Game Brain: A Board Game Podcast About Our Gaming Group

Latest Episodes:

A Fireside Chat with Jennifer and Matthew: Diversity and Inclusivity in Video Games vs. Board Games Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

Jennifer and Matthew get together (over Skype) for a chat on Diversity and Inclusivity in Video Games vs. Board Games, specifically the games Anno 1800 vs Maracaibo.

Round 6, Turn 5: "Our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY episode" with Matt! Mar 23, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Intro: Welcome Matt
0:04:08 - 50th Episode and One Year Anniversary!
0:07:45 - "Temperature Check" / "Clip Show"
- Thank you Etamaros Peleg
- Thank you Liam York
- Thank you Jennifer, Paul, Dmitry, Ben, Alfred, Jesse, Elder, Trey, and Jake
0:10:24 - This Week's Game Night
- Castles of Burgundy Table Top Simulator
- Oceans Table Top Simulator
- Cartehena (0:16:29)
  - High Frontier
  - Twilight Struggle
0:19:47 - This Week's News
- Dark Ages Kickstarter
  - Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
- Winter Kingdom (0:23:09)
  - Dominion, Kingdom Builder
- Origins Game Fair 2020 June 17-21 (0:24:13)
  - Decks Con
- Dig Your Way Out (0:26:46)
  - Paladins of the West Kingdom
- Paris (0:28:55)
  - El Grande, Mexica: The Mask Series, Azul
  - Brussels, Troyes, Carson City
- Wingspan on Switch (0:31:26)
- Lawyer Up! Kickstarter (0:32:53)
  - ADA
0:35:02 - Games on the Brain
- Cloud Spire
- Alu Bari, A Nice Cup of Tea (0:36:05)
  - Snowdonia
- Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing (0:37:05)
- Weight Loss Challenge Extension Bet (0:37:34)
- Exploring On-Line Gaming - Games that are better on the simulator (0:38:58)
  - Antiquity
  - Roads and Boats
  - Through the Ages
0:41:20 - 8x8 Challenge
- Avalon
- Gaia Project
- 18xx
- Splotter, Age of Steam, Lorenzo, Pax Pamir, Pax Renaissance, Pax Transhumanity, Age of Steam, Great Western Trail
0:44:06 - Year in Review - A Second Look at 48 Games
- Wingspan (0:44:36)
- Coimbra (0:45:38)
- Great Western Trail: Rails to the North (0:46:56)
- Solenia (0:49:04)
- Underwater Cities (0:49:37)
- Avalon (0:50:45)
- Chronicles of Crime (0:52:18)
- Terraforming Mars: Colonies (0:53:53)
- Quacks of Quedlinburg (0:55:04)
- Escape Plan (0:55:47)
- Teotihuacan (0:56:44)
- Trickerion (0:58:24)
- Catan (1:00:40)
- Pipeline (1:02:37)
- The Estates (1:03:55)
- Twilight Struggle (1:04:55)
- Pax Pamir 2E (1:05:18)
- Res Arcana (1:06:47)
- Architects of the West Kingdom (1:08:31)
- Tokyo Metro (1:09:55)
- Black Angel (1:11:42)
- Air, Land and Sea, QE, Watergate (1:12:23)
- City of the Big Shoulders (1:14:26)
- Barrage (1:15:32)
- Tapestry (1:15:46)
- Lorenzo Il Magnifico (1:17:39)
- Gaia Project (1:17:44)
- Concordia (1:17:55)
- Paladins of the West Kingdom (1:18:06)
- Dune (1:19:26)
- Detective (1:20:15)
- Trismegistus (1:22:06)
- Crystal Palace (1:22:23)
- Bus (1:23:12)
- Maracaibo (1:23:57)
- Marvel Champions (1:25:19)
- Taverns of Tiefenthal (1:26:44)
- On Mars (1:28:05)
- Pax Transhumanity (1:28:46)
- Everdell (1:29:54)
- Blood on the Clocktower (1:31:03)
- Food Chain Magnate: Ketchup Expansion (1:33:02)
- Ora et Labora (1:33:53)
- Nemo's War (1:34:38)
- Oath (1:35:41)
- 1862 (1:38:32)
- Caylus 1303 (1:39:57)
- Eclipse: Second Dawn (1:40:38)
- Railroad Evolution (1:41:30)
1:41:53 - Thank You to Our Listeners!
1:45:01 - Sign Off

