Garrett's Games and Geekiness

SO MANY ESSEN GAMES! We've covered over 60 games on our YouTube channel, but there are many more games coming out at Essen NEXT WEEK, so this week Shelley and I do a quick rundown (organized by publisher) of all of the other titles I marked as "Interested" on BGG's Essen 2026 Preview. Elementica from 14games Observatory & Star Gazers from 25th Century Games Palinka from A Games Gnomeville from Ada...

This week we check out THREE fun card games, two of which are just hitting the shelves now/at Essen: Space Lab by Corentin Lebrat and Johannes Goupy from Pandasaurus Games 6 Nimmt! Baron Oxx by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling from Pandasaurus Games and Crops by Giampaolo Razzino from Little Rocket Games Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can sponsor this podcast a...

This week Shelley and I once again break the "two games discussed" format and instead cover FIVE games! Circadia by Hisashi Hayashi from Synapses Games Knowsy by Luke Hohmann from Luverly Stereo Mind by Silvergun and Sunhyuk Chae from Playte Then two games with Essen 2025 expansions: Galileo Galilei with the Luna Expansion by Tomas Holek and Michal Pechl from Pink Troubadour Atlantis Exodus with t...

This week Shelley and I check out THREE new games! Machi Koro Life by Masao Suganuma from Pandasaurus Games Then TWO new titles from R2I Games Bordeaux by Ben Rosset (a draw and draw from one of the designers of Fromage) Pop Art by Jeff Chin and Andrew Nerger (designers of Canvas) Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can sponsor this podcast and our video series by going...

This week Shelley and I team up as forest rangers to complete missions and discover wildlife in The Peak Team: Rangers by Scott Almes from Matagot then we try to become the next Rick Steves, wandering around Europe and discovering its beauty in Abroad by Rodrigo Rego and Danilo Valente from 1 More Time Games and Portal Games Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can spons...

This week Shelley and I check out a gorgeous game about art, and a wonderful sequel to an already good game. First we play Cascadia: Alpine Lakes by Randy Flynn from AEG and Flatout Games, a sequel to the SdJ winner Cascadia Then we draft 3-D paint pots and place them in our grids to create art in Kanó by Angel Pintero and Pablo Jimenez (with art by Jun Sato) from Matagot Remember to check out our...

This week Shelley and I enjoy some of our favorite beverage and food, along with some fun forthcoming micro card games! First we check out two forthcoming Button Shy Game releases that use cards in interesting ways Forest Rivals by Ryan Cooke and Steven L. Smith where bears and bees compete for honey in a 2-player shared tableau and Cursed Cat by Scott Almes where a solo (or co-operative married c...

This week it's all about Stonemaier Games! First up is an older title that builds on a game from 2021: Rolling Realms Redux by Jamey Stegmaier and Karel Titeca from Stonemaier Games then we check out the brand new Scythe/Expeditions 2-player mash-up Duel of Meloch by Jamey Stegmaier from Stonemaier Games Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can sponsor this podcast and o...

This week Shelley and I check out a little sister to a hugely popular title as we collect food, lay eggs and place birds in our tableau in Wingspan Pocket by Elizabeth Hargrave from Stonemaier Games (1-5 players, 8+, 25-35 minutes) then we have a great time trying to steal eggs from a nest and move our wolverine along a path in the cute dexterity game Gulo Gulo by Wolfgang Kramer, Hans Raggan, Jur...

This week Shelley and I check out a fun castle-building little tile-laying game for up to 6 players Sandcastles by Alex Cutler from Pandasaurus Games then we tackle a MUCH bigger game of star and planet creation as we design new solar systems in Entropy by Tommaso Battista, Simone Luciani and Nestore Mangone from Board&Dice Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can sponso...

This week Shelley and I check out two smaller games that work as fun fillers. The first is a shedding game with 2-sided cards dnup by Kei Kajino from Asmodee for 2-6 players/15-20 minutes then we build bizarre instruments, trying to add birds and notes in Twisted Trumpets by Matthew Rodela from Play to Z Games for 2-4 players/20-40 minutes Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, an...

This week Shelley and I play two games at the ends of the physical size scale First, we check out a fun card game where you don't want to go out 2 Win by Florian Racky from Blue Orange Games (2-6 players, 15 minutes, 7+) Then we tackle the BIG box game of making these games we love The Game Makers by Ben Rosset from Bezier Games (1-6 players/60-90 minutes/15+) Remember to check out our video serie...

This week we preview two upcoming releases, then dive a bit deeper into a gorgeous game of Art and design: Siege Perilous by Ivan Alexiev and Brian Saliba from Play to Z Games Computer Junkyard by Allan and Jared Pinkus from Dream Egg Games Artistry - Art Nouveau by Amy and Dusty Droz from Dux Somnium Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can sponsor this podcast and our...

This week Shelley and I revisits the Dungeons and Dragons universe in 2012's Lords of Waterdeep by Peter Lee and Rodney Thompson from Wizards of the Coast, along with it's Scoundrels of Skullport expansions then we face off in the 2-player-only 2025 release  Rival Cities by Andreas Steding from Deep Print Games and Pegasus Spiele Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can...

This week Shelley and I try (and often fail) to save our lunar colonists from rampant robots and accidents in Moon Colony Bloodbath by Donald X. Vaccarino from Rio Grande Games then we explore ruins and reefs, while casting enchantments by rolling dice and marking off the best spots in Reef and Ruins by Carla Kopp from Weird Giraffe Games Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and...

This week Shelley and I get a chance to check out one of the three Spiel des Jahres nominees for this year Cozy Stickerville by Corey Konieczka from Unexpected Games (1-6 players, 8+, 30-60 minutes) then we check out another game from our stack of "haven't played in too long" game that we made back in February to try Bloom by Laurent Escoffier and David Franck from QWG Games Remember to check out...

Shelley and I get an Essen 2025 release which is a re-themed game from 2013 to the table: Reef Garden by Jeffrey D. Allers from dlp games then get one of our "not played in far too long" games to the table, also originally published in 2013: Russian Railroads by Helmut Ohley and Leonhard Orgley from Z-Man Games and Hans im Gluck. We also checked out the German Railroads and American Railroads expa...

This week, rather than reviewing two "new-to-us" games as we usually do, we thought we would gather some games that might work well with occasional and non-gamers on some of the summer vacations you might be taking. Here's our list: Flip 7 The Mind Biddle 6 Nimmt Cabanga Trio Ito Finito Russelbande Beer and Pretzels Take Time Take It Easy Hamsterrolle Trekking The National Parks Viva Catrina Heiml...

This week Shelley and I enjoy some flora, playing as rival flowershop owners in Floristry by David Gordon and TAM from UP Games then placating our oenophile obsession in Vineyard: A Wine Making Game by Roberta Taylor from Pencil First Games Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can sponsor this podcast and our video series by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR chec...

This week Shelley and I create movies and then travel through Baghdad Movie Tricks by Vegard Eliassen Stillerud, Eilif Svensson and Asmund Svensson from Chilifox Baghdad: The City of Peace by Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone from Alley Cat Games Remember to check out our video series over on YouTube, and you can sponsor this podcast and our video series by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames O...

This week Shelley and I wander the beach collecting shells, then head back to the 1970's as investigative journalists Sanibel by Elizabeth Hargrave from Avalon Hill/Hasbro Pulitzer by David Vaquero from Tranjis Games and 25th Century Games Remember you can support the podcast and our video series by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR check our our extensive list of games that no longer fit...

This week Shelley and I check out a couple of family-friendly games and still challenge the gamer in us: Elixirus by Dickie Chapin from Piatnik Market Fresh by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling from Avalon Hill You can sponsor this podcast and our video series by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your...

No reviews this week, but please do check out The Game Cabinet and the wealth of information that Ken provided that preceded BGG: http://www.gamecabinet.com/  

This week Shelley and I make patterns with porcelain pottery and build computers while dealing with 19 th Century society. First up is Gzhel by Nikita Sorokin from Hobby World followed by Ada's Dream by Toni Lopez from Alley Cat Games Remember you can sponor the podcast directly by going to  www.patreon.com/garrettsgames  OR check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves,...

This week Shelley and I check out the 'official game of Essen 2025' Fair Enough by Friedemann Friese from Skellig Games then we cooperatively work to build a tower for cats (though we could have done it competitively too!) Cat and the Tower by Masakazu Takizawa from Arcane Wonders Remember you can sponor the podcast directly by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR check out our extensive list...