Jeremy Howard, solo gaming expert from Man vs. Meeple, joins Christina and Shoe to personally recommend some great solo games and convince everyone that solo gaming is here to stay! But which games need that multiplayer aspect?

Topics for this episode:

• Shoe (producer): What are some good solo games we should check out?
• Jeremy (guest): Solo gaming during the pandemic...here to stay or no?
• Christina (host): What do we look for in multiplayer games that solo gaming can’t scratch the itch for?

Games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

• On Mars
• Tapple
• Exit: The Sacred Temple

Shoe's topic: Jeremy recommends some solo games!

• Sky Towers
• Sprawlopolis
• Agropolis
• Coffee Roaster
• Warp Speed
• Bullet♥︎
• BattleCON
• Pixel Tactics
• Argent: The Consortium
• Dawn of the Zeds
• Tainted Grail
• A Gentle Rain
• Caverna
• Terra Mystica
• The Pursuit of Happiness
• Tiny Towns
• Villagers
• Smartphone, Inc.
• Chronicles of Crimes

Jeremy's topic: Is solo gaming here to stay?

• Terraforming Mars
• Agricola
• Caverna
• A Feast for Odin
• Merchants Cove
• Mr. Cabbagehead's Garden
• Shahrazad
• Folklore
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Christina's topic: What do we look for in multiplayer games that solo gaming can't provide?

• Snowdonia
• Alubari: A Nice Cup of Tea
• The Pursuit of Happiness
• Anachrony
• Atlantis Rising
• Cthulhu: Death May Die

As US game groups start meeting up again, we chat with fellow social bubble-r James Hudson (Skybound Games) about quarantine's effects on us as gamers, which games surprised us, and the unintended effects of COVID on board game shipping and logistics. (Last topic = sad James)

Our topics for this show:

• Shoe (producer): Board gaming outside of the social bubble: what it's been like so far, what's changed, what are the challenges?
• Christina (host): Games that surprised you over the pandemic
• James (guest): How publishers are evaluating the short-term future, with current COVID conditions/trends

The games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

• The Grimm Masquerade
• Guardian's Call
• Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
• Wonderland's War
• Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labyrinth
• Robot Quest Arena
• Sky Towers
• Beyond the Sun

Shoe's topic: Board gaming outside of the social bubble

• Beyond the Sun
• Dune: Imperium
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
• P for Pizza
• Dark Harvest
• Gorilla Marketing
• Eclipse
• Dwellings of Eldervale
• Monopoly

Christina's topic: Games that surprised us over the pandemic

• P for Pizza
• Forgotten Waters
• Sovereign Skies
• Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
• The Gallerist
• Sheepy Time
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Dune: Imperium
• The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
• Obsession

James's topic: How publishers are evaluating the short-term future, with current COVID conditions/trends

• Wonderland's War

Suzanne Sheldon and Mandi Hutchinson from the Dice Tower Podcast take some time off to do...another podcast with Christina! Listen for our board gamer origin stories, how we balance other hobbies, and Christina and Suz strongly recommend some games to Mandi from Uwe Rosenberg (one of our favorite designers).

The games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

• Fields of Arle

Christina's topic: Our board-gamer origin stories

• Monopoly
• Mouse Trap
• Power Grid
• Bohnanza
• Chess
• Checkers
• Trouble
• Frustration
• Dominoes
• Risk
• Magic: The Gathering
• Big 2
• Bridge
• Hearts
• Euchre
• Poker

Suz's topic: Other hobbies

• First Ascent

Mandi's topic: Which Uwe Rosenberg games should Mandi play?

• Patchwork
• Fields of Arle
• Ora et Labora
• Le Havre
• Caverna
• Agricola
• Fields of Arle: Tea & Trade
• At the Gates of Loyang
• A Feast for Odin
• Spring Meadow
• Cottage Garden
• Second Chance
• Halltertau
• Bohnanza
• Agricola: All Creatures Big & Small
• Le Havre: The Inland Port
• Caverna: Cave vs. Cave
• Caverna: The Forgotten Folk
• Notre Dame
• Fairy Trails
• Bargain Hunter

Final thoughts:

• Second Chance
• Yahtzee
• Bonfire
• Destinies
• A Gentle Rain

Things are a mess around the world, but many of us are just starting to socialize again. So what will we be playing first with our long-lost gaming buddies?

The prolific Jonathan Cox from JonGetsGames joins us to discuss this and more. Our chosen topics:

• Christina Ha (host): What board games are you most excited to play with your friends, post-lockdown? (2:24)
• Jonathan Cox (guest): How do we define "elegant design," and what are our favorite examples? (17:20)
• Mike Zipkin (editor): What difficulties are there in making board games media a full-time job? (35:28)

The games mentioned in this episode:

Christina's topic: Games you're excited to get to, post-quarantine

• Beyond the Sun
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Taxi Derby
• Fast and Furious: Highway Heist
• Ginkgopolis
• Anno 1800
• Trans-Siberian Railroad
• Irish Gauge
• Iberian Gauge
• 18XX
• Ticket to Ride
• Paris Connection
• Praga Caput Regni
• Telestrations
• Dixit

Jonathan's topic: Elegance in game design

• Taxi Derby
• Go
• Azul
• Gentes
• Concordia
• Calimala
• Hansa Teutonica
• Wingspan
• Pandemic Legacy
• A Feast for Odin
• Terraforming Mars
• Coloretto
• Arboretum
• Isle of Skye
• Tichu
• City of the Big Shoulders
• Whale Riders
• Irish Gauge
• Iberian Gauge
• Ride the Rails

Mike's topic: Board game content creation

• Ginkgopolis

Final thoughts

• Genotype

All the cool kids are on TikTok, so Raina and Phil from 1 Minute Board Games make Christina and Shoe honorary Gen Z-ers this week! We discover Raina's allergy to real-time games, Phil's addiction to Android: Netrunner, and Christina needs to shut up about Innovation.

Our topics for this episode: 

• Christina (host): Favorite real-time games (3:57)
• Raina (guest): Which games do you and your partner not agree on? (15:21)
• Phil (guest): Games that we feel are the epitome of a board game mechanic (35:51)

The games mentioned in this episode:

Intro

• Don't Get Got

Christina's topic: Favorite real-time games

• Sorcerer City
• 5-Minute Marvel
• Captain Sonar
• Space Cadets: Dice Duel
• Magic Maze

Raina's topic: Which games do you and your partner disagree on?

• Azul: Summer Pavilion
• Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra
• Azul
• Memoir '44
• BattleLore
• Cthulhu Wars
• War of the Ring
• Werewolf
• Werewords
• Innovation
• Glory to Rome
• Medieval Academy
• Cosmic Encounter
• Android: Netrunner
• Star Wars: Rebellion
• Chess
• Exit: The Game
• Unlock

Phil's topic: Which games epitomize certain board game mechanics?

• Chinatown
• Twilight Imperium
• Dominion
• Ascension
• Moonrakers
• Lords of Waterdeep
• Agricola
• Caverna: The Cave Farmers
• The Quacks of Quedlinburg
• Deep Sea Adventure
• Clank!

Final thoughts

• Targi
• Hadrian's Wall

YouTube creator and BoardGameCo founder Alex Radcliffe stops by the show! Our picks for topics this week:

• Alex (guest): How important is theme? Have you kept mediocre board games purely because of a great theme? And what games do you love despite their theme?
• Shoe (producer): What are some interesting facts that we've learned from playing board games?
• Christina (host): How did the pandemic affect online retail sales? What gaming trends popped up during stay-at-home?

The games discussed in this episode:

Alex's topic: Theme in board games

• Cthulhu: Death May Die
• Arkham Horror
• Eldritch Horror
• Robinson Cursoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
• First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet
• Terra Mystica
• Gaia Project
• Gentes
• Crusader
• Surrealist Dinner Party
• Ugly Gryphon Inn
• Marvel United
• Obsession
• Photosynthesis

Shoe's topic: Things we've learned from board games

• Goa
• Keystone: North America
• The Search for Planet X
• The Crew
• Timeline
• Wits and Wagers
• Terraforming Mars
• Brass: Birmingham
• Tinners' Trail
• Deep Vents
• Formosa Tea
• Viticulture

Christina's topic: Online retail trends during COVID

• Monopoly
• Risk
• Catan
• Splendor
• Codenames

Final thoughts:

• Red Rising
• Fantasy Realms
• Viticulture
• Zombicide
• Valor & Villainy
• Drawn to Adventure
• Merchant's Cove
• Root
• Vast
• Gods Love Dinosaurs
• Ecos

Husband-wife team Ryan and Malorie Laukat of Red Raven Games (Sleeping Gods, Above and Below, Megaland) stop by with a few gaming topics in hand:

• Christina (host): Our ideal "3-course meal" of board games
• Malorie (guest): Culling our collections
• Ryan (guest): How our gaming tastes have evolved over time

The games discussed in this episode:

Intro:

• Above & Below
• Near & Far
• Empires of the Void II
• Eight-Minute Empires
• Roam
• Sleeping Gods
• Megaland
• Now or Never
• Surrealist Dinner Party

Christina's topic: Ideal 3-course meal of games

• Point Salad
• A Feast for Odin
• Letter Jam
• Blue Moon City
• Agricola
• Caverna
• Codenames
• Great Western Trail
• Race for the Galaxy
• Roll for the Galaxy
• Jump Drive
• New Frontiers

