Vox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic

Episode 115: What IS Indie?

Length: 59:03

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: Indie gaming. Chances are you've heard this term casually mentioned throughout the gaming world. But...what does that mean exactly? Erin and Ryan break down the term “indie.” What qualities does an indie game or company have to have, and when does an indie turn into a small publisher, big publisher, or mega-hit?

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (01:13):

• Hearts Blazing by Games By Play Date
• Pandemic Legacy by Z-Man Games
• Takenoko by Asmodee Editions
• Quadropolis by Days of Wonder
• Green Deal by Karma Games

QUICK TOPICS - (23:14):

• Privateer Press has announced on the heels of the Asmodee changes to its distribution rules that it too will be limiting distribution to online retailers.
• The CR will be participating in the Home Away Boston gaming charity event being hosted by the gang at The Cardboard Jungle podcast to raise money for cancer patients while undergoing treatment. It's for a good cause and they'll be giving numerous games away as prizes. Best part: you don't have to attend to participate. Consider making a donation today!

FEATURED TOPIC - (30:34):

• The term 'indie' is used pretty freely in board gaming, and the intention is well understood. At least, until you try to define it. So we decided to sit down and hammer out what some of that criteria may be. What IS indie? What is the line between indie and mainstream publisher?
  • We consider some of the following criteria:
    • The size of the publisher
    • How long has the publisher been around
    • The designer of the game
    • Print run size
    • Production model of the game (i.e. factory made, self-publisher, Game Crafter, etc.)
    • Marketability of being indie
    • Cultivation of an 'indie' brand
  • Also, we ponder if the idea of 'indie-ness' is still useful as a term at all.

PLUGS - (58:02):

• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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, Facebook, and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 114: The Staying Power Of Codenames

Length: 58:04

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: This week, Erin and Ryan cover a whole slew of topics, including some GAMA news, our first annual Laurel awards, and Snakes & Ladders: the video game. Then we dive into a brief review of the super popular social game Codenames.

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (01:36):

• Paradox by Split Second Games
• Fury of Dracula by Fantasy Flight Games
• Warehouse 51 by Passport Game Studios
• The King Is Dead by Osprey Games

QUICK TOPICS - (22:22):

• With the 2016 GAMA gaming convention coming to a close, Ryan shares a handful of news bits that caught his attention.
• For reasons that baffles everyone, someone has decided to make Snakes and Ladders into an FPS-style computer game.
• The Daily Worker Placement gamer survey results continue! We look into some of their most recent findings.
• We have unveiled The Laurels, our first annual Games of the Year Awards!

REVIEW - (38:53):

• This week we wade right in to the heavy-hitting social game Codenames by Czech Games Edition. Since it's unassuming debut, Codenames has taken the party/social game category by storm, quickly becoming a fan favorite and making its way to many gamer's shelves. In this word association game, two teams of players, each led by a Spymaster, seek to beat the other team by finding all of their team's words from among those on the board. Using single world clues from the Spymaster, their team must guess their leader's intended word choices without accidentally aiding their opposition - or stumbling onto the game-ending assassin. Simple but engaging and with copious replayability, we explore why Codenames still has staying power in the months since it came out.

A typical 5x5 word grid The board based on what the Spymasters have to work with Red would like to say 'Animal: 2', but Mole is a Blue card, which likely won't work Being Spymaster can be a bit mentally taxing thing... Codenames in action. Currently Blue is leading 5 to 4

PLUGS - (57:16):

• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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 "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 113: Sentinels of the Kickstarterverse

Length: 54:49

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: Sometimes to move forward, it pays to look back. To tie in with the campaign for the final Sentinels of the Multiverse expansion, this week, Erin and Ryan perform a retrospective on Kickstarter's evolution through the lens of one of gaming's early success stories of the platform. And who better to do that with than with Greater Than Games themselves!

GUEST: Christopher Badell

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (01:00):

• 7 Wonders Duel by Asmodee Editions
• Strife: Legacy of the Eternals by V3G
• Retreat to Darkmoor by Action Phase Games

QUICK TOPICS

• None

FEATURED TOPIC - (12:30):

• We welcome Christopher Badell to the table, one of the co-creators of the massively successful Sentinels of the Multiverse game right on the heels of the game's final expansion. They've been
  • What was the first Sentinels Kickstarter experience like?
    • And how they really feel about their early Kickstarter videos
  • How Kickstarter expectations have changed since 2011/2012 for both publishers and designers
  • The evolution of Kickstarter campaigns in general
    • The pros and cons of those changes
    • What surprises them about said changes
  • Why Kickstarter isn't a zero sum enterprise
  • Would the original Sentinels Kickstarter actually be successful in 2016?

PLUGS - (54:05):

• We recently reviewed the gothic co-op deckbuilder The Shadow Over Westminster.
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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, Facebook, and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 112: Veni, Vedi, Vici

Length: 1:00:35

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: This week, Erin and Ryan are happy to get back into the swing of gaming, talk about the impact of the sale of Catan, and review the two player quilting game Patchwork. Oh, and we talk Patreon too.

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (01:29):

• Shadow Over Westminster by CounterClockwork Games
• Fog of Love by Hush Hush Projects
• Xenon Profiteer by Eagle-Gryphon Games
• SOS Titanic by Ludonaute
• Blood Rage by CMON Games
• Orleans by Tasty Minstrel Games
• Caravan by Z-Man Games

QUICK TOPICS - (14:20):

• We try to ascertain our feelings of the announcement of Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu
• A recent Eurogamer article had us thinking about the psychological effect that the number of Kickstarter project backers has
• We dig through the initial results of the Daily Worker Placement gamer survey
• Ryan recaps his annual trip to Totalcon

REVIEW - (35:02):

• This week we step on to the field of battle of Vici by Game Salute. This is a fairly light tactical board game for two players, wherein each person seeks to conquer their opponent's city. In this Chess-like game, both players take turns recruiting and deploying handfuls of units onto the battlefield. When two opposing units face off against one another, dice are rolled to determine who lives and who dies. These pitched battles continues over a span of about 30-40 minutes until inevitably one side emerges the victor. We explore where Vici's blades shows some prowess as well as where they miss the mark.

The Vici battlefield With 5 points from empty city spaces, this player recruited 3 new units After moving, the Bowmen now has the Horsemen in range to attack With die results of 5 to 4, the Spearmen defeats the Footmen Vici midgame

PLUGS - (59:43):

• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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 "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 111: Time To Get Bamboozled

Length: 1:13:27

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 40 minutes long.

DESCRIPTION: Welcome to Clone Club! This week, Erin and Ryan dive into their recent game night experiences before chatting with the Bamboozle Brothers themselves about design, Kickstarter, and their latest Oprhan Black card game.

GUEST: Jay Cormier & Sen-Foong Lim

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (00:29):

• Steam Time by Thames & Kosmos
• Biblios by IELLO
• Odyssey: Wrath of Poseidon by Ares Games
• Arboretum by Z-Man Games
• Best Treehouse Ever by Green Couch Games
• Roll For The Galaxy by Rio Grande Games
• Codenames by Czech Games Edition
• DragonFlame by Minion Games
• Pandemic: Legacy by Z-Man Games

QUICK TOPICS

• None

FEATURED TOPIC - (20:18):

• We welcome Jay Cormier & Sen-Foong Lim, collectively known as the Bamboozle Brothers to discuss their game designs, including their newest title, Orphan Black: The Card Game.
  • The inspiration behind doing an Orphan Black game and the decision to make it a social deduction game
    • How the characters were chosen
  • The advantages and disadvantages of doing a licensed game
    • how an IP license gets chosen
    • why you shouldn't chase an IP when designing a game
    • the usefulness of reskinning
  • Why designing for diverse player types is worthwhile
    • The Bamboozle Brothers' "MVP" steps for designing games
    • Their 2016-2017 games releases

PLUGS - (1:12:55):

• The Cardboard Republic Patreon has gone live! If you like what we do here, be it the written content, our video series, or this podcast here, consider supporting us!
• We recently reviewed the wizard poker styled game Hocus.
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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 "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 110: Pandemic, Patchwork, and Patreon

Length: 50:43

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 40 minutes long.

DESCRIPTION: This week, Erin and Ryan are happy to get back into the swing of gaming, talk about the impact of the sale of Catan, and review the two player quilting game Patchwork. Oh, and we talk Patreon too.

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (00:27):

• Pandemic: Legacy by Z-Man Games
• Hocus by Hyperbole Games
• Betrayal at House on the Hill by Hasbro
• Between Two Cities by Stonemaier Games
• Funemployed! by IronWall Games
• RYU by Asmodee Editions
• Isle of Skye by Mayfair Games
• Moonquake Escape by Breaking Games

QUICK TOPICS - (17:04):

• We parse the implications of Mayfair selling the English rights of Catan to Asmodee
• We discuss our first impressions of the long-standing Boston-area geek convention Arisia and their first attempt at incorporating a tabletop showcase

REVIEW - (26:59):

• This week we stitch together our findings of Patchwork by Mayfair Games. This is a light game for two players all about quilting. It mixes a rondel-style purchase process for acquiring quilt pieces with a very Tetris-like placement process. Through this you are trying to create the most efficient 10x10 quilt grid possible, as holes in quilts are generally a bad thing. Over a span of about 30 minutes, players (usually) alternate turns attaining buttons - the game's currency - and then use them to snatch up useful quilt squares. Like any quilt, we explore which parts of Patchwork are particularly inspiring and which suffer from rather poor stitchwork.

A typical Patchwork layout Which three pieces are available to the current player at the moment Presuming more pieces aren't added, the next time this player passes a Button square they'll collect 11 buttons A player's final quilt - only 3 missing squares!

PLUGS - (48:45):

• Remember how we said we had changes in store? Well, we're happy to finally announce another one of those! In the very near future, the CR will be launching its own Patreon! Keep an eye on the site for our formal announcement for what we have in store and how you can help us continue doing what we do!
• We recently reviewed the dragon-worshiping resource game RYU.
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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 "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 109: Planning Conspiracies With Shoot Again Games

Length: 36:08

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 40 minutes long.

DESCRIPTION: The lizard people are real and are putting mind control drugs in the water! Or...are they?!? We can't say for certain, so we've brought in an expert. This week Erin and Ryan talk to Diane Sauer of Shoot Again Games about Conspiracy!, her upcoming Kickstarter card game.

GUEST: Diane Sauer

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES:

• Pandemic: Legacy by Z-Man Games
• Tiny Epic Western by Gamelyn Games
• Dirigible Disaster by Letiman Games

QUICK TOPICS:

• None

FEATURED TOPIC:

• We welcome Diane Sauer of Shoot Again Games to discuss their company and their games library.
  • How and why they pick the themes of games that they do at Shoot Again
  • How Shoot Again Games came to exist
    • Lessons learned from publishing several games to date
  • Talk at length centered about the upcoming card game Conspiracy!
    • How theme and mechanics tie together
    • How they came about the contents and premise of a game around conspiracies
    • Their fascination with cryptozoology and how Conspiracy! evolved in part from their earlier game Legends and Les

PLUGS:

• You can check out our full preview of Tiny Epic Western here.
• We also reviewed Star Trek: Five Year Mission.
• The CR has hit three years! Keep an eye on all manner of changes to the site over the first few months of 2016!
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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 "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 108: 2016 Predictions

Length: 35:39

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 40 minutes long.

DESCRIPTION: It's a brand new year! This week, Erin and Ryan look back at some of their gaming predictions of 2015 to see how close they came (or not) to guessing gaming trends of the year, and then make some new predictions for 2016.

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES:

• None. No, really. Not a single one. We are super sad. Silly holidays and togetherness and whatnot.

QUICK TOPICS:

• We give a brief recap of the recent Asmodee announcement regarding their consolidation of their business side of the US side of Asmodee, Fantasy Flight Games, and Days of Wonder into Asmodee North America. We briefly explain what their changes to logistics and distribution means for consumers, if any.
• It appears the years-long feud over the rights to Brass between designer Martin Wallace and Eagle-Gryphon Games has come to a conclusion.

FEATURED TOPIC:

• It's 2016, which means it's time for all sorts of 2016 predictions. Are they wild guesses or educated methodical extrapolations of notable trends in the industry. We'll see! But we dive into what some of those may be.
  • We also recap our 2015 predictions (see Vox episode 67 for the full rundown) to see how close we came to seeing how the year panned out.

PLUGS:

• If you were curious on the Brass/Lunarchitects parallels article, you can find it here.
• The CR has hit three years! Keep an eye on all manner of changes to the site over the first few months of 2016!
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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 "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 107: Getting Tricky With Trickerion

Length: 51:15

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 40 minutes long.

DESCRIPTION: This week, Erin and Ryan gush about Pandemic: Legacy and recount the big news about Gen Con 2016 before sitting down for an in-depth chat with the designers of Trickerion

GUEST: Viktor Peter and Richard Amann

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES:

• Pandemic: Legacy by Z-Man Games
• Monarch by Mary Flanagan LLC
• Heroes Wanted by Action Phase Games
• Viceroy by Mayday Games
• Ghost Stories by Asmodee Editions
• DragonFlame by Minion Games

QUICK TOPICS:

• Gen Con recently announced that starting in 2016 both the expansion of the convention into the nearby stadium and that the hotel lottery system is here to stay. We touch upon the implications of both.

FEATURED TOPIC:

• It's time to get tricky! As part of our month-long look at the magician-centric Euro Trickerion, we sit down with the co-designers of the game to get all sort of neat info about it, including:
  • Where the idea behind the game came from
  • The development process to reach the state we see in the final version
  • Lessons learned from Kickstarter
  • Its release at Essen
  • And more!

PLUGS:

• The CR has hit three years! For the remainder of 2015 and beyond keep an eye on all manner of changes to the site. Case in point: the aforementioned logo.
• We recently reviewed the tableau-builder Monarch, and Rob inspects the latest Game Crafter game Crazier Eights.
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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 "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Episode 106: BGG Con And Solo Conventioning

Length: 46:11

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 30 - 40 minutes long.

DESCRIPTION: This week, Erin and Ryan talk about BGG Con and what it's like to attend a convention all by yourself - for better or for worse. Then we get all messy in reviewing the food-fight game What The Food?!

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES:

• Pandemic: Legacy by Z-Man Games
• Caverna by Mayfair Games
• Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit by Hasbro
• Cockroach Poker by Drei Magier Spiele

QUICK TOPICS:

• The Vox has a new podcast logo! Tell us what you think!

FEATURED TOPIC:

• We return from the holiday break and Ryan returns from BGG. This was his first time at the convention and his first time going to a convention solo. We chat about it's like to attend such a convention by yourself.
  • Ryan wrote his first impressions of BGG Con itself previously.
  • What are the limitations of going to a convention solo? Requirements?
  • Is it intimidating to go alone? How does BGG help with this?
  • Was going alone a positive experience? A negative one?
  • How to acclimate to traveling solo.
  • Favorite game of the convention.

REVIEW:

• Food fight! This week we look at What The Food?! by Squirmy Beast. This is a light social and programming card game about a bunch of school kids who get into a food fight and strive to emerge at the end of it the most unscathed. Played over a series of rounds until one person is too humiliated to continue, we dive into the charming parts of this schoolyard fracas, as well as the areas where it may be easier to just take a pie in the face.

What The Food character and action cards Food cards for all the throwin' First player burger and Humiliation tokens

PLUGS:

• The CR has hit three years! For the remainder of 2015 and beyond keep an eye on all manner of changes to the site. Case in point: the aforementioned logo.
• We recently reviewed the tile-laying game Cacao!
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

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 "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.