Board Game Barrage
308 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago - ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsJoin Kellen, Neilan, Mark, and Christina for a podcast about board games, the latest hotness, and how to have fun with your friends even when you're losing.
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Episodes
#205: Top 50 Games of All-Time 2021: 40-31 (ft. Monique & Naveen)
December 23, 2021 09:24 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBWe're back for the second part of the year's greatest celebration, it's the top fifty! We've got thirty more incredible games to talk about this week, as we get into our games ranked 40th to 31st. This week in the peanut gallery, critiquing our picks, we're thrilled to have Monique (the Lavender tank herself) and Naveen of Before You Play! 01:29 - Neilan #40 - Coloretto 03:15 - Kellen #40 - Zendo 05:28 - Mark #40 - Ginkgopolis 07:46 - Neilan #39 - Aeon's End 10:06 - Kellen #39 - Stephe...
#204: Top 50 Games of All-Time 2021: 50-41 (ft. Mike Dilisio)
December 16, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBIt's time. The event of the year is upon us, as we begin counting down our FIFTY. FAVOURITE. GAMES. OF. ALL. TIME. We're kicking it off where you kick off all good top 50s, with our games ranked 50th to 41st favourite games. And we've also invited Mr Delicious himself, Mike DiLisio of The Dice Tower, to pick apart our choices from his lofty perch in the peanut gallery. Let's go! 03:15 - Kellen #50 - So Clover! 07:10 - Neilan #50 - Taluva 10:18 - Mark #50 - Glory to Rome 14:30 - Kellen #...
#203: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
December 09, 2021 07:44 - 48 minutes - 33.4 MBIt'd be great if we could only ever play our favourites. But sometimes, perhaps more often than not, we have to put up with playing games not because we want to, but because it's the polite or kind thing to do depending on the company. This week, we're talking about games that we don't necessarily love, but for whatever reason we end up playing a lot of. Before we're held against our will, we talk about Mr. Cabbagehead's Garden, Sacred Rites, and Great Plains. 02:09 - Mr. Cabbagehead's Gar...
#202: Your Fulfilled Potential
December 02, 2021 08:32 - 1 hour - 42.6 MBLooking back on the past made us all reflective. For instance, remember 166 episodes ago when we promised to play all those games on our shelves of shame? I thought you might. We're revisiting our crimes of yesteryear, and checking in on how guilty we are. Before we audit our past selves, we talk about Warp's Edge, Carolus Magnus, and Unfathomable. 02:32 - Warp's Edge 08:09 - Carolus Magnus 16:20 - Unfathomable 27:00 - A Look Back at Our Unfulfilled Potential 27:18 - Fog of Love 28:56...
#201: I Choose You, Ghost Turkey!
November 24, 2021 20:10 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBGobble gobble, gotcha again. What better way to follow up one of our biggest episodes yet, than with one of our stupidest? Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 02:35 - Cursed Court: Pokémon Edition 04:30 - Unfathomable 05:36 - Wings of War: Deluxe Set 06:22 - Gods Loves Dinosaurs 07:12 - Wings of Glory 08:16 - Seikatsu 12:59 - Bandada 14:22 - Concordia Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Face...
#200: The Big 200 Spectacular
November 18, 2021 11:10 - 1 hour - 53.3 MBWe did it! Two hundred episodes later and we're still here. We're so grateful to every single listener, so we wanted to turn the mics back on all of you for your favourite voicemail memories from the show. Here's to another two hundred. Before we celebrate good times, we talk about Llamaland, Mansions of Madness: Second Edition, and Clash of Cultures: Monumental Edition. 02:59 - Llamaland 12:03 - Mansions of Madness: Second Edition 18:26 - Cthulhu: Death May Die 19:36 - Clash of Culture...
#199: Amerigames and Eurotrash
November 11, 2021 08:19 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBThe split between Eurogame and Ameritrash gamers is as old as it it is silly, but in the last ten years it's also become a lot more nebulous. It's less clear than ever which side of the fence games fall on, so why still use these archaic labels at all? Maybe it's time for a change. Before we heal the divide, we talk about Hostage Negotiator, Juicy Fruits, Sleeping Gods, and Witchstone. 04:25 - Hostage Negotiator 12:38 - Juicy Fruits 17:34 - Sleeping Gods 28:38 - Witchstone 35:10 - Inge...
#198: Making Memories
November 04, 2021 08:29 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBIf you've ever been a board game host, then you know it's not always just about playing games, it's about creating lasting memories for everyone playing. We'd never leave that to chance though, so of course we're often going out of our way to make a board game experience memorable. Before we do the unforgettable, we talk about Khôra: Rise of an Empire, Dune: Betrayal, and Santa Maria. 02:08 - Khôra: Rise of an Empire 13:02 - Dune: Betrayal 21:17 - Santa Maria 29:17 - Official PAX Unplug...
#197: Fantasy Draft: BoardGameGeek 401-500
October 28, 2021 08:54 - 54 minutes - 37.9 MBIt's part five of our venerable draft series, a series so loved that it's now in syndication! We're moving on to the tail end of the BGB Top 500, but the format stays the same: draft five games to build a standalone collection that's better than the others. Vote for your favourite, and you can win $50! Before we collect royalties, we talk about PARKS, Fairy Trails, Abandon All Artichokes, and So Clover! 03:39 - PARKS 11:04 - Tokaido 12:40 - Fairy Trails 16:37 - Abandon All Artichokes 2...
#196: Question Time with Jeremy
October 21, 2021 09:25 - 55 minutes - 38.8 MBWe love all of the emails we get from you, our lovely listeners, but without a regular mail segment, we can't often give them the attention they deserve. Well that ends right now, as we delve into the long neglected pile of mail, and answer some choice questions that have been waiting patiently for answers. Before we rustle in the mailbag, we talk about Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done, and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. 01:42 - Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done 12:44 - World of Warcraft...
#195: Eric, Eric, He's Our Lang
October 14, 2021 02:30 - 1 hour - 42.2 MBWe're always excited for a new Eric Lang game, which makes him an obvious candidate for the absolutely-not-called BGB DOG - our series where we deep dive into a designer's .... designography. He's made a lot of our favourite area control games, and had his hand in some games we might not have even realized. Before we bang on about this Lang mang, we talk about What's Missing?, Polynesia, and TEN. 02:41 - What's Missing? 07:50 - Polynesia 17:47 - Ten 25:10 - PAX Unplugged 25:45 - Ghost ...
#194: Essen SPIEL 2021 Hype List
October 07, 2021 07:49 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBConvention season in the new world continues, and this time it's Germany's turn, with Essen SPIEL just days away from kicking off. But tanks, you say, I don't sprechen Deutsch. We've got you. We're going to highlight all the games that we think you ought to be paying attention to, no German necessary. Before we spend our Euros, we talk about Praga Caput Regni, Skulk Hollow, and Beez. 01:40 - Praga Caput Regni 11:51 - Skulk Hollow 18:17 - Beez 25:51 - Fantasy Draft Winner! 27:58 - Essen...
#193: Three Dimensions of Space
September 30, 2021 08:44 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MBThere is one unenviable truth of board game ownership that we're forced to contend with - they occupy space. We've each had to wrestle with this reality in different ways recently, so we offer our thoughts on the awkwardness of sharing a physical world with our board games. Before we merely exist, we talk about Riftforce, Kabuto Sumo, and Whirling Witchcraft. 02:23 - Riftforce 11:38 - Kabuto Sumo 19:41 - Whirling Witchcraft 23:25 - Bullet♥︎ 23:45 - Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne 29...
#192: Fantasy Draft: BoardGameGeek 301-400
September 23, 2021 06:37 - 55 minutes - 38.6 MBA new list of a hundred games to draft, and it only gets harder and harder. We're each picking a standalone collection of five games in a snake draft format. And the best part is you could win $50 just by voting on your favourite collection! Before we get to clubbing, we talk about Regicide, Dice Miner, and Let's Make a Bus Route, and SCOUT! 02:06 - Regicide 08:34 - Dice Miner 16:55 - Let's Make a Bus Route 16:55 - Get on Board: New York & London 18:56 - SCOUT! 22:42 - Drafting BGG's ...
#191: Take Off Every Zig
September 16, 2021 09:34 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBWhile one of the appeals of following a specific game designer is the comforting familiarity of what they do best, it’s also really fun to see them go off the garden path. We’re looking at games and mechanics where one of our beloved designers zigged, when they easily could’ve zagged. Before we go our own way, we talk about Biosphere, The Ratcatcher: The Solo Adventure Game, and Stephenson’s Rocket. Timecodes: 01:46 – Biosphere 10:58 – The Ratcatcher: The Solo Adventure Game 19:10 – St...
#190: Why Are You the Way That You Are?
September 09, 2021 06:29 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MBOne of the things we love to do, especially if we're playing a game for the first time, is analyse it while we're playing. We're sure this totally isn't annoying for those around us. In particular, we love picking apart little mechanical choices, imagining what the designer's thought process was, and wondering "why is that like that?" Before we get to speculating, we talk about Divinity Derby, Mexica, and Strasbourg. 03:28 - Divinity Derby 11:54 - Hab & Gut 13:22 - Mexica 19:06 - Strasb...
#189: Uwe Baby
September 02, 2021 07:17 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBWe love Uwe Rosenberg around these parts, whether it's because of our infatuation with polyominoes, the need to keep workers fed, or the strange mechanisms of animal breeding. Join us down the (cottage) garden path of his designography, and make sure to plant some vegetables along the way. Before we get agricultural, we talk about Bosk, Spies & Lies: A Stratego Story, and Glen More II: Chronicles. 00:58 - Bosk 07:57 - Spies & Lies: A Stratego Story 12:37 - Love Letter 15:21 - Glen More ...
#188: Whatever It Takes
August 26, 2021 06:59 - 41 minutes - 28.9 MBSometimes, if you want a game bad enough, you're willing to go to absurd lengths to acquire it. Whether it's because it's out of print, or just hard to come by, we've all put more effort than we should've into finding or playing specific games. We tell our stories of just how far we've gone. Before we secure the bag, we talk about Tinner's Trail, and The Night Cage. 01:10 - Tinner's Trail 08:13 - The Night Cage 17:31 - Games you've gone out of your way for 18:39 - Sherlock Holmes Consul...
#187: Fantasy Draft: BoardGameGeek 201-300
August 19, 2021 06:33 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBWe're back with another fantasy draft, as we keep on moving down the BoardGameGeek top games list. If you're not familiar, we're each picking a standalone collection of five games before our picks get stolen out from under us. Want to win a $50 gift card? You've got to vote on whose collection is best! Before we get the knives out, we talk about Raiders of Scythia, and Ankh: Gods of Egypt. 02:01 - Raiders of Scythia 02:18 - Raiders of the North Sea 08:56 - Ankh: Gods of Egypt 29:09 - Dr...
#186: Don’t Knock It Till You Try It
August 12, 2021 07:37 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBWe all have types of games that, for whatever reason, we steer clear of. Often all that we've been missing is a more suitable introduction to the genre, or a game that's just enough of an outlier. This week, we try to tempt you toward genres that you might have written off, with the games that may just sway you. Before we change your minds, we talk about Pocket Galapagos, Cascadia, and Bites. 01:36 - Pocket Galapagos 08:57 - Cascadia 12:53 - Bites 18:34 - Games that'll turn you around ...
#185: The Most Important Meal of the Day
August 05, 2021 07:20 - 58 minutes - 40.5 MBIt's board games for dinner, but we're not just throwing whatever we could find on your plate. No, we've got menus. We lay out our ideas for a four course board game meal, complete with appetizer, amuse-bouche, entrée and dessert, in a fun little exercise suggested by a listener. Before we meal plan, we talk about Sequoia, The Mind Extreme, and MicroMacro: Crime City. 04:31 - Sequoia 10:07 - The Mind Extreme 13:36 - MicroMacro: Crime City 21:59 - Draft winner! 23:43 - Four course board...
