So Very Wrong About Games

As ever, and with no clue what a lang syne is (much less an auld-y type configuration), we embrace the new year by commemorating the old. We would venture that the new year only truly begins once SVWAG has given its imprimatur on the best game published in the preceding year. The Julian Calendar was abandoned in favour of the Gregorian, and it is evident that the Gregorian should be abandoned in favour of the SVWAGgering Calendar. Games Played Last Week:01:34 -Kutná Hora: The City of Silver (Ondřej Bystroň, Petr Čáslava, and Pavel Jarosch, Czech Games Edition, 2023)06:53 -Voidfall (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2023)07:57 -K2 (Adam Kałuża, Rebel Sp. z o.o., 2010)09:35 -Cover Your Assets (Brent Beck & Jeffrey Beck, Grandpa Beck's Games, 2011)11:52 -Assault on Doomrock: Ultimate Edition (Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster Games, 2023)16:53 -Road Trippin (Uncredited, Guilt Free Gaming, 2021)19:42 -Evacuation (Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2023)28:05 -Solar Titans (Phillip Gee and Xian Wu, SunnySideUp Games, 2023)31:03 -Tiny Mini Golf (Kamis Kamiński, Self-published, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):Nothing to see here.34:25 Topic: 2023 Year in Review35:04 Mark and Walker's Top 10s52:28 SVWAG 2023 Game of the Year53:37 Special CategoriesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, claimed that you never step in the same river twice; for it is not the same river and you are not the same person. Such as it is with games! They are reprinted and thus reborn, all along some blurred spectrum of redesign spanning from carbon copy all the way to entirely new design.Let us not forget Heraclitus' student Cratylus, who evidently thought Heraclitus some kind of squish, insofar as he is credited with countering that you cannot step into the same river once.01:25 AYURIS: Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles Episodes 1 & 2 (Richard Amann, Thomas Vande Ginste, Viktor Peter, Wolf Plancke, & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2022)Games Played Last Week:03:32 -Rats of Wistar (Simone Luciani and Danilo Sabia, Cranio Creations, 2023)09:15 -Voidfall (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2023)11:00 -Faiyum: Privileges (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2023)15:04 -Horizon Wars: Midnight Dark (Robey Jenkins, Precinct Omega Publishing, 2023)22:52 -Burned (Jon Moffat, Stone Circle Games, Unpublished)26:36 -My Island (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2023)30:40 -Trick Shot (Second Edition) (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2023)35:05 -Napoleon's Conquests (Bruno Lamotte, Fellowship of Simulations, 2023)42:47 -Splendor Duel (Marc André and Bruno Cathala, Space Cowboys, 2022)43:42 -Federation (Dimitri Perrier and Matthieu Verdier, Explor8, 2022)News (and why it doesn't matter):47:23 War Story: Occupied France; narrative game by David Thompson, Dave Neale, and Osprey Games49:02 Keyside: Richard Breese and 49:37 Turing Machine on Boardgamearena and designer's notes on BGG50:49 Terra Pyramides by Kiesling & Kramer51:06 Moby Trick51:25 Halo miniatures game by Mantic Games52:02 Gaia Project Expansion announced, again 52:49 RIP Bryan Ansell, co-founder of Games Workshop54:05 Topic: Out of Print Games RevisitedAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"This here's a jam for all the gamersTryin' to do what those rulebooks offerGet shot down 'cause you're overzealousTake too long, opponents get jealousOk, smarty, go to a partyGames are on the menu for everybodyYou wanna play a game that's more complexerBut you're standin' on the wall like you was PoindexterA game is laid out, one not played outThe options unfold and your mind just spins outThey say you should take your turn or get removedSo come on, gamer, and just bust a move"-Young MC, noted foe of analysis paralysisGames Played Last Week:01:10 -Evolution: Climate (Dominic Crapuchettes, Dmitry Knorre, & Sergey Machin, North Star Games, 2016)05:57 -Tiny Epic Crimes (Scott Almes, Gamelyn Games, 2023)10:20 -The Fox Experiment (Jeff Fraser and Elizabeth Hargrave, Pandasaurus Games, 2023)13:45 -Undergrove (Elizabeth Hargrave and Mark Wootton, AEG, 2024)15:15 -Votes for Women (Tory Brown, Fort Circle Games, 2022)17:52 -The Gods Will Have Blood (Daniel Bullock, Lock Horns Games, 2023)21:56 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Games, 2022)23:40 -Fun Facts (Kasper Lapp, Repos Production, 