What better way to send off the year than part three of the party to end all parties, the BGB Top 50! We're adding thirty more incredible games to the list, with our 30th to 21st favourite picks. This week, we have the Black Tank, Mike Walker of So Very Wrong About Games tearing apart our choices from the peanut gallery! 01:57 - Kellen #30 - Taj Mahal 03:32 - Mark #30 - Modern Art 05:48 - Neilan #30 - Deception: Murder in Hong Kong 09:11 - Kellen #29 - Race for the Galaxy 11:27 - Mark #29 - Fran...
Dec 30, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're back for the second part of the year's greatest celebration, it's the top fifty! We've got thirty more incredible games to talk about this week, as we get into our games ranked 40th to 31st. This week in the peanut gallery, critiquing our picks, we're thrilled to have Monique (the Lavender tank herself) and Naveen of Before You Play ! 01:29 - Neilan #40 - Coloretto 03:15 - Kellen #40 - Zendo 05:28 - Mark #40 - Ginkgopolis 07:46 - Neilan #39 - Aeon's End 10:06 - Kellen #39 - Stephenson's Ro...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's time. The event of the year is upon us, as we begin counting down our FIFTY. FAVOURITE. GAMES. OF. ALL. TIME. We're kicking it off where you kick off all good top 50s, with our games ranked 50th to 41st favourite games. And we've also invited Mr Delicious himself, Mike DiLisio of The Dice Tower, to pick apart our choices from his lofty perch in the peanut gallery. Let's go! 03:15 - Kellen #50 - So Clover! 07:10 - Neilan #50 - Taluva 10:18 - Mark #50 - Glory to Rome 14:30 - Kellen #49 - Thro...
Dec 16, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It'd be great if we could only ever play our favourites. But sometimes, perhaps more often than not, we have to put up with playing games not because we want to, but because it's the polite or kind thing to do depending on the company. This week, we're talking about games that we don't necessarily love , but for whatever reason we end up playing a lot of. Before we're held against our will, we talk about Mr. Cabbagehead's Garden , Sacred Rites , and Great Plains . 02:09 - Mr. Cabbagehead's Garde...
Dec 09, 2021•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Looking back on the past made us all reflective. For instance, remember 166 episodes ago when we promised to play all those games on our shelves of shame? I thought you might. We're revisiting our crimes of yesteryear, and checking in on how guilty we are. Before we audit our past selves, we talk about Warp's Edge , Carolus Magnus , and Unfathomable . 02:32 - Warp's Edge 08:09 - Carolus Magnus 16:20 - Unfathomable 27:00 - A Look Back at Our Unfulfilled Potential 27:18 - Fog of Love 28:56 - Spiri...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gobble gobble, gotcha again. What better way to follow up one of our biggest episodes yet, than with one of our stupidest? Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 02:35 - Cursed Court: Pokémon Edition 04:30 - Unfathomable 05:36 - Wings of War: Deluxe Set 06:22 - Gods Loves Dinosaurs 07:12 - Wings of Glory 08:16 - Seikatsu 12:59 - Bandada 14:22 - Concordia Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https:...
Nov 24, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast We did it! Two hundred episodes later and we're still here. We're so grateful to every single listener, so we wanted to turn the mics back on all of you for your favourite voicemail memories from the show. Here's to another two hundred. Before we celebrate good times, we talk about Llamaland , Mansions of Madness: Second Edition, and Clash of Cultures: Monumental Edition. 02:59 - Llamaland 12:03 - Mansions of Madness: Second Edition 18:26 - Cthulhu: Death May Die 19:36 - Clash of Cultures: Monum...
Nov 18, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The split between Eurogame and Ameritrash gamers is as old as it it is silly, but in the last ten years it's also become a lot more nebulous. It's less clear than ever which side of the fence games fall on, so why still use these archaic labels at all? Maybe it's time for a change. Before we heal the divide, we talk about Hostage Negotiator , Juicy Fruits, Sleeping Gods , and Witchstone . 04:25 - Hostage Negotiator 12:38 - Juicy Fruits 17:34 - Sleeping Gods 28:38 - Witchstone 35:10 - Ingenious 3...
Nov 11, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you've ever been a board game host, then you know it's not always just about playing games, it's about creating lasting memories for everyone playing. We'd never leave that to chance though, so of course we're often going out of our way to make a board game experience memorable. Before we do the unforgettable, we talk about Khôra: Rise of an Empire , Dune: Betrayal , and Santa Maria . 02:08 - Khôra: Rise of an Empire 13:02 - Dune: Betrayal 21:17 - Santa Maria 29:17 - Official PAX Unplugged Ma...
Nov 04, 2021•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's part five of our venerable draft series, a series so loved that it's now in syndication! We're moving on to the tail end of the BGB Top 500, but the format stays the same: draft five games to build a standalone collection that's better than the others. Vote for your favourite, and you can win $50! Before we collect royalties, we talk about PARKS , Fairy Trails , Abandon All Artichokes , and So Clover! 03:39 - PARKS 11:04 - Tokaido 12:40 - Fairy Trails 16:37 - Abandon All Artichokes 20:48 - ...
Oct 28, 2021•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast We love all of the emails we get from you, our lovely listeners, but without a regular mail segment, we can't often give them the attention they deserve. Well that ends right now, as we delve into the long neglected pile of mail, and answer some choice questions that have been waiting patiently for answers. Before we rustle in the mailbag, we talk about Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done , and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King . 01:42 - Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done 12:44 - World of Warcraft: Wra...
Oct 21, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're always excited for a new Eric Lang game, which makes him an obvious candidate for the absolutely-not-called BGB DOG - our series where we deep dive into a designer's .... designography. He's made a lot of our favourite area control games, and had his hand in some games we might not have even realized. Before we bang on about this Lang mang, we talk about What's Missing? , Polynesia , and TEN . 02:41 - What's Missing? 07:50 - Polynesia 17:47 - Ten 25:10 - PAX Unplugged 25:45 - Ghost Turkey ...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Convention season in the new world continues, and this time it's Germany's turn, with Essen SPIEL just days away from kicking off. But tanks, you say, I don't sprechen Deutsch . We've got you. We're going to highlight all the games that we think you ought to be paying attention to, no German necessary. Before we spend our Euros, we talk about Praga Caput Regni , Skulk Hollow , and Beez . 01:40 - Praga Caput Regni 11:51 - Skulk Hollow 18:17 - Beez 25:51 - Fantasy Draft Winner! 27:58 - Essen SPIEL...
Oct 07, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast There is one unenviable truth of board game ownership that we're forced to contend with - they occupy space . We've each had to wrestle with this reality in different ways recently, so we offer our thoughts on the awkwardness of sharing a physical world with our board games. Before we merely exist, we talk about Riftforce , Kabuto Sumo , and Whirling Witchcraft . 02:23 - Riftforce 11:38 - Kabuto Sumo 19:41 - Whirling Witchcraft 23:25 - Bullet♥︎ 23:45 - Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne 29:37 - S...
Sep 30, 2021•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast A new list of a hundred games to draft, and it only gets harder and harder. We're each picking a standalone collection of five games in a snake draft format. And the best part is you could win $50 just by voting on your favourite collection! Before we get to clubbing, we talk about Regicide , Dice Miner , and Let's Make a Bus Route , and SCOUT! 02:06 - Regicide 08:34 - Dice Miner 16:55 - Let's Make a Bus Route 16:55 - Get on Board: New York & London 18:56 - SCOUT! 22:42 - Drafting BGG's #301-400...
Sep 23, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast While one of the appeals of following a specific game designer is the comforting familiarity of what they do best, it’s also really fun to see them go off the garden path. We’re looking at games and mechanics where one of our beloved designers zigged, when they easily could’ve zagged. Before we go our own way, we talk about Biosphere , The Ratcatcher: The Solo Adventure Game , and Stephenson’s Rocket . Timecodes: 01:46 – Biosphere 10:58 – The Ratcatcher: The Solo Adventure Game 19:10 – Stephenso...
Sep 16, 2021•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the things we love to do, especially if we're playing a game for the first time, is analyse it while we're playing. We're sure this totally isn't annoying for those around us. In particular, we love picking apart little mechanical choices, imagining what the designer's thought process was, and wondering "why is that like that?" Before we get to speculating, we talk about Divinity Derby , Mexica , and Strasbourg . 03:28 - Divinity Derby 11:54 - Hab & Gut 13:22 - Mexica 19:06 - Strasbourg 2...
Sep 09, 2021•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast We love Uwe Rosenberg around these parts, whether it's because of our infatuation with polyominoes, the need to keep workers fed, or the strange mechanisms of animal breeding. Join us down the (cottage) garden path of his designography, and make sure to plant some vegetables along the way. Before we get agricultural, we talk about Bosk , Spies & Lies: A Stratego Story , and G len More II: Chronicles . 00:58 - Bosk 07:57 - Spies & Lies: A Stratego Story 12:37 - Love Letter 15:21 - Glen More II: C...
Sep 02, 2021•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes, if you want a game bad enough, you're willing to go to absurd lengths to acquire it. Whether it's because it's out of print, or just hard to come by, we've all put more effort than we should've into finding or playing specific games. We tell our stories of just how far we've gone. Before we secure the bag, we talk about Tinner's Trail , and The Night Cage . 01:10 - Tinner's Trail 08:13 - The Night Cage 17:31 - Games you've gone out of your way for 18:39 - Sherlock Holmes Consulting De...
Aug 26, 2021•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're back with another fantasy draft, as we keep on moving down the BoardGameGeek top games list. If you're not familiar, we're each picking a standalone collection of five games before our picks get stolen out from under us. Want to win a $50 gift card? You've got to vote on whose collection is best! Before we get the knives out, we talk about Raiders of Scythia , and Ankh: Gods of Egypt . 02:01 - Raiders of Scythia 02:18 - Raiders of the North Sea 08:56 - Ankh: Gods of Egypt 29:09 - Drafting ...
