Ludology

Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the how’s and why’s of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, as well as discuss game history, game design and game players. Ludology is made possible by the support and donations of listeners like you. We encourage you to visit us at our guild on Boardgamegeek to get involved in a continuing discussion of our topics. Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 18 04/20/2025

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 18 Erica and Sen welcome Sarah Shipp, guest host of the Thinking Beyond Mechanisms segment, to talk about events in game design. Sarah talks about how to use well-designed events to provide variety, increase challenge, change up the narrative, and more when it comes to design a tabletop game. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/36237425

Ludology 339 History of the Game - Pandemic 04/14/2025

Ludology 339 History of the Game - Pandemic Erica and Sen welcome Matt Leacock to talk about one of the hobby's staples - Pandemic. First published in 2008, the Pandemic system has been expanded and used to fight viruses, rising tides, Elder Gods, and now - the forces of evil that seek the One Ring. They talk all things Pandemic, from it's ideation to its many iterations, from fighting back chain reaction of diseases on Earth to fighting back hordes of orcs and other minions of Sauron in Middle Earth. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/36124195

TTRPGKids Ep 22 04/06/2025

TTRPGKids Ep 22 This week, special guest host Steph Campbell discusses the importance of why learning should be fun and how TTRPGs can bring fun to what can be a very complex situation. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/36025740

Ludology 338 America's Top Model(er) 03/29/2025

Ludology 338 America's Top Model(er) Erica and Sen talk to Matt Gubser, modeler and comedian, about his work in the tabletop industry and the shift from traditional to digital modeling techniques. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/35919235

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 17 03/18/2025

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 17 In this special guest episode, Sen and Erica welcome Sarah Shipp to talk about how designers can raise the stakes to strengthen a game's hook, taking it from bland to bold! /episode/index/show/ludology/id/35747370

Ludology 337 How To Be A Final Girl 03/11/2025

Ludology 337 How To Be A Final Girl Sen and Erica welcome Evan Derrick from Van Ryder Games to discuss the past, present, and future of Final Girl - a highly expandable, solo, horror boardgame co-designed by Evan and AJ Porfirio. Evan talks about the game from inception to evolution and gives us some insight into what makes it tick. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/35645220

TTRPGKids Ep 21 03/02/2025

TTRPGKids Ep 21 Steph Campbell brings their segment, TTRPGKids, to Ludology. This week, they breakdown their TTRPG "Photosynthians" that they made as a resource to demonstrate how to teach science with TTRPGs and how to integrate lesson plans and other classroom basics into the game itself for designers. The game is free and part of the classroom-ready toolkit that Steph made and is available here: (name your price) /episode/index/show/ludology/id/35501000

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 16 02/17/2025

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 16 Sen and Erica welcome guest host Sarah Shipp to her segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms. In this installment, Sarah looks at designing games that ask players to be creative. Sarah examines some of the common pitfalls you can encounter when you ask players create content for the game and discusses how to avoid them. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/35307490

Ludology 336 Roll For Learning 02/09/2025

Ludology 336 Roll For Learning Sen and Erica welcome Professor Camilla Zamboni to discuss "Roll for Learning", a book she co-edited that contains 51 microRPGs that are intended for use in K-12+ classrooms in fields as diverse as STEM, SEL, and the Humanities. You can download the pdf of the book for free here: /episode/index/show/ludology/id/35214060

TTRPGKids Ep 20 02/03/2025

TTRPGKids Ep 20 In this episode of TTRPGKids, Steph Campbell provides excellent ideas on how to use TTRPGs to teach STEM subjects in the classroom and at home. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/35120880

Ludology 335 Who's This For? 01/26/2025

Ludology 335 Who's This For? In this Host Roundtable, Erica and Sen talk about the importance of understanding who the audience for a specific game is during the design, development, and publication process. They discuss some of the ways in which they determine who the audience is and how knowing the key characteristics and desires of the demographic can help them make a game that satisfies the core consumer by design. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/35009795

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 15 01/21/2025

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 15 On this month's installment of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, special guest host, Sarah Shipp, dives into the mechanism of bluffing and gives her thoughts on why it's more that merely mechanical. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/34941490

Pros and Cons Ep 11 01/12/2025

Pros and Cons Ep 11 Sen speaks with Nick Yu while their families are on vacation together in the Berkshires - so a very smol con, indeed. They discuss an IP they are working on with the creator called Tankhead by Emerson Tung ( The two discuss their journey in designing a series of games for potential self-publication along with a plan to document their progress in a short form monthly podcast series. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/34574065

TTRPGKids Ep 19 12/22/2024

TTRPGKids Ep 19 In this episode of TTRPGKids, Steph Campbell differentiates between an RPG that could be used in an educational setting and an one that is classroom-ready! Steph provides a list of all the things you need to move from A to B in about an hour! /episode/index/show/ludology/id/34564565

