I always love this one. It's the time of the year where we look at what your favourite games are, and discover whether there are any exciting movers and shakers in what you've been playing! It's the BGB Listener Top 20! Before we check in with all of you, we talk about Tower of Babel , Great Western Trail: Argentina , and Jump Drive . Timecodes: 02:01 - Tower of Babel ...or why the eighth wonder was never built 11:16 - Great Western Trail: Argentina 18:26 - Jump Drive 29:21 - Listener Top 20 33:...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bruna Cathala is the focus of this episode's BGB DOG, the unfortunately acronymed series where we showcase a designer whom we love, and talk through the history of their career and designs. Before we pay tribute to the two player king, we talk about Smart Four Connected , Skytear Horde , and Endless Winter: Paleoamericans . Timecodes: 02:56 - Smart Four Connected 06:30 - Skytear Horde 12:51 - Endless Winter: Paleoamericans 21:42 - Designer Spotlight: Bruno Cathala 23:26 - Fief 30:17 - Mr. Jack 3...
Mar 02, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast The draft is back, and while the lists are getting really thin at this point, that's not going to stop us doing our damndest to pick out a killer selection of five games each. Whose is the best? That's up to you - and if you vote, you stand a chance to win a gift voucher for $50! Before we put our fate in your hands, we talk about Shake That City , Clank!: Catacombs , and Galactic Renaissance . Timecodes: 04:29 - Shake That City 12:39 - Clank!: Catacombs 19:27 - Galactic Renaissance 35:50 - Draf...
Feb 23, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast We've done deep dives into games before, but really when you get down to it, games are just the medium. The substrate. What it's always been about is people. We hope to pick at the minds of some of the hobby's best with this format - and until then, we have Kellen. Before we unpack the man, the myth, the legend, we talk about Cuba Libre , Gang of Dice , and Time of Empires . Timecodes: 03:44 - Cuba Libre 13:00 - Gang of Dice 19:28 - Time of Empires 32:49 - Q1: Where are we playing? 39:25 - Q2: W...
Feb 16, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast If there's one thing I can say for sure about 2023, it's that it will certainly be a period of time. We're casting our eyes forward to the year ahead, and getting excited about some of the board games that (we hope) will actually be coming. Before we look ahead, always ahead, we talk about Make the Difference , German Railways , and Tiletum . Timecodes: 02:39 - Make the Difference 07:38 - German Railways 13:00 - Tiletum 24:40 - Most Anticipated Games of 2023 27:22 - Mission Control: Critical Orb...
Feb 09, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Where would we be without the mailbag? We get such lovely questions from you lot, that we rarely get the chance to answer, so when the opportunity comes, one has to strike. Time to hear what's on your minds, kids. Before we rustle in the cloth, we talk about Dinosaur Gauge , and Starship Captains . Timecodes: 01:39 - Dinosaur Gauge 10:18 - Starship Captains 21:24 - Holiday games? 21:51 - Fire in the Hole 25:10 - Weather Machine 26:12 - Surprise Top 50 games? 29:56 - Has how you play games change...
Feb 02, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast You know how at the start of the year you make a lot of promises to yourself that you have no chance of holding yourself to? Yeah, this isn't like that, we absolutely, definitely will not see out 2023 without following through on all of these whims. Before we hold ourselves accountable, we talk about Challengers! , Eleven: Football Manager Board Game , nana , and Zoo Vadis . Timecodes: 04:49 - Challengers! 12:24 - Eleven: Football Manager Board Game 21:49 - nana 29:40 - Zoo Vadis 39:46 - Mark's ...
Jan 26, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here it is, the one we've all been waiting for, the Board Game Barrage top ten games of all time! It's been a long road and we'll wrap it up by seeing some old favourites ... and maybe a few new faces? Old or new, these are the thirty games we enjoy the most (at least, right now .) We loved sharing these lists with you and hope you've enjoyed listening to them! Timecodes: 01:25 - Neilan #10 - Brass: Birmingham 02:46 - Mark #10 - Hansa Teutonica 04:19 - Kellen #10 - Cosmic Encounter 06:44 - Neila...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Transcript available on Metacast We've reached the penultimate part of our five part series, the great series that is sometimes called our top fifty greatest games of all time ! We're barreling close to the end now, but not without a lot of moving and shaking first. Here's another fine selection of thirty amazing games we love. 01:37 - Kellen #20 - So Clover! 02:50 - Neilan #20 - Blue Lagoon 04:14 - Mark #20 - Blood Rage 06:32 - Kellen #19 - El Grande 08:19 - Neilan #19 - The Oracle of Delphi 09:15 - Mark #19 - Pax Pamir: Secon...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast It's a new year, but the list must go on. The list, that is, of our top fifty greatest games of all time ! It's part three, which everyone knows is the dark middle chapter of every pentalogy, so expect some swoops, some turns, some revelations. Brace yourself for another thirty incredible games that we can't wait to tell you all about. 02:03 - Mark #30 - Genoa 03:17 - Kellen #30 - Splendor 04:50 - Neilan #30 - Azul 06:06 - Mark #29 - Modern Art 07:44 - Kellen #29 - Taj Mahal 09:06 - Neilan #29 -...
Jan 05, 2023•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast I hope you all had a good holiday break, but it's time to get back to business. The very serious business that is the top fifty greatest games of all time. We return to our heroes in what the enthusiasts call phase two , and boy are things heating up! Thirty more incredible games that we absolutely love are coming right at you. 00:58 - Neilan #40 - In the Year of the Dragon 03:14 - Mark #40 - Splendor 05:09 - Kellen #40 - Zendo 07:45 - Neilan #39 - Deception: Murder in Hong Kong 10:04 - Mark #39...
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's top fifty season! That's right, it's the time to reflect on every single game we've ever played, and see how we feel about them in the year of our lord, 2022. We sort through the chaff, and from it we weave a beautiful golden strand we call our top fifty greatest games of all time. Grab a glass, and join us. 10:18 - Kellen #50 - Smartphone Inc. 12:01 - Neilan #50 - Archipelago 13:22 - Mark #50 - Chicago Express 14:56 - Kellen #49 - Dominion 16:25 - Neilan #49 - Bus 17:50 - Mark #49 - Hanabi...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kellen won't stop rubbing in that he went to PAX Unplugged without us, but at least he came back with a lot of cool games to talk about. Join us as he regales us with the latest from Philadelphia. Before we eat our Philly, we talk about Sea Salt & Paper , and Chicago Express . 03:49 - Sea Salt & Paper 10:19 - Chicago Express 21:57 - Dicke Dämonen 26:00 - John Company: Second Edition 34:46 - The Green Fivura 35:15 - Dois 35:55 - Nine Lives 38:37 - BANANINE Check out our wiki at: https://boardgame...
Dec 08, 2022•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the greatest things about taking part in this hobby, is seeing new and novel ideas bubble to the surface. We're looking at some our favourite recent innovations - stuff that makes us think, "Huh, why haven't we seen that before?" Before we do anything but imitate and iterate, we talk about Paint the Roses , and ISS Vanguard . 02:01 - Paint the Roses 12:33 - ISS Vanguard 29:29 - Mystic Vale 30:52 - Dead Reckoning 31:52 - Dive 32:37 - Maglev Metro 33:05 - Loony Quest 33:52 - Kitchen Rush 33...
Dec 01, 2022•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do you all keep falling for this? The Ghost Turkey moves in mysterious ways, and this year he's moving us to 2019, to atone for our sins. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 04:48 - ICECOOL 06:24 - Meeple Circus 06:49 - Root 07:57 - Sheriff of Nottingham 08:48 - Piepmatz 09:29 - Fauna 10:13 - Evolution: Flight 11:03 - Zany Penguins 12:26 - Gulo Gulo 13:16 - Funky Chicken 14:02 - Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn 14:58 - Rook 16:01 - Scythe 17:09 - Biblios Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarra...
Nov 23, 2022•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all saw this coming. The inevitable digital future has come, and suddenly Mark is a book store owner who just discovered Kindles. It'd be sad if it weren't so inevitable. We discuss the rise of digital gaming, and how it can, at least in some ways, replace parts of the hobby. Before we go down to Electric Avenue, we talk about Wormholes , Mogul , and Orichalcum. 02:07 - Wormholes 09:58 - Mogul 19:23 - Orichalcum 30:39 - Kellen's phone number 31:08 - Digital replacing physical games 43:15 - Ga...
Nov 17, 2022•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Look, I wasn't there, but my understanding is that Kellen got very mad about certain board game words and decided to change the course of the episode midstream. Which, you know, would be one thing, but I once had to hear about how mad Kellen was about the word "apricot", so it's just like every day with this guy. Before we get etymological, we talk about Splendor Duel , and Seize the Bean . 02:19 - Splendor Duel 11:13 - Seize the Bean 23:13 - Feature topic Mark thought we were doing 23:33 - Feat...
Nov 10, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Two hundred and fifty episodes. That's ... a lot of episodes. That's a lot of time! And, boy, things have changed around here. Well some things. We look at what's different in the hobby since we started doing this whole thing. Before we cast our minds back, we talk about Stone Age , Blood on the Clocktower , Hansa Teutonica , and Aegean Sea . 01:58 - Stone Age 12:41 - Blood on the Clocktower 16:56 - Hansa Teutonica 18:53 - Aegean Sea 26:33 - What's changed since we started 43:49 - Gloomhaven 45:...
Nov 03, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Games are getting bigger and more lavish, especially in the age of crowdfunding, but how far is too far? How many luxury bits, giant boxes of minis, and silk-screened wooden meeples until it's all gone a bit far? Before we dress for excess, we talk about Habitats , Blood on the Clocktower , Twilight Inscription , and It's a Wonderful Kingdom . 01:59 - Habitats 13:07 - Blood on the Clocktower 18:44 - Twilight Inscription 21:40 - It's a Wonderful Kingdom 32:46 - Excess in games 33:28 - ISS Vanguar...
Oct 27, 2022•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast The topic of theme has come up intermittently over the course of the podcast, but how important is it? Is it something that makes or breaks a game? Or would we be mostly okay if games were mostly non-thematic? Before we burst at the theme, we talk about Mamma Mia! , Football Highlights 2052 , Kanban , and Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood . 01:46 - Mamma Mia! 08:20 - Football Highlights 2052 18:50 - Kanban 20:59 - Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood 34:25 - The importance of theme 34:50 - Tigris & Euphrates...
Oct 20, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast What good would going to a convention be if we didn't play a lot of games? We're back from our trip, and it was filled to the brim of fine games played with fine people, and we're here to tell you about all of them, the good, the bad, and perfunctory. Before we return to Vancouver, we talk about Village Rails , The Guild of Merchant Explorers , and Puzzle Strike 2 . 01:51 - Village Rails 12:43 - The Guild of Merchant Explorers 20:59 - Puzzle Strike 2 34:14 - Ghost Turkey! 34:41 - Games we played...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're at SHUX! Well, we were, and while we were there, we tricked Tom Brewster of Shut Up & Sit Down to take time away from his busy schedule to join us on stage. This episode was recorded live, and we talk about games that are in some ways, a little bit weird. Before things get odd, we talk about Dungeons, Dice & Danger , Fun Facts , Turncoats , and Flick Fleck . 03:52 - Dungeons, Dice & Danger 09:07 - Fun Facts 15:03 - Turncoats 20:58 - Flick Fleck 27:39 - Weird games 28:36 - Mord im Arosa 31:...
Oct 06, 2022•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's convention season, which means we're on the way to one convention, while talking about another. Every year a lot of new games get showed off at Essen SPIEL in Germany, and these are the ones we're most excited to hear more about! Before we start messin' with Essen, we talk about Plutocracy and Finca . 01:56 - Plutocracy 09:54 - Finca 19:09 - Essen SPIEL 2022 Preview 19:39 - The Great Split 21:57 - Time Capsules 23:45 - Heat: Pedal to the Metal 25:45 - La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War 27:49 ...
Sep 29, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're in and out quick and breezy, with a h-h-hot question about player counts. All things equally considered, how many people do you want at the table? Before we boot people from the game, we talk about Bitoku , San Francisco , and Caesar's Empire . 01:28 - Bitoku 12:21 - San Francisco 20:11 - Caesar's Empire 28:46 - Favorite Player Counts 36:08 - Star Trek: Ascendancy 37:04 - Churchill We're going to be at SHUX: https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/shux22 Check out our wiki at: https://boardgameba...
Sep 22, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast The best thing about being part of a team is even when things go wrong, your team is there for you. And boy, did things go wrong this week ... but I'm getting ahead of myself. This week we're talking about team games! Twice! Before we make the dream work, we talk about Art Decko , Feed The Kraken , and War of the Ring: The Card Game . 02:47 - Art Decko 09:03 - Feed The Kraken 20:08 - War of the Ring: The Card Game 32:51 - Team games 35:26 - Guards of Atlantis II 39:20 - Ingenious 40:10 - Tichu 4...
Sep 15, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Not every game makes the best first impression, but some stick in your mind enough to warrant a second try. So fittingly, the first and second best hosts are here to tell you about the games that they think deserve a revisit. Before we repeat stuff, repeat stuff, we talk about Mille Fiori , Rise of the Metro , and Turing Machine . 02:05 - Mille Fiori 05:57 - Rise of the Metro 12:48 - Turing Machine 22:29 - Games that need a second chance 24:01 - Gaia Project 26:39 - Space Station Phoenix 28:34 -...
Sep 08, 2022•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Okay, this end of the BGG top list starts to get weird. Regardless, we must draft. Who's going to end up with the best selection of five games from this chunk of one hundred? That's up to you - vote and you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before we pick a peck of paper products, we talk about Town 66 , Akropolis , and Pampero . 02:09 - Town 66 08:24 - Akropolis 16:51 - Pampero 27:38 - Drafting BGG's #601-700 29:40 - Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation 31:11 - So Clover! 32:49 - 6 nimmt! 34:19 - B...
Sep 01, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast The pillars of board gaming are games that are so influential, so ubiquitous, that they're practically the shoulders on which many other board games stand. We talk about what are commonly considered the classic pillars, and try to make a more modern list. Before we get into Greek architecture, we talk about Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon , Trailblazers , Photograph , and Ys . 02:34 - Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon 04:01 - Trailblazers 11:38 - Wind the Film! / Photograph 18:22 - Ys 28:01 - ...
Aug 25, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Well, we've returned, and some of us are a little worse for wear, but if a week off doesn't get us back into gear, nothing will. Gen Con is behind us, and Mark, who sadly couldn't make the con, quizzes us about our highlights of the show. Before we cast our minds back to Indiana, we talk about Cat in the Box, Formosa Tea , and Twilight Inscription . 02:14 - Cat in the Box 08:31 - Formosa Tea 15:32 - Twilight Inscription 26:26 - Games we played at Gen Con 26:50 - Splendor Duel 33:38 - Green Team ...
Aug 18, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Given that we hyped up all those games last week, it's only fair that we prepare ourselves for the aftermath. We look back at some of the most famous and infamous games of yesteryear that were very highly anticipated, and wonder what became of them. Before we relive the comedown, we talk about Master Word , Living Forest , and Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef . 02:00 - Master Word 06:27 - Living Forest 13:29 - Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef 25:04 - Anticipated games of years past 26:56 - Found...
Aug 04, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
