Game Brain: A Board Game Podcast About Our Gaming Group

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**Game Brain: A Board Game Podcast About Our Gaming Group**

A podcast about Board Games and friendship, and a real life board game group! Join us every week for an in-depth look at the board gaming hobby, including board game news, reviews and much, much more.

Latest Episodes:

Round 8, Turn 3: "Tichu" with Dmitry, Jake, and Moira Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction in which the hosts interact as human beings and discuss eating Guinea Pigs
0:05:43 Game Night
- Yokohama
- Pan Am
0:13:14 Game News
0:34:00 Games on the Brain
- Great Western Trail
- The Cost
0:47:05 Game Review - Tichu
1:27:19 Co-host segment - Fun games when you're playing badly
- Flow
1:59:54 Game Somellier

Round 8, Turn 2: "The Cost" with Ben and Paul Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction
- The Cost by Armondo Canales
0:04:57 Game Night
0:10:40 Game News
- Arcana Rising
- Undaunted: North Africa Designer Diary
- Cairn
- Sagrada on Switch
- Ennie Awards 2020
  - Alien
  - MÖRK BORG
0:35:28 Games on the Brain
- CO2
- 18Chesapeake
0:43:44 Top 50 Games
- #5 Avalon
- #4 Barrage
- #3 Gaia Project
- #2 Lorenzo il Magnifico
- #1 Great Western Trail
1:02:40 Game Review - The Cost
1:55:30 Member Segment - What keeps us coming back?
2:17:37 Sign-off

Round 8, Turn 1: "Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun" with Jennifer and Trey Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

00:00:00 Intro with all the co-hosts.
- This round's theme is "As you wish..."
- The Cost
00:13:33 Game Night
- Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire
- Teotihuacan
- La Granja
- Tichu
- Imperial Struggle
- Tom's New Book: The Year of the Rabbit (tentative title)
00:21:45 Game News
- Pictures Spiel des Jahres
- The Crew Kennerspiel des Jahres
- Jordan Draper Kickstarter
- Under Falling Skies
- Dead Reckoning Kickstarter
- Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Begins
00:44:43 Games on the Brain
- Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire
- Factory Town
- The Lesser Players Tale - by Jason Morningstar and Lizzie Stark
- Reacting to the Past
- Online GenCon
00:56:00 The Game Brain Top 50
- 10 The Gallerist
- 9 Tzolk'in
- 8 Terraforming Mars
- 7 Tichu
- 6 Age of Steam
01:05:02 Game Review Tekhenu
- Candice Harris BGG Preview
- Trismegistus: The Ultimate Formula
01:32:51 Host Segment - Conflict in board games
01:56:45 Game Sommelier
- Spirit Island

Round 7, Turn 9: "In The Year Of The Dragon" with Paul and Jake Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

00:03:57 Game Night
- Marco Polo
  - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171623/voyages-marco-polo
  - (Johannes Caprini is actually the weakest character, Tom)
- Tichu https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/215/tichu
00:08:55 Game News
- Stefan Feld City Collection - https://twitter.com/real_QueenGames/status/1284155650713571330
- Fort https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/296912/fort
- Daimyo https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/237145/daimyo-rebirth-empire
- Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/314040/pandemic-legacy-season-0
- Elizabeth Hargrave https://twitter.com/elizhargrave
00:32:36 Games on the Brain
- Imperial Struggle https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206480/imperial-struggle
- Sorry (no link available :( )
00:51:00 Top 50 Games
- 15 Brass https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206480/imperial-struggle
- 14 Madiera https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28720/brass-lancashire
- 13 Die Macher https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1/die-macher
- 12 Concordia https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124361/concordia
- 11 Twilight Struggle https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12333/twilight-struggle
00:55:23 Game Review - In the Year of the Dragon
- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31594/year-dragon
01:11:02 Host Segment - Your group's game culture
01:39:44 Game Sommelier
- BoardGameArena recommendations:
  - Russian Railroads
  - Keyflower
  - City of Big Shoulders
  - Nippon
  - Troyes
  - Clans of Caledonia
  - Santorini
  - Hawaii

Round 7, Turn 8: "Imperial Struggle" with Jesse and Matt Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

00:00:00 "The Greatest Three-some"
00:10:10 Game Night
- Pan Am https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/303057/pan-am
00:17:54 Game News
- Pendulum https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/312804/pendulum
- Perseverance https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mindclash/perseverance-castaway-chronicles
- Escape the Night https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playescapethenight/escape-the-night-board-game
- Dead Reckoning https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/276182/dead-reckoning
- Lost Ruins of Arnak https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/312484/lost-ruins-arnak
- Fiasco https://bullypulpitgames.com/games/fiasco/
- Protocol https://postworldgames.com/protocol-game-series/
- Hoplomachus https://chiptheorygames.com/hoplomachus#section-two
- Southern Rails https://www.riograndegames.com/2020/07/southern-rails-announced/
- Pandemic Legacy: Season 0
00:42:10 Games on the Brain
- Last of Us 2
Game Brain Top 50
- 20 Teotihuacan https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/229853/teotihuacan-city-gods
- 19 Through the Ages https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/182028/through-ages-new-story-civilization
- 18 Agricola https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260/agricola
- 17 Ricochet Robots https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/51/ricochet-robots
- 16 Eclipse https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/72125/eclipse
00:49:40 Game Review - Imperial Struggle
- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206480/imperial-struggle
01:40:57 Host Segment - Weight
02:00:04 Game Sommelier
- Ticket To Ride https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9209/ticket-ride
- Cockroach Poker https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11971/cockroach-poker
- Gulo Gulo https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6351/gulo-gulo
- Rat A Tat Cat https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3837/rat-tat-cat
- Cha Cha Chicken https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3570/chicken-cha-cha-cha
- Chateau Roquefort https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28089/chateau-roquefort
- 10 Days https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5867/10-days-europe
- Throw Throw Burrito

Round 7, Turn 7: "Russian Railroads" with Trey and Paul Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

00:01:40 Game Night
- Love Letter https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129622/love-letter
- Keyflower https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/122515/keyflower
00:06:38 The News
00:33:20 Games on the Brain
- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/291457/gloomhaven-jaws-lion
- Game of Thrones LCG
  - https://theironthrone.net/play
  - https://agot.cards/
- Imperial Struggle https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206480/imperial-struggle
- TOP 50 Game Countdown
- 25 Fresh Fish https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1017/fresh-fish
- 24 Lisboa https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161533/lisboa
- 23 Trickerion https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/163068/trickerion-legends-illusion
- 22 Indonesia https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19777/indonesia
- 21 18xx games https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/19/series-18xx
00:59:55 Game Review - Russian Railroads
- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144733/russian-railroads
01:32:45 Host Segment - "Racing"
01:54:00 Game Sommelier

A Fireside Chat on BLM, with Candice, Jennifer, Matt, and Tom Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

Round 7, Turn 6: "Madeira" with Elder Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Introduction: Welcome Professor Elder
0:01:30 - This Week's Game Night
- Lottery Games
- Oculus Quest v The Rift (0:09:17)
- Madeira (0:14:41)
- Stone Age: Wildlife, Harsh Winters Expansions (0:14:56)
- Tichu (0:17:44)
- Wavelength (0:18:20)
- Libertalia, For Sale, Tzolkien, 6 Nimmt! (0:18:54)
0:19:18 - This Week's Game News
- Everything Board Games: Black Lives Matter resignations (0:19:55)
- Anno 1800 German Language Edition, from PhilbertNet.com (0:33:45)
- Godspeed, from Pandasaurus Games (0:36:51)
- Pan Am, from Prospero Hall (0:39:07)
- The Mind: Extreme (0:41:51)
  - Hanabi
- Tekhenu, Taiwantinsuyu (0:45:56)
  - Teotihuacan, Lorenzo, Marco Polo, Tzolkien
- Curious Cargo, from Capstone Games (0:49:32)
  - Pipeline, Barrage, Crystal Palace
- Intrepid, from Tim Fowers Games (0:52:20)
  - Burgle Bros, Burgle Bros 2, Sabotage, Hardback, Paperback, Getaway Driver
0:54:13 - Games on the Brain
- Barrage
- Legends of Runeterra from Riot (0:57:52)
  - League of Legends
- Madeira (1:00:15)
- High Frontier (1:00:43)
1:01:12 - 8x8 Challenge Update
- Avalon, Gaia Project, Splotter, Age of Steam, Great Western Trail, Lorenzo, Pax Games, Concordia, Pax Pamir
1:06:17 - Game Brain Top 50 - #29-26
1:10:10 - Review of Madeira, from What's Your Game
- Nippon, Panamax, Lude Island, Guangzhou
- The Harvester and The Ambassadors Madeira Expansions
- New Deluxe Expansion to come this fall
1:40:25 - Transitioning to Virtual Gaming
- Tabletopia, Board Game Arena, Table Top Simulator (TTS)
- Discord Audio, Board Game Arena Audio/Video
- Clans of Caledonia, LaGrange, Stone Age, Puerto Rico, Tzolkien, Terra Mystica, Troyes, Nippon - On Board Game Arena
- Teotihuacan to come on Board Game Arena
- On Mars, Viscounts of the West Kingdom, Flotilla, Isle of Cats, Pandeme (Bread Baron,) Blackout Hong Kong, Barrage, Pharaon, Glass Road - on TTS
- New Amsterdam - Elder's Mod for TTS coming soon
- Lock-Up
- TTS on NBR Headset
  - The MInd
- Catan on Oculus
2:03:09 - Board Game Sommelier
- Sagrada, Carcassonne, Terraforming Mars, Mice and Mystics, Twilight Imperium, Last Frontier
- TARGET GAMES:
- Icusa
- Calamala
- Lignum
  - Francis Drake
- Sidereal Confluence
- LeHavre
- Dungeon Lords
- Yellow and Yangtze
  - Tigris and Euphrates
- Pillars of the Earth
- Santa Maria
- Troyes
- LaGraja
- Reworld
- Through the Desert
- Dokmus
- Azul
- Pan Am
- On Mars
2:15:51 Sign Off

