Board Game Barrage

It's question time again! After last week's massive success, we couldn't resist the urge to have  you , loyal listener, once more do all the work for us. Before we turn the microphones around, we also talk about Brass: Birmingham , Exodus: Paris Nouveau , and Werewords . 01:52 - Brass: Birmingham 05:48 - Exodus: Paris Nouveau 09:55 - Werewords 15:30 - Listener Questions 15:39 - Should I play the c...

It's your time to shine! We field questions from you, our adoring fans, in our first ever Q&A episode. You sent us the important topical issues you've been yearning for our take on, and takes ye shall receive. Before we line up in front of the mic, we also talk about Blokus , Brass: Lancashire , and Teotihucan: City of Gods . 01:42 - Blokus 06:16 - Brass: Lancashire 12:40 - Teotihuacan: City of Go...

We're getting introspective this week, weighing up the mistakes we've made in our collections, and reflecting on our earlier selves. Would you reset your board game collection? What games might you not buy if you had to do it all over again? Before we turn back time, we also talk about Between Two Castles Of Mad King Ludwig , Claustrophobia , and KeyForge: Call of the Archons . 01:39 - Between Two...

Not everything has to be a competition, because this week we're talking about cooperation. I know, it's weird, in some games, you're not actually trying to beat the other players! We're counting down our favourite co-op games, "favourite" of course being a relative term in Kalen's case. Before we put our heads together, we also talk about SSH , Just One , and Hamsterrolle . 01:44 - SHH 04:39 - Jus...

There's no love like your first love, and this week we're talking about our early board game crushes. These are the games that first got us into the hobby, that made us want to shout our love for board games to all who'd care to hear. Before we walk down memory lane, we also talk about Key to the City: London , Empires , and Guards of Atlantis . 03:31 - Key to the City: London 09:14 - Empires 15:4...

We're doing some upgrades this episode, because we're talking about improving and enhancing the board games we already own through accessories, new components, and fancy inserts. Before we sleeve our cards, we also talk about Keyflower ,  The Palaces of Carrara , Welcome To... 's Halloween Expansion, and That's Not Lemonade! 01:41 - Keyflower 08:46 - The Palaces of Carrara 12:17 - Welcome To ... H...

Essen SPIEL 2018! Okay, we're not technically  at  Essen SPIEL, but we've got that Essen FEEL . We're each counting down the five games that we most wish we were in Germany to play this weekend. Before we hand over our Euros, we talk about SPQF , Le Havre , and Scythe: The Rise of Fenris . 02:09 - SPQF 07:17 - Le Havre 12:31 - Scythe: The Rise of Fenris 17:06 - Essen Preview 17:49 - Magnastorm 19:...

Board game dealbreakers, we all have them, and they're enough to dissuade us from buying or even playing some otherwise great games. This week, we go around the table and talk about two things each that put us off in board games. Before we start looking elsewhere, we talk about Illusion , and Food Chain Magnate . 02:16 - Illusion 04:46 - Food Chain Magnate 18:05 - Too Many Steps for Simple Tasks 1...

How do you meet other board game enthusiasts? Just loving and owning board games isn't enough if you don't have anyone to play them with! It's not always easy to turn your friends into board gamers, so what are your other options? Well, sit back, as we cast our minds far, far back into the past, when the Board Game Barrage trio was just three separate unos . This is where it all began. Before we g...

What's your white whale? The one game you've been itching to get to the table for ages, but for whatever reason, just never have? Well, call me Ishmael, 'cause we're counting down not just one, not five, but  ten games each  that we haven't played, but really want to. Maybe this'll be the kick in the pants we need … but probably not. Before we dust off our shelves of shame, we talk about  CIV: Car...

Asymmetry is a powerful tool for game design, if done right. There's a lot of replayability right out of the box, and finding a playstyle that works for you can be very satisfying. But this dark alchemy has a darker byproduct: imbalance. When so much is different between each player, how do you ensure that things stay fair? Before we nerf plz, we discuss Container , and more  Root . 01:40 - Contai...

Board game rules, unlike other rules, were not made to be broken. They're to be strictly adhered to, trust me, this is going to be totally fun, there's just a few more things to go over and then we can start. Sometimes remembering and teaching rules can feel like a burden, so where's the line? Before we explain the turn structure, we discuss Dairyman , Riff Raff , and Lords of Hellas . 03:30 - Dai...

Look, sometimes we lose games. I know. It's weird. It's hard to talk about, to be frank, but it's important to realize that your heroes can have flaws. So, this week, we're counting down our top five games we're bad at! Before we admit defeat, we also discuss Yogi , Orléans , and Blue Lagoon . 01:38 - Yogi 05:25 - Orléans 11:56 - Blue Lagoon 18:28 - Good games we're bad at 20:26 - Santorini 23:50...

In this week's fun  episode, we talk gaming etiquette, or the unspoken rules that surface when you're playing a board game. They often have nothing to do with the game itself, but what's appropriate? Should you deliberately help and hinder others at the table? Before we let the Wookiee win, we also discuss Let's Make a Bus Route , Sailing Toward Osiris, Fleet,  and Founders of Gloomhaven . 01:45 -...

Just when you thought we couldn't get nerdier, this episode is all about logging plays and collecting statistics on your games. It turns out it's actually a pretty fun way to look back on your gaming history. We also discuss Fast Forward: FORTRESS , The Captain Is Dead , and Schummel Hummel . 02:38 - Fast Forward: FORTRESS 06:57 - The Captain Is Dead 12:57 - Schummel Hummel (Cheating Bumblebee) 16...

We're staying up all night to count down our favourite party games! You know the feeling. Everyone's at your place, no one's talking, it's a little bit awkward ... but then you break out some of these fifteen amazing party games, and suddenly everyone's back in, talking, laughing and shouting until the early hours. We also talk about JamSumo ,  Isle of Trains , and Root . 02:24 - JamSumo 04:05 - I...

Shiny and new! Everyone online is talking about the latest, greatest thing, and you can't help but feel that you're missing out. How important is it to keep up with the cult of the new? We also talk about Cthulhu Wars , World Championship Russian Roulette , Kubb , and Word Slam . 01:38 - Cthulhu Wars 04:56 - World Championship Russian Roulette 07:47 - Kubb 09:35 - Word Slam 14:53 - The Cult of the...

In the wake of Gen Con, we return home invigorated about just how grand and diverse the hobby is. We celebrate the games that we might not otherwise have thought to play, and encourage you to do the same! We also talk about Lift it! , The Estates, and Cat Lady. 01:57 - Gen Con Final Thoughts 09:30 - Lift it! 13:00 - The Estates 20:42 - Cat Lady 22:47 - The Breadth of Gaming 24:27 - Sushi Go 26:45...

Day three of Gen Con is over, and that's a wrap for our coverage from Indianapolis! Enjoy our final thoughts from the show floor (at least for this week), while we trudge back to the west coast with as many games as we can carry. We talk about Istanbul: The Dice Game , Wendake , One Week Ultimate Werewolf , Show & Tile , Coimbra , and Trade on the Tigris .

We're halfway through Gen Con, and we wrap up day two of the show with our thoughts from the floors and tables and beds (?!) of Indianapolis. We talk about Crusader Kings , Scarabya , Petrichor , Zogan , Flotsam Fight , Welcome To... , and Dice Fishing: Roll and Catch!

Gen Con! It's here at last, and we run through our quick impressions of the first day of the show. We talk about Exodus: Paris Nouveau , Reef , Nyctophobia,  and Illusion .

Gen Con 2018 is almost upon us, and we're counting down the games we're most excited to check out! We also talk about Vikings,  and Navegador . 01:43 - Spiel des Jahres 03:10 - Vikings 07:45 - Navegador 10:15 - Gen Con 2018 Preview 13:50 - Piepmatz 16:13 - Welcome To ... 19:01 - Dice Fishing: Roll and Catch 20:26 - Ultimate Werewolf Legacy 23:18 - Coimbra 25:24 - Lost Cities: Rivals 27:19 - Pikoko...

Luck is an element of almost every board game there is, but it's still a major point of contention. Whether it's the roll of dice, or the draw of a card, randomness can make or break a game. We also talk about Lowlands , Bilder , In the Year of the Dragon , and revisit Space Base . 00:54 - Lowlands 07:32 - Bilder 11:03 - In the Year of the Dragon 16:14 - Space Base 20:12 - Luck in Games 23:40 - Ct...

Multiplayer Solitaire doesn't have to be a bad thing! Sometimes we're just not always looking for high interaction, high conflict games, and that's okay . We break down some games with low interaction, and what makes them great. We also talk about Joraku , Impulse , and Wyatt Earp . 01:36 - Joraku 06:25 - Impulse 16:34 - Wyatt Earp 19:29 - BGB on Twitch! 21:18 - Low Interaction Games 28:32 - The G...

World Cup fever sweeps the podcast, as we consider the analogies between board gaming and sport. We also talk about Harvest , Caylus , Exit: The Game , and Trajan . 2:07 - Harvest 4:27 - Caylus 9:45 - Exit: The Game 13:39 - Trajan 14:48 - Board Games and Sport 19:45 - Balderdash 26:52 - Rising Sun 29:24 - Archipelago 33:24 - Care Bear Eurogame 36:22 - Diplomacy