One is reminded of those memes that plot definitions on two axes, asking to what degree the reader is a purist or a rebel--the setting purist and the mechanical purist would say "Descent is a dungeon crawler." Perhaps the setting purist and mechanical rebel would say "Dungeon Lords is a dungeon crawler." Invariably these memes revel in the reductio ad absurdum, so I have to imagine the setting rebel and the mechanical rebel would say "Hopscotch is a dungeon crawler."
01:43 AYURIS: Batman: Gotham City Chronicles (Frédéric Henry, Monolith, 2019)
Games Played Last Week: 03:39 -By Stealth and Sea (Nicola Saggini & David Thompson, DVG Games, 2020) 08:26 -Altar Quest (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2020) 18:17 -Gods Love Dinosaurs (Kasper Lapp, Pandasaurus Games, 2020) 19:34 -Yedo: Deluxe Master Set (Thomas Vande Ginste & Wolf Plancke, Board&Dice, 2020) 24:50 -The Court of Miracles (Vincent Brugeas & Guilhem Gautrand, Lumberjacks Studio, 2019) 27:15 -Nidavellir (Serge Laget, GRRRE Games, 2020) 32:38 -Frenemy Pastry Party (Jesse Li, Mizo Games, 2019) 34:52 -Marvel United (Andrea Chiarvesio & Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2020) 37:25 -Eminent Domain (Seth Jaffee, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2011)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 43:59 Board Game Arena Opus Magnus: A new game every day in December
It is the nature of the Walker who cries wolf that if he repeats the claim often and consistently enough, it might come true eventually. Despite the unrelenting constancy of Chinese New Year, some games do actually get produced--just only after they have emerged from their purgatorial delay in the never-ending holiday. So it is with Tidal Blades; after claims of "any day now" for years, it finally arrived, like some unwieldy piece of oversized deluxe... well... is it flotsam or jetsam? We must review it to find out.
Games Played Last Week: 01:16 -Magic Realm (Richard Hamblen, Avalon Hill, 1979) 07:30 -Funkoverse Strategy Game: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (Prospero Hall, Funko Games, 2020) 11:53 -Hansa Teutonica (Andreas Steding, Argentum Verlag, 2010) 13:28 -Beyond the Sun (Dennis K. Chan, Rio Grande Games, 2020) 20:00 -Terra Mystica (Jens Drögemüller & Helge Ostertag, Feuerland Spiele, 2012) 21:50 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Marco Portugal, & Sotirios Tsantilas, CMON, 2020) 24:29 -Trekking the World (Charlie Bink, Underdog Games, 2020) 25:26 -Civilization: A New Dawn—Terra Incognita (Tony Fanchi, Fantasy Flight Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 32:57 The Zenobia Award for underrepresented designers of historical games 33:53 Reality Shift! MAGNETS! 34:59 No more Star Wars miniatures for Fantasy Flight 37:51 The Crew: Mission Deep Sea 38:33 Tom Russell's Dual Gauge 40:13 Caverna: Frantic Fiends 41:50 David Thompson's Soldiers in Postmen's Uniforms
43:04 Feature Game: Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef (Tim Eisner & Ben Eisner, Druid City Games, 2020)
Clearly the hosts secretly wanted to have a movie podcast, or perhaps just a podcast devoted to the movie Aliens. To their credit, they at least did not devolve into merely parroting quotes from the film, which is a behaviour as obnoxious and it is difficult to avoid. Rest assured they offered their poor paraphrases and hackneyed delivery while actually playing the Aliens game. It was a bad call, listener, it was... Crap.
