Cards and Cubes: Recent Episodes
Pod Cauldron
Welcome to Cards and Cubes - a podcast about games you didn't grow up playing.
We are Hristo and Trevor - two friends who love to play and talk about board games.
In Season 2, Episode 7 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about our Top 5 Heavy Games.
Games mentioned include Teotihuacan: City of Gods, Alchemists, Lisboa, Dominant Species, Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar, Trismegistus: The Ultimate Formula, On Mars, Lisboa, Brass: Birmingham and Lancashire, Terra Mystica and Gaia Project.
We talk about some games on the horizon including Die Macher, Weather Machine, Pax Transhumanity, Pax Renaissance, Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles – Episodes 1 & 2, Arkwright: The Card Game, and Imperial Steam.
Season 2, Episode 6 of Cards and Cubes is about Card Games: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Well, not so much about the Ugly, but we have plenty to say about all kinds of different card mechanics and game examples which feature them.
Games mentioned include Port Royal, Ark Nova, Race for the Galaxy, Boonlake, TEN, Alma Mater, Eschaton, Terramara, Firenze, Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun, Arboretum, Fort, Mombasa, Blackout: Hong Kong, Mottainai, Glory to Rome, Gloomhaven, 51st State: Master Set, La Granja, Cryo, Lewis & Clark: The Expedition, Nyet!, Belote, Tichu, Brian Boru: High King of Ireland, Ginkgopolis, Nidavellir.
We then focus only on Ark Nova, with a more detailed discussion, having played it several times now.
In Season 2, Episode 5, we begin with some trivia about the Top 10 most viewed games on BGG.
Then, we talk about our experiences playing Azul: Queen's Garden and Boonlake.
Our topic this time is Meta-Gaming. We talk about our understanding of meta-gaming and go into a discussion of times when we have experienced meta-rules in various games including partnership card games, Root, drafting games, Puerto Rico, and others.
Season 2, Episode 4 is all about our Top 5 Catan Killers.
While Catan is an old favorite, we talk about games which are a step up including Machi Koro, Machi Koro 2, Machi Koro Legacy, Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King, Bad Company, Solenia, Valeria: Card Kingdoms, Ginkgopolis, Call to Adventure, Via Nebula, Space Base, and Ragusa.
We also have some honorable mentions including My Farm Shop, Catan: Seafarers, Catan: Cities & Knights, Dice Forge, Lords of Vegas, Irish Gauge, and Flotilla.
In Season 2, Episode 3, we share our experiences at SaltCON Spring 2022.
We talk about pretty much all the games we played, including Great Western Trail (Second Edition), Witchstone, MicroMacro: Crime City – Full House, Cape May, Ark Nova, Bitoku, So Clover!, Mystic Paths, Cascadia, Legacies, Founders of Teotihuacan, Brian Boru, Paris: l'Étoile, Milestones, Zapotec, Meeple Party, The Hunger, El Grande Big Box, Khôra: Rise of an Empire, Deep Blue, Red Outpost, The Manhattan Project 2: Minutes to Midnight, and Tabannusi: Builders of Ur.
In Season 2, Episode 2 of Cards and Cubes, we start with a challenging trivia about the bottom 10 games with logged plays on BGG for January 2022.
We continue with a discussion about Serial Games - game series which have mechanical or otherwise closely related "sequels." We give some examples of "serialization" including mechanical, thematic, designer-related.
In particular, we focus on the "Century" and "Azul" series in depth, including our favorites and what we like or dislike about them.
In Season 2, Episode 1 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about our Top 5 Games and Top 5 Disappointments of 2021.
Games mentioned include Codex Naturalis, Embarcadero, Bloodborne: The Board Game, Furnace, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, Venice, Steampunk Rally Fusion, Cubitos, Oath, Beyond the Sun, Anno 1800, Excavation Earth, Origins: First Builders, Red Rising, Mercado de Lisboa, Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, 7 Wonders: Architects, Merchants Cove, Shamans, Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game.
In Episode 55 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about games we've played recently including Ragusa, Yukon Airways, Grand Austria Hotel: Let's Waltz!, Teotihuacan with expansions, Terra Mystica, Underwater Cities, and Gaia Project. We then go on to our topic for this episode which is burnout - what is it, what causes it, some introspection, and commentary about obsession. Our games on the horizon this week are: Eleven: Football Manager Board Game, 300: Earth & Water, Furnace, and La Granja: Deluxe Master Set.
