This week on Garrett's Games, Shelley and I check out a family-friendly tile-laying game:
Tulikko by Jerome Soleil and Nicolas Melet from Pandasaurus Games
then dive into the DEEP end of heavy games with a theme revolving around desserts?
Sweet Lands by Totsucca Chuo from Uchibacoya and Devir
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We made it back in one piece, and all told I think we did pretty well! We got through a heck of a lot of what we wanted to play, and we're here to tell you all about it - including Dark Pact, Totally Human, and Banana Governance, and more!
02:36 - Totally Human 14:04 - Dark Pact 20:56 - Gold Country 28:21 - Staked! 32:58 - Secret Tribe 41:34 - Habemus Papam 50:11 - 3 Chapters 55:22 - Banana Governance 01:02:29 - Hellapagos Submit your games for the Listener Top 20 at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/top20
Today, Chris, Don, and Jamie gather around the table to reflect on tabletop games of the past and how they’ve aged over the years. Have these classics matured like a fine wine, growing richer, deeper, and more nuanced with time, or have they gone sour, turning into vinegar? The Founders bring their picks: two games that have stood the test of time, becoming more refined and one that hasn’t fared and is now relegated to the back of the kitchen cabinet, only to emerge when we're making deviled eggs. Yes, proper deviled eggs have vinegar in them.
As Dan wraps up his run of episodes we enter the recording not knowing anything about this episode. The reason why is we are have 6 sealed envelopes where we have to have specific conversations whilst identifying who the defectors are in those chats. Sounds strange, it sure is, jump in and check it out
FIRST PLAYER: Dan OTHER PLAYERS: JP, Rob & Davey
In this episode you'll learn: - about Davey's first experiences with Voidfall: Resurgence by Mindclash Games as we dabble with the new co-op Incursion mode - Dan likes to keep it classic by revisiting Caverna: The Cave Farmers by Lookout Games - how JP has got on with DECKO by Gem Games following our recent interview with Haakon Gaarder - Rob has been donning his inner Hercules as be battles the 12 labors in Envy Born Games latest release - that the team play a social deduction games whilst trying to podcast. With six core topics with the goal in weeding out the defectors lets see who comes out on top.
On this episode, Tom, Julie and Eric are live at Dice Tower West in Las Vegas taking questions from the audience and talking about the games they've played (with a brief Tom-less interlude from Eric and Julie).
01:01 - Dice Tower West Library and Most Played
03:59 - Julie in Demoville and Escape Rooms
06:06 - Julie Came With a List
08:24 - Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
09:28 - Tea Garden
11:01 - Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock
12:55 - Feierabend
15:21 - Merchant of Venus #100
16:47 - Fathom
18:38 - Shapely
21:03 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror
28:28 - Eric and Julie Interlude
29:10 - E&J: Stuff on Tables
31:39 - E&J: Strange Things to Carry
34:05 - E&J: What Shouldn't Stay in Vegas
36:51 - E&J: Drawing a Crowd
39:34 - Question: Game Opening Disasters
44:42 - Question: Escaping Jail
46:44 - Question: Comprehensive Rulebooks
52:01 - Minor Tom Rant: Authority to Answer Questions
Two cooperative games hit the table this episode, along with a few thoughts on the Star Wars TCG. It’s always refreshing to switch gears and dive into something fully co‑op, where the tension comes from the puzzle instead of the players. And no, your ears aren’t deceiving you—Marty actually convinced Vanessa to join him for a discussion about Arkham. Who knows… maybe this is the start of her becoming an investigator convert.
Corps of Discovery invites players to retrace the legendary Lewis and Clark expedition, but with a sharper strategic edge than you might expect from a historical adventure. You’re managing a small but determined team as you push westward, balancing resource scarcity, shifting terrain, and the constant pressure of the unknown. The game thrives on its tension: every decision feels like a trade‑off between speed and sustainability, and the modular map keeps each journey fresh. It’s a thoughtful blend of exploration and logistics, capturing both the wonder and the hardship of charting unmapped territory.
Arkham Horror: The Card Game, by contrast, plunges you into a very different kind of expedition—one into cosmic dread and psychological unraveling. Its living‑card‑game structure turns every campaign into a branching narrative where your deck evolves alongside your investigator’s triumphs, traumas, and terrible choices. Scenarios twist the rules, warp the environment, and force you to improvise under pressure, making each session feel like a bespoke horror story. Where Corps of Discovery celebrates discovery and perseverance, Arkham Horror LCG revels in uncertainty and creeping doom, offering a deeply immersive experience that rewards clever deckbuilding and narrative investment.
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Happy Oceania month! This week join Joe and Lauren, along with special guests Jonathan Calleja and Keith Franks as we discuss all things design and Australian tabletop. Jonathan and Keith offer great insights into what it's like as a professional or first time designer, and some of the barriers that new designers encounter. We also dive into what has been hitting our tables and our hearts, as well as QOTP and our regular antics.
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.
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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
The Sweet 16 is already done and we're on to the Elite Eight. That means just two remaining titles in each of our four divisions, so almost like a mini, division-level championship in each one.
From Germany it's either Azul or 6 Nimmt, then from America it's Diamant or Ticket to Ride. From France we'll either have 7 Wonders Duel or Sea Salt & Paper, and from "Italy" it's either Grand Austria Hotel or Barrage.
On this Edenic episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down Podcast, Matt and Tom strip down to their bare cheeks to chat about games wot are all about “Outside, like birds and that”.
First up is Nature; a game that takes 2014’s Evolution and 2020’s Oceans, and hydraulically compacts them into one biodegradable box. Not just one box, mind, but a whole ecosystem of modules and traits that’ll get your neighbourhood zoologist all hot under the collar.
That’s then followed by a slice of Perch - a surprisingly lethal “pigeon control game” in which you stack birds atop a vicious fountain. I’d imagine it’s what those pesky sky rats would be doing with their spare time too, if they weren’t so busy defecating
Finally we hitch a ride on the great grey car of the savanna in Tembo - an elephant road trip that’s way more cruel than it has any right to be. Tom’s taken great pains to crack this one open, and feast on all the delicious game-goo contained therein.
Ambie talks about the time she had at Dice Tower West - all the games she played, some other convention events she did, and other things in Vegas. She's also joined by her kids for part of the show.
0:00-Intro
0:32-DTW Recap
16:01-Kids’ Las Vegas Trip
22:40-The Rest of Ambie’s Las Vegas Trip
28:33-Outro
Hey Now Cabalist! The show kicks off with Steve's mailbag and more about Tony Squatty Potties and then we dive into the games: LA-1, Star Wars Outer Rim, The White Castle, Clank! Catacombs w/ Lairs and Lost Chambers, Viticulture Bordeaux, and a feature review of Aquaria from Tomas Holek. Then after Tony T's News segment we take a bunch of questions from listeners. LA-1: 00:06:15, The White Castle: 00:16:50, Clank! Catacombs with Lairs and Lost Chambers: 00:24:24, Star Wars Outer Rim: 00:32:10, Viticulture Bordeaux: 00:42:23, Aquaria Review: 00:50:36, News with Tony T: 01:24:34, Short Topic Extravaganza: 02:22:16. Check out our sponsors Restoration Games at https://restorationgames.com/ and Game Toppers at https://www.gametoppersllc.com/.
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.
1st round votes are in, now each successive round moves quickly—just three days. 2nd round voting due March 18 at noon BGG-time in Texas (UTC-5).
How are you voting? For the games you enjoy the most or the ones you predicted to win (based on what you imagined OTHERS would vote for)? I've heard the latter is like how a political primary works.
Close calls & Blow-outs
• Vikings squeaked by Wandering Towers via a single vote
• Same for Nucleum over Anachrony
• Meanwhile, Top & Down only GOT one vote compared to El Grande, losing 2% to 98
• Similarly Cleopatra & SOA over SOS Titanic, or 7 Wonders Duel over Terror in Meeple City, Diamant/Incan Gold over Andromeda, or Memoir 44 over Warriors. (I told you there were some gimmes in the first round)
But what about Ticket To Ride over Elfenland? 96% to 4%??
Regarding Designer Teams contrasting with individual designers, there doesn't seem to be any pattern in the results yet. That is, designers' individual efforts are not favored over their collaborations…or the other way around. It's just whatever is the better game?
However, thinking about has led me to offer some half-baked theories and observations.
All (almost): the collaborations tend to be with people from the same country, speaking the same language. I'm sure this is naturally easier
Kramer: I think the games with collaborators are more "gamer-y"
Moon: I think his collaborations are more "lush"
Cathala: Similar to Kramer
"Italians": Don't know! But looking forward to Nucleum vs Barrage