It's our 50th episode! We celebrate by discussing:

• Our top 3 games in BoardGameGeek's top 100
• Our favorite genres (and our favorite game in that genre)
• The best moments from our podcast so far
• The board game that got us into board gaming

Here are the games we mention on the show:

Mike's topic: Favorite game in our favorite genre

• Gloomhaven
• Hansa Teutonica
• 7 Wonders
• Libertalia
• Campy Creatures
• R (BraveRats)
• Orleans
• Caverna
• A Feast for Odin
• Alien Frontiers

Shoe's topic: Top 3 games in the BGG Top 100

• Caverna
• Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
• Codenames
• 7 Wonders
• La Boca
• Wingspan
• Innovation
• Caverna: The Forgotten Folk
• Terra Mystica
• Crokinole
• Lords of Waterdeep
• The Castles of Burgundy
• Broom Service
• Hansa Teutonica
• Lords of Vegas
• Troyes
• Terraforming Mars
• Chess
• Boggle
• Monopoly
• Go
• Black Angel
• San Juan
• Concordia

Nick's topic: The game that got us into board gaming

• HeroQuest
• Magic: The Gathering
• Vampire: The Masqerade
• Talisman
• Catan
• Monopoly
• Monopoly: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition
• Sorry!
• Trouble
• Puerto Rico
• Bohnanza
• Thunderstone
• Illuminati
• Car Wars
• Arkham Horror

Final thoughts

• War of the Ring

Two guests! Nick Brachmann (Leder Games) and John de Campos (Terrible Games) join us to discuss their upcoming games (Fort and Token Terrors Battlegrounds, respectively) and our four new topics:

1. Deckbuilding games with a unique twist
2. Our other hobbies that we'd like to see brought to life for tabletop gaming
3. The differences between "design" and "development"
4. Establishing a visual identity for a game company

Here are the games discussed/mentioned in this episode:

 

We're talking so many "favorites" today: our favorite games where points don't matter, favorite games that revolve around illustrations (not necessarily drawing), favorite board game universes, and favorite game-induced social interactions.

Our guest is Eric Slauson, designer of Tattoo Stories, Nerd Words, and the upcoming MonsDRAWsity.

Here's a list of the games discussed on the show:

Intro

• Tattoo Stories
• Nerd Words: Science!
• MonsDRAWsity
• Welcome To...
• Tumblin' Dice

Christina’s topic: Favorite type of social interactions

• Twilight Imperium
• Exit
• Unlock!
• Level 7: Omega Protocol
• Forgotten Waters
• Charterstone
• Arcadia Quest
• Dead of Winter
• Telestrations
• MonsDRAWsity
• The Crew
• Deckscape

Eric’s topic: Favorite games where the points don’t matter  

• Medium
• Mobscenity
• Bye, Felicia!
• Just One
• Wavelength
• Telestrations
• Alcatraz: The Scapegoat
• Flip Ships
• FUSE
• Tokaido
• Namiji 

Shoe’s topic: Great games that revolve around illustrations (not drawing)

• MonsDRAWsity
• Dixit
• Muse
• Visitor in Blackwood Grove
• Pictures
• Imagine
• Drawful 
• Mangaka: The Fast & Furious Game of Drawing Comics
• Cartooner: The Fast & Furious Game of Drawing Comics
• Escape the Dark Castle

  Jess’s topic: Favorite game universes

• Above and Below
• Near and Far
• Roam
• Sleeping Gods
• Roll Player
• Cartographers
• Lockup: A Roll Player Tale
• Kingdomino
• Queendomino
• Dragomino 
• Ex Libris 
• Star Trek Ascendancy
• Scythe
• Eclipse
• Cthulhu Wars

Final thoughts

• Stellar
• MonsDRAWsity
• Tattoo Stories
• Nerd Words: Science!

