Ambie and Crystal discuss a game they both played recently, Playthings. Then we talk about different ways you can learn rules in board games and which are our favorite ways to learn. Remember to check out our new merch!
0:00-Intro
0:40-Announcements
3:05-Recent Games - Playthings
15:04-Ways of Learning
31:15-Outro
32:19-Bloopers
Hear ye, loyal Cabalists! Gather now before the Lords of the Dungeon, for they convene to decree upon one of the greatest virtues of masterful game mastering: the noble arts of rhythm and pacing. Know this, how swiftly the tale unfolds, how boldly each scene marches onward, and how deftly the momentum is commanded shall determine whether thine adventurers remain enthralled or drift into idle distraction. Attend this royal council and claim the wisdom for grand adventure awaits!
This week Mike hosts over Prime Ministers and Purple People with some board game panel show wonderfulness.
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.
I was three actions deep into my tenth turn of Recall when I achieved total mastery. I was beyond the Schwarzenegger and the Farrell, deep with Koato and triple-mammaried subversives. A newb at the table interrupted my reverie with a question concerning ambiguous inconography. "That card?" I said, feeling like cutting a deal. "I can remember it for you wholesale." They called me a dick.
There are two board game mechanisms you just can't escape, they're on everyone's mind, flooding the discourse. That's combat, and card draw mitigation. Everyone won't stop talking about them. So we had to weigh in too, not just with what we feel are the best examples of games that have done them best, but some other quirky takes on them too. Before we mitigate our card draws, we talk about Rolling Deep, Eureka!, dnup, and Grinivil.
03:59 - Rolling Deep 15:12 - Eureka! 16:48 - dnup 24:48 - Grinivil 40:10 - Combat mechanisms 41:07 - Kemet 45:00 - Dune 48:40 - Shogun 52:42 - Forbidden Stars 53:51 - Dead Reckoning 54:48 - Gloomhaven 55:12 - Card draw mitigation 56:09 - Dark Pact 57:19 - La Granja 58:26 - Glory to Rome 59:58 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization 1:02:07 - Race for the Galaxy 1:02:57 - 7 Wonders Duel 1:06:28 - The Vale of Eternity
Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. Openers: Mark: Kraftwagen and old podcasts like CubeLove Jonathan: Cocktail Games, and what will I do when the "old masters" pass away? Closers: Jonathan: Do we have too many good games? Here's what Bruno Faidutti says.scroll down for English Mark: How old is "an old game"? Does 2019 count?
My friend Jonathan Takagi returns to the podcast to talk about the upcoming Spiel des Jahres award. Not just the SdJ, we also talk about the Kennerspiel and Kinderspiel awards for "expert" and kids' games, too. And not only that, but Jonathan is known for digging past the three nominees for each award, deeper into the recommended games, too. Only the nominees can be picked for the top awards (announced live on July 12 and broadcast on YouTube). Nonetheless, sometimes we find amazing, "hidden gems" in the recommended lists, games that we may not have otherwise heard about. First we cover the Kennerspiel games. Nominees: Boss Fighters QR, Moon Colony Bloodbath, and Rebirth. Along with the Recommended list: Sanctuary, Frosted Blooms, Foundations of Metropolis, and Tag Team. Next it's the Kinderspiel titles. Nominees: Boo Party, Mookie Island, and Verflixt Verzaubert. Plus the Recommended list: Little Stinker, Half-and-Seek, and Paleolino Finally the big prize itself, the Spiel des Jahres. Nominees: Cozy Sticker Ville, Jinxo, and Morty Sorty Magic Shop. And the Recommended list: Hot Streak, Meister Makatsu, Take Time, Toriki, Toy Battle, and Wilmot's Warehouse. -Mark
Hey Now Cabalists! The gang is back from Origins Game Fair with some stories to tell, including Chris' doggie bag, alpacas running around the meetup, Flat Steve scaring the shit out of everyone, Sasquatch running amok, and more! Then we chat about a bunch of games we've been playing, including Defenders of the Realm, Feya's Swamp, Warhammer Quest: Darkwater, Raising Robots, Runebound, and our future review, Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock, from designers Abraham Hermida and Paloma Pascual. Then Tony T gives us the news roundup, and we discuss satisfying game endings. Do you prefer a decisive victory or a nail-biter? Defenders of the Realm: 00:22:03, Feya’s Swamp: 00:30:15, Warhammer Quest Darkwater: 00:42:41, Raising Robots: 00:51:28, Runebound: 01:02:40, Orloj The Prague Astronomical Clock Review: 01:14:42, News with Tony T: 01:54:52, Decisive Victory or Nail-Biter: 02:52:45. Check out our sponsors Restoration Games at https://restorationgames.com/, Game Toppers at https://www.gametoppersllc.com/ and Prester's Painting at https://www.presterspainting.com/
Julie recounts her adventures at Origins 2026 before we delve into questions about Authenticity of Theme, Fan Interactions, and Teaching Race for the Galaxy. And of course, we close the show with a healthy dose of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
It is Inadvertent Surprise Railway Week (ISRW, pronounced "is raw") here at SVWAG, and we take a look at some train games without directly addressing the raging controversy of what, exactly, constitutes a train game.
02:25 AYURIS: Wilmot's Warehouse (Ricky Haggett, Richard Hogg, and David King, CMYK, 2024)
Even though our regular game night has been on pause for a few weeks, we still managed to squeeze in some great plays with family and friends. Marty kicked things off with Bomb Busters, a title getting a lot of well‑deserved praise. The way he described it reminded me a bit of Hanabi—that same feeling of relying on your teammates to guide you toward the right moves. There’s something deeply satisfying about working together toward a shared victory, especially when the puzzle finally clicks.
He also finally got Obsession to the table, a game that’s been floating around one his radar for a while. I’ll admit it’s one I wasn’t familiar with, but that’s hardly surprising given how many games slip past me. Marty had some thoughtful pros and cons, but even with those caveats, it still sounds like something I’d love to try on a future game night, there’s a charm to that Victorian engine‑building vibe that’s hard to resist.
And of course, El Grande continues to shine as a perfect introduction to area control, teaching new players the tension and timing that make the genre sing. Every cube, every power card—it all matters. Lincoln, on the other hand, offers a lean, card‑driven take on the American Civil War, capturing momentum, attrition, and asymmetry in a way that feels brisk yet thoughtful. If it weren’t for a few rulebook hiccups, this would’ve been one of those plays that makes you wonder why it took so long to get it to the table in the first place.
Thanks for listening and until next time, keep rolling dice and taking names.
Happy Pre Play Con Episode everyone, to get in the groove for our celebration of all things board games by listening to the latest ep of the Board Game BBQ Podcast!
This week Jules has been collecting pretty pearls in 12 Rivers while Conor has been cleaning up the city of Chicago in Raising Chicago while also ruining friendships in Cyclades.
Jules fawns over his current TCG obsession 'Riftbound' for his sizzle, Conor on the other hand laments his losing in 'Spacebase'
All that and more on this week's episode of the Board Game BBQ Podcast!