Vox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic

2015 lies before us. Join us as we offer our predictions on what the year holds for the gaming hobby!

Length: 28:01

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

The end of the one year means the beginning of another, and there's no time to predict the future quite like the present!

Like every field, board games have their share of trends, fads, advancements and setbacks. This week, we dive headlong into some of the things we think are in store for the hobby. From the role of Kickstarter to which mechanics will rise and fall, we offer our predictions on gaming in 2015.*

*We were going to include "More Munchkin clones" as a prediction, but that's about guaranteed as the sun rising at this point. So, you know...

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Come join us as we announce our picks of the best game of the year for each gamer archetype!

Length: 32:06

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

The end of the year approaches, and that can only mean one thing - Game of the Year announcements!

(Really, it's practically compulsory for people in our positions.)

Yes, with 2014 winding to a close soon, we take the time to look back at the games of 2014. However, rather than do a simple top 10 list like we've done previously, this year we're taking a different approach. One that is more in line with our site philosophy. So pull up a chair as we discuss the top games for each of the gamer archetypes: Architects, Tacticians, Socializers, Daredevils, Immersionists, and Strikers.

If you aren't sure which type that best describes you, don't worry; we'll explain a bit in the episode. Though you can also take our quiz here...

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Length: 31:59

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Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

It's one thing to pull your sword defiantly from your scabbard and face down a band of orcs in your friend's latest D&D setting, but it's a different experience entirely when that gritty scene is actually happening in Middle Earth. That is the allure of licensed RPGs.

Licensed intellectual property games are nothing new in the tabletop world, and they continue to exist alongside the ever-growing original RPG settings. Whether it's the X-Files, Doctor Who, Firefly, Star Trek, or a fan-created version of almost any TV show, movie, comic book, or literary setting that generates enough gamer interest, licensed RPGs continue to be part of our collective gaming consciousness.

What does it take to be a successful licensed RPG, though? Are they any better or worse than more original settings? And what kind of response do they get from gamers in general? We decided to have Dave step in to help us work through some of these questions.

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Length: 23:05

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Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

From the simplest Roll and Move classcs through marathon sessions of Twilight Imperium, every game comes with some degree of rules to them. Some games can be explained in minutes, while for others take so long you made need a cup of coffee to go with them.

How rules are crafted, then, and how they are conveyed to players new and old is pivotal to both understanding and enjoying the game in front of you. This week, Ryan offers some tips for explaining game rules to new and experienced gamers alike. Whether it's sample turns, using tutorial videos like Watch it Played, or even just sitting in front of your players and explaining the rules in detail, we find out: is there a best method? And how should you proceed?

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Length: 29:26

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Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

In the world of tabletop gaming, not all RPGs are created equal. For every fantastic and insightful system, there are a dozen with glaring issues of one kind or another. Are the mechanics off? Is the worldview too disjointed? How do you handle blatant balance issues? And do these issues mean that any game with flaws is not worth your time?

Well, we're about to find out! Dave joins us this week to discuss bad RPG rules and how to handle them.

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Length: 32:02

Subscribe to Show Link:

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

Whether it's a temporary coup or a well deserved respite, we won't say, but in any case, this episode has Ryan filling in as the host. He didn't take the task lightly either - he planned a full TEK Takeover!

With him this week to discuss our November Indie Spotlight game Tiny Epic Kingdoms are none other than designer Scott Almes and Gamelyn Games publisher Michael Coe. They talk of things big in small in the Tiny Epic and Gamelyn universes. Tune in to hear what's in store!

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Length: 27:04

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Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

Did you know that RPGs exist that use other materials to tell stories other than dice? Lately, especially among the indie tabletop community, games have started to creep up that break the traditional RPG mold that we know so well. This week Dave and I dive into some of those, including Dread, Project Dark, and more.

Then, Ryan and I discuss our site's impending anniversary. We're now officially two years old! Woo! Go us. And thanks for listening!

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Length: 32:06

Subscribe to Show Link:

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

First off, we wanted to thank everyone who participated in our (or anyone's Extra Life events of the previous weekend. A lot of money was raised for a good cause!

In this week's episode, we dive into the idea of board gaming coverage in mainstream media. Whether it's the NY Times or The Guardian, articles from more widespread organizations about board games are on the rise. Yet do they really get to the heart of the hobby? Are they accurate in their depictions of gamers, and are those assessments fair? We discuss a host of reasons that, while this overall is a good thing, we still have a ways to go to see widespread appreciation in major media forms.

Oh, and we may have slid in mention of the free edX class on game design that just started up.

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Length: 29:24

Subscribe to Show Link:

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

First up this week, we wanted to point out (like so many others) that this weekend is the annual Extra Life charity gaming marathon, and yes, we will be partaking in the events as well. Click here to find out more. If you'd like to help out our modest efforts this time around, then be sure to consider a donation. We'll be giving a couple small games away to those who do too, so it's win win all around.

Also, be sure to check out #StarDrive14 for Ryan's Star Realms themed donation challenge.

Then, we dive into a reader-inspired question about the different ways to enjoy the Fresco Big Box expansions. Which expansions are good for a family pacing? What about a more strategy gamer setting? So, we're offering up some suggestions.

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.

Length: 35:09

Subscribe to Show Link:

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every Thursday, and each episode will be about 20 - 30 minutes long.

If Dungeons & Dragons is the middle-aged adult of the RPG world, then White Wolf Publishing was its long-suffering teenage emo child who went through some really awkward years and then reinvented themselves the following decade as the slightly more grown up Onyx Path Publishing. We dive into the World of Darkness and the New World of Darkness.

(And yes, there is a big difference.)

Join us, as we have Dave on to chat about Vampire, Werewolf, Wraith, Mage, Demon, and all the other things that go bump in the night over twenty years of the World of Darkness.

We’d love to hear from you! Please leave feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "8-Bit Brawl" by DJ Cutman featuring S&CO., used with permission.