In Episode 19, we review Barrage by Cranio Creations and discuss our first, second, and third impressions of the game. To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: SCOUT, Odin, Skull, and Windmill Valley. 

It’s 1922, and the new World is embracing Tesla’s energy revolution. CEOs representing four national companies are racing to produce energy by building dams, hydro-electric powerhouses, and conduits. All this is to control the flow of water and to create enough energy to complete contracts. However, fulfilling contracts alone won’t guarantee success in this endeavor: the company, alongside their executive officer, must manage resources through limited shared actions and increasing costs while capitalizing on their individual player powers. We all agree this game is hard and feels mean, but it’s a dam good time.

Make your opinions known on instagram ⁠@boardgamehomies

Are you tired of playing Catan and only Catan with your family? Does your aunt always crush you at her favorite card game? Do you need some game ideas for playing with your niblings or bringing to the family holiday party? In Episode 18, we discuss games to play over the holidays with a focus on low(er) rules overhead, shorter play times, and games that don’t suck.

Find us on Instagram ⁠@boardgamehomies and look for our holiday guides!

In Episode 17, we review Nucleum by Board&Dice and discuss our first, second, and third impressions of the game. To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: The White Castle: Matcha, New York Zoo, Gentle Rain, and Marvel Champions: The Card Game.

In Nucleum, it’s the economic and technological boom of 19th-century Saxony, and you are working hard to earn victory points through building and powering urban buildings, obtaining and completing contracts, and racing to milestones set by the king himself, Frederik Augustus. Be the most successful industrialist by advancing your income tracks, expanding your network, and upgrading your technologies in this heavy euro board game. We all enjoy this game and the interesting decisions it presents–especially through the action tiles that double as rails.

In Episode 16, we review the Clank!s by Dire Wolf and Renegade Game Studio and discuss our first, second, and third impressions of the games. To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth, Regicide, and… Becky?

The Deck-Building Adventures Clank!, Clank! In! Space!, and Clank! Catacombs all have similar base mechanics and objectives; through deck building (duh), thieves quickly and QUIETLY descend to the depths seeking one artifact and looting for extra treasures along the way. However, the more Clank! each thief makes, the more likely they are to be knocked out by the dragon and potentially lose all of their points. Will everyone make it out in time??? Hopefully not!

Each of these games have a twist! Built off of the game system of Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure, Clank! In! Space! features a spaceship and fun sci-fi pop culture references, and Clank! Catacombs features fantasy vibes and a tile board that is created as the thieves explore. We definitely have a preference between the three, and we can’t wait to try Clank! Legacy Acquisitions Incorporated. 

Keep an eye on our instagram ⁠@boardgamehomies for Becky’s Clank! presentation. 

In Episode 15, we review Revive by Aporta Games and discuss our first, third, and eighth impressions of the game. To start off the episode, we chat about our shared joy from attending the Pacific Northwest Game Swap: Oregon Edition where Angela, Becky, and Gillean sold games, Reed purchased games, and we all engaged in some lively board game conversations. 

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, each player leads a tribe that is working to rebuild the world in this deck building, tech tree, and map exploration game. Through hand and resource management, each tribe works to explore new lands, build buildings, and repopulate desolate cities. All the while, players work to advance their machine tracks and utilize their tribe’s special ability to reinhabit the Earth’s frozen surface. Along the way, artifacts are uncovered and obtained to increase end game score multipliers and trigger the game end. Three of us are obsessed with Revive and celebrate that it has entered Board Game Geek’s Top 100; and then there’s Angela.

Make your opinions known on instagram ⁠@boardgamehomies

In Episode 14, we discuss Culling board games from our collections. To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: Nucleum, Clank!: Catacombs, Railroad Tiles, and Barrage.

Gillean and Becky have been building a board game collection since 2011 and have culled over 65 games; Angela and Reed are newer to curating their collections through thoughtful purchases and culling choices. With the motivation of selling games at the first (hopefully of many!!) Pacific Northwest Game Swap Oregon Edition, we discuss what motivates us to remove games from our collections, reasons we hold on to games for longer than we should, how one actually gets rid of a game, and lessons learned through the games we’ve held on to or culled. On the flip side, we also share some musings about building a lasting game collection and the importance of the people we play our games with.

Find us on instagram ⁠@boardgamehomies to tell us your culling lessons and regrets!

In Episode 13, we review Wyrmspan by Stonemaier Games and discuss our first, second, and third impressions of the game. To start off the episode, we chat about what’s bringing us joy: Nucleum (x2), Revive (x2), and sharing the love of board games with others.

Set in the modern day, you are building a sanctuary for dragons by excavating caves in order to entice dragons in this tableau and engine building game. By exploring the caverns and playing cards, you gain resources, cards, eggs, and advancement on the Dragon Guild for additional benefits–make sure you are keeping an eye on end round scoring! With many similarities to Wingspan, comparisons are made throughout our discussion, and we all land in different caverns regarding our preferences. Two things we can agree on are needing answers about what kind of meat we’re using to entice our dragons and whose milk are we feeding to the hatchlings?

Let us know your thoughts on Wyrmspan (and Wingspan!) on instagram ⁠@boardgamehomies

In Episode 12, we discuss our top 5 favorite games of the summer. To start off the episode, we chat about what’s bringing us joy: Daybreak, Lisboa, Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure, Clank!: Catacombs, and Ark Nova (again?!)

Whether we’re at a brewery, grabbing lunch, or sipping lattes, these are our go-to small box games this summer:

5. Sea Salt & Paper by Bombyx

4. Deck of Cards

3. Azul Mini by Next Move Games

2. Love Letter by Alderac Entertainment Group

1. Nana by @ Mob+

In Episode 11, we review Everdell by Starling Games and discuss our first and second impressions of the game. To start off the episode, we chat about what’s bringing us joy: Splendor Duel, Wyrmspan, Hegemony, Rebel Princess, and Carcassonne.

Over the river and through the woods to Everdell we go! Beneath the Ever Tree, we curate our cities by building constructions and inviting critters to inhabit those spaces. In this worker placement and tableau building game, you play through the seasons at your own pace as you gain points through playing cards into your city and being the first to complete public objectives. Look for combos to capitalize on when bringing critters into your city and through card abilities that synergize–though be wary, you may find yourself in a loop of actions that don’t elevate your city; we’ve lost many to this affliction: Everdelling. Some say, Angela is still upstairs Everdelling, eternally stuck in second place. 

Catch a glimpse of Everdelling in action on instagram ⁠@boardgamehomies 

In Episode 10, we review Kanban EV by Eagle-Gryphon Games and discuss our first and second impressions of the game. To start off the episode, we chat about what’s bringing us joy: Euchre, trick taking games at the Portland Game Collective Convention, Root, and the hope that Becky will play more games with friends.

Working on an electric vehicle assembly line, we dedicate time to train towards certification, and we select car designs to upgrade and eventually test–all the while stocking the warehouse with necessary parts in order to then assemble cars for R&D in Kanban EV. All of this is to prepare to be evaluated by our supervisor, Sandra, as she inspects each department throughout the week and eventually schedules meetings to discuss our performance goals. We all agree this game is super thematic, AND you don’t have to be interested in middle management or cars to enjoy the play (but it's okay if you are [Angela!!])! If you enjoy big, thinky games, definitely give Kanban a try if you get the chance.

Impress Sandra and find us on instagram ⁠@boardgamehomies