We love unique gaming experiences, especially from those tough-to-find games in Asia. Why are they so different from Western-made games? And what are the differences between games that originated from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, or other parts of the East?

Jay Bernardo, marketing manager at Bezier Games and content creator at Cardboard East (which specializes in covering board games from Asia), was kind enough to join Going Analog to teach us the ways. We also recommend some new games that play best at 5 or 6 players!

Timeline:

• 3:29 - Going Analog's game pick: Finca.
• 8:35 - Jay's game pick: Dune (1979 version).
• 18:01 - Jay's topic: East vs. West board games.
• 41:51 - Going Analog's topic: 5- to 6-player games.

Do you enjoy hosting a handful of people for game night? How about a few hundred? That's what these three tried for the first time about a month ago in Burbank, CA: Dustin Staats, content creator and owner of online and brick-and-mortar retailer BGE Tabletop; George Caceres, owner of board game cafe Game N' Grounds; and Dae, owner of board game store Fire & Dice, came together to put on the very first LFG Con this past June.

We asked Dustin to join us on the podcast to talk about how their convention dreams started and what it took to make them a reality. Plus, Dustin shares how he made the transition from board game content creator to board game retailer. Listen in!

Timeline:

• 3:53 - Going Analog's game pick: Dark Heists.
• 8:58 - Dustin's game pick: Scythe.
• 11:59 - Going Analog's topic: Running a game convention (for the first time).
• 25:47 - Dustin's topic: From content creator to retailer (how I opened my brick & mortar store)

We just finished Halloweeeen! What are your favorite board games for spoopy season? We ask Creepshow: The Suspense-Building Game co-creators Ben Kepner and Dan Stong about what they like to play during this holiday...plus how they feel about designing while working in-house at a publisher compared to working independently.

Timeline:

• 3:45 - Going Analog's game pick: Babylon.
• 9:46 - Ben & Dan's game pick: Rattus.
• 21:19 - Ben & Dan's topic: spooky games.
• 45:40 - Going Analog's topic: indie vs. in-house design work.

Game time! We catch up on a bunch of reviews for new games and expansions -- tune in to find out how much we liked them! And whether Christina ever found her Pringle.

Thanks to the publishers for providing review copies.

Timeline:

New games:

• 1:30 - The Architects of Amytis.
• 6:24 - Medieval Academy.
• 11:41 - Combo.
• 15:55 - Star Trek: Star Realms.

New expansions:

• 21:45 - Evergreen: Pines and Cacti.
• 27:52 - Ancient Knowledge: Heritage.
• 34:44 - Sky Team: Turbulence.
• 40:31 - Rebel Princess: Happily Never After.

The 2025 American Tabletop Awards were just announced! (Whispers offstage inform us that they were announced back in April....)

Well, we're now ready to talk about them after our extended break. With ATTA cofounder and content creator Eric Yurko of What's Eric Playing?, we react to the recently crowned finalists and winners -- and tell you how we each voted as part of the judging panel.

Timeline:

• 7:08 - Early Gamers category.
• 17:54 - Casual Games category.
• 30:29 - Strategy Games category.
• 40:03 - Complex Games category.

We're back! Again! Tune in to hear all our excuses about why we haven't been podcasting recently, then stay to hear our guest, fabulous designer (Evolution, Wits & Wagers, Oceans) and North Star Games founder Dominic Crapuchettes! We talk about the upcoming Evolution sequel Nature, tariffs (gah), and Dominic's process when designing a science-based game.

Timeline:

• 1:39 - Nature.
• 8:45 - Going Analog's game pick: Super Boss Monster.
• 12:26 - Dominic's game pick: The Gang.
• 17:32 - Going Analog's topic: tariffs impacting the board game industry.
• 29:42 - Dominic's topic: designing science/real life games.

Imagine the longest, most suspenseful drumroll ever.......

Sorry we've been MIA, but real life has been unforgiving and busy. Luckily, we're making it up to you by commemorating our 150th episode with our TOP 10 GAMES OF ALL TIME! We invite Ultimate Beige Gamer and Going Analog Editor Mike Zipkin to join us to share our individual top 10 lists. Whose taste will reign supreme? Which Going Analog-er is your favorite board game soulmate? You'll have to listen to find out.

Did someone say Phil Walker-Harding? Praise be!

The prolific designer (Sushi Go!, Barenpark, Imhotep, Gizmos, Adventure Games, and so many more!) joins Christina and Shoe to talk about how his film background has surprisingly influenced his design process. Plus, Phil's been noticing the "playfulness" inherent in some games recently. Why is he excited about this, and what does it mean for his own designs? Watch or listen to find out!

Timeline:

• 3:01 - Going Analog's game pick: Rivages.
• 5:32 - Phil's game pick: Acquire.
• 9:27 - Going Analog's topic: How Phil's film background influences his game design.
• 25:56 - Phil's topic: Playfulness in game design.

We just wrapped up last year with our 2024 Games of the Year episode, so naturally, it's time to move on with our lives and think about what gets us all excited about 2025. What are we looking forward to playing? What have we previewed previously and are now eagerly awaiting the retail release? What's the buzz we're hearing from others in the biz? Comedian and board game content creator Grant Lyon joins the show to share his thoughts on the biggest offerings for this new year. Plus, with the roller coaster that's TikTok and the continued rise of online toxicity, just how are we looking at board game social media these days?

Timeline:

• 4:45 - Going Analog's game pick: Andromeda's Edge.
• 14:18 - Grant's game pick: Dice Throne.
• 19:38 - Going Analog's topic: 2025 games we're looking forward to.
• 45:44 - Grant's topic: the state of board game social media.

We did it, folks! We recorded our 2024 Games of the Year episode before the end of the year! (We didn't say anything about releasing it before the end of the year, though.) Joining us just under the wire is content creator and Twitch streamer Beneeta Kaur who contributed her own picks. We actually played a good number of games in-person with Beneeta this year, so we know she has great taste!

Tune in for our favorite party, light, medium, and heavy games of the year. What did we miss? What do we NEED to play? Tell us on our socials!

Timeline:

• 2:42 - 2024 Party Games of the Year.
• 13:42 - 2024 Light Games of the Year.
• 25:22 - 2024 Medium Games of the Year.
• 46:40 - 2024 Heavy Games of the Year.