Board Game Barrage

Latest Episodes:

#291: Fantasy Draft: Reiner Knizia Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

Drafts are back, baby. And not just any old draft, no, but to celebrate the return of the greatest game, we're drafting none other than the best of the only true and living doctor, Reiner Knizia. Who ends up with the best list? Vote for your favourite, you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before we doc it up, we talk about Empire's End, My Favourite Things, and Four Horsemen.

Timecodes:

02:33 - Empire's End 12:15 - My Favourite Things 21:15 - Four Horsemen 27:48 - Drafting Reiner Knizia games 33:44 - Tigris & Euphrates 34:49 - Zoo Vadis 36:32 - Ra 37:47 - Modern Art 39:19 - The Quest for El Dorado 41:03 - Blue Lagoon 42:03 - Lost Cities 45:29 - Medici 46:39 - Stephenson's Rocket 47:44 - My City 49:13 - Taj Mahal 52:09 - Babylonia 53:29 - Mille Fiori 55:14 - Yellow & Yangtze 58:04 - High Society

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#290: Stuck in the Mid With You Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Are board games stuck? Not to be dramatic or anything, but it does seem like we keep circling the same ideas over and over again, right? We speculate on where we think the hobby is headed, and whether or not it needs a shake up. Before we plateau, we talk about Orchard, Hadrian's Wall, Terracotta Army, and Santiago.

Timecodes:

03:09 - Orchard: A 9 card solitaire game 06:49 - Hadrian's Wall 13:45 - Terracotta Army 24:34 - Santiago 35:45 - Board game stagnation 38:17 - Return to Dark Tower 41:55 - Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 43:55 - Turing Machine 44:09 - Cryptid 45:59 - Dead Reckoning 50:37 - Stationfall

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#289: Essen SPIEL 2023 Hype List Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

It's almost time for Essen SPIEL 2023, the great German Mecca of our people - and while we're not going ourselves, that's not going to stop us yearning. We're hear to tell you about all the amazing games available at the show this year that you ought to be excited about. Before we gaze longingly across the Atlantic, we talk about Asara, Skytear Horde, and Dwellings of Eldervale.

Timecodes:

02:31 - Asara 10:15 - Skytear Horde 14:04 - Dwellings of Eldervale 28:11 - Essen SPIEL 2023 Preview 30:04 - The Same Game 32:52 - Among Cultists: A Social Deduction Thriller 32:40 - Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West 34:11 - Civolution 35:25 - World Wonders 36:42 - Dying Message 38:27 - Kutná Hora: The City of Silver 40:24 - Tiny Mini Golf 42:19 - Arabella 43:38 - ArcheOlogic 45:41 - Terra Pyramides 46:51 - Sunrise Lane 48:25 - Evacuation 49:54 - TwinStar Valley 51:04 - Planta Nubo

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#288: Less is More Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

A little prune, a little embellish, a nip, a tuck, and a flourish, and we can get this thing just how we like it. We're looking at all the little things that we'd like to see more of, all the things we'd like to see less of in the world of board games. Before we giveth and taketh away, we talk about First in Flight, Tramways, and Wandering Towers.

Timecodes:

02:39 - First in Flight 11:57 - Tramways 23:32 - Wandering Towers 31:50 - What we want more and less of in games 33:13 - More middleweight 35:18 - More emergence 36:50 - Stationfall 37:13 - Troyes 37:13 - Glory to Rome 37:13 - Innovation 38:13 - Archipelago 39:03 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant 40:02 - More rough edges 41:57 - Cosmic Frog 44:11 - More Saga 44:11 - Dead Reckoning 46:24 - Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile 46:36 - More community conventions 47:49 - More games with less rules 49:09 - Less trick takers 51:05 - Less board games 53:35 - Less dour color palettes 54:54 - Eschaton 55:13 - 3 Ring Circus 56:02 - The Guild of Merchant Explorers 56:27 - Less generic themes 57:37 - Less individual player boards 58:44 - Less multiplayer solitare 1:00:23 - Less content creators working for publishers

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#287: There's a Time and Place for Everything Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

Timing is everything, which is why it's so important that this episode came out when it did. Had we made it too early, it would have felt dated, and any later, you wouldn't have been ready for it. Before it's about time, we talk about Planet etuC, Undaunted: Stalingrad, Undaunted: Battle of Britain, and Tycoon: India 1981.

Timecodes:

01:47 - Planet etuC 07:43 - Undaunted: Stalingrad 10:35 - Undaunted: Battle of Britain 14:01 - Tycoon: India 1981 30:36 - Can mechanics be dated? 39:42 - Ankh: Gods of Egypt 40:16 - That's Not a Hat 40:48 - Thunder Road: Vendetta 41:38 - Cthulhu Wars 42:11 - Disney Lorcana

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#286: The Worst Duo, Kellen & Mark Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

I leave for one episode and these idiots are talking about eating board games. Hard hitting questions for hard hitting board game journalists, Kellen & Mark are on the scene reporting in. Before we claw our way back from this, we talk about Power & Weakness, Haggis, and Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game.

