Board Game Barrage

After much consternation at his exclusion from our Mount Rushmore of games, we've decided to honour legendary designer Sid Sackson elsewhere - a BGB Designer Spotlight! I think these used to be called BGB DOGs but even Mark forgot about that bit of branding. Oh well. Before we make amends, we talk about Magicalligraphy, Hamlet: The Village Building Game, and Tournament at Camelot.

Timecodes:

01:33 - Schedule update
03:11 - Magicalligraphy
09:30 - Hamlet: The Village Building Game
19:48 - Tournament at Camelot
27:56 - Sid Sackson
30:14 - Piggly Wiggly
32:16 - High Spirits with Calvin and the Colonel
35:54 - Bazaar
39:28 - Focus/Domination
40:20 - I'm the Boss!
41:18 - Can't Stop
42:48 - Acquire

The Sid Sackson Portal:
https://sacksonportal.museumofplay.org

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We've reached the end of our fantasy draft series, the last in this increasingly dire list of games from which we pluck five gems each, and then get you to vote on your favourites. There's a (potential) $50 gift card in it for you! Before the last dance, we talk about Seas of Havoc, Whale to Look, and Dorfromantik: The Board Game.

Timecodes:

03:12 - Seas of Havoc
10:42 - Whale to Look
19:50 - Dorfromantik: The Board Game
29:10 - Drafting BGG's #901-1000
32:17 - Caylus 1303
33:43 - Ready Set Bet
36:03 - Mosaic: A Story of Civilization
37:12 - Clever Cubed
38:51 - Condottiere
40:20 - Adrenaline
42:54 - Meeple Circus
45:13 - Automobiles
47:54 - Unmatched: Battle of Legends, Volume Two
49:12 - Lowlands
50:04 - Genoa
52:46 - Santa Monica
54:41 - Feed the Kraken
58:02 - Homesteaders
1:01:25 - First Rat

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We're veering into the dark roads of board game classification, but this time with a goal in mind - how to best highlight games that feature strong interaction. Shouldn't BoardGameGeek have a scale for that somewhere? And while we're at it, BGG ... Before we put our thoughts in the suggestion box, we talk about Guatemala Café, and Ride the Rails.

Timecodes:

01:56 - Guatemala Café
12:43 - Ride the Rails
23:09 - Quantifying interactivity
25:43 - A Feast for Odin
32:13 - Yucatan
34:31 - What else should be on a BGG page?
37:15 - Stationfall
44:20 - Biblios

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Are we living in a golden age of board games? It's a simple question, but there's a lot to unpack - what even qualifies as a golden age, have we already had one, and if we are living in one, when does it end? Before we go for gold, we talk about That's Not a Hat, Pulsar 2849, and Barrage.

Timecodes:

01:39 - That's Not a Hat
02:19 - Cockroach Poker
10:52 - Pulsar 2849
19:58 - Barrage
33:30 - Are we in a golden age?
48:32 - Scythe
57:31 - Ark Nova

The BGG thread Kellen referenced:
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2556595/number-games-published-year

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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.

Timecodes:

02:27 - Municipium
12:47 - Yucatan
29:38 - Board game checklist/bucket list
31:17 - Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition
35:15 - Diplomacy
35:57 - Playing landmark games
38:39 - Blood on the Clocktower
41:05 - Board game conventions
45:24 - Board game meetups
48:10 - You don't need everything for a game
48:29 - Dominion
49:52 - Guards of Atlantis II
50:38 - Two player and abstract games
52:26 - Designing a board game

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It's just two of us, so we turn our attention to the burning questions that you've been asking us, in a feature we're calling Topic Talk Back. This is not to be confused with the format we've used before, mailbags are old news now, and we'd appreciate it if you'd stop bringing it up. Before we do anything but rustle in the cloth sack, we talk about By Stealth and Sea, and Undaunted: Stalingrad.

Timecodes:

02:38 - By Stealth and Sea
12:11 - Undaunted: Stalingrad
25:41 - Topic Talk Back
26:37 - Favorite Campaign Games
27:20 - Gloomhaven
27:44 - Frosthaven
30:56 - Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
33:31 - Games that are too short?
34:03 - The Voyages of Marco Polo
34:17 - Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan
35:38 - Woodcraft
37:47 - Designer Mount Rushmore

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It's the penultimate draft of the BGG Top 1000 series, and all of these games are garbage ... but it's up to us to sift through that garbage, and each find a collection of five games that's worthy of you. Vote for your favourite, and you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before we find diamonds in the rough, we also talk about Paperback Adventures, and Woodcraft.

Timecodes:

02:31 - Paperback Adventures
13:29 - Woodcraft
23:51 - Drafting BGG's #801-900
26:27 - Babylonia
28:37 - Blue Lagoon
30:57 - A War of Whispers
32:22 - Signorie
33:19 - The Mind
34:52 - Pictomania
36:04 - Brian Boru: High King of Ireland
36:57 - Santiago
38:45 - Werewords
39:49 - Battle for Rokugan
41:19 - Vasco da Gama
43:20 - Cerebria: The Inside World
44:21 - Bullet♥︎
46:10 - Incan Gold
49:00 - Railroad Ink Challenge: Lush Green Edition

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Any creative work is built on a lot of conventions - things that we take as granted, the unspoken rules that must be followed. We get a lot of really great games by following design conventions, but some times, in order to innovate we have to break them. Before we try to find the balance between convention and innovation, we talk about Darwin's Journey, Aleph Null, and Rome in a Day.

Timecodes:

02:00 - Darwin's Journey
13:44 - Aleph Null
21:07 - Rome in a Day
30:09 - Innovation vs. Convention
33:14 - Root
36:02 - Teotihuacan: City of Gods
36:02 - Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
36:17 - Tiletum
38:17 - Tower of Babel
42:04 - Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
42:31 - Horseless Carriage
42:49 - Atiwa
44:04 - Inis
45:14 - The Castles of Burgundy

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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 Big City, Spots, and Horseless Carriage.

Timecodes:

02:10 - Big City
09:33 - Spots
16:02 - Horseless Carriage
28:53 - Golden Geek 2022 Predictions
29:29 - Best 2-Player Game
30:33 - Wingspan Asia
31:20 - Beer & Bread
32:01 - Mindbug: First Contact
33:16 - Caesar!: Seize Rome in 20 Minutes!
33:30 - Splendor: Duel
33:37 - Undaunted: Stalingrad
34:02 - Marvel Dice Throne
34:18 - Best Artwork and Presentation
35:11 - CoraQuest
35:31 - Blood on the Clocktower
36:05 - Best Cooperative Game
36:26 - Kites
37:20 - Dorfromantik: The Board Game
38:17 - Best Board Game Expansion
38:58 - Most Innovative Board Games
39:36 - Heat: Pedal to the Medal
39:54 - Turing Machine
40:07 - Deal with the Devil
40:25 - My Father's Work
40:57 - Light Game of the Year
42:14 - Long Shot: The Dice Game
43:27 - Medium Game of the Year
46:01 - Heavy Game of the Year
46:58 - Carnegie
47:13 - John Company: Second Edition
48:19 - Best Party Game
48:39 - Penguin Airlines
50:31 - Best Solo Game
52:04 - Best Thematic Game
52:33 - Nemesis: Lockdown
52:51 - Dead Reckoning
54:00 - Wonderland's War
54:51 - Best Wargame
55:38 - Best Podcast (which we already won)
58:53 - Best Board Game App

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Board games are a social medium, which is a big part of their appeal for us. It's not just about being heads down solving a puzzle, they facilitate conversation. Some games are better at this than others, so we put BGBBOB on the case to find our favourites! Before we natter away, we talk about Big Top, Autobahn, and Pollen.

Timecodes:

03:04 - Big Top
12:21 - Autobahn
23:25 - Pollen
34:51 - Dealt! / Krass Kariert
37:02 - Boast or Nothing
39:37 - Codenames
40:30 - Twice as Clever!
42:47 - Concept
43:45 - Biblios
45:25 - Dixit
46:07 - Coloretto
48:43 - Sushi Go!
51:46 - The Mind
54:25 - Qwirkle
57:09 - Dominion

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Good storytelling isn't easy, and board games seem to struggle with it especially - which makes the ones that do pull it off, all the more memorable. We delve into the ways that games can engage us and create lasting experiences through stories. Before we spin a yarn, we talk about Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Artisans of Splendent Vale.

