Shelf Stable: A Board Game Podcast

Not like that! We got another one. What is it with kids these days chowing down on Azul pieces? When we said crunch, we meant the brain ya dingus! Use your noggin and crunch what we're spitting, metaphorically. And please, don't make us have to call another ambulance. Castle Pandemic has enough patients as it is.   Games we played: 2:51 - The Estates (2018, Klaus Zoch, Capstone) 7:40 - Cat in the...

December 31, 2026. Tom has the build of that one doge meme. Regular body. Swollen, muscular arms. Kenny qualifies every board game comment by stating the number of plays and that he needs to play it more. Neither has purchased a game in two years. They don't even play board games anymore. They just talk about gooning to Twilight Imperium videos.   Games we played: 4:15 - Twilight Imperium Fourth E...

It feels good to move these old bones. Let us rejoice by consuming and expelling media in the only way we know how: listicles. Listicles everywhere. Spilling the final blood of a year that we are ready to kick into the past like a horse that does not wish to be ridden.   Year In Review v25 7:22 - Top games we played 18:35 - Bottom games we played 22:08 - Unexpected and got rid of 32:25 - Lookback...

*Give or take the games we mentioned before the main topic. As Tom begins to close in on Kenny's position, a wild Eize Basa of Twitter (RIP) and now Bluesky fame (https://bsky.app/profile/eizebasa.baby) appears and distracts Tom with a fantastic list of games that every family is sure to enjoy during their holiday gatherings. No need for family arguments when you've got board games to play!   Game...

This week, Taylor Allen of Shelf Stable canon fame helps Tom Bowers continue the quest to find Kenny after his mysterious disappearance. Will they manage to get away from complaining about Quacks and Final Girl long enough to find any solid clues? Or will they instead alienate their audience with discussions about Magic the Gathering and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? The only way to know is to tune in...

This week, Tom Brewster of Shut Up and Sit Down helps Tom Bowers take over the show in Kenny's unprecedented and unexpected absence. Will Tom and Tom manage to solve the mystery of Kenny's disappearance? Or will they simply yap about board games for nearly two hours and uncover the forbidden secrets of how to break into every Zoomer's dream career: becoming a YouTube celebrity? There's only one wa...

Bringing back all the classics in this one. Hope you're not a new listener because there will be a lot of unexplained mysteries. You know what? It still might be funny even without context. That's how good we are. I don't know... maybe I'm getting full of myself. Oh no. Am I getting full of myself? Please, somebody humble me quick! I'm not worthy...   Games we played: 4:22 - Belle of the Ball (201...

It's the year 2035. A retired Jim Carrey and Christopher Walken emerge from their stasis e-pods for one more film. A film to put all others to shame. Characteristics of Games: a Garfield Movie. The story of a little boy who was most definitely a villager even though nobody believed him.   Games we played: 2:50 - The King is Dead (2020 og2015, Peer Sylvester, Osprey) 7:35 - MTG Jumpstart (2020 og 1...

Why so serious? Bou-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ki-ki ki-ki hee-hee hee-hee. This beatbox really makes you feel like Joker and that's why it's powerful.   Bibliography: If Joker could beat box https://youtu.be/qrAXRSBv-co?si=TuSR14tPoEhoP1b- Makes you feel like Spider-Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1SpVYmcTGM It's about family https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAoa-Ss6zS0   Games we played: 4:01 - Rhein...

Somehow, Monopoly DEAL returned... I don't know how it keeps worming its way in. The game is like a mind virus. Not too surprising given that Monopoly DEAL is the epitome of a trick-taker.   2:49 - Intro: Daniel Newman 8:34 - We Have to Know! How pharmaceuticals get their names https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2025/07/decoder-ring-explores-the-mysteries-of-the-universe-and-your-medicine-cab...

It's the year 2035. All games have been through a meta-battle royale, and the only game remaining is Pokemon GO. Run into incoming traffic to make sure you stay in the circle. Remember kids, if you die in the game, you die in real life.   Games we played: 2:29 - The Great Dalmuti (1995, Richard Garfield, AMIGO) 6:02 - Pentago (2005, Tomas Flodén, MindTwister USA) 16:37 - Legendary A Marvel Deck Bu...

Brace yourself. It's not like we typically make much sense anyway, but this one is around 60% words that are not present in any language. If you've been curious about trying out City of Six Moons, might I recommend listening to the second half of this episode as a sort of audiobook primer?   The worst volume slider uxdesign.cc/the-worst-volume-control-ui-in-the-world-60713dc86950?gi=c7b969c245cd A...

Yogurt is fully stocked ZAW sales are through the roof Gougar is on your tail The bear is going "Pooh!" ~ Run the Jewels   6:50 - Intro: Emily Roser 11:45 - We Have to Know! Kingdom Hearts question https://www.reddit.com/r/KingdomHearts/comments/onuvx9/can_you_have_a_nobody_of_a_nobody   Games we played: 17:41 - ZAW (2020, Andrew Larkin, Self-Published) https://www.facebook.com/ZAWGame   Topic: 25...

