So Very Wrong About Games

Better late and wrong than never wrong, am I right? Wait, that doesn't make sense. Suffice to say that we wanted to be as certain as we could this year, as past years offered rather significant asterisks on our best-of lists--but this year, with only minor exceptions, we're pretty confident we played the games most likely to make the cut. I'm sure this sense of certainty and comprehensiveness will last perhaps as long as late January.

Games Played Last Week:
-Blood Rage 2m09s (Eric Lang, CMON, 2015)
-It's a Wonderful World 4m40s (Frédéric Guérard, La Boîte de Jeu, 2019)
-Battle for Biternia 8m03s (Chris Faulkenberry, Stone Circle Games, 2018)
-Istanbul 12m58s (Rudiger Dorn, Pegasus Spiele, 2014)
-Marvel Champions: The Card Game 15m30s (Michael Boggs, Nate French, & Caleb Grace, FFG, 2019)
-Codenames: The Simpsons 16m06s (Vlaada Chvatil, CGE, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Kemet 2.0: Blood and Sand Updates 19m01s
-Mixlore and Prospero Hall 20m13s
-Cosmic Encounter Two-Player? 21m01s
-FFG's RPG Last Gasp: KeyForge 22m07s
-Traintopia: All Trains, All the Time Is Back! 22m45s
-Pascal Bernard v. Mythic Games 23m27s
-Kolossal Games' Ongoing Eclipse Shenanigans 24m25s
-Riot Games to Publish New Boardgames 29m31s
-Patreon News: Presents! 30m16s

Topic: 2019 in Review Extravaganza
Personal Top 10s 32m12s
SVWAG Game of the Year 2019 54m34s
Other Categories 56m42s

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We're using "culture" pretty broadly, here--the SVWAG staff anthropologist is out with the flu, so there's only so much we can do. We're ready to accept some degree of cultural variance, but we don't endorse cultural relativism as a moral theory; our staff ethicist is still very much at his post. That said, social gatherings are most definitely susceptible to cultural standards than moral precepts are, and we are ever in thrall to one of SVWAG's primordial maxims: "Read the room."

AYURIS: BattleCON 2m00s (Brad D. Talton, Level 99 Games, 2010)

Games Played Last Week:
-Flotilla 4m35s (J.B. Howell & Michael Mihealsick, WizKids, 2019)
-Marvel Champions: The Card Game 13m43s (Michael Boggs, Nate French, & Caleb Grace, FFG, 2019)
-It's a Wonderful World 16m16s (Frédéric Guérard, La Boîte de Jeu, 2019)
-The Menace Among Us 18m31s (Jeff Gum, Smirk & Dagger, 2019)
-A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians 23m23s (Gernot Köpke & Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2018)
-Godtear 24m49s (David Carl, Alex Hall, & Steve Margetson, Steamforged Games, 2019)
-Core Space 26m34s (Colin Young, Battle Systems Ltd., 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Fine Job Labyrinth--fine job, indeed! 29m17s
-Kemet 2.0: Blood and Sand 30m58s
-Egyptian Renaissance? Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun 33m38s

Topic: Cultural Expectations 34m42s

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Look, it's hard enough to remember games without them injecting too many dates into their titles. Claustrophobia 1643 I keep misremembering as 1648 (Treaty of Westphalia), Ausburg 15whenever is as forgettable as the game, Pulsar 2849 barely sticks in my mind, and now Caylus 1303. I'd be tempted to just try and parse the game as "Caylus 13XX," but it's not about trains, now, is it?

Games Played Last Week:
-Karate Tomate 3m01s (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2018)
-Telestrations: 12 Player Party Pack 5m10s (Uncredited, USAopoly, 2011)
-The Shipwreck Arcana 6m59s (Kevin Bishop, Meromorph Games, 2017)
-Yellow & Yangtze 9m22s (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2018)
-Marvel Champions: The Card Game 10m05s (Michael Boggs, Nate French, & Caleb Grace, FFG, 2019)
-Maracaibo 14m42s (Alexander Pfister, Capstone Games, 2019)
-Aristocracy 21m09s (Reiner Knizia, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2019)
-Flotilla 23m24s (J.B. Howell & Michael Mihealsick, WizKids, 2019)
-Era: Medieval Age 24m46s (Matt Leacock, eggertspiele, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Rococo Deluxe 27m17s
-Kanban EV 27m59s

Feature Game: Caylus 1303 29m01s (William Attia, Space Cowboys, 2019)

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The Holidays are upon us--Christmas very soon, Hanukkah is ongoing, Kwanzaa around the corner--but today on SVWAG, as it is on most days, we celebrate Festivus. On Mark's insistence, we forego the Feats of Strength, as the outcome would be certain and humiliating; O, but the Airing of the Grievances! Canadians have much to complain about, what with one mess of a fulfillment after another. And complain we do.

AYURIS: Too Many Bones: Undertow 3m15s (Adam Carlson & Josh J. Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2018)

Games Played Last Week:
-Mechanica 6m37s (Mary Flanagan, Emma Hobday, & Max Seidman, Resonym, 2019)
-One Deck Galaxy 11m25s (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi Games, 2020)
-It's a Wonderful World 13m02s (Frédéric Guérard, La Boîte de Jeu, 2019)
-Yggdrasil Chronicles 17m35s (Cédric Lefebvre, Ludonaute, 2019)
-Yokohama 21m09s (Hisashi Hayashi, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2016)
-Cthulhu: Death May Die 21m56s (Eric M. Lang & Rob Daviau, CMON, 2019)
-Res Arcana: Lux et Tenebrae 26m25s (Thomas Lehmann, Sand Castle Games, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Best of 2019 coming, just possibly not in 2019 29m09s
-Wherefore art thou, Reavers? 30m12s

Topic: Familiarity Breeds Contempt 31m01s

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Perhaps it would be inevitable that there would be juvenile comments about the components in Catan: Starfarers. This is, after all, the gaming series that brought us endless unfunny remarks about wood and sheep. Perhaps the sculptors for the pieces knew what they were doing and, in turn, laughing at us. I suppose we must be thankful that Klaus Teuber remained high-minded--one shudders to imagine what the satirical outlook of, say, Vlaada Chvatil would have done with the same material.

Games Played Last Week:
-Street Masters: Aftershock 2m18s (Adam & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2019)
-Big City: 20th Anniversary Jumbo Edition! 4m51s (Franz-Benno Delonge, Mercury Games, 2019)
-Wavelength 7m46s (Alex Hague, Justin Vickers, & Wolfgang Warsch, Palm Court, 2019)
-Warfighter: The Private Military Contractor Card Game 10m32s (Dan Verssen, DVG Games, 2019)
-The Shipwreck Arcana 15m42s (Kevin Bishop, Meromorph Games, 2017)
-Yggdrasil Chronicles 17m26s (Cédric Lefebvre, Ludonaute, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Tokyo Game Market 21m39s
-Matagot Makes Pronoun Progress 22m00s
-Spycon (Where Everyone Is a Spy) 23m46s
-Warhammer Underworlds Digital 24m33s
-Airship City in English 26m00s
-Expanding Spheres of Influence 27m00s
-Flotilla 29m07s

Feature Game: Catan: Starfarers 30m08s (Klaus Teuber, KOSMOS, 2019)

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There are times when immediately upon finishing recording, one or both of our hosts immediately feel the tremendous regret of having forgotten The Thing. But, alas, the moment has passed, and they cannot now mention The Thing. The only redress available is this episode description, which sadly no one but you reads. We salute you, hyper-literate outlier!
This week, The Thing is Wavelength--recently-released masterful filler and wonderful fodder for holiday gaming in mixed circles. Rest assured the host feel pretty stupid most of the time, but doubly stupid for neglecting to mention Wavelength.

AYURIS: Sentinels of the Multiverse 1m45s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011)

Games Played Last Week:
-Amun-Re the Card Game 4m47s (Reiner Knizia, Super Meeple, 2016)
-The King's Dilemma 7m41s (Hjalmar Hach & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2019)
-Pandemic: Rapid Response 16m32s (Kane Klenko, Z-Man, 2019)
-Yokohamma 18m10s (Hisashi Hayashi, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2016)
-Street Masters: Aftershock 20m23s (Adam & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2019)
-Gugong 21m51s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)
-Barrage 25m29s (Tommaso Battista & Simone Luciani, Cranio Creations, 2019)
-Warhammer Underworlds: Beastgrave 31m43s (David Sanders, Games Workshop, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Award for Kane Klenko 33m22s
-Rangers of Shadow Deep Deluxe 33m55s
-Knizia does Legacy with My City 35m18s
-Barkham Horror (sigh) 35m56s
-Frosthaven 36m58s
-Collectivism in Red Outpost 37m17s
-Thank you for your support! 38m22s

Topic: Fillers and Holiday Gaming 38m55s

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Black Secret was an expansion to Ghost Stories where you played as vicious, frenetic shoppers trying to ascertain what were the best hidden deals on Black Friday. I think. If nothing else, one can appreciate the fact that online shopping might one day prevent the trampling deaths that accompany this uniquely retail "holiday." The end of brick and mortar retail will surely be a great loss, and one that hurts our hobby a great deal, but come on--that inevitable b-roll of crazed bargain hunters year after year is a psychically damaging indictment of our culture.

Games Played Last Week:
-Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan 2m27s (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2019)
-Catan: Starfarers 7m39s (Klaus Teuber, KOSMOS, 2019)
-Neuroshima Hex! 3.0 11m39s (Michal Oracz, Portal Games, 2006)
-Caylus Magna Carta 14m59s (William Attia, Ystari Games, 2007)
-Vindication 20m56s (Marc Neidlinger, Orange Nebula, 2018)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Ticket to Ride with Alexa 22m23s
-So Much Sakura Arms! 24m56s
-Christmas Card Roll-and-Write from Dice and Ink 27m48s
-The King is Dead (Long Live Osprey Publishing) 28m33s
-Fantastic Factories 29m28s
-Warning: Chinese New Year Always Wins 30m08s

Feature Game: Last Bastion 31m28s (Antoine Bauza, Repos Production, 2019)

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Walker introduces a new feature, the LIGHTNING ROUND. Destinies are determined and legends are forged in the lightning round, or at least they could be if it were not merely the pretext for his trolling. Someone should translate "I'm not saying, I'm just saying" into Latin so he can make it his family credo.

AYURIS: The Voyages of Marco Polo 2m00s (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015)

Games Played Last Week:
-The Menace Among Us 5m06s (Jeff Gum, Smirk & Dagger, 2019)
-Wayfinders 9m18s (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Pandasaurus Games, 2019)
-Paranormal Detectives 12m41s (Szymon Maliński, Adrian Orzechowski, & Marcin Łączyński, Lucky Duck Games, 2019)
-Barenpark: The Bad News Bears 17m44s (Phil Walker-Harding, Lookout Games, 2019)
-Modern Art 19m54s (Reiner Knizia, Hans im Gluck, 1992)
-Gaia Project 21m41s (Jens Drögemüller & Helge Ostertag, Feuerland Spiele, 2017)
-Wavelength 25m13s (Alex Hague, Justin Vickers, & Wolfgang Warsch, Palm Court, 2019)
-Babylonia 29m56s (Reiner Knizia, Ludonova, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Don't you know that Scott Pilgrim is the best fighter in the province? 33m01s
-Uwe Rosenberg tries some fairies 33m31s
-Excellent SVWAG website: https://tekeli.li/svwag/ 34m09s
-Car Wars again, and again 35m42s
-Hollandspiele Sale 37m11s
-Canadian fulfillment woes: Reavers of Midgard, etc. 38m43s

Topic: Worker Placement 41m22s

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Sorry, people, no episode this week. Mark explains why.

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We puzzle over the practices and intentions of game designers this week as though we were archaeologists trying to divine the practices of ashen Pompeiians. Why did these authors insert this mechanism into their artifact? Was it a mating ritual? Was it an obeisance to some vengeful, long-dead god? Was it to shoehorn in player interaction? Or was it to placate a Kickstarter audience? Oh, sorry, that one is redundant with the obeisance to a god thing. Also the mating ritual thing, if you think about it.

Games Played Last Week:
-Wavelength 1m12s (Alex Hague, Justin Vickers, & Wolfgang Warsch, Palm Court, 2019)
-Carcassonne: Gold Rush (Klaus-Jürgen Wrede, Hans im Gluck, 2014)
-Unmatched: Battle of Legends 12m56s (Rob Daviau, JR Honeycutt, & Justin D. Jacobson, Restoration Games, 2019)
-The Menace Among Us 15m41s (Jeff Gum, Smirk & Dagger, 2019)
-Barenpark 19m19s (Phil Walker-Harding, Lookout Games, 2017)
-Vindication 20m41s (Marc Neidlinger, Orange Nebula Productions, 2018)

News (and why it doesn't matter):
-Fallout: Shelter--from promotional money-sink to... ? 30m39s
-Wiz-War NINTH 31m50s
-Inis in SPAAACE 32m27s
-Hansa Teutonica Big Box MIA at Spiel 33m43s
-DEI: Divide et Impera 34m17s
-Titan is, actually, kinda BIG 35m35s
-All the best to Chad Jensen 36m53s

Feature Game: Cloudspire 37m44s (Josh J. Carlson, Adam Carlson, & Josh Wielgus, Chip Theory Games, 2019)

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