Tom, Julie, and Eric run through their game plan for Essen Spiel 2025, including where they'll be, and what games are on the internet's radar, as well as trying to narrow down what three games are of the most interest to them personally.

00:59 - Bookkeeping: Dice Tower East, West, Cruise

01:57 - The Weather in Germany

03:12 - Eric's First Time Back Since 2019, What's Changed?

07:18 - Where Will We Be?

Dice Tower Booth: 3 R315

Van Ryder Booth: 2 E280

Live Show, Sunday 1:30pm: Hall 4

09:30 - Dice Tower Essentials Interlude: Aquatica Duel, On Stage, Raas

11:44 - Live Plays

13:47 - Warning from Julie

14:38 - Sunday's Live Show

16:35 - Eric's Growing Wishlist and Shipping Woes

22:20 - The Games of Essen - So Many

28:20 - Orloj

29:27 - Recall

30:07 - SETI: Space Agencies

30:32 - Feya's Swamp

31:51 - Nature

33:15 - Covenant

35:00 - Ada's Dream

35:43 - Sanctuary

37:16 - Coming of Age

38:55 - Castle Combo: Out of the Oubliette!

39:08 - Echoes of Time

40:52 - White Castle Duel

41:33 - The Voynich Puzzle

42:15 - Underwater Cities: Data Era and LOTR Duel: Allies

42:38 - Luthier

43:12 - Aquaria

44:14 - Julie: Use Up All Your Sick Days

45:32 - Eric: Severton

45:56 - Tom: Cereal Killer

46:52 - Julie: The Stalker

47:30 - Eric: Leylines

48:35 - Tom: Kronologic Cuzco 1450

50:22 - Julie: Parks and Potions

51:29 - Eric: Winnie the Pooh: Serious Detective

52:47 - Tom: A Carnivore Did It

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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As ever, we do not acknowledge one of the most pernicious false dichotomies in the rulebook space; whether rules should be strictly permissive (you can only do what the rules say you can) or strictly restrictive (you can do anything unless the rules say otherwise). I have never seen a rulebook forbid me from choking an opponent, nor have I see a rulebook give me permission to breathe. I will thus reject both models as being rather too simplistic.

01:28 AYURIS: Galactic Renaissance (Christian Martinez, Matagot, 2024)

Games Played Last Week:

05:09 -The Guest (Arkaitz Caride, Devir, 2025)

10:48 -Cosmic Encounter (Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, Bill Norton, Peter Olotka, and Kevin Wilson, Fantasy Flight, 2008)

16:04 -Firefighters on Duty (Konstantinos Kokkinis & Sotirios Tsantilas, Artipia Games, 2025)

22:10 -Deck of Spies (James Newman, Web published, 2021)

24:43 -Fishing (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2024)

29:27 -KINGs: TRICKTAKERs (Hiroken, Joyple Games, 2023)

36:11 -Gaslands: Refuelled (Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2019)

40:08 -Cockroach Poker (Jacques Zeimet, Drei Magier Spiele, 2004)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

43:45 Burned available on Gamecrafter's Crowdsale

44:42 Claustrophobia 3rd edition, 1692, by Devir

46:33 Mystic Curling by Asmadi Games on Kickstarter

46:50 Amigo US is no more; No Thanks joining CMYK's Magenta line along with I'm Out

47:46 Voidfall expansion: Resurgence

48:27 Sidereal Confluence expansion: Proliferation

49:11 Winnie the Pooh: Serious Detective

49:39 Arkhipov Day: Oct. 27th. Celebrate Vasili Arkhipov and his having saved the human race!

50:29 Topic: Rulebooks

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This week Peter & Mike have a design discussion about 4x games, and discover the 5th x live. _________________________ YouTube - www.youtube.com/channel/UCrOtGhui_jdLdoQNI7PU4Pg X - @onestopcoopshop Discord - discord.gg/p4jX8AF Merch: one-stop-co-op-shop.creator-spring.com/ Donate to One Stop Co-op Shop - www.patreon.com/onestop Email - onestopcoopshop@gmail.com

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00:01:30 Intro
00:03:30 Sports ball Topics
00:14:00 A Carnivore Did It
00:17:00 This Game is Killer
00:22:00 Why did you play that?
00:26:30 Rules Lawyer Time
00:30:30 Taste Buds
00:39:30 Miniature Market
00:40:30 Bohemians
00:59:00 Punica: Rome vs. Carthage
01:07:30 Portal Games
01:08:30 Fountains
01:15:30 Everdell Duo
01:23:00 Cookie Run Braverse
01:29:00 Outro

Halloween is creeping ever closer, ushering in a surge of spooky décor, costume scheming, and sugar-fueled anticipation. Soon, neighborhoods will flicker with jack-o’-lantern grins and haunted house setups, casting eerie shadows perfect for mischief, mayhem, and board games. And yes—Marty’s legendary BooBQ is just around the corner.

