Latest Neilan Podcast Episodes
#250: The Times They Are a-Changin'
Board Game Barrage - November 03, 2022 03:58 - 52 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsTwo hundred and fifty episodes. That's ... a lot of episodes. That's a lot of time! And, boy, things have changed around here. Well some things. We look at what's different in the hobby since we started doing this whole thing. Before we cast our minds back, we talk about Stone Age, Blood on the ...
#249: The Essence of Excess
Board Game Barrage - October 27, 2022 01:35 - 46 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsGames are getting bigger and more lavish, especially in the age of crowdfunding, but how far is too far? How many luxury bits, giant boxes of minis, and silk-screened wooden meeples until it's all gone a bit far? Before we dress for excess, we talk about Habitats, Blood on the Clocktower, Twilig...
#248: The Need for Theme
Board Game Barrage - October 20, 2022 06:03 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsThe topic of theme has come up intermittently over the course of the podcast, but how important is it? Is it something that makes or breaks a game? Or would we be mostly okay if games were mostly non-thematic? Before we burst at the theme, we talk about Mamma Mia!, Football Highlights 2052, Kanb...
#247: We Played A Heap of Games!
Board Game Barrage - October 13, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsWhat good would going to a convention be if we didn't play a lot of games? We're back from our trip, and it was filled to the brim of fine games played with fine people, and we're here to tell you about all of them, the good, the bad, and perfunctory. Before we return to Vancouver, we talk about...
#246: SHUX 2022 Live with Tom Brewster
Board Game Barrage - October 06, 2022 09:08 - 48 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsWe're at SHUX! Well, we were, and while we were there, we tricked Tom Brewster of Shut Up & Sit Down to take time away from his busy schedule to join us on stage. This episode was recorded live, and we talk about games that are in some ways, a little bit weird. Before things get odd, we talk abo...
#245: Essen SPIEL 2022 Hype List
Board Game Barrage - September 29, 2022 07:25 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsIt's convention season, which means we're on the way to one convention, while talking about another. Every year a lot of new games get showed off at Essen SPIEL in Germany, and these are the ones we're most excited to hear more about! Before we start messin' with Essen, we talk about Plutocracy ...
#244: Quick Count
Board Game Barrage - September 22, 2022 03:28 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsWe're in and out quick and breezy, with a h-h-hot question about player counts. All things equally considered, how many people do you want at the table? Before we boot people from the game, we talk about Bitoku, San Francisco, and Caesar's Empire. 01:28 - Bitoku 12:21 - San Francisco 20:11 -...
#243: We’re on Each Other’s Team
Board Game Barrage - September 15, 2022 07:01 - 59 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsThe best thing about being part of a team is even when things go wrong, your team is there for you. And boy, did things go wrong this week ... but I'm getting ahead of myself. This week we're talking about team games! Twice! Before we make the dream work, we talk about Art Decko, Feed The Kraken...
#242: Second Time's the Charm
Board Game Barrage - September 08, 2022 07:01 - 46 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsNot every game makes the best first impression, but some stick in your mind enough to warrant a second try. So fittingly, the first and second best hosts are here to tell you about the games that they think deserve a revisit. Before we repeat stuff, repeat stuff, we talk about Mille Fiori, Rise ...
#241: Fantasy Draft: BoardGameGeek 601-700
Board Game Barrage - September 01, 2022 07:01 - 56 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsOkay, this end of the BGG top list starts to get weird. Regardless, we must draft. Who's going to end up with the best selection of five games from this chunk of one hundred? That's up to you - vote and you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before we pick a peck of paper products, we talk about Town...
#240: The Pillars of Recreation
Board Game Barrage - August 25, 2022 07:00 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsThe pillars of board gaming are games that are so influential, so ubiquitous, that they're practically the shoulders on which many other board games stand. We talk about what are commonly considered the classic pillars, and try to make a more modern list. Before we get into Greek architecture, w...
#239: We're Back and We Brought Lots of Games
Board Game Barrage - August 18, 2022 00:40 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsWell, we've returned, and some of us are a little worse for wear, but if a week off doesn't get us back into gear, nothing will. Gen Con is behind us, and Mark, who sadly couldn't make the con, quizzes us about our highlights of the show. Before we cast our minds back to Indiana, we talk about C...
#237: Where Are They Now?
Board Game Barrage - August 04, 2022 03:31 - 52 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsGiven that we hyped up all those games last week, it's only fair that we prepare ourselves for the aftermath. We look back at some of the most famous and infamous games of yesteryear that were very highly anticipated, and wonder what became of them. Before we relive the comedown, we talk about M...
#236: Gen Con 2022 Preview
Board Game Barrage - July 28, 2022 06:11 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsGen Con is a week away! We're headed to Indianapolis (hope to see you there!) but before we do, we're looking down the preview list to get ourselves hyped. These are our five games we're each most excited to see at the show! Before we go Indy, we talk about Vabanque, Orongo, and Blood on the Clo...
#235: The Twin Game Showdown
Board Game Barrage - July 21, 2022 07:50 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsThere's a phenomenon called twin films, where competing studios release very similar movies at the same time. We imagine the same idea in board game land, and highlight some of the biggest board game grudge matches - and judge which game we think came out on top. Before there can be only one, we...
#234: It's About Family with Ambie Valdés from Board Game Blitz
Board Game Barrage - July 14, 2022 07:23 - 48 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsAmbie Valdés, from the excellent podcast Board Game Blitz, joins us to talk about family games, and possibly also the Fast and the Furious franchise. Ambie actually has kids, so might know a little more about this than the rest of us. Kids love Vin Diesel. Before we edutain, we talk about Savann...
#233: A Decade of Missed Games: 2010-2019
Board Game Barrage - July 07, 2022 08:07 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsWell, we can't play everything, and that was probably more true ten years ago than it is now. So we thought we'd look back at the decade past, and highlight some games that we feel like we missed out on. Before we prolong our backlogs, we talk about Loot of Lima, Yosemite, and Planted: A Game of...
#232: Transcontinental Mailbag Express
Board Game Barrage - June 30, 2022 07:55 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsWe're spread across the world and time, so we do the thing we should never do; we put the questions to you. Yes, you! It's a mailbag episode, we're answering a trio, a trilogy, a trichopteran of your questions. Before we put in our hand and pull out a letter, we talk about Caesar!: Seize Rome in...
#231: Why Fight When You Can Negotiate?
Board Game Barrage - June 23, 2022 09:47 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsYes, you could make the argument that every game is a negotiation game if you try hard enough, but for a lot of games it's more integral to the design. We look at games that we think integrate negotiation mechanics especially well, and ask how much is too much (or too little) when it comes to ne...
#230: Worth the Weight
Board Game Barrage - June 16, 2022 08:22 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsWhile we tend to enjoy games across the whole spectrum, there's something particular about sinking your teeth into a really heavy game. But it's not always an easy prospect; conditions have to be just right. So what makes a heavy game worth it? Before things get heavy, we talk about Barony, Baus...
#229: The Positives of Being Negative
Board Game Barrage - June 09, 2022 06:42 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsThere's a lot of discourse lately about the pros and cons of negative board game coverage, and so of course we thought we ought to weigh in. Is there value in negative criticism versus positive, or should there be a balance between the two? Before we take the good with the bad, we talk about Hom...
#228: Bob is Beautiful
Board Game Barrage - June 02, 2022 07:31 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsIt's easy to get lost in mechanical discussions of games, and forget to appreciate them as physical creations. There can be beauty in games, and we're here to get to the heart of it the only way we know, the one on one fight to the death that we call BGBBOB. Before we get skin deep, we talk abou...
#228: Bob Is Beautiful
Board Game Barrage - June 02, 2022 07:31 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsIt's easy to get lost in mechanical discussions of games, and forget to appreciate them as physical creations. There can be beauty in games, and we're here to get to the heart of it the only way we know, the one on one fight to the death that we call BGBBOB. Before we get skin deep, we talk abou...
#227: Board Games: The Sequel: Part II: Electric Boogaloo
Board Game Barrage - May 26, 2022 08:24 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsIt doesn't happen as much as it does in other industries, but every so often the people at the top demand serialization. We're talking about sequels in board games, when they work, when they (super) don't, and what we'd like to see get the treatment. Before we get franchised, we talk about Next ...
#226: Metapod
Board Game Barrage - May 19, 2022 07:23 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsMetagaming is all about the game that exists within (and without) the game - it's everything that's not written in the rules. Whether that's something that emerges at your table, or in the community at large, it can be a big part of the social experience, and we're all for it. Before we get meta...
#225: Itchy, Tasty
Board Game Barrage - May 12, 2022 07:56 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsWith the middle of the year rapidly approaching, we've acquired our fair share of games that we're really itching to play. We talk about what's recently made its way into our collections that we just can't wait to get to the table. Before we break out the back scratchers, we talk about Ivanhoe, ...
#224: Golden Geek Awards 2021
Board Game Barrage - May 05, 2022 07:42 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsThe Golden Geek results are in for 2021, and to avoid burying the lede ... we won! We're over the moon, naturally, but we couldn't have done it without you. We celebrate by giving our takes on the rest of the awards, how we voted, and what we think about the other categories. Before we bathe in ...
#223: Ye Olden Games with Mark Bigney from So Very Wrong About Games
Board Game Barrage - April 28, 2022 06:33 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsIt's easy to get caught up in the cult of the new, but there are so many amazing games that came out before we were even in the hobby. Mark Bigney of So Very Wrong About Games joins us to look at the games we love from yesteryear, and other older games we really ought to play. And stick around f...
#222: Are You the Gatekeeper?
Board Game Barrage - April 21, 2022 08:12 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsThere are many ways that we can accidentally contribute to gatekeeping in the hobby - pushing those who want to embrace it away. Whether it's to those outside, or even, bizarrely, to those already in, we break down the subtle (and unsubtle) ways we do it, whether or not we mean to. Before we fin...
#221: P-P-P-Party Questions
Board Game Barrage - April 14, 2022 06:45 - 47 minutes ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsIt doesn't quite work the same, but what do you expect when Neilan's not present? Speaking of presents, it's Mark's birthday so the rest of the crew celebrate with a parade of (don't call them hot) questions, where they invent expansions, and save the planet. Before we get older, we talk about T...
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