Every Night is Game Night: Recent Episodes
Board Gamers Anonymous
Every Night is Game Night is a weekly podcast dedicated to gamer’s games. We cover board games that have heavy strategy, awesome theme, and everything in between. We also have interviews, discussion topics both serious and fun, and a special love for gamers who play their games solo.
One chapter closes, another opens. Jason has started a new channel on YouTube called Shelf Stories. Please go hit those Like and Subscribe buttons, and please spread the word!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnaZ7055IWOdm8XCJfFRDcw
With the beginning of the new channel, Every Night is Game Night will come to a permanent close. Before describing Shelf Stories and all of the new content over there, Jason takes a minute to thank and to express his love for all of the solo gamers who made ENGN possible. Without your enthusiasm and interaction, ENGN doesn't make it to 190 episodes. Thanks to everyone, once again, and we'll see you on the new channel. (edited)
Let’s get right to it - this is the last episode of ENGN for the time being. Jason does this episode solo to talk to the ENGN listeners directly about why this pod will go into a bit of a hibernation period.
First up, though, are some final game reviews. Jason shares about a party game (gasp!) called What Do You Meme?, an Apples to Apples variant with a visual element. Next up is The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine, a cooperative trick-taking game that has gotten a lot of great attention. Finally, Jason is happy to end on a great, fitting note with a review of Shadows of Kilforth.
Please do not unsubscribe to the show! It will be going away for now, but it will return at some point when the time is right. Thank you so much for listening.
Liz Davidson has been churning out designer interviews for her YouTube channel, Beyond Solitaire. Here is another one, a chat with Morgane Gouyon-Rety, ancient history expert and designer of Pendragon and Hubris. One of Liz's main interests is the intersection of design and history, which she explores with her guest here.
Original discussion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQUqP9cAgYg&t=2530s
Jason hearkens back to a happier time in this episode when folks were allowed to have game demos in-game stores! This episode hails from the Brooklyn Strategist, a terrific game store in Brooklyn, where Rory O'Connor of Hub Games visited and demoed a few games.
First up is Adventure Mart, a light deck builder depicting store owners in a fantasy convenience store, selling weapons to adventurers, and building your empire. Instead of simply buying cards, you bid for them against other players, which creates opportunities for interaction and light, friendly screwage. This one will go directly to retail very soon.
We also played Prisma Arena, an arena combat game reminiscent of HeroClix with a low barrier of entry and lots of card-based tactical movement and combo play. The Kickstarter for this one will be live on Tuesday, May 19th.
If you are not a regular listener of the Board Gamers Anonymous podcast, you might not know that Jason hopped over there on episode 267 to chat about why Pandemic is his favorite game. For this episode, we are presenting that entire conversation here. Following that, Jason also did a video for the One Stop Coop Shop, ranking his favorite, Top Ten Pandemic games. The audio for that follows the conversation with the BGA fellas. It's a Pandemic cornucopia this week!
If you've already listened to both pieces of audio in their respective original venues, then thanks for being a superfan, and we'll see you next week :)
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
Jordan Shoenberger joins us again this week to discuss being stuck at home...with the kids. Specifically, how it feels to be a parent juggling work, childcare, and school for kids in the midst of a global pandemic.
Anthony joins Jason and Jordan as the three discuss what it's like to be dads in all of this, plus how gaming fits into the equation. If you're a parent at home with your kids right now, this episode is for you.
Anthony's back this week and we have a special guest on in Jordan Shoenberger (Pittsburgh taking over!) to share their top ten beyond the hotness games at low player counts.
The guys share 20 games, plus Jason adds a few more that he missed last time to the list.
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack – bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/bga
This week, Jason is happy to pass the host chair to Liz from Beyond Solitaire for two terrific interviews. The first is with David Thompson, designer of various war games including Pavlov's House, Undaunted, and others. They get into design and other gaming topics, and dip into a bit of Animal Crossing as well. Then, Liz interviews Brady Sadler about good novels to read while sheltering in place.
- Both of these interviews were originally posted on the Beyond Solitaire YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUbSYmhAlOW1RorV_jXmo2w
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
- In Liz We Trust - Veilwraith - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tristanhall/veilwraith-a-solo-fantasy-quest-game?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=veilwraith
We’re back with lots and lots of suggestions of solo games to enjoy. These aren’t the same old suggestions, either - we go beyond the familiar recommendations and offer some games that you might never have heard of, but which we absolutely love.
Jason is back in the saddle with new weekly content. We were intending to take a longer break, but current circumstances in the world demand differently. Time to come back and reconnect with everyone.
Jason is joined by Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games to check in on what we've been up to. Not too much gaming chat in this one, mostly catching up with one another and with you guys.
Also, a big part of the episode is dedicated to a MASSIVE game giveaway that Jeremy is doing for folks who need some entertainment in these trying times. It is a GIVEAWAY, games for free! Head over to Jeremy's Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/119149332052973/, for more details. The giveaway begins on the day this episode goes live - Friday, March 27th.
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
Liz and Jason rank the Oniverse Games! No more needs to be said.
This episode originally aired as a video on the Beyond Solitaire YouTube channel on 3/14/20.
- Beyond Solitaire video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01H84yGn_4w
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
First up, Jason wishes that everyone is safe with their families and in their communities in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak.
For a bit of entertainment, we're posting a few board game parody songs from a few years ago. Here are the original videos on YouTube:
- We Didn't Start the Fire (7:31) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_8yzHMauBE&t=30s
- You'll Be Back (from the Hamilton soundtrack - 12:17) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG4Pg2SKjSw
- Dear Little Gamer (from the Hamilton soundtrack - 15:51) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALHRVtXhRmI
- Wood and Fur (from the Moana soundtrack - 19:05) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v9GyWxz-BI&t=5s
Jason had the amazing privilege of being a guest on the Play is the Thing podcast with Max Davie. This episode originally aired on July 3rd, 2019. In this episode. Max and Jason discuss trauma, treatment, board games, and some other random silliness along the way.
- Max's blog - https://playisthething.home.blog/One Stop
- Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
This is an appearance that Jason did on the Room 51 podcast on Feb 4th, 2020. This one is about IPs in games - when they're bad and when they're good. The back half of the episode also has our Top Three IP games.
- Room 51 - @MelissaMakak on twitter
- One-Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
Jason is joined by Liz Davidson from Beyond Solitaire this week. We have some game reviews for you, and also make an announcement. Listen to find out!
First up, Jason reviews the 18 card, tile laying mini-game from Leitman Games, Squire for Hire (10:40), comparing it to some very well known contemporaries like Sprawlopolis and Circle the Wagons. Does Squire for Hire stand with these other beloved games?
We then follow up with three games from Weird Giraffe Games. First up is Fire in the Library (17:41), a quick, push your luck filler game. Then we have Stellar Leap (24:18), a family friendly euro game with a space theme and 4x flavor. Finally from Weird Giraffe, we have Dreams of Tomorrow (32:11), a tactical, small box worker placement game with gorgeous art.
Rounding out the episode, we have two games from Starling Games, the cerebral head-to-head deduction game Anomaly (37:46), as well as Ascendant (44:09), the expansion to Archmage from last year.
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
Jason is joined this week by thebrandt, his good buddy from the Portal Gaming Podcast, to chat about some solo games hitting the table recently. But before we get into all of the fun, we give a heartfelt, final shout out to a podcast that came directly before this one - Low Player Count. They recently released the final episode in their run, so we'd like to thank Travis, Donny, and Shawn for blazing the trail and for being generally awesome to listen to. Kudos.
For our first game, Brandt and Jason chat about Sorcerer City (5:51), a mashup of a tile-laying game and a deckbuilding game that manages to recreate the feel of both genres in interesting ways. Our second feature is Isle of Cats (21:50), the most recent tile/ puzzle game from good friend of the podcast, Frank West.
Next up, we get into the re-implementation of the classic game Ghost Stories called Last Bastion (34:15), seeing whether it offers enough to differentiate itself from its predecessor. Finally, Brandt updates us on some of the latest expansions for the Marvel Champions LCG line, Ms. Marvel, Captain America, The Green Goblin, and the Wrecking Crew (41:00).
- In Liz We Trust - Wonderland's War - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/druidcitygames/wonderlands-war?ref=discovery&term=wonderland%27s%20warOne Stop
- Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
Jason is back in the chair solo this week, and can't believe it's taken 176 episodes to get to this topic! Jason is a licensed, practicing psychotherapist in Connecticut who has used board games in his therapy for almost a decade. Along with way, Jason has accrued some go-to board games for different situations, dealing with mental health and wellness. Some of these include: 1. Promoting cognitive sharpness (4:53, including a review of Brain Waves: The Astute Goose, a memory game from Dr. Reiner Knizia). 2. Connecting with teenagers (25:25) 3. Managing Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (36:29) 4. Coping with Anxiety (42:32) 5. Coping with Depression (57:04)
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bgaIn Liz We Trust -
- Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geniusgames/genotype-a-mendelian-genetics-game?ref=discovery&term=genotype
For our 175th episode (nice round number!), Jason welcomes Dice Tower veteran and current outreach manager for Mythic Games, Sam Healey. He is famous in the gaming community for his love of miniatures in board games, so we could think of no on better to chat about the subject. We answer the critical question - what is the point of them? Jason gets to play some fun Devil’s advocate in this one!
We then get into Sam’s Top Ten Board Games with miniatures (38:00), which hopefully will give you some ideas about what to get if you want to explore the world of minis a bit further. Finally, we briefly mention the Best in Class for solo gamer miniature games, by popular acclaim - Kingdom Death: Monster.
This is a long one, but worthy. Hope you all agree!
Liz from Beyond Solitaire is back to chat about two of our favorite things - games and history! We have two games for review this week. The first is Days of Ire (2:52), a classic cooperative game (or 1 vs. many game) depicting the struggle of revolutionaries during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The game was released in 2016, yet much of the gameplay still holds up today.
The follow-up to Days of Ire, entitled Nights of Fire (12:52), delivered to Kickstarter backers this past year. Nights of Fire is much more of a traditional wargame with Euro elements. It depicts the Soviets striking back against the Hungarian revolutionaries, and the players job (in the solo and coop) is to save civilians and delay the oncoming Soviets as much as possible.
After all of that gaming goodness, Liz and Jason geek out and chat about the historical background of both games. We are NOT scholars of the time period by any means. We may have misstated a few of the elements (or more than a few). However, we are both very interested to learn, and also very happy to help interested gamers gain access to these two games in a whole new way.
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
We roll on with our Best in Class series with one of the most popular genres out there. Thanks so much to everyone who has given positive feedback on the "Best in Class" format so far - we like it, and we'd love to keep bringing it to you!
This week, Jason and friends tackle deckbuilding games. When Jason put out the call on twitter to explore deckbuilding games, lots of folks responded who wanted to share their favorites. We take all of those clips and organize them into a Top Ten! We also reach into the wayback machine for some previous content to round out the episode, including when a game designer stopped by the show to share why his deckbuilding game is the Best in Class.
Thanks to everyone who helped out with the episode!
- Board Game Crockpot - https://boardgamecrockpot.blog/author/crocko33/
- Room 51 - https://anchor.fm/room51
- Sarah Reed - at_eurogamergirl on Twitter
- Game All Night - https://www.gameallniteshow.com/
- One Stop Coop Shop - bit.ly/onestopslack
In Liz we Trust - Warp's Edge - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/renegadegamestudios/warps-edge
Our Best in Class companion series to the Top 100 Solo Games People's Choice rolls on! Today, Jason is ecstatic to welcome back a friend of the show, Adam Smith from Rolling Solo. This man knows more about recent dungeon crawl games than any other content creator out there.
We get into what we like about dungeon crawl games, as well as what distinguishes them from other thematic adventure games (which we covered last week). After that, we get into Adam's Top Ten, which he has also presented as a video over on his Rolling Solo channel.
The Best in Class for dungeon-crawling games, according to solo gamers, is Gloomhaven. Did it make the top of Adam's list, as well?
- In Liz We Trust - Black Sonata: The Fair Youth - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sideroomgames/black-sonata-the-fair-youth?ref=discovery&term=fair%20youth
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
Jason is happy to welcome a long-time listener, first-time caller Corey Mayo to the pod! He is very, very well known among solo gamers who frequent BGG or Facebook, as he always has something to say about the games of the day.
In this episode, we talk about Corey's favorite genre - thematic adventure games. We get into our working definition of thematic adventure and debate whether many people's number one solo game of all time, Mage Knight, falls into that definition. Corey then shows some love to some underrated games, with Jason in the peanut gallery sharing about a few more.
Jason was lucky enough to visit PAX Unplugged earlier this month, and is eager to share about his experiences! Like the last few PAX recaps, not only does Jason give his own perspective (this time as a demoer for Starling Games teaching Everdell to 36 different groups), but we also hear from a few friends. All of these voices should be very familiar to regular ENGN listeners - Liz Davidon, Michael Kelley, Jeremy Howard, Brenna Noonan, Mike Dilisio, and more!
In additon, we also have previews from some big upcoming projects in 2020 - Frosthaven from Cephalophair Games, Return to Dark Tower from Restoration Games, and Final Girl from Van Ryder Games. Jason also shows Van Ryder double love with a quick review of Bees: The Secret Kingdom.
We at ENGN hope that everyone is having a very happy and healthy holiday season!
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
For our last episode before the holiday season, we are happy to bring to you Jason's patented "headspace" reviews for some fun games, as well as a great idea for a last-minute stocking stuffer.
First up, Jason reviews Coraline: Beware the Other Mother, a quick and quirky solo/ coop card game with some neat integration of the Coraline movie IP (2:42). Second, Jason covers Nemo Rising (11:45), the cooperative adventure game in a steampunk universe (that happens to have nothing, nothing at all to do with Nemo's War!).
Finally, Jason is very happy to welcome Paul Grogan from Gaming Rules back onto the show to discuss the new Adventure Games from Kosmos (19:50). Two modules are released already - Monochrome Inc. and The Dungeon. We get into the story elements, rewarding cleverness, the app companion, and other angles. We also compare the Adventure Games to other escape room games like Exit and Unlock, as well as games like TIME Stories and a few others.
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
Welcome to part two of our mini-series of episodes. Following up on the Top 200 Solo Games People's Choice list that is now live on BGG, we are taking a closer look at different genres represented within that list, and also enjoyed by gamers everywhere.
Anthony and Jason shift over to talk about one of their personal favorites - strategic card games. First, we get into some of the reason why folks love the genre so much. After that, Anthony gets into his Top Ten Strategic Card Games. If you are a regular listener, you know what landed at number one!
Finally, we get into an extended discussion about the Best in Class worker placement game for the Top 200, a new debut this year - Wingspan. We get into why people love it, why others have some difficulty with it, and how it compares to some of our other favorites.
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bgaIn Liz We Trust -
- Divinity: Original Sin - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larianstudios/divinity-original-sin-the-board-game?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=divinity%20original%20sin4. As an added bonus, Jason demoed this game at PAX and gives some of his extended thought. Campaign ends in one week on 12/20!
Welcome to a new mini-series of episodes that we are starting here on ENGN. Following up on the Top 200 Solo Games People's Choice list that is now live on BGG, we are taking a closer look at different genres represented within that list, and also enjoyed by gamers everywhere.
To kick things off, Anthony and Jason chat about the worker placement genre of games. First, we get into some of the reason why folks love the genre so much. After that, Anthony gets into his Top Ten Worker Placement games that really bring the strategic thunder, followed up by Jason who provides some lighter fare to round out this group.
Finally, we get into an extended discussion about the Best in Class worker placement game for the Top 200 for every year it's been on the list -Viticulture. We get into why people love it, what makes it stand out, and whether you should seek it out for your collection
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
- In Liz We Trust - 5 Minute Mystery - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wiggles3d/5-minute-mystery?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=5%20minute%20mystery
The second part of ENGN's biggest episode is here, the fourth annual! Kevin Erskine once again joins Jason and Liz for commentary on the Top 200 Solo Games list, currently unfolding on BGG. For this episode, we chat about the cluster of games that has truly emerged as the canon of solo gaming. Many of the games are the same, but there were also a few surprise debuts as well.
This list is the very best resource for solo gamers to find out which games are actually getting played and which games are great for our community. We are happy to cover it every year. This list is also ENGN’s gift guide for the holidays. Between these last two ENGN episodes and Episode 248 of Board Gamers Anonymous, we have your holiday gaming needs covered!
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bgaTop 200 Solo
- Games People's Choice - https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/264253/2019-peoples-choice-top-200-solo-games-200-41/page/1
ENGN's biggest episode is here, the fourth annual! Kevin Erskine joins Jason and Liz for commentary to break for the Top 200 Solo Games list, currently unfolding on BGG.
Which games rose and fell, what were big surprises and debuts, we get into all of that and more for the first 150 games on the big list. This list is the very best resource for solo gamers to find out which games are actually getting played and which games are great for our community, so we are happy to do cover it every year.
This list is also ENGN’s gift guide for the holidays. Between this one and the latest episode of Board Gamers Anonymous, we have your holiday gaming needs covered!
We don't spoil the very top of the list, which will be revealed next week. So, please feel free and enjoy!
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
- Top 200 Solo Games People's Choice - https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/264253/2019-peoples-choice-top-200-solo-games-200-41/page/1
We have a full episode dedicated to the biggest hotness of Fall 2019, Marvel Champions LCG. Jason is joined by theBrandt from the Portal Gaming Podcast as well as Steve from the One Stop Coop Shop to break down Marvel Champions LCG from all angles. We cover Jason's category of the "thematic headspace" that the game wants to put you in (i.e., does it make you feel like a hero?), as well as the hand management, the deckbuilding, the missions... well, everything you could ask for, short of strategy! We also compare Marvel LCG to it's closest gaming competitors, Sentinels of the Multiverse and Marvel Legendary. Hopefully, you get enough from this podcast to get you started... if you haven't started already!
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
- In Liz We Trust - Hour of Need - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blacklistgames/hour-of-need?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=hour%20of%20need
This one is a VERY different episode than we've done in a while. No game reviews this time, just a very interesting discussion topic. Many thanks to ENGN listener Liz Blake Benson for reaching out and suggesting this episode!
Following up on that, Jason put the call out on Twitter (@engn_podcast) and was happy to get a response from Jason Peacock of the Dice Tower to chat! So much friendliness and interaction in our little gaming community.
Jason and Jason chat about two general topics - building a game room and maintaining a collection. Jason is a professional carpenter and has put a lot of love and care into his gaming space, so he has lots of tips in terms of tables, shelving, painting miniatures, and all sorts of other little bits that can help flesh out a great game room.
In the second part, we get into growing a collection, including some personal stories about how we grew our own collections and how we approach keeping and culling.
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
- In Liz We Trust - Arkeis - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ankamaboardgames/arkeis-a-cooperative-story-driven-campaign-board-game
For the first part of this episode, Jason rides solo and brings you some fun for the Halloween holiday. First up is Skulk Hollow (4:10), or Shadow of the Colossus: the board game. Lifeform follows after that (14:59), which is yet another crack at Alien: the board game. Finally, we have the next big, horror-themed expansion for Robinson Crusoe: Mystery Tales (29:09).
After all the gaming fun, Jason is proud to welcome the Mega Meeple, Thomas Grogan, to the pod for the first time. We get into a personal chat about some of the stuff he has struggled with in his life, and how gaming helped him turn things around and find happiness. Like the personal chat before this, if you want to keep things light and fun, please enjoy the gaming-centered content in the first half of the episode. For those who listen on, we hope you find something inspiring in Tom's story.
ENGN 161 - Post-GenCon 2019 Wrap-Up, Part 7 - More Hot and Heavy EurosJason was very happy to contribute to the last episode on Hot and Heavy Euros. This week, we have more for you, but Jason has played none of these and has to keep his trap shut! Instead, we invite back Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games to help out Anthony and finish off our grand tour of games from GenCon 2019 (finally)!
First up is Escape Plan (3:08), a surprisingly easy to play offering from noted heavy game designer Vital Lacerda about getting loot and escaping the town ahead of the authorities - not your usual Euro theming, for sure. The next one up is Ragusa (12:56), a new economic and worker placement design from the maker of Calimala, Fabio Lopiano.
Getting even crunchier, the guys chat about the latest in the Imperial Settlers line of games, Empires of the North (20:27). We get into how it tries to offer something different from the original Imperial Settlers and whether it's worth a look if you already own or like that one. Finally, we round out this entire run of games with one of the truly hottest games from the show, one that will undoubtedly come back again during the year-end award season, Black Angel (35:47).
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
- In Liz We Trust - Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shadowborne-games/oathsworn-into-the-deepwood?ref=discovery&term=oathsworn
Our wrap-up of games from GenCon rolls on! Anthony has returned with a heavy helping of Euro fun.
We begin with an expansion to one of Anthony favorite games from the last few years, Teotihuacan: Late Preclassic Period (4:17). That subtitle is not a typo, that's really the name. Are the contents inside as... well, bad as this name? Jason then hops back into chat about Lockup: A Roll Player Tale (12:06). While this one is not quite a "hot and heavy" Euro, it sneaks in there because it of it's worker placement mechanisms, combined with a healthy dose of Poker-esque tension and reading others at the table. Anthony hops back in to chat about Sierra West (21:47) which, like Teotihuacan, is another offering from Board&DIce, so you know it pays some attention to its solo offering.
We end the episode on two games with civ-building themes. First, Jason talks about Gentes (29:13), a game that manipulates action economy in fun ways. Finally, Anthony hits us with the big hype of the day, Tapestry from Stonemaier Games (40:43).
