Board Game Barrage

We're being serious. Are board games a base line level of fun that we ought to take for granted? We're all together, we're all playing a game, that's better than doing nothing, right? It couldn't possibly be that simple with us. Before we arithmetise entertainment, we also talk about Tiny Towns, Zendo, and Escape Plan. 01:41 - Tiny Towns 07:23 - Zendo 13:24 - Escape Plan 29:52 - Are games fun no matter what? 38:05 - Horse Fever 38:39 - Dominant Species 39:35 - Loopin' Louie 44:46 - One Night Ultimate Werewolf

The train's pulling into the station and you've got a ticket, because this week we're talking all about hype. Why do we get irrationally excited about games we know nothing about? How much should we listen to our overly excited inner selves? Before it's all aboard, we also talk about Reykholt, PUSH, and Great Western Trail. 01:51 - Reykholt 10:13 - PUSH 14:54 - Great Western Trail 30:50 - Hype and anti-hype 32:41 - Res Arcana 33:45 - The 7th Continent 35:32 - El Grande 38:29 - Gloomhaven 38:57 - Brass: Birmingham 40:09 - Blood on the Clocktower 42:43 - Terraforming Mars

It's all well and good playing the newest, hottest games, but that doesn't stop us wanting to go back to some of the old goodies. We're counting down our top five games we want to revisit, to enjoy once more as we did in our youth. Relatively speaking. Before we get all wistful, we also talk about Eye My Favourite Things, On Tour, and Dune. 01:12 - Eye My Favourite Things 06:18 - On Tour 12:28 - Dune 18:40 - Cosmic Encounter 24:44 - Rex: Final Days of an Empire 26:10 - Root 31:55 - Games We Want to Play More 33:00 - Libertalia 34:19 - Ricochet Robots 37:01 - XCOM: The Board Game 39:09 - Ascending Empires 40:16 - Automobiles 42:22 - Kitchen Rush 43:52 - Two Rooms and a Boom 46:17 - Tribune: Primus Inter Pares 48:00 - Seasons 49:53 - Yokohama 50:56 - SpaceCorp 52:50 - The Voyages of Marco Polo 54:19 - Root 55:34 - Container 56:36 - Lords of Hellas

Electronic board games! What will they think of next?! There's been a trend of more and more board games being translated into web and mobile apps, so join us as we make the jump to cyberspace. Before we plug in, we also talk about Heul doch! Mau Mau, Architects of the West Kingdom, and revisit Nusfjord. 01:19 - Heul doch! Mau Mau 05:19 - Architects of the West Kingdom 10:55 - A Feast for Odin 13:44 - Nusfjord 26:26 - Digital Board Games 27:20 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization 28:05 - Onirim 29:28 - Concordia 30:56 - Dixit 32:49 - Innovation 33:29 - Ortus Regni 36:41 - The Resistance

We're at the table talking table talk, all the little things that get said while you're playing a board game. Sure, there's plenty to be said in a social deduction or negotiation game, but what about less talky games? What's appropriate and what isn't? Before we say something we regret, we also talk about Everdell, Concordia Venus, and Project: ELITE. 03:58 - Everdell 08:34 - Wingspan 12:07 - Concordia Venus 21:27 - Project: ELITE 25:56 - Escape: The Curse of the Temple 31:13 - Table Talk 37:01 - Codenames

Some games offer an experience so unique, so unlike anything else, that you can't help but take notice. It might be a bold thematic setting, or a set of mechanics that you've never seen before. This week, we're counting down our favourite games that do something ... a little bit different. Before we stand out from the crowd, we also talk about Looting London, and Chimera. 01:05 - Looting London 04:17 - Chimera 09:45 - Unique Thematic Experiences 12:12 - Food Chain Magnate 16:11 - Space Cadets: Dice Duel 18:38 - Long Shot 21:23 - Dungeons & Dragons: Rock Paper Wizard 23:16 - Dead of Winter 26:42 - Pit 28:38 - Millennium Blades 33:11 - Alchemists 36:33 - Chaosmos 40:07 - Ponzi Scheme 42:24 - Space Hulk 45:39 - Adrenaline 47:37 - Diplomacy 51:06 - Sol: Last Days of a Star 53:22 - Captain Sonar

Time to 'fess up. We're admitting to all the transgressions we've made in the world of board gaming. We're not proud of it, but there are a lot of games we haven't played that we should have. There are Kickstarters we've overspent on, and some we regret backing. And what would a good confessional be without owning up to our guilty pleasures? Before we ask forgiveness, we also talk about Excape, Race for the Galaxy, and Biblios Dice. 01:30 - Excape 07:57 - Race for the Galaxy 13:49 - Biblios Dice 20:02 - Board Game Confessions 21:50 - Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 23:44 - Eclipse 25:31 - Terraforming Mars 29:08 - The 7th Continent 29:42 - Statecraft 30:30 - Tiny Epic Quest 31:42 - Glorantha: The Gods War 32:21 - Rising Sun 34:17 - Zombicide 34:42 - Betrayal at House on the Hill 34:55 - True Colors 35:45 - Hundreds of Horses 39:43 - Through the Ages 40:09 - Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

Gateway games are an often requested topic, but we wouldn't be us without a big old debate about them first. Are they important? Should you be trying to convert your friends at all? Isn't every game a gateway game if you just talk slowly enough? Before we raise the portcullis, we also talk about Targi, and Catan.  01:25 - Targi 07:19 - Catan 09:35 - Gateway games 17:11 - Forbidden Island 18:38 - Codenames 19:01 - Sushi Go! 22:23 - A Fake Artist Goes to New York 24:56 - Bärenpark 27:47 - Biblios 32:16 - Splendor 35:31 - The Quest for El Dorado 38:12 - Blue Lagoon 41:05 - Dominion 43:57 - Wingspan 47:32 - Converting non-gamers?

It's always sad to see a game go. But sometimes it's just time to move on, to let it be free, to let someone else enjoy its esoteric rules and quirky components. Games leave our collections for many reasons, so let's take a look at some of them. Before we spark joy, we talk about Big Dig, Trains, and The River. 01:18 - Big Dig 05:00 - Trains 09:30 - The Quest for El Dorado 10:17 - The River 19:51 - Why Games Leave our Collections 27:40 - Through The Ages 27:40 - Mage Knight 29:02 - Founders of Gloomhaven 33:49 - Capital Lux 35:25 - Rapid Fire Send-offs

One year, baby! We did it. It's our first anniversary, and we're celebrating by ... putting out an episode of the podcast. We got a couple of reader questions that we thought would be especially pertinent for this occasion, as we look back on the impact Board Game Barrage has had on us. Before we pop the champagne, we talk about The Quacks of Quedlinburg, Forum Trajanum, and Narabi. 04:37 - The Quacks of Quedlinburg 08:57 - Forum Trajanum 15:08 - Narabi 21:00 - How has Board Game Barrage impacted us? 32:08 - Do review copies make us less impartial? 33:45 - Hyperspace 35:24 - Shouldn't Mark be the Red Tank? 39:08 - Guest reviews!

2019 is well underway, but with so many amazing games on the horizon, it's hard to know what to look out for. Fear not, listener, that's what we're here for. Join us as we count down our most anticipated games of the year. Before we cast our eyes ahead, we talk about New Frontiers: The Race for the Galaxy Board Game, and Hansa Teutonica. 02:33 - New Frontiers: The Race for the Galaxy Board Game 09:25 - Hansa Teutonica 18:13 - Most Anticipated Games of 2019 18:59 - Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy 22:09 - Glorantha: The Gods War 25:28 - TOKYO TSUKIJI MARKET 28:27 - Sabotage 31:04 - Living Planet 33:26 - Pipeline 36:20 - Escape Plan 38:04 - Res Arcana 39:36 - Barrage 41:03 - ELO Darkness 44:02 - Black Angel 45:18 - On Mars 46:43 - Warpgate 48:54 - Mezo 51:07 - City of the Big Shoulders

Objectivity is a nice goal, but what does it mean for board game criticism? Are there elements of board game design that we can have factual conversations about, without invoking our personal biases? We debate this in the only way we know how. Before we start shouting, we talk about Hyperspace, Gùgōng, and Wingspan. 02:30 - Hyperspace 08:52 - Gùgōng 14:43 - ZhanGuo 17:35 - Last Will 18:06 - Wingspan 21:37 - Innovation 26:26 - Critical Objectivity 26:58 - Nemesis 28:01 - Zombicide 32:01 - Heroes of Land, Air & Sea 43:04 - Monopoly 43:55 - Formula D 44:42 - Magical Athlete 46:18 - Diplomacy

Sometimes you're not looking to win or lose, you're looking for an experience. A lot of games promise to deliver thematic gameplay, but what does that mean for the mechanics? Does it have to be one without the other? Before we set the mood, we talk about Nusfjord, Paper Tales, and Nemesis. 03:25 - Nusfjord 09:43 - Paper Tales 15:25 - Nemesis 25:34 - Thematic Games We Like 26:08 - Mansions of Madness: Second Edition 29:58 - Nothing Personal 31:16 - Gloomhaven 31:35 - Android: Netrunner 32:05 - Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game 33:19 - Captain Sonar 36:45 - The Resistance 37:48 - The Grizzled 39:19 - Dune

We throw back to our very first episode, with our biggest surprises and disappointments of the year gone by. 2018 was a year of highs and lows, but sometimes you just don't see them coming. The difference between expectation and the final product is what this week's episode is all about. Before we gaze back wistfully, we talk about Akrotiri, Blue Moon City, and This Guilty Land. 01:56 - Akrotiri 05:09 - Innovation 05:27 - Blue Moon City 10:31 - This Guilty Land 16:37 - 2018’s Biggest Disappointments 16:57 - Rising Sun 21:29 - The 7th Continent 25:31 - Merlin 32:07 - 2018’s Best Surprises 32:21 - Space Base 34:31 - Decrypto 37:18 - Lords of Hellas

Top ten, baby! We finally made it. And thus concludes our five part series of our favourite games of all-time. Frankly, we were changed by the experience, and will never be the same again. We hope you were too. 01:35 - Kalen #10 - Coloretto 03:30 - Mark #10 - True Colors 06:15 - Neilan #10 - Dominion 09:28 - Kalen #9 - Diplomacy 12:45 - Mark #9 - ??? (32:02) 13:10 - Neilan #9 - Guards of Atlantis 16:32 - Kalen #8 - ??? (01:24:54) 16:43 - Mark #8 - Brass: Birmingham 20:27 - Neilan #8 - Scythe 25:32 - Kalen #7 - Troyes 28:07 - Mark #7 - Cuba Libre 31:54 - Neilan #7 - ??? (32:02) 32:02 - Kalen #6 - Time's Up! 35:23 - Mark #6 - ??? (01:07:00) 35:29 - Neilan #6 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization 38:57 - Kalen #5 - El Grande 38:57 - Mark #5 - El Grande 42:56 - Neilan #5 - A Feast for Odin 46:09 - Kalen #4 - Cthulhu Wars 50:47 - Mark #4 - 1830: Railways & Robber Barons 53:55 - Neilan #4 - Codenames 56:19 - Kalen #3 - Cosmic Encounter 59:47 - Mark #3 - Francis Drake 01:04:17 - Neilan #3 - Tzolk'in: T

The end is nigh! If you squint just right you can see it from here. We're almost done counting down our favourite fifty games of all time, so join us in the penultimate part of our five part series. 01:20 - Mark #20 - Caverna 03:18 - Neilan #20 - Archipelago 05:49 - Kalen #20 - Fuji Flush 07:43 - Mark #19 - Troyes 09:22 - Neilan #19 - Aeon's End: War Eternal 12:38 - Kalen #19 - Genoa 14:29 - Mark #18 - Cthulhu Wars 15:40 - Neilan #18 - Alchemists 18:38 - Kalen #18 - No Thanks! 20:09 - Mark #17 - 1846: The Race for the Midwest 22:09 - Neilan #17 - Inis 25:27 - Kalen #17 - Telestrations 27:05 - Mark #16 - Dominant Species 31:19 - Neilan #16 - Exit: The Game 34:20 - Kalen #16 - Inis 35:34 - Mark #15 - Imperial 2030 37:22 - Neilan #15 - Watson & Holmes 40:03 - Kalen #15 - Deception: Murder in Hong Kong 41:11 - Mark #14 - Tigris & Euphrates 43:15 - Neilan #14 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant 45:26 - Kalen #14 - Omen: A Reign of War 46:46 - Mark #13 - Caylus 49:58 - Nei

