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Space-Cast! #11. Beyond the Cardboard

Wee Aquinas can't help but note that today is Saturday, which likely means very little listenership for this episode.

As promised, today we’re talking about nothing but tech trees — specifically, Dennis Chan’s Beyond the Sun, a game about exploring the far reaches of the galaxy by climbing the branches of the humble technology tree. Along the way, we discuss some of Dennis’s inspirations, favorite tech systems, and whether Dan is bad at traversing outer space.

Listen over here or download here. Timestamps can be found after the jump.

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Beyond the Technology Tree

That's not the sun.

For decades games have noodled over how to represent technological progress. Tracks? Random cards? Kitsch that doesn’t bear any connection to its stated purpose? Sorry, that last one was a dig at Tapestry. I’ll never pick on it again. Promise.

For Beyond the Sun, Dennis Chan goes with the technology tree. A sturdy favorite. Reliable. Dull, even. Except in this case, Chan has done the unexpected by introducing something new to the idea: a pulse.

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