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bgaIn Liz We Trust -
- Vamp on the Batwalk - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/goldnuggetgames/vamp-on-the-batwalk?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=vamp%20on%20the%20
Jason is happy to be joined by the host of Solo BG, Dereck Rodriguez, for a MEGA-length preview pod - our longest one! However, this episode is so much more than a preview.
Yes, we chat with Adam and Brady Sadler about the new KS project launching in November, Hour of Need - how it works, some design choices, and the fact that it is indeed different from the previous Modular Deck System games (think of the MDS like, say, the COIN system - very different games, even within the same system).
However, we talk about so much more. Adam and Brady reveal some of the inner workings at Blacklist Games, getting a small publisher started, and feeding the demands of the Kickstarter content beast. They also answer Jason's critical questions about their previous two MDS games - Street Masters and Brook City.
Finally, all four of us share our Top Three Things in Comic Books - characters, storylines, team-ups, anything. We get into Marvel vs. DC, lots of different Robins, a commentary on the new Joker movie... the dork factor is really, really strong in this episode. We hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording!
Liz and Jeremy are back once again to talk about some bigger, meatier projects. Many of these were featured at the big show in Indy this past year, so into the wrap-up they go!
Liz starts us off with Detective: City of Angels (10:16), the highly thematic case-solving game from Van Ryder Games that will unfortunately not hit retail due to scale and cost. Go ahead and check Kickstarter, as well as some conventions, if you want to get hold of this one.
Next, Jeremy gives us some knowledge about Gugong (16:38), a mid-weight economic game set in the Forbidden City in China.
Liz then jumps back in to share about a “dudes on a map”-type game with a slick auction system, Rurik: Dawn of Kiev (22;37).
We wrap up with one of the most buzzed-about games at the whole con, the MOBA-style combat game with competitive, cooperative, and solo modes, Cloudspire from Chip Theory Games (31:36).
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
- In Liz We Trust - Time of Legends: Destinies - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/destinies/time-of-legends-destinies?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=Destiny%20time%20of%20legends
We interrupt our romp through all the hotness from GenCon to bring you a MEGA-sized podcast. You guys know that Jason likes to keep episodes to under an hour in length. However, Tristan Hall from Hall or Nothing Productions is too much fun to talk to, so we decided to keep it all!
Tristan stops by for three reasons. First, he is here to preview a project called 1565: St. Elmo's Pay. This is the follow up to 1066: Tears to Many Mothers, a historical war-themed card game for 1-2 players. This project launches today, October 4th.
Second, at around 15:56 we have a big, fat Top Ten list for you - Top Ten Games for a Low Player Count (1-2 players). This list was originally meant to be Top Ten Card Games for 1-2 players, but Tristan breaks all the rules! So, our individual lists might be a bit lopsided, but that's ok - it's geeks chatting about a top ten. What's not to like?
Finally, at a whooping 1:09:38 or so, Tristan and Jason put on the old amateur historian hats and break down the historical background of 1565: St. Elmo's Pay. The game is soaked in historical flavor which we are very, very excited to share. If you play this game and wonder where the Barrage of Heads card came from, this is the segment for you!
This last past is very different than what you might be used to from ENGN. If you like (or don't like) what you hear, please reach out to us and let us know if you want us to do more historical deep dives behind games.
One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
The Kickstarter Squad is back! Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games have returned to being you the latest and greatest of delivered Kickstarter projects.
As serendipity would have it, these games were all featured at GenCon 2019 as well (yeah, I know the big show was over a month ago, but... branding!)
First up, Jason shares about Everdell: Pearlbrook (8:30), the first expansion to one of the real surprise hits from last year. Two more expansions for Everdell happen to be live on Kickstarter as we speak, so check out of Jason and Liz think they are worth your time.
Jeremy then jumps in to chat about another worker placement game, Reavers of Midgard (12:54). This one is the follow up (spiritual successor, maybe?) to the very popular Champions of Midgard from Grey Fox Games.
Liz gets the middle spot with the biggest game we review this episode, Pax Pamir (22:31). Jason and Jeremy then follow up with two lighter games that are nevertheless really fun, the real-time cooperative zombie survival game Until Daylight (31:05), and the card dueling game Unmatched (41:11).
After all that fun, we get into a brief but spirited discussion about the rising price of games. Not just KS projects, but seemingly all games. We probably didn't come to any conclusions, but we had fun venting our spleens a bit.
One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bgaIn Liz We Trust - Everdell: Belfaire and Everdell: Spirecrest - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/starlinggames/everdell-spirecrest-and-bellfaire?ref=discovery&term=everdell
Jason is happy to welcome Michael Melkonian to the show to talk about Dance Card, a highly thematic card game with a theme of high school students having fun at a dance recital. There's set collection, dice rolling, and maybe most importantly for ENGN fans, solo and coop mode.
Check it out as Michael talks about the development of Dance Card, not only it's mechanisms and thematic integration, but also larger issues of representation as well.
Michael is a super, super excited guy, and it was a joy to talk to him. (The aftershow is completely random basketball talk that I felt like keeping in there for... reasons. For those in the Venn diagram of board gaming and basketball fans, enjoy! If not, the aftershow is very skippable!).
Our (belated yet still hopefully valuable) GenCon coverage rolls on, this time with some short games that use dice to make them go.
First up, Jason shares about Unbroken (4:46), a resource management game of survival that is optimized for the one player experience. Jason wanted to review the game independently of some of the controversy surrounding it's Kickstarter fulfillment, so we get into that right at the beginning. If you want to hear further thoughts about the situation, please stay tuned until the end of the episode.
Then, Anthony chats about the newest Matt Leacock dice game, Era: Medieval Age (13:47). This one is a follow up to Roll Through the Ages, one of the grandaddies of the roll n write genre, only this new version has player boards, toy buildings, and a lot more!
Jason then jumps back in with (spoiler alert) one of his favorite dice games that he has played in a very long time, Mageling (24:31).
Finally, we wrap up with Anthony in all of his roll n write glory, providing quick reviews of a pile of them that he got at GenCon, including Brikks, Second Chance, Deadly Doodles, Dizzle, Patchwork Doodle, On Tour and Cartographers.
- One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
- BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
- In Liz We Trust - Detective: City of Angels: Smoke and Mirrors - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vanrydergames/detective-city-of-angels-and-new-expansion?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=detective%20city%20of%20angels
Today, Anthony is back from his summer hiatus! And we have even more family weight games for your enjoyment, either with your family or as a solo gamer.
We start with two games that take familiar pieces of culture and make fun games out of them - The Fifty Nine Parks Print Series in the game Parks (6:38), and the Periodic Table of Elements in Periodic: A Game of Elements (12:30).
We then turn to two more games that happened to do really well on Kickstarter - a nifty card drafting game called Villagers (19:36), and the next in the very popular Tiny Epic product line, Tiny Epic Mechs (29:31). We end with a dexterity game that has a lot of charm and excitement, Megacity Oceanea (39:19). Well, we really don't end there - there's more after the outro music, but we well let everyone discover that for themselves!
One Stop Coop Shop Slack - bit.ly/onestopslack
BGA Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bga
In Liz We Trust - Squire for Hire - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonmerchant/squire-for-hire-micro-tile-based-card-game?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=squire%20for%20hire
We're starting a bit late this year, but that's ok! We are here for you to provide reviews of a TON of games from GenCon 2019. Get buckled in for a series of episodes to cover it all.
Helping Jason for Part One of our Wrapup coverage are Colin and Steve from the One Stop Coop Shop podcast and YouTube channel. Before we get into the games, we announced the creation of a new fan group for Every Night is Game Night over at the One Stop Coop Shop Slack channel. We go over how it works in the show. If you are interested in joining a small, engaged part of the ENGN fandom and have direct access to me and my content, please join us! Just click this link: bit.ly/onestopslack
We cram 6 games into an hour of fun for this episode. We got:
- Roll for Adventure (7:01)
- Legendary: A James Bond Deckbuilding Game (15:15)
- Horrified (21:20)
- Pandemic: Rapid Response (32:53)
- Arkham Horror: Final Hour (43:22)
- Quirky Circuits (51:27)
Jason welcomes Jordan Shoenberger, host of the Second Chance Shelf segment from Board Game Breakfast, to the show for the first time. Before we get swept up in the madness of all the new releases of 2019 (believe me, people, there are MANY episodes of new hotness coming), we slow things down and talk about what we love about finding rare gems and pulling old, beloved games off of the shelf.
We then get into some reviews of some older games for lots of different tastes. Jason begins with Citadel of Blood (14:18), a relic of an earlier generation of dice-based dungeon crawling games that nevertheless holds some charm and also some design ideas for a newer generation. Jordan then shares about a hidden favorite among solo gamers, Walnut Grove (20:47). Thanks so much to Jordan for being someone who actually has that game and wanted to talk about it!
Next up, Jason talks about Bethel Woods, a simple game with a Mancala-esque mechanism that's fairly unique in the cooperative space (29:45). Finally, Jordan takes us home with one of his favorite games to play in all situations, especially with his spouse, Taluva (35:42).
Jason welcomes good friend Gary Pope from the Dice Tower to talk about... uh, talking!
Games first, though. Jason shares about World Shapers, a rare drafting game with a solo variant from Board&Dice that attempts to put its own spin and advance upon games like 7 Wonders and Tides of Time. Then, Gary sings the praises of one of his favorite games over the past few years, Heroes of Land, Air, and Sea.
For our discussion, Jason and Gary pull from their experiences as a marriage counselor and forum moderator, respectively, to chat about how we help people who disagree talk to one another. Is it possible to strike a balance between keeping forum spaces safe, but also allowing critical conversation? What can we do when people start to take conversations personally? We get into these and many other questions.
In Liz We Trust - Burgle Bros 2 - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fowers/burgle-bros-2-the-casino-capers
We have two separate segments for you this week. First, Brandt from the Portal Gaming Podcast joins Jason to chat about SpaceCorp 2025-2300 AD, a card driven space exploration game that plays more like a Euro than what we're used to from GMT.
Second, Jason and Liz are joined by a listener, Tommy Ray, to chat about how they have recently gotten into wargaming. There's a lot of barriers to overcome - where to start, how to get used to the massive time investment, becoming a part of that community, etc. We break it all down, including some game talk about favorites like GMT's Falling Sky and DVG's Thunderbolt Apache Leader. We hope this helps you open up another avenue of gaming in your life.
In Liz we Trust - Cosmic Run: Express - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/337407318/cosmic-run-express-promo-packs?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=cosmic%20run
We made it to Episode 150! To mark the occasion, Jason is going to try a whole new style of reviewing games, which will hopefully stick moving forward. Jason is very interested in the psychological experience of a board game, whether its the thematic, imaginative immersion it generates or the strategic, logical challenge it presents. That distinction folds nicely in with the concept in pop psychology of the "right brain" (creative, "big picture') and "left brain" (analytical, detail-oriented). So, when Jason reviews games moving forward, the critical questions will be about game experience from these two perspectives. Unless, of course, you all think this is a terrible idea. If so, please let me know!
The first game for review is Waters of Nereus (19:17), a simple economic, convert-stuff-into-more-stuff-into-points game with a touch of exploration and spatial movement to complement. Next up is Crisis at Steamfall (26:51), a tactical game with a significant Euro feel, especially in the way you build the actions and resources of your heroes over the course of three rounds. Finally, we get into the action cop movie, heavily thematic experience that is Brook City (36:26), fresh from the Sadler Brothers and Blacklist Games.
In Liz we Trust: Sleeping Gods - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/953146955/sleeping-gods?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=sleeping%20gods
There's a lot going on in Jason's life nowadays! We're slowing down the content train once again so we could catch up a bit. No new ENGN content this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this conversation that happened last week on Board Gamers Anonymous. Chris and his friend Jen discuss women in gaming - feeling comfortable in gaming spaces, different ways in which women and men interact at the table, little ways to make things better, and a ton more. Jason was a huge fan of the convo and will follow up with some thoughts or a guest discussion... uh, eventually :slightly_smiling_face:.
BGA blog post from Jen - https://boardgamersanonymous.com/bras-and-boardgames/
Jason welcomes Rob Daviau to the pod for the first time to chat storytelling in gaming, joined also by ENGN veterans Peter and Mike from the One-Stop Coop Shop podcast. We get into some of the essential differences between old school and new school game design, and whether the different approaches and philosophies generate different stories (better? worse? basically the same?) at the table.
As far as game commentary, we get into the original Dark Tower and some of the modernization challenges that Restoration Games has faced. We also chat about some of the differences between Pandemic Legacy Season One vs. Season Two, and whether the different approaches to the overall story were equally effective across the two games. We certainly cover lots of ground in this one.
We're back! ENGN listeners know that Jason loves his big, honking adventure games. A really clever and unique one from Letzring Games will launch on Kickstarter this Monday, July 29th.
We're chatting Adventure Tactics: Domianne's Tower from three different perspectives - the deck construction and tactical planning on the hero side, the set-piece, cinematic nature of combat in the system, and a whimsical fantasy story. If you've ever wanted to play Final Fantasy Tactics on a big board, this one might be for you.
A few episodes ago, Jason shared about his personal journey with depression in a personal chat segment. The response was very heartening - folks seemed to resonate with it and expressed their appreciation in a few private messages. Thank you! We all have a journey, or a personal story with some pain in it. Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games stops by and shares some of his own experiences, struggles, and successes.
That will happen in the back half of the episode (38:52). For the first part of the episode, please enjoy some game reviews! We have two very opposite games for you this week - the abstract, family weight, city building game Tiny Towns (6:50) and the thematic, adventure card game experience Legends Untold (20:09). If you listen to ENGN just to have fun, please enjoy the first half! However, if you want to hear about the personal journey of a good friend and his efforts to stay happy and creating content for himself and for all of you, then I invite you to listen to his story. Please reach out to him at Jambalaya Plays Games on many, many social media platforms. and interact with him - he's not a hard man to find!
Kickstarter segment: Isle of Cats by Frank West - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcokgame/the-isle-of-cats?ref=discovery&term=isle%20of%20cats
We have more game reviews this week, as well as something of a follow-up on last week's conversation about the psychology of cheating in board games. We welcome Anthony back to the show to discuss Aerion, the latest in the Oniverse series (3:55), then Jason talks about a unique, push-your-luck take on deckbuilding, Heroes of Tenefyr (14:01).
Finally, Jason revisits the topic of the psychology of cheating, but in a different way. The board gaming community became wrapped up in some controversy this past week - a creator was noted for committing plagiarism on their blog. A lot of "naming and shaming" happened, as well as people wondering why anyone would be driven to plagiarize. Jason shares about some of the pit traps that creators can face - they're much more common than you might think.
In Liz we Trust - Roll Player: Fiends and Familiars - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1152516291/roll-player-fiends-and-familiars-expansion?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=roll%20player
Shout out to Marcus Brissman over in the Sporadically Board Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/510403706050913/ - who put up an excellent, interesting thread on cheating in board games a few weeks ago. In response, Jason reached out to a blogger on BGG who wrote about cheating in board games a few years ago, Dr. Corey Butler, professor of social psychology at Southwest Minnesota State University.
What drives people to cheat? Who cheats? How often does it occur? For those who have cheated, how do they justify their behavior? If you cheat at a solo game and no one sees, does it count as cheating?
We attempt to answer these and more questions about the psychological aspects of cheating.
In Liz we Trust: Legends of Novus - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fundamentalgames/legends-of-novus?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=legends%20of%20novus
Whenever the Kickstarter Roundup crew gets together, we always have more games to talk about than we can manage in one episode. So, Liz from Beyond Solitaire, Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games, and Jason have four more games for your listening pleasure.
We begin by leaning in to the roll and write craze that's hitting our hobby. Jeremy shares about Cartographers (2:20), the new one from Thunderworks Games which adds spacial and mapping elements to the formula. Then, the entire crew gushes about Fleet: The Dice Game (10:47), one of the most complex and combo-licious roll and write games on the market today.
For our last two games, we get into some much more niche and out-of-left-field offerings. Liz tells us about Wars of Marcus Aurelius (21:35), a tower defense-style wargame with strong historical flavor for a Latin fangirl like Liz to enjoy. Finally, Jason shared about the very interesting grid-based puzzle game meets Jenga experience, Sarah's Vision (27:37).
Finally, with all of these games, we inevitably have to confront the difficult task of culling our collections. We can't keep them all! We talk about how we judge what games to keep and/ or chuck, how we assess, and also our general philosophies towards collection-building.
The Kickstarter roundup crew is back! Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games rejoin Jason as we take a tour through all of the amazing projects we have been playing lately. This week, all of our games share the fact that they have fantasy-based themes.
First, Jeremy and Liz insisted that ENGN re-visit our review of Aeon's End: Legacy (2:44). Jason was up and down with his thoughts, so Liz and Jeremy want to set him straight! Next up, Liz shares about Call to Adventure (9:30), the very, very light dice chucking game of making a fantasy character and living out an adventure story. We'll let you know if it's worth it for "real' gamers.
After that, Jason and Jeremy get into two games that both put new school design chrome on old school, dice driven, epic games engines. Jason chats about Gloom of Kilforth (21:20) and Jeremy shares about Folklore: The Affliction (36:50).
Finally, we get into a little chat about folks who consistently ask for fantasy game recommendations on different online groups and forums. There are so many! We recommend a few more that might have flown under your radar.
Jason is moving this month, so we're slowing down the content train just a bit this week. Jason did two guest spots on other podcasts, which you may have already heard. If you have, then please enjoy some other podcasts and come back next week for all new stuff. If you haven't heard, then please enjoy some snippets from other shows that you should be listening to!
The first part is a review of U-Boot: The Board game that Jason did with Steve and Elijah from the One Stop Coop Shop podcast. This is a cooperative WWII simulation game that's dripping with theme and immersion. Check out a bit of the conversation here. If you want to hear the full version, check out the longer pod here: https://soundcloud.com/user-318456537/87-u-boot
For the second half of this episode, Jason stopped by the flagship show, Board Gamers Anonymous, to chat about games based on the Game of Thrones IP: A Song of Ice and Fire miniatures game, Game of Thrones LCG, and Game of Thrones: The Board Game. You can listen to the full episode, with more game reviews, here: https://boardgamersanonymous.com/episode-222-best-game-thrones-games-w-jason-perez/
In Liz We Trust: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danverssengames/for-what-remains-0?ref=discovery&term=for%20what%20remains
Although the ENGN crew won't make it to the big show in Ohio this year, we're still interested in all of the new games that will be demoed and played this year. First we review the games we previewed last year, letting you know if they ended up worth checking out (hint: one of us has a great record, and one falls on his face). After that, we chat about a bunch of games we are really looking forward to, including Jason's usual gaggle of adventure games and Anthony's pile of roll 'n' writes. If you plan to attend origins, let us know what you played and what you liked!
In Liz We Trust - Battlestations: Dirtside
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gorillagames/battlestations-dirtside?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=battlestations
We are tacking a very critical subject this week - board game reviewers who receive payment for their reviews. A lot of folks in the various forums and social medias have been discussing the topic, which was inspired by a video posted by Rodney Smith on paid reviews - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7LSY6HOX5c&t=1s.
I invited a couple of content creators on to talk about the issue - Liz Davidson from Beyond Solitaire, as well as first time ENGN guest Lance Myxter, the Undead Viking. We engage in a long, critical discussion about the topic from two very different perspectives (if you know the Undead Viking, you know the conversation would stretch a bit!). Some of the questions we consider:
Should reviewers be paid for their work?
Who should pay, the publisher or the consumer?
How do paid reviews impact consumer trust? What are the ethical implications?
How do review copies or sponsorships play into the issue?
And more!
It's a topic that stirs up a lot of emotions, which can be a real drag. However, we sincerely hope that this particular conversation offers more light than heat, and that you come out of it knowing more about both perspectives. As always, please reach out to us with any responses! (edited)
If you heard our last episode with the Top Ten Fantasy Games, you’ll know that the Sadlers will soon hit Kickstarter again with Alter Quest. This is a huge, new fantasy adventure game, combined with the same Modular Deck System as Street Masters and Brook City.
The Sadlers elaborate on influences like Hero Quest and Descent, then talk about how their game tries to capture the magic of old school, wondrous adventure with new school mechanisms. And, oh yeah, furniture! Mike also provides insights as a playtester.
We welcome back Adam and Brady Sadler to talk about another big, honking project of theirs from Blacklist Games, Altar Quest! However, instead of a straight-up preview, Jason figured it would be fun to invite the guys on to share their main influences for crafting their newest fantasy Kickstarter project.
So, along with Mike Dilisio from Solomode Games, we put together a list of Top Ten Fantasy Tabletop Games. We all made our personal Top Tens, then smushed them together to make an uber list. Spoiler alert: Adam and Brady have a LOT to say about two games that seem like no brainers for a list like this - Mage Knight and Gloomhaven. Come check out what they have to say about these and a host of other fantasy games.
Also, we will have a full preview of Altar Quest coming out for you next week.
We go card game crazy once again in this episode. Jason begins with Tiny Ninjas (5:48), a very small, single deck, card dueling game with chibi ninjas, dice, and an interesting wrinkle on attacking and defending. Anthony then shares about Oh My Goods with the Longsdale expansion that adds a more robust solo mode and a campaign (11:32).
Jason then welcomes Nettersplays, Annette Villa, on to the podcast to talk about a personal favorite for both of us, Race for the Galaxy (24:58). It's easy to walk into that game and get completely smoked by a decent opponent, so we have some tips and strategies for you to avoid that fate. Can you name the four basic RftG strategies that will lead you to victory (or, less embarrassing defeat)?
We welcome Anthony back to the pod after a short, child-inspired excursion, just in time for some cooperative games! Anthony's favorite type of game, for sure.
