Episodes
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In Episode 247 we discuss all of the games played during the first half of our semi-annual in-person games gathering, this time in Phoenix, AZ.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
04:59 Finspan
08:41 Clank! Catacombs (with Lairs and Lost Chambers)
13:42 Rebirth
19:10 Rebel Princess
26:26 Power Vacuum
32:30 Flip 7
39:01 Sky Team
43:55 Final Frontier
51:16 Thunder Road: Vendetta
1:02:10 Cyclades: Legendary Edition
1:13:05 Crokinole
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In Episode 246 we look like the games that we feel obligated to play but aren't really excited about. The mandatory assignments that we've missed.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:34 The unfortunate required coursework of the board game designer
04:33 Twilight Imperium 4th Edition
06:11 Tigris and Euphrates
10:40 The Crew: Deep Sea, The Crew, The Fellowship of the Ring: The Trick Taking Game
13:19 Food Chain Magnate
15:58 Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
20:47 Caverna: The Cave Farmers
22:41 Puerto Rico
25:25 Concordia, Lisboa
29:55 Android: Netrunner, Magic: The Gathering
36:11 Blood on the Clocktower
37:58 Terra Mystica
40:52 Civilization
43:18 Commands and Colors: Ancients
46:00 Gloomhaven, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, Frosthaven
52:44 Diplomacy
54:59 Final Thoughts and Honorable Mentions: Cosmic Encounter, The Great Zimbabwe, Mage Knight, Slay the Spire: The Board Game
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Missing episodes?
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In Episode 245 we give our hot take review on Pirates of Maracaibo covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.
We a poll on Legacy Games and then talk about some games that have been on our tables including Davy Jones' Locker: The Kraken Wakes, Great Western Trail: El Paso, and Crystal Palace.Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Poll Time: How do you feel about legacy games?
14:00 Golden Geek Nomination!
16:01 Pirates of Maracaibo Description
20:00 Gameplay and Mechanisms
37:04 Production and Theme
42:40 Final Thoughts
49:31 Davy Jones' Locker: The Kraken Wakes
1:00:09 Great Western Trail: El Paso
1:05:22 Crystal Palace
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In Episode 244 we discuss the huge number of changes that have been happening to the Board Game Geek Top 100 and what this means for the hobby.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
02:23 BGG Top 100 Changes
11:02 Games that have recently moved onto the list
31:56 Games that have recently left the list
39:57 What these changes mean for the hobby
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In Episode 243 we give our hot take review on the latest expansion for Dune: Imperium, Bloodlines, covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game and discuss what we think is the best way to play Dune: Imperium now between all of the expansions, modules, and multiple standalone games available.
We also talk about some games that have been on our tables including Brian Boru and Clank! Catacombs - Lairs and Lost Chambers. We also discuss a poll on average weekly board game time.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:31 Poll Time: On average how many hours of actual tabletop gameplay do you have per week?
05:14 BGG Golden Geek Awards
06:34 Dune: Imperium - Bloodlines
08:35 Gameplay and Mechanisms
27:49 Production and Theme
31:36 Final Thoughts
35:17 The Best way to play Dune: Imperium now.
44:54 Brian Boru
50:55 Clank! Catacombs - Lairs and Lost Chambers
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In Episode 242 Steph Hodge joins us to discuss our top 5 quirky mechanisms in board games.
You can find Steph's blog here: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/3802/all-the-meeples-of-the-rainbow
and her videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamersteph
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
05:12 Top 5 Quirky Mechanisms
08:11 Marrakesh
11:24 Time of Empires
14:00 Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia
17:34 Truffle Snuffle
19:25 Keyper
22:00 Viscounts of the West Kingdom
24:50 Trotofant
27:45 Redwood
30:31 Black Orchestra
34:10 Argo
37:13 Once Upon a Line
39:23 Greedy Kingdoms
42:58 The Faceless
45:35 Piazza Rabazza
48:24 Dungeon Petz
52:49 Honorable Mentions: Picture Perfect, Dungeon Fighter, Canvas, Captain Sonar, Turing Machine, Treasure Island, Bullet Heart, Mord Im Arosa
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In Episode 241 we each talk about 3 board games that we've played recently including Windmill Valley, Zoo Vadis, The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-taking Game, Captain Sonar and many more.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:54 No Thanks
09:52 Zoo Vadis
22:12 Black Orchestra
32:37 Captain Sonar
41:35 Torchlit
49:51 Windmill Valley
58:44 Power Vacuum
1:07:11 Anunnaki: Dawn of the Gods
1:21:10 The Fellowship of the Rings: Trick-Taking Game
1:27:25 Listener Shoutout
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In Episode 240 we discuss board games that have gotten a facelift. New productions, 2nd editions, and similar topics.
We also discuss a poll about leaving game groups.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:29 Poll Time: Have you ever left a game group?
10:54 Board Games That Get Facelifts
13:45 Recent Examples - Castles of Burgundy, La Granja, Brass, Kemet, Cyclades, Irish Gauge, Ethnos, Acquire, Yokohama
20:33 How we feel about this - Terraforming Mars, Agricola, Great Western Trail, The Castles of Burgundy, Mosaic, Manhattan Project: Energy Empire
30:50 What would we want out of Agricola refresh - Agricola: Dead Harvest
40:14 What Makeovers Do We Want - Gaia Project, Beyond the Sun, Le Havre, Quacks of Quedlinburg, The Expanse, Forbidden Stars
47:55 Are big refreshes a problem because of price? - Agricola, Marrakesh, Foundations of Rome, Foundations of Metropolis, Eclipse
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In Episode 239 we each talk about 5 board games that we love but can run a little longer than they should.
We also discuss a poll on publicly discussing your board game interests.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:55 Poll Time: How public are you about your board game love?
12:08 Games we enjoy that can outstay their welcome
12:28 Trailblazer: The Arizona Trail
15:51 Kabuto Sumo
19:57 Tapestry
25:30 Lords of Xidit
29:37 Dominant Species
34:09 Final Girl
37:27 Star Wars: Outer Rim
41:38 Star Wars: Rebellion
44:22 Harmonies
49:43 Aquatica
55:20 Wonderland's War
58:16 Starship Captains
1:02:52 Chimera Station
1:05:43 Battlestar Galactica
1:09:39 Auztralia
1:14:10 Final Thoughts
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In Episode 238 we each talk about 5 board games that have the types and level of player interaction that we really like.
We also discuss a poll on whether complexity and price should have a correlation.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:44 Poll Time: Do you correlate complexity with price?
14:02 Player Interaction
19:52 Parks (Agricola)
25:35 Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Carnegie)
30:31 Clans of Caledonia (Gaia Project)
34:35 My Little Scythe (Wolves, Gaia Project, Sol: Last Days of a Star)
40:01 Stockpile (Pan Am, Lancaster, Modern Art)
45:24 Nidavellir (Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest)
48:54 Great Wall (Lancaster)
53:10 Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory
56:44 Troyes
1:01:00 Carcassonne (Barrage, Terraforming Mars)
1:07:44 Baseball Highlights 2045 (Blood Rage, Magic: The Gathering)
1:12:31 Rebirth (Tigris and Euphrates, Samurai, Blue Lagoon)
1:17:17 Fractal (Rising Sun, Blood Rage, Dune, Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy, Battle for Rokugan)
1:25:34 Bruxelles 1893 (Lancaster, Barrage)
1:30:33 Final Thoughts
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In Episode 237 we give our hot take review on SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.
We announce some board game giveaways and then talk about some games that have been on our tables including Dinosaur Island, Stockpile, Guild of Merchant Explorers, and Architects of the West Kingdom: Age of Artisans.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Patreon Board Game Giveaways
02:50 SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Description
04:25 Gameplay and Mechanisms
18:42 Production and Theme
25:49 Final Thoughts
37:21 Dinosaur Island
44:46 Stockpile
53:40 Guild of Merchant Explorers
55:18 Architects of the West Kingdom: Age of Artisans
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In Episode 236 we discuss the decisions you make around setting up a game to make it the best possible experience for your game group including things like changes you make after random setup steps, how you pick asymmetric factions, and what expansions you add in.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:38 Curating board game setup
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In Episode 235 we give our hot take review on The Guild of Merchant Explorers covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.
We discuss a poll on how tariffs might impact board game buying habits and we discuss some games that have been on our table including Skyrise, Black Forest, Belaad, Oh No Volcano, and Slay the Spire.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:22 Poll: If the percentage of prices on board games increase by double digits due to tariffs how much would that change your buying habits?
07:26 The Guild of Merchant Explorers Description
09:15 Gameplay and Mechanisms
21:15 Production and Theme
27:32 Final Thoughts
32:42 Skyrise and Black Forest revisited
37:42 Belaad: The Land of Swords and Quills
46:32 Oh no, Volcano!
50:51 Slay The Spire: The Board game
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In Episode 234 we look back at some hidden gems from 2015-2019. We each name a game that doesn't get discussed much anymore from each of these years and talk about why they deserve more attention.
