Board Game Hot Takes

In Episode 194 we discuss the first half of our semi-annual BGHT convention. 3 gamers, 5 days, 16 games played. In this episode we discuss 8 of those games including several that were new to us. We kick off the episode off with a poll on how long you can game without burnout. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:58 Poll: How many hours can you play board games straight before you get burned out and need a break? 07:37 BGHT Big Bear Con 08:06 Dune: Imperium 12:01 Sea Salt & Paper 13:31 Pulsar 2849 19:52 Apiary 25:00 Fractal: Beyond the Void 34:51 The Quest for El Dorado 40:50 Xenon Profiteers 46:31 Godspeed 52:15 Listener Shoutout 53:08 Retraction If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes

In Episode 193 we provide our hot take review of Orleans covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We discuss a poll on favorite board games based on French cities and then we discuss some board games on our table including Galactic Renaissance, The Vale of Eternity, and Wolves. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Question: Which board game based on a French city is your favorite? 04:57 Orleans Description 07:01 Gameplay and Mechanisms 30:19 Production and Theme 34:24 Final Thoughts 38:36 Galactic Renaissance 46:00 The Vale of Eternity 52:18 Wolves 55:05 Listener Shoutout If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes

Explore unique worker placement games like Lost Ruins of Arnak, Raiders of the North Sea, and more. Discover innovative mechanics in Bus and Dominant Species. Dive into diverse worker placement games like Lorenzo Il Magnifico and Euphoria. Uncover interactive gameplay in games such as Great Wall and Godspeed. Engage with podcast through Patreon perks and giveaways.

In Episode 191 we provide our hot take review of Maracaibo covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We discuss a poll on investigating card decks before playing games and then we discuss some board games on our table including Starship Captains, Sagnir, and Djinn. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:25 Question: When introduced to a board game that contains cards, at what point do you look through the deck to see distribution? 08:15 Maracaibo Description 10:07 Gameplay and Mechanisms 22:02 Production and Theme 26:22 Final Thoughts 35:35 Starship Captains 42:47 Sagnir 47:03 Djinn If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes

In Episode 190 Connie Vogelmann (designer of Apiary and Wyrmspan) joins us as our guest host as we each discuss our top 5 Desert Island Board Games. We also discuss a poll on how less games might impact our play habits. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:08 Poll: If you only had 5 board games (of your choice) available forever do you think you'd still play board games as frequently as you do? 09:33 Top 5 Desert Island Games 12:40 Azul 15:08 Cribbage 16:27 Ark Nova 19:15 Dune: Imperium 22:00 The Resistance: Avalon 26:33 Sea Salt & Paper 28:30 Fractal: Beyond the Void 32:07 Gloomhaven 35:23 Clank! Catacombs 39:47 Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory 43:32 Stationfall 44:48 A Feast for Odin 47:10 Welcome to the Moon 49:15 Twilight Imperium: 4th Edition 51:28 Blood Bowl 55:16 Age of Innovation 1:01:10 Runner Ups (Capital Lux 2, Xia: Legends of a Drift System, Decrypto, Werewords, Codenames, Voyages of Marco Polo, Grand Austria Hotel, Skull, Just One, Fun Facts) 1:04:50 Listener Shoutout

In episode 189, we take a deep dive into Board Game Arena and discuss games that we think are best on that online platform and games that are way better on a physical table. We also discuss a listener poll about how frequently you take turns on online board game platforms and give a huge shoutout to our BGA Community. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 04:00 Poll: How frequently do you take turns on async games on BGA (or other online platforms)? 09:48 Board Game Arena (Top 3 we prefer on BGA and Top 3 We prefer in person) 13:26 Ark Nova 19:00 Keyflower 22:48 7 Wonders 25:42 Heat: Pedal to the Metal 32:05 Tapestry 39:03 Terraforming Mars, Agricola 43:50 Blood Rage 46:02 Tichu, Haggis, 6 Nimmt, Libertalia 49:16 La Granja 52:19 Blood Rage 53:28 Cerebria: The Inside World 55:44 Wonderland's War 57:42 Woodcraft 59:21 Lords of Ragnarok, Lords of Hellas, The Great Wall, Nemesis 1:03:20 BGHT BGA Community Shoutout

In Episode 188 we each discuss our top 5 favorite player boards in board games. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:44 Baseball Highlight 2045 05:00 Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy 10:00 Lacrimosa (Red Cathedral, White Castle) 14:48 Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory 17:10 Distilled 21:02 Marrakesh (Orleans, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Russian Railroads) 25:45 Planet Unknown 27:49 Cthulhu: Death May Die 35:21 La Granja 39:57 My Father's Work 43:22 Carnegie 47:40 Voidfall 51:57 Mechanica 58:34 Scythe 1:04:05 Terraforming Mars, Calico, Fractal: Beyond the Void, Nucleum 1:09:00 Listener Shoutout

In episode 187, we answer more listener questions in a second mailbag episode. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:13 What are some common complaints about board games that you see as a positive? 08:16 What changed that made art and theme less important to you? What is part of board gaming that you feel a certain way about but suspect you're wrong? Could you take Klemens Franz in single combat? 16:01 How did each of you get into board games? Which do you prefer - Nerd or Geek? Do you keep track of your plays, how and why? 21:30 How do you cope with FOMO? 26:28 What's the ideal way to tell someone you didn't enjoy gaming with them and don't want to anymore? 36:58 Listener Shoutout 39:25 What was your favorite game to play with a young kid?

In Episode 186 we provide our hot take review of Clockwork Wars covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We discuss a poll on the loss of entire board game collections and then we discuss some board games on our table including Trickerion: Legends of Illusion, Lucky Numbers, and Knarr. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:47 Question: If you lost your entire board game collection, what percentage would you re-acquire? 06:15 Clockwork Wars Description 07:27 Gameplay and Mechanisms 31:02 Production and Theme 35:16 Final Thoughts 40:33 Trickerion: Legends of Illusion 51:23 Lucky Numbers 54:30 Knarr 1:00:52 Listener Shoutout

In Episode 185 we each discuss our biggest mistakes, at least regarding our first impressions on board games. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:37 Poll: How often does your first impression of a game hold up after more plays? 7:55 El Grande 10:53 Heat: Pedal to the Metal 13:46 Endless Winter: Paleoamericans 16:19 Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar and Teotihuacan: City of Gods 19:00 Sol: Last Days of a Star 23:14 Red Rising 25:59 Heat: Pedal to the Metal 28:10 Anachrony 32:22 Star Wars: Outer Rim 34:15 Dungeon Petz 36:54 Quacks of Quedlinburg 39:26 Dominion 42:27 Gaia Project 47:08 Ethnos 51:10 Runner Ups 54:35 Listener Shoutout