Board Game Barrage

It's getting a bit too comfortable around here. Time to put stones in our shoes, tighten our belts, and get out of our comfort zones. We talk about the times that we've found ourselves in unfamiliar or uncomfortable gaming situations, and what we learned about ourselves in the process. Before we unfluff our pillows, we talk about Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation, Reavers of Midgard, and Paleo. 02:01 - Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation 13:50 - War of the Ring: Second Edition 15:20 - Reavers of Midgard 23:37 - Paleo 31:13 - Friday 34:23 - Leaving Our Comfort Zones 35:05 - Thornwatch 37:55 - Blood Rage 41:22 - Megagames 50:33 - Twilight Struggle 54:16 - Under Falling Skies 56:17 - Fiasco 1:00:50 - War Games Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

Wow! We asked for your top twenty lists, and boy did you deliver. We've crunched the numbers on the hundreds of submissions, and created what we think is the definitive list of BGB listeners' favourite board games. Now let us tell you how we think you did. Before we outsource our work, we talk about Santa Monica, Steam Works, and Cthulhu: Death May Die. 02:09 - Santa Monica 08:05 - Steam Works 15:25 - Cthulhu: Death May Die 24:06 - BGB Listener Top 20 27:18 - Viticulture 29:34 - Everdell 31:17 - Orléans 32:09 - Pax Pamir: Second Edition 33:20 - A Feast for Odin 34:24 - Terra Mystica 36:00 - Race for the Galaxy 37:13 - Food Chain Magnate 38:36 - Codenames 39:35 - Cosmic Encounter 40:48 - Inis 41:36 - Terraforming Mars 42:54 - Innovation 44:12 - Root 45:20 - Gloomhaven 46:30 - Great Western Trail 47:40 - Spirit Island 48:33 - Brass: Birmingham 49:19 - The Castles of Burgundy 50:25 - Concordia Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/f

We're seeing a lot more versions of games that are X: The Dice Game or Y: The Card Game. These are (usually) simplified takes on beloved classics, but often end up changing the feel of the game dramatically. We discuss when we think this formula works, and when it really doesn't. Before we cast the die, we talk about Gods Love Dinosaurs, Nanga Parbat, and Ra: The Dice Game. 03:37 - Gods Love Dinosaurs 09:50 - Nanga Parbat 18:22 - Ra: The Dice Game 23:17 - Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun 24:33 - Ra 27:13 - One Night Ultimate Werewolf 28:30 - Dice and card game spinoffs 32:46 - Troyes 32:46 - Tournay 33:17 - Troyes Dice 35:44 - Biblios Dice 36:46 - Zooloretto: The Dice Game 39:10 - Camel Up Cards 41:55 - Istanbul: The Dice Game 42:54 - Roll for the Galaxy 45:55 - Azul 46:41 - Gùgōng 48:40 - The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine 49:33 - No Thanks 50:01 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https:/

Sometimes all it takes is a good designer (and the right game) to take what would otherwise be a mechanic we don't like, and utilize it in a way that feels right. We take a look at some mechanics that we usually don't love, and the games that turned us around on them. Before we see things in a new light, we talk about CloudAge, Mariposas, and Faiyum. 03:04 - CloudAge 12:37 - Mariposas 18:01 - Faiyum 28:27 - Games that rescued a mechanism 28:40 - Performative Clues 29:05 - Time's Up 31:29 - On a Scale of One to T-Rex 32:19 - Action Points 32:52 - Flash Point: Fire Rescue 34:00 - Blood Rage 37:18 - Hidden Movement 37:18 - Nuns on the Run 37:45 - Specter Ops 38:35 - Scotland Yard 42:16 - Card Drafting 42:25 - Agricola 42:46 - 7 Wonders 43:53 - Paper Tales 44:25 - Inis 47:22 - Player Elimination 47:22 - Werewolf 47:40 - Shadow Hunters 48:09 - Secret Hitler 49:15 - Blood on the Clocktower 50:50 - "The Dice Game" 52:00 - For the King (and Me) 52:41 - Ra: The Dice Game Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarra

Look, when we made those resolutions in episode 105, how were we to know? The world exploded, and here we are, one year later, sheepishly looking back on the goals we set. But we're not beaten yet, we cast our minds forward (always forward, never back) and set our sights on our resolutions for 2021. Before we make promises we definitely will keep, we talk about Sprawlopolis, Bandada, and Terramara. 02:15 - Sprawlopolis 09:06 - Bandada 13:53 - Terramara 23:51 - Revisiting 2020's Resolutions 27:09 - 2021 Resolutions 31:05 - Cthulhu Wars 36:14 - Anachrony: Infinity Box 37:29 - Import/Export 38:31 - Carnegie 40:05 - Rising Sun 40:52 - Tainted Grail 44:44 - Board Game Barrage Facebook Group! 45:44 - War of the Ring: Second Edition 46:42 - Red Rising Visit our new Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store Check out the Kickstarter for Bandada: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bandada/bandada Join the discussion at: htt

We've been doing it a lot lately, so we thought we'd reflect on the ways that we evaluate our favourite games. How do you even begin to compare extremely dissimilar games, some party, some strategy? The process of making and ordering our lists is a fun challenge every year, and one we'd recommend you try too! Before we make hard choices, we talk about Medici: The Dice Game, The Gallerist, and Iberian Gauge. 02:20 - Medici: The Dice Game 09:08 - The Gallerist 14:55 - Iberian Gauge 22:26 - How We Choose Favourites 26:02 - Tigris & Euphrates 28:04 - Power Grid 28:04 - Fresh Fish 32:53 - Telestrations 34:52 - Crokinole 36:28 - The Resistance 37:58 - Nanty Narking 39:22 - The King's Dilemma 40:04 - Beyond the Sun 41:33 - Eclipse 42:18 - CoraQuest 43:52 - CloudAge 44:21 - Board Game Barrage T-Shirts! 45:22 - Listener Top 20 Submissions! Submit your top 20 games at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/top20 Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store Check out the Kickstarter for CoraQu

It's the big one! We've come at last to the grand finale of the Board Game Barrage Top 50 Games of All Time ... Top. Ten. Baby. These are our absolute favourite games, forty (thirty?) all together, that we'd just about never turn down a game of. Thanks for joining us on this ride, it's been wild. 09:36 - Christina #10 - I'm the Boss! 12:34 - Kellen #10 - Cosmic Encounter 15:18 - Mark #10 - El Grande 15:36 - Neilan #10 - Codenames 18:09 - Christina #9 - Twice as Clever! 20:48 - Kellen #9 - Coloretto 23:56 - Mark #9 - Time's Up! Title Recall! 24:20 - Neilan #9 - Pictomania 28:46 - Christina #8 - Blood Rage 33:38 - Kellen #8 - The Resistance 33:50 - Mark #8 - 1830: Railways & Robber Barons 35:58 - Neilan #8 - Guards of Atlantis 39:14 - Christina #7 - The Voyages of Marco Polo 42:28 - Kellen #7 - Inis 50:25 - Mark #7 - Brass: Lancashire 53:44 - Neilan #7 - Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar 55:36 - Christina #6 - Troyes 55:45 - Kellen #6 - El Grande 55:57 - Mark #6 - The Estates 59:51 - Neilan #6 - Sidereal Conflue

We're moving into the terrible teens of the Board Game Barrage Top 50 Games of All Time. I learned all I know about American teenagers from TV, so I assume this is where all the sex and drugs come in. Let's get to it then, forty (roughly) more games that we simply adore. As the list goes on, they only get better and better. That is, after all, the premise. 01:46 - Kellen #29 (Correction) - A Fake Artist Goes to New York 05:01 - Kellen #20 - Ingenious 08:06 - Mark #20 - Cthulhu Wars 11:27 - Neilan #20 - Blue Lagoon 15:01 - Christina #20 - Food Chain Magnate 18:47 - Kellen #19 - Genoa 23:26 - Mark #19 - Archipelago 25:53 - Neilan #19 - Dominion 28:51 - Christina #19 - Taj Mahal 32:32  - Kellen #18 - I'm the Boss! 36:33 - Mark #18 - Tigris & Euphrates 28:55  - Neilan #18 - Taj Mahal 39:44 - Christina #18 - Mezo 45:23 - Kellen #17 - The Game 47:16 - Mark #17 - Dominant Species 49:48 - Neilan #17 - Alchemists 52:31 - Christina #17 - Babylonia 56:50 - Kellen #16 - Telestrations 59:08 - Mark #16 - 1846: The Race

It's the dark middle chapter of the Board Game Barrage Top 50 Games of All Time. Time to call in a new director, change things up, and get subversive. Well, if there were any directors who'd still work with us. This week, we're barreling through our twenties in what we like to call reverse numerical order. Here's forty (odd) more games that we absolutely adore, and hope you will too. 02:45 - Mark #30 - Container 05:38 - Neilan #30 - Azul 05:46 - Christina #30 - Azul 08:54 - Kellen #30 - Zendo 11:42 - Mark #29 - Age of Steam 13:37 - Neilan #29 - Coloretto 15:12 - Christina #29 - Beyond the Sun 20:03 - Kellen #29 - Hanabi 22:52 - Mark #28 - Pax Renaissance 25:20 - Neilan #28 - Archipelago 28:03 - Christina #28 - Hansa Teutonica 30:02 - Kellen #28 - Krass Kariert/Dealt 32:50 - Mark #27 - Maracaibo 35:46 - Neilan #27 - Twice as Clever! 39:05 - Christina #27 - Glory to Rome 41:41 - Kellen #27 - Taj Mahal 44:49 - Mark #26 - City of the Big Shoulders 47:25 - Neilan #26 - Werewords 49:22 - Christina #26 - Modern Art

Now we're getting into the thick of it, in fact some are calling it the most ambitious Part II released in any medium. It's the Board Game Barrage Top 50 Games of All Time! We're in our thirties (even if we wish we weren't) and it's full speed ahead. That's forty(ish) more games, and ten spots closer to the grand finale. Now that we've got this train going, there's no stopping it. 01:06 - Neilan #40 - In the Year of the Dragon 03:19 - Christina #40 - Fuji Flush 05:39 - Kellen #40 - Rumble Nation 06:55 - Mark #40 - Pipeline 09:00 - Neilan #39 - Orléans 11:04 - Christina #39 - Cheating Moth 13:28 - Kellen #39 - Eye My Favorite Things 15:28 - Mark #39 - A Question of Scruples 17:26 - Neilan #38 - Hansa Teutonica 18:52 - Christina #38 - Carnival of Monsters 21:16 - Kellen #38 - Maskmen 22:22 - Mark #38 - Genoa 24:27 - Neilan #37 - Agricola 25:48 - Christina #37 - Ohanami 27:10 - Kellen #37 - Throne and the Grail 29:20 - Mark #37 - Ricochet Robots 31:59 - Neilan #36 - Yellow & Yangtze 34:15 - Christina #36 - S

It's here at last, the big event! Yes, it's the first episode of the yearly ritual we inventively call the Board Game Barrage Top 50 Games of All Time. And this year, for the first time, the Blue Tank, Christina is weighing in too. That's forty incredible games to kick us off! Join us in the weeks ahead as we sing the praises of our absolute favourite board games, because we're just getting started. 03:20 - Happy Salmon 04:20 - Piñata/Balloon Cup 04:56 - Bruges 05:32 - Air, Land, & Sea 06:55 - Christina #50 - Clank! 08:36 - Kellen #50 - Root 11:14 - Mark #50 - Innovation 12:58 - Neilan #50 - Modern Art 14:36 - Christina #49 - Fresh Fish 15:51 - Kellen #49 - Cursed Court 18:19 - Mark #49 - Blue Lagoon 21:02 - Neilan #49 - Sol: Last Days of a Star 22:53 - Christina #48 - Diamant/Incan Gold 25:24 - Kellen #48 - Wizard 26:49 - Mark #48 - Chaos in the Old World 28:07 - Neilan #48 - Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne 30:06 - Christina #47 - Decrypto 32:10 - Kellen #47 - Blood Rage 33:54 - Mark #47 - Pictomania 3

Heads set firmly forward, we reflect on what's been a completely wild year. Despite our complete inability to play a lot of them, board games did happen, so we take a bit of time to talk about the biggest surprises and disappointments. Finally, we cast our mind ahead to the games we're looking forward to playing in 2021. Before we try to forget, we talk about Paris, The Fox in the Forest, and Cthulhu Wars: Duel. 02:27 - Paris 12:12 - The Fox in the Forest 16:58 - Cthulhu Wars: Duel 29:14 - Reflections on 2020 36:02 - 2020's Best Surprises 36:54 - Beyond the Sun 39:47 - The Red Cathedral 41:02 - Nova Luna 43:22 - 2020's Biggest Disappointments 44:16 - Tang Garden 44:45 - Troyes Dice 45:13 - Crystal Palace 46:41 - Sanctum 48:55 - Games to Play in 2021 49:21 - My City 49:56 - Dwellings of Eldervale 51:26 - Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road 51:42 - Dominant Species: Marine 52:20 - Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy 53:39 - Ankh: Gods of Egypt Check out Kellen's review of Cthulhu Wars: Duel here: https://boardga

'Tis the season, and if you're me, your first thought around this time of year is, "How many people can I just buy board games for?" But not all board game gifts are created equal! No, no, no, we need to find the best. So, of course, we put BGBBOB on the case. Before we start stocking stuffings, we talk about Pandemic: Fall of Rome, and Rajas of the Ganges: The Dice Charmers. 06:07 - Pandemic: Fall of Rome 13:31 - Rajas of the Ganges: The Dice Charmers 18:18 - Rajas of the Ganges 20:23 - BGBBOB: Board Game Gifts 21:39 - SHH 23:11 - Codenames 26:38 - Just One 27:00 - The Quest for El Dorado 29:31 - Modern Art 30:21 - Werewords 33:38 - Insider 35:38 - Unmatched 38:44 - Biblios 41:19 - Illusion 46:33 - Azul 48:40 - Fast Sloths https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

There's so much going on in board game land all of the time that it can be hard to know where to focus your attention. So, this week, we each give an example of people, publishers, and sites that we've been keeping an eye on, that we think you might want to as well. Before we turn your gaze, we talk about New York Zoo, Targi, Throne and the Grail, and The Red Cathedral. 02:07 - New York Zoo 02:40 - Bärenpark 10:36 - Targi 14:36 - Throne and the Grail 18:47 - Imperial Struggle 20:33 - The Red Cathedral 28:13 - Things to pay attention to 28:32 - Dire Wolf Digital and Paul Dennen 33:06 - Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne 35:11 - New Release Lists 45:00 - Kramer & Kiesling 45:52 - Riverboat 53:40 - Paris Check out Steph Hodge's blog: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/3802/all-meeples-rainbow https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

Gobble gobble, you got got! We wouldn't leave you hanging when there's important work to be done. Happy Thanksgiving! 02:54 - Marco Pollo: Sultry Poultry Edition 04:01 - Startups 05:33 - New York Zoo 06:49 - Hang on Harvey 09:27 - Fast Sloths 11:43 - ICECOOL 13:47 - Root: The Underworld Expansion 15:21 - Mariposas 16:25 - Fafnir 17:52 - Pokémon Trading Card Game 20:19 - Loopin' Louie 21:55 - Biblios https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

