Rolling Dice & Taking Names Gaming Podcast

00:01:00 Intro
00:06:45 Mare Nostrum
00:13:30 Forest Shuffle – Smoky Mountains
00:18:15 The Game Makers
00:26:45 TCG News
00:28:15 Arkham Horror News
00:32:15 Taste Buds
00:35:30 Miniature Market
00:36:30 Railway Boom
00:58:00 Evenglow
01:02:30 Game Toppers LLC
01:03:30 Outro

If you love tight, economic engine builders where every resources used wisely feels like a victory during the round, Railway Boom delivers again and again. Players are railway tycoons competing to build expansive networks, connect bustling cities, while strategically bidding during each phase of the round. Tension in the Bidding: The game's open auction mechanism forces players to constantly read the room. Overpaying might cripple your position as you expand your railway, so it is important to not get suckered in by the other players. Tight Economic Engine: Managing your revenue versus your investment capital is a constant balancing act. Strategic Depth: Over four tightly contested rounds, Railway Boom provides a solid, brain-burning puzzle for players.

Following the success of the original Forest Shuffle (and its journey through Central Europe and Dartmoor), Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains transports players across the Atlantic to North America’s iconic mountain range. By adding the River mechanic to the game, players will have an additional slot in the forest but with that addition comes added restrictions that players should be aware of.

If you're looking for a relaxing, visually stunning puzzle game, Evenglow provides a gentle, satisfying experience centered on balance and symmetry. Players act as alchemists cultivating dual gardens split between Sunlight and Moonlight. But the theme doesn't carry through to the game. Simultaneous Drafting with a Twist: On each turn, the active player selects two plant tiles for themselves and two for everyone else. This simple choice mechanic keeps play moving quickly with zero downtime while keeping player interaction subtle and clever. Symmetrical Garden Puzzling: When you place a tile on your Sunlight board, you must place its mirror counterpart on your Moonlight board. Balancing your sunlit and moonlit flora requires spatial foresight and careful planning to maximize potion-brewing bonuses.

Thanks for listening

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The first game in Fantasy Flight Games vault series is Arkham Horror Remastered. This is a full update on a classic 20 year old game.

We talk with designer, Richard Launius about this history of this game including the concept, design, release and re-release of the game.

The game can be found over at Gamefound.

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00:01:00 Intro
00:08:15 Trajan Bridge
00:10:30 New Intro Song
00:13:45 Puerto Rico Special Edition
00:20:00 Fantasy Basketball using Topps Cards
00:22:00 Machi Koro Life
00:24:00 Taste Buds
00:29:30 Game Toppers
00:31:00 Ostia: Mariner Edition
00:48:00 Miniature Market
00:49:30 Robo Run
00:55:30 Outro

For fans of deep, euro-style economic strategy, both Puerto Rico Special Edition and Ostia: Mariner Edition deliver rich, engaging experiences centered around trade and development. Puerto Rico Special Edition revitalizes the legendary role-selection classic with upgraded components, striking art, and refined themes, keeping its crisp, non-luck engine-building core as rewarding as ever. Meanwhile, Ostia: Mariner Edition takes players back to ancient Rome, blending mancala-style action selection with naval expansion, resource management, and tile placement. Both titles shine in their ability to turn clever planning and player interaction into tight, competitive engine building, making them standout additions to any strategist’s shelf.

If you prefer lighter setup times, high interaction, and quick table turns, Machi Koro Life and Robo Run offer vibrant, fast-moving fun. Machi Koro Life breathes new life into the beloved city-building series by tweaking the dice-rolling mechanics and introducing fresh landmark goals, making each roll of the dice feel impactful and exciting But Robo Run is all about cooperation with your partner as you try and get the robots out of the maze before being found. Both games are fast playing and easy to set up for a quick filler during game name.

Thanks for listening and please join our Discord for more discussions on these games.

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It's fall and all the big summer movies are moving to streaming. So it's time to get back with Dan and Chris for our 2026 Summer Movie recap.

We discuss films we watched. What we liked, what we didn't like and who took home first place in our draft.

It's fun, it's loud, we hope you enjoy it.

