Going Analog Show

Yes, our show is called Going Analog, so you know we love our video games -- but how do board games bring in the digital vibe that we love into the tabletop medium?

Luckily, we found the perfect guests to ask: Level 99 Games, the publisher of video-game-inspired fare such as the recent Bullet series, BattleCON, and Exceed! Joshua Van Laningham, Production and Design Lead at Level 99, and Ferdinand Capitulo, Head of Media at Level 99 and the Cardboard Stacker himself, join us to discuss which aspects we've seen in board games and how they designed the "feel" of certain video game genres into their lineup.

Plus, how is theme symbiotically integrated into certain game designs, and when does it pay to abstractify certain thematic steps (and when does it not)?

Topics this episode:

• Christina (host): What are some other games that have given us the "video game" vibe?
• Ferdinand (guest): What are some great examples of crafting mechanisms we've seen in games?
• Josh (guest): Abstraction in board games

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Kellen Laker, Red Tank from the popular podcast Board Game Barrage, joins Christina and Shoe to discuss Innovation and...fine, some games other than Innovation, too.

Plus, we're old hands at gaming these days, so what do we try to keep in mind when introducing brand spanking newbies to tabletop games? And what stands out to us as the best marketing we've seen in the board game biz?

Topics this week:

• Christina (host): Which games do you consider your favorite "Forever Games"?
• Kellen (guest): Maintaining perspective when introducing new gamers to the hobby
• Shoe (producer): What are some examples of the coolest game marketing you've seen?

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Designer Nikki Valens (Legacy of Dragonholt, Eldritch Horror, Quirky Circuits) drops by Going Analog again to discuss recent favorite co-op games, crafting mechanisms, and their latest project, the ambitious co-op, campaign-based Artisans of Splendent Vale.

Plus, which designers and artists would we pair together for our ultimate game-design dream teams?

Games mentioned on this show:

Intro:

• Eldritch Horror
• Mansions of Madness
• Arkham Horror
• Legacy of Dragonholt
• Quirky Circuits
• Artisans of Splendent Vale
• MicroMacro: Crime City
• Nemesis
• Grand Austria Hotel

Christina's topic: Recent co-op faves

• The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
• The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
• Forgotten Waters
• Shipwreck Arcana
• Team3
• Gloomhaven
• Artisans of Splendent Vale
• Sleeping Gods
• The Night Cage

Nikki's topic: Crafting examples in games

• Caverna: The Cave Farmers
• Descent: Legends of the Dark
• Le Havre
• Artisans of Splendent Vale
• Star Wars: Imperial Assault
• Mottainai

Shoe's topic: Board game design dream teams

• Caverna: The Cave Farmers
• Le Havre
• Feast for Odin
• Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
• Wonderland's War
• Descent: Legends of the Dark
• Mansions of Madness
• Wingspan
• Mariposas

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Have a bunch of two-player games you want to play? You and your partner can't agree on which ones to play? Try a Partner Swap (trademark forthcoming, and get your mind out of the gutter)!

Board game TikTok champions Raina and Phil from 1 Minute Board Games took a random Wednesday off and swapped partners with Going Analog: Phil and Shoe played head-to-head two-player card games, and Christina and Raina played twice as many games together in the same amount of time.

Were we still all friends afterward? Did we leave our partners for the new and shiny? Listen and find out!

Topics for this episode:

• Phil (guest): What can two-player games bring to the table that higher player-count games can't?
• Raina (guest): Gaming with your significant other versus with friends
• Shoe (producer): Thoughts on booster-less card games (Keyforge, Summoner Wars, Ashes Reborn)

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Famed board game designer Dr. Reiner Knizia (Tigris & Euphrates, Lost Cities, Modern Art, and tons more) graces Going Analog with his bowtied presence. (You won't be able to hear the bowtie, but trust us that it was there, and it was glorious!)

We ask Reiner for some juicy stories about some of his most acclaimed designs and what he thinks about current board game trends...and then we spring a trivia quiz on him at the end -- just a sampling of what we do on The Board Game Quiz Show.

How well did the good doctor do? Listen to find out!

Games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

• Tigris & Euphrates
• Modern Art
• Ra
• Ingenious
• Lost Cities
• The Quest for El Dorado
• L.L.A.M.A.
• Ankh: Gods of Egypt
• Dominion
• Magic: The Gathering
• Coffee Roaster

Three influential Reiner Knizia games:

• Modern Art
• Tigris & Euphrates
• Lost Cities
• Pickomino
• Lost Cities: Roll & Write
• Lost Cities: The Board Game
• Keltis

Gaming trends:

• The Quest for El Dorado
• My City
• Dominion
• Lost Cities: Roll & Write
• Criss Cross
• Exit
• Gorilla Marketing

Quizzing Reiner Knizia:

• Lost Cities
• Tigris & Euphrates
• Medici
• Taj Mahal
• The Lord of the Rings
• Ra
• Blue Moon
• Blue Lagoon
• Friday the 13th

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New game publisher Bitewing Games has not one, not two, but THREE Reiner Knizia games to offer in their upcoming Kickstarter. How does a brand spanking new publisher sign the famous, prolific (famously prolific?) German designer Reiner Knizia?

We invited Nick Murray and Kyle Spackman, cofounders of Bitewing Games, to chat with Christina about how it all went down! Plus, we have opinions about our favorite game genres and game length vs. enjoyment.

Topics for this week:

• Christina (host): What are the challenges of being a first-time publisher? How did you sign Reiner Knizia?!
• Nick (guest): Which game genres do you never get tired of? Which ones are you over?
• Kyle (guest): Are game length and game satisfaction proportionally related? What are our faves on either side of the spectrum?

Games mentioned in this episode:

Intro:

• Soda Smugglers
• Pumafiosi
• Hot Lead
• Social Grooming
• Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
• Ticket to Ride
• Mandala
• Lost Cities: Roll & Write
• Lost Cities
• Ra: The Dice Game

Christina's topic: Challenges of being a first-time publisher, signing Reiner Knizia

• Con Artist
• Chinatown
• Hanabi
• Soda Smugglers
• Sheriff of Nottingham
• Pumafiosi
• Hot Lead
• ShipShape

Nick's topic: Insatiable genres that you never get tired of or genres that you're over

• Crystal Palace
• Tigris & Euphrates
• Yellow & Yangtze
• Brass: Birmingham
• 7 Wonders
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Dune: Imperium
• Lost Cities: Roll & Write
• My City
• Ultimate Werewolf
• Mysterium
• Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
• Werewords
• Insider

Kyle's topic: Game length vs. satisfaction

• Dune
• Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition
• Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
• Root
• Pax Pamir
• Scythe
• Terra Mystica
• Love Letter
• Lost Legacy: The Starship
• Social Grooming
• Nine Tiles Panic
• Wordsy
• Tussie Mussie

Outro:

• Junk Art
• Akrotiri
• Kingdom Rush
• Belfort

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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♥︎

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

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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

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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

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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

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