#184: Science Based Friction
July 29, 2021 00:57 - 1 hour - 47.2 MBBoard game science is a delicate process, but thankfully BOB's here to help, in another BGB Battle of Board (Games)! This week, we're pitting our favourite science fiction themed games against each other. That's fifteen sci fi games, which we'll put in a fact based ordered list, ready to submit to the journal of your choice. Before we pollute space, we talk about Riverboat, Bug Council of Backyardia, and Rocketmen. 04:02 - Riverboat 10:05 - Bug Council of Backyardia 16:37 - Rocketmen 23...
#183: Catch a Falling Wallace ...?
July 22, 2021 08:34 - 59 minutes - 41.1 MBMartin Wallace, titan of industry, man of steam and brass. He's made a lot of games, often involving trains, but sometimes also Cthulhu. We do a deep dive into the prolific designer's catalogue, in the next in the series that Mark (and nobody else) is calling BGB DOG. Before we put him in our pocket, we talk about Throne and the Grail, Race for the Galaxy, Dinogenics, and On Mars. 02:21 - Throne and the Grail 05:56 - Race for the Galaxy 09:19 - Lost Ruins of Arnak 11:19 - DinoGenics 18...
#182: Fantasy Draft: BoardGameGeek 101-200
July 15, 2021 07:01 - 1 hour - 47.9 MBIf you thought the Euro 2020 final was tense, wait until you listen to this episode. The next match in the world's most anticipated series is now here, as we continue down the BoardGameGeek top games list, drafting a collection of five games. Whose do you think is best? Vote to stand a chance to win a $50 gift card! Before we make like snakes, we talk about Chinatown, Curious Cargo, and Mercado de Lisboa. 02:14 - Chinatown 10:00 - Curious Cargo 16:44 - Mercado de Lisboa 24:45 - Drafting...
#181: Save Dat Money
July 08, 2021 03:42 - 59 minutes - 40.9 MBLook, we know, we don't exactly help matters, but this hobby can be expensive. So, to make up for fueling your FOMO, we're gonna lay out some of the ways that we consciously try to curb our board game spending, while still keeping up with the zeitgeist. Before we balance our budget, we talk about Summer Camp, Wildlands, and Rome & Roll. 05:11 - Summer Camp 09:55 - The Quest for El Dorado 11:06 - Dominion 12:38 - Wildlands 21:12 - Rome & Roll 33:51 - Curbing board game spending 42:00 ...
#180: The Rules of Investing
July 01, 2021 06:45 - 56 minutes - 39.2 MBWe often talk about the burden of rules, and how in some of our favourite games, they just get out of the way. But when is that burden worthwhile; what makes the price of a heavy rules overhead worth paying? Before we maximize our returns, we talk about Crash Octopus, Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, Imperium: Classics, and Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile. 02:54 - Crash Octopus 08:33 - Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition 18:47 - Imperium: Classics 30:41 - Oath: Chronicles of Empi...
#179: Ignorance Is Bliss
June 24, 2021 00:30 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBSometimes it's best not to know, right? You've just played a game, and you liked it a lot, but you're not quite sure whether that faction is quite balanced, or the designers accounted for that winning strategy. Should you find out? Or is it better just to enjoy the game on its own merits? Before we disobey our thirst for knowledge, we talk about Genoa, Durian, The Search for Planet X, and Pavlov's House. 02:04 - Genoa 05:50 - Durian 10:52 - The Search for Planet X 20:57 - Pavlov's House...
#178: The Power of Production
June 17, 2021 06:20 - 53 minutes - 37 MBBecause making board games is hard, it's not enough just to have some solid mechanics - the best games have a production that coheres with the design. We look at some examples of games where production considerations (or lack thereof) have helped or hurt how they play. Before we executively produce, we talk about The King is Dead: Second Edition, Equinox, and Enchanted Plumes. 01:48 - The King is Dead: Second Edition 10:15 - Colossal Arena 10:15 - Equinox 22:06 - Enchanted Plumes 32:40...
#177: Fantasy Draft: BoardGameGeek Top 100
June 10, 2021 06:59 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBMark's trying to get us all into something he calls "sports", so as a compromise, we're doing a fantasy board game draft! We're going to pick games from the BoardGameGeek Top 100, until we each have five. Then YOU get to vote on whose draft is best, for a chance to win $50! Before we play to the crowds, we talk about Azul: Summer Pavilion, Roads & Boats, Ruthless, and Cthulhu: Death May Die. 02:09 - Azul: Summer Pavilion 11:33 - Roads & Boats 22:33 - Ruthless 29:53 - Cthulhu: Death May ...
#176: Sweet Summer Lovin'
June 03, 2021 03:10 - 52 minutes - 36.5 MBWe've got a couple of quick questions from listeners that we thought made for some fun talking points. We're trying to figure out what the board game equivalent of black licorice is, and Before rustle in the mailbag, we talk about Trekking the World, Inkling, My City, and Ruination. 01:37 - Trekking the World 11:26 - Inkling 20:08 - My City 22:31 - Ruination 33:52 - Kemet 38:55 - Black licorice games 40:42 - Archipelago 41:12 - Safranito 42:23 - Millennium Blades 43:00 - True Col...
#175: Cute As a Button
May 27, 2021 07:41 - 56 minutes - 38.9 MBAs longstanding experts on being cute, we thought we'd finally bring both of our fields of expertise to bear on one topic. It's a return to the classic top five list, and we're counting down the cutest goshdarn board games we can think of. Before things get kawaii, we talk about Nations, Mountain Goats, and Brew. 02:34 - Nations 11:54 - Mountain Goats 17:11 - Brew 29:01 - Top 5 cutest games 30:31 - Calico 32:41 - Seasons 34:50 - Battle Sheep 36:01 - Takenoko 37:06 - Camel Up 37:49...
#174: Live Your Legacy
May 20, 2021 07:31 - 58 minutes - 40.7 MBWe played a double feature of legacy games for Cinco de Ocho Dos, which got us thinking about how our thoughts on legacy mechanics might have changed since the heady days of young Board Game Barrage. Before we open that box, we talk about Bonfire, Nidavellir, and The King's Dilemma. 02:07 - Bonfire 10:02 - Nidavellir 18:58 - The King's Dilemma 33:34 - Legacy games 34:03 - Risk Legacy 34:50 - Charterstone 40:19 - My City 47:30 - Gloomhaven 51:42 - Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 52:48 - ...
#173: Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Games
May 13, 2021 06:20 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBWe talk about so many good games on this podcast, that it might seem like there aren't enough bad games to balance it out. There's a good reason we don't often play or talk about them, but maybe every so often we ought to. Before we break bad, we talk about Scape Goat, Bunny Kingdom, Bullet♥, and Four Gardens. 02:12 - Scape Goat 08:29 - Bunny Kingdom 11:13 - Bullet♥ 13:53 - Four Gardens 20:49 - Bad games 22:01 - Trivial Pursuit 29:00 - Spicy 29:50 - Cards Against Humanity 30:55 - T...
#172: Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game
May 06, 2021 07:08 - 1 hour - 44.1 MBAfter last week's love-fest made us all uncomfortable, we had to get back to what do best, spirited in-fighting. To that end, we've devised three debates around the same core: is that often criticized mechanic a design problem, or a player problem? Before we pit designers against players, we talk about Red Rising, Via Magica, and Alma Mater. 00:48 - Golden Geek Awards 04:36 - Red Rising 14:21 - Rise of Augustus 14:53 - Via Magica 20:17 - Alma Mater 29:36 - Board Game Barrage Wiki! 32...
#171: A Complimentary Compilation
April 29, 2021 07:27 - 1 hour - 50.1 MBWe had so many fun ideas for this week that we couldn't settle on just one! It's always great getting topic suggestions from our listeners, but not all of them can make a full episode, so we figured we'd work through some of them here. Keep sending them in! Before we spice our lives with variety, we talk about Jekyll vs. Hyde, Seikatsu, and Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road. 01:28 - Golden Geek Awards 03:55 - AwSHUX 05:57 - Jekyll vs. Hyde 14:32 - Seikatsu 21:37 - Merv: The Heart of t...
