Board Game Hot Takes

In Episode 241 we each talk about 3 board games that we've played recently including Windmill Valley, Zoo Vadis, The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-taking Game, Captain Sonar and many more.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:54 No Thanks

09:52 Zoo Vadis

22:12 Black Orchestra

32:37 Captain Sonar

41:35 Torchlit

49:51 Windmill Valley

58:44 Power Vacuum

1:07:11 Anunnaki: Dawn of the Gods

1:21:10 The Fellowship of the Rings: Trick-Taking Game

1:27:25 Listener Shoutout

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In Episode 240 we discuss board games that have gotten a facelift. New productions, 2nd editions, and similar topics.

We also discuss a poll about leaving game groups.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:29 Poll Time: Have you ever left a game group?

10:54 Board Games That Get Facelifts

13:45 Recent Examples - Castles of Burgundy, La Granja, Brass, Kemet, Cyclades, Irish Gauge, Ethnos, Acquire, Yokohama

20:33 How we feel about this - Terraforming Mars, Agricola, Great Western Trail, The Castles of Burgundy, Mosaic, Manhattan Project: Energy Empire

30:50 What would we want out of Agricola refresh - Agricola: Dead Harvest

40:14 What Makeovers Do We Want - Gaia Project, Beyond the Sun, Le Havre, Quacks of Quedlinburg, The Expanse, Forbidden Stars

47:55 Are big refreshes a problem because of price? - Agricola, Marrakesh, Foundations of Rome, Foundations of Metropolis, Eclipse

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In Episode 239 we each talk about 5 board games that we love but can run a little longer than they should.

We also discuss a poll on publicly discussing your board game interests.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:55 Poll Time: How public are you about your board game love?

12:08 Games we enjoy that can outstay their welcome

12:28 Trailblazer: The Arizona Trail

15:51 Kabuto Sumo

19:57 Tapestry

25:30 Lords of Xidit

29:37 Dominant Species

34:09 Final Girl

37:27 Star Wars: Outer Rim

41:38 Star Wars: Rebellion

44:22 Harmonies

49:43 Aquatica

55:20 Wonderland's War

58:16 Starship Captains

1:02:52 Chimera Station

1:05:43 Battlestar Galactica

1:09:39 Auztralia

1:14:10 Final Thoughts

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In Episode 238 we each talk about 5 board games that have the types and level of player interaction that we really like.

We also discuss a poll on whether complexity and price should have a correlation.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Poll Time: Do you correlate complexity with price?

14:02 Player Interaction

19:52 Parks (Agricola)

25:35 Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Carnegie)

30:31 Clans of Caledonia (Gaia Project)

34:35 My Little Scythe (Wolves, Gaia Project, Sol: Last Days of a Star)

40:01 Stockpile (Pan Am, Lancaster, Modern Art)

45:24 Nidavellir (Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest)

48:54 Great Wall (Lancaster)

53:10 Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory

56:44 Troyes

1:01:00 Carcassonne (Barrage, Terraforming Mars)

1:07:44 Baseball Highlights 2045 (Blood Rage, Magic: The Gathering)

1:12:31 Rebirth (Tigris and Euphrates, Samurai, Blue Lagoon)

1:17:17 Fractal (Rising Sun, Blood Rage, Dune, Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy, Battle for Rokugan)

1:25:34 Bruxelles 1893 (Lancaster, Barrage)

1:30:33 Final Thoughts

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes

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In Episode 237 we give our hot take review on SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.

We announce some board game giveaways and then talk about some games that have been on our tables including Dinosaur Island, Stockpile, Guild of Merchant Explorers, and Architects of the West Kingdom: Age of Artisans.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:20 Patreon Board Game Giveaways

02:50 SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Description

04:25 Gameplay and Mechanisms

18:42 Production and Theme

25:49 Final Thoughts

37:21 Dinosaur Island

44:46 Stockpile

53:40 Guild of Merchant Explorers

55:18 Architects of the West Kingdom: Age of Artisans

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In Episode 236 we discuss the decisions you make around setting up a game to make it the best possible experience for your game group including things like changes you make after random setup steps, how you pick asymmetric factions, and what expansions you add in.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:38 Curating board game setup

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In Episode 235 we give our hot take review on The Guild of Merchant Explorers covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.

We discuss a poll on how tariffs might impact board game buying habits and we discuss some games that have been on our table including Skyrise, Black Forest, Belaad, Oh No Volcano, and Slay the Spire.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:22 Poll: If the percentage of prices on board games increase by double digits due to tariffs how much would that change your buying habits?

07:26 The Guild of Merchant Explorers Description

09:15 Gameplay and Mechanisms

21:15 Production and Theme

27:32 Final Thoughts

32:42 Skyrise and Black Forest revisited

37:42 Belaad: The Land of Swords and Quills

46:32 Oh no, Volcano!

50:51 Slay The Spire: The Board game

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In Episode 234 we look back at some hidden gems from 2015-2019. We each name a game that doesn't get discussed much anymore from each of these years and talk about why they deserve more attention.

We also discuss some our listeners board game highlights from 2024

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:40 Listeners Top Picks from 2024

06:28 Top 5 Overlooked Games (2015-2019)

09:20 2015 - Chaosmos

12:20 2015 - Cthulhu Realms

16:17 2015 - Deep Space D6

20:07 2016 - Bloc By Bloc

23:01 2016 - Imhotep

27:03 2016 - Kingdomino

30:39 2017 - A Handful of Stars

33:44 2017 - Outlive

35:35 2017 - Godfather: Corleone's Empire

39:48 2018 - Space Corp: 2025-2300AD

42:51 2018 - Disney Villainous

49:16 2018 - Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig

51:50 2019 - Dreamscape

54:26 2019 - Chocolate Factory

57:17 2019 - Wavelength

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In Episode 233 we give our hot take review on Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.

We discuss board game restaurants, pubs, and cafes and then discuss some games that have been on our table including Kanban EV, Troyes, and Shasn Azadi.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:10 Discussion: Board Game Pubs

08:33 Shackleton Base Description

11:33 Gameplay and Mechanisms

31:37 Production and Theme

38:53 Final Thoughts

44:24 Kanban EV

49:15 Troyes

54:46 Shasn: Azadi

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In Episode 232 we take a look back at 2024 and discuss some of the great (and no so great) games we played last year. Some of them were even published last year.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

3:20 Biggest Surprises in 2024

11:59 Biggest Disappointments in 2024

21:28 Best New to Us in 2024

36:23 Best Production Published in 2024

45:36 Lookback at Best Games of 2023

47:37 Best Games of 2024

1:05:25 Most Played Games of 2024

1:14:07 Board Game Revelations

1:20:18 2024 BGG Rankings Forecast

1:29:12 Listener Shoutout

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes

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