Matthew Makak from Room 51 joins Candice to discuss board games with wacky themes.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:04:28 Fresh Plays
  • 00:04:41 Escape Tales: The Awakening
  • 00:08:52 Primal: The Awakening
  • 00:19:15 Monster Hunter
  • 00:21:29 Distilled
  • 00:27:34 Star Trek: Captain's Chair
• 00:33:40 2-Player Abstract Strategy Games w/ a Hint of Theme
  • 00:35:35 Kabuto Sumo
  • 00:38:10 Battle Dentale
  • 00:40:25 Magic Maze
  • 00:43:15 Dinosaur Gauge
  • 00:46:28 The Bloody Inn
  • 00:49:05 Shifty Eyed Spies
  • 00:50:30 Galaxy Trucker
  • 00:53:03 Cosmic Frog + Zimby Mojo
  • 00:55:05 Conquest Princess: Fashion Is Power
  • 00:57:50 Hot Streak
  • 00:59:32 Witch's Shot Delivery Service
• 01:01:15 Sign-off

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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Ruel Gaviola joins Candice to discuss abstract strategy board games with a hint of theme, that play well with 2 players.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:01:51 LFG Con
  • 00:07:03 Ticket to Ride 20th Anniversary video 
• 00:09:42 Fresh Plays
  • 00:09:59 Conservas
  • 00:13:16 Hot Streak
  • 00:20:15 Hits & Outs (Baseball Highlights: 2045, Kaosball)
  • 00:25:44 Typeset
  • 00:30:04 Chakra
  • 00:37:44 Coloretto
• 00:39:22 Abstract Strategy Games w/ a Hint of Theme for 2 Players
  • 00:44:05 DONUTS
  • 00:48:08 Ironwood
  • 00:51:32 Miyabi
  • 00:54:24 Tash Kalar
  • 00:57:48 Azul
  • 01:00:44 War Chest
  • 01:04:38 Spirits of the Wild
  • 01:06:53 Toy Battle
  • 01:10:42 Samurai
  • 01:14:03 Mythic Mischief
  • 01:17:34 Santorini
  • 01:20:34 Bonus Mentions (Summoner Wars, Project L, Leaders)
• 01:23:27 Sign-off

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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Eric Yurko joins Candice to discuss board games that were unexpected hits.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:01:46 Video Games?!
  • 00:06:20 Life Beyond Board Games Podcast + Table Scraps
  • 00:08:57 BGG.Spring Highlights (Dogs of War, Guards of Atlantis II, Presages)
• 00:17:15 Fresh Plays
  • 00:17:31 Zenith
  • 00:20:20 Scream Park
  • 00:24:44 Rivages
  • 00:28:06 Clash of Clans: The Epic Raid
• 00:35:45 Unexpected Hits
  • 00:37:24 The Shipwreck Arcana
  • 00:40:02 Stomp the Plank
  • 00:43:05 Cat Sudoku: Summer Festival
  • 00:44:22 Decorum
  • 00:46:22 Nine Tiles Panic
  • 00:47:46 Inheritors
  • 00:49:46 Turing Machine
  • 00:51:18 Polynesia
  • 00:54:44 Obsession
  • 00:56:25 Tower Up
• 01:00:48 Sign-off

Thank you to our sponsor, Rebel Studio!

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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Pénélope from Penelope Gaming joins Candice to discuss board games that they enjoyed in Paris and Étourvy.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:02:18 Penelope Gaming + Festival International des Jeux - Cannes
  • 00:08:09 Fun in France!
• 00:15:46 Extended Fresh Plays
  • 00:17:54 Zenith
  • 00:24:10 Revolve!
  • 00:29:54 CVLT
  • 00:35:40 Stupor Mundi
  • 00:43:49 Take Time
  • 00:49:29 Tir Na Nog
  • 00:56:40 Map Masters
  • 01:02:09 Toy Battle
  • 01:13:15 Behind
  • 01:17:32 Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
  • 01:19:52 Hues & Cues
  • 01:22:53 Treasure of the Dwarves
  • 01:26:54 Quick Mentions (We Need to Talk, Looping Louie, Stomp the Plank, Detective Club)
  • 01:28:14 DaDaDa
  • 01:30:58 Ticket to Ride 20th Anniversary in Paris
  • 01:36:20 Presages
  • 01:42:40 Odin
• 01:53:14 Sign-off

Thank you to our sponsor, Lookout Games!

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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Edward from Heavy Cardboard joins Candice to discuss the appeal of heavy board games, the ones they've been diggin, and the ones where the juice is worth the squeeze.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:15:38 Fresh Plays
  • 00:16:35 Ayar: Children of the Sun
  • 00:25:38 Cosmic Frog
  • 00:31:54 Speakeasy
  • 00:40:23 Dungeon Degenerates
• 00:54:25 Heavy Games: When the Juice is Worth the Squeeze
  • 00:56:15 The Heaviness in Board Games
  • 01:16:59 Age of Steam
  • 01:22:22 Leaving Earth
  • 01:26:20 Crystal Palace
  • 01:30:52 Black Rose Wars: Rebirth + Age of Innovation
  • 01:34:04 Stress Botics: Odyssey
  • 01:40:25 Feudum
  • 01:42:53 Edward's List of Games Worth the Squeeze (Stress Botics Odyssey, Age of Steam, Antiquity, Pax Transhumanity, Reef Encounter, Weimar: The Fight for Democracy, Tales of the Northlands: The Sagas of Noggin the Nog, Mr. President, Die Macher, John Company, Dilluvia Project, The Colonists, For-Ex, Sekigahara)
  • 01:46:24 Candice's List of Games Worth the Squeeze (Feudum, Too Many Bones, Spirit Island, Mage Knight, COIN & ICS series, War of the Ring: Second Edition, TI4, Cerebria, Here I Stand, Fields of Fire)
• 01:51:08 D-Day at Omaha Beach
• 01:55:38 Sign-off

Thank you to our sponsor, CATAN Studio!

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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Game Designer Johnny Chin joins Candice to discuss Game Market West and a variety of indie board games.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:07:12 Fresh Plays
  • 00:07:28 My Favourite Things
  • 00:11:10 Alice is Missing
  • 00:20:21 Mot Coin (Cryptrick & Trick and Trade)
  • 00:27:53 Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest
• 00:37:16 Game Market West + Indie Games Appreciation
  • 00:46:25 Golpher
  • 00:49:23 Kansas City: Trick-taking Game
  • 00:53:06 We Need to Talk
  • 00:58:02 Oishii: Food Stall Clash (Hotpot Havoc)
  • 01:02:28 Trickarus
  • 01:07:42 Juven Isle
  • 01:11:06 Tag You're It!
  • 01:18:49 Dungeon Post
  • 01:21:08 FUCAZUL! + Spring Cleaning/Haunted Mouse
  • 01:25:08 Matcha
• 01:30:18 Sign-off

Thank you to our sponsor, Lookout Games!

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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Jamie from Foster the Meeple joins Candice to discuss some of their favorite board games to play with 6 players.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:01:22 Foster the Game-a-thon
  • 00:06:46 Circle DC
• 00:14:21 Fresh Plays
  • 00:15:18 Crafting the Cosmos
  • 00:22:43 Argent: the Consortium
  • 00:36:49 Silver Fang
  • 00:43:32 Molly House
  • 00:59:22 Grunling: Fantastic Fruit
• 01:02:16 Awesome Board Games for 6 Players
  • 01:03:18 Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
  • 01:08:01 Lovestruck
  • 01:11:10 Dune: Imperium - Uprising + Dune
  • 01:15:19 Camel Up (Second Edition)
  • 01:19:41 Border Reivers
  • 01:23:07 Leaping Lemmings
  • 01:24:56 Challengers!
  • 01:30:06 Sidereal Confluence
  • 01:33:52 Awkward Guests
  • 01:37:57 Dûhr: The Lesser Houses
  • 01:49:33 Cursed Court
  • 01:55:56 Guards of Atlantis II
• 02:09:54 Sign-off

Thank you to our sponsor, Lookout Games!

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
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Ben from Five Games For Doomsday joins Candice to discuss some of their favorite midweight euro games.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:01:34 Five Games for Doomsday
• 00:10:45 Fresh Plays
  • 00:12:15 Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game
  • 00:16:58 Tip of the Diceberg
  • 00:27:13 Tricky Time Crisis
  • 00:32:42 Skull Queen
  • 00:40:21 Board Game Burnout, Black Rose Wars: Rebirth, & Cold Teaches
• 00:56:24 Midweight Euro Games We Love
  • 01:03:35 Fresco
  • 01:07:27 Pirates of Maracaibo + GWT: El Paso
  • 01:14:27 Lancaster
  • 01:18:44 IKI
  • 01:26:21 Nusfjord
  • 01:29:20 Whistle Mountain
  • 01:37:32 Hansa Teutonica
  • 01:41:46 River of Gold
  • 01:53:13 Concordia
  • 01:59:07 Bonus Mentions (Windmill Valley, The Artemis Project, Galileo Galilei, Shakespeare, Lewis & Clark, Glass Road, Spyrium, Castles of Burgundy, Heaven & Ale)
• 02:06:54 Sign-off

Thank you to our sponsor, CATAN Studio!

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
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Jenna from The Board Game Garden joins Candice to discuss some of their favorite cozy games.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:05:36 Fresh Plays
  • 00:06:06 Raiders of Scythia
  • 00:12:02 Whistle Mountain
  • 00:24:58 Reforest
  • 00:30:57 Black Rose Wars: Rebirth
• 00:48:16 Cozy Games We Love
  • 00:52:30 Mind Space
    • 00:55:40 Finding Calm
    • 00:56:44 River Valley Glassworks
  • 00:58:17 A Gentle Rain
  • 01:00:33 Rivages
  • 01:04:31 Patchwork
  • 01:06:55 Creature Comforts
  • 01:08:48 Chakra
  • 01:13:10 Nusfjord
    • 01:15:28 Le Havre
  • 01:17:17 Tangram City
    • 01:20:50 Beer & Bread 
    • 01:21:32 Hamlet: The Village Building Game 
    • 01:22:33 Fountains
  • 01:23:15 Conservas
  • 01:27:33 Bonus Mentions (Flamecraft, Everdell, Meadow, Lands of Galzyr, Tokaido, Let's Go to Japan, Three Sisters, Fleet: The Dice Game, Coffee Roaster, Café, Harmonies, Paupers' Ladder)
• 01:35:23 Sign-off

Thank you to our sponsor, Next Move Games!

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boardgamegeek
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Banzainator joins Candice to discuss to share a bunch of games they've been enjoying recently.

• 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:01:16 Manor Lords (video game)
  • 00:08:48 Cult of the New + Revisiting Older Games
• 00:12:50 Extended Fresh Plays
  • 00:13:08 Azul Duel
  • 00:17:07 BGG Pod "Total Recall" (Whitehall Mystery, Road to Canterbury, Rock Hard: 1977, Downfall of Pompeii, Serenissima)
  • 00:30:00 Ready Set Bet: High Roller Edition
  • 00:35:12 Banana Boy VS Uni-Cone + Sky Towers
  • 00:45:17 Holiday Hills (Christmas Tree, Gingerbread House)
  • 00:51:31 Kaosball
  • 00:57:57 Tea Garden + Galileo Galilei + SETI
  • 01:09:41 Innovation Ultimate
  • 01:18:30 Village: Big Box
  • 01:25:25 Vagrantsong
  • 01:38:11 Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition
  • 01:45:40 Guards of Atlantis II
• 01:58:17 Sign-off

Thank you to our sponsor, Next Move Games!

We hope you will come join us for fun games with all the fun people at BGG.CON 2026. https://boardgamegeek.com/bggcon or https://tabletop.events/conventions/bgg.con-2026

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