The Spiel - MP3 Version: Recent Episodes
Stephen Conway & Doug Richardson
This episode features geeky pairings galore. Books, movies, board games, and music, plus refreshing libations and light summer snacks.
This episode features a treasured collector's item and a game/science discussion that includes monkeys with machetes, impervious turtles, and sex starved moths.
Raise a glass and join the fun. This episode features segments with playful folks from Saskatchewan and Sydney: Scotch Council and My Favorite Game.
Doug Richardson makes a triumphant return as co-host for Season 21, PLUS three new segments: Game Lab with Lucio Rodriguez, Spiel-lunking the Game Cave with Brynn Symington, and The Playground with James Englehardt.
In our season finale, two award winning games earn our Meeple Crown for 2025. These games embody the essence of Major Fun and The Spiel of Approval. Congratulations to Fromage and Hot Streak!
Rick Hammerle and Katherine Rosland join the show to chat about our experiences at the world's largest game fair, plus a side quest to Scotland.
Chelsea Steenbock, Chair of Play with Your Food, joins me for a wide ranging conversation. We talk about how games have shaped our lives and how our passion for play enables us to build community and serve others.
Two segments with two amazing Canadians - Matt Robertson and Roger Leroux. Plus a GenCon recap with Erwin and Gubbins.
Bruce Voge chats about games based on ideas or topics that seem downright un-gamifiable. Toy maker Jason Hsieh tells us about his favorite game, What's the Point? Lucio Rodriguez shines the Back Shelf Spotlight on Heroscape, a genre bending battle game.
Season 20 begins with flourish and 3 Gs... Growth, Gubbins, and GAMA! Growth: We introduce a new format for the show. Gubbins: Co-Op Corner, a new segment hosted by Gubbins makes its debut. GAMA: Erwin Susara and I recap our adventures at the GAMA Expo.
In our season 19 finale, two award winning games earn our Meeple Crown for 2024. These games embody the essence of Major Fun and The Spiel of Approval. Congratulations to Life in Reterra and Daybreak!
Play eight cards in a line from left to right to catalog your adventure across a mysterious land. Then, the journey back begins. Each card will score in reverse order from right to left. Can you build the best lineup and become a world renowned explorer?
In Life in Reterra players build a new world on top of the old, placing terrain tiles and buildings to form communities. Buildings will unlock new rules and scoring potential and the very shape of the lands you create will help your new society succeed.
In Age of Comics players try to build a publishing empire during the dawn of the genre. With the right story, the right art, a head for business and a lot of moxie, you can build a fan base for a new hero and claim a spot in this ever expanding pantheon.
Imagine the love child of Blackjack and Rummy raised with the doting influence of its uncle, Stud Poker. That’s Flip 7. Try to assemble a set of 7 cards one by one each round in a race to rake in big points. This is press your luck at its finest.
In Forest Shuffle, you create a network of trees, hoping to form a balanced habitat for creatures, large and small. Growth always comes at a price, though. For some things to thrive, others must fall to the forest floor.
Tiny Laser Heist is a dexterity game where players rob gems from a mini museum using tiny hands to manipulate locks and avoid tripping alarms. But beware people who aren’t on your team can make your job even harder!
Assist the production of Georges Melies' silent film Journey to the Moon by orchestrating scenes and sequences from script to screen.
DroPolter: Ghost vs Palm Muscle is a whimsically absurd dexterity game. Drop your lucky charms in just the right order, then nab the ghost and win a tiny bell.
In 1859, Barcelona's expansion followed the first truly modern plan. A grid of wide streets divided into blocks and essential services in every area. Can you build this new Barcelona, using intersections and actions to balance the needs of all?
Mojo is a game of a mixed blessings. Everyone starts with eight cards and wants to shed as many as they can. If you end the round, grab the Mojo and hope have the lowest score. If so, that Mojo is good luck. If not, your score pays the price.
Himeji Castle, the white heron, is the center of power and culture for the region. Your clan has a plan to gain favor and influence, but there are rivals across all levels of life at the castle. Each family member you place has an important role to play.
Fun begins at the ends in Butts on Things. Collect as many cards with keisters by pairing posteriors on the tails of any row or column on the table. You’ll be over the moon when you find a way to cap off any line with a nice set of cans.
Waves of folded paper are calling… come play! In Sea, Salt & Paper players create an origami seascape by assembling a tableau of ocean themed cards, some with special abilities, each with its own way to score. When you reach the limit, bet on yourself for a chance to grab a big lead or play it safe and bank your points. Be warned, though. Four mermaids could undo your best beachside plans.
Thistleville is a small place, but there’s something happening around every corner. Grab the best tiles from a sea of stories on the table hoping to fill your small town paper's front page.
The tower has cleared your aircraft and it is time for the final approach. Sky Team is a co-operative game for two players who must plan and then alternate placing dice in order to land a commercial airliner at airports around the world.
A line of seven letters sits before you. One side is a team of two. They must guess a magic word based on a clue the other side gives. Only only clue is allowed and the clue must begin with the letter at the end of either side of the line.
Daybreak is a cooperative boardgame about stopping climate change. In the near future, we must work together to create the technologies, policies, and resilient societies needed to reach Drawdown, sequestering more carbon than we collectively produce.
Nekojima is a small island filled with cats. Can you install power lines across four districts without frisky felines short circuiting your plans. Try your best to not bring the whole network crashing down.
Tiger and Dragon is a climbing game using two suited Mah Jongg style tiles. Attacks are offered and countered with matching tiles. The first player to go out wins the round but HOW you win will ultimately determine your score.
There are dog shows and cat shows, but have you heard of a fish show? Goldfish fans from across the land compete each year to display the most sensational swimmer. It takes talent and planning to create the most pleasing arrangement of colorful scales.
In our season finale, two award winning games earn our Meeple Crown for 2023. These games embody the essence of Major Fun and our Spiel of Approval. Congratulations to Votes for Women and Thunder Road: Vendetta!
Distilled is a game of strategic spirit crafting. Follow recipes to gather ingredients hoping they will meld into something sublime. Bottle and sell what you can or age your creations hoping for a greater payout down the line.
Not That Movie is a cooperative party game. Each round, players work together to determine which movie the critics have described through process of elimination At the end of 5 rounds, are you an epic flop or worthy of an Academy Award?
Obsession is a richly thematic strategy game depicting the struggles of four once proud family estates in 19th century Britain. The game culminates with a successful courtship. Guide your family to the best standing in Derbyshire to cement its legacy.
Magical creatures come to Steam Up to sample bite-size dishes from bamboo baskets stacked high. Each creature arrives with an appetite and an agenda for their ideal meal. With Fate and Fortune looking over each course, may the fullest stomach win!
District Noir is a two player card game where you collect sets of cards, hoping to amass support of certain criminals or collect three key locations in the city in order to win. It’ll take all your cunning to hold onto this fickle, fractious town.
Wicked and Wise is a trick taking card game where teams of dragons and mice compete to amass the largest hoard. Dragons play cards to win tricks. Mice play cards to manipulate the game. Collect coins and complete goals to score.
In Lacrimosa, you play as one of Mozart’s dear friends. Your goal is to gather accolades and respect by helping to assemble a memoir and by hiring composers to finish the Requiem. In doing so, you hope to insure the future of Mozart's family.
Thunder Road: Vendetta is a reboot of a beloved roll and move car crashing game from the 1980s. Each player starts with 3 vehicles and a chopper. Who will survive this perilous race down Route Sixty Styx?
Four Corners is a puzzle hunt in a phone booth. Can you create patterns of matching symbols to meet your goals? Fill a common board with an ever-changing array of tiles - creating opportunities for some and challenges for others.
We finish the first half of Season 18 with a flourish - a variety show jam-packed with quality conversations and plenty of fun and games!
You are responsible for the economic and social development of a city. Dive into Politics, Industry, and Banking, or encourage growth in Culture and Schools. Each choice will cause ripples. Can you look far enough ahead to avoid unintended results?
Velonimo is a modern twist on card climbing and shedding games. Animals race their bikes up five mountains, each higher than the next. The first player to shed their hand in a round, finishes in first place and gets the leader’s jersey.
Starting from a small town in Belgium, you are a merchant seeking prosperity across the continent. Fulfill contracts, establish trade houses, build cathedrals, and amass a staff of skilled workers. Plan well and you'll profit from the Fair each year.
The years of training and sacrifice have all lead to this moment - the big chair - your first command of a starship! Each mission will require your leadership and many tough decisions as you explore the vast unknown sectors of space.
In Akropolis, you build a miniature city in ancient Greece, scoring points for plazas and districts in five different ways. Akropolis feels like five puzzles in one. Can you layer the pieces to make each part of your city prosper?
Portugal's poetic soul was best expressed by writer Fernando Pessoa. Visit cafes to gather cards or the bookshop to influence your style. Then linger in the public square to assemble the best poems you can, hoping the stars align with each move you make.
Scribbly Gum is a flip and write game. Each turn a movement tile is flipped and players direct their larvae by drawing paths through the layers of tree bark, hoping to gather food to complete meals. The most well fed moths will emerge the winner!
From the Declaration of Sentiments at Seneca Falls, to the protests, rallies, and organized campaigns across the nation, Votes for Women chronicles the 72 year struggle to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote.
Mr Walton was killed in his study. And all the guests at Walton manor have good reasons to want him dead. With a few leads, you must piece together the crime by asking questions and sharing information.
Keystone North America is a card driven board game. Players are biologists tasked with assembling ecosystems by arranging organisms into the most optimal sequences possible. The challenge is balance.
Stampede is a game of card swapping and set collecting. Using each animal's special action, can you build the best album? It will take stealth, planning, and a bit of luck to collect the most dangerous... postage!
Hey Yo is a rhythm-based card game driven by a small electronic gizmo that lays down a beat for your team to follow. Connect cards and symbols in time with the beat and you’ll have a chance to score well before the song ends.
An ancient dragon threatens Nidavellir, the realm of the dwarves! The King needs an army, so off to the taverns you go, collecting warriors, blacksmiths, hunters, and more. Bid to recruit the best assembly of brave heroes, upgrading your coins as you go.
Disney Mad Tea Party is a nerve wracking cup stacking game atop a very precarious table. Be the first to play all your cards or stack every last cup to win. Tension tuned by skill, strategy and a touch of luck drives each decision you make.
Golem is a game of cosmic forces and practical magic. Over four turns you will select marble and rabbi actions from the synagogue, studying ancient books, constructing powerful artifacts, and building golems to serve the community. The problem is control.
The coffee craze has hit Portugal and there's a fortune to be made supporting its growing cafe culture. Can you create a successful supply chain harvesting, drying, roasting and delivering coffee beans to meet the demand for this magic drink?
Picture Perfect is a game of logic and space with a technological twist. Over six rounds, can you puzzle out how to arrange all the party guests in a cardboard diorama? When you’re ready, snap a a photo with your phone and compare.
Take a deep dive into this remarkable one-against-many game of hidden movement and deduction based on the brilliant graphic novel series by Matt Kindt.
Aves is a card game with roots in the classics. It is also a game of simple, subtle, and sneaky strategies. To celebrate our 400th review episode, we invited Spielers from around the world to host 7 different segments featured over the past 16 years.
7 Wonders Architects is a quick-playing game of card drafting and empire building. Inspired by its wildly successful sibling (7 Wonders), Architects builds a different kind of fun - one that is open and approachable by a broader audience.
The Boomerang family of games are draft-and write games. Build the best trip over seven cards, balancing multiple ways to score. Pick and place and go! The farther you wander, the better the trip.
Glow is a dice driven card and board game. You have eight days to gather companions and collect shards of light. The journey will be arduous, BUT with careful plans... and a little luck, you could become a legend!
Brian Boru united Ireland and ended centuries of Viking dominance. Round by round and town by town, play cards to secure the crown through might, cunning, and matrimony in this trick-taking board game.
Three Sisters is a roll and write dice game where you plan, plant, nurture, and harvest a small farm over a single growing season. Each die you choose will shape your garden and the goods you can bring to market.
Pocket Paragons is a what-beats-what card dueling game. Select a card; play it’s ability and try to anticipate your opponent’s next move. Duel one on one or in teams of three characters. Seven cards separate you from glory or defeat.
Lux Aeterna is a real-time solo card game. Every choice in each round is a balancing act. For each card you select to repair your ship, you must choose another that brings it closer to destruction.
Four clue words on four leaves. Can your teammates use these clues to select and arrange four square donut-shaped cards so their keywords line up?
Join our party of misfit nerds for fun and games, plus plenty of freewheeling conversation spanning the wide world of geekdom. We hope you'll be in a festive mood for the season after listening to some Grade A goofing around.
Hibachi is a charming dexterity driven set collecting game. Players throw their chef's coins (hefty poker chips) to gather ingredients and special actions to fill recipes.
Ten is a press your luck card game with a twist. The goal is simple: assemble the longest runs of consecutive cards in four colors. How many cards are you willing to draw as you push two different totals closer and closer to ten?
Watergate is a tense card-driven tug-of-war. One player is the Editor of the Washington Post and the other player is the Nixon Administration. Will your efforts help usher a corrupt President from office or protect him from prosecution?
Welcome to the cardboard arcade! Four colorful pinball machines are nestled into a single box - each one a unique world, ready test of your skills.. and luck - challenging you to rack up the high score.
In Embarcadero, players step into the shoes of of a savvy business mogul to claim derelict ships and construct buildings, seeking their fortune. Who will emerge as a city leader and ruler of the bustling waterfront?
Tricky Tides is a charming and challenging trick-up-and-deliver game. Play cards to tricks like any classic card game. The card you play determines how your ship sails across a network of islands. Fill orders and watch for monsters to amass your fortune.
A mysterious grid of 9 ancient stones lies before you. Rearrange them to match your pattern cards and score points. The challenge is, these pattern cards may either be used to move/flip the stones or score points... but never both!
The Shores of Tripoli is a two player card driven strategy game simulating the first Barbary War (1801-1805). Play as President Thomas Jefferson or Pasha Yusuf Karamanli. Tune in for a deep dive into the game and the rich history that surrounds it.
You have been commissioned to complete St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. Gather materials and use your influence over guilds and the clergy to claim and build more sections than your rival architects. Gain the favor of the Tzar and your place in history.
Persuade a military jury to convict or acquit Mary Surratt, accused of plotting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Build your case by drafting cards and dice, hoping to collect evidence, recruit jurors, and establish reasonable doubt.
It’s a garden party in Neverland. In eight short turns, by swapping cards on the tea table, can you assemble the most cherished collection of chapeaus?
How would you build the theme park of your dreams? Funfair gives you a chance to do just that. Play cards to assemble an exciting mix of five attractions. Add enhancements and staff, match blueprints, and build a showcase feature to bring in the crowds.
You are a visionary investor helping to finance buildings in in Paris. Start small with the backing of local banks and use two simple actions (place a key, move a key) to develop and transform the city.
Can you play cards to maneuver a jointly controlled rocket to the right orbital velocity and deploy three satellites? A simple, subtle but ambitious game, Orbital Velocity is a math card puzzle that takes on gravity, economics, and game theory.