What do we really mean when we want to play a "storytelling" game? Designers Sen-Foong Lim and Banana Chan join to discuss this as well as the upcoming Jiangshi RPG, our favorite board game themes, and board game cultural appreciation vs. appropriation.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

• Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
• Scooby-Doo: Betrayal at Mystery Mansion
• Sea of Legends
• Dune RPG
• Junk Art
• Dungeons & Dragons: Rock Paper Wizard
• The Legend of Korra: Pro-Bending Arena
• Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion
• Mind MGMT
• Kingdom Rush
• Betrayal at House on the HIll

Christina's topic: What are inspirations for the settings in your games?

• Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
• Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion

Banana's topic: Favorite game themes that you don't see as often

• Succulent
• Pret-a-Porter
• Abomination: Heir of Frankenstein
• Alice is Missing
• Wait for Me
• Anachrony
• T.I.M.E Stories
• Belfort

Shoe's topic: Story-based/RPG-style board games

• ATMA
• Forgotten Waters
• Mice & Mystics
• Aftermath
• Dead of Winter
• Sea of Legends
• Warp's Edge
• Tales of Arabian Nights
• Once Upon a Time
• Fiasco
• Paranoia
• Kobolds Ate My Baby
• Apocalypse World
• Monster Hearts
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Pathfinder
• Kids on Bikes
• Samurai

Sen's topic: Cultural appreciate vs. appropriation

• Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
• Arkham Horror
• Puerto Rico

Final thoughts

• Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall
• Wait for Me
• Dissident Whispers
• The Shivers
• Gloomhaven
• Surrealist Dinner Party
• Mechanica

Uber content creator Ruel Gaviola (Geek & Sundry plus a million other things) joins us this week to talk about under-the-radar games that need more love, games we can play outside that won't get blown away, genres we don't like (and exceptions to them), and online communities.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Mike's topic: Games we can play outdoors

• Heckmeck
• Pickomino
• Q.E.
• Hanabi Deluxe
• Shobu
• Backgammon
• Dominoes
• Secrets
• Wavelength
• Pinnacle
• Jenga
• Azul

Shoe's topic: Recent under-the-radar board games

• The Shipwreck Arcana
• Deep Vents
• Oceans
• Pre-a-Porter
• London
• Mechanica
• Steam Park
• Brass
• MonsDRAWsity
• Telestrations: Upside Drawn
• Telestrations
• FUSE
• Dead Men Tell No Tales
• Stellar
• Arboretum
• Little Town
• Tiny Towns

Ruel's topic: Online gaming communities

• Wingspan
• Railways of the World
• 18XX
• City of the Big Shoulders
• Tokaido
• 7 Wonders
• Viscounts of the West Kingdom
• King's Dilemma

Christina's topic: Board game genres we tend to dislike

• Cthulhu Wars
• Rising Sun
• Kemet
• Eclipse
• Twilight Imperium
• The Shipwreck Arcana
• Werewolf
• Mafia
• Poker
• Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
• A Fake Artist Goes to New York
• Let's Make a Bus Route
• Kokoro
• Cartographers
• Fleet: The Dice Game
• Magic: The Gathering
• Level 7: Omega Protocol
• Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Final thoughts

• The Oracle of Delphi
• Time's Up
• Trial by Trolley
• Carpe Diem
• Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion

We talk (non-roll-and-write) board games that are perfect for streaming to your friends, and we delve into how a game company like The Op works with so many big-name licenses (Marvel, Harry Potter, and...um, Golden Girls).

Plus, what is that X factor that makes a game really great? And Mike Zipkin gives impressions on Nintendo's Clubhouse Games.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

• Star Wars: Dark Side Rising
• Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising
• Die Hard: The Nakatomi Tower Heist
• Monopoly
• Yahtzee
• Scrabble
• Trivial Pursuit
• Telestrations
• Clubhouse Games
• Russian Railroads
• Grand Austria Hotel

Christina's topic: Streamable non-roll-and-write games

• Blank Slate
• Just One
• Hues and Cues
• Codenames
• MonsDRAWsity
• Telestrations: Upside Drawn
• Telestrations

Shoe's topic: Game design when working with different licenses

• Courth of the Dead: Mourner's Call
• Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion
• The Shining: Escape from Overlook Hotel
• Monopoly Hallmark Channel Board Game
• Unlock!
• Munchkin
• Codenames
• Match-o-Rama
• Quests of Yore: Barley's Edition

Pat's topic: That X-factor in gaming

• Russian Railroads
• Just One
• Codenames
• Hansa Teutonica
• The Gallerist
• Kanban
• Terraforming Mars
• The Quacks of Quedlinberg
• Hues and Cues
• Court of the Dead: Mourner's Call
• Tiny Towns
• Medium

Mike's topic: Nintendo's Clubhouse Games

• Clubhouse Games
• Chess
• Checkers
• Yacht Dice
• Mancala
• Shogi
• Go
• Connect 4
• Uno
• Hanafuda
• Texas Hold 'Em
• Ludo
• War
• Takoyaki
• Air Hockey
• Darts
• Bowling

Final thoughts

• Blank Slate
• Court of the Dead: Mourner's Call
• The Batman Who Laughs Rising
• Plankton Rising
• Quests of Yore: Barley's Edition
• Forgotten Waters
• Era: Medieval Age
• The Shipwreck Arcana
• Smartphone Inc.

How should game publishers and designers respond to recent political events? We also talk about premium components (the business behind them and how we do our own upgrading) and reissued/remade games like King of Tokyo Dark and Kemet: Blood and Sand.

James Hudson, senior director of tabletop gaming at Skybound Games (Sorcerer City, Superfight, Tidal Blades) joins us this week for this discussion.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

• The Grimm Masquerade
• Guardian's Call
• Sorcerer City
• Wonderland's War
• Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef

Christina's topic: How should game publishers respond to calls for more inclusiveness vs. "less politics" in games?

• Dead of Winter
• Summoner Wars
• Bloodstone
• The Grimm Forest
• Guardian's Call

Shoe's topic: Board game remakes...do you buy them?

• Dune
• King of Tokyo
• King of Tokyo: Dark
• Kemet
• Kemet: Blood and Sand
• Caylus
• Caylus 1303
• Tribune
• Last Bastion
• Ghost Stories
• The Castles of Burgundy
• Carpe Diem
• Egizia
• Egizia: Shifting Sands
• Tokaido

Mike's topic: What are some premium upgrades you've personally added to games?

• The Castles of Burgundy
• The Estates
• Blood Rage
• Rising Sun
• Concordia
• The Grimm Forest
• Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
• Chaos in the Old World
• Dune
• Crusaders
• The Crew

James's topic: Deluxe components from the manufacturer's perspective

• The Grimm Forest
• Sorcerer City
• Zombicide
• B-Sieged
• Copenhagen
• Ticket to Ride
• Blood Rage
• Gloomhaven
• Gùgōng
• Bloodstone
• Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
• Valor & Villainy
• Pebble Rock Delivery Service

Final thoughts

• The King's Dilemma
• Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
• Lords of Vegas
• Star Trek: Ascendancy
• Twilight Imperium

We talk about Plaid Hat's new storytelling adventure game Forgotten Waters, our other favorite pirate-themed games, and some of the most memorable characters in board gaming.

But...is quarantining slowly killing our love for board games?

We have three special guests! Video game designer Tim Schafer (whose work on The Secret of Monkey Island influenced Forgotten Waters), and Forgotten Waters co-designers Isaac Vega and Joe Ellis.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

• Forgotten Waters
• Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn
• City of Remnants
• Dead of Winter
• Crystal Clans
• Raxxon

Christina's topic: What are our favorite pirate-y games?

• Forgotten Waters
• Sea of Legends
• Tiny Epic Pirates
• Sea of Nadia
• Jamaica
• Sea of Clouds
• Libertalia
• Citadels
• Merchants and Marauders
• Pirate's Cove
• Loot
• Xia: Legends of a Drift System

Joe's topic: Inspirations behind Forgotten Waters

• Forgotten Waters

Isaac's topic: What are the most memorable characters you've enjoyed in board games?

