Every Night is Game Night

Latest Episodes:

Episode 137 - Some Family Games and Play is the Thing May 03, 2019

Show notes

We have some very good family cooperative games for you this week. The first is My First Castle Panic (3:45), the adaptation of Castle Panic that is excellent for your three year old! For the older kids, we share next about Zoo Break (7:21), a family game about recapturing escaping zoo animals with some excellent moments of thematic integration? Finally, we get to one of the big releases from early 2019 - Comanauts (16:04).

For our discussion topic, we're revisiting a conversation Jason had with Dr. Max Davie, a specialist in child psychology, that was posted on the Dice Tower main YouTube channel a few months ago. We chat about how to use games to help kids heal, how to adjust games so that we can get them gaing with us as adults, and other aspects of gaming with kids.

Please visit Max's blog! - https://playisthething.home.blog/

BONUS Episode - Game of Thrones S8E3 - The Long Night Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

Time for something completely different! There is NO board gaming content in this bonus episode. I was lucky enough to already have a scheduled record session with Annette Villa, aka Nettersplays from YouTube and the Dice Tower, and we both happen to be HUGE fans of Game of Thrones. We are here to chat The Long Night, the big episode of Game of Thrones that aired last Sunday. Annette loved it, Jason had issues with it, so come check out our debate and deliberations.

Regular episode of ENGN will drop on Friday, as normal!

Episode 136 - Games from the Easter Season and a personal chat Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

Jason climbs back into the solo chair this week to share another very different episode. He chats into two games that are thematic within the recently finished Easter season: the cooperative Kings of Israel (5:50), as well as the worker placement game also set in ancient Israel, Wisdom of Solomon (15:30).

For the second half of the episode (24:04), Jason talks about... himself. A lot of folks out there have issues with their mental health. Jason goes into his personal issues with depression, talking about his own experience with it but also explaining some things for folks who might not know what it's all about - how it feels, how it's different from sadness, and what are some ways that we can overcome it. Hint: gaming is heavily involved! It can be a heavy conversation at times, so please be warned. If you would like to keep things light and about the games, then please enjoy the first half of the show.

Episode 135 - ENGN Update and quick Top Ten Cooperative Games 2019 edition Apr 20, 2019

Show notes

We had a big episode last week! Thanks so much to Marc Davis and Paul Grogan for hopping on. We’re slowing it down this week and just dropping a quick one into the feed. Please go ahead and catch up on old ENGN episodes and your other podcasts. We’ll be back next week with another full episode.

Before we go, though, please check out some written work Jason has been up to lately.

Top Eleven ENGN episodes blog (for the masses of people who have been clamoring for Jason to rank his own episodes) - https://boardgamersanonymous.com/best-every-night-game-night-top-eleven-episodes/

Jason’s Big GeekList of Played Cooperative Games (over 150 games played and ranked) - https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/254711/jasons-big-geeklist-played-cooperative-games

Episode 134 - Podcaster Roundtable on Thematic Games Apr 12, 2019

Show notes

Jason is very excited to host Every Night is Game Night's first Podcaster Roundtable on a specific topic. It started as a Twitter conversation, and it has now blossomed into its own podcast.

We welcome Paul Grogan from the Gaming Rules YouTube channel as well as Marc Davis from the Thoughtful Gamer blog to talk about theme in games and thematic gaming from all angles. We cover:

• Basic definitions of theme • A game's theme vs. a game's setting • Theme as distinct from narrative, story, or plot in a game • Dice rolling in many thematic games • Whether a dyed in the wool Euro game can ever deliver a truly thematic experience

Please follow these fine gentlemen at their respective channels. And if you are so inclined and have the means, please check out their Patreon campaigns!

Gaming Rules - https://www.patreon.com/GamingRules

The Thoughtful Gamer - https://www.patreon.com/thethoughtfulgamer

ENGN 133 - What's the Deal With: Deckbuilders Apr 05, 2019

Show notes

We're talking deckbuilders this week, starting with the family weight game that teaches basic atom theory in as fun a way as I could think of, Subatomic (6:21). Also on the lighter side but for an older audience, we have the highly tactical and very cute Dale of Merchants (11:47).

Our last two deckbuilders for the episode are both cooperative behemoths. First, we have Shadowrift (19:51), an oldie but goodie originally released in 2012 where you defend a town against marauding baddies (spoiler alert: I think it holds up very well!). Finally, we get into Aeon's End: Legacy (30:20). We know how good Aeon's End is, but is the Legacy part of it any good?

For the discussion topic, we get into the good and the bad of deckbuilders. A big shout out to everyone who contributed to threads on BGG and Facebook. Between those two discussions, we cover a lot of what people are drawn to with deckbuilders, and also what might create some difficulties.

ENGN 132 - Games in Nature and Two More Ways that Games Help Your Mental Health Mar 29, 2019

Show notes

Whenever we discuss a difficult topic on an episode of ENGN, we like to come right back with something positive and fun. This week, we look at some games in nature (stretching the definition juuust a bit with Anthony's game), then talk about some ways that games make our lives better that you might not have thought about.

First, we get into Herbaceous Sprouts (3:33), a next level gateway game building upon the very simple, entry level card game Herbaceous. This one has you rolling custom dice with a good amount of mitigation and strategy. After that, we tackle the looming sales behemoth of early 2019, Wingspan (10:35). We review the game on two levels - game mechanisms and also how important it is in the hobby. Finally, Anthony shares about a complex card-based engine building game that Jason is dying to play, Underwater Cities (24:40).

We then get into some discussion about ways that games make us happier and more well adjusted people overall. When people talk about the positive impact of gaming, they usually refer to the social aspect. In this episode, we chat about two more ways in which games can help us which are a bit more relevant to the solo gamer.

Wingspan review by Lila Sadkin - https://www.beboldgames.com/games/wingspan-is-important-a-different-kind-of-review

In Liz We Trust KS preview - Carnival Zombie, 2nd Edition - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/62517270/carnival-zombie-second-edition?ref=discovery&term=carnival%20zombie (edited)

ENGN 131 - Games 2.0 and the Moral Quandary of Social Media Mar 22, 2019

Show notes

To kick off today's episode, we chat about two reiterations of popular games. First, Anthony breaks down Duelosaur Island (7:46), the streamlined two player version of Dinosaur Island that promises nearly as much game in almost half of the table space. Then Jason presents Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth (19:04), a post-apocalypse/ comic book retheme of the popular Lost Expedition from two years ago.

Jason and Anthony then engage a difficult topic - social media in board gaming. We've heard a lot about how the internet and social media have been great for growing the hobby and connecting folks all over the world. We definitely acknowledge that. However, if you follow the news at all, you'll know there's an underside to these social media platforms, particularly their behaviors as companies and how their products impact our lives and our happiness. We break some of that down and offer thoughts on how we navigate these issues.

As always, we are open to any feedback about this (or any other) episode!

The Trauma Floor, from The Verge - https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/25/18229714/cognizant-facebook-content-moderator-interviews-trauma-working-conditions-arizona

In Liz We Trust - Cartographers https://www.thunderworksgames.com/cartographers.html

ENGN 130 Bonus - Beyond Solitaire interviews AJ Porfirio about the Graphic Novel Adventures Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

Liz from Beyond Solitaire had a chance to sit down and interview AJ Porfirio about the newest season of Graphic Novel Adventures. This short interview serves as a nice companion to our regular episode this week.

ENGN Episode 130 - Graphic Novel Adventures Preview and Analysis Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

We're double dipping this week - preview and regular episode content!

We welcome back Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Wendy from the Singlehandedly blog to help Jason preview newest series of Graphic Novel Adventures.

Season Two is currently live on Kickstarter! Along with a preview, the gang also gives opinions and analysis of the existing Season One of the Graphic Novel Adventures. If you are curious at all about the series, we have you covered.

Kickstarter Link - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vanrydergames/graphic-novel-adventures-season-2?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=graphic%20novel%20adventures

Beyond Solitaire - http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/blog/kickstarter-preview-mystery-graphic-novel-adventures

Singlehandedly - https://singlehandedlydotblog.wordpress.com/2019/03/11/become-the-worlds-most-famous-superhero/

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