Happy new year! And welcome to the 1st episode of 2026. Christina and Dan “Shoe” are the hosts of Going Analog. They join me to talk about our gaming goals for 2026. We talk about our top 5 pretty / not ugly euro style games. And then Shoe gets a little sappy in the moment of positivity while Christina gets hungry. Let us know if you think any of these games are not euros and let us know your gaming goals / resolutions for the new year!

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:30 Who is Shoe & Christina?

00:05:12 Board Game Goals for 2026

00:29:25 The Aesthetics of Euro Games

00:29:53 Top 5 Pretty Euro Games

00:35:15 Obvious Choice: Takenoko

00:38:36 Older Gem: Coimbra

00:40:35 Stunning Presence: River of Gold

00:42:49 Art and Strategy: The Gallerist

00:44:50 Unique Mechanics: The White Castle

00:46:34 Thematic Depth: Formosa Tea

00:50:22 Serene Gameplay: Pergola

00:52:19 Exploration and Strategy: Stroganoff

00:54:58 Charming Aesthetics: Flamecraft

00:57:19 Prohibition Era: Speakeasy

00:01:00:18 Honorable Mentions: More Beautiful Games

00:01:03:13 Moments of Positivity: Gratitude and Good Food

00:01:07:58 Where to find Going Analog

Going Analog’s Website

00:01:08:47 Outro

(Please note that these time stamps might not be accurate due to the use of dynamic ads.)

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Let’s get to know who Board Gamer Steph is. We talk about our top 5 games that we love to bring to holiday or family gatherings. And let’s celebrate something that we are really excited about coming up in the new year.

00:00 Intro

     Board Game Geek - Holiday Gift Guide

01:19 Steph Hodge: Plays All the Games!

     https://linktr.ee/boardgamersteph

     https://boardgamersteph-shop.fourthwall.com/

05:11 Gift Ideas for Board Gamers

06:51 Steph’s New Year's Eve Board Game Alphabet Challenge

12:21 Steph’s Other Hobbies

16:12 Top Games for Holiday Gatherings

18:16 Green Team Wins

20:36 Hues & Cues

24:38 Illusion

26:34 Catch the Moon

28:29 America

31:59 Duck and Cover

35:40 Ready Set Bet

38:04 Super Mega Lucky Box

39:50 Subjective

43:23 Flip 7

46:52 Honorable Mentions

47:01 Jingle bell roll

48:22 Don't mess with Cthulu

50:24 Moment of Wow / Excitement

     BGG@Sea

     OrcaCon

59:17 Outro

(Please note that these time stamps might not be accurate due to the use of dynamic ads.)

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

The wonderful AnnaMaria Jackson Phelps, the owners of Violet Daisy Games, joins me to discuss why we play games and some of the games we played together over the weekend.

• Introduction / How we met
• Girls Game Shelf
• Pivoting to the publishing side of the industry
• Violet Daisy Games
• What do we get out of gaming? What compels us to play tabletop games?
• PhelpsCon
• Our gaming highlights of the weekend
  • Crokinole
  • Electropolis
    • Surfosaurus Max
    • Sail or Die (that Shark-Butt game)
    • Ghost Lift
  • Brian Boru: High King of Ireland 
  • Duck and Cover
  • Chicken Fried Dice (Prototype)
    • Ashwin Kamath & Urban Professional Games (Rob Newton)
  • Let’s Go to Japan
  • Team Play aka Duos
  • So clover
  • Menagerie: Unlock the Wonders of a miniature world
    • Fertessa Allyse
• Where you can find us
  • Violet Daisy Games
  • AnnaMaria on Instagram
  • Northwest Indian College Games Program
  • Amanda's Links
• Outro

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Dave Luza of Luzapalooza and This Game is Broken Podcast joins me to talk about our Spiel experience together and games we love to play on our Twitch Live Streams.