Timecodes:

01:36 - Star Wars: The Clone Wars
18:13 - Artisans of Splendent Vale
29:51 - Storytelling in games
30:40 - Gloomhaven
34:44 - The King's Dilemma
36:59 - Mansions of Madness: Second Edition
37:40 - Eldritch Horror
37:49 - Dead of Winter
38:44 - Phantom Leader
40:31 - Undaunted: Normandy
41:00 - Freedom: The Underground Railroad
43:34 - This War of Mine: The Board Game
47:23 - Return to Dark Tower
47:34 - Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
47:59 - Sleeping Gods

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I mean, I don't know. Before we do whatever, we talk about Circle the Wagons, El Gaucho, Roller Coaster Rush, and Applejack.

Timecodes:

01:48 - Circle the Wagons
07:49 - El Gaucho
14:58 - Roller Coaster Rush
19:05 - Applejack
25:34 - What do I do with old campaign games?
25:48 - Frosthaven
25:48 - Gloomhaven
27:47 - What board game product would improve my gaming?
30:50 - What are good miniature games for people who don't like miniature games? 
31:53 - For What Remains
33:12 - Are there modern classics of the war game genre that you would recommend?
34:48 - What are some good, one shot TTRPGs?
37:05 - What do you have to do to get heavier games played?
39:50 - Which games would be perfect for us that we've never mentioned?
41:02 - The big question

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Board games are great! Mostly. But as great as they are, we've probably all had a moment where, through no fault of the game itself, things got uncomfortable. Whether it's because of an awkward play, or just particulars of the group dynamic, we look back at some of our most uncomfortable moments. Before we enter the discomfort zone, we talk about Dog Tag Trick, Deal with the Devil, and Yokai Septet.

Timecodes:

01:46 - Dog Tag Trick
10:01 - Deal with the Devil
19:44 - Yokai Septet
27:53 - When games make you uncomfortable
33:48 - The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
39:34 - Pictionary
40:42 - Fauna
41:27 - Inhuman Conditions
43:11 - Praise

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BGBBOB's back, and he's rollin' (rollin') rollin' on a river of amazing games, all of which feature some incredible dice play. As is our sacred duty, we won't rest until we've arranged them in some sort of numerical order, a ranked list, if you will. Before we rattle the bones, we talk about The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game, The South: Terminus, Beyond Baker Street, and The Defence of Procyon III.

Timecodes:

04:59 - The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game
12:05 - The South: Terminus
13:52 - Beyond Baker Street
19:54 - The Defence of Procyon III
27:56 - 701-800 Draft Results
29:30 - BGBBOB: Best Dice Rolling
30:53 - Tumblin' Dice
32:10 - Cthulhu Wars
34:49 - Space Base
35:17 - Cube Quest
39:00 - Dice Forge
39:51 - Lords of Vegas
41:38 - Dungeon Fighter
42:41 - Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
44:17 - Formula D
45:24 - Las Vegas
47:28 - Martian Dice
49:01 - Can't Stop
51:08 - FUSE
51:57 - Gang of Dice
54:03 - Quarriors!

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We (well some of us) made it back from Vegas, and what happened there didn't stay there - we're reporting in from Dice Tower West 2023, a fun week of friends, casinos, and all you can eat sushi. To everyone we met, thank you for saying hey! We also played a lot of hot games, including Heat: Pedal to the Metal, and Stationfall.

Timecodes:

02:52 - Return to Dark Tower
08:47 - Magic Mountain
10:46 - Tower of Babel
11:58 - In the Year of the Dragon
15:06 - No Mercy
15:22 - Trick Raiders
16:20 - Pups
16:30 - Scharfe Schoten
19:19 - The Estates
20:23 - Coyote
22:26 - Time's Up!
24:08 - Heat: Pedal to the Metal
32:28 - Yokai Septet
33:35 - Ninja Master
35:30 - I Made You a Mix Tape
40:52 - Time of Empires
43:23 - Stationfall

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I always love this one. It's the time of the year where we look at what your favourite games are, and discover whether there are any exciting movers and shakers in what you've been playing! It's the BGB Listener Top 20! Before we check in with all of you, we talk about Tower of Babel, Great Western Trail: Argentina, and Jump Drive.

Timecodes:

02:01 - Tower of Babel ...or why the eighth wonder was never built
11:16 - Great Western Trail: Argentina
18:26 - Jump Drive
29:21 - Listener Top 20
33:44 - Terraforming Mars
34:19 - Food Chain Magnate
34:19 - Cosmic Encounter
36:14 - Wingspan
37:32 - Inis
38:03 - Ark Nova
39:45 - Dune: Imperium
42:32 - Scythe
43:35 - Agricola
44:48 - Great Western Trail
46:12 - Race for the Galaxy
46:52 - Innovation
47:28 - A Feast for Odin
48:08 - The Castles of Burgundy
48:30 - Concordia
49:13 - Gloomhaven
50:05 - Root
50:53 - Hansa Teutonica
52:33 - Spirit Island
53:06 - Brass: Birmingham

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Bruna Cathala is the focus of this episode's BGB DOG, the unfortunately acronymed series where we showcase a designer whom we love, and talk through the history of their career and designs. Before we pay tribute to the two player king, we talk about Smart Four Connected, Skytear Horde, and Endless Winter: Paleoamericans.

Timecodes:

02:56 - Smart Four Connected 
06:30 - Skytear Horde
12:51 - Endless Winter: Paleoamericans
21:42 - Designer Spotlight: Bruno Cathala
23:26 - Fief
30:17 - Mr. Jack
32:00 - Five Tribes
32:51 - 7 Wonders Duel
34:00 - Kingdomino
39:43 - Zany Penguins

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The draft is back, and while the lists are getting really thin at this point, that's not going to stop us doing our damndest to pick out a killer selection of five games each. Whose is the best? That's up to you - and if you vote, you stand a chance to win a gift voucher for $50! Before we put our fate in your hands, we talk about Shake That City, Clank!: Catacombs, and Galactic Renaissance.

Timecodes:

04:29 - Shake That City
12:39 - Clank!: Catacombs
19:27 - Galactic Renaissance
35:50 - Drafting BGG's #701-800
39:22 - The Estates
40:27 - Dogs of War
42:36 - City of the Big Shoulders
44:03 - Deep Sea Adventure
45:00 - Regicide
46:29 - Galaxy Trucker (Second Edition)
47:07 - Can't Stop
49:06 - Pax Renaissance: 2nd Edition
50:19 - Project: ELITE
52:17 - The Great Wall
54:01 - Black Angel
55:51 - Not Alone
57:22 - New York Zoo
1:01:29 - Menara
1:03:33 - Shipyard

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We've done deep dives into games before, but really when you get down to it, games are just the medium. The substrate. What it's always been about is people. We hope to pick at the minds of some of the hobby's best with this format - and until then, we have Kellen. Before we unpack the man, the myth, the legend, we talk about Cuba Libre, Gang of Dice, and Time of Empires.

Timecodes:

03:44 - Cuba Libre
13:00 - Gang of Dice
19:28 - Time of Empires
32:49 - Q1: Where are we playing?
39:25 - Q2: What's the table like?
41:35 - Q3: How many people?
43:23 - Q4: What are you eating?
48:03 - Q5: What is the theme of the game?
48:59 - Q6: What is the game like?
50:15 - Q7: What makes it memorable?

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If there's one thing I can say for sure about 2023, it's that it will certainly be a period of time. We're casting our eyes forward to the year ahead, and getting excited about some of the board games that (we hope) will actually be coming. Before we look ahead, always ahead, we talk about Make the Difference, German Railways, and Tiletum.

Timecodes:

02:39 - Make the Difference
07:38 - German Railways
13:00 - Tiletum
24:40 - Most Anticipated Games of 2023 
27:22 - Mission Control: Critical Orbit
29:12 - Beyond the Sun: Leaders of the New Dawn
30:50 - Watch Hockey, Get Drunk
31:50 - Skyrise
32:59 - Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies
34:45 - That's Not a Hat
36:32 - Darwin's Journey
37:50 - Seas of Havoc
39:56 - El Burro: A La Granja Game
42:05 - Red Dust Rebellion
42:59 - Unconscious Minds
45:45 - Yucatan
47:09 - Last Light
49:09 - Galactic Renaissance

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