So Very Wrong About Games

Is there a difference between a fruit salad and a fruit cup? I mean, the first question is whether a fruit cup contains a fruit salad, or if the contents are some other substance; then one can query whether the cup and its contents are a gestalt whole. Let us not forget the prospect of a fruit cup of Theseus, whereby each fruit piece is removed and replaced with an equivalent fruit (I would ask what an equivalent fruit is, but that's getting sidetracked)--is it the same fruit cup? Heraclitus would say you can't take a bite of the same fruit salad twice. There's the somewhat absurd possibility of a fruit cup of Damocles--presumably the fruits therein would have been prepared by Procrustes. 

What I'm getting at is melon is gross.

Games Played Last Week:

00:53 -Just One (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Production, 2018)

01:04 -So Clover! (François Romain, Repos Production, 2021)

04:17 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Games, 2022)

08:19 -Decrypto (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2018)

12:08 -Horseless Carriage (Jeroen Doumen and Joris Wirsinga, Splotter Spellen, 2023)

25:57 -Mosaic: A Story of Civilization (Glenn Drover, Forbidden Games, 2022)

28:34 -Planet Unknown (Ryan Lambert & Adam Rehberg, Adam's Apple Games, 2022)

31:47 -Capital Lux 2: Generations (Eilif Svensson & Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2020)

33:48 -Wizards of the Grimoire (Cole Banning and Joe Banning, Grimoire Games, 2022)

36:53 -Ra (Reiner Knizia, 25th Century Games, 2023)

42:53 -Tiny Turbo Cars (Hjalmar Hach, Alessandro Manuini, Jonathan Panada, Laura Severino, and Giulia Tamagni, Horrible Guild, 2022)

47:46 -Blazon (David Conklin, 25th Century Games, 2023)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

51:45 Ad-free episodes at www.patreon.com/svwag

52:00 Paolo Mori shopping a reprint of Dogs of War

52:48 Support your favourite creators at the BGG Golden Geek Awards!

53:55 Movie rights of Trickerion, Anachrony, and Terraforming Mars sold

55:22 Regicide 2nd edition: now with bards!

56:12 Heavy Gear RPG 4th Edition on KickStarter

58:21 Feature Game: Revive (Helge Meissner, Eilif Svensson, Anna Wermlund, and Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2022)

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From Wikipedia:

"Boglins were a series of toy puppets distributed by Mattel. They were created by Tim Clarke, Maureen Trotto, and Larry Mass, and licensed by Seven Towns. The original run of Boglins was released in 1987, coinciding with a "creatures" craze that included Ghoulies, Critters, and Gremlins. Boglins were goblin-themed hand puppets made of flexible rubber and could be manipulated to represent speech and facial expressions."

Games Played Last Week:

01:26 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019)

03:38 -Cartographers: A Roll Player Game (Jordy Adan, Thunderworks Games, 2019)

05:27 -Res Arcana (Thomas Lehmann, Sand Castle Games, 2019)

08:41 -Tribes of the Wind (Joachim Thôme, La Boîte de Jeu, 2022)

10:20 -Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum (Pauline Kong, Haymen Lee, and Marie Wong, Hot Banana Games, 2023)

13:20 -Switch & Signal (David Thompson, KOSMOS, 2020)

16:06 -SEAL Team Flix (Pete Ruth & Mark Thomas, WizKids, 2018)

18:30 -Star Fighters: Rapid Fire (Michael Dunsmore and Jordan Nichols, Alley Cat Games, 2023)

22:10 -For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game (Wilhelm Su, Self-published, 2021)

24:47 -Oak (Wim Goossens, Game Brewer, 2022)

28:28 -Messina 1347 (Raúl Fernández Aparicio & Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2021)

31:01 -Cysmic (Jason Blake, Star Reach Games, 2023)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

38:20 RIP Klaus Teuber, inventor of Catan. Dan Thurot's obituary: https://spacebiff.com/tag/klaus-teuber/

39:23 Vladimír Suchý and Delicious Games: Evacuation

39:39 Ultimate Innovation: Age 11 for each expansion, Unseen Expansion 

41:15 The List is back! www.sowronggames.com/episodenotes

42:26 Feature Game: Gatefall (Jack Dire, Jack Dire Studios, 2020)

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And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Huey that if Walker moves my games one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Dewey too, because Walker's moved my games four times already this year, and they used to be over by the window, and they could see the squirrels, and they were merry, but then, Walker switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if Walker takes my stapler then I'll set the studio on fire...

