So Very Wrong About Games

Sometimes categories are useful taxonomical tools, and sometimes they are so blunt as to be confusing and unhelpful. What gets parsed as "worker placement" can get downright murky at times. To Walker, though, the world is clear and simple. Tolstoy tells us that "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Walker has a modified view--all fun games are fun and thus good and interchangeable, and all unfun games are bad and thus the same. It's a good thing he's not a critic or anything.Games Played Last Week: -Welcome to... 3m47s (Benoit Turpin, Blue Cocker Games, 2018)-A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians 6m19s (Gernot Köpke & Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2018)-Architects of the West Kingdom 9m55s (Shem Phillips & S. J. Macdonald, Garphill Games, 2018)-Byzantium 16m06s (Martin Wallace, Warfrog, 2005)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Sushi Go Rolls on 20m13s-New Quest for El Dorado? Expansion? Hybrid? 21m21s-Scotland Yard: Now with dice, uncertain haberdashery 22m25s-Who wants to license Talisman? 22m59s-Ignorance is Bliss 24m36s-Time for more T.I.M.E. Stories 24m55sFeature Game: Core Worlds 26m47s (Andrew Parks, Stronghold, 2011)Topic: OOP Games that Should Be Reprinted 51m26Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just as we are told that it's always five o'clock somewhere, we can be assured that Mark and Walker are always wrong somewhere. Time marches inexorably forward, and we mark that passage of time by checking in with the much-loved Quartermaster General series. Mark would happily tell you that time is nothing more and nothing less than a priori intuition, which when internalized allows us to ground the science of mathematics--and then Walker would rightfully point out that it's time for Mark to shut up.Games Played Last Week: -Menara 3m01s (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Spiele, 2018)-Massive Darkness 5m18s (Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien & Nicolas Raoult, CMON, 2017)-Sentinels of the Multiverse 8m13s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater than Games, 2011)-Millennium Blades 10m20s (D. Brad Talton, Jr., Level 99 Games, 2016)-Kitchen Rush 12m17s (Vangelis Bagiartakis & Dávid Turczi, Artipia, 2017)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Quartermaster General (WWII) re-(quarter)mastered 15m22s-alea games joins a euro publishing revival 16m12s-Mystic Vale Steams up 17m27s-Plan B Games in a new Era from Matt Leacock 18m39s-Role-play as a Sentinel of the Multiverse 20m23sFeature Game: Quartermaster General: The Cold War 22m11s (Ian Brody, PSC Games, 2018)Topic: Real-Time Games 49m59sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes our hosts can't quite understand what the situation demands of them. Walker has been known to approach thoughtful, deliberative games with the oft-repeated demand of "when do I get to shoot LEMME SHOOT." Mark tends to greet new acquaintances with profanity-laden assaults on their life choices, hygiene, and character. These traits perhaps serve to explain how they find themselves in the social circles that they do.Games Played Last Week: -The Quacks of Quedlingburg 2m37s (Wolfgang Warsch, North Star Games, 2018)-Brass: Birmingham 5m18s (Gavan Brown, Matt Tolman, & Martin Wallace, Roxley, 2018)-In the Shadow of the Emperor 8m29s (Ralf Burkert, Rio Grande Games, 2004)-Kemet: Seth 11m09s (Jacques Bariot & Guillaume Montiage, Matagot, 2018)-Gaslands 15m39s (Glenn Ford & Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2017)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Portal 2019: Roll & write, Neuroshima Hex! 16m58s-Restoring Conspiracy 17m50s-Build with ice (the Canadian currency) in Tuki 19m19s-Mark takes credit for Iwari 20m05s-New pain to Discover 21m52s-Rooting for new factions in Root 22m37s-Jim Henson's Labyrinth gets proportionally less Bowie 23m02s-How many Odysseys? Want 1001 of them? 23m58sFeature Game: Talon 26m11s (Jim Krohn, GMT, 2016) and Talon 1000 (Jim Krohn, GMT, 2018)Topic: Table Talk 53m51sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We take endorsements very seriously here at SVWAG. The Ferragamo deal fell through after Walker was seen wearing Fendi, and the whole Burberry fiasco is better left forgotten. Converse was our backup, but suffice to say after Mark's public comments about sportsball that seems like a distant possibility at best.All that said, we endorse Gloomy Companion unreservedly. We don't resort to apps very often, but we don't Gloomhaven without Gloomy Companion employed on a tablet. We've tried others but it suits us the best.Games Played Last Week: -Mombasa 3m14s (Alexander Pfister, eggertspiele, 2015)-Decrypto 5m28s (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2018)-Han 6m57s(Michael Schacht, ABACUSSPIELE, 2014)-Sakura Arms 7m55s (BakaFire, AEG, 2016)-Kitchen Rush 10m08s (Vangelis Bagiartakis & Dávid Turczi, Artipia, 2017)-Chinatown 10m36s (Karsten Hartwig, Z-Man, 1999)-Eclipse 13m14s (Touko Tahkokallio, Lautapelit.fi, 2011)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Frontier Wars 15m34s-Rio Grande is back? 15m59s-The Galaxy Rolls on 16m55s-35 years of BattleTech 18m08s-Official statement on pronunciation 18m48sFeature Game: Gloomhaven 20m46s (Isaac Childres, Cephalofair Games, 2017)Topic: How Much Can a Game Demand of Its Players? 48m38sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Constant vigilance is the price of audio quality, and we apologize for how badly that struggle has been going of late. Walker prostrates himself before the altar of Bars, and Bars we achieve, but the nature of those Bars have been fickle. Their shape and pattern cannot be properly contained or channeled, and thus they spurn us and assault your ears. Rest assured that we are consulting the augurs and they are poring over the entrails of many a cassette tape in order to discern how we may appease the Bars. But yeah, it's totally Mark's fault.We have a Patreon, if you're inclined to support us.Games Played Last Week: -XCOM: The Boardgame--Evolution 1m51s (Samuel Bailey & Mark Larson, Fantasy Flight, 2016)-Quest for El Dorado: Heroes and Hexes 2m56s (Reiner Knizia, Ravensburger, 2018)-Kitchen Rush 5m59s (Vangelis Bagiartakis & Dávid Turczi, Artipia, 2017)-Codenames 6m59s (Vlaada Chvatil, CGE, 2015)-Wildlands 9m18s (Martin Wallace, Osprey, 2018)-Scythe: The Rise of Fenris 14m44s (Ryan Lopez DeVinaspre & Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier, 2018)-Tobago 18m40s (Bruce Allen, Zoch Verlag, 2009)-This Guilty Land 19m42s (Tom Russell, Hollandspiele, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter)-FFG Returns to Lord of the Rings 24m27s-Wolff Designaa in 2019: Guards and Tricks 26m11s-Snakes and Lattes unhinges its jaw and expands 27m41s-Suburbia's custom colours 28m12sFeature Game: New Frontiers 29m43s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande, 2018)Topic: How Many Versions Is Too Many? 58m30sPatreon Summary 1h12m11sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peer influence is a strange thing. For years Mark has been yelling at Walker about various ways he really ought to change, but a single board game now has Walker spewing Macross lore like he's a convert. Perhaps the authors like Erin Lee Escobedo have a point, and board games really can serve to deliver subtle yet powerful influence. Perhaps we could make board games to convince people to like and dislike the right board games...Games Played Last Week: -Telestrations 3m40s (Uncredited, USAopoly, 2009)-Diamonds 4m52s (Mike Fitzgerald, Stronghold, 2014)-Meltwater: A Game of Tactical Starvation 8m30s (Erin Lee Escobedo, Hollandspiele, 2018)-Tokyo Highway 14m07s (Naotaka Shimamoto & Yoshiaki Tomioka, itten, 2016)-Robotech: Attack on the SDF-1 15m51s (Darius Hambleton & Jeff Mechlinski, Strange Machine Games, 2018)-Great Western Trail: Rails to the North 20m04s (Alexander Pfister, Stronghold, 2018)-Shards of Infinity: Relics of the Future 24m17s (Gary Arant & Justin Gary, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter)-2491 Planetship disappoints Walker pre-emptively 26m17s-Successors' Successor 27m36s-Age of Steam's authorship evaporates 28m43s-Vital Lacerda and Railways of the World 30m10s-Suburbia gets purdy 30m30s-Walker unimpressed by the Hotness 31m41s-SVWAG succumbs to the inevitable with an upcoming Patreon 32m47sFeature Game: Pandemic: Fall of Rome 34m17s (Matt Leacock & Paolo Mori, Z-Man, 2018)Topic: New Year's Resolutions Past and Present 53m48sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The hosts discuss their top 10 games of 2018, featuring Space Hulk and Terraforming Mars. They share mixed feelings about Dinosaur Island but praise Cryptid. They review various board games from 2018 like Welcome To and Reef. The speakers explore board game disappointments like 'Discovery' and 'Decrypto', and reflect on editorial policies of the past year.

