We made it! We’ve arrived at last at the final ten games, in fact, our TOP TEN favourite games of all time. Thanks for joining us again on this yearly pilgrimage, as always it’s the journey that’s the important thing – but that’s not to say that there isn’t some exciting moving and shaking to happen at the destination. That said, it’s time to pass out on the couch.
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.
Here it is, the one we’ve all been waiting for, the Board Game Barrage top ten games of all time! It’s been a long road and we’ll wrap it up by seeing some old favourites … and maybe a few new faces? Old or new, these are the thirty games we enjoy the most (at least, right now.) We loved sharing these lists with you and hope you’ve enjoyed listening to them!
We’re spread across the world and time, so we do the thing we should never do; we put the questions to you. Yes, you! It’s a mailbag episode, we’re answering a trio, a trilogy, a trichopteran of your questions. Before we put in our hand and pull out a letter, we talk about Caesar!: Seize Rome in 20 Minutes!, Symphony No.9, and Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen.
Yes, you could make the argument that every game is a negotiation game if you try hard enough, but for a lot of games it’s more integral to the design. We look at games that we think integrate negotiation mechanics especially well, and ask how much is too much (or too little) when it comes to negotiation. Before we compromise, we talk about Septima, and Kremlin.
Return of the Bob! If you don’t know what a BGBBOB, boy you’ve missed out. Twelve games enter, and, well, they all exit, but only once they’ve been arranged in the appropriate order via a series of one on one fights. And fights are doubly appropriate this week, because we’re battling it out in search of the best combat systems. Before we wish for peace, we talk about 7 Wonders: Architects, Kokopelli, and Canopy.
It’s the grand finale of the event of events that is the BGB Top 50 Games of All-time! These are our ten absolute favourite games, and, fittingly, it’s a bumper episode with more than one surprise. Joining us in the peanut gallery this week, it’s none other than the manic imp of Shut Up & Sit Down himself, the absolute mad genius that is Tom Brewster. Buckle in, it’s going to get weird.
Looking back on the past made us all reflective. For instance, remember 166 episodes ago when we promised to play all those games on our shelves of shame? I thought you might. We’re revisiting our crimes of yesteryear, and checking in on how guilty we are. Before we audit our past selves, we talk about Warp’s Edge, Carolus Magnus, and Unfathomable.
The split between Eurogame and Ameritrash gamers is as old as it it is silly, but in the last ten years it’s also become a lot more nebulous. It’s less clear than ever which side of the fence games fall on, so why still use these archaic labels at all? Maybe it’s time for a change. Before we heal the divide, we talk about Hostage Negotiator, Juicy Fruits, Sleeping Gods, and Witchstone.
If you’ve ever been a board game host, then you know it’s not always just about playing games, it’s about creating lasting memories for everyone playing. We’d never leave that to chance though, so of course we’re often going out of our way to make a board game experience memorable. Before we do the unforgettable, we talk about Khôra: Rise of an Empire, Dune: Betrayal, and Santa Maria.