Hot Game Magnet: Board game reviews
143 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★ - 5 ratingsAlison and Justin, review all their favourite board games, so you can be up to date on what’s hot in the world of tabletop games. Reviews of exciting games from Kickstarter and established games. Discover the features of board games from replay ability, how to win, component pieces, cost, expansions and the impact board games have on a marriage. Join them as they discuss whatever games they feel magnetised to.
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Episodes
Century: Golem Edition Review
February 13, 2024 08:31 - 21 minutes - 22.4 MBCentury: Golem Edition is a re-themed version of Century: Spice Road set in the world of Caravania. In Century: Golem Edition, players are caravan leaders who travel the famed golem road to deliver crystals to the far reaches of the world. We recently had the opertunity to play this popular reimplementation of Century: Spice Road from Plan B games. We had the chance to play more than a few games at the time but we chose to play Century: Golem more because it's a very fun game. The Mecha...
Hadrians Wall
January 30, 2024 01:30 - 39 minutes - 40.9 MBWhen visiting the North of Britannia in 122 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian Augustus witnessed the aftermath of war between his armies and the savage Picts. In a show of Roman might, he ordered a wall to be built that would separate the Pict tribes from the rest of England. Grand in its design, the wall stretched 80 Roman miles, from coast to coast. In the game, Hadrian's Wall from garphill games and Bobby Hill with art by Sam Phillips, it's your job to spend 6 years building and improving a...
Marvel Dice Throne
January 15, 2024 16:46 - 26 minutes - 27.7 MBThis week we talk about and do our Marvel Dice Throne Review. We've been playing this one for a few weeks after I found it on sale in EB Games. I've kind of wanted this one for a while because I've heard good things about Dice Throne, and I like Marvel stuff. Alison was not so keen on the Marvel stuff, but it is fun to compare the mechanics between this and similarly themed Games. In Marvel Dice Throne, you become one of eight of Marvel's most famous heroes, including Black Panther, Capta...
YEWU2023
December 18, 2023 13:49 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBWow! 2023 is already almost over. The Holidays are on, and the new year is just around the corner. It has been a great year for us at HotGameMagnet. We got to play so many fantastic games. In fact, if i had any complaint it's just that we didn't have enough time to play every game all of the time. I guess that's somewhat unrealistic. Actually, I have another complaint. It was really hard to go through all the games that we played this year and pic only a few favorites. Let alone our top game...
Septima kickstarter review
December 05, 2023 01:30 - 44 minutes - 45.7 MBWe have a certain style of game that is what we consider to be perfect. It's not perfect for everyone but it's perfect for us. We like an upper medium weight game with great art, and an interesting theme that takes about 90 minutes to play for two players. There are a ton of games that fit these criteria but not all of them have the magic that makes a game great. Luckily this week's game, Septima from Mindclash games, is all about magic. Septima is a competitive, high-interaction strateg...
KSRU NOV-2023
November 20, 2023 11:36 - 42 minutes - 42 MBIt's time for Kickstarter Round-up November 2023! Hello fellow board game addicts. It's time to find out what games are hot and why we think so! After all, we are called Hot game Magnet for a reason. It's not because we like magnets. We do like magnets, but not for podcasting purposes. OMG! There are so many great games on kickstarter right now. In this episode we talked for 40 minutes and only got to about half of the ones we think are worthy. That being said the four games we do discu...
Fuzzlets - creator interview
November 07, 2023 01:30 - 33 minutes - 28.9 MBWe are always on the lookout for boardgames that the kids can enjoy. It's so important to find ways to engage with them and draw them away from wanting to spend all their time watching Youtube or playing video games. Fuzzlets looks like a fun and easy to learn game that on it's own merits will porbably be a winner with the family. However, where it realy shines is it's unique use of generative AI to allow backers of the project to make high quality custom artwork using there own drawings....
DAWN
October 23, 2023 11:13 - 33 minutes - 34.5 MBSocial deduction games are really fun. However, it's hard to find social deduction games that work with low player counts. Many of the most popular require minimum player counts of five or even more. There are some that work well at three players and very few at all that can be played with two. Additionally, it is common to run into troubles with players being knocked out of the game too early and not having fun. All this is to say that we get really excited when we find one that addresses a...
Kabuto Sumo
October 10, 2023 04:20 - 36 minutes - 36.3 MBIt's generally frownded upon in civilized society to make your pets fight other peoples pets for entertainment. Their are a few exceptions, like pokemon, or when you have multiple suitors. Another exeption is Kabuto Sumo. In Kabuto Sumo, you battle for supremacy in the ring with your own pet bettle wrestler. The gameplay of Kabuto Sumo resembles the coin-pusher arcade games in which you strategically drop quarters and anxiously anticipate coins cascading off the platform. This game featur...
Fire Tower
September 26, 2023 11:06 - 27 minutes - 26.9 MBOne bit of warning. If you are hoping to play a game about saving the forest from fire, then this is not that game at all. Your goal is basically the opposite, and you win by spreading the fire as much as you can to burn up every other player's fire tower and be the last player left alive. It's actually very fun! LOL!
campy creatures
September 12, 2023 03:30 - 25 minutes - 25.2 MBWhen I was a kid I used to pretend that I was a mad scientist and I used my science skills to make insain monsters. All for the greater good of Humanity of course. I recently discoverered Campy Creatures, a game about pretty much exactly that. I was imediately attracted to the cool retro-style artwork and the evil science theme. I was worried that it might be to simple but was plesently surprised by a level of engaging but simple game play that I haven't seen since love letter. Campy Creat...
Unmatched
August 29, 2023 09:13 - 37 minutes - 37.9 MBWhat's the most fun thing about board games? For me it might be the opportunity to explore stories and possibilities through imagination while being able to engage with others and the game. For others it might be to crush their enemies, see them driven before them, and hear the lamentations of their women. To each their own, I guess. We recently got to play Unmatched battle of legends vol 2 and I absolutely love the imaginative and playful aspect of being able to match up legendary, mythic...
viking see-saw
August 15, 2023 06:22 - 34 minutes - 35.5 MBSometimes the simplest games are the ones you play the most. Viking See-Saw is a new game from Itten Games and game designer Dr. Reinerkunitia. I'm a big fan of this Japanese boardgame company. They make beautiful small games that are deceptively simple and surprisingly fun. Viking See-Saw is the first game from their new Funbrick series of games.
expeditions
August 01, 2023 09:33 - 36 minutes - 35.5 MBExpeditions is a new game within the 1920+ universe that was created by artist Jakub Rozalski. The game designer Jamey Stegmaier previously partnered with Jakub to create Scythe, which is a hugely popular game with multiple expansions. It also happens to be in my top 5 all-time favourite games. Expeditions is clearly something very new. It has the look and feel of Scythe, but the mechanics are substantially different. So much so that there is no way that one could consider expeditions to b...
KSRU July 2023
July 18, 2023 03:09 - 48 minutes - 49 MBHello fellow board game addicts. Are you looking for someone to help enable your cripling addiction? If yes, then you're in luck because this week we talk about all the games I currently want to buy and think that maybe you should buy as well. Listen in as we discuss the pros and cons of each entry and ultimately decide to buy everything. LOL!
Stranger Things -UPSIDE DOWN-
July 03, 2023 01:22 - 31 minutes - 32.2 MBI always want games based on IP that I love but most of the time games based on popular shows or TV are pretty terrible. Consequently, I avoid buying games that are officially licened for TV and Movie IP. That being said, there are some exeptions. So far a have encountered a few very good games based on popular IP. Usually these games are from game companies that specialize in high quality board games with a strong focus on well developed game mechanics and high production value. THus, when ...
Zombicide Gear Up
June 20, 2023 02:48 - 31 minutes - 31.2 MBZombicide: Gear Up Review & Kickstarter Roundup. We have a few favourite things in boardgames. We like co-operative games. We like fast gameplay and replayability. We love Zombicide, but we also love compact games with quick set up and breakdown. When we discovered Zombicide: Gear Up we honestly didn't think it was going to be very good. A Cool Mini or Not game with no miniatures? A Zombicide game with no modular map and senerio book? Flip and Write? How could this possibly work? It's j...
Excavation Earth
June 06, 2023 01:33 - 32 minutes - 32.1 MBThere are a lot of board games about buying and selling in a market. It's a very popular drama, and having played more than a few I can tell you it's actually very fun. Especially when you have a really cleaver premise combined with great art and solid mechanics. Ecavation Earth lets you play as an alien archaeologist scowerinng the ruins of humanity on an abandoned earth looking for cool stuff to sell or put in meusemums. It's full of helarious little easter eggs,but more importantly it's a...
Rhino Hero Super Battle
May 23, 2023 01:30 - 25 minutes - 24.3 MBSometimes the things you suspect you wont enjoy turn out to be the things you enjoy the most. For example, lots of people think PB&J is gross without even trying it, but their wrong. I never wanted to play Rhino Hero Super Battle because I didn't like the yellow box. How silly was I. This is easily one of the best kids/family games I've played. 5 out of 5! I guess you really can't judge a game by its box. In other words, everybody should at least try PB&J. LOL! Also, we talk a bit about what...
BEAST
May 09, 2023 06:57 - 39 minutes - 39.3 MBHidden Movement is one of the most thematic mechanics in board gaming. There is just something about sneaking around the game board and springing traps on your opponent that really sucks you into the fantasy world of the game. Beast by Studio Midhall is a perfect fit for this mechanic. I can't say enough how fun it is to sculk around the shadows of a primordial forest as an immense mythological monster. It is very satisfying to see your opponent struggle to figure out your whereabouts befo...
KSRU APRIL 2023
April 25, 2023 06:17 - 43 minutes - 42.5 MBDo we really need more Zombicide, Heavy Euros, or Niche game reprints? Yes. Yes we do. It's time again to check out all the games I'm trying to convince myself to back or not to back on kickstarter. The list is ever growing and always incomplete, but more than enough to eat up my paycheck anyway. What would you add to the list?
Mark Swanson: Odd Bird Games
April 11, 2023 05:54 - 1 hour - 60 MBFeudum by Mark Swanson is one of my all-time favorite games, but after five expansions fans of the game are hungry for something new from its creator. I had the opportunity to speak with Mark about the future of his company Odd Bird Games and he had some exciting news. He has been teasing in social media that a new game will be coming out, but in fact he has a total of three brand new games in the works that will be crowdfunding in 2023 and 2024. Mark had a lot to say about these new ga...
On Tour Paris and New York
March 28, 2023 02:51 - 20 minutes - 20.2 MBWhat's better than Travel Games or Traving? Playing Travel Games while Traveling. I really like games that are set in a real-world location, and I kind of want to go all over the world and play games in the real-world city where they are set. There might be some exceptions to this. Anyway, On Tour Paris & New York contains two games about real-world cities for the price of one. It's pretty fun as well. LOL!
Kingdom Death Monster
March 14, 2023 04:08 - 49 minutes - 49.5 MBKingdom Death Monster is like no other game we have reviewed. It's easily the biggest, both in physical size and gameplay content. It is very dark. Very very dark, and gory, and violent, and really dark. However, it is at the same time artistically beautiful. Every miniature, every graphic, and illustration, even the choices of color feel part of one powerful artistic vision. It is heavily derivative of Japanese comic books, but at the same time it is completely unique and again every aspec...
Zaberias
February 28, 2023 12:09 - 20 minutes - 19.8 MBGetting your kids involved in the boardgame hobby is one of the major payoffs for parents who are avid gamers. It's not always so easy though. What if you're into heavy fantasy dungeon crawlers? How do you get your kids into that? There are a lot of kids' games and educational games out there, but let's be honest, most of them are just not fun. Zaberias is relatively new educational game. It's also a fantasy skirmish game. It's also really fun and it's also very accessible to kids. It's pret...
Chateau
February 14, 2023 05:57 - 26 minutes - 25.9 MBChateau is a new Roll&Write game coming to kickstarter as a Print&Play. We got the chance to check it out early when Rolling Rhino Games sent us a review copy. It's definitely a lot of fun, and it's interesting how well Roll&Write games work as a Print&Play. All you need is some dice, pencils and a printer. I wonder what other syles and Formats of games are a perfect match. Let us know what combonations you think are ideal.
118 K.S.R.U. February 2023
January 31, 2023 06:44 - 36 minutes - 36.1 MBI don't buy every game I like but I probably buy more than I should. that's okay. I've made my peace. It could be drugs, right? At least it's not drugs. It's now February and I've been up to my old tricks. Hanging around kickstarter pages. Perusing Facebook marketplace. Coveting surprise preorders. LOL. Anyway, I've made up a short list of the games I find most tantalizing, and we discuss the pros and cons of this month's kickstarter round up (KSRU). Let us know if I've convinced you to back...
Skate Summer
January 16, 2023 11:50 - 35 minutes - 41.1 MBI always wanted to be a skate boarder, but I grew up in the country with a dirt road and also, I didn't like all the falling down so I never really got to live the dream. Pandasaurus games new release Skate Summer, grabbed me from the first, with its nostalgic promise to relive that childhood dream. It has some really interesting and unique mechanics, spot on artwork, and the creator clearly knows what they're talking about when it comes to skating. It's a promising game from a consisten...
116 Y.E.R.U. 2022
January 03, 2023 12:32 - 39 minutes - 55 MBAnother Year come and gone. We played a lot of games. Some of them were good, some of them not so good, and some of them were pretty great. We went over every new game that we played this year and came six that we could both agree were or favorites. Find out what they are and find out what we each chose to be our 2022 best game of the year.
115 Namiji
December 06, 2022 09:18 - 29 minutes - 28.1 MBMechanics are supremely important to a great game, but mechanics are not the only thing that makes a game great. Story, theme, and art are clearly very important as well. Namiji, the newest game from FunForge (the creators of Tokaido) has decent low weight mechanics and is a fun game to play. However, where it really shines is in the other three categories. Particularly Theme and Art. the Aesthetic is minimalist and combined with the theme of Zen appreciation the game is a gorgeous and charm...
114 Marvel Zombies Heroes Resistance
November 30, 2022 06:29 - 26 minutes - 25.3 MBZombicide is pretty much what got us into modern board gaming, so we are always exited to see a new version, and man do they every have a lot of versions. There is modern, medieval, sci-fi, western, a role and write and more. The latest version that we have had the chance to play is Marvel Zombies Heroes Resistance a minimized retail edition of the huge CMON and Spinmaster adaptation of the Marvel Zombies comic books. So, this version has some excellent fun new mechanics, but more than anyth...
Kickstarter boardgame roundup Oct 2022
November 01, 2022 06:02 - 37 minutes - 35.7 MBWhat's more fun than playing your favorite boardgame? Maybe nothing, but a close second is drooling over the latest list of upcoming boardgames that might just be your next favorite. It's time again for our kickstarter roundup. Let us know if you agree with our list.
112 CMON TeenTitansLooneyTunes
September 10, 2022 17:54 - 31 minutes - 31.7 MBWe got to check out the Mayhem Games system from CMON with our kickstarter copies of Looney Tunes and Teen Titans Go from the CMON animation collection. Despite being called the Mayhem system I have to say the game is a lot more family fun and a lot less destruction and chaos. This could be a good or a bad thing depending on your expectations. For us it was a definite good thing.
111 So You've Been Eaten
August 16, 2022 04:58 - 24 minutes - 24.3 MBSo You've Been Eaten has to be one of the funniest premises for a game that we've come across. It also helps that the game has fun mechanics, great art, and is for 2 players. Also, it Plays in about 30 minutes which makes it great for the time poor.
110 2MinuteDinoDeal
July 27, 2022 07:31 - 24 minutes - 23.9 MBThe hardest part about getting kids into board-games is probably dealing with their often very short attention spans. In this world of YouTube, TikToc and instagram influencers, kids don't really have a lot of patience for games with a lot of set up and gameplay. That's why we love it when we find a game that's fun, easy to learn and most importantly Quick to play. this week we look at 2MinuteDinoDeal. A game that, as it says in the title, takes only two minutes to play.
109 catapult kingdom
July 14, 2022 12:55 - 24 minutes - 23.8 MBWe love a good crunchy game with lots of paths to victory, but you know what, we also love a good simple game of smashing your enemies. There is a bit more to Catapult Kingdom(Feud) but it definitely falls into the later category with it's action packed castle destroying game play.
108 kickstarter roundup June 2022
June 25, 2022 02:30 - 31 minutes - 30.5 MBI've been trying really hard not to buy too many things on Kickstarter this year. Thanks a lot June! You've kicked me right off the wagon once again. Check out what kickstarter games are currently destroying my savings account. lol!
107 Clash of Galliformes - preview
June 14, 2022 03:39 - 27 minutes - 27.3 MBWe love unique concepts combined with great gameplay. We recently got to preview Clash of Galliformes from Todys Design and it really did grab us. the game play is strategic and action packed, but what we really loved was the idea of waging war against each other using giant death dealing pheasants. We're pretty exited to jump on board the kickstarter launching on June 15th.