In Episode 54 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about games we played recently such as Greed, Agricola (Revised Edition), Smartphone Inc., Electropolis, and Gaia Project. Our topic today is "Board Game Expansions" and we also have a short discussion about deluxe versions of games. Our games on the horizon this week are Tsukuyumi: Full Moon Down, Gaia Project, Spirit Island, Terra Mystica, Underwater Cities, Weather Machine, Excavation Earth: It Belongs in a Museum, and Yedo.
In Episode 53 of Cards and Cubes, we have a recap of SaltCON End of Summer 2021. We go through the 4 days of the convention and a large number of notable games we played. We mention games such as Red Rising, MicroMacro: Crime City, Paleo, Rococo: Deluxe Edition, The Castles of Tuscany, Praga Caput Regni, Myrmes, Robin Hood and the Merry Men, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Hacienda, and Coatl. Finally, we talk about games we didn't get to play that we are looking forward to playing at the convention next year such as Red Outpost, Goa, High Rise, The Mines of Zavandor, Bonfire: Trees & Creatures.
In Episode 52 of Cards and Cubes, we are bringing you a recording from our event at SaltCON End of Summer 2021! We have a combined run through our Top 3 Games We Haven't Played from the SaltCON Library and related topics with fellow podcasters from The Innkeeper's Table. Games mentioned include Myrmes, Echidna Shuffle, Uwe Rosenberg's Tile Laying Trilogy (Indian Summer, Cottage Garden, Spring Meadow), Bora Bora, Aquasphere, Hacienda, After The Empire, Paleo, MicroMacro: Crime City, the Unlock series, The Search for Planet X, and the Tiny Epic series.
In Episode 51 of Cards and Cubes, we have a short intro about themes which affect our interest in games. We go on to games played, which this week include Alchemists, Massive Darkness, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game, and Space Gate Odyssey. Our topic this week is "3 Kinds of Games to Play at a Game Convention" inspired by the upcoming SaltCON End of Summer 2021. Games on the Horizon include Alchemists: The King's Golem, On Mars: Alien Invasion, Dune: Imperium - Rise of Ix, Forests of Pangaia, and Overstocked. If you're coming to SaltCON End of Summer 2021, come to our Live Recording on Friday at 8PM in Twilight 4!
In Episode 50 of Cards and Cubes, our games played over the last couple of weeks are Nippon, Unlock!: Mythic Adventures, The Prodigals Club with Last Will, and Cubitos. As prompted by some recent experiences playing on Board Game Arena and its dynamic scoring, our topic today is Hidden Information in Tabletop Games. Our Games on the Horizon this week include Gloomholdin', Fort: Cats & Dogs Expansion, Kyoto, Lost Explorers, Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders, and Excavation Earth.
In Episode 49 of Cards and Cubes, we have a short intro about the Battlestar Galactica board game reimplementation called "Unfathomable." We go into Games Played including CloudAge, The Search for Planet X, Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Gentes, and Hallertau. Our topic for this episode is Fragility in Tabletop Games. We discuss games which we consider or call "fragile" or even "broken" in some way as opposed to some which are more "stable" but perhaps with some downsides. Our Games on the Horizon highlights for this week are Lords of Ragnarok, Circadians: Chaos Order, Cubitos, and ADELE.
In Episode 48 of Cards and Cubes, we have a brief discussion about Terra Mystica and other board game tournaments. Then, the we go through a lengthy list of games from "TrevCON 2021" - a made-up "convention" of us playing games more frequently than usual, mostly at Trevor's house. Games mentioned include Gods Love Dinosaurs, Beyond the Sun, Cryo, Tournay, Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game, Praga Caput Regni, Barrage, KLASK 4, New York Zoo, Werewords, CuBirds, Mercado de Lisboa, Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra, Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile, Kanban EV, Dune: Imperium, Pulsar 2849, Monster Expedition, Embarcadero, Rush M.D., Illimat, and Exit: The Game + Puzzle - The Sacred Temple. We conclude with our Games on the Horizon section with 300: Earth & Water, Nidavellir: Thingvellir, Rush M.D. Expansions, Shards of Infinity + Expansions, Ginkgopolis: The Experts, and Fall of the Mountain King.