Malorie's topic: Culling games/hoarding games

• Yinzi
• Arkham Horror
• Twilight Imperium

Ryan's topic: How our gaming tastes have changed

• Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire
• War of the Ring
• Arkham Horror
• Strozzi
• Thunderstone
• Lords of Waterdeep
• Rising Sun
• Sleeping Gods
• Roam

Final thoughts:

• Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire
• Paladins of the West Kingdom
• Viscounts of the West Kingdom

Isaac Vega (designer of Ashes Reborn, co-designer of Dead of Winter and Forgotten Waters) and Lindsey Rode (designer of Labyrinthos) take a quick break from managing their new company, Rose Gauntlet Entertainment, to discuss gaaames!

Our topics: our favorite board game names, mixing technology with tabletop, and how we feel about attending conventions this year.

The games discussed in this episode:

Intro:

• Dead of Winter
• Forgotten Waters
• Ashes Reborn: Rise of the Phoenixborn
• Keystone: North America
• Countdown: Action Edition
• Labyrinthos

Christina’s topic: Your favorite names for board games

• So, You’ve Been Eaten
• Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn
• Dead of Winter
• Abyss
• Terra Mystica
• Above and Below
• Roam
• Alice is Missing
• Gravwell 
• Bärenpark 
• A Fake Artist Goes to New York
• Campy Creatures
• Curious Cargo
• Pipeline
• The Quacks of Quedlinburg
• Frenemy Pastry Party

Lindsey’s topic: Technology in board games...what are you excited about and what don’t you want to see

• Forgotten Waters
• The Search for Planet X
• Chronicles of Crime
• Life After Dungeon
• Dread

Isaac’s topic: Conventions in a post-COVID world

• Atheneum: Mystic Library

Final thoughts:

• Keystone: North America

Great board game discussions with Monique and Naveen of Before You Play! What games did we change our minds on (either way) after a second play? What games have we invested the most in? And what ones do we find hardest to get to the table...for whatever reason?

Here are the games covered in this episode:

Christina’s topic: Games you’ve invested the most in

• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein
• Killer Bunnies
• Dead of Winter
• Scythe
• Scythe: Rise of Fenris
• Wingspan
• The Quacks of Quedlinburg
• Innovation
• Grand Austria Hotel
• Kanban EV

Naveen’s topic: Games you’ve changed your mind about after a second play

• Root
• Medium
• Just One
• Hansa Teutonica
• Ticket to Ride
• Terraforming Mars
• Loot of Lima
• The Search for Planet X
• Cryptid
• Alchemists

Monique’s topic: The hardest games to get to the table

• The Gallerist
• Lisboa
• Vinhos
• On Mars
• Pandemic Legacy
• Sleeping Gods
• King’s Dilemma
• Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
• Twilight Imperium
• Two Rooms and a Boom
• Witness

Final thoughts:

• Root
• Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef

The always fun, always funny Paula Deming from Things Get Dicey joins the podcast this week to discuss:

• Board games that really get us riled up (in good and bad ways)
• The games in our "shelf of opportunity" that we're most excited to get to
• Why we livestream playthroughs -- or not

The games discussed on this episode:

Intro: 

• Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
• Kingdom Rush: Rift in Time

Christina’s topic: Games that get you hyped

• Dominant Species
• Targi
• Twilight Imperium
• Draw Your Own Conclusions
• Telestrations
• Escape: The Curse of the Temple
• Dungeon Fighter
• Flip Ships
• The Quacks of Quedlinburg
• Wonderland’s War
• Libertalia
• Modern Art

Shoe’s topic: What are the games in your backlog that you're most excited to get to (and why haven't you yet)?

• Too Many Bones
• Sleeping Games
• Near and Far
• Above and Below
• Adventure Tactics: Domianne’s Tower
• Space Base
• Space Base: The Emergence of Shy Pluto
• Machi Koro
• Lisboa
• Gallerist
• Formosa Tea
• Great Western Trail
• Viticulture
• CloudAge
• Pandemic Legacy: Season 0
• Clank Legacy
• Cutthroat Caverns
• Space Park
• Herd Mentality
• P for Pizza
• Gentes
• Pioneer Days
• Happy Salmon
• Power Grid
• Blockbuster
• MTV: The Throwback Music Party Game

Paula: Playing and live-streaming games online

• Hallertau 
• Fort
• Coatl 
• Targi
• Carcassonne 
• The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
• Lisboa
• Modern Art
• Blank Slate
• Wavelength

Final thoughts:

• The Lost Expedition
• Praga Caput Regni 
• City of the Big Shoulders