Best Ludological Podcasts (2025)

1
TTRPGKids 21 7:33

4d ago7:33

7:33

Steph Campbell brings their segment, TTRPGKids, to Ludology. This week, they breakdown their TTRPG "Photosynthians" that they made as a resource to demonstrate how to teach science with TTRPGs and how to integrate lesson plans and other classroom basics into the game itself for designers. The game is free and part of the classroom-ready toolkit tha…

1
Ludological Alchemy: The Hypothesis - Episode #11: Designing to Teach Game Design 1:17:52

8d ago1:17:52

1:17:52

Greetings, alchemists. Once again, we dive into an arcane topic, but this one has a bit of a metatextual level: we speak of teaching the subject of game design. Christopher has many questions for Luke, who has answers, experience, and even some questions of his own. We discuss subject matter, students, things to consider from the academic side of t…

1
Rob Alvarez on Get Started in Gamification 28:21

11d ago28:21

28:21

Rob Alvarez on Get Started in Gamification In this episode of Experience Points by University XP, host Dave Eng welcomes gamification expert Rob Alvarez to discuss gamification and games-based solutions. Rob, known as Professor Game, shares his journey into gamification, emphasizing the importance of meaningful learning experiences tailored to spec…

1
Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 16 5:57

18d ago5:57

5:57

Sen and Erica welcome guest host Sarah Shipp to her segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms. In this installment, Sarah looks at designing games that ask players to be creative. Sarah examines some of the common pitfalls you can encounter when you ask players create content for the game and discusses how to avoid them.…

1
Ludology 336 Roll For Learning 1:08:55

25d ago1:08:55

1:08:55

Sen and Erica welcome Professor Camilla Zamboni to discuss "Roll for Learning", a book she co-edited that contains 51 microRPGs that are intended for use in K-12+ classrooms in fields as diverse as STEM, SEL, and the Humanities. You can download the pdf of the book for free here: https://playstorypress.org/books/roll-for-learning/…

1
What is a Game? 6:14

25d ago6:14

6:14

What is a Game? In this episode, we’ll tackle that question head-on. We’ll explore the philosophies, definitions, and key characteristics that make games so unique. Whether you’re a designer, a player, or just someone curious about the deeper meaning of games, this episode is for you. If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, a…

1
TTRPGKids Ep 20 9:22

1M ago9:22

9:22

In this episode of TTRPGKids, Steph Campbell provides excellent ideas on how to use TTRPGs to teach STEM subjects in the classroom and at home.

1
Ludological Alchemy: The Hypothesis - Episode #10: Iron Hearts in Hearts of Iron 1:18:47

1M ago1:18:47

1:18:47

Players of Games, As a game designer, playing other games is important to the design process, especially games orthogonal to your area of expertise. In Episode 10 of Ludological Alchemy’s Hypothesis we broaden our remit to discuss a topic adjacent to roleplaying games: war games. Specifically in our case, Hearts of Iron 4 by Paradox Entertainment. …

1
Christopher Stuart on Applied TTPRGs 33:24

1M ago33:24

33:24

Christopher Stuart on Applied TTPRGs In this episode of Experience Points, Dr. Christopher Stuart, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at UNC Wilmington, delves into the transformative role of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) in education and facilitation. Christopher shares insights from his research on game dynamics, player engagemen…

1
Ludology 335 Who's This For? 1:03:43

1M ago1:03:43

1:03:43

In this Host Roundtable, Erica and Sen talk about the importance of understanding who the audience for a specific game is during the design, development, and publication process. They discuss some of the ways in which they determine who the audience is and how knowing the key characteristics and desires of the demographic can help them make a game …

1
Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 15 6:04

1M ago6:04

6:04

On this month's installment of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, special guest host, Sarah Shipp, dives into the mechanism of bluffing and gives her thoughts on why it's more that merely mechanical.

