The Spiel - MP3 Version

A round table discussion exploring the different ways the game world is evolving as more women work and play in the world of games. Panelists: Lea Culliton (HABA USA), Brittanie Boe (Game Wire), Tanya Thompson (Marbles), Donna Jaffe (Peaceable Kingdom).

A round table discussion on the challenge of designing games for kids. Our panel features Markus Nikisch (HABA), Brandan Parsons (Blue Orange), Josh West (ThinkFun) and Bernie DeKoven (Major Fun).

Karuba is an island with hidden treasures. Your goal is to lead a team through the jungle along the smartest route to riches. Deceptively simple, Karuba uses a bingo-like system to offer players a wonderful strategic puzzle for players young and old.

A review of Paradox written by Stephen Conway. Inspired by Match-3 games like Bejeweled, Paradox asks players to manipulate a grid of colorful discs to gather resources and save the past present and future of 15 different worlds.

Deep Sea Adventure is a wonderfully simple press your luck dice game from Japan with a devilishly fun twist: when you press your luck, you press EVERYONE'S luck! If too many divers get greedy, no one may make it back to the boat.

Nitro Glyxerol is a chemical mixing dexterity game. Shake and slide colored cubes through a maze as fast as you can. But be careful! Precision is as important as speed in this game. And beware the dreaded mouse poop cube. It could get in the way!

A review of Too Many Cinderellas written by Stephen Conway. Convince the Prince to marry a Cinderella of your choosing by manipulating a deceptively simple logic puzzle. Who says logic games have to be dry and boring? They can be whimsical and fun.

If Quantum Leap was a board game, it would be TIME Stories. Your team is thrown back in time to prevent damage to the timeline. It's a co-op story driven puzzle solving game - a cardboard console - each deck a cartridge you plug in for new kinds of fun.

Favor of the Pharaoh is a recipe filling roll-and-keep dice game. Start as a peasant and rise through Egyptian society by rolling increasingly difficult combinations. Tune in to learn why this game deserves BOTH the Major Fun and Spiel of Approval awards!

A review of Dr. Eureka written by Stephen Conway. Mix the right molecules in three test tubes to create formulas as fast as you can. A clever combo of speed and caution that make it Major Fun!

In Mombasa, players invest in chartered companies, forerunners of modern corporations. An elegant system of card play is used to explore the impact of 4 companies expanding across Africa. A deep subject & a challenging game worthy of our Spiel of Approval

In New York 1901, you try to build the greatest skyscrapers in Manhattan. More brainy than zany, this tile laying game game allows players to shape the city from a deceptively simple series of choices. Tune in to learn why New York 1901 is Major Fun!

A review of Ascension: Dreamscape written by Stephen Conway. Battle cosmic forces by building a deck of cards filled with powerful heroes and machines from otherworldly realms. Read on to discover why Dreamscape has earned the Spiel of Approval award.

Red alert! Dozens of bombs are planted across the decks of your ship. Can your team defuse them before time runs out? Fuse is a 10 minute cooperative dice game. It's easy to learn, hard to win & amazingly addictive. That's a winning recipe for Major Fun!

Get Together. Get the Loot. Get Out. Burgle Brothers is a cooperative heist game that is clearly inspired by the movies and built around teamwork. Tune in to find out why it deserves the Spiel of Approval award.

A review of Strike written by Stephen Conway. Strike is a game that takes something as simple as gravity and turns it into an enjoyable, compelling and addictive experience for players of all ages.

In 7 Wonders: Duel, players compete to build ancient civilizations over 3 ages. The game owes a debt to its wildly successful card drafting cousin but is filled with unique challenges & strategies. Tune in to learn why it deserves The Spiel of Approval!

Pingo Pingo is a wacky game driven by a 15 min. soundtrack. Using a deck of cards and your trusty dart gun, you must face traps, cross rope bridges, avoid polar bears and hordes of space penguins to collect the most treasure & escape before time runs out.

New year, new format. The Spiel and Major Fun have joined forces! We'll be reviewing games over the course of a season and bestowing each one with a Major Fun or Spiel of Approval award. We'll also be producing roundtable interviews at GenCon and Essen.

Meat sticks and mickey fickeys. We are joined by a cavalcade of friends from around the world to celebrate the season with conversations filled with games, laughter and lots of geeky goodness.

You just have to tray. This grab-bag episode features a review of The Bloody Inn, a card game with a deliciously dark and twisted theme, plus two live segments recorded with Spielers at BGG Con in Dallas and our 2015 holiday game gift guide.

The road goes ever on and on. We talk about three trips: one physical - a travelogue of our recent trip to Essen, one fictional - a review of Lord of the Rings: Journey to Mordor, and one psychological - a review of ...and then we held hands.

Seeing the red Amigo logo on a game means easy to learn, fresh gameplay and, most important, fun. Editors Uwe & Christian join us to chat about several titles that embrace this philosophy: Elfenland Deluxe, Gipfelsturmer, Roman Poker & Portal of Molthar.

Lautapelit founder Toni Niittymäki chats about how his Finnish company started as a Nordic game distributor & evolved into a publisher. Designer Heikki Harju discusses Lautapelit's newest game M.U.L.E., a board game based on the classic computer game.

German publisher HUCH & friends offers a wide variety of games in its catalog from silly games for kids to games with strategy and depth for older players. Tina Landwehr chats about Flying Kiwis, Gum Gum Machine, Tornado Ellie, Pronto & Think Str8.