Before the festivities kick off, we squeezed in a few two-player gems that pack a punch without hogging the table. Everdell Duo reimagines the beloved woodland world for two, offering competitive, cooperative, and campaign modes that layer strategy with charm. Cookie Run: Braverse transforms the digital Cookie Run universe into a physical trading card game, introducing a clever twist on health tracking that adds surprise and tension to every skirmish. Punica: Rome vs Carthage throws players into the heat of the Punic Wars, where asymmetric tactics and area control drive a brisk, brainy clash—can you succeed where Hannibal failed and bring Rome to its knees?

We also tried a fresh tile-laying release from OP Games. True to form, the components are stellar, but it’s the rondel-style drafting that stole the spotlight, injecting strategic depth and just enough “take that” to keep things spicy.

Thanks for listening, we really do appreciate it.

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Tune in for our PAX Australia 2025 special! This year, Joe, Adrian, Conor, Jules, and special guest Finn are live on the showroom floor bringing you exclusive hands-on impressions and interviews with some of Australia's most exciting up-and-coming game designers. We dive deep into their latest prototype projects, and share our takes on some standout established titles we got to experience at the event.

A huge thanks to PAX Australia for the continued support and for giving us the opportunity to celebrate the local gaming scene. It's always a highlight of our year, and we're already looking forward to what next year brings!

Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483 

Has this episode left you with a thirst for more? Here are all of the games that we discussed:
Riftbound: The League of Legends TCG - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436560/riftbound-the-league-of-legends-trading-card-game

Seas of Strife - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/225482/seas-of-strife

Coyote - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/443688/coyote

Cheers to the Governor - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/404048/cheers-to-the-governor

Isle of Feathers - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/455519/isle-of-feathers

Timber Town - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436561/timber-town

 

SPONSORS
Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Advent Games and More Than Meeples.

Advent Games is an Australian online board game store based in Sydney, NSW. http://www.adventgames.com.au/ 
More Than Meeples is an Australian retail and online game store based in Brisbane, QLD. https://morethanmeeples.com.au/ 

PATREON
Hey there, BBQ fans! Guess what? We’ve got a Patreon! By joining, you’ll unlock exclusive content, gain access to a members-only section of our Discord where you can help shape the show, and so much more. Plus, your support will help us grow and bring some awesome new projects to life in 2025.

At the Board Game BBQ Podcast, we’re passionate about what we do and promise to keep the fun and shenanigans rolling. We’re so grateful for your support! Joining our Patreon is totally optional, and we ask that you don’t contribute if it’ll cause financial stress. But if you’d like to chip in from just USD$5 a month, click the link to check out our Patreon page.

Thanks a million for being amazing! We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community, and you all make it special. See you at the BBQ!! https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ 

SOCIALS
Support the podcast and join the community!
https://linktr.ee/BoardGameBBQ 

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-board-game-bbq-podcast/id1515192971

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
https://open.spotify.com/show/4VZjYJV1E3AWND62urWlP9 

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On this episode of On Board Games, Erik talks with Isaac Shalev about games (and other things) they've played including:

• Here I Stand
• Panda Spin
• Dead Cells
• Dropolter
• Bomb Busters

You can get a discount on Zencastr.com using this link.

(21:17) Then, the two talk about Isaac's idea about Post Euro games.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Inverse Genius: http://www.inversegenius.com/ Patreon account: http://www.patreon.com/obg Twitter: @onboardgames

RSS Feed: http://onboardgames.libsyn.com/rss

Email us: onboardgamesmailbag@gmail.com

On Board Games Guild at Board Game Geek

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This week's guest is ex-neuroscientist and game designer Sam London. We talk about the nature of free will, why Advanced Squad Leader isn't intimidating and the interface between video and board games...but which games did he choose? 

Support the show here

BattleCon Res Arcana Advanced Squad Leader Age of Steam Nemesis

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/five-games-for-doomsday--5631121/support.

Support the show here

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This week on Garrett's Games Shelley and I check out one of the latest heavier titles from Board&Dice

Tianxia by Antonio Petrelli and Daniele Tascini

then we wrap up our hall by hall preview with games from Halls 6 & 7!

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Spinning pandas, evolving primates, and... Capitalism! We have all three for you in this episode - thankfully not all in the same game.
We could have had three games about mammals, but we didn't think this through. 

If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded

SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/

Onto the timestamps:

00:00 Cold open
02:09 Intro
03:45 Panda Spin
18:34 Primates
32:51 Tycoon: India 1981
48:25 Correspondence

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Ben looks at 5 exciting games being released at Essen Spiel 2025.

Support the show here

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/five-games-for-doomsday--5631121/support.

Support the show here

💾

Ambie, Crystal, and special guests Kevin and Roy discuss a couple games they played recently, including Yogi, Mr Postmouse's Picnic, and Twinkle Twinkle (plus the How I Wonder expansion and Extraterrestrials mini-expansion). Then, since it's almost Halloween, we talk about scary monsters, movies, and board games!

0:00-Intro
1:06-Recent Games - Yogi
4:08-Mr Postmouse’s Picnic
6:59-Twinkle Twinkle
12:41-Spooky Stuff
22:55-Outro
24:16-Bloopers

Join our discord

Support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/boardgameblitz
Or shop at our merch store or our Amazon Storefront

This episode was sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Use the code "BLITZ10" to get 10% off your entire cart.

Consolidated Links

For the full show notes visit our site at http://www.boardgameblitz.com/posts/422

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Not perturbed by Kellen's trip to Germany, we're all daydreaming about the motherlode of board game conventions, Essen SPIEL. There's a lot of games coming to the show, and because we're not going, and presumably you aren't either, we'll just tell you what's going to be there instead! The good stuff, anyway. Before we Germinate, we talk about Calimala, Tír na nÓg, and Typewriter.

02:42 - Calimala 09:42 - Tír na nÓg 16:15 - Typewriter 26:15 - Essen SPIEL 2025 Preview 28:49 - Mission: Red Planet (Third Edition) 31:18 - The Other Side of the Hill 33:29 - Severton 36:12 - Harvest Valley 38:11 - Pulitzer 39:26 - Echoes of Time 41:14 - Oopsie 42:55 - Feya's Swamp 43:46 - Baghdad: The City of Peace 45:25 - Ghost Lift 48:07 - Coming of Age 49:33 - The Presence 51:50 - Carnival of Sins 53:37 - The Republic of Rome: Remastered 55:22 - Theocratia Register for this year's Ghost Turkey at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map

Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics

Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki

Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord

Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook

Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

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Good evening, worms, and welcome to the annual Halloween celebration! Tonight, the pitiful gang dares to summon Wolfman Steve and me, The Gatekeeper! They shall present the games they’ve played, including Mansions of Madness, Storyfold Wildwoods, The Stifling Dark, Nyctophobia and deliver a feature review of that wretched classic, Betrayal at House on the Hill! Then, the mortal known as Tony T will drag forth the Tabletop Gaming News, followed by a rousing discussion about role-playing and storytelling in board games. Now… sit still, keep silent and let the horror begin! Mansions of Madness: 00:05:53, Storyfold Wildwoods: 00:13:10, The Stifling Dark: 00:27:20, Nyctophobia: 00:39:17, Betrayal at House on the Hill Review: 00:52:46, News with Tony T: 01:26:53, Role-playing and Storytelling: 02:38:07. Check out our sponsors Restoration Games at https://restorationgames.com/ and Game Toppers at https://www.gametoppersllc.com/.

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Dave hosts this week in a Lucha Libre themed show... for some reason. 

This Game is Broken is a comedy board game panel show with Matthew Jude, Dave Luza, Paula Deming, Nick Murphy and Mike Murphy. We play a lot of nonsense games full of role playing and trivia as well as other fun stuff which can be found at the links below.

Support us here!

PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/thisgameisbroken

This Game is Broken is eternally thankful to our Sponsors

Restoration Games Find them at https://restorationgames.com/

Game Night Picks - GameNightPicks.com/thisgame

Many Worlds Tavern - Find your coffee for game night here - https://manyworldstavern.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TGiBpodcast

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/this-game-is-broken/id1282526804?mt=2

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/this_game_is_broken_podcast/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Thisgameisbrokenpodcast/

Email - Thisgameisbrokenpodcast@gmail.com

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In this newsflash the doyenne of British game design, Tony Boydell talks about the upcoming campaign for Snowdonia-Grand Tour published by Naylor Games. 

Support the show here

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/five-games-for-doomsday--5631121/support.

Support the show here

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It's your turn...to click here to send us your comments on the show

Becky's back with a bang as an age old topic rears it's head after her turmoil of will we, won't we on the latest Ark Nova 3Dition crowdfunding campaign.

FIRST PLAYER: Becky
OTHER PLAYERS: JP, Kerley & Adrian

In this episode you'll learn:
- that JP finally managed to preview Terraria thanks to Paperfort Games and gives his first impressions
- that Kerley likes it oldschool in Chinatown by ZMan Games
- Adrian finally managed to get his first of the City Collection series of Hamburg by Queen Games
- that Becky has found a dudes on a map game she enjoys in Wroth by Chip Theory Games
- about the positives and negatives of expansion / upgrade content for board games and our thoughts on this.

LINKS REFERENCED IN THE SHOW
N/A

EPISODE CHAPTERS

0:00 - TURN 1 - Player Count

2:08 - TURN 2 - Let's Talk About Hex

2:26 - JP - Terraria

11:53 - Kerley - Chinatown

17:10 - Adrian - Hamburg

27:37 - Becky - Wroth

33:32 - TURN 3 - Main Event: Add-Ons and Let-Downs

35:42 - Is it morally right for games to be released knowing expansions are already planned?

40:56 - What games have been ruined by expansions?

52:25  - Expansion that make the base game better

57:08 - Which games do we think would be incomplete without it's expansion?

1:01:43 - What's the most extravagant blinging we've done for our games?

1:07:02 - If you had to ban expansions for content or upgrades which would it be?

1:11:35 - TURN 4 - Konn4ct F4ur

1:15:27 - TURN 5 - Penultimate Turn: What's Coming Up?

1:20:08 - TURN 6 - The Final Turn

You can check out JP's new podcast called Just Play right here https://www.justplaypod.co.uk we'd love to have you and also on the new YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@JustPlayPodcast

ENGAGING WITH THE SHOW
- Join us on Discord

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Clef and Tim try to tone down the disc golf and baseball talk and get into board games as fast as possible. It didn't work as well as planned, but we still talk about Brass: Birmingham, Tzolk'in and Khora. We also share a couple of horror stories of when teaching games goes wrong. Board games start at 22:03 Join the discord at discord.gg/s8hYtWkMS3 and visit punchboardparadise.com for more info on PPCon 2026! Music by Hey Disarray

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"Wiarton Willie is the name given to a Canadian groundhog who lives in the community of Wiarton in Bruce County, Ontario. Every February 2, on Groundhog Day, Willie takes part in the local Wiarton Willie Festival. His role is to predict whether there will be an early spring. Although the original Wiarton Willie died in 1999, the Wiarton Groundhog Day celebrations continue each year with a successor of the original Willie (except in 1999 and 2021 where, due to the previous Willies' deaths, no groundhog was used), and each successor is also referred to as Wiarton Willie.

Groundhog Day, featuring Wiarton Willie, is a popular annual festival in Wiarton and is similar to events in other locations in North America. A midwinter celebration involving an animal with predictive powers was an element of Celtic culture. The link between weather prediction and the day is said to have been inspired by an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear/ There'll be two winters in the year.""

-Wikipedia

Games Played Last Week:

01:40 -Etherstone (Virginio Gigli & Simone Luciani, ThunderGryph Games, 2025)

12:38 -Dogs of War Second Edition (Paolo Mori, Play to Z, 2026)

26:39 -Vantage (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2025)

34:06 -Monikers (Alex Hague & Justin Vickers, CMYK, 2015)

41:06 -My Very First Games: Let's Be Veterinarians (Kristin Mückel, HABA, 2024)

42:55 -Riff Raff (Christoph Cantzler, Zoch Verlag, 2012)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

46:30 Kristian Amundsen Østby and Kjetil Svendsen take tricks with Tax the Rich

47:10 Elder Scrolls expansion, Heroes of Tamriel, on Gamefound

48:00 Berserk on Gamefound

50:54 Battlecrest: Overlord on Kickstarter

51:36 Feature Game: Samurai (Reiner Knizia, Hans im Glück, 1998)

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We are joined by Chris and Dan to discuss the summer movies of 2025. We find out who won the draft and recap all the movies that we saw.

For Tony, that didn't take long.

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Reviews of A Place for All My Books and White Castle Duel. All the pegs provide a deep dive of Luthier.. Game discussion starts at {00:36:25}.

Thank you to our sponsors: Queen Games and Grand Gamers Guild.

The post Episode 295: Luthier appeared first on Blue Peg, Pink Peg Boardgaming Podcast.

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