Round 6, Turn 4: "Railroad Evolution" with Ben Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Introduction: Welcome Ben, The Opinionated Gamer
0:12:08 - This Week’s Game Night
- Railroad Evolution
- Die Macher (0:14:05)
- Table Top Simulator
0:30:47 - This Week’s Game News
- Verdun: Steel Inferno
  - The Grizzled
- Robinson Crusoe (0:31:51)
  - The Treasure Chest (0:32:25)
- Million Dollar Script (0:33:48)
- Pax Pamir 2nd Ed. reprint Kickstarter (0:36:03)
- Stick’em (0:37:27)
  - Tichu
  - Six Nits
- Twilight Struggle Red Sea: Conflict in the Horn of Africa (0:42:31)
- Conquest and Consequence (0:43:56)
  - Triumph and Tragedy
  - Maria
  - Churchill
  - Friedrich
- Dominant Species: Marine (0:45:22)
- Vampire Masquerade: Vendetta (0:48:37)
  - Dungeons and Dragons
- Labyrinth: War on Terror on Steam (0:53:18)
- Mystic Bale on Switch (0:54:10)
0:56:24 - Games on the Brain
- Weight Loss Challenge
- Pandemic: Pandemic Legacy, Season 1 (0:59:28)
- Food Chain Magnate (1:00:33)
  Ketchup Expansion, Noodles, Sushi, Apartments
1:08:47 - Review of Railroad Revolution: Railroad Evolution
- Madeira, Nippon, Lude Island, Chung Kuo
1:39:30 - Changing People’s Minds About Games
- Six Men Morris, Just One, Medici
- Wingspan
- Catan
- Concordia
- Pipeline
- Everdell
- Pandemic
- Modern Art
- Ra
- Survive
- Jaws
- Lords of Vegas
- Ticket to Ride
- Splendor
- On the Underground
- K2
- Cartehena
- Battlestar Galactica
- Indonesia
- Dead of Winter
1:57:35 - Board Game Sommelier
- City of Big Shoulders
- 1862
- 1822
- 1830
- 1889
- 1849: Sicilian Railways
- Scythe, Terraforming Mars
- Twilight Struggle
- Key to the City: London
  - Keyflower
- Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective
- Detective
- Tragedy Looper
- Letters from Whitechapel
- Great Zimbabwe
- Roads and Boats
- Railways of the World
- Pandemic Legacy
2:17:23 - Sign Off

