Board Game Hot Takes

In Episode 125 we discuss our top 5 board games that we only played once in 2022.  These are some games we haven't mentioned much on the show but that we wish we were playing more. We also discuss a poll about board game related challenges. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:40 Poll: Do you have any board game related challenges for 2023? 05:51 Top 5 Board Games we only played once in 2022 10:50 Golem 13:02 Messina 1347 14:12 The Fox Experiment 15:13 Circadians: Chaos Order 19:06 Terracotta Army 20:24 Brian Boru: High King of Ireland 21:42 AuZtralia 23:50 Boonlake 25:03 Rising Sun 26:58 Dice Forge 29:43 Francis Drake 32:28 Lacrimosa 33:47 Arcs 37:23 Tiletum 39:20 Wonderland's War 43:29 Listener Shoutout

In Episode 124 we discuss the top 5 games we want to play in 2023.  We also review last years' lists and look back on the games we got played. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction Last Year 2:06 #5 Chris Last Year - Azul 3:35 #5 Jen Last Year - Welcome To... 4:13 #5 Tim Last Year - Tyrants of the Underdark / The Quest for El Dorado 4:45 #5 Adam Last Year - Cryo 5:00 #4 Chris Last Year - Rising Sun 5:39 #4 Jen Last Year - Kokopelli 6:22 #4 Tim Last Year - Rolling Realms 7:20 #4 Adam Last Year - Barrage 8:34 #3 Chris Last Year - Nemesis 9:52 #3 Jen Last Year - Viticulture 11:06 #3 Tim Last Year - Sleeping Gods 11:41 #3 Adam Last Year - Organism 12:25 #2 Chris - Radlands 13:21 #2 Jen Last Year - Catan 15:04 #2 Tim Last Year - Ark Nova 15:51 #2 Adam Last Year - Reef Encounter 16:36 #1 Chris Last Year - Golem 17:18 #1 Jen Last Year - Calico 19:00 #1 Tim Last Year - Clans of Caledonia 19:20 #1 Adam Last Year - Brian Boru: High King of Ireland This Year 21:12 #5 Adam - Paperback Adventures 23:10 #5 Tim - Welcome To the Moon 25:11 #5 Chris - Twilight Imperium 4th Edition 30:36 #5 Jen - Splendor 34:36 #4 Adam - Forbidden Stars 37:05 #4 Tim - Scout 39:46 #4 Chris and Jen - Mariposa 44:27 #3 Adam - Imperial 2030 45:56 #3 Tim - Tawantinsuyu: The Incan Empire 47:35 #3 Chris - Anunnaki: Dawn of the Gods 51:53 #3 Jen - Honey Buzz 55:03 #2 Adam - Battle for Rokugan 56:42 #2 Tim - Revive 59:44 #2 Chris - Chaos in the Old World 1:02:19 #2 Jen - Bora Bora / Cuzco 1:07:00 #1 Adam - Pessoa 1:09:36 #1 - Tim - Marrakesh 1:12:28 #1 - Chris - My Father's Work 1:17:08 #1 - Jen - My Lil' Everdell 1:20:56 Honorable Mentions: Fortune and Glory, Where Humans Don't Belong

In Episode 123 we provide our hot take review of Lacrimosa covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We also discuss a poll about preferences on leaving space for expansions in board game boxes, Chris give us a Lacrimosa themed cocktail, and then we all discuss One Deck Galaxy. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:30 Poll: Do you prefer to leave space inside boxes for expansions or making it as compact as possible? 12:06 Lacrimosa board game description 14:21 Gameplay and Mechanisms 26:27 Production and Theme 32:46 Final Thoughts 36:14 Lacrimosa themed cocktail 38:55 One Deck Galaxy

In Episode 122 we provide our hot take review of Tyrants of the Underdark covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We also discuss a poll about spending time with board games outside of playing them, Chris give us a Tyrants of the Underdark themed cocktail, and then we discuss some games on our table including Tiletum, Chocolate Factory,  My Lil Everdell, and Sol: Last Days of a Star. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:28 Poll: What's your favorite way to spend time with board games other than playing them? 10:32 Tyrants of the Underdark board game description 12:23 Gameplay and Mechanisms 25:20 Production and Theme 27:42 Final Thoughts 32:55 Tyrants of the Underdark themed cocktail 34:57 Tiletum 47:23 Chocolate Factory 54:49 My Lil Everdell 1:03:44 Sol: Last Days of a Star

In Episode 121 we provide our hot take review of Terracotta Army covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We also discuss a poll about having game nights ruined by other players, Chris give us a Terracotta Army themed cocktail, and then we discuss some games on our table including Clank! Catacombs, Draftosaurus, and Wingspan: Asia. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:34 Poll: Do you plan to take advantage of Holiday Sales for board games? 04:07 Terracotta Army board game description 06:16 Gameplay and Mechanisms 22:52 Production and Theme 25:50 Final Thoughts 29:44 Terracotta Army themed cocktail 32:16 Clank! Catacombs 39:30 Wingspan: Asia and Wingspan Nesting Box 45:30 Draftosaurus

In Episode 120 we discuss our top 5 board games with integrated themes.  We each pick our top 5 games where the theme really shines through in the mechanisms but we also call out where it misses. We also discuss a poll on creating and strengthening relationships through board games. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:52 Poll: Have you ever discovered or developed a very strong relationship through board games? 10:00 Top 5 Board Games with Integrated Themes 14:05 Wingspan 16:17 Clank! and Clank! Legacy 19:23 Golem 25:41 Eclipse: 2nd Dawn for the Galaxy 27:30 Nunami 29:44 Pan Am 32:34 Arkham Horror: The Card Game 34:21 Imhotep 36:47 Viticulture 41:18 Agricola 44:04 Root 48:06 Leaving Earth 51:04 Outlive 53:45 Final Girl 58:41 Baseball Highlights 2045

In Episode 119 we provide our hot take review of Teotihuacan: City of Gods covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We also discuss a poll about having game nights ruined by other players, Chris give us a Teotihuacan themed cocktail, and then we discuss some games on our table including Victorian Masterminds, Cthulhu: Death May Die, and Paperback Adventures. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:39 Poll: Has another player ever ruined a game night for you? 11:15 Teotihuacan: City of Gods board game description 12:42 Gameplay and Mechanisms 29:11 Production and Theme 38:40 Final Thoughts 46:56 Teotihuacan: City of Gods themed cocktail 50:24 Victorian Masterminds 58:24 Envelopes of Cash 59:03 Cthulhu: Death May Die 64:04 Paperback Adventures

In Episode 118 we provide our hot take review of Carnegie covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We also discuss a poll about where you learn about board games, Chris give us a Carnegie themed cocktail, and then we discuss some games on our table including Envelopes of Cash and Slay the Spire: The Board Game. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:37 Poll: Where do you learn about board games? 4:45 Carnegie board game description 6:32 Gameplay and Mechanisms 24:03 Production and Theme 30:21 Final Thoughts 37:05 Carnegie themed cocktail 40:16 Envelopes of Cash 49:40 Slay the Spire: The Board Game 56:52 Listener Shoutout

In Episode 117 we provide our hot take review of Cthulhu: Death May Die covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game and then discuss some of the new mechanisms that are being added for the standalone expansion Fear of the Unknown. We also discuss a poll about competitive vs. cooperative games, and then we discuss some games on our table including Everdell: Mistwood, Can't Stop, Space Empires 4X, Agricola, and Last Will and give our future takes on Slay the Spire and Aqua Garden. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Poll: Competitive vs. Cooperative? 7:57 Cthulhu: Death May Die board game description 9:48 Gameplay and Mechanisms 26:09 Production and Theme 31:00 Final Thoughts 36:23 Cthulhu: Death May Die - Fear of the Unknown preview 42:50 Cthulhu: Death May Die themed cocktail 47:23 Everdell: Mistwood and Everdell: Complete Collection 55:32 Space Empires 4X 1:02:20 Can't Stop 1:06:00 Last Will 1:12:07 Agricola 1:14:24 Future Take: Slay the Spire The Board Game 1:19:14 Aqua Garden 1:23:55 Listener Shoutout

In Episode 116 we discuss our top 5 favorite board game designers.  We talk about our favorite designers, the games that we've loved by them as well as some we haven't, and the games that we want to try next by them. We also discuss a poll on giving up while learning games. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:27 Poll: Have you ever given up while learning a game? 12:29 Top 5 favorite board game designers 16:03 Paolo Mori (Libertalia, Ethnos, Dogs of War) 17:21 Elizabeth Hargrave (Wingspan, Tussie Mussie, The Fox Experiment, Mariposas) 19:12 Vladimir Suchy (Underwater Cities, Messina 1347, Praga Caput Regni, Last Will, Pulsar 2849) 21:13 Ivan Lashin (Smartphone, Inc., Furnace, Frozen Frontier) 22:22 Adam Kwapinski (Nemesis, Lords of Hellas, Lords of Ragnarok) 24:43 Bruno Cathala (Five Tribes, Jamaica, 7 Wonders Duel, Kingdomino, Cyclades) 28:29 Vlaada Chvatil (Through the Ages, Codenames, Galaxy Trucker, Mage Knight) 30:37 Simone Luciani, Daniele Tascini, Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli (Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar, Lorenzo il Magnifico, Golem, Barrage, Grand Austria Hotel, Tiletum) 35:21 Stefan Feld (Castles of Burgundy, Bonfire, Carpe Diem, Trajan, Marrakesh, Notre Dame) 39:48 David Turczi (Anachrony, Voidfall,  Imperium: Legends, Imperium: Classics) 42:16 Jamey Stegmaier (Tapestry, Scythe, Viticulture, Charterstone, Red Rising) 46:12 Shem Phillips, Sam Macdonald (Architects of the West Kingdom, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Viscounts of the West Kingdom, Wayfarers of the South Tigris, Scholars of the South Tigris) 48:11 Cole Wehrle (Pax Pamir: 2nd Edition, Arcs, Root, John Company 2nd Edition) 51:02 Eric Lang ( Blood Rage, Rising Sun, Ankh: Gods of Egypt, Marvel United, Victorian Masterminds, Chaos in the Old World) 56:49 Paul Dennen (Clank!, Clank! In! Space!, Clank! Legacy!, Clank! Catacombs, Dune: Imperium, Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne) 1:02:10 Listener Shoutout