Going Analog Show

Latest Episodes:

75: Forever games, teaching newbies, coolest marketing (guest: Board Game Barrage) Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

Kellen Laker, Red Tank from the popular podcast Board Game Barrage, joins Christina and Shoe to discuss Innovation and...fine, some games other than Innovation, too.

Plus, we're old hands at gaming these days, so what do we try to keep in mind when introducing brand spanking newbies to tabletop games? And what stands out to us as the best marketing we've seen in the board game biz?

Topics this week:

Christina (host): Which games do you consider your favorite "Forever Games"?
Kellen (guest): Maintaining perspective when introducing new gamers to the hobby
Shoe (producer): What are some examples of the coolest game marketing you've seen?

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74: Recent co-op faves, crafting in games, & board game "dream teams" (guest: Nikki Valens) Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

Designer Nikki Valens (Legacy of Dragonholt, Eldritch Horror, Quirky Circuits) drops by Going Analog again to discuss recent favorite co-op games, crafting mechanisms, and their latest project, the ambitious co-op, campaign-based Artisans of Splendent Vale.

Plus, which designers and artists would we pair together for our ultimate game-design dream teams?

Games mentioned on this show:

Intro:

Eldritch Horror
Mansions of Madness
Arkham Horror
Legacy of Dragonholt
Quirky Circuits
Artisans of Splendent Vale
MicroMacro: Crime City
Nemesis
Grand Austria Hotel

Christina's topic: Recent co-op faves

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
Forgotten Waters
Shipwreck Arcana
Team3
Gloomhaven
Artisans of Splendent Vale
Sleeping Gods
The Night Cage

Nikki's topic: Crafting examples in games

Caverna: The Cave Farmers
Descent: Legends of the Dark
Le Havre
Artisans of Splendent Vale
Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Mottainai

Shoe's topic: Board game design dream teams

Caverna: The Cave Farmers
Le Havre
Feast for Odin
Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
Wonderland's War
Descent: Legends of the Dark
Mansions of Madness
Wingspan
Mariposas

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73: Partner swap! Two-player gaming with 1 Minute Board Games Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Have a bunch of two-player games you want to play? You and your partner can't agree on which ones to play? Try a Partner Swap (trademark forthcoming, and get your mind out of the gutter)!

Board game TikTok champions Raina and Phil from 1 Minute Board Games took a random Wednesday off and swapped partners with Going Analog: Phil and Shoe played head-to-head two-player card games, and Christina and Raina played twice as many games together in the same amount of time.

Were we still all friends afterward? Did we leave our partners for the new and shiny? Listen and find out!

Topics for this episode:

Phil (guest): What can two-player games bring to the table that higher player-count games can't?
Raina (guest): Gaming with your significant other versus with friends
Shoe (producer): Thoughts on booster-less card games (Keyforge, Summoner Wars, Ashes Reborn)

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72: Design inspirations, gaming trends, and trivia! (guest: Reiner Knizia) Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

Famed board game designer Dr. Reiner Knizia (Tigris & Euphrates, Lost Cities, Modern Art, and tons more) graces Going Analog with his bowtied presence. (You won't be able to hear the bowtie, but trust us that it was there, and it was glorious!)

We ask Reiner for some juicy stories about some of his most acclaimed designs and what he thinks about current board game trends...and then we spring a trivia quiz on him at the end -- just a sampling of what we do on The Board Game Quiz Show.

How well did the good doctor do? Listen to find out!

Games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

Tigris & Euphrates
Modern Art
Ra
Ingenious
Lost Cities
The Quest for El Dorado
L.L.A.M.A.
Ankh: Gods of Egypt
Dominion
Magic: The Gathering
Coffee Roaster

Three influential Reiner Knizia games:

Modern Art
Tigris & Euphrates
Lost Cities
Pickomino
Lost Cities: Roll & Write
Lost Cities: The Board Game
Keltis

Gaming trends:

The Quest for El Dorado
My City
Dominion
Lost Cities: Roll & Write
Criss Cross
Exit
Gorilla Marketing

Quizzing Reiner Knizia:

Lost Cities
Tigris & Euphrates
Medici
Taj Mahal
The Lord of the Rings
Ra
Blue Moon
Blue Lagoon
Friday the 13th

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71: Working with a legend, game length, and fave genres (guests: Bitewing Games) Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

New game publisher Bitewing Games has not one, not two, but THREE Reiner Knizia games to offer in their upcoming Kickstarter. How does a brand spanking new publisher sign the famous, prolific (famously prolific?) German designer Reiner Knizia?

We invited Nick Murray and Kyle Spackman, cofounders of Bitewing Games, to chat with Christina about how it all went down! Plus, we have opinions about our favorite game genres and game length vs. enjoyment.

Topics for this week:

Christina (host): What are the challenges of being a first-time publisher? How did you sign Reiner Knizia?!
Nick (guest): Which game genres do you never get tired of? Which ones are you over?
Kyle (guest): Are game length and game satisfaction proportionally related? What are our faves on either side of the spectrum?

Games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

Soda Smugglers
Pumafiosi
Hot Lead
Social Grooming
Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
Ticket to Ride
Mandala
Lost Cities: Roll & Write
Lost Cities
Ra: The Dice Game

Christina's topic: Challenges of being a first-time publisher, signing Reiner Knizia

Con Artist
Chinatown
Hanabi
Soda Smugglers
Sheriff of Nottingham
Pumafiosi
Hot Lead
ShipShape

Nick's topic: Insatiable genres that you never get tired of or genres that you're over

Crystal Palace
Tigris & Euphrates
Yellow & Yangtze
Brass: Birmingham
7 Wonders
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Dune: Imperium
Lost Cities: Roll & Write
My City
Ultimate Werewolf
Mysterium
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
Werewords
Insider

Kyle's topic: Game length vs. satisfaction

Dune
Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition
Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
Root
Pax Pamir
Scythe
Terra Mystica
Love Letter
Lost Legacy: The Starship
Social Grooming
Nine Tiles Panic
Wordsy
Tussie Mussie

Outro:

Junk Art
Akrotiri
Kingdom Rush
Belfort

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70: Solo games - here to stay? Plus tons of recs! (guest: Jeremy Howard) Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

Jeremy Howard, solo gaming expert from Man vs. Meeple, joins Christina and Shoe to personally recommend some great solo games and convince everyone that solo gaming is here to stay! But which games need that multiplayer aspect?

Topics for this episode:

Shoe (producer): What are some good solo games we should check out?
Jeremy (guest): Solo gaming during the pandemic...here to stay or no?
Christina (host): What do we look for in multiplayer games that solo gaming can't scratch the itch for?

Games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

On Mars
Tapple
Exit: The Sacred Temple

Shoe's topic: Jeremy recommends some solo games!

Sky Towers
Sprawlopolis
Agropolis
Coffee Roaster
Warp Speed
Bullet♥︎
BattleCON
Pixel Tactics
Argent: The Consortium
Dawn of the Zeds
Tainted Grail
A Gentle Rain
Caverna
Terra Mystica
The Pursuit of Happiness
Tiny Towns
Villagers
Smartphone, Inc.
Chronicles of Crimes

Jeremy's topic: Is solo gaming here to stay?

Terraforming Mars
Agricola
Caverna
A Feast for Odin
Merchants Cove
Mr. Cabbagehead's Garden
Shahrazad
Folklore
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Christina's topic: What do we look for in multiplayer games that solo gaming can't provide?

Snowdonia
Alubari: A Nice Cup of Tea
The Pursuit of Happiness
Anachrony
Atlantis Rising
Cthulhu: Death May Die

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69: Popping the social bubble, surprise games, publisher woes (guest: James Hudson) Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

As US game groups start meeting up again, we chat with fellow social bubble-r James Hudson (Skybound Games) about quarantine's effects on us as gamers, which games surprised us, and the unintended effects of COVID on board game shipping and logistics. (Last topic = sad James)

Our topics for this show:

Shoe (producer): Board gaming outside of the social bubble: what it's been like so far, what's changed, what are the challenges?
Christina (host): Games that surprised you over the pandemic
James (guest): How publishers are evaluating the short-term future, with current COVID conditions/trends

