Going Analog Show

173: A bunch of light/party games we wanna tell you about

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Last episode got too heavy for us, so we're going super light this time around. Light games, party games...we have a dozen of them to chat about this week!

Chapters:

Game pick: Vantage.
Light/party games.

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172: Time to get HEAVY...with these new heavy games (guest: The Game Table)

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:00 -0000

We might need to make this an annual tradition: We get new heavy games in. We take forever to learn them. We then spend hours playing them (with our good friend Daniel from The Game Table, who even spent the night at our place this time to get in more gaming the next day). Then we record a podcast episode giving our thoughts on them.

We have a bunch of new, newish, and future releases to cover, so listen in to see what we liked and didn't like about our plays.

Timeline:
- 1:34 - Brass: Pittsburg.
- 12:59 - Speakeasy.
- 17:40 - The Great Library.
- 20:50 - Nippon: Zaibatsu.
- 27:05 - Thebai.
- 33:25 - Tianxia.
- 40:09 - Covenant.
- 45:14 - Barrage: Duel.
- 51:57 - Darwin's Journey: Oceania.

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171: The educational value of board games (guest: Fort Circle Games)

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Fort Circle Games takes history very seriously...but not overly so. Titles like Votes for Women and The Halls of Montezuma treat their subject matters with respect (the women's suffrage movement and the Mexican-American War, respectively) with research, consultants, and even facsimiles of documents.

It might sound a little dry, but Fort Circle is on a mission: to bring this knowledge to gamers while adhering to modern game-design sensibilities. They want you to learn a thing or three...while having fun.

We invited Fort Circle founder and owner Kevin Bertram to talk more about his company's interesting philosophy and how games can be educational, without necessarily being educational games.

Timeline:

2:38 - Going Analog's game pick: Behind the Lens: Photographing Earth.
6:50 - Kevin's game pick: Fortress America.
8:52 - More about Fort Circle Games.
17:52 - Kevin's topic: The educational value of board games.

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170: The best board games we played at Dice Tower West 2026

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:06:00 -0000

We're back from Dice Tower West, horribly dehydrated and almost 200 games lighter. While we offloaded a lot of our collection at the convention's flea market, we did get to play a bunch of new games (super shoutout to Grant's Game Recs for showing us the majority of them). So it's only a matter of time before we start buying more games to fill in those sad gaps on our shelves.

Listen or watch to see what's got us excited after five days of conventioning!

Timeline:

3:02 - Shoe's game pick: Pantheauction.
5:56 - Christina's game pick: Bullseye.
11:30 - Going Analog's topic: The best games we played from Dice Tower West 2026.

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169: Board games bringing people together (guest: Grandpa Beck)

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Our guest this week is crazy enough to include his personal phone number in every game he sells. Brent Beck (aka "Grandpa Beck" of Grandpa Beck's Games) wants no barriers when it comes to learning his games, so he includes his digits in every copy in case you want to text him for rules clarifications.

That's why his chosen topic -- bringing people together through gameplay -- makes so much sense. Brent wants nothing more but to draw people to him and each other to enjoy the hobby he loves so much.

Listen/watch as we discuss his work and play philosophies, how many texts from customers he gets per day, and more.

Timeline:

3:03 - Going Analog's game pick: Pandora's Legacy.
5:48 - Grandpa Beck's game pick: Mille Bornes.
11:03 - Grandpa's Beck's topic: Bringing people together through gameplay.

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168: 2026 board games we've played...and are excited about (guest: Andrew Stiles, designer)

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:00:00 -0000

We had to bring in this episode's guest to settle something. In our 2025 Games of the Year show, Christina called Wine Cellar a runner-up for her Party Game of the Year. Shoe took issue with her calling the wine-making card game a "party game," so whom better to bring in than its designer, Andrew Stiles, to settle this hugely important argument?

He has a great topic for us, too. Since he gets to playtest so many games for his colleagues, he goes over several he's particularly excited to see finally released this year. And since we get to preview many titles ourselves, we get in on the conversation. Listen to see what we think are the most exciting games to watch for in 2026.

Timeline:

7:55 - Going Analog's game pick: Snow Colony.
11:12 - Andrew's game pick: Castles of Mad King Ludwig.
15:41 - Andrew's topic: 2026 games we've played and are excited about.

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167: The 2025 Games of the Year episode (guest: Candice Harris)

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:00 -0000

It's our yearly tradition now: We invite a new content creator on our show, and we discuss the best games of the year in several weight categories. Joining us for our 2025 edition is Candice Harris, formerly of BoardGameGeek and now doing her own thing with Kickin' It Creative. She's just as board game crazy as we are, so check out what we thought were the best of the year.

Timeline:

The 2025 Games of the Year (hit up our website for the full list of winners and runners-up):

7:06 - 2025 Party Games of the Year.
18:10 - 2025 Light Games of the Year.
33:38 - 2025 Medium Games of the Year.
50:55 - 2025 Heavy Games of the Year.

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166: The new age of great 2-player games, part 2 (guest: Grant's Game Recs)

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:00:00 -0000

We're back (and so is our guest, Grant Lyon of Grant's Game Recs) with a bunch more new 2-player games that we loved and want to tell you alllll about. Make sure to catch part 1 of our two-part special, so you can have more 2P recommendations than you'll know what to do with.

Timeline:

1:28 - Going Analog's game pick: Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game.
7:45 - Grant's game pick: How to Save a World. Great 2-player games, part two:
15:02 - Everdell Duo.
18:31 - Kinfire Delve.
27:00 - Timber Town.
30:12 - Naishi.
32:54 - Zenith.
40:02 - Pillars of Fate.

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165: The new age of great 2-player games, part 1 (guest: Grant's Game Recs)

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:00:00 -0000

2025 is "The Year of the 2-Player Game" -- at least according to our guest, professional comedian and board game content creator Grant Lyon of Grant's Game Recs. There have been so many good ones that came out over the past yeart that it's hard to refute that statement. So hard that, rather than refute, we'll just create a two-part podcast special covering all the great 2P games we've been playing. This is part one!

Timeline:

2:00 - Going Analog's game pick: Origin Story.
9:38 - Grant's game pick: Pinched!. Great 2-player games, part one:
16:50 - The White Castle Duel.
19:59 - Madcala.
25:35 - Enthrone.
29:19 - Compile: Main 2.
35:33 - Scales of Fate.
39:17 - Bombastic.

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164: The best games we played at BGG.CON 2025 (and what's next for The Board Game Quiz Show)

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:00:00 -0000

Our favorite "just playing games" convention is behind us now, and...we did spend a lot of time just playing games. A LOT. BGG.CON features BoardGameGeek's legendary library plus the latest hotness from the king of board game shows, Essen Spiel, so we had no shortage of options. Listen in to see what our highlights were and to get a tease of what we have in store for Season 6 of The Board Game Quiz Show.

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163: 6 new drafting games worth checking out

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:00:00 -0000

A lot of drafting games have been hitting our table lately, and they're all putting their own twists on the genre. We've been enjoying them so much that we're dedicating this whole episode to our top picks.

Plus, the sequel to Yomi, is here. Shoe's played a lot of fighting (video) games, so what does he think about probably the most pure card-game interpretation around?

Timeline

0:53 - Going Analog's game pick: Yomi 2.
7:54 - 6 new drafting games worth checking out.

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162: Why we can't make board games in the U.S. (guest: James Hudson)

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:00:00 -0000

All this business (or loss of) around tariffs has repeated raised a question from the gaming community: Why not just manufacture games in the U.S. instead of, say, China?

James Hudson, game designer and owner of Druid City Games, took time out of promoting his Wonderland's War Duel Kickstarter (check out our preview!) to explain why it's so difficult. We've heard the facts from the board game industry before, but James has additional insight worth hearing out.

Timeline

1:30 - Going Analog's game pick: Everbloom.
4:58 - James' game pick: Galileo Galilei.
11:35 - Wonderland's War Duel, a new Wonderland's War expansion, Madcala, Off With Their Heads!, and an expansion to Tidal Blades 2.
22:03 - James' topic: Why making board games in America is so difficult.

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161: Autobattlers, card crafting, Mystic Lands (guests: John D Clair, John Zinser)

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:00:00 -0000

The OG card-crafting game Mystic Vale is getting a major makeover. Or is it a sequel? Whatever you want to call it, Mystic Lands is taking Vale's original concept of layering clear cards to create powerful combinations and streamling gameplay while beautifying the art. The result is a much better game (from our one play), and now we have to suffer the wait for the November Kickstarter campaign to run and fulfill.

Designer John D Clair and CEO of publisher Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) John Zinser stopped by our home to play a full game of Mystic Lands with us (Shoe would rather we don't discuss the final scores). Before we would let them out of the house, however, we made both sit down to record this podcast. Clair is working on some autobattler game designs, so that was his topic for us this week.

Timeline

1:15 - Going Analog's game pick: Fight 5.
3:05 - John D Clair's game pick: Living Forest.
5:13 - John Zinser's game pick: Love Letter.
7:37 - Mystic Lands and card-crafting.
21:38 - John D Clair's topic: The new trend of autobattler board and card games.

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160: Moon cakes + Moon Bunny, push-your-luck dice games

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 13:00:00 -0000

Let's try something new! For some reason (spoiler: the reason is laziness), we don't have a guest this week, so Shoe and Christina decided to feature the seasonally appropriate (for the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival) Moon Bunny and then discuss some exciting new push-your-luck dice games that we've been enjoying.

Timeline

1:30 - Game pick: Moon Bunny
7:12 - Topic: push-your-luck dice games

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159: Board game universes, cultural appropriation (guest: Jane Hoffacker, Incredible Dream)

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 17:00:00 -0000

We've been keeping an eye on the Kinfire series (which includes the cooperative campaign Kinfire Chronicles and tactical card game Kinfire Delve), and we walked away very impressed with our plays of the latest one in the franchise, Kinfire Council, a competitive worker-placement game set in the same world. Publisher Incredible Dream Studios is approaching gaming differently, so we asked CEO and co-founder Jane Hoffacker to discuss the massive amount of work that goes into designing a shared-universe space. And we continued the chat with Jane posing some thoughtful questions about cultural appropriation in gaming.

Timeline:

4:08 - Going Analog's game pick: Tea Witches.
8:25 - Jane's game pick: Dungeon Mayhem.
10:38 - Going Analog's topic: board game universes, the Kinfire series.
31:46 - Jane's topic: cultural appropriation in gaming.

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158: Cozy games, what makes a game a good product (guest: Alex Cutler)

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:30:00 -0000

Cozy is the new zombie. Or Cthulhu. Seriously -- just keep your eye on those store shelves (especially over the next few months), and you'll likely see so many new board games themed around the art of non-conflict. Maybe you'll be cuddling up with kitties. Or you'll be sitting around, peacefully matching tiles at your own pace. Or you'll be arranging books around your home in ways that please only you, as in our guest's co-designed A Place for All My Books.

Alex Cutler joins the podcast this week to talk about what exactly makes a game "cozy." Plus we lean into his experience as a developer (not just designer) to learn what makes for a good product. Sure, great gameplay is a must -- but what else will make gamers want to make that purchase?

Timeline:

3:15 - Going Analog's game pick: Black Forest.
6:59 - Alex's game pick: Fishing.
10:33 - Going Analog's topic: cozy games.
22:12 - Alex's topic: what makes a game a good product.

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157: Great 2-player games, final thoughts on Gen Con (guest: Corey Thompson)

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 06:30:00 -0000

We love Gen Con so much, we couldn't fit everything into our Games of the Show episode. And Corey Thompson loves Gen Con so much that he became a part-owner of the giant North American gaming convention.

Corey leads Above Board TV, cohosts the Board Games Insider podcast, co-owns Play to Z Games, and...lots more that will just take up way too much space to write all out. So he was the perfect guest to invite on our show to chat about about more Gen Con highlights -- and some of our recent and classic two-player favorites.

Timeline:

3:48 - Going Analog's game pick: Panda Spin.
7:30 - Corey's game pick: Giberrers.
10:57 - Going Analog's topic: final Gen Con thoughts and highlights.
29:36 - Corey's topic: great two-player games (classic and new).

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156: The 2025 Gen Con Games of the Show

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 06:30:00 -0000

We're back from North America's giant gaming convention: Gen Con 2025! Did you miss us? Don't answer and don't worry -- we've got the coverage for ya.

We sit down and talk about SO MANY GAMES -- over 20 of 'em in this episode alone. Which did we like? Which were the best in show for us? Listen to find out!

Timeline:

4:21 - 2025 Party Games of Gen Con.
13:00 - 2025 Light Games of Gen Con.
35:42 - 2025 Medium Games of Gen Con.
53:10 - 2025 Heavy Games of Gen Con.

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155: Games from Asia, great 5/6-player games (guest: Cardboard East)

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:30:00 -0000

We love unique gaming experiences, especially from those tough-to-find games in Asia. Why are they so different from Western-made games? And what are the differences between games that originated from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, or other parts of the East?

Jay Bernardo, marketing manager at Bezier Games and content creator at Cardboard East (which specializes in covering board games from Asia), was kind enough to join Going Analog to teach us the ways. We also recommend some new games that play best at 5 or 6 players!

Timeline:

3:29 - Going Analog's game pick: Finca.
8:35 - Jay's game pick: Dune (1979 version).
18:01 - Jay's topic: East vs. West board games.
41:51 - Going Analog's topic: 5- to 6-player games.

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154: Running a first-time game con, going from content creator to retailer (guest: LFG Con)

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 06:30:00 -0000

Do you enjoy hosting a handful of people for game night? How about a few hundred? That's what these three tried for the first time about a month ago in Burbank, CA: Dustin Staats, content creator and owner of online and brick-and-mortar retailer BGE Tabletop; George Caceres, owner of board game cafe Game N' Grounds; and Dae, owner of board game store Fire & Dice, came together to put on the very first LFG Con this past June.

We asked Dustin to join us on the podcast to talk about how their convention dreams started and what it took to make them a reality. Plus, Dustin shares how he made the transition from board game content creator to board game retailer. Listen in!

Timeline:

3:53 - Going Analog's game pick: Dark Heists.
8:58 - Dustin's game pick: Scythe.
11:59 - Going Analog's topic: Running a game convention (for the first time).
25:47 - Dustin's topic: From content creator to retailer (how I opened my brick & mortar store)

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144: Spooky games, indie vs. in-house design work (guests: designers Ben Kepner, Dan Stong)

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 18:23:00 -0000

We just finished Halloweeeen! What are your favorite board games for spoopy season? We ask Creepshow: The Suspense-Building Game co-creators Ben Kepner and Dan Stong about what they like to play during this holiday...plus how they feel about designing while working in-house at a publisher compared to working independently.

Timeline:

3:45 - Going Analog's game pick: Babylon.
9:46 - Ben & Dan's game pick: Rattus.
21:19 - Ben & Dan's topic: spooky games.
45:40 - Going Analog's topic: indie vs. in-house design work.

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153: Reviews! New games! Expansions!

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 06:30:00 -0000

Game time! We catch up on a bunch of reviews for new games and expansions -- tune in to find out how much we liked them! And whether Christina ever found her Pringle.

Thanks to the publishers for providing review copies.

Timeline:

New games:

1:30 - The Architects of Amytis.
6:24 - Medieval Academy.
11:41 - Combo.
15:55 - Star Trek: Star Realms.

New expansions:

21:45 - Evergreen: Pines and Cacti.
27:52 - Ancient Knowledge: Heritage.
34:44 - Sky Team: Turbulence.
40:31 - Rebel Princess: Happily Never After.

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152: The 2025 American Tabletop Awards (guest: What's Eric Playing?)

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:30:00 -0000

The 2025 American Tabletop Awards were just announced! (Whispers offstage inform us that they were announced back in April....)

Well, we're now ready to talk about them after our extended break. With ATTA cofounder and content creator Eric Yurko of What's Eric Playing?, we react to the recently crowned finalists and winners -- and tell you how we each voted as part of the judging panel.

Timeline:

7:08 - Early Gamers category.
17:54 - Casual Games category.
30:29 - Strategy Games category.
40:03 - Complex Games category.

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151: We're back! Tariffs, designing science games (guest: Dominic Crapuchettes)

Thu, 22 May 2025 17:53:00 -0000

We're back! Again! Tune in to hear all our excuses about why we haven't been podcasting recently, then stay to hear our guest, fabulous designer (Evolution, Wits & Wagers, Oceans) and North Star Games founder Dominic Crapuchettes! We talk about the upcoming Evolution sequel Nature, tariffs (gah), and Dominic's process when designing a science-based game.

Timeline:

1:39 - Nature.
8:45 - Going Analog's game pick: Super Boss Monster.
12:26 - Dominic's game pick: The Gang.
17:32 - Going Analog's topic: tariffs impacting the board game industry.
29:42 - Dominic's topic: designing science/real life games.

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150: The TOP 10 games of all time!

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 06:30:00 -0000

Imagine the longest, most suspenseful drumroll ever.......

Sorry we've been MIA, but real life has been unforgiving and busy. Luckily, we're making it up to you by commemorating our 150th episode with our TOP 10 GAMES OF ALL TIME! We invite Ultimate Beige Gamer and Going Analog Editor Mike Zipkin to join us to share our individual top 10 lists. Whose taste will reign supreme? Which Going Analog-er is your favorite board game soulmate? You'll have to listen to find out.

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149: Film influence and playfulness in game design (guest: Phil Walker-Harding)

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 23:29:00 -0000

Did someone say Phil Walker-Harding? Praise be!

The prolific designer (Sushi Go!, Barenpark, Imhotep, Gizmos, Adventure Games, and so many more!) joins Christina and Shoe to talk about how his film background has surprisingly influenced his design process. Plus, Phil's been noticing the "playfulness" inherent in some games recently. Why is he excited about this, and what does it mean for his own designs? Watch or listen to find out!

Timeline:

3:01 - Going Analog's game pick: Rivages.
5:32 - Phil's game pick: Acquire.
9:27 - Going Analog's topic: How Phil's film background influences his game design.
25:56 - Phil's topic: Playfulness in game design.

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148: What's hot for 2025? Plus: The state of board game social media (guest: Grant Lyon)

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 07:30:42 -0000

We just wrapped up last year with our 2024 Games of the Year episode, so naturally, it's time to move on with our lives and think about what gets us all excited about 2025. What are we looking forward to playing? What have we previewed previously and are now eagerly awaiting the retail release? What's the buzz we're hearing from others in the biz? Comedian and board game content creator Grant Lyon joins the show to share his thoughts on the biggest offerings for this new year. Plus, with the roller coaster that's TikTok and the continued rise of online toxicity, just how are we looking at board game social media these days?

Timeline:

4:45 - Going Analog's game pick: Andromeda's Edge.
14:18 - Grant's game pick: Dice Throne.
19:38 - Going Analog's topic: 2025 games we're looking forward to.
45:44 - Grant's topic: the state of board game social media.

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147: The 2024 Games of the Year episode (guest: Beneeta Kaur)

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 06:20:00 -0000

We did it, folks! We recorded our 2024 Games of the Year episode before the end of the year! (We didn't say anything about releasing it before the end of the year, though.) Joining us just under the wire is content creator and Twitch streamer Beneeta Kaur who contributed her own picks. We actually played a good number of games in-person with Beneeta this year, so we know she has great taste!

Tune in for our favorite party, light, medium, and heavy games of the year. What did we miss? What do we NEED to play? Tell us on our socials!

Timeline:

2:42 - 2024 Party Games of the Year.
13:42 - 2024 Light Games of the Year.
25:22 - 2024 Medium Games of the Year.
46:40 - 2024 Heavy Games of the Year.

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146: Reviewed! 2 big-box games, 2 small-box games (and 2 in-between)

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 07:30:00 -0000

How is it almost the end of 2024?! Christina and Shoe sneak in some more recent games and tell you about them.

Timeline:

1:02 - Small-box games: Bottle Imp, Codex Naturalis.
14:10 - Medium-box games: Looot, In the Footsteps of Marie Curie.
26:30 - Big-box games: Rallyman: Dirt, Creature Caravan.

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145: The games we loved at BGG.CON

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 20:15:00 -0000

BoardGameGeek's BGG.CON is always a good time: just days and days of straight gaming (with some delicious Texas BBQ sprinkled in throughout). So what did we play? And what stuck out to us? Christina and Shoe talk through the games, the show, and more in their big post-BGG.CON update.

Timeline:

2:41 - SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
11:04 - Windmill Valley.
19:14 - Video Game Champion.
27:26 - Pixies.
32:23 - Castle Combo.
36:49 - Quick hits: Black Forest, Forges of Ravenshire, Fishing, Wine Cellar, Everbloom.

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143: The best area-control games, the latest from Reiner Knizia (guest: Bitewing Games)

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 06:09:00 -0000

Publisher Bitewing Games has a thing for designer Reiner Knizia (most recently with Zoo Vadis and the Mythos Collection's Illiad and Ichor). Now they're back at it with a new three-part, big-box, Knizia-palooza Kickstarter campaign. We had the opportunity to play one of those parts, SILOS (Secret Interlopers from Outer Space), a retro sci-fi (with cows!) rethemed version of Municipium...and we instantly fell in love. So we invited Bitewing founders Nick Murray and Kyle Spackman to chat about SILOS, other great area-control games, and board game series and franchises.

Timeline:

3:25 - Going Analog's game pick: Magic Maze Tower.
11:22 - Bitewing's game pick: Moonrollers.
19:48 - Going Analog's topic: SILOS and other great area-control games.
47:57 - Bitewing's topic: gaming series and franchies.

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142: Let's party (game)!

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 18:09:00 -0000

Tired of hoarding resources, majority-ing areas, and adding up victory points? Want to make your frenemy continuously act like they're milking a cow instead? Then let's talk party games!

Shoe and Christina run through a bunch of new big-group activities to help you with your next big game night.

This episode was sponsored by Magic Mind, our favorite Mental Performance Shot. As a special offer for our listeners, they're giving 40% off the next 10 (and only 10!) uses of this promo code. Go to https://magicmind.com/ANALOG40 and use our code ANALOG40 to get this deal.

Timeline:

1:09 - Christina's game pick: Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age.
6:09 - Shoe's game pick: Nature.
12:44 - Games that tweak party game formulas: Sync, Rabble, Lovestruck.
24:59 - Team games: Belratti, Blank Slate: Challenge, Mini-Game Party.
35:27 - Drawing games: Caution Signs, Speed Colors.
42:37 - Quick hits: Task Team, Ultimate Dibs, I'm Kind of a Big Dill.

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141: Good/bad second-edition board games, designing from theme up (guest: designer Ben Rosset)

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 06:30:00 -0000

We were thrilled to meet Ben Rosset, co-designer of our favorite deduction games The Search for Planet X and The Search for Lost Species (as well as the classic Between Two Cities), at Gen Con 2024. Find out why that first meeting was ridiculous (in our eyes), what's Ben's creative process on his deeply thematic designs, and how we feel about the various types of second-edition board games.

Timeline:

2:58 - Christina's game pick: Kronologic: Paris 1920.
9:58 - Shoe's game pick: Sacred Valley.
14:58 - Ben's game pick: Century: Spice Road/Golem Edition.
23:05 - Going Analog's topic: designing board games around interesting themes.
34:13 - Ben's topic: the good and bad of second editions.

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140: Fancy components, how games delight and surprise us (guest: designer Chris Matthew)

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 06:30:00 -0000

Board games = cardboard. It's in the name of the material itself! But...what about An Age Contrived, a new Euro-style, action-programming strategy game designed by Chris Matthew of indie publisher Bellows Intent? It has magnetic bits, chunky Azul-style tiles, and in the Founder's and Collector's Editions, the player boards are set into solid metal frames. What? And you can shoot those tiles out with a spring/lever mechanism. Whaaaat? We had to bring Chris on to ask how he balanced the component "wow" factor with manufacturing affordability -- and as a big gamer himself, Chris wanted to talk about how games have surprised and delighted us. We were delighted to chat with him, so give us a listen! Timeline:

4:05 - Going Analog's game pick: Open Season.
9:40 - Chris's game pick: Revive.
16:36 - Going Analog's topic: An Age Contrived, balancing cool components with high costs.
41:20 - Chris's topic: how games can surprise and delight us.

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139: The 2024 Gen Con Games of the Show (guest: Amanda Panda)

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 06:30:00 -0000

Last episode, we gave a quick recap of North America's largest board game convention, Gen Con 2024. But what everyone really wants to know is, what was best in show? We did our due diligence, played as many games as we could during and after the con (we know -- our lives are so hard), and are ready to report back. Plus, we tapped Twitch streamer Amanda Panda for her top picks, too, so listen up!

Timeline:

5:48 - 2024 Party Games of Gen Con.
10:33 - 2024 Light Games of Gen Con.
17:59 - 2024 Medium Games of Gen Con.
27:30 - 2024 Heavy Games of Gen Con.

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138: Gen Con 2024! Our thoughts on the big show and 5 of the games we loved

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 06:30:09 -0000

We're back from Gen Con! North America's largest tabletop gaming convention is now behind us, but our coverage is just beginning. In this episode, we share our stories from the massive show, plus a few impressions of our favorite games that we got to play. Stay tuned for lots, lots more.

And make sure to check out Magic Mind, the "Mental Performance Shots" that we took to keep us going through the long days and nights in Indianapolis. Our sponsor is offering our listeners up to 48% off a monthly subscription! You'll get Magic Mind delivered right to your home, and you can cancel at any time. Find energy for your long gaming sessions -- plus, you'll be supporting Going Analog! Just go to magicmind.com/ANALOG20 and use promo code ANALOG20 to save up to 48% now.

Timeline:

2:13 - Stories from Gen Con 2024.
16:57 - The Gang.
23:37 - Seers Catalog.
30:26 - River of Gold.
37:10 - Flip 7.
41:36 - Rebel Princess.

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137: Prepping for Gen Con, our thoughts on some new board games (guest: Ruel Gaviola)

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 06:30:00 -0000

It's almost time for North America's largest board game convention, Gen Con! We've been frantically trying to cram in all the hot new games on our shelf of shame/opportunity before we discover...even more hot new games at the big show. We ask the busy Ruel Gaviola (board gaming showrunner, producer, podcaster, and host of several YouTube and Twitch channels) to tell us what he's looking forward to at Gen Con and which cool games he's been playing lately.

Timeline:

1:44 - Gen Con preview.
17:51 - our thoughts on a bunch of new board games: What On Earth Are You Talking About?, Landmarks, Biomos, Finca, Clash of Magic Schools, Archeos Society, Evenfall, Pax Pamir: Second Edition, The Search for UAPs.

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136: Games for movie lovers (guest: Mx. Tiffany Leigh)

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 06:30:00 -0000

What's your favorite movie genre? And which board games can you play to relive those feels? We ask performer and board game writer Mx. Tiffany Leigh to chat about this. As someone who worked in movie production and a real-deal old-school video store, she has fantastic movie and game recs! (We got so into the movie topic that we ran out of time for Tiffany's topic -- raincheck!)

Timeline:

3:51 - Christina/Shoe's game pick: Galactic Renaissance.
14:30 - Tiffancy's game pick: The Taverns of Tiefenthal.
24:24 - Christina/Shoe's topic: games for movie lovers.

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135: Fun new word/social games, upgrading your game room

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 07:13:00 -0000

We were sitting on a new stack of word games, so we asked our editor Mike Zipkin (he of fancy game upgrades and beige game tastes) to join us in covering Word Traveler, Illiterati, Mind Map, and ContraBanter. Plus, upgrading your board games is old news -- how do you upgrade your entire game room?

Timeline:

2:00 - Christina/Shoe's game pick: Captain Flip.
9:13 - Mike's game pick: StreetCar (San Francisco).
16:28 - Christina/Shoe's topic: new word games.
48:14 - Mike's topic: upgrading your game room.

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134: Nature-themed board games, deluxe/big box editions (guest: Ian Moss)

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 06:30:00 -0000

Who doesn't love a beautiful nature game? Shoe doesn't, the grump. He just hates nature. But did he like the upcoming Everbloom, designed by our guest Ian Moss (Bunkers & Badasses, Dinosaur Island, Wonderland's War), from publisher Nerdvana Games? (Check out the Kickstarter!)

We also discuss what makes a new deluxe or big box edition of a game worth a purchase.

Timeline:

2:50 - Going Analog's game pick: Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy.
8:06 - Ian's game pick: Canvas.
15:30 - Going Analog's topic: favorite nature games.
39:53 - Ian's topic: deluxe and big box versions of games.

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133: 7 new/new-to-us board games (and what we liked/didn't like about them)

Thu, 16 May 2024 03:30:00 -0000

We've got so many new board games to talk about this week that we decided to skip having a guest on, so we can just blab and blab and blab about what we've been playing lately. So yup, you're just getting all Christina, all Shoe this episode. And they're ready to dish on what they liked and what they didn't about each of these.

Timeline:

1:16 - The Vale of Eternity.
9:19 - Faraway.
16:50 - Monumental.
24:36 - The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era.
32:47 - Heroes of Might & Magic III: The Board Game.
45:59 - Converge: Catalysts of Change/Sparks of Hope/Engines of Progress.
54:17 - Evergreen.

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132: The best legacy games, exploring Christian themes (guest: designer Ken Franklin)

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 06:30:00 -0000

Legacy games can often light a classic franchise back on fire, as demonstrated by Flash Point: Legacy of Flame's successful Kickstarter.

We asked Legacy of Flame codesigner Ken Franklin (The Mansky Caper, Back to the Future: Dice Through Time, Tsuro: Phoenix Rising) to share some insight into how they turned the long-running co-op series into an evolving legacy experience. And while we're on the subject, what are other legacy games that we're fond of? And on a very unrelated topic, Ken educates us on the recent wave of gameplay-focused, Christianity-themed board games.

Timeline:

3:53 - Going Analog's game pick: ArcheOlogic.
10:03 - Ken's game pick: Kingsburg.
14:57 - Going Analog's topic: The development of Flash Point: Legacy of Flame, plus other legacy games we like.
32:37 - Ken's topic: Christian themes in gaming.

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131: The 2024 American Tabletop Awards (guest: What's Eric Playing?)

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 06:30:00 -0000

The 2024 American Tabletop Awards winners were just announced, so we invited ATTA founder, fellow judging member, and content creator Eric Yurko of What's Eric Playing? to hash them all out. How did Eric, Christina, and Shoe vote?

Timeline:

3:30 - Early Gamers category.
19:45 - Casual Games category.
35:51 - Strategy Games category.
53:52 - Complex Games category.

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130: Wyrmspan, our fave tabletop events (guests: Elizabeth Hargrave, Connie Vogelmann)

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 06:30:00 -0000

We knew Connie Vogelmann, designer of Apiary, was holding something back the last time we talked to her. So we brought her and Elizabeth Hargrave back to interrogate them about Wyrmspan, the new dragon-themed sequel to Elizabeth's now-classic and award-winning Wingspan!

What was it like designing a new game under the Wingspan name? How much did Connie and Elizabeth work together? And what counts as a dragon anyway?

Plus, the two have been busy on the convention circuit, so we discuss various board gaming shows and which ones we enjoy the most.

Timeline:

4:19 - Going Analog's game pick: Wroth.
9:11 - Connie and Elizabeth's game pick: Knarr.
16:10 - Going Analog's topic: Wyrmspan's development.
33:35 - Elizabeth and Connie's topic: Our favorite gaming events each year.

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129: Social deduction, "getting to know you" games (guest: 1 Minute Board Games)

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:30:00 -0000

We spend a lot of time with our friends playing board games, so we're bound to bond. But how well do we really know these people we've invited to our table?

We teamed up with our pals Raina and Phil from 1 Minute Board Games to take the next step in our gaming relationship: not just play "normal" board games (which we still do plenty of with them) but play ones designed to really dig down deep and get us talking about things that would normally not come up during sessions of Sea Salt & Paper. Listen in to see what we've learned about these experiences...and each other.

And on a very related note: social deduction! What's new and what are our faves in this class of games that have us lying to and manipulating each other?

Timeline:

4:41 - Going Analog's game pick: Great Western Trail: New Zealand.
11:52 - 1 Minute Board Game's pick: Dune: Imperium - Uprising.
18:33 - Going Analog's topic: "Getting to know you" games.
39:32 - 1 Minute Board Game's topic: Social-deduction games.

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128: Bizarre gaming habits, how we value board games (guest: designer Eric Slauson)

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 07:30:00 -0000

When we read that Eric Slauson (designer of MonsDRAWsity, the upcoming Chucky game, and many more) likes to deal cards in a...very unique way, we knew we wanted to invite him on to discuss just how weird his board gaming habits are. Are we weirder? And just how do YOU compare anyways?

Plus, gamers always talk about how some games aren't "worth" the price -- how do we value that, exactly?

Timeline:

3:41 - Going Analog's game pick: Wyrmspan.
12:03 - Eric's game pick: Kinfire Chronicles.
19:25 - Going Analog's topic: Bizarre board gaming habits.
34:27 - Eric's topic: How do you value board games?

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127: Games we love (in genres we hate), what some games get right (guest: Peter C. Hayward)

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 07:30:00 -0000

Though we fancy ourselves "omnigamers" -- gamers who enjoy all genres -- we're kind of fooling ourselves. There are certainly specific categories of board games we try to stay away from. But! With every "rule" (if you can call it that), there's gotta be exceptions, right? So we explore ours with Peter C. Hayward. The game designer (That Time You Killed Me, French Toast, Fiction) is very...discerning, so we couldn't wait to hear his thoughts on these matters.

Separately, we recently played a game of Istanbul with Peter, and he couldn't stop raving about how it got "quick turns" down just right. So that got us thinking...what other specific things do specific games get "just right"?

Plus: Play along with us on a round of Peter's new game, Apropos of Board Games!

Timeline:

3:31 - Going Analog's game pick: Apropos of.
12:06 - Peter's game pick: boop.
14:56 - Going Analog's topic: Specific things that specific games get right.
38:29 - Peter's topic: Games you like in genres you don't.

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126: 2024's most anticipated, hard-to-recommend games (guest: Might I Suggest a Game)

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 07:30:00 -0000

I know we just finished our 2023 Games of the Year episode, but we're so over last year. It's cult-of-the-new time -- what are the badass games we're looking forward to in 2024? We invited gaming sommelier Alex Hart of Might I Suggest a Game to help us out since he also just put out his list!

And while we're frequent boardgame recommenders, sometimes we run into a few that are super difficult to endorse for some reason. Which ones? Listen to find out!

Timeline:

3:15 - Going Analog's game pick: Last Light.
8:44 - Alex's game pick: Daybreak.
15:07 - Going Analog's topic: Our most anticipated games of 2024.
35:35 - Alex's topic: Games that we love that we have a hard time suggesting.

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125: The 2023 Games of the Year episode (guest: Grant Lyon)

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 07:30:00 -0000

The end of 2023 means only thing: time to talk about the best board games of the year. And for this awards season, we invited board game content creator and standup comedian Grant Lyon to discuss our favorite party, light, medium, and heavy games that released over those 365 days. Do you agree with our picks? Did we miss any that would have changed our lives? TELL US.

Timeline:

The 2023 Games of the Year (see below for the full list of winners and runners up):

2:51 - 2023 Party Games of the Year.
14:03 - 2023 Light Games of the Year.
34:00 - 2023 Medium Games of the Year.
58:11 - 2023 Heavy Games of the Year.

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124: King of Tokyo vs. King of Monster Island, Tokaido vs. Duo, Kapow! vs. Dice Throne

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 07:30:00 -0000

New year, new(-ish) games! Christina and Shoe pit some newer board games against their predecessors or competitors: the new co-op King of Monster Island vs. the original free-for-all King of Tokyo, two-player Tokaido Duo vs. the original Tokaido, and head-to-head dice-chuckers Kapow! vs. Dice Throne.

Timeline:

1:39 - Shoe's game pick: The Fox Experiment.
10:36 - Christina's game pick: Ancient Knowledge.
17:56 - King of Tokyo vs. King of Monster Island.
27:44 - Tokaido vs. Tokaido Duo.
38:13 - Kapow! vs. Dice Throne.

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123: Space bees! Plus small party games, "bad play" design (guest: Connie Vogelmann)

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 07:30:00 -0000

What's better than a bunch of adorable, flower-pollinating honeybees? Putting those honeybees in space! New worker-placement game Apiary is the buzzworthy debut design of Connie Vogelmann. We invited her on the podcast to see how she went from playtester to a proud creator of a high-production game by a big-time publisher. We also chat about what responsibilities designers, publishers, game teachers, and players have in preventing "bad play" plus some recommendations for smaller-group party games.

We're giving away a copy of one of those small-group party games, Stool Pigeon! To enter, just subscribe to our newsletter (look for the "subscribe" email field on the front page of our website).

Timeline:

3:33 - Going Analog's game pick: Apiary.
19:06 - Connie's game pick: Life of the Amazonia.
23:15 - Going Analog's topic: small-group party games.
46:41 - Connie's topic: protecting against "bad play."

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122: Euros Special, pt. 2! The hot new games of 2023 (guest: The Game Table)

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 07:30:00 -0000

We are back and ready to cover more great Euro games with Daniel Wahlen of The Game Table! This time, we focus on the new hotness that 2023 has generously brought us, but if you're more into modern-day remakes or sequels to legendary classics, make sure to check out Part 1. In this episode, we give our impressions on...