#170: Friedemann Friese Frenzy
April 22, 2021 07:33 - 51 minutes - 35.7 MBWe love Friedemann Friese, so much so that we're devoting a whole episode to the green-haired designer - a comprehensive look back at his contribution to the hobby, and how we've gotten on with his games over the years. If you've never played one of his games, let us help correct that. Before we give the fantastic fellow our full focus, we talk about Kubb, Pictures, and The Field of the Cloth of Gold. 03:20 - Kubb 08:20 - Pictures 16:12 - The Field of the Cloth of Gold 23:39 - Golden Ge...
#169: Our Most Anticipated Games of 2021
April 15, 2021 01:08 - 1 hour - 51.7 MBWe're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and with the exciting possibility of actually being able to play games together again, we cast our minds forward to all the wonderful games yet to arrive in 2021. Did I mention it's a BGBBOB? Before we look ahead (never back), we talk about Clever Cubed, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, and Keyper. 02:29 - Clever Cubed 10:22 - Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon 19:16 - Keyper 26:40 - 300 by 4/11! 28:39 - Golden Geek Award Nomin...
#168: Board Games Suck with Dan Hughes from Sporadically Board
April 08, 2021 08:03 - 1 hour - 47.5 MBDan Hughes from Sporadically Board joins us to flip the podcast on its head. Now that we've spent a hundred and sixty seven episodes raving about board games, it's only fair that we discuss all the reasons they suck. Before we turn heel, we talk about Blackout: Hong Kong, Royal Visit, Marvel Champions: The Card Game, and Deckscape: Test Time. 03:34 - Introducing the Pigeon Blood Tank! 05:38 - Blackout: Hong Kong 10:56 - Royal Visit 14:51 - Marvel Champions: The Card Game 22:03 - Decksc...
#167: Cleanin' Out My Closet
April 01, 2021 06:42 - 53 minutes - 37.2 MBAs important as it is to talk about that which we have received, so must we mark the loss of the games whose time has passed. Board games leave our collections for many reasons, so we're going to revisit the ones that found better homes in the past year. Before we press F, we talk about Long Shot: The Dice Game, Hallertau, and Welcome to New Las Vegas. 02:43 - Long Shot: The Dice Game 09:30 - Hallertau 20:04 - Welcome to New Las Vegas 28:43 - Games We've Recently Let Go 29:34 - Res Arc...
#166: You've Got to Iterate to Innovate
March 25, 2021 07:30 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBDesign often builds heavily on what has come before, but some designers, have made an art of iteration, taking their own beloved designs, and frequently reinventing them in new ways. We dig into this practice of extremely iterative design, and how it fits into an industry hungry for fresh ideas. Before we do it again, we talk about Dirge: The Rust Wars, Electropolis, Vinhos Deluxe Edition, Architects of the West Kingdom, and Sagani. 01:34 - Dirge: The Rust Wars 09:23 - Electropolis 10:28...
#165: Thriving or Barely Surviving?
March 18, 2021 08:35 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MBThere are two good ways to create engagement in a board game: One is to let the player feel like they're achieving something constantly, the other is to keep them feeling like any wrong move could tank their game. We're dubbing this the "thriving to barely surviving" spectrum, but first, we need to figure out where some of our favourite games fit on it. Before we surthrive, we talk about Carnegie, Divvy Dice, and Underwater Cities. 03:56 - Carnegie 13:11 - Divvy Dice 20:56 - Underwater C...
#164: Get Uncomfortable
March 11, 2021 08:23 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBIt's getting a bit too comfortable around here. Time to put stones in our shoes, tighten our belts, and get out of our comfort zones. We talk about the times that we've found ourselves in unfamiliar or uncomfortable gaming situations, and what we learned about ourselves in the process. Before we unfluff our pillows, we talk about Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation, Reavers of Midgard, and Paleo. 02:01 - Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation 13:50 - War of the Ring: Second Edition 15:20 ...
#163: Our Listeners' Top 20 Board Games of All-Time 2021
March 04, 2021 05:37 - 1 hour - 41.9 MBWow! We asked for your top twenty lists, and boy did you deliver. We've crunched the numbers on the hundreds of submissions, and created what we think is the definitive list of BGB listeners' favourite board games. Now let us tell you how we think you did. Before we outsource our work, we talk about Santa Monica, Steam Works, and Cthulhu: Death May Die. 02:09 - Santa Monica 08:05 - Steam Works 15:25 - Cthulhu: Death May Die 24:06 - BGB Listener Top 20 27:18 - Viticulture 29:34 - Everd...