The games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

The Grimm Masquerade
Guardian's Call
Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
Wonderland's War
Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labyrinth
Robot Quest Arena
Sky Towers
Beyond the Sun

Shoe's topic: Board gaming outside of the social bubble

Beyond the Sun
Dune: Imperium
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
P for Pizza
Dark Harvest
Gorilla Marketing
Eclipse
Dwellings of Eldervale
Monopoly

Christina's topic: Games that surprised us over the pandemic

P for Pizza
Forgotten Waters
Sovereign Skies
Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
The Gallerist
Sheepy Time
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Dune: Imperium
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
Obsession

James's topic: How publishers are evaluating the short-term future, with current COVID conditions/trends

Wonderland's War

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68: Gamer origin stories, adjacent hobbies, and Uwe! (guest: Dice Tower Podcast) Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

Suzanne Sheldon and Mandi Hutchinson from the Dice Tower Podcast take some time off to do...another podcast with Christina! Listen for our board gamer origin stories, how we balance other hobbies, and Christina and Suz strongly recommend some games to Mandi from Uwe Rosenberg (one of our favorite designers).

The games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

Fields of Arle

Christina's topic: Our board-gamer origin stories

Monopoly
Mouse Trap
Power Grid
Bohnanza
Chess
Checkers
Trouble
Frustration
Dominoes
Risk
Magic: The Gathering
Big 2
Bridge
Hearts
Euchre
Poker

Suz's topic: Other hobbies

First Ascent

Mandi's topic: Which Uwe Rosenberg games should Mandi play?

Patchwork
Fields of Arle
Ora et Labora
Le Havre
Caverna
Agricola
Fields of Arle: Tea & Trade
At the Gates of Loyang
A Feast for Odin
Spring Meadow
Cottage Garden
Second Chance
Halltertau
Bohnanza
Agricola: All Creatures Big & Small
Le Havre: The Inland Port
Caverna: Cave vs. Cave
Caverna: The Forgotten Folk
Notre Dame
Fairy Trails
Bargain Hunter

Final thoughts:

Second Chance
Yahtzee
Bonfire
Destinies
A Gentle Rain

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67: Post-quarantine gaming, elegant designs, content creation (guest: JonGetsGames) Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

Things are a mess around the world, but many of us are just starting to socialize again. So what will we be playing first with our long-lost gaming buddies?

The prolific Jonathan Cox from JonGetsGames joins us to discuss this and more. Our chosen topics:

Christina Ha (host): What board games are you most excited to play with your friends, post-lockdown? (2:24)
Jonathan Cox (guest): How do we define "elegant design," and what are our favorite examples? (17:20)
Mike Zipkin (editor): What difficulties are there in making board games media a full-time job? (35:28)

The games mentioned in this episode:

Christina's topic: Games you're excited to get to, post-quarantine

Beyond the Sun
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Taxi Derby
Fast and Furious: Highway Heist
Ginkgopolis
Anno 1800
Trans-Siberian Railroad
Irish Gauge
Iberian Gauge
18XX
Ticket to Ride
Paris Connection
Praga Caput Regni
Telestrations
Dixit

Jonathan's topic: Elegance in game design

Taxi Derby
Go
Azul
Gentes
Concordia
Calimala
Hansa Teutonica
Wingspan
Pandemic Legacy
A Feast for Odin
Terraforming Mars
Coloretto
Arboretum
Isle of Skye
Tichu
City of the Big Shoulders
Whale Riders
Irish Gauge
Iberian Gauge
Ride the Rails

Mike's topic: Board game content creation

Ginkgopolis

Final thoughts

Genotype

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66: Real-time board games, games partners disagree on (guests: 1 Minute Board Games) May 20, 2021

Show notes

All the cool kids are on TikTok, so Raina and Phil from 1 Minute Board Games make Christina and Shoe honorary Gen Z-ers this week! We discover Raina's allergy to real-time games, Phil's addiction to Android: Netrunner, and Christina needs to shut up about Innovation.

Our topics for this episode:

Christina (host): Favorite real-time games (3:57)
Raina (guest): Which games do you and your partner not agree on? (15:21)
Phil (guest): Games that we feel are the epitome of a board game mechanic (35:51)

The games mentioned in this episode:

Intro