So Very Wrong About Games

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#49: Crusaders and Thematic Disconnects Dec 11, 2018

Show notes

Players aren't the only people who make choices, of course. Designers and publishers make decisions about the setting and the theme of their games. Insofar as games can communicate a message--whether purely aesthetic or more ideological--it is beneficial to have a clear vision. Things can get exceptionally problematic when you start playing fast and loose with things of great cultural and historical import. Incidentally, I will note that while our topic and our feature game often have no connection between them, sometimes they do. I don't know why I'm mentioning that this week.
Games Played Last Week:
-Hyperborea: Light and Shadow 1m37s (Andrea Chiarvesio, Maurizio Vergendo, & Pierluca Zizzi, Asterion Press, 2016)
-Between Two Cities 3m15s (Matthew O'Malley, Morten Monrad Pedersen, & Ben Rosset, Stonemaier, 2015)
-Factory Funner 5m03s (Corné van Moorsel, Cwali, 2016)
-Photosynthesis 8m06s (Hjalmar Hach, Blue Orange, 2017)
-Stephenson's Rocket: Eastern USA & China 9m13s (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2018)
-Petrichor 12m12s (David Chircop & Dávid Turczi, APE Games, 2018)
-The Voyages of Marco Polo 12m57s (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015)
-Teotihuacan: City of Gods 14m59s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018)
-Dominant Species 15m37s (Chad Jensen, GMT, 2010)
-Res Publica 18m03s (Reiner Knizia, Queen, 1991)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Descent into new digital depths 22m05s
-Fards of Inshinity digital 22m20s
-Failed Carnival of Monsters rises again 23m02s
-Die Macher won't die 24m15s
Feature Game: Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done 25m10s (Seth Jaffee, Tasty Minstrel, 2018)
Topic: Thematic Disconnects 48m15s
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#48: Teotihuacan and How Far Is Too Far Dec 04, 2018

Show notes

As a new coping mechanism, Mark and Walker decide to expunge their deepest shameful acts of conspicuous consumption and frivolous travel by talking about it on the internet. Now that Tumblr is is divesting themselves of adult content they can't post their Stephen Universe erotica there, so this is the next best thing. Don't tell Mark and Walker that a) anyone is listening, or b) they've been using their real names.
Games Played Last Week:
-Gùgong 3m33s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)
-Quartermaster General: Prelude 4m05s (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2018)
-Triumph and Tragedy 6m18s (Craig Besinque, GMT, 2015)
-Goodcritters 14m03s (Fabian Zimmermann, Arcane Wonders, 2018)
-Heroes of Terrinoth 15m36s (Adam & Brady Sadler, Fantasy Flight, 2018)
-The Estates 18m17s (Klaus Zoch, Capstone Games, 2018)
-Gaslands 20m48s (Glenn Ford & Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2017)
-Hero Realms: The Ruin of Thandar Campaign Deck (Ben Cichoski, Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle & Daniel Mandel, White Wizard, 2018) 22m35s
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Snake. Snake! SNAAAKE!! 24m30s
-Terra Mystica Incognita 25m27s
-Shadowrift Booms 26m41s
-What's Your Game? Well, Madeira and Zhanguo, for two 28m15s
Feature Game: Teotihuacan: City of Gods 28m53s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018)
Topic: How Far Is Too Far? 54m45s
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#47: Gugong and Resolving Rules Disputes Nov 27, 2018

Show notes

Lots of talk of economics in this week's news. One might expect a diminishing return on such talk, but as rational consumers of news we often find a deficit of such a valuable commodity. Ceteris paribus, we're willing to offer you the free lunch of our altruism, even though that may lead to a tragedy of the commons. We value your investment of time when you listen to us--our intellectual capital is all we have, after all.
I don't think I'm very bullish on this bit any more.
Games Played Last Week:
-KeyForge: Call of the Archons 4m00s (Richard Garfield, Fantasy Flight, 2018)
-Epic: The Card Game 6m26s (Robert Dougherty & Darwin Kastle, White Wizard, 2015)
-Teotihuacan: City of Gods 8m12s (Daniele Tascini & Dávid Turczi, NSKN Games, 2018)
-Argent: The Consortium 9m01s (Trey Chambers, Level 99 Games, 2015)
-BattleLore: Second Edition 11m51s (Richard Borg & Robert A. Kouba, Fantasy Flight, 2013)
-North Wind 13m23s (Klaus Teuber, Z-Man, 2014)
-Everdell 15m18s (James A. Wilson, Starling Games, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Super Dungeon Explore's money fades into Legend 17m10s
-Cool Mini or Not's earnings get more mini, isn't cool 19m08s
-Omega Protocol proves once again that LoS ain't easy 23m18s
-Inflation hits the stellar market with A Billion Suns 24m52
Feature Game: Gùgōng 26m30s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)
Topic: Resolving Rules Disputes 54m26s
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#46: Coimbra and Eric Lang Nov 20, 2018

Show notes

There's this substance that the British people deploy called "salad cream." Chemists, for decades, have tried to break down its constituent parts; but the substance's sheer viscosity--not to mention its disturbing colour and odour--have defied all analysis. I mention this because despite our Canadian prerogative of spelling colour and odour as we do, the cultural rites of salad cream are alien to us. We're proud members of the Commonwealth, but we have our limits. Also, you could put some salad cream on your point salad, bruh.
Games Played Last Week:
-FUSE 3m19s (Kane Klenko, Renegade Game Studios, 2015)
-KeyForge: Call of the Archons 5m22s (Richard Garfield, Fantasy Flight, 2018)
-Twilight Imperium 4th Edition 10m55s (Dane Beltrami, Corey Konieczka & Christian T. Petersen, Fantasy Flight, 2017)
-Innovation Deluxe 11m26s (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi, 2017)
-Hero Realms 14m36s (Robert Dougherty & Darwin Kastle, White Wizard, 2016)
-One Deck Dungeon: Forest of Shadows 16m49s (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi, 2017)
-Gugong 18m33s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)
-Root 21m12s (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-V-Commandos morphing into Assassin's Creed 23m21s
-Warhammer Quest gets Grimdark 26m03s
-New Frontiers for Race for the Galaxy 29m50s
Feature Game: Coimbra 30m10s (Flaminia Brasini & Virginio Gigli, eggertspiele, 2018)
Topic: Eric Lang 50m08s
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#45: Claustrophobia and KeyForge Nov 13, 2018

Show notes

What's in a name? Well, if the game is KeyForge, the name is pretty much the entire game. As we have learned from bots in the past, set an algorithm loose on the internet and it'll probably come back as a racist misogynist troll. So far we've seen little of that scale in KeyForge deck names, but it's spat out some pretty amazing names nonetheless.
Games Played Last Week:
-Paper Tales 3m24s (Masato Uesugi, Stronghold, 2017)
-Food Chain Magnate 6m08s (Jeroen Doumen & Joris Wiersinga, Splotter, 2015)
-For Sale 8m22s (Stefan Dorra, Ravensburger, 1997)
-A Feast for Odin (Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2016)
-Pantone: The Game 11m31s (Scott Rogers, Cryptozoic, 2018)
-Great Western Trail: Rails to the North 14m48s (Alexander Pfister, Stronghold, 2018)
-Root 17m02s (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2018)
-Assault on Doomrock 20m48s (Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster, 2014)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Fenris Rages again 23m26s
-More bunnies for Walker to loathe 24m17s
-Cleopatra reprint; why, exactly? 24m57s
-Andrew Parks and the Marvel B-list 25m44s
-Walker liked Little Town Builders before it was cool 27m30s
-Moar dexterity with Catch the Moon 28m00s
Feature Game: Claustrophobia 28m20s (CROC, Asmodee, 2009)
Topic: First Impressions of KeyForge (Richard Garfield, Fantasy Flight, 2018)
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#44: Discover: Lands Unknown and Overused Themes Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

We are an easily-triggered group, we geeks, we nerds; so allow us to exercize due diligence and offer the following warnings. Spoiler Alert: we discuss what spoilers are. Meta Alert: we get pretty meta about spoilers. Existentialism Alert: Walker gets pretty existential (parenthetical alert: you might have figured Mark would instead, but he has very little time for existentialism, being more modern than post-modern).
Games Played Last Week:
-Endeavor: Age of Sail 1m41s (Carl de Visser & Jarratt Gray, Burst Island Games, 2018)
-Spinderella 5m06s (Roberto Fraga, Zoch Verlag, 2015)
-Everdell 7m38s (James A. Wilson, Starling Games, 2018)
-Western Legends 7m59s (Hervé Lemaître, Kolossal, 2018)
-Assault on Doomrock 12m40s (Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster, 2014)
-Sakura Arms 15m38s (BakaFire, AEG, 2016)
-Space Cadets: Away Missions 17m35s (Dan Raspler & Al Rose, Stronghold, 2015)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-How many states past the 51st are we up to? 18m51s
-Flicking, puns, and strategy 20m12s
-A bear park for more godless killing machines 21m31s
Feature Game: Discover: Lands Unknown 22m30s (Corey Konieczka, Fantasy Flight, 2018)
Topic: Overused Themes 50m12s
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#43: Stephenson's Rocket and Dealing with Frustration Oct 30, 2018

Show notes

We've always been here. Waiting, in this basement, yelling into the can. When we invented podcasts all those years ago it was merely as avenue for our pre-existing subterranean discourse. Now some of you have joined us, and our labours are no longer in vain. Once the power dies out, we'll still be here, yelling into the can. About boardgames.
Games Played Last Week:
-Race for the Galaxy: Xeno Invasion 1m43s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2015)
-Everdell 5m54s (James A. Wilson, Starling Games, 2018)
-Starfarers of Catan 10m06s (Klaus Teuber, Mayfair Games, 1999)
-Barbarians: The Invasion 12m44s (Martino Chiacchiera, Marta Ciaccasassi, & Pierluca Zizzi, Tabula Games, 2018)
-Forbidden Sky 19m21s (Matt Leacock, Gamewright, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Asmodee sold, Asmodee buys something 21m55s
-Taiwanese flag flap 23m58s
-CMON tries zombies for the first time ever 25m27s
-More Spirits on the Island 26m13s
Feature Game: Stephenson's Rocket 28m03s (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2018)
Topic: Dealing with Frustration 54m40s
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#42: Battle for Rokugan and Gateway Games Oct 23, 2018

