It’s time to get schooled! Always wanted to say that and finally I have a good reason because today’s guest on the show is none other than Zoe Bee who’ll teach us about board games as educational tools. Oh but wait, there’s also board game reviews. A hot new release that asks us to save cats (again) - Race to the Raft, a hot old classic that’s got a shiny new coat - Ra, and a hot hidden gem that we finally got around to playing - Obsession. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become ...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 41 min
Everybody always says, “Talk Cardboard is paving the way in board game podcasting!” and this episode it’s certainly true. We have biking, hiking, kayaking, train-ing, and hunting (along routes), which is the most path in any board game podcast ever. On today’s episode we’ll cover the cute but deadly Trailblazers, the old fashioned but sleek Isle of Trains and the gorgeous, voluptuous and strange Beast. If you have personal experiences to share about any games discussed in this episode or any top...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Sometimes you sit down to play some board games for a future podcast episode and you find yourself not particularly digging any of them? It happens. It’s a thing. It could happen to you. This week it happened to us. Whilst we weren’t especially jazzed about Hamlet, didn’t find Undaunted: Battle of Britain worth the trouble and at least one of us really didn’t get on with Autobahn, that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t like them either. Or maybe you’ve already played them and disagree - dear li...
Jun 30, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Welcome back, welcome back, it’s like we’ve never been gone. After a brief interruption Talk Cardboard returns to your ears and consequentially to your brains to deliver all the board game that it needs. Today’s brain ticklers include drawing a map of the London Underground in Next Station: London, a dose of helium 3 in Skymines and some good ol’ fashioned resisting in Maquis If you have personal experiences to share about any games discussed in this episode or any topic that's dear to your hear...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Oh dear, oh dear, it looks like this week's episode is missing. We'll resume our schedule next week. Until then!
Jun 02, 2023•2 min
Every Talk Cardboard episode is a journey, and in this episode that journey is competitive card games, competitive card games with engine building and destroying the engine with hard alcohol (not necessarily in that order). Today we’re taking a look at Distilled, an aspirational game about being a small time distillerer in a world of big alcohol, Wordlbreakers: Advent of the Khanate, a magic the gatheringalike card battler that’s punching very far above its weight and Res Arcana, a distillation ...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Building building building. If you like building (or buildings) you will enjoy at least one of the board games covered in this episode in which you build buildings, buildings and also cars. How's that for a build up? No? Let me construct some clarity. Today we'll talk about Ginkgopolis, a tile laying city building classic hidden gem, Rolling Heights, a city building game where you roll meeples and Horseless Carriage, a car constructing game from famed board game publisher Splotter Spellen. And f...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 49 min
Has it been two weeks already? Time flies when you’re reviewing board games. Or when you’re riding whales for that matter. In real life and also in the game! Does it fly when you’re under Soviet occupation or working for Mr. Carnegie? Who’s to say, but we can at least tell you whether the games based on these events and/or entities are any good and/or bad. If you have personal experiences to share about any games discussed in this episode or any topic that's dear to your heart - we’d love to hea...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 21 min
There are many famous Paul Deans in the world, but today we’re only interviewing one of them. Maybe one day we’ll get a chance to talk to some of the others, but honestly, why bother, we already got the best one. We got a chance to talk to Paul about what it’s like having left the board game industry and how he feels about board games right now. This is far from the end though. Brace yourselves because you are entering the land of numbers, voxels and vertices and you can only emerge by listening...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 54 min
This episode is jam packed with exciting board games and has a reference to clotted cream - that's right - it's the scone episode! A tasty delicious dessert for your ears full of rich indulgent cardboard. What's especially exciting is that we've got a little bit of everything for everyone - from very light to very heavy, all pretty great in their own ways so if you're looking to enrich your collection - this week is definitely full of good recs. Enjoy! If you have personal experiences to share a...
Mar 24, 2023•1 hr 47 min
Every day people stop us on the street and say “But, Elaine and Efka, why did you rename the podcast?” What an excellent question real person on the street - we renamed it because Talk Cardboard is all about talking to OTHER PEOPLE about cardboard. All kinds of cardboard. Flat, corrugated and even board game. So we talk to you, dear listeners, especially when you write in. But we also talk to our guests! And today’s episode features our very first and so far very best guest. That’s right, it’s J...
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr 44 min
It’s so great to be behind the microphone again talking about something you love! Especially when the thing you love is pancakes. But we also spend a good amount of time talking about what’s fresh in board games, including a sleeper solo hit Resist! from the people that brought you Undaunted, the little asymmetric arena battler Knight Fall and the somewhat sprawling choose your own adventure on a map game Lands of Galzyr. Today’s bonus feature is the three contenders for Efka’s game of the year ...
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 43 min
Welcome back to the newly named board game podcast from the duo at No Pun Included! In this new iteration we're starting small and building up each episode, so if you've enjoyed this - there's more to come every second Friday. Today we're taking you through Efka's most anticipated board games of 2023, four board game reviews and lots of words from our listeners. If you'd like to write in about any of the games discussed or any topic that's dear to your heart: elaine@nopunincluded.com On to the t...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 31 min
Hey everybody - it’s a calculator party! Bring out your Casios and we’ll get down with spreadsheets like it’s 1799. On today’s podcast not only do we tackle the mini-beast that is Arkwright: The Card Game but give an early scoop on Mind MGMT and a brief glance at Murano: Light Masters. Timestamps: Murano: Light Masters - ( 03:04 ) Arkwright: The Card Game - ( 20:00 ) Mind MGMT - ( 37:35 ) If you enjoyed this episode, leave a comment on https://nopunincluded.com/podcast
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr
Three board games enter, one board game leaves. But only having endured the harsh nature of Elaine’s and Efka’s critique. That’s the No Pun Included podcast and it’s back once again for the twenty ninth time. Timestamps: Dinosaur World - ( 06:50 ) Exit Advent Calendar: Mystery of the Ice Cave (no spoilers) - ( 28:31 ) Magnate: The First City - ( 41:16 ) You can find more of the No Pun Included podcast, and leave a comment on nopunincluded.com/podcast
Dec 03, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Cult of the new? More like “cult of the game that I’ve already played but haven’t played in ages and now there’s a new version so I bought it again just so I could play it and not play the copy I already had!” That’s right, today we discuss three board games that are renditions, re-editions, reimplementations or maybe just second editions. Timestamps: A Brief Note on our Too Many Bones Video - ( 00:55 ) Dinosaur Island: Rawr'N Write - ( 07:56 ) Mobile Markets: A Smartphone Inc Game - ( 30:59 ) G...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Ah, rulebooks. Don’t you just love sitting down with a cup of hot beverage and an arcane manual written by what you assume is a “game wizard” and spend four hours of your day trying to understand what exactly phrases like “spend your faucet token to activate the hyrdraulics action space” actually mean, to only inevitably give up and desperately search YouTube for a Watch it Played video? Well, this episode of the No Pun Included podcast is delivered to you by this exact feeling. Not all games in...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr 12 min
What two things would you miss if you were to live on the moon? That’s right, it’s coffee, and the ability for sound to echo whilst you’re doing a moonwalk in vacuum. With that tenuous link between this episode’s board games established, I can tell you a little bit more what to expect from each. Luna Capital is yet another spin on the tableau building formula, Echoes brings something fresh by giving us our very first audio mystery game, and Coffee Traders is this episode’s chunky boy, giving mos...
Oct 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Toot toot, the No Pun Included boat has docked, ready to unload three stormy board games into your harbour. Are these board games fresh as the fruit of the sea, or do they perhaps smell a bit fishy? Quick, someone take away the analogies from me because I’ll starting waxing on about how we spill the board game guts. Oh no. It’s too late - the board game guts - they are everywhere. Timestamps: Fleet: The Dice Game - ( 02:39 ) The Crew: Mission Deep Sea - ( 19:59 ) The Adventures of Robin Hood - (...
Sep 17, 2021•57 min
Following from our Reiner Knizia Special video, here's more Knizia games, this time, all out of print and all (hopefully) coming back soon. 07:51 - Tigris & Euphrates + Yellow & Yangtzee 32:57 - Ra 43:24 - Winner's Circle For more No Pun Included, visit https://nopunincluded.com
Sep 02, 2021•56 min
In todays episode we'll talk about two games that share a common ancestry: Destinies and Descent: Legends of the Dark. Fun fact, we mention comparing these two games at the end, and then totally forget to do that. But the comparison points should be clear as we go along. Timestaps: Destinies - ( 02:43 ) Minor Mechanical Destinies Spoilers - ( 16:29 ) Spoilers end at - ( 17:50 ) Descent: Legends in the Dark - ( 41:24 ) If you enjoyed this episode, visit https://nopunincluded.com/podcast
Jul 29, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Hello cheese fans! Hope you brought your cheese along cause it's about to get stinky! Join us in this heatwave for another episode of the NPI Podcast where we'll indulge you in some board game talk. On today's episode we discuss: Summoner Wars ( 05:33 ) Khora: Rise of an Empire ( 22:17 ) Kemet: Blood and Sand ( 48:05 ) If you enjoyed this episode and want to find more, you should definitely visit our podcast home - https://nopunincluded.com/podcast
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Today we discuss one game and one game only - Sleeping Gods. For more information, or to leave a comment, visit: nopunincluded.com/podcast A review copy of Sleeping Gods has been provided by the publisher Red Raven Games
May 24, 2021•1 hr 24 min
In this episode we’ll discuss Overboss, a tile laying city builder masquerading as a pixelated fantasy game, Cubitos, a psychedelic game about racing cubes on an alien cube planet, and My City - a Reiner Knizia polyamino tile-laying legacy game. Overboss ( 02:48 ) Cubitos ( 20:50 ) My City ( 35:30 ) If you enjoyed this episode, leave a comment at https://nopunincluded.com/podcast
Apr 13, 2021•48 min
In this episode we’ll seize the farm in Carpe Diem, freeze on an alien world in Cryo and lay some track in Iberian Gauge. Carpe Diem ( 06:45 ) Cryo ( 23:18 ) Iberian Gauge ( 37:14 ) If you enjoyed the podcast and would like to leave a comment, visit its home at https://nopunincluded.com/podcast
Mar 25, 2021•56 min
In today's episode we discuss: Mandala ( 01:27 ) Honey Buzz ( 18:29 ) BattleCon: Remastered ( 35:16 ) Find more of the podcast, or leave a comment at https://nopunincluded.com/podcast
Feb 02, 2021•54 min
In this episode Elaine and Efka go over Hallertau, a game about rural hop farming, Nidavellir, a game of recruiting a fantasy dwarf army and Beyond the Sun, a game about space. 02:44 - NPI News 04:51 - Hallertau 27:46 - Nidavellir 42:58 - Beyond the Sun
Jan 21, 2021•57 min
On today's episode we have: Games We’ve Been Playing: Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game ( 7:44 ) Marvel Champions - A Brief Mention ( 11:15 ) Oceans ( 11:50 ) Curious Cargo ( 25:09 ) Under Falling Skies ( 36:20 ) Bonfire ( 43:01 ) Point Salad ( 53:21) Games We’re Looking Forward To ( 58:00 ) Efka Grumps A Game - Cartographers ( 59:22 ) Elaine Ungrumps A Game - Special Grump Edition ( 1:05:34 ) Puzzle Deduction One and Done Escape Room Segment IDVentures - The Unsolved Case of Holmes ( 1:13:53 ) ...
Nov 09, 2020•1 hr 50 min
For more info on the No Pun Included Podcast - please visit our homepage at https://nopunincluded.com/podcast Timestamps: NPI News ( 1:08 ) Games We’ve Been Playing ( 02:48 ) The King is Dead ( 03:32 ) Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade ( 08:26 ) Calico ( 22:57 ) Too Many Bones: Undertow ( 33:23 ) Games We’re Looking Forward To ( 43:51 ) Efka Grumps a Board Game ( 46:58 ) HeroQuest Elaine Ungrumps a Board Game ( 54:21 ) Puzzle Deduction One and Done Escape Room Segment ( 58:55 ) Star Wars Unlock Feature...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 40 min
Wow, have we got an episode for you. Not only are we travelling in time (thematically, not literally)… not only are we discussing the Lithuanian word for ‘yuk’…not only are we escaping a rabbit hole…but we’re also having an argument. Actually, more than one. And Efka says the word ‘’ at some point too. What more could you want? NPI News ( 03:02 ) Games We’ve Been Playing ( 06:15 ) Tellstones: King’s Gambit ( 06:35 ) Root Digital ( 19:03 ) The Loop: Dr. Foo Strikes Back… Back… Back… ( 24:41 ) Gla...
Sep 16, 2020•1 hr 54 min