1
Ludological Alchemy: The Hypothesis - A Random Encounter with Tom Bombadil 1:44:52

2M ago1:44:52

1:44:52

Dearest listener, Here we present to a special episode. Normally, we limit such special episodes to paid subscribers, but we enjoyed this discussion so much we wanted to share it with everyone. Please enjoy and if you’re so compelled, put a few goldberries in our yellow hat. TOM BOMBADIL. Merry old Tom is a denizen of the Old Forest, northeast of t…

1
Pros and Cons Ep 11 57:24

2M ago57:24

57:24

Sen speaks with Nick Yu while their families are on vacation together in the Berkshires - so a very smol con, indeed. They discuss an IP they are working on with the creator called Tankhead by Emerson Tung (www.emersontung.com/tankhead). The two discuss their journey in designing a series of games for potential self-publication along with a plan to…

1
Scott Nicholson on EscapeIF 20:10

2M ago20:10

20:10

Scott Nicholson on EscapeIF In this episode of Experience Points, host Dave Eng interviews Dr. Scott Nicholson, professor and director of the Game Design and Development Program at Wilfrid Laurier University. Dr. Nicholson discusses EscapeIF, a system designed for low-resource classrooms to integrate storytelling and interactive fiction into educat…

1
Thorsten Kodalle on Strategic Wargaming 22:30

2M ago22:30

22:30

Thorsten Kodalle on Strategic Wargaming In this episode of Experience Points by University XP, host Dave Eng speaks with Thorsten Kodalle, head of Innovation Laboratory at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College and an expert in Strategic Wargaming, Gamification, and Serious Games. Thorsten shares insights into integrating Gamification into Strate…

1
Ludological Alchemy: The Hypothesis - Episode #9: In All Fairness 2:01:38

2M ago2:01:38

2:01:38

We know that for many, today is a day known as "Christmas Day", however, we here at Ludological Alchemy celebrate a more esoteric event: the final episode of our podcast The Hypothesis for the year 2024. Our first year of podcasting and blogging has been tumultuous, perilous, enlightening, frustrating, joyous, fraught, and entirely worthwhile, by o…

1
TTRPGKids Ep 19 11:30

2M ago11:30

11:30

In this episode of TTRPGKids, Steph Campbell differentiates between an RPG that could be used in an educational setting and an one that is classroom-ready! Steph provides a list of all the things you need to move from A to B in about an hour!

1
Ludology 334 Let's Call a Spade a Spade 1:06:22

3M ago1:06:22

1:06:22

Sen and Erica welcome Jay Cormier of Off the Page Games to the podcast to talk about his penchant for making puzzley games that make players feel clever while giving them a sense of exploration and adventure, Jay discusses his first time at PAXU as well as his newest releases, Corps of Discovery and Design Your Destiny.…

1
AP Table Talk: Follow 55:24

3M ago55:24

55:24

AP Table Talk: Follow In this episode of AP Table Talk, Brian and Dave Eng discuss the concept of the follow mechanic in board games. They begin by relating the concept to platformer games and how follow mechanics let players perform or adjust actions chosen by others. They review games like Tiny Towns and Puerto Rico, recalling their experiences w…

1
Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 14 5:47

3M ago5:47

5:47

In this installment of Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, Erica and Sen welcome host Sarah Shipp to talk about failure and how loss can drive gameplay.

1
Chris Carbone on Board Game Academics 34:13

3M ago34:13

34:13

Chris Carbone on Board Game Academics In this episode of Experience Points by University XP, host Dave Eng interviews Christopher Carbone, an accomplished career services leader and co-founder of Board Game Academics. They discuss the intersection of academia and tabletop gaming, emphasizing experiential learning and personal development. Carbone s…

1
Ludology 333 Bigger Than A Breadbox 54:20

3M ago54:20

54:20

Have you ever wondered what it takes to keep a FLGS afloat in this age of online retailers and Amazon Prime? Sen and Erica welcome Caleb Wunderlich, Assistant Manager at Millennium Games in Rochester, NY - the biggest game store in the USA - to talk about building community, running events, and catering to customers' needs.…