First, we get into Fuji (5:05), a unique game from the designer of The Mind. Fuji returns to the concept of limited communication between players, only with dice and a race game feel. We get into reviewing Fuji as well as consider the general question of whether The Mind can truly be considered a "game".
Then, we get into Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth (17:55). If you want to hear more about mechanisms here, please check out Anthony's main podcast, Board Gamers Anonymous, episode 219. Here, we get into more nitty-gritty issues such as the presence (and possible intrusiveness) of the app, as well as how well this game integrates the Lord of the Rings theme.
We have some very good family cooperative games for you this week. The first is My First Castle Panic (3:45), the adaptation of Castle Panic that is excellent for your three year old! For the older kids, we share next about Zoo Break (7:21), a family game about recapturing escaping zoo animals with some excellent moments of thematic integration? Finally, we get to one of the big releases from early 2019 - Comanauts (16:04).
For our discussion topic, we're revisiting a conversation Jason had with Dr. Max Davie, a specialist in child psychology, that was posted on the Dice Tower main YouTube channel a few months ago. We chat about how to use games to help kids heal, how to adjust games so that we can get them gaing with us as adults, and other aspects of gaming with kids.
Please visit Max's blog! - https://playisthething.home.blog/
Time for something completely different! There is NO board gaming content in this bonus episode. I was lucky enough to already have a scheduled record session with Annette Villa, aka Nettersplays from YouTube and the Dice Tower, and we both happen to be HUGE fans of Game of Thrones. We are here to chat The Long Night, the big episode of Game of Thrones that aired last Sunday. Annette loved it, Jason had issues with it, so come check out our debate and deliberations.
Regular episode of ENGN will drop on Friday, as normal!
Jason climbs back into the solo chair this week to share another very different episode. He chats into two games that are thematic within the recently finished Easter season: the cooperative Kings of Israel (5:50), as well as the worker placement game also set in ancient Israel, Wisdom of Solomon (15:30).
For the second half of the episode (24:04), Jason talks about... himself. A lot of folks out there have issues with their mental health. Jason goes into his personal issues with depression, talking about his own experience with it but also explaining some things for folks who might not know what it's all about - how it feels, how it's different from sadness, and what are some ways that we can overcome it. Hint: gaming is heavily involved! It can be a heavy conversation at times, so please be warned. If you would like to keep things light and about the games, then please enjoy the first half of the show.
We had a big episode last week! Thanks so much to Marc Davis and Paul Grogan for hopping on. We’re slowing it down this week and just dropping a quick one into the feed. Please go ahead and catch up on old ENGN episodes and your other podcasts. We’ll be back next week with another full episode.
Before we go, though, please check out some written work Jason has been up to lately.
Top Eleven ENGN episodes blog (for the masses of people who have been clamoring for Jason to rank his own episodes) - https://boardgamersanonymous.com/best-every-night-game-night-top-eleven-episodes/
Jason’s Big GeekList of Played Cooperative Games (over 150 games played and ranked) - https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/254711/jasons-big-geeklist-played-cooperative-games
Jason is very excited to host Every Night is Game Night's first Podcaster Roundtable on a specific topic. It started as a Twitter conversation, and it has now blossomed into its own podcast.
We welcome Paul Grogan from the Gaming Rules YouTube channel as well as Marc Davis from the Thoughtful Gamer blog to talk about theme in games and thematic gaming from all angles. We cover:
• Basic definitions of theme
• A game's theme vs. a game's setting
• Theme as distinct from narrative, story, or plot in a game
• Dice rolling in many thematic games
• Whether a dyed in the wool Euro game can ever deliver a truly thematic experience
Please follow these fine gentlemen at their respective channels. And if you are so inclined and have the means, please check out their Patreon campaigns!
Gaming Rules - https://www.patreon.com/GamingRules
The Thoughtful Gamer - https://www.patreon.com/thethoughtfulgamer
We're talking deckbuilders this week, starting with the family weight game that teaches basic atom theory in as fun a way as I could think of, Subatomic (6:21). Also on the lighter side but for an older audience, we have the highly tactical and very cute Dale of Merchants (11:47).
Our last two deckbuilders for the episode are both cooperative behemoths. First, we have Shadowrift (19:51), an oldie but goodie originally released in 2012 where you defend a town against marauding baddies (spoiler alert: I think it holds up very well!). Finally, we get into Aeon's End: Legacy (30:20). We know how good Aeon's End is, but is the Legacy part of it any good?
For the discussion topic, we get into the good and the bad of deckbuilders. A big shout out to everyone who contributed to threads on BGG and Facebook. Between those two discussions, we cover a lot of what people are drawn to with deckbuilders, and also what might create some difficulties.
Whenever we discuss a difficult topic on an episode of ENGN, we like to come right back with something positive and fun. This week, we look at some games in nature (stretching the definition juuust a bit with Anthony's game), then talk about some ways that games make our lives better that you might not have thought about.
First, we get into Herbaceous Sprouts (3:33), a next level gateway game building upon the very simple, entry level card game Herbaceous. This one has you rolling custom dice with a good amount of mitigation and strategy. After that, we tackle the looming sales behemoth of early 2019, Wingspan (10:35). We review the game on two levels - game mechanisms and also how important it is in the hobby. Finally, Anthony shares about a complex card-based engine building game that Jason is dying to play, Underwater Cities (24:40).
We then get into some discussion about ways that games make us happier and more well adjusted people overall. When people talk about the positive impact of gaming, they usually refer to the social aspect. In this episode, we chat about two more ways in which games can help us which are a bit more relevant to the solo gamer.
Wingspan review by Lila Sadkin - https://www.beboldgames.com/games/wingspan-is-important-a-different-kind-of-review
In Liz We Trust KS preview - Carnival Zombie, 2nd Edition - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/62517270/carnival-zombie-second-edition?ref=discovery&term=carnival%20zombie (edited)
To kick off today's episode, we chat about two reiterations of popular games. First, Anthony breaks down Duelosaur Island (7:46), the streamlined two player version of Dinosaur Island that promises nearly as much game in almost half of the table space. Then Jason presents Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth (19:04), a post-apocalypse/ comic book retheme of the popular Lost Expedition from two years ago.
Jason and Anthony then engage a difficult topic - social media in board gaming. We've heard a lot about how the internet and social media have been great for growing the hobby and connecting folks all over the world. We definitely acknowledge that. However, if you follow the news at all, you'll know there's an underside to these social media platforms, particularly their behaviors as companies and how their products impact our lives and our happiness. We break some of that down and offer thoughts on how we navigate these issues.
As always, we are open to any feedback about this (or any other) episode!
The Trauma Floor, from The Verge - https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/25/18229714/cognizant-facebook-content-moderator-interviews-trauma-working-conditions-arizona
In Liz We Trust - Cartographers https://www.thunderworksgames.com/cartographers.html
Liz from Beyond Solitaire had a chance to sit down and interview AJ Porfirio about the newest season of Graphic Novel Adventures. This short interview serves as a nice companion to our regular episode this week.
We're double dipping this week - preview and regular episode content!
We welcome back Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Wendy from the Singlehandedly blog to help Jason preview newest series of Graphic Novel Adventures.
Season Two is currently live on Kickstarter! Along with a preview, the gang also gives opinions and analysis of the existing Season One of the Graphic Novel Adventures. If you are curious at all about the series, we have you covered.
Kickstarter Link - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vanrydergames/graphic-novel-adventures-season-2?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=graphic%20novel%20adventures
Beyond Solitaire - http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/blog/kickstarter-preview-mystery-graphic-novel-adventures
Singlehandedly - https://singlehandedlydotblog.wordpress.com/2019/03/11/become-the-worlds-most-famous-superhero/
We move on with our thirteen easy steps to teach a board game. Please check out the show notes for the Episode 126 to check out the first five steps to teach a board game. Most of those were about prep and proper introduction.
Now we're starting to get into it. Steps Five, Six, and Seven all have to do with laying a proper foundation for players so that everything else about the game makes sense. They are:
5) "In this game, you are a _____ trying to do ____" (covered last episode)
6) Demonstrate general game flow
7) Describe the basic victory conditions.
Once players have that essential context, then we get get into the nitty gritty of teaching game mechanisms. That will vary wildly from game to game, but Anthony and Jason both agree in splitting up game elements into the following four areas:
8) Describe Basic Mechanisms and Player Actions
9) Describe Obstacles, Combat, and other Interactions
10) Describe the Endgame in Detail
11) Wrap up with Player Powers, Exceptions, etc.
After that, hopefully the teacher hangs out with the table and insures that folks are having a good time. That brings us to our final two steps:
12) Teaching etiquette during play
13) Debrief and prep for the next game!
In particular, we get into two critical questions that game teachers need to grapple with: how much do you try to win, and how much strategy help do you give players?
We hope that, by the end of these two episodes, we have provided a 360 degree view with lots of tips to improve your teaching game.
Anthony and Jason are always showing off new games for folks and playing as much of the hottest stuff as possible. Practice makes perfect, as they say, so this episode is about sharing all the tips for good teaching that have been picked up along the way. We all know what bad teaching looks like, so let's help folks... uh, stop doing that!
Jason has organized his teaching method into thirteen easy steps that involve everything from learning the game initially, to gathering a table of people to play, all the way through the end. In this episode, after we share some teaching horror stories, we talk about the five steps of teaching games. The first four are preparatory steps:
1) Personal prep and/ or managing table expectation
2) Laying the game out and letting it do some of the teaching work
3) Giving an elevator pitch
4) Giving folks a heads up about the game - weight, length, theme, and interaction style
After that, we get into the proper intro to teaching, which starts with:
5) "In this game, you are a ____ trying to do ___".
If that doesn't make a lot of sense, then you're going to have to listen to the episode in order to put it all together. Stay tuned for part two next week!
Last week, you heard about the best from 2018 in a wide variety of categories. For this episode, we get down to brass tacks and present the absolute best games of 2018. Once again, we thank all of the presenters who helped us out with this episode. Please go follow them on social media and check out their channels!
- Best Short Game (2:10), presented by Travis Hill of Low Player Count - @travisdhill
- Best Family/ Gateway Game (9:50), presented by Jason and Anthony
- Best Adventure Game (13:15), presented by Tristan Hall from the Board Chitless Podcast - @ninjadorg
- Best Advanced Strategy Game (21:48), presented by Michelle Ridge from the Tabletop Crier blog - @feaien
- Best Strategy Game (31:55), presented by Liz Davidson from Beyond Solitaire and Jeremy Howard from Jambalaya Plays Games - @beyondsolitaire, @jambapg.
Once again, we also thank those ruddy tossers from the Sporadically Board podcast, Mike and Dan - @SporadicBoard.
Welcome to the Second Annual ENGN Solo Awards! If you do a thing twice, does it become an annual tradition? Regardless, we are back to bring you the absolute best of 2018, as decided by Anthony, Jason, and ENGN fans across Facebook and BGG.
We are happy to be joined once again by contributors from all over the board gaming universe - some familiar, some brand new. And this year, we also get to hear from the winners as well. Some folks went above and beyond with their clips, so please give a listen and check out their pages!
The categories we present in this episode are the following:
- Best Digital Board Game (5:15), presented by Mandi and Suzanne from the Dice Tower - @boardgamerpinup and @425suzanne
- Best Narrative Game (15:05), presented by Peter and Mike from Coop Cast - @mvpboardgames
- Best New Edition of a Game (23:58) - presented by Raz from the Le Comboteur Fo blog - BGG user Razoupaf
- Best Expansion - presented by Luke Hector (30:58), the Broken Meeple - @TheBrokenMeeple
Special thanks to Mike and Dan at the Sporadically Board podcast for also helping us out - @SporadicBoard
Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games are back for more recently delivered Kickstarter fun!
Liz and Jeremy start us off with a highly portable and quirky cult classic which is finally seeing the published light of day (5:38). Then Jason and Liz share about Direwild (12:35), the latest game to take a stab at marrying deckbuilding and dungeon crawling. Our discussion gets into some larger points about deckbuilders - what we enjoy, what we think makes them good, etc.
Liz and Jeremy jump back in to share about Donning the Purple (31:21) a 'king of the hill' style game that might offer some more aggressive play than you might be used to. Finally, a game which is the complete opposite of aggressive - Cat Rescue (40:11) a cooperative, small card game about training cats for adoption. Yes, we went from murdering one another for power and political gain to training cats. Yet another reason to love Kickstarter - you can find games about... anything, really!
We do this once a season, for the reason of new kickstarter deliveries hitting our tables. Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games hop back on the show to do what we do whether the mics are on or not... talk about games!
First up, we have King's Guild (5:20), a game that Jeremy promises might kill that unkillable game for you - Splendor! It already has a one-up on Splendor in that is has a built-in solo mode, and Jeremy breaks down what else this one has to offer. After that, we get into Crypt (9:50), a small filler game with some dice and a cute theme that might get some chuckles as your local bar night.
After that, we get a bit heavier and share about Dawn of Peacemakers (16:17), a VERY unique game where you play a diplomat running around in the field of battle, trying to bring two warring armies to a state where they don't want to kill each other any more. There's tactical movement, clever card play, and an ongoing, replayable campaign in this game, everything that Jason loves to see in a game. He'll tell you if it delivered or not.
Finally, Liz gets to indulge her inner Jane Austin geek during our review of Obsession: Pride, Intrigue, and Prejudice in Victorian England (28:35). This one offers some simple tableau building and hand/ pawn management, wrapped with love in a theme that definitely does not get a ton of traffic.
Rounding things out, we get into a bit about playing prototypes - what's fun about it, how to get into it, how it enables relationships with our favorite designers, and other aspects of it.
Jason chats with Chris Cieslik and Julia Urquhart from Asmadi Games about one of his most anticipated games for 2019 - 1001 Odysseys! We've talked about it before during our PAX Unplugged recap episodes. For this Preview Series, we really blow it out and get under the hood with this cooperative story telling game.
If you liked Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this is the game for you!
We get into the very simple mechanisms here, how they directly answer to some of the other storytelling and Choose Your Own Adventure games that came before. However, when you try to solve design problems, you might create new ones. Jason gets into some critical issues that might arise from such a simple, open-ended system, such as retaining the ability of players to make meaningful choices.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/asmadigames/513161662
Jason gets to revel in some glory this week as we catch up on a whole bunch of Pandemic. We covered some of the earlier versions way back in episodes 14 and 15 of the show. Please hop over to our website (www.everynightisgamenight.com) or our GeekList (https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/228542/every-night-game-n...) to check those out.
For this latest round, we start with the new hotness - Pandemic: Fall of Rome (4:09). Both of us have played it, so we're able to give a nice chunky review of it. After that, Jason runs through some earlier iterations of Pandemic that not many folks are talking about, but that Jason thinks are good regardless - Pandemic: Rising Tide (15:20) and Pandemic Legacy: Season Two (21:14).
Finally, we get into out current thoughts on Legacy games. How are we doing with them? Are we able to get through them all, or even some of them? Are we still excited, or experiencing a bit of backlash? Once again, thanks to everyone in the Every Night is Game Night Facebook group who helped contribute thoughts, questions, etc.
Anthony and Jason finally settle down for a chat about games, just the two of them. Nice to get back to our roots .
We talk about two new games that have hit our table. First up is Architects of the West Kingdom (4:43), a very hot worker placement game that made a lot of people's Top Ten Games of the Year list. We get into what separates it from the pack, at least for some folks, as well as the very neat little solo bot included. Next up, we chat about Cerebria: The Inside World (17:26), a much more complicated game that one of us really loves, while the other...
Finally, we chat about tastemakers in games. You know who the big ones are - Tom Vasel, Radho, Undead Viking, etc. What kind of impact do they have on us and on gamers? What's the best way to use them in your gaming life? What do you do when they point you in the wrong direction, whether towards buying a piece of garbage or avoiding what might be your next favorite game? Thank you to our Every Night is Game Night Facebook community for your contributions!
Animal Kingdoms, currently on Kickstarter, is the very first game from the new collaborative company, Galactic Raptor Games. The co-founders of Galactic Raptor, Carla Kopp and Dan Letzring, drop by to chat about the accessible nature of its card play, as well as the solo mode. Carla and Dan also chat about why they came together to form Galactic Raptor.
Stay tuned for the aftershow in this one! We get into some predictions for 2019, including a desire to see more diverse, off-the-beaten path games and what both Carla and Dan are doing to make that happen.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/galacticraptorgames/animal-kingdoms-an-award-winning-game-of-area-cont?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=animal%20kingdoms
We are happy to be joined again by three designers of excellent games with non-traditional themes - Elizabeth Hargrave, designer of Wingspan; Sarah Reed, designer of Oaxaca: Crafts of a Culture; and R. Eric Reuss, designer of Spirit Island.
In this half of the conversation we consider some larger picture questions that arise from their games. They share thoughts on how much background research went into all of their games, and also how they address the issue of problematic depictions of different cultures in games. Finally, we tackle the difficult issue of representation in the game designer and publisher communities. We hope this conversation sheds more light than heat, and that folks with lots of different perspectives can learn from it.
Happy New Years, everyone! Our number one wish here at ENGN is to get more and more games that color outside of the lines, so to speak. New and different games makes the gaming hobby better all around.
To that end, we gathered three designers of games with very non-traditional themes to share their thoughts - Elizabeth Hargrave, designer of Wingspan; Sarah Reed, designer of Oaxaca: Crafts of a Culture; and R. Eric Reuss, designer of Spirit Island.
For this first part of the conversation, we consider questions about tying theme and mechanisms, selling games that don't have zombies and Cthulhu all over them, and some of the weirdest themes we've ever heard of. Thank you to some folks from the 1 Player Guild on BGG for providing excellent questions!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! We are very excited to continue bringing you old news – PAX Unplugged recap, part two!Jason shares about three more games that hit the table in and around PAX. First there’s Gem Rush, Second Edition (3:25), which is the first game that we will have reviewed twice on the pod. The Second Edition adds… more stuff! It doesn’t leave soot on your hands as you play! Jason is really excited to share about it.
The next game is also a reiteration – Cosmic Run: Regeneration from Dr. Finn’s Games (8:46). If you liked Deep Space D6, Jason thinks there’s a chance you’ll like this one even more.
We wrap up our reviews with one of the new adventure games from Martin Wallace, Wildlands (16:17). This one is getting a fair amount of buzz as a family friendly skirmish game with some Euro elements.
After the reviews, we get into some bigger conversations about the board gaming industry, particularly some of the mergers going on. Good friend of the pod Brenna Noonan stops by to chat about Game Salute’s acquisition of Victory Point Games. Then, Stephen Buonocore from Stronghold and Tricia Victor from Indie Boards and Cards talk about the new company they have founded, Indie Game Alliance. Finally, we take a look at the digital side with Jeremy from Handelabra Games – they of the recently completed Aeon’s End Kickstarter.
Last year, we went to PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, where we had a lot of fun, played a lot of games, and gathered clips from various attendees who spoke about the show. This year, we have two episodes for you! More games, more clips, and more coverage of the only convention that Jason gets to go to all year (hooray for newborns...).
We start things off with two first impressions of some good games - with some more plays, we might get back to these for some proper reviews. First, Anthony and Chris from Board Gamers Anonymous join Jason for his first play of Teotihuacan: City of Gods (3:42), a Euro worker placement game where you get to construct your own pyramid out of tiles and... yes... score points. After that, Jason ran for cover from all the Euro goodness and found himself demoing The Reckoners (16:25), a cooperative dice rolling superhero game based on a series of novels by Brandon Sanderson. Designer Brett Sobol was good enough to give us his thoughts on his design goals for player experience here.
For our sole proper review this episode, we take a look at Star Realms: Frontiers (25:50), the second full expansion for Star Realms. We take a particular look at the solo-coop space battle modules that this expansion includes, as well as the special, player-specific Legendary Commander packs which are sold separately. Finally, Jason spoke with one of the designers, Rob Dougherty, about the mechanical differences between Star Realms and Hero Realms.
Finally, we get to some hot previews! We hear from the designers and publishers of 1001 Odysseys (39:18), The Everrain (49:55), and Comanauts (57:04). All three of these promise storytelling and adventure in their gameplay, so you know Jason will be all over these when they release!
Thebrandt from the Portal Gaming Podcast rejoins the show to help us with the last of our "Should I Buy It?" series of deep dive, thorough reviews. We get into Chronicles of Crime, the new app-integrated case solving game from Lucky Duck Games. Brandt loves Detective from Portal Games, so we get into a comparison between the two, looking at what each of them offers in terms of complexity and fun factor.
To wrap up this quasi-holiday themed series of episodes, Jason presents five games to get for yourself and/ or others which are "beyond the hotness" (28:00). These are games which were NOT released in 2018 (plenty of lists do that), but which are continuing to be supported by the publisher and which might be worthy additions to any game collection.
You guys asked for Arkham? You're getting some Arkham! Every year, we get more and more content from the Cthulhu-verse, especially from Fantasy Flight. This year, we are getting a brand new edition of the grand-daddy of them all - Arkham Horror. How different is this new edition? Should folks who love and/ or own the second edition give this one a close look? I invited noted Arkham-ologist Luke Hector, the Broken Meeple, on to the show to help us figure that all out (4:06).
As a bonus, this episode also has part two of a crossover from our friends at Co-Op Cast. We were joined by Roy Cannady of Epic Gaming Night to talk about some of the expansions to the LCG (42:16), since we noticed that expansions don't get nearly the coverage merited by their popularity and sales numbers. We talk anout the second full cycle here, The Forgotten Age. Check out Co-Op Cast for part one, where we talk about the Dunwich Legacy.
https://m.soundcloud.com/user-318456537/coop-cast-se-episode-62-dunwich-legacy-arkham-lcg-cycle-with-every-night-is-game-night
After a brief paternity-induced hiatus, the Preview Series is back! We have a bit of an odd duck for you today. Jason wanted to cover the Nemo's War Kickstarter and generally catch up with Victory Point Games, so he reached out to see who would want to come on. After a while, all roads led to good friend of the show, Brenna Noonan with Game Salute.
