33:08):
- Some games, try as they might to offer a wide variety of strategies, run into a problem of having one path to victory that wins a disproportionate amount of the time. We deconstruct what this may mean for that game, and for games overall. Areas of discussion include:
- Is it still a dominant strategy if you can beat it?
- Are they a flaw or a feature of a game?
- How does this differ from, you know, a normal strategy?
- Are there any upsides to their existence in a game?
- What can a designer do to correct these imbalances? What about a publisher? Or a player for that matter?
PLUGS - (1:58:37):
- We previewed Path of Light and Shadow, as well as Ursa Miner!
- We’re raffling off a copy of ZooScape to a lucky Patreon backer. Consider donating today!
- As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos, Instagram pictures, and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to one or two - or all of them if you really love us. You do really love us, right?
We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and BoardGameGeek.
Audio Credits: Intro music track is "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.