Games Played Last Week: 04:34 -Rome & Roll (Nick Shaw & Dávid Turczi, PSC Games, 2020) 07:48 -Dice Forge (Régis Bonnessée, Libellud, 2017) 09:48 -Martian Dice (Scott Almes, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2011) 11:28 -Asgard’s Chosen (Morgan Dontanville, Mayfair Games, 2013) 13:57 -Aliens: Bug Hunt (Ryan Miller, Upper Deck Entertainment, 2020) 21:12 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 23:38 -FlickFleet (Jackson Pope & Paul Willcox, Eurydice Games, 2018) 27:01 -Civilization: A New Dawn—Terra Incognita (Tony Fanchi, Fantasy Flight Games, 2020) 30:29 -Hellenica: Story of Greece (Scott DeMers, Mr. B Games, 2019) 40:00 -Eminent Domain (Seth Jaffee, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2011)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 41:37 Brazil: Imperial 42:39 Upzone and Immersive Battle Atlas: Cheap terrain for minis and RPGs 46:09 burncycle by Chip Theory Games 46:52 Four Humours; can Phlogiston be far behind? 47:52 Paper Dungeons 48:32 No games based on two minutes of a movie
We have an unwritten constitution here at SVWAG, which we know causes some people from jurisdictions with written constitutions to get a little mystified and/or twitchy. Trust us, it works! We get to claim a rich constitutional history all the way back to 1215 and the Magna Carta, or at least we will, once we figure out what King John had to do with podcasting. It's the kind of arrangement that works until you have a constitutional crisis, which we have about as often as those places with written constitutions; except we tend to settle ours with sidelong glances and lots of utterances along the lines of, "So... how do you, uh... think this works?"
Games Played Last Week: 01:51 -Welcome To New Las Vegas (Alexis Allard & Benoit Turpin, Blue Cocker Games, 2020) 03:50 -Escape the Dark Sector (Alex Crispin, Thomas Pike, & James Shelton, Themeborne Ltd., 2020) 07:06 -Via Magica (Paolo Mori, Hurrican, 2020) 08:59 -Cthulhu: Death May Die (Rob Daviau & Eric Lang, CMON, 2019) 12:16 -Gods Love Dinosaurs (Kasper Lapp, Pandasaurus Games, 2020) 19:18 -Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 (Rob Daviau & Matt Leacock, Z-Man Games, 2020) 19:50 -Letter Tycoon (Brad Brooks, Breaking Games, 2015) 21:33 -Terror in Meeple City aka Rampage (Antoine Bauza & Ludovic Maublanc, Repos Production, 2013) 25:23 -Sakura Arms (BakaFire, BakaFire Party, 2018) 29:18 -BattleCON: Unleashed (D. Brad Talton, Level 99 Games, 2020) 33:42 -Exceed Fighting System (D. Brad Talton, Level 99 Games, 2016)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 36:40 Arcade1Up's Infinity Game Table
37:19 Feature Game: The Castles of Tuscany (Stefan Feld, alea, 2020)
It's the daylight savings, it's got to be. You give us an extra hour in the week--through the magic of time travel--and we'll take it to play eleventy new games. The geniuses (Canadians, for what it's worth) who invented standard time probably didn't take into account the havoc it might wreak on our podcasting. So many new games! Not enough time for the topic! We will endure.
01:08 AYURIS: Calimala (Fabio Lopiano, ADC Blackfire Entertainment GmbH, 2017)
Games Played Last Week: 02:29 -High Rise (Gil Hova, Formal Ferret Games, 2020) 07:02 -Cthulhu: Death May Die (Rob Daviau & Eric Lang, CMON, 2019) 08:00 -Keyflower (Sebastien Bleasdale & Richard Breese, R&D Games, 2012) 10:23 -Civilization: A New Dawn—Terra Incognita (Tony Fanchi, Fantasy Flight Games, 2020) 16:50 -Feierabend aka Finishing Time (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2020) 22:37 -Gatefall (Jack Dire, Jack Dire Studios, 2020) 28:07 -The Castles of Tuscany (Stefan Feld, alea, 2020) 32:09 -Cosmic Colonies (Scott Almes, Floodgate Games, 2020) 36:37 -Seastead (Ian Cooper & Jan M. Gonzalez, WizKids, 2020) 42:20 -Wingspan (Elizabeth Hargrave, Stonemaier Games, 2019) 43:21 -Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 (Rob Daviau & Matt Leacock, Z-Man Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 45:58 Announcing new bonus show: The C.U.R.E. Files 46:45 Ex-Blizzard employees founding Warchief Gaming 47:49 Horizon Wars: Zero Dark expands with Operation: Nemesis 49:29 Walker hates d20s 50:18 Frostgrave becomes Stargrave, uses d20s 50:59 Chinese New Year has begun
The unofficial motto of SVWAG has always been, "stop trying to make fetch happen." Similarly, you can't just make up words out of thin air--it's not like they're holidays or anything that can be conjured ex nihilo (Happy Arkhipov Day!). What's an Arnak, anyway? Can you lose ruins of something that never existed? I suppose a fantasy is a good pretext to give us an arm's length distance from generations of pith-decked looters and graverobbers. Relatedly, Walker desperately wants to coin the term "Azteckian," but Mark's not having it.
