Day two is over, but we're just getting started, because it's all about those Gen Con nights. We're up way too late, yet again, to give you the scoops from the floor. We talk about Finger Guns at High Noon, In Front of the Elevators, Realm of Sand, City of the Big Shoulders, and Medium.

Gen Con! It's time yet again for freezer pants, gourmet coffee and going between the sheets. Join us for our quick day one impressions from the floor, and I mean that quite literally. We talk about Gravity Superstar, Wakanda Forever, Mechanica, Mister Face, Nine Tiles Panic, Visitor in Blackwood Grove, and Letter Jam.

Gimmicks are elements of a game that are the fundamental selling point, the core attention grabbing mechanic or experience that the game is built around. This episode, we're breaking down gimmicks in board games, figuring out if they're good or bad for the hobby, and talking about some of the most notable. Before we cave to flashy marketing, we also talk about Are You A Robot?, Jaws, and FUSE. 01:17 - Bärenpark 03:12 - Keyforge: Age of Ascension 05:25 - Are You A Robot? 09:46 - Wingspan 10:37 - Jaws 13:55 - FUSE 18:34 - I don't even know 20:23 - Games with Gimmicks 22:27 - The Adventurers 23:22 - Niagara 24:31 - Shogun 24:31 - Wallenstein 24:59 - Amerigo 25:41 - Mord im Arosa 28:14 - Camel Up 29:18 - Sheriff of Nottingham 30:34 - Via Appia 31:33 - Dice Forge 32:39 - Alchemists 33:13 - Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar 34:38 - Council of 4 35:11 - Mouse Trap 36:13 - Star Trek: The Next Generation - Interactive VCR Board Game - A Klingon Challenge 38:23 - The VCR Quarterback Game 42:01 - Hanabi 42:39 - Planet

This week we're talking about hidden trackable information. That is, information about the game state that could be remembered or recorded, but the game design (usually) assumes that players haven't. Is it okay to memorize or divulge this information? Before we take notes, we also talk about Papà Paolo, Oceanos, and Pax Pamir (Second Edition). 02:10 - Papà Paolo 07:25 - Oceanos 13:32 - Pax Pamir (Second Edition) 26:06 - Bonus episode! 26:30 - Hidden Trackable Information 42:13 - The Resistance 43:59 - Tigris & Euphrates 47:38 - El Grande 48:11 - I'm The Boss! 50:01 - Through the Ages 54:44 - Guards of Atlantis 56:20 - Survive: Escape from Atlantis!

Gen Con 2019 is mere weeks away, and I bet you don't even know what games are going to be there. Fear not, we've got you covered! We're counting down our most anticipated games of the show, having meticulously studied BGG's preview list, and looked at all the pretty pictures. Before we plan our trip, we talk about Cryptid, Two Rooms and a Boom, and Planet. 03:25 - Cryptid 09:05 - Tobago 10:04 - Psychiatrist 11:59 - Two Rooms and a Boom 16:50 - Planet 24:35 - Gen Con 2019 Preview 26:46 - Watergate 28:27 - Welcome to Dino World 30:01 - Conflicting Legends 31:11 - Time Chase 31:53 - Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne 33:14 - Tonari 34:52 - Barrage 36:25 - In the Hall of the Mountain King 38:05 - SHŌBU 39:30 - Pipeline 40:35 - Sanctum 41:31 - Seasons of Inis 43:10 - City of the Big Shoulders 43:56 - MegaCity: Oceania 45:59 - Black Angel

So, you're coming in last. You could sigh, lean back, mutter to yourself about all the things you should've done better ... or you could get back in there, soldier! Back on your feet! This week on the show, we discuss what's worth fighting for in a board game, when you're clearly not going to win. Before we lose with dignity, we talk about Murder on the Cosmic Express, TAMSK, and Diplomacy. 02:52 - Patreon! 10:33 - Murder on the Cosmic Express 18:22 - TAMSK 23:09 - Diplomacy 40:04 - What to do when you're losing 41:22 - El Grande 49:54 - Archipelago

Special guest Paula Deming joins us this week to tell board game stories! We think back to especially funny times we had playing a board game, that were only made possible by the game itself. Before we spin yarns, we talk about Evolution: Climate, Terrible Monster, Sweet Nose, and Dice Throne: Season One.

00:15 - Paula Deming, the Orchid Tank! 07:35 - Claustrophobia 1643 09:10 - Evolution: Climate 13:38 - Terrible Monster 17:21 - Sweet Nose 22:21 - Dice Throne: Season One 29:10 - Paula's Story 29:22 - Modern Art 36:01 - Mark's Story 37:05 - One Night Ultimate Werewolf 41:15 - Kellen's Story 41:40 - Lifeboat 46:44 - Neilan's Story 46:57 - Dark Moon

You don't need no education, but you're getting one anyway. This week we're going to be explaining the meaning of some common but unclear board game words, for we are nothing if not your humble servants. Before we define our terms, we talk about The Shipwreck Arcana, Kingdom Death: Monster, and Vinhos Deluxe Edition.

