Tom, Jordan, and Ben discuss games they had shrugged off but later came to love. Plus, recent plays of Imperium Horizons, Legacies, and El Grande. 00:00 - Intro 00:06 - Legacies 26:11 - Avalon 29:14 - El Grande 34:14 - Franchise 39:31 - Second Wind Games 41:51 - Modern Art 46:26 - Imperium Horizons 54:37 - Dune Imperium: Uprising 01:02:22 - Android: Netrunner 01:08:42 - Black Angel 01:14:26 - A Feat for Odin 01:17:49 - Gold West 01:19:55 - Boonlake 01:22:06 - Great Western Trail: Argentina 01:30...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 209
Trey, Ben, and Dmitry review the 2024 release Let's Go To Japan . 0:00:00 Introduction Watch What Crappens wins Best Pop Culture Podcast The Traitors 0:08:48 Games on the Brain Baseball Highlights 2045 on Gamefound Star Wars: Unlimited Try online at Force Table Netrunner at Nullsignal.games Knarr Marrakesh Cuzco 00:51:30 Game Review : Let's Go to Japan Stationfall Santa Monica - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Instagram...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 208
Ben, Matt, and Paul sit down to talk about games they're going deep with (Root), and games that are brutalizing them (Cuzco). And everything in between. 00:08:04 - Traitors & Avalon 00:14:10 - Root 00:39:34 - Franchise 00:50:36 - Netrunner 01:07:10 - Cuzco 01:25:00 - Dinosaur Gauge 01:29:49 - Legacies 01:36:52 - Lunar 01:38:00 - Tournament at Avalon, Mino Dice 01:40:00 - Boon Lake: Artifacts 01:43:45 - Shikoku 1889...
Feb 26, 2024•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 207
Special guest Jennifer Schlickbernd joins Trey to review Thunder Road: Vendetta and discuss starter modes in boardgames. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:35 Recent Plays Merkator Arborea Pirates of Maricaibo 20 Strong kCaloria launches on Kickstarter 0:27:10 Game Review: Thunder Road: Vendetta Car Wars (1981) Thunder Road (1986) The White Castle (2023) 0:56:45 Discussion - Learning Modes in Games Evacuation ThinkerThemer's review Revive Voidfall - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Gro...
Feb 11, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 206
Ben and Paul discuss recent plays of Bloodstones, Bruxelles 1893, and Apiary. Then they try to figure out what's the best way for a group to select a game to play. Is it a democratic process? A dictatorial one? Or maybe just a roll of the dice. 15:47 - Apiary 19:22 - Horseless Carriage 23:20 - Bruxelles 1893: The Belle Epoque 36:03 - Bloodstones 51:55 - How to choose a game?
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 205
Hosts Matt, Tom, Trey, and Ben unite for our list of the best boardgames of 2023! 0:00:00 Introduction 0:05:10 Contest Results Sol: Last Days of a Star 0:18:35 Game Brain's Top Boardgames of 2023 0:20:04 T16 Great Western Trail: New Zealand 0:25:20 T16 Inferno Guelphs and Ghibellines Vie for Tuscany, 1259-1261 0:27:30 T13 Bloodstones 0:29:00 T13 Scholars of the South Tigris 0:32:00 T13 Thunder Road: Vendetta 0:34:35 12 Apiary 0:37:10 11 Horseless Carriage 0:43:15 10 Rats of Wistar 0:46:15 9th St...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 204
Ben and Paul catch up on the games they played over the 2023 holiday break. Afterwards they reflect on their favorite play sessions and new-to-them games. Strangely enough, they seem to gravitate towards their favorite meltdowns, which is a commentary on something, not sure what. Games discussed include Marrakesh, Dude, K2, Age of Steam, and Manhattan Project 2: Minutes to Midnight. Timestamps to come...
Jan 08, 2024•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 203
Trey, Tom, and Ben review Evacuation as we evacuate 2023. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:05:22 Recent Plays Agricola Forbidden Stars Bloodstones Manhattan Project 2: Minutes to Midnight Daybreak Enter the contest to win a copy of Sol:Last Days of a Star email us at contact@gamebrainpod.com 0:51:10 Game Review: Evacuation The games of Vladimir Suchý - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twitter - Instagram...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 202
Ben, Trey, and Jordan discuss the city-building, dynamic economy game Kutná Hora: The City of Silver. Plus recent plays of Horseless Carriage, Nucleum, and more.
Dec 11, 2023•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 201
Hosts Matt, Tom, Trey, and Ben unite for our 200th episode and revisit our favorite games from our time on the podcast. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:05:45 BGGCon Report Sol: Last Days of a Star Tabletop Network Daimyo: Battle for Japan Rats of Wistar Kutná Hora: The City of Silver Apiary Space BEES! Evacuation White Castle kCaloria 0:58:00 Other Plays Ur: 1830 BC Septima Evenfall 1:16:05 Our Favorite Games of the Podcast Ben #3 - Red Cathedral Matt #3 - Ark Nova Trey #3 - Imperial Steam Tom #3 - Barra...
Dec 04, 2023•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 200
A new Solo Mode has arrived, just in time for Matt to take you down the rabbit hole of Earthborne Rangers and the current LCG renaissance.
Nov 27, 2023•43 min
Ben catches up with Ken Kuhn of GMT Games, who talks about his company, what's coming down the pipeline, and of course 18XX (and war games too!). They also chat about recent plays of Sky Team, Evacuation, 535, Kutná Hora, The Plum Island Horror, Arborea, and 1880. Time codes to come!
Nov 13, 2023•2 hr•Ep. 199
Tom and Trey review The White Castle, discuss what makes a game "elegant," and they each give their top 10 Elegant Games. 0:00:00 Introduction Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle BGGCon Tabletop Network Rats of Wistar 0:16:50 Quick Discussion of Elegance The Gallerist Thunder Road: Vendetta 0:25:45 Game Review : The White Castle 0:56:30 Our Top 10 Elegant Games - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twitter - Instagram...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 198
Tom and Elder talk about their early play(s) of Nucleum, and other recent games of note.
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 197
Ben and Trey discuss direct aggression: how does it make them feel, when does it work, and how should it be managed. Plus, discussions of Coffee Traders, Voodoo Prince, and Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem 0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:35 Games on the Brain Coffee Traders Here I Stand Voodoo Prince Great Western Trail New Zealand Lorenzo il Magnifico: The Pazzi Conspiracy Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem Thunder Road: Vendetta 0:48:00 Design Topic: Directed Aggression Terraforming Mars Voidfall Trey's p...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 196
Ben, Candice, and Jordan discuss some early initial impressions of Voidfall , the new game from Mindclash. This is not a review - just some thoughts :) Plus, some chat about recent plays and playtests! 00:02:27 - Trajan 00:10:57 - Age of Innovation & Gaia Project 00:15:06 - Skymines 00:20:48 - Great Western Trail NZ 00:27:11 - 18EUS 00:33:50 - Voidfall 01:19:45 - Here I Stand
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 195
Ben and Paul discuss recent plays of Oathsworn, Here I Stand, and Tortuga 1667. Then we go deeper with the 2023 English release of The Rich and the Good (formerly Hab & Gut). 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:23 - Oathsworn 00:26:56 - Tortuga 1667 00:35:16 - Age of Innovation update 00:45:31 - Magnate: The First City 00:56:14 - Lorenzo il Magnifico: The Pazzi Conspiracy 01:05:06 - Here I Stand 01:17:58 - The Rich and the Good
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 194
Tom and Trey talk about lots of newer plays, their Strategicon weekend, and review the new Great Western Trail game: New Zealand! 0:00:00 Introduction Strategicon Review Crisis MCDM RPG Ninja Star Games Reputation Anachrony Age of Innovation 0:27:00 Tom's Essen Preview Among Cultists The White Castle Evacuation Reworld Shipyard 2nd Ed. 0:40:30 Review: Great Western Trail New Zealand 1:21:05 First Thoughts - Ark Nova: Marine Worlds - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twi...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 193
Tom, Matt, and Trey go on an epic journey to the Aegean Sea. 0:00:00 Introduction Dune Imperium 0:11:27 Voidfall 0:29:57 Review: Aegean Sea Innovation Glory to Rome - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twitter - Instagram...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 192
Matt Robinson is back from his summer travels, and he's psyched to discuss his first play of Great Western Trail New Zealand . Ben follows up with revised thoughts about Skymines. Matt then previews Voidfall , and the two share their initial thoughts on Age of Innovation . Plus: CoraQuest , Lowlands , and The Rich and the Good . Timestamps to come.
Aug 14, 2023•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 191
Trey, Tom, and Jordan take a first look at Age of Innovation. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:05:00 Games on the Brain The Crew 10 Days in the USA Dead Last The Barracks Emperors Savage Bowl Le Plateau Tichu (again!) Iocane Productions on Facebook Disney Lorcana Last Light Imperium: The Contention Reacting to the Past 0:51:05 First Impressions: The Age of Innovation Terra Mystica Gaia Project Terra Nova Clans of Caledonia - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twitter - Instagram...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 190
Jul 31, 2023•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 189
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 188
Jul 04, 2023•50 min
Matt, Jordan, and Dmitry are joined by our friend David to do a deep dive on trick-taking card games. 0:00:00 Introduction Intro to David 0:07:10 Defining terms and the genre Trick-takers Shedders and Climbers 0:13:00 Our history with card games Hearts Bullshit Bridge 0:21:45 The game that made us love card games Nokosu Dice Schadenfreude Cat In The Box The Crew Mü 0:41:30 Our top trick-takers Euchre Scout 9 Lives Durak Bug Council of Backyardia TRICKTAKERs Inside Job Tichu Yokai Septet Fox in t...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 187
Matt and Trey are joined by the newest member to our podcast, Jordan Sayyah, to review The War of the Ring: The Card Game 0:03:00 Intro to Jordan JSaysYeah on Discord 0:08:00 Games we played this week Age of Steam Nana Startups Inside Job 0:30:00 Review : War of the Ring: The Card Game War of the Ring Quartermaster General Race for the Galaxy Roll for the Galaxy - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twitter - Instagram...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 186
Tom, Trey, and Ben talk about everything from the Spiel des Jahres, to gaming in Japan, to all their recent discoveries. Iki 1880: China Bug Council of Backyardia Nokosu Dice Voodoo Prince Orleans: Trade & Intrigue Tortuga 1667 Findorff Future Review: War of the Ring: The Card Game - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twitter - Instagram...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 185
Trey and Elder review Wayfarers of the South Tigris. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:13 Games on the Brain Galactic Starcuiser closes Woodcraft Genotype 0:20:45 Review: Wayfarers of the South Tigris Scholars of the South Tigris - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twitter - Instagram...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 184
Tom and Ben talk about our recent Golden Geek Nomination and deconstruct the special sauce that makes Hegemony so great!
May 01, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 183
Tom, Ben, and Trey circle back to the review the new edition of Tragedy Looper. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:04:00 Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition 0:12:10 Hegemony The Cost 0:38:00 Great Western Trail: Agentina 0:49:20 Fast Sloths 0:59:05 Foundations of Rome Ra 1:09:10 Tragedy Looper: New Tragedies BGG First Edition Whiz Kids Pre-order - Find Etamar at kirbooloni.com - Game Brain Facebook Group - Twitter - Instagram...
Apr 17, 2023•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 182