Show notes

Reading your audience is a hard thing, and not even just when blasting your errant opinions over the interwebs. Mark couldn't read the room when Walker requested a certain game, and that didn't end well. Walker couldn't perceive Mark's growing misgivings about the feature game. This one time I thought a baby boy was a baby girl and the parents were very offended. Life is hard!
Games Played Last Week:
-Star Realms 2m19s (Robert Dougherty & Darwin Kastle, White Wizard, 2014)
-Amun-Re: The Card Game 4m59s (Reiner Knizia, Super Meeple, 2017)
-Endeavor: The Age of Sail 7m03s (Carl de Visser & Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2018)
-Ortus Regni 9m26s (Jon Sudbury, Jon Sudbury Games, 2014)
-Star Wars: Imperial Assault - Jabba's Realm 12m02s (Todd Michlitsch & Paul Winchester, FFG, 2017)
-Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu 13m10s (Matt Leacock & Chuck D. Yager, Z-Man, 2016)
-Mage Knight Board Game 15m42s (Vlaada Chvatil, WizKids, 2011)
-Race for the Galaxy: The Brink of War 18m25s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2010)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Fighting games have sequels, so too must Street Masters 19m45s
-Carcassonne goes on safari 21m48s
-The Grail lost? 22m44s
Feature Game: 24m24s
-Battle for Rokugan (Molly Glover & Tom Jolly, Fantasy Flight, 2017)
Topic: Gateway Games 51m50s
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#41: Omega Protocol and Keeping Games Moving Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

I hope you're planning your Arkhipov Day festivities. Don't get me wrong, I dig Stanislav Petrov as much as the next guy, but for my money Vasili Arkhipov is the man, and he doesn't get nearly enough credit. Because, you know, he either saved your life or your ancestors' lives--the least we could do is give the man a holiday. He doesn't even have a card in Twilight Struggle! See, I brought it back to games in the end.
Games Played Last Week:
-Galaxy Trucker: Missions 3m00s (Vlaada Chvátil, CGE, 2015)
-Terraforming Mars: Prelude 6m04s (Jacob Fryxelius, Stronghold, 2018)
-Quartermaster General: Prelude 7m01s (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2018)
-Star Wars: Imperial Assault - Jabba's Realm 9m24s (Todd Michlitsch & Paul Winchester, FFG, 2017)
-Specter Ops 10m24s (Emerson Matssuchi, Plaid Hat Games, 2015)
-Master of the Galaxy 14m54s (Timofey Bokarev & Konstantin Seleznev, Ares Games, 2018)
-Paper Tales: Beyond the Gate 19m38s (Masato Uesugi, Strongold, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Fog of Love expands to LGBTQ scenarios 24m22s
-Z-Man Lords over Vegas 25m34s
-SVWAG SWAG: Take our stuff 26m20s
-Pfister Blacks Out Hong Kong 27m46s
-Mac Gerdts brings the love in Concordia 28m37s
-Terraforming Mars digitally 29m40s
-Chip Theory's neoprene obsession 30m00s
Feature Game: 31m28s
-Level 7 [Omega Protocol] (Will Schoonover, Privateer Press, 2013)
Topic: Keeping Games Moving 57m42s
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#40: Gaslands and The Perils of Collecting Oct 02, 2018

Show notes

We're always wondering about what comes next, always on the lookout for the next big thing--both in games and broadcasting. That's why we're open to being elevated to the judiciary, so the next time there's a search committee feel free to add Mark and Walker to the ol' shortlist. We're open to traveling, so it doesn't have to be any particular country. We hear The Hague is nice?
Games Played Last Week:
-Mystic Vale 2m02s (John D. Clair, AEG, 2016)
-Sentinels of the Multiverse 6m27s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011)
-Istanbul 10m34s (Rudiger Dorn, Pegasus Spiele, 2014)
-Vengeance 11m49s (Gordon Calleja, Mighty Boards, 2018)
-XenoShyft: Onslaught 13m30s (Keren Philosophales & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015)
-51st State: Master Set 15m46s (Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal, 2016)
-War Chest 17m46s (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, AEG, 2018)
-Menara 21m41s (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Verlag, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Food Chain Magnate catches up to condiments 22m07s
-Takla's bridge to nowhere 23m28s
-The Boldest, a Wagnerian epic 24m22s
-The city published once in a Blue Moon 25m36s
Feature Game: Gaslands 27m42s (Glenn Ford & Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2017)
Topic: The Perils of Collecting 54m58s
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