Games Played Last Week: 01:32 -Quantum (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013) 04:15 -Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game (Seiji Kanai & Alexander Ortloff, Zman Games, 2020) 07:34 -BattleCON: Unleashed (D. Brad Talton, Level 99 Games, 2020) 12:52 -Sakura Arms (BakaFire, AEG, 2017) 15:05 -Race for the Galaxy: The Brink of War (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2010) 16:52 -Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers (Klaus-Jürgen Wrede & Bernd Brunnhofer, Hans im Glück, 2002) 18:27 -Alhambra (Dirk Henn, Queen Games, 2003) 20:12 -Pavlov's House (David Thompson, Dan Verssen Games, 2018) 27:17 -Luxor (Rudiger Dorn, Queen Games, 2018) 29:25 -Quetzal (Alexandre Garcia, Gigamic, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 32:24 Descent: Legends of the Dark 34:28 Dragonlance digression 36:38 More Knizia from Grail Games 37:59 Too many Kickstarters! Yedo, Freedom Five, Frostpunk, Darkest Dungeon, Grand Austria Hotel, Crash Octopus, Kabuto Sumo, Sakura Arms 38:51 Arkhipov Day: Ocotber 27th
39:01 Feature Game: Lost Ruins of Arnak (Elwen & Mín, CGE, 2020)
In honour of Arkhipov Day (October 27th--he saved your life or that of your forebears, he deserves a day), we turn to reflections of how games model war. Even themeless euros often include war as a convenient backdrop for the processing of cubes, so it is hardly restricted to one genre of gaming or another. That said, gaming is not unique--pretty much any medium can boast of a plethora of war narratives.
01:17 AYURIS: HATE (Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, Alexandru Olteanu, & Nicolas Raoult, CMON, 2019)
Games Played Last Week: 04:41 -Darkest Night (Second Edition) (Jeremy Lennert, Victory Point Games, 2018) 10:40 -Quantum (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013) 14:58 -7 Wonders Duel (Antoine Bauza & Bruno Cathala, Repos Production, 2015) 15:58 -Lucky Numbers (Michael Schacht, Ravensburger, 2012) 16:47 -Keyflower (Sebastian Bleasdale & Richard Breese, R&D Games, 2012) 17:03 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 17:58 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG, 2020) 22:27 -Black Rose Wars (Marco Montanaro, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2019) 28:05 -Horizon Wars: Zero Dark (Robey Jenkins, Self-published, 2020) 31:53 -Underwater Cities (Vladimír Suchý, Rio Grande Games, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 39:35 Finishing Time not ready for prime time 41:32 Patreon: sign up for a year and get two months free 42:24 October 27th is Arkhipov Day
I never knew a kid who had any kind of fort. In grade school I heard of a kid who could form Voltron, but that may have been an extravagant lie. My mom's friend's kids had a Sega Genesis, and that was pretty rad. I keep acquiring more games in the vain hope that it will make me popular, but it hasn't worked yet. Maybe one or two more Street Masters expansions will do the trick. I am told to be popular you have to wash your hair at least once every two weeks.