Timeline:

2:30 - Nucleum.
21:41 - Distilled.
30:45 - 3 Ring Circus.
43:18 - Noteworthy: Darwin's Journey, Stefan Feld's City Collection, Marrakesh, The White Castle.

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121: Euros Special, pt. 1! The best new (and old) remakes/sequels (guest: The Game Table)

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 07:30:00 -0000

Euros, Euros, and gyros! We love a good Euro-style strategy game, but we couldn't cover all the great releases this year in just one podcast. Especially when we're chatting with fellow enthusiast Daniel Wahlen of The Game Table -- we just have so much to talk about! So in part one, we cover some fantastic remakes and sequels to some legendary classics.

(And yes, we did pause during one of our Euro gaming days to eat some gyros....)

Timeline:

3:12 - Age of Innovation.
18:13 - Bruxelles 1893: Belle Époque.
33:19 - Zhanguo: The First Empire.
43:22 - Other fantastic remakes/sequels! (Great Western Trails, Stefan Feld City Collection, Ultimate Railroads, The Castles of Burgundy...)

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120: SolForge Fusion, digital to tabletop to digital (guests: Richard Garfield/Justin Gary)

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 07:01:00 -0000

Ten years ago, your Going Analog hosts Christina and Shoe were obsessed with the digital collectible card game SolForge. Sadly, the daily (and nightly) sessions of lane-based combat mixed with a revolutionary upgradable-card system went away when the game eventually sunsetted (solsetted?). But, Richard Garfield (Magic: The Gathering, Android Netrunner) and Justin Gary (Ascension, Shards of Infinity) knew their co-design still had some...ahem, magic to it, so they revived it via Kickstarter as a tabletop experience, SolForge Fusion.

Now SolForge is full-circling its career by returning to its original format. This time, however, the new digital game will work with its physical counterpart on a truly ambitious new platform.

We chat with Richard and Justin about SolForge and SolForge Fusion's interesting journey, with its ups and downs and ups again -- and what fans can expect from the franchise moving forward.

Timeline:

3:32 - Going Analog's game pick: Critter Kitchen.
6:36 - Richard & Justin's pick: Dominion.
13:01 - Richard & Justin & Going Analog's combo topic: SolForge's journey from digital to physical and back to digital.

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119: Her design secrets/inspirations, what we learn from gaming (guest: Elizabeth Hargrave)

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 06:30:00 -0000

Let's be honest: We'll make any excuse to talk with Elizabeth Hargrave, the Kennerspiel-winning designer of Wingspan, Mariposas, and Tussie Mussie. So our current excuse? We wanted to talk to her about her soon-to-be-released The Fox Experiment (published by Pandasaurus) and Undergrove (by AEG). So now we can nerd out about how Elizabeth marries a (usually) nature-related theme to game design -- and all the random things we've learned about the world and each other while board gaming.

Timeline:

2:13 - Going Analog's pick: Virtual Revolution.
6:26 - Elizabeth's pick: The Search for the Lost Species.
13:56 - Going Analog's topic: Behind the scenes of Elizabeth's design process.
26:27 - Elizabeth's topic: What have you learned (about the world, yourself, or your friends) from games?

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118: Party time! Co-op vs. team party games (guest: Jacob Way/Friendly Skeleton)

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 06:30:00 -0000

We've had so much fun with Friendly Skeleton's upcoming party game Trash Talk that we wanted to dedicate a whole episode to other light-hearted fare that's great for gaming groups. Are you more of a co-op party gamer...or do you prefer to go at it in teams? We asked Jacob Way, Head Skeleton at Friendly Skeleton (formerly Deep Water Games), to join us to show us how to party (game)!

Timeline:

5:50 - Going Analog's game pick: The White Castle.
11:42 - Jacob's game pick: Tichu.
16:04 - Going Analog's topic: Great co-op party games.
41:30 - Jacob's topic: Great team-based party games.

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117: Video vs board games, why we play co-ops when we don't like them (guest: Banzainator)

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 06:30:00 -0000

Prolific content creator/streamer Banzainator joins Christina and Shoe to talk what we love best: video and board games! What do we like better...and when? Also why do we keep going back to co-op games when...we think we don't really like them all that much? What types of games break through that barrier for us? Listen for fun times!

Timeline:

3:38 - Banz's game pick: Mice & Mystics.
10:15 - Going Analog's game pick: The Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition (w/ Vineyards Expansion).
17:48 - Going Analog's topic: board games vs video games.
29:32 - Banz's topic: co-op games, why we don't like them, why we still play them.

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116: The Arkham Asylum Files -- a behind-the-scenes look at this most ambitious game

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 06:30:00 -0000

We haven't played anything quite like The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City. This super premium, augmented-reality, multimedia experience is a pricey box at $149 for a one-time (maybe? -- listen to learn more) playthrough. Is it worth it?

To dig into how The Arkham Asylum Files is pushing the boundaries of tabletop gaming, we invited Animal Repair Shop and Infinite Rabbit Holes Senior VP of Interaction Design (and magician!) Michael Borys to discuss the epic design and production processes, the countless creative and budgetary challenges, and how "being the dot" influences everything he works on.

Timeline:

4:55 - Christina and Shoe's game pick: The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City.
17:14 - Michael's game pick: Wiz-War.
22:30 - Christina and Shoe's topic: bringing augmented reality to tabletop.
40:35 - Michael's topic: being the "dot"!

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115: Post-Gen Con games! Freelancers, Search for Lost Species, Robot Quest Arena + more

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 06:30:00 -0000

Hosting this podcast isn't all just fun and games...no, wait, it actually is! Check out this episode for our impressions of a hilarious adventure game where monsters thrive in a human-less world, a deckbuilding game with cute robots smashing each other, the sequel to our favorite logic-deduction game, a roll-and-write version of Tetris, and two party games (one involving literal junk and the other guessing your friends' D&D-style alignments).

Timeline:

1:45 - Freelancers.
12:19 - Trash Talk.
19:49 - The Search for Lost Species.
27:23 - Kiss the Goblin.
31:10 - Robot Quest Arena.
37:28 - Number Drop.

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114: Our top games from Gen Con 2023 (guest: Ruel Gaviola)

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 06:30:00 -0000

The 2023 edition of Gen Con, North America's largest board game convention, was the biggest yet -- breaking attendance records and our wallets so we could get the hottest games...to tell you about, of course! We asked American Tabletop Awards committee member, content creator, and general awesome gamer Ruel Gaviola to join us to discuss the show and to share our fave board games that we got to check out.

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113: Games! Expeditions, Overboss Duel, Marrakesh, Vaalbara, District Noir, Rauha

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 06:30:00 -0000

We hosted a huge party recently and got a ton of new board games to the table -- so we wanted to dedicate an episode to six of them!

You've wondered about the hot new sequel to Scythe, Expeditions, and we played it! Plus Marrakesh from Stefan Feld and Queen Games' City Collection, Vaalbara and Rauha from Hachette Games, Overboss Duel from Brotherwise Games, and District Noir from Pandasaurus Games. We've got opinions....

Timeline:

2:15 - Expeditions.
12:29 - Vaalbara.
17:55 - Overboss Duel.
22:32 - District Noir.
29:05 - Marrakesh.
35:41 - Rauha.

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112: A.I., our hobbies x games, the "Crossroads" system (guest: Plaid Hat Games)

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 06:30:00 -0000

Forget Terminators. The thing about artificial intelligence that you should be worrying about is how it's creeping into the creative aspects of board-game-making.

Plaid Hat Games Marketing Manager Niki Shults and Multimedia Director (and newly minted game designer of Freelancers: A Crossroads Game) Donald Shults join our podcast this week to tell us about how A.I. is being talked about around the office. We also take a closer look at the publisher's "Crossroads" system and chat about about how our non-board-game hobbies affect our board gaming.

Timeline:

5:49 - Christina's game pick: Next Station: London.
8:55 - Niki's game pick: Mountain Goats.
13:37 - Donald's game pick: Skate Summer.
17:42 - Christina's topic: The evolution of Plaid Hat's "Crossroads" system.
35:28 - Niki's topic: The rise of A.I. in the board game space.
47:05 - Donald's topic: Have your hobbies influenced what board games you play?

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111: LGBTQ+ representation, solo games, guilty pleasures (guest: GeekyGaymerGuy)

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 06:30:00 -0000

Women and people of color are barely getting proper representation in the board game industry. And how about the LGBTQ+ community? Even worse.

Joining us with no shortage of opinions on this matter is Theo, aka GeekyGamerGuy. Theo's a board game content creator on the frontlines, fighting for equality and representation in this hobby he loves so much. Listen to his heartfelt thoughts on this and more.

Timeline:

5:08 - Shoe's game pick: Ito.
9:11 - Christina's game pick: Sea Salt & Paper.
14:45 - Theo's game pick: Resist!
19:55 - Christina's topic: What are your "guilty pleasure" games?*
33:11 - Shoe's topic: LGBTQ+ representation in board gaming.
51:06 - Theo's topic: Great solo games.

*Note: Theo inadvertently called his "guilty-pleasure game" No Dice when he meant Roll Out!

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110: The Gloomhaven universe, state of crowdfunding, "dry" Euros (guest: Isaac Childres)

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 06:30:00 -0000

Maybe you've heard of that hefty game called Gloomhaven, the #1 game on BoardGameGeek for over 5 years. Or its heftier sequel, Frosthaven, the highest-funded gaming project on Kickstarter ever. We're not sure how their designer, Isaac Childres, had time to chat with Going Analog, but we weren't going to pass up the opportunity. We pick his brain on all the -havens, his upcoming plans for the franchise, modern-day crowdfunding, and his love for "dry Euros."

Timeline:

4:03 - Shoe's game pick: Familiar Tales.
7:22 - Isaac's game pick: Gaia Project.
13:00 - Christina's game pick: nana.
15:12 - Shoe's topic: the growing Gloomhaven/Frosthaven universe.
26:40 - Isaac's topic: the current state of crowdfunding.
35:19 - Christina's topic: how Isaac's love of "dry Euros" plays into his design philosophy.

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109: We went to Japan! (guest: Before You Play)

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 06:30:00 -0000

We just returned from a whirlwind two-week visit to Japan, and visions of fantastic food and strange (to us) board games still swirl around in our head. What is the board game scene there like? What was it like shopping for games whose titles and descriptions we couldn't read, but whose art was so, so pretty? We teamed up with Monique and Naveen of Before You Play, who happened to tour Japan at the same time we did, to relive our amazing adventures.

Timeline:

3:54 - Naveen's game pick: Let's Go! To Japan.
9:48 - Monique's game pick: Hanamikoji.
15:11 - Christina's game pick: Rumble Nation.
19:03 - Christina's topic: attending the Tokyo Game Market.
34:58 - Naveen's topic: Japanese vs. Western board games.
46:56 - Monique's topic: Japanese-themed games -- just how accurately thematic are they?

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108: May the Fourth be...with your games! (Guest: Corey Konieczka)

Thu, 04 May 2023 06:30:00 -0000

We're publishing this episode on May the Fourth, and we somehow wrangled superstar designer Corey Konieczka (Star Wars: Rebellion, Imperial Assault, Destiny, and Outer Rim...phew!) for our Star Wars special show. Now at his own studio Unexpected Games (The Initiative, Voices in my Head, 3000 Scoundrels), Corey humors our geeky Star Wars board game questions and discusses what makes a design transcend its mechanics.

Timeline:

3:05 - Shoe's game pick: Darwin's Journey.
6:17 - Corey's game pick: Betrayal Legacy.
11:40 - Christina's game pick: Wicked & Wise.
15:47 - Shoe's topic: Designing Star Wars games.
32:10 - Christina's topic: Favorite Star Wars tabletop experiences.
41:29 - Corey's topic: Games that transcend mechanics.

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107: The 2023 American Tabletop Awards (guests: Eric Yurko, Nicole Brady)

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 06:30:00 -0000

The 2023 American Tabletop Awards were just announced, and as brand-spanking-new committee members, we at Going Analog of course wanted to chat about these elite games -- with two of the judges themselves, Nicole Brady of SAHM Reviews and Eric Yurko of What's Eric Playing? Listen to hear our thoughts!

Timeline:

2:45 - ATTA nomination process.
10:15 - Early Gamers.
17:40 - Casual Games.
32:18 - Strategy Games.
47:02 - Complex Games.

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106: Great expansions, underappreciated card games, the best gamers (guest: Beneeta Kaur)

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 06:41:00 -0000

We have prolific content creator and Twitch streamer Beneeta Kaur on the show to trade opinions on our favorite expansions and underrated card games. And if you want to become our board game BFF, we discuss what qualities we value in a good gaming partner.

Timeline:

3.46 - Shoe's game pick: Earth.
8:47 - Beneeta's game pick: Mille Fiori.
12:51 - Christina's game pick: Rolling Heights.
16:22 - Shoe's topic: Our favorite underrated card games.
38:02 - Christina's topic: What makes a good gaming friend?
50:46 - Beneeta's topic: Great expansions.

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105: The history of colonialism in board games, co-op interactivity (guest: Resonym)

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 06:30:00 -0000

Indie games publisher Resonym does things differently. Just take a look at its recent Glitch Squad (a party game about faulty forensic science), Surrealist Dinner Party (you can guess what that's about), and Buffalo (a party game that makes you less prejudiced). We love the company's socially conscious design philosophy, and Mary Flanagan (founder, professor, game designer, and artist) just co-authored an entire book about the history of colonialism in board games, Playing Oppression. We snagged Mary and fellow Resonym game designer Max Seidman to discuss all of the above -- plus how much cooperation we really want in cooperative games.

Timeline:

4:11 - Christina's game pick: Shamans.
5:47 - Max's game pick: Lost Ruins of Arnak.
7:01 - Mary's game pick: MonsDRAWsity.
8:46 - Max's topic: The four categories of interaction in co-op games.
23:22 - Mary's topic: The long, sordid history of colonialism in board games.
41:36 - Christina's topic: Hiding social good in games (embedded game design).

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104: Hot games of all sizes!

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 07:30:00 -0000

Sometimes substantive board game discussion topics are tiring. And pretty much all the time, we play a lot of new games. So this episode, Shoe and Christina just talk about some new, sexy games in a variety of sizes. HOT!

Timeline:

3:19 - Christina's big game: Mosaic: A Story of Civilization.
13:05 - Shoe's big game: Marvel: Age of Heroes.
26:58 - Christina's small game: Fiction.
35:18 - Shoe's small game: Marvel: Damage Control.
43:05 - Christina's expansion: QE: Commodities.
48:00 - Shoe's expansion: Unmatched: Houdini vs. The Genie.

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103: Video games X board games, mean content, Asmodee (guests: Plaid Hat)

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 07:30:00 -0000

Plaid Hat CEO Colby Dauch and Marketing Manager Niki Shults team up to discuss some hot (spiteful content creation, life with mega publisher Asmodee, etc.) and not-so-hot (Candy Land??) on the Going Analog Podcast this week. They've put out some incredible and memorable board games over the years, so give them a listen!

Timeline:

4:00 - Christina's game pick: Motor City.
6:20 - Niki's game pick: The Guild of Merchant Explorers.
11:54 - Colby's game pick: Candy Land. Yes, that Candy Land.
17:24 - Colby's topic: The intersection of video gaming and board gaming.
35:36 - Christina's topic: Talking Plaid Hat's life before, during, and after the huge Asmodee aquisition.
53:33 - Niki's topic: Mean and spiteful content creation -- does it have a place?

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102: American Tabletop Awards, gaming at bars, culling (guest: What's Eric Playing?)

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 07:30:00 -0000

This episode guest stars prolific and punny content creator Eric Yurko from What's Eric Playing?, a site full of fantastic board game photography and 1000+ (!) reviews. And as a founding committee member of the American Tabletop Awards (and a big fan of cocktails) Eric is THE go-to guy to talk games...especially which ones to play at which drinking establishments.

Timeline:

5:45 - Eric's game pick: Mists over Carcassonne.
11:39 - Shoe's game pick: Orichalcum.
18:00 - Christina's game pick: Great Western Trail: Argentina.
23:25 - Shoe's topic: Which American Tabletop Award winner would you keep?
36:40 - Christina's topic: Which games would you bring to a beer hall, vineyard, and cocktail bar?
56:45 - Eric's topic: What's our process for culling games?

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101: The 2022 Games of the Year episode (guest: Our Family Plays Games)

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 02:09:00 -0000

We're a podcast! Therefore, we're contractually obligated to tell you our Games of the Year. But who wants to hear just Christina and Shoe squabble about their faves of 2022? Everyone would rather hear us and Mik and Starla from Our Family Plays Games squabble, so far be it for us to withhold this top-notch content from our listeners! So get ready for lots of discussions (and lots of yelling at Christina for cheating on her picks) in this episode!

Timeline:

Intro (before we get into the awards):

2:32 - Starla's game pick: Wonderland's War.
4:40 - Mik's game pick: Heat: Pedal to the Metal.
5:55 - Shoe's game pick: Keystone: North America.
8:37 - Christina's game pick: Blackout: Hong Kong.

The 2022 Games of the Year:

10:35 - Party games of 2022.
23:32 - Light games of 2022.
35:44 - Medium games of 2022.
50:22 - Heavy games of 2022.

Check out website to read the list of winners!

*Note: Our Family Plays Games is still working on their own Games of 2022, so their picks for this show are "as of today" but not necessarily final. Also, some games appear in different categories due to everyone's subjective opinions on weight.

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100: Our 100th Episode! Best games, best moments, and more

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 01:18:00 -0000

For our 100th episode, we had to make sure everyone's topics were epic. So we rounded up some of the Going Analog crew, including OG contributor Nick Suttner and writer Henry Stenhouse, to discuss...

Timeline:

7:19 - Henry's topic: Board games that stand up to 100 plays...or more.
26:56 - Christina's topic: Your favorite board gaming moment ever.
39:22 - Shoe's topic: BoardGameGeek's top 100...save one game, kill one game, swap in one game.
1:02:32 - Nick's topic: Your favorite memory from 100 episodes of The Going Analog Podcast.

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99: The PAX Unplugged 2022 Wrap-Up Show

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 19:11:00 -0000

We're back from chilly Philly where the PAX Unplugged board game convention just wrapped up. It's our fourth con of the year -- you'd think we've seen it all by now but nope! There were still plenty of new board games to discover and try out.

With us to discuss the show are Kasey Girven (better known as Brain in a Jar) and Miguel Plylar-Moore (aka Johnny Deathhawk). They create/stream board game content -- and she's a neuroscientist! And they love to talk board gaming, so have a listen as we discuss...

Timeline:

3:29 - Shoe's game pick: Deal with the Devil
12:34 - Kasey's game pick: Electropolis
21:47 - Miguel's game pick: Bitoku
32:56 - Kasey's topic: The most exciting or promising games we saw at PAXU that aren't out yet
55:34 - Miguel's topic: The games we were surprised to see at PAXU and the ones we wish were there
1:05:50 - Shoe's topic: How does PAXU stack up to other board game cons?

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98: The BGG.CON 2022 Wrap-Up Show

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 07:30:00 -0000

We're back from BoardGameGeek's big show, BGG.CON 2022! Your hosts Christina and Shoe sit down to talk about their Top 10 games panel with Our Family Plays Games, stand-up comedy with Grant Lyon, our own live Board Game Quiz Show events, and of course, all the great games they got a chance to check out.

Timeline:

1:47 - BGG.Con highlights, including our live Board Game Quiz Show!
4:50 - Our Family Plays Games Top 10 games panel
8:21 - Grant Lyon's board game standup
12:09 - Exhibit Hall, Many Worlds Tavern
13:59 - Gaming stories
19:50 - BGG Top 5 games we played
20:07 - Starship Captains
27:13 - Lacrimosa
31:40 - Tiletum
36:40 - Atiwa
42:28 - Splendor Duel

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97: Too many games! Highlights from a weeklong board gaming binge

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 06:30:00 -0000

We recently spent six solid days playing board games. Seriously. It was exhausting -- but amazingly fun.

We blame Going Analog contributor Jess Yi, who visited and forced us to play one board game after another. At the end, with bloodshot eyes and brains working at half speed, Shoe and Jess picked three games each to discuss. Hear their thoughts on...

Timeline:

2:52 - Knight Fall
11:02 - Star Wars: Rebellion, Stars Wars: Rebellion - Rise of the Empire
18:26 - Bequest
23:00 - My Father's Work
31:58 - Disney Sorcerer's Arena: Epic Alliances, Disney Sorcerer's Arena: Epic Alliances – Turning the Tide
44:40 - The Guild of Merchant Explorers

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96: Music pairings and a board game where turns last as long as you can hold your breath (guest: Terrible Games)

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 06:30:00 -0000

Can a board game kill ya? Nah...but Black Mold may try. This "co-op till it's not" survival-horror game has players taking as many actions as they can until they can no longer...hold their breath. You read that right.

So we have questions -- lots of questions -- for our guest John de Campos, CEO of Terrible games and co-designer of Black Mold.

Timeline:

2:37 - Oceans: Legends of the Deep

7:00 - Veiled Fate

11:59 - Keystone: North America

17:00 - Shoe's topic: What's up with Black Mold?

32:19 - Christina's topic: Other games with great/interesting pitches

46:59 - John's topic: Pairing the right music with your board games

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95: Turing Machine, good/bad rulebooks, artwork (guests: Danni Loe, Scorpion Masque)

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 07:29:00 -0000

Logic-deduction board game Turing Machine challenges players to figure out a secret code using innovative punch-card verifiers that layer atop each other to "magically" reveal clues. How does it work?!

We had to know, so we asked our guests from publisher Scorpion Masqué and Hachette Games to sit there and explain it to us. Oh, we also talk artwork and rulebooks, too.

Topics on this episode:

Christina (host): How Turing Machine was made (14:43)
Matthew (guest): What makes for good or bad rulebooks? (34:51)
Danni (guest): How does artwork influence gameplay? (50:12)

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94: The trouble with heavy games, games that travel well (guests: Ryan Courtney, Bitewing)

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 06:30:51 -0000

Game designer Ryan Courtney loves making connections (if you've played Pipeline or Curious Cargo, then you know what we're talking about). His newest creation, Trailblazers from Bitewing Games has you -- you guessed it -- making and blazing connecting trails in nature.

We invited Ryan as well as Bitewing co-founder Nick Murray to join our podcast to talk about this new project, other games that travel well, and more.

Topics this episode:

Christina (host): Games would you pack for travel (18:22)
Nick (guest): Games that work well at all (stated) player counts (25:17)
Ryan (guest): Heavy games and their matchmaking problems (40:18)

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93: Gen Con 2022 Recap (guest: Amanda Panda/Panda8ngel)

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 06:30:01 -0000

Gen Con 2022 saw the return of over 50,000 attendees (and four days of non-stop gaming) to Indianapolis -- and, most importantly, the return of Christina and Shoe to the big show! We invited Twitch streamer and content creator Amanda Panda to join us to discuss our experiences and the hot new games.

Topics this episode:

Christina (host): Hot games of Gen Con (15:31)
Amanda (guest): Lighter party games of Gen Con (34:16)
Shoe (producer): Games that flew under the radar (50:34)

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92: Best "X meets Y" games, roll & writes, and road-trip games (guest: Peter C. Hayward)

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 19:31:51 -0000

Since you can download the fantastic and completely free Sunshine City from Coffee Bean Games, we invited designer Peter C. Hayward to talk some of our favorite lighter and heavier games in the roll & write genre. Shoe tries to articulate the idea of "hybrid" games of multiple ideas coming together to form one new product, and we discover Peter's complete fascination and almost encyclopedic knowledge of games you can play in a car.

Plus, Peter reveals details about an upcoming game to be published by BoardGameTables.com called Fiction!

Topics this episode:

Christina (host): Favorite lighter and heavier roll-and-writes (16:35)
Shoe (producer): "X meets Y" games (35:41)
Peter (guest): Games for road trips or Disneyland lines (47:31)

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91: Playing "bad guys," shortening games, returning to conventions? (guest: Brotherwise Games)

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 06:30:31 -0000

Johnny O'Neal, one of the brother cofounders of Brotherwise Games (publisher of Unearth, Call to Adventure, and the recently successfully funded Castles by the Sea), drops by Going Analog to discuss his design philosophy and asserts that every game needs to be shorter. We're pretty sure that's the takeaway.

We also figured the co-designer of Boss Monster (in which you play as, well, the end-of-dungeon boss monster) would have thoughts about why it's so fun to to be so bad (ahem, play the "bad guy") in games. And with Gen Con and BGG.CON coming up, what's our take on the continuing return to in-person conventions?

Topics from this episode:

Johnny (guest): How games end (11:18)
Christina (host): Playing as the "bad guy" (26:57)
Shoe (producer): Return to conventions (41:25)

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90: Escape (not escape room!) and word games, anticipation, and more (guest: Tim Fowers)

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 06:30:52 -0000

Tim Fowers, indie designer and publisher at Fowers Games, intrigues Christina and Shoe with the concept of "anticipation" and how it plays into dopamine-filled play. And because Tim is such a marketing mastermind, he drops a Fugitive 2 tease about...46 minutes into this episode.

Christina talks to Tim about Paperback and Hardback, Fowers Games's two popular word/spelling games...and listen for a shocking revelation from Tim!

Topics in this episode:

Tim (guest): Anticipation in games (15:12)
Shoe (producer): Escape (not escape room!) games (25:44)
Christina (host): Our favorite word (spelling) games (39:40)

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89: Animal games, gaming lifestyles, rising prices (guest: Board Game Bollocks)

Fri, 27 May 2022 04:47:25 -0000

Matt from YouTube's Board Game Bollocks drops by to (somehow successfully!) not swear while chatting about his gaming lifestyle, nihilism, and how Americans are so "happy and bouncy." Our topics this week:

Christina (host): Our favorite animal-themed games (10:36)
Mike (editor): Board gaming as a lifestyle (19:59)
Matt (guest): The rising prices of board games and their implications (32:27)

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88: More matchups! Namiji vs. Tokaido, G.I. Joe vs. Transformers... (guest: Amanda Panda)

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 06:30:34 -0000

It's rematch time! Amanda Panda, board game Twitch streamer and content creator, returns to argue over three fresh new matchups -- and we're throwing hands!

Our matchups for this sequel:

Christina (host): Namiji vs. Tokaido (12:27)
Shoe (producer): G.I. Joe Deck-Building Game vs. Transformers Deck-Building Game (23:31)
Amanda (guest): Kingdom Builder vs. The Guild of Merchant Explorers (40:48)

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87: Hot crowdfunding games, diversity & inclusion in gaming (guest: Our Family Plays Games)

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 06:37:00 -0000

Mik and Starla of Our Family Plays Games join Going Analog to talk about the state of diversity and inclusion in the board gaming community, why they felt the need to start their new OFPG Voices channel, and which crowdfunding games we're most excited to get delivered soon!

Topics this week:

Starla (guest): The current state of diversity and inclusion in the board gaming community (8:22)
Mik (guest): Why we started OFPG Voices (21:53)
Christina (host): Crowdfunding games that we're most excited to get delivered (35:22)

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86: Libertalia: old vs. new, Dice Tower West, our fave board game cons

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 06:30:11 -0000

The Going Analog gang has recovered from their Vegas trip to Dice Tower West. So how does this convention stack up to their other faves? What did they play? And how's the new remake of one of their fave board games?

Topics this week:

Christina (host): Our highlights from Dice Tower West and our tips for attending a convention (11:01)
Jess (contributor): Comparing our favorite board game cons (23:35)
Shoe (producer): Libertalia vs. Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest (37:57)

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85: Hidden gems, makeovers, themes our guest should illustrate (guest: Kwanchai Moriya)

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 06:30:44 -0000

The Going Analog Podcast hosts our first full-time board game illustrator, and it's KWANCHAI MORIYA. He even showed up to our house with beef jerky! The prolific and versatile illustrator of many of your favorite games (including Dinosaur Island, Capital Lux, In the Hall of the Mountain King) recently commemorated his 100th piece of board game art, so we had to celebrate with him on our show. Topics this week:

Kwanchai Moriya (guest): What are some board games that you consider hidden gems? (12:42)
Christina (host): What themes would we want Kwanchai to illustrate? (32:55)
Shoe (producer): Which games would we like to give an art or graphic-design makeover to? (44:31)

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84: Instant classics, celebs we'd like to game with (guests: The Op)

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 07:30:45 -0000

Some friends from The Op join Christina to swap gaming stories and imagined celebrity gaming stories! Pat Marino (Game Design Manager and designer of Court of the Dead: Mourner's Call and Cuphead: Fast Rolling Dice Game) and Wes Ferrer (Lead Playtest Coordinator), with topics in hand, get on the Going Analog Podcast to discuss:

Christina (host): If you could teach a game to any celebrity, real or fictional, whom would you pick? (9:38)
Wes (guest): What makes a game an "instant classic"? (19:07)
Pat (guest): What about a game can stick with you after playing it? (29:20)

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83: Board game match-ups! (guest: Amanda Panda/Panda8ngel)

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 07:30:00 -0000

Agricola vs. Caverna? We've discussed that hundreds of times, and the obvious right answer is Caverna. But what about 7 Wonders vs. 7 Wonders: Architects? Calico vs. Cascadia? And a more recent classic clash, Funkoverse vs. Unmatched?

We brought on Amanda Panda, aka Panda8ngel, board game Twitch streamer and all-around enthusiastic gamer, to give us her opinions, we all agree: Shoe is wrong.

Our match-ups on this episode:

Shoe (producer): 7 Wonders vs. 7 Wonders: Architects
Christina (host): Calico vs. Cascadia
Amanda (guest): Funkoverse vs. Unmatched

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82: Deck building, Kickstarter surprises/disappointments, culling collections (guest: Rock Manor)

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 07:30:23 -0000

Mike Gnade, founder/CEO of Rock Manor Games (Set a Watch, Lawyer Up, and the upcoming Seas of Havoc) is our guest this week. The topics we each picked:

Christina (host): What deck-building games do we first show to newbies? And then after they need to graduate to something more advanced?
Mike Gnade (guest): Which Kickstarter board games pleasantly surprised you? And which disappointed you?
Shoe (producer): How do you go about culling your board game collection?

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81: Puzzle Strike 2, video game influences, push-your-luck (guest: Sirlin Games)

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 07:30:00 -0000

David Sirlin, President of Sirlin Games, drops by to do a deep dive into video game influences on his tabletop designs, especially with the new Puzzle Strike 2! We also discuss how push-your-luck mechanisms and designing a board game universe.

Our chosen topics this week:

David Sirlin (guest): How his game design draws from video game influences
Christina (host): Push-your-luck in game design and some favorites in that genre
Shoe (producer): Building a board game universe

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80: New (and old!) games to look forward to in 2022 (guest: Ruel Gaviola)

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 07:30:00 -0000

We're slamming the door on 2021 and looking forward to the new year! Older games we're itching to get to the table, long-awaited games we're anxiously waiting for, and neglected shelf-of-opportunity games that are finally coming due -- we bring back prolific content creator Ruel Gaviola to talk about them all!

Topics this week:

Shoe (producer): Which older games are we excited to get to the table this year?
Christina (host): Which 2022 games are we excited to play?
Ruel (guest): Which games are you pulling off the shelf of shame/opportunity this year?

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79: The 2021 Games of the Year episode

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 07:30:00 -0000

Even though we've cautiously emerged from our social bubble, we figured we'd bring back our neighbor-friends and former bubble-ers James Hudson (Senior Director of Tabletop Games at Skybound) and Tom Twedell to discuss/argue about the games we played this year!

Party Game of 2021
Light Games of 2021
Medium Games of 2021
Heavy Games of 2021
Favorite New-to-Us Games of 2021

What's a medium vs. heavy game anyway? Turns out we obviously don't know! Check out a list of our winners below.

2021 Game of the Year (Party Game)

So Clover! (everyone)

2021 Game of the Year (Light Games)

Cascadia (James)
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (Shoe)
Canopy (Christina)
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (Tom)
Runners up: Dice Throne: Season One ReRolled, Cubitos, Night Cage

2021 Game of the Year (Medium-weight Games)

Genotype (James)
Genotype (Christina)
Sleeping Gods (Shoe)
Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Tom)
Runners up: Red Rising, Shelfie Stacker, Summoner Wars (Second Edition), Kemet: Blood and Sand, Merchants Cove

2021 Game of the Year (Heavy Games)

Sleeping Gods (Christina)
Ankh: Gods of Egypt (James)
Coffee Traders (Tom)
Great Western Trail (Second Edition) (Shoe)
Runners up: Grand Austria Hotel: Let's Waltz, Hadrian's Wall, Genotype

2021 New-to-Us Games of the Year

Ginkgopolis (Christina)
Nemesis (Shoe)
Tapple (Shoe)
Obsession (Tom)
Meeple Land (Tom)
The King's Dilemma (James)

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78: Board Game Arena pros/cons, playing "blind," and more (guest: Emerson Matsuuchi)

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 07:30:00 -0000

We love playing games in-person! But sometimes you want to scratch that board-gaming itch for a few minutes in the middle of the workweek. Or during a "break." Or, well, all the damn time. Playing asynchronously on Board Game Arena lets you do just that...a lot. Just don't tell our bosses.

Our BGA play pals Emerson Matsuuchi (designer of the Century series, Specter Ops, Reef, and the upcoming Foundations of Rome) and Jess Yi (frequent Going Analog contributor) join Christina and Shoe to gab about Board Game Arena vs. Tabletop Simulator, which games work best on the platform, and whether we can learn how to play (and enjoy) an entire game online without ever reading the rules.

Our topics this episode:

Jess (contributor): Board Game Arena vs. Tabletop Simulator
Christina (host): Which games are better on Board Game Arena, and which are worse?
Emerson (guest): Our experiences playing "blind" on Board Game Arena

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77: Robots, worker placement, game design jealousy (guest: Peter C. Hayward/Blue Beard)

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 06:30:00 -0000

Peter C. Hayward (founder of Blue Beard & Jellybean Games and designer of quirky games like Scuttle!, The Lady and the Tiger, and the upcoming That Time You Killed Me and Robotopia) joins Christina and Shoe to gush about so many mutually favorite games!

Topics this episode:

Shoe (producer): What are some of your favorite board games that feature robots?
Christina (guest): Which game do you secretly wish you had designed?
Peter (guest): What have different games done with the worker-placement mechanic?

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76: Video games going analog, turning theme into gameplay (guests: Level 99 Games)

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 06:30:00 -0000

Yes, our show is called Going Analog, so you know we love our video games -- but how do board games bring in the digital vibe that we love into the tabletop medium?

Luckily, we found the perfect guests to ask: Level 99 Games, the publisher of video-game-inspired fare such as the recent Bullet series, BattleCON, and Exceed! Joshua Van Laningham, Production and Design Lead at Level 99, and Ferdinand Capitulo, Head of Media at Level 99 and the Cardboard Stacker himself, join us to discuss which aspects we've seen in board games and how they designed the "feel" of certain video game genres into their lineup.

Plus, how is theme symbiotically integrated into certain game designs, and when does it pay to abstractify certain thematic steps (and when does it not)?

Topics this episode:

Christina (host): What are some other games that have given us the "video game" vibe?
Ferdinand (guest): What are some great examples of crafting mechanisms we've seen in games?
Josh (guest): Abstraction in board games

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

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 06:30:00 -0000

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)

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 06:30:00 -0000

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

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 06:30:00 -0000

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)

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 06:37:49 -0000

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)

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 07:25:20 -0000

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)

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000

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)

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 06:30:00 -0000

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)

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 06:30:00 -0000

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)

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 06:30:00 -0000

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)

Thu, 20 May 2021 06:30:00 -0000

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

Don't Get Got

Christina's topic: Favorite real-time games

Sorcerer City
5-Minute Marvel
Captain Sonar
Space Cadets: Dice Duel
Magic Maze

Raina's topic: Which games do you and your partner disagree on?

Azul: Summer Pavilion
Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra
Azul
Memoir '44
BattleLore
Cthulhu Wars
War of the Ring
Werewolf
Werewords
Innovation
Glory to Rome
Medieval Academy
Cosmic Encounter
Android: Netrunner
Star Wars: Rebellion
Chess
Exit: The Game
Unlock

Phil's topic: Which games epitomize certain board game mechanics?

Chinatown
Twilight Imperium
Dominion
Ascension
Moonrakers
Lords of Waterdeep
Agricola
Caverna: The Cave Farmers
The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Deep Sea Adventure
Clank!

Final thoughts

Targi
Hadrian's Wall

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65: What board games have taught us, themes, online sales (guest: BoardGameCo)

Thu, 06 May 2021 06:30:00 -0000

YouTube creator and BoardGameCo founder Alex Radcliffe stops by the show! Our picks for topics this week:

Alex (guest): How important is theme? Have you kept mediocre board games purely because of a great theme? And what games do you love despite their theme?
Shoe (producer): What are some interesting facts that we've learned from playing board games?
Christina (host): How did the pandemic affect online retail sales? What gaming trends popped up during stay-at-home?

