Weekly Episodes, Launched Every Wednesday.

Episode 236: The Best Components of All Time
In this quirky episode with Jake, Pete, Paul, and Brendan we draft board game components

Episode 235: Chunky Decisions and Other Design Lessons with Jon Perry
A conversation about best practices in game design with Jon Perry the designer of Air, Land, and Sea, Hot Streak, Spots, and more

Episode 234: Deckbuilding 101 and Dominion
An exploration of deckbuilding in tabletop games and the game that started it all, Dominion

Episode 233: Meeples, Money, and Other Chit
We continue our component series by discussing meeples, money, and all the “other "stuff” we use to play games

Episode 232: Brain Burning Decision Spaces and Castles of Mad King Ludwig
In this episode we explore what makes a game feel “brain burning” and deep dive The Castles of Mad King Ludwig

Episode 231: Dice Are Nice
A discussion of the use of dice as a component in tabletop games!

Episode 230: Expanding Root (Deep Dive Pt. 2)
We continue our exploration of Root with a discussion about the decision space of Root expansion factions in The Riverfolk, Underworld, and Marauder expansions

Episode 229: Trick-Taking With A Twist
Pete and Paul dive deep into the twists behind the modern trick-taking renaissance

Episode 228: Apiary and Positive Player Interaction
A deep dive of Apiary and an exploration of positive player interaction in games

Episode 227: All About Boards
We put the “board” in “boardgames” and discuss how this central component impacts the decision space of games

Episode 226: Exploring Cardboard Worlds: Earthborne Rangers and Vantage with Dan Thurot
Special guest Dan Thurot of Space Biff joins Pete for a discussion about open worlds games

Episode 225: Top Games of the 00's That Are Worth Playing in 2025
What boardgames published in the 2000s are still worth playing today?

Episode 224: Board Game Junk Food
Other forms of media often produce examples that can be compared to ‘junk food’ yet this descriptor is rarely applied to board games, we set out to fix that in this episode! (and discuss Doritos…)

Episode 223: An Ode to the Tile, the Best Component in Tabletop Gaming?
A conversation about tiles as a component in board games! What do tile games often feel like to play and what are the decision spaces they typically offer like?

Episode 222: What Have Pete and Jake Been Playing?
Jake and Pete discuss what games they’ve been playing recently!

Episode 221: Player Count Problems and Solutions
How do games accommodate different player counts? What are the common pitfalls and solutions? We dive into these questions and more!


Episode 219: Root: the Greatest Game of All Time?
A deep dive of Leder Games & Cole Wehrle's Root

Episode 218: Lifestyle Games (What We Talk About)
What we talk about when we talk about lifestyle games.

Episode 217: The Wow Factor of Games
What makes you stop and say "wow" when playing a game? Listen to Jake workshop his newly patented "Six Kinds of Wow"! Special guest Bill Collins!