Boy, what a year it's been for accumulating games that we can't play. The shelf of shame, the collection of games we own that are yet to see a single play, has been steadily growing, and it's about time we pruned it. We check in on the games most deserving of that first play. Before we take a walk of shame, we talk about Sonora, Troyes Dice, Macao, Quantum, and Rurik: Dawn of Kiev. 01:49 - Sonora 04:17 - Troyes Dice 07:14 - Macao 08:22 - The Castles of Burgundy 09:41 - Quantum 16:30 - Rurik: Dawn of Kiev 30:55 - Shelf of Shame update 40:12 - Star Wars: Rebellion 40:59 - Maracaibo 42:04 - Stock hold'em 45:25 - Bioshock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia 47:10 - Antike II https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

Put on your thick socks, wrap yourself in a blanket, and get comfortable with us in front of the fire. We're using our patent pending formula (aka BGBBOB) to find the best heart warming comfort games. Twelve board games enter, and ... twelve leave, but arranged in the scientifically correct order. Before we get comfortable, we talk about The Castles of Tuscany, Cooper Island, and SCOUT! 02:41 - The Castles of Tuscany 12:32 - Cooper Island 20:02 - SCOUT! 31:02 - Dominion 32:12 - Lost Cities 36:16 - Patchwork 36:42 - Telestrations 38:50 - Wizard 40:06 - The Game 43:09 - Coloretto 44:05 - San Juan 45:43 - Scrabble 47:52 - Sushi Go! 52:25 - Biblios 55:11 - Splendor https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

At least in some things, you've got to give a little to get a little, but what would you give to get what you want? We're coming up with our big board game compromises, the things we'd happily trade away to fix some of our biggest frustrations.  Before we deal with the devil, we talk about Lost Ruins of Arnak, Ohanami, and Beyond the Sun. 01:49 - Lost Ruins of Arnak 02:39 - Dune: Imperium 13:47 - Ohanami 13:47 - The Game 21:53 - Beyond the Sun 22:42 - Innovation 27:52 - Through the Ages 38:38 - Board Game Compromises 39:22 - Cthulhu Wars (aka Squares vs. Circles vs. Triangles) 42:49 - Kemet 46:14 - A Feast for Odin 48:14 - Brass: Lancashire 48:14 - Brass: Birmingham 48:47 - Nemesis 49:20 - Biblios https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

Essen SPIEL is the latest of the conventions in 2020 to go digital, which is convenient for us, because we weren't about to fly to Germany any time soon. We perused the upcoming games that were showcased as part of the event, and picked our favourites to talk about. It's a top 5! Before we virtually convene, we talk about Babylonia, Veiled Fate, and Dune: Imperium. 02:29 - Babylonia 15:09 - Veiled Fate 25:37 - Dune: Imperium 35:35 - Essen SPIEL 2020 Review 37:58 - Paris 40:05 - Paleo 41:32 - Beez 43:06 - Venice 45:11 - Clever hoch Drei 46:44 - Coyote 48:33 - The Red Cathedral 50:05 - Master Word 51:56 - Troyes Dice 53:05 - Faiyum 54:32 - CloudAge 55:55 - Krazy Pix 57:34 - Anno 1800 59:52 - Polynesia 01:01:10 - Beyond the Sun https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

We weren't going to let Kellen have the last word on what makes the perfect $100 collection, so the 139 squad is here to finish it out. Forgot the premise? You've lost all your board games, and only have $100 to rebuild it; what do you buy first? Before we make every penny count, we talk about Cosmic Encounter Duel, Hundreds of Horses, Billionaire Banshee, and Floor Plan. 03:45 - Cosmic Encounter Duel 11:53 - Hundreds of Horses 14:21 - Billionaire Banshee 17:50 - Floor Plan 23:08 - Mark's $100 Collection 23:53 - Biblios 24:40 - Arboretum 25:49 - The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine 26:34 - Race for the Galaxy 27:31 - The Estates 28:30 - Are You A Robot? 30:37 - Christina's $100 Collection 31:14 - Innovation 32:28 - Coloretto 33:24 - SiXeS 34:31 - Hanabi 36:00 - Troyes 39:54 - Neilan's $100 Collection 40:35 - Blue Lagoon 41:59 - Twice as Clever! 43:17 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant 44:43 - The Resistance: Avalon Check out our $100 Collection Geeklist, and add your own: https: