BGB Podcast #172 – Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game

After last week’s love-fest made us all uncomfortable, we had to get back to what do best, spirited in-fighting. To that end, we’ve devised three debates around the same core: is that often criticized mechanic a design problem, or a player problem? Before we pit designers against players, we talk about Red Rising, Via Magica, and Alma Mater.

Check out the brand new Board Game Barrage Wiki!

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Timecodes:

00:48 – Golden Geek Awards
04:36 – Red Rising
14:21 – Rise of Augustus
14:53 – Via Magica
20:17 – Alma Mater
29:36 – Board Game Barrage Wiki!
32:26 – Design problem or player problem?
33:11 – Player elimination
36:47 – Skull
37:55 – Secret Hitler
38:29 – Food Chain Magnate
40:33 – Diplomacy
43:40 – Alpha gamers
46:34 – Spirit Island
47:00 – Pandemic
51:31 – Kingmaking
55:50 – Rising Sun
57:04 – Cthulhu Wars
57:42 – Inis

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.