So Very Wrong About Games

Hwaet! The second installment of our much-ignored segment, SVWAG Poetry Corner, takes a turn for the epic. First we did haiku, and now we discuss Old English epic poetry. Sure the noble limerick can't be far behind? We also discuss the most excellent lifestyle habits of our new idol, Kane Tanaka, who seems to be living her best life on her own terms. You go, Kane Tanaka! Rip off some monster's arm or something.01:07 AYRUIS: Concordia (Mac Gerdts, PD-Verlag, 2013) and Concordia Venus (2018) Games Played Last Week:02:27 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG Games, 2020)03:36 -Bärenpark (Phil Walker-Harding, Lookout, 2017)05:08 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020)06:16 -Forgotten Waters (Mr. Bistro, J. Arthur Ellis, & Isaac Vega, Plaid Hat Games, 2020)12:54 -Sorcerer (Peter Scholtz, White Wizard Games, 2019)15:50 -Cerebria: The Inside World (Richard Amann, & Viktor Peter, Mindclash Games, 2018)18:24 -Alma Mater (Acchittocca, Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Stefano Luperto, & Antonio Tinto, eggertspiele, 2020)23:11 -Reykholt (Uwe Rosenberg, Frosted Games, 2018)24:08 -Anachrony (Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2017)28:18 -Europe Divided (Chris Marling & David Thompson, PHALANX, 2020)News (and why it doesn't matter):31:38 More Street Masters and more Aftershock woes33:37 Tobago gets a volcano34:56 Do board games make you immortal? The story of Kane Tanaka36:23 Zoch goodness: Kurtz vor Knapp36:58 Topic: Games Based on IPsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our cup runneth over, if the cup in question is being filled by tiles laid there by Reiner Knizia. Three Knizia tile-laying games were sampled by SVWAG, which of course made it a good week. One feels that if someone proposed a topic of "Reiner Knizia tile-laying games", the appropriate editorial response would be "narrow the scope, please." Games Played Last Week:01:12 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020)02:27 -Mariposas (Elizabeth Hargrave, AEG, 2020)07:07 -Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun (Daniele Tascini & Dávid Turczi, Board&Dice, 2020)14:37 -Carolus Magnus (Leo Colovini, Rio Grande, 2000)20:04 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020)21:48 -Indigo (Reiner Knizia, Ravensburger, 2012)25:27 -Starlink (Markus Slawitscheck & Arno Steinwender, Blue Orange Games, 2020)News (and why it doesn't matter):29:36 The possible returns of things called HeroQuest and Avalon Hill31:17 Dungeon Fighter returns32:26 Ludonova: Sumatra by Knizia and Polynesia by Peer Sylvester33:36 Where's Waldo the Murderer? MicroMacro: Crime Cityhttps://www.micromacro-game.com/en/index.html36:07 Roll and write claims another victim--Troyes: Dice36:38 Our Patreon: Boss us around! Exclusive content! Get games! etc.37:24 Feature Game: Babylonia (Reiner Knizia, Ludonova, 2019)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In remembrance of things past, we bite hard into the madeleine that is large player count gaming. The recollection of not being sequestered into small basements, where... actually, scratch that, we were often in basements in the Before Times. At least I think so. Time is now an illusion.01:57 AYURIS: A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians (Gernot Köpke & Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2018)Games Played Last Week:03:44 -Time of Legends: Joan of Arc (Pascal Bernard, Mythic Games, 2019)11:32 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020)12:32 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020)13:19 -Thor (Reiner Knizia, Heidelberger Spieleverlag, 2002)16:42 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG, 2020)19:45 -Small Islands (Alexis Allard, MushrooM Games, 2018)22:04 -Iwari: Deluxe Edition (Michael Schacht, ThunderGryph Games, 2020)News (and why it doesn't matter):28:20 Moar Assault on Doomrock? Maybe!29:49 Satire no more: Dinosaur "Rawr 'n Write" from Pandasaurus30:29 Neuroshima Hex! limited edition big box34:03 "Borrowed" intellectual property: Fire Emblem and Anna's Roundtable37:53 Topic: Games for 6+ PlayersAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Cosmic Frog: World Eaters from Dimension Zero--A Game of Strategic Gluttony." I mean, what could I or anyone else possibly say that could add to that? Games Played Last Week:01:46 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020)03:34 -Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2019)07:19 -Castle Itter (David Thompson, DVG, 2019)12:44 -Kingdom Builder (Donald X. Vaccarino, Queen Games, 2011)14:24 -Las Vegas Royale (Rudiger Dorn, alea, 2019) 16:40 -Barrage: The