Welcome to Ludology, where we take a close look at the ins and outs of the board game world. Instead of just talking about new releases or giving reviews, we explore different topics about games from a broader viewpoint. We also dive into the history of games, how they’re made, and the people who play them.
Every two weeks, we put out a new episode of Ludology. In these shows, our hosts, Erica Bouyouris and Sen-Foong Lim, dig deep into one specific subject related to game design. They often bring in experts from the game industry to share their knowledge. While we mostly focus on tabletop games like board games and role-playing games, we also talk to people who know about all sorts of games, from video games to escape rooms and even slot machines.
On the weeks when we don’t have a main Ludology episode, we’ll share two shorter bonus episodes. We’re excited to have Sarah Shipp from Shippboard Games and Stephanie Campbell from TTRPGKids joining us for the next year. They’ll be providing extra content between our longer episodes.
Sarah’s regular spot, called Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, will come out once a month. She’ll explore the parts of games that go beyond the dice and cards we’re all used to. Stephanie’s segment, TTRPGKids, will focus on how parents and teachers can use role-playing games with children at home and in school.
We hope you enjoy this extra content!
Our History
We want most Ludology episodes to be useful for a long time, so feel free to check out all our past shows. Most of them should still be relevant. The podcast first started back in 2011 with Geoff Engelstein and Ryan Sturm. Mike Fitzgerald took over for Ryan in 2015. Gil and Scott joined the show in 2017 when Mike moved on. Emma joined us in 2019 when Geoff stopped being a host. Emma left in 2021, and that’s when Erica and Sen came on board. Since then, Scott left in 2022, and Gil will be leaving in 2023, leaving Erica and Sen to continue this great tradition.
Erica and Sen are working to bring new voices to Ludology and have some exciting things planned as gaming becomes more welcoming to everyone!
Get In Touch
Do you have your own ideas about the topics we discuss? We’d love for you to join the conversation on our page on Boardgamegeek. You can find us there to share your thoughts.
You can also send us an email.
Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, which is the leading network for board game media.
If you have questions you’d like us to answer on Ludology, please let us know by filling out this Google Form. You can even leave an audio question if you’d like us to play it on the show!
Burning Questions for Ludology
[image-1]
Support the Show
Ludology is made possible thanks to the support and donations from listeners like you.
We currently have three special series called “First Listen” that go out to our Patrons before the audio is released to everyone else.
- The Memories that Made Us (monthly) – Stories about gaming experiences that helped shape the people who create modern games.
- Tales from the Designer Toolbox (monthly) – Advice and tips from game industry professionals, learned from both successes and mistakes.
- Ludology Live – Recordings from game conventions held around the world.
Patrons will also get a better chance at winning any giveaways we might have!
Become a Ludology Patron
[image-2]
You can also make a one-time or monthly donation. The link will take you to Erica’s account. People who donate this way won’t have access to the Patreon page, unfortunately.
