Pick Up and Deliver

Brendan discusses his game plays in April, reports on his last top of the stack and reveals the new one, and does a 10 for 10 update. Games! Games! Games! Brendan’s Top of the Stack Geeklist Games mentioned (other than those below): Potion Explosion, Welcome to the Dungeon, Roll for the Galaxy, Race for the galaxy, Mythos Tales New to me games: Sagrada, Not Alone, Empires of the Void 2 Top of the...

Brendan brings to a close his discussion of rules writing and rulebooks, exploring a few different rule types and games that have them. Is your favorite rulebook in this list? Games mentioned: Queen games - Alhambra, Queen's Architect Rex Apocrypha: The Adventure Card Game Cromlech (our game) Dungeon Petz Join us to discuss this episode on BoardGameGeek guild 3269, listen below, or download the fi...

Brendan discusses the difficult process of making rulebooks work well and teach well. Part 1 - how to interpret comments about rulebooks.

Brendan continues his discussion of the difficulties of crafting a usable rulebook. In this episode he considers more closely the difference in what hard-core gamers and casual gamers want from rulebooks, and also the difference between the feedback you get from hard-core gamers and from casual gamers. Games mentioned: Arkham Horror: The Card Game, Anachrony, Olympus Have a comment about the episo...

In this episode, Brendan talks about the way that theme and mechanisms integrate. In particular, he asks how the two go together in weird or unusual games.  Post your thoughts on our Board Game Geek guild ( https://boardgamegeek.com/guild/3269 ).

Brendan provides his “hot take” on Sagrada, and then talks a bit about Area Control as a game mechanism.

Brendan shares a bit about the podcasts he listens to keep himself in the loop in the hobby.

In this episode, Brendan reflects on the nature of creativity and remix in the boardgame design sphere, and the games Insider and Werewords.

Brendan continues his discussion of the idea of free riders and how they appear in games.  He ponders the fact that games allow for a different moral or ethical code to come into play, and wonders if that alternate code makes free-riding something very difficult to include in a design.

In this first of two part episodes, Brendan talks about the "free-rider" economic model and the nature of freemium programs, donor programs, and the relationship of content to cost.  In episode two, he'll talk about how the free-rider model can (or does) function in board games.

Brendan discusses games he has that have elaborate components and what effect those components have on the experience of playing them. 

Brendan shares his system for managing and tracking his gameplays, and introduces a new monthly segment, Top of the Stack. (Nod to Podcast of Nonsensical Gamers for their creation of this segment.)

Brendan shares his thoughts about what makes a game "burn your brain" and which games like that are his favorite ones.

Brendan discusses the Annie Jacobsen book, Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America. He reflects on how games can simulate the murky morality of this kind of activity, and whether that can be fun in a game.

Brendan discusses his gaming experiences at an academic conference last week. Not a deep episode, but a nice chat with a pal while out on a walk. Also, Brendan's "secret" to winning 7 Wonders.

In this episode, Brendan tells stories of five times his game experiences went wrong. A little bit of humor and a little bit of reflection help him recall these stories and discuss what can be learned from them.

Brendan discusses another designer he enjoys who holds a prominent place in his collection. Today, it's Antoine Bauza.

Brendan is preparing for an academic conference and thinking about what games he’ll bring to game night. What games would you bring for a group of academics who may or may not have played any hobby board games?

Brendan tries a new format we’re calling “Shootin’ from the Hip” in which he discusses a game in depth after having only played it one time. This episode’s game is Twilight Imperium – Rex: The Final Days of an Empire.

Brendan discusses the different kinds of reasoning games demand of us, and spends a bit of time thinking about the concept of deductive and inductive reasoning.

Brendan continues his "Top Designers in My Collection" series, exploring Martin Wallace.

Brendan has volunteered to serve as a guide for some newbies coming into the hobby. He reflects on the upcoming task.

Brendan offers some insights from this weekend of playing the deck-building game Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle.

In this episode, Brendan explores the notion of value as we hold it in regards to games we own, houses we own, and in-game items we own.

Springing from a conversation on Board Game Geek about how to get your partner to play more games, Brendan talks about gaming with your partner, whether they want to game or not.