We also discuss some our listeners board game highlights from 2024
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Listeners Top Picks from 2024
06:28 Top 5 Overlooked Games (2015-2019)
09:20 2015 - Chaosmos
12:20 2015 - Cthulhu Realms
16:17 2015 - Deep Space D6
20:07 2016 - Bloc By Bloc
23:01 2016 - Imhotep
27:03 2016 - Kingdomino
30:39 2017 - A Handful of Stars
33:44 2017 - Outlive
35:35 2017 - Godfather: Corleone's Empire
39:48 2018 - Space Corp: 2025-2300AD
42:51 2018 - Disney Villainous
49:16 2018 - Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig
51:50 2019 - Dreamscape
54:26 2019 - Chocolate Factory
57:17 2019 - Wavelength
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In Episode 233 we give our hot take review on Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.
We discuss board game restaurants, pubs, and cafes and then discuss some games that have been on our table including Kanban EV, Troyes, and Shasn Azadi.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Discussion: Board Game Pubs
08:33 Shackleton Base Description
11:33 Gameplay and Mechanisms
31:37 Production and Theme
38:53 Final Thoughts
44:24 Kanban EV
49:15 Troyes
54:46 Shasn: Azadi
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In Episode 232 we take a look back at 2024 and discuss some of the great (and no so great) games we played last year. Some of them were even published last year.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
3:20 Biggest Surprises in 2024
11:59 Biggest Disappointments in 2024
21:28 Best New to Us in 2024
36:23 Best Production Published in 2024
45:36 Lookback at Best Games of 2023
47:37 Best Games of 2024
1:05:25 Most Played Games of 2024
1:14:07 Board Game Revelations
1:20:18 2024 BGG Rankings Forecast
1:29:12 Listener Shoutout
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In Episode 331 we give our hot take review on Rats of Wistar covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.
We share poll results on buying games with the intent to sell them at a higher price and then discuss some games that have been on our table including Frozen Frontiers, Rebel Princess, and Dune: Imperium.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:25 Poll: Have you ever bought a game with the intention of flipping it, either for selling or trading it?
13:05 Rats of Wistar Description
15:12 Gameplay and Mechanisms
31:30 Production and Theme
38:50 Final Thoughts
42:54 Frozen Frontier
45:25 Rebel Princess
50:32 Dune: Imperium
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In Episode 230 we return to the mailbag and answer a bunch of our listener's board game related questions.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
1:03 What draws you to boardgames and what do you get most of your hobby? Why do you play boardgames.
8:48 What are your thoughts on thumbing down people on Board Game Arena?
17:13 What games or mechanisms have tiers that you can find in games at light, mid-weight, and heavy weights?
27:41 Do you ever consider board games as works of art?
41:37 What games do you often refuse to play because it's too much work to pack up when you're done playing?
47:48 Best crowdfunding success stories?
55:44 Where do you hear about new games and how do you choose what you're going to review?
1:03:21 How many hours a week do you commit to the podcast?
1:11:54 Listener Shoutout
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In Episode 229 we look back at the games we played once for the first time in 2024. Great games and we want to play them more.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
1:58 Luthier
4:06 Lancaster
5:05 Clockwork Wars
6:18 Marrakesh
8:49 Dune: Imperium Uprising 6 Player
11:12 Hallertau
12:59 Dune
16:58 Biohack
19:06 Walnut Grove
21:32 Unconscious Mind
25:07 Ceres
27:33 Black Forest
28:19 Thunder Road: Vendetta
31:53 March of the Ants
33:51 Endeavor: Deep Sea
38:05 Runners Up (Xenon Profiteer, Mosaic, Mille Fiori, Tokaido Duo)
41:37 Listener Shoutout
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In Episode 228 we look back at last year's list of games we wanted to get played and then we discuss the games that are top of mind we hope to get to try over the next year.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:52 Last Year's Top 5 we wanted to play in 2024 (and how we did)
00:56 Millennium Blades
05:41 Orleans
08:22 Turing Machines
09:38 Trickerion: Legends of Illusions
10:28 Splendor
12:30 Fractal
14:24 Creature Comforts
16:05 Kanban EV
18:09 Clockwork Wars
19:05 Oathsworn; Into the Deepwood
20:54 Cosmic Frog
22:09 Shogun
22:37 Apiary
24:33 Bonfire / Merlin / Marrakesh
26:12 John Company: 2nd Edition
00:56 Millennium Blades
27:17 Top 5 Games we want to play in 2025
27:55 Civolution
29:44 Joyride: Survival of the Fastest
34:16 Wroth
37:12 SETI: Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence
38:57 Harmonies
43:45 Dune: War for Arrakis
49:42 Windmill Valley
51:11 Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth
53:10 Endeavor: Deep Sea
56:09 Resafa
58:54 Andromeda's Edge / Rock Hard: 1977
1:00:57 World Order
1:05:11 Wondrous Creatures
1:06:57 Rats of Wistar
1:11:03 Power Vacuum
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