Podcast
Decision Space
Hosted by Jacob Frydman, Brendan Hansen, Pete Wissinger, Paul Salomon · EN
Decision Space is a board game podcast about the decisions in games.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
We Played New Hotness (Dark Pact, Feya's Swamp), Stone Cold Oldies, and All Time Favorites at Geekway to the West!
2d ago01:25:01Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 1:03:30- Oath 1:09:30- Tikal 1:15:30- TRICKTAKERs, Skull Queen, Daytime Minutes 1:18:00- Indonesia 1:19:30- Guards of Atlantis II, El Grande, Big Shot 1:22:00- L'Oaf Preplanners We've got a tier list episode in the works! 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!
Transcribe →"I Drink Your Milkshake": Bus and other Shared Infrastructure Games
1w ago01:17:51Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 Magnate Preplanners Geekway to the West 2026 recap is coming soon! Also, Paul is going to take us through a tier list of his favorite designer: Phil Walker Harding! 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!
Transcribe →Agency, Storytelling, and Play: A Conversation with Cole Wehrle
2w ago01:29:43Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 1:04:30- learning rules 1:14:00- designing historical games Games Mentioned Oath, Root, Arcs, John Company Preplanners Next week we are doing a deep dive on Bus! 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!
Transcribe →What is a Euro Game? (What We Talk About)
3w ago01:14:23Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 warning, Pete's dog wouldn't shut up during the recording of this) Timestamps 3:00- defining Euros 12:45- modern vs old school 55:00- categorizing the BGG top 100 Preplanners Next week we are doing a deep dive on Bus! 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!
Transcribe →Our Top 5 Games of All Time (...right now)
May 601:32:39Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 of the Rings Trick-Taking Games 31:30- Babylonia 34:30- Santiago 39:15- Cozy Stickerville 44:55- Old King's Crown 49:15- Root 52:45- El Grande 57:15- The Castles of Mad King Ludwig 1:02:45- Nokosu Dice 1:09:30- Tag Team 1:14:15- Tikal 1:19:30- Ra / Priests of Ra 1:24:10- Root 1:27:30- The Resistance Preplanners Next week we discuss what the term "Euro game" means today! 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!
Transcribe →Our Top 10 Games of All Time (...right now): Part 1
Apr 2901:27:33Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 Forest 38:20- Renature 42:20- Skyrise 46:50- Dune Imperium Uprising 51:20- El Grande 53:30- Lost Cities 58:20- Fromage / Formaggio 1:01:50- Ito 1:05:40- My City 1:09:00- Nokosu Dice 1:13:00- Heat 1:16:20- Arcs 1:21:30- Keyflower Preplanners Top 5 of all time is next week! 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!
Transcribe →What Makes Games Deep? A Conversation About Complexity, Luck, and Skill with Jon Perry
Apr 2201:17:40Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 episode to write an article about game depth. Read it here: https://www.decisionspacepodcast.com/articles/going-deep-on-depth-in-games Timestamps 2:15- game depth and complexity 41:15- high luck, high skill games Preplanners The next two weeks will be the annual countdown of our top 10 games of all time! 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!
Transcribe →Arcs Strikes Back: Exploring the Blighted Reach with Analog Arnie and Jared Ingersoll
Apr 1501:28:40Tap to summarizeEpisode 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- final thoughts Preplanners Another returning guest is coming to discuss depth and light games. Also we'll be deep diving Bus 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 decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!
Transcribe →Duel for Cardia and the Value of Gameplay Modules (or the Lack Thereof)
Apr 801:15:54Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 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!
Transcribe →2026 Game Show Spectacular: Achievement Play on Display
Apr 101:23:15Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 dive Cardia next week! 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!
Transcribe →