Current Plays

This week on Current Plays , Thomas is away, so Jordan is joined by special guest Ryan from How I Roll on YouTube to wage a civil war in The Anarchy by Garphill Games. Set against the backdrop of 12th-century England's struggle for the throne, every decision carries weight as castles are fortified, influence spreads, and the kingdom hangs in the balance. Jordan and Ryan share their appreciatio...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas descend into the fractured world of Revenant , Mindclash Games’ highly anticipated follow-up to Voidfall . As you might expect from Mindclash, this is not a game that hands out easy decisions. Every action matters, every resource is precious, and every turn presents a new puzzle to solve. In other words, it’s right in the hosts’ wheelhouse. At its hea...

This week on Current Plays , Thomas is away, so Jordan is joined by special guest host Logan for a trip into the Marvel Universe with Marvel Dice Throne Missions . Together, they take on a series of standalone challenges that deliver all the fast-paced combat, dramatic dice rolls, and satisfying hero powers that make Dice Throne such a fan favourite. Unlike the campaign-driven structure of Dice Th...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas leave the sprawling epics behind for a cozy journey through Middle-earth with The Hobbit: There & Back Again by Reiner Knizia. Sometimes a lighter adventure is exactly what the table needs, and this charming little trek proved that simple doesn’t mean shallow. The hosts talk about how the clever dice drafting creates plenty of meaningful choices,...

Your hosts Jordan and Thomas run through the various games they played at BreakOut Con 2026; with a little dose of the old banter thrown into this nostalgic long-form bonus episode!

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas take the captain’s chair and set a course for one of the biggest surprises in recent memory: Star Trek: Captain’s Chair . Jordan may be the resident Trekkie, but even Thomas, with only a passing familiarity with the franchise, found himself completely pulled in by this stellar design. And Jordan? He simply can’t stop playing it. One game turned into s...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas journey across imperial China with Tianxia , a grand strategy game of diplomacy, influence, and shifting power. Provinces rise and fall, alliances form and fracture, and every action sends ripples across the empire as players work to guide the fate of the realm. The hosts spend much of the episode unpacking the game’s many interconnected systems, expl...

Order up, folks! This week on Current Plays Jordan and Thomas are cookin’ up burgers, slingin’ pizza, and movin’ cola like hotcakes in Food Chain Magnate , the big daddy of strategic restaurant games! From hiring errand boys and management trainees to building a marketing machine that’d make the Mad Men blush, this game is all about thinkin’ ahead while stayin’ ready to change gears at the drop of...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas set sail with A Feast for Odin , Uwe Rosenberg’s sprawling Viking epic and a true modern classic. From raiding and trading to crafting and exploring, the game offers a remarkable range of paths to prosperity with each one weaving into the next like the threads of a well-worn saga. The hosts talk about why the game has earned its legendary status, espe...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas finally venture into Feya’s Swamp , a long-anticipated journey into a shifting landscape of settlements, trade, and careful positioning. As the swamp slowly fills with villages and pathways, the board begins to tighten around the players, turning every placement into a meaningful decision. Tactical positioning, clever interaction, and the evolving map...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas chart a course through history with Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn , bringing the legendary computer franchise to the tabletop. From humble beginnings to world-shaping influence, the game captures the sweeping arc of building a civilization: expanding territory, advancing technology, and pursuing victory on your own terms. They explore how the c...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas step through the gates of The White Castle by Isra C. and Shei S., a sharp and elegant euro set in feudal Japan. Beneath its serene exterior lies a game of razor-focused decision making, where every die placement matters and every action feels consequential. The hosts talk about how the streamlined design delivers big strategic choices in a surprising...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas head to the zoo with Ark Nova , the heavyweight strategy title currently ranked #2 on BoardGameGeek. Tasked with building the most successful modern zoo, the hosts dive into a design packed with clever decisions, long-term planning, and a steady stream of satisfying combos. They chat about the game’s standout action-selection system, where timing and...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas travel to ancient Jerusalem with Ezra and Nehemiah , a game of rebuilding, restoration, and carefully chosen actions. From the first turn, the engaging action-selection system takes centre stage, with three shared action areas that interlock in satisfying ways and reward thoughtful timing. Watching those spaces fill, shift, and interact gives the whol...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas kneel before the throne of The Old King’s Crown —and emerge utterly enchanted. What begins as a simple, elegant contest for power quickly reveals itself as a masterclass in subtle manipulation, clever timing, and razor-fine positioning. Every move feels like courtly intrigue: a quiet nudge here, a delicate shift there, and suddenly the entire kingdom...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas set out on a gentle journey with Creature Caravan by Ryan Laukat and Red Raven Games. It’s a relaxed, mid-weight adventure where clever planning and quiet efficiency guide your caravan across a beautifully illustrated world brought to life by Laukat’s signature artwork. They chat about why this one feels so comfortable at the table: a smooth multiplay...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas touch down on the red planet with On Mars by Vital Lacerda—a monumental design where every system, resource, and decision is shared, intertwined, and fiercely consequential. From the moment boots hit Martian soil, the game demands careful timing, long-term vision, and a deep awareness of what everyone else at the table is building toward. The hosts di...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas step into the opening mission of War Story: Occupied France , a story-driven experience set in a world of uncertainty, difficult choices, and scarce resources. From the very first decisions, the game asks players to act with incomplete information, weighing risk and consequence in ways that feel both tense and meaningful. They discuss how the branchin...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas revisit Architects of the West Kingdom , returning to one of Garphill Games’ most approachable takes on worker placement. With a mitt-full of workers in hand right from the start, the game flips the usual scarcity on its head, encouraging bold plays, clever timing, and plenty of interaction at the table. Revisiting it several years later, the hosts re...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas set the games aside and look back at the year that was in Past Plays: 2025 In-Review . From plays and player counts to favourites, surprises, and patterns they didn’t expect, the hosts dig into the stats behind a year at the table. It’s a reflective, numbers-forward episode with the same honest takes and good-natured banter—celebrating what they playe...

Pray, compose yourselves and adjust your waistcoats; this week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas ascend the grand staircase of society with Obsession , a most refined contest of reputation, refinement, and relentless social manoeuvring in Victorian England. Estates are improved, guests are entertained, and every polite invitation carries quiet ambition beneath its lace-trimmed sleeve. The hosts...

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, to the Grand Stage of Strategic Sorcery! This week, Jordan and Thomas don their sparkling capes and perfectly waxed moustaches as we dive into Trickerion: Legends of Illusion, Mindclash’s masterwork of misdirection, meticulous planning, and marvellously crunchy decision-making. Prepare for an evening of elaborate illusions, last-minute pivots, and more brain-tw...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas take the throne in It’s a Wonderful Kingdom , a clever blend of kingdom-building, resource planning, and fantastic use of the “I cut, you pick” card selection. The duo digs into the game’s standout systems—from its escalating resource production to the tricky mind games of offering cards your opponent might want… or might regret. While not every mecha...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas each venture to ancient Skara Brae - separately, but in spirit together! With Thomas away, the hosts both took this Garphill Games 2025 Ancient Anthology release for a solo spin, exploring how this powerhouse cranks the resource management dial all the way up to eleven. Sixteen resources? Check. Tight decisions? Absolutely. That unmistakable Garphill...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas venture into the Black Forest. Uwe Rosenberg’s 2024 update to Glass Road is a blend of brain-burning euro strategy and pastoral charm. True to form, it’s a game of careful timing, clever planning, and that signature Rosenberg tension that keeps every move deliciously tight. The hosts dig into what makes Black Forest stand out: those brilliant resource...