Leeghwater Project (Tommaso Battista & Simone Luciani, Cranio Creations, 2019)22:17 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020)25:46 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG, 2020)News (and why it doesn't matter):32:17 Riot Games' Tellstones34:48 Meeple Towers (sadly not dexterity)35:59 More Civ-as-card-game: Imperium36:54 BGG covering digital gaming again, and Neuroshima: Convoy37:32 Eric Lang leaving CMON to become freelance again38:45 Feature Game: Cosmic Frog (Jim Felli, Devious Weasel, 2020)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I mean, maybe, possibly, hopefully, with luck, theoretically, given the right group, hypothetically, in time, conceivably, eventually, if I push hard enough, imaginably, as a favour, I could imagine, someday, perchance, play this again. Weather permitting.01:36 AYURIS: Cerebria: The Inside World (Richard Amann, Viktor Peter, István Pócsi, Frigyes Schőberl, Nick Shaw, & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2018)Games Played Last Week:04:34 -Istanbul (Rudiger Dorn, Pegasus Spiele, 2014)06:06 -Blue Moon (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2004)09:23 -Saint Petersburg (Bernd Brunnhofer, Hans im Glück, 2004)12:08 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020)16:52 -Undaunted: North Africa (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2020)23:17 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019)25:10 -Rome & Roll (Nick Shaw & Dávid Turczi, PSC Games, 2020)News (and why it doesn't matter):34:30 Lookout for more Uwe Rosenberg: Hallertau35:15 More Stories for Orleans35:39 Multiple He-Mans? Hes-Men? Archon and CMON37:35 David Thompson's Switch and Signal38:21 Dinosaur World39:00 Root digital42:30 Topic: Why Is That Still on My Shelf?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Old conflicts are put to bed, taxonomies are shelved, and instead we take refuge in sweeping declarations. Walker focuses on the ad hominem, trying to dissuade people from game design because they are insufficiently hardcore; Mark focuses on games, declaring that you can't base games on random spat out tiles. Nuance is for the weak, and qualifications are for those lacking character. Mostly.Games Played Last Week:02:04 -Too Many Bones: Dart (Adam Carlson & Josh J. Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2020)06:28 -Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, CGE, 2012)09:19 -Russian Railroads (Helmut Ohley & Leanhard "Lonny" Orgler, Hans im Gluck, 2013)13:23 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 1998)16:36 -The Fox in the Forest Duet (Foxtrot Games, Renegade Game Studios, 2020)18:13 -Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2019)20:44 -Terraforming Mars (Jacob Fryxelius, Stronghold, 2016)21:37 -Cthulhu: Death May Die (Rob Daviau & Eric Lang, CMON, 2019) News (and why it doesn't matter):25:09 The Princess Bride Adventure Book Game26:26 Capstone's Iron Rails: Iberian Gauge27:35 Feld's Castles of Tuscany28:32 Pfister's CloudAge29:17 Another Teotihuacan expansion30:00 Correction: Plaid Hat still owns Ashes30:22 Sniper Elite31:12 Walker complains about the Board Game Design Starter Kit32:39 Mark loves the USPS34:14 Feature Game: Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy (Touko Tahkokallio, Lautapelit.fl, 2020)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We take a break from heady issues this week; so we instead touch on what constitutes a trick, what friends are good for, and colonialism. You know, light discussion. 02:35 AYURIS: Core Worlds (Andrew Parks, Stronghold, 2011)Games Played Last Week:04:09 -Fort (Grant Rodiek, Leder Games, 2020)09:15 -Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2021)12:09 -The Voyages of Marco Polo (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015)13:16 -Endeavor: Age of Expansion (Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2020)15:51 -Turn the Tide (Stefan Dorra, AMIGO, 1997)20:22 -6 nimmt! (Wolfgang Kramer, AMIGO, 1994)21:45 -Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017)23:45 -Yokohama (Hisashi Hayashi, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2016)25:42 -Sonora (Rob Newton, Pandasaurus Games, 2020)28:36 -Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy (Touko Tahkokallio, Lautapelit.fi, 2020)News (and why it doesn't matter):29:12 Dune: Imperium30:24 "Everyone's waiting for Tidal Blades"31:25 More Assault on Doomrock, but only in Polish32:44 Yet another edition of Blood Bowl, no more Guild Ball35:02 Gods Love Dinosaurs (as do everyone else)36:04 Ashes: Reborn[Editor's note: Plaid Hat has not sold Ashes to Team Covenant; the latter will merely be handling the distribution. We apologize for the error.]37:10 Topic: Restrictive Player CountsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Put down your chainsaw and listen to meIt's time for us to join in the fightIt's time to let your babies grow up to be cowboysIt's time to let the bedbugs bite...Talk with your mouth fullBite the hand that feeds youBite on more than you chewWhat can you doDare to be stupid"-"Weird Al" Yankovic, noted Lovecraft scholar, "Dare to Be Stupid"Games Played Last Week:01:07 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Marco Portugal, & Sotirios Tsantilas, CMON, 2020)03:57 -Imperial Struggle (Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews, GMT Games, 2020)08:38 -Downforce (Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, & Wolfgang Kramer, Restoration Games, 2017)12:03 -Albedo: Yggdrasil (Kai Herbertz, Herbertz Entertainment UG, 2019)16:25 -Off the Rails (Andrew Platt & Stuart Platt, Rotten Games, 2018)18:34 -Planet Apocalypse (Sandy Petersen, Sandy Petersen Games, 2020)23:54 -Madeira (Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade, What's Your Game?, 2013)26:30 -Gaslands: Refuelled (Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2019)News (and why it doesn't matter):31:27 FFG News... except not32:05 Mythic Games' Darkest Dungeon32:46 Mythic will do right by its Reichbusters backers?34:21 TI4: Prophecy of Kings35:20 X-Men: Mutant Insurrection36:43 Dire Alliance from Blacklist Games38:23 Santorini: New York39:00 Knizia's Tutankhamun39:15 Street Masters Digital40:40 All the Games You Like Are Bad is back. Sorry.41:12 Feature Game: Cthulhu: Death May Die (Rob Daviau & Eric Lang, CMON, 2019)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Walker is a force of nature, a pent-up human-shaped mass of pure rage. The only outlet that can sate his furious destructive impulses is the ecstasy of the uninhibited flick--the catharsis of venting all of his power on a disc and then watching it careen around the board (then off the table, off someone's skull, off the floor, under the bookshelf, and then embedded in the drywall). He ten thunders with laughter, even as Huey informs him he missed his target and Dewey calls an ambulance. Is it a wonder, then, that Mark favours flicking games that encourage a modicum of restraint?01:18 AYURIS: Quartermaster General: The Cold War (Ian Brody, PSC Games, 2018)Games Played Last Week:03:00 -Menara: Rituals and Ruins (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Verlag, 2019)08:08 -Rangers of Shadow Deep (Joseph McCullough, Self-published, 2019)10:20 -Alone (Andrea Crespi & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2018)15:48 -Pax Renaissance 2nd Edition (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Ion Game Design, 2020)18:06 -Albedo (Kai Herbertz, Herbertz Entertainment UG, 2017)23:08 -FlickFleet (Jackson Pope & Paul Wilcox, Eurydice Games, 2018)25:33 -Blitzkrieg!: Nippon Expansion (Paolo Mori, PSC Games, 2019)29:33 -Qwixx (Steffen Benndorf, Gamewright, 2012)News (and why it doesn't matter):31:13 The team behind Wavelength gives us Fuzzies32:25 Everyone can relax: Steven Universe Beach-a-Palooza funded33:48 Mobile painting studio for the post-plague world35:08 Return of All the Games You Like Are Bad: video reviews to follow36:22 Topic: Communication RestrictionsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“The game which our enemies have laid before us is, in so far as the French dictated it, is a monument of pathological fear and pathological hatred; and in so far as the Anglo-Saxons dictated it, it is the work of a capitalistic policy of the most brutal and cleverest kind.” –A deliberate misquote of Count von Brockdorff-Rantzau reviewing Versailles 1919Games Played Last Week:01:40 -Nippon (Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade, What's Your Game?, 2015)05:24 -Space Cadets: Away Missions (Dan Raspler & Al Rose, Stronghold, 2015)09:10 -Sonora (Rob Newton, Pandasaurus Games, 2020)14:51 -Godzilla: Tokyo Clash (Prospero Hall, Funko Games, 2020)19:41 -Flaming Pyramids (Norbert Abel, Cheeky Parrot Games, 2018)21:27 -FlickFleet (Jackson Pope & Paul Wilcox, Eurydice Games, 2018)23:17 -Can't Stop (Sid Sackson, Parker Brothers, 1980)24:24 -Alone (Andrea Crespi & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter):31:00 Spiel des Jahres (Pictures) and Kennerspiel des Jahres (The Crew) winners32:06 Daimyo: Rebirth of an Empire by laboitedejeu33:03 Steven Universe: Beach-a-Palooza is in trouble?35:30 Walker watches Pendulum36:15 Spielworxx's Die Macher on BGG Store37:22 Feature Game: Versailles 1919 (Geoff Engelstein & Mark Herman, GMT Games, 2020)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices