Board Game Barrage

It's the second leg of the grand tour that is the top fifty. This week, we're doing our 40th to 31st favourite games ... of all time! It's almost like Christmas just keeps going! Grab a glass of sherry and join us by the fire, we're not about to stop any time soon. 01:21 - Neilan #40 - Bus 03:52 - Mark #40 - Panic on Wall Street! 05:38 - Kellen #40 - Pax Porfiriana 08:56 - Neilan #39 - In the Year...

It's tiiiiiiime ! It's the top fifty! That's right, the much anticipated, much celebrated, much imitated (we definitely did it first) event of the season is here. We're counting down each of our favourite fifty games of all time! Or at least, for right now! It's a beautiful, beautiful thing, and we'd love if you pulled up a chair and joined us for it. 06:36 - Kellen #50 - Santiago 07:59 - Neilan #...

PAX Unplugged was a blast, and we played so much stuff that we're dying to tell you about - many of them with our beloved listeners. We braved the cold and the rain of Philadelphia, on the other side of the country, to bring you this episode jam-packed with games - so there's no room for any dilly dallying. Hits include Forest Shuffle , Arcs ,  Findorff  ... and loads more! 02:14 - 5 Towers 06:57...

In what could be our most grandiose episode yet, we attempt to tame the wild history of all of board games. We traverse the timeline, unpacking what we consider to be the great epochs of the hobby, in an attempt to explain how modern game design evolved into its present form. Before we unpack the deep lore, we talk about  General Orders: World War II , Oak , and Big Boss . Timecodes: 02:36 - Gener...

Uh oh, is that thunder? That must mean it's time for a lightning round - we're scooping up all the lovely questions and suggestions that just aren't big enough for the main event, and stuffing them in the blender. This week, it's public spaces, warning labels, gaming tips, and PAX Unplugged. Before we put fingers on buzzers, we talk about  Gift of Tulips , Five Three Five , and Anunnaki: Dawn of t...

Drafts are back, baby. And not just any old draft, no, but to celebrate the return of the greatest game, we're drafting none other than the best of the only true and living doctor, Reiner Knizia. Who ends up with the best list? Vote for your favourite, you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before we doc it up, we talk about  Empire's End , My Favourite Things , and Four Horsemen . Timecodes: 02:33 - E...

Are board games stuck? Not to be dramatic or anything, but it does seem like we keep circling the same ideas over and over again, right? We speculate on where we think the hobby is headed, and whether or not it needs a shake up. Before we plateau, we talk about  Orchard , Hadrian's Wall , Terracotta Army , and Santiago . Timecodes: 03:09 - Orchard: A 9 card solitaire game 06:49 - Hadrian's Wall 13...

It's almost time for Essen SPIEL 2023, the great German Mecca of our people - and while we're not going ourselves, that's not going to stop us yearning . We're hear to tell you about all the amazing games available at the show this year that you ought to be excited about. Before we gaze longingly across the Atlantic, we talk about Asara , Skytear Horde , and Dwellings of Eldervale . Timecodes: 02:...

A little prune, a little embellish, a nip, a tuck, and a flourish, and we can get this thing just how we like it. We're looking at all the little things that we'd like to see more of, all the things we'd like to see less of in the world of board games. Before we giveth and taketh away, we talk about First in Flight , Tramways , and Wandering Towers . Timecodes: 02:39 - First in Flight 11:57 - Tram...

Timing is everything, which is why it's so important that this episode came out when it did. Had we made it too early, it would have felt dated, and any later, you wouldn't have been ready for it. Before it's about time, we talk about  Planet etuC , Undaunted: Stalingrad , Undaunted: Battle of Britain , and Tycoon: India 1981 . Timecodes: 01:47 - Planet etuC 07:43 - Undaunted: Stalingrad 10:35 - U...

I leave for one episode and these idiots are talking about eating board games. Hard hitting questions for hard hitting board game journalists, Kellen & Mark are on the scene reporting in. Before we claw our way back from this, we talk about Power & Weakness , Haggis , and Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game . Timecodes: 02:40 - Power & Weakness 16:28 - Haggis 24:28 - Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game...

A solid end game trigger can be such an overlooked part of the design of a game. The conventional wisdom for most things is to start strong and finish strong, so we look at some of our favourite ways that games can end. Before we reach the end of the road, we talk about Robot Quest Arena , Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 , and Expeditions . Timecodes: 02:07 - Robot Quest Arena 08...

It's convention season, and the big one is almost upon us, as board gamers across America prepare to descend on Indiana. Gen Con! We won't be there this year, but that won't stop us anticipating what we could be playing at the show. Before we want what we can't have, we talk about  Fancy Feathers , Beast , Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 , and Mercator . Timecodes: 02:43 - Fancy...

Not all are as blessed as we are by the gift of truly original thought, and so many turn to others for inspiration. Whether it's Newton standing on the shoulders of giants, or stealing from our rich neighbour Xerox, many great ideas are born from what has come before. Before we make the inspired choice, we talk about Masters of Renaissance: Lorenzo il Magnifico – The Card Game,  Innovation Ultimat...

After much consternation at his exclusion from our Mount Rushmore of games, we've decided to honour legendary designer Sid Sackson elsewhere - a BGB Designer Spotlight! I think these used to be called BGB DOGs but even Mark forgot about that bit of branding. Oh well. Before we make amends, we talk about Magicalligraphy , Hamlet: The Village Building Game , and Tournament at Camelot . Timecodes: 01...

We've reached the end of our fantasy draft series, the last in this increasingly dire list of games from which we pluck five gems each, and then get  you  to vote on your favourites. There's a (potential) $50 gift card in it for you! Before the last dance, we talk about Seas of Havoc , Whale to Look , and Dorfromantik: The Board Game . Timecodes: 03:12 - Seas of Havoc 10:42 - Whale to Look 19:50 -...

We're veering into the dark roads of board game classification, but this time with a goal in mind - how to best highlight games that feature strong interaction. Shouldn't BoardGameGeek have a scale for that somewhere? And while we're at it, BGG ... Before we put our thoughts in the suggestion box, we talk about Guatemala Café , and Ride the Rails . Timecodes: 01:56 - Guatemala Café 12:43 - Ride th...

Are we living in a golden age of board games? It's a simple question, but there's a lot to unpack - what even qualifies as a golden age, have we already had one, and if we are living in one, when does it end? Before we go for gold, we talk about That's Not a Hat , Pulsar 2849 , and Barrage. Timecodes: 01:39 - That's Not a Hat 02:19 - Cockroach Poker 10:52 - Pulsar 2849 19:58 - Barrage 33:30 - Are...

We're lucky to have covered wide swathes of the board game world, but there was a time when some of those things were aspirational. Like achievements to cross off on the great board game check list ... or like that Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson movie. You know they invented that phrase? Wild. Before we make our list, we talk about Municipium , and Yucatan . Timecodes: 02:27 - Municipium 12:47...

It's just two of us, so we turn our attention to the burning questions that you've been asking us, in a feature we're calling Topic Talk Back. This is not to be confused with the format we've used before, mailbags are old news now, and we'd appreciate it if you'd stop bringing it up. Before we do anything but rustle in the cloth sack, we talk about By Stealth and Sea , and Undaunted: Stalingrad ....

It's the penultimate draft of the BGG Top 1000 series, and all of these games are garbage ... but it's up to us to sift through that garbage, and each find a collection of five games that's worthy of you. Vote for your favourite, and you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before we find diamonds in the rough, we also talk about Paperback Adventures , and Woodcraft . Timecodes: 02:31 - Paperback Adventu...

Any creative work is built on a lot of conventions - things that we take as granted, the unspoken rules that must be followed. We get a lot of really great games by following design conventions, but some times, in order to innovate we have to break them. Before we try to find the balance between convention and innovation, we talk about Darwin's Journey , Aleph Null , and Rome in a Day . Timecodes:...

We can all agree the Golden Geeks peaked last year, but I suppose we can continue the facade if we must. Nominees are out for BoardGameGeek's annual awards, and as the presiding champions of taste, we're declaring our favourites. Before we prognosticate, we talk about Big City , Spots , and Horseless Carriage . Timecodes: 02:10 - Big City 09:33 - Spots 16:02 - Horseless Carriage 28:53 - Golden Gee...

Board games are a social medium, which is a big part of their appeal for us. It's not just about being heads down solving a puzzle, they facilitate conversation. Some games are better at this than others, so we put BGBBOB on the case to find our favourites! Before we natter away, we talk about Big Top , Autobahn , and Pollen. Timecodes: 03:04 - Big Top 12:21 - Autobahn 23:25 - Pollen 34:51 - Dealt...

Good storytelling isn't easy, and board games seem to struggle with it especially - which makes the ones that do pull it off, all the more memorable. We delve into the ways that games can engage us and create lasting experiences through stories. Before we spin a yarn, we talk about  Star Wars: The Clone Wars , and Artisans of Splendent Vale. Timecodes: 01:36 - Star Wars: The Clone Wars 18:13 - Art...