The Discussion Phase

Convention season is finally upon us and we are looking forward to all the new releases. This week on the Discussion Phase we highlight some of our most anticipated new titles from GenCon. We also review plays of Twilight Inscription, Search for Planet X, and LOTR Risk. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekg...

The time has finally come, the "Good Doctor" is here. This week's designer diaries has long been in the works, and we are excited to highlight one of, if not the, most prolific board game designers in the industry with over 600 titles to his name. We also review recent plays of Tikal and Imperium: The Contention. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! h...

It's not always about how you start, it's about how you finish. How a game ends can make or break your experience. This week on the Discussion Phase we examine a recent play of Kemet: Blood and Sand and discuss what makes a great end game state; which games do it well and which ones don't. We review recent plays of Lands of Galzyr, Mombasa, and Critters At War 2v2. We also continue our...

The tournament scene has been heating up lately as several of us had a chance to compete for a spot at the national tournament for A Song of Ice and Fire Miniatures game. Did we make it? We look at other traditional board games that we would be excited to see have an official tournament for them. We review the latest deck-building dueling game in For Glory, as well as review a classic in Samurai....

Ladies and gentlemen it's finally time to toss a coin to your Witcher. It's been years in the waiting, and the much anticipated adventure RPG game set in the world of the Witcher has finally arrived. Will it live up to the hype? In recent news, our corporate overlords have recently opened the doors to AI with ChatGPT, so we decided to figure out just how much it knows about board games and...

We're back this week with another Designer Diaries with yours truly, Simone Luciani. Luciani was our most represented designer from our previous Top 50 Games list, so thought it would be fitting to highlight him this week. We finally got one of most anticipated games from our self-of-shame played, Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles, but did it live up to the hype? Make sure to join us on Discor...

Part of growing up is realizing that you won't be able to do everything in life. Likewise we have to come to the realization that with our ever growing pile of unplayed board games, that probably not all of them are going to be played. This week on The Discussion Phase we tackle a board gamer's hardest question, which of our unplayed games need to stay and which ones need to go. We also re...

Sometimes someone comes into your life and changes things forever. Just like a sappy Hallmark card, Guards of Atlantis II has come in and left quite the impression. This week on the Discussion Phase we take a deeper look at GOA II with our review of the game. We also breakdown the latest crowdfunding controversy with Mythic Games, as well as review of recent plays of Council of 4 and Dune: Immorta...

This week on the Discussion Phase we are jumping into our Deloreans and visiting our younger selfs to give some games we would have enjoyed and appreciated back then. We also dive into a review of the recently delivered new title from Simone Luciani, Darwin's Journey. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://gee...

Our fancy pinkies are out and we're ready to spill some tea! This week on The Discussion Phase we are talking about board game etiquette, having fun calling ourselves and each other out. We review recent plays, discuss 40k hype, and highlight a hidden gem in Wink. We continue our alphabet draft of the best games from letters I through L, as well as check in on the status of BGG's March Mad...

Don't worry we're not talking about the classic war game this week. This week on The Discussion Phase we compare the highs and lows of games for both the quality of their gameplay and production on a grid, to find which ones stand out above the rest. We also review recent plays of Revive, Ra, and look to see which games have advanced in BGG's March Madness for board games. We continue...

While the rest of the world is tuned in to see who the greatest college basketball team is, we're looking at the heavy weights of board games to see which one will rise to the top. This past month kicked off the 20th Annual Geek Madness Tournament, and we're here to give our picks and thoughts on the results so far. We review recent plays of Ruination and Hansa Teutonica, as well as news o...

We've finally made it, Episode 100 is finally here! In celebration of how far we've made it, we thought it would be fitting to take a look back on where we've come in our gaming journey and how are preferences in games have changed over the years.  Frosthaven has finally made it to our game table and we share our thoughts on initial gameplay. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the...

If you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, what unique faction or power are you choosing in your favorite board games? This week on the Discussion Phase we're examining our player identities and what it is about certain asymmetrical abilities in games that always seem to be the ones we gravitate towards. We review recent plays of Dwellings of Eldervale and Empires...

All too often we can fall into the trap of thinking more in games means better, more content means quality, and miniatures equals fun. What happens when everything meant to make the game better actually makes it harder to get played? This week on the Discussion Phase we have been impressed by the ability of the recent released game Terra Nova and it's ability to take one of the heaviest games in T...

2022 is officially a wrap and we're looking forward to everything 2023 has to offer for board gaming. This week on the Discussion Phase we look back at some of our favorite gaming moments for the year as well as make personal goals for 2023 and look at the games we are most anticipating. We also review recent plays of Orichalcum, The Gallerist, and Vindication. Make sure to join us on Discord and...

It's finally here, the moment we've been waiting for all year, the definitive Top 10 Board Games of All Time. There will surprise and disappointment as we find out which games have fallen from the ranks, which games have soared to the top, and which games are standing the test of time.  Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us, and let us know what your top 10 game...

We've officially made it through the holidays, which means teaching and playing new games with the family. This week we recap our holiday board game hits and misses. We also make our way through games 20-11 of our Top 50 Games of All Time. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collec...

We're officially half way through our Top 50 Games of All Time with games (30-21). The battle report is in on our first A Song of Ice and Fire Miniatures Game tournament, and we share our initial thoughts on a reimplemented classic in War of the Ring: The Card Game. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup...

We're keeping the party alive with the next ten games (40-31) of our Top 50 Games of All Time, and the debates are bigger than ever! We also review our recent plays of First Rat, Cloudspire, and the much anticipated release from Cole Wehrle in John Company: 2nd Edition. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekg...

We're excited to bring a you special episode this week; an exclusive interview with the team behind Sol: Last Days of a Star. We had the opportunity to demo this game at Pax: Unplugged and it is now live on Kickstarter for everyone to get a copy. We discuss what makes Sol stand out among modern space games and some unique mechanics that have us wanting to bring back to the table again and again. M...

It’s officially the most wonderful time of the year, full of new games and we’re back with the Discussion Phase’s Top 50 Games of All Time. We look back at Pax Unplugged ’22 and review some new games including The Great Zimbabwe, Imperium: The Contention, My Lil’ Everdell, and much more. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group...

We're closing in on the end of the year, but we still have one more board game convention left, PAX Unplugged. This week on the Discussion Phase we are gearing up and preparing for a weekend in Philadelphia as we look at some of our most anticipated games to check out at PAX. We also review some recent plays of Path of Light and Shadow, Underwater Cities, Paris, and Brass: Lancashire; as well as r...

With the holidays coming soon, and gift giving commencing, the age-old question begins, "What board games should I buy for someone?" This week on the Discussion Phase we serve as your board game consultants, and help you come of up with some creative solutions for tricky people to buy games for. We review the newest title from Garphill Games and Shem Phillips, Wayfarers of the South Tigris, and ho...

That's right, we're dropping all the juicy details and talking about our exes, specifically all four of them. This week on the Discussion Phase it's all about 4X games; the good, the bad, and which ones stand out above the rest. We review the recent KS and GenCon release of Northgard: Uncharted Lands; a streamlined 4X game, and how it succeeds at making the 4X experience more accessible. Make sure...