Round 6, Turn 3: "Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy" with Paul Mar 09, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Welcome Paul the Game Breaker
0:02:01 - This Week’s Game Night
- Ora et Labora, Hansa Teutonica (0:04:00)
- Eclipse: Second Dawn is the Galaxy (0:04:56)
- Avalon, Oceans, Railroad Revolution (0:05:16)
  - Tribune
- Avalon, Eclipse, Jaws (0:10:00)
0:13:17 - This Week’s News
- Coronavirus Convention Cancellation
- Planner Kickstarter Marketing Hijinks (0:13:54)
- Maharajah (0:16:16)
- Geekopolis (0:18:57)
- The Shining (0:19:57)
  - Cockroach Poker
- Back to the Future: Back in Time (0:22:31)
- Burger Academy (0:23:05)
  - Ricochet Robots
- Die Crew (0:25:50)
- Tang Garden (0:27:26)
  - Carcassonne
- Pictionary Air (0:28:22)
- 2020 Geekmadness Tournament (0:31:18)
- Regium Automated Chessboard thispersondoesnotexist.com (0:32:13)
0:36:25 - Games on the Brain
- Weight Loss Challenge (0:37:28)
- Oceans (0:41:19)
- Pandemic (0:42:58)
0:47:41 - 8X8 Challenge
0:47:55 - Review of Eclipse: Second Dawn of the Galaxy
1:17:15 - Expansions!
- Eclipse: Rise of the Ancients
- Railroad Revolution (1:20:19)
- Tzolkien: Tribes and Prophets (1:21:41)
- Agricola: Farmers on the Moor (1:22:39)
- Tribune (1:23:25)
- Catan Cities and Knights (1:27:31)
- Eclipse: Rise of the Ancients
- Wingspan (1:29:19)
- Battlestar Galactica Pegasus (1:29:55)
- Terraforming Mars Colonies; Prelude (1:31:18)
- Through the Ages
- Terraforming Mars Prelude (1:32:24)
- Dominion Prosperity (1:33:26)
  - Dominion Alchemy, Seaside
- Lords of Waterdeep: Scoundrels of Skullport (1:34:44)
- Viticulture: Tuscany
- Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm
- Agricola: Farmers on the Moor
- Seven Wonders: Leaders
- Seven Wonders: Cities
- Power Grid: China, Concordia, Age of Steam: Korea, China; Russian Railroads
- Lorenzo (1:40:55)
1:42:14 - Board Game Sommelier
- Quartermaster General, Friedrich, Memoir 44, Twilight Struggle
- Root, Eclipse, War of the Ring, Risk
- Hannibal: Rome vs Carthage
- Undaunted: Normandy
- Nemo’s War
- Churchill
- Just One, Time’s Up, Undaunted: Normandy, Watergate, Cryptid
- Decrypto, Balderdash, Avalon, Time’s Up: Title Recall, Wavelength, The Mind, Sleuth, Ricochet Robots, Cockroach Poker, Tichu, Codenames, Jaws,
- Twilight Struggle, Cuba Libre
1:59:26 - Sign Off

Round 6, Turn 2: "Caylus 1303" with Dmitry Mar 02, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Welcome Dmitry, the Philosophical Gamer
0:01:45 - This Week’s Game Nights
- Wavelength (0:02:16)
- Santiago (0:03:38)
  - Modern Art
- Masters of the Renaissance (0:04:23)
- Ocean (0:05:49)
Heaven and Ale, Glenn Moor 2 (0:07:52)
0:08:32 - Game News
- Burgle Bros 2: Casino Capers (0:08:43)
- Fallout Shelter (0:09:57)
- Patchwork: Americana (0:11:02)
- Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion (0:11:40)
  - Betrayal: House on a Hill
  - Jaws
  - Top Gun
  - Battlestar Galactica
  - Dune
- Zona: Secret of Chernobyl (0:14:15)
- Kickstarter Solo Modes: The Ming Voyages, Tumbletown, By Death and Sea, Astroforce: the Dice Game, Endogenesis, Heroes of Tenfir, Knightlancer, Ark: Awakening, Knight Tales (0:17:42)
- Manifold (0:19:23)
  - Vast, the Crystal Caverns
- Chronicles of Crime: 1400, 1900, 2400 (0:20:34)
- Tang Garden (0:22:30)
  - Carcasonne
- Dogs and Pigs (0:22:55)
- Bonfire (0:24:07)
0:25:04 - Games on the Brain
- Heaven and Ale
  - Coimbra
  - Village
  - Oath
  - Pax Pamir
- Ocean (0:28:47)
- 1862 (0:31:22)
0:34:05 - Review of Caylus 1303
- Teotihuacan
- Great Western Trail
- Le Havre
- Maracaibo
- Bus
1:08:30 - Games as Entertainment
- Kanban
- London Underground
- Sheriff of Nottingham
- Kremlin
- Junta
- Bus
- Cosmic Encounter
- Agricola
- Tzolkien
- Teotihuacan
- Crystal Palace
- Coimbra
- Age of Steam
- Brass
- Everdell
- Barrage
- Die Macher
- Friedrich
- On Mars
- High Frontier
- Pax Pamir
- Watergate
- Acquire
1:33:40 - Game Sommelier
- Brass
- Shogun/ Wallenstein
- Nations/ Through the Ages
- Modern Art
- Gallerist
- Wits and Wagers
- Fresh Fish
- Cryptid
- Friedrich
- Clans
- Mr Jack
- Sakigahara
1:45:28 - Sign Off

