By cultoftheolduk
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The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
It is the end, dear listeners. As we stare once more into the inky black void of our season break, we contemplate our own mortality and wonder if there is anything out there between the episodes. Such musings can leave us imagining monstrosities that exist in the gaps between seasons. Entities vast and overwhelming that we can barely understand and are wise to not look at directly. Only by coming together in the warm embrace of our listeners can we stand a chance to fight back such Eldritch Horrors.
The game we are discussing for our last episode this season similarly tackles the darkness of the unknown. This game took the mythos of HP Lovecraft and turned it into a co-operative game where investigators take on horrors beyond measure to save a small town in Massachusetts. A game that arguably gave rise to the hobby game obsession with Cthulhu and was certainly one of the earliest co-operative games. Join us on a road trip to the end of space and time, in Arkham Horror.
The original game was designed by Richard Launius, Charlie Krank, Sandy Petersen, and Lynn Wills. We are mostly covering the second edition version created by Fantasy Flight Games and designed by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Call of Cthulhu RPG
Battlestar Galactica - Episode Link
D&D Gold box Games
Pool of Radiance
Curse of the Azure Bonds
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Talisman - Episode Link
War of the Ring
Twilight Imperium Third Edition
Arkham Horror: RPG
Elder Sign
Eldritch Horror
Star Wars: Outer Rim
Other Mentions
Ride the Lightning - Metallica
Ramsay Campbell
Thomas LeGotti
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Matt
Nate
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Email us at [email protected]
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
“The sky above the port was the color of television, turned to a dead channel”
The famous opening line of William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer, released in 1984. Only a couple of years before in his short story ‘Burning Chrome’ Gibson had defined the term “Cyberspace”. He used it to refer to a global network of interconnected computers. In publishing Neuromancer Gibson helped solidify the genre of Cyberpunk and the rest is history. Or the future. Depends on how you look at it.
Popular culture embraced Cyberpunk. We got films like Blade Runner and tabletop RPGs like Cyberpunk and Shadowrun. These games saw plucky teams of street rebels take on the shadowy corporations that ruled the future of those settings. The title we are covering tonight lets you step into the role of a megacorp, or the hackers that are taking them on. It came from the mind of Richard Garfield, who only 3 years earlier had defined a genre and upset an industry with a little game called Magic: The Gathering. Put on your mirrorshades and jack in as we take a dive into Netrunner.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Magic: The Gathering
Disney Lorcana
Star Wars Unlimited
Austin Powers CCG
Sim City CCG
V:TES
Android
Android: Infiltration
New Angeles
Call of Cthulhu LCG
Lord of the Rings LCG
Game of Thrones LCG
Star Wars LCG
Omen: Reign of War
Other Mentions
jinteki.net
Null Signal
The Peripheral
Snow Crash
Bladerunner 2049
Netrunnerdb
Hearthstone
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Matt
Nate
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
What are we looking at this cast?
People love board games for all sorts of reasons. The satisfaction of a well executed strategy. Building the perfect engine. Riding the curve of chance to push your luck just enough. We enjoy the finely honed mixing of mechanism, theme, and setting to produce the perfect game. Our next game this season is none of those. It just wants to watch the world burn.
Having had 9 different editions over the course of its existence this game sees players donning their robes, picking up a staff, and pouring over their spell books. Not for intense wizardry research. Oh no. Just to make sure that your fellow wizards see the wrong end of a fireball and get fried by your lightning bolt. Welcome to Wiz War.
Wiz War was designed by Tom Jolly and has had various artists over the course of its editions.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Dungeons & Dragons
Cosmic Encounter - Episode Link
Nuclear War
Mille Bornes
Dungeon Quest
Merchant of Venus
Fireball Island
Dark Tower
Slay The Spire
Inscryption
Tresham Civilization
1830
Mage Wars
Summoner Wars
Munchkin
Bang!
Arcane Blaster Casters
King of Tokyo - Episode Link
Other Mentions
Interview with Tom Jolly
https://web.archive.org/web/20191031005246/http://controlledareagaming.com/2016/09/09/interview-with-tom-jolly-designer-of-wiz-war/
Reflections on the publishing of Wiz War
https://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/a-brief-history-of-wiz-war/
Dragon Magazine
Cheapass Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Restoration Games
The Duelist
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Bluesky
Matt
Bluesky
Nate
Bluesky
Threads
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Email us at [email protected]
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
Themes in games have become a hot topic over the last few years. As the hobby expands, people have begun to ask if we can tackle difficult subject matter in the guise of a boardgame. Designers like Cole Wherle try to answer these questions with their titles Pax Pamir and John Company.
Some themes have existed since the dawn of the hobby and the rise and fall of civilisations is one such example. From the original Tresham Civilisation game, many titles have addressed the civ building aspect of this theme. However only one game focuses on the constant wax and wane of history in a very playable time scale. The tense ebb and flow of history condensed down into a tight compact box. It’s a Small World, after all.
Small World was designed by Phillippe Keyaerts, with art from Miguel Coimbra and Cyrille Daujean. It was published by Days of Wonder.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Vinci
Mare Nostrum
History of the World
Dominion
Age of Steam
Power Grid
Agricola - Episode Link
Worldspanner Factions
Civilisation
Pirates Cove
Ticket to Ride
Memoir 44
Colosseum
Cleopatra and the society of architects
Battlelore
Commands and Colours: Ancients
Commands and Colours: Napoleonics
Lords of Waterdeep - episode link
Risk
Nexus Ops
Power Grid
Civilization - New Dawn
Tempus
Twilight Imperium Third Edition
Through The Ages
Clash of Cultures
Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy
Other Mentions
Days of Wonder
Fantasy Flight Games
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Bluesky
Matt
Bluesky
Nate
Bluesky
Threads
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
Within any sub-culture certain things become the boogeyman. Films so terrible they are just terrible and become the poster child for the worst the form has to offer. Books so ponderous that no-one can make them to the end and everyone wonders why anybody bothers trying. Board games are not immune from this and it is of course those games that a lot of us grew up with that become the target of our ire.
That does not mean they are not worthwhile discussing and here on Cult of the Old we want to take a look at the history and impact of one of those pariahs. Yes it's time to choose if you want to be the dog or the hat, to hope you don’t go to Jail, and to see if you can get the best value properties. The game that makes Capitalism fun, Monopoly!
Monopoly was designed by Elizabeth Maggie, not Charles Darrow as you will learn in our cast!
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Monopoly: Ultimate Banking Edition
Catan - Episode Link
Pandemic - Episode Link
7 Wonders - Episode Link
Risk
Modern Art
Acquire
Power Grid
Lords of Vegas
Millennium Blades
Contract Bridge
Kriegspiel
Magnate: The First City
Monopoly Deal
I’m the Boss
Other Mentions
Senet Magazine
The Monopolists
Dollop Episode on The Landlords Game
Team Links
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Bluesky
Matt
Bluesky
Nate
Bluesky
Threads
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
This Episode….
The idea of adventure draws many to different hobbies. Some go scaling mountains, while others hurtle down them. Camping outdoors brings many to the wonders of forests and lakes across the world. Even dry and inhospitable deserts hold wonders to be explored. Much as I don’t mind a bit of outdoors living, a lot of my adventures have been found round the gaming table, exploring strange places and encountering odd folk.
Roleplaying games excel at this kind of adventure but sometimes we don’t want the faff of creating a character or lumbering a friend with the responsibilities of the GM. Sometimes we want something to give us that feeling without all the work needed to run a good RPG. The next game we are talking about attempted to do just that. It’s a game that has been around for a long time and still keeps getting reprinted. We will look at why, discuss its influences and legacy, as we climb the wizards tower to the top of Talisman.
The game was designed by Robert Harris and published by Games Workshop and Fantasy Flight Games. It has art from Christos Achilleos, Ryszard Anotnoiszczak, Gary Chalk, and Peter Andrew Jones.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Dungeons and Dragons
Bugs Bunny Adventure Game
Magic Realm
Dungeon
Mystic Wood
Dungeon Quest
Dungeon Crawl Classics
Agon
Deathmatch Island
Swords & Wizardry
Mork Borg
Mage Knight
Catan
Episode Link
Runebound
Expeditions
Vindication
Heroquest
Star Wars: Outer Rim
Eldritch Horror
Other Mentions
Talisman Island
Bob Harris site
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Bluesky
Matt
Bluesky
Nate
Bluesky
Threads
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Email us at [email protected]
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
When we turn our minds to the subject of influential designers there is surely one name at the top of everyone’s list. Dr. Reiner Knizia. A designer with somewhere in the region of 700 titles to their name. Many of us have our favourite Knizia titles, and the hosts of this show are no exception.