Players aren't the only people who make choices, of course. Designers and publishers make decisions about the setting and the theme of their games. Insofar as games can communicate a message--whether purely aesthetic or more ideological--it is beneficial to have a clear vision. Things can get exceptionally problematic when you start playing fast and loose with things of great cultural and historical import. Incidentally, I will note that while our topic and our feature game often have no connection between them, sometimes they do. I don't know why I'm mentioning that this week.Games Played Last Week: -Hyperborea: Light and Shadow 1m37s (Andrea Chiarvesio, Maurizio Vergendo, & Pierluca Zizzi, Asterion Press, 2016)-Between Two Cities 3m15s (Matthew O'Malley, Morten Monrad Pedersen, & Ben Rosset, Stonemaier, 2015)-Factory Funner 5m03s (Corné van Moorsel, Cwali, 2016)-Photosynthesis 8m06s (Hjalmar Hach, Blue Orange, 2017)-Stephenson's Rocket: Eastern USA & China 9m13s (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2018)-Petrichor 12m12s (David Chircop & Dávid Turczi, APE Games, 2018)-The Voyages of Marco Polo 12m57s (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015)-Teotihuacan: City of Gods 14m59s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018)-Dominant Species 15m37s (Chad Jensen, GMT, 2010)-Res Publica 18m03s (Reiner Knizia, Queen, 1991)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Descent into new digital depths 22m05s-Fards of Inshinity digital 22m20s-Failed Carnival of Monsters rises again 23m02s-Die Macher won't die 24m15sFeature Game: Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done 25m10s (Seth Jaffee, Tasty Minstrel, 2018)Topic: Thematic Disconnects 48m15sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a new coping mechanism, Mark and Walker decide to expunge their deepest shameful acts of conspicuous consumption and frivolous travel by talking about it on the internet. Now that Tumblr is is divesting themselves of adult content they can't post their Stephen Universe erotica there, so this is the next best thing. Don't tell Mark and Walker that a) anyone is listening, or b) they've been using their real names.Games Played Last Week: -Gùgong 3m33s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)-Quartermaster General: Prelude 4m05s (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2018)-Triumph and Tragedy 6m18s (Craig Besinque, GMT, 2015)-Goodcritters 14m03s (Fabian Zimmermann, Arcane Wonders, 2018)-Heroes of Terrinoth 15m36s (Adam & Brady Sadler, Fantasy Flight, 2018)-The Estates 18m17s (Klaus Zoch, Capstone Games, 2018)-Gaslands 20m48s (Glenn Ford & Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2017)-Hero Realms: The Ruin of Thandar Campaign Deck (Ben Cichoski, Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle & Daniel Mandel, White Wizard, 2018) 22m35sNews (and why it doesn't matter)-Snake. Snake! SNAAAKE!! 24m30s-Terra Mystica Incognita 25m27s-Shadowrift Booms 26m41s-What's Your Game? Well, Madeira and Zhanguo, for two 28m15sFeature Game: Teotihuacan: City of Gods 28m53s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018)Topic: How Far Is Too Far? 54m45sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lots of talk of economics in this week's news. One might expect a diminishing return on such talk, but as rational consumers of news we often find a deficit of such a valuable commodity. Ceteris paribus, we're willing to offer you the free lunch of our altruism, even though that may lead to a tragedy of the commons. We value your investment of time when you listen to us--our intellectual capital is all we have, after all.I don't think I'm very bullish on this bit any more. Games Played Last Week: -KeyForge: Call of the Archons 4m00s (Richard Garfield, Fantasy Flight, 2018)-Epic: The Card Game 6m26s (Robert Dougherty & Darwin Kastle, White Wizard, 2015)-Teotihuacan: City of Gods 8m12s (Daniele Tascini & Dávid Turczi, NSKN Games, 2018)-Argent: The Consortium 9m01s (Trey Chambers, Level 99 Games, 2015)-BattleLore: Second Edition 11m51s (Richard Borg & Robert A. Kouba, Fantasy Flight, 2013)-North Wind 13m23s (Klaus Teuber, Z-Man, 2014)-Everdell 15m18s (James A. Wilson, Starling Games, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Super Dungeon Explore's money fades into Legend 17m10s-Cool Mini or Not's earnings get more mini, isn't cool 19m08s-Omega Protocol proves once again that LoS ain't easy 23m18s-Inflation hits the stellar market with A Billion Suns 24m52Feature Game: Gùgōng 26m30s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)Topic: Resolving Rules Disputes 54m26sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices