The Fifth Meeple Board Game Podcast

We’re back at it again, counting down our Best Board Games of All Time! This time, we’re tackling spots 15 through 11 and talking about the games that have earned their place among our all-time favorites. Do you agree with our picks, or are we completely off our rockers? Let us know what you think!

Episode 121: Best of the Best: Top 15 Games of All Time! (15-11)

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:52 Best of the Best #15-11

Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

This week on The Fifth Meeple, it’s a true one-on-one showdown with Tag Team vs. Lairs! Both games put two players directly against each other, but they go about it in very different ways. We’ll see which game gave us the better head-to-head experience and which one kept us coming back for more. It’s a Duel of the Minds, and only one game can come out the victor!

Episode 120: Duel of the Minds: Tag Team vs Lairs

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:09 What's on your table?

12:49 Tag Team

25:01 Tag Team: Collector's Corner

25:56 Tag Team: Final Thoughts

28:07 Lairs

40:13 Lairs: Collector's Corner

42:30 Lairs: Final Thoughts

45:12 Battle of the Funnest Showdown

Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

The Rating the Rankings train keeps moving! This time we’re looking at BGG’s #21–30, breaking down the games, questioning some of their placements, and talking about which ones we’d move up or down. Then we bring back the snake draft for another round of board game bragging rights. Who built the better list?  (Check out Episode 97, 108 for the series "Rating the Rankings)

Special Episode 119 (Rating the Rankings): BGG 21-30

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:22 BGG #21-30

49:04 The Draft

Whose draft did you like best? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] and maybe we'll give you a shout out in our next episode!  As always get those games to the table!

DNUP is on the table for this mini review, and we’re breaking down everything from the gameplay to the fun factor. We’ll give you the good, the bad, and our honest take after playing it. Would we play DNUP again? You’ll have to listen to find out!

Episode 118 (Mini): DNUP

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:51 DNUP

02:24 DNUP: The Good

08:13 DNUP: The Bad

15:16 DNUP: Collector's Corner

16:25 DNUP: Final Scores

Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

Two games, one universe, and a whole lot of mechs! This week we’re putting Scythe against Expeditions in a battle that pits a beloved strategy classic against its spiritual successor. Which one gives us the better experience at the table? There’s only one way to find out!  Join us for this week's Battle of the Funnest Showdown!

Episode 117: Mech vs Mech: Scythe vs Expeditions

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:08 What's on your table?

11:42 Scythe

34:28 Scythe: Collector's Corner

35:33 Scythe: Final Thoughts

40:35 Expeditions

01:01:09 Expeditions: Collector's Corner

01:02:33 Battle of the Funnest Showdown

Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

In this mini episode, we’re heading behind the counter for a taste of Soda Jerk! We give you a quick rundown on how the game plays, what we enjoyed, and whether it deserves a spot at your next game night.  Enjoy!

Episode 116 (Mini): Soda Jerk

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction

00:52 Soda Jerk

02:08 Soda Jerk: The Good

09:31 Soda Jerk: The Bad

13:39 Soda Jerk: Collector's Corner

14:20 Soda Jerk: Final Scores

Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

This week we're proving that great board games don't need a giant box as Tenby and Forest Shuffle go head-to-head. From building up a seaside town in Tenby to creating powerful combinations of trees, animals, and wildlife in Forest Shuffle, both games give you plenty to think about without taking over your table. Which small-box game packs the biggest punch?  Let's find out in this week's Battle of the Funnest Showdown!

Episode 115: Small Box, Big Punch: Forest Shuffle vs Tenby

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:09 What's on your table?

09:11 Forest Shuffle

25:16 Forest Shuffle: Collector's Corner

26:38 Forest Shuffle: Final Thoughts

28:39 Tenby

42:39 Tenby: Collector's Corner

43:34 Tenby: Final Thoughts

46:49 Battle of the Funnest Showdown

Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

In this mini review, we’re taking a shot at Crokinole! We’ll talk about the gameplay, the skill, the flicking, and why this classic dexterity game continues to hit the mark!

Episode 114 (Mini): Crokinole

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:56 Crokinole

02:25 Crokinole: The Good

07:13 Crokinole: The Bad

11:42 Crokinole: Collector's Corner

13:06 Crokinole: Final Scores

Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

In our latest battle episode, Sanctuary takes on Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition in a showdown of cards, tiles, engines, strategy, and tough decisions!

Both games bring their own streamlined take on the engine-building experience, but which one delivers the better gameplay? Which has the more satisfying decisions? And most importantly… which game comes out on top?

The pedigree of these two games come from board game royalty but only one can win this battle today! Join us as we break them down, compare what they do best, and settle the score in our latest board game battle!

Episode 113: Streamlined: Sanctuary vs Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:14 What's on your table?

14:14 Sanctuary

35:25 Sanctuary: Collector's Corner

36:27 Sanctuary: Final Thoughts

38:20 Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition

52:29 Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition: Collector's Corner

54:45 Terraforming Mars: Final Thoughts

56:43 Battle of the Funnest Showdown

Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

It's that time again for a special trivia episode!  It's Pete's World and we all just live in it!  So play along as we do thing's Pete's way and try to get the highest score possible!  Enjoy!

Special Episode 112 (Trivia): Pete's World

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:48 Pete's Trivia World

Have any great trivia questions for us? Email us at [email protected] and maybe we'll put your trivia up on our podcast in the future (10 questions minimum| 15 questions max) as always play more board games!