The Broken Meeple

Just in time for you all to enjoy on your travels to the UK Expo this weekend, I cannot wait and I'm sure none of you in the UK can either! On today's show I give my first impressions of Shipyard and Keyflower followed by a discussion on what I'll be doing at the Expo and what you can look forward.

And then as a special treat, there is no Top Ten, but rather a personal interview with Henry Jasper, the founder of Grublin Games in Cornwall, UK to talk about his new design "Perfect Crime" being showcased at the Expo.

(Note that the recording was done on 31st May 2016 for timing and that editing multiple Audacity tracks together from Skype is INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT!!)

04:37 - First Impressions - Shipyard

10:12 - First Impressions - Keyflower

19:38 - Discussion (UK Games Expo Preview)

37:25 - Henry Jasper (Grublin Games) Interview

1:03:40 - Conclusion

We continue with my audio reviews with Episode 4 - Concordia. Highly praised by those on Facebook and some people I know locally, though not by everyone. And I'm one of those exceptions. Find out why I don't like this game and whether there's anything good to salvage.

Also note, the ten minute clock does not include music intros and endings!

Episode 3 of my audio reviews continue with Kanban: Automotive Revolution. My first introduction to a Vital Lacerda game, did it scare me off or did it hook me straight away? And can you even physically learn it? Find out more now!

Also note, the ten minute clock does not include music intros and endings!

People say that I only like games that have a strong theme and stay away from Euro's. Well the first part is half right and I actually like a lot of Euro games. So on Episode 43 I'm going to give my Top Ten "Dry" Games, which is a subjective list to say the list, but essentially these are games where the theme is non-existant without being simply an abstract game. There are a lot of games with pasted on themes, but these ones have incredibly thin veils.

Prior to that though there's plenty of first impressions including some new titles, Valeria and Thunderbirds as well as an older title, The Adventurers: The Temple of Chac.

And the "One More Game?" segments pays homage to the recent Captain America: Civil War craze by taking a look back at Marvel Legendary - have all the expansions kept it alive and does the setup time get in the way?

00:00 - Tabletop Day & UK Games Expo

06:10 - First Impressions - Valeria: Card Kingdoms

11:36 - First Impressions - Thunderbirds

16:56 - First Impressions - The Adventurers: The Temple of Chac

21:25 - One More Game? - Marvel Legendary

30:15 - Top Ten "Dry" Games

52:37 - Conclusion

Episode 2 of my audio reviews continue with Nations: Dynasties - this expansion introduces only a few things to the game, but they promise an unbelievable amount of variety. Despite the low price tag, should you still get this expansion?

Also note, the ten minute clock does not include music intros and endings!

The Ultimate Question? Of Life, The Universe and Everything? No, I mean what defines a "Fantasy" game? In this episode I give my thoughts via my Top Ten Fantasy Board Games - do you agree with my definition and list or do you have your own thoughts?

But before that, a word about local board game cafes and StabCon South followed by first impressions including my "half-way" point opinions on Pandemic Legacy (spoiler free).

And the "One More Game?" segment returns for a more regular timescale with my views on whether Smash Up has stood the test of time and many expansions.

00:00 - Board Game Cafe's & StabCon South

08:02 - First Impressions - German Railroads

11:47 - First Impressions - Dungeon Petz

16:01 - First Impressions - Pandemic Legacy (spoiler free)

20:35 - One More Game? - Smash Up

29:08 - Top Ten Fantasy Games

58:47 - Conclusion

It's finally happened everyone! This is the pilot episode for my first audio only review designed to supplement not only my main podcast but also my written reviews with something a little different. I get 10 minutes max to review a game and rather than being one that I get as a review copy, these will consist of games that I've acquired myself through my own means whether they be the new hotness or the cult of the old - essentially catching up on reviews I've wanted to do, but never got round to doing.

So the pilot episode is kicking off with The Pursuit Of Happiness by Artipia Games, first shown to me at Essen. This is the first edition of the game and does not include the impending changes that are to be present in the second edition of the game. No doubt I will likely revisit this when the game comes out.

Also note, the ten minute clock does not include music intros, endings or in this episode's case, the 1 minute explanation of what the purpose of these reviews are! :-P

Fresh out of SORCON 2016, here is Episode 41! In this special episode (sorry it's a bit late) I go through my experiences at another new convention which I'll be adding to my hot list. What games did I play, what were the players like, what was the venue like?

And then to finish off, a list dedicated to the guys who give us the games we love. My Top Ten Board Game Designers!

00:00 - Introduction and Experience At SORCON 2016

09:15 - First Impressions - Samurai

14:56 - First Impressions - Steampunk Rally

19:45 - First Impressions - Raiders of the North Sea

26:12 - Top Ten Game Designers

50:56 - Conclusion

2016 is upon us and maybe this year will bring us a new wave of friendly people to the board gaming scene. Well to help those people out, this episode is mostly dedicated to gateway games, that is the entry level games that help to bring someone new into the hobby.

Kicking off are the first impressions of Trains & Stations and Letters from Whitechapel. Followed by the return of my "One More Game?" segment discussing Catan and then a list I've wanted to do for some time, my Top Ten Gateway Games!

09:00 - First Impressions (Trains & Station)

13:37 - First Impressions (Letters from Whitechapel)

20:11 - One More Game? (Catan)

30:25 - Top Ten Gateway Games

01:01:30 - Additional Top Ten Thoughts and Future Ideas For The Podcast

Well it's the end of another year and what a year it has been for board gaming. So many good titles this year to talk about and on top of this podcast you can also hear me comment on various games on the Dice Tower 2015 Special.

Four first impressions to start things off including Coup G54, Between Two Cities & 504. Then a discussion segment on 2015 as a whole including news stories, trends I've noticed and a few general facts. And then of course, what everyone wants to hear at this time of year, my Top 10 of 2015!

Have a happy Xmas and a great New Year and I will catch you all again in 2016!

07:33 - First Impressions (Coup G54 Rebellion)

10:18 - First Impressions (Patchwork)

13:52 - First Impressions (504)

18:29 - First Impressions (Between Two Cities)

23:22 - Discussion (Looking Back At 2015)

37:00 - Top Ten Games Of 2015