The games discussed in this episode:

Alex's topic: Theme in board games

Cthulhu: Death May Die
Arkham Horror
Eldritch Horror
Robinson Cursoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet
Terra Mystica
Gaia Project
Gentes
Crusader
Surrealist Dinner Party
Ugly Gryphon Inn
Marvel United
Obsession
Photosynthesis

Shoe's topic: Things we've learned from board games

Goa
Keystone: North America
The Search for Planet X
The Crew
Timeline
Wits and Wagers
Terraforming Mars
Brass: Birmingham
Tinners' Trail
Deep Vents
Formosa Tea
Viticulture

Christina's topic: Online retail trends during COVID

Monopoly
Risk
Catan
Splendor
Codenames

Final thoughts:

Red Rising
Fantasy Realms
Viticulture
Zombicide
Valor & Villainy
Drawn to Adventure
Merchant's Cove
Root
Vast
Gods Love Dinosaurs
Ecos

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64: 3-course gaming, culling collections, & evolving tastes (guests: Red Raven Games)

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 06:30:00 -0000

Husband-wife team Ryan and Malorie Laukat of Red Raven Games (Sleeping Gods, Above and Below, Megaland) stop by with a few gaming topics in hand:

Christina (host): Our ideal "3-course meal" of board games
Malorie (guest): Culling our collections
Ryan (guest): How our gaming tastes have evolved over time

The games discussed in this episode:

Intro:

Above & Below
Near & Far
Empires of the Void II
Eight-Minute Empires
Roam
Sleeping Gods
Megaland
Now or Never
Surrealist Dinner Party

Christina's topic: Ideal 3-course meal of games

Point Salad
A Feast for Odin
Letter Jam
Blue Moon City
Agricola
Caverna
Codenames
Great Western Trail
Race for the Galaxy
Roll for the Galaxy
Jump Drive
New Frontiers

Malorie's topic: Culling games/hoarding games

Yinzi
Arkham Horror
Twilight Imperium

Ryan's topic: How our gaming tastes have changed

Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire
War of the Ring
Arkham Horror
Strozzi
Thunderstone
Lords of Waterdeep
Rising Sun
Sleeping Gods
Roam

Final thoughts:

Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire
Paladins of the West Kingdom
Viscounts of the West Kingdom

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63: Fave game names, tech in games, and conventions (guests: Rose Gauntlet)

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 06:30:00 -0000

Isaac Vega (designer of Ashes Reborn, co-designer of Dead of Winter and Forgotten Waters) and Lindsey Rode (designer of Labyrinthos) take a quick break from managing their new company, Rose Gauntlet Entertainment, to discuss gaaames!

Our topics: our favorite board game names, mixing technology with tabletop, and how we feel about attending conventions this year.

The games discussed in this episode:

Intro:

Dead of Winter
Forgotten Waters
Ashes Reborn: Rise of the Phoenixborn
Keystone: North America
Countdown: Action Edition
Labyrinthos

Christina's topic: Your favorite names for board games

So, You've Been Eaten
Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn
Dead of Winter
Abyss
Terra Mystica
Above and Below
Roam
Alice is Missing
Gravwell
Bärenpark
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
Campy Creatures
Curious Cargo
Pipeline
The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Frenemy Pastry Party

Lindsey's topic: Technology in board games...what are you excited about and what don't you want to see

Forgotten Waters
The Search for Planet X
Chronicles of Crime
Life After Dungeon
Dread

Isaac's topic: Conventions in a post-COVID world

Atheneum: Mystic Library

Final thoughts:

Keystone: North America

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62: Board games we changed our opinions on, invested the most in, have a hard time getting to the table (guests: Before You Play)

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 06:25:50 -0000

Great board game discussions with Monique and Naveen of Before You Play! What games did we change our minds on (either way) after a second play? What games have we invested the most in? And what ones do we find hardest to get to the table...for whatever reason?

Here are the games covered in this episode:

Christina's topic: Games you've invested the most in

Lost Ruins of Arnak
Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein
Killer Bunnies
Dead of Winter
Scythe
Scythe: Rise of Fenris
Wingspan
The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Innovation
Grand Austria Hotel
Kanban EV

Naveen's topic: Games you've changed your mind about after a second play

Root
Medium
Just One
Hansa Teutonica
Ticket to Ride
Terraforming Mars
Loot of Lima
The Search for Planet X
Cryptid
Alchemists

Monique's topic: The hardest games to get to the table

The Gallerist
Lisboa
Vinhos
On Mars
Pandemic Legacy
Sleeping Gods
King's Dilemma
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
Twilight Imperium
Two Rooms and a Boom
Witness

Final thoughts:

Root
Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef

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61: Board games that get you HYPED, our backlogs, livestreaming (guest: Paula Deming)

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 07:30:00 -0000

The always fun, always funny Paula Deming from Things Get Dicey joins the podcast this week to discuss:

Board games that really get us riled up (in good and bad ways)
The games in our "shelf of opportunity" that we're most excited to get to
Why we livestream playthroughs -- or not

The games discussed on this episode:

Intro:

Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
Kingdom Rush: Rift in Time

Christina's topic: Games that get you hyped

Dominant Species
Targi
Twilight Imperium
Draw Your Own Conclusions
Telestrations
Escape: The Curse of the Temple
Dungeon Fighter
Flip Ships
The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Wonderland's War
Libertalia
Modern Art

Shoe's topic: What are the games in your backlog that you're most excited to get to (and why haven't you yet)?

Too Many Bones
Sleeping Games
Near and Far
Above and Below
Adventure Tactics: Domianne's Tower
Space Base
Space Base: The Emergence of Shy Pluto
Machi Koro
Lisboa
Gallerist
Formosa Tea
Great Western Trail
Viticulture
CloudAge
Pandemic Legacy: Season 0
Clank Legacy
Cutthroat Caverns
Space Park
Herd Mentality
P for Pizza
Gentes
Pioneer Days
Happy Salmon
Power Grid
Blockbuster
MTV: The Throwback Music Party Game

Paula: Playing and live-streaming games online

Hallertau
Fort
Coatl
Targi
Carcassonne
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
Lisboa
Modern Art
Blank Slate
Wavelength

Final thoughts:

The Lost Expedition
Praga Caput Regni
City of the Big Shoulders

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60: Learning/teaching pet peeves, favorite animal-themed games, Capstone Games (guest: Board Games in a Minute)

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 07:30:00 -0000

Sarah Shah of Board Games in a Minute slows down just long enough to record a podcast with us. We chat about our favorite games centered around animals, our big pet peeves when teaching (or learning) a new board game, and publisher Capstone Games.

The games mentioned in this episode:

Christina's topic: What are some of your favorite games centered around animals?

Everdell
Ecos: First Continent
Gods Love Dinosaurs
Evolution
Oceans
Endangered
Calico
Isle of Cats
Beez
Honey Buzz
Aqua Garden
Heaven and Ale

Shoe's topic: What are your pet peeves when learning or teaching games?

Innovation
The Mind

Sarah's topic: Capstone Games

New York Zoo
Crystal Palace
Terra Mystica
Gaia Project
The Estates
CloudAge
Coffee Traders
Pipeline
Cooper Island
Renature
Curious Cargo
Watergate
Iberian Gauge
Ticket to Ride

Final thoughts:

Mr. Cabbagehead's Garden
Whistle Mountain
Sleeping Gods
7th Continent

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59: Separating art from artist, video game licenses, deckbuilding (guest: Boards Alive)

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 07:30:00 -0000

This is a special Voltron Podcast episode with Boards Alive's Aaron Cassidy!

(Touchy subject) We talk about the recent drama and controversies in the board game biz (and whether we can separate the art from the artists).

(And not-so-touchy) On a lighter note, we also discuss video-game-licensed board games and deckbuilding in games we wouldn't call deckbuilding games.

Shoe: Board games based on video game licenses that you've enjoyed or are excited about

Bloodborne
Kingdom Rush: Rift in Time
Bloodborne: The Card Game
The Witcher
Civilization
Civilization: A New Dawn
X-Com
This War of Mine
Level 7: Omega Protocol
Rampage/Terror in Meeple City
Exceed
BattleCON
Portal
Mechs vs. Minions
Railways of the World
Megaland

Christina's topic: Deckbuilding in games you wouldn't call deckbuilding games

Dune Imperium
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
Dominant Species
Dice Throne
The Gallerist
On Mars
Lisboa
Great Western Trail
Newton
Food Chain Magnate
Concordia
Rococo
CloudAge
Mombasa
Blackout Hong Kong
Paladins of the West Kingdom
Luxor
Taverns of Tiefenthal
Shards of Infinity
Ascension

Aaron's topic: Can we separate the artist from the work?

Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
Pax
Bios
High Frontier
Puerto Rico
Great Western Trail
Mombasa
Maracaibo
Lewis and Clark
Teotihuacan: City of Gods

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58: Fave things to do with board games (besides playing them), best components, and...jigsaw puzzles??

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 07:30:00 -0000

We're so obsessed with board games, that we enjoy them...even when we're not actually playing them. What are these "play-adjacent" activities that we love so much?

And what are our favorite components? And why on earth are we talking about jigsaw puzzles on a board game podcast?

The board games we discuss on this episode:

Christina's topic: your favorite game components

Everdell
Tidal Blades
Honey Buzz
Wingspan
Wavelength
Blockbuster
Potion Explosion
Portal
Dragoon
Ascension
Life Siphon
Guts of Glory
Mouse Trap
Trouble
Hungry Hungry Hippos
HeroQuest
Scrabble
Jenga
Junk Art
Fireball Island
Crokinole
Pinnacle
The Climbers
Riff Raff

Shoe's topic: What do you like doing with board games...outside of playing them?

The Castles of Burgundy
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun

Final thoughts:

P for Pizza
Scapegoat
Air, Land, and Sea
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
Grifters

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57: The 2020 Board Games of the Year episode

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 07:55:00 -0000

Party game of the year! Light game of the year! Medium-weight game of the year! Heavy game of the year!

We grab two of our social-bubble gaming crew (James Hudson of Skybound and Shoe's co-worker Tom Twedell), and we all give our picks for the #1 games in all those categories for 2020.

Plus: What trends did we see in 2020 (and what might we see in 2021? And how did gaming get us through the rough patches of last year?

The games covered in this episode:

Intro:

Bloodstone

Tom's topic: Party and Light Games of the Year

Cross Clues
Codenames
P for Pizza
Telestrations: Upside Drawn
MonsDRAWsity
Silver: Dagger
Silver
My City
Santa Monica
The Crew
Calico
D&D Adventures Begin
Fossilis
The Crew
The Mind

Christina's topic: Medium and Heavy Games of the Year

Smartphone, Inc.
Tidal Blades
Dune: Imperium
Lost Ruins of Arnak
The Search for Planet X
Sorcerer City
Dwellings of Eldervale
The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire
Forgotten Waters
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
Rococo
Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
Beyond the Sun
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
Alma Mater
The Magnificent

Shoe's topic: Top gaming trends of 2020 and what we are expecting for 2021

MonsDRAWsity
Rolling Realms
Sorcerer City
Tidal Blades
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Dune: Imperium
Dominion
Fort
Honey Buzz
Beez
Queen Bee
Hive Mind
Mariposas

James' topic: How gaming has helped us through rough patches in 2020

Fantastic Factories
Star Wars: Destiny
My City
Pandemic Legacy: Season 0

Final thoughts:

Mage Knight
War of the Rings
Tidal Blades
Valor & Villainy
Wonderland's War

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56: More party games, "old" games that need love, mechanics we seek out or avoid (guest: comedian Grant Lyon)

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:53:56 -0000

Professional comedian Grant Lyon (who also creates board game videos and co-designed Curmudgeon) joins us on the podcast this week. We talk about "old" (pre-2018) games that need more live, mechanics that we seek out or actively avoid, and more party games we love playing.

Games mentioned on this episode:

Intro:

Curmudgeon

Christina's topic: "Old" games that don't get enough love

Love Letter
Lost Legacy
Grand Austria Hotel
Taverns of Tiefenthal
High Society
Take 5
Take a Number
Cover Your Assets
Cover Your Kingdom
Potion Explosion
Sea of Clouds
Lords of Waterdeep
Raiders of the North Sea
Dominions
Raiders of Scythia
Descent: Journeys in the Dark
Gloomhaven
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

Shoe's topic: More party games

Cross Clues
Codenames
Curmudgeon
MTV: The Throwback Music Party Game
Blockbuster
Who's the G.O.A.T.?

Grant's topic: Seeking out or avoiding games based on mechanics

Lords of Waterdeep
Champions of Midgard
Everdell
Tidal Blades
Architects of the West Kingdom
Paladins of the West Kingdom
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
Kingswood
Raiders of the North Sea
Raiders of Scythia
Sagrada
Alien Frontiers
Marco Polo
Castles of Burgundy
The Godfather
The Godfather: A New Don
Eclipse
Beyond the Sun
The Crew
Gudetama: The Tricky Egg Card Game
The Fox in the Forest
The Fox in the Forest Duet
Skull King

Final thoughts:

Curmudgeon
Honey Buzz
Beyond the Sun

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55: Party + gateway games, childhood memories, and house rulin' (guests: Plaid Hat)

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 18:58:35 -0000

Plaid Hat Marketing Manager Niki Shults and Multimedia Director Donald Shults talk board games -- and tons of D&D -- with us. Our topics:

1. What are some new party games you can play over Zoom or within one average household?

2. Is Catan still the perfect gateway game? If not, what is?

3. What are your best childhood memories of playing board games?

4. House rules: How do you feel about them?

Here are the games covered on the show:

Intro:

Forgotten Waters
The Settlers of Catan

Shoe's topic: Great party games for quarantine or households

Telestrations
Telestrations: Upside Drawn
P for Pizza
Herd Mentality
Forgotten Waters
Wavelength
Just One
Dungeons and Dragons
Mastermind
Master Word
Corinth

Donald's topic: Is Settlers of Catan still the best gateway game?

Monopoly
Magic the Gathering
Clue
The Settlers of Catan
Pandemic
Dungeon Twister
Dungeons and Dragons
Ticket to Ride
Azul
Wingspan
Hanabi
Starfarers of Catan
Tokaido
Megaland
King of Tokyo
Welcome to
Yahtzee
Dominion

Niki's topic: Your first boardgame memories

Uno
Fireball Island
Mouse Trap
Dungeons and Dragons
HeroQuest
Big 2/Deuce
Go to the Head of the Class
Dungeons and Dragons

Christina's topic: Do you use house rules?

Bye, Felicia
Starfarers of Catan

Final thoughts:

Forgotten Waters

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54: Inclusivity, innovative gameplay, educational games that aren't educational games (guest: Elizabeth Hargrave)

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 03:33:35 -0000

Guest Elizabeth Hargrave (Wingspan, Mariposas) drops a hint about her next project while we discuss our four new topics:

1. Learning factoids in non-educational games

2. How we can make board gaming more inclusive for everyone

3. Games whose themes have inspired innovative gameplay

4. Designing games and finishing prototypes

Games discussed in this episode:

Intro:

Wingspan
Tussie Mussie
Mariposas

Christina's topic: How theme can lead to innovative gameplay

Wingspan
Mariposas
Photosynthesis
Wind the Film
Remember Our Trip
Here Comes the Dog
Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein
Castell
The Search for Planet X
Viticulture
Dead of Winter
Battlestar Galactica
The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31
Scooby-Doo! Escape from the Haunted Mansion

Shoe's topic: Educational games that aren't educational games

Wingspan
Mariposas
Tussie Mussie
The Search for Planet X
Beez
Arraial
Tokaido
Cytosis: A Cell Biology Board Game
Virulence: An Infection Card Game
Pandemic
Photosynthesis
Castell
Ticket to Ride
7 Wonders

Nick's topic: How do you know which prototypes to move forward with; how do you know when a game design's finished?

Mariposas
Wingspan

Final thoughts:

Mariposas
Wingspan: Oceania
Beez
The Search for Planet X
Morels
7 Wonders
7 Wonders Duel
7 Wonders Duel: Pantheon
Tokaido
Hanabi

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53: Top 3 games we're dying to play, the board game café business (guest: Meepleville)

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 06:30:00 -0000

Guest Timm Metivier of Meepleville (a board game cafe in Vegas and a channel for board game content) joins us to discuss the top 3 games we can't wait to get to the table, the business of running a board game cafe (you'd be surprised how he works around COVID), how we discover the games we want to buy, and more.

The games talked about on this episode:

Timm's topic: The top games we can't wait to get to the table

Food Chain Magnate
Trickerion
Pax Porfiriana
Telestrations: Upside Drawn
Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
Tzok'in: The Mayan Calendar
Teotihuacan: City of Gods
Master Word
Anachrony
Barrage
The Gallerist
City of the Big Shoulders
18XX
Escape Plan
Vinhos
On Mars
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
Sleeping Gods

Shoe's/Christina's topic: Running a board game cafe during COVID + how we discover games

Bridge
Pinochle
Backgammon
Catan
Ticket to Ride
Life
Connect Four
Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
Scooby-Doo: Betrayal at Mystery Mansion
Pendulum
Trois
Ginkgopolis

Mike's topic: What does a board game cafe's business model look like?

Cards Against Humanity
Monopoly
Sorry
Risk
Ticket to Ride
Pandemic
Battleship
Lorenzo il Magnifico
Hansa Teutonica

Final thoughts:

Fingabol
Crokinole

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52: Spiel des Jahres 2020, Euro vs. Ameritrash...fight! (guest: Roy Cannaday)

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 06:30:00 -0000

The big games of the year have been announced. What do we think of them? The Dice Tower's Roy Cannaday joins us to discuss the Spiel and Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020 nominees/winners; if we still use "Euro" and "Ameritrash" to define those genres; video production during quarantine times; and his new, upcoming game, Last Light.

The games we talk about on this episode:

Intro:

Last Light
Eclipse
Twilight Imperium
Concordia

Christina's topic: Spiel des Jahres 2020 nominees/winners

My City
Nova Luna
Pictures
Just One
Machi Koro Legacy

Shoe's topic: Kennerspiel des Jahres nominees/winners

Hearts
Spades
The Crew
Cartographers
The King's Dilemma

Roy's topic: "Euro" vs. "Ameritrash"

Settlers of Catan
Carcassonne
Arkham Horror
Risk
Century
Concordia
Black Angel
The Magnificent
Pret-A-Porter
Abomination

Final Thoughts

Luna
Belfort
Loot of Lima
The Search for Planet X
Marvel Champions

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51: RPGs, video games, and our ideal gaming groups (guests: Jon Gilmour, Ian Moss)

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 06:50:00 -0000

Game designers Jon Gilmour (Dead of Winter, Dinosaur Island) and Ian Moss (Duelosaur Island, Wonderland's War) join us to discuss video games that would make cool board games, what video games have taught them about game design, our ideal gaming group, and how new RPGs make themselves stand out from the crowd.

Here are the games covered on the show:

Intro

Dead of Winter
Dinosaur Island
Wasteland Express
I Dissent
Duelosaur Island
Wonderland's War
Bunkers and Badasses

Ian's topic: How do newer RPGs make themselves stand out?

Bunkers and Badasses
Kids on Bikes
Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
Kids on Brooms
Blades in the Dark
Apocalypse World
Fiasco
ATMA
The Quiet Year

Jon's topic: What video games have you played recently that would make cool board games?

Path of Light and Shadow

Shoe's topic: What have video games taught Jon and Ian about game design?

Dinosaur Island
Duelosaur Island
Taverns of Tiefenthal
Quadropolis
Dead of Winter
Slide Quest
Machi Koro Legacy
My City

Christina's topic: What makes the ideal gaming group for you?

Innovation
Sagrada
Azul
Concordia

Final thoughts:

Sonora
Crokinole
Bunkers and Badasses
Santa Monica
Smartphone
Food Chain Magnate

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50: Best games, genres, and podcast moments -- our 50th episode special!

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 06:58:00 -0000

It's our 50th episode! We celebrate by discussing:

Our top 3 games in BoardGameGeek's top 100
Our favorite genres (and our favorite game in that genre)
The best moments from our podcast so far
The board game that got us into board gaming

Here are the games we mention on the show:

Mike's topic: Favorite game in our favorite genre

Gloomhaven
Hansa Teutonica
7 Wonders
Libertalia
Campy Creatures
R (BraveRats)
Orleans
Caverna
A Feast for Odin
Alien Frontiers

Shoe's topic: Top 3 games in the BGG Top 100

Caverna
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
Codenames
7 Wonders
La Boca
Wingspan
Innovation
Caverna: The Forgotten Folk
Terra Mystica
Crokinole
Lords of Waterdeep
The Castles of Burgundy
Broom Service
Hansa Teutonica
Lords of Vegas
Troyes
Terraforming Mars
Chess
Boggle
Monopoly
Go
Black Angel
San Juan
Concordia

Nick's topic: The game that got us into board gaming

HeroQuest
Magic: The Gathering
Vampire: The Masqerade
Talisman
Catan
Monopoly
Monopoly: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition
Sorry!
Trouble
Puerto Rico
Bohnanza
Thunderstone
Illuminati
Car Wars
Arkham Horror

Final thoughts

War of the Ring

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49: Unique deckbuilders, design vs. development, hobbies that should be board games (guests: Leder Games, Terrible Games)

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 06:55:00 -0000

Two guests! Nick Brachmann (Leder Games) and John de Campos (Terrible Games) join us to discuss their upcoming games (Fort and Token Terrors Battlegrounds, respectively) and our four new topics:

Deckbuilding games with a unique twist
Our other hobbies that we'd like to see brought to life for tabletop gaming
The differences between "design" and "development"
Establishing a visual identity for a game company

Here are the games discussed/mentioned in this episode:

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48: Points? Who cares? Plus: Fave universes, illustration-based games, and social interactions (guest: Eric Slauson)

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 06:30:00 -0000

We're talking so many "favorites" today: our favorite games where points don't matter, favorite games that revolve around illustrations (not necessarily drawing), favorite board game universes, and favorite game-induced social interactions.

Our guest is Eric Slauson, designer of Tattoo Stories, Nerd Words, and the upcoming MonsDRAWsity.

Here's a list of the games discussed on the show:

Intro

Tattoo Stories
Nerd Words: Science!
MonsDRAWsity
Welcome To...
Tumblin' Dice

Christina's topic: Favorite type of social interactions

Twilight Imperium
Exit
Unlock!
Level 7: Omega Protocol
Forgotten Waters
Charterstone
Arcadia Quest
Dead of Winter
Telestrations
MonsDRAWsity
The Crew
Deckscape

Eric's topic: Favorite games where the points don't matter

Medium
Mobscenity
Bye, Felicia!
Just One
Wavelength
Telestrations
Alcatraz: The Scapegoat
Flip Ships
FUSE
Tokaido
Namiji

Shoe's topic: Great games that revolve around illustrations (not drawing)

MonsDRAWsity
Dixit
Muse
Visitor in Blackwood Grove
Pictures
Imagine
Drawful
Mangaka: The Fast & Furious Game of Drawing Comics
Cartooner: The Fast & Furious Game of Drawing Comics
Escape the Dark Castle

Jess's topic: Favorite game universes

Above and Below
Near and Far
Roam
Sleeping Gods
Roll Player
Cartographers
Lockup: A Roll Player Tale
Kingdomino
Queendomino
Dragomino
Ex Libris
Star Trek Ascendancy
Scythe
Eclipse
Cthulhu Wars

Final thoughts

Stellar
MonsDRAWsity
Tattoo Stories
Nerd Words: Science!

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47: Fave themes, RPG-ish board games, designers' inspirations, cultural appropriation (guests: Sen-Foong Lim, Banana Chan)

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 06:04:44 -0000

What do we really mean when we want to play a "storytelling" game? Designers Sen-Foong Lim and Banana Chan join to discuss this as well as the upcoming Jiangshi RPG, our favorite board game themes, and board game cultural appreciation vs. appropriation.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
Scooby-Doo: Betrayal at Mystery Mansion
Sea of Legends
Dune RPG
Junk Art
Dungeons & Dragons: Rock Paper Wizard
The Legend of Korra: Pro-Bending Arena
Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion
Mind MGMT
Kingdom Rush
Betrayal at House on the HIll

Christina's topic: What are inspirations for the settings in your games?

Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion

Banana's topic: Favorite game themes that you don't see as often

Succulent
Pret-a-Porter
Abomination: Heir of Frankenstein
Alice is Missing
Wait for Me
Anachrony
T.I.M.E Stories
Belfort

Shoe's topic: Story-based/RPG-style board games

ATMA
Forgotten Waters
Mice & Mystics
Aftermath
Dead of Winter
Sea of Legends
Warp's Edge
Tales of Arabian Nights
Once Upon a Time
Fiasco
Paranoia
Kobolds Ate My Baby
Apocalypse World
Monster Hearts
Dungeons & Dragons
Pathfinder
Kids on Bikes
Samurai

Sen's topic: Cultural appreciate vs. appropriation

Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
Arkham Horror
Puerto Rico

Final thoughts

Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
Wait for Me
Dissident Whispers
The Shivers
Gloomhaven
Surrealist Dinner Party
Mechanica

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46: Sleeper hits, games to play outside, genres we dislike (guest: Ruel Gaviola)

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 07:16:50 -0000

Uber content creator Ruel Gaviola (Geek & Sundry plus a million other things) joins us this week to talk about under-the-radar games that need more love, games we can play outside that won't get blown away, genres we don't like (and exceptions to them), and online communities.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Mike's topic: Games we can play outdoors

Heckmeck
Pickomino
Q.E.
Hanabi Deluxe
Shobu
Backgammon
Dominoes
Secrets
Wavelength
Pinnacle
Jenga
Azul

Shoe's topic: Recent under-the-radar board games

The Shipwreck Arcana
Deep Vents
Oceans
Pre-a-Porter
London
Mechanica
Steam Park
Brass
MonsDRAWsity
Telestrations: Upside Drawn
Telestrations
FUSE
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Stellar
Arboretum
Little Town
Tiny Towns

Ruel's topic: Online gaming communities

Wingspan
Railways of the World
18XX
City of the Big Shoulders
Tokaido
7 Wonders
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
King's Dilemma

Christina's topic: Board game genres we tend to dislike

Cthulhu Wars
Rising Sun
Kemet
Eclipse
Twilight Imperium
The Shipwreck Arcana
Werewolf
Mafia
Poker
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
Let's Make a Bus Route
Kokoro
Cartographers
Fleet: The Dice Game
Magic: The Gathering
Level 7: Omega Protocol
Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Final thoughts

The Oracle of Delphi
Time's Up
Trial by Trolley
Carpe Diem
Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion

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45: Streamable games, big-name licenses, and that X factor (guest: The Op's Pat Marino)

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 06:34:24 -0000

We talk (non-roll-and-write) board games that are perfect for streaming to your friends, and we delve into how a game company like The Op works with so many big-name licenses (Marvel, Harry Potter, and...um, Golden Girls).

Plus, what is that X factor that makes a game really great? And Mike Zipkin gives impressions on Nintendo's Clubhouse Games.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Star Wars: Dark Side Rising
Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising
Die Hard: The Nakatomi Tower Heist
Monopoly
Yahtzee
Scrabble
Trivial Pursuit
Telestrations
Clubhouse Games
Russian Railroads
Grand Austria Hotel

Christina's topic: Streamable non-roll-and-write games

Blank Slate
Just One
Hues and Cues
Codenames
MonsDRAWsity
Telestrations: Upside Drawn
Telestrations

Shoe's topic: Game design when working with different licenses

Courth of the Dead: Mourner's Call
Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion
The Shining: Escape from Overlook Hotel
Monopoly Hallmark Channel Board Game
Unlock!
Munchkin
Codenames
Match-o-Rama
Quests of Yore: Barley's Edition

Pat's topic: That X-factor in gaming

Russian Railroads
Just One
Codenames
Hansa Teutonica
The Gallerist
Kanban
Terraforming Mars
The Quacks of Quedlinberg
Hues and Cues
Court of the Dead: Mourner's Call
Tiny Towns
Medium

Mike's topic: Nintendo's Clubhouse Games

Clubhouse Games
Chess
Checkers
Yacht Dice
Mancala
Shogi
Go
Connect 4
Uno
Hanafuda
Texas Hold 'Em
Ludo
War
Takoyaki
Air Hockey
Darts
Bowling

Final thoughts

Blank Slate
Court of the Dead: Mourner's Call
The Batman Who Laughs Rising
Plankton Rising
Quests of Yore: Barley's Edition
Forgotten Waters
Era: Medieval Age
The Shipwreck Arcana
Smartphone Inc.

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44: Politics, premium bits, and remakes (guest: James Hudson)

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 06:50:00 -0000

How should game publishers and designers respond to recent political events? We also talk about premium components (the business behind them and how we do our own upgrading) and reissued/remade games like King of Tokyo Dark and Kemet: Blood and Sand.

James Hudson, senior director of tabletop gaming at Skybound Games (Sorcerer City, Superfight, Tidal Blades) joins us this week for this discussion.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

The Grimm Masquerade
Guardian's Call
Sorcerer City
Wonderland's War
Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef

Christina's topic: How should game publishers respond to calls for more inclusiveness vs. "less politics" in games?

Dead of Winter
Summoner Wars
Bloodstone
The Grimm Forest
Guardian's Call

Shoe's topic: Board game remakes...do you buy them?

Dune
King of Tokyo
King of Tokyo: Dark
Kemet
Kemet: Blood and Sand
Caylus
Caylus 1303
Tribune
Last Bastion
Ghost Stories
The Castles of Burgundy
Carpe Diem
Egizia
Egizia: Shifting Sands
Tokaido

Mike's topic: What are some premium upgrades you've personally added to games?

The Castles of Burgundy
The Estates
Blood Rage
Rising Sun
Concordia
The Grimm Forest
Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
Chaos in the Old World
Dune
Crusaders
The Crew

James's topic: Deluxe components from the manufacturer's perspective

The Grimm Forest
Sorcerer City
Zombicide
B-Sieged
Copenhagen
Ticket to Ride
Blood Rage
Gloomhaven
Gùgōng
Bloodstone
Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
Valor & Villainy
Pebble Rock Delivery Service

Final thoughts

The King's Dilemma
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
Lords of Vegas
Star Trek: Ascendancy
Twilight Imperium

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43: Pirate games, Forgotten Waters, losing interest in the hobby (guests: Plaid Hat, Tim Schafer)

Wed, 27 May 2020 07:43:36 -0000

We talk about Plaid Hat's new storytelling adventure game Forgotten Waters, our other favorite pirate-themed games, and some of the most memorable characters in board gaming.

But...is quarantining slowly killing our love for board games?

We have three special guests! Video game designer Tim Schafer (whose work on The Secret of Monkey Island influenced Forgotten Waters), and Forgotten Waters co-designers Isaac Vega and Joe Ellis.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Forgotten Waters
Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn
City of Remnants
Dead of Winter
Crystal Clans
Raxxon

Christina's topic: What are our favorite pirate-y games?

Forgotten Waters
Sea of Legends
Tiny Epic Pirates
Sea of Nadia
Jamaica
Sea of Clouds
Libertalia
Citadels
Merchants and Marauders
Pirate's Cove
Loot
Xia: Legends of a Drift System

Joe's topic: Inspirations behind Forgotten Waters

Forgotten Waters

Isaac's topic: What are the most memorable characters you've enjoyed in board games?

Scythe
Scythe: The Rise of Fenris
Magic: The Gathering
Twilight Imperium
Dead of Winter
Mice and Mystics
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Camp Grizzly
T.I.M.E Stories
Star Wars: Rebellion
Dune
Aftermath
Abomination
Takenoko
Forgotten Waters

Tim's topic: How has quarantine affected how we think about board games?

Descent: Journeys in the Dark
The 7th Continent
Sea of Nadia
Smartphone Inc.
Santa Monica
Forgotten Waters

Final thoughts

Forgotten Waters

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42: 2P/solo games, failing co-op, roll & writes, Uwe Rosenberg (guest: Jamey Stegmaier)

Wed, 06 May 2020 06:55:00 -0000

What are our favorite two-player, solo, and roll-and-write games? Do you want to restart or fail forward when you lose a cooperative adventure? And we all love designer Uwe Rosenberg!

With guest Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games (Wingspan, Tapestry, Scythe).

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Wingspan
Viticulture
Scythe
Euphoria
Tapestry

Shoe's topic: What are our favorite two-player and solo games?

Lost Cities
Hanamikoji
Jixia Academy
Onitama
7 Wonders Duel
7 Wonders
Shards of Infinity
Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation
SHOBU
Jaipur
War Chest
War Chest: Nobility
Patchwork
Pathfinder: Adventure Card Game
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Coffee Roaster

Jamey's topic: How do we feel about replaying scenarios vs. "failing forward" in cooperative games?

Forgotten Waters
Gloomhaven
Pandemic Legacy
Legacy of Dragonholt
The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth
T.I.M.E Stories
Forbidden Desert
Atlantis Rising
Arkham Horror

Christina's topic: Favorite beginner-friendly and heavy-duty ___-and-writes

Second Chance
Qwixx
Ganz Schon Clever
Fleet: The Dice Game
Rolling Realms
Welcome to...
Silver & Gold
On Tour
Cartographers
Doppelt So Clever
MetroX
Welcome to New Las Vegas

Jess's topic: What are our favorite Uwe Rosenberg games?

Agricola
Patchwork
Caverna: Cave vs. Cave
Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small
Viticulture: Moor Visitors Expansion
A Feast for Odin
Caverna
Caverna: The Forgotten Folk
Bohnanza
Cottage Garden
Fields of Arle
Le Havre
Ora et Labora

Final thoughts

Kingdomino
Pinnacle
Scythe
My Little Scythe
My Little Scythe: Pie in the Sky
Rolling Realms
Euphoria

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41: Async digital games, designing during COVID, and more (guest: Emerson Emerson Matsuuchi)

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 07:15:49 -0000

Which games transport us to new places or worlds? What makes a good asynchronous digital game? And how does sheltering in place change how a designer goes about his business?

Board game designer Emerson Matsuuchi (Century series, Metal Gear Solid, Specter Ops) joins us to discuss.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Century
Metal Gear Solid
Foundations of Rome

Christina's topic: What are your top board games that help you escape?

Tokaido
Namiji
Tales of Arabian Nights
Hive Mind
King of Tokyo
Mansions of Madness
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
Dead of Winter
Above & Below
Near & Far
Mice & Mystics
Aftermath
Forgotten Waters
Suburbia

Emerson's topic: How important is it for a game to have something innovative?

The Mind
Dead Man's Cabal
In the Hall of the Mountain King
The Castles of Burgundy
Lost Cities
Codenames
Paladins of the West Kingdom
Architects of the West Kingdom

Nick's topic: Asynchronous digital games

The Castles of Burgundy
Lost Cities
Carcassonne
Patchwork
Ticket to Ride
Tokaido
Ascension
Shards of Infinity
Lords of Waterdeep
Kingsburg

Shoe's topic: How does shelter-in-place impact game design work?

Infiltrator

Final thoughts

Just One
Rising Sun

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40: Gaming (and publishing) in a COVID-19 world + The Crew (guests: Deep Water Games)

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 07:46:45 -0000

The world has changed. How are we playing games now? How has coronavirus impacted the game-publishing business? And why is community more important than ever?

We cover these big topics with Nolan Nasser (CEO) and Jacob Way (COO) of Deep Water Games (Welcome To..., Hanamikoji).

In lighter news, we go on and on about one of our favorite games of 2020 so far: The Crew. It's so amazing, we guaranteed our guests their money back if they bought it and didn't like it.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Hanamikoji
Realm of Sand
Welcome to...
Fantastic Factories
Spirit Island
New Bedford
Fleet: The Dice Game
The Crew

Jacob's topic: Importance of community during COVID-19

Monstrosity
Diplomacy
Gloomhaven

Christina's topic: What do our board gaming lives look like during shelter-in-place?

Ascension
Shards of Infinity
Patchwork
Tang Garden
Sagrada
Ganz Schon Clever/That's So Clever
Doppelt So Clever/Twice as Clever
Chronicles of Crime
Aftermath
Clank! Legacy
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Glaaxy
Hive Mind
Codenames
Wavelength
Time's Up
Time's Up: Title Recall
Monikers

Nolan's topic: How has COVID-19 affected Deep Water as a company?

Floor Plan
Jixia Academic

Shoe's topic: The Crew

Claim

Final thoughts

Welcome to New Las Vegas

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39: Classic games, culling games, and conventions (guests: Board Game Spotlight)

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 16:18:54 -0000

How do we pick which board games to cull when we move? What is gaming life like in the military? What's considered a classic nowadays? And what's our ideal convention experience -- deadly viruses aside, that is?

Lizzy Funkhouser (Board Game Spotlight) and Derek Funkhouser (Skybound Games) join us to discuss!

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Medium
Q.E.
The Walking Dead: Something to Fear
Herbaceous Sprouts

Derek's topic: What makes an evergreen or classic board game?

Axis & Allies
Azul
Ticket to Ride
Dominion
Settlers of Catan
7 Wonders
Risk
Paladins of the West Kingdom
Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Nemesis
Terraforming Mars
Twilight Struggle
The Castles of Burgundy
Viticulture
Architects of the West Kingdom
Quacks of Quedlinburg
Tidal Blades
Gloomhaven
Blood Rage
Carcassonne
Monopoly
Scrabble
The Game of Life
El Grande
Wingspan

Christina's topic: What's your ideal convention experience?

MetroX
The Taverns of Tiefenthal

Lizzy's topic: How do you decide which games to cull or keep?

Azul: Summer Pavilion
Herbaceous
Mombasa
Gears of War: The Board Game
Chaos in the Old World
World of Warcraft: The Board Game
StarCraft: The Board Game
T.I.M.E Stories
Small World
Ginkgopolis
Rococo
Orleans
Arboretum
Lords of Hellas

Shoe's topic: What is board gaming like while deployed or in the armed forces?

Magic: The Gathering
The Crew
Skull King
The Resistance
The Resistance: Avalon
Hanabi
Hive Mind
Codenames

Final thoughts

The Godfather: Corleone's Empire

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38: Is there a board game for everyone? Plus: The LOLest games, board game movies, and Kickstarter trailers

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 05:23:06 -0000

Why we'll never get some of our friends to play board games; the best laugh-so-hard-we-always-cry games; board game movies (our faves and the ones we'd like to see); and whether high-production trailers are good -- and bad -- for Kickstarter campaigns.

Games discussed on the show:

Mike's topic: board game movies -- the good, the mostly bad, and what we want to see

Clue
Jumanji
Battleship
The Castles of Burgundy
Pandemic
Pandemic: Legacy
Settlers of Catan
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Gloomhaven
Root
T.I.M.E Stories
Scythe
Nine Tiles Panic
Mice & Mystics
Aftermath
Above & Below
Near & Far

Christian's topic: Is there really a game for everyone?

Lost Cities
The Mind
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Crokinole

Christina's topic: What are your funniest board game experiences?

Telestrations
Draw Your Own Conclusions
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
Head's Up
Skull
Cards Against Humanity
Funemployment
Hive Mind

Shoe's topic: Are fancy video trailers too fancy? Or are they necessary to stand out?

Unsettled
SHASN
Dogs of War

Final thoughts

Imperial 2030
Cry Havoc
Nokosu Dice

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37: Mike Young (Plan B) explains why game publishing is so tough! Plus, our fave board game franchises and imports.

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 06:01:43 -0000

Mike Young (Plan B) explains why game publishing is so tough! Plus, our fave board game franchises and imports.

Games mentioned on the show:

Shoe's topic: Game franchises

Azul
Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra
Azul: Summer Pavilion
Century
Century: Golem Edition
Chess
Othello
Ticket to Ride
Settlers of Catan
Codenames
Cottage Garden
Indian Summer
Spring Meadow
Funkoverse Strategy Game
Unmatched
Android: Netrunner
Magic: The Gathering
Mexica
Tikal
Java
Terraforming Mars
Castles of Tuscany
Castles of Burgundy
Blood Rage
Rising Sun
Ankh

Christina's topic: Favorite import games

5211
5 Colors
Aquatica
Modern Art
Nokosu Dice
Orchard Ocean
Let's Make a Bus Route
Sunflower Valley
Great Western Trail
Oh My Goods!
Broom Service
Tybor the Builder
Startups

Final thoughts:

Team3
Nyctophobia
Oceans
Evolution
Tuki
Junk Art
Camel Up
SOS Dino
San Juan
Beez
Era: Medieval Age
Alma Mater
Tzolk'in
Teotihuacan

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36: Celebrating 20 years of BoardGameGeek

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 07:03:49 -0000

BoardGameGeek just turned 20! Owner/co-founder Scott Alden and Director of Media Lincoln Damerst stop by to talk about the two-decade making of the do-everything board game website, its most underrated games, and much more.

Games discussed:

Intro & Scott's topic: How did you first hear about BoardGameGeek?

Settlers of Catan
Manhattan
Die Hanse
Magic: The Gathering
Chess
Poker
UNO
Risk
Mahjong
Scrabble
Carcassonne
Black Box
Lost Cities
Wingspan
Thunderstone
Dominion
Android: Netrunner
Love Letter
Coup
Puerto Rico

Lincoln's topic: The history of BoardGameGeek media

Power Grid: Factory Manager
Aquatica
Space Dealer

Shoe's topic: What do you use BoardGameGeek for the most?

Throne of Allegoria

Christina's topic: The most underrated games on BoardGameGeek

Lost Legacy: The Starship
Lost Legacy Legend
Billabong
Speculation
Wyatt Earp
Koryo
Choson
Alcatraz: The Scapegoat
A Game of Thrones: Hand of the King
Secrets
Werewolf
Mafia

Final thoughts:

Root
Russian Railroads
Kingdom Death Monster

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35: The 2019 games of the year...and looking ahead at 2020

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 08:35:56 -0000

It's time for Going Analog's 2019 Games of the Year! The crew offers their picks for the best of last year, talks about the state of their board game collections, and makes New Years gaming resolutions. Plus: What are we most excited to play in 2020? Games discussed: Shoe's topic: Games of 2019

Medium
Silver: Bullet
Letter Jam
Ecos: First Continent
Sorcerer City
Paladins of the West Kingdom
Maracaibo
Egizia: Shifting Sands
Klask
Pipeline
Q.E.
Wavelength
5211
In Front of the Elevators
Remember our Trip
Let's Make a Bus Route
PARKS
Painter Detective
Portrait Robot
Nine Tiles Panic!
Point Salad

Mike's topic: Current state of our gaming shelves

Acquire
Murano
The Palaces of Carrara
L.L.A.M.A.
Set & Match
Team3
Tuki

Nick's topic: Gaming resolutions

Calimala

Christina's topic: Games we're looking forward to in 2020

Loot of Lima
Honey Buzz
Calico
Isle of Cats
Grand Carnival
Nouvelle-France
Mariposas
Die Crew/The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
Rallyman: GT
Smartphone Inc.
Cleopatra and the Society of Architects
Burgle Bros 2: The Casino Capers
Inhuman Conditions
Unsettled
Wonderland's War
Foundations of Rome
Namiji
Ankh: Gods of Egypt

Final thoughts:

T-Rex's Holiday
Nokosu Dice
Food Chain Magnate
Bus
Kobe
Abomination: Heir of Frankenstein

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34: BoardGameGeek drops in to discuss Azul, Abomination, and BGGCON

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 07:53:02 -0000

BoardGameGeek's Scott Alden (owner) and Lincoln Damerst (host of GameNight!) stops by to offer their thoughts on all three Azul games, the monsterous Abomination, and our favorite popular and under-the-radar games from BGGCON.

Games discussed:

Intro:

Abomination
Azul
Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra
Azul: Summer Pavilion

Christina's topic: Best game of BGGCON

Aquatica
Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Silver
Silver Bullet
Medium

Aldie's topic: Best game at BGGCON...that no one's heard of

Soviet Kitchen Unleashed
Colorful
Match Me: What Color Is This?
Tokyo Series
The Magnificent
Escape: The Curse of the Temple
Automania
Santa Maria
Rebel Nox
Capital Lux
Offshore
Horticulture Master
Orchard Ocean
Draw Your Own Conclusions
Telestrations

Lincoln's topic: Abomination

Tapestry

Final thoughts:

The Mind
The Mind Extreme
Wavelength

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33: John D. Clair (Ecos, Mystic Vale) explains how he designs board games. Also: Our fave Star Wars, deckbuilding, and engine-building games.

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 05:25:04 -0000

John D. Clair (Ecos, Mystic Vale) talks us through his mechanics-first approach to game design. And the group discusses our favorite Star Wars, deckbuilding, and engine-building games.

Games discussed:

Intro:

Mystic Vale
Custom Heroes
Space Base
Edge of Darkness
Ecos: The First Continent
Ascension
Ascension: Skulls & Sails

Shoe's topic: Engine-building games

Rise of Augustus
Gizmos
Great Western Trail
Innovation
Dominion
Magic: The Gathering

John's topic: From inspiration to game

Downfall
War Chest
Dead Reckoning
Black Angel

Christina's topic: Deck-building games

Shards of Infinity
Tyrants of the Underdark
The Big Book of Madness
Aeon's End
Path of Light and Shadow
Thunderstone
Thunderstone Quest
Concordia
Res Arcana
Clank!
Clank! In! Space!
Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated

Jess's topic: Star Wars board games

Star Wars: Rebellion
Star Wars: The Card Game
Star Wars: Destiny
Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Star Wars: Outer Rim
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures
Star Wars: Legion
Star Wars: Armada

Final thoughts:

Slide Quest
Draw Your Own Conclusions

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32: Rob Manuel (Indie Megabooth, ex-G4TV/Geek & Sundry) discusses what it takes to be a successful board game content creator, plus how to talk to non-gamers about board games over the holidays, why there aren't more negative game reviews, and some Ravens

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 08:00:00 -0000

Rob Manuel (Indie Megabooth, ex-G4TV/Geek & Sundry) discusses what it takes to be a successful board game content creator, plus how to talk to non-gamers about board games over the holidays, why there aren't more negative game reviews, and some Ravensburger appreciation

Games we mentioned:

Intro:

Age of Steam Christina's topic: How to talk to people about board games over the holidays Monopoly The Settlers of Catan Agricola Caverna Risk Small World Kingdomino Wind the Film Broom Service Hive Mind Scattergories Red Dragon Inn Happy Salmon King of Tokyo Lost Cities Hanabi Codenames Just One Taboo Love Letter Ticket to Ride Rob's topic: What it takes to be a successful board game content creator in 2020 Wingspan Tapestry Shoe's topic: Why isn't there more negative coverage or reviews in board game media? Fog of Love The Grizzled Pandemic Legacy Nick's topic: Ravensburger love Journey Around the World Labyrinth Enchanted Forest Heimlich & Co. Flying Carpet Scotland Yard Disney Villainous Puerto Rico San Juan The Castles of Burgundy Carpe Diem Bora Bora Jaws Troll

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31: Jerry Hawthorne (Mice and Mystics) talks world-building, plus kid-friendly family games, how game design taps into dopamine, and leftover legacy game content

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 00:37:41 -0000

Jerry Hawthorne (Mice and Mystics, Stuffed Fables) talks about how he world-builds for his story-rich adventure games. Also: kid-friendly family games, dopamine (and how game design taps into it), and what we do with the content we never see in adventure/legacy games.

Intro:

Mice & Mystics Stuffed Fables Comanauts Aftermath Battlelands Christina's topic: How do we feel about the content we might not see in campaign/legacy games? Pandemic Legacy Mike's topic: Game recommendations for kids of different ages Penguin Trap Don't Break the Ice Bugs in the Kitchen Loopin' Louie Buckaroo! Jenga Pie Face Celestia Fireball Island Mysterium Dixit Muse Snake Oil Apples to Apples Jerry's topic: Dopamine and board games Agricola Final Thoughts: Pret-a-Porter Tussie Mussie Betrayal Legacy Betrayal at House on the Hill Horrified Skulk Hollow

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30: Bebo (Be Bold Games) brings the strangest/coolest topic to date. Also: most anticipated Essen releases, the biggest problems in the industry, and games that are/aren't worth the setup time

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 07:48:36 -0000

Bebo (Be Bold Games) brings the strangest/coolest topic to date. Also: most anticipated Essen releases, the biggest problems in the industry, and games that are/aren't worth the setup time.

Games we discussed:

Bebo's topic: Which 3 games in a trench coat are you?

Caverna
Battleline
Junk Orbit
Rebel Nox
Wingspan
Flamme Rouge
Web of Spies
Detective: City of Angels
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
Caverna: The Forgotten Folk
Barenpark
Tokaido

Mike's topic: Essen Spiel games we're looking forward to

Terramara
Maracaibo
Ecos
Cat Lady
Evolution
On Mars
Deep Blue
Abyss
Azul: Summer Pavilion
Marco Polo 2
Vast
Root
Merchant's Cover
Pret-a-Porter
Paranormal Detectives

Christina's topic: Games that are and aren't worth the set-up time

Yinzi
A Feast for Odin
Mysterium
Dixit
Muse
Eclipse
Terra Mystica
Pipeline
Teotihuacan
Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Gloomhaven
Aftermath
Mice and Mystics
Stuffed Fables
Twilight Imperium

Shoe's topic: What are the biggest problems with the board game hobby/industry today?

Cards Against Humanity
Monopoly
The Settlers of Catan
King of Tokyo
Ticket to Ride
Pickomino
Mousetrap
Care Bears: On the Path to Care-a-Lot
Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

Final thoughts:

Munchkin
Crown of Emara
The Primary
Hive Mind
Decrypto
Blockbuster
Time's Up: Total Recall
Monikers
Taboo

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29: Why are some games so hard to buy? Scott Morris of GTS Distribution explains the manufacturing/distribution process for us -- plus recent faves that we've been playing and some of the best worker-placement games (with a twist).

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 05:12:36 -0000

Why are some games so hard to buy? Scott Morris of GTS Distribution explains the manufacturing/distribution process for us -- plus recent faves that we've been playing and some of the best worker-placement games (with a twist).

Games we discussed:

Scott's topic: How games get into stores, why they sell out, why they take so long to restockRoot Batman: Gotham City Chronicles 7th Continent Shoe's topic: Recent favesLetter Jam Boggle Scrabble Parks Campy Creatures Space Park Paladins of the West Kingdom Raiders of the North Sea Architects of the West Kingdom Christina's topic: Worker placement twists and favesAgricola Caverna Tzolk'in Everdell Everdell: Pearlbrook Vindication Alien Frontiers Caverna: Forgotten Folk A Feast for Odin Near and Far Above and Below Final thoughts:Sorcerer City Abomination

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28: Nikki Valens (Mansions of Madness, Quirky Circuits) tells us how she goes from designing horror games to cute and adorable ones, plus our fave co-op games, how legacy games use legacy elements, and escape-room games

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 07:00:00 -0000

28: Nikki Valens (Mansions of Madness, Quirky Circuits) tells us how she goes from designing horror games to cute and adorable ones, plus our fave co-op games, how legacy games use legacy elements, and escape-room games

Games we discussed:

Intro:

Quirky Circuits Eldritch Horror Mansions of Madness Arkham Horror Legacy of Dragonholt Cloudspire Shoe's topic: Designing horror-themed vs. family-friendly games Dread Jess's topic: Favorite co-op games The Mind Magic Maze Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island Detective Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle Hanabi Team3 Mental Blocks Letter Jam Scrabble Pandemic Legacy: Season One Nikki's topic: Legacy games Charterstone Betrayal Legacy Risk Legacy Rise of Queensdale Machi Koro Legacy Aeon's End: Legacy Christina's topic: Escape room design and games Exit: The Game -- Dead Man on the Orient Express Unlock! Escape Adventures The Tale of Ord Mystery House: Adventures in a Box Final Thoughts: Vindication Vinhos Viticulture Brass; Birmingham Brass: Lancashire Trogdor!!

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27: Scott Alden (BoardGameGeek co-founder) asks if there are too many games being published, plus the top 3 non-obvious things we look for in games, the baggage of BoardGameGeek reviews, and a rave about Japanese favorite Wind the Film

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 16:00:00 -0000

27: Scott Alden (BoardGameGeek co-founder) asks if there are too many games being published, Christina wants to know the top 3 non-obvious things we look for in games, Shoe tackles the baggage of BoardGameGeek reviews head-on, and Nick raves about an all-time import favorite, Wind the Film

Games we mentioned:

Intro:

Tricks and the Phantom Scott's topic: Too many games? Monopoly Shoe's topic: Board Game Geek ratings Gloomhaven Tapestry Tigris & Euphrates Wingspan Christina's topic: Top 3 qualities you look for in a game (besides gameplay and fun) Dead Man's Cabal Architects of the West Kingdom Azul Time Barons Castles of Burgundy Broom Service Space Park Castles of Mad King Ludwig Yinzi Rising Sun Nick's topic: Wind the Film! Wind the Film! Let's Make a Bus Route Blend Coffee Lab. Take the "A" Chord In Front of the Elevators Lost Cities Coffee Roaster Final thoughts: Vindication Sabotage Edge of Darkness Mystic Vale Gloom Parks

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26: Dan Ackerman (Techlandia) chats with us about the making of his board game, how important winning is, the current state of board game media, and how the indie tabletop scene feels like the indie video game scene from five years ago

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 18:25:52 -0000

Tech journalist/author and first-time designer Dan Ackerman chats with us this week. Our new topics: the making of his board game Techlandia, how important winning is, the current state of board game media, and how the indie tabletop scene feels like the indie video game scene from five years ago.

Games we mentioned:

Intro: Techlandia Pipeline Mike's topic: Importance of winning a board game Terra Mystica Foundations of Rome Fleet: The Dice Game Heroes of Land, Air, and Sea Christina's Topic: Current state of board game media Flocks & Flyways Dan's topic: How the indie board game scene is similar to indie video games five years ago Mansions of Madness Zombicide Star Wars: Imperial Assault Final Thoughts: The Estates Wingspan Le Havre Resident Evil 2: The Board Game Arkham Horror Deck Box Dungeons Silver Ecos

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25: Post-Gen Con 2019! We team up with Board Game Spotlight to announce our games of the show, our favorite early prototypes, why we buy what we buy at the show, and building communities

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 23:10:45 -0000

Mega gaming convention Gen Con 2019 is over! We team up with Board Game Spotlight to announce our games of the show, our favorite early prototypes (of games we won't see until 2020), why we buy what we buy at the show, and building communities.

Intro:

The Walking Dead: Something to Fear Christina's topic: Gen Con Game of the Show Dead Man's Cabal Abomination Medium The Mind Unmatched Star Wars: Epic Duels Foundations of Rome Letter Jam Lizzy's topic: What's worth the Gen Con haul, and what do we wait to order later? Black Angel Troyes Solenia Sininster Six Welcome to... Draftosaurus Quacks of Quedlinburg Silver Nine Tiles Panic Team3 Time Chase Ishtar Funkoverse Strategy Game Century: Golem Edition Era: Medieval Age SHOBU Derek's topic: Importance of building community at conventions Just One Lisboa Shoe's topic: Favorite prototypes/games to look forward to Foundations of Rome Namiji Tokaido Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game Wonderland's War Adventure Tactics Time of Legends: Destinies Time of Legends: Joan of Arc Chronicles of Crime The Isofarian Guard Holi: Festival of Colors Tidal Blades Fossilis Detective: City of Angels Final Thoughts Point Salad Deck Building: The Deck Building Game Q.E.

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24: Gen Con 2019 preview special! Our favorite Gen Con memories, what to plan for as a first-timer, lesser-known things to do there, and a bonus review of a unique new bidding game!

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 15:00:00 -0000

Gen Con 2019 is this weekend, and we're too excited not to do a show all about it! Christina shares her favorite Gen Con memories, friends of the show Jess Yi and Joe Canalin talk about what to plan for as a first timer and lesser-know things to do there, while Nick bucks the trend with a review of the unique new bidding game Q.E.

Christina's topic: Favorite Gen Con memories Abyss Unearth Scarabya Race for the Galaxy Campy Creatures Control Jess's topic: Gen Con rookie advice FUSE Flip Ships Sentient Passing through Petra Artsy Capital Lux Terror Below Coimbra Imhotep: The Duel Kingdomino Duel Exit: The Game Adventure Games Century" Golem Edition - Eastern Mountains Tokaido Namiji Joe's topic: Lesser-known Gen Con activities True Dungeon Villainous Nick's topic: Q.E. Q.E. Codenames Final thoughts: Glory to Rome Innovation Import/Export In Front of the Elevators Wind the Film Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game Hail Hydra Wakanda Forever Sinister Six Moon Base

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23: A pre-Gen Con Kickstarter glut, games we've purchased second (or third) editions of, and Epic Space Games

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 16:00:00 -0000

Only three podcasters this time but still plenty of games to talk about! Shoe asks how we're doing with the pre-Gen Con glut of Kickstarter deliveries, Mike wants to know which games we've purchased second (or third) editions of, and Christina talks recent Epic Space Games.

Shoe's topic: Kickstarter rush The Ancient World Thunderstone Quest Tiny Epic Mechs Tiny Epic Defenders Tiny Epic Kingdoms Tiny Epic Quest Tiny Epic Western Fantastic Factories Metal Campy Creatures Detective: City of Angels Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Chronicles of Crime ShipShape SpyMaster Luxor: The Mummy's Curse Mike's topic: Buying newer editions of older games Acquire Magic: The Gathering Monopoly Orleans Yokohama Homesteaders Gentes Suburbia Alien Frontiers Tokaido Innovation Glory to Rome Council of 4 Thunderstone Advance Thunderstone Christina's topic: Epic space games Twilight Imperium Empires of the Void II Arkham Horror Star Wars: Outer Rim Firefly Xia: Legends of a Drift System Star Wars: Rebellion Final thoughts: Agricola Caverna Caverna: The Forgotten Folk Luxor Chronicles of Crime: Welcome to Redview

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22: Grant Rodiek (Cry Havok, Farmageddon) can only save three games to play forever, plus the trials of an indie game designer, what kind of collectors we are, and Tokyo Game Market

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 19:29:08 -0000

Grant Rodiek of Hyperbole Games (Cry Havok, Farmageddon, Solstice) wants to know our three desert island games, while Shoe asks him about the life of an indie game designer, Christina shares what type of collector she is, and Nick attends Tokyo Game Market

Games we discussed:

Intro: Cry HavocFarmageddon SPQF Imperius

Christina's topic: What Kind of Game Collector Are You? Isle of Cats Puerto Rico dibdib/Moneybags Ginkgopolis 6 Nimmt Cockroach Poker The Mind Arboretum No Thanks! Coloretto Grant's topic: Top 3 Games Carcassonne Brass: Lancashire High Society La Boca Alien Frontiers Libertalia The Mind Codenames Small World: Designer Edition War of the Ring Star Wars: Rebellion Terra Mystica Gaia Project Caverna Agricola A Feast for Odin 7 Wonders Chess Scrabble Lost Cities Hanabi Campy Creatures Shoe's topic: Life of an Indie Game Designer Hocus Solstice Nick's topic: Tokyo Game Market Nine Tiles Panic Dual Clash Poker Here Comes the Dog Tokyo Highway Tokyo Series Final thoughts: Gugong Q.E. The Estates The Tale of Ord (PostCurious) Wingspan

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21: Origins Game Fair, 2019 (Kenner)spiel des Jahres, and growing up with Steve Jackson Games

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 15:14:32 -0000

Pandasaurus Games's Hunter Shelburne drops some industry knowledge as we preview the big Origins show, dissect this year's nominees for gaming's most prestigious awards, and reminisce over how we grew up with Steve Jackson Games.

Games we discussed:

Intro: The Castles of Burgundy

Hunter's topic: Arraial Dead Man's Cabal Puerto Rico Draftosaurus 7 Wonders Sushi Go Teotihuacan: Late Preclassic Period Mississippi Queen Detective: City of Angels Machi Koro The Mind Machi Koro Legacy Century: New World Lanterns Dice: Lights in the Sky Set a Watch Second Chance Escape Plan Pipeline Mike and Christina's topic: Azul Just One L.A.M.A. Werewords Keltis El Grande Hanabi Taboo Chronicles of Crime The Quacks of Quedlinburg Camel Up Kingdomino Codenames Colt Express Kingdom Builder Carpe Diem Detective Wingspan Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Shoe's topic: Illuminati Munchkin Car Wars Ogre Final thoughts: Naga Raja Small World Yokohama Carcassone Alhambra Thurn and Taxis Liar's Dice Rummikub Broom Service Istanbul

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20: Nicole Amato (Cardboard Fortress) joins our chat! We discuss licensed board games, social deduction (without the lies), what it's like to co-design, and what themes we'd like to see more of

Wed, 22 May 2019 17:10:39 -0000

Nicole Amato of Cardboard Fortress - co-creator of Lazer Ryderz, Resistor_, and Atari's Centipede - joins our chat! We discuss licensed board games, social deduction (without the lies), what it's like to co-design, and what themes we'd like to see more of.

Games we discussed:

Intro: Lazer Ryderz Atari's Centipede Resistor Shoe's topic: Social Deduction Games without Bluffing

Werewolf Hail Hydra Secrets Moneybags Coup Grifters Cryptid The Mind Growl The Grimm Masquerade Spyfall Insider A Fake Artist Goes to New York Werewords Christina's topic: Board Game Theme Wishlists

Tokyo Series Games Food Chain Magnate Dune Imperius Planetarium Starfall Seikoro And Then There Were Stars Photosynthesis Caterpillar Fungi Beluga Mayfly Fog of Love First Martians Terraforming Mars

Nick's topic: Co-designing Board Games Nicole's topic: Licensed Games Tiny Tina's Robot Tea Party Borderlands Card Game The Tea Dragon Society Card Game Portal: The Uncooperative Cake Acquisition Game XCOM: The Board Game The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game Star Wars: Rebellion A Game of Thrones: The Board Game War of the Rings Chocobo's Crystal Hunt Uncharted: The Board Game BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia Fallout Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle Villainous Final thoughts: Lord of the Rings: The Card Game Concordia Venus Nine Tiles PANIC Rocky Road a la Mode Inhuman Conditions

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19: The OG crew are reunited, as Shoe celebrates some recent Kickstarter arrivals, Christina takes stock of the rise of the Roll & Write genre, Mike reflects on the role of 'super filler' games, and Nick pens a love letter to Castles of Burgundy

Wed, 08 May 2019 16:00:00 -0000

The OG crew are reunited, as Shoe celebrates some recent Kickstarter arrivals, Christina takes stock of the rise of the Roll & Write genre, Mike reflects on the role of 'super filler' games, and Nick pens a love letter to Castles of Burgundy.

Games we discussed:

Intro segment: Splendor

Shoe's topic: The Ancient World Gentes Resident Evil 2: The Board Game Dark Souls: The Board Game Airdeck 2.0 Mech Command RTS Christina's topic: Welcome to... Avenue Kokoro: Avenue of the Kodama Let's Make a Bus Route Ganz Schon Clever In Front of the Elevators Mike's topic: Calimala Hansa Teutonica Teotihuacan: City of Gods Nick's topic: The Castles of Burgundy Shards of Infinity The Settlers of Catan Outro: Arkham Horror Eldritch Horror El Grande Inhuman Conditions Campy Creatures Metal Tokyo Series Stonehenge and the Sun Parks Life Syphon Wavelength

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18: Our friend Laura Hubbard stops by to talk math in games, plus games about science (naturally), our favorite games to play with our significant others, and how we engage with early game prototypes

Wed, 24 Apr 2019 16:00:00 -0000

18: Our friend Laura Hubbard stops by to talk math in games (and how much is too much), plus Christina complements it by discussing games about science (naturally), Shoe wants to know our favorite games we play with our significant others, and Nick has early game prototypes on the mind

Shoe's Topic: Lost Cities Jaipur Crokinole Asante Jambo Targi Tokyo Highway Hatsuden Hounded Raptor Spirit Island Spirit Island: Branch & Claw Arkham Horror: The Card Game The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game The Mind Hanabi Onitama The Reclamation 7 Wonders 7 Wonders: Duel Fields of Arle Patchwork Laura's Topic: The Castles of Burgundy Five Tribes Clans of Caledonia Age of Steam Christina's Topic: Evolution Wingspan Virulence Nerd Words: Science Play with Your Food Photosynthesis Parks Lost Valley: The Yukon Goldrush 1896 Planetarium Nick's Topic: Can't name these games! Round-Up: Terraforming Mars First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet Robinson Crusoe Realm of Sand Splendor Strange Vending Machine Innovation

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17: Anna Kipnis (ex-Double Fine) discusses games with uniquely human interactions, plus modern pub games, games that reveal players' personalities, and how working in video games has influenced our board game preferences

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:30:00 -0000

Anna Kipnis (ex-Double Fine) joins us to discuss games with uniquely human interactions, while Nick shares his favorite modern pub games, Christina highlights games that reveal players' personalities, Shoe muses on how working in video games has influenced our board game preferences.

Games we discussed:

Intro: Orleans Yokohama Scoville Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done Small World Nick's Topic: Skull Liar's Dice Kobayakawa Lie The Mind Illusion A Fake Artist Goes to New York Dead Last Just One A Game of Thrones: Hand of the King Christina's Topic: Pandemic Legacy Pandemic Ascension Lost Cities Werewolf Shadows Over Camelot Coup Battlestar Galactica Secret Hitler The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 Anna's Topic: Codenames Dead of Winter Shoe's Topic: Gloomhaven TIME Stories Puerto Rico Round-Up: Hanabi Rising Sun Doro-Doko

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16: Theresa Duringer (Shards of Infinity) tells us how board games can help your career, plus board games we only play digitally, the best ones that need an app, and themed snacks!

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 15:30:00 -0000

This week, guest Theresa Duringer joins the board game discussion. She's the co-founder of Temple Gates Games, the developer responsible for digital ports of several popular tabletop games like Roll for the Galaxy or Shards of Infinity. And she's a pretty damn good baker, too.

Games we talked about:

Intro:

Ascension Race for the Galaxy Roll for the Galaxy Shards of Infinity Shoe: Carcassonne Settlers of Catan Risk Monopoly The Castles of Burgundy Ticket to Ride Mike: Mansions of Madness, 2nd edition Chronicles of Crime Werewords Exit: The Game Unlock! Escape Adventures SolForge Christina: Edible Games Cookbook by Jenn Sandercock Mice and Mystics Resident Evil 2 Pretense Theresa: All games can lead to democratization! Final Thoughts: Starfarers of Catan Porta Nigra Through the Ages

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15: Jordan Draper (Tokyo Series) discusses integrating diverse themes into games, plus great travel games, expectations for game length, and how games have changed our lives

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 17:00:00 -0000

Designer Jordan Draper (Tokyo Series, Import/Export) joins us to discuss his innovative oeuvre, and integrating diverse themes into games, while Nick reps his favorite travel games, Christina ponders expectations of game length, and Shoe tells us how games changed his life.

Games we discussed -

Intro:

Tokyo Series Tokyo Jutaku Tokyo Metro Tokyo Jidohanbaiki Tokyo Game Show Tokyo Tsukiji Market Tokyo Coin Laundry Metal Tribe Cactus Import/Export Glory to Rome Container Nick's topic: Celestia A Fake Artist Goes to New York Kobayakawa Modern Art Nine Tiles Maskmen Troll The Game The Mind This Is It Praise Startups Turin Market Rights Hanabi Love Letter Lost Legacy Pack O Games R (BraveRats) Campy Creatures Pickomino Sushizock im Gockelwok Shoe's topic: Perfect Hotel Kamakura Collection Jordan's topic: Archipelago Christina's topic: Antiquity Hab & Gut 18XX Monopoly Final Thoughts: Scythe Castles of Burgundy Nothing to Talk About

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14: James Hudson (Druid City Games, Skybound Games) joins us to revisit ethics in board game media, plus bad board game art, the importance of story context, and our favorite board game influencers

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 22:40:22 -0000

Our friend James Hudson, head of Druid City Games and the tabletop division of Skybound Games, joins us to revisit ethics in board game media, as well as answer the many questions we throw at him. Plus Christina asks how ugly game art happens, Shoe discusses the importance of story in games that don't center around story, and Mike shares some of his favorite board game influencers.

Games we discussed -

Intro: Tidal Blades Valor & Villainy The Grimm Forest The Grimm Masquerade The Walking Dead: Something to Fear Sorcerer City Christina's segment: The Castles of Burgundy Innovation Fairy Tile Rising 5: Runes of Asteros Hansa Teutonica Shoe's segment: Tales of the Arabian Nights Steampunk Rally Brass: Birmingham Near and Far Above and Below Dogs of War Wonderland's War Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective James's segment: Orleans Mike's segment: No games mentioned, but lots of people to follow Final Thoughts: Gugong Treasure Island Cryptid Tobago Rise of Queensdale Broom Service Broom Service: The Card Game Songbirds

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13: Steve Nix (Gen7) discusses his worldbuilding and how game mechanics can trigger emotions, plus worker placement vs. dice placement games, and the pros and cons of game promos

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 17:00:00 -0000

Steve Nix (Gen7) joins us to discuss how game mechanics can trigger emotions, as well as how he built the world of his game, while Christina compares worker-placement to dice-placement games, and Mike goes over the pros and cons of game promo goodies

Games we mentioned:

Shoe's topic Gen7 Steve's topic Dead of Winter Gloomhaven Pandemic Arkham Horror Robinson Crusoe Forbidden Island Forbidden Desert Forbidden Sky Tokaido Nyctophobia Letters from White Chapel Fury of Dracula Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space Christina's topic Agricola Caverna Lords of Waterdeep Voyages of Marco Polo Teotihuacan Bora Bora Alien Frontiers Kingsburg Cosmic Run Regeneration Architects of the West Kingdom Lords of Vegas Castles of Burgundy Mike's topic Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle Yedo Dixit Mysterium Android: Netrunner Star Wars Destiny Wrap-up Urban Tribes Shards of Infinitiy Ascension Kashgar: Merchants of the Silk Road Hollywood Golden Age

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12: Emerson Matsuuchi (Century series, Reef) ponders what qualities of board games attract video gamers, plus what makes for a good rule book, giving players meaningful story choices, and designing games to be merged together

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 16:30:00 -0000

Emerson Matsuuchi (Century series, Reef, the upcoming Metal Gear Solid game) ponders what qualities of board games attract video gamers, Christina goes over what makes for a fun and helpful rule book, Nick pits Tales of Arabian Nights against Betrayal Legacy to discuss giving players meaningful story choices, and Shoe asks Emerson how he approaches designing games that can be merged together.

Emerson's games we mentioned: Reef Century: Spice Road Century: Eastern Wonders Century: From Sand to Sea Century: A New World Specter Ops Emerson's segment: Metal Gear Solid Settlers of Catan Monopoly Ticket to Ride Carcassonne Christina's segment: Castles of Burgundy Broom Service Space Alert Dungeon Petz Galaxy Trucker Brass: Lancashire Brass: Birmingham Nick's segment: Tales of Arabian Nights Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Betrayal Legacy Betrayal at House on the Hill Forest of Fate Dungeons and Dragons Agents of SMERSH Shoe's segment: Tokyo Game Series: Jidohanbaiki, Jutaku, and Metro 504 Final Thoughts: Wingspan Castles of Mad King Ludwig Quacks of Quedlinberg Time Barons Detective: Modern Crime KeyForge

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11: Game of the Year Celebration - Part 2

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 16:30:00 -0000

The crew are back to wrap up their favorite games of 2018, with final Game of the Year picks and other favorites that almost made the cut. And stick around until the end, as an array of very special guests share their GOTY as well!

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10: Game of the Year Celebration 2018 - Part 1

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 19:05:50 -0000

It's a holiday miracle! The crew are united in person, and we dole out awards for some of board gaming's best - and worst - distinctions of 2018. From best components, to the most disappointing sequel, to the best beige game, to the most stressful game.

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09: Ryan and Malorie Laukat (Above and Below, Megaland) talk board games they'd like to see made into video games, plus the prettiest games around, making open-world games, and using our imaginations

Wed, 12 Dec 2018 16:45:00 -0000

Ryan and Malorie Laukat from Red Raven Games join us to talk about board games we want to see made into video games, the most gorgeous game artwork, what makes for a good open-world board game experience, and how games encourage us to use our imagination.

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08: Best practices for teaching games, a trip to BGG.CON, games that make us yell, and the best party game you've never heard of

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 16:45:00 -0000

The OG crew are back together - in Mike's living room! Nick has some best practices for teaching games, Shoe brings tales from a trip to BGG.CON, Christina screams about games that make us yell, and Mike gives us a hot tip on an unsung party game.

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07: Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games (Scythe) talks Civilization-style games, plus upgrading game components, games that sound lame but are actually great, and why we go to gaming conventions

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 16:45:00 -0000

Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games (Scythe, Viticulture) asks what we want out of a Civilization-style game, Mike blings out his components, Christina talks games that sound lame but are actually great, and Shoe explains why we go to game conventions.

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06: Tim Schafer joins us to discuss why so many digital game creators are "going analog," plus the best gateway games for video gamers, the most innovative components we've seen, and gaming as a responsible parent

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:45:00 -0000

Tim Schafer (Double Fine) joins us to discuss why so many digital game creators are "going analog," Shoe covers the best gateway games for video gamers, Christina talks unique game components, and Mike muses on being a responsible gaming parent.

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05: Special guest game designer Jon Gilmour talks board game experiences, plus Halloween-appropriate games, being a board game sommelier, and board games everyone loves except you

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:45:00 -0000

Special Guest Game Designer Jon Gilmour (Dead of Winter) tells us how board game experiences impact design, Mike shares some spooky games for Halloween, Christina tells us how to be a better gaming host, and Shoe craps on games that other people love.

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04: The best modern word games, ethics in board game coverage, Western Legends' cowboy in a box, and Japanese shopping sprees

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 16:00:00 -0000

Mike gives us the lowdown on Western Legends' cowboy-in-a-box experience, Christina nerds out on the best modern word games, Shoe get tough on ethics in board game coverage, and Nick spends way too much money game-shopping in Japan.

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03: Seminal childhood games, gaming with soundtracks, how we organize our collections, and Keyforge

Wed, 19 Sep 2018 16:00:00 -0000

Nick brings us back to the seminal games of our childhood, Shoe gives his first impressions of Richard Garfield's Keyforge, Christina wants to know how we organize our game collections, and Mike sets the mood with custom soundtracks. Your turn!

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02: Our Fav 2-Player Games, Great Gateway Games, Roleplaying with Kids on Bikes, and Keymaster Games

Wed, 05 Sep 2018 16:00:00 -0000

Mike gets the crew talking about what makes a great gateway game, Nick extolls the polished pleasures of Keymaster Games, Christina wants to know everyone's favorite 2-player games, and Shoe takes us on a roleplaying adventure with Kids on Bikes!

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01: Gen Con 2018 Highs and Lows, Choosing Your Own Adventure with House of Danger, Oink Games

Wed, 08 Aug 2018 04:24:43 -0000

Dan "Shoe" Hsu shares his favorite games of Gen Con, Christina Ha discusses an unfortunate part of con culture, Mike Zipkin chooses his own adventure with House of Danger, and Nick proclaims his love for the minimalist brilliance of Oink Games. Join us!

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