Ludology

In this classic GameTek, the GameTek players present "Wild West Showdown". Who will win this three-sided gunfight... of doom? Duration: 07:44

Hot on the heels of talking about Set Collection, Ryan and Geoff tackle its cousin, Area Majority, a mechanic which comes wearing many disguises.  How does it differ from Set Collection? What makes it work or not? Duration: 01:11:12

In this classic GameTek episode, Geoff talks about gamification, specifically the way that it is used by fold.it to use game mechanics to solve real world problems. Duration: 06:32

In this episode Ryan and Geoff discuss Set Collection as a tool for game designers. What attributes can set collection add to a game? What are some of the pitfalls? What games have used it well or badly? Duration 1:04:32

In the classic GameTek, Geoff talks about Chaos Theory, and how it is reflected in game design. Duration: 06:54

In this episode, Geoff interviews Frank Merrick from FIRST about using games to get kids excited about science and technology. What are the special considerations when designing a game to be educational, fun, and challenging? Duration: 34:15

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about two recent research results about choice. Duration: 5:15

Ryan and Geoff are joined by special guest Corey Koneiczka of Fantasy Flight Games designer of such classics as Battlestar Galactica, Mansions of Madness, and the upcoming Eldritch Horror. The topic? Expansions! Are they good or bad for the industry? Do you design a game with expansions in mind or bolt things on afterwards? What are the do's and don't's of expansions?  Duration: 01:03:29 This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Scott King Photography, for all of your game photographing needs!

How are dice and planets connected? Listen to this classic GameTek and find out! Duration: 06:47

Ryan and Geoff dedicate the entire show to reviewing their top 10 entries to the Dice Tower Network / Cool Stuff Inc contest, and announce the winner! Duration: 01:00:44

In this classic GameTek, Geoff explores fuzzy logic and how it applies to our attempts to categorize games - and everything else in the world. Duration: 07:45

Ryan and Geoff are joined by guest Mike Fitzgerald. Mike is the designer of a variety of card games including the Mystery Rummy series and Hooyah, but also spent many years working on CCGs like Wyvern, Magic, and Pokemon.  Mike joins us to discuss the early history of CCGs, how they changed the gaming industry, and what special design techniques are required for the CCG and LCG arenas. This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Nations, the new publication from lautepelit.fi. Nations will be released at Essen 2013. Duration: 01:14:12

In this classic GameTek, Ryan and Geoff interview game designer Bob Abbott, designer of classic games like Confusion, Eleusis, and Code 777. Duration: 09:29 This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Nations, the new publication from lautepelit.fi. Nations will be released at Essen 2013.

Ryan and Geoff take a very high level look at the structure of games - the phases and turns that make them tick. What structures were there in ancient games? How has this changed over time? How does the structure selected by the designer influence the game experience? We also launch our portion of the big Dice Tower Network contest! Big prizes at stake! Duration: 01:17:47 This episode of Ludology is sponsored by Nations, the new publication from lautepelit.fi. Nations will be released at Essen 2013.

In this classic GameTek, Geoff shares a technique for making it simpler to calculate probabilities in your head. Duration: 06:06

Ryan and Geoff are joined by John Meindersee of Campfire Creations, to talk about the special challenges in creating digital versions of boardgames.  Campfire Creations developed the iOS version of Stone Age, and John shares the details of the challenges and opportunities that presented. Duration: 1:16:04

Meaningful decisions are what drive deep strategy games. But can there be too much of a good thing? Can having too many choices hinder our ability to make good, or any, decisions? Duration: 06:42

In this third listener question episode, Ryan and Geoff respond to a veritable panoply of user questions, and field them with their usual combination of aplomb and pithy aphorisms. Duration: 1:04:57

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about PokerBots: How they are programmed, why they're a problem, and how to detect them. Duration: 04:54

Rules! Every game has them, but they are a big source of gamer frustration.  Ryan and Geoff put their heads together to come up with rules for rules. What makes for a good set of rules? What are common pitfalls? How should they be structured? What should be highlighted?  Duration: 01:13:35