Dictionary

Kellen's father, who listens to the show religiously despite hating board games and only agreeing to play Telestrations, decided that we need a dictionary of terminology. Who are we to deny his needs?

This dictionary contains definitions of Board Game Barrage's own unique vocabulary as well as common board game terms in wider use.

0-9

4X game - a game of exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination

A

abstract
area control

B

BGB BOB - an acronym of Board Game Barrage Battle of the Boards; a competitively ranked list
blocking

C

crunchy - the opposite of smooth; describing a game as having a lot to think about and hard decisions to make, #73 29:30
collectible card game -

D

deck building - a game design mechanic: ...
double crossover - a game that appears on the Top Games of All-Time list of precisely two tanks in a particular year
drafting - a game design mechanic: ...
dudes on a map - see area control

E

engine building

E

filler

G

ghost turkey - annual Board Game Barrage gift exchange tradition that takes place between Halloween and Thanksgiving

H

hate drafting - in a game where cards are selected via drafting, the practice of keeping a card in order to prevent another player from receiving its benefit, rather than to benefit directly from the card itself
hops - a Kellen specific term for piles (cards); (episode link pending)

K

klund - to learn a game by playing it, without reading the rules or having it taught to you; best attempted on a digital platform like Board Game Arena that enforces the rules
klundable - describing a game which it is possible to klund

L

living card game - often abbreviated to "LCG", a card game that constantly grows with regularly released expansions

M

meaty - implying a game is crunchy and heavy, #73 31:41
mechanic

O

The Only True and Living Doctor - Reiner Knizia, prolific and much BGB-beloved game designer

P

polyomino - a shape formed of multiple squares.

Examples include traditional dominoes made of two squares, Tetris pieces made of four squares (which are specifically "tetrominoes" hence the name of that game).

programming - a game design mechanic that allows players to select multiple sequential actions simultaneously and then reveal and execute them
push your luck - a game design mechanic that allows players to choose between taking existing gains, or risking them in the hope of gaining more

Q

quadruple crossover - a game that appears on the Top Games of All-Time list of all four tanks in a particular year

R

RORI (pronounced, "roary") - an acronym of "Return on Rules Investment" as discussed in Episode 180: The Rules of Investing.
roll and write - a game design mechanic:

S

science-based fiction - what everyone in the world, except Kellen, knows as science fiction, #184 3:13
semi-coop or semi-cooperative - a game design mechanic that allows some, all or none of the players to; win a game outright or achieve a goal within a game
smooth - the opposite of crunchy; describing a game where the decisions flow somewhat effortlessly, #73 31:05
snake - adjective to describe a game design mechanic, typically drafting or turn order in which turns are initially played from first player to last, but then reverse direction re-starting with the last player, so they go twice in a row; for example a three player snake turn order would have players go in the following order:

p1, p2, p3, (reverse direction)

p3, p2, p1, (reverse direction)

p1, p2 ... etc.

social deduction - games in which the goal is to identify the role of other players via social maneuvering, accusation and deduction

T

tech tree - less commonly "technology tree", a game design mechanic:
top decking - a game design mechanic: taking the top card from a face down deck of cards
triple crossover - a game that appears on the Top Games of All-Time list of precisely three tanks in a particular year

W

worker placement - a game design mechanic: ...

Y

yukvuk - a pejorative; idiot, dumbass

( full etymology #6 5:38 )