Round 7, Turn 5: "Elfenland" with Jake and Dmitry Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Introduction: Welcome Jake, the Casual Gamer, and Dmitry, the Philosophical Gamer
0:03:00 - This Week’s Game Night
- Elfenland, The Crew, Tichu, Twilight Struggle, Phaeron, Clans of Caledonia, Russian Railroads, Race for the Galaxy.
- Neverwinter XBox RPG
0:08:55 - This Week’s News
- Origins Online Game Convention and Black Lives Matter (0:09:20)
  - Blood Rage
- Disney Jungle Cruise: A Voyage of Mystery and Misfortune (0:15:57)
  - Jaws, Top Gun, The Shining, Back to the Future
- Wonder Woman: Challenge of the Amazons (0:22:49)
- Monumental (0:23:34)
  - Tapestry
- The Night Cage (0:27:51)
  - Der Nichte der Magir (0:33:12)
- Charles S Roberts Awards Resume (0:34:50)
- Fire Tower: Reprint and Rising Flames Expansion Kickstarter (0:37:56)
- Martin Wallace's Anno 1800 (0:42:08)
  - Brass, Age of Steam
  - Red Dead Redemption
- H.iO Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality (0:48:07)
  - Walden
0:52:07 - Games on the Brain
- Neverwinter
- Wavelength, One Word, Time's Up
0:59:06 - Game Brain Top 50 Games 35-30
1:02:42 - Elfenland Review
- El Grande
- Dune: Duel and Spice Harvest
- Gaia Project
- Marco Polo, Concordia
- Bus
1:28:04 - How to Tell a Game is Not for You
- Food Chain Magnate
- 18xx
- Wiz War
- Indonesia
- Barrage
- Eclipse
- Everdell
- Captain Sonar
- Age of Steam
- Pret a Porter
- The Gallerist
- Marco Polo
- Concordia
- Hanse Teutonica
1:53:42 - Board Game Sommelier
- Troyes
- Concordia
- Everdell
- Coimbra
- Lorenzo
- Teotihuacan
- Marco Polo
- Crystal Palace
- Tribune
1:59:05 - Sign Off

Round 7, Turn 4: "Kanban EV" with Alfred Jun 08, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Introduction: Welcome Alfred, the Rules Lawyer
0:04:46 - This Week's Game Night
- Clans of Caledonia, Race for the Galaxy, Smartphone, Inc. (0:05:15)
- Russian Railroads, Elfenland (0:05:34)
- Kanban EV, Mah Jong, Elfenland (0:06:14)
0:09:50 - This Week's Game News
- Candice Harris joins the Board Game Geek Team (0:09:58)
  - Friedrich, Maria (0:11:00)
- 1822: The Railways of Great Britain Reprint Kickstarter (0:11:44)
- Terraforming Mars: The Big Box with Minis! (0:15:46)
  - Traveler (0:18:21)
- Merchants of the Dark Road Kickstarter (0:19:33)
- Through the Ages: New Leaders and Wonders Expansion (0:21:56)
- Back to the Future: Back in Time (0:26:56)
  - The Shining, Jaws
  - Scotland Yard
  - Catan, Wingspan
  - Top Gun
- Alice is Missing Kickstarter (0:32:02)
  - Avalon, Captain Sonar,
  - Blood on the Clocktower
  - Space Alert
  - Primitive
  - Gertz: Prehistoric
0:38:26 - Games on the Brain
- Wingspan, Asmodee, Wizards of the Coast, Magic, The Gathering: welcoming African-American gamers and designers (0:41:30)
0:45:25 - Game Brain Top 50: 40-36
0:57:45 - Review of Kanban EV
- Vinhos
- The Gallerist
- Elfenland (1:34:18)
- Lisboa, On Mars
1:36:30 - Bringing Out the Best in Gamers
- Avalon, Mah Jong
- Clans of Caledonia
1:58:24 - Board Game Sommelier
- Anachrony, Indonesia, Container, Wildcatters, Masters of Venice, Manila, Havet et Gut
- Skeegee Market (2:00:10)
- Chesapeake & Ohio
- Terraforming Mars (2:01:30)
- Isle of Wight, a Brass: Duel Game (2:02:25)
2:06:13 - What Bonds Won't Break
- iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp
2:09:27 - Sign Off

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