Games Played Last Week: 02:21 -Black Rose Wars (Marco Montanaro, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2019) 14:07 -ELO Darkness (Tommaso Mondadori & Alberto Parisi, Reggie Games, 2018) 17:33 -Sakura Arms (Baka Fire, AEG, 2017) 20:23 -Wits & Wagers (Dominic Crapuchettes, North Star Games, 2005) 22:06 -Too Many Bones (Adam & Josh Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2017) 27:43 -Nanga Parbat (Steve Finn, Dr. Finn's Games, 2021) 30:17 -Scythe (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2016) 32:19 -Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization (Vlaada Chvátil, CGE, 2015) 34:59 -A Feast for Odin (Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2016) 37:09 -Pandoria (Jeffrey D. Allers & Bernd Eisenstein, Irongames, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 39:42 Street Masters: Tide of the Dragon on Indiegogo 41:03 Core Worlds: Empires and new solo mode 42:38 Neuroshima Hex! 3.0: Troglodytes jumping the shark? 44:11 Horseless Carriage from Splotter 44:45 Does Mega-Gargant mean nothing?!? 46:06 October 27th is Arkhipov Day
46:52 Feature Game: Fort (Grant Rodiek, Leder Games, 2020)
The mere framing of a question can subtly or overtly determine the answer. There's an old joke about a monk who asks his superior, "Can I smoke while I meditate?" He is told no, as that would be sullying an act that is meant to be free from worldly concerns. The clever monk decides instead to ask another superior, "While I smoke, can I meditate?" So it is with boardgames! Framing can have tremendous consequences.
01:55 AYURIS: XenoShyft: Onslaught (Keren Philosophales & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015) and Dreadmire (Michael Shinall, CMON, 2017)
Games Played Last Week: 04:35 -Assault on Doomrock: Doompocalypse (Christopher Niewiadomski & Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster Games, 2017) 06:47 -Alma Mater (Acchittocca, Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Stefano Luperto, & Antonio Tinto, eggertspiele, 2020) 11:50 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 15:13 -Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2019) 17:36 -Inhuman Conditions (Tommy Maranges & Cory O'Brien, Web published, 2018) 23:43 -First Class (Helmut Ohley, Hans im Gluck, 2016) 26:35 -Argent: Summer Break (Trey Chambers, Level 99 Games, 2014) 35:55 -On the Edge (John Nephew & Johnathan Tweet, Atlas Games, 1994)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 40:23 Sakura Arms from Level 99 Games 42:27 Armada by Mantic 43:27 Groundhog Day by Prospero Hall 44:10 Renegade and Hasbro monetize your childhood: G.I. Joe, Transformers, and My Little Pony 44:53 Nerd Alert: First Monday in October
Social standards of behaviour are often subtle and variable, but we can all agree that children are often blind to their subtle nuances. Like, don't be a massive jerk--that's one of those tricky nuances that often escape the notice of your average child, what with many of them being borderline sociopaths kept in check only by their relative powerlessness and incompetence. Then again, perhaps Mark is the sociopath for not being able to tolerate the annoyances of child behaviour. Then again, perhaps both are true, and Mark is merely a giant, sociopathic man-baby. All that said, no human deserves to be subjected to Monopoly.
Games Played Last Week: 01:20 -Monopoly (Charles Darrow & Elizabeth J. Magie Phillips, Hasbro, 1933) 06:55 -Pendulum (Travis P Jones, Stonemaier Games, 2020) 16:53 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 17:48 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 19:35 -Flick ‘Em Up: Dead of Winter (Gaëtan Beaujannot, Jonathan Gilmour, Jean Yves Monpertuis, & Isaac Vega, Pretzel Games, 2017) 21:51 -Cthulhu Wars (Sandy Petersen & Lincoln Petersen, Petersen Games, 2015) 24:25 -Pandoria (Jeffrey D. Allers & Bernd Eisenstein, Irongames, 2018) 28:06 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 30:48 HeroQuest, and much history of Hasbro 38:14 Quartermaster General: Total War expansion 38:42 The Last of Us 39:55 GMT makes good on recent errata 40:49 Grand Austria Hotel gets grander? 41:21 For Sale expansion and Autorama 43:14 Dragonland reprint
Hwaet! The second installment of our much-ignored segment, SVWAG Poetry Corner, takes a turn for the epic. First we did haiku, and now we discuss Old English epic poetry. Sure the noble limerick can't be far behind? We also discuss the most excellent lifestyle habits of our new idol, Kane Tanaka, who seems to be living her best life on her own terms. You go, Kane Tanaka! Rip off some monster's arm or something.
