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.
Not all are as blessed as we are by the gift of truly original thought, and so many turn to others for inspiration. Whether it’s Newton standing on the shoulders of giants, or stealing from our rich neighbour Xerox, many great ideas are born from what has come before. Before we make the inspired choice, we talk about Masters of Renaissance: Lorenzo il Magnifico – The Card Game, Innovation Ultimate, and Dawn of Ulos.
We’re lucky to have covered wide swathes of the board game world, but there was a time when some of those things were aspirational. Like achievements to cross off on the great board game check list … or like that Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson movie. You know they invented that phrase? Wild. Before we make our list, we talk about Municipium, and Yucatan.
We can all agree the Golden Geeks peaked last year, but I suppose we can continue the facade if we must. Nominees are out for BoardGameGeek’s annual awards, and as the presiding champions of taste, we’re declaring our favourites. Before we prognosticate, we talk about Spots, Big City, and Horseless Carriage.
We’ve reached the penultimate part of our five part series, the great series that is sometimes called our top fifty greatest games of all time! We’re barreling close to the end now, but not without a lot of moving and shaking first. Here’s another fine selection of thirty amazing games we love.
Two hundred and fifty episodes. That’s … a lot of episodes. That’s a lot of time! And, boy, things have changed around here. Well some things. We look at what’s different in the hobby since we started doing this whole thing. Before we cast our minds back, we talk about Stone Age, Blood on the Clocktower, Hansa Teutonica, and Aegean Sea.
Games are getting bigger and more lavish, especially in the age of crowdfunding, but how far is too far? How many luxury bits, giant boxes of minis, and silk-screened wooden meeples until it’s all gone a bit far? Before we dress for excess, we talk about Habitats, Blood on the Clocktower, Twilight Inscription, and It’s a Wonderful Kingdom.
Gen Con is a week away! We’re headed to Indianapolis (hope to see you there!) but before we do, we’re looking down the preview list to get ourselves hyped. These are our five games we’re each most excited to see at the show! Before we go Indy, we talk about Vabanque, Orongo, and Blood on the Clocktower.
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.
We’re joined by the Blue Tank for a quick look back at SHUX, before we dive into a discussion on games that are better than their mechanics suggest. These are games that we might describe as not very good, but somehow still give us incredible experiences that we find distinct and unique. But that makes them good, right? Before we lose all credibility, we talk about Kingdomino Duel, Panic on Wall Street!, and Blood on the Clocktower.