Board Game Barrage

Latest Episodes:

#60: Tabling the Discussion Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

We're at the table talking table talk, all the little things that get said while you're playing a board game. Sure, there's plenty to be said in a social deduction or negotiation game, but what about less talky games? What's appropriate and what isn't? Before we say something we regret, we also talk about Everdell, Concordia Venus, and Project: ELITE. 03:58 - Everdell 08:34 - Wingspan 12:07 - Concordia Venus 21:27 - Project: ELITE 25:56 - Escape: The Curse of the Temple 31:13 - Table Talk 37:01 - Codenames

#59: Ain't Nothing Like It Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

Some games offer an experience so unique, so unlike anything else, that you can't help but take notice. It might be a bold thematic setting, or a set of mechanics that you've never seen before. This week, we're counting down our favourite games that do something ... a little bit different. Before we stand out from the crowd, we also talk about Looting London, and Chimera.

01:05 - Looting London 04:17 - Chimera 09:45 - Unique Thematic Experiences 12:12 - Food Chain Magnate 16:11 - Space Cadets: Dice Duel 18:38 - Long Shot 21:23 - Dungeons & Dragons: Rock Paper Wizard 23:16 - Dead of Winter 26:42 - Pit 28:38 - Millennium Blades 33:11 - Alchemists 36:33 - Chaosmos 40:07 - Ponzi Scheme 42:24 - Space Hulk 45:39 - Adrenaline 47:37 - Diplomacy 51:06 - Sol: Last Days of a Star 53:22 - Captain Sonar

#58: Game Board Confessional Mar 07, 2019

Show notes

Time to 'fess up. We're admitting to all the transgressions we've made in the world of board gaming. We're not proud of it, but there are a lot of games we haven't played that we should have. There are Kickstarters we've overspent on, and some we regret backing. And what would a good confessional be without owning up to our guilty pleasures? Before we ask forgiveness, we also talk about Excape, Race for the Galaxy, and Biblios Dice.

01:30 - Excape 07:57 - Race for the Galaxy 13:49 - Biblios Dice 20:02 - Board Game Confessions 21:50 - Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 23:44 - Eclipse 25:31 - Terraforming Mars 29:08 - The 7th Continent 29:42 - Statecraft 30:30 - Tiny Epic Quest 31:42 - Glorantha: The Gods War 32:21 - Rising Sun 34:17 - Zombicide 34:42 - Betrayal at House on the Hill 34:55 - True Colors 35:45 - Hundreds of Horses 39:43 - Through the Ages 40:09 - Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

#57: Where There's a Will, There's a Gateway Feb 28, 2019

Show notes

Gateway games are an often requested topic, but we wouldn't be us without a big old debate about them first. Are they important? Should you be trying to convert your friends at all? Isn't every game a gateway game if you just talk slowly enough? Before we raise the portcullis, we also talk about Targi, and Catan. 01:25 - Targi 07:19 - Catan 09:35 - Gateway games 17:11 - Forbidden Island 18:38 - Codenames 19:01 - Sushi Go! 22:23 - A Fake Artist Goes to New York 24:56 - Bärenpark 27:47 - Biblios 32:16 - Splendor 35:31 - The Quest for El Dorado 38:12 - Blue Lagoon 41:05 - Dominion 43:57 - Wingspan 47:32 - Converting non-gamers?

#56: Shelf of Shape Up or Ship Out Feb 21, 2019

Show notes

It's always sad to see a game go. But sometimes it's just time to move on, to let it be free, to let someone else enjoy its esoteric rules and quirky components. Games leave our collections for many reasons, so let's take a look at some of them. Before we spark joy, we talk about Big Dig, Trains, and The River.