Games Played Last Week: 02:27 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG Games, 2020) 03:36 -Bärenpark (Phil Walker-Harding, Lookout, 2017) 05:08 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 06:16 -Forgotten Waters (Mr. Bistro, J. Arthur Ellis, & Isaac Vega, Plaid Hat Games, 2020) 12:54 -Sorcerer (Peter Scholtz, White Wizard Games, 2019) 15:50 -Cerebria: The Inside World (Richard Amann, & Viktor Peter, Mindclash Games, 2018) 18:24 -Alma Mater (Acchittocca, Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Stefano Luperto, & Antonio Tinto, eggertspiele, 2020) 23:11 -Reykholt (Uwe Rosenberg, Frosted Games, 2018) 24:08 -Anachrony (Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2017) 28:18 -Europe Divided (Chris Marling & David Thompson, PHALANX, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:38 More Street Masters and more Aftershock woes 33:37 Tobago gets a volcano 34:56 Do board games make you immortal? The story of Kane Tanaka 36:23 Zoch goodness: Kurtz vor Knapp
Our cup runneth over, if the cup in question is being filled by tiles laid there by Reiner Knizia. Three Knizia tile-laying games were sampled by SVWAG, which of course made it a good week. One feels that if someone proposed a topic of "Reiner Knizia tile-laying games", the appropriate editorial response would be "narrow the scope, please."
Games Played Last Week: 01:12 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 02:27 -Mariposas (Elizabeth Hargrave, AEG, 2020) 07:07 -Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun (Daniele Tascini & Dávid Turczi, Board&Dice, 2020) 14:37 -Carolus Magnus (Leo Colovini, Rio Grande, 2000) 20:04 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 21:48 -Indigo (Reiner Knizia, Ravensburger, 2012) 25:27 -Starlink (Markus Slawitscheck & Arno Steinwender, Blue Orange Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 29:36 The possible returns of things called HeroQuest and Avalon Hill 31:17 Dungeon Fighter returns 32:26 Ludonova: Sumatra by Knizia and Polynesia by Peer Sylvester 33:36 Where's Waldo the Murderer? MicroMacro: Crime City https://www.micromacro-game.com/en/index.html 36:07 Roll and write claims another victim--Troyes: Dice 36:38 Our Patreon: Boss us around! Exclusive content! Get games! etc.
In remembrance of things past, we bite hard into the madeleine that is large player count gaming. The recollection of not being sequestered into small basements, where... actually, scratch that, we were often in basements in the Before Times. At least I think so. Time is now an illusion.
01:57 AYURIS: A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians (Gernot Köpke & Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: 03:44 -Time of Legends: Joan of Arc (Pascal Bernard, Mythic Games, 2019) 11:32 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 12:32 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 13:19 -Thor (Reiner Knizia, Heidelberger Spieleverlag, 2002) 16:42 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG, 2020) 19:45 -Small Islands (Alexis Allard, MushrooM Games, 2018) 22:04 -Iwari: Deluxe Edition (Michael Schacht, ThunderGryph Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 28:20 Moar Assault on Doomrock? Maybe! 29:49 Satire no more: Dinosaur "Rawr 'n Write" from Pandasaurus 30:29 Neuroshima Hex! limited edition big box 34:03 "Borrowed" intellectual property: Fire Emblem and Anna's Roundtable
"Cosmic Frog: World Eaters from Dimension Zero--A Game of Strategic Gluttony." I mean, what could I or anyone else possibly say that could add to that?
Games Played Last Week: 01:46 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 03:34 -Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2019) 07:19 -Castle Itter (David Thompson, DVG, 2019) 12:44 -Kingdom Builder (Donald X. Vaccarino, Queen Games, 2011) 14:24 -Las Vegas Royale (Rudiger Dorn, alea, 2019) 16:40 -Barrage: The Leeghwater Project (Tommaso Battista & Simone Luciani, Cranio Creations, 2019) 22:17 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 25:46 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 32:17 Riot Games' Tellstones 34:48 Meeple Towers (sadly not dexterity) 35:59 More Civ-as-card-game: Imperium 36:54 BGG covering digital gaming again, and Neuroshima: Convoy 37:32 Eric Lang leaving CMON to become freelance again
I mean, maybe, possibly, hopefully, with luck, theoretically, given the right group, hypothetically, in time, conceivably, eventually, if I push hard enough, imaginably, as a favour, I could imagine, someday, perchance, play this again. Weather permitting.
01:36 AYURIS: Cerebria: The Inside World (Richard Amann, Viktor Peter, István Pócsi, Frigyes Schőberl, Nick Shaw, & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: 04:34 -Istanbul (Rudiger Dorn, Pegasus Spiele, 2014) 06:06 -Blue Moon (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2004) 09:23 -Saint Petersburg (Bernd Brunnhofer, Hans im Glück, 2004) 12:08 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 16:52 -Undaunted: North Africa (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2020) 23:17 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 25:10 -Rome & Roll (Nick Shaw & Dávid Turczi, PSC Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 34:30 Lookout for more Uwe Rosenberg: Hallertau 35:15 More Stories for Orleans 35:39 Multiple He-Mans? Hes-Men? Archon and CMON 37:35 David Thompson's Switch and Signal 38:21 Dinosaur World 39:00 Root digital
Old conflicts are put to bed, taxonomies are shelved, and instead we take refuge in sweeping declarations. Walker focuses on the ad hominem, trying to dissuade people from game design because they are insufficiently hardcore; Mark focuses on games, declaring that you can't base games on random spat out tiles. Nuance is for the weak, and qualifications are for those lacking character. Mostly.
Games Played Last Week: 02:04 -Too Many Bones: Dart (Adam Carlson & Josh J. Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2020) 06:28 -Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, CGE, 2012) 09:19 -Russian Railroads (Helmut Ohley & Leanhard "Lonny" Orgler, Hans im Gluck, 2013) 13:23 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 1998) 16:36 -The Fox in the Forest Duet (Foxtrot Games, Renegade Game Studios, 2020) 18:13 -Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2019) 20:44 -Terraforming Mars (Jacob Fryxelius, Stronghold, 2016) 21:37 -Cthulhu: Death May Die (Rob Daviau & Eric Lang, CMON, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 25:09 The Princess Bride Adventure Book Game 26:26 Capstone's Iron Rails: Iberian Gauge 27:35 Feld's Castles of Tuscany 28:32 Pfister's CloudAge 29:17 Another Teotihuacan expansion 30:00 Correction: Plaid Hat still owns Ashes 30:22 Sniper Elite 31:12 Walker complains about the Board Game Design Starter Kit 32:39 Mark loves the USPS
34:14 Feature Game: Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy (Touko Tahkokallio, Lautapelit.fl, 2020)
We take a break from heady issues this week; so we instead touch on what constitutes a trick, what friends are good for, and colonialism. You know, light discussion.
Games Played Last Week: 04:09 -Fort (Grant Rodiek, Leder Games, 2020) 09:15 -Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2021) 12:09 -The Voyages of Marco Polo (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015) 13:16 -Endeavor: Age of Expansion (Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2020) 15:51 -Turn the Tide (Stefan Dorra, AMIGO, 1997) 20:22 -6 nimmt! (Wolfgang Kramer, AMIGO, 1994) 21:45 -Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017) 23:45 -Yokohama (Hisashi Hayashi, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2016) 25:42 -Sonora (Rob Newton, Pandasaurus Games, 2020) 28:36 -Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy (Touko Tahkokallio, Lautapelit.fi, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 29:12 Dune: Imperium 30:24 "Everyone's waiting for Tidal Blades" 31:25 More Assault on Doomrock, but only in Polish 32:44 Yet another edition of Blood Bowl, no more Guild Ball 35:02 Gods Love Dinosaurs (as do everyone else) 36:04 Ashes: Reborn [Editor's note: Plaid Hat has not sold Ashes to Team Covenant; the latter will merely be handling the distribution. We apologize for the error.] 37:10 Topic: Restrictive Player Counts
"Put down your chainsaw and listen to me It's time for us to join in the fight It's time to let your babies grow up to be cowboys It's time to let the bedbugs bite ... Talk with your mouth full Bite the hand that feeds you Bite on more than you chew What can you do Dare to be stupid"
-"Weird Al" Yankovic, noted Lovecraft scholar, "Dare to Be Stupid"
Games Played Last Week: 01:07 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Marco Portugal, & Sotirios Tsantilas, CMON, 2020) 03:57 -Imperial Struggle (Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews, GMT Games, 2020) 08:38 -Downforce (Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, & Wolfgang Kramer, Restoration Games, 2017) 12:03 -Albedo: Yggdrasil (Kai Herbertz, Herbertz Entertainment UG, 2019) 16:25 -Off the Rails (Andrew Platt & Stuart Platt, Rotten Games, 2018) 18:34 -Planet Apocalypse (Sandy Petersen, Sandy Petersen Games, 2020) 23:54 -Madeira (Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade, What's Your Game?, 2013) 26:30 -Gaslands: Refuelled (Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:27 FFG News... except not 32:05 Mythic Games' Darkest Dungeon 32:46 Mythic will do right by its Reichbusters backers? 34:21 TI4: Prophecy of Kings 35:20 X-Men: Mutant Insurrection 36:43 Dire Alliance from Blacklist Games 38:23 Santorini: New York 39:00 Knizia's Tutankhamun 39:15 Street Masters Digital 40:40 All the Games You Like Are Bad is back. Sorry.
