Decision Space

Episode 278- Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?

That types of questions do games ask us as players?  When should I score?  Who can I trust? Why did they do that?  How should I sequence this?  This week we dig into what the central questions are in different games and think about how this can help us as players and designers.

Time Stamps4:30- Who? 18:00- What? 26:00- When? 34:00- Where? 42:00- Why? 54:00- How?

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Episode 277- Deckbuilding 301 and Slay the Spire

Trick-taking wiz Taylor Reiner joins Pete, Jake, and Brendan to take the next step on our deckbuilding exploration.  This time we're going digital!  How do games like Balatro and Slay the Spire build on physical games and where do they diverge?  Also how are we seeing the reverse influence on tabletop games? Check out Taylor's amazing Youtube Channel: https://www.yout...

Episode 276- SD HistCon North 2026

Pete is joined by Cardner Babakitis of Odd Candy Games and Buried Giant Studios.  They discuss the historical games they played at the inaugural SD HistCon North.   Check out Cardner's games here: https://www.oddcandygames.com/

Time Stamps

15:00- Hellraisers in Kanawha County 19:30- An Infamous Traffic 2nd Edition 27:30- Baltic Empires 33:00- Penitent 42:00- Nicaea 49:00- John Comp...

Episode 275- Inside the Deck

This week Jake, Paul, and Brendan explore the different deck structures of card games.  Things get mathy in this design focused discussion about how combinations of suits and numbers create different decision spaces in games. 

Time Stamps

2:00- Air Land and Sea 13:00- The Fox in the Forest 21:45- Jekyll vs Hyde 27:45- Dracula vs Van Helsing 34:30- Coloretto 42:00- Pet Quartet 45:00- Flip 7 50:...

Episode 274- 2010-2014 Showdown

All four hosts are together to play a game as a way to choose a consensus list of the best board games from the early 2010's.  The format here is from April Mitchell's This/That Showdown: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/463458/thisthat-showdown 

Games Mentioned

BattleCon, Keyflower, The Resistance Avalon, The Castles of Burgundy, The Great Zimbabwe, Trajan, Charms, Haggis, Hanabi, Glen ...

Episode 273- dnup and Iterative Game Design

In this episode we talk about iterative game design.  Why do designers go back to ideas they've already explored?  On that note, we also discuss the new hotness dnup and how designer Kai Kajino built it upon the foundation of his modern classic hit Scout.

Timestamps

3:30- iterative design 32:20- Scout 46:00- dnup

Preplanners

We have another decade draft coming up soon!

Music a...

Episode 272- The Old King's Crown

Pete is joined by Jaffles ( https://www.youtube.com/@Jaffles-gaming ) to do a deep dive of the hottest game from last year: The Old King's Crown.  They also chat about what types of games inspire players to dig deep and get obsessed.

Timestamps

5:00- why we get obsessed with games 18:15- intro to Old King's Crown 24:00- personal reviews 27:30- exploring the decision space 47:15- spring decisi...

Episode 271- Hand Management

Pete and Brendan dissect one of the most ubiquitous mechanisms in tabletop games: hand management.  What kinds of puzzles can a hand of cards present to players and what makes it so timelessly satisfying?

Timestamps

3:00- defining hand management 18:00- why we love hand management 29:00- types of hand management 36:15- trick-taking and ladder climbing 42:45- hand management as a core mechanism 57:...

Episode 270- Interview with Phil Walker-Harding

Paul sits down for a wonderfully insightful discussion with game designer Phil Walker-Harding.  Last week's tier list episode should have you primed to get into this man's head!  They discuss game inspiration and how to design in ways that can heal game related trauma.

Timestamps

1:45- how Phil got into design 10:35- design philosophy 25:30- balancing games 36:30- what Phil...

Episode 269- Phil Walker Harding Tier List

Paul gets to rate every game in the prolific catalogue of his favorite designer: Phil Walker Harding.  He's joined by Brendan and the Dice Tower's Chris Yi for this monumental task.  

Timestamps

8:30- Archaeology the New Expedition 12:00- Dungeon Raiders 15:15- Pack of Heroes 19:00- Sushi Go / Sushi Go Party 28:45- Sushi Roll 34:15- Cacao 41:00- Imhotep / Imhotep the Duel 4...

Episode 268- Geekway Convention Plays 2026

Jake and Pete recap the best weekend of the year: Geekway to the West!  They discuss their favorite new plays, old favorites, and also give first impressions of some hot new titles.  

Timestamps

17:00- Feya's Swamp 21:50- Dark Pact 28:10- Market Fresh 34:40- I'm the Boss 38:45- Auf Teufel Komm Raus 43:00- Lowenherz 51:30- John Company Second Edition 59:00- Broom Service 1:0...

Episode 267- Shared Infrastructure Games and Bus

Time to deep dive the new hotness... from 1999.  In this episode we do a deep dive on Splotter's first major hit Bus and discuss other shared infrastructure games.  Why are we drawn to these crowded, brutal logistics puzzles?

Timestamps

3:00- shared infrastructure games 32:00- Bus deep dive

Other Games Mentioned

Barrage, Brass Birmingham, Medina, Keyflower, Food Chain Ma...

Episode 266- Storytelling with Cole Wehrle

Big day here for Pete.  In this episode he chats one on one with Cole Wehrle from Buried Giant Studios.  They talk a lot about player agency, emergent storytelling, and what it's like the make and play long, heavy games.  

Timestamps

1:00- how Cole thinks about making games 18:45- storytelling in games 40:00- long heavy games 49:30- agency and fairness 59:20- fun 1:04...

Episode 265- Euro Games

"Euro" has been used as a descriptor for decades and it is inarguable that its meaning has changed over time.  On this episode, the hosts try to hash out what the word means today and how that differs from the "old school" design philosophy.  Also, the episode ends with an unhinged exploration of what games in the BGG top 100 could conceivably be classified as Euros.  

(also just a warnin...

Episode 264- Top 10 Games of All Time (2026) Part 2

It's the fiiiiiiinal countdown! We gush over how much we love the games that made our top 5 favorite games!  Some things have changed this year!  There are brand new releases on this list!  However, did the new hotness dethrone our old favorites?

Timestamps

3:30- Medina 8:15- Big Top 11:00- Indonesia 16:00- Broom Service 19:15- Isle of Skye 21:15- Unlock 26:15- Lord...

Episode 263- Top 10 Games of All Time (2026) Part 1

It's time for the annual countdown of our favorite games!  In this episode we count down numbers 10-6.  What has fallen from the ranks since last year?  What are we hot on right now?  Listen and find out!

Timestamps

8:55- Fives 12:15- Lunarchitects 16:00- Pax Renaissance 20:00- Chicago Express 23:30- Bus 26:30- Incan Gold 30:10- Modern Art 35:10- Fox in the For...

Episode 262- Depth, Complexity, and Luck

Game designer Jon Perry returns to Decision Space to participate in a discussion about what makes games deep.  Are heavy games deeper than light games?  Can games with a high luck factor also reward skilled play?  Why is there a heavy game bias on BGG?  

Check out some of Jon's games: Air Land and Sea, Hot Streak, Spots, and more! Brendan was inspired after this ep...

Episode 261- Arcs Blighted Reach Campaign

Pete is joined by returning guest Jared Ingersoll and muppet board game critic Analog Arnie to deep dive the Blighted Reach campaign expansion for Arcs.  This is the sequel to episode 247 in case you missed our original Arcs deep dive!

Find Analog Arnie here: https://www.youtube.com/@analog_arnie

Timestamps

2:50- intro to Blighted Reach 15:45- act 1 42:45- act 2 59:45- act 3 1:15:30-...

Episode 260- Duel for Cardia

Jake and Brendan deep dive yet another dueling game!  This time it's 2025's Duel for Cardia.  After the review, they discuss gameplay modules and try to decide when they add value to a game and when they just add noise.

Timestamps

3:50- Cardia deep dive 50:00- modular content

Preplanners

We are returning to Arcs!  Also more special guests!

Music and Sound Credits

Thank you to Hembree f...