Brenna hops on the pod, not only to chat about the new Kickstarter for two mini-expansions for Nemo's War, but also three other projects that have launched under the Starling Games imprint - Archmage: Ascendant, Shadowrift: Boomtown, and King's Forge: Masterworks. All four of these projects are expansions with niche audiences, so we're happy to bring them to you. Check out if you want to hop on these evergreen titles.
Happy Eve of the Holiday Season, everyone! 'Tis the season to get off the fence on some hot releases and buy some stuff. Over the next three episodes, we are going to give you some deep dive consumer guides on some of the hottest releases of the end of the year - Heroes of Terrinoth, Chronicles of Crime, and Arkham Horror 3rd Ed. All three of these games are, in their own ways, the latest iterations of larger genres or game systmes. So we're here to give you the facts and the context that you need.
This week, Jason is joined by Jay Imbrenda, a longtime adventure gamer who wrote an excellent review of Heroes of Terrinoth over on its BGG page. We get into critical distinctions between HoT and it's antecedent, Warhammer Quest ACG - in a nutshell, HoT has more character and quest options, but lacks a campaign in the starter box. We then get into hero mechanisms, the different quests, comparisons to other adventure card games, and a lot more.
It’s happening!
Every year, Jason and Anthony welcome Kevin Erskine for the biggest two-episodes of the year. This week, Kevin is back, along with Liz Davidson from Beyond Solitaire to discuss the second half of the 2018 People’s Choice Top 100 Solo Games from the 1 Player Guild on BGG.
Join the crew as they discuss the numbers and trends behind this year’s top 100, and run through games 50-1 on the list. If you’re interested in seeing what everyone is excited about in 2018, hide your wallet in a locked safe and join us for part one of our epic top 100 breakdown.
Check out the current top 100 solo games list on the 1 Player Guild on BGG here: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/248275/2018-peoples-choice-top-100-solo-games
It’s happening! Every year, Jason and Anthony welcome Kevin Erskine for the biggest two-episodes of the year. This year, Kevin is back, along with Liz Davidson from Beyond Solitaire to discuss the first half of the 2018 People’s Choice Top 100 Solo Games from the 1 Player Guild on BGG. Join the crew as they discuss the numbers and trends behind this year’s top 100, and run through games 51-100 on the list. If you’re interested in seeing what everyone is excited about in 2018, hide your wallet in a locked safe and join us for part one of our epic top 100 breakdown. Check out the current top 100 solo games list on the 1 Player Guild on BGG here: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/248275/2018-peoples-choice-top-100-solo-games-100-41
Jason is quasi-back from exile with a whole new, post-baby episode. It's only Jason this time because real life and scheduling both suck. Anthony will definitely be back next week. But we're going to make the most of this week with reviews of some great games, as well as Jason sharing a bit of about himself and the trials and tribulations of having a newborn around. Jason says it in the pod, but it bears repeating - thank God for solo gaming! A perfect blend with a newborn in the home.
First up is My Little Scythe (8:05), the children's version of Scythe that was originally released as a My Little Pony print and play game. Stonemaier Games picked up it and gave it some truly gorgeous production, but does it stand up as an enjoyable game for kids and for adults?
Next up is 1066, Tears to Many Mothers (17:20), an asymmetric card-based historical war game that plays in 30-45 minutes. It's a Hall or Nothing game, and Tristan Hall loves his solo modes, so we got one here as well.
Then we get into Dice Settlers (30:04), the latest from David Turczi that's chock full of custom dice and resource management. He has yet to make a flop, so a new one from him will always get attention from this pod.
Finally, Jason shares his thoughts about gaming with a newborn. Of course, you'll be apart from your game group for a bit. But, how long should a parent wait to game again? And what can a game group do to support?
Liz from Beyond Solitaire rejoins Anthony and Jason to talk about some games to while away your lunch hour at work.
First, we chat about Hero Realms (3:26), a variant of Star Realms with a fantasy theme. We love the original, but is this one possibly better? Liz then breaks down Multiuniversum (12:43), a puzzly card game about scientists closing portals which has a neat solo mode (even if the rulebook doesn't advertise it as such). Finally, Jason chats about a game in the Duelist line from Level 99, Professor Treasure's Secret Sky Castle (19:11).
For our discussion this week, we turn to the fans! If you have not joined our Facebook group, please check us out. A member of the group, Harrison Guzman, asked us to talk about games that would fit into someone's workday during lunch. Rather than just talk about it ourselves, we invited him and his girlfriend to join us and chat about how lunchtime games differ from regular old short games, and also give some tips and suggestions to draw people away from their computers.
Guess what? It's Anthony! With a special preview series episode featuring Swordcrafters designer/publisher Adam Rehberg.
This episode was recorded a couple of weeks before Essen so there are a handful of references to the upcoming show. You can look for the full release of Swordcrafters in mid-November.
Swordcrafters has some of the best table presence we've seen to date, and it was well worth discussing with the designer how it was built, what kind of hiccups come up during development of such a sweeping game, and how its family-friendly mechanisms played early on.
Join us for an interesting discussion about the genesis of a game, and how you can find Swordcrafters as it hits retailers in November. Adam also gives us a sneak peek at some of his upcoming Kickstarter projects for us to look out for, including a very interesting sounding abstract game Anthony will check out soon.
Liz, Jeremy, and Jason geek out and go gaga over more delivered Kickstarter projects!
Jason begin by gushing over the uberly cute Rescue Polar Bears (7:19 - is that a word? it is now!). Rescue Polar Bears is a family weight cooperative game that evokes Flash Point: Fire Rescue. In other words, right in Jason's wheelhouse!
Liz then chimes in with Holding On: The Troubled Life of Billy Kerr (16:59). This cooperative game about giving palliative care to a dying man has caused quite a stir since being announced. Liz and Jeremy share some thoughts about the hype.
Jason leaps back in to talk about Champions of Hara (31:53), an adventure game with hand management that evokes one of the truly great solo games of all time... well, you know. Finally, everyone jumps back in to talk about the adventure themed Euro game, Archmage (42:59). This is another beautiful (and on time!) production from Starling Games/ Game Salute.
Adam and Brady Sadler are back! Two of our favorite personal designers of solo/ coop games return to the show with the new expansion for Street Masters, Aftershock.
We love Street Masters here on ENGN. However, we recognize that some gamers encountered barriers when approaching it. We ask the Sadlers how they designed Aftershock not just for pure awesomeness, but to answer some of the criticisms that folks have had, including player scaling/ downtime at four players, rules issues in some scenario interactions, and lack of easy entry points for new players.
Aftershock promises to address some of the issues and present the best possible product for you to check out.
Liz and Jeremy are back! The creative minds behind Jambalaya Plays Games (https://jambalayaplaysgames.com/) and Beyond Solitaire (http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/) are here to share about their continuing and terrible KS acquisition disorders!
For the Kickstarter preview this week, we talk about a game that's already out and whose expansion is (or, at least, should be) live as we drop the episode - Expedition (4:17). It's a card-base RPG that has an app, as well as tons of fan-created content. These are not things that every gamer looks forward to! They break down whether this project integrates those things in ways that folks might find appealing.
We then turn to some recently delivered games. Jeremy tells us about Sailing Toward Osiris from Daily Magic Games (13:03), a gateway-level worker placement game from the same publishing house as the Valeria line of games. Liz then shares about End of the Trail (18:54), a clever little card game with some bluffing and negotiation that also has a solo mode. Finally, for our main event, Jason lets everyone know what he thought of Tiny Epic Zombies (23:25) while Jeremy pitches in with his opinions about the overall Tiny Epic project.
PWe welcome back Brenna Noonan from Starling Games to talk about their newest 1 vs. many game, Anomaly, live on Kickstarter on October 21, 2018.
This project was formerly called Ø: Fear Nothing. However, it struggled out of the gate, so Starling decided to pull the plug, repackage, offer a lower price point, and present the same game with a different name - Anomaly. Jason gives a bit of context for the campaign relaunch before presenting the episode.
After the preamble, we present the former episode in its entirety. Where you hear the name "Ø: Fear Nothing", please translate that in your head as Anomaly. We get into where the (former) name came from and also how Anomaly distinguishes itself mechanically from similar 1 vs. Many games like Specter Ops. Anomaly probably has a bit too much interaction here to support solo play, but fans of high level, above the table cooperative play might be very interested in what it has to offer. Finally, somewhere in the episode, Jason gets on his soapbox and beseeches gamers everywhere to give companies a chance!
Liz Davidson joins Jason to welcome Carla Kopp to the show, who is the founder and CEO of Weird Giraffe Games. Our original intention is to review Dreams of Tomorrow, which is live on Kickstarter on the day this podcast drops. We eventually get to that, after we have some fun chatting about random stuff first .
Dreams of Tomorrow is a 1-6 player light card game whose main selling point is a rondel system where players interact with one another to take actions, get cards, make sets, and mess with their neighbors. We get into mechanism talk, of course. Carla also lets us peek behind the curtain for a very interesting story about how Dreams of Tomorrow dodged quite a bullet, in terms of its theme.
Welcome to an episode that, as of about a week ago, Jason never intended to record! Over one weekend, Jason banged out a full solo campaign of Scythe: The Rise of Fenris. It was so good that it merited an immediate podcast about it.
Jason rides solo this week for a non-spoiler chat about Scythe: The Rise of Fenris (3:48), specifically what the different modules offer and whether it's a must for Scythe players (it is). After that, Jason gets into the two most recent modules for TIME Stories, Estrella Drive and Brotherhood of the Coast (18:30).
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
We clear yet? Now that we are in spoiler-ville, we invite Jamey Stegmaier to come along for the ride to chat about The Rise of Fenris (23:08). Are you the type of person who, after they watch their favorite TV show or movie, wants to gobble up all the extras, including the DVD commentaries? We have a treat for you! Jamey pulls back the design curtain on The Rise of Fenris and gives us details about mods that were left on the cutting room floor, design challenges and regrets, and ultimately pulling off a full, 8 game, thematic campaign. Guys, seriously, this interview is amazing. Go play The Rise of Fenris and check out this conversation, right now! .
For our final installment of GenCon reviews, we are dialing it back a bit and talking about some light, family weight games. In a way, we thought it was fitting since that's at the heart of what GenCon releases are all about - games meant to hit a lot of tables and where lots of families and groups can have a good time.
Anthony leads off with a beautiful card game that masquerades as a worker placement, Everdell (4:20). Starling's parent company, Game Salute, has a negative reputation around the board gaming world, yet games like Everdell seem to promise a new era for the company. Jason jumps in next and talks about The Big Score (15:09), a drafting game with a solo variant from our friends at Van Ryder Games.
Anthony then tells us about Petrichor (24:14), a game about... rain? It certainly has a unique theme, and Anthony will let you know whether it has mechanisms to match. Finally, and as a fitting capstone, Jason breaks down one of the hottest, most anticipated games of the con - the newest Forbidden game from Matt Leacock, Forbidden Sky (33:27).
We here at Every Night is Game Night love when we can preview a project that we've already reviewed and already know is good. Back in Episode 96, Liz, Jeremy and Jason covered a bunch of recently delivered KS projects including The Shared Dream, a big, scenario-based adventure game with an Arkham Horror feel, but with some interesting twists that made it unique.
The CEO and co-founder of ODAM publishing (as well as fellow New Yorker), John Borgese was good enough to stop by the show to talk about what's new with this project. Thanks to fan feedback, they have revamped the core box of The Shared Dream and are giving you a big expansion with more coop and solo play. John breaks down how the fans made the game better and what the new expansion has to offer.
When the year began and we were looking at the landscape of upcoming games, we didn't foresee that Root would emerge as a contender for Game of the Year. Even for those who don't see what all the fuss is all about, there's no denying that Root is generating a lot to fuss about.
What's the deal? Anthony, Jason, and special guest The Brandt from the Portal Gaming Podcast break down where it improves on Vast, how it succeeds at being both asymmetrical and accessible, and some issues people have.
For our Improve Your Play segment, we invited the designer of Root, Cole Wherle, to share his thoughts (22:01). We have a long discussion about general strategy for Root, as well as how to win with (or, perhaps more importantly, how to beat) each of the base game's four factions. Special thanks to my friend Harrison for helping out, who has played Root a bunch and who contributes his own perspectives.
Please do not be intimidated by the length of the show! A good chunk of the audio occurs after the outro music, where Cole talks about the expansion factions and gives some more general thoughts.
Here at Every Night is Game Night, we give the people what they want. A follower on twitter, Lyle Freijo, tagged both ENGN and Thunderworks Games and equested a preview series for their latest game, Lockup. Keith Matejka and Jason quickly emailed one another and made it happen the same night. Ask and you shall receive!
Keith chats about the genesis of the new game Lockup, a worker placement game with a healthy dose of suspicion and mischief at the table. Keith focuses especially on the pain-staking process of playtesting and producing the most polished product they could provide.
He also talks a lot about the success of Roll Player and the slow process of turning it into a franchise. Yes, there are many, many more games in the Roll Player universe to come.
Anthony took a nap for last week's episode, so now it's time for Jason to hit the hay and let Anthony spread Euro wings. We chat some very hot Euros that were featured at GenCon this year. We also invited our friend, thebrandt from the Portal Gaming podcast, to help Anthony out in dissecting these games.
Today, we will discuss:
Newton - 4:21
Coimbra - 16:12
Wendake - 23:31
Founders of Gloomhaven - 36:06
Anthony has run for the hills this week, making room for Jason to revel in new cooperative games from GenCon (don't worry, Anthony be back next week in all of his Euro glory). Jason also brought along a few friends from the One Stop Coop Shop YouTube channel and also CoOp Cast, Colin and Steve. Thanks for helping out!
They go over some fun games that were featured at the big show. Colin breaks down Talisman: Legendary Tales (4:14), a children's style adventure game that hearkens back (sort of) to the old Talisman game that many folks have played before. Jason and Steve then break down SEAL Team Flix (12:17), a flicking game about marines infiltrating some enemy bases. It's certainly unique, which we appreciate here on ENGN!
Jason and Colin then break down Kitchen Rush (22:54), newly released in the US from Stronghold Games. Kitchen Rush is a real time game about running a restaurant that Colin has played an estimated 40 times already (so you know it must be pretty good, at the very least). Finally, all three of the boys on the call have a nice, healthy debate about The Captain is Dead: Lockdown (36:03), a standalone expansion to The Captain is Dead from AEG.
Jason is very, very, very excited to bring you an expansion to one of his favorite family-weight games. The Primordial expansion for Planetarium is current live on kickstarter. Brenna Noonan, who works for Game Salute and helped with the development with the expansion, stopped by the show to talk about how the two modules of the expansion directly addressed issues that people may have had with the base game.
We also get a quick preview of the expansion for Everdell, also currently on Kickstarter.
Brenna then goes into some shop talk about Game Salute. People hear the name "Game Salute" and they have feelings about it. Brenna gives her honest reaction to Game Salute's poor reputation, as well as what she and her company have done to rebound and move forward.
Check out the project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sparkworks/planetarium-primordial-expand-your-planetarium-uni
Our post GenCon coverage rolls on with expansions for some of our favorite games.
Jason starts off with a review of Tiny Epic Defenders: The Dark War (4:17), as well as the second edition of the base game, Jason answers whether this one will have a chance to convert folks who may have been on the fence about it from the first edition and whether it has something new to offer. Anthony takes the baton for an expansion to one of our favorite games - the Prelude expansion for Terraforming Mars (11:23). Short answer: just get it, it's pretty awesome. Jason comes back with Near and Far: Amber Mines (16:51), which includes a long awaited cooperative mode. Anthony's final expansion is the Beyond the Gates Expansion for Paper Tales, which adds a solo mode to this card drafting game.
Finally, Luke and Jason duke it out over one of the biggest expansions to land this year - Sentinels of the Multiverse: Oblivaeon (34:20). One of us liked it, one of us didn't, so it was a lot of fun to go back and forth about it. We hope you enjoy us geeking out over this one, as well.
Our massive, multi-part GenCon recap rolls on! This week, we have some games that are heavily soaked in story and narrative. If you are looking to engage your family and/ or game group in some immersive experiences, we have some good picks for you.
First, Anthony talks about Spy Club (3:20), a card-based game where you act as Nancy Drew-esque kid crime solvers, tracking down suspects and righting wrongs in your own home town. Anthony and Jason come down on surprisingly different sides of the fence for that one. Jason then describes and compares Z-Man Games Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger with the Graphic Novel Adventures from Van Ryder Games (13:35). They both cover the same ground, but do so in very different ways and for different audiences. Finally, Anthony chimes back in and talks about Detective: A Modern Crime Story from Portal Games (22:51).
Comparing all of these experiences led both of us to discuss the broader nature of theme in games - what does "theme" actually mean, what makes a game truly thematic, etc. We didn't plan to have that conversation at all, so it felt really organic and exciting to discuss something near and dear to our hearts (well, at least one of us...).
It's been a little while since the last Preview Series pod, but we are back with a fun little card game (you know Jason loves his card games). Konstantinos Kokkinis, founder and CEO of Artipia Games, joins the show to chat about A Thief's Fortune.
This is a card drafting game with some neat mechanisms meant to highlight a richer storytelling element than you might find in similar games. Konstantinos gives his pitch for how the tactically inspired mechanisms lend to the theme, and also discusses the solo mode.
After we chat about the game, Jason pokes his nose into the behind-the-scenes of the last Kickstarter project for this game. This is not the first launch of A Thief's Fortune - it was launched earlier in the year, but pulled four days in. Konstantinos was very honest about why Artipia pulled the project, how they dealt with miffed backers, and what they did to make this project better.
KS Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/241478362/a-thiefs-fortune-by-artipia-games?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=thief%27s%20fortune
Holy GenCon reviews! This is the first of a multi-part series where we cover all of the fun stuff we played post-GenCon. There was a LOT of games and, to our surprise, much of it was pretty good! We won't keep all of these games on our shelves, but we can say that pretty much everything we talk about over the next few episodes will appeal to someone out there in our audience.
This week, we chat about "filler" games. We do not mean that term pejoratively! These are games that might slide into anyone's collection and provide fun for families and gamers alike.
Trainmaker (6:52)
Railroad Ink (11:30)
Istanbul: The Dice Game (17:27)
Palm Island (24:53)
Maiden's Quest (29:28)
The Draugr (39:07)
We did it! Episode 100! The whole ENGN family has gathered - Anthony, Jason, and Liz. We chat about things we are thankful for, both with reference to the pod as well as to the larger world of board gaming.
First, all three of us share some thoughts about an older game we are are very thankful for. These are three games that have permanent places in our collections, so we are happy to share about them with you - Nations (4:13), Space Alert (15:40), and Baseball Highlights 2045 (26:45). After that, we share some reflections about the last 100 episodes.
We chat about noteworthy past episodes, favorite interviews and segments, and some life difficulties behind the mic that the pod has helped us overcome. If that wasn't enough, we also have some audio clips from past guests - gamers, content creators, and designers - who wanted to share things they are thankful about in the board gaming hobby.
Thank you for joining us for 100 episodes. We're just hitting our groove. We hope you stick around for at least 100 more.
Are you a person who owns Star Wars: Rebellion, but it just sits there collecting dust because you don't have the time or table space for it? This week, we have a game for you!
We welcome Jon Simantov to the pod, designer of Liberation, which is an 18 card game which distills the essence of what makes Star Wars: Rebellion fun into a short, tight, and fun package.
Jon discusses how he was able to recreate truly asymmertic gameplay in only 18 cards, as well as the advice he got from famous designers while making Liberation. Jason Tagmire from Button Shy Games also joins us to talk about the current Kickstarter and how Liberation fits into his growing catalog of 18 card games (over 60 and counting!).
Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/239309591/liberation-an-asymmetric-hidden-movement-game
For our last episode before 100, we are really excited to shine a big, bright spotlight on a few corners of the board gaming world that you might not know much about. If you want to build up some "indie cred" when it comes to some potential hot games in the future, this is the show for you!
First up, we welcome back Chris Harris, who runs the Solitaire Print and Play game design contest on BGG. We spoke with Chris last year, and he's back to talk about how much the contest has grown, how excited we are for past winners and designers to move on to bigger and better things (including the publication of last year's winner, Black Sonata), and what's there to check out this year.
As of the date of this episode airing, 8/10/18, the Solitaire PnP contest is still going on. You can check out games, participate in playtests, and follow conversations here: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2011569/2018-solitaire-print-and-play-contest
Our second interview is a doozy - five people on a Skype call, and somehow it did not collapse in on itself. We welcome various folks involved with the GenCant Game Design contest this year, run in tandem with Button Shy Games. Jason Tagmire is the founder and CEO of Button Shy, while Jon Simantov is the designer of Button Shy's latest game, Liberation, soon to hit Kickstarter. They were two of the judges who declared two winners. Elizabeth Hargrave was recognized for her 2-4 player, "I split, you choose" game, Tussie Mussie, while Corry Damey contributed the 2 player tile laying game, Seasons of Rice. We get into the games, the process of picking winners, and some dos and don't for anyone who wants to enter contests like this one in the future.
Anthony is taking the reins this week, at least when it comes to the games we're reviewing this week. Anthony is a huge, huge fan of Roll and Write games, so he wanted to take some time and share about three different games. Welcome To... is all the hotness nowadays. He also tells us about Steamrollers and the (hopefully) soon to be available in the US, Ganz schon clever.