1
Ludological Alchemy: The Hypothesis - Episode #8: Ten Rules of Roleplaying Games 1:43:58

3M ago1:43:58

1:43:58

We return to undertake a challenge. What rules must one adhere to when crafting roleplaying games? We develop a list of ten of them. Listen to follow our journey! Technical note for our listeners: Recording this episode seems to have triggered some mild curse. Christopher appears to have angered some kami of audio, a gremlin of podcasting. Thus the…

1
TTRPGKids 18 Arthimagine 7:47

3M ago7:47

7:47

Erica and Sen welcome guest host Steph Campbell to talk about Arithmagine (https://luckoflegends.itch.io/arithmagine), a setting-agnositic TTRPG focused on teaching mathematics, on this episode of TTRPGKids.

1
Ludology 332 The Oldest Trick in the Book 50:11

4M ago50:11

50:11

Sen and Erica welcome former host Scott Rogers back to the show to dive into his latest book, "Your Turn: The Guide to Great Tabletop Game Design" and tell us what he's been up to as of late.

1
What is the Player Journey? 31:25

4M ago31:25

31:25

What is the Player Journey? On today’s episode, we’ll answer the question: What is the player journey? When we play games, we often get caught up in the excitement of the moment—exploring vast worlds, connecting with others, completing quests, and simply enjoying ourselves. But have you ever stopped to consider the journey you take as a player? Thi…

1
Thinking Beyond Mechanisms Ep 13 7:04

4M ago7:04

7:04

Sen and Erica welcome special guest host Sarah Shipp for her segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms. In this episode, Sarah discusses Game Theory and the importance of studying the design of tabletop games in a more academic manner.

1
Ludology 331Pixelate Those Pieces 1:00:45

4M ago1:00:45

1:00:45

Erica and Sen welcome Theresa Duringer to talk about her role as a tabletop game app developer at Temple Gates Games. They discuss what it takes to make an app translation of a tabletop hit, what some differences might be between the physical and digital versions, how the AI opponents are trained, and more!…

1
AP Table Talk: Deck, Bag, and Pool Building 1:11:23

4M ago1:11:23

1:11:23

AP Table Talk: Deck, Bag, and Pool Building In this episode of AP Table Talk, Brian and Dave Eng discuss the concept of deck, bag, and pool building in board games. They explain that deck building specifically involves players starting with a basic deck of cards, which they enhance throughout the game to achieve specific goals. The episode highligh…

1
Ludological Alchemy: The Hypothesis - Episode #7: Players Playing 1:18:20

4M ago1:18:20

1:18:20

Are games truly games without those who play them? In this latest episode of our Ludological Alchemy podcast "The Hypothesis" we discuss the terms, personages, conditions by which we can identify and better understand that which is the most difficult part of any game: the player. Are you a player of games? Surely you must be, but what sort of playe…

1
Ludology 330 Phantom Tax 48:27

4M ago48:27

48:27

Sen and Erica welcome Dr. Mary Flanagan and Max Seidman from Resonym Games to talk about their latest game, Phantom Ink, that has generated a lot of buzz around the industry as it made the SdJ short list for 2024. They discuss design, international licensing, and even the afterlife!

1
TTRPG Kids Ep 17 8:05

4M ago8:05

8:05

Sen and Erica welcome special guest host Steph Campbell who brings you their latest segment, TTRPGKids. This week, Steph talks about how to incorporate math into games in the classroom and at the dinner table.

1
Travis Windleharth on foundry10 17:49

5M ago17:49

17:49

Travis Windleharth on foundry10 In this episode of Experience Points, Dave Eng chats with Travis Windleharth from foundry10 about games-based learning. Travis, with a background in science education, museology, and information science, focuses on how games shape youth's understanding of STEM concepts. Foundry10, co-founded by Gabe Newell, is explor…

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