Men on Board

Shakespeare is the category this week as we discuss the games Histrio and Shakespeare. In our Broader View, we talk about settings in board games, and the conversation goes into some places that we weren’t expecting and get a little bit real.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:00:47] - Shakespeare (Category)
[00:01:25] - Histrio
[00:13:32] - Shakespeare (Game)
[00:34:41] - Comparison
[00:43:37] - Other Games about Putting on Shows
[00:46:21] - Broader View

This week we’re looking at two series of games that simulate the feeling of an escape room: the Unlock series and the Exit series. Because of the nature of these games, we were very careful to avoid spoilers, and only lightly touched on a few topics that may be considered slight spoilers, so I have noted those times in the show notes below, along with what is talked about in general. In our Broader View, we talk about how to make your game group more inclusive with a particular focus on inclusivity for gay men.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:00:33] - Escape Rooms
[00:02:38] - Unlock Series
[00:13:53] - SPOILER: Vague references to mechanics in Squeek & Sausage and The Formula
[00:16:42] - SPOILER: Discussions about the set up of The Island of Doctor Goorse and vague references to frustrations with the game
[00:21:26] - Exit Series
[00:23:57] - SPOILER: Commentary about the design of the wheel in Pharaoh’s Tomb and Sunken Treasure
[00:33:21] - SPOILER: Slight spoiler about the overall nature of Dead Man on the Orient Express
[00:33:56] - Comparison
[00:39:52] - Other Games that feel like Escape Rooms
[00:43:52] - Broader View

Today we’re celebrating our one year anniversary, and because this episode is coming out a day late, it is actually coming out on our one year anniversary! So in honor of making it a full year, we’re going back to our very first category and revisiting hidden movement with Specter Ops and Nuns on the Run. In our Broader View, we reflect on the last year of recording this podcast. Thank you to everyone that has been on this journey with us!

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:01:07] - Hidden Movement
[00:02:12] - Specter Ops
[00:20:01] - Nuns on the Run
[00:31:25] - Comparison
[00:37:11] - Other Hidden Movement Games
[00:41:40] - Broader View

This episode went longer than we try to keep our episodes, but since we're talking about Twilight Imperium that seemed appropriate.  Specifically, we're talking about Twilight Imperium Third Edition and Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition.  Also, because Josh has never played Twilight Imperium, we brought in our friend (Other) Matt to fill in our fourth chair.  In our Broader View, we talk about playing games that are an all day event.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:03:25] - Twilight Imperium
[00:06:09] - Twilight Imperium Third Edition
[00:31:46] - Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition
[00:34:14] - Comparison
[00:56:49] - Other Epic Games
[00:59:52] - Broader View

Today we're discussing board games that are in some degree hybrids of board games and video games.  These are games that require smartphone apps in order to be played, and the two games that we're featuring are Stop Thief! and Mansions of Madness Second Edition.  Then, in our Broader View, we're going to flip the script and talk about board games that have been made into apps and how we feel about that.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:00:43] - App Integration
[00:01:19] - Stop Thief!
[00:16:26] - Mansions of Madness Second Edition
[00:40:10] - Comparison
[00:42:56] - Other Games with App Integration
[00:46:43] - Broader View

In part two of our two part "plus" series, we're looking at deckbuilding games that both have some mechanics that go a little bit beyond the typical deckbuilding game.  Specifically, we're talking about Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure and The Quest for El Dorado.  In our Broader View, we go on a series of tangents about sleeving, shuffling, and storing cards, which we're calling card maintenence.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:01:07] - Deckbuilding Games with a Little Bit Extra
[00:02:18] - Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure
[00:19:16] - The Quest for El Dorado
[00:32:20] - Comparison
[00:38:35] - Other Deckbuilding Games
[00:42:43] - Broader View

In this episode's category, we're looking at two deduction games that have a little bit more going on than just straightforward deduction: Mystery Express and Alchemists.  In our Broader View, we talk about Aaron's pet peeve of Deduction and Mystery being used as synonyms.  Also in this episode, we're putting the call out for feedback as we near our one year anniversary of podcasting and look forward to the future.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:01:02] - Deduction Games with Something More
[00:02:17] - Mystery Express
[00:18:48] - Alchemists
[00:34:17] - Comparison
[00:38:26] - Other Deduction Games
[00:43:31] - Broader View
[00:54:20] - Looking Forward and a Request for Assistance

Today we're taking a look at a publisher that typically makes family friendly games that can be scaled up in complexity with expansion content: Queen Games.  Specifically, we're talking about Alhambra and Fresco.  In part two of our two part Broader View conversation about expansions, we discuss our thoughts about when we integrate expansions.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:00:34] - Queen Games
[00:02:19] - Alhambra
[00:15:20] - Fresco
[00:28:25] - Comparison
[00:34:39] - Other Games from Queen Games (and a game with a Queen)
[00:38:11] - Broader View

In this episode, we're looking at games with a lot of available expansion content: Carcassonne and Dominion.  In our Broader View, we have a discussion about what we consider before purchasing an expansion for a game.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:00:43] - Prolific Expansions
[00:01:20] - Carcassonne
[00:15:33] - Dominion
[00:30:02] - Comparison
[00:38:08] - Other Games with a Prolific Number of Expansions
[00:41:19] - Broader View

In our first Board Game Kiki, we're talking about everything that we did and played at Origins Game Fair 2018!  These Kiki episodes are going to be sporadic and occur only when we have something that we want to talk about that doesn't fit into our normal format.

[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:02:50] - Origins 2018
[00:07:08] - Queen Games
[00:07:23] - Luxor
[00:09:32] - Alhambra
[00:10:39] - Franchise & Other Upcoming Queen Games
[00:12:12] - Bezier Games
[00:12:31] - One Week Ultimate Werewolf
[00:13:28] - Werewolf Legacy
[00:16:13] - Reef
[00:18:41] - The Mind
[00:20:25] - Nyctophobia
[00:22:08] - Decrypto
[00:23:24] - Nightfalls
[00:26:55] - Ticket to Ride New York
[00:28:59] - Seven Wonders Armada
[00:32:15] - Dragon Castle
[00:33:27] - 1754
[00:35:52] - Tudors
[00:38:05] - Ladies & Gentlemen
[00:38:51] - An Outsider's Perspective from our Friend Topher
[00:42:30] - Thank You