#298: Top 50 Games of All-Time 2023: 20-11

We're back with the terrible acronym and the branding nightmare that is BGBDOG - I don't even know what it stands for to be honest, but this week we're turning the spotlight on an incredible force in the industry, Vlaada Chvátil, touring his incredible games all the way through to the true modern classic that is Codenames. Before we check in on our favourite Czech, we talk about Wyrmspan, 3 Ring Circus, and La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War.

02:01 - Wyrmspan
12:29 - 3 Ring Circus
23:29 - La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War
39:39 - Vlaada Chvátil
42:32 - Arena: Morituri te salutant
47:47 - Prophecy
50:09 - Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization
52:58 - Galaxy Trucker
54:44 - Mage Knight
56:13 - Codenames
57:26 - Space Alert
58:03 - Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

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We're in the thick of 2024 now, but there's still plenty more to come - and with that vast undiscovered country (as my father called it) ahead of us, we have loads of games to look forward to. But not all hype is made equally, so here are the ones we're most excited about. Before we mark our calendars, we talk about Savage Bowl: Trick Taking Game, Rear Window, and Cuba.

01:44 - Savage Bowl: Trick Taking Game 
10:19 - Rear Window
17:42 - Cuba
27:48 - Most Anticipated Games of 2024
28:42 - Cities
32:41 - The Same Game
38:00 - We're Sinking!
40:50 - Keyside
42:45 - Arcs
45:00 - Mordred
47:34 - Civolution
48:55 - Undaunted 2200: Callisto
49:48 - Spectral
50:26 - Cysmic
50:58 - Red Dust Rebellion
51:22 - A Gest of Robin Hood
51:48 - Congress of Vienna
52:09 - Cthulhu: Dark Providence
52:47 - Slay the Spire: The Board Game
54:14 - RoboMon
54:58 - Cascadero

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Three hundredth episode! But no time to celebrate, we're deep in the new year now, which means it's back to your regularly scheduled podcast, and it's time to reflect on the year past, and contemplate what lays ahead for us in a post-300 world. That's right, we're paying for the crimes of last year's resolutions. Before we look a little back, but mostly forward, we talk about Orichalcum, Mino Dice, and Last Light.

01:46 - Orichalcum
12:42 - Mino Dice
20:08 - Last Light
34:34 - Revisiting Mark's 2023 Resolutions
39:24 - Revisiting Neilan's 2023 Resolutions
42:11 - Revisiting Kellen's 2023 Resolutions
45:59 - Mark's 2024 Resolutions
48:50 - Neilan's 2024 Resolutions
42:20 - Kellen's 2024 Resolutions
56:32 - BGB in 2024?

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We made it! We've arrived at last at the final ten(-ish) games, in fact, our TOP TEN (or so?) 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.

01:34 - Neilan #10 - The Resistance
05:00 - Mark #11 - Caylus 1303
05:51 - Mark #10 - Arboretum
07:39 - Kellen #10 - Dominion
11:11 - Neilan #9 - The Oracle of Delphi
12:35 - Mark #9 - Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020
16:33 - Kellen #9 - Telestrations
18:38 - Neilan #8 - The Search for Planet X
20:40 - Mark #8 - Marvel Champions: The Card Game
23:14 - Kellen #8 - Inis
24:37 - Neilan #7 - Pictomania
26:17 - Mark #7 - Time's Up!
27:33 - Kellen #7 - El Grande
30:06 - Neilan #6 - Alchemists
32:42 - Mark #6 - Fresh Fish
35:07 - Kellen #6 - Wizard
39:14 - Neilan #5 - Time's Up! 
40:11 - Kellen #5 - Time's Up!
41:39 - Mark #5 - Brass: Lancashire
43:30 - Neilan #4 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant
48:34 - Mark #4 - Bus
50:55 - Kellen #4 - Archipelago
54:52 - Neilan #3 - Blood on the Clocktower
57:04 - Mark #3 - The Estates
1:00:02 - Kellen #3 - Dune
1:03:50 - Neilan #2 - A Feast for Odin
1:05:55 - Mark #2 - Agricola
1:08:52 - Kellen #2 - Cthulhu Wars
1:11:50 - Neilan #1 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
1:14:57 - Mark #1 - Biblios
1:16:03 - Kellen #1 - Innovation

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We're almost bursting at the seams, but there's room for a little more. It's the penultimate episode of our five part series, the Top 50 games of all-time! We're moving on to our 20th to 11th favourite games, which means it's time for some big risers and dramatic falls. Make yourself a coffee (sugar's over there in the corner), it's not time to sleep just yet.

03:45 - Kellen #20 - Cosmic Encounter
06:25 - Neilan #20 - Ra
08:09 - Mark #20 - Stationfall
11:25 - Kellen #19 - Lords of Vegas
13:18 - Neilan #19 - Patchwork
15:51 - Mark #19 - Glen More II: Chronicles
19:16 - Kellen #18 - Omen: A Reign of War
21:45 - Neilan #18 - Stationfall
24:05 - Mark #18 - Tigris & Euphrates
26:10 - Kellen #17 - Insider
29:45 - Neilan #17 - Taj Mahal
31:45 - Mark #17 - El Grande
33:33 - Kellen #16 - Fuji Flush
35:01 - Neilan #16 - Guards of Atlantis II
36:26 - Mark #16 - Chicago Express
38:13 - Kellen #15 - Maskmen
40:39 - Neilan #15 - Exit: The Game
42:31 - Mark #15 - Imperial 2030
44:22 - Kellen #14 - Babylonia
46:22 - Neilan #14 - Blue Lagoon
47:57 - Mark #14 - Lancaster
50:14 - Kellen #13 - The Resistance: Avalon
51:01 - Neilan #13 - Cthulhu Wars
51:46 - Mark #13 - Ra
53:06 - Kellen #12 - A Study in Emerald (Second Edition)
55:50 - Neilan #12 - Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
57:54 - Mark #12 - Age of Steam
59:52 - Kellen #11 - Troyes
1:03:06 - Neilan #11 - Brass: Birmingham
1:05:58 - Mark #11 - Race for the Galaxy

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It's a new year which is an awkward time to be right in the middle of something, but we're doing a thing here. It's part three of our Top 50 games of all-time! This week it's our 30th to 21st favourite games, and this is where things start to get spicy. This is like five chilis next to the menu item hotness we're talking. Grab a bib and join us for another course!

03:45 - Mark #30 - Cuba Libre
04:08 - Kellen #30 - Coloretto
05:58 - Neilan #30 - Watson & Holmes
07:28 - Mark #29 - Stephenson's Rocket
09:06 - Kellen #29 - So Clover!
10:22 - Neilan #29 - Undaunted: Stalingrad
12:18 - Mark #28 - 1830: Railways & Robber Barons
13:59 - Kellen #28 - Keyflower
15:34 - Neilan #28 - Gaia Project
16:55 - Mark #27 - Tramways
18:47 - Kellen #27 - Hansa Teutonica
20:06 - Neilan #27 - War of the Ring: Second Edition
22:09 - Mark #26 - Modern Art
23:38 - Kellen #26 - SCOUT
25:06 - Neilan #26 - Yellow & Yangtze
26:09 - Mark #25 - Hansa Teutonica
28:01 - Kellen #25 - Glory to Rome
29:39 - Neilan #25 - Scythe
31:39 - Mark #24 - Container
32:50 - Kellen #24 - American Bookshop
34:34 - Neilan #24 - Decrypto
35:54 - Mark #23 - La Granja
37:36 - Kellen #23 - I'm the Boss!
39:32 - Neilan #23 - The Quest for El Dorado
40:26 - Mark #22 - Pax Pamir: Second Edition
43:09 - Kellen #22 - Diplomacy
44:17 - Neilan #22 - Gloomhaven
45:43 - Mark #21 - Pictomania
47:39 - Kellen #21 - Decrypto
49:30 - Neilan #21 - Hansa Teutonica

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It's the second leg of the grand tour that is the top fifty. This week, we're doing our 40th to 31st favourite games ... of all time! It's almost like Christmas just keeps going! Grab a glass of sherry and join us by the fire, we're not about to stop any time soon.