01:29 - The Shipwreck Arcana 09:05 - Kingdom Death: Monster 19:28 - Vinhos Deluxe Edition 28:13 - Board Game Terminology 28:44 - "Crunchy" 34:40 - "Fiddly" 36:38 - Agricola 37:24 - "Degenerate" vs "Broken" 38:41 - Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar 39:05 - Archipelago 40:13 - The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 40:46 - Dune 41:56 - Glorantha: The Gods War 43:35 - "Eurogame" vs "Ameritrash" 46:15 - El Grande 48:35 - Scythe 54:07 - Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire

Time is a precious resource, so let's not waste any; we're talking about game length. How long should a game be? Is it worse if a game is too long or too short? We wrestle with the fourth dimension in our search for answers. Before we watch the clock, we talk about Dice Forge, Gulo Gulo, and Millennium Blades.

01:28 - Dice Forge 06:53 - Gulo Gulo 10:53 - Millennium Blades 19:41 - Game Length 23:42 - Dominant Species 25:53 - New Angeles 27:05 - Formula D 27:37 - Robo Rally 28:35 - King of Tokyo 29:05 - Citadels 30:21 - Five Tribes 32:07 - Agricola 34:30 - Indian Summer 35:10 - The Voyages of Marco Polo 35:52 - Above and Below 36:53 - Archipelago 38:09 - Food Chain Magnate

There's nothing sweeter than the softening of a heart, that precious feeling when all of the things you thought you'd dislike, suddenly become endearing. We're counting down our favourite games that we thought we were going to hate, but ended up loving. Before we go full tsundere, we talk about Indian Summer, Richard the Lionheart, and X nimmt! 01:55 - Indian Summer 09:26 - Richard the Lionheart 15:53 - X nimmt! 23:37 - Games we thought we'd hate 24:55 - Shadow Hunters 27:12 - Walnut Grove 28:52 - Survive: Escape from Atlantis! 31:34 - Great Western Trail 32:35 - Blood Rage 33:47 - Formula D 35:32 - Zendo 36:48 - Hansa Teutonica 38:18 - In the Year of the Dragon 39:47 - Majesty: For the Realm 41:21 - Mansions of Madness: Second Edition 42:25 - Chicken Caesar 44:27 - Yokohama 46:18 - Caylus 49:54 - Blue Lagoon

Somewhere in Germany every year, a specialist team assembles to decide on the best board games ... that released in Germany that year ... that no one has ever heard of. Look, the Spiel des Jahres is a bit weird, and no one ever agrees about the winners, but we're going to talk about the nominees anyway, okay? Before ze Germans get here, we also talk about Glorantha: The Gods War, and Corinth. We also recap our weekend at Strategicon Gamex 2019. 02:05 - Glorantha: The Gods War 11:28 - Cthulhu Wars 20:06 - Corinth 27:27 - Strategicon Gamex 2019 28:52 - Now Boarding 32:25 - Spiel des Jahres 33:40 - Just One 34:44 - Werewords 36:05 - LAMA 38:46 - Who wins the Spiel des Jahres? 41:47 - Wingspan 42:35 - Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game 43:42 - Carpe Diem 44:39 - Who wins the Kennerspiel?

Everyone likes to get the most out of their hard-earned cash, but what is a board game worth? Maybe it doesn't matter what's inside the box, maybe the real value is the friends we made along the way? Haha, just kidding, it's totally all about the miniature total. Before we count components, we also talk about Aerion, Overbooked, Dinosaur Island, and Lancaster. 03:15 - Aerion 05:40 - Overbooked 11:36 - Dinosaur Island 25:08 - Lancaster 34:37 - Value for money 36:50 - A Feast for Odin 38:16 - Scythe 41:09 - Escape Plan 41:36 - Gloomhaven 41:54 - Mechs vs. Minions 42:55 - Terraforming Mars

Letters! You love writing them, and we love reading them! This week, we look at portable and licensed games, why reviewers love social games, and give advice for your first board game convention. Before we break out the letter opener, we also talk about Fool!, Aerion, and Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar. 01:03 - Fool! 05:38 - Aerion 13:06 - Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar 22:24 - Listener Questions 22:48 - Best portable games? 23:29 - Oink Games 23:54 - Sprawlopolis 24:07 - SHH 25:01 - No Thanks! 25:10 - Skull 25:51 - Illusion 26:22 - Are reviewers biased towards more social games? 28:48 - Blood on the Clocktower 32:15 - Cosmic Encounter 33:08 - Convention tips? 34:52 - Nyctophobia 37:47 - Best licensed game? 38:02 - Dune 38:22 - XCOM: The Board Game 38:34 - The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 39:01 - Play new games or replay old ones? 39:37 - Why does Neilan have the best voice? 41:05 - ?!?!

We're well into May, so it's about time we did some spring cleaning. We talk about the games that have recently left our collection, and why it was their time to go. It's not always an easy thing, but I'm sure they're being loved by someone else on a farm upstate. Before we out with the old, we talk about Space Base: The Emergence of Shy Pluto, Hyperborea, and Clockwork Wars. 02:28 - Space Base: The Emergence of Shy Pluto 09:03 - Hyperborea 20:06 - Clockwork Wars 30:51 - Games that have left our collections 31:03 - Lowlands 34:12 - Key to the City: London 36:33 - Raptor 38:27 - Magic Maze 40:41 - Chinatown 43:32 - Yamataï 44:51 - Things we're looking forward to

Dominant strategies can ruin a game; if there's one clear best way to win, why not use it every time? We discuss these optimal strategies, whether they're always problematic, and how to deal with them at your game table. Before we break the game, we talk about A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians, Lost Cities: Rivals, and Second Chance. 03:16 - PUSH 04:53 - A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians 12:30 - Lost Cities: Rivals 18:12 - Second Chance 26:31 - Dominant Strategies 27:17 - A Feast for Odin 27:57 - A Few Acres of Snow 28:16 - Blood Rage 30:48 - Magic: The Gathering 32:45 - London 34:19 - Great Western Trail 36:39 - Chess 38:18 - Cthulhu Wars 43:36 - Food Chain Magnate 45:22 - Dominion 46:30 - Battle for Rokugan 46:51 - Kemet 48:53 - Ticket to Ride

Slow down. Why're you always in such a rush? Kick off your shoes, join us on the couch and enjoy a nice, tall, refreshing ... board game. We're counting down our five favourite relaxing games, the ones we're drawn to at the end of a long game night. Before we slip into something more comfortable, we also talk about Heaven & Ale, Men At Work, and Yellow & Yangtze. 01:59 - Heaven & Ale 08:30 - Men At Work 14:08 - Yellow & Yangtze 18:18 - Tigris & Euphrates 24:50 - Our Favourite Relaxing Games 26:32 - Lanterns: The Harvest Festival 27:49 - Bärenpark 29:22 - Illusion 30:42 - Dixit 32:34 - Telestrations 34:35 - Crokinole 37:09 - Cottage Garden 38:34 - Karuba 39:54 - Rise of Augustus 41:19 - Between Two Cities 43:58 - Welcome To ... 45:00 - Red7 46:58 - Notre Dame 48:47 - Patchwork 50:15 - Camel Up

We're being serious. Are board games a base line level of fun that we ought to take for granted? We're all together, we're all playing a game, that's better than doing nothing, right? It couldn't possibly be that simple with us. Before we arithmetise entertainment, we also talk about Tiny Towns, Zendo, and Escape Plan. 01:41 - Tiny Towns 07:23 - Zendo 13:24 - Escape Plan 29:52 - Are games fun no matter what? 38:05 - Horse Fever 38:39 - Dominant Species 39:35 - Loopin' Louie 44:46 - One Night Ultimate Werewolf

The train's pulling into the station and you've got a ticket, because this week we're talking all about hype. Why do we get irrationally excited about games we know nothing about? How much should we listen to our overly excited inner selves? Before it's all aboard, we also talk about Reykholt, PUSH, and Great Western Trail.

01:51 - Reykholt 10:13 - PUSH 14:54 - Great Western Trail 30:50 - Hype and anti-hype 32:41 - Res Arcana 33:45 - The 7th Continent 35:32 - El Grande 38:29 - Gloomhaven 38:57 - Brass: Birmingham 40:09 - Blood on the Clocktower 42:43 - Terraforming Mars

It's all well and good playing the newest, hottest games, but that doesn't stop us wanting to go back to some of the old goodies. We're counting down our top five games we want to revisit, to enjoy once more as we did in our youth. Relatively speaking. Before we get all wistful, we also talk about Eye My Favourite Things, On Tour, and Dune. 01:12 - Eye My Favourite Things 06:18 - On Tour 12:28 - Dune 18:40 - Cosmic Encounter 24:44 - Rex: Final Days of an Empire 26:10 - Root 31:55 - Games We Want to Play More 33:00 - Libertalia 34:19 - Ricochet Robots 37:01 - XCOM: The Board Game 39:09 - Ascending Empires 40:16 - Automobiles 42:22 - Kitchen Rush 43:52 - Two Rooms and a Boom 46:17 - Tribune: Primus Inter Pares 48:00 - Seasons 49:53 - Yokohama 50:56 - SpaceCorp 52:50 - The Voyages of Marco Polo 54:19 - Root 55:34 - Container 56:36 - Lords of Hellas

Electronic board games! What will they think of next?! There's been a trend of more and more board games being translated into web and mobile apps, so join us as we make the jump to cyberspace. Before we plug in, we also talk about Heul doch! Mau Mau, Architects of the West Kingdom, and revisit Nusfjord. 01:19 - Heul doch! Mau Mau 05:19 - Architects of the West Kingdom 10:55 - A Feast for Odin 13:44 - Nusfjord 26:26 - Digital Board Games 27:20 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization 28:05 - Onirim 29:28 - Concordia 30:56 - Dixit 32:49 - Innovation 33:29 - Ortus Regni 36:41 - The Resistance