This week Bob and Natasha talk about all the games they played this year. Looking over their stats and discussing the benefits and nerdiness of tracking played games. Does playing Exit: The Game – Advent Calendar: The Mystery of the Ice Cave count as 1 game or 24? Then they share their top 10 games of 2022. It was such a great year of board games and it was really hard to make our top 10!! Let us know what were your favorite games of 2022 by emailing boardgameshenanigans@gmail.com...
Jan 10, 2023•57 min•Ep. 50
This week we are finally going to share with you The Board Game Shenanigans top ten games of all time!! But first Bob reviews a new game called Rise . Do you like going up tracks that allow you to move up other tracks that let you go up more tracks? Then Natasha talks about another one of her favorite family games, Potion Explosion . Candy Crush the board game but better! Let us know what you think of our top ten list by emailing boardgameshenanigans@gmail.com...
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 49
This week Natasha talks about her experience with Exit: The Game – Advent Calendar: The Mystery of the Ice Cave . Is this a daily escape room game worth checking out? Then Bob and Natasha review a couple older games. First The Quest for El Dorado , a deck building game about racing through the South American Jungle. Then a small quick Oink game called Startups which is all about trying to collect the most company shares. Don’t like games about collecting shares? Don’t worry you still might like ...
Dec 27, 2022•56 min•Ep. 48
Bob and Natasha are back this week doing the Board Game Shenanigans Top 100 Games of all time. But first we are joined by Bob’s wife Ashley to review Sleeping Gods , an exploration style game with a cohesive storyline and tons to explore. They also discuss if Ashley is a real boardgamer and why she doesn't like going to conventions and other board gaming events. Then they look at Wonderlands War , an area control bag building push your luck game with a fun theme and beautiful artwork....
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 47
This week Natasha and Bob review Endless Winter: Paleoamericans, an area control, deck building game set in the prehistoric times with some of the best artwork. They also take a look at a new party game called Green Team Wins , where the goal is to always be on the green team. Is it as good as some of the other most recent party games? Is Endless Winter the next Lost Ruins of Arnak? Listen and find out! Then they are back with the Board Game Shenanigans Top 100 Games of all Time....
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 46
Bob and Natasha are back this week doing the Board Game Shenanigans Top 100 Games of all time. But first they review Prodigal’s Club, a really fun and unique worker placement game where you are trying to lose as much wealth and reputation as you can before the end of the game and stop Aunt Beatrice from talking you up to the community! Then they look at Downtown Farmer’s Market, a cute little tile drafting game where you pick what you are going to score prior to drafting. Natasha also talks abou...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 45
Bob and Natasha are back this week doing the Board Game Shenanigans top 100 games all time. But before they get into that, Bob talks about his upcoming appearance on his company's radio show, where he gets to recommend some games for the holiday season. For the reviews this week, the first game they look at is Mosaic: A Story of Civilization. This is a large Kickstarter from Forbidden Games. It is a civilization game that has quite a bit going on with it. After that they look at the new release ...
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 44
This week, Natasha starts off the show with talking about her experience playing the new board game edition of Unlock as she has just played them with her son. Next up are the reviews, first they discuss the new iteration of the Pandemic system, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This gives off the feels of pandemic but still manages to make the system seem fresh. After that they review Tenpenny Parks. This is game all about building your theme park, it has a unique way of placing your tiles as they can...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 43
In this week's episode Bob and Natasha review the newest game from Alexander Pfister, well kinda. Skymines, for the most part, is a reprint of the award winning 2015 game, Mombasa. There is a couple of changes within the game, the biggest one being theme, but most of the rules are the same. Next up Natasha talks about a newer roll and write, Long Shot: The Dice Game. Will she like it better than Ready, Set, Bet? And finally in the discussion topic, the gang continues with The Board Game Shenanig...
Nov 15, 2022•56 min•Ep. 42
In this week's episode Bob and Natasha look at a couple of games. The first up is Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile. This 2021 release created some interesting opinions when it was first released. It definitely feels like a game designed for a group who enjoys exploring a game to the fullest. Next up Natasha talks about Ready Set Bet a new game from AEG. This is real time betting game. You are placing wagers on different horses as someone is rolling dice and advancing them. And then in the di...
Nov 08, 2022•58 min•Ep. 41
This week, Bob and Natasha embark on the Board Game Shenanigans top 100 games of all time. But before that, Natasha shared her experience playing a few games at a Halloween game night. She chats about London Dread, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and One Night Ultimate Werewolf. After that they do the top 100, which is a little different than normal podcasts. Instead of doing two lists, Natasha has averaged both her list and Bob's, which has created the Board Game Shenanigans Top 100.
Nov 01, 2022•47 min•Ep. 40
This week, Bob and Natasha are back at it with three games. First up is the roll and write from Stonemaier games, Rolling Realms. This is super interesting because you end up playing a bunch of mini games based off of the Stonemaier game catalog. After that they discuss the drafting game Hadara. This game is simultaneous, you get to draft and you climb up tracks?? What's not to love? Last up Bob and Natasha review a new party game from Repos Productions, Fun Facts. In this game players need to k...
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 39
This week Bob and Natasha take a look at a couple lighter family weight games. Both have fantastic artwork and are very charming. First up is Flamecraft, which is a contract fulfillment game from Cardboard Alchemy, where players will visit shops to collect resources or enchant those same shops making them better. After that they discuss Creature Comforts, which is a worker placement game with dice. In this game players are a family of woodland creatures trying to stock their dens with all the co...
Oct 18, 2022•53 min•Ep. 38
This week, Bob and Natasha sit down and discuss a couple of Pandasaurus games. First up is Dinosaur Island, this is a worker placement, research management game where players are building their own dinosaur parks. This certainly feels like Jurassic Park. After that they take a look at the successor, Dinosaur World. This has a very similar feel, but some key differences, mostly you get a jeep meeple or jeeple, which you move around your park giving tours. There is quite a bit more focus on the co...
Oct 11, 2022•50 min•Ep. 37
This week Bob and Natasha take a look at a couple newer games. First up they discuss Arcana Rising. This is a drafting, engine building game released from Grey Fox Games. Next they review the push your luck deck building game The Hunger. This is a newer release from Richard Garfield, which has a vampire theme, you get to hunt humans, recruit familiars, but make sure you get back to the castle before sunrise or you don't get to score any points. And in the discussion topic Bob and Natasha discuss...
Oct 04, 2022•50 min•Ep. 36
In this weeks episode Bob and Natasha take a look at the quick tile laying Akropolis. This game has a pretty simply rule set but definitely has some great decision in it. After that they review a game Natasha has been extremely excited about playing, Twilight Inscription, the Twilight Imperium roll and write. Don't let the fact it is a roll and write fool you, it is certainly a heavy game. You have to manage four different sheets, but that are a ton of combo's you can pull off in this game. In t...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 35
After a week off, Bob and Natasha are back! They take a look Teotihuacan: City of Gods, which has received quite a bit of praise over the years. After that they take a look at The Castles of Mad King Ludwig, which seems to be a classic I split you choose, tile laying game. In the discussion topic Bob and Natasha list their top 5 designers.
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 34
This week, Bob and Natasha discuss the award winning game, Dead of Winter. They got a chance to sit down and play it at their local convention, GrandCon. It is one of Bob's most thematic games, so you know he likes it, but does Natasha? After that Natasha talks about Paint the Roses, an Alice in Wonderland themed cooperative deduction game. And in the discussion topic Bob and Natasha share their experience at GrandCon. This is their local convention based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Sep 06, 2022•55 min•Ep. 33
In this week's episode, Bob and Natasha compare Smartphone Inc and Mobile Markets. Mobile Markets is the new streamlined version of Smartphone, which released this year from Cosmodrome Gamed. Natasha also shares her experience playing the game of Life. In the discussion topic they take a look at their top 10 thematic games.
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 32
It is finally time for Bob to share his thoughts about Return to Dark Tower. Did it live up to the hype? It was his most anticipated game of 2022. Then Bob and Natasha discuss the new AEG release, Wormholes. In the discussion topic this week it is finally time to discuss science fiction vs fantasy. They also welcome a special guest this week to help with the discussion.
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 31
This week is a smidge different. Natasha starts the episode off with talking about teaching her daughter Berried Treasure and her experience with The Crew at two players. Then it is back to review and this week has a slight garden theme. Bob and Natasha discuss Arboretum and the new release Gartenbau. Before the break Natasha shares a book recommendation, Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Then in the discussion topic, they discuss hosting a board game night, how many people do the invite? How do they find...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 30
This week Bob and Natasha take a look at the Let's Make a Bus Route reimplementation, Get On Board: New York and London. This flip and write has been getting a ton of buzz. They also compare the award winning King Domino to Queen Domino. See which one they like better. In the discussion topic they talk about board game box sizes. This has been coming up a lot lately, if the box size matches the game play. Does it effect your buying decision? Should there be universal sizes? Listen and find out w...
Aug 09, 2022•53 min•Ep. 29
This week, Bob starts the show with talking about his experience with the Maracaibo campaign. He shares what he liked and what he didn't. Then they move into the reviews this week which are The Guild Of Merchant Explorers, and two classic push your luck games, Incan Gold and Can't Stop. Then in the discussion topic, Bob and Natasha are at it again with part 3 of "Would you rather: Board Game Edition". Don't forget to leave a like and review. As always send any questions to boardgameshenanigans@g...
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 28
This week, Bob and Natasha share a little bit about their recent vacations, as they both have traveled overseas. The do discuss a few games this week, the award winning party game Codenames, the tile laying game Barenpark and the deduction game Loot of Lima. In the discussion topic they talk about their pet peeves in board gaming, including the way people teach, sleeves and the eating of Cheetos' at Bob's table.
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 27
In today's episode, Bob and Natasha share their thoughts on a new game from Restoration Games, Berried Treasure. This reimplements Buried Treasure an older Sid Sackson game. They also discuss the popular Arcane Wonders game Furnace and finish off with Stonemaier's reprint of Libertalia, The Winds of Galecrest. In the discussion topic Bob and Natasha play another round of "Would you rather: Board Game Edition."
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 26
This week is all about two player games. In the review section of the episode Bob and Natasha review some popular two player games: Battle Line, Targi, Lost Cities, 7 Wonders Dual, and Jaipur. They take the two player idea into the discussion topic as they discuss games that they enjoy to play at two player, instead of higher player counts.
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 25
This week, Bob and Natasha sit down to discuss trick taking games. They both love this style of game so it seemed only right to discuss a few. They take a look at Cat in the Box, Ghosts of Christmas, Skull King and The Crew: Mission Deep Sea. In the topic this week they play a game of "Would You Rather: Board Game Addition." It definitely leads them down some rabbit holes.
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 24
In this week's episode Bob and Natasha review Planet Unknown, which they got a chance to play at Origins. This is the new hot Polyomino game. They follow that up with an expansion to the OG deck building game, Dominion. Allies has some interesting things that it brings to the table. And they wrap up Res Arcana, the engine building game that seems to work even though you don't think it will. In the topic this week, Bob and Natasha discuss board game collections. Natasha has the definitive number ...
Jun 28, 2022•58 min•Ep. 23
This week Bob and Natasha take a look at Scythe, Everdell, and Scout. The two gush over Scythe as they share their love for it. Since Natasha has never played Everdell, Bob had to fix that, so what does she think? It has fantastic artwork to say the least. Finally they discuss Scout, which is nominated for the Spiel Des Jahres, will it beat Cascadia? The discussion topic this week is their recap of origins, they discuss the con and how it went.
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 22
This week, Bob and Natasha finally share their thoughts on Ark Nova, the game of games, the hotness of the hotness! Natasha then shares her experience playing Unlock Kids with her son. And finally, they discuss what they think of Honey Buzz. They are also sharing another Top 10 list: Their Top 10 highly rated games that they haven't played but really need to.
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 21
