Board Game Radio

Latest Episodes:

Episode 287 - Gamehole Con 2026 Recap Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael are reporting live from the floor of Gamehole Con 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. No segments, no transitions, just wall-to-wall convention!Michael spent four days in a brand-new tabletop hall and came back with stories. Did he just find his new favorite Reiner Knizia game? Which game had him wrestling with the rulebook? And why should a great game ever be unplayable because of its color palette?Then Doug joins the fun, and a trip to the board game library turns into a surprise game neither of us saw coming. Plus, we finally get our hands on one of Gen Con's hottest titles. Did it live up to the hype?Finally, how does Gamehole Con stack up against Gen Con, and could Board Game Radio be coming to Gamehole Con 2027?Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it's about games, it's on the table!00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio

00:00:35 Welcome to Gamehole Con 2026

00:05:15 World Order

00:13:41 Ankh: Gods of Egypt

00:19:23 Brink

00:28:36 Ra

00:31:59 Yellow & Yangtze

00:41:18 Bean to Bar

00:48:22 Guards of Atlantis II

00:55:10 Cross Bronx Expressway

01:01:57 The Games We Played Together

01:03:49 Obsession

01:06:04 Santiago de Cuba

01:09:59 Drillers

01:12:29 More Games From the Con

01:13:13 Convention Thoughts and Takeaways

01:22:20 Wrap-Up

Episode 286 - Kingmaking, Strategy Games, and Goldilocks! Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle some surprisingly tricky questions: Do we need a new term for strategy games, and how do you feel about kingmaking?

In This Week in Gaming, we take a look at Pet Quartet and share our thoughts on the game. Plus, Magical Athlete is showing up at Walmart! What does that mean for the hobby?

Then it's time for Redacted Reviews! We've pulled glowing reviews from BoardGameGeek, but there's a catch—the names of the games have been removed! Can we figure out which games are getting all that praise based on the reviews alone?

Finally, we introduce Goldilocks: Overrated, Underrated, or Perfectly Rated? We're putting BoardGameGeek's ratings, complexity scores, and player counts under the microscope. Do we agree with the gaming community, or have they gotten it completely wrong? This week's games include:

- First-Class Letters

- Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure

- Venture Angels

- Splendor

- Wild Magic

- Just One

Plus, we talk about why our Discord community is such a great place to discover new games and get recommendations! Join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.

Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review.

If it's about games, it's on the table!

00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio

00:01:23 Follow-Up on Campaign Games

00:12:49 What's Awesome in Tabletop Gaming

00:17:44 Review of Pet Quartet

00:26:19 Discussion on Strategy Games

00:34:42 Exploring Kingmaking in Board Games

00:42:12 Redacted Reviews

00:55:26 Goldilocks: Evaluating Game Ratings

00:56:52 Exploring Word Games: First Class Letters

01:01:24 Diving into Clank: A Deck-Building Adventure

01:06:52 Venture Angels: The Art of Secret Bidding

01:11:30 The Charm of Splendor: A Gem-Collecting Race

01:15:05 Wild Magic: A Hidden Gem in Card Games

01:19:44 Just One: The Ultimate Party Game

Episode 285 - Chocolate, Space, and the New World Order Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle a question every campaign gamer eventually faces: What do you do with a campaign game after you’ve finished it? Keep it on the shelf as a trophy? Pass it along? And should our answer change if the campaign can actually be played again?

In This Week in Gaming, we’re looking ahead to Game Store Day on November 7 and celebrating the local game stores that help keep the tabletop community rolling.

Then Troll er No? returns! We’ve collected some wonderfully brutal negative BoardGameGeek reviews—but some of them are completely made up. Can we tell the real internet trolls from the imposters?

Finally, Michael puts on his salesman hat for Play or Pass. He’ll pitch games from his collection to Doug, answer Doug’s questions, and try to convince him that these games deserve a spot at the table. Will Doug agree to play…or send them straight to the pass pile?

Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.

Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review.

If it’s about games, it’s on the table!

00:00:00 Crowdfundin' Carl

00:01:12 Intro to Board Game Radio

00:01:56 Follow-Up and Community Engagement

00:04:08 The Appeal of Simplified Games

00:09:25 This Week In Gaming

00:09:48 Game Store Day and Local Support

00:11:36 A Gluttony of Crowdfunding Campaigns

00:16:52 What's On Your Mind?

00:17:30 Advantageous Moves

00:27:20 Campaign Games: To Keep or Not to Keep?

00:27:38 When To Move On From Campaign Games?

00:38:05 Troll er No?

00:39:26 7 Wonders: Architects

00:49:28 Rebirth

00:55:58 Play or Pass: Game Hole Con Edition

00:57:31 Bean To Bar

01:01:25 Brink

01:03:33 World Order

Episode 284 - Games We've Cooled On Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael dig into the art—and occasional pain—of teaching board games. What parts of teaching trip us up the most, and which games have proven especially difficult to get to the table?

In This Week in Gaming, we talk about CMON’s $19 million capital raise and Chip Theory Games working with Jennifer Graham-Macht to bring Neon Knight to a wider audience.

Then it’s time for The Great Game Guessing Game! We’ve each dug up an obscure game from before 1995, and the other host has to figure out what the game is about based on the title alone. What could possibly go wrong?

Finally, it’s List Time with our High-Five Games We’ve Cooled On—games we once enjoyed or were excited about, but that just don’t hit the same way anymore

Plus, we follow up on your trick-taking questions from Discord.

Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.

Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review.

If it’s about games, it’s on the table!

00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio

02:58 This Week In Gaming

03:24 Jumpmasters: A New Favorite Game

15:01 Chip Theory Games Expands

17:47 CMON Raises Cash

19:48 What's On Your Mind?

20:17 Difficulty Teaching Games

30:54 The Great Game Guessing Game

31:42 Higgly Piggly: The Plastic Farm Game

35:15 Time Agent

38:41 Rootie Kazootie Word Game

42:30 Times to Remember

48:21 High Five Games We've Cooled On

Episode 283 - Tend, Rebel Princess, Machi Koro: Life, and Brave & Bold Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael celebrate one of the best parts of tabletop gaming: introducing the hobby to new players and seeing that moment when a game unexpectedly clicks.

Then, are you playing the wrong game with the wrong people? We talk about how the group around the table can completely change the experience.

We also debut a brand-new segment: Geek Sequence! Can we correctly rank a lineup of games based on a single BoardGameGeek metric? This week, we put our knowledge of game complexity to the test.

Finally, it’s our Monthly Game Roundup, featuring four games that have been hitting our tables:

🌱 Tend — IV Studio

👑 Rebel Princess: Deluxe Edition — Bezier Games

🏙️ Machi Koro: Life — Pandasaurus Games

⚔️ Brave & Bold: Bag Building Combat Game — Resurrection Games

We’ll tell you what we played, what stood out, and what we thought about each one.

Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation on Discord at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.

Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, leave us a 5-star review.

If it’s about games, it’s on the table!

00:00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio

00:04:43 This Week In Gaming

00:05:22 Wow Factor For New Gamers

00:08:59 New Buying System Consequences

00:15:47 Magic: The Gathering Update

00:20:07 What's On Your Mind?

00:20:50 The Impact of Group Dynamics on Gaming Experience

00:33:30 The Inception of Game Collection Reduction

00:40:54 Geek Sequence

00:41:37 Ranking Games by Complexity

00:49:54 Family Games By Dr. Reiner Knizia

00:54:21 Monthly Game Roundup

00:54:54 Brave & Bold: Bag-Building Combat Game

01:02:00 Machi Koro: Life

01:09:17 Trick-Taking Games: Rebel Princess Review

01:19:16 Tend: A Complex Flip and Write Experience

Episode 282 - CrowdFunding Debates, Board Game Bling, & Phil Walker-Harding Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, including some new crowdfunding campaigns. We'll discuss gaming cynicism and table real estate. We debate some game night hypotheticals about consistent game nights and expansions versus bling! We finish the episode by drafting Phil Walker-Harding Games!

00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio

07:21 This Week In Gaming

07:56 Upcoming Crowdfunding

11:34 Bestselling Games

14:24 What's On Your Mind?

14:49 Veteran Gamer Cynicism

28:02 Table Real Estate and Game Acquisition

36:36 Game Night Hypotheticals: Choices and Dilemmas

36:59 New vs. Old

40:25 Expansions or Bling?

43:44 Consistent Game Nights?

46:31 Discount or Speed?

50:57 Collection Selection: Phil Walker-Harding

Don't forget to check out our Discord!

https://www.boardgameradio.com/discord/

Episode 281 - Family Games & Gen Con Hotness Through The Years Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discussing family games on BoardGameGeek, and revisiting GenCon Hotness!

00:00:20 Introduction & Follow-up

00:03:32 This Week In Gaming & Awesomeness

00:04:50 Exploring Personal Gaming Backlogs

00:09:23 Exciting News in Tabletop Gaming

00:14:01 Does BoardGameGeek Have a Family Games Problem?

00:34:42 Exploring Gen Con's Hotness Over the Years

00:37:13 2023 Gen Con Preview

00:45:59 2024 Gen Con Preview

00:51:51 2025 Gen Con Preview

00:58:27 2026 Gen Con Preview

01:00:42 Reflections on Game Quality and Hype

Don't forget to check out our Discord! https://www.boardgameradio.com/discord/

Episode 280 - Teachers, Awesomeness, and Dave Beck Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discussing our thoughts on the hobby, visiting the Shelf of Shame Support Group, and chatting with Dave Beck of Paverson Games!

00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio

00:03:28 Drillers Game Sales

00:08:18 Accountability Test #1

00:14:48 This Week In Gaming: Teacher Fund

00:17:36 Chess Joker: Review

00:31:03 What's On Your Mind? What would you miss?

00:41:06 The Shelf of Shame: Confessions and Reflections

00:46:55 Understanding Why Games Go Unplayed

00:55:46 Rethinking the Shelf of Shame

01:02:01 Interview: Dave Beck

01:05:16 Video Games to Tabletop Games

01:08:05 Balancing Academia and Entrepreneurship

01:11:54 Transitioning from Designer to Publisher

01:15:53 Class of 89 and Small Batch

01:25:10 Celebrating Awards and Recognition

01:31:18 The Impact of Board Game Arena

01:38:04 What makes tabletop gaming awesome?

Episode 279 - Magic, Hotels, and Monthly Games Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Michael and Doug share what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, including winning contests and new game releases. They also discuss expanding into other parts of the hobby, playing Stupid Money/Smart Money Gencon Edition, and closing out with a Monthly Game Roundup featuring Hell of a Deal, Circadia, Wild Magic, and Guillotine!

00:00:00 - Introduction to Board Game Radio

00:03:01 - Follow-Up and Community Engagement

00:06:22 - What's Awesome in Tabletop Gaming

00:09:05 - New Game Releases and Themes

00:12:07 - Experiences with Local Game Stores

00:16:24 - What's On Your Mind? Diving into Magic: The Gathering

00:24:20 - Community Challenges in TCGs

00:28:10 - The Barriers to Entry in Collectible Games

00:34:07 - Stupid Money, Smart Money: Gen Con Edition

00:53:25 - Monthly Game Roundup

01:03:30 - Diving into Circadia: Gameplay Mechanics and Strategies

01:12:08 - Wild Magic: Family-Friendly Fun and Strategic Depth

01:20:11 - Guillotine: A Classic with New Art

Episode 278 - GenCon 2026 Recap Show Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Doug and Michael do a thorough follow-up of GenCon. They dive into the show's headlines, along with their surprises, misses, and overall impressions.

00:00:20 - Welcome Back to the Studio

00:01:27 - Reflecting on Gen Con Experience

00:06:26 - Crowd Management and Venue Expansion

00:08:06 - FOMO and News Coverage at Gen Con

00:11:41 - Weather Challenges at Gen Con

00:12:34 - Game Announcements and Highlights

00:18:21 - All Play's New Game Lines

00:26:10 - Restoration Games and Unmatched Updates

00:32:46 - Final Thoughts and Reflections

00:35:27 - Excitement Over New Games

00:39:31 - Surprises from Gen Con

00:49:30 - Misses and Regrets at the Convention