#49: Crusaders and Thematic Disconnects

Players aren't the only people who make choices, of course. Designers and publishers make decisions about the setting and the theme of their games. Insofar as games can communicate a message--whether purely aesthetic or more ideological--it is beneficial to have a clear vision. Things can get exceptionally problematic when you start playing fast and loose with things of great cultural and historical import. Incidentally, I will note that while our topic and our feature game often have no connection between them, sometimes they do. I don't know why I'm mentioning that this week.Games Played Last Week: -Hyperborea: Light and Shadow 1m37s (Andrea Chiarvesio, Maurizio Vergendo, & Pierluca Zizzi, Asterion Press, 2016)-Between Two Cities 3m15s (Matthew O'Malley, Morten Monrad Pedersen, & Ben Rosset, Stonemaier, 2015)-Factory Funner 5m03s (Corné van Moorsel, Cwali, 2016)-Photosynthesis 8m06s (Hjalmar Hach, Blue Orange, 2017)-Stephenson's Rocket: Eastern USA & China 9m13s (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2018)-Petrichor 12m12s (David Chircop & Dávid Turczi, APE Games, 2018)-The Voyages of Marco Polo 12m57s (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015)-Teotihuacan: City of Gods 14m59s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018)-Dominant Species 15m37s (Chad Jensen, GMT, 2010)-Res Publica 18m03s (Reiner Knizia, Queen, 1991)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Descent into new digital depths 22m05s-Fards of Inshinity digital 22m20s-Failed Carnival of Monsters rises again 23m02s-Die Macher won't die 24m15sFeature Game: Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done 25m10s (Seth Jaffee, Tasty Minstrel, 2018)Topic: Thematic Disconnects 48m15sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices