Board game design is a deep and often challenging pursuit. We explore all aspects of game design and the fun problems (and solutions) that come with it.
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Peter C Hayward Podcasts
Weekly episodes of Ricochet’s flagship podcast feature our hosts James Lileks, Steve Hayward, Charles C. W. Cooke, and guests discussing the issues of the week. Listen to The Ricochet Podcast, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.
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James, Steve, and Charles are back for a Halloween treat: H.R. McMaster joins at the top for a chat about military matters: the Maduro regime and boat strikes; UAVs and the fight in Eastern Europe; the Department of War and our readiness. Plus, the fellas defend cultural confidence, brave the Great Feminization, and name the most horrifying flick t…
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#74 - How to Find, Build, and Run Playtest Groups
1:24:45
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Hosts Peter C. Hayward and AJ Brandon walk through how to start, run and grow board game playtest groups; finding people, finding the right location, handling disputes, scheduling games, and balancing in-person vs digital testing. They share real-world examples (Toronto, First Play LA, ProtoTO), safety and inclusivity tips, troubleshooting for long…
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An Empiricist's Guide to the Search for God
1:03:19
1:03:19
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Charles Murray's inquiries into social science have resulted in the publication of a number of the most important (and controversial) academic books of the past half-century. It's safe to say he enjoys complexity and taking a stand — and yet there's one big question that Mr. Murray spent half his life dismissing, and the second half marveling at wi…
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Peter runs through his regrets over the years from design choices, co-design pitfalls, self-publishing mistakes, failed Kickstarters, and the burnout that followed. Together with AJ they help turn this mistakes into actionable advice to avoid falling into the same traps. Episode starts at 12 min 30 seconds. Paranormal Detectives standalone expansio…
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The government shutdown drags on, but the president's pulled off his biggest deal yet. Noah Rothman joins Charlie and Steve to discuss the monumental advancement toward regional stability and the unique talents for these wins by American and Israeli leaders — talents for which they are unlikely to receive due honors. Plus, Hayward and Cooke conside…
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Peter and AJ dissect Daniel Piechnick's "types of fun" framework, exploring 13 varieties grouped into constructive, excitement, social, and emotional categories. They add personal insights, debate nuances, and more! Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me Email: [email protected] Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!…
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We're a few days into a government shutdown, but James, Steve, and Charles are managing to get by. So it's business as usual as the trio pick apart the oddities of the week: Democrats attempt to dodge responsibility for their own filibuster; OMB's Russ Vought gets to work on his master plan; the Secretary of War stands accused of fat-shaming his ge…
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The executive branch's ambitious prosecutors have made first strikes against familiar, yet evasive, foes. That means it's time to bring back John Yoo — legal scholar, gastronome, Eagles fan — to parse through the Comey indictment, jurisprudence regarding domestic terror, and the legitimation of using military force against Venezuelan drug runners. …
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#71 - The problem with end game scoring (Game Feedback) Minisode
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Peter C. Hayward and AJ Brandon dig into a common design problem: games that keep scoring until the end don't give feedback to players. They discuss practical fixes to give players earlier, clearer feedback and make learning faster and games more accessible. Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me Email: [email protected] Big thanks to Ed…
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Steve Hayward is back with James and Charles after a few weeks away, and the trio sits down with Josh Hammer, senior editor-at-large of Newsweek, to talk about his murdered friend, Charlie Kirk. The gang discusses the Turning Point enterprise, the mission of its founder, and the ugly attempts by clickbait peddlers to contort the late-Kirk's message…
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James and Charles discuss the political assassination of Charlie Kirk and the disturbing implications it has for a country founded on certain inalienable rights. Sound from this week's audio: Utah Governor Stephen Cox announces the capture of the shooter. Photo: Dennis MacDonald / Shutterstock.com Please visit today's sponsor, Cozy Earth: CozyEarth…
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#70 - An entire episode about taking an action
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Peter C. Hayward and AJ Brandon break down action selection systems in games; why constraints and variance make turns interesting and how different systems (worker placement, dice placement, drafting, rondels, time tracks, menus and more) shape player decisions. The episode gives designers practical examples, trade-offs and tips from many published…
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It's a Wonder Why They're Losing to This Guy
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Steve Hayward is traveling abroad, so Ricochet co-founder Rob Long takes a break from his seminary studies to join James and Charlie in a discussion of worldly ways this week. The trio discusses property taxes, crazies with guns, and Bari Weiss's making a big deal over The Free Press. Plus, there's a comedian on trial in the UK, sustained outrage o…
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Peter announces he’s stepping back from board games to explore new creative projects and explains why the podcast will be winding down. Plus a lot more fun than usual to make up for the downer announcement. Please suggest topics to cover before the show ends! Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me Email: [email protected] Big thanks to E…
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This week's podcast starts out on a somber note, as this week's tragic news of the attack on Annunciation Catholic school hits unsettlingly close to home for one of our hosts. James, Charles, and Steve then chat with Will Chamberlain about next week's NatCon conference taking place in Washington, DC. The trio also weighs in on flag-burning. - Sound…
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Peter C. Hayward and AJ Brandon dive into emergent strategy, how to seed subtle interactions, and how to telegraph systems to players. They answer listener questions on market saturation, the future of board games, and personal careers in design. The hosts give detailed playtesting advice—solo testing, public and cold playtests, TTS tips, teaching …
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Democrats have been worked up this week over congressional redistricting in Texas. But, hypocrisy aside, could this be a low priority for a party well into the double-digits in favorability? To get a sense of what the left ought to be doing instead, we welcome Ruy Teixiera back to the podcast to discuss the now-endangered liberal patriot. (Be sure …
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In this episode AJ and Peter dig into core game-design ideas: the difference between strategy and tactics, how scarcity and tough choices make games engaging, best practices for scoring and playtesting, and designing emergent combos that let players discover clever strategies. Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me Email: [email protected]…
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Noah Rothman returns ahead of Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin to give a foreign policy progress report of the president's second term. He gets into the fraught history of US-Russia negotiations, applauds the latest maneuvers in the Middle East, and applies a big-picture framing of the geopolitical status quo in response to the charge that colla…
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In less than eighty years, the US has slipped from its baby boom heyday to a baby bust. Timothy Carney, author of Alientated America and Family Unfriendly, joins the Ricochet Podcast to discuss the implications and potential consequences of the nation's waning will to procreate. Steve, Charles, and James gab about the fuss over gerrymandering, appr…
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Another workweek, another outrage, another Casual Friday. Lileks, Hayward, and Cooke remain (reasonably) laid back in the face of madman theory in action, tariff tranches, deadly predators, and pun-heavy advertisements. - Sound from this week's open: Sydney Sweeny promoting American Apparel jeans and Donald Trump explains how to escape from alligat…
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#66 - The Best Design Advice on the Internet – Part 6
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The best game design advice on the internet can be found at https://daniel.games/ – we can't recommend it highly enough! This is part 6 of a series where we explore the game design blog "Daniel.Games," written by Daniel Piechnick. Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me Email: [email protected] Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Big thanks…
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Weaving Together European Conservatism(s)
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At 750 episodes, the Ricochet Podcast is ready to accept the responsibilities that come with joining the ranks of august institutions and fellow pillars of Western Civilization. To that end, our princely hosts, James, Charles, and Steven, convene with Ellen Fantini of The European Conservative for a digital roundtable on her magazine's unique effor…
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