So Very Wrong About Games

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#29: Kemet and Turn Order Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

We here at SVWAG take acronyms very seriously, but sometimes get carried away with such abbreviations. As a public service announcement, allow me to remind all of you that TI:4 stands for Twilight Imperium 4th Edition. It is purely coincidental that I mention this in the context of an episode dealing with games that have turn order problems. It is also a coincidence that Kemet is the feature game of said episode. Don't read too much into either of those facts, you wild conspiracist you.
Games Played Last Week:
-Ra 1m34s (Reiner Knizia, alea, 1999)
-First Class 4m31s (Helmut Ohley, Hans im Gluck, 2016)
-Dogs of War 7m49s (Paolo Mori, CMON, 2014)
-Downforce 8m53s (Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, & Wolfgang Kramer, Restoration Games, 2017)
-Deception: Murder in Hong Kong 10m39s (Tobey Ho, Grey Fox Games, 2014)
-Skull 12m34s (Hervé Marly, Asmodee, 2011)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Borg's Command is that the Color be Red (Alert) 13m08s
-Designing SEAL Team Flix 14m50s
-First Cthulhu game ever 16m38s
-Mythic Battles Pantheon returns 17m52s
-Warhammer Quest Adventure Card Game decamps to Terrinoth 18m44s
Feature Game: Kemet 20m44s (Jacques Bariot & Guillaume Montiage, Matagot, 2012)
Topic: Turn Order 51m02s
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#28: Keyflower and Games that Are Too Long Jun 05, 2018

Show notes

You can have too much of a good thing, which is why Mark always tries to interrupt Walker before he can finish a single sentence. Of course, "too much" is a highly subjective idea, whether applied to game length or pie. This week Keyflower is discussed, which is not too long but can feel too short--except if it were not too short it would be too long. Clear enough.
Games Played Last Week:
-Star Wars: Imperial Assault 3m25s (Justin Kemppainen, Corey Konieczka, & Jonathan Ying, Fantasy Flight, 2014)
-Lords of Vegas 5m31s (James Ernest & Mike Silenker, Mayfair, 2010)
-Sagrada 6m41s (Adrian Adamescu & Daryl Andrews, Floodgate Games, 2017)
-Thunderbolt Apache Leader 8m12s (Dan Verssen, DVG, 2012)
-Ginkgopolis 9m57s (Xavier Georges, Pearl Games, 2012)
-Ora et Labora 11m46s (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2011)
-Dungeon Alliance 15m11s (Andrew Parks, Quixotic Games, 2018)
-Spheres of Influence 20m33s (Josh Lamont, Little Nuke Games, 2016)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Jetpack Joyride 24m45s
-Spring Meadow 25m22s
-Contest Results! 25m55s
-Mark on The Long View (again) 26m36s
Feature Game: Keyflower 27m57s (Sebastian Bleasdale & Richard Breese, R&D Games, 2012)
Topic: Games that Are Too Long 51m45s
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#27: Hyperborean Bag-Building and Rating Systems May 29, 2018

Show notes

We delve into the culinary arts here at So Very Wrong About Games; having failed at math but excelling in eating, both Mark and Walker eschew conventional rating systems for gastronomical ones. They had considered rating the rating systems themselves, but were reminded of the podcast's firm stance against paradoxes. So, they threw all their pies into a bag and drew them randomly. It's been a confusing week, to say nothing of the mess.
Games Played Last Week:
-Quantum 1m00s (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013)
-Spheres of Influence 2m23s (Josh Lamont, Little Nuke Games, 2016)
-Lords of Hellas 3m37s (Adam Kwapinski, Awaken Realms, 2018)
-Core Worlds 4m24s (Andrew Parks, Stronghold Games, 2011)
-Ethnos 7m03s (Paolo Mori, CMON, 2017)
-Sakura Arms 11m41s (BakaFire, AEG, 2017)
-Empires: Age of Discovery 13m28s (Glenn Drover, Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2015)
-Too Many Bones 16m33s (Adam Carlson & Josh Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Jettisoning Arcadia Quest into space 19m33s
-More Clank, more space 21m02s
-Cosmic Encounter is the answer to life, the universe, and everything 21m21s
-Giant Azul 25m40s
-Last contest reminder 26m55s
Feature Game: Bag-Building Bonanza 27m30s
Hyperborea (Andrea Chiarvesio & Pierluca Zizzi, Asterion, 2014)
Orleans (Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2014)
Altiplano (Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2017)
Topic: Rating Systems 55m27s
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#26: Crisis at Steamfall and Interview with Chris Cieslik May 22, 2018

Show notes

Walker encourages you to tell friends about So Very Wrong About Games, despite his not listening to the podcast. Mark has recommended it to him, but apparently Walker's contempt for his co-host's opinions is not limited to games, but extends also to the podcast they produce together about games. One assumes Walker also does not read the episode descriptions, which is truly risky, and might create an incentive to make them devoted to discussing his manifold character flaws.
Games Played Last Week:
-Forbidden Stars 2m51s (Samuel Bailey, James Kniffen, & Corey Konieczka, Fantasy Flight, 2015)
-Dice Hockey 4m17s (Artyom Nichipurov, Unpublished Wolff Designa prototype)
-Ortus Regni 5m46s (Jon Sudbury, Jon Sudbury Games, 2014)
-Xia: Legends of a Drift System 7m00s (Cody Miller, Far Off Games, 2014)
-Skull 9m27s (Hervé Marly, Asmodee, 2011)
-Cockroach Poker 9m27s (Jacques Zeimet, Dre Magier Spiele, 2004)
-Escape: The Curse of the Temple 14m24s (Kristian Amundsen Østby, Queen Games, 2012)
-878: Vikings – Invasions of England 15m16s (Beau Beckett, Dave Kimmel, & Jeph Stahl, Academy Games, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Ortus Regni back...ish 17m19s
-Tokyo Game Market 19m18s
-Nostalgic Splat Attack 19m38s
-Knizia auctions Lost Cities 20m13s
Feature Game: Preview of Crisis at Steamfall 22m36s (Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster Games, 2018)
Topic: Interview with Chris Cieslik of Asmadi Games 40m16s
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#25: Lords of Hellas and Problematic Expansions May 15, 2018

Show notes

Mark tries to come to terms with his outright hypocrisy, largely on the basis that he feels it's acceptable for him but not for everyone else. Walker yearns for glory, but learns to his disappointment that glory is not legal tender and cannot be exchanged for goods or services. Lords of Hellas offer such piercing insights into the soul, "self-knowledge" being one of its 43 victory conditions. Also, SVWAG is giving away stuff.
Massive Darkness Giveaway: 1m33s
Games Played Last Week:
-Spirit Island 3m05s (Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017)
-John Company 4m21s (Cole Wehrle, Sierra Madre Games, 2017)
-Altiplano 5m57s (Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2017)
-Fairy Tale 9m14s (Satoshi Nakamura, Z-Man Games, 2004)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Asmodee for sale? Maybe? Maybe not? 10m42s
-Forbidden City Forbidden 11m43s
-Spiel des Jahres 12m24s
-More Kemet. Purple for everything! 13m05s
-Jakub Rozalski's art under scrutiny 13m32s
Feature Game: Lords of Hellas 17m05s (Adam Kwapinski, Awaken Realms, 2018)
Topic: Problematic Expansions 51m14s
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#24: The City of Kings and Interview with Eric Reuss May 08, 2018

Show notes

As it happens, games do not spawn ex nihilo, fully armed and armored from Zeus' forehead. I'm certain that's what most of you believed, but it's not true! To confirm this implausible fact, Mark sat down with Eric Reuss, the designer of Spirit Island, to talk about stuff. Walker and Mark also discuss The City of Kings, a game that is a fascinating mixture of euro mechanics, grand adventure, and both excellent and terrible theming.
Games Played Last Week:
-Kemet 1m25s (Jacques Bariot & Guillaume Montiage, Matagot, 2012)
-The Castles of Burgundy 3m22s (Stefan Feld, alea, 2011)
-878: Vikings – Invasions of England 4m40s (Beau Beckett, Dave Kimmel, & Jeph Stahl, Academy Games, 2017)
-One Deck Dungeon: Forest of Shadows 7m12s (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi Games, 2018)
-Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire 8m19s (David Sanders, Games Workshop, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Acros forced off of Steam 12m55s
-X-Wing Second Edition 14m16s
-Empyreal: Spells and Steam 18m39s
Feature Game: The City of Kings 19m01s (Frank West, The City of Games, 2017)
Topic: Interview with Eric Reuss, designer of Spirit Island 41m32s
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#23: Mage Knight and Player Scaling May 01, 2018

Show notes

This podcast scales seamlessly from 2 to an in finite number of listeners, but we're not nearly that optimistic. Walker sometimes dreams of a solo mode, but sadly Mark insists on speaking. Mark and Walker again turn to Vlaada Chvatil, a designer who loves idiosyncrasy and detail--sometimes to excess. Walker asks if it would be appropriate to rant, and Mark gladly lets him off leash.
Games Played Last Week:
-Railroad Tycoon/Railways of the World 1m52s (Glenn Drover & Martin Wallace, Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2005)
-House of Borgia 3m13s (Scott Almes, Gamelyn Games, 2017)
-Ex Libris 5m24s (Ada P. McIver, Renegade Game Studios, 2017)
-Situation 7 7m27s (Marvin Glass, Parker Brothers, 1969)
-Biblios 10m47s (Steve Finn, Iello, 2007)
-Corporate America 13m15s (Teale Fristoe, Nothing Sacred Games, 2013)
-Winner's Circle 14m36s (Reiner Knizia, Face2Face, 2001)
-Rheinlander 15m30s (Reiner Knizia, Face2Face, 1999)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-7 Wonders expands, Walker sighs 16m32s
-SVWAG expands, Walker sighs 17m37s
-Renegade Arboretum 18m41s
Feature Game: Mage Knight: The Board Game 20m25s (Vlaada Chvatil, WizKids, 2011)
Topic: Player Scaling 51m39s
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#22: Feudum and Euro/Ameritrash Hybridization Apr 24, 2018