2022)24:31 -Just One (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Production, 2018)24:39 -So Clover! (François Romain, Repos Production, 2021)25:55 -Duhr: The Lesser Houses (Jenna Felli, Devious Weasel, 2018)30:47 -No Thanks! (Thorsten Gimmler, AMIGO, 2004)32:37 -Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Leicester (Changhyun Baek, Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Stefano Luperto, and Antonio Tinto, DiceTree Games, 2023)38:58 -Road Trippin (Uncredited, Guilt Free Gaming, 2021)41:00 -Star Trek: Away Missions (Andrew Haught, Mike Haught, and Phil Yates, Gale Force Nine, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):47:35 Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon by Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Magone, published by Sorry We Are French 48:04 Amabel Holland in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-personal-political-art-of-board-game-design48:36 Zombie Sniper. That is all. 48:59 Jenna Felli's upcoming game Murray the A**hole Frog (trans designer and trans artist) and upcoming novel Serpent Ascending 50:24 Co-op Dungeon Scrawlers?! 2together by OldChap Editions51:24 Andy Schwarz's "Financial Reckoning" for Envelopes of Cash: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/envelopesofcash/envelopes-of-cash/posts/399596252:47 Assault on Doomrock: Ultimate Edition accidentally published with crypto-fascist imagery. Burn the "Banner of Kekistan" 54:48 Feature Game: Arborea (Dani Garcia, Alley Cat Games, 2023)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just before Mark is de-platformed, he would like to remind the SVWAG audience of two very important facts. First, he is but a man shouting into a can, and just because he doesn't like the thing you like doesn't make either less worthy of respect, dignity, and chocolate. He is willing to accept the possibility that he's Playing It Wrong and/or Doesn't Get It and/or needs to Git Gud and/or is just insufficiently evolved.Second, a reminder that complaints are to be directed to support@aircanada.ca.01:12 AYURIS: El Grande (Wolfgang Kramer & Richard Ulrich, Hans im Glück, 1995)Games Played Last Week:02:26 -Age of Innovation (Helge Ostertag, Capstone Games, 2023)07:55 -Mage Knight: The Board Game (Vlaada Chvatil, WizKids, 2011)14:08 -Knarr (Thomas Dupont, Bombyx, 2023)15:13 -The Fox Experiment (Jeff Fraser and Elizabeth Hargrave, Pandasaurus Games, 2023)18:45 -Android: Netrunner (Richard Garfield and Lukas Litzsinger, Fantasy Flight Games, 2012)23:23 -Apiary (Connie Vogelmann, Stonemaier Games, 2023)29:49 -Air, Land & Sea (Jon Perry, Arcane Wonders, 2018)31:47 -Schadenfreude (ctr, Studio Turbine, 2021)34:13 -For Science! (R. Eric Reuss, Grey Fox Games, 2021)38:13 -Paku Paku (Antoine Bauza, Ravensburger, 2017)40:01 -The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2021)41:03 -G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game: Raise the Flagg Campaign Expansion (T.C. Petty III, Renegade Game Studios, 2023)44:01 -My Island (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):45:09 Unchained by Trick or Treat Studios, inspired by Nightfall45:49 Small Box Games' three Omen sets on Kickstarter now!46:21 Quacks of Quedlinburg Duel 46:40 Votes for Women reprint on Kickstarter47:16 German magnets! Die verdrehte Spuknacht48:28 You can support us on Patreon, if you're so inclined: www.patreon.com/svwag49:12 Nucleum: Australia49:29 Topic: Adventure GamesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A review of So Very Wrong About Games, not actually by Werner Herzog:"To listen to SVWAG is to court madness. One host is beholden to the delusion that if he utters sufficient words in a short period of time he may stave off his inevitable death, whereas the other grapples with the false consciousness of refusing to acknowledge life's meaninglessness. Collectively their banter serves as a cruel rebuke to evolution, a bitter mockery of humanity's purported superiority over a nature they despise and denigrate. It is reason's death rattle in the face of pure chaos. Thank you for recommending Rhino Hero Super Battle, I enjoyed it with my family very much. Four stars."01:20 AYURIS: Agricola (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2007) and Agricola (Revised Edition) (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2016)Games Played Last Week:04:25 -Ceres (Gustaf Sundström, Artipia Games, 2023)10:22 -Daybreak (Matt Leacock & Matteo Menapace, CMYK, 2023)13:59 -Raising Robots (Brett Sobol & Seth Van Orden, Nauvoo Games, 2023)16:02 -Demon Ship (Malev Da Shinobi, Black Site Studios, 2023)19:58 -Hyperborea (Andrea Chiarvesio & Pierluca Zizzi, Asterion, 2014)26:19 -Vaalbara (Olivier Cipière, Studio H, 2022)29:03 -Septima: Shapeshifting & Omens (Robin Hegedűs, Mindclash Games, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):36:45 Preview of Phantom Division Relaunch on Gamefound38:24 French Revolution! 