The Spiel - MP3 Version

The Big Red Pawn. Which game is worthy to be called Game of the Year (Spiel des Jahres)? We review Camel Up, Splendor and Concept and try to predict the winner.

You know? For kids! We play and review the three nominees for the best Kids Game of the Year (the Kinderspiel des Jahres) and then try to predict the winner.

Set phasers to fun. We review Quantum and Star Realms, two epic space battle games that don't require an epic amount of time to play. You can blow up your friends (or the galaxy) and be home in time for dinner.

Period piece. We review Rococo, a board game where players take on the role of 18th century tailors, making elaborate dresses for a Grand Ball. Manage the party and your talent will be the talk of the town when the fireworks above the palace begin.

PB & play! We review Splendor and Buccaneer Bones, two games that pack a lot of fun into a few minutes. Whether you're mining gems or finding buried treasure, there's plenty of time to enjoy these games while you snarf down a midday meal.

Puppet masters. We review Legacy and CV. Each game allows a player to shape the course of a modern life or a 17th century family through meaningful, sometimes gut-wrenching, decisions.

Hip to be square. We review Amerigo and Ka-Boom, two games that use simple wooden cubes in very creative but very different ways. Amerigo has a cube tower that randomizes actions. Ka-Boom has cube catapults players use to knock down opponent's towers.

Left foot, peg foot, traveling on. We review Freedom: The Underground Railroad, a co-operative game where players take on the roles of brave Abolitionists tasked with the goal of ending slavery in the United States.

Title Hunt Puzzle by David Coleson. Each row of this puzzle is missing one letter (A-Z). Find the right letter and the title of a game will emerge. Solve the puzzle and you could win a prize!

Straight outta Krakow. We review two 2-player games from Polish publisher Galakta: King & Assassins and Metallum. Also, Bill Corey visits the padded cell to take a Sommelier Challenge and give us the scoop on the Spring Gaming Hoopla.

Boggle jackets and Big Bird money. A conversation with Bernie DeKoven, The Grand Poobah of Fun. We follow his career through mass market board games and video game design to his discovery of a Playful Path - a philosophy and the title of his latest book.

I think icon. We review Concept and La Boca, two games that ask players to communicate in fresh and unexpected ways: Concept through symbols and La Boca through shapes and colors.

Seasons Spielings! Eight guests from around the world join us in the padded cell to celebrate the holidays. Round-table discussions, Sommelier challenges, Swedish rhymes, bad jokes and a visit from Lyle Otterbein fill this virtual party with good cheer.

Packed for freshness... and fun! We review Polterfass, Luchador, Super Race and SOS Titanic. From wooden beer barrel and Mexican wrestler dice to dry-erase raceways and a flip-book ship, these games showcase novel components and innovative design.

Dave joins Stephen in the padded cell for a behind-the scenes look at The Spiel's 2013 Essen adventure. Lots of questions and reflections on the trip and experience at this year's International Game Fair.

Matthias Wagner discusses the success of Hanabi since winning the Spiel des Jahres (Germany's Game of the Year) for 2013. We also talk about a new edition of the modern classic puzzle game Ricochet Robots.

Konstantinos Kokkinis discusses two fictional settings: one scifi and one fantasy. Each world serves as the backdrop and backstory for a series of new games from Artipia: Archon, Shadows Over The Empire, Among The Stars: The Ambassadors and New Dawn.

Ted Alspach discusses the development and evolution of One Night Ultimate Werewolf, a new version of the mob mentality party game that plays in less than 10 minutes.

Andreas Preiss gives a tour of 4 new games: Geistesblitz 5 to Noon, a crazy fun logic game; Polterfass, a press your luck game with beer barrel dice; Schmatz Spatz, a co-op game about feeding baby birds & an anniversary edition of Chicken Cha Cha Cha.

Spiel des Jahres winner Antoine Bauza talks about the inspiration and development of his crazy dexterity game Rampage. We also talk about the influence of Japan on his life and games and get a sneak peek at some games in the works.

Frank Heeren discusses Glass Road, a game from noted designer Uwe Rosenberg, that celebrates the 700 year old tradition of glassmaking in Bavaria.

John Lopez gives us an overview of Dutch publisher Quantuum Magic including their two latest titles: Two Crowns: a quick medieval battle card game and Hubbly Bubbly Brew, a kid's game about brewing potions.

Stephen Buonocore discusses Space Sheep: a co-op puzzle solving game with amazing bits, plus Going Going, GONE!: a real-time auction game designed by Scott Nicholson.

Fraser Lamont talks about Mush! Mush!, a sequel to their beloved sled dog race game, Snow Tails. We also discuss the history and philosophy of Fragor Games.

Mario Jugel and Robert Phillips talk about Admiral's Order, a Napoleonic era naval battle game that features hand-crafted wooden ships.