Show notes

You wouldn't like Mark when he's angry, but that's probably attributable to his being fundamentally unlikable at the best of times. At any rate, Walker tries to rein him in from ranting too long about obvious component failures, publisher laziness, and alleged outright theft. Walker, for his part, just wants things to mean something. We are seekers here at So Very Wrong About Games.
Games Played Last Week:
-Spirit Island 2m10s (Eric Reuss, Fabled Nexus, 2017)
-The City of Kings 4m00s (Frank West, The City of Games, 2018)
-Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire 6m00s (David Sanders, Games Workshop, 2017)
-World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch 9m04s (Fel Barros, Christophe Madura, Alexandru Olteanu, David Rakoto, & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2018)
-Shadowrift: Skittering Darkness 9m47s (Jeremy Anderson, Game Salute, 2018).
-John Company 15m22s (Cole Wehrle, Sierra Madre, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Music and geopolitics 22m14s
-Red Raven Targets the mass market 24m10s
-App didn't kill Imperial Assault 25m07s
-In France, no one can hear you scream theft 26m18s
-No app didn't kill Specter Ops 29m24s
Feature Game: Feudum 30m06s (Mark K. Swanson, Odd Bird Games, 2018)
Topic: Euro/Ameritrash Hybridization 54m22s
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#21: Quartermaster General and Gaming Conventions Apr 17, 2018

Show notes

Mark and Walker delve into matters of criminal justice this week, pondering the balance and tradeoffs between deterrence, retribution, and rehabilitation. Walker seems to think that Bunny Kingdom a form of cruel and unusual punishment, whereas Mark seems to think that any form of travel is necessarily a form of inhumane rendition. Anyway, they're sellouts now, so if you send them free stuff in the mail they'll say whatever you want them to.
Games Played Last Week:
-When I Dream 3m22s (Chris Darsaklis, Repos Productions, 2016)
-Noria 6m09s (Sophia Wagner, Stronghold, 2017)
-A Feast for Odin 8m46s (Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2016)
-Space Hulk 3rd Edition 12m13s (Richard Halliwell, Games Workshop, 2009)
-XenoShyft: Onslaught 14m00s (Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015)
-Massive Darkness 18m07s (Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, & Nicolas Raoult, CMON, 2017)
-Feudum 21m12s (Mark K. Swanson, Odd Bird Games, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-More Shade, more Spire 28m15s
-Boarders' backers left in the lurch 28m46s
-Battlestar Galactica minis 30m20s
-Starship Samurai 32m11s
Feature Game: Quartermaster General 33m50s (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2014)
Quartermaster General: Victory or Death: The Peloponnesian War (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2016)
Quartermaster General: 1914 (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2016)
Topic: Gaming Conventions 55m20s
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#20: GKR: Heavy Hitters and Blinging Games Apr 10, 2018

Show notes

Times are bad--children no longer respect their elders and everyone is running a Kickstarter. Nostalgia fuels our news segment today, with varying levels of scorn for cherished memories. For those of you playing along at home with their So Very Wrong About Games bingo cards, Walker talks about a Mystic Vale expansion and Mark brings up Macross--let us know if that makes five in a row.
Games Played Last Week:
-Not Alone 1m48s (Ghislain Masson, Stronghold Games, 2016)
-Quartermaster General: 1914 2m49s (Ian Brody, PSC Games, 2016)
-Mythic Battles: Pantheon 5m07s (Benoit Vogt, Monolith, 2017)
-Formula D 7m10s (Laurent Lavaur & Eric Randall, Asmodee, 2008)
-Rising Sun 9m30s (Eric Lang, CMON, 2018) vs.
-Blood Rage 9m30s (Eric Lang, CMON, 2015)
-The City of Kings 13m34s (Frank West, The City of Games, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter)
-Mousetrap Redux...? 16m59s
-Robot? Eck. 19m12s
-The Mystic Vale gets yet bigger 20m11s
-So much Confrontation 21m21s
-2nd editions for Claustrophobia and Race 23m15s
Feature Game: GKR: Heavy Hitters 23m41s (Matt Hyra, Cryptozoic and WETA Workshop, 2018)
Topic: Blinging Out Your Games 45m26s
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