And join us in Discord to let us know what summer movies you like.

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00:00:30 Intro
00:21:00 6 nimmt! Baron Oxx
00:24:00 One Round?
00:30:15 Family Dice Games
00:37:00 Magical Athlete
00:43:00 Taste Buds
00:51:30 Game Toppers
00:54:45 Kano
01:00:30 Hell of a Deal
01:15:00 Miniature Market
01:16:00 Outro

Tony is out on vacation, so once again, Chaz Marler from Game Night Picks joins Marty for some Quick Hits and a Halloween themed Taste Buds.

This episode’s reviews were recorded before Tony went out of town and both are really good games.

Hell of a Deal is a coop game where the players play Texas Hold ‘Em against demons.

Kano is drafting and tile placement game that looks great on the table.
Tony will be back next episode. Thanks for listening!

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One of the biggest grail games of all time is Star Wars: Queen's Gambit.

One of the biggest franchises of all time is the Lord of the Rings.

What happens when Restoration Games gets a hold of both of these things? They merge them together for the new game, Lord of the Rings: The King's Gambit.

Justin Jacobson & Rob Daviau join us to discuss how the project came to fruition, design, gameplay and product information.

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Starcraft The Board Game and Forbidden Stars are still two of our favorite games. But both are long out of print and have no more support.

We are excited to hear the systems the we loved in those games are back with Old Ones: Origins.

We talk about length with the designer, Samuel Bailey, about the process of bringing a version of Forbidden Stars back to the market, the process to do so, the changes to theme and the gameplay.

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00:00:30 Intro
00:05:15 Arkham Horror: Children of the Blood
00:09:00 Xenology
00:12:15 Jump Masters
00:15:00 Flamecraft – Digital Version
00:17:45 Pretzels
00:18:45 Beer, Mug, Dice
00:21:45 Triangulation
00:24:00 Taste Buds
00:29:00 Game Toppers LLC
00:31:30 LOTR: Circle of Conflict
00:59:15 Cat Trick
01:04:30 Miniature Market
01:07:00 Cyberpunk 2077 – TCG
01:39:00 Outro

Some weeks, the game table feels like a tour through entirely different mechanics and level of challenges. We kicked things off in Middle‑earth with The Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict, a game that thrives on tight choices with every roll of the die. It is not the normal Roll and Write, but one with clear objectives in order to win the game and not just get the most victory points. Every turn feels like a small story—heroes clashing, shadows pressing in, and players trying to outmaneuver one another while waging war on two fronts. It’s the kind of game that leaves you wanting one more round just to see if you can pull off the perfect combo.

From there, the mood shifted dramatically with Cat Trick, a clever little card game that proves you don’t need a big box to create big laughs. It’s quick, mischievous, and full of those delightful “gotcha” reveals that make everyone team up against one another. Then came Jump Masters, which brought out a game reminiscent of Checkers. This one thrives on setting up the best combo and tactical maneuvering to gain victory over your opponent. It is quick and easy to teach and the art and components are amazing.

Cyberpunk 2077 TCG, a game that channels the neon‑soaked grit of the franchise into a sharp, tactical card duel. More to come on this as we continue to explore the game and the meta that surrounds it. But for now, we will continue to put that one the table as we wait for others to show up for game night.

Once again, thanks for dropping by and giving us a listen.

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00:00:30 Intro
00:04:45 Recent RDTN Poll
00:14:00 LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring Trick Taking Game
00:17:00 Quick Hits
00:17:30 Sandcastles
00:19:45 Gruntz
00:22:11 Computer Junkyard
00:27:45 Enemies of Gotham City
00:32:15 Six Sided Seas
00:36:15 Miniature Market
00:39:00 Abroad
00:53:30 Bunny Kingdom Town
00:59:30 Game Toppers LLC
01:01:00 All Mine
01:10:00 Outro

Some game nights feel like a whirlwind tour through every corner of the hobby, and this week’s lineup delivered exactly that. Sand Castles and Grunts are two wildly different flavors of competition—one a charming, tactical puzzle of building and defending fragile seaside creations, the other a scrappy, tongue‑in‑cheek skirmish game where your squad of blocky little soldiers bumbles bravely toward victory. Both games share that delightful “easy to teach, surprisingly clever” vibe that keep things fresh in the hobby at times.

Then we have world of Computer Junkyard and the comic‑book chaos of Enemies of Gotham City. Computer Junkyard scratches that nostalgic itch, letting players sift through piles of retro tech to assemble the best contraptions—half strategy, half puzzler. Enemies of Gotham City flips the script into full superhero mayhem, where iconic villains clash, plot, and posture in a fast‑moving battle of wits and wickedness.

Then there is a trio of games that each bring their own distinct charm. Six Sided Seas turns dice‑driven piracy into a pirate battle across unpredictable waters, while Abroad offers a gentle, globe‑trotting experience built around exploration and cultural discovery. Bunny Kingdom Town offers a bright, two player, family‑friendly strategy—one about expanding adorable rabbit realms, with enough take‑that spice to keep it from being a solitaire style game. All Mine is a gamer’s trick taking game where the play is fast, but the planning is what wants you coming back for more. This is one of those games that stays in the game bag to be pulled out to end the evening or get things started.

And speaking of big swings, this is the perfect moment to remind listeners to sign up for notifications on Game Toppers’ upcoming Kickstarter. We rave about their mats for a reason—the quality is top‑tier, the artwork is stunning, and this next series looks like one people will be proud to show off on game night. We’ve already got our eyes on the Lord of the Rings designs, and that purple plain mat is calling our name. Honestly, who doesn’t need another game mat.

Thanks for listening

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00:00:30 Intro
00:01:15 Sleeved and Confused
00:07:15 AI in TCG Deck Creation
00:13:30 Backflow failed inspection
00:16:30 Quick Hits
00:17:30 Tag Team: Arthur’s Legacy
00:20:45 Warp 99
00:25:30 Tug of Roar
00:31:50 Miniature Market
00:33:30 Greylune
00:44:15 Mythologies
00:50:15 Gunsen: The Battle for Toshi Ranbo
01:07:00 Comic Books Resurgence
01:15:00 Outro

Man, listening back at the episode, didn’t realize just how much we covered. And what we cover —Tag Team: Arthur’s Legacy, Warp 99, Tug of Roar, Greylune, Mythologies, and Gunsen: The Battle for Toshi Ranbo — is a very broad spectrum of board game mechanics. But what is interesting with these games, there are cross over mechanics that exist that making learning the next one simpler because we already understand what is expected.

Tag Team: Arthur’s Legacy is a follow up to the initial Tag Team game. However, this time we have Arthurian heroes teaming up, chaining abilities, and pulling off last minute heroics to pull out a win. It’s the kind of game tension builds each round. Warp 99 is a fast‑paced card game where players race to shed their hands, aiming for massive point bursts driven by the tableau they build. The twist is in the scoring, every card you manage to keep in your tableau gets squared, turning even a modest spread of cards into a surprisingly explosive payoff.

Then comes Tug of Roar, a clever lane battler that thrives on tension and brinkmanship. It’s quick, tight, and surprisingly dramatic for such a streamlined design. And the card drafting mechanic really adds to the strategy of this game. Greylune offers a fresh twist on the classic Spyrium formula. Games in this genre can sometimes slip into feeling like pure resource spreadsheets—convert this into that, chase efficiency, tally points. Greylune pushes back against that monotony by layering in a quest system that lets players build small narrative arcs as they play. Those stories aren’t just flavor; they can provide meaningful advantages that shape your path to victory, giving the game a welcome sense of accomplishment alongside its familiar economic core. Mythologies is a card drafting game that offers a twist on the style of drafting that is refreshing in a very crowded field of these types of games. We really appreciated this change and welcome the twist that this game provided.

Finally, Gunsen: The Battle for Toshi Ranbo delivers a crisp, tactical showdown rooted in samurai warfare. It’s all about positioning, timing, and reading your opponent. For an area control style game, is not about a big push but more about reading the board’s subtle signals. Victory can be quick for someone if the others are caught napping, so you always should be on your toes. However, this may also create an unsatisfying finish for some.

Thanks for listening

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