Let’s take a bike trip around northern Taiwan. Play scenery cards to visit as many sites as you can over the course of nine stops. The traveler who plans the best and pedals great distances will score well and create a memorable trip.
Players create a beautiful Japanese garden together by laying tiles, making their way through Torii gates. Build beautiful garden paths to collect memories of the landmarks and people you encounter along the way.
Castles of Tuscany is beautifully simple tile laying game that creates space and opportunity for depth and strategy. The game challenges players to stack simple small decisions together in order to build complex chains of actions and bonuses.
Join our party of misfit nerds for fun and games, plus plenty of freewheeling conversation spanning the wide world of geekdom. We hope you'll be in a festive mood for the season after listening to some Grade A goofing around.
Nova Luna is an abstract game of new beginnings. Players select and place colored tiles from the Moon clock, hoping to create patterns which allow them to place scoring tokens on the tiles. As the moon moves, new choices and strategies will arise.
You are on a rescue mission to the Isle of Cats. The dread pirate Vesh is coming to loot and pillage, destroying anything in his path. Explore the island, gather cats and ancient treasures, and find a way to fit them all on your boat before Vesh arrives.
There's a party at the club and all the animals from the neighborhood are clamoring to get in! When the line is filled with five beasts, the club doors open. How many of your party animals can you get into the Beasty Bar before the night is over?
1987 Channel Tunnel is an action selection game powered by clever auctions and multi-use cards. Listen in to explore the game and discover how it packs a whole word of strategy and history into its small box.
Artbox is a game about perception. How to say a lot with a little. Working from a common set of shape dice, can you create a simple drawing, hoping others can select your magic word from a grid of cards?
Similo is a cooperative game of characters, communication, and deduction. Can you guide your team to the secret character in a grid of cards using only other character cards as clues?
The King's Dilemma is tells the story a small council of royal advisors over the course of many generations. Every crisis the kingdom faces is yours to navigate. What legacy will you help write - for yourself, your house, and the people of the land?
Can you build a transportation empire by investing in railroad companies, delivering goods and passengers, and picking up gold along the way? In a train game world full of slow freights, Across the United States delivers balanced fun at blistering speed.
Walking in Provence is a card-driven map building game. Over ten turns you will create a mini-map and move your photographers to open meadows hoping to create the right mix of flowers and features for the perfect shot.
Planet is a 3-D magnetic tile laying game. Build new ecosystems to attract more animals to fill your world. This variety episode features an expanded Meal segment as well.
In Hadara, you take on an ancient challenge: build a civilization from the ground up. Can you recruit talented people, encourage technology, explore other lands, and inspire great works of art, all to promote your civilization ahead of the rest?
How psychic are you? Medium will put you to the test. Your goal is to create a telepathic bond, a Vulcan mind meld with your partners in the game. From two words selected, can we come up with a word that connects them on the count of 3-2-1.
You and your friend set out to visit National Parks across the United States. A game of PARKS is the story of your journeys along the trails throughout the year. This episode also features a big announcement about The Spiel Foundation!
Join our party of misfit nerds for fun and games, plus plenty of freewheeling conversation spanning the wide world of geekdom. We hope you'll be in a festive mood for the season after listening to some Grade A goofing around.
The Crew is a cooperative trick-taking card game. 50 increasingly challenging missions tell the story of your crew's journey to Planet 9. How well can you work together when communication is limited as you cross the vast expanse of space?
Panelists: Frank DiLorenzo, Darrell Ottery, Thomas Provoost, Vlaada Chvatil, Rikki Tahta
5211 is a press-your-luck card game with deep roots in casual classics. It's a modern game that can be as thinky as you want it to be, but it is also a bridge for social interaction, inspired by card nights with family and friends from days gone by.
Space Explorers is a richly thematic card game inspired by Soviet-era agitprop art. Driven by a wide range of action and card synergies, the game is simple to learn but packs a compelling amount of depth into a 30 minute experience.
Dekalko is a drawing game that is not a drawing game. Everyone gets a picture and must get others at the table to guess the picture without seeing the picture itself. How you get there requires a quick hand, a pen, and almost no artistic skill.
Krass Kariert is the free-spirited granddaughter of several beloved classic card games. It combines elements from ladder games like Tichu, trick-taking games like Euchre, shedding games like Uno, and adds a dash of Poker just for fun.
We assemble a group of renowned designers to examine the process and protocol that goes into iterative game design. Panelists: Ted Alspach, Tom Lehmann, Justin Gary, Elizabeth Hargrave, Ben Rosset
How can cardboard, wood, and plastic create such magic? We examine the incredible amount of time and creativity that goes into every bit and how that shapes our experience with a game. Panelists: Beth Heile, Frank Jager, Jean-Francois Gagne, Scott Hill
We sit down with a group of successful publishers for a wide-ranging discussion related to the challenges, lessons, advantages and pitfalls of being an independent publisher today. Panelists: Maggie Clayton, Gil Hova, Julie Ahern, Tim Fowers
The board game market has grown dramatically over the past two decades. We examine the market today from an industry perspective and look to see where it might be headed. Panelists: Stephen Buonocore, Shari Spiro, Kathleen Mercury, Morgan Dontanville
The business of games is a complex global engine. We discuss how various parts of this trade engine fit together and how tariffs can jeopardize the health of the industry as a whole. Panelists: Mike Selinker, Daniel Zayas
There’s a new wave of drama-driven games fueled by tragic events and topics not often associated with fun. We examine how this new genre redefines the boundaries of play. Panelists: Rory O'Connor, Ignacy Trzewiczek, Michael Fox
We examine how games can be a powerful and positive force on many different levels related to mental health with teachers, professionals and players. Panelists: Bebo, Sen Foong Lim, Bruce Voge, Katie Aidley, John Knoerzer
Detective is a drama-driven game fueled by tragic situations we normally don't associate with fun. It provides an immersive and innovative experience by embracing technology, allowing Detective to expand the boundaries of what games can be.
Holding On offers a game experience like no other. It is a drama-driven game that redefines the boundaries of play. We play through the decisions that define Billy's path. And in doing so, we are invited to reflect on our own.
In Egizia, players sail ships carrying workers and stone to build mighty monuments for the Pharaoh. The river offers great rewards and abilities as it flows ever Northward to the sea. And therein lies the challenge!
High above the clouds, you discover an abandoned station from a lost space-faring civilization. There’s just one problem: a deadly storm is coming. To survive you must create a real electrical circuit and launch the last rocket into... the Forbidden Sky!
Flotsam Fight is a card shedding game that plays like an old classic. Put as many treasure cards as you can onto lifeboats. Problem is, each treasure only fits onto certain boats. And as they fill up, you don't want to be stuck with an armful of big loot!
In Coimbra, each player is the head of a family selecting dice to gain influence over important members of society within the city: the clergy, the scholars, the merchants, and the civic leaders.
Ming Dynasty China. The Emperor rules from the Imperial Palace, the Gugong. You are the head of a noble family, bribing palace officials with extravagant gifts, hoping to gain power and influence. Four days separate you from glory or disgrace.
Just One is a cooperative party game. 13 cards stand between everyone playing and perfection. Can you use your powers of imagination and inference to avoid synching up with anyone else at the table?
A flock of little songbirds gather at the feeder to eat. One by one, different birds hop on the perch and carry away their meals, large and small. Can you gather the best collection of bird and seed cards while avoiding greedy squirrels and angry crows?
Petrichor is a game about clouds and weather and how they help things grow. Over the course of the game each player will manipulate cardboard clouds, hoping to fill them with rain drops and direct these drops onto fields to score.
Old pillow cases, burritos filled with pop rocks, nutmeg jail, and Gobblesquatch From Tasmania to Norway and Toronto and across the USA, join our party of misfit nerds for a festive, freewheeling conversation spanning the wide world of geekdom.
Rajas of the Ganges is a beautiful reflection of eastern philosophy. It's a game about balance and karma. Find harmony between two separate scoring tracks to succeed and spend karma wisely to change your fate and reap rewards in the end.
Game designers shape the way we communicate when we play. Games can offer us a new language and new ways to communicate. This panel explores how communication shapes the enjoyment and connections we discover in games.
This panel explores gaming culture through the eyes of game designers and publishers from Israel, Taiwan, and Spain.
Some publishers are moving away from traditional rulebooks. Video tutorals and interactive digital guides offer new ways to learn and play. What responsibilities does a publisher have regarding the rules? What form should a 21st century rulebook take?
The naming game is important but it is not easy. Our panelists wrestle with how to settle on the best title for a game. There are a lot of factors that weigh into this decision and the goal of our discussion is to explore as many as we can.
This panel sits at the intersection between learning and play and fun. We explore the sneaky ways we learn through play. How games promote this type of learning and how to achieve it.
Michael Schacht, Bruno Faidutti, and Martin Wallace have a special perspective on the playful world we live in. They helped create it. Listen and learn from some of the masters of modern game design.
A snapshot look at the state of games from many different perspectives - as members of the media, as players, as designers, as manufacturers.
In Calimala, you hope to spread a network of Italian cloth merchants across medieval Europe. If all goes well you'll take your place on the city council and contribute to cathedrals under construction. Which merchant family will rise above the rest?
Using your fingers like chopsticks, listen close and see if you can stack your wooden maki faster than the other team. Then try it blindfolded! So much Major Fun packed into a simple set of blocks and cards.
In Ya Blew It, you roll your stick of dynamite (a nifty 8-sided die!) trying to scoop up the best claims of gems before the prospector decides to nab them all.
Hardback is a delightful, fun and challenging twist on both deck and word building. It will make you look at the simple task of spelling in a totally new way. Each word is an engine that drives your novel forward generating income, abilities, and points.
We recap our impressions of GenCon 2018, including discussions of industry news and games of note. Special Guests: Darrell Ottery, Gubbins Boffin
We’re heading toward a marriage of cardboard and digital games. We discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by crossing the cardboard and digital divide. Panelists: Ted Alspach, Tim Fowers, Tim Burrell-Saward.
What challenges and opportunities are unique to working with a media license? How do you forge an alliance between good media and good games? Panelists: James Ernest, Rob Daviau, David Brashaw, Francesco Nepitello.
We invite a fun-loving group of people in the gaming media to join us for a free-wheeling chat on a variety of topics both serious and silly. Panelists: Scott Alden, Bebo, Marguerite Cottrell, Eric Summerer.
The art of the pitch is a learnable skill. We discuss the essential elements of a successful pitch, plus tips and tricks to help make your game design stand out from the crowd. Panelists: Mike Selinker, Stephen Buonocore, Tim WK Brown, Erica Bouyouris
Games can be brilliant teaching tools both in the classroom and beyond it. We discuss how each panelist uses games in creative ways to facilitate learning and develop life skills. Panelists: John Knoerzer, Beth Heile, Kathleen Mercury
As publishers, designers, and players, what choices can we make and what steps can we take to help the world of games include and reflect the vast variety of fun loving players in it? Panelists: Sen Foong Lim, Maggi Cottrell, Isaac Vega, Katie Aidley
We delve into how different designers and publishers approach game development, hoping to gain a better appreciation of how important this step is to the life of any game. Panelists: Matt Leacock, Christopher Badell, Ray Wehrs, Jason Hill Geoff Engelstein
The Coleson-Conway era of The Spiel comes to a close with a celebration of our shared passion and love of trick-taking card games. We review Anansi and Take the A Chord plus we delve into the history of Jeux de Tarot.
In Heaven & Ale, you are the master brewer at a German monastery in the Middle Ages. Gather hops, water, barley, and yeast and recruit monks to build your brewery. Each decision leads to an innovative scoring system that packs a great cerebral punch.
Your team of spies intercepts a secret transmission. 3 words. A code tied to a sequence of numbers. Can you decipher this sequence when the pressure is on? Remember, the other team is trying to unravel your sequence at the same time! Welcome to Decrypto!
Professor Evil uses his time machine to rob the world of priceless antiques. Your group has been sent to rescue treasures before they are locked away. It's charming, engaging, great for players young and old, and sure to provide many hours of Major Fun.
Cursed Court is a clever auction game that draws its inspiration from stud poker. Each season, you bid on a noble or group of nobles based on hidden and public information. Bid wisely, you'll gain influence at court. Bid poorly, you'll be scrubbing pots!
Pioneers is a gateway game for a new generation. You’ll discover new layers of depth and fun by charting different paths with each pioneer you settle. Best of all how everyone else plays will change your decisions and let you see the game in a new light.
It's the 16th century and you're in charge of a fledgling colony in the New World. Santa Maria is a dice-based action selection game which offers a fantastic variety of strategic decisions. The game is constantly challenging and consistently fun.
Ancestree is a tile drafting game where each player cultivates a family tree. You'll build dynasties, marriages, and wealth to score points. The game is wonderfully simple to learn but the scoring system makes each decision matter and each decision fun.
Majesty is an easy to learn, wonderfully elegant and interactive card game. Each player recruits subjects to help create a prosperous new realm. Each character offers a simple but specialized way to bring wealth, health and security to the crown.
Winner of The Spiel of Approval Award: The Lost Expedition! Written review by Stephen Conway. Designed by Peer Sylvester Art by Garen Ewing Published by Osprey Games 1-5 players 30-60 min ages 14+
In Raiders of the North Sea you assemble a crew, collect provisions and journey north to plunder... even if it ends in a glorious death! It's a worker placement game with a brilliant balance of strategy and simplicity. And a perfect intro to the genre.
Robot cheetahs, dentures, musical failure, D and D resources, pooping Amazons, and board games galore. Join our cavalcade of misfit nerds for a freewheeling conversation spanning the wide world of geekdom. And be ready to laugh! A lot.
In Ethnos players vie for control of a fantasy realm by collecting and playing sets of cards. The game offers challenging decisions through simple to learn but innovative mechanics. Ethnos is familiar yet fresh - tense and interactive to the end.
Codenames: Duet offers a tense two player transformation of the original. You and your partner must contact 15 agents using a grid of word cards and a very limited number of clues. The big problem is each of you only know half the agents in play!
In Photosynthesis, each player tends a colorful cardboard forest, soaking in sunlight as it moves around the board. The game is beautiful inside and out - a wonder to behold on the table and its simple, elegant mechanisms provide hours of challenging fun.
Word Slam is a team-based word guessing game that forces each team to use a fixed set of words as clues. The word you want is never there, so the game pushes you to be creative with the words provided - to find freedom inside the limits imposed.
Custom Heroes is an innovative twist on traditional climbing card games. You get to play with the makeup of the deck itself! Using transparent cards, you can make a low card high, turn a card wild, and more. Get rid of your cards 1st to score big and win.
In Planetarium, cosmic forces are your playthings. You and your fellow players shape an entire solar system. Will the system support life or be filled with gas giants or barren radioactive moons? It’s up to you to decide.
Fuji Flush is a wonderfully simple card game. Your goal is to flush all the number cards from your hand, one card at a time. It's a game about strength in numbers. And the more people you play with, the more fun the game becomes.
Gen Con is a grand gathering of all things geek. Every slice of the nerd pie is here. This means everyone's Gen Con is different. This is the story of our Gen Con - a tale packed with guests, discussions of over 30 games, interviews, and lots of laughs.
Few know that mole rats make the best astronauts. Your team of "ratstronauts" is facing a huge crisis - a space station being overrun by intergalactic snakes! Can you gather the right supplies and get to the escape pod? Just don't forget the duct tape!
Cottage Garden is a tile laying game that plays like an interactive puzzle. Your goal is to paint with peonies and petunias, planting and arranging the right mix of flower and foliage to create a relaxing and glorious garden in the limited space you have.
A review of Beasts of Balance written by Stephen Conway. Beasts of Balance is a playful hybrid of analog and digital games. It combines the simple act of stacking with technological elements that enhance and expand gameplay in fun and unexpected ways.
Tricky Trunks embraces two simple ideas: find the pattern, collect plastic balls BUT... no hands allowed! Use this kooky elephant head instead. The game is a joy to play and most emphatically Major Fun!
Every adventurer has a story. In Roll Player, you craft a hero for the ages, one die roll at a time. Part puzzle, part press your luck, Roll Player offers fun decisions even if you can't tell an orc from an elf or a scimitar from a Bohemian earspoon!
A review of Ninja Camp written by Stephen Conway. Whether you’re a hamster, a sloth or a platypus, Sensei Saru can teach you to master the arts of the shadow warrior. Enter the card arena for a grand melee and score the most to win the Sensei's favor.
Picassimo is a party game where players create, disassemble and reassemble works of art. You’ll draw on a 6 part canvas and then mix up the parts. Hopefully someone can still see the essence of the drawing and guess the subject of your art!
Lorenzo de Medici was Florence's favorite son and father of the Renaissance. But he didn't do it alone. Guide your family to power by sending your family to sponsor new developments. But beware the Pope. Show your faith or risk the wrath of the Church!
A review of The Great Dinosaur Rush written by Stephen Conway. Each player is a famous fossil hunter searching the prairie for bones. You will use these bones to physically build your own dinosaur each turn, hoping to score big in the museum exhibit.
Being King isn't easy. Some subjects like the forest, some like the swamp. It's your job to make sure they all have a place in your realm. Kingdomino mixes the classic tile laying game with several simple, clever modern twists.
In Black Orchestra, you are a member of a conspiracy that plots to kill Hitler before and during WW 2. You do this by gaining enough motivation and courage to go through with the deed without drawing too much suspicion to yourself and your compatriots.
A review of Double Play written by Stephen Conway. Double Play is a set of word games with a twist. Every card in the deck is actually two letters depending on the direction you play the card.
Tak comes to us from writer Patrick Rothfuss and designer James Ernest. Tak is universal, simple, elegant and accessible. A game that you can play anywhere, with anyone. A game that is beautiful because HOW you play matters as much as winning or losing.
- A bomb explodes in Parliament. Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes have 7 days to build a case to prove the innocence or guilt of a young man. Collect sets of evidence by selecting actions on character cards from Doyle's novels. May the best detective win!
A review of Imagine written by Stephen Conway. Imagine is a party game where players use the language of symbols to communicate. Here's the twist. You can layer the transparent cards to create complex images or animate the cards to create a small story.
Game of Trains is a fast fun card game. Your futuristic train can't leave the station until all the cars are arranged from low to high. The artwork includes tons of nerdy references but the game itself is easy enough for your grandma to play and enjoy.
Hanamikoji is a brilliant 2 player card game. You are restaurateur, trying to hire talented geishas. The beauty of the game is its simplicity. Four simple actions combine in various ways to create surprising, challenging and fun decisions on every turn.
Honshu is a map building card game set in feudal Japan and powered by a clever trick-taking mechanic. Each card you win must overlap with cards already in your domain. This means each card becomes a challenging mini-puzzle to solve.
Honshu is a map building card game set in feudal Japan and powered by a clever trick-taking mechanic. Each card you win must overlap with cards already in your domain. This means each card becomes a challenging mini-puzzle to solve.
A review of Junk Art written by Stephen Conway. Junk Art is a stacking game with fresh twist. It's really a dozen different games in one box. Your goal is to take random objects and build them into beautiful structures to meet different challenges.
A review of Anaxi written by Stephen Conway. Anaxi is a party game. Anaxi is a word game. In fact, it’s both. Anaxi celebrates the venerable Venn diagram by making the diagrams into engines for fun. Read on to find out why Anaxi is Major Fun!
A review of Animals on Board written by Stephen Conway. A big flood is coming and so, you have decided to build an ark. Only problem is some guy named Noah got started way before you and he is claiming pairs of animals to take with him.
Rollers is a press-your-luck dice game inspired by darts. If you've ever played the dart game, Cricket, you'll see how Rollers is a clever re-imagining of this pub classic, playable by people of all ages. Tune in to see why Rollers is Major Fun.
You are a clan chief, laying tiles to build your kingdom, trying to arrange features (including whiskey barrels) in order to score points. Tiles you place are determined by an auction in reverse. Build the best kingdom and you'll rule the Isle of Skye.
This panel explores the different ways people around the world start, run and organize game groups, events or conventions. The goal is provide people with incentive or knowledge to participate in or even start a game group event or convention themselves
Ignacy Trzewiczek, Ted Alspach and Joe Cochran explore the evolution of board games that embrace technology AND examine how the cardboard world influences the digital gaming world as well.
Martin Wallace, Phil Eklund, Vital Lacerda and Max Michael share a deep and abiding passion for history. From research methods to the balance between simulation and gameplay, the panel discusses how and why they incorporate history into their game designs
Matt Leacock (Pandemic, Forbidden Island/Desert) and Antoine Bauza (Ghost Stories, Hanabi, Samurai Spirit) discuss their passion for cooperative play and the challenges and differences in designing cooperative games.
Representatives from 3 of the largest manufacturers of board and card games, discuss the challenges they face when trying to make games for clients all over the world. Frank Jager (Ludo Fact) Shari Spiro (AdMagic) Michael Lee & Chris Matthew (Panda Mfg)
This panel explores the impact of the Spiel des Jahres awards - on the game industry, on the organization itself, on the designers and the publishers who win the awards. Tom Felber (SdJ Jury) Andreas Pelikan (designer/winner) Wittenstein (Eggertspiele)
A discussion exploring how publishers try to reach the world with their games. Nate Scheidler (Gigamic), Agnieszka Kopera (NSKN, Strawberry Studio), Konstantinos Kokkinis (Artipia Games), Nobuake Takerube (Japon Brand), Brandan Parsons (Brain Games)
Team Play is game that draws deep from the well of classic card games. With hints of Rummy, Pinochle and even a little Euchre, anyone familiar with these classics will feel like you already know how to play. Tune in to learn why Team Play is Major Fun!
A review of 3 Wishes written by Stephen Conway. 3 Wishes is a game of bluffing and deduction you can play in 5 minutes. Gain the genie's favor by collecting a wish for a superpower, a wish for world harmony and a wish for a gift to win the game.
In Among Nobles, you are the timeless overseer for an aristocratic European family. You guide them through marriages, warfare, commerce and influence across the continent. Most prestige wins the game. Tune in to see why it earns a Spiel of Approval Award!
A review of Mmm! written by Stephen Conway. Mmm! is a cooperative game where players work together to cover every food item displayed in the pantry with a mouse token before the mean black cat reaches the door.
Oh My Goods is a small game that packs a huge punch. Using 110 cards, you build factories to create production chains, turing basic resources into more valuable goods. Each round offers a press your luck decision that makes the game challenging and fun.
Chronicler is a small game with large aspirations. Tell the story of your civilization through the tools and structures you choose to build in 20 minutes or less. Tune in to learn what we love about Chronicler and why it deserves the Major Fun Award.
A review of Ice Cool written by Stephen Conway. Ice Cool is a dexterity game where players will take turns flicking their penguins through a 3 dimensional school trying to either catch fish or catch the students skipping class.
My Village is a game where players tell the story of an entire medieval community. Will your village focus on commerce, a magnificent church or a town council? Your decisions wind the clock forward; your decisions ultimately decide who lives and who dies.
We explore the importance of narrative in game design with a panel of some of the best storytellers in the world of gaming. Ignacy Trzewiczek (Portal), Richard Launius, Christopher Badell (Greater Than Games), Scott Hill (Flying Frog Productions).
There have been waves of consolidation within the board game industry over the past 3 yrs. Is this a sign of a healthy industry or the start of a cycle that leads to less competition? Eric Summerer (Dice Tower) Lance Myxter (Undead Viking) Doug Richardson
Matt Leacock, Rob Daviau, Bruno Faidutti and Bruno Cathala explore the process of co-designing games. Why work together? How do they divide up the work? How do they playtest? How do they deal with conflict? How do they know when the game is done?
From the artwork on and in the box to the components to the layout and logo, we examine the effort that goes into making a game visually engaging. Panelists include: Stephen Buonocore (Stronghold Games) Stephan Brissaud (Iello) Kevin Brusky (APE Games).
Our panel gives advice they wish they had received when first starting out. What pitfalls can new publishers avoid? Ted Alspach (Bezier Games), Paul Bender (Greater Than Games), Tim Fowers (Fowers Games), Travis Worthington (Indie Boards and Cards).
A round table discussion exploring the different ways the game world is evolving as more women work and play in the world of games. Panelists: Lea Culliton (HABA USA), Brittanie Boe (Game Wire), Tanya Thompson (Marbles), Donna Jaffe (Peaceable Kingdom).
A round table discussion on the challenge of designing games for kids. Our panel features Markus Nikisch (HABA), Brandan Parsons (Blue Orange), Josh West (ThinkFun) and Bernie DeKoven (Major Fun).
Karuba is an island with hidden treasures. Your goal is to lead a team through the jungle along the smartest route to riches. Deceptively simple, Karuba uses a bingo-like system to offer players a wonderful strategic puzzle for players young and old.
A review of Paradox written by Stephen Conway. Inspired by Match-3 games like Bejeweled, Paradox asks players to manipulate a grid of colorful discs to gather resources and save the past present and future of 15 different worlds.
Deep Sea Adventure is a wonderfully simple press your luck dice game from Japan with a devilishly fun twist: when you press your luck, you press EVERYONE'S luck! If too many divers get greedy, no one may make it back to the boat.
Nitro Glyxerol is a chemical mixing dexterity game. Shake and slide colored cubes through a maze as fast as you can. But be careful! Precision is as important as speed in this game. And beware the dreaded mouse poop cube. It could get in the way!
A review of Too Many Cinderellas written by Stephen Conway. Convince the Prince to marry a Cinderella of your choosing by manipulating a deceptively simple logic puzzle. Who says logic games have to be dry and boring? They can be whimsical and fun.
If Quantum Leap was a board game, it would be TIME Stories. Your team is thrown back in time to prevent damage to the timeline. It's a co-op story driven puzzle solving game - a cardboard console - each deck a cartridge you plug in for new kinds of fun.
Favor of the Pharaoh is a recipe filling roll-and-keep dice game. Start as a peasant and rise through Egyptian society by rolling increasingly difficult combinations. Tune in to learn why this game deserves BOTH the Major Fun and Spiel of Approval awards!
A review of Dr. Eureka written by Stephen Conway. Mix the right molecules in three test tubes to create formulas as fast as you can. A clever combo of speed and caution that make it Major Fun!
In Mombasa, players invest in chartered companies, forerunners of modern corporations. An elegant system of card play is used to explore the impact of 4 companies expanding across Africa. A deep subject & a challenging game worthy of our Spiel of Approval
In New York 1901, you try to build the greatest skyscrapers in Manhattan. More brainy than zany, this tile laying game game allows players to shape the city from a deceptively simple series of choices. Tune in to learn why New York 1901 is Major Fun!
A review of Ascension: Dreamscape written by Stephen Conway. Battle cosmic forces by building a deck of cards filled with powerful heroes and machines from otherworldly realms. Read on to discover why Dreamscape has earned the Spiel of Approval award.
Red alert! Dozens of bombs are planted across the decks of your ship. Can your team defuse them before time runs out? Fuse is a 10 minute cooperative dice game. It's easy to learn, hard to win & amazingly addictive. That's a winning recipe for Major Fun!
Get Together. Get the Loot. Get Out. Burgle Brothers is a cooperative heist game that is clearly inspired by the movies and built around teamwork. Tune in to find out why it deserves the Spiel of Approval award.
A review of Strike written by Stephen Conway. Strike is a game that takes something as simple as gravity and turns it into an enjoyable, compelling and addictive experience for players of all ages.
In 7 Wonders: Duel, players compete to build ancient civilizations over 3 ages. The game owes a debt to its wildly successful card drafting cousin but is filled with unique challenges & strategies. Tune in to learn why it deserves The Spiel of Approval!
Pingo Pingo is a wacky game driven by a 15 min. soundtrack. Using a deck of cards and your trusty dart gun, you must face traps, cross rope bridges, avoid polar bears and hordes of space penguins to collect the most treasure & escape before time runs out.
New year, new format. The Spiel and Major Fun have joined forces! We'll be reviewing games over the course of a season and bestowing each one with a Major Fun or Spiel of Approval award. We'll also be producing roundtable interviews at GenCon and Essen.
Meat sticks and mickey fickeys. We are joined by a cavalcade of friends from around the world to celebrate the season with conversations filled with games, laughter and lots of geeky goodness.
You just have to tray. This grab-bag episode features a review of The Bloody Inn, a card game with a deliciously dark and twisted theme, plus two live segments recorded with Spielers at BGG Con in Dallas and our 2015 holiday game gift guide.
The road goes ever on and on. We talk about three trips: one physical - a travelogue of our recent trip to Essen, one fictional - a review of Lord of the Rings: Journey to Mordor, and one psychological - a review of ...and then we held hands.
Seeing the red Amigo logo on a game means easy to learn, fresh gameplay and, most important, fun. Editors Uwe & Christian join us to chat about several titles that embrace this philosophy: Elfenland Deluxe, Gipfelsturmer, Roman Poker & Portal of Molthar.
Lautapelit founder Toni Niittymäki chats about how his Finnish company started as a Nordic game distributor & evolved into a publisher. Designer Heikki Harju discusses Lautapelit's newest game M.U.L.E., a board game based on the classic computer game.
German publisher HUCH & friends offers a wide variety of games in its catalog from silly games for kids to games with strategy and depth for older players. Tina Landwehr chats about Flying Kiwis, Gum Gum Machine, Tornado Ellie, Pronto & Think Str8.
Patrick Nickell is off the leash! He joins us to chat about 3 games from Crash: Where Art Thou Romeo?, Council of Verona: Corruption & Pirate Den.
Phil Eklund's games emphasize scientific & historical simulation with layers of detail. Phil chats about this unique approach to game design and his latest game, Neanderthal. Guide 1 of 3 human species through the Ice Age to shape human culture.
Italian company Post Scriptum publishes games in-house & works as a freelance developer. Founder Mario Sacchi chats about this dual approach to game development. Designer Luigi Cornaglia discusses how Post Scriptum helped publish his first game, Zena 1814
Jana Zemankova chats about several new releases from CGE from heavy strategy to party game and everything in between including: Through the Ages, Prodigal's Club, Codenames and expansions for Tash Kalar and Galaxy Trucker.
Stephen Buonocore is joined by his podcast pal, designer Ignacy Trzewiczek, to talk about their co-production of Ignacy's game, Stronghold. Then we delve into several new games including: 504, Porta Nigra, The Golden Ages and New Dawn.