The good doctor is famous for many games and is associated with many mechanisms that feature time and again in his designs. One of those is auctions. In our game tonight we will visit art auctions across the world, buying up the finest pieces, for the least amount of money and making huge profits. Or so we hope. Open the doors and put your finest pieces on display in the classic game Modern Art.
Modern Art was designed by Reiner Knizia with various artists across all the editions.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Modern Art: The Card Game
Monopoly
Bridge
Spades
Ra
Medici
Hoity Toity
Cafe international
Scotland Yard
Die Macher
For Sale
Furnace
Beowulf
Hobbit
Other Mentions
Ancient Robot Games
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Bluesky
Matt
Bluesky
Nate
Bluesky
Threads
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Email us at [email protected]
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
Good games being lost in the shuffle is not a new phenomenon as Puerto Rico knows only too well. Overlooked for a Spiel des Jahre award the year of release this game has always had a controversial place in the hobby. Hugely influential but with a setting that could be easily described as insensitive, this game has had a massive impact on the hobby and recently had an attempted re-release to get rid of some of the more problematic elements. We will discuss that, and everything else about this game in this episode.
Puerto Rico was designed by Andreas Seyfarth with art from Franz Vohwinkel.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Manhattan
Thurn & Taxis
Citadels
El Grande
Ra
Taj Mahal
Princes of Florence
Power Grid
Tigris & Euphrates
Paths of Glory
Crokinole
Eminent Domain
San Juan
Brass
Five Tribes
Twilight Imperium 3rd
San Juan
Race For the Galaxy
Other Mentions
Puerto Rico Evolver
Digital Antiquarian
Privilege of Play
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Bluesky
Matt
Bluesky
Nate
Bluesky
Threads
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Email us at [email protected]
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
The history of TV and film franchises becoming tabletop games has not been one filled with glory. Eager executives and overconfident designers would rush games out to market, only to be met with a distinct sound of disinterest from the gaming public. Despite a few honourable exceptions, like Star Wars Queen’s Gambit and Epic Duels, when our next game came to market, everyone thought it would continue this run of duds. It did not.
Released 4 years after the start of the TV series it was based on, Battlestar Galactica saw players engaging in inevitable betrayal and cunning tactics to win the game for their side. This game of artificial intelligence versus humans is not only on the nose for the current political climate, but, like its parent show, linked to the politics of its time through metaphorical allusions to 9/11.
The game was designed by Corey Koniecza, with art from Kevin Childress, Brian Schomburg, and Wil Springer.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica the CCG
Arkham Horror
War of the Ring
Mafia /Werewolf
Starcraft
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Shadows over Camelot
Labyrinth: War on Terror
Twilight Struggle
Tortuga 1667
Blood on the Clocktower
Dark Moon
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
The Resistance
The Resistance: Avalon
Nemesis
Nemesis Lockdown
Unfathomable
Dune
Other Mentions
Fringe
Tao of gaming
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Bluesky
Matt
Bluesky
Nate
Bluesky
Threads
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Email us at [email protected]
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!
Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.
For the first episode of this season we are going back to what many consider the beginning of the modern era. Arriving onto the tabletop scene in the mid-90s Settlers of Catan was a breath of fresh air into a hobby that had grown somewhat stale. It made a star of its designer Klaus Teuber, who sadly passed in 2023. Join us as we trade wood for sheep and discuss the relevance this game still has in the modern hobby.
Show Links
Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.
Games Mentioned
Baraborosa
Hoity Toity
Borderlands
Go
Magic Realm
Dominion
Game of Thrones Catan
Star Trek Catan
Risk
Puerto Rico
Vila Paletti
Other Mentions
New Yorker Interview
Spiel des Jahres
Team Links
Websites you can find the cast on
There Will Be Games
Iain
The Giant Brain
Bluesky
Matt
Bluesky
Nate
Bluesky
Threads
Support us on Ko-Fi
https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold
Support us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld
Email us at [email protected]
The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.