Ludology

Ryan and Geoff are very pleased to welcome Eric Zimmerman of the NYU Game Center, and author of the book Rules of Play. Yes, that's three links in one sentence, but Eric is worth it!   After a brief overview of Eric's work at NYU, the gang dives into a discussion of Emergence, when the unexpected emerges from a basic set of rules. What conditions are more likely to result in emergence? Can a designer truly design in emergent behavior? And is it important for a good game, anyway? Duration: 1:08

Finally! Ryan corrals his buddies into trying Trading in the Mediterranean, and records their thoughts afterwards.  Reviewing the rules, cards, and other playtest materials may be helpful to understanding this episode. Duration: 33:30

Ryan and Geoff welcome special guest Christopher Badell, designer of Sentinels of the Multiverse and one of the principals of Greater Than Games.  We have a wide-ranging discussion about starting and growing a small game publishing company, specifically for a 'Single Game Game Company'. How does just having a single game system impact the marketing, growth, and design direction for a publisher? Is it good to have focus, or do you get pigeon-holed? When is Kickstarter good for a small publisher, and when is it bad? Duration: 56:45

In this classic GameTek from February 2010, Geoff introduces the FIRST Robotics competition and the way the program is structured around games. Duration: 8:54

Ryan stays up past his bedtime as he and Geoff welcome special guest Jason Matthews to the show.  Jason is the codesigner of Twilight Struggle, 1960, Founding Fathers, 1989, and other great political games.  What makes Twilight Struggle tick? What special considersations are required for the design of political games? Duration: 55:00

In this classic GameTek from January of 2010, Geoff discusses the economics of gift-giving, and some games that explore gift exchanges. Duration: 06:45

Ryan and Geoff get down in the weeds to discuss the details of the cards and card mix in Trading in the Mediterranean.  How will the trade goods relate to the ideas? How will they be acquired? How many of each combination should there be?  Hopefully this is more interesting than it sounds. Duration: 24:00

Ryan and Geoff are joined by special guest Eric Summerer for a deep dive into Pick Up and Deliver games. What are some of the best examples of this genre? What makes them appealing? When do they work, and when do they fail? Will Eric make it through the Lightning Round? All these questions and more, will be answered! Duration: 1:08

In this GameTek from December of 2009, Geoff discusses advances in 'multitouch table' technology, tech which eventually found it's way into tablets like the iPad. Duration: 07:45

Ryan and Geoff tackle some more listener questions in the aptly named 'Listener Spectacular 2'. Duration: 55:57

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at rules. Can you learn everything there is to know about a game just by reading the rules? Duration: 07:00

Ryan and Geoff are joined by special guest Giles Pritchard to discuss the use of games in the classroom. Both Ryan and Giles teach kids ages 8-11, and have extensively used games to augment the traditional curriculum. Geoff has taught no one, and is happy to moderate and share embarassing stories about his childhood. In addition, Ryan discusses his new venture Games Teach, which is designed to spread the use of games by creative teachers, and is launching on Kickstarter on September 18th. Duration 1:22

Ryan and Geoff continue brainstorming on Trading in the Mediterranean, trying to zero in on how different types of governments and social factors can be incorporated into the design. Duration: 28:00

After a brief summer break, the Ludology team is back! In this episode, Ryan and Geoff discuss Roll and Move games, including their history, what they do well, and what they do poorly. What attempts have been made to bring roll and move into the modern era? What has worked and what hasn't? Is there a place for roll and move in the game designer's toolbox? Duration: 1:14:00

Ryan and Geoff continue their development of Trading in the Mediterranean, working to flesh out how to include 'ideas' in the game. Duration: 48:00

Ryan and Geoff talk about maps, geography, and spatial relations in game design. Duration: 1:25:15

In place of the 'Classic GameTek' segment that we normally post in between full episodes of Ludology, we are posting some bonus content about the design process for Trading in the Mediterranean. Make sure you let us know what you think about Ryan's "interesting" idea for voyages! Duration: 38:00

In this episode, Ryan and Geoff discuss different approaches to starting a new game design. And then, they embark on a grand project of their own, designing a game of their own! Duration: 1:04:30

In this classic GameTek segment Geoff talks about NP Complete problems in mathematics, and the ways that certain problems can be transformed into others. Duration: 06:00 (Yes, I know there was no GameTek Classic 35. Real Life got in the way a few weeks ago, and I decided to keep the numbering in sync with the Ludology numbering for simplicity)

Ryan and Geoff take a close analytical look at Alan Moon's Ticket To Ride, and lift up the hood to figure out what makes it tick.  What design decisions set it apart from similar games?  How does it draw on Moon's earlier work? And what does it do better than other mainstream euro games like Settlers of Catan? Duration: 01:15