The Spiel - MP3 Version

Everything old is new again. We review Rowboat, TZQ, Shokoba, and Booray: four card games that seek to adapt or reacquaint us with the classics Spades, Mah Jongg, Scopa, and Bourré.

Sudoku Puzzle by David Coleson. Fill in the grid with the game components provided. Solve the puzzle and you could win a prize!

Show us your buboes. We get Medieval and play Rattus, trying to save as many people as we can from the Black Plague.

Paint the town. We swap camels, diamonds, and other trade goods playing Jaipur, a modern card game with a classic feel.

Deep space is our dwelling place. We grok the new dice game Alien Frontiers, racing to set down roots on a strange new world.

Who's the boss? We head to the polls, using slander and strongarm tactics to win elections in Tammany Hall.

An enigma, wrapped in a riddle. We dust off our deductive muscles and try to crack Code 777, a brain-burning game with roots in Indian Poker.

Luck, be a lady tonight. We put the sin in Sin City, rolling dice to build casinos along the original Strip in Lords of Vegas.

Winter is coming. In our first Book Club episode, we discuss A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin; then we play and review the board game and the card game based on the novel. Are they worthy of Westeros?

And a barrel and a heap. We shuffle off to ancient Eygpt and Brittany to take a closer look at two small press card games: Armorica and Nile.

Games are global. From France and Belgium to Korea and Mongolia and back, all at one convention. We conclude our GenCon coverage with a dozen interviews including a chat with the great designer, Tom Wham.

The best four days in gaming. We give you a view from the trade show floor with a dozen interviews featuring publishers, designers and collectors.

Forget Picasso. Bring on the dice! We roll through Asteroyds, winding toward three other titles, obscure and sublime, that feature 'dem bones.

Match-Up Puzzle by Stephen Conway & David Coleson. Match each of 40 cards with its correct title. Solve the puzzle and you could win a free game!

Con-versations. We take you on an extended tour of the trade show floor with 19 interviews, featuring publishers and designers big and small.

There can be only one. We review A la Carte and Fresco, the final two nominees for the Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) and predict the winner before the official selection.

The Prize. Movies have the Oscars. Games have the Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year). We play and review Dixit, Identik, and Roll Through the Ages - three of five nominees - in an effort to predict the winner later this month.

Smoke monsters need not apply. We assemble a team to hunt mystical treasures in Forbidden Island and flip medieval coins to construct castles and cathedrals in Builder's Duel.

All in favor, say Y. From the temples of Assyria to the pachyderms of Bombay, we review two titles from publisher Ystari Games.

Like peas and carrots. We serve up your recommended daily allowance of games featuring fruits and veggies including: Fruit Fair, a la Carte, and a Hoosier classic.

100 Spiel-related trivia questions written by listener David Schuth. Solve the puzzle, send us the answer.

Dice. Tiles. Cards. We celebrate hitting triple digits with 3 reviews that fit our slogan, including an in-depth look at Macao.

Tricks are treats. We explore the history and evolution of trick and trump games from Pinochle to modern titles like Triumvirate, Sticheln and Die Sieben Siegel.

Bite size. Nine full reviews of games you can play in 5-40 minutes. Titles include: Bezzerwizzer, Gracias, Triviathon, Sushi Roll, Word of the Street, Nanuk, 7 Ate 9, Super Circles, and Chaos Marauders.

To arms! Wargames with legs. We review three simple, but very strategic titles enjoyable by non-wargamers, including an in-depth look at Hammer of the Scots.