About this episode

The episode explores the mathematical and design aspects of card game deck structures.

Episode 275- Inside the Deck This week Jake, Paul, and Brendan explore the different deck structures of card games. Things get mathy in this design focused discussion about how combinations of suits and numbers create different decision spaces in games. Time Stamps 2:00- Air Land and Sea13:00- The Fox in the Forest21:45- Jekyll vs Hyde27:45- Dracula vs Van Helsing34:30- Coloretto42:00- Pet Quartet45:00- Flip 750:00- The Mind55:00- No Thanks1:01:30- Arboretum1:09:30- Lost Cities1:14:00- Schotten Totten1:16:15- Scout and dnup Preplanners Up next is a recap from a historical game convention. Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/. Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Intermission Music:music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jacob Frydman, Brendan Hansen, Paul Salomon

Topics covered

• card games
• deck structures
• game design
• decision spaces
• mathematics
• suits and numbers

Keywords

• card games
• deck design
• game mechanics
• decision making
• suits
• numbers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hembree, Flash Floods

Books & works: Air Land and Sea, The Fox in the Forest, Jekyll vs Hyde, Dracula vs Van Helsing, Coloretto, Pet Quartet, Flip 7, The Mind, No Thanks, Arboretum

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• New Editions of Old Games and the Brilliance of Libertalia · September 2, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Design Disagreements, Dream Games, and Other Listener Questions · August 26, 2026 · 1h 22m
• Sandbox Objectives and Frosted Blooms · August 19, 2026 · 1h 13m
• The Questions Games Ask (What We Talk About) · August 12, 2026 · 1h 18m
• Deckbuilding 301: How Slay the Spire Expands Tabletop Design · August 5, 2026 · 1h 47m

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