If you want to check out a whole Facebook group on Roll and Write games, check out the group made by Glenn Flaherty from the Board Games and Bourbon YouTube channel: https://www.facebook.com/groups/224908144790699/about/
We then answer a question from our Facebook group this week, from our friend Corey Mayo. We get into the distinction between "solo" and "solitaire", as well as how we should regard a gamer who enjoys playing games multihanded. Should chess be considered a solo game if you play both sides? We tackle that question from all angles, hopefully shedding more light than heat.
We are happy to be joined this week by Stephen Gibson. He gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the design, development, and multiple iterations of Grimslingers, a card game that has a duel mode as well as a solo-coop adventure card game mode.
We thought this would be an interesting discussion, not only to talk about Grimslingers and its new expansion, Northern Territories, but also to address big picture questions about iteration of design, responding to fan feedback, releasing multiple editions, and working with a publisher. Stephen gives his very honest opinions about the whole process.
To help us with the show, we have enlisted Wendy Barlow of the Singlehandedly blog. Thanks, Wendy!
If you want to check out more content for Grimslingers, especially the latest version of the campaign mode, follow this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1609x-kod0y1wdK3SnNeYDdSV8VU7hieAzui2rGXzzCc/edit
We didn't think we would do another Kickstarter mega-pod for a good long while. However, we've gotten so many delivered kickstarters that we had to bring the band back together! (we know, we have some acquisition disorder issues...) So, we are happy to welcome back Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games.
First up, Jeremy shares about Ninth World: A Skill Building Game in Numenara (5:25), a deckbuilder-esque cooperative game with a RPG feel. Then Liz tells us about the new 4x-style release from our friend Carla Kopp, Stellar Leap (13:30). Jason then brings us away from the short games and talks about two big, honking adventure games which could not be more different - the Euro-style mechanism heavy dungeon crawling game, Perdition's Mouth: Abyssal Rift (20:17), as well as the urban, story driven adventure game, The Shared Dream (36:47), Finally, the whole gang weighs in about a deckbuilder set in a Roman Colosseum setting, Carthage (48:54).
In today's episode, we talk about two highly competitive games, both set in fictional worlds that both Anthony and Jason absolutely love.
First, we talk about The Expanse (3:24), an area control game set in the universe of the same name. Anthony explores some of the mechanisms here that evoke Twilight Struggle, while Jason brings his usual investigative eye towards theme integration.
After that, Jason covers Mistborn: House War, a negotiation game filled with betrayal and chicanery set in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn universe. Jason played the game with two groups - a group that did not know the books, and a group of Kickststarter backers (pictured int the banner) that love the Mistborn series.
We hear their different reactions and perspectives. We also had a chance to talk to Alex Flagg from Crafty Games, who shares some of the background detail about how Mistborn: House War came together and why they chose to make it a competitive game.
Following up on Top 100 Co-ops from all of last week, we keep the co-op love going with this episode. First, Anthony and Jason share about their recent plays of Thanos Rising: Avengers Infinity War (4:13), letting you know if this game rises above its IP and can stand alone on its own. Then we chat about the new real time game from Tim Fowers that just shipped to Kickstarter backers, Now Boarding (12:12).
For our latest Improve Your Play segment, we tackle a game that has earned its reputation for being very, very difficult to beat - Ghost Stories (23:50). Jason chats with designer Mike Mullins (Circle the Wagons, Pentaquark) about basic strategies to hopefully help your group over the finish line.
Over the last month, Jason was joined by Luke Hector from The Broken Meeple to talk about their Top 100 Cooperative Games. We've provided you with that audio throughout the entire week, which we hope you have enjoyed. You can see the videos for all 100 games, including some bonuses, over at Luke's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ.
In this episode, we present Luke and Jason's Top 10 Cooperative Games from that list. In addition, Anthony jumps in with his own Top 10 list. If you've paid any attention to our show, you know Anthony is way more enthused about Euros. So, before we get to the coops, Anthony shares his favorite Euros that play solo.
Before we get to our Top Ten Cooperative Games in our next full ENGN episode, we wanted to share with you some of the games that missed the list. There's about 40 more games here outside of the top 100, including some excellent games that would have made the list but were played after the list was completed. Between everything presented here, you should be good for ages! Once again, please head over to The Broken Meeple's YouTube Channel for the original video versions of the show: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ
We are almost finished with our journey through Top 100 Cooperative Games! Please check out Luke's channel to see the series in its entirety: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ
Timestamps provided for user friendliness. Enjoy!
3:38 - #20: Onirim
6:07 - #19: Werewords/ Insider
11:01 - #18: First Martians
14:53 - #17: Mechs vs. Minions
18:27 - #16: Freedom: The Underground Railroad
21:38 - #15: Hanabi
25:42 - #14: Forbidden Desert
28:32 - #13: Aeon's End
33:47 - #12: Lord of the Rings LCG
41:38 - #11: Pandemic Legacy: Season One
As always, please go ahead and check out the Broken Meeple YouTube channel for the original video version of this list: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ Timestamps provided for user friendliness. Enjoy! 0:29 - #30 - Star Wars: Imperial Assault 3:59 - #29 - Spirit Island 8:56 - #28 - Shadows Over Camelot 12:17 - #27 - Mansions of Madness, 2nd Edition 21:35 - #26 - Codenames Duet 26:18 - #25 - Legendary Encounters: Alien 30:55 - #24 - Dead of Winter 37:57 - #23 - Burgle Bros. 43:15 - #22 - Mysterium 48:36 - #21 - Gloomhaven
The week of Top 100 Cooperative Games continues! You guys know the drill - go ahead and check out the Broken Meeple YouTube channel for the original video version of this list: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ Timestamps provided for user friendliness. Enjoy! 3:41 - #40 - Legendary: Marvel 9:57 - #39 - Escape: Curse of the Temple 13:27 - #38 - Exit/ Unlock 17:06 - #37 - Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective 20:16 - #36 - Not Alone 24:56 - #35 - Elder Sign 30:09 - #34 - Forbidden Island 32:07 - #33 - Paperback 35:15 - #32 - Specter Ops 39:55 - #31 - Professor Evil and the Citadel of Time
We charge ahead in our top 100 cooperative games! You guys know the drill - go ahead and check out the Broken Meeple YouTube channel for the original version of this list: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ
Timestamps provided for user friendliness. Enjoy!
0:29 - #50: Stuffed Fables
3:44 - #49: Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
7:07 - #48: Magic Maze
13:46 - #47: Pandemic: The Cure
18:47 - #46: Mage Knight
26:17 - #45: Space Alert
31:32 - #44: Arkham Horror
39:16 - #43: Witness
44:00 - #42: Fog of Love
48:28 - #41: Runebound
We charge ahead in our top 100 cooperative games! You guys know the drill - go ahead and check out the Broken Meeple YouTube channel for the original version of this list: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ
Timestamps provided for user friendliness. Enjoy!
4:11 - #60: Legacy of Dragonholt
9:30 - #59: Kitchen Rush
11:57 - #58: Warhammer Quest ACG
16:22 - #57: Days of Ire: Budapest 1956
21:24 - #56: Castle Panic
26:00 - #55: The 7th Continent
34:38 - #54: Sword & Sorcery
35:40 - #53: Near and Far
42:07 - #52: Descent
47:47 - #51: XCOM
Here's even more cooperative goodness with the Broken Meeple. Timestamps provided to make it easier for you to follow along. Please visit The Broken Meeple's YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ, for the full video version.
0:29 - #70 - Untold: Adventures Await
2:04 - #69 - The Banishing
3:59 - #68 - Commissioned
5:53 - #67 - Pathfinder Adventure Card Game
9:57 - #66 - Space Hulk Death Angel
15:06 - #65 - The Ravens of Thri Sahasri
18:12 - #64 - FUSE
22:57 - #63 - Carnival Zombie
26:55 - #62 - Mice and Mystics
31:16 - #61 - Zombiecide: Black Plague
You read that right, ENGN fans. We are going to continue counting down the top 100 cooperative games all week, here on the feed. This is the audio version of the video series on The Broken Meeple YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ. We have provided time stamps here to make it easier for you to follow along. Hope you enjoy!
4:17 - #80 - Sylvion
7:42 - #79 - Beasts of Balance
10:52 - #78 - Unusual Suspects
14:39 - #77 - Black Orchestra
19:00 - #76 - Gloom of Kilforth
21:28 - #75 - Battlestar Galactica
25:00 - #74 - Dragonfire
29:42 - #73 - Darkest Night
36:25 - #72 - Police Precinct
41:52 - #71 - Level 7: Omega Protocol
Here are the games we will cover in this episode with time stamps. Please reference this list in cases where we don't explicitly say the name of the game in the audio. Hope you enjoy!
0:28 - #90 - Thunderbirds
4:55 - #89 - V-Commandos
7:23 - #88 - This War of Mine
10:05 - #87 - Warhammer Quest
11:44 - #86 - Too Many Bones
14:46 - #85 - Dead Men Tell No Tales
18:28 - #84 - Tiny Epic Defenders
23:14 - #83 - Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game
26:59 - #82 - Fury of Dracula
31:02 - #81 - The Dwarves
We hope you enjoyed last week's two part episode on designing solo variants! Because of that, this week will not be a regular episode. Instead, we are going to give you audio versions of Top 100 Cooperative Games, a video series that Jason made with Luke Hector, the Broken Meeple: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcqxxQjrg0KUN944dQ.
This audio is the same as the video on Luke's channel. If you prefer to watch the video, go ahead and go over to Luke's channel for that. If you want to listen on your commute or drive, though, then this audio is here for you. Over the next week, we will release episodes for all 100 games. On Friday, Anthony will jump back in and share a special Top Ten list of his own.
Here are the games we will cover in this episode with time stamps. Please reference this list in cases where we don't explicitly say the name of the game in the audio. Hope you enjoy!
8:34 - #100 - Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle
10:16 - #99 - Mountains of Madness
13:20 - #98 - Defenders of the Last Stand
14:57 - #97 - Legends of Andor
18:01 - #96 - Orleans: Invasion
20:30 - #95 - Kingdom Death: Monster
23:53 - #94 - 7 Days of Westerplatte
26:41 - #93 - One Deck Dungeon
29:01 - #92 - Xenoshyft
32:46 - #91 - Rising 5: Runes of Asteros
As much as we love bringing you content about all sorts of Kickstarter projects, it gives us a special warm feeling in our hearts when we can promote a project from a first time designer. We welcome Joseph Chen to the show to talk about Fantastic Factories.
The project funded in the first few hours of launch, which is an amazing accomplishment considering that this is Joseph and his partner are doing it themselves without any official publisher backing. Joseph will tell you about the game - think Alien Frontiers: The Card Game - and also about how he was able to reach out to folks and build a community that has been playing and loving his game.
Welcome to Part Two of our roundtable conversation about solo variant design. If you missed Part One, please go back in the feed and check it out. We've released both episodes simultaneously because... well, we want you to have it!
In this half of our discussion with Keith, Mike, and Ricky, we get into their process as designers, as well as their greatest difficulties and how they overcame them. They also get into solo variants within the board game publishing world, both within the traditional routes and in Kickstarter projects.
Before we get on to the episode, we want to remind every one about the contest we are running for our community. As of this podcast's airdate (6/15), you only have a few days left!
We are now offering more prizes. One winner will get a prize pack which includes Herbaceous and Sunset Over Water from Pencil First Games! Another will receive their choice between Hoplomachus: Origins and Comancheria. If we reach 75 likes on our Geeklist, we will give away a copy of Legacy of Dragonholt.
All you have to do to enter the contest is:
1) Join the new Every Night is Game Night Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/215849212533088/
2) Put a comment in the general comment section of our BGG Geeklist: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/228542/every-night-game-night-episode-guide
Each entry is worth one point. If you do both, you will get credit for five entries! Contest will end Tuesday, 6/18, at 10 PM EST.
Welcome to our second designer roundtable episode! The first time around, we had a few designers of massive, scenario-based games to talk about what it's like to design in the fantasy adventure space. This time, we were able to gather some of the best minds in solo variant design for a discussion about how they go about turning your favorite multiplayer experiences into games that the soloist can enjoy. We had a fabulous and edifying discussion with Keith Matejka (Roll Player, Sunset Over Water variant), Mike Mullins (Bottom of the 9th, Pentaquark), and Ricky Royal (Renegade, Guilds of London variant).
In Part One of our conversation, we get to know our three guests as gamers and as designers. We then discuss their overall approaches to solo variant design and the different kinds of variants one can make - high score challenge, binary win-loss conditions, or different kinds of "robot" players.
If you ever had any interest in getting under the hood of a game, either as a fledgling designer or as someone who is curious as to how professional designers make it all works, this is the show for you!
Before we get on to the episode, we are happy to announce our first contest here at ENGN! We are looking to build some online community centers where people could reliably interact with us.
The first prize is a prize pack which includes Herbaceous and Sunset Over Water from Pencil First Games! Please visit their current Kickstarter page if you want the third game in the series, Herbaceous Sprouts - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ebaraf/herbaceous-sprou....
Here is your chance to get those first two games for free! If we get a certain number of entries, we will add more prizes! Good ones, too, including Hoplomachus Origins, Comancheria, and possibly more!
All you have to do to enter the contest is:
1) Join the new Every Night is Game Night Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/215849212533088/
2) Put a comment in the general comment section of our BGG Geeklist: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/228542/every-night-game-night-episode-guide
Each entry is worth one point. If you do both, you will get credit for five entries! Contest will end Friday, 6/22.
For this episode, we hearken back to Episode 39 of our show, where we previewed some games that were featured at Origins 2017. Anthony and Jason take a new look at games like The Lost Expedition, Caverna: Cave vs. Cave, Sword & Sorcery, and others. Most of our previewed games really delivered! Others... not so much.
We then talk about games we are looking forward to at Origins 2018, including The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Archmage, and Fleet: The Dice Game. Along with this episode, we are also giving you a separate Preview Series episode talking with Rory O'Connor about Holding On: The Troubled Life of Billy Kerr from Hub Games. It will be available as a demo at this year's Origins show.
Finally, Anthony will be at Origins. If you see him walking around, feel free to invite him to play a game!
This week, we preview one of the most distinct games you will hear about this year. The co-designers from Hub Games - Michael Fox and Rory O'Connor, join us this week to talk about Holding On: The Troubled Life of Billy Kerr. This is a cooperative worker placement game with an extremely unique theme - you are a nurse providing palliative care to a dying man, and your job is to keep him alive while helping him restore his memories.
Michael and Rory talk about taking on such a difficult theme, as well as mechanical issues such as how they dealt with the alpha player issue in a coop game. This one is really unique, and we are happy to give you an early explanation for it.
To be clear, this game is not on Kickstarter or any kind of preorder yet. However, you can observe demos of the game at both Origins and GenCon. It will be released at Essen 2018. If you want a demo, though, sign up fast at this year's Origins!
We welcome Liz from Beyond Solitaire and Jeremy from Jambalaya Plays Games back to the show! As we like to do when we have guests, we share about some games we completely adore, but which aren't getting the publicity they deserve.
First, Jeremy tells us about Coldwater Crown (2:58), a worker placement style game with a fishing theme. The expansion for this game, The Sea Expansion, is currently live on Kickstarter.
Next, Liz shares about something of a "grail" game for some gamers, Coffee Roaster (10:29). Jeremy then hops back in to discuss a cooperative deckbuilder from the designer of Terraforming Mars, After the Virus (18:13).
For our discussion, we chat about getting started as a board game reviewer. We share about our first steps, building relationships with the community and with publishers, and also trying hard to keep the sense that we are gamers, as well. For anyone who has a ton of passion about the board gaming hobby and wants another outlet besides just playing a ton, we hope that we can give you some ideas.
Today, we're featuring an asymmertrical, two player, family friendly deduction game with a Peter Pan/ Neverland theme (you guys know how much I love my thematic games). Dan Letzring of Leitman Games hops on the show to talk about this design from Scott Almes, including some bits about its original theme (Boston Tea Party???), how it works across different skill levels and age groups, and some other tidbits.
Neverland Rescue is live on Kickstarter!: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/letimangames/the-neverland-rescue-by-scott-almes?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=neverland%20rescue
We are happy to present to you our first Kickstarter Mega-Pod! If you've been following our Preview Series, you'll know that we cover lots of kickstarter projects while they are live. So it's very nice when the games actually deliver and we can talk about them!
This undertaking was so big that we had to enlist some help - Liz Davidson from Beyond Solitaire, as well as Jeremy Howard from Jambalaya Plays Games - https://jambalayaplaysgames.com/.
We have five games for you this week (spoiler - they are all good). First, we get into an interesting discussion about the City of Kings (7:58), both in terms of the game itself as well as the imaginative possibilities inherent in big adventure games like this one. Next, Jeremy tells us about the big space exploration game Centauri Saga (21:54), while Liz covers the Monsters and Minions expansion for Roll Player (28:53).
To finish things off, we have two games that all of us have played. We get into Street Masters (32:39), an arcade-style beat 'em up game with lots of similarities to Sentinels of the Multiverse. Finally, we chat about Renegade, the debut co-op puzzle game from our friend, Ricky Royal (46:52).
We apologize for presenting an episode that's a hair over an hour. But we had so much fun! We hope you enjoy it.
Enter the BGA World Cup Sci Fi contest for a chance to win a free science fiction board game here:
http://boardgamersanonymous.com/2018-world-cup-science-fiction-board-games-contest/
Herbaceous Sprouts is the third in a line of gorgeous small filler games from Dr. Steve Finn, Ed Baraf et. al. Both Herbaceous and Sunset Over Water were big hits for Pencil First Games, and now we have the third standalone game in that line.
Herbaceous Sprouts is a dice drafting and manipulation game that plays in about 20-30 minutes. Check out our interview with Ed to her how it plays, as well as how it compares to Sagrada and other dice manipulation games.
We also get into the previous two games in the series, so please check that out if you are interested in pledging for all three games.
Herbaceous Sprouts is live!: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ebaraf/1004273242?ref=468833&token=dee5c91b
For anyone who has ever wanted us to "not hold back", so to speak, and give out some objectively bad reviews of games, this is the show for you! We tell you our reasons why you might want to avoid the Witcher Adventure Game (4:55), Witches of the Revolution (14:27), and Shipwrights of the North Sea (21:05). In the discussion at the back half of the podcast, we tell you about our approach to these kinds of reviews and why you haven't heard an episode like this from us before. Hopefully, we review nothing but good games going forward! (yeah, right...)
Out first repeat Preview Series guest! Way back in episode 6, Brady hopped on the show while he was on the road to Origins to talk about Street Masters. This week, his brother Adam joins him to talk about the follow up to Street Masters from Blacklist Games, Brook City. We get into the Modular Deck game system they are developing, how they wanted Brook City to evoke 80s cop games, mechanisms that make the different cops and criminals unique, and a lot more.
We ran a bit longer than usual for the game description, but the Sadlers were so much fun to have on as guests that we just let it ride. Lots and lots of laughs to be had in our discussion.
After we wrap our conversation about Brook City, the Sadlers share their Top Five Cop Action Movies. This was a really rip roaring good time of a conversation. You will be very, very surprised to hear which movie hits number one on both of their lists!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blacklistgames/brook-city?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=brook%20city
We are happy to welcome Jenn Bartlett, the Board Game Librarian, to the show! She is a contributor to Board Game Breakfast on the Dice Tower, where she shares her passion for games inspired by books in her weekly segment, From the Page to the Table.
We chat about three such games in this episode. First, Anthony talks about his recent plays of Dinosaur Island (5:18), which was based on a movie that was based on a book! That counts, right? Second, Jenn shares about a light war game from Academy Games, 878 Vikings (17:41). Finally, Jason shared about a family weight game with a mischievous spirit, The Grimm Forest (27:18). We end with a discussion of how libraries could fill vital roles in our gaming lives. So, if you are looking for an alternative place to gather, play games, try games, and all of that good stuff, Jenn talks all about how your library could be a good resource (or, if it isn't how you could advocate and make your library a good resource).
**Programming note - We did the best we could with a subopitmal sound setup, We apologize for that and hope you enjoy the show.
April 28th, 2018 was International Table Top Day, the once per year event where we celebrate board games, RPGs, and all things that bring people together around the table.
Jason spent the day at the Portal Gaming Store in Manchester, CT, where they held a 24-hour event for one of the best board gaming meetup communities in the country. Many games were played, three of which we fully review in this pod: -
-The Shipwreck Arcana (11:30)
-Herbaceous (25:35)
-Sunset Over Water (39:30)
Also, we hear audio clips from folks at the store throughout the day, including some fellow content creators from the Dice Tower Network. Jason had a great Table Top Day experience; we hope you did, as well!
This week, we chat about Gem Rush, a Victory Points Game from 2012 which is the latest to get the "Premiere Line" treatment. That means out with the pizza box and the sooty tokens, and in with a new, beautiful edition! We welcome Jeremy Lennert on to the show to talk about the new edition, what has changed from the first edition (and whether it's worth it for fans of the old edition to take a look), as well as the app that 's being developed along side of it.
Gem Rush Second Edition: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/567823005/gem-rush-second-edition?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=gem%20rush
As we announced last week, we are taking a break from the regular episodes this week after the MEGA two parter that we dropped last week. If you have not done so, please check out the Fantasy Adventure Designer Roundtable we did with a bunch of really cool folks. We will be back next week with a regular episode.
For now, though, we have another kickstarter preview which represents something of a left turn from the products we usually feature. We are happy to bring to you an interview about a brand spanking new RPG system called Overlight, currently running on Kickstarter. This represents the first foray into RPGs for Renegade Game Studios, which will serve both as a standalone product as well as a backdrop for a number of Renegade game products moving forward.
Sara Erickson, Renegade's Director of Sales and Marketing, drops by the show to talk about the development of the system and what it offers that's different from other similar products. And, of course, since Jason is a massive RPG geek, he presses Sara for details about mechanisms, potential enemies in the world, what adventures look like in the system, and assorted other nuts and bolts.
Check out Overlight on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/165626423/overlight-rpg-a-roleplaying-game-of-kaleidoscopic?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=overlight
We are calling an audible! We originally intended to release Part Two of our fantasy adventure discussion one week after Part One. However, why wait? We've decided to just give you double the content for the week, instead. Because of the double content week, we are going to give you Preview Series episode next week, then get back to our regular series of episodes one week after that.
In Part Two of our conversation with Isaac, Frank, and Tristan, we talk about mechanisms that did and didn't work in their games, as well as designers they get excited about and where they see the industry going in the future.
The City of Kings is now in Kickstarter! - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcokgame/the-city-of-kings-ancient-allies-and-vadoran-garde?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20city%20of%20kings
And also check out Tristan Hall's latest project, Lifeform - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tristanhall/lifeform-the-sci-fi-horror-board-game-for-1-4-play?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=lifeform
Here at ENGN, we always have fun when we bring a special guest on to share about their projects and their passion. For this episode, we have tripled down and brought together three designers whose passion led them to producing three massive, exciting fantasy games. We are happy to have the designers of Gloomhaven, The City of Kings, and Gloom of Kilforth, respectively, talk about their love of fantasy games and some interesting aspects to designing and producing them. Not only that, we took the majority of the questions from fans who were good enough to respond on Facebook and BGG. Thanks to all who helped out!
This episode will be Part One of Two. In this episode, we get to know their backgrounds as fantasy gamers as well as the importance of rich, original theme.
The City of Kings is now in Kickstarter! - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcokgame/the-city-of-kings-ancient-allies-and-vadoran-garde?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20city%20of%20kings
And also check out Tristan Hall's latest project, Lifeform - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tristanhall/lifeform-the-sci-fi-horror-board-game-for-1-4-play?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=lifeform
Here at ENGN, we always have fun when we bring a special guest on to share about their projects and their passion. For this episode, we have tripled down and brought together three designers whose passion led them to producing three massive, exciting fantasy games. We are happy to have the designers of Gloomhaven, The City of Kings, and Gloom of Kilforth, respectively, talk about their love of fantasy games and some interesting aspects to designing and producing them. Not only that, we took the majority of the questions from fans who were good enough to respond on Facebook and BGG. Thanks to all who helped out!
This episode will be Part One of Two. In this episode, we get to know their backgrounds as fantasy gamers as well as the importance of rich, original theme.
The City of Kings is now in Kickstarter! - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcokgame/the-city-of-kings-ancient-allies-and-vadoran-garde?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20city%20of%20kings
And also check out Tristan Hall's latest project, Lifeform - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tristanhall/lifeform-the-sci-fi-horror-board-game-for-1-4-play?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=lifeform
Many solo and cooperative gamers love Legendary Encounters: Alien. However, for as good as that game is, it doesn't replicate the emotions of the original movie - the suspense, the dread, or the desperation to survive. Lifeform, currently on Kickstarter, aims to bring you just that.
It is a one vs. many game where an unstoppable alien being has boarded your mining ship, and you have to scramble out of the ship as best you can. We get into some design questions about the one vs. many aspects of the game, as well as the solo mode that you can get separately with the Kickstarter.
KS page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tristanhall/lifeform-the-sci-fi-horror-board-game-for-1-4-play
We welcome Kevin Erskine back to the show to continue... not talking about the current hotness! Last week, we went back and looked at a classic in the genre. This week, we look at more older games that we like, but which may have slipped under your radar.
First, Jason takes a look at a stealth based cooperative game set in World War II called V-Commandos (3:27). Anthony, of course, sees Jason's thematic cooperative game and counters with an older Euro - Troyes (7:52). Kevin jumps into the fun with a cooperative tower defense game, King's Armory (14:02), then Jason rounds it all out with a review of a post-apocalyptic, resource management game called Salvation Road (22:10).
Finally, we talk ourselves off the ledge with regards to the Fear of Missing Out (28:58) - that is, how do we manage not getting games we really want, managing our budget, why FOMO might not be as easy to resist as we think, and other issues.
Unlike most preview series episodes where we interview the designer or publisher, we were not able to get AJ Porfirio of Van Ryder Games on the show due to his being incredible busy. However, two good friends of the show stepped up to have a great chat about this product - Official ENGN Kickstarter correspondent Liz Davidson, as well as Wendy Barlow from the Singlehandedly blog.
Did you love choose-your-own-adventure novels as a kid, or adventure video games like Broken Sword or Monkey Island? The Graphic Novel Adventure series, currently live in Kickstarter, takes those experiences and presents them in a whole new way! Wendy, Liz and I were fortunate to be provided preview copies Captive, the first of five novels available for backing. We talk about the books as a whole, compare them to similar games and products, and also our spoiler-free impressions of Captive. Stay tuned after the outro music if you want to hear us go full bore on spoilers, as well!
Graphic Novel Adventures on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vanrydergames/graphic-novel-adventures
Here's an episode that we've wanted to do for quite a long time. Even as new, rich, and complex adventure games come out seemingly every month, Mage Knight fends off all pretenders to the throne and maintains itself as the gold standard of adventure solo gaming.
With this in mind, we invited noted Mage Knight devotee Kevin Erskine back to the show (he of the Top 100 Solo Games People Choice) to talk about Mage Knight, specifically why we like it so much (4:20), as well as what expansions to get and whether to hold out for the upcoming Ultimate Edition (16:40). Finally, for those who are familiar with the game and want a leg up on a successful conquest, we get into some tips and strategies in our second ever Improve Your Play segment (20:04).
In addition to all of that Mage Knight goodness, we are debuting a new ENGN segment that we hope people will like enough to where we could do it regularly. Liz Davidson from the Beyond Solitaire blog, who you have heard a number of times at this point, has agreed to be our Kickstarter correspondent. Most weeks, she will share some thoughts about what's hot on Kickstarter and what we should look for. Feel free to give us feedback and let us know if you would like us to continue that segment.
Mage Knight Solo Scenarios: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/120439/mage-knight-solo-scenario-book
Maximum Apocalypse is a survival and exploration game that has already funded and shipped, and is currently being enjoyed by gamers in the wider community. It is an exploration and survival game where you and your friends travel on a modular map, looking for supplies and just trying to last long enough so that various monsters don't eat you.
The exploration part has elements of Forbidden Island/ Desert. As a player, you will handle a deck in a similar way that you would in games like Sentinels of the Multiverse or Andriod: Netrunner. Mike Gnade visits our show answer critical questions about how the original project was received, some good and bad feedback, and how Gothic Horrors moves the ball forward.
On Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mikegnade/maximum-apocalypse-gothic-horrors-expansion?ref=profile_created
We have a very, very unique episode for you this week. First, we were happy to be joined by Liz Davidson from the Beyond Solitaire blog, who hopped into the cohost chair and lent her expertise to the subject matter at hand.
Also, the airdate of this episode falls on Good Friday for Christians. In that spirit, we took a look at a few games with Christian themes - AD 30 from Victory Point Games (2:53) and Commissioned from Chara Games (11:10). We were also happy to hear about another Chara Games release with a Christian theme, Unauthorized (28:00). Finally, we have a discussion about Christian board games in general (30:00) - why they have a reputation of not being able to sell, how to navigate touchy historical and theological themes, and other topics.
This is another in our sub-series of episodes on games whose themes raise interesting, possibly controversial cultural issues. As always with these episodes, we give you game-related content in the first half, then get into the meat of the conversation in the second half. We are very open to feedback about episodes like these because we want to do the best possible job we can with them. So, if you have any thoughts at all, please leave them in the comments section of wherever you are listening to this, or reach out to us directly at everynightisgamenight.com. Enjoy!
Solo gamers over the last few years have gotten their short, quick, dungeon crawling fix from One Deck Dungeon. Today, we have a project also intended for solo gamers who love hanging out in dungeons, but with a very, very different feel.
In Unbroken, instead of heroically diving into the dungeon, defeating bosses and getting phat lootz, Unbroken casts you as a hero who's just suffered a total party wipe and tries to get out!
It takes 20-30 minutes to play, and gives you a healthy dose of resource management, clever, stealthy play, and cool theme. The Kickstarter is live as this podcast drops!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1227872561/282020983?ref=443900&token=bda50c50
We have a split show for you today. First, in rapid fire fashion, we run through some of the newest apps hitting our screens from late 2017 and early 2018 - Smash Up, 7 Wonders, The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game, and Hostage Negotiator. Anthony then gives his thoughts on the app version of a video game whose franchise has inspired many, many, many board games - Sid Meier's Civilization VI.
For the second half of the episode, Jason opens his psychology textbooks to give a fresh take on a topic relevant to board gaming. Why are Top Ten lists so popular? Why do they get so many more views, clicks, or downloads than other forms of board game media? We give you some context and hopefully get you thinking a little bit.
As always, please get in touch with us if you like what you hear, or if you want to discuss further!
For this episode, we attempt to settle a blood feud! On a recent episode of the 1 Player Podcast, Julius Besser declared blood feud on ENGN in response to Jason besmirching the good name of Mice and Mystics.
So of course, we invited Julius on the show so that we could talk about our different perspectives. We get into Mice and Mystics (1:31) and do something of a rarity on the internet - have a civil and intelligent discussion in which we both disagree!
Afterwards, we get into how we think Stuffed Fables moves the ball forward and improves upon the concepts introduced in M&M (19:15).
Please check out Julius and Albert (both proud guest alums on our show now!) over on the 1 Player Podcast: http://1playerpodcast.com/
Have you checked out Kickstarter lately? Holy moly, there are so many good projects running right now! We are going to go on a mini-run of Preview Series episodes as a result.
This week, we have the wife and husband team behind Chara Games here to talk about their latest project, Soul of the Empire, live on Kickstarter on the same day as the air date of this podcast. Soul of the Empire deviates from our usual solo and cooperative games menu - this is an area control, asymmetric, combat heavy game in the vein of Kemet or Cry Havoc.
You guys know how much I love ANY game with juicy, tangible theme, though, so here you go! After we get to know Pat and Kat, we jump into talking about Soul of the Empire (7:30), including how it weaves historical flavor into the different factions, how it invites long term strategic thinking over a more tactical experience, and more.
Also, if you wanted a copy of their first game, Commissioned, you could get it via the KS project, along with some bonuses that Pat tells us about in the episode!
Here at Every Night is Game Night, we try our best to cover a huge spectrum of games, ranging from the thematic, imaginative jaunts that Jason loves to the heavy strategy affairs enjoyed by Anthony. In this episode, we double down and give you two groups of games from either end of this spectrum - two economic games and two fantasy adventures.
First up, Anthony tells us about a somewhat lesser known yet still magnificent game from Uwe Rosenburg, At the Gates of Loyang (2:15). You will learn, among other things, why the game is beloved in the solo community. Then Jason hits you with a Kickstarter project that is just arriving to backers now, a dungeon crawler powered by deckbuilding called Dungeon Alliance (9:06). Anthony returns to talk about Clans of Caledonia (23:05), noting similarities and differences between this game and its spiritual older brother, Terra Mystica. Finally, Jason takes us home by talking about Darkest Night, Second Edition (32:25). As always, we try our best to give you honest, well thought-out opinions on the games we review. Hope you enjoy!
A little while ago, Jason was lucky enough to appear as a guest on the Thoughtful Gamer podcast. A whole range of topics were covered with regard to depression - distinguishing depression from sadness, how depression can play out within the geek community, and options for treatment. We'd like to share with you an extended clip from that episode. If you are depressed, here are ten potential avenues for you to pursue in order to get yourself going again. Hint: many of them involve board games! We hope you enjoy this special feature.
If you would like to hear the whole pod, please head over to the Thoughtful Gamer: http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2018/02/21/podcast-episode-25-discussion-jason-perez-mental-health/
We are traveling back in time this week.. a whole 14 months! 2016 gifted us with some of the most amazing games we've ever seen, and we're here in the future to review some of their expansions. For any expansion, gamers want to know if it adds new, essential gameplay or just more stuff. We have answers for you!
Anthony leads us off to talk about Scythe: The Wind Gambit (2:34) with comes with Airships and also different end game conditions. Next, Jason bumbles his way through his impressions of Star Wars Rebellion: Rise of the Empire (11:20), a review through which Star Wars lover Anthony could barely contain his rage. Finally, Anthony gathers himself to talk about Terraforming Mars: Venus Next (23:05).
Finally, we debut a new segment which we call Improve Your Play, where we break down the basic strategy for a hot solo game and help you win consistently. Building on our reviews for this week, we give you our strategy tips for Terraforming Mars (30:58). If you were struggling to fill those three Terraforming tracks in solo mode, this is the segment for you!
We are back with another preview series episode, this time with perhaps the smallest game we have ever covered. Palm Island is a resource management game that fits in the palm of your hand!
After we get to know Jon, his family, and the founding of Portal Dragon Games, we get into Palm Island itself (11:40). We talk about how the game travels well and doesn't require a table, then about squeezing as much resource management strategy and tangible decision making into as small a package as possible.
In addition to this interview, please check out Anthony's written preview: http://boardgamersanonymous.com/palm-island-review/. As always, we hope that our interviews give you enough information about a game to help you decide how to spend your hard earned cash
After 74 whole episodes, we are happy to receive a visit from the Podfather himself - Stephen Buonocore of Stronghold Games. For this episode, we experimented a bit with our usual podcast format so we could have some fun. For the first half, we talk about some recent expansions for Stronghold Games we really enjoy - Not Alone: Exploration (5:00) and The Pursuit of Happiness: Community (9:11). Then we preview some upcoming games from Stronghold - Indian Summer (13:41) and Noria (17:00). I recorded a short note about this part of the pod right at the jump, so please check that out.
Afterwards, we really let our hair down and geek out about one of our favorite games of all time - War of the Ring (26:51). We talk about its theme, its length and balancing, and also note a very impressive, fan-made solo mode for it: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/141333/queller-bot-war-ring-solo-play. We then carry about all sorts of topics from there, including a chunky digression into the Game of Thrones TV show that we put beyond a spoiler wall. As always, we hope you enjoy the conversation!
We've wanted to have a pod conversation with these two gentlemen for a long time, and it's finally here! It was out pleasure to speak with Morten Monrad Pederson and David Studley from the Automa Factory. For those who don't know, an Automa is a small deck of cards that acts as a "bot," simulating another player at the table. You can use it to fill in for another gamer at the table who can't make it for the evening, or as an opponent for solo play.
After telling us a little about themselves, they talk about fan reception to Automas and how they've changed over the last few years (4:49). Then we talk about the Automas for Charterstone (14:25 - no spoilers, of course), and for Gaia Project (28:00).
Listener Mike shared this Geeklist with us as well - featuring automa variants: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/209213/games-automa-opponents-solo-play
Welcome to part two of our year end ENGN Solo Awards for 2017! We hope you enjoyed part one last episode. This time, we feature all of the core titles that made the biggest impact in the solo and cooperative communities throughout the year. And, just like last time, we have some illustrious guests from other channels to help us out.
Best Short Game - presented by Travis from Low Player Count (2:00) - https://www.lowplayercount.com/
Best Family/ Casual Strategy Game - presented by Liz Davidson from Beyond Solitaire (5:52) - http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/index.html
Best Advanced Card Game - presented by a mystery guest presenter (11:32)
Best Adventure Game - presented by Paul Grogan from Gaming Rules (13:49) - http://gaming-rules.com/
Best Complex Strategy Game - presented by Anthony and Frances from Ant Lab Games (20:55) - http://antlabgames.com/
We also give our thoughts on the year as a whole right at the very end of the episode. Phew, we finally put a bow on 2017. Time to embrace 2018!
You may have seen the voting polls on Facebook and the 1 Player Guild. Now it's time to hand out our ENGN Solo Awards for 2017! Anthony and Jason both chose their own winners, and the fans helped up break any ties between us with their own votes!
Not only do we present each award with analysis for each category, we asked a number of friends in the solo and cooperative community to help present (one of whom gets eaten by a Shoggoth monster... you'll have to listen to find out who).
- Best Board Game App - presented by Crystal Pisano of Board Game Blitz (6:14) - http://www.boardgameblitz.com/
- Best App Integration in a Board Game - presented by Peter Gousis and Michael Kelly of Co-Op Cast (11:06) - https://soundcloud.com/user-318456537
- Best Unofficial Fan Variant of a Game - presented by Hans Gruberstein from Hans Solo channel (17:48) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEqba1Xh4vQGm2beVcVxOdQ
- Best Reprint - presented by Colin Degnan from One Stop Coop Shop - (22:00) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrOtGhui_jdLdoQNI7PU4Pg
- Best Expansion - presented by Adam Smith of Rolling Solo - (25:45) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuh4j6WB-Lh1DbjKe4nBj7w
Aside from entertaining our core audience, we also hope this serves as an adequate introduction of our show to the Dice Tower Network!
Welcome back to our special Preview Series, the show where Kickstarter designers and project managers answer all of your questions about their projects. We hope you get everything you need to know so that you can make an informed decision about whether a KS project is worth your hard earned cash.
Today, we are happy to chat the publisher and designer of one of the most popular, family friendly projects currently on Kickstarter, which is Tiny Epic Zombies. Scott Almes and Michael Coe share their stories about the origin of TEZ, design goals, ITEMeeples, use (or perhaps overuse) of the zombie theme, and much more.
Also, as of this episode, Every Night is Game Night is now a part of the Dice Tower Network. We are very happy to share this episode with a new audience as an introduction to our content. Please check out our regular series of episodes as well, including our big Year End Award Show that will release this coming Friday, 2/2.
For this week's episode, we are extremely happy to bring you our interview with Rory O'Connor, lead designer for Rory's Story Cubes. We could only barely contain the story telling flair that Rory brought to the pod! Albert from the 1 Player Podcast has returned to ENGN to help us out with the interview, as well.
After a brief intro where we learn a bit about Rory as a gamer, we get into the history of the Cubes (6:50), particularly focusing on how he used them as a self-help tool and how they grew into a game and story telling engine that has sold 7 million copies worldwide. We then talk about other projects from Creativity Hub (35:50), including Untold: Adventures Await and Blank.
This week, we return to our tried and true Deep Dive format to analyze one of the hottest releases of 2016 - Stonemaier Games' Charterstone.
The first part of our show is spoiler free. We give our impressions of the very first game, as well as non-spoiler (as much as possible) reactions after finishing all 12 games. Afterwards, we get into our full spoiler review (16:07). Finally, we brought in a few friends of the pod for their reactions - Martin from our Slack channel, and Jenn Bartlett, the Board Game Librarian, and her husband Matt. They had very, very, VERY different reactions to the game (39:11) that you will want to hear.
If you want to be a guest on the pod, please check out www.boardgamersanonymous.com and consider backing us on Patreon. We have a Slack channel where we hang out. When the need arises, I will invite you on the show to talk about a game! And if you back at a high enough level, you will be able to choose the subject matter yourself. So, if you find that appealing, please mosey on over and consider helping us out. We would definitely appreciate it.
Time to blast off into space! We have three games for you this week which all take place in the so-called final frontier.
First up will be Kepler 3042 (1:41), a Euro-style game which emulates space exploration, but with a heavy Euro twist. Next, we talk about Alien Artifacts (14:15), a new empire building card game from Portal Games. Finally, for all you Star Trek fans, we give you our opinions on the Borg expansion for Star Trek Ascendency (26:35).
Finally, we canvassed some people online to see what they thought about space themes in games (42:48). What's appealing? What turns people off? We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the threads for some very insightful answers.
As a special treat to our listeners, we packaged all the extra random stuff we talked about with Ignacy Trzewiczek into its own short episode. We talk about PayPal, Russian hackers, Jumanji, failing at podcasts, and more.
If you haven’t already, please check out Episode 68 for the official interview with Ignacy.
We are very excited to be joined once again by Ignacy Trzewiczek, president of Portal Games. Ignacy joined us last year to talk about the pre-order campaign for First Martians. This time, he’s back to talk about the launch, future content, and yes... the rulebook. We think you will be very interested to hear Ignacy give his honest opinions.
We also talk about lots more releases coming from Portal in 2018, including new expansions for Robinson Crusoe, Alien Artifacts, and Imperial Settlers.
We hope you enjoy the episode. Also, stay tuned Monday for some extra conversation we had about all sorts of random stuff.
We had so much fun talking with Colin about some new FFG games that we invited him to stick around and talk about... some more stuff! We discuss two more adventure board games with large amounts of content and the promise of more to come.
First, we talk the Dungeons and Dragons themed card game Dragonfire (0:58), comparing it to its predecessor Shadowrun: Crossfire as well as other similar, very popular games in the genre.
Then we tackle the latest festival of miniatures and dungeon adventures that is Massive Darkness (13:05).
We close out with a discussion of miniatures in board games (24:40). Are they essential to an adventure and/ or tactical gaming experience? Or do they represent lures for unsuspecting gamers to buy substandard products? We try to cover the topic from as many different perspectives as possible.
'Tis the season for... lots of new releases from Fantasy Flight! There's so much stuff, Jason and Anthony had to call in Colin from the YouTube channel One Stop Co-Op Shop in order to talk about it all.
You will hear our usual in-depth coverage of three new, very different releases from FFG.
First up, we break down the new Imperial Assault: Legends of the Alliance app (1:30) and let you know our opinion about how it opens up cooperative and solo play for people who already love (or might love) Imperial Assault.