Thank goodness, they finally came up with THE definitive guide to how to do everything. Is this what the whole Hitchhiker's Guide 42 thing was all about? Was it cones... cones everywhere? Maybe kiki? Maybe bouba? Please Dick, hang in there, we're sending you good vibes. Let me know if you have any questions about Through the Ages. I know it can be a bear to learn and I'm not convinced that the ste...

Let's get that stank off of these games. Somebody has been duking it up in here and we know SDJ will not settle for a stinky title. This week is all about stank and how to remove it from otherwise good games.   Games we played: 4:30 - Ginkgopolis (2012, Xavier Georges, Pearl) 11:33 - Automania (2015, Kenneth Minde & Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games) 17:59 - Age of Steam (2002, John Bohrer & M...

Somebody thought it was a good idea to put "board games" in the title for this week's episode when we talk about literally everything but board games. I hope you like the movie Groundhog Day because the main topic is the long awaited sequel where two Bill Murrays argue about stealing a copy of Yokai Septet.   Games we played: 4:17 - Yokai Septet (2018 og2015, Muneyuki Yokouchi, Ninja Star) 9:27 -...

If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask you for a niche board game. When you give him the board game, he'll ask for deluxe components. When you make him the components, he'll ask where the stretch goals are. When you invent some stretch goals, he'll tell you that this platform has gotten out of hand. And then he'll be thirsty from all his yapping so he'll ask for a glass of milk. And chanc...

New from LocalThunk, comes a game like no other: YukMaker. Navigate through seven intense rounds of piecing together bits to raise your clout-level. Engage in memefarming to max out your riz mult all while avoiding deadly cringe.   Games we played: 7:34 - Igloo Pop (2003, Heinz Meister & Klaus Zoch, Rio Grande) 11:12 - Aeon's End (2016, Jenny Iglesias & Nick Little & Kevin Riley, Indie Board and C...

You heard it here first folks: Paula most definitely eats strawberries whole. Stem and all. It's a way to compensate for her shellfish allergy. Also, Dogman isn't real.   3:29 - Intro: Paula Deming 6:59 - We Have to Know!   Games we played: 15:16 - Las Vegas (2012, Rüdiger Dorn, alea) Editorial note - in post, I discovered that the "Royale" joke was not my own but subconsciously stolen from Mark B...

Cast your worldly possessions and burn those games. It's eco friendly and nobody would benefit from them anyway. Not even the buffalo that stares you down at the crossroad between life and death.   Games we played: 5:07 - 1830 Railways & Robber Barons (1986, Francis Tresham & Bruce Shelley, Mayfair) 9:30 - Koi Koi (1800, Uncredited, Nintendo) 13:27 - World's Fair 1893 (2016, J. Alex Kevern, Renega...

There's a new sheriff in town that is laying down the law. They have a game overview in their holster and reference sheet plastered on their butt. They're wearing underpants made of an appendix and a hat made out of examples and illustrations. Yee-haw! You've made your last misplay Ironhide.   Games we played: 2:12 - Stay Cool (2019, Julien Sentis, Scorpion Masqué) 5:22 - Linko (2014, Wolfgang Kra...

What up my jellies! We got a paku-spicy episode for paku-you this paku-week! Enjoy cleaning the ticks out of your paku-drinking water! Jelly masters signing off! Richard Garfield, take us to the mooooon!   Scatman cursed remix https://youtu.be/5rCC25N66Dg?feature=shared   Games we played: 6:02 - Paku Paku (2017, Antoine Bauza, Ravensburger) 10:36 - Barrage (2019, Tommaso Battista & Simone Luciani,...

Remember the time Mr. Kellogg put a bag on his head to stop the nut from happening? Neither do we. This week we are joined by Ray Billings, digital content specialist at The OP.   1:44 - Intro: Ray Billings   7:32 - Update on CGE and Devir Marceline post on CGE update https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/marcelineleiman.bsky.social/post/3lvw5kexn5c2w Ace of Spades images and thread https://boardgamege...

So Tom kinda just willed Daybreak into Shelf Stable legality and I don't know how I feel about that. On one hand it's an excellent game, but on the other it sets a dangerous precedent a la Beetlejuice. He can just say something enough times and it materializes like some kind of antithetical podcast ghost. I'm going to have to go back to the lab for this one and figure out how to handle future mani...

Do you ever get the feeling that we're just living in one big simulation? Like we might just be pawns in a big Game of Life, and we're just being played by hyper-dimensional beings who are complaining about how badly the host taught them the rules? No? Well, you should probably listen to a different episode, then. This week we're crowdsourcing our content to bring you the best and most mind-bendin...