• Scythe
• Scythe: The Rise of Fenris
• Magic: The Gathering
• Twilight Imperium
• Dead of Winter
• Mice and Mystics
• Tales of the Arabian Nights
• Camp Grizzly
• T.I.M.E Stories
• Star Wars: Rebellion
• Dune
• Aftermath
• Abomination
• Takenoko
• Forgotten Waters

Tim's topic: How has quarantine affected how we think about board games?

• Descent: Journeys in the Dark
• The 7th Continent
• Sea of Nadia
• Smartphone Inc.
• Santa Monica
• Forgotten Waters

Final thoughts

• Forgotten Waters

What are our favorite two-player, solo, and roll-and-write games? Do you want to restart or fail forward when you lose a cooperative adventure? And we all love designer Uwe Rosenberg!

With guest Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games (Wingspan, Tapestry, Scythe).

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

• Wingspan
• Viticulture
• Scythe
• Euphoria
• Tapestry

Shoe's topic: What are our favorite two-player and solo games?

• Lost Cities
• Hanamikoji
• Jixia Academy
• Onitama
• 7 Wonders Duel
• 7 Wonders
• Shards of Infinity
• Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation
• SHOBU
• Jaipur
• War Chest
• War Chest: Nobility
• Patchwork
• Pathfinder: Adventure Card Game
• The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
• Arkham Horror: The Card Game
• Coffee Roaster

Jamey's topic: How do we feel about replaying scenarios vs. "failing forward" in cooperative games?

• Forgotten Waters
• Gloomhaven
• Pandemic Legacy
• Legacy of Dragonholt
• The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth
• T.I.M.E Stories
• Forbidden Desert
• Atlantis Rising
• Arkham Horror

Christina's topic: Favorite beginner-friendly and heavy-duty ___-and-writes

• Second Chance
• Qwixx
• Ganz Schon Clever
• Fleet: The Dice Game
• Rolling Realms
• Welcome to...
• Silver & Gold
• On Tour
• Cartographers
• Doppelt So Clever
• MetroX
• Welcome to New Las Vegas

Jess's topic: What are our favorite Uwe Rosenberg games?

• Agricola
• Patchwork
• Caverna: Cave vs. Cave
• Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small
• Viticulture: Moor Visitors Expansion
• A Feast for Odin
• Caverna
• Caverna: The Forgotten Folk
• Bohnanza
• Cottage Garden
• Fields of Arle
• Le Havre
• Ora et Labora

Final thoughts

• Kingdomino
• Pinnacle
• Scythe
• My Little Scythe
• My Little Scythe: Pie in the Sky
• Rolling Realms
• Euphoria

Which games transport us to new places or worlds? What makes a good asynchronous digital game? And how does sheltering in place change how a designer goes about his business?

Board game designer Emerson Matsuuchi (Century series, Metal Gear Solid, Specter Ops) joins us to discuss.

Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

• Century
• Metal Gear Solid
• Foundations of Rome

Christina's topic: What are your top board games that help you escape?

• Tokaido
• Namiji
• Tales of Arabian Nights
• Hive Mind
• King of Tokyo
• Mansions of Madness
• Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
• Dead of Winter
• Above & Below
• Near & Far
• Mice & Mystics
• Aftermath
• Forgotten Waters
• Suburbia

Emerson's topic: How important is it for a game to have something innovative?

• The Mind
• Dead Man's Cabal
• In the Hall of the Mountain King
• The Castles of Burgundy
• Lost Cities
• Codenames
• Paladins of the West Kingdom
• Architects of the West Kingdom

Nick's topic: Asynchronous digital games

• The Castles of Burgundy
• Lost Cities
• Carcassonne
• Patchwork
• Ticket to Ride
• Tokaido
• Ascension
• Shards of Infinity
• Lords of Waterdeep
• Kingsburg

Shoe's topic: How does shelter-in-place impact game design work?

• Infiltrator

Final thoughts

• Just One
• Rising Sun