106 railroad ink
June 04, 2022 00:43 - 22 minutes - 22 MBI've never had much interest in trains but I have to say, Railroad Ink is so well designed and beautifully illustrated I can almost see myself as a train enthusiast. At least I can while I'm playing the game.
The Mind
May 20, 2022 14:12 - 15 minutes - 15.4 MBDo you love ghost stories and Magic shows? I'm not sure if the metaphysical world is real but I love pretending. I don't really want to know how the rabbit got in the hat because I love feeling the magic. If this is how you feel you will probably want to play "The Mind" by Panadasaurus Games . It's such an interesting little game. I'm not so sure that it taps into anything supernatural, but it sure is fun to pretend.
ANKH
April 21, 2022 12:36 - 35 minutes - 35.2 MBI can't believe it took us almost a year to get Ankh off the shelf and onto the table. Was it worth the wait? Could this be a contender for HotGameMagnet game of the year, or will it go back on the shelf never to be spoken of again?
Factory Funner
March 25, 2022 15:17 - 31 minutes - 31 MBFactories are not the funnest thing in the world. I think actually, they have a pretty strong reputation for being not at all fun. However, from the point of view of a child's imagination a factory could be a fantastical, colorful, and mind boggling place of fun and excitement. Not unlike that famous chocolate factory. This week we look at Factory Funner by BoardGameTables.com. A game that really taps into that place of imagination and fun for it's colorful theme. It's also a nice crunchy pu...
Potion Explosion
February 09, 2022 01:39 - 19 minutes - 19 MBSometimes the best part of a game is the physical nature of it's mechanics. Potion Explosion is a perfect example. It's at it's core an excellent puzzle game, but what really makes it shine is the way it uses glass marbles to represent the explosive chemical reactions that drive the game play.
kickstarter roundup January
January 27, 2022 12:59 - 50 minutes - 49.4 MBWow! 2022 is off too an exciting start with some awesome looking games up on kickstarter. One in particular looks to overshadow everything else, but hey, don't sell short the underdogs.
God's Love Dinosaurs
January 14, 2022 23:54 - 22 minutes - 22.3 MBI'm not sure how many dinosaur themed games is too many, but I am sure we haven't hit that limit. This week we review God's Love Dinosaurs from Pandasuarus Games. Even though it is from the same company that created Dinosaur Island and Dinosaur World, God's Love Dinosaurs is it's own game with unique theme and mechanics. We really had a lot of fun with this one. Could this be our new favorite dinosaur game?
2021 year end wrapup
January 05, 2022 08:13 - 49 minutes - 72.6 MB2021 as a pretty wild year, but through it all we got to play and review some excellent games. This is the end of our third year going at HotGameMagnet and it's time to pick our top five games for the year. let us know if you agree or if we've inspired you to try out some new games. Happy New Year!
Power Slam! The wrestling card game
December 11, 2021 09:05 - 21 minutes - 21.2 MBPower Slam is a hand management card game designed to bring all the fun and excitement of professional wrestling to your table. If you are a huge wrestling fan, like the games creators, this might just be the perfect game for you.
kickstarter roundup November 2021
November 12, 2021 16:12 - 37 minutes - 36.6 MBWe haven't done a kickstarter roundup in a while so I'm pretty excited to have a look at a few really cool games currently running funding campaigns. There's some role and writes, there's dice, and even a bit of time travel!
Aqua garden
November 03, 2021 08:55 - 28 minutes - 27.4 MBIt's time to get into the fish displaying business. Aqua Garden By Uchibacoya is a cute and surprisingly cut throat game about building the most lovely (and profitable) aquarium. Fill your Aquarium with clown fish, sea turtles, and even whale sharks. Enjoy the beautifully crafted fish meeples but make sure that other aquariums don't get all the best displays before you do.
Dinosaur Island Rawr 'n Write
October 22, 2021 02:38 - 27 minutes - 36.3 MBDinosaur Island is one of our all time favorite games. It's not perfect but it perfectly captures the fun and imagination that dinosaurs inspire. A big part of that fun was the excessive amount of blingy components and available dinos to play with, or so I thought. Dinosaur Island Rawr 'n Write replaces all the meeples, and coins and literal stacks of dinos with not much more than a couple pads of paper and some cards, but oh my gosh is it ever fun! This could be our new favorite game for re...