Simple, Yet Intriguing

We're climbing the animal mafia ranks in Reiner Knizia's 2022 trick-taking game Pumafiosi! Find out who will marry who to stay on top.

Games Mentioned: Pumafiosi, Rooster Booster, Relationship Tightrope, Hot Lead, Soda Smugglers, Take 5, For Sale

Episode Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

01:35 - Pumafiosi Overview

09:50 - Pumafiosi History

12:54 - Item Variant Discussion

16:30 - Player Count Discussion

20:53 - Aha Moments

28:57 - Pumafiosi Final Thoughts

32:03 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

We're piling ingredients into a soup as we playanother trick-taking game but this time it's a Knizia game! What twists in the genre do we have in store? Will we make delicious soups?

Games Mentioned: Foodie Forest, Masters of Maple Syrup, Puerto Rico, Race for the Galaxy, Tichu, Haggis, Ruins, Relationship Tightrope, Tarot, Poison, No Thanks!, Take 5

Episode Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

00:57 - What We Played This Week: Masters of Maple Syrup

04:15 - Foodie Forest Release History & How Does It Work?

11:45 - Foodie Forest: Our Thoughts

14:59 - Foodie Forest: Is it a Trick Taking Game?

21:30 - The Suits and the Special Cards

23:57 - Aha Moments

28:53 - Version History

31:33 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

This week we take a look at your opponents cards but NOT our own in a newly uncovered Shinzawa trick taking feat: LUZ.

Games Mentioned: LUZ, Hygge, Photograph, Coffee Roaster, Get On Board, Hanabi, Ghosts of Christmas, 9 Lives, No Loose Ends, Bomb Busters, Xylotar, Wizard, Skull King, Spades, Lost Cities, Beowulf: The Movie Board Game

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Intro

00:54 - What We Played This Week: Hygge

07:00 - LUZ release history

08:24 - LUZ: How Does It Work?

13:30 - LUZ: Our Thoughts and Comparisons

17:10 - Luke’s Aha Moments

20:55 - Mechanism Discussion: Escalating Scoring

30:25 - Chris’ Aha Moment

32:58 - Final Thoughts

34:39 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

We've uncovered another Taiki Shinzawa gem! This time we're planning and pulling off a heist and then hiding the evidence through trick taking! Surprise!

Games Mentioned: No Loose Ends, Shut the Books, Spades, Wizard, Skull King, Sluff Off!, Skat, Bridge, The Crew, Euchre, Hearts, dnup, Scout, 9 Lives, Ghosts of Christmas, Fives, Cat in the Box, Jekyll vs. Hyde, The Fox in the Forest, Sail

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Intro

02:21 - No Loose Ends: How Does it Work?

09:29 - General Discussion and Trick Taking Game Comparisons

13:35 - Variants

15:57 - Theme

20:22 - Aha Moments

24:50 - Shinzawa Trick Takers

32:52 - The Two Player Game

36:53 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

This week we are entering an Age of War and talking Risk Express and its various incarnations as well as its link to the Cthulhu co-op dice game Elder Sign.

Games Mentioned: Risk Express, Camarades: La Bombe ext., Elder Sign, Hasbro Express Games, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Pick-omino, Farkle, Gang of Dice, Official Risk Games

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Intro

05:36 - Risk Express: Versions and History

07:00 - Risk Express: How Does it Work?

12:24 - Risk Express: Our Thoughts

18:14 - Risk Express: Comparisons and Aha Moments

24:47 - Risk Express: Variants & Expansion

27:53 - Elder Sign Discussion and Comparison

34:21 - Official Risk Games & Camarades Release Discussion

40:18 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

It's the last episode in our The Hobbit series (for now...) as we discuss the new-ish roll & write-ish path building-ish game: The Hobbit: There and Back Again!

We also wrap-up the series and discuss the games with our beloved Win, Lose, or Banana segment.

Games Mentioned: The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Monopoly, Clue, The Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation, LOTR: The Card Game, LOTR: Trick Takers, Duel for Middle-earth, LOTR: Fate of the Fellowship, The Hobbit: The Defeat of Smaug, The Hobbit Card Game, Beast, The Hobbit Adventure Boardgame, The Hobbit Deck-Building Game, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Das Kartenspiel, Railroad Ink, Welcome To, My City, Hanami, Rebirth, Welcome to the Moon, My City: Roll & Build

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Intro

00:34 - The Hobbit & IP Games Discussion

07:00 - The Hobbit: There and Back Again - How Does it Work?

17:35 - Solo Mode

19:57 - The Different Maps and the Draft

24:01 - Aha Moments

28:28 - Reception

31:41 - Comparisons

33:57 - The Hobbit Series Wrap-up & Our Win Lose Bananas

45:53 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

It's a two game doozy this week as we discuss the board game adaptations of the film adaptations of The Hobbit. How does it compare to Knizia's other co-operative Tolkien adaptation? And why is there no third game? Listen and find out!

Games Mentioned: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Beyond the Sun, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Gang of Dice, Excape, Risk Express, Elder Sign

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - Box Damage Discussion

06:42 - The Hobbit: AUJ&TDoS: How Does it Work?

13:14 - Victory Points, Quarterbacking and Dice Mechanisms

24:07 - Production, Art and Iconography

27:41 - Stand-alone Sequels and the Cancelled Third Game

33:51 - Comparisons

37:58 - Aha Moments

47:47 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

We're returning to Middle-Earth! This time we're playing Knizia's 2010 competitive-ish game: The Hobbit!

Games Mentioned: The Hobbit, Take 5, Candy Land, Relationship Tightrope, Dark Moon, Quacks, Pandemic, The Lord of the Rings

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:29 - The Hobbit: How Does it Work?

07:00 - The Hobbit Discussion: Variants, Our Play and Game Comparisons

17:05 - Aha Moments

22:47 - The Hobbit Discussion: Mechanisms and Further Comparisons

31:01 - Guess the Games: John Howe Art

38:24 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

On the final episode of our Wolfgang Warsch in 2018 series we discuss the oft-forgotten dice comparison cooperative game about escaping lava: Fuji!

Games Mentioned: Fuji, Tatsu, Forbidden Island, Gang of Dice, Sky Team, The Gang, Pandemic, The Crew, Family - Country: Japan, Win, Lose, or Banana, That’s Pretty Clever, Illusion, The Mind, Brikks, Quacks

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Intro

00:49 - What We Played This Week: Tatsu

05:40 - Fuji: How Does it Work?

08:26 - Fuji: Discussion, Variants and Our Play

26:07 - Aha Moments, Variants and Difficulty Scaling

33:15 - Guess the Games Game: Japan Games

39:34 - Fuji Final Thoughts and Wolfgang Warsch 2018 Series Debrief

45:53 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger

Luke and Chris are feeling pretty clever this week as they discuss another dice drafting roll & write masterpiece(??) in the penultimate Wolfgang-Warsch-2018-designed-game episode.

Games mentioned: That’s Pretty Clever!, Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends, Codenames, Galaxy Trucker, Mage Knight Board Game, Star Trek: Frontiers, That’s a Question!, Through the Ages, Roll Through the Ages, Brikks, The Castles of Burgundy, Wingspan

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Intro

00:53 - What We Played This Week - Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends

12:24 - That’s Pretty Clever: How Does it Work?

18:20 - That’s Pretty Clever Discussion and Comparisons

31:35 - Aha Moments

36:56 - Expansions and Sequels

42:10 - Next Week Teaser

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Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady

Produced by Sophie Shin

Socials by Matt Winquist

Art by Samm Ruppersberger