So Very Wrong About Games

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#69: How Big a Collection? May 28, 2019

Show notes

Names are powerful. The Spiel des Jahres means "game of the year" simpliciter, but for years we know that the juries have been casting a narrower and narrower net of what games thay would consider. It has become more of a specialized imprint, which is fine--but it's strange that the name still inspires such cachet. Anything with rules in excess of 3 or so pages seems now to be firmly beyond the pale as far as the SdJ is concerned. Ah, well, times change, and we are prone to fits of curmudgeonly behavior. We do at least give our rundown of the 3 nominated games.
AYURIS: The City of Kings 1m02s (Frank West, The City of Games, 2018)
Games Played Last Week:
-Trick Shot 2m35s (Nikita Krylov &Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2019)
-LAMA aka Wrath of the Appliances: Rise of the Killer Kameras 4m50s (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2019)
-Just One 8m01s (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Productions, 2018)
-Red Alert: Space Fleet Warfare 10m03s (Richard Borg, PSC Games, 2019)
-Fireball Island: The Curse of Vol-Kar 13m51s (Rob Daviau, JR Honeycutt, Justin D. Jacobson, Chuck Kennedy, & Bruce Lund, Restoration Games, 2018)
-Hansa Teutonica 15m38s (Andreas Steding, Z-Man Games, 2010)
-SpaceCorp 17m03s (John H. Butterfield, GMT Games, 2018)
-Rayguns and Rocketships 19m33s (Scott Rogers, IDW Games, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter):
-The tangled webs Kickstarter weaves (and then pulls) 26m23s
(Correction: During this segment we mistakenly conflated Travis Worthington of Indie Boards and Cards and Travis R. Chance of Kolossal Games. They have both had projects canceled by Kickstarter. We apologize for the error.)
-Endeavor: Age of Expansion Expansion 30m30s
-Pandemic Targets real-time 31m51s
Topic: How Big a Collection? 33m00s
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#68: Gentes Deluxified May 21, 2019

Show notes

Credibility, like a butterfly, is a fragile and beautiful thing. Mark is fundamentally opposed to subtlety and ephemeral joy, so he naturally seeks to destroy either whenever he encounters it. When it comes to credibility he does this by routinely making gross over-generalizations. This time he has managed to make an instant replay-esque correction, at least. As for what he does to butterflies, let's just say he manages to make garden parties awkward.
Games Played Last Week:
-Bios: Megafauna 2nd Edition 3m08s (Andrew Doull, Phil Eklund, & Jon Manker, Sierra Madre, 2017)
-Brook City 6m37s (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2019)
-Rayguns and Rocketships 12m06s (Scott Rogers, IDW Games, 2017)
-A Game of Thrones: Catan--Brotherhood of the Watch 15m45s (Klaus Teuber & Benjamin Teuber, Fantasy Flight, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Walker expands what he no longer has 22m00s
-Wherefore art thou, journalism? Round 1: Tariffs vs. Gamers 22m31s
(Polygon article: http://bit.ly/polygontariffs)
-Space Invaders 27m16s
-Round 2: Stonemaier vs. Gaming Goat 28m01s
-Papillon rises again? 30m41s
Feature Game: Gentes: Deluxified 31m38s (Stefan Risthaus, Tasty Minstrel, 2018)
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#67: Good Games that Induce Pain May 14, 2019

Show notes

Summer is here, friends and neighbours, and with it comes a a thickening of the blood that prompts torpor. We here at SVWAG are part lizard, you see, and so we must budget additional time to sun ourselves and slough off our scales. At any rate, we will be shifting to a summer schedule but still releasing an episode every week--though the magic of segment-swapping. How can such wizardry be true? The secrets are revealed herein!
AYURIS: Mage Knight 2m10s (Vlaada Chvatil, WizKids, 2011)
Games Played Last Week:
-Imperius 5m36s (Grant Rodiek, Kolossal Games, 2018)
-Bärenpark 7m18s (Phil Walker-Harding, Lookout, 2017)
-Burning Suns 10m05s (Emil Larson, SunTzuGames, 2013)
-Downfall 13m11s (John D. Clair, Tasty Minstrel, 2019)
-Adrenaline: Team Play DLC 15m41s (Filip Neduk, Czech Games Edition, 2018)
-Pandemic: Fall of Rome 17m39s (Matt Leacock & Paolo Mori, Z-Man, 2018)
-Space Cadets: Dice Duel 19m25s (Geoff Engelstein and Sydney Engelstein, Stronghold, 2013)
-Gentes: Deluxified Edition 21m14s (Stefan Risthaus, Tasty Minstrel, 2018)
-Roll for the Galaxy 24m53s (Wei-Hwa Huang & Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande, 2014)
-Brook City 26m54s (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Trick Shot on Kickstarter 31m16s
-No dice for BloodBorne 32m36s
-Pax Renaissance goes deluxe but not -ified 33m08s
-Die Macher improves its graphics 34m18s
-Cleopatra, comin' at ya (Clone High fans? Anyone?) 36m00s
-Scythe goes modular, jumps shark? 37m03s
Topic: Good Games that Induce Pain 38m07s
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#66: Warpgate and Biggest Rules Mistakes Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

We humble ourselves before you, O merciful audience, so as to lay bare our sins against the gaming world. Granted we toil as rules explainers on the behalf of ungrateful vermin who do not appreciate our labours, but nonetheless we take full responsibility for mildly inconveniencing the filthy ingrates who can't be bothered to read a rulebook. We implore that these monstrously selfish demons might find it in their paltry hearts and feeble minds to grant us a little mercy. We sincerely apologize to these subhuman monsters, we truly do.
AYURIS: Feudum 3m20s (Mark K. Swanson, Odd Bird Games, 2017)
Games Played Last Week:
-The Boldest 4m38s (Sophia Wagner, Pegasus Spiele, 2019)
-Wingspan 6m36s (Elizabeth Hargrave, Stonemaier Games, 2019)
-Council of 4 9m00s (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Cranio Creations, 2015)
-Root 11m42s (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2018)
-Imperius 12m20s (Grant Rodiek, Kolossal Games, 2018)
-Siege of the Citadel 15m23s (Richard Borg, Eric M. Lang, Jason Little, & Kevin Wilson, Modiphius, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-51st State expands with Allies 18m00s
-Mark is not a lawyer on the Great Western Trail 19m14s
-In space, no one can hear you roleplay 21m59s
-Warhammer Underworlds goes digital 22m32s
-Terraforming Kickstarter 23m27s
-Kolossal Kickstarter takedown 24m15s
Feature Game: Warpgate 26m52s (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2018)
Topic: Biggest Rules Mistakes 53m10s
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#65: Cthulhu Wars and Dueling Rulesets Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

"Money makes the world go 'round" is a common saying decried by most astronomers and physicists, who instead stubbornly maintain that it is due to some invisible thing that can't even qualify for a credit card. "More money than God" is also a strange phrasing, insofar as I believe the theological consensus (ranging from the Abrahamic faiths all the way to Pastafarianism) is that God does not hold assets in the standard sense. Then again, I've never seen His portfolio. Anyway, Cthulhu Wars is expensive and so are exciting plans.
AYURIS: Quartermaster General 2m35s (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2014)
Games Played Last Week:
-Walker has a family 4m24s
-Res Arcana 5m27s (Thomas Lehmann, Sand Castle Games, 2019)
-The Boldest 7m19s (Sophia Wagner, Pegasus Spiele, 2019)
-Snit's Revenge 10m51s (Tom Wham, TSR, 1977)
-Hanabi 12m39s (Antoine Bauza, R&R, 2010)
-FlickFleet 13m18s (Jackson Pope & Paul Willcox, Eurydice Games, 2018)
-Magnastorm 15m42s (Bauldric & Friends, Feuerland Spiele, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-CMON licenses God of War... 18m48s
-...and Bloodborne 19m07s
-More pretty things from Ryan Laukat 20m20s
-Marco Polo voyages again 21m04s
-Warhammer Underworlds (Shadespire, really) lives on 21m58s
Feature Game: Cthulhu Wars 22m31s (Sandy Peterson & Lincoln Petersen, Petersen Games, 2015)
Topic: Dueling Rules: The "Right" Way to Play 51m30s
Loopin' Louie tournament rules: http://bit.ly/loopingtournament
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#64: Batman: Gotham City Chronicles and Changing Tastes Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

