Sen and Erica sit down with Matt Paquette, graphic designer behind many of the games on your shelves, to discuss how he lays out all of the information needed to play a game in a logically flowing and concise visual hierarchy, specifically talking about how good card frame design can improve end user experience.

Erica and Sen talk with Carlos Flores and Eric Zimmerman about the recently released Green Games Guide, a document chock full of sustainable goodness for those in the tabletop industry hoping to lessen their products' impact on the environment. Find out more about how you can be a part of the movement to improve gaming's sustainability as a consumer, a designer, or a publisher.

Erica and Sen talk with Carlos Flores and Eric Zimmerman about the recently released Green Games Guide, a document chock full of sustainable goodness for those in the tabletop industry hoping to lessen their products' impact on the environment. Find out more about how you can be a part of the movement to improve gaming's sustainability as a consumer, a designer, or a publisher.

Erica and Sen talk to Pauline-Fate Kong and Marie Wong (Hot Banana Games) about their Ion Award-winning game, Steam Up. They dive into the mechanisms behind this game about Dim Sum and the Chinese customs that informed them. Apologies in advance for audio quality; our guests were recording on the same device so it negatively impacted on their relative volume at times.

This episode, Erica and Sen take a walk down memory lane with the Podfather of Gaming, Stephen Buonocore, as they reminisce about his time as the founder of Stronghold Games, his current role as a retiree / podcaster, and his future aspirations as a tabletop game designer! Stephen discusses many of the changes he witnessed first hand and talks about his excitement for what the future holds.

Erica and Sen bring Daryl Andrews onto the show to discuss his role as Head of Talent at Maestro Media, pitching games to publishers in general, and the importance of relationships in the industry.

Erica and Sen welcome Eric Lang, a self-identified Born-Again Mass Market Guy, to Ludology in order to review what the tabletop industry went through in 2022 and where he thinks it's headed in 2023. Eric brings a wealth of information to the discussion, having a quarter century of experience in the business of making games.

Erica and Sen welcome Tim Devine of Dice Up Games, designer of Color My Quest: A Colour & Cut Roleplaying Game, to Ludology to discuss designing RPGs for families as well as safety and calibration tools for children who roleplay.

Erica and Sen welcome artist Kwanchai Moriya to the show to discuss his process, his advice for new artists trying to break into the tabletop industry, his take AI Image Generators, and his New Year's Resolution for 2023.

Erica and Sen talk to Michelle Rundbacken and Yacine Merzouk, the fine purveyors of the Society of Curiosities, about their bespoke puzzle experiences that bridge the gap between the physical and the digital as well as their up-coming B&B escape experience!

Where are some of the places that game design skills come in handy? Erica and Sen talk to Nick Metzler, who has designed games for traditional publishers like Spin Master, murder mysteries in a castle for over a hundred wedding guests, and challenges on reality TV shows like Survivor!

Erica and Sen discuss how "Boop!", a new cat-themed 2-player game, became rethemed from an abstract game with the game's designer, Scott Brady. Scott tells us how the theme was integral in shaping the final product.

Sen and Erica talk with Pat Marino, designer behind Cup Head: Fast Rolling Dice Game and other titles from The Op, about translating videogames over to the hobby gaming and mass market gaming spaces.

Erica and Sen meet up with Jason Perez (Shelf Stories, cultural consultant on Puerto Rico 1897) to talk about cultural consultation, define some of the most prominent terms, and talk about how we can design better games while considering cultural impact. Timestamp Note Link 00:00:50 Shelf Stories https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnaZ7055IWOdm8XCJfFRDcw 00:01:20 Puerto Rico 1897 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367272/puerto-rico-1897 00:09:30 Uncle Ben dies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dre4TsXm_68 00:09:35 Batman’s parents get shot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAyxY5hF3ZE 00:12:58 Andreas Seyfarth https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/117/andreas-seyfarth 00:13:01 Reiner Knizia https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/2/reiner-knizia 0015:05 Jason’s critique of Lost Ruins of Arnak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU7Mqg3XS4U 00:15:15 Feast for Odin https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/177736/feast-odin 00:15:20 Raiders of the North Sea https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170042/raiders-north-sea 0016:40 Puerto Rico’s Power Outage Issues https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/12/power-outages-puerto-rico-hurricane-fiona 00:24:15 Cafe con leche https://www.food.com/recipe/cafe-con-leche-puerto-rican-cafe-latte-114354 00:24:34 In The Heights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0CL-ZSuCrQ 00:29:21 “I Wish” songs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22I_Want%22_song 00:29:49 Boriken https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/361178/boriken-taino-resistance 00:30:01 The Taino people https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/what-became-of-the-taino-73824867/ 00:32:06 Risk https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181/risk 00:33:01 Liz Davidson (Beyond Solitaire) https://www.youtube.com/c/BeyondSolitaire 00:33:06 Jason Matthews (Twilight Struggle) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/3877/jason-matthews 00:36:43 Chip Theory Games https://chiptheorygames.com/ 00:37:53 Unconscious Mind https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/329500/unconscious-mind 00:40:06 Jason’s Discussions re: the Designer Diary for Gorinto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNMzATMGYc8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1wAgg99O0w 00:46:00 Dicetower’s Skymines vs. Mombassa Comparison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n-vJbGqctE 00:48:27 Ludology Episode with James Mendez Hodes “Orc-kay Computer” https://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-247-orc-kay-computer 00:49:56 Root https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/237182/root 00:50:16 Tauren and Native American Imagery https://www.academia.edu/13052741/World_of_Warcraft_the_Tauren_and_Native_American_Imagery 00:52:01 Owl Pizza Chef https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-owl-chef-pizza-cute-image-white-background-funny-cartoon-vector-illustrations-picture-memes-jokes-image69033436 00:52:16 The X-Men as :GBT Champions: From Outcasts to Elites https://rabbitholemag.com/the-x-men-as-lgbt-champions-from-outcasts-to-elites/ 00:55:02 Bruno Faidutti’s article on Postcolonial Catan https://faidutti.com/blog/blog/2017/06/02/postcolonial-catan/ 0055:28 Cascadia https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/295947/cascadia 0056:43 Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw 00:56:45 Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nXGPZaTKik 00:57:18 The Wedding Singer’s rendition of “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB3PdPMjeIY 00:57:30 Howard Zinn’s “The People’s History of the United States” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767.A_People_s_History_of_the_United_States 00:58:28 The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r-tXRLazs 01:01:24 Tostones https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16768/puerto-rican-tostones-fried-plantains/ 01:01:33 Maduros https://www.dulcetscintilla.com/platanos-maduros-aka-fried-sweet-plantains/ 01:02:39 Greg Loring-Albright https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/89308/greg-loring-albright 01:03:01 One Stop Co-op Shop https://www.youtube.com/c/OneStopCoopShop

Sen and Erica chat with Roberta Taylor about her games, diving deeper into Creature Comforts and the upcoming Maple Valley, specifically. They discuss cozy games and Roberta's philosophy towards design. Roberta's BGG Page: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12374/roberta-taylor

Geoff discusses what he calls the "Sweet Spot" in games, and how it can help your design.

Sen and Erica chat with Brian Neff, the freelance developer who currently handles the Unmatched System for Restoration Games, about the process he uses for playtesting and balancing a game with an ever-expanding roster that boasts just under 40 playable characters to date. They chat about how both quantitative and qualitative data drive the development process and how the game's loyal community has been an invaluable part of the process. Timestamp Note Link 00:01:05 Restoration Games https://restorationgames.com/ 00:01:49 Unmatched Game System https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/295564/unmatched-game-system 00:02:18 Bruce Lee https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/279645/unmatched-bruce-lee 00:02:19 T-Rex https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/284778/unmatched-jurassic-park-dr-sattler-vs-t-rex 00:04:45 Alice https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/274637/unmatched-battle-legends-volume-one 00:04:48 Moon Knight https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/326933/unmatched-redemption-row 00:07:00 Cerebus System https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/23550/game-cerberus-engine-heroes 00:08:03 Star Wars Epic Duels https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3284/star-wars-epic-duels 00:08:43 Tannhauser https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25261/tannhauser 00:0901 Magic: The Gathering https://magic.wizards.com/en 00:09:02 Yu-Gi-Oh https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/ 00:09:03 Hearthstone https://hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-us 00:09:13 Mondo https://mondoshop.com/ 00:16:36 Noah https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/75911/noah-cohen 00:16:41 Rob Daviau https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/442/rob-daviau 00:16:46 Justin Jacobson https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/4083/justin-d-jacobson 00:17:20 The Invisible Man https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/294484/unmatched-cobble-fog 00:18:21 Dr. Ellie Sattler https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/284778/unmatched-jurassic-park-dr-sattler-vs-t-rex 00:19:10 Beowulf https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/325635/unmatched-little-red-riding-hood-vs-beowulf 00:19:51 Yennenga https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/335764/unmatched-battle-legends-volume-two 00:21:11 Little Red Riding Hood https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/325635/unmatched-little-red-riding-hood-vs-beowulf 00:23:57 Daredevil https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/326934/unmatched-hells-kitchen 00:29:01 Restoration Games Discord Server https://discord.gg/TcprtQESad 00:30:55 Medusa https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/274637/unmatched-battle-legends-volume-one 00:30:56 Bigfoot https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/274638/unmatched-robin-hood-vs-bigfoot 00:31:10 Sherlock https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/294484/unmatched-cobble-fog 00:32:57 Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, Cloak & Dagger https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/326936/unmatched-teen-spirit 00:34:55 Elektra https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/326934/unmatched-hells-kitchen 00:40:14 Bovine University https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlGC8YnfhN8 00:41:59 Colossus https://x-men.fandom.com/wiki/Colossus 00:43:49 Wakka https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Wakka 00:44:34 Unmatched Maker https://unmatched.cards/ 00:46:27 When I Was A Young Warthog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EILeWQEDtMw 00:46:42 Slice & Dice https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.com.tann.dice&hl=en_CA&gl=US 00:48:03 Jawn https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Jawn 00:49:25 Willow Nightingale https://twitter.com/willowwrestles 00:5024 Juice Robinson https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Juice_Robinson

In this classic Biography of a Board Game, Scott takes a look at how the horror game Betrayal at House on the Hill came to be.

Erica and Sen talk with Spenser Starke about his game, Alice is Missing, and it's jump to the big screen. They discuss how to design cinematic narrative structure into tabletop games, calibration tools, and more! Timestamp Note Link 00:01:05 Alice Is Missing https://www.huntersentertainment.com/alice-is-missing 00:01:17 Kids on Broom https://renegadegamestudios.com/kids-on-brooms/ 00:01:20 Icarus https://renegadegamestudios.com/icarus-a-storytelling-game-about-how-great-civilizations-fall/ 00:02:51 Dread https://dreadthegame.wordpress.com/about-dread-the-game/ 00:02:53 The Quiet Year https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/the-quiet-year 00:06:47 Life Is Strange https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/319630/ 00:06:49 Oxenfree https://store.steampowered.com/app/388880/Oxenfree/ 00:06:50 Firewatch https://store.steampowered.com/app/383870/Firewatch/ 00:08:25 Vox article https://www.vox.com/culture/21656220/alice-is-missing-rpg-text-message 00:10:19 Hollywood Reporter article https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/alice-is-missing-movie-1235173092/ 00:11:10 Papergirls Cancelled https://deadline.com/2022/09/paper-girls-canceled-prime-video-one-season-shopped-season-2legendary-television-1235113183/ 00:20:14 RPG Safety Toolkit https://t.co/gA6hV6VKqm 00:28:39 Chapman Film School https://www.chapman.edu/dodge/index.aspx 00:30:14 Three Act Structure https://www.arcstudiopro.com/blog/three-act-structure-in-screenwriting 00:35:51 Joseph Campell’s Hero's Journey https://www.arcstudiopro.com/blog/the-heros-journey 00:35:59 Dan Harmon’s Story Circle https://www.arcstudiopro.com/blog/dan-harmons-story-circle-screenplay 00:36:15 Save The Cat https://savethecat.com/ 00:36:44 Hamlet’s Hit Points https://gameplaywright.net/books/hamlets-hit-points/ 00:40:25 L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/did-a-silent-film-about-a-train-really-cause-audiences-to-stampede 00:50:59 Ten Candles https://cavalrygames.com/ten-candles 00:53:09 Battleship https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/battleship 00:53:10 Clue rottentomatoes.com/m/clue 00:54:16 Image Comics https://imagecomics.com/ 00:56:01 Blades in the Dark TV Show Announced https://www.polygon.com/22652023/blades-in-the-dark-tv-show-announced 00:59:24 Game Night https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/game_night_2018 00:59:43 Dune Imperium https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/316554/dune-imperium 01:02:30 Cash Cab https://www.bravotv.com/cash-cab 01:03:30 Powered By The Apocalypse is the best way to get started with tabletop roleplaying games https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/22787981/powered-by-the-apocalypse-tabletop-rpg-explainer 01:04:26 Wingspan https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192/wingspan 01:04:30 Succulent https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/299372/succulent 01:04:33 Stardew Valley https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/332290/stardew-valley-board-game 01:04:59 Scythe https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169786/scythe 01:05:18 Tales From The Loop https://www.loop-rpg.com/ 01:06:34 Cameron Cuffe https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1949036/ 01:06:50 Rupert Grint https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342488/

Geoff takes us through the history of the color blue, namely how difficult it is to make as a dye, and considers if we should value it above all other player colors.