Ludology 334 Let's Call a Spade a Spade 12/18/2024

Ludology 334 Let's Call a Spade a Spade Sen and Erica welcome Jay Cormier of Off the Page Games to the podcast to talk about his penchant for making puzzley games that make players feel clever while giving them a sense of exploration and adventure, Jay discusses his first time at PAXU as well as his newest releases, Corps of Discovery and Design Your Destiny. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/34498170

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 14 12/10/2024

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 14 In this installment of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, Erica and Sen welcome host Sarah Shipp to talk about failure and how loss can drive gameplay. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/34368160

Ludology 333 Bigger Than A Breadbox 12/01/2024

Ludology 333 Bigger Than A Breadbox Have you ever wondered what it takes to keep a FLGS afloat in this age of online retailers and Amazon Prime? Sen and Erica welcome Caleb Wunderlich, Assistant Manager at Millennium Games in Rochester, NY - the biggest game store in the USA - to talk about building community, running events, and catering to customers' needs. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/34210610

TTRPGKids Ep 18 11/24/2024

TTRPGKids Ep 18 Erica and Sen welcome guest host Steph Campbell to talk about Arithmagine ( a setting-agnositic TTRPG focused on teaching mathematics, on this episode of TTRPGKids. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/34055486

Ludology 332 The Oldest Trick in the Book 11/20/2024

Ludology 332 The Oldest Trick in the Book Sen and Erica welcome former host Scott Rogers back to the show to dive into his latest book, "Your Turn: The Guide to Great Tabletop Game Design" and tell us what he's been up to as of late. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/34053811

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 13 11/10/2024

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 13 Sen and Erica welcome special guest host Sarah Shipp for her segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms. In this episode, Sarah discusses Game Theory and the importance of studying the design of tabletop games in a more academic manner. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33753862

Ludology 331Pixelate Those Pieces 11/03/2024

Ludology 331Pixelate Those Pieces Erica and Sen welcome Theresa Duringer to talk about her role as a tabletop game app developer at Temple Gates Games. They discuss what it takes to make an app translation of a tabletop hit, what some differences might be between the physical and digital versions, how the AI opponents are trained, and more! /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33753667

Ludology 330 Phantom Tax 10/27/2024

Ludology 330 Phantom Tax Sen and Erica welcome Dr. Mary Flanagan and Max Seidman from Resonym Games to talk about their latest game, Phantom Ink, that has generated a lot of buzz around the industry as it made the SdJ short list for 2024. They discuss design, international licensing, and even the afterlife! /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33632232

TTRPG Kids Ep 17 10/23/2024

TTRPG Kids Ep 17 Sen and Erica welcome special guest host Steph Campbell who brings you their latest segment, TTRPGKids. This week, Steph talks about how to incorporate math into games in the classroom and at the dinner table. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33590982

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 12 10/13/2024

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 12 In this episode of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, Sen and Erica welcome guest host Sarah Shipp as she takes on the contentious issue of Take That mechanicsms but frames it in terms of player investment to shed light on when the mechanism in question might rub people the wrong way and when it might be exactly what's needed to spice up a game. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33411167

Ludology 329 Puzzle It Out 10/06/2024

Ludology 329 Puzzle It Out Sen and Erica talk to Jonathan Chaffer, designer and illustrator of the Holiday Hijinks series of 18-card puzzle games. We chat about Jonathan's take on puzzle design, his use of technology to drive the component-light system, and his opinion on things like clues vs. hints and the concept of red herrings. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33343752

TTRPGKids Ep 16 09/29/2024

TTRPGKids Ep 16 Erica and Sen welcome guest host, Steph Campbell, as they talk about how parents and educators can use TTRPGs to foster a love of learning in young students in this 16th installment of TTRPGKids. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33013812

Ludology 328 The Whole Kitten and Caboodle 09/22/2024

Ludology 328 The Whole Kitten and Caboodle Sen and Erica welcome Daniel Cunningham (AKA Iron Kitten Games) to discuss his role as a mechanical engineer and how he parlays those skills into helping publishers design storage trays, dice towers, and cardboard constructibles for modern tabletop games. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33153827

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 11 09/15/2024

Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 11 Erica and Sen welcome special guest (and new mom!), Sarah Shipp, back to her role on the Ludology Network as the host of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms. In this episode, Sarah talks about the concept of perception and how game designers need to hone their skills in this area, particularly when it comes to playtesting. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/33007707

Ludology 327 Game On in Vietnam 09/08/2024

Ludology 327 Game On in Vietnam Erica and Sen talk to Michael Orion of about his recent move to Vietnam and his thoughts on the country's developing game design scene and, more broadly, the tabletop scene across South East Asia. /episode/index/show/ludology/id/32895457

Pros and Cons Ep 10 First Fish 08/18/2024

Pros and Cons Ep 10 First Fish In this episode of Pros and Cons, Sen talks to Steph, Gordon, and Liam at Origins 2023 as they were getting ready for their biggest Kickstarter to date: Mistwind designed by Daryl Andrews and Adrian Adamescu which is currently making a splash! /episode/index/show/ludology/id/32344852

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