Polish designer Ignacy Trzewiczek chats about crafting a new streamlined edition of his first design, Stronghold, a game about a castle under siege. We also discuss his love asymmetrical games like Stronghold and another new title, Convoy.
Designer Friedemann Friese chats about the inspiration behind and development of 504, a modular game system that can be combined to create 504 different games.
Dieter Strehl from Piatnik chats about Pacal's Rocket, a family game based on the notion that Mayan civlization was built by alien technology. Move your starship around the city in order to place energy stones in a pattern to build pyramids and score.
Moritz Brunnhofer chats about two new editions of Carcassonne. Star Wars adds factions and dice combat to the tile laying classic. Over Hill & Dale was commissioned by the Bavarian Ministry of Health. Send your meeples on hikes and harvest food to score.
Matthias Nagy is the creative force behind the Board Game Advent Calendar. Behind each door is an original expansion for a game. 24 in total from 21 different publishers. Matthias chats about making this ambitious project a reality in less than a year.
Portuguese designers Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro and Paulo Soledade chat about the inspiration, research and development behind Nippon, a game that depicts the rapid industrialization of Japan in the late 19th century.
Minwoo An from Korean board game publisher Deinko chats about the growth of gaming in Korea from an educational activity for children to the spread of game cafes. We also discuss two new titles from Deinko, Chronicler & Double Mission: Beyond the Object.
Yang and CC from Big Fun Games chat about the state of games and gaming in Taiwan We also discuss two new titles: one serious (EU: The Board Game) and one silly (Butts Away! Heroes).
We chat with the founder of Japon Brand, Takerube Nobuaki, noted designer Seiji Kanai and translator Simon Lundstrom about Hanafuda, a classic Japanese card game. Hanafuda has a fascinating history including Portuguese missionaries, gambling and Nintendo.
Kumo Hogosha is an abstract strategy game from French publisher Morning Players. Your warriors (wooden Sumo dice) try to push the Stone of Balance off your opponent's side. Beware, the arena itself can rotate and quickly change the tide of battle.
Dan Yarrington chats about the new edition of Poseidon's Kingdom, an undersea strategy game with amazing sculpted figurines. We also discuss Area 1851, a Wild West/Alien Encounter mash up and an expansion to the medieval crafting game King's Forge.
Konstantinos Kokkinis chats about a bevvy of new titles that demonstrate Artipia's broad, innovative spirit including: Dice City, Project: Elite, Pursuit of Happiness, Stellar Conflict and Among The Stars: Revival.
Ted Alspach chats about the challenges of updating and adapting previously published titles like Terra and To Court the King (now Favor of the Pharaoh).
Matthias Wagner chats about a deluxe edition of the popular classic card game Tichu and a 3-player variant, Chimera. The bulk of our conversation focuses on upcoming releases for 2016: Micro Robots, Leo the Long-Haired Lion and Food Fight.
MAGE Company's Alex Argyropoulos chats about three new scifi games. Raid & Trade is a post apocalyptic original design; Res Publica 2230 is a space opera reboot of a Knizia classic & Aether Captains is a steampunk adaptation of a print-and-play game.
Agniezska Kopera and Blazej Kubacki chat about Mistfall and Simurgh. Mistfall is a cooperative deck-building game with roots in role playing adventure. Simurgh is a tile laying game about rival clans who breed mighty dragons, inspired by Persian myth.
Designer Cedrick Chaboussit chats about Discoveries: The Journals of Lewis & Clark. The game focuses on scientific knowledge gathered during the journey West. Players try to compile the most information on plants, animals and geography in their journals.
Geek Nation Tours organizes trips around a theme for people with a shared passion. We chat with Zak Gucklhorn who led a gaming trip through Germany, including castle and brewery tours, a Rhine cruise and culminating with a stop at the game fair at Essen.
We chat with Rob Dougherty from White Wizard Games about the runaway success of Star Realms and how this success has enabled them to launch new games like Epic, a fantasy card battle game, built around the same philosophy.
We chat with Spanish designer Jesus Torres Castro about his deduction game Watson & Holmes. Step into the shoes of Doctor Watson and work with Sherlock Holmes to solve a series of 13 unpublished cases.
Steffen Muhlhauser is fueled by a passion for abstract games. His company, Steffen Spiele, publishes games that are equal parts art, strategy and fun. Our conversation explores his dedication to beauty in all aspects of a game, from components to gameplay
Designer Dennis Kirps chats about Insect Hotel. It's a little known fact that beneficial garden bugs love to spend time in hotels. It's your job to fill as many rooms as you can, while keeping pesky spiders and cockroaches away.
Cubiko is small company that makes handcrafted strategy and dexterity games. Gavin Biernbaum talks about how he taught himself carpentry in order to bring his designs to life. We also chat about Jam Sumo, which is two flicking games in one.
Markus Nikisch is the creative director for HABA. We chat about the loud and crazy process of developing dozens of new titles for kids. We also discuss Spookies, Karuba and Adventureland, a new line of family games geared toward older children and adults.
Small companies, big fun. We review two small press games: Lift Off & Letter Tycoon. In Lift Off you use rockets & trampolines to get aliens off an exploding planet. In Letter Tycoon you build words to earn money & buy letter patents so you can cash in.
Play long and prosper. We review Star Trek: Five Year Mission - a co-op dice game where you play as the crew of the Enterprise - and Medieval Academy - a card drafting game where you play as squires training to be knighted by King Arthur.
We wrap-up this year's GenCon coverage with a chat about our experiences and impressions of the convention.
Todd Rowland drops by to talk about several new and upcoming games from AEG: Dice City, Smash Up: Munchkin, and Valley of the Kings: Afterlife.
Ignacy Trzewiczek chats about his 2nd book and 2 new games: Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot, a pirate dice game where players build mini cardboard ships and Tides of Time, a card drafting game where players guide a civilization through prosperity & collapse
Kevin Cook owns the largest dice collection in the world. We chat about his latest haul of dice from this year's convention (over 900 new dice!) and get an update on the size and future of the collection.
Paul Imboden chats about Paradox, a puzzle-based strategy game that uses the Match-3 concept (think Bejeweled). You play a scientist manipulating the time matrix to save the past, present and future of 15 different worlds threatened by a cosmic Quake.
From the height of silliness, a 1 minute bluffing game called Meow, to the beautiful but brain burning Mottainai, Asmadi Games has something for every player. Owner and designer Chris Cieslik chats about a bevvy of new and upcoming titles.
Flying Frog Productions prides itself on building game worlds with detailed backstories and characters. Brothers Scott and Jason Hill join us to chat about new releases for two recent horror-themed game worlds: Shadows of Brimstone and Dark Gothic.
Chad DeShon wants everyone to have a nice place to play. He talks about the development process that went into their design for an affordable hand crafted board game table.
Kevin Brusky discusses several new and upcoming games from APE: Arcadia, Chaos Cove, The Great Dinosaur Rush and Spirits of the Rice Paddy.
Justin Gary chats about the newest title from Stoneblade: Bad Beets, a bluffing game about kids trying to avoid eating their vegetables.
Christopher Badell and Chris Kirkman join us for a tag-team interview about the recent merger of their two companies & how it has helped them pool their business & creative resources. The result is 3 distinct publishing imprints all under the same roof.
Chris Birch chats about the first big board game release from Modiphius: Thunderbirds, designed by Matt Leacock (Pandemic). Players are characters on the International Rescue team. Their goal? Thwart disasters triggered by The Hood.
Jonathan Moriarity chats about his new app Pick-a-Game, a game recommendation engine which uses a psychological approach. Are you a Thinker? A Socializer? An Empath? Answer a few questions and the app will find the right game for your mood and mindset.
"The Buonocore" (Stephen Buonocore) chats about four new scifi themed games from Stronghold - Survive: Space Attack, Space Cadets: Away Missions, Among the Stars: Revival, and Dark Moon.
Dan Yarrington talks about how Game Salute has grown into 3 separate businesses. New Creative Director Dann May discusses his vision for future publishing projects as well as media licensed games based on The Princess Bride and Fast and Furious.
Patrick Nickell chats about Dead Drop and Council of Verona - two games in the Pub Series - small, quick social games you can play with friends over a beer.
Designer Brad Brooks chats about Letter Tycoon, a word game where players can buy patents on individual letters and cash in every time they're used.
Cassidy Werner discusses progress on the upcoming Titan series of board games and gives us the scoop on an upcoming release, Thieves. Plus, Dan Taylor from Thunderbox chats about the digital version of Tsuro soon to be released for iOS and Android devices
Brothers Nathan and Jeff Cornelius chat about developing and publishing Campaign Trail, a game of modern electoral politics, from a game designed by their father. Play one on one or in teams to guide your candidate to the Oval Office.
Andy from Thames & Kosmos chats about relaunching several Kosmos titles in North America. Some are classics: Lost Cities, Kahuna, Ubongo. Others are new: Dimension, Andor. The ultimate goal is synchronized worldwide release for new Kosmos games.
What do contact juggling, David Bowie, poker, and a well-aimed cat have in common? James Ernest, founder of Cheapass Games. We chat about the past, present and future of the company.
Designer Chris Handy chats about Pack O Game, 8 small card games each the size of a pack of gum. From tile laying to auctions, bluffing and dexterity there's something for everyone in these tiny packs of cards.
Keith Myers chats about several new releases from Iello: Medieval Academy, Welcome to the Dungeon and Pingo Pingo.
Lea Culliton chats about the growing interest in children's games as HABA USA brings more titles to North America including Crest Climbers, Pharaoh's Gulo Gulo, Monster Laundry and many more.
Fabio del Rio chats about several upcoming titles from CSE including 10 Down, Loud About, Fantasy Fantasy Baseball and Junk in My Trunk, a card game designed by The Spiel's very own David Coleson!
Brandan Parsons from publisher Blue Orange and designer Chenier LaSalle join us to discuss New York 1901. Driven by a passion for the city and its architecture, Chenier designed the game over several years with the help of his kids.
Noted French designers Bruno Cathala and Antoine Bauza often work with partners on new designs. We chat about their latest collaboration, 7 Wonders: Duel, a two player stand-alone variant of the award winning civilization building card game.
Ted Alspach chats about Favor of the Pharaoh, an Egyptian themed reboot of Tom Lehmann's engine building dice game To Court The King. We also discuss One Night Ultimate Vampire, the latest title in the family of fast playing social deduction games.
Matt Hyra leads the in-house design team at Cryptozoic. He chats about the different challenges designers face when developing a games tied to movies like Ghostbusters, video games like Portal and hundreds of comic book characters from the DC universe.
Designer and art director Isaac Vega chats about business and games. We discuss F2Z's recent acquisition of Plaid Hat Games and what this means to the company. We also discuss Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn, an expandable fantasy battle card and dice game
Sen-Foong Lim and Jay Cormier chat about the Game Artisans of Canada, a guild of designers across the country that workshop each others' games. They also discuss how they collaborate on games despite living thousands of miles apart.
Sen-Foong Lim and Jay Cormier chat about the Game Artisans of Canada, a guild of designers across the country that workshop each others' games. They also discuss how they collaborate on games despite living thousands of miles apart.
Expert. Connoiseur. Strategy. The Kennerspiel des Jahres has something of a split personality The central idea is an award for the best "gamer's game" of the year. We review Orleans, Elysium and Broom Service, then predict this year's winner.
There can be only one. Game of the Year, that is. We review the final nominee, The Game, a cooperative card game where table talk (of a sort) is allowed. Then we weigh all three nominees against the jury's criteria and try to predict the winner.
For kids. And kids at heart. We review Spinderella, Treasure Trouble and Push-a-Monster, the three nominees for the Kinderspiel des Jahres, the best Children's Game of the Year, and try to predict the winner.
The Spiel des Jahres is Germany's Game of the Year. It's an award for the best family game. And it is the most prestigious award in the board game world. In Pt. 1 we review Machi Koro and Colt Express to see how they stack up against the jury's criteria.
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. We delve into the history and literary legacy of one of England's most famous cities by exploring 2 games: Canterbury and The Road to Canterbury. In one we are Saxon lords building the city district by district. In the other we are pardoners accompanying Chaucer's pilgrims, tempting them into sins which only we can absolve... for a price.
Hold the croutons. Designer Stefan Feld gives you all the ingredients for a "point salad" in his games. The fun comes from creating the best mix every time you play. We explore Feld's 10 year career and review his latest two games: La Isla and Aquasphere.
Blood, sweat & gears. We review Kanban & Factory Fun, two very challenging games with an industrial theme. Kanban is a many-layered simulation of an auto assembly line. Factory fun is a puzzle where players are rewarded for making convoluted machines.
Roll over Picasso. We review Waggle Dance, Praetor and Dice Brewing. Each game uses dice in a fun, creative way: to make honey, to build Hadrian's wall and to make beer.
Back in the day... We review Murano and Royals, two new titles that call back to the first generation of "euros" that sparked the Renaissance in modern board games.
Code monkeys. We explore 3 games in the programmed movement genre. Robot Turtles teaches programming skills to toddlers. Colt Express pits bandits against each other on a cardboard train. Empire Engine is a steampunk micro-game that uses cards as gears.
Heile recommended. Join us for a virtual cocktail party to celebrate the season. We bounce through a variety of geek related round table topics, play some silly games, listen to some bad jokes and laugh. A lot.
Wordly wiser. We explore two word games with a modern twist. Paperback is a deckbuilding game where players build words to complete pulp novels. Typo 2D is a tile laying game where players build word fragments in a grid.
Backpack booty. From pill bugs and puzzles to a dice rodeo, we review half a dozen games small enough to travel but big enough to provide hours of fun. Titles include: Samsara, Assel Schlamassel, El Gaucho., Romans Go Home, Col-Or-Form and Diamonds.
We conclude our Essen coverage with our impressions of the 2014 game fair and give a general accounting of our grand European adventure.
Wolf Wittenstein chats about Grog Island, a dice driven auction game about retired pirates investing their loot in new ventures, like peg-leg shops and pubs. We also learn about the new Port expansion for Village.
Dan Yarrington chats about the European release of three titles: Wok Star, Dreaming Spires and Alien Frontiers. We also discuss the importance of Essen for meetings to broker deals with new designers, publishers and international printing partners.
Scott D'Agostino stops by with a giant Borg cube to chat about Star Trek: Attack Wing. We avoid assimilation long enough to get the latest on Marvel Dicemasters, including the release of Uncanny X-Men, and D and D Attack Wing.
Designer Hisashi Hayashi and translator Simon Lundstrom chat about two games: Rolling Japan and See Know Buzz. We also discuss gaming culture in Japan and the amazing number of self published games produced by Japanese game designers.
Italian designers Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini discuss ZhanGuo. Players use cards to unify the Warring States in ancient China. Build the Great Wall, the Terracotta soldiers and keep the populace from revolt in order to gain the Emperor's favor.
German Designer Thomas Weber discusses Samsara (a Sanskrit word meaning the Wheel of Life). Samsara is an abstract game where players manipulate marbles along two circular tracks using dice to reach a target area.
Didier Dincher from French publisher Capsicum Games chats about Speakeasy, a modern adaptation of the classic Chinese game Lu Zhan Qi. This abstract game of bluff, memory and deduction was the inspiration for the mass market classic Stratego.
Agnieszka Kopera discusses the latest title from Romanian publisher NSKN: Versailles. Players take on the roles of architects and designers, working to build and decorate the gardens and palace of Versailles while competing for the favor of the King.
Andreas Preiss discusses Beasty Bar and Mangrovia. Beasty Bar is a funny card card game about animals jockeying to get into an exclusive night club. Mangrovia is a action selection game where players build huts in order to become chief of the village.
Stephanie Schulz chats about Pints of Blood - a semi-coop zombie game set in a pub, Carnac - an abstract game about placing or tipping pieces, and 5 Minutes - a party game where players complete puzzles on a personal timer.
Martin Wallace discusses Mythotopia and Onward to Venus. Mythotopia is a 4-player deck-building board game in a fantasy setting. Onward to Venus is a retro scifi game of imperialism based on Greg Broadmore's graphic novels.
First, Stephen Buonocore and Gil D'Orey discuss their partnership bringing Panamax to Europe and the US. Then Mike Fitzgerald joins us to discuss Diamonds, a new twist on classic card games, plus a look back at Mike's storied career in game design.
Portuguese publisher/designer Gil D'Orey and designers Nuno Bizarro Sentiero and Paulo Soledade chat about the development process behind Panamax, a dice driven economic game that celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal.
Designers Tony Boydell and Sebastian Bleasdale join us to chat about expansions to Snowdonia, Black Fleet and Ivor the Engine. Black Fleet is a take-that pirate game from Sebastian. Ivor the Engine is a kids game from Tony based on the beloved cartoons.
Designer Antoine Bauza chats about Samurai Spirit, a co-op game based on Akira Kurosawa's film The 7 Samurai and Babel, the latest and most innovative expansion to 7 Wonders.
Game Factory is the publishing arm of Swiss distributor Carletto. Rolf Mutter and Fabio Del Rio (from CSE Games) chat about the new European edition of Quartex. We also discuss Lift It, a crazy co-op building game where players wear cranes on their heads.
Blue Orange publishes family friendly games in Europe and the States. Simon and Stephane chat about 3 new releases: King's Gold, Dragon Run and Wakanda.
Amigo editors Christian and Uwe join us to chat about Ciub and Hamsterbacke. Ciub is a spell-making game from designer Tom Lehmann with tons of custom dice. Hamsterbacke is a set collecting card game about hamsters stuffing food into their cheeks.
HABA is one of the most beloved publishers of games for kids. Their bright yellow boxes are known around the world. Jens Vogtlander, a game editor at HABA, discusses the development and design process for a company that publishes 40+new games each year.
Designer and publisher Konstantinos Kokkinis chats about two new titles from Artipia. New Dawn is a scifi game about rebuilding a war torn galactic sector. Lap Dance is a tongue-in-cheek game about entertaining guests at a club.
Ignacy Trezwiczek discusses the European release of Imperial Settlers and a fun project collecting strategy tips from famous game designers.
Alex Argyropoulos chats about the history of MAGE Company and two games. Hoyuk is a tile-laying game based on prehistoric settlements in ancient Turkey. Raid and Trade is a post-apocalyptic adventure game with many paths to victory.
Ted Alspach chats about Daybreak, a new addition to the fast playing social/deduction series: One Night Ultimate Werewolf. Daybreak adds 13 new roles so every player has a special ability during the night time phase.
Dieter Strehl discusses his experience at Essen over the past 31 years as well as the latest release from Pitanik, Venezia 2099 - a tile flipping strategy game about saving precious artwork from Venice.
Frank Heeren discusses Fields of Arle, a 2 player game about developing an estate in East Frisia designed by Uwe Rosenberg. This game has a personal connection for Uwe. It is set in the small village where his father was born and his parents married.
Matthias Wagner chats about Royals, a card-driven game about noble houses maneuvering for positions of power in the Age of Reason.
Moritz Brunnhofer chats about Die Staufer - a game about a royal tour of Europe in the 12th century and Carcassone: Gold Rush - a stand alone variant of the classic set in the Old West, plus we chat about new editions of Carcassonne and St. Petersburg.
Designer Christophe Raimbault discusses Colt Express - a game about an Old West train robbery with a two level cardboard train.
Giuliano Acquati from Italian publisher Cranio Creations talks about Dungeon Bazar - a fantasy auction game, Soqquadro - a scavenger hunt party game and Valentina - a memory game based on the groundbreaking 1960s comic artwork of Guido Crepax.
Arvid Fransen and designer Dennis Kirps from Dutch publisher Play This One discuss RoboRama, a game where players use cards to navigate their team of robots across a hazzardous board, including the dreaded ChaosBot which all players can control.
Aporta Games is a new publisher based in Norway. Kristian Amundsen Ostby and James Tandy, two of the founders of Aporta, join us to chat about Doodle City, a dice driven family game where players draw a unique roadmap through a town to score points.
Rustan Hakansson discusses Nations: the Dice Game, a civilization building game full of strategy that plays in half an hour.
Lenka Holubova from Czech Games Edition chats about Alchemists, a game about mixing potions that uses a smart phone as a randomizer. We also talk about the new Galaxy Trucker app, an expansion to Tash Kalar and an anniversary edition of Dungeon Lords.
Evi Tsirogiannidou chats about 27th Passenger, a deduction game in a noir setting. Players are assassins aboard a train in Manhattan, trying to identify and eliminate the right targets.
French game designers Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc chat about their collaborative process and developing their latest game: Madame Ching.
Gaaaames. We review Dark Gothic, a horror themed deck builder with roots in role playing. Players are monster hunters in colonial America trying to rid the countryside of terrifying villains. We also survey games based on The Walking Dead.
You just have to play. We celebrate our 200th episode with reviews of Enigma and Doodle City, a segment honoring the meeple, a look back at a gambling game named after a female Pope, plus a super-sized Game Sommelier with three tough challenges.
We conclude our GenCon coverage with a casual conversation: our impressions of the con, favorite moments, memorable games and more.
Spencer Reeve discusses a Cool Mini's transition from retailer to publisher including new ventures into card and euro games. We discuss several new releases including Rivet Wars, Kaosball, Arcadia Quest, Dogs of War and Xenoshyft.
Elad Goldsteen from Golden Egg Games chats about Athlas: Duel for Divinity, a two player strategy game. Demigods assemble powerful creatures using cards and then deploy them to a board in order to open a portal and win the game.
Kevin Cook is the owner of the world's largest dice collection. We chat with Kevin about "The Year in Dice," including his 50,000th die! We also discuss dozens of unique and custom dice featured in games released at the con.
Matagot is a French publisher known for games with beautiful and amazingly detailed components. Arnaud chats about the philosophy that drives the company and several upcoming releases including Korrigans and Sun Tzu.
Colby Dauch from Plaid Hat Games chats about Dead of Winter, an innovative psychological survival game set in the zombie apocalypse. Players work toward a common goal BUT each player has a personal objective which can conflict with the needs of the group
Jason Maxwell chats about Agents of SMERSH, a story driven board game of espionage and adventure set during the Cold War. We also discuss the latest expansion Swagman's Hope.
Todd Rowland chats about Doomtown Reloaded, a revival of a much beloved old west card game in a non-collectible edition. We also discuss two new games in the 5 minute fun line: Lost Legacy and Cypher.
Swiss publisher Helvetia creates games that share a common thread. Each one is set in the same fantasy realm. Pierre-Yves Franzetti chats about their latest title, Unita, an abstract wargame with giant dice. We also discuss gaming culture in Switzerland.
Zev Shlasinger, the Z-Man himself, discusses Chimera, a ladder style card game & the latest in a series influenced by the classics w/ a gamerly twist. We also chat about his passion for card games & how this influenced the company from the very beginning.
Jamey Stegmaier chats about the 2nd ed. of Viticulture, a wildly successful worker placement game that puts players in control of a rustic Italian vineyard. We also discuss Tuscany, a tiered expansion that unlocks new game elements each time you play.
WizKids may want to change the company name to DiceKids. Scott D'Agostino discusses the massive success of Marvel Dice Masters and the many challenges they have faced trying to keep up with demand. We also chat about the dragon battle game DnD Attack Wing
Ludovic Maublanc's resume of great games makes him a rock star in the industry, yet he remains relatively unknown. Ludovic & fellow French designer Charles Chevallier discuss his career, his games and the importance of collaboration in game design.
Stephen Buonocore is joined by designer Geoff Englestein to give us the rundown on four new titles from Stronghold: Space Cadets: Dice Duel - Die Fighter, Diamonds, Panamax, and Among the Stars.
Asterion is a distributor & publisher of games in Italy. Yemaia is an Italian game design company. Luca Cattini & Giovanni Intini chat about their 1st joint venture, Hyperborea, a fantasy civilization building game & the state of gaming culture in Italy.
Publisher Kevin Brusky and designer Kevin G. Nunn discuss a full slate of new releases from APE including Rarrr!!, Island Siege, Spirits of the Rice Paddy and the Great Britain/India expansion to Rolling Freight.
The Hill brothers, Jason & Scott, chat about 2 new story-driven titles from Flying Frog. Dark Gothic is a deck building game of colonial-era monster hunting. Shadows of Brimstone is an old west dungeon crawl board game filled with unspeakable horrors.
Patrick Nickell chats about Pay Dirt - an engine building worker placement game set in Alaska designed by Tory Niemann (Alien Frontiers). Players take a small crew a try to extract as much gold from their modest claim before the ground freezes solid.
Ted Alspach discusses 3 new games. Subdivision is a tile drafting follow up to Suburbia. One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a micro game version of the classic. Castles of Mad King Ludwig asks players to raise the most ornate palace to please his majesty.
Dan Yarrington discusses Kings Forge - a dice based game of crafting weapons and trinkets in order to garner favor with the royal court. We also get a sneak peak at a game in development: Lighthouse Run
Mad genius Christopher Badell chats about 3 new games and his emphasis on storytelling in game development and design: Galactic Strike Force, Sentinel Tactics and Wrath of the Cosmos, an expansion for Sentinels of the Multiverse.
Chris Cieslik discusses 4 new games. Consequential: a co-op about mending holes in time. Impulse: a scifi card game from Carl Chudyk. Heat: a game of heists & avoiding the law. Red: a micro game - be in first place by the end of your turn or you're out!
Matthieu Bonin discusses two new titles from Iello. Zombie '15 is a real time scenario based game of teamwork and survival. King of New York is the follow up to Richard Garfield's hit dice game. This time, giant monsters are trying to take down Manhattan.
Calliope is known for family friendly games like Roll for It and Tsuro. They are launching a new venture - the Titan Series: 9 games from some of the most creative minds in the industry including Richard Garfield, Eric Lang, Mike Selinker and many more.
This year GenCon is really Cathala-Con. Famed French designer Bruno Cathala has 7 new games debuting at the con! We decide to focus our discussion on one: Abyss - a game about undersea Lords competing to control a forgotten realm.
Richard Launius and Sean Brown discuss the inspiration and development of Alien Uprising, a cooperative game that pits the crew of a wrecked spaceship against an overwhelming onslaught of bug-like aliens called Zothren.
Noted Polish designer Ignacy Trezwiczek chats about Imperial Settlers, his first experience as a vendor at GenCon, and his new book: Board Games That Tell Stories.
Blue Orange publishes many games for kids and families. They are expanding their catalog to include games with more strategy. Brandan Parsons and designer Charles Chevallier discuss several new releases: Longhorn, Niya, Battle Sheep, Braverats and Wakanda
In Germany, HABA is a well known publisher of wonderful high quality engaging toys and games. Lea Culliton, President of HABA USA, chats about the history of HABA and the company's plans to bring a wider selection of games to the American market.
Justin Gary chats about the challenges and opportunities when developing across cardboard and digital platforms with Ascension and SolForge Each shows how analog and digital games can enhance each other, building a better game in both worlds.
Francois Valentyne & Josh Rivers chat about new titles from Canadian publisher Flux Capacity: Gone Viking - a trick taker with resource management, Zombie Island - an asymmetrical abstract & Khrysos Hunters - a dice based treasure race on a modular board.
Mark Kaufmann from Days of Wonder discusses Five Tribes: a worker displacement game that draws inspiration from the classic game Mancala, set in the world of the Arabian Nights.
Travis Chance and Nick Little discuss the backstory and inspiration for Heroes Wanted, a game where players build misfit superheroes to gain fame and attention in hope of joining a real super team, the Champions of Zeta City.
I'm Board Puzzle by David Coleson. Guess the game based on a small little snippet of each board. One you have each game title, you'll be able to unscramble the letters and find the answer to the puzzle and maybe even win a prize.
Decision time. We review Istanbul and Rococo, the final nominees for the Kennerspiel des Jahres, and try to predict the winner.
Strategy or catchall? We begin our coverage of the Kennerspiel des Jahres with a look at the recommended games list, a review of nominee Concordia and finish with a rousing debate about the identity crisis the award faces.
The Big Red Pawn. Which game is worthy to be called Game of the Year (Spiel des Jahres)? We review Camel Up, Splendor and Concept and try to predict the winner.
You know? For kids! We play and review the three nominees for the best Kids Game of the Year (the Kinderspiel des Jahres) and then try to predict the winner.
Set phasers to fun. We review Quantum and Star Realms, two epic space battle games that don't require an epic amount of time to play. You can blow up your friends (or the galaxy) and be home in time for dinner.
Period piece. We review Rococo, a board game where players take on the role of 18th century tailors, making elaborate dresses for a Grand Ball. Manage the party and your talent will be the talk of the town when the fireworks above the palace begin.
PB & play! We review Splendor and Buccaneer Bones, two games that pack a lot of fun into a few minutes. Whether you're mining gems or finding buried treasure, there's plenty of time to enjoy these games while you snarf down a midday meal.
Puppet masters. We review Legacy and CV. Each game allows a player to shape the course of a modern life or a 17th century family through meaningful, sometimes gut-wrenching, decisions.
Hip to be square. We review Amerigo and Ka-Boom, two games that use simple wooden cubes in very creative but very different ways. Amerigo has a cube tower that randomizes actions. Ka-Boom has cube catapults players use to knock down opponent's towers.
Left foot, peg foot, traveling on. We review Freedom: The Underground Railroad, a co-operative game where players take on the roles of brave Abolitionists tasked with the goal of ending slavery in the United States.
Title Hunt Puzzle by David Coleson. Each row of this puzzle is missing one letter (A-Z). Find the right letter and the title of a game will emerge. Solve the puzzle and you could win a prize!
Straight outta Krakow. We review two 2-player games from Polish publisher Galakta: King & Assassins and Metallum. Also, Bill Corey visits the padded cell to take a Sommelier Challenge and give us the scoop on the Spring Gaming Hoopla.
Boggle jackets and Big Bird money. A conversation with Bernie DeKoven, The Grand Poobah of Fun. We follow his career through mass market board games and video game design to his discovery of a Playful Path - a philosophy and the title of his latest book.
I think icon. We review Concept and La Boca, two games that ask players to communicate in fresh and unexpected ways: Concept through symbols and La Boca through shapes and colors.