Then we cover Fallout (11:40), a more traditional adventure board game set in the video game universe of its namesake.
Finally. Colin tackles Legacy of Dragonholt (29:20), an RPG-style adventure.
Also, if you want to hear about Pandemic Legacy: Season 2, check out Co-Op Cast. The fellows over there invited Jason along for a chat about the campaign, legacy systems in general, and lots more.
https://soundcloud.com/user-318456537/coop-cast-episode-15-pandemic-legacy-season-2
It's here! The full Top 100 People's Choice Solo Games - 2017 edition!
The creator of the list, Kevin Erskine of the 1 Player Guild, was good enough to join us again to talk about the top half of the list. First, we chat about games that dropped off the list entirely.
Then we get into some surprises, trends, and a few "best in show" categories among soloists, such as card games, dice games, worker placement, deckbuilding, and others.
We also wax poetic about the acclaimed number one game among solo gamers, which is... you'll have to listen to find out.
Or you can go over to the BGG 1 Player Guild and see the list for yourself! https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/233582/2017-peoples-choice-top-100-solo-games-100-11
It is time! Just like we did last year, and just like we will probably do every year going forward, Anthony and Jason sat with Kevin Erskine of the 1 Player Guild on BGG to talk about the People's Choice Top 100 Solo Games for 2017!
Today, we present Part One where we discuss some of the broader trends and themes of the Top 100. Then we get into some commentary about numbers 100 to 51, which you could see live on Kevin's GeekList:
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/233582/2017-peoples-choice-top-100-solo-games-100-71.
We were sensitive to spoilers in this episode, so it may seem a bit short. We hope you enjoy some of our banter for this week, and also hope you stay tuned when we discuss the full list, including the number one game, next week!
Hey everyone. Sorry for the late episode! We had a technical snafu which set us back a few days, but we are back and ready to serve up some more reviews. This time, Anthony and Jason dive back into the universe of card games and talk about some releases that have hit the shelves over the past few months. Superhot: The Card Game (2:00) Hardback (10:02) Finished! (16:44) London (27:20) Aventuria Adventure Card Game (35:19) We hope that you enjoy the episode and also find an option that might make a good, relatively inexpensive gift option for yourself or a fellow gamer. In addition, please visit our list of solo and cooperative games on the Board Gamers Anonymous blog for more gift ideas: http://boardgamersanonymous.com/2017-engn-co-op-solo-awards-nominations-list/. And don't forget, next week we will start running down the Top 100 Solo Games People's Choice, 2017 edition!
This past week, Anthony and Jason met up at PAX Unplugged 2017 in Philadelphia, PA! Anthony talks about some of the games he played there, then Jason interviews a slew of different attendees in short, 2-4 minute clips. They will give you a nice cross-section of everything that went on at PAX this year.
As a special treat, we also get to hear from all three fellows from the Dice Tower. They talk about their adventures in solo gaming, negative comments that may or may not have been said in the past, and a promise to always, always, give Zee Garcia grief for whatever he does.
We are zigging and zagging here on Every Night is Game Night! This time, we had the pleasure to be joined by Philipp Neitzel of Ulisses Spiele to talk about... RPGs! If you didn't think that RPGs and solo players don't mix, then this is the episode for you.
Philipp and I discuss the Aventuria Adventure Card Game, a living card game set in the Dark Eye universe. It has already gotten consistent support (three expansions in English, with more on the way), so it might appeal to those who were fans of the discontinued Warhammer Quest ACG. We also talk about some of their choose-your-own-adventure solo RPG products. Also, be sure to check out the new Dark Eye Kickstarter for a look at further RPG-related products: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1216685848/aventuria-compendium-the-dark-eye-rpg
We've saved the grand daddy of guest cohosts for last! We had the great fortune to be joined by Albert Hernandez, aka fractaloon, guildmaster of the popular 1 Player Guild on BGG as well as the cohost of the 1 Player Podcast.
Albert and Jason are joined by two fine fellows involved with BGG's annual Solitaire Print and Play contest - Chris Hansen, who runs the contest, and John Kean, who designed the winning game, Black Sonata
We chat about the basics of printing and playing games (2:04), particularly how it appeals to those who love crafting in general, as well as anyone who wants to play a wide diversity of games very cheaply. Then we talk about the Print and Play Contest itself (11:30), as well as the innovative solitaire hidden movement game that took home the grand prize (22:16). Finally, we give some suggestions for print and play games to get you started (30:40). Enjoy!
Time for something different! Today, we are happy to present a much shorter episode about a game whose genre - roll and write - we don't talk about a lot. Alexander Shen visited the show to talk about his current, self-published Kickstarter project, Honeycomb Caverns. Please check out the episode to hear about the game itself, as well as some of the interesting decisions that led to this project landing on Kickstarter.
Yes, this is a Preview Series episode in the regular ENGN time slot. Due to a scheduling error, we posted the regular episode with Ant Lab Games one week early! We hope you enjoyed hearing from them.
This week, Jason chats with Timo and Tinsku Multamaki, two of the minds behind Perdition's Mouth: Abyssal Rift, a 1-6 player dungeon crawler whose second print run is currently on Kickstarter. We get into some of the unique mechanisms that mitigate a lot of the luck in the game, as well as whether it makes sense for a hero to get smarter by killing rats. Timo and Tinsku were also very excited to share how they've thrown open their doors to backer and other contributors who want to create content for the game. Also, stay tuned after the outro music to hear from a very special guest designer.
Anthony and Frances from Ant Lab Games return for more solo gaming discussion! This time, we chat about 'games beyond the hotness' - that is, games that are some of our favorites from the last few years, but which have flown under the radar for various reasons. Afterwards, we chat about the ethics of board game reviewers getting free stuff from publishers. Does it affect our objectivity? What responsibilities do we have to publishers, as well as to the audience?
Yes, folks, we are posting the regular weekly episode early this week! Ryan Laukat of Red Raven Games dropped by the show to chat about Near and Far as well as it's expansion, Amber Mines, which is in its last week on Kickstarter. Ryan talks about lots of aspects of Near and Far, including comparisons to Above and Below, the challenge of designing a competitive storytelling game, and how serendipity played a role in the design of the map book. And of course, we talk about solo play! Special thanks to thebrandt, Brandt Sanderson of the Portal Gaming Podcast, for filling in as guest host.
Two special guests join us this week to discuss three big heavy games! Anthony is very excited because he gets to talk about the heaviest games he's had at the table for the last few weeks with Anthony and Frances from Antlab Games, who also love the heavier side of the gaming hobby.
Jason steps back (but not out!) as they heavy gamers discuss Manhattan Project: Energy Empire, Anachrony, and Lisboa - both from the general gameplay perspective and how they approach solo play (both successfully and in some cases, less so).
Make sure to check out Antlab games on their YouTube Channel, as well as their website where you can download new episodes of their recently relaunched podcast.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/engn_podcast), and on our website (www.everynightisgamenight.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link.
Jason and Anthony dig into five new apps that came out between May and September and let you know if you should track them down.
Join the guys as they review Jaipur, Friday, Bottom of the Ninth, Burgle Bros., and Through the Ages - all in digital form.
Anthony and Jason sit down with AJ Porfirior, owner of Van Ryder Games and designer of Hostage Negotiator to discuss the game and its background. With the newest iteration of Hostage Negotiator, Crime Wave, hitting backer hands last month, we wanted to sit down and discuss the game, where it started, how it is developed, and future plans for the series.
Learn more about how Hostage Negotiator is structured, what the future of the series looks like, and what AJ thinks about luck and the application of game mechanics to mitigate that luck in the game.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/engn_podcast), and on our website (www.everynightisgamenight.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link.
Jason sits down with Evan Derrick, designer of Detective: City of Angels, and the game's publisher, owner of Van Ryder Games, AJ Porfirio, to discuss the new game, now on Kickstarter.
Learn more about this deduction and crime solving game, it's multiple modes of gameplay, and whether it's one worth backing for solo gamers.
Jason sits down with Danny Lott, designer of Coma Ward to discuss his new Kickstarter project. The game, now on Kickstarter from Everything Epic Games, is a horror adventure board game taking place in a hospital.
Learn how the game came together, what it offers that's unique in the space, and whether you should consider backing it in this week's Preview Series episode.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled podcast (sorry, AJ!) in order to bring you coverage of one of the hottest kickstarter projects of the year - 7th Continent. Anthony was unable to make it, but Jason was lucky enough to get help from game designer and podcaster Peter Gousis, as well as reviewer Zach Homrighaus.
We go on the deepest of deep dives, analyzing 7th Continent from multiple angles. We talk about theme, player and world-based mechanisms, comparisons to other adventure games, player count, replay-ability and reset-ability, and a whole host of other topics. We hope that, if you are on the fence about this game, this podcast has enough information and analysis so that you can make a final decision about backing. If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/engn_podcast), and on our website (www.everynightisgamenight.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link.
More fantasy adventure! Jason chats with Tristan Hall, the designer of Gloom of Kilforth, who is currently running a kickstarter for a reprint of the base game and some small expansions. If you like games like Talisman or Runebound, this one might be for you! We also get into some critical questions that players have asked about the game, then talk about some other projects that Tristan has on the hopper.
Anthony and Jason sit down and discuss 7 more games from Gen Con and the summer. We're knocking out a big backlog of the biggest and best games we got to the table this summer, so make sure to check out our run through of the following:
- Flipships
- Triplock
- Magic Maze
- Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium
- Eldritch Horror: Cities of Ruin
- T.I.M.E Stories: Lumen Fidei
- Summit: The Board Game
If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link.
This week, Jason has a chat with Viktor Peter and David Turczi about their latest project, Cerebria: The Inside World. Mindclash Games has certainly earned some momentum with Trickerion and Anachrony before it.
Now they hope to keep it moving with this complex, faction vs. faction game where different aspects of a person's psyche vie for ultimate control. Viktor and David talk about the game's origin, mechanisms, levels of interaction, and solo play. As of this recording, you have less than 10 days to go in the campaign, so check it out!
If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/engn_podcast), and on our website (www.everynightisgamenight.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link.
It's been a couple weeks since Anthony and Jason reviewed recent releases, so guess what? It's time for some rapid fire!
This week, we're digging into 7 games that have been released in the last two months, featuring some of the big name games that dropped at Gen Con. Join us for reviews of:
- Paramedics: Clear!
- Flatline
- Deckscape
- Escape from 100 Million B.C.
- Caverna: Cave vs. Cave
- Fate of the Elder Gods
- Spirit Island
If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link.
Secrets of the Lost Station is currently live on Kickstarter! In this episode, Jason sits down with the lead designer, Jim Samartino. They discuss, among other things, how it builds upon and improves Secrets of the Lost Tomb and how it weaves the theme into all aspects of gameplay.
Jason welcomes back the owner and founder of Gamelyn Games, Michael Coe, and designer of Heroes of Land, Air and Sea, Scott Almes to talk about the big new game coming soon.
The three talk about the game itself, the Kickstarter and controversy around its initial attempts to fund, and what they see for the future of both this game and other games in production by Gamelyn.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link.
This week, Jason is joined by Michael Coe, CEO and Founder of Gamelyn Games, and Scott Almes, designer of the Tiny Epic series of games. They talk about the founding of Gamelyn, the background of the tiny epic series, and some pressing questions about the present and future of the game series.
An extended conversation between Jason and the men's roundtable from Episode 50 including Colin Dengan, Adam Smith, and Hansworth Gruberstein.
The guys talk about life in Minnesota, parenthood, and lots of games. A more relaxed, off the cuff conversation, extra content from our Episode 50 spectacular.
Jason welcomes Walter Barber back to ENGN with the next episode in our preview series line up. This week, they dig into Champions of Hara, the newest Kickstarter game from Greenbrier Games, and Walter's creation. Find out more about this game, how it plays, and whether you should consider it for backing.
This week we're celebrating 50 episodes of Every Night is Game Night (and Table for One)! Anthony and Jason discuss what it means to hit 50 episodes and Jason sits down with two roundtables to discuss solo gaming and what it means to them. The roundtables include gamers from the solo board gaming groups both on Facebook and BoardGameGeek, as well as some other content creators:
Women's Roundtable - Sidney Bristol, Leanne Weaver, Marina Freeman Men's Roundtable - Colin Dengan, Adam Smith, Hansworth Gruberstein Thank you to everyone out there who has joined us the last year and here's to another year of quality solo gaming content! If you haven't yet, connect with us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/engn_podcast), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous) or on the ENGN Channel of the BGA website at www.everynightisgamenight.com.
While Anthony was at Gen Con last week, Jason sat down with Byron Campbell, aka kittenhoarder! Writer for Miniature Market and entropymag.org from the BGG 1 Player Guild to discuss Sword & Sorcery, the new dungeon crawler from Ares Games that many are comparing to Descent.
Listen to the two discuss the pros and cons of the new game vs. the tried and true dungeon crawling of a game like Descent.
In addition, Anthony arrives to discuss big happenings with ENGN and BGA, including an all new website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com), a new channel on that site for ENGN (www.everynightisgamenight.com) and a big contest that you can enter right now for a chance to win $50 (http://boardgamersanonymous.com/bga-summer-upgrade-contest/).
Check out some more of our conversation with Brad Tolton from Level 99 games! If you listened Every Night is Game Night, episode 48, you heard that we had more to say than what we were able to fit on the main podcast. Rather than leave that stuff on the cutting room floor, we are delivering it to you as part of our After Hours random conversation series. Brad gives us the lowdown about his current big design project, Seventh Cross, due on kickstarter... whenever it's done! Brad also asks us a question about what makes a good solo game. We hope you enjoy this extra little bit of conversation.
Anthony and Jason are joined this week by D. Brad Tolton, president and founder of Level 99 Games. Brad has a lot of experience with producing expansions for his core lineup of titles, so we pick his brain a bit about how expansions are planned and made. We also talk a bit about when expansions can become too much. We then talk about two big recent releases that enable solo mode for their base games. Anthony gives his thoughts about Runebound: Unbreakable Bonds, while Brad and Jason break down Millennium Blades: Set Rotation.
Anthony and Jason take a look at some of the newest puzzle-style polyomino games with solo modes, including NMBR9 and Cottage Garden. We then delve into discussing whether these games have a place on the tabletop or would be better suited to digital apps, plus a discussion of recent arguments over solo play.
Anthony and Jason take a deep dive on one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2017 with First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet. They look at the game's components and theme, how it plays, the issues with the rulebook that have been the talk of early backers, and how the app operates. Plus a non-spoiler discussion of the first campaign and how it fulfills on Portal's promise for a narrative experience.
Want to stay up to date with all of ENGN's content - make sure to connect with us on Twitter (@ENGN_Podcast), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). Your reviews are a huge help to us as well - getting more people to see the show.
Anthony and Jason dig into the deep cuts for some cult of the not-so-new games that we haven't had a chance to talk about yet. Jason kicks things off with a pair of lighter card-weight games with Gem Rush (from Victory Point Games) and The Banishing (from WizKids).
Anthony then ups the weight with Conflict of Heroes with the Solo Expansion. Find out how this very popular war game plays with the solo expansion attached to it.
Stay tuned for not just the new stuff that's lighting up the charts, but the old school stuff will shine through when it deserves to be heard. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, BoardGameGeek, and on our website, www.boardgamersanonymous.com to connect and learn more.
Jason sits down with Jason Tagmire from Button Shy Games for a chat about his latest Kickstarter, Twin Stars: Adventure Series I. We chat about designing Twin Stars, running monthly kickstarters, and getting rolling as a small company. We also briefly talk about another popular Button Shy game, Pentaquark. Jump on the kickstarter before it expires on Wednesday, 7/26! Also, check us out on twitter (@engn_podcast), boardgamersanonymous.com, iTunes/ Google Play Store, and wherever else solo gamers hang out!
It's ComicCon week, so Anthony and Jason are diving into three games with pop culture themes, including Harry Potter Deck Building Game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past from IDW, and the Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game.
All three games can be played solo, so we dig in and share our thoughts on how they run. Are they worth tracking down? Should you get them for solo-only play? Are they generally too light to be anything more than family or fan-only fare? Find out in our reviews.
Make sure to connect with us and carry on the conversation on boardgamersanonymous.com, Facebook (boardgamersanonymous), and on Twitter (@engn_podcast and @bgapodcast). And if you haven't yet, leave us a short review on iTunes. We'd love your feedback!
Jason sits down with Radomir "Gad" Mirchev to discuss the newest Kickstarter project from Vermin Games, A Place in the Sun. Learn more about the game, now available on Kickstarter, and determine if you're interested in backing.
Anthony and Jason welcome back Dr. Patrick Rael, History Professor at Bowdoin College to discuss difficult themes in board games, this week focusing on World War II. Specifically, we dig into the politics of managing the war with Churchill: The Big Three Struggle for Peace, and what it means to use Hitler and Nazi imagery in board games with Black Orchestra.
The first half of the episode, we'll provide a brief summary and review of both games, and then dive into a more detailed discussion about the use of this theme in games, how it can be done well, when it is not done well, and what gamers and game designers and publishers should be thinking about.
Connect with ENGN on Twitter (@engn_podcast), Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous), and on www.boardgamersanonymous.com. You can also connect with us on BoardGameGeek in our guild (1735).
This week Anthony and Jason welcome Dr. Patrick Rael, History Professor at Bowdoin College, to discuss difficult themes in board games. We've split this into two parts with part one this week covering difficult themes of colonialism and slavery in the United States with Comancheria and Freedom: The Underground Railroad.
Join us as we discuss both of these games and how they play as games, followed by a more in-depth discussion of the games' themes and the difficult issues that they bring to the table.
Connect with ENGN on Twitter (@engn_podcast), Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous), and on www.boardgamersanonymous.com. You can also connect with us on BoardGameGeek in our guild (1735).
Ricky Royal is on the podcast!
This week on a special preview series episode, Anthony and Jason sit down for a mega-sized interview with Richard Wilkins (AKA Ricky Royal), the man behind Box of Delights, and the one who has taught countless solo gamers how to play Mage Knight (among others).
We're chatting about Renegade, Ricky's first game as a designer, launching on Kickstarter July 18th from Victory Point Games. We both had a chance to play and we pick Ricky's brain about the game, its roots, and the future.
Puzzles and Mystery!
This week, Anthony and Jason dive into puzzles and mysteries with a full rundown of solo play for all four major escape room games, including Exit, Unlock!, Escape Room the Game, and Escape the Room. We also look at the classic mystery solving game, Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective (the newer release with the Jack the Ripper mysteries).
How do these games play, are they better solo or with other players, and most important of all, why do we always have to ask if a game will work solo? Why the stigma of playing a fun and perceived social game alone?
Be sure to connect with us to further the conversation on BoardGameGeek (guild 1735), Twitter (@engn_podcast, @bgapodcast), and on Facebook (Solo Board Gamers Group and Board Gamers Anonymous).
Jason sits down with Walter Barber of Greenbrier Games and discusses several of their recent releases including Grimslingers, Of Dreams and Shadows, and Walter's own game, coming soon from the company. They also talk about solo gaming in general, some of the history behind the company and their biggest releases and how Grimslingers and its unique aesthetic was born.
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous), Twitter (@engn_podcast) and on BoardGameGeek (Guild 1735). A review on iTunes means the world to us as well - we love to read your feedback!
Scheduling Note: For those wondering where Episode 40 is, we missed last week with Anthony out of town for Origins. Sorry for the delay in the episode, which will be up this week on Friday, along with today's special preview episode. Thanks and enjoy!
Jason sits down this week with Brady Sadler to discuss two Kickstarters currently running for games he designed - Street Masters: Rise of the Kingdom and Epic AF. Sadler is a seasoned designer who has worked on a lot of our favorite solo games in his time at Fantasy Flight, including the recently cancelled Warhammer Quest: Adventure Card Game. Learn how that system is being reimplemented in Epic AF and some of the controversy around the new game's theme.
Thanks for listening to ENGN! Make sure to connect with us on Twitter (@engn_podcast), on Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous and the Solo Board Gamers Group), and on www.boardgamersanonymous.com. And if you haven't yet, please rate us on iTunes. It means a lot to us and helps other solo gamers find the show!
This week, Anthony and Jason are taking a closer look at two games that came out about a year ago at Origins Game Fair, along with six games we're excited to see and learn more about this year at the convention.
We'll dive into The Networks as well as Quests of Valeria and their solo modes, and then share three games each that we're eager to pick up or see more of at Origins next week. Anthony will be at Origins, so make sure to drop him a line or track him down (look for the BGA shirt!).
Part two of our epic two part solo game run through with Luke Hector from the Broken Meeple. In this episode, we run through each of our top 5 solo games of all time, along with some extra special bits at the end for you to get a sense of what everyone is into when it comes to solo games.
Make sure to listen to part 1 if you haven't yet to hear all of the games on our top 10 lists!
In part one of our epic two part special, Luke Hector joins us to discuss solo games. But not just any solo games, our top 10 solo games. Each of us shares our top 10 list, from the crunchiest euros to the goofiest variants.
The episode ended up being nearly two and a half hours long, so we've split it into two. Today, you're getting #10-6 on the list, and on Friday we'll be dropping #5-1 plus some extra bonuses. Enjoy the episode and be sure to check out Luke's feed on the Broken Meeple.
Jason sits down with designer Keith Matejka to discuss Roll Player and the expansion, currently on Kickstarter: Monsters & Minions.
This week on Every Night is Game Night, Anthony and Jason sit down to discuss solo variants. We pick four games with different takes on adding solo play to a typically multiplayer-only game and discuss how they play in general, but also how that approach tends to work, while selecting our favorites from the bunch.
The games covered include Five Tribes, 7 Wonders, 7 Wonders Duel, and Takenoko. We also dig a bit into Automa and how it can help to improve solo play through carefully mimicking the opposing player's turn.
Jason sits down to discuss the new campaign on Kickstarter for Outer Limit Games with developer, Joseph Pilkus. Titled Tradewars - Homeworld: Exterra Edition, the game promises a unique take on deck building and sci-fi exploration with solo support.
We were super excited this week to have a bit of time to talk with Josh and Adam Carlson, the founders of Chip Theory Games and designers of Too Many Bones, one of the hottest solo games out there right now.
They sat down with us to chat about the game, their approach to components in design, some of the criticisms the game has received and what we can expect in the future from both Too Many Bones and Chip Theory.
Enjoy the interview and keep an eye out for more coverage of Chip Theory Games as their newest Kickstarter approaches next month. Connect with us on Facebook, on Twitter (@bgapodcast and @engn_podcast), and on our guild on Board Game Geek (1735) to stay up to date with all things solo.
This week Anthony Shares three games he's been playing lately that are sometimes hard to find with Leaving Earth, Helionox (and the upcoming Deluxe edition), and Dungeon Time. Jason has some tips and thoughts on how to make sure you have a chance of finding those hard to find games, and the guys talk about some of the games these ones resemble if you're not able to track down a copy.
This week, Anthony and Jason sat down to discuss the top apps released thus far in 2017, and who better to join them than one of the gurus of board game apps right now - Suzanne Sheldon.
Suzanne sits in and helps to run through five of the biggest app releases thus far in 2017, including Race for the Galaxy, Tokaido, Terra Mystica, Onirim, and Mysterium. We also discuss the impact of the Asmodee mergers on the board game app market, and find out the answer to the most important question of all: pie, cake, or cookies.
Make sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter (@bgapodcast and @engn_podcast) and on www.boardgamersanonymous.com to join the conversation and share some of your favorite apps of the year thus far.
Hey everybody! On Episode 32 of Every Night is Game Night, we have three hot solo dice games hitting our tables of late and we're going to let you know which ones are worth buying, which to avoid, and which are rehashes of the same old stuff.
Anthony dives into recent plays of Deep Space D-6 and Dice Stars while Jason digs into the latest Oniverse game, Nautlion, and Roll Player, the RPG character creation dice game (yes, really!)
Enjoy the reviews and the thoughts on this week's four dice games as we delve into chapter two of the podcast's life with the new name!
Jason has a late night chat with Shawn Patterson (Bristol), the admin of the Facebook Solo Boardgamers Group about the group, how it was founded, its recent explosive growth, and the number of ways you can get involved in the group and help out. A great conversation with the guy running one of the better gaming resources for solo players out there.
(Note: This is the first episode of Every Night is Game Night, the name change being effective as of April 23rd. Stay tuned for all new images!)
In the third entry in the Every Night is Game Night Preview Series, Jason sits down with Konstantinos Manos (a.k.a. Kevorque) to discuss Centauri Saga season 1, currently on Kickstarter. The two discuss the current Kickstarter and the expansions it is bringing to the game, the feedback received on the first iteration of the game and future plans for the company, Vesuvius Media.
This is the third entry in our Preview Series of special edition podcasts featuring Kickstarter creators and designers sharing their projects with the solo community. If you have a project you'd like to hear covered on the Preview Series, or as part of the regular podcast, drop us a line and let us know.
You can connect with us on Facebook, Twitter (@bgapodcast and @engn_podcast), on BoardGameGeek (guild 1735), and on our website, BoardGamersAnonymous.com.
This week, we have Christopher Badell on the show to discuss all things Greater than Games, starting with Jason's favorite, Sentinels of the Multiverse. We'll talk about the state of the game, how it came to be, the future of the IP (and the game system), and a few recent releases around them.
We also dive into some of the other games coming soon from Greater Than Games, including Fate of the Elder Gods and Spirit Island, as well as the state of Sentinel Tactics and recent favorites like New Bedford.
For episode 30 of Table for One, Anthony and Jason sit down with Matt Leacock to discuss...our favorite children's games! With Matt's newest game, Mole Rats in Space, hitting stores, we wanted to discuss how he approached a game so different from his blockbuster titles, and what that process looks like.
In addition, we take a few minutes to each share our three favorite children's games and what they mean to us and our families.
If you're a subscriber, keep your eyes pealed as well, because in two weeks, Table for One will become Every Night is Game Night. We'll be using the same feed, and you won't have to do anything differently, but keep your eyes out for the new logo!
Anthony is taking over this week with three big, heavy games! In an all-brain-burning, all-puzzle-euro special, Anthony takes a look at three big games he's been playing lately, including the behemoths of Vinhos Deluxe and The Gallerist from Vital Lacerda and Eagle Gryphon Games, and the smaller, yet wonderfully innovative Tramways from Alban Viard.
Anthony will walk through what he likes and doesn't like about each of the three games and their solo variants, while Jason asks questions and wonders at theming, questionable components, and play time.
If you're a fan of big heavy euros and like to play them solo, or have been wondering how the solo modes pan out in some of the biggest games released in the last couple of years, this episode is for you.
On this week's episode, we sit down with Kevin Riley, the designer of Aeon's End and Aeon's End: War Eternal (the latter now on Kickstarter). Jason and Anthony discuss the game, its origins, the different factors that went into development of the game, and how it has developed over the last few years and several hundred (or thousand) play tests.
Join us for a quick chat and learn more about the upcoming standalone expansion now on Kickstarter for those who may have missed the first run or who are interested in growing their collection of Aeon's End content.
We have a special bonus episode this week featuring Frank West, new designer of The City of Kings, a fresh new game hitting Kickstarter this week. Jason sits down one on one to discuss the new game, how it plays solo, the inspirations and challenges in building it, and all things gaming and solo gaming with Frank in this special one shot episode. Enjoy!
This week, Anthony and Jason are diving headfirst into all things T.I.M.E Stories. We'll go through the basics of the game, what makes it unique, our impressions and solo experiences, and what we think of each of the currently available modules.
We'll also go into some light spoilers in the second half of the episode (don't worry, there's a spoiler wall - courtesy of Jason's sound effects). If you've played T.I.M.E Stories and want to hear others discuss it, or if you've never played and don't plan on it, you can get a sense of what all the hub bub is about in this week's episode.
Super special episode this week as we welcome Isaac Childres, Owner of Cephalofair Games and Designer of Gloomhaven to the podcast. Isaac joins us for a half hour to discuss the upcoming Gloomhaven Kickstarter second printing, the game and its solo playability, some of the questions people have had about the game the last few months, and his next game, coming to Kickstarter this summer, Founders of Gloomhaven.
It's all things Gloomhaven in this very special episode. Check it out!
This week we're sitting down with Scott Gaeta, the owner and founder of Renegade Games. Scott has a huge background in the tabletop gaming industry, from his roots as a hobby game store owner more than 20 years ago, through time at Decipher, Upper Deck, Cryptozoic, and now Renegade Games.
We sat down with Scott to talk about the state of Renegade Games and how solo games factor into their current and future lineup. From Clank! to Castles of Caladale to an as of yet unannounced solo only game coming out at the end of the year, there are a lot of interesting things happening for Renegade right now - it's a great chat and a fun opportunity to hear a publisher's insights on the hobby and the solo role in it.
This week we're looking at some of the games we've been playing lately, as Jason and Anthony dive into Gloomhaven and Clank! Learn about how Gloomhaven plays solo, what the experience of unboxing and sorting this beast is like, and whether it's worth keeping on your radar until the end of the year when reprints are due out.
Next up, learn more about Clank! and its brand new solo app. Does this already very good multiplayer deck building adventure work as well solo and is it worth tracking down when it comes back into print later this spring? Jason will give a full rundown of his thoughts and recommendations.
Finally, we read some comments from you, the listeners. We asked the Solo gaming group on Facebook what they think about solo gaming, why they play, and how they answer the question when someone asks "why solo?" We have a wealth of different answers and stories and would love to hear yours as well!
Thanks for being so awesome as listeners, and once again, don't forget to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, BoardGameGeek, and leave us a quick rating in iTunes. Until next week!
Anthony had a chance to sit down with Andrew Parks, designer of Core Worlds, Star Trek Frontiers, Star Trek Attack Wing, and Assault of the Giants. Andrew's new game Dungeon Alliance, is on Kickstarter this month, so we talk about the game, the development process, and its solo elements. The campaign wraps up next week, so we're uploading this as an extra bonus episode for this week.
Listen as Andrew discusses the development of Dungeon Alliance, the evolution of solo and co-op rules in the game, and what you can expect in the future, as well as some insights on difficulty levels and upcoming expansions in Star Trek Frontiers.
One Deck Dungeon is one of the hottest games in the solosphere right now, so we wanted to sit down with its creator, Chris Cieslik and ask him about the process of putting the game together, some of the challenges he faced, and what we can expect in the near future for the brand.
Listen and learn what went into this quick, yet epic solo experience and when you should prepare for your wallets to be tugged on again for its inevitable followup in our full length interview and discussion with Chris.
New to the podcast? Make sure to follow us on BoardGamersAnonymous.com, Facebook, and Twitter. Subscribe and rate us on iTunes and the Google Play store as well. It helps more people find all this solo goodness.
Last week we sat down with Ignacy Trzewiczek and discussed First Martians, the big new release coming soon from Portal Games. We managed to keep him around a little longer and asked about some of his other games and how the solo variants and modes for those games were created, what that development process looks like, and what it takes for a game fan to get involved in the process of creating these types of variants.
In part two of our interview, we discuss Imperial Settlers, Legacy, Robinson Crusoe a bit further, and some other exciting developments coming up for Portal, including Portal Digital, and a big announcement still pending for the GAMA Trade Show.
Make sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to participate as well! We'll ask for your input and questions before interviews and your question of the day responses are always big helps in building our content calendar.
This week we have a very special episode featuring the designer of one of the hottest anticipated games of the year, Ignacy Trzewiczek. He joins us to discuss his newest game, which will release in the summer, and everything that went into it. Specifically, we ask him about the process of pulling the game together, the solo considerations in the design, and the differences and similarities between it and Robinson Crusoe.
If you've been wondering about this game, how it will play, how much content comes in the box, and whether it's worth picking up if you already own Robinson Crusoe, definitely check this interview out. And make sure to check back next week as well when we'll have part two of the interview, discussing some of Ignacy's other solo-playable games and the process of developing and implementing solo play in the game.
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and BoardGameGeek to continue the conversation as well!
In episode 20 of Table for One (the big 2-0!) we sit down to discuss three small deck card games and how they pull of their solo modes. Jason kicks things off with Valley of the Kings, followed by One Deck Dungeon with Anthony, and finally Villages of Valeria with Jason.
Check out what we think about all three of these games, how their solo modes work, what kind of scoring and game mode go into good solo variants and more.
And of course, we'd love your feedback. Leave us a short review on iTunes to help us get the word out about the show, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, or BoardGameGeek.
This week we're diving into a pair of Cool Mini or Not releases from the last few months - starting with Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcadia, a dice driven dungeon crawl that just hit US shores for Kickstarter backers. It's one of the few Cool Mini or Not games with a built-in solo variant, so how does it fare?
Next up we look at Eric Lang's most recent CMON release - The Others: 7 Sins - which hit for Kickstarter backers in September and the public at large shortly after. How does the fan-made solo variant for this one stack up?
Finally, we dive into a discussion of Cool Mini or Not's overall practices and where we think they stand after a few years. Does a company this size still need the surge of attention and built-in scarcity that a Kickstarter campaign provides?
If you haven't yet, check us out on Facebook and Twitter where we post every day, including our Question of the Day. You can also catch up on recent episodes on BoardGameGeek and everything is published to BoardGamersAnonymous.com.
This week Anthony and Jason are talking about one of their most recent plays and a game high in the hotness for January - Aeon's End. We dive into the game and how it plays, how it compares to a very similar game - Sentinels of the Multiverse - and what we think about some of the other big solo-compatible deck builders on the market.
Make sure to stop by BoardGamersAnonymous.com and check out all of our recent episodes, as well as our guild on Board Game Geek where we talk about each episode and our questions of the day. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter where new content is posted daily.
Thank you everyone for joining us last week to discuss #100-51 on the 1 Player Guild People's Choice Top 100 solo games. This week we're back in Episode 17 for the rest of the list!
In part two of our special two part interview, Anthony and Jason welcome Kevin to Table for One to discuss the top 50 entries in the list, our own favorite solo games, and some of the recent trends in top rated solo games.
To see the full list, visit the Geeklist on BoardGameGeek here: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/217988/2016-peoples-choice-top-100-solo-games
And you can join the discussion of our episode on BoardGamersAnonymous.com and in our guild on BoardGameGeek.
Every year for the last three years, Kevin Erskine has gathered votes from hundreds of solo gamers on Board Game Geek and created a gamer-voted Top 100 list of solo games. The 2016 edition of the list had nearly 400 voters and saw a bunch of interesting new games make the cut.
In part one of a special two part interview, Anthony and Jason welcome Kevin to Table for One to discuss the first 50 entries in the list, what goes into creating the list each year and some of the biggest surprises we spotted in this year's rankings.
To see the full list, visit the Geeklist on BoardGameGeek here: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/217988/2016-peoples-choice-top-100-solo-games
And you can join the discussion of our episode on BoardGamersAnonymous.com and in our guild on BoardGameGeek.
In part two of our Pan Pandemic special, we're looking at the biggest game release of the last two years - Pandemic Legacy. From the controversy over the rapid ascent of Pandemic Legacy in the Board Game Geek rankings to the actual nature of the game and where is stands in the pantheon of great narratives, games, and other mediums, we look at this great game and what makes it so special.
We also talk at some length about how this game would play solo - both with the positive elements and possible pitfalls. If you've played Pandemic Legacy before, we'll also spoil a bit of it and discuss those big moments we each had and how our groups responded to them.
SPOILER WARNING: If you haven't played or haven't finished yet, spoilers start at 25:40 (there will be a length audio warning as well :)
Enjoy the episode everyone and have a Happy New Year! Thank you for listening. We're excited for more great episodes next year!
This week we're talking all things Pandemic! From the base game and its humble-puzzle roots to the expansions and now standalone versions that are blanketing game store shelves, we dig into each iteration of this popular coop and solo friendly modern classic and discuss which you should check out and why.
Happy holidays to all our listeners out there and make sure to check out part two of our Pan Pandemic episode next week!
This week Jason and Anthony discuss the differences (and relative pros and cons) of digital board games vs. their analog counterparts. We kick things off with a rundown of our favorite digital board game apps of 2016 and then dive into the differences, the place these games hold in our collections and when we consider buying them (and don't).
Check out our full rundown of this year in apps in Table for One episode 13.
And don't forget to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, BoardGameGeek, and BoardGamersAnonymous.com
This week's Table for One is all about gifts! We're talking about some of the hidden gems, solo variants, and all around great games we recommend you check out if looking for a good solo gaming gift for the people in your life (or a game you can play with them that is also solo friendly!)
We'll also set aside our Mt Rushmore of Solo Games - the five games that we mention all the time and won't be including in lists like this. They're great, you know it and we know it!
We'd love your support - please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to help us reach a larger audience with the podcast every week. And if you have questions, suggestions, or just want to say hi, hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or www.boardgamersanonymous.com
This week Anthony and Jason discuss the hottest new solo game of the year thus far, Arkham Horror: The Card Game. Recently released as the newest in FFG's Living Card Game line, Arkham Horror is a true solo card game with story progression, character development, and multiple play through options.
We'll discuss the game, what makes it unique, and whether it's worth playing, along with comparisons to Lord of the Rings: The Card Game and its approach to the LCG model, now five years in. We'll also discuss some of the big questions (and concerns) around LCG and subscription-style gaming for solo play and whether we think it's worth it.
Thanks for joining us this week on Table for One - please take a minute to leave a quick review in iTunes or Google Play, and don't forget to connect with us on Facebook, BoardGameGeek (Guild 1735) and BoardGamersAnonymous.com.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jason takes the reins this week with Episode 10 of Table for One. He discusses two games he's played recently - The Pursuit of Happiness and Vast: The Crystal Caverns - two very popular multiplayer games released in 2016 with solo variants. He also talks about a topic very near and dear to a lot of solo gamers - how to handle being an introvert during the holidays when visiting family.
If you haven't yet, we'd love a quick review on iTunes or the Google Play store, and don't forget to check out all of the Table for One Episodes on BoardGamersAnonymous.com.
This week Anthony and Jason sit down to talk about one of the biggest (little) game series in the industry the last few years - Tiny Epic. From Gamelyn Games and designer Scott Almes, the Tiny Epic series hit the market a few years back with Tiny Epic Kingdoms and has since launched Tiny Epic Defenders, Tiny Epic Galaxies, and Tiny Epic Western, with the newest, Tiny Epic Quest, on Kickstarter right now.
The common thread? Every one of these games has a solo mode. So we're going to sit down and discuss the games, what makes them work, and their solo modes, along with some of the issues that come up when discussing little (big) games.
Make sure to connect with us on Facebook as well as Twitter, BoardGameGeek, and our website, BoardGamersAnonymous.com.
In this week's episode of Table for One, Anthony and Jason discuss two BIG games that hit their tables in the last week - The Daedalus Sentence and Mechs vs. Minions. We also dig into the factors that have the greatest impact on our perception of value in tabletop games, especially for solo play. Is that big box purchase worth it? Find out in our feature this week.
And of course, make sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter (@BGAPodcast), http://www.boardgamersanonymous.com and on our guild on BoardGameGeek.
And if you haven't yet, we really appreciate your reviews on iTunes! Help more people find this podcast and discover the world of solo gaming.
This week I'm diving into one of the biggest (quite literally) new euro releases of the fall - A Feast for Odin from Uwe Rosenberg. The newest, spacial tile-based worker placement game is a big hit coming out of Essen this year, and has one of the more interesting solo modes of any Rosenberg game in recent years.
This week I'm going to look at how it plays, what I like about it, and how it compares to other recent Rosenberg releases with solo variants like Fields of Arle and Caverna.
Make sure to connect with us on BoardGamersAnonymous.com, Twitter (@BGAPodcast) and on Facebook. Please also leave us a review on iTunes or the Google Play store.
We're back with Table for One Episode 6. This week I have a very special guest, Jason Perez, joining me to talk about the Oniverse, the core of the solo-gamers go to collection for palate cleansers, light card games, and ethereal artwork.
The entire episode is all Oniverse, all the way through - we're talking about Onirim, Sylvion, and Castellion, as well as some pining for the newest entry in the 'verse, Nautilion, coming later this year.
Enjoy! and if you haven't yet, make sure to rate us on iTunes, connect on Facebook and Twitter (@BGAPodcast), and visit the website at www.boardgamersanonymous.com.
Welcome back to Table for One, the weekly podcast about solo board gaming, and the games, variants, and people involved. This week I'm talking about Guilds of London from Tasty Minstrel Games and Tony Boydell, playing dexterity games solo to unwind, and the solo challenges and game discussions that make solo gaming so much fun on BGG and Facebook.
Stay in touch! Reach out on Facebook, Twitter, BoardGameGeek, and BoardGamersAnonymous.com. And make sure to leave us a rating on iTunes!
It's episode 4 of Table for One! Thanks for joining me. This week, I'm discussing three games I really quite enjoy, along with a topic that I know is relevant to most gamers out there.
First up, we're discussing three recent plays, which include Star Trek Frontiers to start. Is this rethemed version of Mage Knight worth tracking down and playing if you already have Mage Knight? Find out in my quick solo review. Next up is initial impressions of Mansions of Madness Second Edition, one of my surprise hits of the year thus far. And finally, a small box game with a lot of meat to it - The Manhattan Project: Chain Reaction.
Finally, I'm digging into board game apps - the ones I like, the ones I'm vaguely disappointed with, and the situations in which I play them (and don't). Check it out if you have a tablet or smartphone and are interested in expanding your options as well.
Make sure to connect with Table for One on BoardGameGeek (Guild 1735), Boardgamersanonymous.com, Facebook, and Twitter (@BGAPodcast). And I welcome and appreciate your reviews on iTunes!
Welcome back for episode 3 of Table for One! This week, we're talking about a couple of new games, one of which I've covered in part in the past, and an oldie that keeps hitting the table.
I dive into Xenoshyft Dreadmire to see if it fixes the difficulty issues of Onslaught, then I revisit Hostage Negotiator as we prepare for the next standalone set that's coming very soon. I also give a more in-depth review of The Castles of Burgundy Card Game after several more plays.
Finally, we dig into the foibles of setup and breakdown time in solo gaming. Are there games you never get to the table because they take too long, or others that just never get broken down because you may as well leave it out? Let's chat about this and more on Episode 3 of Table for One.
Welcome back to Episode 2 of Table for One, the solo board gaming podcast. This week we're looking at how to play non-solo games solo, as well as some recent plays of Zombicide Black Plague, The Goonies Adventure Card Game, and Shakespeare: Backstage.
Welcome to Episode 1 of Table for One! The podcast about solo games by a solo gamer. We're talking about all things new and exciting in the world of solo games this week with reviews of Terraforming Mars solo mode, The Castles of Burgundy Card Game, Scythe, and Eight Epics.
Anthony from Board Gamers Anonymous will take you through some of his recent plays and the big games he wants to recommend every week as part of this new ongoing series from BGA.
Make sure to subscribe to the Board Gamers Anonymous podcast as well, and join us on Facebook, Twitter, BoardGameGeek, and Patreon - your support helps us produce more content every month. Thank you!