We spare you the onomatopoeias this week, as our audio editing software cannot process the brightly-coloured spiky expostulations properly. Walker gets to backpedal at full speed this week, having previously declared his being done with both 1 vs. all games and games with tons of minis. So he surely wouldn't have any enthusiasm for this 1 vs. all minis-heavy game, would he? Could he?!
Na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na
PLASTIC
AYURIS: GKR: Heavy Hitters 1m25s (Matt Hyra, Cryptozoic Entertainment, 2018)
Games Played Last Week:
-Res Arcana 3m08s (Thomas Lehmann, Sand Castle Games, 2019)
-Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress 6m56s (Jervis Johnson, Games Workshop, 2018)
-Warpgate 9m38s (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2018)
-Titans Tactics 12m37s (G. Kelly Toyama, Imbalanced Games, 2013)
-Pax Renaissance 14m21s (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Sierra Madre Games, 2016)
-For Sale 18m34s (Stefan Dorra, Uberplay, 1997)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Mensa? Do we care about Mensa? 19m26s
-Renegade charms again with Bubble Tea 21m40s
-Mega Vampires and Mega Werewolves 22m13s
-More tile-laying from Reiner Knizia 23m19s
Feature Game: Batman: Gotham City Chronicles 24m06s (Frédéric Henry, Monolith, 2019)
Topic: Changing Tastes Over Time 53m17s
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#63: Catacombs 3rd ed. and Mastering a Game Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Here's the thing, at least as Mark understands it: acquired tastes are weird. Some things are great the first time. Furthermore, some things are easy and great the first time. Take chocolate, for example. Most people start out champs at eating chocolate. Mark tried to get good at something once, but he found out that requires effort. Who has time for ten thousand hours when there's elite-level candy consumption to be had? Walker on the other hand laments Mark's narrow little horizons.
AYURIS: Space Alert 2m59s (Vlaada Chvatil, CGE, 2008)
Games Played Last Week:
-Warpgate 4m22s (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2018)
-Caverna: The Cave Farmers 6m38s (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2013)
-Codenames 8m10s (Vlaada Chvatil, CGE, 2015)
-KeyForge: Call of the Archons 9m29s (Richard Garfield, Fantasy Flight, 2018)
-Intrigue 10m06s (Stefan Dorra, AMIGO, 1994)
-Combat Commander: Europe 14m13s (Chad Jensen, GMT, 2006)
-Aristeia! 16m39s (Alberto Abal, Jesús Fuster, & David Rosillo, Corvus Belli, 2017)
-Pax Renaissance 19m01s (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Sierra Madre Games, 2016)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Spread the Love Letter, spread the pain 21m59s
-In Defiance of the glut of dungeon crawlers 22m58s
-Conflick in the Neutral Zone, again 25m35s
-Scramble for outrage in wargamer land 26m37s
Feature Game: Catacombs 3rd ed. 28m44 (Ryan Amos, Marc Kelsey, & Aron West, Elzra Corp., 2015)
Topic: Mastering a Game 49m35s
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#62: Calimala and Gaming Ambiance Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

Today is a telling day in the annals of SVWAG, especially with respect to Mark coming to terms with his own essential wrongness. He gets to partially repent for his tonal excesses with respect to the AYURIS; he gets to mull over painful loves lost in Billionaire Banshee; and he gets to realize that once again that while Walker cares deeply about people, he cares mostly about stuffing his face and listening to loud music. Things get real.
AYURIS: Champions of Midgard 1m47s (Ole Steiness, Grey Fox Games, 2015)
Games Played Last Week:
-Die fiesen 7 4m03s (Jacques Zeimet, Drei Hasen in der Abendsonne, 2015)
-Factory Funner 6m17s (Corné van Moorsel, Cwali, 2016)
-Swordcrafters 7m15s (Ryan Lambert, Chris Neuman, & Adam Rehberg, Adam's Apple Games, 2018)
-Formula D 8m48s (Laurent Lavaur & Eric Randall, Asmodee, 2008)
-Billionaire Banshee 10m26s (Steven “Razlo” Bailey, Breaking Games, 2014)
-Quadropolis 13m20s (François Gandon, Days of Wonder, 2016)
-Vengeance 14m05s (Gordon Calleja, Mighty Boards, 2018)
-Race for the Galaxy: The Brink of War 15m35s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2010)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Carnival Zombie 2nd ed. finally shambles out of development limbo 17m28s
-Vicious, adorable creatures in Crumbs 19m03s
-Golden Geek Awards voting over 20m24s
-Bus reprint by Capstone 21m05s
Feature Game: Calimala 22m19s (Fabio Lopiano, ADC Blackfire Entertainment GmbH, 2017)
Topic: Gaming Ambiance 43m35s
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#61: HATE and Knowing the Deck Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