Seasons Spielings! Eight guests from around the world join us in the padded cell to celebrate the holidays. Round-table discussions, Sommelier challenges, Swedish rhymes, bad jokes and a visit from Lyle Otterbein fill this virtual party with good cheer.
Packed for freshness... and fun! We review Polterfass, Luchador, Super Race and SOS Titanic. From wooden beer barrel and Mexican wrestler dice to dry-erase raceways and a flip-book ship, these games showcase novel components and innovative design.
Dave joins Stephen in the padded cell for a behind-the scenes look at The Spiel's 2013 Essen adventure. Lots of questions and reflections on the trip and experience at this year's International Game Fair.
Matthias Wagner discusses the success of Hanabi since winning the Spiel des Jahres (Germany's Game of the Year) for 2013. We also talk about a new edition of the modern classic puzzle game Ricochet Robots.
Konstantinos Kokkinis discusses two fictional settings: one scifi and one fantasy. Each world serves as the backdrop and backstory for a series of new games from Artipia: Archon, Shadows Over The Empire, Among The Stars: The Ambassadors and New Dawn.
Ted Alspach discusses the development and evolution of One Night Ultimate Werewolf, a new version of the mob mentality party game that plays in less than 10 minutes.
Andreas Preiss gives a tour of 4 new games: Geistesblitz 5 to Noon, a crazy fun logic game; Polterfass, a press your luck game with beer barrel dice; Schmatz Spatz, a co-op game about feeding baby birds & an anniversary edition of Chicken Cha Cha Cha.
Spiel des Jahres winner Antoine Bauza talks about the inspiration and development of his crazy dexterity game Rampage. We also talk about the influence of Japan on his life and games and get a sneak peek at some games in the works.
Frank Heeren discusses Glass Road, a game from noted designer Uwe Rosenberg, that celebrates the 700 year old tradition of glassmaking in Bavaria.
John Lopez gives us an overview of Dutch publisher Quantuum Magic including their two latest titles: Two Crowns: a quick medieval battle card game and Hubbly Bubbly Brew, a kid's game about brewing potions.
Stephen Buonocore discusses Space Sheep: a co-op puzzle solving game with amazing bits, plus Going Going, GONE!: a real-time auction game designed by Scott Nicholson.
Fraser Lamont talks about Mush! Mush!, a sequel to their beloved sled dog race game, Snow Tails. We also discuss the history and philosophy of Fragor Games.
Mario Jugel and Robert Phillips talk about Admiral's Order, a Napoleonic era naval battle game that features hand-crafted wooden ships.
Stephanie Schulz talks about Ignis: a beautiful abstract strategy game, Ka-Boom: a tower building game with dice-catapults and Mauna Kea: a game about escaping a volcano from the designer of Eclipse.
Thomas Provoost talks about Rampage: an over-the-top dexterity game about monsters munching meeples, Concept: an elegant symbol driven party game, Mascarade: a bluffing/role selection game from Bruno Faidutti. and Sandwich: a game of creative cuisine.
Lorenzo Silva discusses the history of quirky, creative Italian game publisher Cranio Creations. We also talk about Steam Park, a charming theme park building game and the first expansion to the dice bouncing game Dungeon Fighter: Fire At Will.
Anne-cécile Lefebvre discusses SOS Titanic, a card game driven by mechanics drawn from Solitaire and Lewis and Clark, a game that retraces the famous American journey to the Pacific.
Designer Perpau Llistosella talks about 1911: Amundsen vs. Scott. Players guide two teams on an historic race to the South Pole. We also discuss 1-2-3, Now You See Me, a fun twist on the classic red light/green light.
Moritz Brunhofer discusses Carcassonne: South Seas, a fresh look at the beloved tile laying classic. We also talk about Russian Railroads, a game about building the Trans-Siberian lines.
Nuno and Paulo discuss Madeira, a game that follows the history of the island and the Portuguese Empire. We also talk about Spiel Portugal, a group that hosts a convention and selects Portugal's Game of the Year.
Evi and Maria Olga introduce Intrigue City, the first title from Purple Games. It's a worker placement game where players secretly manipulate 6 guilds to become High Counselor.
Wolf Wittenstein discusses Rokoko, a game about competitive dressmaking in the court of King Louis XV and Gluck Auf, a game about sending miners deep into the earth to complete contracts.
Designer Eric Zimmerman and publisher Philippe Nouhra discuss the backstory and development of Quantum, a game of galactic exploration and conquest that uses dice as starships.
Noted designer Martin Wallace discusses his experience using Kickstarter to publish A Study in Emerald, a game based on a Neil Gaiman short story. We also discuss Field of Glory: The Card Game and his latest Discworld game, The Witches.
Mark Rivera discusses the gameplay and the inspiration that gave rise to Luchador! Mexican Wrestling Dice, a fast-rolling, chair-smashing dice game for single bouts or tag team play.
Lenka Holubova introduces us to Tash Kalar, a fantasy battle game where players form patterns of tokens to summon monsters to the arena. We also discuss three expansions to existing titles: Galaxy Trucker, Tzolk'in and Last Will.
Designer Elad Goldsteen discusses City Council, a game of strategic negotiation where players must balance the needs of the city with their own political ambitions.
Game designer Ignacy Trzewiczek talks about his new book and three new titles from Portal: Legacy, Theseus and Voyage of the Beagle.
Dieter Strehl discusses the 190 year history of Piatnik, a company founded on playing cards but now also sells puzzles and board games across Europe. We also talk about their prize winning game, Golden Horn, designed by Leo Colvini.
Tony Boydell talks about Guilds of London, a game still in development, The Daffodil Line, an expansion to the hit train game Snowdonia, and a very special opportunity to work on a game for Ivor the Engine with the series' creator.
Bernd and Uwe, two of the "Three Amigos" at Amigo Games, introduce two fast fun games for all ages: Speed Cups and Flash 10. We also learn who put the beans in Bohnanza and discuss the work involved in developing and editing games.
Narf! We explore Kemet and Eight Minute Empire, two games of conquest which come at the genre from unexpected angles: Kemet through a mystical tech-tree and Eight Minute Empire through time pressure.
Under pressure. We review Forbidden Desert & Myrmes, two games about crisis management. In Forbidden Desert you must reassemble a flying machine before a sandstorm buries the team. In Myrmes, you are the queen of an ant colony trying to survive the winter
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. We review Spyrium (a Steampunk worker placement game) and Black Spy (a Film Noir trick-taking game). Both games create rich strategies and fun with a minimal number of components and rules.
Noted French game designer Bruno Cathala talks about Phantom of the Opera, the latest game to explore the Mr. Jack system of rules. We also discuss playtesting methods, collaboration, and returning to previous design concepts.
Spencer from Cool Mini or Not talks about Season 2 of Zombicide, plus a sneak peek at some upcoming games: Wrath of Kings, Rivet Wars, and Kaosball.
Stephen Buonocore stops by to give us the scoop on several new games including Space Cadets: Dice Duel, Time 'n Space, 3 expansions for Revolver, Voluspa and Vampire Empire.
Kevin Cook is the owner of the World's Largest Dice Collection. Each year, Kevin stops by to show us all the new dice he found at GenCon to add to the collection.
Rocco Privetera discusses Ninja Dice, a press your luck dice game with an innovative twist. How and where your dice land on the table is as important as what is rolled.
Scott D'Agostino discusses Star Trek: Attack Wing, a tactical miniatures game. Take command of Federation, Klingon, or Romulan fleets with famous captains and characters from the series to explore and battle through space.
Elad Goldsteen talks about Alliances, a Bridge-inspired trick taking card game where your tricks serve a greater goal: to take over the world.
Tom McLean discusses the development and inspiration behind Story War, a freeform storytelling battle game in the tradition of Apples to Apples.
Duncan Davis talks about the inspiration behind In The City: Origins. Players draft citizen cards in order to seize the crown and save the city.
Designer Geoff Engelstein discusses the challenges and inspirations behind converting the original fully co-op Space Cadets board game into a frenetic team based dice game.
Eon Altar is a lovechild of the cardboard and digital worlds: it's a tabletop video game. Edward Douglas runs us through the basics of this ambitious co-op fantasy rpg that uses interactive screens in place of traditional boards and dice.
Right Games is a board game publisher based in Russia. From strategy to children to party and dexterity games, Ivan and Elena discuss four titles: Evolution, The Jam, Zombie, and Japanese Castle.
Kevin Brusky gives us the scoop on Rarrr!, a card game about giant monster battles. The twist? You must name your monster in order to give it superpowers.
Designer and former military officer Konstantin Krivenko talks about The Art of Tactic, an innovative system of wargame rules adaptable to many different historical periods, including Hot War: Battle for Oil an alternate history game set in the 1990s.
Ray Wehrs introduces Roll For It, a family friendly dice placing game. We also learn about the latest expansion for Tsuro of the Seas.
The Flying Frog team talks about expansions for cliffhangers and zombies PLUS two brand new titles: Dark Gothic and Shadows of Brimstone.
Chris Darden gives us the story behind Dungeon Roll, a press your luck dungeon delving dice game. We also learn about Geekway to the West, a regional game convention in St. Louis.
Ted Alspach gives us the lowdown on all things Suburbia. First we learn about the iOS version. Then we discuss the first expansion to the board game: Suburbia Inc
Mark Kaufman introduces Relic Runners, a route building game where players delve deep into temples to find sets of valuable treasures. The game also asks players to take on a famous math problem: the traveling salesman's dilemma.
Kevin G. Nunn and Christopher Badell unveil their plans for Sentinel Tactics, a skirmish level miniatures game using heroes and villains from Sentinels of the Multiverse. We also learn about the first expansion to Kevin's game Rolling Freight.
Colby Dauch talks about developing Siege of Columbia, the BioShock Infinite board game, in tandem with the video game. We also talk about Heart of Glorm, the new expansion for Mice and Mystics and get a sneak peek at some upcoming projects.
Max Michael discusses Credit Mobilier, a train game that plays in an hour or less. We also get a sneak peek a 3 upcoming titles including Tammany Hall: The Card Game.
Todd Rowland talks about Trains and AEG's growing connection to many different game designers from Japan.
Matthieu Bonin discusses a full slate of games from French publisher Iello including The Three Little Pigs, The Phantom Society, Guardians' Chronicle, Heroes of Normandie, Steam Park, and Zombie 15.
John Sizemore introduces Mars Needs Mechanics. Engineers build steampunk gizmos competing for a spot on the first rocket to Mars.
Designer Michael Iachini talks about Chaos and Alchemy, a dice driven card game where players complete experiments to turn base metal into gold.
Designer Brian Mayer talks about the inspiration and challenges involved in creating a cooperative game that gives players key roles in the Abolitionist movement and sets them the task of ending slavery.
Paul Imboden and Randy Field discuss Quicksilver, a steampunk race game which puts players in control of mighty blimps battling their way through mines, mountains and clouds to victory.
Jim McMahon talks about his new job organizing the thousands of games in the Hasbro Game Archive.
Tom Donelan from Heartland Consumer Products talks about the Square Shooters Game Design Contest. Submit an original game using their card/dice and you could be published AND win $2,000!
Al Waller from Out of the Box stops by to talk about Snake Oil, a game about shifty salesmen pitching crazy products to skeptical customers. We also learn about the development of Quack-a-Doodle-Moo, a reboot of the very popular Snorta party game.
Diceometry Puzzle by David Coleson. 10 clues lead to 10 game titles. Use the hidden art of "diceometry" to unlock the solution. Solve the puzzle and you could win a prize!
Bernie DeKoven is Major Fun. He has dedicated his life to the idea of fun and the importance of play for all! Part 3 of our interview explores his game commune, a public play day in Philadelphia, the Whole Earth Catalog and early video game design.
Movies have the Oscars. Games have the Spiel des Jahres. We play and review the three nominees, Augustus, Hanabi, and Qwixx, and try to predict the winner.
High stakes, higher strategy? The Kennerspiel des Jahres is given to the best advanced board game of the year. From Belgium to Italy to a realm in need of heroes, we review Bruges, Palaces of Carrara and Legends of Andor and try to predict the winner.
Child's play. From treasure hunters to mechanical towers and crazy cosmic cows, we review three games nominated for the Kinderspiel des Jahres (German Children's Game of the Year) and try to predict the winner.
Mind manipulators. We review 3 family friendly games that mess with your head in 3 different ways: Just In Time (twist your pieces to solve timed puzzles), Dotzee (a slide puzzle with dice), and Clubs (a mash up of Spades and ladder games like Tichu).
A well-placed banana. From comrades in rockets to apes in bumper cars, we review Kosmonauts and Spin Monkeys - two programmed movement games that give us a fresh look at the genre.
Roll over, Erasmus. We travel back to Elizabethan England for an in-depth look at Noblemen, a game about managing country estates and attending masquerade balls. The goal? Impress the Queen.
Built to last. We celebrate the show's 7th anniversary with blocks of marble and tiki huts. We review of Palaces of Carrara and Hawaii, two games about building that offer challenge and strategy from a set of seemingly simple choices.
Urban cardboard jungles. We review three games, each with their own take on urban planning: from the futuristic treehouses of Ginkgopolis to the crowded streets of Suburbia to the far flung shore of France and the walls of Saint Malo.
Rummy revisions. We review A Fool's Fortune and Morels two set collecting card games that breathe new life into this well known and time tested genre, plus the first in a series of interviews with Major Fun, Bernie DeKoven.
A world built with 36 cards. We delve into the Decktet, an ingenious set of double suited cards, a Tarot deck from a parallel dimension, and a sandbox for innovative game design. From trick taking to resource management, we review four of Decktet games.
Fun for all. From sausage dice to treasure on the high seas, we review four games you could teach/play/enjoy with almost any group of players: Wordaround, Wurfelwurst, Tokaido and Pirate Dice.
Northern Exposure. Join us for a live recording at Spielfest, a two-day gaming event hosted by Snakes & Lattes, a board game cafe in the heart of Toronto.
Welcome to Tempest. This fictional city-state is the setting for a series of games from publisher AEG. Conspire & connive; duel & deliver. Each game tells a story and gives players a new way to explore the world. We review the first four Tempest titles.
Word Block Puzzle by David Coleson. Assmeble word blocks to find 10 game titles. Don't worry; there's a clue for each bit included. Solve the puzzle and you could win a prize!
Honor, glory and geishas. Feudal Japan is our destination. We review Yedo, an auction based worker placement game where noble houses compete for the Shogun's favor by completing secret missions.
Give the gift of play. With over 40 game suggestions in 10 categories, you're sure to find a great game for someone this holiday season.
Fill your plates. We serve up a nice slice of our interview coverage from the largest game fair in the world, the Essen International Spieltag.
Games around the globe. We report back from our latest adventure in Europe, covering the International Spieltag in Essen, Germany and filming a travelogue in Belgium.
Going the distance. We review Milestones, a road building game that mixes abstract strategy with custom rondels, and dive into Smash Up, a genre bending card game chock full of pirates, ninjas, zombies and robots.
Con-clusions. We finish our GenCon coverage with 15 interviews including chats with artists, board game cafe owners, publishers, and Ken St. Andre, designer of Tunnels & Trolls, the 2nd role playing game ever published.
More gab about games. Our GenCon coverage continues with a collection of interviews including chats with a renowned dice collector, a balloon artist and the cast of characters from board games come to life PLUS conversations with noted industry publishers.
Unconventional conversations. We dive into GenCon with a dozen interviews with some industry giants (Richard Garfield, Bruno Cathala), some influential newcomers (TableTop, The Game Whisperer) and some great game publishers.
Magic words. We review Sidibaba, a game that pits a team of players against the Leader of the Thieves in a timed race to find treasure and escape. We also look at an innovative dice driven train game, Rolling Freight.
That first step is a doozy! We review Rio d'Oro, a dice game that pits adventurers in a race to collect gold across a rickety 3-D bridge.
Use your grey cells. The Kennerspiel des Jahres recognizes the best strategy game of the year. From a deadly mountain peak to the bandit filled desert to the workshops of a medieval town, we review the 3 nominated games and try to predict the winner.
The big red pawn. From high stakes dice to story telling donkeys, our award season coverage continues with in-depth reviews of Vegas and Eselsbrücke, the final two nominees for the Spiel des Jahres, the most prestigious trophy in the game playing world.
Kids at heart. From dragonknights and toad slime to cheese stealing ghosts, we review the 3 nominees for the Kinderspiel des Jahres, Germany's Children's Game of the Year, and try to predict the winner.
Win-win-win. The Spiel des Jahres is more than Germany's Game of the Year. It's an institution. And home to the 3 most prestigious awards in the industry. We begin our award coverage with a review of Kingdom Builder, 1 of 3 Spiel des Jahres nominees.
Fun from the frozen north. We review 3 titles from Russian publisher Right Games: Evolution, Potion Making Practice and The Enigma of Leonardo.
Find 'em hot and leave 'em wet. Firefighter Captain Brian Strange visits the padded cell to give us an expert's perspective on Flash Point - a board game of teamwork, burning buildings and daring rescues.
Think inside the box. That's exactly what Adlung Spiele does. Their card games redefine the notion of what card games can be. We review 8 titles: choosing roles, flipping carpets & slapping bugs. So many kinds of fun, all from a simple deck of cards.
Canoes and cannonballs. Join us for an in-depth review of A Few Acres of Snow, Martin Wallace's deck building board game. We row through the rivers and forests of the North to settle the fate of the French & Indian War.
The whole pint. We settle a patch of land on the banks of Plum Creek, reviewing Walnut Grove - a fast, fun mash-up game that includes tile laying, worker placement and a rondel.
Gone fission. We review The Manhattan Project, a game where players race to build an atomic bomb, plus we look back at an influential classic: Advanced Civilization.
So nice, they named it twice. Dave reports back from Toy Fair 2012 with 10 interviews, plus a review of a new family card game, Let's Take A Hike.
What's next? We review Airlines: Europe and Fortuna, two middle weight games that can draw new players deeper into the hobby - games that strike a great balance between strategy and fun in under 90 minutes.
Deck building: the next generation. From galactic conquest to warring gods, we review Core Worlds and Ascension: Storm of Souls, two of the newest titles in the genre.
You're the next contestant. We review two more Easy Play titles: Drachen Wurf and Big Points. Then, join us for the virtual Spiel-a-thon, an audio game show with fabulous prizes.
Board games meet technology. Michaela Magin introduces 3 new titles with electronic elements.
Vintage airplanes, new battles, and a daring escape! Guillermo Soria gives a tour of Air Show, a 2 de Mayo Expansion, and Stalag 17.
So many possibilities with a simple deck of cards. Bernhard Naegele gives a tour of four new titles: Flying Carpet, Cock-a-Doodle-Doo- Bah!, Taureg, and Ladybug and So.
3 new games from 3 great designers. Carol Rapp introduces Rapa Nui (Klaus-Jurgen Wrede) , Helvetia (Matthias Cramer) and Ankh Morpork (Martin Wallace).
Adventure, arks, and nuclear bombs. James Mathe discusses Venture Forth and Kingdom of Solomon and previews The Manhattan Project.
Gods, gold, and sandy beaches. Mortiz Brunnhofer introduces three titles: Pantheon, Stone Age: Style is the Goal, and Hawaii.
Designer Sebastian Bleasdale discusses On the Cards, a game which allows players to mix and match rules from a variety of classic card games.
Keith Blume introduces a full lineup of games from Eagle including 1812: The Invasion of Canada, Dragon Rampage, Mirror Mirror and new editions of Can't Stop and Montage.
Lemon squeezy. Two surveys of games everyone can play. First, the Easy Play game series from Schmidt Spiele with reviews of Burgen Land and Finito. Second, we trace the ancestry of Finnish Lawn Bowling.
From Discworld to the French & Indian War to orangutan filled forests, Martin discusses the development of his most recent designs: Ankh Morpork, A Few Acres of Snow, and Old Men of the Forest.
Rafal introduces Pret-a-Porter, a game about the competitive world of high fashion and New Era, the latest game set in the world of Neuroshima Hex.
Bernd Keller gives a tour of four new games from Amigo: The City, Friesematenten: Die Schattenmanner, Rio d'Oro, and Carre.
From Rhino poop to the streets of ancient Rome, Alfredo Berni gives us a tour of eight games from Zoch including: Das Is Der Wurm Drin, Fuchs und Fertig, Kalimambo, Schnapp's, Wollmilchsau, Tante Trudel'ss Trodel, Avanti, and Aquileia
Janko Franke shows us Noris' first board game using the ToyStick pen to enhance gameplay.
Designer and publisher Philippe des Pallières talks about the anniversary edition off Werewolf, and a new edition of the bluffing game Skull & Roses.
Norwegian designer Kristian Ostby talks about Mammut, a stone age game where players must decide how best to divide up the spoils of a great hunt.
Bears, blisters, and heavy backpacks. The trail can be a dangerous place! Max Michael from Stratamax games introduces their newest family card game.
Mattias Wagner talks about new editions of the classic dice game Spiel and gives an overview of Airlines Europe.
Games for the naughty and the nice. With over 40 game suggestions in 10 categories, you're sure to find a great game for someone this holiday season.
Designer Antoine Bauza and artist Piero talk about collaborating on Ghost Stories, plus some news about an upcoming expansion to 7 Wonders.
Didier Delhez of Sit Down! Games gives a tour of Wiraqocha, a steampunk dice game set in the jungles of South America.
Just lose, baby. We review Elder Sign, a Cthulhu-themed dice game and examine other games where winning isn't the main source of fun.
Konstantinos Kokkinis introduces Drum Roll. Each player steps into the ring to manage a traveling circus.
Peter Eggert introduces a new title, Santiago de Cuba, and hints at some upcoming releases.
Christoph Lipsky talks about three new titles: The Last Banquet, Gully Pirates, and Dungeon Fighter. These games range from sneaky to whimsical to downright silly!
Stephen Buonocore gives us a tour of four new releases: Panic Station, Confusion, Core Worlds, and Outpost.
Enoch Fryxelius chats about Wilderness, a hand-crafted board game of survival and strategy built and designed by his brothers.
A chat with designer Michel Baudoin about Space Maze. Maneuver your team of colorful wooden aliens to recover an ancient relic buried in an ever-changing maze.
Designer Max Valembois chats about Baby Boom, a light strategy dice game where the dice are never rolled.
We learn about several fun titles from Goliath - Sammy Seal, Pop the Pig, and Time No Time. Games for kids and kids at heart.
Game designer Christophe Boelinger talks about his new abstract strategy game Sarena, plus a variety of other game related topics.
2011 Spiel des Jahres Winner Susan McKinley Ross talks about her experience winning gaming's prestigious award for Qwirkle.
Ted Alspach chats about the latest greatest games from Bezier, including Mutant Meeples, Tiebreaker, and Ultimate Werewolf: Artifacts
A chat with Rudolf Ruhle, President of the European Society of Board Game Collectors and a tour of their Cars & Games exhibit.
We chat with designer Vlaada Chvatil about his newest title, Dungeon Petz from Czech Games Editions.
Wine, water, and garbage! A talk with designer Gil d'Orey about three new games from Portugal: Vintage, Agua, and Lixo.
Prost! We return from Germany and provide an account of our experience at Ludo Fact and the International Spieltag in Essen.
Come fly the Zeppelin filled skies. We review Fortune & Glory a game of spine tingling pulp adventure and look at other games where story is king.
Dial "L" for Latin. Vulgar Latin, that is. We review De Vulgari Eloquentia, an eccelectic but compelling medieval game where players help create the Italian language.
Wake up! We review Uluru, a crafty customizable puzzle game about granting wishes to cosmic Dreambirds. Plus, we take a look at the new dice-building game Quarriors.
Meet the people behind the games. Conversations with publishers of games for kids and families as well as games for players interested in deeper strategy and high adventure.
Geeks in the Heartland. We bring you over a dozen interviews with publishers, designers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs, each a different slice from the great gaming pie.
Ginnungagap! Team up with your fellow Norse gods in Asgard to protect the nine realms hanging from the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Dig into our in-depth review of this cooperative game from Z-Man.
Word Scramble Puzzle by David Coleson. name all the pieces in the puzzle and unscramble their first letters to find the answer. Don't worry; there's a clue for each bit included. Solve the puzzle and you could win a prize!
Where gaming begins. Join our tour of the trade show which includes 23 interviews with publishers, designers, and writers and information on over 50 games.
Mind games. From pyramids and guild halls to the fields of Agincourt, we review nominees for the "expert" category of gaming's Oscars, the Kennerspiel des Jahres, and predict the winner.
Kids at heart. From magnetic wizards and sliding monsters to racing worms, we review the nominees for the most prestigious award for children's games, the Kinderspiel des Jahres, and try to predict the winner.
There can be only one. Winner, that is. We review the nominees for the most prestiigious award in gaming, The Spiel des Jahres, and try to predict the winner.
The secret is butter. We whet our appetites with an in-depth review of The Secret of Monte Cristo, followed by a look at two games first published in magazines.
True Colors. Grab your brush, step up to the easel and join us for a review of Pastiche, a game about mixing paints to create famous works of art.
From Hell. Slip into the foggy gaslit streets with us for an in-depth review of Letters from Whitechapel, a game where players try to plan or prevent Jack the Ripper's killing spree.
Unleashed. We celebrate 5 years of The Spiel by wagging The Long Tail of gaming, reviewing 9 old obscure and off-the-wall games.
It's not easy being green. We delve into a treasure trove of fantasy themed games including Defenders of the Realm and Thunderstone: Dragonspire.
What's the rumpus? We dive into the dark waters of international smuggling for a review of Cargo Noir plus three other brand new titles: Nightfall, Chronicle and Shake 'n Take.
Synchronize your watches. We fire up the TARDIS for a time travel adventure, including a review of the clock winding brain burner Khronos, a look back at a classic Doctor Who title, and a dive into the history of the sand timer.
We the people. We break out the powdered wigs to review Founding Fathers, a game where players write or rewrite history by creating the Constitution.
Island hoppers. We travel to Samoa, Atlantis and Scotland to review Hotel Samoa, Survive: Escape from Atlantis and Glen More.
Everything old is new again. We review Rowboat, TZQ, Shokoba, and Booray: four card games that seek to adapt or reacquaint us with the classics Spades, Mah Jongg, Scopa, and Bourré.
Sudoku Puzzle by David Coleson. Fill in the grid with the game components provided. Solve the puzzle and you could win a prize!
Show us your buboes. We get Medieval and play Rattus, trying to save as many people as we can from the Black Plague.
Paint the town. We swap camels, diamonds, and other trade goods playing Jaipur, a modern card game with a classic feel.
Deep space is our dwelling place. We grok the new dice game Alien Frontiers, racing to set down roots on a strange new world.
Who's the boss? We head to the polls, using slander and strongarm tactics to win elections in Tammany Hall.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle. We dust off our deductive muscles and try to crack Code 777, a brain-burning game with roots in Indian Poker.
Luck, be a lady tonight. We put the sin in Sin City, rolling dice to build casinos along the original Strip in Lords of Vegas.
Winter is coming. In our first Book Club episode, we discuss A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin; then we play and review the board game and the card game based on the novel. Are they worthy of Westeros?
And a barrel and a heap. We shuffle off to ancient Eygpt and Brittany to take a closer look at two small press card games: Armorica and Nile.
Games are global. From France and Belgium to Korea and Mongolia and back, all at one convention. We conclude our GenCon coverage with a dozen interviews including a chat with the great designer, Tom Wham.
The best four days in gaming. We give you a view from the trade show floor with a dozen interviews featuring publishers, designers and collectors.
Forget Picasso. Bring on the dice! We roll through Asteroyds, winding toward three other titles, obscure and sublime, that feature 'dem bones.
Match-Up Puzzle by Stephen Conway & David Coleson. Match each of 40 cards with its correct title. Solve the puzzle and you could win a free game!
Con-versations. We take you on an extended tour of the trade show floor with 19 interviews, featuring publishers and designers big and small.
There can be only one. We review A la Carte and Fresco, the final two nominees for the Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) and predict the winner before the official selection.
The Prize. Movies have the Oscars. Games have the Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year). We play and review Dixit, Identik, and Roll Through the Ages - three of five nominees - in an effort to predict the winner later this month.
Smoke monsters need not apply. We assemble a team to hunt mystical treasures in Forbidden Island and flip medieval coins to construct castles and cathedrals in Builder's Duel.
All in favor, say Y. From the temples of Assyria to the pachyderms of Bombay, we review two titles from publisher Ystari Games.
Like peas and carrots. We serve up your recommended daily allowance of games featuring fruits and veggies including: Fruit Fair, a la Carte, and a Hoosier classic.
100 Spiel-related trivia questions written by listener David Schuth. Solve the puzzle, send us the answer.
Dice. Tiles. Cards. We celebrate hitting triple digits with 3 reviews that fit our slogan, including an in-depth look at Macao.
Tricks are treats. We explore the history and evolution of trick and trump games from Pinochle to modern titles like Triumvirate, Sticheln and Die Sieben Siegel.
Bite size. Nine full reviews of games you can play in 5-40 minutes. Titles include: Bezzerwizzer, Gracias, Triviathon, Sushi Roll, Word of the Street, Nanuk, 7 Ate 9, Super Circles, and Chaos Marauders.
To arms! Wargames with legs. We review three simple, but very strategic titles enjoyable by non-wargamers, including an in-depth look at Hammer of the Scots.
Going twice, Sold! We push up the bid to play two unusual auction games from the pioneer prairies in Homesteaders to the blistering kitchens of Restaurant Row.
Elementary! We don our deerstalkers and our treasure hunting boots to play Tobago and Epäillyt, two deductive reasoning games.
Tome sweet tome. We travel the lands of Valdora, a board game where the roads are filled with gems and patrons and the cities guard giant wooden books.
Quote Fall Puzzle by David Coleson. Solve the puzzle, send us the answer. Correct entries could win a Game Goody Bag from Essen!
Holy hand grenades. We play Colonia, a game about collecting dusty old bones and shiny baubles to push medieval merchants to fame and fortune.
Geeks in the heart of Texas. We report back from BGG Con in Dallas with an in-depth look at The Adventurers, full details on the Spiel-a-thon, and mini-reviews of 10 different titles.
A package deal. We kick start this holiday season with over 50 game suggestions in dozens of categories and for budgets of all sizes.
The jingle, the rumble, and the roar. We ride the rails touring the world of train games from simple to sublime, including an in-depth review of the modern classic: Age of Steam.
No strings attached. The gloves come off when we fight as storybook characters in Scary Tales and weasel our way to power and influence in Revolution.
Size doesn't matter. For us, it's all about fun. From games made at the kitchen table to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, we play Kachina and The Great Potlatch, two recent titles from publishers Small Box and Bucephalus Games.
Tumble along with the tumblin' tumble-cubes. We dive into Dave's greatest passion in games: dice! We shake our way from the wild West to ancient Egypt, reviewing Dice Town and Ra: the Dice Game.
A gaited community. From dice mayhem at the horse track to flower trading that would make day traders blush, we look at Long Shot and Tulipmania 1637.
This is how we roll. We conclude our con coverage with 9 interviews, including two amazing dice men: Col. Louis Zocchi and Kevin Cook, owner of the world's largest dice collection.
House call. As the Gods of Geekery descend on Indianapolis for Gen Con, we score interviews with game publishers large and small, including a chat with one of the world's most prolific and respected game designers, Dr. Reiner Knizia.
Get set... Go! We tackle two race games with interesting twists: hiking for lost gold on a 3-D board in Timber Tom and a mad grab for fuel tanks in Hurry 'Cup!
Match-Up Puzzle by Stephen Conway & David Coleson. Solve the puzzle, send us the answer. Correct entries could win a free game!
Get your lanyard and badge ready. We're off to Columbus Ohio for Origins Game Fair. Our tour of the exhibit hall leads us to fourteen interviews with game publishers large and small.
Decision time. Five nominees, four weeks, one chance to predict the winner. We review and discuss Fauna and Finca, the final two games in contention for the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award.
Jury's out. Five nominees, four weeks, one chance to predict the winner. We review and discuss Dominion, FITS and Pandemic, three games in contention for the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award.
Say goodbye, Candyland. No need to cringe on family game night. We review a slew of games aimed at kids that adults will enjoy, too, including Kayak Chaos and Duck! Duck! Go!
These games have potential, literally. If there's a modern rival to chess, it's the Gipf Project. In this mega-episode, we play Ultimate Gipf and the final game in the series, Tzaar.
Letter perfect. We build ancient monuments and wonders to impress the King in Utopia and spell our way Boggle-style through hedge rows in Amuse Amaze.
An offer you can't refuse. We play by mob rule this week, packing heat and hijacking hooch with two gangster themed games: Chicago Poker and Family Business.
Ground Control to Major Tom. We take to the stars to haul freight for The Man in Galaxy Trucker and then battle through a collapsing star to become the Galactic Emperor.
Board games are team sports, too. There are plagues to fight and a village to defend! We dive into Pandemic and Ghost Stories, two in the latest wave of co-op "us vs. the world" games.
Avoid the Lulo List. More games inspired by the Spanish speaking world. We duel for glory in Toledo and angle for rum and power in Cuba. Plus two classic card games little known to gringos.
No pasarán! From building towers of people in Catalonia to manning the barricades in Madrid, we play España 1936 and Castellers, two games from Spanish publisher Devir.
The alphabet of giants. We shake the buildings from our sleeves by playing Metropolys and Manhattan, two simple, elegant games about skyscrapers.
Laddergram puzzle created by David Coleson. Print, solve, send us the answer. Correct entries could win a free game!
Puzzle primer. We explore a new trend: the convergence between puzzles and games. We review six different titles including On the Dot, three forms of Ubongo, Code Omega and Santy Anno.
Itatake mas. With chopsticks in hand and sake cups full, we dig into Wasabi, a tile laying game between rival sushi chefs. Dave also reports from the Obsessive Collector's Desk on card and dice organization.
We got game. Lots of 'em. With over 50 gift suggestions in dozens of categories, you're sure to find a great game for almost everyone on your list.
Schwing! With family gatherings just around the corner, we try out Good Question and Say Anything, two new party games with wild questions and hilarious answers.
I am not a crook... or a jelly donut. But if I play my cards right, I could end up President of the United States! We play 1960: Making of the President, a board game that simulates the contentious election campaign between Richard Nixon and JFK.
If the apocalypse comes, beep me. First we take a trip to Colonial America to battle classic horror movie villains in A Touch of Evil. Then we enroll at Sunnydale High and try to dust The Master playing Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
The voice of the people is the voice of games. Populism rules the day. We pander to the Roman public for seats on the council in Municipium and follow up with Gridstones and Gubs, two titles by new and independent game designers.
Volcanos and snake-haired gods. We build towers and temples on a fiery island in Taluva and guide ancient Etruscan oracles to a sacred altar in Tuchulcha, a wacky Parcheesi variant.
Dirigibles by gaslight. We race to build the Hindenburg wiith dice playing Airships and take turns tracking down Jack the Ripper or plotting his escape in Mr. Jack.
Please, sir, may I have some more? The second half of our convention coverage features nine interviews about new games from the blasphemous to the sublime. We wander from ancient Rome and Troy to the gritty tech-noir streets of Murder City.
Spiel on! The greatest four days in gaming... right in our back yard. In addition to interviews and reports from the Spiel-a-thon, we invite three other Spielers to a round table discussion about the convention.
Mordor or bust! Each year we allow our listeners to program every segment of one show. This year's episode features an in-depth look at War of the Ring, a strategy board game pitting two players in a struggle to rewrite the history of Middle Earth.
It's Convention season. That means we dive into the trade shows to bring you the latest. We have 15 interviews covering no less than 30 games! From party games to war games and everything in between, I bet there's a title that'll catch your attention.
I'd like to thank the Academy... Part 2 of our special Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year), coverage. We play all five nominees and try to predict the winner.
Envelope, please. In anticipation of the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year), one of the most prestigious awards in the board game world, we play all five nominees and try to predict the winner.
Timber! A tree falls on our padded cel, so the next full episode will be in two weeks. We discuss our upcoming summer schedule, including the Spiel des Jahres spectacular, Origins, Gen Con, and Listener's Choice shows.
Gone fishin'. The bait: wooden penguins and little rubber worms. We strike bargains with talking fish and dive under the ice looking for the big catch playing If Wishes Were Fishes and Hey! That's My Fish!
Eight quickies. Whether you need a game for a lunch break at work or to play with your kids for half an hour, it's good to have some filler games in your bag of tricks. We reach into our bag give you the scoop on eight titles, each reviewed in 5-7 minutes
Stand down from DEFCON 2! We rewrite history, replaying the Cold War not once, but twice in this superpower sized episode. We tackle Twilight Struggle and Cold War: CIA v KGB.
Break out your nine iron and flibberty-gibbets. The Spiel turns two! We take on Coppertwaddle a medieval card game with a rich (fake) history and we roll our way through Box of Golf in all its wooden splendour.
Play ball! But forget the steroids; we've got Divine Intervention. Just in time for Spring Training, we play Pizza Box Baseball, a light card-driven simulation. Then we ascend to the heavens to protect four mythical races in Age of Gods.
Much better than a pig in a poke. We reach into our bag of tricks and find two light but surprising little games: the abstract award-winning Qwirkle and the latest from German designer Freidemann Freise, Felix the Cat in the Sack.
Barbarians at the gates? Get rolling! We build a small but great wall in Chang Cheng and use dice to hire advisors to protect His Majesty's realm in Kingsburg.
Roll up your sleeves. Time to get your hands dirty. We chop wood and cut stone to build Kingsbridge Catehdral in Pillars of the Earth and send our swarms out to surround Queen bees in the strategy classic Hive.
Not miles... hours! 24 of them. We set out to play games for 24 consecutive hours in order to get our unplayed list of games below 200. This episode was recorded as we played and documents the events of our day including session reports on a truckload of games both large and small.
Woah! Five games, five designers... all in one box. The stars align for us to play Stonehenge: The Anthology Board Game. We review all five games, each by a different renowned designer.
Holiday hodge-podge. Reports and interviews from CHITAG (Chicago Toy and Game Fair) plus a review of Piratenbillard, a game where players use duck headed mallets to pop cannon balls across a wooden grid.
Crack your knuckles and loosen up. We knock heads and little plastic men in our first Subbuteo Table Soccer match and then twist our fingers into pretzels balancing little foam balls playing Handy. Arthritis here we come!
Say no to lame gifts. Give a game instead. We recommend over 50 games in twelve different categories to fit almost any person or budget. With this great list, you might even make a wish list of your own!
Baby needs a new pair of shoes. We build a casino empire in Vegas Showdown and climb the long ladder from Hemp Chicken to Dragon in the modern card classic Tichu.
Everything's better with Zombies. From a shooting gallery with garlic grenades to our very own zombie baseball team, we shamble our way through Vampire and Zombie Fluxx, two games that include a festival of undeadly delights.
Don't Panic. But get comfortable. Grab a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster from the bar settle in for our take on Twilight Imperium, a game of galactic conquest whose play time could be measured in light years.
Wonder Twin powers, activate! We play Blue Moon City, a board game based on a card game and Caylus Magna Carta, a card game based on a board game, plus we discuss the risks and rewards of changing classic games in reprints.
Y is for Yggdrasil. We load our longboats and set sail in search of adventure on the stormy North seas, playing Fire & Axe and Vikings. Surely, an episode worthy of the sagas!
Cue the Indiana Jones music.We build routes for a very lazy London Passenger in On the Underground and globe trot from Cypress to Taiwan in 10 Days in Asia.
This time it's personal! You've heard the interviews (well most of them!), now hear from us. We give our report on our event, the Spiel-a-thon, panel discussions, Dealer's room hits and misses, and a game book that is not to be missed!
Global geeks, global games. From Israeli brainteasers and Italian game publishers to carved dice from little Polish elves, part one of our convention coverage includes over a dozen interviews. Part Two will be released a week from today.
Click, Click, Boom! Our nerves of steel are put to the test playing Russian Roulette in Kablamo! and bidding for a coal powered empire in Industria.
Wood burning, Richard Borg, and dismembered robots. We take an inside look at Origins International Game Expo.
And the winner is... We play all five games nominated for the Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) and then we try to predict the winner!
Sayonara, squatters. We play Shogun and Landlord, proving that the best evictions often come at the end of a katana (or a tower full of little wooden cubes).
Skullduggery! Sometimes sneaky is better than strong. We fight over carcasses in Scavenger Hunt and pilfer treasure from lost tombs in Incan Gold.
Fire up those branding irons! There's livestock to round up and words to bluff or spell when we play Hacienda and Letterhead.
Turn the tables! We let you call the shots. From The List to The Game Sommelier, every segment in the show comes from listener suggestions and submissions.
The Spiel is one year old! To celebrate, we roll our way through two games with loads of dice: Battleground Fantasy Warfare, and To Court the King.
Business in the front, party in the back. We plot and scheme to elect the Pope in The Prince, spaz out combining cornrows in Wig Out, and nibble our way from plankton to sharks in Chomp.
Driven to abstraction. From archaeology to pachinko in less than two hours, we play Mykerinos and Marvin Marvel's Marvelous Marble Machine, two fast fun abstract strategy games.
I didn't know Gloria was sick. Ancient Rome is crumbling as the Goths swarm down from the north. We play Senators racing to escape the Eternal City in Gloria Mundi, the first collaborative effort from James Ernest and Rio Grande Games.
Cue the laugh track. We play Conquistadors in Pizarro & Co. and Capitalist pigs in I'm the Boss, two games that lead to big deals and big piles of cashola.
Bet like an Egyptian. We get a good dose of corruption, cash, and deadly crocodile gods playing Wits & Wagers and Cleopatra & the Society of Architects.
Lou Ferrigno, eat your heart out! It doesn't take gamma rays to make us see green, just two sets of horribly organized rules. We play Shear Panic and Marvel Heroes. One's a keeper, the other's a dud.
Chock full of goobery goodness! We click with Lexio, a Korean tile game with Chinese roots, and charge head long into Battle Lore, waging table top fantasy battles with hundreds of miniatures.
Recycle, reuse, replay! We warm up with a Mah Jongg variant called Forbidden and then tap into Power Grid, a game where garbage and wind can lead to vitctory.
A special holiday game gift guide! Over 50 game recommendations for gamers of all ages and games of all flavors.
All class, no bums. We play two prize fighting games: Buccaneer and Aqua Romana, both runners up for the 2006 Spiel des Jahres, the German Game of the Year.
Shuffle up, and deal! We look back 400 years to play Scopa, a classic card game that feels modern and then play Parlay, the secret love-child of Scrabble and Poker.
George Romero would be proud. First we hack our way through waves of the living dead in Zombies Widescreen Edition and then we play poker as zombies in Dead Money. Just remember to aim for the head!
Grab your garlic and wooden stakes, we take a trip through Transylvania to play Vampire Hunter and Dawn Under. Who says the undead are no fun?
But wait, there's more! Our first all expansion edition. We play cards with green haired punk hobbits in Blue Moon and take on a weather changing beaver in Spirits of Niagara.
Strap on the mailbag and hitch up the wagon! We deliver our verdict on Thurn & Taxis, the 2006 Spiel de Jahres winner, and Big Top, a circus themed variant of a card game classic.
A Rio Grande Games extravaganza! Listen for a play test report on five new games from Rio and then our interview with Jay Tummelson, the founder of the company and architect of the euro game revolution.
Nerd up! Put on your badges and head for the dealers room, we're going to give you a geek's eye view of Gen Con, the world's largest game convention.
Release the Kraken! We take an in-depth look at Mare Nostrum with the Mythology Expansion and go for a short cruise with Reiner Knizia's Loot.
Put on your Deerstalker and massage those grey cells, we dive into three mystery games: Inkognito, Mystery on the Nile, and 221 B Baker St.
Serfs up! Get ready for guild power struggles and try to keep your farmers our of prison. We take on Flandern 1302 and Carcassonne: The Tower, two medieval themed games where the peasants, the meeples, take center stage.
Two bargains, one steal. From the high seas to ancient jungle temples, we fight our way through Tortuga and strike gold with Monkey Mission.
We play our way from the past to the future, covering Klaus Teuber's Anno 1503 and Richard Garfield's Rocketville. Two great designers, but alas, only one great game.
We circle the wagons to play Go West and then head for Sid Sackson's Bazaar. The title, you ask? Dave has a Lactaid moment discussing dice games.
Let slip the dogs of war. We play a card game that combines an early Renaissance war with poker. Seriously. We're not kidding. We also play Clippers. Be glad it was us and not you!
Crack open that bottle of Cabernet and pass the Camembert! We play and discuss Louis XIV, an influence based, tile-flipping game from Alea/Rio Grande Games. Truckloads of Goober makes its debut with Britannia.
The original pilot for the Spiel was lost, so this is our fresh start! You'll find out who's behind the Spiel and why we're doing this. We discuss/review Trias & King of the Beasts, the two latest games off The List, our decade old challenge is to play down our ever-growing list of unplayed games. We also discuss new game releases, and introduce several new segments including the Backshelf Spotlight, Truckloads of Goober, and the Game Sommelier.