Episode 38: Badlands

In April 2016, Kathleen and I played a game that crushed me in disappointment. Checking nearly every box of my gamer wishlist, Sentinels of the Multiverse came into our one bedroom apartment and left a trail of ardent thumbs down in its wake. Alas, it was not a good fit on nearly any level. It departed our collection scant weeks later in a box bound for the local Goodwill.

Fast forward six years, and Greater Than Games has released what they've designated the "Definitive Edition," promising better gameplay, better balance, better synergy, and better artwork.

Can this "Definitive Edition" make good on promises broken years after the fact??

Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Definitive Edition
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/335212/sentinels-multiverse-definitive-edition

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

If you've listened to our podcast before or know our gaming history, you probably know that Kathleen and I came to the hobby from Magic: The Gathering. That being said, once we left Magic behind, we didn't look back. Magic: The Gathering and other head-to-head dueling games just wasn't our bag any longer.

But what about Daniel Piechnick's Radlands?

Piechnick is a seasoned Magic: The Gathering player, and one read-through of the rules will prove he knows Magic's weak spots, because Radlands goes to great lengths to fix them. But is it enough to bring us back to solve our issues with the head-to-head dueling format... or not?

Radlands
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/329082/radlands

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

Thematically, it feels appropriate that we name this episode after a Powerwolf song, but that may just be because I've not played Bloodborne. Anyway, let's dive into this huge box of plastic Victorian-esque horrors as we look at the Eric Lang/Michael Shinall co-designed campaign dungeon crawler. I'm not huge on dungeon crawlers, and I'm even more not huge (huh?) on campaign games, so this sounds like a great fit!

Let's find out!

Bloodborne: The Board Game
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/273330/bloodborne-board-game

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

Deck building as a mechanic is a staple of the hobby, but one that we've both made clear isn't always enough to provide a satisfying gameplay experience. Add in a pretty niche theme and it seems like a recipe for disaster.

Or is it?

Well butter me up and call me a biscuit, because there's really something great here. Shame on my snobbery, but now I know. And knowing is half the battle!

Yes, that was truly inevitable.

G.I. Joe Deck-Building Game
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/343526/gi-joe-deck-building-game

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

We've gone dark since May 2021, and now we've entered 2022. I'm gettin' tired of reassessing where we are and our general mental and physical well-being, but here we are. Instead of getting mopey, let's talk about what games we're playing and what has made us happy over the past eight months.

Christmas always brings games to gamers homes, but that's not all we're talking about. Player 1 and Player 2 give quick catchups on big boxes of plastic MARVEL: Crisis Protocol, BLOODBORNE, and CLOUDSPIRE, as well as itty bitty card game VILLAGE GREEN.

Anyway, here's a new episode finally! Now with more GI Joe references? Hope you are well. Keep on hangin' in there.

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

On May 5, 2021, Marvel United: X-Men successfully funded on Kickstarter, raising nearly $6,000,000 of their $300,000 goal. I backed it, even though I've got some gripes with the 2020 release of Marvel United. Why did I back it? Because if I had even a passing interest in the game, I had to.

Why, you ask? Because Kickstarter, baby.

Let's take a look at 2020's Marvel United as an entity in and of itself, and then listen as we discuss how Kickstarter has left its mark on it, for better or for worse.

Marvel United
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/298047/marvel-united

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our new site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

The American Tabletop Awards have announced their winners for game of the year 2020, and we've just gotten the complex game of the year to the table... and we have thoughts! Now presenting, a deep and hungry pit of choice, waiting to swallow you and everything within kicking distance. Behold, Dominations: Road to Civilization!

But hey, it has three-sided dominos!

Dominations: Road to Civilization
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/250881/dominations-road-civilization

American Tabletop Awards
https://americantabletopawards.com/

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our new site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

A little over 18 months after our last Top 10 Favorite Games countdown finds us in much more subdued spirits, turning to comfort gaming--not too surprising! Some shake ups and some old standbys make their obligatory appearances. 

Ya know what took a beating in the last 18 months? Gloomhaven. Woof, how the mighty have fallen! 

The Previous List!
www.buzzsprout.com/199741/1768600-episode-16-still-the-one-a-top-10-list

Pubmeeple Ranking Engine
rankingengine.pubmeeple.com/

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our new site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

Uwe Rosenberg needs no introduction in regard to worker placement games. Agricola, Le Havre, Caverna, A Feast for Odin, Fields of Arle, At the Gates of Loyang, and a host of others have made him a legend in the community. Rather than make some more noise about one of his established "classics," we dive into Nusfjord, a slightly overlooked gem of his.

So why play Nusfjord instead of one of his others? Well, it brings its own unique elements and challenges to your table, proving this is one fish fry you may not want to miss.

Nusfjord by Uwe Rosenberg
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/234277/nusfjord

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
http://www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our blog!
http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

...and we're back. Six months is a long time, and it feels even longer in the dwindling days of a pandemic. Players One and Two have still been playing, still been talking, still been pushin' those cubes, but now they've turned the tape back on. 

It's easy to be dismissive of a gorgeous game about anthropomorphic animals building a delightfully adorable town, but is it a good game? Everdell didn't do much for us on the first few plays, finding itself relegated to the attic stock. Is a second look going to change things? 

Now with more Spirecrest!

Everdell by James A. Wilson
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199792/everdell

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
http://www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our blog!
http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com