The Quackalope Podcast - Board Games

Devon invites Justin Gary—designer of the popular Ascension deckbuilding game and CEO of Stone Blade Entertainment to sit down and have a conversation!

In this session, we talked about Justin’s journey from student of law to master of games. His path toward design was unique given his professional success as a Magic: The Gathering player that pivoted toward a career in design and entrepreneurship. While he still is pumping out content for Ascension (including an upcoming miniatures game to celebrate the original game’s ten-year anniversary), some of Justin’s most intriguing work actually involves his masterclass course of Think Like A Game Designer. He’s guiding designers-to-be through all of the obstacles he encountered along the way and provides accessibility, accountability, and reality to the design dreams of those who take the class.

Sit down with us on the banks of the board game pond and let’s have a conversation.

Learn more about the masterclass here.

Learn more about Justin Gary here.

Who should we bring to the table next? Let us know in the comments!

-Time Stamps-

2:17 - A Magical Start 
5:36 - Facing Failure and Uncertainty 
10:24 - A Shared Design Process 
13:36 - Collaboration in Design 
16:47 - Think Like A Game Designer 
24:01 - There is No “Creative” Person 
28:19 - Looking Back on Ascension 
35:07 - Ten Years 
37:38 - A Committed Community of Creators 
42:27 - SolForge Fusion  

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Everybody roleplays as Jesse but some ducks are inimitable and some coins should be left untossed! Today, in Shelf or Sell, Alex raids again (arguably) with Raiders of Scythia, Jan really likes rondels with Praga Caput Regni, and Will dusts off the board game years with Lords of Waterdeep. Afterward, for the Medley Minute, Jan celebrates Alex’s feature on the BGG creator spotlight, Alex can’t help but bring up more Zombicide, and Will talks shop with the first con coming back this year. Later, in On the Radar, Will’s wallet gets really thick with the Tussie Mussie expansion, Jan finally reads a book with Paperback Adventures, and Alex moonlights as a bard with The Witcher: Old World.

We hope you enjoyed this week's episode! If you disagree with our Shelf or Sell decisions or have other quacky thoughts, be sure to leave a comment!

Follow our newest Spanish channel here!

Join our Facebook Group here.

Join our BoardGameGeek Guild here.

Consider supporting us by joining our Patreon here.

Time Stamps- 

Shelf or Sell- 

03:00 - Raiders of Scythia ft. Alex
17:29 - Praga Caput Regni ft. Jan
30:35 - Lords of Waterdeep ft. Will 

Medley Minute- 

42:30 - BGG Creator Spotlight ft. Jan
44:34 - Zombicide: Army of the Dead ft. Alex
46:10 - Gen Con 2021 ft. Will 

On the Radar- 

52:14 - Tussie Mussie: Expansion Collection ft. Will
55:51 - Paperback Adventures ft. Jan
1:00:02 - The Witcher: Old World ft. Alex 

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Today we discuss Funfair, designed by Joel Finch and published by Good Games Publishing. It’s a lightweight tableau-builder that takes the mechanics of its predecessor Unfair and distills it into a more accessible, short game. Players act as managers or architects of budding theme parks and must construct the most epic attractions in the hopes of drawing guests. With a tight coin economy and quick rounds, it’s hard to ignore how easily you can get this to the table. Have you played Unfair? Well, it doesn’t matter either way because this game stands on its own. 

Learn more about Funfair here. 

Check out our First Impressions of Funfair and Unfair. See if Funfair or Unfair are something you’d play with our Right for You, Wrong for You reviews. Or read about the differences between them with this side-by-side comparison. 

Should we play it again? Bring it to the channel? Never touch it again? Let us know in the comments! 

-Time Stamps-

4:03 - Finally, The Intro 
6:56 - Overview 
10:06 - Context of Playthrough 
14:32 - Opinions on Restrooms 
17:29 - A Fast-Paced Tableau Builder 
22:57 - Player Actions and Mechanics 
25:21 - Paths to Go Through                                                                                                         27:29 - Enough Games to Get It                                                                                                              29:01 - To Fair or Not to Fair 

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Devon invites Dave Beck—designer of upcoming Kickstarter Distilled—and Brandt Brinkerhoff—designer of another upcoming Kickstarter Oros—to sit down and have a conversation!

In this session, we talked about board game design, from conception to production, with all of the steps that must be climbed that the typical gamer might not think of when seeing a finished product on the table or a campaign on Kickstarter. They share an inside look at the process behind both Distilled and Oros, as well as unique perspectives on what it’s like to design a game.

Sit down with us on the banks of the board game pond and let’s have a conversation.

Watch a trailer for Distilled here.

Watch a trailer for Oros here.

Learn more about Distilled here.

Learn more about Oros here.

Who should we bring to the table next? Let us know in the comments!

-Time Stamps-

4:39 - Oros Origins 
8:36 - Diary of Distilled 
12:17 - The Pizza Box Prototype 
15:05 - Kill Your Darlings 
17:17 - Machinations of the Mind 
20:31 - Getting Those Playtests In 
22:27 - The First One Should Be You 
26:02 - User Experience 
29:43 - Nine to Five 
32:50 - Under the Influence
35:46 - Teaming Up 
38:41 - One Man Job 
44:36 - Pandemic Play 
53:48 - WTUnpub? 
1:04:12 - Learning Kickstarter 
1:12:33 - Oros Sales Pitch 
1:18:09 - Distilled Tour 
1:25:48 - Design Advice  

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Today we discuss Red Rising, designed by Jamey Stegmaier and Alexander Schmidt. Published by Stonemaier Games, it’s a hand-management game based on the popular books series by author Pierce Brown. In a dystopian society bound by strict Color-associated castes, there is endless conflict and it will be up to the players to determine which Colors they ally with to create the most effective and highest-scoring hand. Does this slick card game measure up to the books and what’s it play like for people unfamiliar with the Red Rising trilogy?

Learn more about Red Rising here.

Should we play it again? Bring it to the channel? Never touch it again? Let us know by leaving a comment in playeditonce.com!

-Time Stamps-   

2:25 - Jan Retires 
3:33 - Intro to Red Rising 
5:06 - Overview 
9:32 - Context of Playthrough 
11:58 - Actually Played It Once 
20:22 - To Book or Not to Book
22:15 - Player Count 
30:18 - Going Red or Going Home

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Jesse has retired to a duck sanctuary but the pond sizzles with the arrival of special guest hosts: Board Game BBQ! Today, in Shelf or Sell, Alex talks about (you guessed it) powers with Adventure Tactics: Domianne’s Tower, Adrian brings out a horror classic with Arkham Horror: 3rd Edition, Jan romances Rosenberg with Hallertau, and Jules forms a tower with copies of Castell. Afterward, for the Medley Minute, Jules and Jan team up to take on Voidfall, Alex gets sly talking about The Witcher: Old World, and Adrian can’t wait for more reveals with Weather Machine. Later, in On the Radar, Jan can’t stop laughing about Fast and Furious: Highway Heist, Alex goes gladiatorial with Hoplomachus: Victorum, and Adrian digs through the layers of ICE.

Listen to Board Game BBQ here.

We hope you enjoyed this week's episode! If you disagree with our Shelf or Sell decisions or have other quacky thoughts, be sure to leave a comment!

Follow our newest Spanish channel here!

Join our Facebook Group here.

Join our BoardGameGeek Guild here.

Consider supporting us by joining our Patreon here.

Time Stamps- 

Shelf or Sell- 

03:55 - Adventure Tactics: Domianne's Tower ft. Alex
14:37 - Arkham Horror: 3rd Edition ft. Adrian
24:38 - Hallertau ft. Jan
33:39 - Castell ft. Jules 

Medley Minute- 

43:00 - Voidfall ft. Jan and Jules
44:43 - The Witcher: Old World ft. Alex
46:39 - Weather Machine ft. Adrian 

On the Radar- 

50:01 - Fast & Furious: Highway Heist ft. Jan
55:42 - Hoplomachus: Victorum ft. Alex and Jules
1:01:10 - ICE ft. Adrian 

Support the show

Devon invites Mike Gnade from Rock Manor Games to sit down and have a conversation!  

In this session, we talked about the small indie beginnings of Rock Manor Games, what Mike searches for in a game as a publisher, the various titles he’s been involved over the last several years, and the upcoming Kickstarter launch for Maximum Apocalypse: Wasted Wilds (as well as some juicy info on the next Rock Manor Games title).

Sit down with us on the banks of the board game pond and let’s have a conversation.

Learn more about Set a Watch here.

Learn more about Merchants of Magick here.

Learn more about Maximum Apocalypse here.

Watch the trailer for Maximum Apocalypse: Wasted Wilds here.

Sign up for Maximum Apocalypse: Wasted Wilds here.

Who should we bring to the table next? Let us know in the comments!

-Time Stamps-

4:09 - Humble Beginnings
8:42 - Rock Manor Games DNA
13:49 - Big Picture
15:31 - Set a Watch Universe
22:35 - Unpub in Lockdown
23:40 - Ye Olde Magick Shoppe
26:27 - Kickstarter Fulfillment
28:21 - Those Good Feels
32:33 - Maximum Apocalypse
42:19 - Star-Driven Saga

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* Please follow the link to fill out our poll. *

Alex gets betrayed, Jan lays down some tile, and Alex talks about a wolf! Today, in Shelf or Sell, Jesse considers a classic with Betrayal at House on the Hill, Jan gets all gooey about Ginkgopolis, and Alex smashes past the Stonemaier scores in Red Rising. Afterward, for the Medley Minute, Jan regales us with the many achievements of Julio Nazario, Jesse squeaks with delight about a Quackalope in Valor & Villainy: Lludwik’s Labyrinth, and Alex reflects on years with superheroes thanks to Marvel Phase 4. Later, in On the Radar, Alex tries to stop thinking about Jesse’s body with My Father’s Work, Jesse drools over bee-utiful dice from Wyrmwood and Dispel, and Jan discusses the deluxe return of Dominations.

We hope you enjoyed this week's episode! Have a question you'd like featured next week? Leave it on our website at theweeklyquack.com! We'll pick our favorites and talk about them on the show!

Follow our newest Spanish channel here!

Join our Facebook Group here.

Join our BoardGameGeek Guild here.

Consider supporting us by joining our Patreon here.

Time Stamps- 

Shelf or Sell-  

02:47 - Betrayal at House on the Hill ft. Jesse 
14:56 - Ginkgopolis ft. Jan 
28:05 - Red Rising ft. Alex 

Medley Minute-  

38:42 - Julio Nazario ft. Jan 
42:00 - Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labyrinth ft. Jesse 
44:19 - Marvel Phase 4 ft. Alex 

On the Radar-  

45:53 - My Father's Work ft. Alex 
51:44 - Wyrmwood x Dispel ft. Jesse 
58:01 - Dominations Deluxe ft. Jan 

Support the show

Today we discuss Wild Assent, designed by Robert McConnell and published by Lazy Squire Games. It’s been more than two years since this game was revealed to the Kickstarter community but it’s in the fulfillment process now, so it’s time to return to the days of old and hunt packs of monsters in this tactical skirmish game replete with gorgeous miniatures. It’s a different board gaming world from when Wild Assent first launched. So… how does it measure up to the hype and years of expectation?!

Learn more about Wild Assent here.

Should we play it again? Bring it to the channel? Never touch it again? Let us know by leaving a comment in playeditonce.com!

-Time Stamps-

2:07 - Overview
6:07 - First Impressions
9:11 - But Does It Skirmish?
13:11 - Dissent With Wild Assent
14:13 - Not So Fast
15:33 - Now The Big Questions
16:41 - Jan’s Rebuttal

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* Please follow the link to fill out our poll. *

Odin’s oath has been fulfilled, Mars gets messy, and all the merchants are asymmetrical! Today, in Shelf or Sell, Jan has finally tabled A Feast for Odin, Jesse gets red dirt on his hands with On Mars, and Alex swims in the economic waters of Merchant’s Cove. Afterward, for the Medley Minute, Jesse and Alex share a milestone together with 25K subscribers on YouTube while Jan gets dextrous with the Hurlyburly relaunch. Later, in On the Radar, Alex travels back in time to see the world of It’s a Wonderful Kingdom, Jesse gets cheesy with Hidden Leaders, and Jan gives us the deets on the monkey in Stationfall.

We hope you enjoyed this week's episode! Have a question you'd like featured next week? Leave it on our website at theweeklyquack.com! We'll pick our favorites and talk about them on the show!

Follow our newest Spanish channel here!

Join our Facebook Group here.

Join our BoardGameGeek Guild here.

Consider supporting us by joining our Patreon here.

Time Stamps- 

Shelf or Sell-  

03:08 - A Feast for Odin ft. Jan
15:03 - On Mars ft. Jesse
24:36 - Merchant's Cove ft. Alex 

Medley Minute-  

38:45 - 25K Subscribers ft. Jesse and Alex
40:53 - Hurlyburly Relaunch ft. Jan 

On the Radar-  

43:29 - It's a Wonderful Kingdom ft. Alex
48:29 - Hidden Leaders ft. Jesse
54:57 - Stationfall ft. Jan 

Support the show