41:12 Feature Game: Cthulhu: Death May Die (Rob Daviau & Eric Lang, CMON, 2019)
Walker is a force of nature, a pent-up human-shaped mass of pure rage. The only outlet that can sate his furious destructive impulses is the ecstasy of the uninhibited flick--the catharsis of venting all of his power on a disc and then watching it careen around the board (then off the table, off someone's skull, off the floor, under the bookshelf, and then embedded in the drywall). He ten thunders with laughter, even as Huey informs him he missed his target and Dewey calls an ambulance. Is it a wonder, then, that Mark favours flicking games that encourage a modicum of restraint?
01:18 AYURIS: Quartermaster General: The Cold War (Ian Brody, PSC Games, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: 03:00 -Menara: Rituals and Ruins (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Verlag, 2019) 08:08 -Rangers of Shadow Deep (Joseph McCullough, Self-published, 2019) 10:20 -Alone (Andrea Crespi & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2018) 15:48 -Pax Renaissance 2nd Edition (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Ion Game Design, 2020) 18:06 -Albedo (Kai Herbertz, Herbertz Entertainment UG, 2017) 23:08 -FlickFleet (Jackson Pope & Paul Wilcox, Eurydice Games, 2018) 25:33 -Blitzkrieg!: Nippon Expansion (Paolo Mori, PSC Games, 2019) 29:33 -Qwixx (Steffen Benndorf, Gamewright, 2012)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:13 The team behind Wavelength gives us Fuzzies 32:25 Everyone can relax: Steven Universe Beach-a-Palooza funded 33:48 Mobile painting studio for the post-plague world 35:08 Return of All the Games You Like Are Bad: video reviews to follow
“The game which our enemies have laid before us is, in so far as the French dictated it, is a monument of pathological fear and pathological hatred; and in so far as the Anglo-Saxons dictated it, it is the work of a capitalistic policy of the most brutal and cleverest kind.” –A deliberate misquote of Count von Brockdorff-Rantzau reviewing Versailles 1919
Games Played Last Week: 01:40 -Nippon (Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade, What's Your Game?, 2015) 05:24 -Space Cadets: Away Missions (Dan Raspler & Al Rose, Stronghold, 2015) 09:10 -Sonora (Rob Newton, Pandasaurus Games, 2020) 14:51 -Godzilla: Tokyo Clash (Prospero Hall, Funko Games, 2020) 19:41 -Flaming Pyramids (Norbert Abel, Cheeky Parrot Games, 2018) 21:27 -FlickFleet (Jackson Pope & Paul Wilcox, Eurydice Games, 2018) 23:17 -Can't Stop (Sid Sackson, Parker Brothers, 1980) 24:24 -Alone (Andrea Crespi & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:00 Spiel des Jahres (Pictures) and Kennerspiel des Jahres (The Crew) winners 32:06 Daimyo: Rebirth of an Empire by laboitedejeu 33:03 Steven Universe: Beach-a-Palooza is in trouble? 35:30 Walker watches Pendulum 36:15 Spielworxx's Die Macher on BGG Store
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