Going Analog Show

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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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The world has changed. How are we playing games now? How has coronavirus impacted the game-publishing business? And why is community more important than ever?

We cover these big topics with Nolan Nasser (CEO) and Jacob Way (COO) of Deep Water Games (Welcome To..., Hanamikoji).

In lighter news, we go on and on about one of our favorite games of 2020 so far: The Crew. It's so amazing, we guaranteed our guests their money back if they bought it and didn't like it.

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

Intro

• Hanamikoji
• Realm of Sand
• Welcome to...
• Fantastic Factories
• Spirit Island
• New Bedford
• Fleet: The Dice Game
• The Crew

Jacob's topic: Importance of community during COVID-19

• Monstrosity
• Diplomacy
• Gloomhaven

Christina's topic: What do our board gaming lives look like during shelter-in-place?

• Ascension
• Shards of Infinity
• Patchwork
• Tang Garden
• Sagrada
• Ganz Schon Clever/That's So Clever
• Doppelt So Clever/Twice as Clever
• Chronicles of Crime
• Aftermath
• Clank! Legacy
• Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Glaaxy
• Hive Mind
• Codenames
• Wavelength
• Time's Up
• Time's Up: Title Recall
• Monikers

Nolan's topic: How has COVID-19 affected Deep Water as a company?

• Floor Plan
• Jixia Academic

Shoe's topic: The Crew

• Claim

Final thoughts

• Welcome to New Las Vegas

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How do we pick which board games to cull when we move? What is gaming life like in the military? What's considered a classic nowadays? And what's our ideal convention experience -- deadly viruses aside, that is?

Lizzy Funkhouser (Board Game Spotlight) and Derek Funkhouser (Skybound Games) join us to discuss!

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

Intro

• Medium
• Q.E.
• The Walking Dead: Something to Fear
• Herbaceous Sprouts

Derek's topic: What makes an evergreen or classic board game?

• Axis & Allies
• Azul
• Ticket to Ride
• Dominion
• Settlers of Catan
• 7 Wonders
• Risk
• Paladins of the West Kingdom
• Marvel Champions: The Card Game
• Nemesis
• Terraforming Mars
• Twilight Struggle
• The Castles of Burgundy
• Viticulture
• Architects of the West Kingdom
• Quacks of Quedlinburg
• Tidal Blades
• Gloomhaven
• Blood Rage
• Carcassonne
• Monopoly
• Scrabble
• The Game of Life
• El Grande
• Wingspan

Christina's topic: What's your ideal convention experience?

• MetroX
• The Taverns of Tiefenthal

Lizzy's topic: How do you decide which games to cull or keep?

• Azul: Summer Pavilion
• Herbaceous
• Mombasa
• Gears of War: The Board Game
• Chaos in the Old World
• World of Warcraft: The Board Game
• StarCraft: The Board Game
• T.I.M.E Stories
• Small World
• Ginkgopolis
• Rococo
• Orleans
• Arboretum
• Lords of Hellas

Shoe's topic: What is board gaming like while deployed or in the armed forces?

• Magic: The Gathering
• The Crew
• Skull King
• The Resistance
• The Resistance: Avalon
• Hanabi
• Hive Mind
• Codenames

Final thoughts

• The Godfather: Corleone's Empire

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Why we'll never get some of our friends to play board games; the best laugh-so-hard-we-always-cry games; board game movies (our faves and the ones we'd like to see); and whether high-production trailers are good -- and bad -- for Kickstarter campaigns.

Games discussed on the show:

Mike's topic: board game movies -- the good, the mostly bad, and what we want to see

• Clue
• Jumanji
• Battleship
• The Castles of Burgundy
• Pandemic
• Pandemic: Legacy
• Settlers of Catan
• One Night Ultimate Werewolf
• Gloomhaven
• Root
• T.I.M.E Stories
• Scythe
• Nine Tiles Panic
• Mice & Mystics
• Aftermath
• Above & Below
• Near & Far

Christian's topic: Is there really a game for everyone?

• Lost Cities
• The Mind
• Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
• Crokinole

Christina's topic: What are your funniest board game experiences?

• Telestrations
• Draw Your Own Conclusions
• A Fake Artist Goes to New York
• Head's Up
• Skull
• Cards Against Humanity
• Funemployment
• Hive Mind

Shoe's topic: Are fancy video trailers too fancy? Or are they necessary to stand out?

• Unsettled
• SHASN
• Dogs of War

Final thoughts

• Imperial 2030
• Cry Havoc
• Nokosu Dice

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Mike Young (Plan B) explains why game publishing is so tough! Plus, our fave board game franchises and imports.

Games mentioned on the show:

Shoe's topic: Game franchises

• Azul
• Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra
• Azul: Summer Pavilion
• Century
• Century: Golem Edition
• Chess
• Othello
• Ticket to Ride
• Settlers of Catan
• Codenames
• Cottage Garden
• Indian Summer
• Spring Meadow
• Funkoverse Strategy Game
• Unmatched
• Android: Netrunner
• Magic: The Gathering
• Mexica
• Tikal
• Java
• Terraforming Mars
• Castles of Tuscany
• Castles of Burgundy
• Blood Rage
• Rising Sun
• Ankh

Christina's topic: Favorite import games

• 5211
• 5 Colors
• Aquatica
• Modern Art
• Nokosu Dice
• Orchard Ocean
• Let's Make a Bus Route
• Sunflower Valley
• Great Western Trail
• Oh My Goods!
• Broom Service
• Tybor the Builder
• Startups

Final thoughts:

• Team3
• Nyctophobia
• Oceans
• Evolution
• Tuki
• Junk Art
• Camel Up
• SOS Dino
• San Juan
• Beez
• Era: Medieval Age
• Alma Mater
• Tzolk'in
• Teotihuacan

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