Round 6, Turn 1: "1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties" with Jennifer Feb 24, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Start of Round 6
0:04:55 - Welcome Jennifer, the Veteran Gamer
- 1830
- Civilizatio drew n, Advanced Civilization
0:08:22 - This Week’s Game Night
- Underwater Cities Expansion, Barrage, Glenn More 2
- Everdell, Pearl Brook Expansion (0:10:00)
  - Wraith, New Frontiers
- Underwater Cities Expansion (0:15:41)
  - Tzolkien
  - Lorenzo Expansion
- Glenn More 2 (0:18:32)
- Die Macher
0:20:55 - News of the Week
- War of the Ring: Kings of Middle Earth (0:21:05)
- Raiders of Skiffia (0:23:10)
- DEI: Divide et Imperia (0:24:34)
- Viscounts of the West Kingdom (0:27:16)
  - Architects of the West Kingdom, Paladins of the West Kingdom
- Marvel United Kickstarter (0:28:16)
- Kanban EV (0:31:09)
  - Vinhos
- Parks Expansion (0:34:50)
- Eclipse Second Edition (0:35:39)
  - Food Chain Magnate: Ketchup Mechanism
  - Civilization One
  - Alpha Centauri
- Cloud Spire (0:39:19)
- Kickstarter Workers Unite! (0:41:08)
- Asmodee Parts Replacement (0:42:46)
  - Wingspan
- Slate’s Doctor Drunkenstein’s Reign of Terror (0:50:52)
- Wisconsin Republican Senate Pages Secret Hitler on Madison.com (0:52:51)
0:56:41 - Games on the Brain
- Weight Loss Challenge
- Diplomacy (1:01:05)
- On Mars (1:05:10)
1:09:56 - Review of 1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties
- 1830, 1856, 1870, 1825, 1879, 1846, 1852
- 1817, 1822
- Age of Steam, ChIcago Express
- 1846
- 1879
- 1822
- On Mars
1:59:10 - The Slow Pace of Change in Board Game Representation
- Monopoly
- Settlers of Catan
- Maracaibo
- Blackout Hong Kong
- Dune
- Archipelago
- Spirit Island
- Trickerion
- Endeavor
- Carson City
- Marco Polo
- Congo
- Great Zimbabwe
2:13:40 - Sign Off

Round 5, Extra Turn: "Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile" Early Impressions and How To Teach Games with Matt Feb 17, 2020

Show notes

Tom and Matty sit down to go over their first impressions of Cole Wehrle's "Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile" and discuss the ins and outs of being a good game teacher.
11:07 - Strategicon Wrap-up

36:52 -Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile

1:12:09 - Deep Dive: Teaching Games

Solo Mode #3: "Nemo's War (Second Edition)" Feb 10, 2020

Show notes

Welcome to another single-serving episode of Game Brain solo mode!
Your host, Matthew Robinson, takes a look at the highly thematic, gambling, dice chucking, strategy war game euro hybrid known as... Nemo's War.

