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Meeples And Wine - Tabletop Games for Couples

Meeples And Wine - Tabletop Games for Couples

By: Michael & Suzanne Teske
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Looking for tabletop game to play with your spouse that’s both fun and won’t wind up with one of you sleeping on the couch? Join Michael and Suzy as they discover new games each week, while tasting a new wine, beer or spirit!Javakat Productions Art Cooking Food & Wine Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Is Hover: The Cutthroat Hummingbird Game Worth Adding to Your Collection?

    Is Hover: The Cutthroat Hummingbird Game Worth Adding to Your Collection?
    May 17 2026
    In this episode of Meeples & Wine, Michael and Suzy review **Hover: A Brutal Game of Hummingbirds**, a fast-paced 2-4 player area movement game full of resource gathering, stealing, attacks, and nest-building. They explain the full rules, including movement, area actions, combat with hidden energy, beauty levels, and the high-stakes courting call to win the game. They also taste the Cherry Kirsche 2024 dessert wine from Von Stiehl Winery and share their thoughts on how it plays with two players, the fun factor, and whether the take-that elements are couple-friendly. A quick, engaging review of an upcoming Kickstarter hummingbird board game launching May 19, 2026.
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    40 mins
  • Arkham Horror Lovecraft Letter and Cult Cabernet Sauvignon

    Arkham Horror Lovecraft Letter and Cult Cabernet Sauvignon
    Apr 18 2026

    We’re Michael and Suzy, your hosts dishing out honest board game reviews for couples, blending wine (or in this case, beer) tastings with gameplay breakdowns. Got feedback? Hit us up at meeplesandwine@gmail.com, or connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. And hey, leave a voicemail at (707) 572-5282 – we love hearing from you!

    We’re heading to the Midwest Gaming Classic next week outside Tabletop Village. Come say hi!

    Today we’re tasting the Cult Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 from Cult Vines in Lodi, California. It’s a medium-bodied, easy-drinking Cab with notes of black cherry, raspberry, chocolate, oak, tobacco, and light spice. Smooth and silky with powdery tannins—fruity, lightly spicy, and great for casual sipping. Vivino rating ~3.8–3.9. Pairs beautifully with grilled steak, burgers, lamb, tomato-based pastas, mushroom risotto, eggplant Parmesan, or bold cheeses.

    The game we’re playing is Arkham Horror: Lovecraft Letter (2025). It’s a super quick push-your-luck deduction card game that re-themes the classic Love Letter system with the madness and monsters of the Arkham Horror universe. Draw, discard, and try to survive Cthulhu-flavored chaos—multiple winners possible. Very light, plays 2–6, BGG ~7.5.

    We review Batman: Love Letter at episode 29, you can find that HERE!

    How does it play with two players? Was it fun?
    Fun Score 1–10: Michael – 8, Suzy – 8.

    Will it wreck the relationship?
    Couch Score 1–5: Michael – 2, Suzy – 2.

    Time Sink – How long does it take to learn the rules?
    1–5. 1 – Super easy to grasp.

    Final Sip – How has the wine changed since opening?

    Last Call –
    We hit Kickstarter/Gamefound for cool upcoming games. This time: Flockers – navigate your flock of geese south for the winter!

    If you like the show, share it with a friend!

    See you next time on Meeples and Wine! Buh-Bye!

    URLs:
    https://gamefound.com/en/projects/odd-bird/flockers
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    44 mins
  • Noxford and Clad & Cordon Cab Sauv

    Noxford and Clad & Cordon Cab Sauv
    Mar 9 2026
    We’re Michael and Suzy, your hosts dishing out honest board game reviews for couples, blending wine (or in this case, beer) tastings with gameplay breakdowns. Got feedback? Hit us up at meeplesandwine@gmail.com, or connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. And hey, leave a voicemail at (707) 572-5282 – we love hearing from you! This time around, we’re tasting the Clad & Cordon Cab Sauv from Clad & Cordon Winery (check them out at https://www.cladandcordon.com/). It’s a bold Cabernet Sauvignon hailing from Creal Springs, IL, near Marion and the Shawnee area. Expect flavors like blackcurrant, black cherry, plum, and cassis, with maybe some green bell pepper or mint vibes, plus oak notes of vanilla, cedar, or tobacco. Illinois’ cooler climate gives it brighter acidity and less ripe fruit than your typical California Cab. Fun fact: We tried their Blueberry wine back in the Hive episode—peep that at https://www.meeplesandwine.fun/hive. Now, onto the game: Noxford (2016), a sneaky little title you can scope out on BoardGameGeek at https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206448/noxford. It’s all about leading a crime syndicate in a steampunk city that’s always building itself up. You place cards to control rich districts using area majority, hand management, and tile placement mechanics. Designed by Henri Kermarrec (known for stuff like Ekö and Penny Papers Adventures—his BGG page is https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/10777/henri-kermarrec), with art by Maud Chalmel (she did Take Time too, check https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/83279/maud-chalmel). Published by Capsicum Games and Quick Simple Fun Games, it plays 2-4 people, rates a 6.1/10 on BGG with low complexity (1.77/5). Setup’s straightforward: Each player gets 10 Syndicate cards (Master at rank 4, Lieutenants at 3, etc.), lay your Master face-up, shuffle and draw 3. Neutral deck has Rich Districts and Barracks. Start with two cards in the center, L-shaped. On your turn, either place a card adjacent to at least two others (corners aligned, no overhangs) or cover a lower-rank Syndicate with a higher one. Masters count double for control, and gear icons let you relocate cards. Game ends when the last Syndicate’s played—Barracks flip touching Syndicates, then score districts based on majority (1 VP per symbol +2 bonus for your fave). Ties? Nobody wins that district. Most VPs takes it, or most districts in a tie. It’s simple, spatial, and a bit cutthroat—perfect for a quick session! No expansions for this one. Playing with two? We both gave it a fun score of 6/10—solid but not mind-blowing. On the relationship wrecker scale (couch score 1-5), Michael says 1 (chill), Suzy says 2 (a tad sneaky). Learning curve? Time sink 1—easy, just one or two games to get it, no need for endless YouTube tutorials. Wrapping up with our Last Call, we spotlight cool Kickstarter games! This episode, it’s Botany: Floral Dragons at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/duxsomnium/botany-floral-dragons. Learn how to play via https://youtu.be/N0uncjp38Dc. Shoutout to artist Kin Wald for those awesome illustrations and linocuts—visit https://www.kintheartist.com/ and https://www.kintheartist.com/character-design. Tiers include: Botany Floral Dragons at $49: Standard Edition + Bountiful Blossoms Mini ExpansionBotany Floral Dragons & Expansions at $85: Standard + Fantastic Festival Exp + Furious Fungus Exp + Bountiful Blossoms MiniBotany Floral Dragons Jewelry Box at $199: Jewelry Box Edition + Bountiful Blossoms Gilded MiniBotany Floral Dragons Devotee at $329: Jewelry Box + Gilded Exps/Mini + Little Botany + PuzzlesBotany Floral Dragons Grand Expedition at $599: All the above + full original Botany ecosystem If you dig the show, share it with a friend! Next up: Print & Play games. Catch you next time on Meeples and Wine—buh-bye!
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    44 mins
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