In what could be our most grandiose episode yet, we attempt to tame the wild history of all of board games. We traverse the timeline, unpacking what we consider to be the great epochs of the hobby, in an attempt to explain how modern game design evolved into its present form. Before we unpack the deep lore, we talk about General Orders: World War II, Oak, and Big Boss.
Uh oh, is that thunder? That must mean it’s time for a lightning round – we’re scooping up all the lovely questions and suggestions that just aren’t big enough for the main event, and stuffing them in the blender. This week, it’s public spaces, warning labels, gaming tips, and PAX Unplugged. Before we put fingers on buzzers, we talk about Gift of Tulips, Five Three Five, and Anunnaki: Dawn of the Gods.
Drafts are back, baby. And not just any old draft, no, but to celebrate the return of the greatest game, we’re drafting none other than the best of the only true and living doctor, Reiner Knizia. Who ends up with the best list? Vote for your favourite, you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before we doc it up, we talk about Empire’s End, My Favourite Things, and Four Horsemen.
Are board games stuck? Not to be dramatic or anything, but it does seem like we keep circling the same ideas over and over again, right? We speculate on where we think the hobby is headed, and whether or not it needs a shake up. Before we plateau, we talk about Orchard, Hadrian’s Wall, Terracotta Army, and Santiago.
It’s almost time for Essen SPIEL 2023, the great German Mecca of our people – and while we’re not going ourselves, that’s not going to stop us yearning. We’re hear to tell you about all the amazing games available at the show this year that you ought to be excited about. Before we gaze longingly across the Atlantic, we talk about Asara, Skytear Horde, and Dwellings of Eldervale.
A little prune, a little embellish, a nip, a tuck, and a flourish, and we can get this thing just how we like it. We’re looking at all the little things that we’d like to see more of, all the things we’d like to see less of in the world of board games. Before we giveth and taketh away, we talk about First in Flight, Tramways, and Wandering Towers.
Timing is everything, which is why it’s so important that this episode came out when it did. Had we made it too early, it would have felt dated, and any later, you wouldn’t have been ready for it. Before it’s about time, we talk about Planet etuC, Undaunted: Stalingrad, Undaunted: Battle of Britain, and Tycoon: India 1981.
I leave for one episode and these idiots are talking about eating board games. Hard hitting questions for hard hitting board game journalists, Mark & Kellen are on the scene reporting in. Before we claw our way back from this, we talk about Power & Weakness, Haggis, and Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game.
A solid end game trigger can be such an overlooked part of the design of a game. The conventional wisdom for most things is to start strong and finish strong, so we look at some of our favourite ways that games can end. Before we reach the end of the road, we talk about Robot Quest Arena, Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020, and Expeditions.
It’s convention season, and the big one is almost upon us, as board gamers across America prepare to descend on Indiana. Gen Con! We won’t be there this year, but that won’t stop us anticipating what we could be playing at the show. Before we want what we can’t have, we talk about Fancy Feathers, Beast, Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020, and Mercator.