YouTube creator and BoardGameCo founder Alex Radcliffe stops by the show! Our picks for topics this week:

• Alex (guest): How important is theme? Have you kept mediocre board games purely because of a great theme? And what games do you love despite their theme?
• Shoe (producer): What are some interesting facts that we've learned from playing board games?
• Christina (host): How did the pandemic affect online retail sales? What gaming trends popped up during stay-at-home?

The games discussed in this episode:

Alex's topic: Theme in board games

• Cthulhu: Death May Die
• Arkham Horror
• Eldritch Horror
• Robinson Cursoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
• First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet
• Terra Mystica
• Gaia Project
• Gentes
• Crusader
• Surrealist Dinner Party
• Ugly Gryphon Inn
• Marvel United
• Obsession
• Photosynthesis

Shoe's topic: Things we've learned from board games

• Goa
• Keystone: North America
• The Search for Planet X
• The Crew
• Timeline
• Wits and Wagers
• Terraforming Mars
• Brass: Birmingham
• Tinners' Trail
• Deep Vents
• Formosa Tea
• Viticulture

Christina's topic: Online retail trends during COVID

• Monopoly
• Risk
• Catan
• Splendor
• Codenames

Final thoughts:

• Red Rising
• Fantasy Realms
• Viticulture
• Zombicide
• Valor & Villainy
• Drawn to Adventure
• Merchant's Cove
• Root
• Vast
• Gods Love Dinosaurs
• Ecos