Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games.

Join our active and welcoming Discord community,

Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or

Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast!

Episode 230 - Expanding Root

Pete and Brendan bring you the jumbo sized sequel to episode 219. We dig into the decision spaces of all six Root expansion factions! We also talk about the new boards and cards. This is our sort of farewell love letter to this amazing game. We ran pretty long because I think we didn't want it to end!!!

Timestamps

3:45- updated impressions 10:15- expansion overview 22:30- adset 28:00- riverfolk company 36:30- lizard cult 43:30- corvid conspiracy 53:45- underground duchy 1:02:00- lord of the hundreds 1:12:00- keepers in iron 1:23:00- more vagabonds 1:30:00- expansion maps and deck 1:38:00- final thoughts

Preplanners

A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Castles of Mad King Ludwig and Dominion! Also our series on components continues soon with an exploration of dice!

Music and Sound 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/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s

You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.

Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA

Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Contact

Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social.

If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com.

This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com.

Byeee!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games.

Join our active and welcoming Discord community,

Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or

Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast!

Episode 229 - Trick-Taking With A Twist

Pete and Paul dive deep into the twists behind the modern trick-taking renaissance. How have designers been keeping this centuries old style of card game fresh for players? How far can you twist the decision space of playing into a trick? Listen to us gush about these games! We also offer a bit of advice for folks interested in designing their own trick-taker!

Game Timestamps

7:15- Wizard 13:20- Tricky Time Crisis 16:40- Aurum 20:40- Lobby Snacks 23:05- Savage Bowl / Pinatas 26:00- Best of Neapolitan 30:20- Bug Council of Backyardia 32:40- Mori 35:10- Skull Queen 37:45- Short Zoot Suit 39:45- 9 Lives 41:15- Fives 42:30- 12 Chip Trick 44:15- Fox in the Forest 48:30- Cat in the Box 50:45- Crits and Tricks 52:15- Charms 53:40- Lunar 54:15- Trick to the Future 55:00- Tricky Kids 55:30- Xylotar 56:00- Luz 57:00- Nokosu Dice 58:00- Mythical Dice 59:13- Milkuro 1:00:00- Kansas City

Preplanners

A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root! Also our series on components continues soon with an exploration of dice!

Music and Sound 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/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s

You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.

Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA

Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Contact

Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social.

If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com.

This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com.

Byeee!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games.

Join our active and welcoming Discord community,

Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or

Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast!

Episode 228 - Apiary and Positive Player Interaction

Jake and Pete do a semi deep dive on Apiary and follow it up with a sort of debate about what does and does not qualify as "positive player interaction." Things get spicy enough that we're already planning a follow-up episode on the topic!

Timestamps

2:35- Apiary deep dive

40:25- discussion of positive player interaction

Games Mentioned

Apiary, Hansa Teutonica, Race for the Galaxy, Catan, Terra Mystica, Irish Gauge, Wingspan

Preplanners

A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root!

Music and Sound 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/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s

You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.

Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA

Rules Overview Music: Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Contact

Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social.

If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com.

This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com.

Byeee!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games.

Join our active and welcoming Discord community,

Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or

Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast!

Episode 227 - All About Boards

Jake and Brendan continue our series on game components with a deep dive on BOARDS! What types of boards exist? How do they enhance the experience of playing a game? What are the best boards? Are tiles also boards?

Timestamps

5:00- what are boards?

13:30- network boards

27:45- other types of boards

32:05- information on boards

46:15- game progress on boards

48:05- scaling boards

50:35- alternate / expansion boards

53:00- players creating the board

57:05- modular boards

59:35- signposting on boards

1:03:05- favorite boards

Games Mentioned

Catan, Quantum, Broom Service, Pax Pamir, Agricola, Ticket to Ride, Root, Castles of Burgundy, Pandemic, Scrabble, Tigris and Euphrates, Blood Rage, Heat, Barrage, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Molly House, Sky Team, Troyes, Santiago, El Grande, Hansa Teutonica, Mexica, Five Tribes, Babylonia, Hey That's My Fish, Arcs, Tikal, Carcassone, Praga Caput Regni, Findorff, Great Western Trail

Preplanners

A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Apiary, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root!

Music and Sound 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/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s

You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.

Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA

Rules Overview Music: Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Contact

Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social.

If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com.

This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com.

Byeee!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games.

Join our active and welcoming Discord community,

Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or

Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast!

Episode 226 - Exploring Cardboard Worlds

Special guest Dan Thurot of Space Biff joins Pete for a discussion about open worlds games. They get into the different design philosophies of these games in different mediums and use Earthborne Rangers and Vantage as case studies for modern board games.

Check out Dan's excellent writing:

https://spacebiff.com/

Timestamps

5:35- open world games

24:10- Earthborne Rangers

40:00- Vantage

59:20- Sleeping Gods

Preplanners

A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Apiary, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root! Also we'll be continuing our series of episodes on game components with an exploration of BOARDS!

Music and Sound 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/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s

You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.

Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA

Rules Overview Music: Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Contact

Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social.

If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com.

This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com.

Byeee!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games.

Join our active and welcoming Discord community,

Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or

Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast!

Episode 225 - Best Games of the 2000s

In a bit of friendly competition, we attempt to draft the best set of games from the first decade of the century that have stood the test of time. Pete is the real villain of this one. Be sure to hop on discord and vote for the host who drafted the best games!

Game Timestamps

07:30- The Resistance

09:20- Dominion

11:15- Ticket to Ride

13:05- Twilight Struggle

15:20- Brass Lancashire

16:15- Coloretto

17:25- Race for the Galaxy

21:10- The Princes of Florence

26:00- Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition

29:50- Tower of Babel

33:50- Mexica

37:10- Puerto Rico

37:40- Agricola

40:30- Cosmic Encounter

44:30- Telestrations

48:40- Glory to Rome

Preplanners

A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Apiary, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root! Also we'll be continuing our series of episodes on game components with an exploration of BOARDS!

Music and Sound 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/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s

You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.

Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA

Rules Overview Music: Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Contact

Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social.

If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com.

This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com.

Byeee!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games.

Join our active and welcoming Discord community,

Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or

Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast!

Episode 224 - Board Game Junk Food

The gang gets slightly unhinged this week discussing what is the board game equivalent of trashy TV. Also Brendan can't stop thinking about Doritos.

Game Timestamps

10:05- Hot Streak

15:00- Feudum

16:00- A Feast for Odin

16:45- Agricola: Dead Harvest

19:15- Strike

21:05- Pass the Pigs

22:30- Don't Break the Ice

23:00- Junk Art

25:30- My City

29:15- Lost Ruins of Arnak

30:30- Challengers

31:30- Magic the Gathering

32:50- Can't Stop

41:30- Skull King

42:50- Rebel Princess

46:00- The Resistance

50:50- Raiders of the North Sea

51:20- Dune Imperium Uprising

52:05- Marvel United

53:25- Roll for the Galaxy

54:50- Zoo Vadis

56:25- MLEM

59:40- Dominion

1:00:07- Brass Birmingham

1:01:51- Thunder Road Vendetta

1:02:40- Cosmic Encounter

Preplanners

A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Apiary, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root!

Music and Sound 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/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s

You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.

Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA

Rules Overview Music: Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Contact

Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social.

If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com.

This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com.

Byeee!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games.

Join our active and welcoming Discord community,

Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or

Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast!

Episode 223 - Ode to the Tile

In this quite academic episode, Paul goes into full teacher mode with Brendan to discuss the many ways different types of tiles are used in board games. Stay tuned to hear Paul use the term "recreational mathematics" MULTIPLE times!

Timestamps

2:00- background

5:00- types of tile laying games

9:00- spatial puzzles and math stuff

16:00- tiles and theme

19:30- tiles and interaction

23:00- squares

32:00- dominos

35:20- polyominos

39:40- hexagons

47:00- other shapes

51:00- mechanical systems

Games Mentioned

Tigris & Euphrates, Tetris, Patchwork, My City, Isle of Cats, Stamp Swap, Renature, Blokus, Animalia, Isle of Skye, Glen More, Carcassone, Scrabble, Kingdomino, Dragomino, Renature, Gardlings, Barenpark, A Feast for Odin, Expeditions, Cascadia, Keyflower, Hex, My Island, Aqua, Flow, Alhambra, Miyabi, Akropolis, Llama Land, Honey Buzz

Preplanners

A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Apiary, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root!

Also, start thinking about what your "guilty pleasure" board games are (if that's even a thing).

Music and Sound 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/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s

You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.

Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA

Rules Overview Music: Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Contact

Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social.

If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com.

This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com.

Byeee!