Okay, we're past the middle. It's all downhill from here, but the good sort of downhill. We're counting down our fifty favourite board games, in part three of what the world is calling our most ambitious endeavour yet! Well, we're calling it that. 01:01 - Neilan #30 - Grand Austria Hotel 02:35 - Kalen #30 - Startups 04:20 - Mark #30 - Pax Renaissance 06:37 - Neilan #29 - Azul 08:57 - Kalen #29 - Imperial 2030 10:37 - Mark #29 - Kemet 11:52 - Neilan #28 - Deception: Murder in Hong Kong 14:26 - Kalen #28 - A Fake Artist Goes to New York 16:06 - Mark #28 - Castles of Burgundy 18:51 - Neilan #27 - Coloretto 20:53 - Kalen #27 - Hanabi 22:53 - Mark #27 - Blue Lagoon 24:36 - Neilan #26 - Spirit Island 27:03 - Kalen #26 - Cockroach Poker 28:50 - Mark #26 - Age of Steam 30:53 - Neilan #25 - Blue Lagoon 32:10 - Kalen #25 - A Study in Emerald (Second Edition) 34:40 - Mark #25 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant 38:11 - Neilan #24 - Alhambra 41:16 - Kalen #24 - Insider 43:16 - Mark #24

Ten down, forty to go ... It's part two of our all-time top fifty lists! What surprises await us in this, the second installment of our historic feature?! Find out with us as we celebrate some fantastic board games! Kalen #40 – For Sale Mark #40 – Guards of Atlantis: Tabletop MOBA Neilan #40 – Hanamikoji Kalen #39 – Bruges Mark #39 – A Feast for Odin Neilan #39 – In the Year of the Dragon Kalen #38 – Crokinole Mark #38 – Sol: Last Days of a Star Neilan #38 – Kemet Kalen #37 – Taj Mahal Mark #37 – Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 Neilan #37 – Codenames: Duet Kalen #36 – Piñata Mark #36 – A Question of Scruples Neilan #36 – Dead of Winter Kalen #35 – SiXeS Mark #35 – Modern Art Neilan #35 – Agricola Kalen #34 – Lords of Vegas Mark #34 – Decrypto Neilan #34 – Decrypto Kalen #33 – Wiz-War Mark #33 – Terra Mystica Neilan #33 – Sol: Last Days of a Star Kalen #32 – SHH Mark #32 – Le Havre Neilan #32 – Orléans Kalen #31 – Keyflower Mark #31 – Codenames Neilan #31 – Gaia Project

We're counting down to our 50th episode, and what better way than to give our definitive lists of our 50 favourite games of all time?! You've been asking for it, so we've only gone and done it. Brace yourselves, we're just getting started. 01:11 - Mark #50 - Dungeon Fighter 02:51 - Neilan #50 - Werewords 04:36 - Kalen #50 - Agricola 06:28 - Mark #49 - Chronicles of Crime 08:07 - Neilan #49 - Biblios 09:28 - Kalen #49 - Concept 10:55 - Mark #48 - Pictomania 13:02 - Neilan #48 - Mage Knight Board Game 14:54 - Kalen #48 - Hanamikoji 16:27 - Mark #47 - Kanban 17:28 - Neilan #47 - Splendor 19:26 - Kalen #47 - Ingenious 20:40 - Mark #46 - Samurai 22:55 - Neilan #46 - Clank! 25:09 - Kalen #46 - Evolution 27:54 - Mark #45 - ZhanGuo 29:23 - Neilan #45 - Innovation 31:39 - Kalen #45 - Mysterium 33:02 - Mark #44 - Ra 34:21 - Neilan #44 - Puerto Rico 36:48 - Kalen #44 - New Angeles 38:58 - Mark #43 - Wyatt Earp 41:29 - Neilan #43 - The Oracle of Delphi 42:18 - Kalen #43 - The Game 46:23 - Mark #42 - Blood Rage 50:04 - Ne

It's question time again! After last week's massive success, we couldn't resist the urge to have you, loyal listener, once more do all the work for us. Before we turn the microphones around, we also talk about Brass: Birmingham, Exodus: Paris Nouveau, and Werewords. 01:52 - Brass: Birmingham 05:48 - Exodus: Paris Nouveau 09:55 - Werewords 15:30 - Listener Questions 15:39 - Should I play the classics? 15:39 - Catan 15:39 - Carcassonne 20:21 - What solo games do you like? 21:08 - Coffee Roaster 21:35 - Scythe 21:45 - A Feast for Odin 21:53 - One Deck Dungeon 22:18 - Teotihuacan: City of Gods 23:35 - Onirim 24:50 - Hot Trivia Question 26:02 - Reviewing games after one play? 36:13 - Cry Havoc 37:49 - More convention showings? 39:32 - How do you pick game night games? 42:40 - YouTube?