1793 Patriots & Traitors on Gamefound 39:21 Redevelopment of Omen: A Reign of War from John Clowdus and Small Box Games next year40:16 Topic: Mindclash GamesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dexterity games, dismissed by many in the board game world as children's toys (whereas, by contrast, we laud them as children's toys), can offer a unique window into the player's soul. A fine dexterity game is a crucible in which one's true character emerges. Are you an assertive, grandiose table-hog capable of great feats but undone by hubris? Are you a small-minded, plodding dilettante lacking in ambition or imagination? Junk Art can reveal all!Games Played Last Week:02:11 -Age of Innovation (Helge Ostertag, Capstone Games, 2023)13:33 -Paku Paku (Antoine Bauza, Ravensburger, 2017)14:49 -Belratti (Michael Loth, Mogel-Verlag, 2018)16:47 -Revive: Call of the Abyss (Helge Meissner, Kristian Amundsen Østby, Eilif Svensson, and Anna Wermlund, Aporta Games, 2023)22:13 -Tetra Tower (Uncredited, Enksy, 2014)24:27 -Junk Art (Jay Cormier & Sen-Foong Lim, Pretzel Games, 2016)27:47 -General Orders: World War II (Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2023)36:30 -Riftforce (Carlo Bortolini, 1 More Time Games, 2021)37:20 -The Wolves (Ashwain Kamath and Clarence Simpson, Pandasaurus Games, 2022)39:34 -Cthulhu: Death May Die (Eric M. Lang & Rob Daviau, CMON, 2019)43:19 -Drags 2 Riches (David Pettifer, Bored Wreckers Inc, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):48:35 Prepare to get uncomfortable: Hollandspiele's Doubt Is Our Product about the tobacco industry50:59 Aqua, oceanic tile-laying51:44 Mark laments the market rewarding bad actors: Palladium Games and Steamforged Games56:19 Feature Game: Daybreak (Matt Leacock & Matteo Menapace, CMYK, 2023)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's no time no time at all we must get to the games there's been so many all the time one after another hurry hurry we must get to all of the games01:26 AYURIS: Riftforce (Carlo Bortolini, 1 More Time Games, 2021)Games Played Last Week:03:07 -Septima (Robin Hegedűs, Mindclash Games, 2023)10:42 -White Castle (Israel Cendrero & Sheila Santos, Devir Games, 2023)16:25 -Paku Paku (Antoine Bauza, Ravensburger, 2017)20:45 -Nekojima (David Carmona & Karen Nguyen, Unfriendly Games, 2023)25:02 -Catch the Moon (Fabien Riffaud & Juan Rodriguez, Bombyx, 2017)27:25 -TEAM3 GREEN (Alex Cutler & Matt Fantastic, Brain Games, 2019)30:58 -Piazza Rabazza (Guido Hoffman and Jens-Peter Schliemann, Zoch Verlag, 2022)33:43 -Tumblin' Dice (Carey Grayson, Randy Nash, and Rick Soued, Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2004)35:38 -After Us (Florian Sirieix, Catch Up Games, 2023)43:12 -Raising Robots (Brett Sobol & Seth Van Orden, Nauvoo Games, 2023)46:49 -Moonrakers (Max Anderson, Zac Dixon, and Austin Harrison, IV Studio, 2020)52:14 -Great Western Trail: New Zealand (Alexander Pfister, eggertspiele, 2023)53:09 -Tiger and Dragon (Hashimoto Atsushi, Oink Games, 2021)56:21 -Mosaic: Wars and Disasters (Glenn Drover, Forbidden Games, 2023)1:01:00 -Ready Set Bet (John D. Clair, AEG, 2022)1:03:12 -Fairy Tale (Satoshi Nakamura, Z-Man Games, 2004)1:05:04 -Hollywood 1947 (Travis Hancock, Facade Games, 2023)1:08:46 -My Island (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2023)1:11:08 -Daybreak (Matt Leacock & Matteo Menapace, CMYK, 2023)1:17:37 -Arborea (Dani Garcia, Alley Cat Games, 2023)1:19:48 -Nucleum (Simone Luciani & Dávid Turczi, Board&Dice, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):1:25:25 Anno 1800 Expansion1:25:54 "Pop culture" That's Not a Hat1:26:33 Albedo available as print and play!Cards: https://kaiherbertz.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/albedoprintandplayfullcolor.pdfRules: http://hespiele.de/downloads/albedo_en.pdf1:27:35 City of the Living: Prosperity (by Reiner Knizia) with zombiesAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The shift from Beckett references to low-grade puns might strike one as jarring, but it is important to note that both hosts have essentially been twelve going on sixty for most of their lives. If it's not juvenile and/or obscure, it is difficult for the hosts to process--they become disoriented and frightened. In such circumstances, a nice Star Control II reference will probably calm them down. Hey, there's one of those in this episode, too!Games Played Last Week:01:52 -Great Western Trail: New Zealand (Alexander Pfister, eggertspiele, 2023)07:03 -FlickFleet: Xeno Wars (Jackson Pope & Paul Willcox, Eurydice Games, 2022)13:04 -White Castle (Israel Cendrero & Sheila Santos, Devir Games, 2023)16:38 -Forgotten Depths (Peter Albertson, Void Knight Games, 2022)20:37 -Omicron Protocol (Brendan Kendrick & Bernie Lin, Dead Alive Games, 2022)29:09 -Among Cultists: A Social Deduction Thriller (Stefan Godot, Godot Games, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):38:40 Rafter Five: Dexterity from Oink Games39:23 Expandalone to Wizards of the Grimoire (aka Bookie-Bookie Pew-Pew) on Kickstarter: Shifting Sands41:00 Feature Game: Voidfall (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2023)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One has to be careful in buffet situations. There are so many options, and you are pulled in so many different directions. You must differentiate the false urgency from the genuinely pressing, and it is a test of your evaluation and timing skills to successfully navigate your priorities. What to do, and when? How much of what? If you fail to make the wise choices, you might not get through the dessert. Games Played Last Week:02:20 -IKI: Akebono (Koota Yamada, Sorry We Are French, 2023)08:22 -Inhuman Conditions (Tommy Maranges & Cory O'Brien, Web published, 2018)13:19 -FlickFleet: Xeno Wars (Jackson Pope & Paul Willcox, Eurydice Games, 2022)18:09 -Gods Love Dinosaurs (Kasper Lapp, Pandasaurus Games, 2020)22:35 -That's Not a Hat (Kasper Lapp, Ravensburger, 2023)26:00 -Fun Facts (Kasper Lapp, Repos Production, 2022)31:33 -Sail (Akiyama Koryu & Korzu Yusei, Allplay, 2023)35:51 -Sunrise Lane (Reiner Knizia, Horrible Guild, 2023)38:55 -Sky Team (Luc Rémond, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):40:35 Dexterity expansions! Tokyo Highway: Rainbow City and ICECOOL Wizards41:22 Gaia Project expansion in "late 2024"42:42 Sand by Devir Games42:57 Calimala reprint by Alley Cat Games43:57 Through the Desert on Kickstarter with A Message from the Stars and Switchbacks44:25 My Favourite Things on Kickstarter: trick-taking and social ranking45:37 Diablo role-playing and board games45:59 Dragons Down by Mr. B Games on Kickstarter, inspired by the madness that is Magic Realm48:35 Feature Game: Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 1998)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"'Well, I remember it as though it were an episode ago'Said Walker the Host as he reeled back to clear whatever foreign matterMay have nestled its way into his mighty throatMany a poor design had met its demise while staring point-blank downThe cavernous barrel of this awesome critical machineTruly a wonder of nature, this urban gamerWalker the Host had many a story to tellAnd it was a frequent occasion such as this that he did...'Say Bigney, do you wanna play games with me?Say, Bigney, do you wanna play games by my side?Ah, Bigney, do you wanna play games with me?Say, Bigney, SAY, BIGNEEEEEY'"-Walker the Host, lesser-known variant of Tommy the Cat (Primus, 1991)02:12 AYURIS: Bitoku (Germán P. Millán, Devir, 2021)Games Played Last Week:04:32 -Imperial Miners (Tim Armstrong, Portal Games, 2023)07:34 -Imperium: Legends (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Osprey Games, 2021)12:00 -Knarr (Thomas Dupont, Bombyx, 2023)12:39 -My Island (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2023)16:41 -G.I. JOE Deck-Vuilding Game: New Alliances--A Tranformers Crossover Expansion (Dan Blanchett, Renegade Game Studios, 2023)21:58 -Anunnaki: Dawn of the Gods (Simone Luciani and Danilo Sabia, Cranio Creations, 2023)30:33 -Sky Team (Luc Rémond, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2023)33:51 -Messina 1347 (Raúl Fernández Aparicio & Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2021)News (and why it doesn't matter):40:53 Next Valiant Defense game by David Thompson illustrated by Nils Johansson: Guadalcanal41:42 Tiny Epic Crimes misallocation shenanigans42:48 Please support us on Patreon! Or don't, that's cool. Two new bonus episodes coming this week! www.patreon.com/svwag43:23 Topic: Updating the CanonAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices