Board Gamers Anonymous

Tim’s Darkest Timeline: One Game Has to Go Three great games. One has to disappear from Tim’s gaming options forever. And Chris has generously volunteered Tim to make every terrible decision. This week on Voice of the Gamers, we put Tim through a gauntlet of impossible board game choices. Beloved classics, modern favorites, and games he thought were safe on his shelf suddenly face elimination. Wil...

Episode 592 – Never Play, but Never Purge! It hasn’t hit the table in years. You can barely remember the rules. But suggest getting rid of it, and suddenly you’re prepared to defend that box like it contains a family heirloom. This week, Chris and Tim tackle Never Play, but Never Purge! in our Voice of the Gamers feature: the games that don’t get played but will always have a home in our collectio...

Episode 591 – What If?! Tabletop Twists What if one moment in tabletop gaming history had gone differently? This week on Board Gamers Anonymous, Chris and Tim are messing with the timeline. In our Voice of the Gamers feature, we ask the tabletop questions that probably shouldn't be asked: What if a landmark game had never been published? What if a major designer had made a completely different cho...

Board Game Red Flags: When We Know a Game Isn't for Us We all have them: those little warning signs that make us look at a board game and immediately start planning our escape from the table. This week, Chris and Tim break down their biggest board game red flags—the mechanisms, themes, design choices, components, and other telltale signs that can turn “Want to play this?” into a very quick “I’m go...

Episode 589 – Roll for Initiative…With Strangers! This week, Chris is joined by our good friend Chris Rodriguez from Board Games for the Better to tackle something almost every gamer has experienced at some point: the anxiety of sitting down at a table with people you don’t know. Whether you’re walking into a local game night for the first time, looking for a seat at a convention, or trying to fin...

Episode 588: 13 Years of BGA — Taking on the BGG Top 100 Board Gamers Anonymous is officially 13 years old! To celebrate, Chris is joined by Tim and Game Master Dave, together on the podcast for the very first time, for a special look at the BoardGameGeek Top 100 games. All three of us are diving into the list and giving our hot takes: the games that deserve their spots, the ones that should be hi...

Episode 587: The Clue Is…10 Games That Keep You Guessing The clue is…a great game night! Chris and Tim count down 10 games built around giving clues, deciphering hints, and guessing the right words or numbers. Some clues will lead straight to the answer, while others may leave everyone wondering what their teammates were thinking. In Roll for Preview, Chris checks out DC Deck-Building Game: Green...

Chris is joined by Game Master Dave for an episode packed with previews, reviews, and a dive into the world of solitaire gaming. Roll for Preview: Chris checks out Reiner Knizia’s Medici Traders, a tile auction game that brings a new spin to the classic Medici system, while Dave digs into Drillers. Roll for Review: Chris stomps into King of Tokyo: Godzilla, while Dave tackles Lumberjacks with Rock...

Gen Con 2026 Postgame Report! Gen Con is in the books, and Chris and Tim are breaking down the biggest news, announcements, and games coming out of another record-breaking year in Indianapolis. More than 74,000 gamers showed up and brought rain, leaking roofs, tornado warnings, and plenty of tabletop chaos with them. We cover the growing presence of massive IPs like Dungeons & Dragons, World of Wa...

In anticipation of Christopher Nolan's epic take on The Odyssey, Chris and Tim set sail in search of board games that capture the timeless themes of Homer's legendary journey. From perilous voyages and impossible choices to cunning strategy, loyalty, monsters, and the long road home, discover tabletop adventures that evoke the spirit of one of history's greatest stories. Plus, in Roll for Preview,...

The World Cup has come to the tabletop! In this special tournament episode of Board Gamers Anonymous, Chris and Tim continue their World Cup of Board Game Designers, where the greatest designers from around the globe represent their countries of origin in a head-to-head bracket to determine who deserves the championship trophy. This week, the competition heats up as we enter the Sweet 16, with leg...

Love Cascadia but looking for your next favorite game? Chris and Tim explore a collection of board games that share a satisfying blend of thoughtful decision-making, relaxing gameplay, and rewarding puzzle-solving. From tile-laying and spatial planning to completing patterns and balancing multiple scoring objectives, they highlight games that scratch the same itch while offering unique twists. Rol...

This week on Board Gamers Anonymous, Game Master Dave returns from the convention circuit with tales from the gaming tables, standout discoveries, and memorable moments in our feature segment, Game Master Dave's Convention Report. In Roll for Preview, Dave looks ahead to the geopolitical strategy game World Order, while Chris previews The Terror: Can You Survive the French Revolution?, a tense his...

Building Up! This week on Board Gamers Anonymous, we're reaching new heights with our feature review of the Top 10 Games That Build Skyward! From towering structures to layered landscapes, we're celebrating games that feature vertical building mechanics—without venturing into dexterity-game territory. In our Roll for Preview segment, Tim takes a look at Hover - A Surprisingly Brutal Hummingbird Ga...

The Sweet Spot: Six Players What's the ideal player count for a board game? This week on Board Gamers Anonymous, Chris and Tim dive into one of gaming's most debated topics: games that are at their absolute best with six players. From epic table experiences to hidden gems that shine with a full group, we discuss what makes six the magic number and highlight some of our favorite titles that hit tha...

If You Like Point Salad, Try… takes a look at some of our favorite games that scratch that same satisfying combo-building, engine-crafting, and point-chasing itch! We dive into a variety of games that offer players meaningful choices, clever synergies, and that ever-important feeling of turning a handful of simple actions into a mountain of points. In our preview segment, we take an early look at...

Welcome to the table! This week on Board Gamers Anonymous, Tim joins us for a deep dive into his gaming history and experiences. for the Voice of our Gamers! Roll for Preview: The Lord of the Rings: Ascension and Reavers of Midgard Roll for Review: Eternal Decks, Magical Athlete, and Planet Unknown If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgamersanonymous...

Welcome to the table! Game Master Dave joins us at the table this week! This week, Dave takes us through a bunch of game reviews: The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, LOTR Duel for Middle Earth, British Tank Ace, Gettysburg: Badges of Courage, Cradle of Civilization, and RA! And Chris previews: Earth Express and Behind the Lens! If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA webs...

Welcome to the table! And join us for a final time with Anthony at the table. This week, we are talking about the Games that change us forever! We preview: The Official Cyberpunk Trading Card Game, Arcs: Beyond the Reach, Barrage: Earned Authority, Clinic Deluxe: the Big box by Alban Viard We review: Druids of Edora If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bo...

This week, we preview The Lord of the Rings: The King's Gambit and review Fantasy Realms: Greek Legends, Trismegistus (2026)! Our feature is Anthony's Final Top 100 update, all-time! If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgamersanonymous.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join us over at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgameacademics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and read the newest journal of tabletop gam...

It all comes down to this! 64 of the greatest board game mechanics, down to our Sweet 16, Final Four, and then, our Number 1 Board Game Mechanic! Which mechanic is top?! Find out now, with Chris & Anthony. If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgamersanonymous.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Join us over at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgameacademics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and read the newest...

This week on the podcast, we go a bit mad with our yearly Board Game Bracket. This year, it is the best board game mechanics! And we also get a bit sad with Anthony's announcement. If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgamersanonymous.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Join us over at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgameacademics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and read the newest journal of tabletop gami...

(Sorry for the late upload from last week! Stay tuned for this week's regularly scheduled episode in a couple of days). Anthony and Chris take a look at some of their favorite types of games: tableau builders set in nature. Find out which ten games make the list and why they're the best of the bunch. If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgamersanonymo...

Anthony and Chris dig into the full list of nominees (all 120 of them!!) for the Origins Awards, recently announced of June's Origins Game Fair. Plus more discussion of AI's impact on the industry, and Hasbro's recent comments on the future use of AI in MTG and D&D. If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgamersanonymous.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Join us over at ⁠...

Game Master Dave joins Chris this week to talk about the nuts and bolts of running a board game convention in the lead up to Long Island Tabletop Gaming Expo. If you haven’t yet, check out the recently updated BGA website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgamersanonymous.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Join us over at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.boardgameacademics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The CFP is up for Volume IV of the journal. Contents Continue Fallout...