Round 5, Turn 8: "Ora Et Labora" with Elder Feb 03, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Introduction: Welcome Professor Elder
0:02:07 - This Week’s Game Night
- Tribune (0:02:40)
- Avalon (0:03:26)
- Praise (0:04:15)
- Hansa Teutonica (0:10:38)
  - Terra Mystica, Gaia Project, Eclipse
  - Clans of Caledonia (0:13:00)
- Parks (0:14:34)
  - Clask, Wingspan
0:15:17 - This Week’s News
- Wuhan Corona Virus and Other Chinese Exports
  - Polygon Best Boardgames to Buy at Target (0:20:00)
    - Seven Wonders, a Fake Artist Goes to NY, Azul, Catan Jr, Cards Against Humanity, Coup, Furglars, King Domino, Pandemic, Sagrada, Telestrations, Disney Villainess, Magic the Gathering Game Night, Dungeons and Dragons.
    - Santorini
    - Wakanda Forever
    - On Mars
    - Jaws
  - Castles of Tuscany and Game Franchising (0:25:23)
    - Castles of Burgundy
    - Marco Polo 2
    - Puerto Rico
    - Merlin
    - Nusfjord
    - Year of the Dragon
    - Trajan
    - Bora Bora
    - Carpe Diem
    - Paladins of the West Kingdom
    - Architects of the West Kingdom
    - Raiders of the West Kingdom
  - Rocket Men Kickstarter (0:34:10)
    - Wild Lands
    - Terraforming Mars
    - On Mars
    - The First Martians
    - High Frontier
    - Leaving Earth
  - Oath Print and Play (0:37:24)
    - Gloomhaven
  - A War of Whispers (0:41:00)
    - Clans
  - Alma Mater (0:44:10)
  - WATU: Western Approaches Technical Unit, A Game of Birds and Wolves (0:45:06)
- 0:50:05 - Games on the Brain
  - On Mars
    - Gallerist, Kanban
  - Diplomacy (0:52:58)
- 0:55:00 - 8x8 Challenge
- 0:55:30 - Review of Ora et Labora
  - Agricola
  - Bonanza
  - Le Havre
  - At the Gates of Luanne
  - Farmers on the Moor
- 1:25:57 - Our Favorite Thing: Resource Management
  - Alta Plano
  - Power Grid
  - Bonanza
  - Terraforming Mars
  - Keyflower
  - Barrage
  - Roads and Boats
  - Antiquity
- 1:49:44 Board Game Sommelier
  - Balancing Old and New Games
    - Color Coding Your Library
    - Announcing a Theme Night
    - Randomizing App
    - Culling Your Collection
  - Medium to Heavy 5 Player Games (1:55:00)
    - Taj Mahal, Shogun, Wallenstein, El Grande, Santiago, Terraforming Mars, Le Havre, Nations, Indonesia, Die Macher, Aman Ray, Princes of Florence, Puerto Rico
01:59:50 - Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners
02:00:30 - Sign Off

Round 5, Turn 7: "Food Chain Magnate: The Ketchup Mechanism" with Trey Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

0:00:00 - Introduction: Welcome Trey, the Game Designer
0:01:40 - This Week’s Game Night
- Tokyo Metro (0:02:00)
  - Tsukiji Market
- Tichu (0:05:46)
- Keyflower (0:06:12)
  - Caylus
- Ora et Labora (0:11:02)
  - Agricola
0:19:25 - This Week’s News
- 2019 Kickstarter Stats and Larger Publishers (0:19:37)
  - Trial by Trolley; Throw, Throw Burrito; Etherfields, Bloodborne, Reaper miniatures, Bones, Battletech, Zombiecide, Exploding Kittens
- Secret Hitler (0:27:00)
- Arkwright Card Game (0:32:22)
- Dominant Species: Marine (0:34:12)
- Maharajah (0:36:42)
  - Azul, El Grande, Torres, Mexica
  - Taj Mahal
- Golem (0:40:30)
- Metamorphosis Alpha: Doom on the Warden (0:44:07)
0:45:42 - Games on the Brain
- Through the Ages (0:46:04)
- Diplomacy (0:48:38)
0:56:35 - Why Gamers Game
- Twilight Struggle, 18xx, On Mars
1:21:30 - Food Chain Magnate Ketchup Mechanism and Other Ideas
- Indonesia
- Roads and Boats, Etcetera
1;57:50 - Game Sommelier
- Getting the Most Out of Strategicon (1:58:30)
  - Battlestar Galactica, Root, Dune
- Eclipse, Warlord, Diplomacy (2:06:16)
  - Axis and Allies, Risk, Nuclear War
2:07:50 - Sign Off

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Game Brain: A Board Game Podcast About Our Gaming Group

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected