Weekly Episodes, Launched Every Wednesday.
Episode 273: dnup, Scout, and Iterative Game Design
dnup dethrones Scout! We also discuss iterative design.
Episode 272: The Old Kings Crown Rewards Player Expression and Obsession!
A deep dive of The Old King’s Crown
Episode 271: Playing the Cards You're Dealt: Hand Management (What We Talk About)
What is hand management and what types of decisions do games featuring this mechanism offer?
Episode 270: The Beauty of Balance: An Interview with Phil Walker-Harding
A one-on-one interview with one of the most prolific designers in boardgames, Phil Walker-Harding
Episode 269: The Definitive Phil Walker Harding Tier List with Chris Yi
Ranking gobs of Phil-Walker Harding games!
Episode 268: We Played New Hotness (Dark Pact, Feya's Swamp), Stone Cold Oldies, and All-Time Favorites at Geekway to the West!
Pete and Jake discuss all the games they played at Geekway to the West including Feya’s Swamp, Dark Pact, Oath, Guards of Atlantis II, and more
Episode 267: "I Drink Your Milkshake": Bus and other Shared Infrastructure Games
In this episode we do a deep dive on Splotter's first major hit Bus and discuss other shared infrastructure games
Episode 266: Agency, Storytelling, and Play: A Conversation with Cole Wehrle
In this episode Pete chats one-on-one with Cole Wehrle of Buried Giant Studios, designer or Root, Oath, Arcs, and more.
Episode 265: What is a Euro Game? (What We Talk About)
"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.
Episode 264: Top 10 Games of All Time (…right now): Part 2
We gush over how much we love the games that made our top 5 favorite games in 2026
Episode 263: Our Top 10 Games of All Time (...right now): Part 1
Pete, Paul, Jake, and Brendan discuss their favorite games of all time in Pt. 1 of our lists of Top 10 games!
Episode 262: What Makes Games Deep? A Conversation About Complexity, Luck, and Skill with Jon Perry
An exploration of depth in games and high luck, high skill games with game designer, Jon Perry
Episode 261: Arcs Strikes Back: Exploring the Blighted Reach with Analog Arnie and Jared Ingersoll
A deep dive of the Blighted Reach campaign expansion for Arcs with Pete, Jared Ingersoll, and Analog Arnie
Episode 260: Duel for Cardia and the Value of Gameplay Modules (or the Lack Thereof)
Brendan and Jake deep dive Duel for Cardia and explore modular content in games
Episode 259: 2026 Game Show Spectacular: Achievement Play on Display
The return of our annual game show special!
Episode 257: Fun Through Frustration? 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 a very difficult game: the 2 player cooperative trick-taker Sail.
Episode 256: Isle of Skye: an Elegant Masterpiece of Variable Scoring
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 variable scoring, catch up mechanisms, and the cozy vibes of building your own little thing.
Episode 255: Is Art a Game? C. Thi Nguyen Answers Our Questions About Philosophy, Process, and Play
Professor C. Thi Nguyen returns to the pod! We discuss process art, getting good, value capture, empathy, and his new book The Score.
Episode 254: Concordia - Pursuit of Perfection
A deep dive of a bona fide board game classic, Concordia