So Very Wrong About Games

To be clear, we're not giving or receiving any awards this week--rather we're discussing their use, possible abuse, and impact on the hobby. Were we to deserve an award for this episode, though, clearly it would be for the quality and quantity of top-notch segues. Play style leads to play style, mechanism to mechanism, all flowing as naturally and as smoothly as a natural and smooth thing. Note that while our segues are stellar, are metaphors are often less so.

AYURIS: Pandemic: Fall of Rome 1m28s (Matt Leacock & Paolo Mori, Z-Man, 2018)

Games Played Last Week:
-Commands and Colors: Napoleonics 4m00s (Richard Borg, GMT Games, 2010)
-Kemet 6m37s (Jacques Bariot & Guillaume Montiage, Matagot, 2012)
-Twilight Struggle 11m13s (Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews, GMT Games, 2005)
-Blood Rage 15m00s (Eric Lang, CMON, 2015)
-Teotihuacan: City of Gods 15m57s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018)
-Gaslands: Refuelled 20m58s (Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2019)
-Maharaja 24m53s (Michael Kiesling & Wolfgang Kramer, Cranio Creations, 2020)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Reiner Knizia's Whale Riders 30m53s
-Infinity CodeOne and 4th Edition 31m35s
-Warhammer 40,000 9th Edtiion 33m43s
[EDIT] Early reports indicate that 9th Edition will not, in point of fact, obsolete codices. We apologize for the error.
-X-Wing Solo Rules 34m33s
-Pokémon Battle Academy 34m44s
-CMON's Masters of the Universe 35m23s
-Hope for the world: rubber ducks in dice 36m40s
-BGG selling more games 37m20s
-Upcoming GMT Games 37m54s

Topic: Awards 39m07s

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We sometimes don't understand the appeal of food-based games, friends and neighbours. To be sure, we adore Food Chain Magnate, but that is not parasitic upon our sincere appreciation of (say) lemonade and pizza. There seem to be many games based on enthusiasm for beer, coffee, whiskey, spicy food, wine... Wait, I'm noticing a trend. Is our indifference to alcohol poisoning yet another area of life?!

Games Played Last Week:
-Gaia Project 1m01s (Jens Drögemüller & Helge Ostertag, Feuerland Spiele, 2017)
-Legacy of Dragonholt 2m55s (Nikki Valens with Daniel Clark, Tim Flanders, Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda, & Greg Spyridis, FFG, 2017)
-Race for the Galaxy 6m37s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2007)
-Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition 11m30s(Jason Little & Frank Brooks, Fantasy Flight, 2018)
-Guards of Atlantis II: Tabletop MOBA 15m13s (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2020)
-A War of Whispers 19m55s (Jeremy Stoltzfus, Starling Games, 2019)
-Tobago 24m49s (Bruce Allen, Zoch Verlag, 2009)
-TINYforming Mars 27m3s (Michael Bevilacqua, Web published, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Gen Con 2020 Cancelled 30m04s
-Schotten Totten 2 30m31s
-Wingspan App Beta 31m17s
-Kemet and Tribune Reprints on Kickstarter 31m52s

Feature Game: Clans of Caledonia 33m44s (Juma Al-JouJou, Karma Games, 2017)

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Podcasts are often a discursive medium, and so naturally we find ourselves touching on many and diverse topics. This week, we delve into poetry and Star Trek, just in case you were under the illusion that we were anything other than unreconstructed nerds. Walker, being part jock, had to be restrained so as to not spontaneously give himself a wedgie.

AYURIS: Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done 2m06s (Seth Jaffee, Tasty Minstrel, 2018)

Games Played Last Week:
-Bullet♥︎ 3m22s (Joshua Van Laningham, Level 99 Games, 2021)
-Sapiens 7m10s (Cyrille Leroy, IELLO, 2015)
-Legacy of Dragonholt 10m12s (Nikki Valens with Daniel Clark, Tim Flanders, Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda, & Greg Spyridis, FFG, 2017)
-Can't Stop 17m38s (Sid Sackson, Parker Brothers, 1980)
-Gaslands: Refuelled 19m36s (Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2019)
-Kingdomino 24m58s (Bruno Cathala, Blue Orange Games, 2016)
-TINYforming Mars 27m11s (Michael Bevilacqua, Web published, 2019)
-Innovation (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2010)
-Hour of Need 35m48s (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2020)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Spiel des Jahres nominees announced 39m20s
-Spiel at Essen canceled 39m25s
-Small World of Warcraft 42m14s
-Embarrassing Kemet Sphinx mini inspires new SVWAG Poetry Corner 42m38s
-New Maharaja 44m45s
-Frenemy Pastry Party 45m35s
-Who Asked for These? (TM): Battle of the Boy Bands 46m10s

Topic: Digital Life After COVID 47m02s

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There are so many life lessons to be learned from the presidency of Richard Milhous Nixon. For one, shave before debates. For another, hire limber secretaries with flexible standards on truth. Always be sure to hire expert lockpickers. Make sure your vice president will have your back (Nixon at least got a mulligan on that one). I mean, he's not a role model of mine--I wouldn't get his face tattooed on my back, to pick something at random--but he does serve as a potent set of object lessons.

Games Played Last Week:
-Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game 3m31s (Dan Verssen, DVG, 2014)
-Splendor 5m48s (Marc André, SPace Cowboys, 2014)
-Bullet♥︎ 8m28s (Joshua Van Laningham, Level 99 Games, 2021)
-Castles of Burgundy 12m36s (Stefan Feld, alea, 2011)
-Horizon Wars: Zero Dark 15m34s (Robey Jenkins, Precinct Omega Publishing, 2020)
-Patchwork 20m57s (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2014)
-Potion Explosion 21m55s (Stefano Castelli, Andrea Crespi, & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2015)
-Glory to Rome 24m48s (Ed Carter & Carl Chudyk, Cambridge Games Factory, 2005)
-Mottainai 25m47s (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2015)
-Mini Express 29m16s (Mark Gerrits, Moaideas Game Design, 2020)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Who Asked for These? (TM) Headlock, Paper, Scissors 32m57s
-Who Asked for These? (TM) Clank! for 6 players 34m40s
-Kickstarter lays off 40% of workforce 35m24s
-Who Asked for These? (TM) Marvel Splendor 36m32s
-Who Asked for These? (TM) Star Wars: Talisman 37m18s
-A Billion Suns extended beta 37m39s
-Rodney Smith and Watch It Played expand 40m36s

Feature Game: Watergate 41m37s (Matthias Cramer, Capstone Games, 2019)

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Subtitles are to be used with discretion. Some people can't be trusted with them, and most of those people seem to work in Hollywood and non-fiction publishing. We resist the urge much of the time, but every once in a while the dam bursts and we must find an outlet for our pent-up subtitling impulses.
We have over twenty this time. We're sorry.

AYURIS: Teotihuacan: City of Gods 3m53s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018)

Games Played Last Week:
-Vanguard: Dawn of War 6m45s (Uncredited, Archon Studio, 2017)
-Trieste 11m11s (Matthew Ma, Victory Point Games, 2013)
-Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game 15m46s (Dan Verssen, DVG, 2014)
-Innovation 23m07s (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2010)
-Twilight Struggle 27m39s (Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews, GMT Games, 2005)
-Coralia 31m20s (Michael Rieneck, HUCH!, 2019)
-Under Falling Skies 33m02s (Tomáš Uhlíř, Web-published, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-More Walker! Walker a guest on Board Game Barrage 34m59s
-Fantasy Flight pulls down Tabletop Simulator mods 35m29s
-Seastead: 2P Flotilla 38m20s
-New expansion and Kickstarter for Rise of Tribes 38m36s
-Guards of Atlantis II is awesome, its depiction of women less so 38m59s
-New expansion and Kickstarter for Steampunk Rally 42m57s
-UK Games Expo cancelled 43m57s

Topic: Analysis Paralysis and the Need to Win 44m13s

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A rulebook generates expectations, and whether and how those expectations are met or frustrated is an interesting phenomenon. Sometimes you get exactly what you want and that's a good thing--and sometimes the rules promise a set of experiences that never manifest. Over time, you start to get a better feel for what a game might be like by virtue of its rulebook, but even experienced gamers can be thrown for a loop by an unexpected mismatch. To summarize, what I'm saying here is that Nemesis is bad.

Games Played Last Week:
-Cosmic Frog 1m15s (Jim Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2020)
-Traintopia 8m41s (Przemek Wojtkowiak, Board&Dice, 2020)
-Carolus Magnus 14m54s (Leo Colovini, Rio Grande Games, 2000)
-Wingspan 17m24s (Elizabeth Hargrave, Stonemaier Games, 2019)
-Successors 3rd ed 18m23s (Richard H. Berg, John B. Firer, & Mark Simonitch, GMT Games, 2008)
-Scythe 21m25s (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2016)
-Pax Renaissance 2nd Edition 24m58s (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Ion Game Design, 2020)
-Fantastic Factories 29m49s (Joseph Z Chen & Justin Faulkner, Metafactory Games, 2019)
-Crazy Tower: Contruction/Sabotage 32m10s (Alexis Harvey, Félix Leblanc, Manuel-Lucas Bergeron Duhamel, & Mathieu Auger, Synapses Games, 2020)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Blokus Puzzle 34m46s
-Guards of Atlantis II 35m43s
-Your games are invalid: 40K Risk 36m48s
-Defence of Procyon III 37m47s
-Canvas 39m28s
-More on Knizia's My City 40m22s

Feature Game: Nemesis 41m27s (Adam Kwapiński, Awaken Realms, 2018)

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“Imagine that you are creating a fabric of human destiny with the object of making men happy in the end, giving them peace and rest at last. Imagine that you are doing this but that it is essential and inevitable to torture to death only one tiny creature...in order to found that edifice on its unavenged tears. Would you consent to be the architect on those conditions? Tell me. Tell the truth.”

― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

AYURIS: Gùgōng 1m22s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)

Games Played Last Week:
-Radiant: Offline Battle Arena 3m50s (Jack Murray, Heel Turn Games, 2019)
-Cosmic Frog 5m00s (Jim Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2020)
-Blitzkrieg! 17m07s (Paolo Mori, PSC Games, 2019)
-World of Warcraft Miniatures Game 18m35s (Edward Fear, John Fiorillo, Justin Gary, Matt Hyra, Anthony Shaheen, & Patrick Sullivan, Upper Deck Entertainment, 2008)
-Manoeuvre 23m54s (Jeff Horger, GMT Games, 2008)
-Spyrium 26m07s (William Attia, Ystari Games, 2013)
-Innovation 31m19s (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2010)
-Carcassonne 33m54s (Klaus-Jürgen Wrede, Hans im Gluck, 2000)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Shadows over (Camelot) Brooklyn 35m28s
-SVWAG Policy: Unlicensed Digital Implementations 36m28s
-Hasbro Mashups 38m44s
-Golden Geek Award Nomination 41m01s
-More Cloudspire 42m35s
-Reichbusters and Wolfenstein 42m55s

Topic: Getting Tears Stains out of Games: What to Do About Unplayed Games 44m16s

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No daunts are asked and no daunts are given this week. "I don't give a daunt" is tattooed on Walker's back, no doubt an homage to Rhett Butler's famous ending line. We needed a little breather this time--a break from two-hour epic experiences. A little palate cleanser to ease us into a purely digital gaming life; because, to be frank, in this stage of isolation, we felt a little daunted.
We will plead for your indulgence, as our audio setup is once again in a state of flux as we transition to a two-studio setup.

Games Played Last Week:
-Orleans 2m28s (Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2014)
-The Quiet Year 3m03s (Avery Alder, Buried Without Ceremony, 2013)
-Shadowrift 6m14s (Jeremy Anderson, Game Night Productions, 2012)
-Spirit Island 8m17s (Eric R. Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017)
-Carolus Magnus 11m42s (Leo Colovini, Rio Grande Games, 2000)
-Race for the Galaxy 17m25s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2007)
-BattleCON: War of Indines 19m40s (D. Brad Talton, Jr., Level 99 Games, 2010)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-For Science! on Kickstarter now 23m29s
-CMON audit woes? 25m34s

Feature Game: Undaunted: Normandy 28m20s (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2019)

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Isolation gaming continues, so we turn our lonely eyes to gaming alone--an endeavour that predates plague-induced solitude, but is certainly thriving now. Many a gamer is experimenting with those (increasingly frequent) variants for the first time. We understand--any port in a storm. Let us game alone together.

AYURIS: Coimbra 1m48s (Flaminia Brasini & Virginio Gigli, eggertspiele, 2018)

Games Played Last Week:
-Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North 3m32s (Joanna Kijanka & Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal Games, 2019)
-The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine 8m43s (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019)
-The Fox in the Forest Duet 16m52s (Foxtrot Games, Foxtrot Games, 2020)
-The Quiet Year 18m20s (Avery Alder, Buried Without Ceremony, 2013)
-Radiant: Offline Battle Arena 22m57s (Jack Murray, Heel Turn Games, 2019)
-Hansa Teutonica 24m23s (Andreas Steding, Argentum Verlag, 2009)
-Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire 26m51s (David Sanders, Games Workshop, 2017)
-The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples 30m31s (Reiner Knizia, Ravensburger, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-My Little Scythe: Pie in the Sky 33m18s
-Ascension Tactics 34m14s
-Frosthaven 36m52s
-Ankh: Gods of Egypt 40m24s
-They Live 41m41s

Topic: Solo Gaming 43m05s

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A little throwback for you, our dear and loyal listeners, a small taste of the pre-summer schedule splendour and abundance where we spoil you with both a topic and a feature game. It happened organically, you see, what with all the social distancing -mandated two-player gaming we've been doing. That, and we want to try to give you a little more in light of the world giving you a little less. Of course, if you want to hear less of us, you always have that power.

Games Played Last Week:
-Menara: Rituals and Ruins 2m59s (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Verlag, 2019)
-Sentinels of the Multiverse 5m39s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011)
-ELO Darkness 22m11s (Tommaso Mondadori & Alberto Parisi, Reggie Games, 2018)
-The Fox in the Forest Duet 8m59s (Foxtrot Games, Foxtrot Games, 2020)
-Pax Renaissance 13m24s (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Sierra Madre Games, 2016)
-Mezo: Souls for Xibalba 17m09s (John Clowdus, Kolossal, 2019)

Mini-Spotlight: MOBA-Style Boardgames 19m36s
-Rum & Bones (Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015)/Rum & Bones: Second Tide (Michael Shinall, CMON, 2017)
-Guards of Atlantis (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designaa, 2017)
-ELO Darkness (Tommaso Mondadori & Alberto Parisi, Reggie Games, 2018)
-Battle for Biternia (Chris Faulkenberry, Stone Circle Games, 2018)
-Radiant: Offline Battle Arena (Jack Murray, Heel Turn Games, 2019)
-Skytear (Giacomo Neri, Riccardo Neri, & Riccardo Parmeggiani, PvP Geeks, 2020)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Free stuff! XenoShyft, Frostgrave, etc. 41m24s
-Crazy Tower: Construction/Sabotage 43m52s
-Gloomhaven Community Campaign IV: The Blacksmith and the Bear 45m05s
-Digital card game: Legends of Runeterra by Riot 46m11s
-Pax Renaissance 2nd Edition 47m40s

Feature Game: Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon 49m32s (Krzysztof Piskorski & Marcin Świerkot, Awaken Realms, 2019)

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