Aug 19, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all have types of games that, for whatever reason, we steer clear of. Often all that we've been missing is a more suitable introduction to the genre, or a game that's just enough of an outlier. This week, we try to tempt you toward genres that you might have written off, with the games that may just sway you. Before we change your minds, we talk about Pocket Galapagos , Cascadia , and Bites . 01:36 - Pocket Galapagos 08:57 - Cascadia 12:53 - Bites 18:34 - Games that'll turn you around 20:19 -...
Aug 12, 2021•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's board games for dinner, but we're not just throwing whatever we could find on your plate. No, we've got menus. We lay out our ideas for a four course board game meal, complete with appetizer, amuse-bouche, entrée and dessert, in a fun little exercise suggested by a listener. Before we meal plan, we talk about Sequoia , The Mind Extreme , and MicroMacro: Crime City . 04:31 - Sequoia 10:07 - The Mind Extreme 13:36 - MicroMacro: Crime City 21:59 - Draft winner! 23:43 - Four course board game m...
Aug 05, 2021•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Board game science is a delicate process, but thankfully BOB's here to help, in another BGB Battle of Board (Games)! This week, we're pitting our favourite science fiction themed games against each other. That's fifteen sci fi games, which we'll put in a fact based ordered list, ready to submit to the journal of your choice. Before we pollute space, we talk about Riverboat , Bug Council of Backyardia , and Rocketmen . 04:02 - Riverboat 10:05 - Bug Council of Backyardia 16:37 - Rocketmen 23:17 - ...
Jul 29, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Martin Wallace, titan of industry, man of steam and brass. He's made a lot of games, often involving trains, but sometimes also Cthulhu. We do a deep dive into the prolific designer's catalogue, in the next in the series that Mark (and nobody else) is calling BGB DOG. Before we put him in our pocket, we talk about Throne and the Grail , Race for the Galaxy , Dinogenics , and On Mars . 02:21 - Throne and the Grail 05:56 - Race for the Galaxy 09:19 - Lost Ruins of Arnak 11:19 - DinoGenics 18:19 - ...
Jul 22, 2021•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you thought the Euro 2020 final was tense, wait until you listen to this episode. The next match in the world's most anticipated series is now here, as we continue down the BoardGameGeek top games list, drafting a collection of five games. Whose do you think is best? Vote to stand a chance to win a $50 gift card! Before we make like snakes, we talk about Chinatown , Curious Cargo , and Mercado de Lisboa . 02:14 - Chinatown 10:00 - Curious Cargo 16:44 - Mercado de Lisboa 24:45 - Drafting BGG's...
Jul 15, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Look, we know, we don't exactly help matters, but this hobby can be expensive . So, to make up for fueling your FOMO, we're gonna lay out some of the ways that we consciously try to curb our board game spending, while still keeping up with the zeitgeist. Before we balance our budget, we talk about Summer Camp , Wildlands , and Rome & Roll . 05:11 - Summer Camp 09:55 - The Quest for El Dorado 11:06 - Dominion 12:38 - Wildlands 21:12 - Rome & Roll 33:51 - Curbing board game spending 42:00 - Carneg...
Jul 08, 2021•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast We often talk about the burden of rules, and how in some of our favourite games, they just get out of the way. But when is that burden worthwhile; what makes the price of a heavy rules overhead worth paying? Before we maximize our returns, we talk about Crash Octopus , Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition , Imperium: Classics , and Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile . 02:54 - Crash Octopus 08:33 - Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition 18:47 - Imperium: Classics 30:41 - Oath: Chronicles of Empire an...
Jul 01, 2021•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes it's best not to know, right? You've just played a game, and you liked it a lot, but you're not quite sure whether that faction is quite balanced, or the designers accounted for that winning strategy. Should you find out? Or is it better just to enjoy the game on its own merits? Before we disobey our thirst for knowledge, we talk about Genoa , Durian , The Search for Planet X , and Pavlov's House . 02:04 - Genoa 05:50 - Durian 10:52 - The Search for Planet X 20:57 - Pavlov's House 27:3...
Jun 24, 2021•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Because making board games is hard , it's not enough just to have some solid mechanics - the best games have a production that coheres with the design. We look at some examples of games where production considerations (or lack thereof) have helped or hurt how they play. Before we executively produce, we talk about The King is Dead: Second Edition , Equinox , and Enchanted Plumes . 01:48 - The King is Dead: Second Edition 10:15 - Colossal Arena 10:15 - Equinox 22:06 - Enchanted Plumes 32:40 - Pro...
Jun 17, 2021•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mark's trying to get us all into something he calls "sports", so as a compromise, we're doing a fantasy board game draft! We're going to pick games from the BoardGameGeek Top 100, until we each have five. Then YOU get to vote on whose draft is best, for a chance to win $50! Before we play to the crowds, we talk about Azul: Summer Pavilion , Roads & Boats , Ruthless , and Cthulhu: Death May Die . 02:09 - Azul: Summer Pavilion 11:33 - Roads & Boats 22:33 - Ruthless 29:53 - Cthulhu: Death May Die 3...
Jun 10, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
