It can be a bitter truth for some, but the best player doesn't always win, and it's not always because of luck. Sometimes a player will decide they're not going to even try to win; they're just going to make sure one specific opponent loses. We call that player a "spoiler". Then there are times when a player can't win, no matter what they do, but they can help one of the other players to win. We call this "kingmaking". Usually this will mean the best player doesn't win, but is that necessarily a bad thing?

Modern hobby games first became a subculture back in the 1970s, and very few games from that era have stood the test of time as well as 1977's Cosmic Encounter. A game of strange alien races colonizing each other's planets, it is cited by many of today's most prominent designers and other industry professionals as a major inspiration. Today, the art of game design is changing and developing rapidly, but Cosmic Encounter is just as relevant and beloved as ever. Tune in and find out why.

From the land of Twitter comes listener Tara Tallan with a challenge for our gurus: two parents who like the elegant strategy of European-style games, a teenaged son who love aggression and conflict in games, and a younger daughter who loves to build a unique narrative with every game she plays. Can we satisfy them all? Tune in to find out!

One of the most popular types of party game out there is the kind where everybody does something or writes something or chooses something, and you have to try to guess who did what. There are dozens of games built around this basic idea, and more keep coming out every year. This week we take a closer look at this simple, yet popular approach to gameplay.

Pictionary is one of the most frequently requested games at Snakes and Lattes. It's been a nostalgic favourite for decades, but it's also a game with a serious problem: most people just aren't comfortable with their level of skill at drawing. But the idea of a game where you draw pictures is still good, so how can you overcome it with clever game design? This week we talk about several ways to do this, along with sculpting and other ways to make pictures for your friends to guess at.

When board gamers use the word "accessibility", they're usually talking about whether a game has simple rules and is easy to grasp for new players. But this week we're going to talk about physical accessibility. What games can you play with the visually or hearing-impaired, or players with fine motor challenges? How can we make games more accessible to everyone?

In this month's Game Spotlight, we take a look at The Duke, by Jeremy Holcomb and Stephen McLaughlin. The staff at Snakes and Lattes were so impressed by this game, they started a league. That's never happened before. What makes this unassuming little tactical abstract strategy game so appealing?

From the land of Twitter, SnakesCast listener @mocliamtoh offers the following challenge:

1 person really likes meaty euros, but the rest of the group isn't so sure about them, though "open to anything"

How will Jonathan and Todd handle it? Tune in to find out!

Video games are a much bigger business than board games, and have been for quite a while. But tabletop games are on the rise these days, and more and more video gamers are taking notice. This week we talk about experiences that led electronic gamers to explore the old/new world of modern tabletop games.

Roll a die (or two). Count the dots. Move that many spaces along a track.

For many people, this is the very definition of a board game. It's universally recognized and loved by millions. So why is it that when you ask your friendly neighbourhood Game Guru if you can play something like that, they so often look like you just kicked a puppy down the stairs? Tune in to find out!