01:38 AYURIS: Witchstone (Martino Chiacchiera & Reiner Knizia, R&R Games, 2021)

Games Played Last Week:

04:00 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023)

05:54 -Wizards of the Grimoire (Cole Banning and Joe Banning, Grimoire Games, 2022)

09:15 -Codenames (Vlaada Chvátil, CGE, 2015)

14:05 -Pala (Jeffrey D. Allers, Cambridge Games Factory, 2012)

19:17 -Circadians: First Light (S J Macdonald, Garphill Games, 2019)

24:33 -Dice Manor (Garrett Herdter, Arcane Wonders, 2023)

28:25 -A.E.G.I.S.: Combining Robot Strategy Game (Cassandra Clark, Sarah Como, Breeze Grigas, Zach Kettell, Ryan "The Boulder" Richford, and Tom Wozencraft, Zephyr Workshop, 2018)

33:18 -51st State: Master Set--No Man's Land (Joanna Kijanka and Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal Games, 2023)

38:22 -Aristeia! (Alberto Abal, Jesús Fuster, and David Rosillo, Corvus Belli, 2017) 2020

42:48 -SCOUT (Kei Kajino, Oink Games, 2019)

45:30 -Summoner Wars (Second Edition): Starter Set (Colby Dauch, Plaid Hat Games, 2021)

47:22 -Whale Riders (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2021)

52:06 -Empyreal: Far Corners (Trey Chambers, Level 99 Games, 2022)

54:56 -Ark Nova (Mathias Wigge, Feuerland Spiele, 2021)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

56:46 Alleged Phantom Division will allegedly be on crowdfunding "soon"-ish

57:57 Expansion to Radlands

58:27 Santorini: Riddle of the Sphinx and deluxe Pantheon Edition

1:00:34 New Decrypto expandalone edition with new words

1:02:08 SVWAG Presents Masterpiece Theatre: Barry

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The mighty weremoose is a solitary creature, peaceable until roused to anger. Its only known predator is the American military deciding to once again invade Canada for reasons. When threatened, the weremoose rises to its full bipedal height of 6 meters, whereupon its sheer Chad-esque magnificence causes other creatures of the forest to quail and flee. Soldiers in the presence of this manifestation of the weremoose have been known to spontaneously reconsider their enlistment and retire on the spot.

Games Played Last Week:

01:45 -Cysmic (Jason Blake, Star Reach Games, 2023)

12:26 -Summoner Wars (Second Edition) (Colby Dauch, Plaid Hat Games, 2021)

16:21 -Weather Machine (Vital Lacerda, Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2022)

18:02 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023)

21:04 -League of the Lexicon (Stavros Damos and Steven Noble, Two Brothers Games, 2021)

26:02 -Turncoats (Matilda Simonsson, Milda Matilda Games, 2021)

28:20 -Tribes of the Wind (Joachim Thôme, La Boîte de Jeu, 2022)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

33:01 Three Ring Circus by Fabio Lopiano and 

33:54 Silver Bayonets by Joseph McCullough gets the Canada expansion by Ash Barker

34:58 Mantic wins best title award: Dungeon Saga: Origins Legenday Edition

35:19 Gatefall Monsters on Gamefound

36:00 Allies have to do a better job making gaming spaces inclusive, especially at tournaments

39:53 Feature Game: The Wolves (Ashwain Kamath and Clarence Simpson, Pandasaurus Games, 2022)

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Everything's gotta be a competition. "I've seen better walls," scoffs the ingrate. "I've had darker ages," insists the depressive. "Well, I'm a Time Duke," growls the superstar Duke (esq., O.B.E.). It's all right, people. We can accept the superlatives without making it a contest.

Games Played Last Week:

00:58 -Dark Ages: Heritage of Charlemagne (Adam Kwapiński & Andrei Novac, Board&Dice, 2021)

08:04 -Horizons of Spirit Island (Eric R. Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2022)

09:10 -Keyflower (Sebastian Bleasdale & Richard Breese, R&D Games, 2012)

13:02 -Spots (Alex Hague, Jon Perry, and Justin Vickers, CMYK, 2022)

14:07 -Gatefall: Lost in the North Woods (Jack Dire, Jack Dire Studios, 2022)

17:52 -Time Barons (Jon Perry and Derek Yu, WizKids, 2014)

19:44 -Light Speed (James Ernest and Tom Jolly, Cheapass Games, 2003)

23:37 -Tiletum (Simone Luciani and Daniele Tascini, Board&Dice, 2022)

25:21 -Summoner Wars (Second Edition) (Colby Dauch, Plaid Hat Games, 2021)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

28:09 Walker hates embargos, forgets about the thing

28:29 RPGs let you do anything, so why re-create TV scenarios? The Walking Dead RPG

29:33 New Dark Crystal card game, Walker unimpressed

29:50 Mighty Mighty Boards customer service

30:08 Great Western Trail: New Zealand with SHEEP?

31:31 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag

32:32 Feature Game: The Great Wall (Kamil 'Sanex' Cieśla, Robert Plesowicz, & Łukasz Włodarczyk, Awaken Realms, 2021)

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This episode, as all episodes, is brought to you by our crack editorial team of semi-trained gibbons. Always go with gibbons. Cheaper than interns! More personable than rhesus! Less violent than capuchins! Better hygiene than Mark!

Games Played Last Week:

01:05 -Votes for Women (Tory Brown, Fort Circle Games, 2022)

05:19 -Joan of Arc: Orléans Draw & Write (Ryan Hendrickson and Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2022)

09:54 -Quantum (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013)

11:54 -Gang of Dice (Reiner Knizia, Mandoo Games, 2022)

14:25 -Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest (Paolo Mori, Stonemaier Games, 2022)

16:49 -Hamlet: The Village Building Game (David Chircop, Mighty Boards, 2022)

21:35 -Claustrophobia 1643 (Croc & Laurent Pouchain, Monolith, 2019)

23:42 -Spots (Alex Hague, Jon Perry, and Justin Vickers, CMYK, 2022)

24:51 -Piazza Rabazza (Guido Hoffman and Jens-Peter Schliemann, Zoch Verlag, 2022)

28:45 -Findorff (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2022)

33:36 -Nemesis: Lockdown (Adam Kwapiński, Awaken Realms, 2022)

37:51 -Blue Lagoon (Reiner Knizia, Blue Orange Games, 2018)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

39:36 Ad-free versions available on Patreon, please alert us to problematic ads

40:05 Reach out to the content creators you enjoy!

40:21 Call for academic submissions! https://boardgameacademics.com/submissions

41:19 Feature Game: Mille Fiori (Reiner Knizia, Schmidt Spiele, 2021)

57:26 SVWAG Presents Masterpiece Theatre: A Knock at the Cabin

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"And Blass is reeling from Yves Saint-Laurent's inverted atomic drop! But wait, who's that running towards the ring? IT'S THE BIG O! Oscar de la Renta is coming to the assistance of his tag-team partner! We thought Pierre Cardin had locked him backstage in his dressing room but no, here he is, steel chair in hand! And he levels YSL with one perfect shot to the head!!! Can you believe it? This the kind of action you can only see on pay-per-view in Versailles!" 

01:24 AYURIS: Trickerion: Legends of Illusion (Richard Amann & Viktor Peter, Mindclash Games, 2015)

Games Played Last Week:

04:06 -Deities (Gary Kim, Mandoo Games, 2022)

08:24 -Manhattan (Andreas Seyfarth, Hans im Glück, 1994)

10:48 -Votes for Women (Tory Brown, Fort Circle Games, 2022)

18:43 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023)

23:29 -Barony (Marc André, Matagot, 2015)

24:49 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021)

24:59 -Antike II (Mac Gerdts, PD-Verlag, 2015)

25:54 -Tribune (Karl-Heinz Schmiel, Spielworxx, 2021)

31:20 -Cockroach Poker (Jacques Zeimet, Drei Magier Spiele, 2004)

31:49 -Karuba (Rüdiger Dorn, HABA, 2015)

34:33 -Fealty (R. Eric Reuss, Asmadi Games, 2011)

37:17-Paperback Adventures (Tim Fowers and Skye Larsen, Fowers Games, 2022)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

41:08 Ad-free versions available on Patreon, please alert us to problematic ads

42:05 Shipyard by Vladimír Suchý being reprinted

42:59 The Battle of Versailles: fashion! Gossip! Celebrities! And... rebuilding Versailles. Ugh.

44:33 Potential SVWAG-Con poll! https://forms.gle/R7pDHNnx5EQXgSUh8

45:08 Topic: New and Improved

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As employers, we gamers are a strange lot. We are expected to feed our workers, house them, give them their raw materials; we tell them where to go, when to work,a nd for how long; we subject them to fires, predation, starvation... and on top of all this, in some games we appear to confiscate all their wages! At least in Food Chain Magnate we occasionally allow them to go to the beach. Under strict supervision. Until we permit them the sweet release of death. I mean, until they "retire." Yeah, that sounds better.

Games Played Last Week:

01:24 -Air, Land, & Sea: Spies, Lies, & Supplies (Jon Perry, Arcane Wonders, 2022)

02:59 -Tinners' Trail (Martin Wallace, Alley Cat Games, 2021)

06:09 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023)

11:31 -Great Western Trail: Argentina (Alexander Pfister, eggertspiele, 2022)

16:57 -The Stygian Society (Kevin Wilson, APE Games, 2020)

21:56 -Company of Heroes (Bryan Kromley, Bad Crow Games, 2021)

29:05 -Voyages (Matthew Dunstan and Rory Muldoon, Postmark Games, 2021)

31:53 -Woodcraft (Ross Arnold and Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2022)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

33:58 Potential SVWAG-Con poll! https://forms.gle/R7pDHNnx5EQXgSUh8

34:40 Support content creators that you like! Reach out and thank someone.

35:26 Wabash Cannonball by John Bohrer to be reprinted by Rio Grande

36:33 Ethnos by Paolo Mori to be reprinted by Space Cowboys: Archeos Society

38:24 General Orders: WWII by David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin

39:29 Guards of Atlantis II reprint with new content on Gamefound in April

41:22 Ravensburger consolidating Quest for El Dorado with Vincent Dutrait art and new expansion: Dragons, Treasures, and Mysteries

42:18 Feature Game: IKI (Koota Yamada, Sorry We Are French, 2015)

1:07:15 SVWAG Presents Masterpiece Theatre: The Last of Us (eps. 1-5)

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You like SVWAG? Their early work was a little too negative for my taste. But when SHUX came out in '20, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole podcast has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the episodes a big boost. They've been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think SVWAG has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor. In '23, SVWAG released this; episode 251, their most accomplished episode. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "gullet regurgitation". An observation so catchy, most people probably don't think about the meaning. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of consumption and the importance of digestion. It's also a personal statement about the podcast itself. Hey, Walker!

01:37 AYURIS: Whale Riders (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2021)

Games Played Last Week:
03:42 -Godtear (David Carl, Alex Hall, & Steve Margetson, Steamforged Games, 2019)
08:30 -Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps (Andrew Haught, Gale Force Nine, 2020)
14:17 -LOAD: League of Ancient Defenders (Uncredited, Archon Studio, 2016)
17:49 -Warpgate: Beyond (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2022)
22:23 -Code of Nine (BakaFire, Z-Man Games, 2012)
26:17 -American Psycho: A Killer Game (Dan Blanchett, Renegade Game Studios, 2022)
30:25 -Sabika (Germán P. Millán, Ludonova, 2022)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
36:15 Bamboo by Sabika's Germán P. Millán
36:53 Cyclades: Legendary Edition
37:52 The closure and bankruptcy of Holy Grail Games
39:16 Expansion to Cosmic Frog! "Find Muck"

40:15 Topic: Gaming Design Trends

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I once saw a video of a woman driving a Shelby GT350 Mustang on the Autobahn. It hit 275 kph without breaking a figurative sweat, roaring its primal power the entire way. I was petrified even watching the video. This is to say nothing of the terror I felt seeing it take offramps at roughly 100 kph, which is not terribly advisable with a vehicle that is not known for its cornering. Of course, there are many sections of the Autobahn with speed limits--and even more with no Mustangs on it at all. Tragedies heaped upon tragedies.

Games Played Last Week:
00:54 -boop. (Scott Brady, Smirk & Laighter Games, 2022)
01:53 -Bag of Chips (Mathieu Aubert and Théo Rivière, Mixlore, 2021)
03:26 -Ginkgopolis (Xavier Georges, Pearl Games, 2012)
05:32 -Street Masters: Aftershock (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2019)
07:10 -Equinox (Reiner Knizia, Plan B Games, 2021)
13:26 -Tammany Hall (Doug Eckhart, IDW Games, 2007)
17:44 -Marvel United (Andrea Chiarvesio and Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2020)
22:19 -Yellow & Yangtze (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2018)
24:31 -Bot Factory (Vital Lacerda and João Quintela Martins, Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2023)
29:06 -The Wolves (Ashwin Kamath and Clarence Simpson, Pandasaurus Games, 2022)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
35:58 Dead Cells by Scorpion Masqué and Antoine Bauza, Ludovic Maublanc, et al
36:35 Puerto Rico 1897 component problems
36:53 Andromeda's Edge on Gamefound: Dwellings of Eldervale in spaaaace
38:04 More MicroMacro: Crime City. Complete the map!
38:39 Funagain distribution woes: Stationfall, Revive, Horseless Carriage
39:34 Jekyll & Hyde vs. Scotland Yard: two-plaayer co-op trick-taking game
40:21 SVWAG on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag
40:56 Renegade deck-builders crossover: G.I. Joe & Transformers: New Alliances

42:13 Feature Game: Autobahn (Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone, Alley Cat Games, 2022)


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