Table Topics Podcast: Recent Episodes
Thomas Liles & Justen Brown
Best friends Justen Brown and Thomas Liles discuss the news and culture surrounding board games with criticism of games both new and old.
Justen and Tom emerge from their weather bunkers and manage to talk about games, games, and more games.
01:00 Eggerspiele reprints Camel (C)up and Justen embarrassingly gets nearly every detail wrong
02:59 Rummikub
05:20 Dragonmaster
08:00 Battle Line
13:15 Lifeboats
22:35 Lowenherz
32:00 Root
40:00 Twilight Imperium 4th Edition
49:49 Some brief non-spoilery Gloomhaven chat
It's Labor Day weekend in the USA. While most people celebrate the efforts of unions and labor parties in the truest American fashion -- getting drunk and eating grilled food -- Tom and Justen celebrate by playing a 14-point 6-player game of Twilight Imperium that nearly results in blood being shed. Tom tilts at windmills, Justen rails on Phil Eklund despite owning the vast majority of his catalog, and Stefan Feld's Macao gets a dressing down.
01:45 - Sierra Madre sells out
05:03 - Dragonmaster and a discussion on the value of packaging
15:54 - Macao
21:40 - FUSE
26:40 - Twilight Imperium 4th Edition
42:20 - Tiltin' Out (bad attitudes ruining friendships and games)
This is a games filled bash as Justen and Tom return from Congress of Gamers. In usual fashion we discuss out of print games that you should drop $100 to buy, savage an Avalon Hill classic, cautiously approach the latest hotness Root, and then argue the strategic importance of whining like a baby in Twilight Imperium. Music from Tooth and Tail composed by Austin Wintory https://austinwintory.bandcamp.com/album/tooth-and-tail-2
00:40 Stockpile app and Cheapass Games bought out!
05:40 Kingdomino and Spiel des Jahres chat
10:00 Santiago is sadly out of print but we are ecstatic about this underrated auction Euro
16:22 The Networks manages to disappoint Justen then immediately redeem itself in the course of five minutes. Includes hating on Terraforming Mars.
22:20 Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu actually brings something new to the tired co-op genre
25:05 Justen and Tom savage Britannia, a game that is best left to time
34:25 Thebes is a solid push-your-luck game where you engage in the European pastime of stealing from other cultures
36:00 Root is a game Justen is cautiously optimistic while Tom is hesitant, plus a discussion on asymmetry and why it's so difficult to design
53:00 "Player Regulated" games and why "balance" is less important in massive conflict games than providing players with the tools necessary to encourage meaningful interaction
Like a spurned lover to an ex, Justen and Tom crawl back to the game that got them into the hobby: Catan. Following is a rambling discussion on "prestige editions" of board games; products like Catan 3D and War of the Ring Anniversary Edition where people spend a month's rent on a pile of plastic and cardboard. Where is my deluxe Cockroach Poker with real insects, I ask you??
In the inaugural episode of Table Topics, Tom and Justen discuss Gen Con news and hype up long out of print games. In the main point of discussion they analyze Millennium Blades and its referential humor and briefly talk about games that maybe try too many things at once.