01:21 - Neilan #40 - Bus
03:52 - Mark #40 - Panic on Wall Street!
05:38 - Kellen #40 - Pax Porfiriana
08:56 - Neilan #39 - In the Year of the Dragon
10:33 - Mark #39 - Ark Nova
12:04 - Kellen #39 - Seas of Strife
14:55 - Neilan #38 - Inis
16:29 - Mark #38 - Hanabi
18:19 - Kellen #38 - Codenames
19:59 - Neilan #37 - Iberian Gauge
21:43 - Mark #37 - Anomia
24:26 - Kellen #37 - Food Chain Magnate
26:33 - Neilan #36 - Codenames
27:32 - Mark #36  - Lords of Vegas
28:53 - Kellen #36 - Rumble Nation
30:26 - Neilan #35 - Azul
31:19 - Mark #35 - Dungeon Fighter
33:35 - Kellen #35 - Wind the Film! / Photograph
35:47 - Neilan #34 - Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
38:01 - Mark #34 - Tycoon: India 1981
40:39 - Kellen #34 - Square on Sale
42:26 - Neilan #33 - Werewords
44:06 - Mark #33 - Genoa
45:29 - Kellen #33 - Imperial 2030
47:19 - Neilan #32 - Twice as Clever!
48:35 - Mark #32 - Merkator
50:55 - Kellen #32 - Cockroach Poker
52:33 - Neilan #31 - Kemet
53:29 - Mark #31 - Blue Lagoon
54:56 - Kellen #31 - Bruges

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It's tiiiiiiime! It's the top fifty! That's right, the much anticipated, much celebrated, much imitated (we definitely did it first) event of the season is here. We're counting down each of our favourite fifty games of all time! Or at least, for right now! It's a beautiful, beautiful thing, and we'd love if you pulled up a chair and joined us for it.

06:36 - Kellen #50 - Santiago
07:59 - Neilan #50 - Jaipur
09:30 - Mark #50 - Findorff
11:22 - Kellen #49 - Genoa
12:37 - Neilan #49 - The Great Zimbabwe
14:32 - Mark #49 - Jump Drive
16:02 - Kellen #48 - 6 nimmt!
17:31 - Neilan #48 - Fun Facts
19:09 - Mark #48 - Cthulhu Wars
20:43 - Kellen #47 - Balderdash
22:24 - Neilan #47 - Splendor & Splendor Duel
24:38 - Mark #47 - Dominant Species
26:35 - Kellen #46 - Race for the Galaxy
27:45 - Neilan #46 - Cuzco
29:43 - Mark #46 - Ricochet Robots
31:57 - Kellen #45 - Feed the Kraken
33:57 - Neilan #45 - Mille Fiori
35:24 - Mark #45 - Splendor
37:38 - Kellen #44 - Root
39:22 - Neilan #44 - Challengers!
42:03 - Mark #44 - German Railways
43:24 - Kellen #43 - Acquire
45:11 - Neilan #43 - Anachrony
46:54 - Mark #43 - Signorie
48:33 - Kellen #42 - Brass: Lancashire
50:23 - Neilan #42 - Innovation
51:44 - Mark #42 - Smartphone Inc.
53:13 - Kellen #41 - Startups
54:48 - Neilan #41 - Ark Nova
56:00 - Mark #41 - Dune: Imperium

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PAX Unplugged was a blast, and we played so much stuff that we're dying to tell you about - many of them with our beloved listeners. We braved the cold and the rain of Philadelphia, on the other side of the country, to bring you this episode jam-packed with games - so there's no room for any dilly dallying. Hits include Forest Shuffle, Arcs, Findorff ... and loads more!

02:14 - 5 Towers
06:57 - Nigoichi
11:01 - Cabanga!
15:00 - Age of Steam
17:33 - Falling
20:36 - Infiltraitors
24:38 - Tangram City
28:19 - The Great Zimbabwe
30:40 - Schadenfreude
35:57 - Forest Shuffle
40:35 - Arcs
48:36 - Findorff

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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.

Timecodes:

02:36 - General Orders: World War II
11:47 - Oak
20:24 - Big Boss
31:20 - The great epochs of board games
31:45 - The First Epoch
33:17 - The Royal Game of Ur
34:37 - Senet
43:23 - The Second Epoch
44:50 - Monopoly
48:11 - Risk
50:29 - Operation
56:23 - The Third Epoch
57:22 - Catan
1:02:33 - Dominion
1:20:19 - The Fourth Epoch

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