In Episode 47, we begin with a short discussion about game scarcity and out of print issues. We follow with our games played section which includes Chinatown, Genoa, Eschaton, Oriflamme, CuBirds, Codex Naturalis, Jekyll vs. Hyde, and Tybor the Builder. Our combined topic and news item for the day is Tabletop Game Awards, and in particular the recent announcements for the Spiel des Jahres and Golden Geek Awards nominees. Some games which caught our eye include The Adventures of Robin Hood, MicroMacro: Crime City, Fantasy Realms, Paleo, Beyond the Sun, Forgotten Waters, The Search for Planet X, Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade. Games on the Horizon include Conspiracy: Abyss Universe, My Father's Work, Mandala Stones, and The Witcher: Old World.
In Episode 46, we start off talking about our section name change from "Top" to "Good" games. We then discuss playing games with themes which overlap with our professional careers. Games played in this episode include a lengthy discussion about the Maracaibo campaign we recently finished, Sluff Off!, Venice, and Star Wars: Unlock! . We then present our lists of 3 Good Cooperative Games. Games on the Horizon include Nidavellir, Comanauts, Expedition to Newdale, Paris: l'Etoile, Tabannusi: Builders of Ur.
In Episode 45 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about Anachrony, Exit and Unlock games, Mercado de Lisboa, as well as some area control games we played over a weekend recently including The Expanse: Doors and Corners, A War of Whispers, and Inis. Our topic this week is "Digital Implementations of Tabletop Games" where we discuss different ways in which games can be implemented in digital format or assisted by a digital application, and our preferences and impressions from the ones we've experienced. Games on the Horizon include Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile, Equinox, Anno 1800, Florence.
In Episode 44 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about our continuing trend of playing trick-taking games like The Bottle Imp and Indulgence. Then we discuss Ginkgopolis and Suburbia. Our topic today is "Teaching Board Games" where we examine our personal early experiences, learnings, recommendations, and differing teaching styles when explaining board games. Games on the Horizon this week are: Zing! or Sluff Off!, Dealt!, Scout!, Black Angel, Cryo, and Magna Roma.
In Episode 43 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about some games we've played recently, including L.L.A.M.A., Dune: Imperium, Pixie Queen, Bloodborne: The Board Game, and Steampunk Rally Fusion. Our discussion today is what's in a game - in other words, what we feel qualifies as a game, and we go into a recent case which prompted the discussion. Games on the horizon include Caper: Europe, V-Commandos, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice, Hippocrates, John Company: Second Edition, and Ginkgopolis.
In Episode 42 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about our experience playing the card games Custom Heroes and Trickster: Champions of Time. Then we go into a discussion about Tyrants of the Underdark, Dice Town, and some comments about our first steps into Etherfields. Our topic today is "Keep or Cull" - a discussion about our decisions and habits involved in acquiring, collecting, and ultimately getting rid of board games. Games on the horizon this week include Tiny Turbo Cards, Fjords, Royal Visit, L.L.A.M.A., Everdell: Newleaf, Mistwood, and The Complete Collection, and Venice.
In Episode 41 of Cards and Cubes, our games played include Sierra West, Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road, Curious Cargo, and a few solo gaming experiences. Our topic of discussion this week is "What We Look For in a Game Store." Games on the horizon include Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Collector's Edition, Clinic: Deluxe Edition – 2nd, 3rd Extension, Steampunk Rally Fusion, and Whistle Mountain.
In Episode 40 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about games we've recently played including Carnegie, Glasgow, and Treasure Hunter. Then we have a discussion about board game streamlining prompted by Pingyao: First Chinese Banks, mentioning a variety of Vital Lacerda games, CGE games, and others. Highlights include simplicity vs streamlining, thematic integration, flow, smaller versions of larger games, and some examples of arguably insufficient rulebooks. Games on the horizon for us this week include Stroganov, Paladins of the West Kingdom: City of Crowns, Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, and Funfair.
In Episode 39 of Cards and Cubes, we talk about some recent experiences in the board game online world, and then go into some games we've played like Village Green, My Village, Targi, 7 Wonders Duel: Agora, and Fast Sloths. Then, we have an extensive discussion about the evolution of deck building in board games - from first experiences like Dominion, Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, through developments involving games like Tyrants of the Underdark, Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, Arctic Scavengers, Great Western Trail, Blackout: Hong Kong, Mombasa, Super Motherload, Famiglia, Grifters, Viscounts of the West Kingdom, Concordia, Transatlantic, Gloomhaven, Bloodborne: The Card Game, Cry Havoc, Shards of Infinity, Rune Stones, and The Taverns of Tiefenthal. We finish the discussion with kind of a back-and-forth discussion between Lost Ruins of Arnak and Dune: Imperium. Our ending discussion of games on the horizon includes Radlands, Carnegie, Root: "Militants" Expansion, and Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile.
In Episode 38 of Cards And Cubes, we talk about some games we've played, like Praga Caput Regni, Bonfire, and Glenn's Gallery.
Then we mention some upcoming games, a couple of which we have already partially previewed - Darwin's Journey, CloudAge, and Kanban EV.
We then go onto a particularly difficult section of poorly described games - or were the clues really not that bad, and we just all had a bad memory day?
In our Top 10 Games of 2020 we list our favorite games from this year with a few releases from 2019 that reached the USA in 2020. We also discuss our honorable mentions and games that we weren't able to play this year but look promising.
In episode 37 Trevor joins us to talk about some Christmas themed games. We talk about our games played including Firenze, The Pursuit of Happiness, Tawatinsuyu: The Incan Empire, Schotten Totten 2, Kokopelli, and Wingspan: Oceana Expansion. We talk about upcoming games like Origin Octopus, Jekyll vs. Hyde, Origins: First Builders, Perseverence: Castaway Chronicles, Curious.Cargo, and The Voyages of Marco Polo 2. We finish up by talking about our favorite excitkng games.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we talk about the popularity of chess and The Queen's Gambit. We then talk about games we have played like Century: Golem Edition - Eastern Mountains, 7 Wonders: Duel, Truffle Shuffle, Tybor the Builder, and Oh My Goods. We also talk about upcoming games like The Pursuit of Happiness, Firenze, Schotten Totten 2, and Whale Riders. Finally, we talk about our top 3 relaxing games.
In episode 35 of Cards and Cubes we talk about games we have played recently including Tatsu, Marrakech, Kitchen Rush, The Crew, and New York Zoo. Then we briefly discuss upcoming games like Coffee Traders, Clever hoch Drei, Quetzal, and Kokopeli. We finish giving our impressions of games in which theme really comes though.
We examine some games which we have played recently including Paris, Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game, and Troyes Dice. We then talk about some games we look forward to including some expansions and unlock games. We finish by sifting through our top 3 games we would keep and play in a post-apocalyptic scenario.
It's our favorite time of year again! Find out what games we like to play as the weather gets colder and life gets just a bit spookier.
This episode is a little bit shorter than normal. We go over games that we have played and a few games of note.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we discuss Stefan Feld. We also discuss our favorite games with variable player powers.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we have a special segment. Brandon interviews board game designer Max Holliday. Holliday designed games such as Eaten by Zombies and Barely Balanced. In our top 3 segment we discuss out top 3 area control/ majority board games.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we do another round of poorly described games. We also discuss Top 3 Games That We Should Like, but Don't.
In this episode we have another round of Poorly Described Board Games. We also discuss our Top 3 Games We Shouldn't Like, but Do.
In this episode we try a new segment. In "Poorly Described Board Games" we take turns giving brief and slightly confusing descriptions of board games which the others try to guess. We also discuss our Top 3 Expansions.
In this episode we discuss 2-player games. When do we enjoy 2-player games? What makes a game suited to a player count of 2? Are there any advantages to playing with just 2 players? We also go over our Top 3 Family-weight Games.
In this episode we talk about some of the online resources we use to help us with our board game collecting and playing. We also talk about our Top 3 Party Games.
In this episode we discuss games that we have been playing as well as our Top 3 Story-Driven Games.
In this episode we discuss the game publisher Czech Games Edition (CGE). We also give our top 3 games with few components.
