How To Play Podcast » Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ryan Sturm
Welcome to the home of the How to Play Podcast; A Podcast about learning and teaching games. We all know that the best way to learn a game is to have it taught to you by someone who knows the game well. That is what The How to Play Podcast is all about. Its like you are hearing an explanation of how to play a game from your wittiest, best looking and most charming friend. You don’t have a friend like that? Thank goodness, that guy would set the bar for me far too high, and in that case I’m sure that you will think these game explanations are fantastic. How to Play is a tool for learning, and learning to teach, games. Each explanation is carefully handcrafted for your listening pleasure. As an added bonus you might get a bit of strategy, some musings on various board game topics and assorted special lettered episodes all for the low, low price of free. Check it out.
Trade on the Tigris Teaching Guide
Trade on the Tigris Teaching Guide B&W
Released: August 15th, 2018
In this episode I teach you to play the game I co-designed with Geoff Engelstein on the Ludology Podcast, Trade on the Tigris. This game started its life called “Trading in the Mediterranean,” and six [...]
Released: February 18th, 2014
In this episode you get to listen in on Ryan’s explanation of Merchant and Marauders, whose tutorial was won as an item for the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund. Though not truly an official episode, hopefully it might sate some of your longing for new HTP episodes.
[...]
Clash of Cultures Teaching Guide
Clash of Cultures Teaching Guide BW
Released: June 29th, 2013
Show Notes:
I present to you Clash of Cultures. Which is a wonderful civilization game. This epic meaty strategy game could not be denied an episode of How to Play. It is [...]
In this episode I pull together several of my dice tower reviews for your listening pleasure while I am taking a bit of a break from producing How to Play.
Reviews included are;
Glory to Rome: Black Box Edition 1989 High Frontier Urban Sprawl Runewars The Settlers of Catan: Traders and Barbarians Enjoy!
Merchant of Venus Teaching Guide
Merchant of Venus Teaching Guide BW
Released: January 1st, 2013
Game Description:
Merchant of Venus. A wonderful blending of the excitement of an exploration game with the strategy of an economic game. It is a fabulous adventure through space. With the recent [...]
Ora & Labora Teaching Guide
Ora & Labora Teaching Guide BW
Released: November 17th, 2012
Show Notes:
Its time to cover Uwe Rosenberg’s third great resource management game, Ora et Labora. This game enhances his previously developed ideas by adding a geographical element to the game. If you like his [...]
Mage Knight Teaching Guide
Mage Knight Teaching Guide B&W
Released: October 27th, 2012
Show Notes:
So you say you want a great solo game experience to get your geek on when nobody’s around? Mage Knight is your game. Its a wonderful thematic fantasy adventure game with a strong puzzle element which makes [...]
Goa Teaching Guide
Goa Teaching Guide BW
Released: September 30th, 2012
Show Notes:
Today I cover one of the greats of the “eurogame” genre. This game has a wonderful auction system and delicious decisions. Even better it has just been rereleased in an even improved version of an excellent game just [...]
Eclipse Teaching Guide
Eclipse Teaching Guide BW
Released: August 8th, 2012
Show Notes:
Today I cover Eclipse which was the overwhelming favorite as the next game to be covered by How to Play as chosen by the supporters. Eclipse is an amazingly fun 4x game. What is a 4x game? [...]
Rex Teaching Guide
Rex Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: July 11th, 2012
Show Notes:
You want a great theme with strong mechanics, Rex fits the bill. The six colorful races of Rex fight it out for control of the universe, six races who were begging and pleading me [...]
In this episode I compile my Dice Tower segment Series, ” I Don’t Like _______” which aired on episodes between February 2011 and February 2012. This compilation is annotated with some thoughts in between each segment as I take a listen back to each segment. This episode is also a final push to complete our [...]
Top 50 For this episode I do something very different. I count down my Top 50 Green Circle Games. I love complex games, but I also love great simple games. Here is a list of my top 50 simple games. This episode also kicks off my summer fundraiser, please donate today!
Here [...]
Carson City Teaching Guide
Carson City Teaching Guide B&W
Released: May 6th, 2012
Game Description: It’s Caylus … but with guns! That’s right, if you don’t like that your neighbor placed his cowboy in that box, well then just put your man in there and cock your pistol hum [...]
In this episode I dig into the universe of Catan and the works of Klaus Teuber. This episode will give a basic overview of the expansions, variants, scenarios, spinoffs and other assorted Klaus Teuber games.
Teaching Guide for Settlers
Teaching Guide for Settlers BW
Released: April 15th, 2012
Original Show Notes:
Settlers of Catan is my favorite game strictly for fun player interaction. Each game involves negotiation, diplomacy and lots of laughs. This game is responsible for my rediscovery and current addiction and indirectly for entirety [...]
This is a compilation of a 5 part series that originally aired on The Dice Tower Podcast in the Summer and Fall of 2010. In this series I examine some of the deeper life lessons that can be learned from playing board games. The scripts for the five segments are posted below.
All I [...]
Twilight Struggle Teaching Guide
Twilight Struggle Teaching Guide B&W
Released: March 25th, 2012
Game Description:
USA vs USSR. The struggle to alter the course of human history. Twilight struggle is a two player card driven game with the well integrated theme of the cold war. Twilight Struggle is one of the greatest [...]
Date Released: February 12th, 2012
Description:
In this third “How to Win” episode I tackle Through the Ages with my good friend and fellow TTA fan, Geoff Englestein.
Die Burgen von Burgund Teaching Guide
Die Burgen von Burgund Teaching Guide BW
Released: January 17th, 2012
Game Description:
A great medium weight game couples game. In this game players are simply choosing tiles and adding them to their “estate” to score points. So simple yet so [...]
In this episode I talk about the games that I played this year, muse on the year in gaming and present an updated list for my Top 50 favorite games of all time. I discuss all games I played many are new and some are older games.
Here is the list games:
How to Play’s [...]
Game of Thrones Teaching Guide
Game of Thrones Teaching Guide BW
Release Date: December 20th, 2011
Game Description:
Game of Thrones is one of my favorite games because it lets me be a part of one of my favorite stories. It is also an [...]
Advanced Civilization Teaching Guide
Advanced Civilization Teaching Guide B&W
Released: November 13th, 2011
Game Description:
A classic in board games and an amazing boardgame experience. Sure it may take 10-12 hours to play, but this game is worth a whole day of gaming. Expand your people across the board, [...]
Here is my original article on teaching games that I wrote on March 9th, 2008 with which the methods I used to eventually develop the How to Play Podcast.
Feel free to read the article or listen to the audio version, Episode A, by playing the episode at the top of this page.
How To [...]
Airlines Europe Teaching Guide
Airlines Europe Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: October 2nd, 2011
Game Description:
Airlines Europe is the twenty year evolution of the original game Airlines. This game involves route building and stock collection is a tense, fast enjoyable experience. If you like ticket to ride [...]
Troyes Teaching Guide
Troyes Teaching Guide B&W
Released: August 20th, 2011
Game Description:
Troyes is a game about building a medieval French city by exploiting your influence in the three realms of the nobility, the clergy and the peasants who are represented by dice.
Original Show Notes: [...]
Date Released: August 1st, 2011
Game Description:
In Part 2 of my conversation with Ted Alspach we talk about some of our favorite maps for Age of Steam. Exploring our favorite maps for different numbers of players, different skill levels and preview some of Ted’s upcoming Age of Steam Maps.
[...]
Released: July 29th, 2011
Show Description:
In this episode I get a chance to discuss strategy for my favorite game, Age of Steam with a very special guest, Ted Alspach. Ted is the designer of many games and notably over forty maps for the game Age of Steam which definitely qualifies him as an [...]
Through the Ages Teaching Guide
Through the Ages Teaching Guide B&W
Released: July 19th, 2011
Game Description:
Through the Ages is an innovative game with the classic theme of building a civilization. Through the Ages accomplishes its grand scope by using cards to represent all of the [...]
Acquire Teaching Guide
Acquire Teaching Guide B&W
Released: June 4th, 2011
Game Description:
Today we cover a classic in board games, Acquire. This game from 1962 holds up with some of the greatest modern games in our hobby. If you are unfamiliar with this game, you owe [...]
Caylus Teaching Guide
Caylus Teaching Guide (B&W)
Also be sure to check out the “How to Win” Caylus Episode
Released: May 10th, 2010
Game Description:
The original worker placement game and the best. No luck, just skill in this game as you compete against your opponents to collect [...]
Released: April 26th, 2011
Original Show Notes:
This is the first of a potential series of episodes moving beyond learning a game to Advanced Strategy. This podcast is intended for experienced players of the game looking to take their play to the next level.
Race for the Galaxy Teaching Guide
Race for the Galaxy Teaching Guide B&W
Released: April 12th, 2011
Game Description:
Space. The Final Frontier. Our quest: to bravely go where no card game has gone before. (besides San Juan, but that doesn’t really count cause it was sort [...]
Shogun Teaching Guide
Shogun Teaching Guide B&W
Released: March 21st, 2011
Game Description:
In this episode we get into the exciting Japanese themed game Shogun. This unique game combines some wonderful mechanics with a well integrated theme for a great experience. You will have a great time [...]
Hansa Teutonica Teaching Guide
Hansa Teutonica Teaching Guide B&W
Released: February 6th, 2011
Game Description:
A wonderfully simple quick and exciting game. Players are competing to claim routes as traders in Germany. They claim routes to earn special abilities and score victory points. The theme is pretty unnecessary [...]
Released: January 2nd, 2011
Original Show Notes:
So here is an extended musings to go along with Episode #24 on the evolution of board game mechanics. Fortunately I had the chance to discuss this with Gametek’s Geoff Engelstein. We have about a 40 minute discussion that ranges from the evolution of recent mechanics, to obsolescence [...]
Dominant Species Teaching Guide
Dominant Species Teaching Guide B&W
Released: January 2nd, 2011
Game Description:
This worker placement game takes you through the evolution of a species. You will be forced to adapt both your species and you can affect your environment in order to become THE [...]
Released: December 11th, 2010
Show Description:
Today you are in for a special episode. I count down my personal favorite fifty games of all time as of 2010. I give a brief description of each game, and describe why it made the list.
You can view or print the list here;
How to Play’s Top [...]
Notre Dame Teaching Guide
Notre Dame Teaching Guide B&W
Released: November 22nd, 2010
Game Description:
This unique game is all about resource management. You can never run out of money or cubes, you must always fight off the rat threat and somehow in between find a way [...]
Khronos Teaching Guide
Khronos Teaching Guide B&W
Released: October 20th, 2010
Game Description:
This game uses a very fun theme of time travel in which players are playing tiles on three different time periods of boards and if you play in an earlier time period it appears [...]
Colosseum Teaching Guide
Colosseum Teaching Guide B&W
Released: October 1st, 2010
Game Description:
This is one of my favorite mid-weight games. This game is about collecting various assets such as gladiators, musicians and scenery to put on shows in your own roman colosseum. It has a lot of interactive [...]
Magic Realm Teaching Guide
Magic Realm Teaching Guide B&W
Released: September 2nd, 2010
Game Description:
Magic Realm is an older game that attempted to recreate the classic fantasy roleplaying game experience and recreate it as a boardgame. In order to do so the designer included a LOT of [...]
Released: August 14th, 2010
Show Description:
This episode hopes to inspire you to give painting miniatures a try. I start with a motivational speech and then launch into equipment you need to paint your game pieces. I follow that with a brief description of the basics of painting miniatures and include a few of the [...]
Shadows Over Camelot Teaching Guide
Shadows Over Camelot Teaching Guide B&W
Be sure to check out the episode on Painting Miniatures here to learn how to make your mini’s beautiful. Like This…
Released: August 13th, 2010
Game Description:
Shadows over Camelot is a cooperative game about saving Camelot [...]
Alhambra Teaching Guide
Alhambra Teaching Guide B&W
Released: August 4th, 2010
Game Description:
Today we cover a fabulous gateway game, Alhambra. This is a great midweight game to bring out with family or friends. This game is a clever mix of set collection and tile placement with the [...]
Le Havre Teaching Guide
Le Havre Teaching Guide B&W
Released: July 21st, 2010
Game Description:
Another great worker placement game. Each turn you are simply making the choice of taking a pile of resources or using a building. But which resources to take or which building to use? [...]
Released: June 29th, 2010
Show Description:
In this episode I discuss not my Top 50 but I examine the Top 50 games at BGG as of June 2010. I give you a short summary of the games’ themes and mechanics and my rating and personal opinion of each game. I start the episode by musing [...]
Medici Teaching Guide
Medici Teaching Guide B&W
Released: June 8th, 2010
Game Description:
Medici is a clean and beautiful auction game. Its the ultimate game of “whats it worth?” As players bid their victory points to try to earn more victory points. A must own game.
Original [...]
Citadels Teaching Guide
Citadels Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: April 13th, 2010
Game Description:
The game that did Role Selection and Card Drafting before it was cool. This is a wonderfully fun game about drafting a role and playing that game of doublethink. If i take this then he [...]
