In this episode, Conor and Dana Banana are back for their first episode of 2025, while Lauren has so much to talk about, she returns for another chat in back-to-back episodes.

Lauren has us with our mouths open as she talks about her latest trick-taking game that has the weirdest theme we’ve heard in a while.  Conor has settled into his role as a hobo as he rummages through his bindle looking for goodies at 2am in Vagrantsong.  Meanwhile, Banana has fallen for Ryan Laukat as she tries to save the pack-turtle in her first experience with Red Raven Games in Creature Caravan. 

They also recap last week's Question of the Pod, all before sharing some news as to what's got them fired up!

New Question of the Pod: What was your biggest gaming surprise of last year and what did you enjoy about it?

Sizzling Games:

Xylotar [40.00]

Vagrantsong [52:58]

Creature Caravan [01:05:02]

Question of the Pod Recap: [01:16:43]

New Question of the Pod: [01:24:18]

Fired Up: [01:30:21]

Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483

Has this episode left you with a thirst for more? Here are all of the games that we discussed:

Unpublished games: Tropical, I Can’t Even.

Pathogen: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/369862/pathogen

Root: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/237182/root

Fromage: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/384213/fromage

Flip 7: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420087/flip-7

The Gang: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/411567/the-gang

Civolution: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/400602/civolution

Nekojima: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/359029/nekojima

Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/374173/star-wars-the-deckbuilding-game

Fairy Ring: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/419074/fairy-ring

Piles!:   https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/400752/piles

SPONSORS

Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Advent Games and More Than Meeples.

Advent Games is an Australian online board game store based in Sydney, NSW.  http://www.adventgames.com.au/

More Than Meeples is an Australian retail and online game store based in Brisbane, QLD.

https://morethanmeeples.com.au/

PATREON

Hey there, BBQ fans! Guess what? We’ve got a Patreon! By joining, you’ll unlock exclusive content, gain access to a members-only section of our Discord where you can help shape the show, and so much more. Plus, your support will help us grow and bring some awesome new projects to life in 2024.

At the Board Game BBQ Podcast, we’re passionate about what we do and promise to keep the fun and shenanigans rolling. We’re so grateful for your support! Joining our Patreon is totally optional, and we ask that you don’t contribute if it’ll cause financial stress. But if you’d like to chip in from just USD$5 a month, click the link to check out our Patreon page.

Thanks a million for being amazing! We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community, and you all make it special. See you at the BBQ!! https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ

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Support the podcast and join the community!

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Join Jules and Lauren as they bring in the new year with what has been hitting their tables over the holidays. Jules' gaming appetite has him trying out the combo meal which is fit for a king in Castle Combo. Lauren has been wracking her brain to remember where she put Gandalf's staff and if it was next to that bowl of jelly in Wilmot's Warehouse.  

They also share the community responses from out last Question of the Pod, and get excited about the new year in this week's question, and share what has them fired up!

This is it. The episode you've been waiting for. The whole crew is back together one last time for 2024, continuing the countdown of our Top 10 Games. There are so many great games in our Top 5s, and more than a few surprises.

Thanks to everyone for your support in 2024. We can't wait to return in 2025 with more games, more shenanigans, and more Board Game BBQ.

5 [01:50]

4 [18:30]

3 [35:25]

2 [51:05]

1 [1:11:00]

Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483

**SPONSORS**

Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Advent Games. Advent Games are an Australian online board game store based in Sydney, NSW. Their core values are integrity, customer satisfaction, and providing a wide range of products including those hard-to-find board games.

More Than Meeples is an Australian retail and online game store based in Brisbane, QLD. They have been strong supporters of, not only our Brisbane Game Days, but the broader Brisbane community. 

**PATREON**

Hey there, BBQ fans! Guess what? We’ve got a Patreon! By joining, you’ll unlock exclusive content, gain access to a members-only section of our Discord where you can help shape the show, and so much more. Plus, your support will help us grow and bring some awesome new projects to life in 2025.

At the Board Game BBQ Podcast, we’re passionate about what we do and promise to keep the fun and shenanigans rolling. We’re so grateful for your support! Joining our Patreon is totally optional, and we ask that you don’t contribute if it’ll cause financial stress. But if you’d like to chip in from just USD$5 a month, click the link to check out our Patreon page.

Thanks a million for being amazing! We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community, and you all make it special. See you at the BBQ!! https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ

**SOCIALS**

Support the podcast and join the community!

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The whole crew is back together for Episode 324 as we count down our Top 10 Games. And you know that when the whole team gets together chaos isn't far behind.

This week we share our top 10-6, and then next week we will reveal our 5-1.

10 [14:00]

9 [29:30]

8 [44:55]

7 [1:04:55]

6 [1:23:35]

Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483

**SPONSORS**

Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Advent Games. Advent Games are an Australian online board game store based in Sydney, NSW. Their core values are integrity, customer satisfaction, and providing a wide range of products including those hard-to-find board games.

More Than Meeples is an Australian retail and online game store based in Brisbane, QLD. They have been strong supporters of, not only our Brisbane Game Days, but the broader Brisbane community. https://morethanmeeples.com.au/

**PATREON**

Hey there, BBQ fans! Guess what? We’ve got a Patreon! By joining, you’ll unlock exclusive content, gain access to a members-only section of our Discord where you can help shape the show, and so much more. Plus, your support will help us grow and bring some awesome new projects to life in 2025.

At the Board Game BBQ Podcast, we’re passionate about what we do and promise to keep the fun and shenanigans rolling. We’re so grateful for your support! Joining our Patreon is totally optional, and we ask that you don’t contribute if it’ll cause financial stress. But if you’d like to chip in from just USD$5 a month, click the link to check out our Patreon page.

Thanks a million for being amazing! We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community, and you all make it special. See you at the BBQ!! https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ

**SOCIALS**

Support the podcast and join the community!

https://linktr.ee/BoardGameBBQ

Episode 323: Awkward Guests, The Light in the Mist.

On this week’s Episode, Dan and Dana have to take the reins at short notice while Adrian is recuperating.  Dan has been trying to get rid of all his ‘midden’ as a Scottish Farmer in Skara Brae, only to find he is perhaps better suited to being Captain Obvious or a super sleuth in Awkward Guests.  Meanwhile, Dana has been mulling over whether her daughter’s fear of electrocution has trumped her love of Brie in My Favourite Things.  This of course comes a distant second to a good-looking tarot deck with a twist in The Light in the Mist.

There's also the Question of the Pod, Swear an Oath, and all of the usual shenanigans you've come to expect from the Board Game BBQ Podcast.

New Question of the Pod: Stuck for stocking stuffer ideas?  Give us your recommendations!

Sizzling Games:

Awkward Guests: (42:55)

The Light in the Mist: (57:09)

Question of the Pod Recap: (1:12:27)

Fired Up: (1:24:57)

Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483

Has this episode left you with a thirst for more? Here are all of the games that we discussed:

Skara Brae: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/408636/skara-brae

My Favourite Things: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/188530/my-favourite-things

Captain Obvious: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/423533/captain-obvious

Magic Maze Tower: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/396749/magic-maze-tower

Flip 7: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420087/flip-7

Awkward Guests: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/188866/awkward-guests-the-walton-case

The Light in the Mist: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/341519/the-light-in-the-mist

Blank: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/231824/blank

**SPONSORS**

Our podcast is proudly sponsored by:

Advent Games: http://www.adventgames.com.au/

More Than Meeples:https://morethanmeeples.com.au/

Planepita on KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2093714316/planepita/?ref=kicktraq

**PATREON**

Hey there, BBQ fans! Guess what? We’ve got a Patreon! By joining, you’ll unlock exclusive content, gain access to a members-only section of our Discord where you can help shape the show, and so much more. Plus, your support will help us grow and bring some awesome new projects to life in 2024.

At the Board Game BBQ Podcast, we’re passionate about what we do and promise to keep the fun and shenanigans rolling. We’re so grateful for your support! Joining our Patreon is totally optional, and we ask that you don’t contribute if it’ll cause financial stress. But if you’d like to chip in from just USD$5 a month, click the link to check out our Patreon page.

Thanks a million for being amazing! We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community, and you all make it special. See you at the BBQ!! https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ

**SOCIALS**

Support the podcast and join the community!

https://linktr.ee/BoardGameBBQ

This week Jules, Joe and Lauren wax lyrical about the games hitting their table recently, with some very sizzling and some lukewarm receptions. Jules has been practicing his dexterity skills in Nekojima - a game about installing electricity poles without crossing or touching their cables. Joe pieces together all the information to share his perspective on Perspectives - a game about solving mysteries while sharing limited information with friends. To round us off, Lauren and Jules discuss their mixed feelings with the very beautiful looking Rats of Wistar. 

In this week’s podcast, Conor, Adrian and Joe serve up a slew of games. Adrian goes off the rails with an amuse-bouche sizzle of Age of Steam, before diving into a game of drafting and collecting sets in Sea, Salt & Paper. Joe has been playing his cards just right to build up his resources in 51st State – a game with a theme that definitely has nothing to do with current world events and everything is absolutely fine. Conor rounds it off with a war – in SPACE. He talks through the Undaunted series of games including its most recent standalone Undaunted 2200: Callisto. You'd think those corporations would be happier given they're fighting over the moon. 

Support the podcast and join the community!

In this episode, Dana takes the host seat, joined by Adrian and Lauren, as they share their highlights from the latest Brisbane Game Day! The trio dives into the vibrant atmosphere, heartfelt gratitude for the incredible volunteers, and a huge thank-you to the amazing community who made the event unforgettable.

They also discuss the smorgasbord of games they played during the event, sharing stories, strategies, and laughter from the tables. Tune in for their insights on standout titles and memorable moments.

Sizzling Games:

Dana dives into the world of Middle-earth with The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth, sharing her love for its epic duels and thematic gameplay.

Lauren revisits a modern classic with Bus, reflecting on its brain-burning decisions and timeless design.

With Adrian chiming in about his favorite Japanese games and his adventures in trying out new mechanics, this episode is packed with fun banter, thoughtful game talk, and plenty of laughs.

Whether you joined us at Brisbane Game Day or want to hear about some exciting games, Episode 320 is the perfect listen!

Sizzling games are

The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth (00:53:30)

Bus (01:06:01)

 APPLE PODCAST REVIEWS HERE ----🡪

Please leave us a review or just a star rating on apple podcasts it really does help us a lot 

Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483

**SPONSORS**

Our podcast is proudly sponsored by

**PATREON**

Yes, that's right. We have a Patreon. By becoming a Patreon member you will receive exclusive content, have access to a members only section of our discord where you can contribute to the content of the show, and much more. Your Patreon support will also allow us to expand the podcast and deliver some exciting upcoming projects that we have planned for 2022.

Our team at the Board Game BBQ Podcast love what we do and will continue to deliver the same shenanigans that you have come to expect from us, and we are already incredibly grateful and humbled by all of your support. Being a member of the Patreon is by no means an obligation and please do not support the Patreon if it will it cause you financial hardship in any way. But if you would like to support us from as little as USD$5 a month please click the link and head to the Patreon page.

Thanks again for all of your continued support. We work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive community and you are all awesome. See you at the BBQ!! Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ

**SOCIALS**

Support the podcast and join the community!

https://linktr.ee/BoardGameBBQ

Get ready to dive into the latest episode as Adrian and Conor (our beloved Donkey and Shrek duo) are joined by the one and only Carl Van Ostrand for a lively, laughter-packed episode!

In this Episode:

Tune in for all the laughs, banter, and maybe even a little bit of singing (we see you, Donkey). Don’t miss this episode if you’re curious about coastal adventures, curious card games, or just love hearing Conor and Adrian’s dynamic Shrek-and-Donkey energy!

Carl Van Ostrand Episode 138 Board Game BBQ podcast apple and podbean

Sizzling games are

Windmill Valley (00:42:30)

Conservas (00:49:45)

Kelp (01:02:01)

 APPLE PODCAST REVIEWS HERE ----🡪

Please leave us a review or just a star rating on apple podcasts it really does help us a lot 

Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483

**SPONSORS**

Our podcast is proudly sponsored by

**PATREON**

Yes, that's right. We have a Patreon. By becoming a Patreon member you will receive exclusive content, have access to a members only section of our discord where you can contribute to the content of the show, and much more. Your Patreon support will also allow us to expand the podcast and deliver some exciting upcoming projects that we have planned for 2022.

Our team at the Board Game BBQ Podcast love what we do and will continue to deliver the same shenanigans that you have come to expect from us, and we are already incredibly grateful and humbled by all of your support. Being a member of the Patreon is by no means an obligation and please do not support the Patreon if it will it cause you financial hardship in any way. But if you would like to support us from as little as USD$5 a month please click the link and head to the Patreon page.

Thanks again for all of your continued support. We work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive community and you are all awesome. See you at the BBQ!! Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ

**SOCIALS**

Support the podcast and join the community!

https://linktr.ee/BoardGameBBQ

This week, Dana, Lauren and Joe run through the their gaming highs and lows over the past few weeks following on from PAX and local game days. Joe takes a break from Overwatch 2 to tell us about avoiding a fall from grace in Courtisans. Lauren has been answering movie trivia questions badly in Blockbuster. Dana has been taming beasts, though not her own, to create the best minions in The Vale of Eternity. 

Question of the Pod: [1:01:54]

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