01:18 - Big Dig 05:00 - Trains 09:30 - The Quest for El Dorado 10:17 - The River 19:51 - Why Games Leave our Collections 27:40 - Through The Ages 27:40 - Mage Knight 29:02 - Founders of Gloomhaven 33:49 - Capital Lux 35:25 - Rapid Fire Send-offs

#55: Answerversary Feb 14, 2019

Show notes

One year, baby! We did it. It's our first anniversary, and we're celebrating by ... putting out an episode of the podcast. We got a couple of reader questions that we thought would be especially pertinent for this occasion, as we look back on the impact Board Game Barrage has had on us. Before we pop the champagne, we talk about The Quacks of Quedlinburg, Forum Trajanum, and Narabi.

04:37 - The Quacks of Quedlinburg 08:57 - Forum Trajanum 15:08 - Narabi 21:00 - How has Board Game Barrage impacted us? 32:08 - Do review copies make us less impartial? 33:45 - Hyperspace 35:24 - Shouldn't Mark be the Red Tank? 39:08 - Guest reviews!

#54: 2019: An Up and Coming Year Feb 07, 2019

Show notes

2019 is well underway, but with so many amazing games on the horizon, it's hard to know what to look out for. Fear not, listener, that's what we're here for. Join us as we count down our most anticipated games of the year. Before we cast our eyes ahead, we talk about New Frontiers: The Race for the Galaxy Board Game, and Hansa Teutonica.

02:33 - New Frontiers: The Race for the Galaxy Board Game 09:25 - Hansa Teutonica 18:13 - Most Anticipated Games of 2019 18:59 - Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy 22:09 - Glorantha: The Gods War 25:28 - TOKYO TSUKIJI MARKET 28:27 - Sabotage 31:04 - Living Planet 33:26 - Pipeline 36:20 - Escape Plan 38:04 - Res Arcana 39:36 - Barrage 41:03 - ELO Darkness 44:02 - Black Angel 45:18 - On Mars 46:43 - Warpgate 48:54 - Mezo 51:07 - City of the Big Shoulders

#53: Objection! Jan 31, 2019

Show notes

Objectivity is a nice goal, but what does it mean for board game criticism? Are there elements of board game design that we can have factual conversations about, without invoking our personal biases? We debate this in the only way we know how. Before we start shouting, we talk about Hyperspace, Gùgōng, and Wingspan. 02:30 - Hyperspace 08:52 - Gùgōng 14:43 - ZhanGuo 17:35 - Last Will 18:06 - Wingspan 21:37 - Innovation 26:26 - Critical Objectivity 26:58 - Nemesis 28:01 - Zombicide 32:01 - Heroes of Land, Air & Sea 43:04 - Monopoly 43:55 - Formula D 44:42 - Magical Athlete 46:18 - Diplomacy

#52: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Theme Jan 24, 2019

Show notes

Sometimes you're not looking to win or lose, you're looking for an experience. A lot of games promise to deliver thematic gameplay, but what does that mean for the mechanics? Does it have to be one without the other? Before we set the mood, we talk about Nusfjord, Paper Tales, and Nemesis.

03:25 - Nusfjord 09:43 - Paper Tales 15:25 - Nemesis 25:34 - Thematic Games We Like 26:08 - Mansions of Madness: Second Edition 29:58 - Nothing Personal 31:16 - Gloomhaven 31:35 - Android: Netrunner 32:05 - Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game 33:19 - Captain Sonar 36:45 - The Resistance 37:48 - The Grizzled 39:19 - Dune

#51: The Best of Times Jan 17, 2019

Show notes

We throw back to our very first episode, with our biggest surprises and disappointments of the year gone by. 2018 was a year of highs and lows, but sometimes you just don't see them coming. The difference between expectation and the final product is what this week's episode is all about. Before we gaze back wistfully, we talk about Akrotiri, Blue Moon City,and This Guilty Land.

01:56 - Akrotiri 05:09 - Innovation 05:27 - Blue Moon City 10:31 - This Guilty Land 16:37 - 2018's Biggest Disappointments 16:57 - Rising Sun 21:29 - The 7th Continent 25:31 - Merlin 32:07 - 2018's Best Surprises 32:21 - Space Base 34:31 - Decrypto 37:18 - Lords of Hellas

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