Episodes

  • #371: Essen SPIEL 2026 Hype List
    Oct 8 2026

    We're not going to Essen, and frankly, may never, but that won't stop us from wishing we were going. From the mountain of games we won't get to play in person, we've mined for the diamonds that we think you should keep your eyes on. Before we get to digging, we talk about Hanami, Brink, and Railway Boom.

    02:14 - Hanami
    12:06 - Brink
    24:22 - Railway Boom
    38:16 - 1st CEO
    39:24 - Robo Run
    40:56 - -60°
    43:49 - Apocalypse
    45:31 - Kalypso
    46:51 - Timespan
    49:42 - 17 Dice Bets
    52:51 - KumoKumo Park
    54:11 - Chronocritters
    56:09 - Tikal Legend
    57:38 - Ancient Empires
    59:10 - Almighty
    01:01:41 - Old Ones Origins
    01:06:02 - Courtroom: The Noir Trilogy
    01:08:51 - For the Gods!

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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • #370: On Brand
    Sep 24 2026

    It's a designer spotlight, which means we're turning the focus away from us, and putting it on some prestigious designers instead! This week it's Inka and Markus Brand, whose story apparently has a whole enemies to lovers angle I did not see coming. Before we power duet, we talk about Party House: The Deckbuilding Game, Land and Freedom: The Spanish Revolution and Civil War, and Baba Is You: The Board Game.

    01:50 - Party House: The Deckbuilding Game
    06:35 - Land and Freedom: The Spanish Revolution and Civil War
    13:03 - Baba Is You: The Board Game.
    28:53 - Designer spotlight: Inka & Markus Brand
    32:10 - Catan
    36:58 - The Great Dinosaur Game
    37:40 - Village
    40:56 - The Enchanted Tower
    41:52 - Exit
    46:22 - La Boca

    Check out the Kickstarter for Organism:
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    55 mins
  • #369: The Life-Changing Magic of a Minimalist Board Game Collection
    Sep 10 2026

    We're downsizing, imagining a brighter future where we don't have hundreds of games to fret about not playing, but a very slight, extremely manageable twenty. Some say it can't be done, but that's never stopped us before. Before we get low, we talk about After you, Betobeto-san, Skull Queen, and Star Trek: Captain's Chair - To Boldly Go.

    01:53 - After you, Betobeto-san
    09:11 - Skull Queen
    17:21 - Star Trek: Captain's Chair - To Boldly Go
    28:12 - Minimalist board game collections

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    55 mins
  • #367: One vs. Many
    Aug 13 2026

    We play a lot of games. Which is great, because a lot of games get made, and we get to play them ... but it does come at the cost of always having to learn (and teach) something new, grappling with rules, and gets in the way of enjoying the game. Would it be better if we just devoted ourselves to one game? Before we join a Mahjong club, we talk about Wingspan Pocket, Greylune, and Marrakesh.

    01:53 - Wingspan Pocket
    09:16 - Greylune
    19:11 - Marrakesh
    36:53 - Sticking with one game

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    59 mins
  • #366: Collaborative Draft: Games of 2017
    Jul 30 2026

    We're back to collaborate (and listen) to figure out together what the best games of 2017 were. Are? It's a collaborative draft, and if you haven't heard one of these before, get ready for an honest to goodness mess. Before we draw up treaties, we talk about Prosciutto and Melon Game, and Steel Driver.

    03:00 - Prosciutto and Melon Game
    12:24 - Steel Driver
    22:26 - Best games of 2017
    25:35 - Calimala
    30:48 - Ethnos
    34:15 - The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31
    39:37 - Nusfjord
    42:39 - Sidereal Confluence
    46:35 - Startups
    48:44 - Codenames: Duet
    51:12 - Heaven & Ale
    52:51 - The Quest for El Dorado
    56:15 - Rumble Nation
    58:09 - Azul
    1:03:03 - Iberian Gauge
    1:04:21 - Cursed Court

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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • #365: Gen Con 2026 Preview
    Jul 16 2026

    Gen Con is Gen Coming, so we're looking in our wizard's glasses to tell you what's what. Whether you're going or not, you're gonna want to know what the hot games are, and we've got you covered. Before we Indianapolize, we talk about Koinobori, Compania, and Mood Swings.

    02:32 - Koinobori
    09:50 - Compania
    19:52 - Mood Swings
    25:39 - Gen Con preview
    24:57 - Prague Unseen
    28:27 - Triangulation
    30:24 - All Mine!
    32:25 - Hell of a Deal
    34:51 - Night at the Zoo
    36:22 - Stonk Market
    39:45 - Bullseye
    41:57 - Jibber Jabble
    44:38 - The Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict
    46:05 - Revenant
    48:11 - FaeKin
    49:32 - Mythologies
    50:18 - World Order
    52:28 - Greylune
    57:22 - Corps of Discovery Duo

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    1 hr
  • #364: Mechanism Matchup
    Jul 2 2026

    There are two board game mechanisms you just can't escape, they're on everyone's mind, flooding the discourse. That's combat, and card draw mitigation. Everyone won't stop talking about them. So we had to weigh in too, not just with what we feel are the best examples of games that have done them best, but some other quirky takes on them too. Before we mitigate our card draws, we talk about Rolling Deep, Eureka!, dnup, and Grinivil.

    03:59 - Rolling Deep
    15:12 - Eureka!
    16:48 - dnup
    24:48 - Grinivil
    40:10 - Combat mechanisms
    41:07 - Kemet
    45:00 - Dune
    48:40 - Shogun
    52:42 - Forbidden Stars
    53:51 - Dead Reckoning
    54:48 - Gloomhaven
    55:12 - Card draw mitigation
    56:09 - Dark Pact
    57:19 - La Granja
    58:26 - Glory to Rome
    59:58 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
    1:02:07 - Race for the Galaxy
    1:02:57 - 7 Wonders Duel
    1:06:28 - The Vale of Eternity

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    1 hr and 10 mins