Just Play

One of the greatest moments as a father in this hobby is getting your kids to play board games with you.  However, it's not always smooth sailing so joining JP is his son Josh where they talk about the games they like to play together and also what makes games great for kids. IN THIS EPISODE - In "Centre of the Table" JP & mini JP join forces to talk about the games they play to...

Poker nights have officially been stolen by DECKO which is a deck-building poker game designed by Haakon Gaarder of Gem Games.  Now a new expansion called the Pistachio expansion is being released so JP takes to the mic along with Haakon to talk all things DECKO. IN THIS EPISODE - Learn what has been hitting Haakon's & JP's table lately on some games played - We go through what DECKO...

The second part of JP's Essen adventures continues in Part Two where he gets to the business end and the hot releases of SPIEL. IN THIS EPISODE - JP takes us through Friday to Sunday in second and final part of the Essen SPIEL 2026 convention. - Core overviews on the following games including Kingdom Come Deliverance, Prague Unseen, Timespan, Electrify, Container, Small Batch, Mechs vs Minion...

Sometimes producing content is just too big to fit in one episode, so this time we've got two.  JP returns back from Essen SPIEL 2026 ready to share his experience of the convention, the games that where played and much much more. IN THIS EPISODE - JP takes us through Tuesday to Thursday in this first of two parts of the Essen SPIEL 2026 convention. - Core overviews on the following games inc...

The final day of Essen SPIEL has now drawn to a close and today has been a half day of halls, Diablo and finally a first play of Kingdom Come Deliverance. Get in touch with the show Support the show GET IN TOUCH Website - https://www.justplaypod.co.uk YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@JustPlayPodcast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JustPlayPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/justplaypod...

Saturday has been a long day with a late VLOG recorded for you guys, yep I know my duty :-).  With a late start to halls and the meet & play event there was still time to bust out a couple of games tonight. Get in touch with the show Support the show GET IN TOUCH Website - https://www.justplaypod.co.uk YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@JustPlayPodcast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JustP...

Day 2 of Essen SPIEL wraps up and we're half way through the show.  Come and check out the latest vlog to see what JP has been up to today. Get in touch with the show Support the show GET IN TOUCH Website - https://www.justplaypod.co.uk YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@JustPlayPodcast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JustPlayPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/justplaypod Discord -...

Now the first day of Essen SPIEL 2026 has been completed, so naturally JP want's to chat about the first day exploits.  The hauls, the carrying of heavy bags and will that bloody cold ever go away. Get in touch with the show Support the show GET IN TOUCH Website - https://www.justplaypod.co.uk YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@JustPlayPodcast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JustPlayPod I...

JP gets to the mic and recounts the travel day and Day 0 (Press Event) of Essen SPIEL 2026. Get in touch with the show Support the show GET IN TOUCH Website - https://www.justplaypod.co.uk YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@JustPlayPodcast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JustPlayPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/justplaypod Discord - Join us on Discord INTRO / OUTRO CREDITS Intro / Out...

When you've been playing boardgames for a while you'll inevitably have to answer this question "What's your favourite Lacerda?".  So to answer this question JP decides to try and rank the big box Lacerda games on Tiermaker, lets see what ends up where. IN THIS EPISODE - In "Centre of the Table" JP jumps on Tiermaker and ranks Lacerda games and highlights why each...

Did you know that Deckers was once a game called Renegade and originally it was themed around historical Anglo-Saxon times.  Well JP gets some time with Richard Wilkins (aka Ricky Royal) to talk about his experience in the hobby, his designs and of course the new Deckers expansion called Deckers: Duplicity being released at Essen SPIEL 2026. IN THIS EPISODE - Learn about Ricky's entry into th...

Essen SPIEL 2026 is nearly upon us and JP has pulled together his top 12 picks from the preview list.  IN THIS EPISODE - JP talks in the "Centre of the Table" about his 12 preview picks to check out for Essen SPIEL 2026 and why they've made the list which include Courtroom, -60 Below, Timespan, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Carpet Racers, Carl von Linne, Forestry: Growing Further, Hegem...

A listener once asked JP how he felt about asymmetry in board games and it sparked an idea to talk about it, what it means, how he feel about it and would he recommend it for new players. IN THIS EPISODE - We start now with the "Centre of the table" where JP dives into the topic of asymmetry and the variations of it in board games - JP has got more games to the table in "Just Played...

Ever since JP met Asaf at David Turczi's gaming retreat this year, he's made it his mission to get Asaf from EZBoardGames on the channel for a good old chat about board games and content creation. DISCLAIMER: It appears JP didn't sacrifice enough terrible boardgames to the lords of the internet so Asaf's video feed is quite laggy for those watching on video. IN THIS EPISODE - L...

When you struggle nail down a few peoples calendars to play games it's great to have some cracking solo card games to full back on to keep you gaming.  Today JP talks about his top 5 solo card games which are just absolute bangers. IN THIS EPISODE - In the "Just Played" segment JP focuses on two games not in his typically his type, first up Rolling Realms Redux by Stonemaier Games w...

It's reunion time again and this time Becky jumps on the show to bring some of that old Whose Turn Is It Anyway magic back again.  We talk about belonging at the board game table and put ourselves in the shoes of new gamers again, what are the pitfalls, what are the perils, what gateway games have worked for it.  Join us for a chat as it's about to get nostalgic. IN THIS EPISODE - JP int...

Sometimes great games just don't hit the mark for a variety of reasons and in this episode I pick eight genuinely good games that fall into that category. IN THIS EPISODE - In the "Just Played" segment JP travels back to 1760 England and tries to make his factory as efficient and profitable as possible in Arkwright: Anniversary Edition by Capstone Games and then travels to the futur...

Some games challenge your brain and some warm your heat, every now and then some games manage to do both.  We've got Benjie Talbott from Cosy Cub Games to talk about the meteoric rise of Tenby by Mighty Boards IN THIS EPISODE - Learn about Benjie's early gaming experiences and what he likes to play to unwind - Benjie provides his experience from taking a game design to have it literally...

What if your favourite game is actually playing you? In a homage to the fantastic TV series Black Mirror JP takes a look at board games that could well feature as an episode in that series.  Expect dark, expect adult themes and lets lean into the dystopia. IN THIS EPISODE - In the "Just Played" segment JP talks about his recent experience with Politik by Black Yeti Games after releasing...

It's time for something a little different.  JP is away on a work trip to Memphis in the US and joined by Rob formally from the Whose Turn Is It Anyway Podcast, so naturally it felt like a little reunion.  We've brought the mics and thought we share a little of our gaming experiences whilst we visited the "Home of the Blues". IN THIS EPISODE - JP introduces Rob for those who do...

Let's face it, we love this hobby it provides so many great things, the social interaction, the fun at the table, we wouldn't change it for the world.  However, there are some things about the hobby which make us question our life choices...buckle up we're about to dive into a few of them. IN THIS EPISODE - In the "Just Played" segment JP has now had a full game of Terrari...

There's something magical about railways, the routes, the stories and the people that built them.  Snowdonia Grand Tour from Naylor Games captures all of that and then dares to go bigger. IN THIS EPISODE - We meet Jaya Baldwin from Naylor Games and learn about what his favourite games are and what he's been playing lately. - You can learn more about Snowdonia Special Edition and the new...

We've all been there right, the game has been ordered, we're all excited and we start punching it all out on the table.  At some point this all needs organising and we're going to have to teach this game to real people who are now relying on you for a good evening of entertainment.  In this episode JP talks about his approach from acquisition to post game analysis. IN THIS EPISODE -...

Imagine a world where every decision sends a ripple, a literal echo that shapes the world... that's Echobound Adventures.  In this episode Chris & Isaias from Tempest Workshop pull back the curtain on their latest game being published by Open Owl Studios. IN THIS EPISODE - Learn about Chris & Isaias' favourite games and what they been playing recently - Understand more about the...

This week we don't have an audio episode for you although JP talks for 3 minutes to update on two key things: JUST A QUICK PLAY Politik Playthrough - On YouTube right now you can watch a 2-player game of Politik by Black Yeti Games which is coming out on Gamefound on the 30th June right here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OudozpVBLbw Politik Campaign Page - You can find the Gamefound campa...