Brendan contemplates a series of game duels to compare Reiner Knizia games. Join us, won’t you?Comparative Duels:

• Ra (1999) vs High Society (1995)
• Schotten Totten (1999) vs Lost Cities (1999)
• Tigris & Euphrates (1997) vs Through the Desert (2017)
• My City (2020) vs Carcassonne: The Castle (2003)
• Samurai (1998) vs Ingenious (2004)
• Beowulf: The Legend (2005)
• Whale Riders (2021)
• Indigo (aka Butterfly Garden) (2012)

Knizia Games I’ve played but didn’t mention on the show:

• The Quest for El Dorado (2017)
• The Lord of the Rings (2000)
• Whoowasit? (2007)
• Amun-Re: 20th Anniversary Edition (2023)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation (2005)
• Lost Cities: The Board Game (2008)
• Stephenson’s Rocket (1999)
• Equinox (2021)
• The Hobbit: There and Back Again (2025)

What Knizia games do you enjoy? Share your thoughts over on boardgamegeek in guild #3269.

Brendan talks about his first impressions of three games he tried recently, and share the experience of revisiting one dusty game. Join us, won’t you?

• Carnival of Monsters (2019)
• Splendor Duel (2022)
• Lord of the Rings: The Duel (2002)
• Mystic Vale (2016) (revisited)

Have you played any of these games? What do you think of them? Share your experiences over on Boardgamegeek in guild #3269.

Brendan talks about the movies he watched in the last six months that weren’t horror movies or Christmas movies. Join us, won’t you?

• Mickey 17 (2025)
  • Mickey 7 discussion
  • Paranoia
• The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025)
  • Rear Window (2022)
• John Candy: I Like Me (2025)
• Margin Call (2011)
  • Ponzi Scheme (2015)
• Spotlight (2015)
  • Watergate (2019)
• The Life of Chuck (2024)
  • Holding On: The Troubled Life of Billy Kerr (2018)
• Labyrinth (1986)
  • Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: The Board Game (2016)
• Notting Hill (1999), Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
  • Fog of Love (2017)
• Rental Family (2025)
  • Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall (2020)
• The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop (2024)
• An Honest Liar (2014)

What films did you watch in the last six months? Share your views over on boardgamegeek in guild #3269.

Brendan shares his first impressions of three games he tried recently for the first time. Join us, won’t you?

• La Pâtisserie Rococo (2026)
  • Rococo (2013)
• Endurance (2023)
  • So Very Wrong About Board Games
  • Amabel Holland
• The Hobbit: There and Back Again (2025)
  • The Hobbit film by Ralph Bakshi
• Strike (2012) (revisited)
  • Board Game Blitz
  • Rolling Dice and Taking Names

What games have you been playing lately? Share your plays over on boardgamegeek in Guild #3269.

Brendan shares his experience playing games in February of 2026. Join us, won’t you?

February 2026 Top of the Stack

• New Game – Dive✓
• Top 50 game – Brian Boru✓
• Dusty New Game – Hansa TeutonicaX
• One More – Core WorldsX

Shelf of OpportunityMarch 2026 Top of the Stack

• New Game – Hansa Teutonica
• Top 50 game – Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Old Game New to Collection – Root
• One More – Core Worlds

What did you play in February? Share your plays over on boardgamegeek in guild #3269.

Brendan finishes stampeding through games he tried in 2025 but hasn’t talked about on the podcast, yet. Join us for this first of three episodes to wrap up the year, won’t you?Part 1Part 3

• December
• – Xiangqi
• – 7 Wonders Dice
• – Landmarks
• – Slay the Spire
• – ito
• – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – The Trick-taking Game
• – Speakeasy
• – Rolling America
• – Power Hungry Pets
• – Joe Name It
• – Cross Clues
• – Wandering Galaxy
• – Sanctuary
• – Cafe Baras
• – I Dissent

Have you played any of these? Share your thoughts on them over on boardgamegeek in guild #3269. Join us, won’t you?

Brendan shares his favorite 2024 games, and some superlatives. Join us, won’t you?

• Top 5 Games of 2024
  1. Unconscious Mind (2024)
  2. Kinfire Delve
  3. Resafa (2024)
  4. Wondrous Creatures (2024)
  5. The Gang (2024)
• Best weird game: Arcs (2024)
• Best adaptation: Slay the Spire: The Board Game (2024), Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game (2024)
• Best fun theme: Fromage (2024), Undergrove (2024)
• Best Little Snack: 3 Chapters (2024), Up or Down? (2024)
• Best Art: River Valley Glassworks (2024)
• Honorable Mentions:
  • Endeavor: Deep Sea (2024)
  • Bomb Busters (2024)
  • Harmonies (2024)
  • Saltfjord (2024)
  • Inventions: Evolution of Ideas (2024)
  • Castle Combo (2024)
  • Civolution (2024)
  • Cities (2024)
  • Wrath of Fire Mountain (2024)
  • Umbrella (2024)
• 2024 Games I played and recommend
  • Wyrmspan (2024)
  • AQUA: Biodiversity in the Oceans (2024)
  • A Gest of Robin Hood (2024)
  • Café Baras (2024)
  • Landmarks (2024)
  • Survive The Island (2024)
  • Nocturne (2024)
  • Dorfromantik: Sakura (2024)
  • Power Hungry Pets (2024)
  • Ziggurat (2024)
  • Let’s Go! To Japan (2024)
  • Chroma Mix (2024)
  • Flip 7 (2024)
  • Tree Society (2024)

What games from 2024 did you enjoy the most? Share your love over at BGG in our guild, #3269.

Brendan shares his first impressions of three games he tried for the first time recently, and one he dusted off. Join us, won’t you?

• Take Time (2025)
• Moa (2018)
• 1902 Méliès (2023)
• Space Base (2018) (revisited)

Do you enjoy these games? What games have you been playing lately? Share your game plays over on boardgamegeek in guild #3269.

Brendan shares his game plays from January, and talks about his plans for February. Join us, won’t you?

• Top of the Stack, January 2026
  • New Game – La Patisserie Rococo
  • Top 50 game – Praga Caput Regni
  • Dusty New Game – Duel or Deal
  • One More – The Hobbit: There and Back Again
• Shelf of Opportunity
• Expand yourShelf
• Top of the Stack, February 2026
  • New Game – Dive
  • Top 50 game – Brian Boru
  • Dusty New Game – Hansa Teutonica
  • One More – Core Worlds

What did you play in January of 2026? Share your journey over on boardgamegeek in guild #3269 in this thread.

Brendan reflects on Season 8 and his plans. Join us, won’t you?

• More intentional game design
• Plan more games
  • Struggle of Empires (2004)
  • Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition (2017)
• Campaign games with my family
• Painting things!
• Top 5 anticipated games
  • Galactic Cruise (2025)
  • Luthier (2025)
  • Hot Streak (2025)
  • Recall (2025)
  • Epona (2025)
• Ep 700: Season 7 Finale

What were your favorite episodes of the season? Share them in our guild over on boardgamegeek in guild #3269.