Board Game Squad

Summary

In this episode of the Board Game Squad podcast, hosts Paul Shapiro and Gabe Pesso discuss Gabe's recent experience at Essen Spiel, the world's largest board game convention. They explore the differences between Essen and other conventions like Gen Con, delve into Gabe's journey into board gaming, and share insights on various games played at the convention, including Civolution, Tea Garden, and SETI. The conversation also touches on the impact of language at international conventions, the importance of good demos, and the upcoming games and conventions in the board gaming community.

Takeaways

Essen Spiel is the largest board game convention in the world, attracting around 200,000 attendees.

Gabe's board game collection has grown from 20 to 4,000 games since he started in 2016.

Civolution is a complex game that requires significant learning but offers a rewarding experience.

Tea Garden combines deck building with strategic gameplay, making it accessible yet deep.

Language at Essen is predominantly English, making it easier for international attendees to communicate.

Good demos are crucial for game sales; a bad demo can sour the experience.

Gabe brought back around 130 pounds of games from Essen, showcasing his passion for board gaming.

Pax Unplugged is favored for its cozy atmosphere and great food compared to larger conventions.

AI-generated art in games is a controversial topic, but it shouldn't deter players from enjoying the game.

The board gaming community is vibrant and constantly evolving, with new games and conventions emerging.

Chapters

00:00 Essen Spiel 2024: The World's Biggest Board Game Convention04:29 Gabe's Journey into Board Gaming08:37 Comparing Essen Spiel and Gen Con11:47 Overall Impressions of Essen Spiel16:26 Language and Communication at Essen20:13 Games Played at Essen: Highlights and Experiences27:41 Demo Experiences: The Good and the Bad36:45 Exploring New Board Games44:46 Highlights from Essen Spiel 202354:18 Upcoming Games and Conventions57:02 Final Thoughts on Game Design and Art

It’s a new year and we are up to our old shenanigans. Adam can't make a decision and Paul might be immortal? We will also do a deep dive into the stories that the West Kingdom games tell.

What we have been playing lately: 3:11

Chess (5d Chess with Multiverse Time Travel 4:56)

Divvy Dice 6:33

First Orchard 8:46

Horrified 9:44

Cooper Island 12:31

Biblios 16:47

Clank! In! Space! 19:21

Three Sisters 20:49

Terra Mystica Gaia Project 21:49

Yokohama 23:14

Bandido 24:06

Kickstarters

Carnegie 25:25

Darwin’s Journey 29:02

Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition 29:42 Coming to KS mid feb (est)

Mint Bid 30:31

Review 31:29

Paladins of the West Kingdom

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From around the blog:

See our list of the best two player board games.

See our list of the best board games of all time.

It's Essen time! Adam and Paul talk about what they have been playing lately as well as some of their top Essen picks. Paul gives us a sneak peek at Tekhenu, meanwhile, Adam tries to convince us ‘Coopetition’ is a real word while talking about Lowlands.

What we have been playing lately: 2:05

Squire For Hire, Taco V Burrito, Space Base, 1830. Stick Em, Spires End, Root, Maracaibo, Mandala Stones, Convert, Belfort, Crystal Palace

Essen Picks: 25:49

Adam:

Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire, Pandemic Legacy Season 0, Clever Hoch Drei, Divvy Dice, Hallertau, Pandemain, Rococo: DE, Moonrakers, West Kingdom Tomesaga, Unlock!: Star Wars, Under Falling Skies

Paul:

Bonfire, Cloudage, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Praga Caput Regni

Preview 54:59

Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun

Review 1:02:44

Lowlands

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From around the blog:

See our list of the best two player board games.

See our list of the best board games of all time.

On our way through the depths of pandemic gaming, we talk about navigating the maze of online conventions, the winds of change with trick taking games, the shiny SdJ winners, and more treasures leading to the final boss: our deep dive review of Sanctum.

Online Conventions and catch up: 1:36

Spiel des Jahres: 8:34

Paradise Lost (review): 19:20

Ride The Rails: 20:01

Metro X: 21:56

Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun: 24:13

Vinyl Jukebox: 25:42

Fort: 26:31

Herrlof: 31:30

Sanctum: 34:44

Obvious TROLL Giveaway Link (https://kingsumo.com/g/nha1ai/troll-by-oink-games-out-of-print-giveaway-from-board-game-squad)

Be sure to visit us at https://boardgamesquad.com/podcast/. Email us at [email protected]! We want to hear from you. Ask us questions, let us know what we got wrong, and let us know what you have been playing lately so we can look into and review your favorite games as well!

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From around the blog:

See our list of the best board games for two players.

See our list of the best board games of all time.

In this episode Adam and Paul talk about how they are coping with quarantine by relying on TikTok, playing board games online, and deep diving into the murky waters of Barrage. If you were looking for an itemized list of the issues with the Kickstarter campaign, listen in. They also go over the merits of the game and review it based on those, despite the rough campaign and fulfillment.

Online Play 3:19

Welcome To… 6:32

Second Chance and Ganz schön clever 8:27

Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale 9:27

Cooper Island 11:38

On Tour 15:53

Lost Cities 17:09

Clans of Caledonia 18:35

Castles of Burgundy: The Dice Game 22:20

Grand Austria Hotel 24:19

Splendor 31:46

The Quacks of Quedlinburg 33:04

ICECOOL 36:09

Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated 37:16

Barrage 43:28

Be sure to visit us at https://boardgamesquad.com/podcast/. Email us at [email protected]! We want to hear from you. Ask us questions, let us know what we got wrong, and let us know what you have been playing lately so we can look into and review your favorite games as well!

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From around the blog:

See our list of the best board games for two players.

See our list of the best board games.

On this episode of the Board Game Squad Podcast, Paul interviews our special guest - game designer David Turczi. Listen in to hear about upcoming titles, David's process for designing and a ton of info on how he collaborates with other designers.

Related: See our reviews of Tawantinsuyu, Rome & Roll, Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles, and Anachrony.

Be sure to visit us at https://boardgamesquad.com/podcast/. Email us at [email protected]! We want to hear from you. Ask us questions, let us know what we got wrong, and let us know what you have been playing lately so we can look into and review your favorite games as well!

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From around the blog:

See our list of the best two-player board games.

See our list of the best board games of all time.

Want to talk about one of the most exciting games of 2019? Adam and Paul walk you through Maracaibo’s different strategies, eccentricities, mechanisms, and ways you can successfully navigate the rules and gameplay.

Gaming accessories: 3:01

News/Kickstarter 13:44

What we have been playing recently 26:56

Xenon Profiteer 28:29

Quirky Circuits 31:24

Viticulture 32:43

Nyet! 34:53

Terramara 38:01

Blood on the Clocktower 41:50

Atelier: The Painters Studio 44:03

Spirit Island 45:54

Main Review:

Maracaibo 49:50

Be sure to visit us at https://boardgamesquad.com/podcast. Email us at [email protected]! We want to hear from you. Ask us questions, let us know what we got wrong, and let us know what you have been playing lately so we can look into and review your favorite games as well! 

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From around the blog:

See our list of the best two player board games.

See our list of the best board games of all time.

Adam and Paul are back with Episode 4 of the Board Game Squad Podcast. There's a lot to talk about and catch up on - starting with a giveaway! The boys talk about what kind of intentions players go into games with, as well a deep retrospective of the classic The Castles of Burgundy. Along the way, they will go over games they have recently been playing, some board game industry news, upcoming releases, Kickstarter projects to keep an eye on, and more.

Giveaway: Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale 0:01 

Welcome back: 2:20 

What we have been playing recently: Maracaibo 7:53 Great Western Trail 10:05 Trismegistus 13:24 Quirky Circuits 16:38 Kings Dilemma 19:47 Squire for hire 23:11 Seasons of Rice 25:40 Forest of Tataraba 26:52 Trails of Tucana 29:13 Calimala 30:12 Rockwell 33:19 

News 37:05 

Kickstarter 49:45 

Castles of Burgundy 53:43 

Be sure to visit us at https://boardgamesquad.com/podcast/. Email us at [email protected]! We want to hear from you. Ask us questions, let us know what we got wrong, and let us know what you have been playing lately so we can look into and review your favorite games as well!

We are back from our long hiatus! We have two games that we will be discussing: In the Hall of the Mountain King and Age of Steam. Adam and Paul run down some of the games that they have been playing in the last month, and quiz each other in a lightning round opener.

Ice breaker: 1:47

Games we have been playing: 7:18

Adam's list:

Second Chance: 7:44

Spheres of Influence 7:49

The Estates 7:53

Mandala 8:02

Fugitive 8:09

Its a Wonderful World 8:20

The Climbers & BUS 9:04

Wavelength 9:11

Kings Dilemma 9:58

Paul's list:

Azul 12:58

Funkoverse Strategy Game 14:44

Sprawlopolis 15:55

Palm Island 20:11

Blood Rage 21:59

News

Targi: The Expansion 23:34

Rococo Deluxe Edition 25:27

RES Arcana Lux Et Tenebrae 26:38

Ride The Rails/Rail USA 28:03

Fantasy Flight 29:22

Kemet: Blood and Sand 31:09

Mariposas 32:27

KeyForge: Tales from the Crucible 33:19

Reviews

In The Hall Of The Mountain King 33:46

Age of Steam 43:12

Be sure to visit us at https://boardgamesquad.com/podcast/. Email us at [email protected]! We want to hear from you. Ask us questions, let us know what we got wrong, and let us know what you have been playing lately so we can look into and review your favorite games as well!

We're coming to you live from PAX Unplugged 2019 in Philadelphia! Paul and Adam share their convention experiences, the games they played on the showroom floor, and do a deep dive review of Pipeline from Capstone Games and designer Ryan Courtney.

01:55 Sea of Legends 05:50 Aftermath

08:01 Quirky Circuits

13:48 MonsDRAWsity

15:22 Sanctum

17:05 Letter Jam

20:07 Deep Sea Adventure (see our introduction to Japanese board games)

23:04 Fafnir (see our Tokyo Game Market Fall 2019 preview)

26:34 Pipeline

Be sure to visit us at https://boardgamesquad.com/podcast. Email us at [email protected]! We want to hear from you. Ask us questions, let us know what we got wrong, and let us know what you have been playing lately so we can look into and review your favorite games as well!