Board Game Hot Takes

In Episode 33 we discuss our top five games that are great for introducing people into the board game hobby. We also offer a Double Take review on Terraforming Mars and give our thoughts on how it has held up since our original review back in episode 1.

In Episode 32 we talk about board game reviews and what works and doesn't work with our unique format of looking at games and then we then list our Top 5 Board Game Reviewers and why we love them. We also offer a Double Take review on Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy and give our thoughts on how it has held up since our original review back in episode 12. Timestamp: 00:00 Introduction 00:57 Dis...

In Episode 31 we provide our hot take review of Rajas of the Ganges covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game. We also discuss some recent plays including Quacks of Quedlinburg, look at what's included in the recent expansion for Parks: Nightfall, and discuss Stellaris: Infinite Legacy which leads to the discussion of Kickstarters that...

In Episode 30 we talk to James Wilson, the designer of Everdell, about the new expansions for the game: Newleaf and Mistwood.  We talk to him about pitching board games to publishers, his process for expansion design, and much more.  James also shares some details of lost Everdell expansions that will never get published. Tim, Adam, and Chris also talk about our top 5 art in board games....

In Episode 29 we provide our hot take review of Red Rising covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game. We also discuss some drama around the Terraforming Mars: Big Box Kickstarter and question whether we should have held out for the Ares Expedition instead. 00:00 Introduction 00:41 Listener Shout-out 01:22 Red Rising Description 02:55 Ga...

In Episode 28 we provide our hot take review of Beyond the Sun covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game. We also discuss some board games that we've been playing or are looking forward to including Jet Set, Whistle Stop, Red Rising, and CoraQuest:  00:00 Introduction 00:45 Listener Shout-out 01:45 Beyond the Sun Description 02:52...

In Episode 27 we provide our hot take review of Everdell covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game. We also provide a brief comparison of each of the Everdell expansions and recommend our favorite. We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Imperium: The Contention and Cryo. 00:0...

In Episode 26 we talk to Jamey Stegmaier and Alex Schmidt, the designers of Red Rising, about their new game, blending theme and mechanisms, intellectual property, foil cards and failed designs.  Tim, Adam, and Chris also talk about what makes games fun for us.  Each of us covers 4 characteristics that create fun in games and give several examples of games that bring the fun through each...

In Episode 25 we provide our hot take review of Trekking the World covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game. We also have a detailed conversation on the new mechanisms added in the latest expansion for Wingspan: Oceania.   We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Imperium...

In Episode 24 we provide our hot take review of Godspeed covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.   We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Dune: Imperium, Ultimate Railroads, Canvas, and Beyond the Sun.

In Episode 23 we provide our hot take review on a couple of 2-player only games: Curious Cargo and Star Realms. We discuss the gameplay and mechanisms, the production, favorite moments in play, and our final thoughts. 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Curious Cargo 23:25 Star Realms

In Episode 22 we talk about our board game highs and lows of 2020.  We discuss gaming in 2020, our highlights of the podcast so far, and give out our awards for the best games (we've played) of 2020 as well as the best games that were new to us in 2020. We also provide some details about what's coming for the podcast and how you can enter to win a copy of Frosthaven (spoiler - it's really eas...

In Episode 21 we provide our hot take review of Dwellings of Eldervale covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Anachrony, Pendulum, Parks: Nightfall Expansion, Fossilis, and Slay the Spire: The Board Game.

In Episode 20 we provide our hot take review of Dune: Imperium covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Trekking the National Parks and Under Falling Skies.

In Episode 19 we provide our hot take review of Viticulture covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Dune: Imperium and It's a Wonderful World.

Happy Holidays!  Tim, Adam, Chris, and Jen share the top 5 games we want to play, but just haven't had the chance to. We count down the games on our wish list and talk about why we want to play them and why we haven't taken the dive... yet. If you regularly listen to our podcast for the deep dive reviews these lists will give you a good idea of what you might expect to see covered over the co...

In Episode 17 we provide our hot take reviews of Tungaru covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including High Frontier 4 All and the first expansion to Space Base - The Emergence of Shy Pluto.

In Episode 16 we provide our hot take reviews of Herbaceous and Rajas of the Ganges: The Dice Charmers covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.

In Episode 15 we provide our hot take review of Capital Lux 2: Generations covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including High Frontier 4 All, Tungaru, and Dwellings of Eldervale.

In Episode 14 we provide our hot take review of Whistle Mountain covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Whistle Stop, The Crew: Deep Sea Missions, and The Expanse Board Game.

In Episode 13 we provide our hot take review of Underwater Cities covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Whistle Mountain, Marvel United, and Beyond the Sun.

In Episode 12 we provide our hot take review of Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Twisted Fables, Dune: Imperium, and Dwellings of Eldervale.

In Episode 11 we provide our hot take review of The Castles of Burgundy covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Lost Ruins of Arnak, The Artemis Project, Tapestry, and Sweet Mess.

In Episode 10 we provide our hot take review of Tapestry covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also interview Gary Dworetsky, the designer of the upcoming game Imperium: The Contention.

In Episode 9 we provide our hot take review of Blood Rage covering the mechanisms, the production, exciting moments in play, and our overall feelings of the game.  We also discuss some things we're looking forward to this week in the world of board games including Trekking the National Parks, Trekking the World, Super-skill pinball 4-cade, and Magic: The Gathering.