#163: Our Listeners' Top 20 Board Games of All Time
March 04, 2021 05:37 - 1 hour - 41.9 MBWow! We asked for your top twenty lists, and boy did you deliver. We've crunched the numbers on the hundreds of submissions, and created what we think is the definitive list of BGB listeners' favourite board games. Now let us tell you how we think you did. Before we outsource our work, we talk about Santa Monica, Steam Works, and Cthulhu: Death May Die. 02:09 - Santa Monica 08:05 - Steam Works 15:25 - Cthulhu: Death May Die 24:06 - BGB Listener Top 20 27:18 - Viticulture 29:34 - Everd...
#162: God Does Not Play Dice
February 25, 2021 04:23 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MBWe're seeing a lot more versions of games that are X: The Dice Game or Y: The Card Game. These are (usually) simplified takes on beloved classics, but often end up changing the feel of the game dramatically. We discuss when we think this formula works, and when it really doesn't. Before we cast the die, we talk about Gods Love Dinosaurs, Nanga Parbat, and Ra: The Dice Game. 03:37 - Gods Love Dinosaurs 09:50 - Nanga Parbat 18:22 - Ra: The Dice Game 23:17 - Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun 24...
#161: Mechanically Bullish
February 18, 2021 08:07 - 57 minutes - 40 MBSometimes all it takes is a good designer (and the right game) to take what would otherwise be a mechanic we don't like, and utilize it in a way that feels right. We take a look at some mechanics that we usually don't love, and the games that turned us around on them. Before we see things in a new light, we talk about CloudAge, Mariposas, and Faiyum. 03:04 - CloudAge 12:37 - Mariposas 18:01 - Faiyum 28:27 - Games that rescued a mechanism 28:40 - Performative Clues 29:05 - Time's Up 3...
#160: Resolutions and Revisitations
February 11, 2021 01:37 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MBLook, when we made those resolutions in episode 105, how were we to know? The world exploded, and here we are, one year later, sheepishly looking back on the goals we set. But we're not beaten yet, we cast our minds forward (always forward, never back) and set our sights on our resolutions for 2021. Before we make promises we definitely will keep, we talk about Sprawlopolis, Bandada, and Terramara. 02:15 - Sprawlopolis 09:06 - Bandada 13:53 - Terramara 23:51 - Revisiting 2020's Resoluti...
160: Resolutions and Revisitations
February 11, 2021 01:37 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MBLook, when we made those resolutions in episode 105, how were we to know? The world exploded, and here we are, one year later, sheepishly looking back on the goals we set. But we're not beaten yet, we cast our minds forward (always forward, never back) and set our sights on our resolutions for 2021. Before we make promises we definitely will keep, we talk about Sprawlopolis, Bandada, and Terramara. 02:15 - Sprawlopolis 09:06 - Bandada 13:53 - Terramara 23:51 - Revisiting 2020's Resoluti...
#159: Picking Favorites
February 04, 2021 05:26 - 47 minutes - 33 MBWe've been doing it a lot lately, so we thought we'd reflect on the ways that we evaluate our favourite games. How do you even begin to compare extremely dissimilar games, some party, some strategy? The process of making and ordering our lists is a fun challenge every year, and one we'd recommend you try too! Before we make hard choices, we talk about Medici: The Dice Game, The Gallerist, and Iberian Gauge. 02:20 - Medici: The Dice Game 09:08 - The Gallerist 14:55 - Iberian Gauge 22:26 ...
159: Picking Favorites
February 04, 2021 05:26 - 47 minutes - 33 MBWe've been doing it a lot lately, so we thought we'd reflect on the ways that we evaluate our favourite games. How do you even begin to compare extremely dissimilar games, some party, some strategy? The process of making and ordering our lists is a fun challenge every year, and one we'd recommend you try too! Before we make hard choices, we talk about Medici: The Dice Game, The Gallerist, and Iberian Gauge. 02:20 - Medici: The Dice Game 09:08 - The Gallerist 14:55 - Iberian Gauge 22:26 ...