HATE has landed, and you can't have it. CMON's dalliances with Kickstarter exclusives have been numerous, but now they have their first Kickstarter-exclusive game. We review it not to taunt you with things you can't acquire, but rather to give you the vicarious thrill of someone who can have everything. Let your imagination whisk you away to a universe that is all plastic cannibalistic hardcases!
AYURIS: Battlelore 2nd Edition 2m14s (Richard Borg & Robert A. Kouba, FFG, 2013)
Games Played Last Week:
-Root 4m39s (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2018)
-Gùgōng 6m37s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)
-Blood Rage 8m36s (Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2015)
-Die fiesen 7 10m34s (Jacques Zeimet, Drei Hasen in der Abendsonne, 2015)
-Calimala 11m33s (Fabio Lopiano, ADC Blackfire Entertainment GmbH, 2017)
-Hansa Teutonica 13m11s (Andreas Steding, Argentum Verlag, 2010)
-Amun-Re: The Card Game 13m54s (Reiner Knizia, Super Meeple, 2017)
-Agricola 15m45s (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2007)
-Hanabi 18m25s (Antoine Bauza, ABACUSSPIELE, 2010)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Bauza has sequels for Ghost Stories and Tokaido 20m21s
-Asmodee will distribute CMON post-Kickstarter 21m37s
-The OP lands Die Hard license 22m57s
-Walker falls for Aquicorn Cove's stunning visuals 24m48s
-...and for Fuji Koro 25m12s
Feature Game: HATE 25m50s (Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, Alexandru Olteanu, & Nicolas Raoult, CMON, 2019)
Topic: Needing to Know the Deck 50m01s
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#60: XenoShyft and 1 vs. All vs. Coop vs. Semi-Coop vs. Vs. Mar 19, 2019

Show notes

As my father is wont to say, "Accept credit, pass blame." Actually, no, I said that, and it's my father's fault that I forgot the correct attribution. Is that how that works? At any rate, we here at SVWAG are always happy to claim responsibility for all positive developments. When and if peace breaks out anywhere, we will assert it is our doing based merely on this aside. Such is the power of our episode notes and our self-aggrandizement!
AYURIS: The World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch 2m08s (Fel Barros, Christophe Madura, Alexandru Olteanu, David Rakoto, & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2018)
Games Played Last Week:
-Barony 4m51s (Marc André, Matagot, 2015)
-Millennium Blades 5m37s (D. Brad Talton, Level 99 Games, 2016)
-Santorini 7m32s (Gord!, Roxley, 2016)
-Space Base 8m37s (John D. Clair, AEG, 2018)
-Scythe 11m43s (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2016
-Obsession 13m17s (Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games, 2018)
-Caverna: The Forgotten Folk 16m20s (Uwe Rosenberg & Alex Wilber, Lookout Games, 2018)
-Claustrophobia: 1642 (Croc & Laurent Pouchain, Monolith, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Mild Patreon Shilling 23m34s
-Peace during the Age of Steam 24m09s
-Dune is back. Insert reference here. 25m36s
-Sneak Breakout preview 28m35s
Feature Game: XenoShyft: Onslaught 29m12s (Keren Philosophales & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015) and Dreadmire (Michael Shinall, CMON, 2017)
Topic: 1 vs. All vs. Coop vs. Semi-Coop vs. Vs. 53m54s
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