Episode 254- Concordia

It's an old school episode in every way!  The original Decision Space duo (Brendan and Jake) do a deep dive on a new classic with an old school soul: Mac Gerdts' Concordia!

Timestamps

4:20- intro to Concordia
21:00- Concordia deep dive
1:18:00- other Gerdts games

Preplanners

Next week is the return of C Thi Nguyen to the podcast and after that we're deep diving Isle of Skye!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 253- Historical Games and Pax Renaissance

Pete is joined by Andy Nealen, an academic, game maker, and podcaster.  Together they explore what makes the historical war games so special but also so niche in the hobby.  Also, Pax Renaissance is in both of their top 10 games of all time, so they do a full deep dive on that game.  This is a long one, so buckle up!

Andy is a co-host on the Secret Lives of Games podcast: https://secretlives.games/

Timestamps

14:30- historical games
26:30- accessibility and chrome
46:15- simulating difficult subjects
57:15- intro to Pax games
1:17:30- Pax Renaissance deep dive
1:48:30- wrapping up

Games Mentioned

Molly House, John Company 2nd Edition, Twilight Imperium, Here I Stand, Cross Bronx Expressway, Campaign for North Africa, Votes for Women, Nevsky, Imperial Struggle, This Guilty Land, Pax Porfiriana, Pax Pamir 2nd Edition, Pax Transhumanity, Pax Renaissance, Pax Emancipation, Shores of Tripoli, Undaunted Normandy

Preplanners

We have a deep dive on Concordia coming up next, and then a returning guest appearance from another academic!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 252- Area Control (WWTA)

In this "what we talk about" episode, Pete and Brendan try to sort through vocabulary and feelings related to area control and area majority games.  Brendan tries to pitch "area conflict" as a new term for the genre.  Do you buy that?  Listen and find out!

Timestamps

3:45- introduction to the genre
15:00- defining mechanisms
29:45- area majority
47:06- area control
1:11:00- the decision space
1:17:00- how conflict makes us feel

Games Mentioned

Risk, Chess, El Grande, Root, Mission Red Planet, Tammany Hall, Ethnos, Joraku, Calimala, Tikal, Mexica, Babylonia, Samurai, Rebirth, Hanamikoji, War of the Ring, Blood Rage, Arcs, Risk, Scythe, Inis, Game of Thrones the Board Game, Kemet, King of Tokyo, 1960 the Making of a President, Tigris and Euphrates, Hansa Teutonica, Carcassone, Rumble Nation, Star Wars Rebellion

Preplanners

Upcoming episodes will include a discussion about incentives, some special guests, and the next course in our deckbuilding series.  Also Arcs part two at some point and maybe a deep dive on Concordia?

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 251- The Shapes of Games

In this episode, Pete and Brendan go back to the basics.  How should we characterize a decision space?  What shapes the arc of a game?

Timestamps

5:00- types of decision spaces
36:00- game arcs
1:04:30- other terminology 

Games Mentioned

Keyflower, Decrypto, Viticulture, Wingspan, Vantage, Arcs, Dominion, the Resistance, Root, Codenames, Scout, Pax Pamir, Pax Renaissance, Race for the Galaxy, Spades, El Grande, Chicago Express, Agent Avenue

Preplanners

Upcoming episodes will include a discussion about incentives, some special guests, and the next course in our deckbuilding series.  Also Arcs part two at some point!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 250- Best of the Rest (re upload to fix a file error)

All four hosts share their favorite games that have never been covered in the show's extensive 249 episode back catalogue of deep dives and lists!

Timestamps

6:30- The King of Frontier
11:05- Star Wars Rivals
16:45- Gravwell
21:10- Bus
28:15- Clans of Caledonia
35:40- Old West Empresario
40:30- Star Wars Rebellion
49:30- Trails of Tucana
54:15- The Princes of Florence
1:03:15- Cartouche
1:09:15- Jekyll vs Hyde
1:16:45- Brass Birmingham

Preplanners

We plan on making at least 250 more episodes!!!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 249 - Family Games

Paul and Pete are joined by Happy Camper Games founder Jason Schneider to dissect what makes for a great family game experience

Timestamps

3:50- mission of Happy Camper 
8:45- what is a family game?
20:10- Trio
33:30- game development
40:30- Jungo
52:15- gaming with the family

Preplanners

Next up is our 250th extravaganza!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 248 - Ra

Jake and Paul deep dive Reiner Knizia's 1999 classic auction game Ra.  They dig into the elegant systems and the unique push your luck element.  Also, Paul explores the various Ra spin off titles!

Timestamps

4:45- Ra overview
12:30- the decision space
40:00- the tiles
1:00:00- expansions and spinoffs

Preplanners

Next up is a discussion on what makes a good small box game!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 247 - Arcs

Pete is joined by Kniziologist and Blighted Reach afficionado Jared Ingersoll to do a deep dive on the hottest game of 2024: Cole Wehrle's Arcs!

Timestamps

3:40- Arcs introduction
9:30- rules overview
16:30- personal reviews
23:00- trick-taking system
30:30- actions and resources
36:30- ambitions
46:00- combat
55:30- influencing the court
1:01:30- leaders and lore
1:08:00- player count
1:12:30- frustration points

Preplanners

Next up is a deep dive on Ra!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 246 - The 2025 Decidies

The hosts continue their now TWO year tradition of awarding our bronze, silver, and gold medal decisions of the year.  Congrats to all the winners!

Timestamps

11:15- honorable mentions
24:45- Agent Avenue
29:15- Vantage
33:05- Bomb Busters
38:00- Waddle
41:05- Toy Battle
45:15- Old King's Crown
50:50- Formaggio
54:55- Vantage
57:55- Tag Team
1:05:40- Hot Streak
1:11:55- Duel for Cardia
1:18:30- Bid Coin
1:24:00- hopes for 2026

honorable mentions: Bid Coin, Molly House, Bested Another Time, Two Towers Trick-Taking Game, EGO, Formaggio, Fives, Snack Rabbits

Preplanners

We have deep dives coming up soon for Ra and Arcs as well as part 3 of our deckbuilding series!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

Episode 245 - Year in Review

We look back at the past year, which was full of changes for the show.  We also rank all the games we deep dived LIVE together and chart a course for 2026.

Timestamps

4:10- reflections on the past year
21:15- favorite episodes from 2025
27:30- ranking the games we covered in 2025
55:50- what we learned this year
1:00:30- looking ahead to 2026

Preplanners

We're taking a week off for Christmas but will return with our awards for the best decisions of 2025!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!

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Episode 244 - Our Favorite Video Games

Are we allowed to talk about video games instead of board games?  Jake, Brendan, and Pete break down some of their favorite games and examine their decision space and potential connections to tabletop games.

Timestamps

5:00- personal video game histories
19:00- video games vs board games
25:15- Yoshi's Island
31:00- Pokémon Gold and Silver
37:30- Slay the Spire
43:30- Heroes of Might and Magic III
50:30- Gears of War
57:30- Dark Souls / Bloodborne
1:07:10- Pokken Tournament 
1:14:00- Super Smash Bros Ultimate
1:17:15- Final Fantasy Tactics

Preplanners

End of the year recap is coming up soon!

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 [email protected].

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

Byeee!