Decision Space
by Jacob Frydman, Brendan Hansen, Pete Wissinger, Paul Salomon
Latest episode
What Makes Games Beautiful? A Conversation with Frank Lantz
What Makes Games Beautiful? A Conversation with Frank Lantz
About this podcast
Decision Space explores decisions in games across the board game hobby and beyond. By exploring tactics, strategy, and the subjective experiences of decisions in games, we hope to provide insights into the specific games we cover and the games in general.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 293 episodes
- What Makes Games Beautiful? A Conversation with Frank Lantz · 1 h 19 min · Episode 294Episode 290- The Beauty of Games with Frank Lantz Brendan chats in this episode with game designer and professor Frank Lantz. They talk about his book The Beauty of Games and…
- Shinzawathon! Ranking Every Game From the Master of Trick-Taking with Taylor Reiner · 1 h 53 min · Episode 293Episode 289- Shinzawathon Pete and Paul create a tier list for every game designed by Taiki Shinzawa. They are joined by trick-taking expert Taylor Reiner, which is good because…
- Modern Art: A Classic That Continues to Appreciate in Value · 1 h 16 min · Episode 292Episode 288- Modern Art An old school deep dive of an old school game! Pete and Brendan examine Knizia's classic auction game Modern Art and discuss what makes this game so…
- Medina and More: Fresh Hot Impressions of Dusty Old Games · 1 h 31 min · Episode 291Episode 287- Playing OGs Together All four hosts are together for a discussion of the Old School games they played together during Brendan's visit to St. Louis. That Stefan…
- Cole Wehrle on His Love of Economic Games and How They Inspired An Infamous Traffic · 1 h 44 min · Episode 290Episode 286- Cole Wehrle on Economic Games and An Infamous Traffic Pete chats with Cole Wehrle about his history with economic games like Container and how these nasty designs…
- Our Designs in Development: Report from a Prototype Convention · 1 h 24 min · Episode 289Episode 285- Stonemaier Design Day 2026 All four hosts are together to share their experiences of hanging out together IN PERSON for Stonemaier Design Day. Paul talks about games…
- Lane Battlers: How Schotten Totten Created a Genre · 1 h 22 min · Episode 288Episode 284- Schotten Totten and Lane Battlers Pete and Brendan explore the card game genre known as lane battlers and deep dive the 1999 Knizia Classic Schotten Totten that gave…
- Our Favorite Splotter? Indonesia Roundtable Merge-a-Palooza · 1 h 32 min · Episode 287Episode 283- Indonesia Pete is joined by Arnie, Jared and Luke to discuss Splotter's 2005 economic masterpiece Indonesia. These 4 have played the game sixteen times together this…
- The Games of Gen Con 2026: Greylune, Jibber Jabble, Buttonville and More · 1 h 27 min · Episode 286Episode 282- Gen Con Impressions Pete and Paul recap their Gen Con experience and give quick impressions of games they picked up there! Time Stamps13:15- Trick to the…
- New Editions of Old Games and the Brilliance of Libertalia · 1 h 12 min · Episode 285Episode 281- Libertalia and Reimplementations Paul, Brendan, and Pete discuss the benefits and potential pitfalls of making new editions of old games. Then they deep dive Paolo…
- Design Disagreements, Dream Games, and Other Listener Questions · 1 h 21 min · Episode 284Episode 280- Listener Questions We open the mail bag to answer a bunch of questions from the Decision Space community! Time Stamps2:15- who would win?4:50- what is a YOU…
- Sandbox Objectives and Frosted Blooms · 1 h 12 min · Episode 283Episode 279- Sandbox Objectives and Frosted Blooms This week Brendan tries to convince his co-hosts that "sandbox objectives" and "point salad" are not not the same thing. Jake…
- The Questions Games Ask (What We Talk About) · 1 h 17 min · Episode 282Episode 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…
- Deckbuilding 301: How Slay the Spire Expands Tabletop Design · 1 h 47 min · Episode 281Episode 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…
- An Infamous Traffic, Virgin Queen, John Company Megagame and More: Report from a Historical Game Convention · 1 h 35 min · Episode 280Episode 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…
- Inside the Deck: Digging Deep on Suits, Numbers, and Design · 1 h 27 min · Episode 279Episode 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…
- Showdown of the Best Board Games From the Golden Age of 2010-2014 · 1 h 9 min · Episode 278Episode 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…
- dnup, Scout, and Iterative Game Design · 1 h 11 min · Episode 277Episode 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…
- The Old Kings Crown Rewards Player Expression and Obsession · 1 h 48 min · Episode 276Episode 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…
- Playing the Cards You're Dealt: Hand Management (What We Talk About) · 1 h 15 min · Episode 275Episode 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…
- The Beauty of Balance: An Interview with Phil Walker-Harding · 1 h 32 min · Episode 274Episode 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…
- The Definitive Phil Walker Harding Tier List with Chris Yi · 2 h 8 min · Episode 273Episode 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…
- We Played New Hotness (Dark Pact, Feya's Swamp), Stone Cold Oldies, and All Time Favorites at Geekway to the West! · 1 h 25 min · Episode 272Episode 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…
- "I Drink Your Milkshake": Bus and other Shared Infrastructure Games · 1 h 17 min · Episode 271Episode 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…
- Agency, Storytelling, and Play: A Conversation with Cole Wehrle · 1 h 29 min · Episode 270Episode 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…
- What is a Euro Game? (What We Talk About) · 1 h 14 min · Episode 269Episode 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…
- Our Top 5 Games of All Time (...right now) · 1 h 32 min · Episode 268Episode 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…
- Our Top 10 Games of All Time (...right now): Part 1 · 1 h 27 min · Episode 267Episode 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…
- What Makes Games Deep? A Conversation About Complexity, Luck, and Skill with Jon Perry · 1 h 17 min · Episode 266Episode 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…
- Arcs Strikes Back: Exploring the Blighted Reach with Analog Arnie and Jared Ingersoll · 1 h 28 min · Episode 265Episode 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…
- Duel for Cardia and the Value of Gameplay Modules (or the Lack Thereof) · 1 h 15 min · Episode 264Episode 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…
- 2026 Game Show Spectacular: Achievement Play on Display · 1 h 23 min · Episode 263Episode 259- April Fool's Game Show Spectacular The only game show that takes place right here, in the space between the episodes of your favorite podcast. Preplanners We deep…
- Reports From a Gaming Marathon: Old King's Crown, Blood on the Clocktower, Splotters, and More! · 1 h 24 min · Episode 262Episode 258- Gamer's Ranch 2026 Report Pete and Jake played a ton of games together! New hotness, old beige games, and a big dramatic session of Blood on the Clocktower!…
- Fun Through Frustration? Game Difficulty and Sail · 1 h 26 min · Episode 261Episode 257- Game Difficulty and Sail What makes games difficult and why do we sometimes enjoy that? When does it go too far? Pete and Brendan explore the topic after discussing…
- Isle of Skye: an Elegant Masterpiece of Variable Scoring · 1 h 21 min · Episode 260Episode 256- Isle of Skye Jake and Paul deep dive the 2016 Kinnerspiel des Jahres Winner: Isle of Skye. Yo, that was 10 years ago? That's craaaazy! They go deep on the joys of…
- Is Art a Game? C. Thi Nguyen Answers Our Questions About Philosophy, Process, and Play · 1 h 24 min · Episode 259Episode 255- Art and Games with C. Thi Nguyen Professor C. Thi Nguyen returns to the pod! We discuss process art, getting good, value capture, empathy, and his new book The…
- Concordia: Pursuit of Perfection · 1 h 25 min · Episode 258Episode 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…
- Historical Games and Pax Renaissance with Andy Nealen · 1 h 58 min · Episode 257Episode 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…
- Area Control, Majority, and Conflict (What We Talk About) · 1 h 30 min · Episode 256Episode 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…
- The Shapes of Games: Decision Spaces and Gameplay Arcs · 1 h 20 min · Episode 255Episode 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…
- Episode 250: Counting Down the Best of the Rest · 1 h 27 min · Episode 254Episode 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…
- Trio, Jungo, and the Joys of Family Gaming with Jason Schneider · 1 h 12 min · Episode 253Episode 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…
- Ra: The Doctor's Greatest Game? · 1 h 29 min · Episode 252Episode 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…
- Arcs is Ambitious, Aggravating... and Awesome · 1 h 27 min · Episode 251Episode 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…
- Awarding Our Favorite Decisions in Games from 2025 · 1 h 30 min · Episode 250Episode 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!…
- Podcast Year in Review: Reflections and Ranking All the Games! · 1 h 18 min · Episode 249Episode 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…
- Our Favorite Video Games of All Time · 1 h 23 min · Episode 248Decision 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…
- Entering the Donkey Space: Agent Avenue and Hanamikoji · 1 h 15 min · Episode 247Decision 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…
- "Get Good?": What Motivates Us To Play Games · 1 h 22 min · Episode 246Decision 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…
- Evaluating Auction Games · 1 h 29 min · Episode 245Decision 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…