Timecodes:

02:40 - Power & Weakness 16:28 - Haggis 24:28 - Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game 36:31 - What gets you excited about two player games? 46:04 - Azul 46:30 - What is the most edible looking board game? 47:10 - Through the Desert 47:54 - Azul: Master Chocalatier 48:25 - Pax Pamir: Second Edition 49:04 - Juicy Fruits 49:54 - Wingspan 50:33 - Zendo

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#285: Starting is Easy, Finishing is Hard Aug 03, 2023

Show notes

A solid end game trigger can be such an overlooked part of the design of a game. The conventional wisdom for most things is to start strong and finish strong, so we look at some of our favourite ways that games can end. Before we reach the end of the road, we talk about Robot Quest Arena, Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020, and Expeditions.

Timecodes:

02:07 - Robot Quest Arena 08:52 - Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 30:11 - Expeditions 47:33 - Inis 48:09 - Azul 51:35 - Ethnos 51:52 - Pax Pamir: Second Edition 52:31 - I'm the Boss! 53:12 - Archipelago 54:22 - War of the Ring: Second Edition 55:16 - Innovation 55:31 - Pax Porfiriana 55:41 - John Company: Second Edition 56:16 - Dune 56:51 - Stationfall 57:25 - 7 Wonders Duel 58:34 - The Quest for El Dorado 1:00:04 - Scythe 1:00:45 - Blood Rage

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#284: Gen Con 2023 Preview Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

It's convention season, and the big one is almost upon us, as board gamers across America prepare to descend on Indiana. Gen Con! We won't be there this year, but that won't stop us anticipating what we could be playing at the show. Before we want what we can't have, we talk about Fancy Feathers, Beast, Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020, and Mercator.

Timecodes:

02:43 - Fancy Feathers 08:31 - Beast 16:55 - Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 22:43 - Merkator 29:53 - Aurum 31:12 - Age of Innovation 35:06 - Ahau: Rulers of Yucatán 37:03 - Inheritors 40:11 - City of the Great Machine 42:41 - The Fox Experiment 44:01 - SpellBook 46:13 - Tesseract 48:15 - Wild Tiled West 50:14 - Kutná Hora: The City of Silver 52:38 - General Orders: World War II 54:13 - 3 Ring Circus 56:21 - Wandering Towers 1:00:32 - The Search for Lost Species 1:01:02 - Legacies

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#283: Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

Not all are as blessed as we are by the gift of truly original thought, and so many turn to others for inspiration. Whether it's Newton standing on the shoulders of giants, or stealing from our rich neighbour Xerox, many great ideas are born from what has come before. Before we make the inspired choice, we talk about Masters of Renaissance: Lorenzo il Magnifico – The Card Game, Innovation Ultimate, and Dawn of Ulos.

Timecodes:

01:59 - Masters of Renaissance: Lorenzo il Magnifico – The Card Game 11:18 - Innovation Ultimate 21:45 - Dawn of Ulos 32:45 - Game Design Inspirations 34:41 - Apples to Apples 37:03 - Magic: The Gathering 40:53 - Final Girl 40:53 - Hostage Negotiator 42:26 - Acquire 42:49 - Witchstone 42:49 - Ingenious 44:19 - Blood on the Clocktower 44:44 - The Resistance 48:10 - Dark Moon 49:16 - Cthulhu Wars 49:16 - Chaos in the Old World 50:13 - Nova Luna 50:13 - Habitats 50:52 - Lowlands 51:25 - El Grande 52:04 - Red Rising 52:04 - Fantasy Realms

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#282: A Soupçon of Sackson Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

After much consternation at his exclusion from our Mount Rushmore of games, we've decided to honour legendary designer Sid Sackson elsewhere - a BGB Designer Spotlight! I think these used to be called BGB DOGs but even Mark forgot about that bit of branding. Oh well. Before we make amends, we talk about Magicalligraphy, Hamlet: The Village Building Game, and Tournament at Camelot.

Timecodes:

01:33 - Schedule update 03:11 - Magicalligraphy 09:30 - Hamlet: The Village Building Game 19:48 - Tournament at Camelot 27:56 - Sid Sackson 30:14 - Piggly Wiggly 32:16 - High Spirits with Calvin and the Colonel 35:54 - Bazaar 39:28 - Focus/Domination 40:20 - I'm the Boss! 41:18 - Can't Stop 42:48 - Acquire The Sid Sackson Portal: https://sacksonportal.museumofplay.org

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