• Introduction
• Our 2025 Spiel experience
• My top 5 types of games I like to play on my Twitch Live streams with examples
  1. Akropolis
  2. Welcome To (and Sagrada)
  3. Point Galaxy (and Final Girl)
  4. Targi
  5. The White Castle Duel 
• Dave's top 5 games he's played on his Twitch live streams
  1. Trails of Tucana
  2. Letters from Whitechapel
  3. Isle of Cats
  4. Codenames
  5. My City (and Karuba and Take it Easy)
• Where you can find us
  • Luzapalooza on Twitch
  • This Game is Broken Podcast
  • Amanda's Links
• Outro

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Jay Bernardo is back to talk about conventions we go to and games from Asian Publishers / Designers. Please note that this episode was recorded before Spiel 2025 but released after Spiel 2025.

• Introduction - Jay Bernardo
• Anticipation for Essen and other Board Game Conventions we go to
• Exploring Asian Board Games (Amanda talks about 5 of her favorite games from Asian publishers / designers and Jay talks about 5 games that were recently fulfilled from crowdfunding that are from Asian publishers/ designers.)

          - Cat Rescue (and Cat Sudoku)
          - Sweet Lands
          - Wok and Roll
          - Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon
          - Scout (and Revolve!)
          - Shallow Sea
          - Remember Our Trip
          - Snow Planner
          - Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum (and Moon Bunny)
          - Grow Sky

• Celebrating Achievements: Moments of Wow / Joy or Bright Spots (Let us know in the comments what the name of this segment should be.)
• Where to find Jay
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/cardboardeast
  •  https://linktr.ee/cardboardeast
  •  Playte Video: https://youtu.be/fF_EegbJjz8?si=swkE0msHi2NhAJ5S
  • Spiel 2025 Preview: https://youtu.be/uvtdiN8HBgo?si=KQdwHb33iwaIhTbN
• Outro

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Amanda Panda is excited to host John D. Clair, who shares insights about his upcoming game, Mystic Lands, launching soon on Kickstarter. Together, they also highlight their favorite deck-building games. Check it out! 

• Introduction
  • Amanda welcomes John D. Clair to the podcast
  • John talks about card crafting and and how he came to develop it
  • Inspiration for card crafting and being inspired by game components 
  • Kinetic design and how he uses it to solve ideas in his games
  • How he works on multiple game designs and the same time
  • They talk about Mystic Lands a stand alone sequel to Mystic Vale
  • Mystic Lands comes to Kickstarter in November 2025
  • Challenges for Mystic Lands art direction with card crafting
  • Ramping up the customization of your deck with an additional layer
  • Challenges of foreground and background art in card crafting
  • Changes to the game that differentiate it from Mystic Vale
  • Expansions and when John develops them
• Deckbuilding
  • John - Hexarchy a Digital 4X Civilization Deckbuilder from Main Tank Software
  • Amanda - Star Realms from Wize Wizard Games
  • John & Amanda - Shards of Infinty from Stone Blade Entertainment
  • John - Dominion from Rio Grande Games
  • Amanda - Mystic Vale from AEG
  • John - Dune Imperium from Dire Wolf
  • Amanda - Clank (In Space) from Dire Wolf
  • John - War Chest from AEG
  • John - Eminent Domain from Tasty Minstrel Games
  • Amanda - Lost Ruins of Arnak from Czech Games Edition
  • Amanda - Orléans from Capstone Games
•  Where can you find us next?
•  Sign off

Live Stream Schedule: https://boardgamegeek.com/live

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Update: Hey everybody, Aldie here. I just wanted to let everyone know that Candice is moving on from BGG and we wish her the best in whatever endeavor she chooses to undertake in the future.

Candice is responsible for bringing the BGG Podcast back to life after being defunct for ~20 years. She is one of the most talented game explainers I've ever met - and I really appreciate the passion she brought to the podcast.

Nikki Pontius introduces the new host of the BGG Podcast, Amanda Panda, tells you her tips if you go to Spiel Essen, and they discuss some games they have recently played.

• Introduction
  •  Board Game Geek has a new Quiz show!
  • Welcome Amanda as the new host!
  • Getting to know Amanda: Her Journey into the hobby
• Tips for attending Spiel Essen: Board Game Convention
• Recent games we've played and our thoughts
  • Big Sur from 25th Century Games
  • Endeavor: Deep Sea from Burnt Island Games and the Grand Gamers Guild
  • Finspan from Stonemaier games
  • River Market from Kids Table Board Games
  •  Jungo from Happy Camper Games + Nanatoridori from KTBG
  •  Citizens of the Spark from Thunderworks Games
  •  The Peak Team from Matagot
  •  Bomb Busters from Pegasus Spiele
  •  The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship from Zman Games
  •  Mythical Dice from Playte and Iello
•  Where can you find us next?
•  Sign off

Live Stream Schedule: https://boardgamegeek.com/live

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

It's our third anniversary! BGG Owner Scott Alden (aka Aldie) joins Candice to catch up on the past year and discuss SPIEL Essen '25 games they're most excited to play.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:02:37 Pinball Happenings
  • 00:05:27 BGG Booth 4-J200 (BGG IPA Gameshop Online)
  • 00:10:38 Thank you for your support!
• 00:16:23 Fresh Plays
  • 00:16:50 Vantage
  • 00:26:07 Startups
  • 00:32:48 Jungo
  • 00:36:53 Imperium: The Contention
• 00:46:22 SPIEL Essen '25 Games We're Most Excited to Play
  • 00:47:22 Reflecting on our Top 5 SPIEL '24 Anticipation Games
  • 00:54:31 Bohemians
  • 00:57:09 Durian Smuggler + Food Alley
  • 01:00:32 Children of Morta
  • 01:02:17 Deckers
  • 01:04:16 Fantasy Brewers
  • 01:05:57 Habemus Papam
  • 01:07:37 Keyside
  • 01:09:02 Severton
  • 01:10:31 Rise of the Wastelands
  • 01:12:07 Expansions! Data Era, Allies, Paradise Islands, Nemed (demo)
  • 01:13:24 Pilgrims: Curious Adventures
  • 01:16:27 The Battle of the Divas
  • 01:17:04 Take Time
  • 01:19:53 Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon
  • 01:21:44 A Very Civil Whist
  • 01:23:12 Thesauros
  • 01:25:09 Stupor Mundi + Feya's Swamp
  • 01:29:55 Recall
  • 01:32:36 Kingdom Crossing
  • 01:34:06 Etherstone
• 01:36:14 Random Roll Question (Arkham Horror: Lovecraft Letter)
• 01:40:51 Sign-off

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Starla from Our Family Plays Games joins Candice to discuss some of their favorite worker placement games.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:04:14 Fresh Plays
  • 00:04:44 Rebel Princess
  • 00:08:28 Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space
  • 00:17:45 Castle Combo
  • 00:21:56 Antiques Ghost Show
• 00:31:00 Worker Placement Games We Love
  • 00:35:33 Alpujarras
  • 00:38:05 Dilluvia Project
  • 00:43:20 Stone Age
  • 00:48:40 Whistle Mountain
  • 00:55:25 Cities (also mentioned Tower Up)
  • 00:59:43 Argent: The Consortium
  • 01:07:07 Creature Comforts
  • 01:11:20 Diamonds Club
  • 01:21:45 Lords of Waterdeep
  • 01:28:26 Dune: Imperium – Uprising
  • 01:31:30 Random Roll Question (Quadropolis)
• 01:34:33 Sign-off

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]

Board game illustrator Kwanchai Moriya and Candice kick it for a super casual chat about games he loves playing in between beautifying board games, as well as pickles and board game art he appreciates most.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:03:34 Fresh Plays
  • 00:04:50 Vantage
  • 00:10:11 Forest Shuffle + Alpine expansion
  • 00:11:55 Primal: The Awakening
  • 00:16:00 Quacks
• 00:17:17 Kwanchai's Favorite Games
  • 00:21:38 Suburbia
  • 00:24:20 Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small
  • 00:27:16 The Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation
  • 00:30:01 A Feast for Odin
  • 00:32:55 Quacks
  • 00:34:58 Blood Bowl: Team Manager
  • 00:37:18 Creature Caravan
  • 00:40:34 Minecart Town (Roads & Boats)
  • 00:42:18 Board Game Art Appreciation
• 00:55:44 Random Roll Question (SILOS)
• 00:58:42 Sign-off

 BGG Store: https://boardgamegeekstore.com/ 

Web: https://boardgamegeek.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoardGameGeek
Email: [email protected]