Meeple, Myself, and I

It's been a bit since I've done an episode! But I don't want that time to keep stretching out, even when I'm out of town. So I put together a short little episode here on the 2022 horror film "Smile" - a movie that, I think, wants to say lots about mental health and trauma. SPOILERS AHOY for "Smile" Like the whole plot! (Also, a reference to one specific event in "Hereditary" as well.) We'll get b...

As everyone expected, I'm back covering another... 8 games on the list. Definitely, all I talk about in this episode is games, and not deeply personal stuff like depression and anxiety.

Introducing a new kind of episode to the podcast! "Call and Response" episodes will feature essays by content creators, publishers, designers, and others around the industry, and then I'll intrude and offer my unsolicited thoughts about their carefully crafted thoughts! This episode features Nick Murray of Bitewing Games. What does a traditionally social gamer do when confronted with the prospect...

Is this... anything? Should I do more of this? Do let me know!

Five more games! Five really good games! Does anyone read these! Is this an exercise in futility! Someone help me!

Getting back in that every-other-week-posting groove! In this episode, I slow down and just look at five in this episode: #s 40-36. I don't own most of these games any more, sadly, but I do playthroughs of almost all of them and reflect on what makes these five games great for me (and why they might/might not be a good fit for you!).  

It's been a hot minute since the last full episode -- thanks to y'all for your patience. I'm excited to be back in the saddle. For this episode, I compare one new-to-me game (The Isle of Cats) to #s 49-41 on my Top 100 Solo Reviewed Games. We are getting into some REALLY good games now, everyone! Maybe not a good podcast, maybe not good reviews... but... the GAMES. THEY ARE GOOD!

It's been a bit since I've put an episode out. This episode isn't really about board games; it's more about me, the reviewer, and a significant (and painful) event in my life. So this really just serves as an apology for a lack of recent content, an attempt at catharsis, and a personal exploration of the space (or lack thereof) in between "reviewer" and "person."

With the Clockwork Expansion 2 coming out, I thought that it'd be a great time to take a look at my old review of Root (and the first Clockwork Expansion). With both of these expansions out, solo players can now go against EIGHT automated factions in Root, making for a truly delightful experience. We'll hear more about Root later on in my Top 10 solo games (spoilers? SPOILERS!), but this is a game...

We're back on track with the next 14 games in my top 100 solo games that I've reviewed! We are getting into some really solid games here, folks. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

We take a short break from the Top 100 solo games I've reviewed for something a bit different. In honor of a weekend full of board games with friends, I'm taking a quick break from exclusively looking at solo games and talk about some great multiplayer competitive games. I do spend some time thinking about the settings of multiplayer and solo games and how they fit into my life, but... it's a bit...

This episode review features a giveaway! I'm partnering with Stone Valley Games to give a copy of Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition to one listener of this podcast. Check out this link to enter to win! (NOTE: I'm a big dummy and this giveaway has already concluded. The Patreon giveaway will still take place at the end of this month, though!)

Onto the next batch of games in my Top 100! These games are... uh... y'know... they're... they're fine. In this episode, I look at another 20-ish games and spend some time thinking about what makes them Just Fine. I also reflect on some personal struggles I've had while reviewing games over the last five years - I hope you like auditory interpretations of what anxiety feels like to me, because the...

A short review of a short game! In this episode, I give some thoughts on the roguelike solo card/dice game Mini Rogue , a game that has gotten quite a bit of buzz in the solo community. The most obvious comparison, to me, is between it and One Deck Dungeon. And hey! I've done a written review of ODD! See my review of that excellent little game here ! (Here's to hoping I don't sound too funky in th...

Over the last five years, I've reviewed 100 games. This episode kicks off a big ol' series/retrospective on all of the games I've ever reviewed. And... you have to start somewhere, so we'll go through the bottom of that list in this episode! The 15 games discussed in this episode are listed alphabetically and are all listed as "Tied, #86" - there are good lessons from these Swings and Misses, but...

Happy 2022! In this shorter, unscripted episode, I talk about the fascinating cooperative/solo game called Regicide. It uses just a 52-card deck and builds up a really solid filler cooperative game, building up a whole lot out of not very much at all. The best thing about this game: you can find the rules here , so if you have a standard deck of cards, you can go try the game out for yourself to s...

First things first: if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you should call this number if you're in the US: 800-273-8255   You're worth getting the help you need.   ~~~   The first half of this episode is on the cop-zombie-b-movie-co-op-game-thing called Hard City. It's a game I genuinely didn't know much about before getting my hands on a review copy, and... it's mostly...

Hi there! Regular episodes of the show are fully scripted and might use review copies of games, but I'm not officially affiliated with those games in any way. That's not the case for this review/preview episode - in this super-short, unscripted episode, I'll be talking about Lands of Galzyr, an adventure game on Gamefound taking late pledges at the time of this posting. If you check out the rulebo...

Episode 4 is here! And guess what? There are EVEN MORE VOCAL EFFECTS! The first half of the episode is a review of the solo-friendly, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic wargame For What Remains. In the second half of the episode, I continue my epistolic series with The Concept of Roll and Writes as we consider Troyes Dice, Super Skill Pinball: 4-Cade, and Rome and Roll. Timestamps below! Intro: 0:00 Thanks,...

Things are getting weird in this episode, folks. Buckle up, and my apologies. I spend the first half of the episode talking about the radically asymmetric economic game Merchants Cove, and I "talk" to the concept of Roll and Writes through a series of letters in the second half of the episode. Hadrian's Wall and Cartographers anchor that second-half discussion. Oh! Also! I have a Patreon now! Plea...

Finally! A second episode! I focus on two games in this episode: Oath and Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. Particularly, I talk about Oath's quirkiness and Jaws of the Lion's appeal to me as a solo gamer (and how that appeal gives and takes). Oh! Also! I'm giving away a free Kickstarter copy of Oath! Check out the end of the episode to get more info on that. Intro: 0:00 Thanks, Stone Valley Games!: 2...

Anyone who's read any of my reviews  will know that brevity is not my strong suit. So let's see if we can keep it short here, somehow. In this inaugural episode of Meeple, Myself, and I, I quickly introduce myself and the general aim of the podcast, explain how the structure of the show will go, and then talk about some solo board games! Weird Intro: 0:01 Actual, Proper Intro: 0:53 Thanks, Stone V...