1830 Teaching Guide
1830 Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: April 4th, 2010
Game Description:
This is an epically awesome railroad game. In this game you will invest in multiple railroad companies, build their tracks, and attempt to increase their stock value without getting left behind in the train technology [...]
Released: March 15th, 2010
Show Description:
I’ve always loved game shows so I thought it would be fun to put together this quiz after episode 12. Unfortunately I found it a lot more fun than the listeners. 60 questions about the first12 games covered on the How to Play podcast. How well do you [...]
Reef Encounter Teaching Guide
Reef Encounter Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: February 16th, 2010
Game Description:
A game that had me scratching my head after reading the rulebook twice. But with a quality explanation this is a hidden gem about combating coral reefs through the main mechanic of [...]
(No Teaching Guide for this episode)
Released: January 31st, 2010
Original Show Notes:
In this show you get a 5 for 1 deal. I take a break from the big heavy games and take a look at some great abstract games. I will explain how to play; Take it [...]
Age of Empires Teaching Guide
Age of Empires Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: January 17th, 2010
Game Description:
A wonderful worker placement game about discovering the new world. This game utilizes the concept of getting specialist workers and integrates its theme beautifully.
Original Show Notes:
Hook (Intro) 4:28 Meat [...]
Brass Teaching Guide
Brass Teaching Guide (B&W) Released: January 1st, 2010
Game Description:
This wonderfully unique game is probably unlike anything you have played before. This is a game of card management in trying to build industries in England in the Industrial Revolution. A brilliant blend of mechanics and theme by [...]
Released: December 20th, 2009
Original Show Notes:
In this episode for the sake of variety, I go into how to pick the right game for different situations. I discuss the factors that go into making this decision and talk about my favorite games for each specific situation. I include different player types and different player [...]
Crayon Rails Teaching Guide
Crayon Rails Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: December 10th, 2009
Game Description:
Crayon Rails is an under-appreciated gem of a game about building track and delivering goods. It is multiplayer solitaire but it is very fun multiplayer solitaire as players draw track on the board with crayons and use that track [...]
Puerto Rico Teaching Guide
Puerto Rico Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: November 22nd, 2009
Game Description:
The game that really put role selection on the map. The major decision of the game is on your turn to decide which of 7 actions all players will participate in. A wonderfully elegant [...]
Stone Age Teaching Guide
Stone Age Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: November 16th, 2009
Game Description:
A lighter worker placement game that is a lot of fun. In this game as cavemen you will get resources, technologies and expand your tribe. Plus you get to throw a bucket of dice. A [...]
Tigris and Euphrates Teaching Guide
Tigris and Euphrates Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: October 27th, 2009
Game Description:
Here is Reiner Knizia’s masterpiece Tigris and Euphrates. A tile placement game where you only do two things on your turn. But deciding what to do with those two actions is agonizingly difficult.
[...]
Here is my original article on teaching games that I wrote on March 9th, 2008 with which the methods I used to eventually develop the How to Play Podcast.
Feel free to read the article or listen to the audio version, Episode A, by playing the episode at the top of this page.
How To [...]
Age of Steam Teaching Guide
Age of Steam Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: October 12th, 2009
Game Description:
My Favorite Game. This game, for me, is the ultimate gaming experience. Tension, True Interaction between the players and virtually no random elements make for a very exciting game. In this [...]
Agricola Teaching Guide
Agricola Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: October 12th, 2009
Complexity Rating:
“Family Version”
“Standard Version”
Game Description:
This very popular worker placement game has a lot of moving parts. Who knew farming was this hard you will need to raise animals, grow crops, expand your house and your family [...]
(No Teaching Guide for this Episode)
Released: October 12th, 2009
Game Description:
Tichu is an amazing partnership trick taking card game. The big twist being that instead of just playing one card players are able to play card combinations to win tricks, leading to a lot of interesting decisions.
[...]
Ticket to Ride Teaching Guide
Ticket to Ride Teaching Guide (B&W)
Released: October 12th, 2009
Game Description:
Ticket to Ride is the ultimate gateway game. Its a faced past modern board game that everyone can enjoy and deserves a spot in every gamers collection. The game involves collecting sets of cards and route [...]
How to Play is an audio podcast all about teaching and learning games.
Each episode contains a FULL rules explanation organized in the best way I know how to explain the game to you as if you were sitting across the table from me.
It is my hope that people use this show to -learn [...]