In our 20th episode we discuss some games played and games we're looking forward to. We finish by presenting our Top 3 Gimmick Games That Actually Work.
In this episode we talk about our motivations for playing board games. It is for social reasons, or for competition? We also present our Top 3 Filler Games.
In our 18th episode we are figuring out how to record a podcast while heeding social isolation etiquette. We do a deep dive into Vital Lacerda, the designer of board game hits such as Lisboa and On Mars. We also talk about our favorite games to play when our board game group has the dreaded 5 player count.
In this episode we talk about a few games that we have played over the last few weeks. We also discuss board game vs video game design.
We were lucky enough to have the chance to record at our local board game convention, SaltCON, this year. We talk about games that we played, how we choose games to play at a convention, and take some questions from the audience.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we discuss board game meetups. How do you find people to play with? How do meetups happen? We also present our Top 3 2-Player Games.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we talk about randomness. What makes randomness enjoyable in games? What are our Top 3 Random Games?
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we discuss rule books. What makes them good or bad, easy or difficult to follow? We then present our Top 3 Space Games.
In this episode we talk about games we have played over the past two weeks. We discuss games we are looking forward to. We then get into round two of board game etiquette. Finally, we cap the episode off by talking about the Top 3 Games We Have Played Too Much.
Welcome to a new year! In this episode we discuss board game collections. How many games do we have? How many is too many? Too few? Why do we need so many? Finally, we present our Top 3 Favorite Board Game Themes.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we talk about a local used board game sale. We also spotlight The Taverns of Tiefenthal, a new game by Wolfgang Warsch. In a new segment, we discuss games that we are looking forward to playing. We also present our Top 3 Older Games.
In this episode we discuss some games that you did grow up playing! In our board game topic we tackle how technology has been, is being, and will be integrated into board games. Is it a fad or here to stay? Did you ever guess we would talk about Mall Madness or Mystery Date? We also give our opinions on Tapestry, the newest game from Jamey Stegmaier. Finally, we discuss our Top 3 Dexterity Games.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we discuss our experience at an International Games Day event in West Jordan, Utah. We also review the new game by Simone Luciani, Barrage. We finish the episode with a list of our Top 3 Long Games.
We're back! In our Halloween Special we discuss Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein. We also pitch horror movie ideas based on some of our favorite board games that are not usually associated with the horror genre. In Hristo's haunted house of kickstarting wonders we talk about the pros and cons of app integration in board gaming. Join us for a spooky good time!
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we discuss art in board games. We talk about our favorite and disliked art as well as what role art has to play in board games. We also give our review of Black Angel - the new game by the designers of Troyes and Solenia. Hristo is back to discuss marketing on Kickstarter.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes, we review Carnival of Monsters. We then talk about that ever-difficult topic of board game etiquette. We then move on to our Top 3 Drafting Games. Finally, our good friend Hristo is back to talk about his experiences with SaltCON, our local board gaming convention.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we review Snowdonia which we unboxed on the last episode. We also talk about different types of buyer's remorse in the board game hobby. Next, we give our Top 3 Deck Building Games. Finally, we unbox and give our first impressions of Carnival of Monsters - a new game by Richard Garfield.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes we review Imaginarium. We also talk about our guidelines for a good rules teach before playing a board game. Next, we discuss our Top 3 Engine Building Games. We also unbox and talk about our expectations of Snowdonia. Hristo is also back to discuss the risks and rewards of Kickstarter.
In this episode of Cards and Cubes, we have a special guest. We review Pipeline after playing it this week. We also talk about games that are nostalgic for us. We give a list of games that we enjoy playing with casual gamers and those new to the hobby. Finally we wrap up with a review of Imaginarium - a new game by Bruno Cathala.
In Season 1, Episode 2 of Cards and Cubes, we discuss our experiences playing Arraial. We also talk about luck in board games and our board game origin stories. We then present our top three worker placement games, and finally unbox and discuss Pipeline - a new game by Ryan Courtney.
In the inaugural episode of Cards and Cubes, we discuss winners of the Spiel des Jahres. In our questions segment we also discuss Gen Con and more. Then, to introduce us and our tastes we talk about our favorite board games. Finally, we unbox Arraial - a game by Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro and Paulo Soledade.