So Very Wrong About Games

There's this substance that the British people deploy called "salad cream." Chemists, for decades, have tried to break down its constituent parts; but the substance's sheer viscosity--not to mention its disturbing colour and odour--have defied all analysis. I mention this because despite our Canadian prerogative of spelling colour and odour as we do, the cultural rites of salad cream are alien to us. We're proud members of the Commonwealth, but we have our limits. Also, you could put some salad cream on your point salad, bruh. Games Played Last Week: -FUSE 3m19s (Kane Klenko, Renegade Game Studios, 2015)-KeyForge: Call of the Archons 5m22s (Richard Garfield, Fantasy Flight, 2018)-Twilight Imperium 4th Edition 10m55s (Dane Beltrami, Corey Konieczka & Christian T. Petersen, Fantasy Flight, 2017)-Innovation Deluxe 11m26s (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi, 2017)-Hero Realms 14m36s (Robert Dougherty & Darwin Kastle, White Wizard, 2016)-One Deck Dungeon: Forest of Shadows 16m49s (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi, 2017)-Gugong 18m33s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018)-Root 21m12s (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter)-V-Commandos morphing into Assassin's Creed 23m21s-Warhammer Quest gets Grimdark 26m03s-New Frontiers for Race for the Galaxy 29m50sFeature Game: Coimbra 30m10s (Flaminia Brasini & Virginio Gigli, eggertspiele, 2018)Topic: Eric Lang 50m08sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's in a name? Well, if the game is KeyForge, the name is pretty much the entire game. As we have learned from bots in the past, set an algorithm loose on the internet and it'll probably come back as a racist misogynist troll. So far we've seen little of that scale in KeyForge deck names, but it's spat out some pretty amazing names nonetheless. Games Played Last Week: -Paper Tales 3m24s (Masato Uesugi, Stronghold, 2017)-Food Chain Magnate 6m08s (Jeroen Doumen & Joris Wiersinga, Splotter, 2015)-For Sale 8m22s (Stefan Dorra, Ravensburger, 1997)-A Feast for Odin (Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2016)-Pantone: The Game 11m31s (Scott Rogers, Cryptozoic, 2018)-Great Western Trail: Rails to the North 14m48s (Alexander Pfister, Stronghold, 2018)-Root 17m02s (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2018)-Assault on Doomrock 20m48s (Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster, 2014)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Fenris Rages again 23m26s-More bunnies for Walker to loathe 24m17s-Cleopatra reprint; why, exactly? 24m57s-Andrew Parks and the Marvel B-list 25m44s-Walker liked Little Town Builders before it was cool 27m30s-Moar dexterity with Catch the Moon 28m00sFeature Game: Claustrophobia 28m20s (CROC, Asmodee, 2009)Topic: First Impressions of KeyForge (Richard Garfield, Fantasy Flight, 2018)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are an easily-triggered group, we geeks, we nerds; so allow us to exercize due diligence and offer the following warnings. Spoiler Alert: we discuss what spoilers are. Meta Alert: we get pretty meta about spoilers. Existentialism Alert: Walker gets pretty existential (parenthetical alert: you might have figured Mark would instead, but he has very little time for existentialism, being more modern than post-modern). Games Played Last Week: -Endeavor: Age of Sail 1m41s (Carl de Visser & Jarratt Gray, Burst Island Games, 2018)-Spinderella 5m06s (Roberto Fraga, Zoch Verlag, 2015)-Everdell 7m38s (James A. Wilson, Starling Games, 2018)-Western Legends 7m59s (Hervé Lemaître, Kolossal, 2018)-Assault on Doomrock 12m40s (Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster, 2014)-Sakura Arms 15m38s (BakaFire, AEG, 2016)-Space Cadets: Away Missions 17m35s (Dan Raspler & Al Rose, Stronghold, 2015)News (and why it doesn't matter)-How many states past the 51st are we up to? 18m51s-Flicking, puns, and strategy 20m12s-A bear park for more godless killing machines 21m31sFeature Game: Discover: Lands Unknown 22m30s (Corey Konieczka, Fantasy Flight, 2018)Topic: Overused Themes 50m12sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've always been here. Waiting, in this basement, yelling into the can. When we invented podcasts all those years ago it was merely as avenue for our pre-existing subterranean discourse. Now some of you have joined us, and our labours are no longer in vain. Once the power dies out, we'll still be here, yelling into the can. About boardgames. Games Played Last Week: -Race for the Galaxy: Xeno Invasion 1m43s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2015)-Everdell 5m54s (James A. Wilson, Starling Games, 2018)-Starfarers of Catan 10m06s (Klaus Teuber, Mayfair Games, 1999)-Barbarians: The Invasion 12m44s (Martino Chiacchiera, Marta Ciaccasassi, & Pierluca Zizzi, Tabula Games, 2018)-Forbidden Sky 19m21s (Matt Leacock, Gamewright, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Asmodee sold, Asmodee buys something 21m55s-Taiwanese flag flap 23m58s-CMON tries zombies for the first time ever 25m27s-More Spirits on the Island 26m13sFeature Game: Stephenson's Rocket 28m03s (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2018)Topic: Dealing with Frustration 54m40sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reading your audience is a hard thing, and not even just when blasting your errant opinions over the interwebs. Mark couldn't read the room when Walker requested a certain game, and that didn't end well. Walker couldn't perceive Mark's growing misgivings about the feature game. This one time I thought a baby boy was a baby girl and the parents were very offended. Life is hard!Games Played Last Week: -Star Realms 2m19s (Robert Dougherty & Darwin Kastle, White Wizard, 2014)-Amun-Re: The Card Game 4m59s (Reiner Knizia, Super Meeple, 2017)-Endeavor: The Age of Sail 7m03s (Carl de Visser & Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2018)-Ortus Regni 9m26s (Jon Sudbury, Jon Sudbury Games, 2014)-Star Wars: Imperial Assault - Jabba's Realm 12m02s (Todd Michlitsch & Paul Winchester, FFG, 2017)-Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu 13m10s (Matt Leacock & Chuck D. Yager, Z-Man, 2016)-Mage Knight Board Game 15m42s (Vlaada Chvatil, WizKids, 2011)-Race for the Galaxy: The Brink of War 18m25s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2010)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Fighting games have sequels, so too must Street Masters 19m45s-Carcassonne goes on safari 21m48s-The Grail lost? 22m44sFeature Game: 24m24s-Battle for Rokugan (Molly Glover & Tom Jolly, Fantasy Flight, 2017)Topic: Gateway Games 51m50sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I hope you're planning your Arkhipov Day festivities. Don't get me wrong, I dig Stanislav Petrov as much as the next guy, but for my money Vasili Arkhipov is the man, and he doesn't get nearly enough credit. Because, you know, he either saved your life or your ancestors' lives--the least we could do is give the man a holiday. He doesn't even have a card in Twilight Struggle! See, I brought it back to games in the end.Games Played Last Week: -Galaxy Trucker: Missions 3m00s (Vlaada Chvátil, CGE, 2015)-Terraforming Mars: Prelude 6m04s (Jacob Fryxelius, Stronghold, 2018)-Quartermaster General: Prelude 7m01s (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2018)-Star Wars: Imperial Assault - Jabba's Realm 9m24s (Todd Michlitsch & Paul Winchester, FFG, 2017)-Specter Ops 10m24s (Emerson Matssuchi, Plaid Hat Games, 2015)-Master of the Galaxy 14m54s (Timofey Bokarev & Konstantin Seleznev, Ares Games, 2018)-Paper Tales: Beyond the Gate 19m38s (Masato Uesugi, Strongold, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Fog of Love expands to LGBTQ scenarios 24m22s-Z-Man Lords over Vegas 25m34s-SVWAG SWAG: Take our stuff 26m20s-Pfister Blacks Out Hong Kong 27m46s-Mac Gerdts brings the love in Concordia 28m37s-Terraforming Mars digitally 29m40s-Chip Theory's neoprene obsession 30m00sFeature Game: 31m28s-Level 7 [Omega Protocol] (Will Schoonover, Privateer Press, 2013)Topic: Keeping Games Moving 57m42sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're always wondering about what comes next, always on the lookout for the next big thing--both in games and broadcasting. That's why we're open to being elevated to the judiciary, so the next time there's a search committee feel free to add Mark and Walker to the ol' shortlist. We're open to traveling, so it doesn't have to be any particular country. We hear The Hague is nice? Games Played Last Week: -Mystic Vale 2m02s (John D. Clair, AEG, 2016)-Sentinels of the Multiverse 6m27s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011) -Istanbul 10m34s (Rudiger Dorn, Pegasus Spiele, 2014)-Vengeance 11m49s (Gordon Calleja, Mighty Boards, 2018)-XenoShyft: Onslaught 13m30s (Keren Philosophales & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015)-51st State: Master Set 15m46s (Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal, 2016)-War Chest 17m46s (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, AEG, 2018)-Menara 21m41s (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Verlag, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Food Chain Magnate catches up to condiments 22m07s-Takla's bridge to nowhere 23m28s-The Boldest, a Wagnerian epic 24m22s-The city published once in a Blue Moon 25m36s Feature Game: Gaslands 27m42s (Glenn Ford & Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2017)Topic: The Perils of Collecting 54m58sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We would like to apologize for the poorer audio quality of this episode. The editor (Mark) would dearly like to attribute it somehow to Walker's illness-induced stupor, but try as he might he can't seem to blame the victim on this one. The microphone has let us all down, dear listeners, and all we can do is vow not to repeat the twin errors--the one being the reduced audio quality, the other in Mark not being able to scapegoat the victim.Games Played Last Week: -Street Masters: Redemption 1m30s (Brady Sadler & Adam Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2018) -Sentinels of the Multiverse 3m35s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011)-SEAL Team Flix 7m34s (Pete Ruth & Mark Thomas, WizKids, 2018)-Mystic Vale 10m57s (John D. Clair, AEG, 2016)-Vengeance 13m10s (Gordon Calleja, Mighty Boards, 2018)-Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King 16m26s (Andreas Pelikan & Alexander Pfister, Lookout Games, 2015) News (and why it doesn't matter)-Mississippi Queen: too many reprints? 17m00s-The Key series Flows on 20m21s-Pretzel Games puts Men at Work 21m31s-Neuroshima Hex! gets fantastical in Monolith Arena 22m31s Feature Game: BattleCON 23m54s (Brad D. Talton, Level 99 Games, 2010)Topic: Catch-up Mechanics 53m31sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes, dear listeners, the news does matter, and in such instances our hosts feel under-equipped to address them properly. Such is the nature of crippling incompetence. I mean, they could have devoted their time to worthwhile pursuits (like playing games) but instead they shout into a can to strangers (about playing games). But sometimes circumstances demand a brief segue into matters of consequence, and so we here at SVWAG swear by the majestic mountains of Manitoba to do our best.Games Played Last Week: -Ethnos 1m54s (Paolo Mori, CMON, 2017) -El Grande 2m52s (Wolfgang Kramer & Richard Ulrich, Hans im Gluck, 1995)-Who Goes There? 4m34s (Anthony Coffey & Jesse Labbe, Certifiable Games, 2018) -Street Masters: Twin Tiger 8m51s (Brady Sadler & Adam Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2018) -Level 7 [Invasion] 10m49s (Will Schoonover, Privateer Press, 2014)-Grand Austria Hotel 13m19s (Virginio Gigli & Simone Luciani, Lookout Games, 2015)-Mecanisburgo 15m43s (Servando Cavallar, Gen-X Games, 2008)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Walker discovers Norwegia 20m05s-BattleCON big (huge) box 20m45s-El Dorado gets hexed 21m05s-dlp Games' callous disregard and intellectual laziness re: Manitoba 21m29s Feature Game: Too Many Bones: Undertow 29m19s (Adam Carlson & Josh J. Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2018)Topic: Difficulty in Co-ops 52m01sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh, hello there. The door's unlocked--just come on in. Please pardon our informal setting, here, we just want you to be comfortable. I suppose, though, that a tone of complete familiarity shouldn't prevent us from doing introductions. I'm the episode description, and I'm the thing you don't read. Our hosts are Mark Bigney and Mike Walker, and they're the ones you don't respect. Stay with us for a while, won't you?Games Played Last Week: -Aeon's End 1m15s (Kevin Riley, Action Phase Games, 2016), -XenoShyft: Onslaught 4m43s (Keren Philosophales & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015), -Fast Forward: Fortress 11m17s (Friedmann Friese, Stronghold Games, 2017), -Asgard's Chosen 16m24s (Morgan Dontanville, Mayfair Games, 2013), -Age of Industry 21m26s (Martin Wallace, Treefrog Games, 2010)News (and why it doesn't matter)-Ancient Rome falls to a Pandemic 23m31s-Horizon: Zero Dawn 24m36s-There's a party and you're not invited 26m06s Feature Game: Sentinels of the Multiverse 27m05s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater than Games, 2011)Sentinels of the Multiverse: OblivAeon 36m53s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater than Games, 2018)Topic: Explaining Rules 54m14sAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices