Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and discussions with a personal touch

It was a sleepy village in the middle of the countryside. The residents were hard-working, cutting down trees for wood and digging up rocks to construct new buildings and planting and harvesting grains to feed the population. Over time, more people were attracted to the village as it grew and grew. Eventually, it was time to build a church in this little Hamlet: The Village Building Game by David Chircop from Mighty Boards. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/12/03/hamlet-the-village-building-game-saturday-review/ Useful Links Hamlet: The Village Building Game: https://www.mighty-boards.com/11/47/products/Hamlet Mighty Boards: https://www.mighty-boards.com/ Rulebook: https://www.mighty-boards.com/images/user_files/32/Hamlet-Rulebook-Founders-062022.pdf First game scenario: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/247131/hamlet-first-game-scenario Tutorial and Play-Through video: https://youtu.be/tqFxQpbum90 BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/276086/hamlet-village-building-game Brass: Birmingham review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/10/03/brass-birmingham-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Sound Effects: bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2002 BBC The following music was used for this media project: Music: Afternoon by DreamHeaven Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6242-afternoon License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.patreon.com/dreamheaven If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Since the lockdown, many board games have now also been released in digital format. Some of these implementations are just a representation of the physical game on your screen. You still have to move everything by hand and do all the housekeeping. Other solutions enforce rules and carry out all the actions for you. You just need to point and click. Some games also come with AI opponents, allowing you to create a competitive game even when you're by yourself or add additional, digital players to a multiplayer game. In this article, I want to look at using these computer players to help you improve your game. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/29/digital-cheats-practising-against-ais-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Learning digital article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/02/23/learning-digital-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Buzzkiller by Alexander Nakarada Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5820-buzzkiller License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash)

The apocalypse has finally come. After the breakdown of society, survivors have formed gangs of motorheads, that scour the wasteland for rare and very precious petrol reserves. Their vehicles are highly tricked-out, finely tuned, heavily reinforced and equipped with a wide range of weapons. They will stop at nothing, which is exactly why a small number of the surviving rich elite have organised deadly races, where the gangs are pitted against each other to be the first to reach the finishing line and claim their prize - or be the last survivor in the arena of these Gaslands: Refuelled by Mike Hutchinson from Osprey Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/26/gaslands-refuelled-saturday-review/ Useful Links Gaslands: Refuelled: https://ospreypublishing.com/uk/gaslands-refuelled-9781472838834/ Osprey Games: https://ospreypublishing.com/uk/osprey-games/ Quick reference sheet: https://ospreypublishing.com/media/ynedioak/gaslands-refuelled-quick-reference-sheet-v3.pdf BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/274428/gaslands-refuelled Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Lyrical Fantasy Trailer by Rafael Krux Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5684-lyrical-fantasy-trailer License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.orchestralis.net/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

I enjoy games with quite a wide range of playing times. I like long games that take a couple of hours or more to play, up to a certain point at least. Anything above three hours is probably going to be too long for me. I also love quick games that take 15 minutes to half an hour, but I'm definitely not a fan of real-time games. In this article, I want to look at how timekeeping affects the gameplay experience. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/22/keeping-time-how-time-limits-can-speed-up-games-topic-discussion/ Useful Links The final round article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/15/the-final-round-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Lofi Chill Hip-Hop by WinnieTheMoog Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6347-lofi-chill-hip-hop License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://linktr.ee/taigasoundprod If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash)

A great fire engulfed the Whelming Matches factory. All the water in the world couldn't put it out, so hot it burned. When the flames eventually died down many hours later, one artefact was found among the glowing embers. It was cold to the touch and nobody knew what it was. Maybe it was one of the Matches by Daniel McKinley from Thing 12 Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/19/matches-saturday-review/ Useful Links Matches: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thing12games/matches-1 Thing 12 Games: https://thing12games.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/361311/matches Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Sound Effects: bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2002 BBC The following music was used for this media project: Music: Moving Clouds by Rafael Krux Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5690-moving-clouds License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.orchestralis.net/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Yota Suzuki is a board game artist and UI designer. He created Tactical Games in 2017 and loves working with other artists to create the best results possible. Read the audio transcript here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/16/yota-suzuki-let-me-illustrate/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog PayPal: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8hovaYouKD Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

I have often heard that board game reviews should talk about the price of games. If a review tries to help people make a buying decision, then that makes perfect sense. After all, the best game in the world may still just be too expensive and a game that's free may still not be worth it. Of course, there are many steps in between. So how much a game costs is clearly something people consider. Yet, I never mention the price of a game in any of my reviews and I don't plan on doing so in the future. Let me explain... Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/15/pricey-games-how-we-value-games-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Afternoon by DreamHeaven Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6242-afternoon License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.patreon.com/dreamheaven If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Terrillo Walls on Unsplash)

Sailing the winds in your sky pirate ship, you and your crew land on a different island each day, looking for treasure, adventure and glory. You need to be fast though, because you're not alone. Other ships in the fleet have followed the same course and they want their share of the varied loot. If the crew member you send to the island is too slow, they will not come back with valuable treasure, but with a terrible curse or worse, they will not return at all. Only the best pirate will make it in Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest by Paolo Mori from Stonemaier Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/12/libertalia-winds-of-galecrest-saturday-review/ Useful Links Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest: https://stonemaiergames.com/games/libertalia/ Stonemaier Games: https://stonemaiergames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/356033/libertalia-winds-galecrest Rulebook: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4ij2wutuvyvfmmw/AADFVDF35NtqsQbsfPFtVyZ8a?dl=0 The original Libertalia: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125618/libertalia Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: In Pursuit Of A Pirate by Tim Kulig Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8520-in-pursuit-of-a-pirate License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://timkulig.com/albums The following music was used for this media project: Music: Bugbears Be Approaching by Tim Kulig Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8518-bugbears-be-approaching License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://timkulig.com/albums If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

As many of you probably know, I am a very visual person. I love it when rulebooks are well laid out and have helpful photos that show how something works. The graphic design of game and player boards is also something I think is very important. A good choice of clear icons can really help with understanding how a game works and speed up the flow of a turn. Top it all off with beautiful board game art and you have the complete package, if you ask me. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/08/the-art-of-board-games-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Let me illustrate podcast series: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/let-me-illustrate/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Epic Intro 2017 by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/558-epic-intro-2017 License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.sascha-ende.de If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

History was an interesting place for all of us. We recognized a number of famous figures, while some were new to us. As we travelled through the ages, we encountered new people and learned about different events. Some eras were more familiar than others. Our aim was to be the first to reach the present day. We all took part in A Race in Time from History Heroes. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/05/a-race-in-time-saturday-review Useful Links A Race in Time: https://www.historyheroes.co.uk/product/board-game-a-race-in-time/ History Heroes: https://www.historyheroes.co.uk/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Everyone in our hobby loves playing board games. That's by definition, of course. Additionally, there are a lot of board game adjacent hobbies that many of us enjoy, such as miniature painting, card collecting or trading, finding wonderful and usual dice and so much more. However, I think there is something else that many of us really enjoy doing and that is to do with the game before the game - but let me explain. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/01/the-game-before-the-game-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Afternoon by DreamHeaven Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6242-afternoon License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.patreon.com/dreamheaven If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

It was soon time for the most anticipated festival at Death School, whose motto was "Soul to win". According to legend, there was an accident at the school many years ago. Somehow numerous souls had been able to escape, and the teachers and students raced to recapture them all. Every year hence, Papa Death, Osiris, Hei and Bai Wuchang lead the students into a race of reaping souls, the Soulaween by Shi Chen from Play With Us Design. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/29/soulaween-saturday-review/ Useful Links Soulaween: https://pwud.ga/en/product/soulaween_en/ Play with Us Design: https://pwud.ga/en/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/269766/soulaween Deathigner's animation: https://youtu.be/Mptpw8fQ-lw Deathinger's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Deathigners Soulaween short comic: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d8moxx8uq2k_WBEMzvb39bFoTEkhrldf Nine Men's Morris: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3886/nine-mens-morris Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Ghost Story by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3805-ghost-story License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://incompetech.com If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

The following article was written by Joe Slack from the Board Game Design Course. Hey there. It's Joe Slack from the Board Game Design Course. Oliver was kind enough to let me return and write another guest post on his blog, this time about realtime games and the experience that they deliver. I hope you enjoy the article! Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/25/how-realtime-games-deliver-excitement-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Board Game Design Course: https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/ Escape: Curse of the Temple: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113294/escape-curse-temple Magic Maze: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/209778/magic-maze Fuse: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171273/fuse Boggle: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1293/boggle 14 Frantic Minutes: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/362865/14-frantic-minutes 14 Frantic Minutes crowdfunding campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crazylikeabox/14-frantic-minutes Pendulum: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/312804/pendulum Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Perls by MusicParadise Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5066-perls License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: http://www.music-paradise.de If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash)

The Nostromo was returning to Earth with a seven-member crew in stasis. Detecting a transmission from a nearby moon, the ship's computer awakens the crew and they land on the moon. While one part of the crew tracks down the source of the signal, the rest decipher part of the transmission and discover it's a warning - but it's too late! Despite protestations, the returning crew brings with them an Alien: Fate of the Nostromo by Scott Rogers from Ravensburger. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/22/alien-fate-of-the-nostromo-saturday-review/ Useful Links Alien: Fate of the Nostromo: https://www.ravensburger.co.uk/en-GB/products/games/strategy-games/alien-the-game-27029 Ravensburger: https://www.ravensburger.co.uk/en-GB BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/332321/alien-fate-nostromo Back to the Future: Dice Through Time review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/07/04/back-to-the-future-dice-through-time-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Background Music: Main Title and The Alien Planet from the Alien soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith, copyright 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Growing up in Germany, I started playing traditional trick-taking games like Skat or Doppelkopf from a relatively young age. I'm used to the idea of suits, trump, following suit, taking tricks, gleaning information from what cards others play and much more. Traditional trick-taking games sort of have their own language. So I love to see modern games developing this mechanism further and incorporating it into other mechanisms, creating completely new game experiences. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/18/tricky-tricks-trick-taking-and-other-games-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Skat: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6819/skat Doppelkopf: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9364/doppelkopf The Crew review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/12/05/the-crew-the-quest-for-planet-nine-saturday-review/ Fox in the Forest: Duet review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/04/30/the-fox-in-the-forest-duet-saturday-review/ Vivaldi review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/11/23/vivaldi-saturday-review/ Skull King review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/01/04/skull-king-saturday-review/ Brian Boru review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/04/16/brian-boru-high-king-of-ireland-saturday-review/ Scout review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/02/scout-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Lofi by DreamHeaven Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6148-lofi License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.patreon.com/dreamheaven If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash)

Natural resources had long been depleted on Earth, but the asteroid belt was rich in ion and ore. The battle for control of these invaluable commodities had begun. We were part of this fight and were operating from our own Outpost 18 by Adam Wilk. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/15/outpost-18-saturday-review/  Useful Links Outpost 18 on PNPArcade: https://www.pnparcade.com/products/outpost-18 BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/278142/outpost-18 Star Realms: https://www.starrealms.com/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Time To 808 by MusicParadise Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5069-time-to-808 License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: http://www.music-paradise.de If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

I often play games with my wife. We have a fair few two-player-only games, but mostly we play games that were designed for two people or more. Some games do it really well and the experience is no different to higher player counts. Other games introduce two-player-specific setup or other rules and that can work too. In this article, I want to look at how games, that weren't specifically designed for two people, change, or don't change, when played with two people. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/11/two-players-how-games-change-in-2-player-modes-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Condottiere review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/12/condottiere-saturday-review/ Condottiere rulebook: https://images.zmangames.com/filer_public/4f/7a/4f7a025d-9de0-4984-ba1a-f57e81464886/condottiere_rules.pdf Stonemaier Games: https://stonemaiergames.com/ Scythe review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/19/scythe/ The Crew review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/12/05/the-crew-the-quest-for-planet-nine-saturday-review/ Brass: Birmingham review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/10/03/brass-birmingham-saturday-review/ Face-off – interactions in two-player games: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/28/face-off-interactions-in-two-player-games-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Lofi Chill Hip-Hop by WinnieTheMoog Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6347-lofi-chill-hip-hop License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://linktr.ee/taigasoundprod If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash)

Changing your plumage from pure white to a rainbow of colours wasn't easy. It took time and patience. It was the fruit from the rainbow tree that contained the necessary pigment. Unfortunately, the fruit wasn't always in season and when it was, other birds were quick to eat it before I had a chance to get to it. It was a race, be it a slow and thoughtful one, to become Aves by Shi Chen from Play With Us Design. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/08/aves-saturday-review/ Useful Links Aves: https://pwud.ga/en/product/aves_en/ Play With Us Design: https://pwud.ga/en/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224122/aves Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

So sometimes you play a game and you just don't get on with it. That's understandable, because not every game is for everyone. At the same time, I do think there is a game for everyone. I also think that games deserve a second chance. In this article, I want to look at why we might bounce off games and why the game experience is a lot better when we play the game again at some point later. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/04/second-chance-giving-games-another-try-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Terra Mystica review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/06/01/terra-mystica/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Summer Ambient Piano by Rafael Krux Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5504-summer-ambient-piano License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.orchestralis.net/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Becca McHaffie on Unsplash)

The Great Plague was slowly becoming a thing of the past and you had decided to move into the country and start a new village. You had found the perfect location that was big enough to build new houses, workshops and other structures, while also being close enough to farmable land, a large wooded area and there were indications that coal could be mined nearby. It had everything to support a growing community of craftspeople and labourers. Now all you had to do was find Villagers by Haakon Gaarder from Sinister Fish Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/01/villagers-saturday-review/ Useful Links Villagers: https://sinisterfish.com/product/villagers/ Sinister Fish Games: https://sinisterfish.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/241724/villagers Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Cold Journey by Alexander Nakarada Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4760-cold-journey License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Nobody likes losing. Most of us don't mind it, but I don't think anyone actually relishes it when they come last. When we play board games with others, we want to have an enjoyable time. That's something we should keep in mind. So in this article, I want to talk about how to try and be a good loser. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/27/salty-tears-losing-gracefully-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Player elimination article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/13/slow-death-player-elimination-in-board-games-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: HighTech by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/184-hightech License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.sascha-ende.de If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Nong V on Unsplash)

After Earth had been mostly laid to waste, major corporations took charge and colonized much of the solar system. Interplanetary trade was the only source of money and therefore power. Earth's few remaining societies still held a fair amount of political influence, but controlling as many of the independent planetary parliaments as possible was probably even more important. If you timed it right and invested your money wisely, you could gain power in the solar system's ultimate authority, the Plutocratic Council. After all, Earth's political systems had been replaced by a Plutocracy by Claudio Bierig from Doppeldenkspiele. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/24/plutocracy-saturday-review/ Useful Links Plutocracy: https://www.doppeldenkspiele.de/plutocracy.html Doppeldenkspiele: https://www.doppeldenkspiele.de/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/363531/plutocracy Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Prelude Music: Holy War by Hans Zimmer from the album Dune (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) The following music was used for this media project: Music: One With Ocean Currents by Tim Kulig Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8510-one-with-ocean-currents License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://timkulig.com/albums If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

For some of us, not being able to see friends or family, or anyone else for that matter, in person is becoming a distant memory. I appreciate that for some of you, it's still very much the present, depending on where you are in the world or the health of the people you would otherwise meet, you live with or your own. In this article, I want to write about how it feels to be playing board games face-to-face with other people, as this has now been possible for me for quite some time. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/13/slow-death-player-elimination-in-board-games-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Yucata: https://www.yucata.de/en/CurrentGames My profile on Yucata: https://www.yucata.de/en/User/oliverkinne Learning digital article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/02/23/learning-digital-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Tivinize by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/62-tivinize License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.sascha-ende.de If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

"Afloat, upon the surface of a smooth and silent river, slowly breathing, you observe the shifting currents [...]. There is little much to do, but let the river take you. Surrendering to its flow, slowly you realise that perhaps there is no separation between surface and sky, between your mind and the river itself and if your mind is the river and the river your mind, perhaps if you can balance the thoughts and feelings and sensations that arise, you may have some say in where you are taken" as you Float Downstream by Jeremy Dawson from Blood Moon Games Ltd. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/17/float-downstream-saturday-review/ Useful Links Float Downstream: https://www.bloodmoongamesltd.com/team-3 Blood Moon Games Ltd: https://www.bloodmoongamesltd.com/ Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/663814497/float-downstream BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/369650/float-downstream Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Dreams Become Real by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3678-dreams-become-real License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://incompetech.com If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

In many modern board games, all players participate until the very end. Everyone continues to take their turns until the game has finished and it's time to decide the winner or winners. That's true for co-operative as well as competitive games. Player elimination games are very different in that respect. In these games, some people around the table could be out of the game early on and end up sitting it out until it's all over. If done well, player elimination can be a very interesting mechanism in modern board games. In this article, I want to look at different ways this mechanism is implemented and discuss how well these work. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/13/slow-death-player-elimination-in-board-games-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/ Love Letter review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/01/23/love-letter-saturday-review/ King of New York review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/04/25/king-of-new-york-saturday-review/ Nemesis review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/18/nemesis-saturday-review/ Splotter: https://www.splottershop.com/ Food Chain Magnate: https://www.splottershop.com/products/food-chain-magnate Jaws review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/10/10/jaws-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Dreams Become Real by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3678-dreams-become-real License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://incompetech.com If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash)

A game about dancing sheep, rockets, lasers, cabbages and sometimes fun. I would like to add "death" to this list, but other than that, it's pretty much a good description of 3 Minutes to Freedom (or Death) by Samuel Edmondson and Daniel Somerville Roberts from Icarus Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/10/3-minutes-to-freedom-or-death-saturday-review/ Useful Links 3 Minutes to Freedom (or Death): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3minutestofreedom/3-minutes-to-freedom BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/335863/3-minutes-freedom-or-death Exploding Kittens: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172225/exploding-kittens Fluxx: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/258/fluxx Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Sirius by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3233-sirius License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.sascha-ende.de If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Here is another article in my series about teaching games. Last time I spoke about the responsibilities the person has who teaches the game. This time I want to cover what is expected of the people learning the game. After all, the teacher will not get anywhere if no one is willing to actually learn the game. So, as a learner there are certain things you have to try and do to make the rules teach easier for everyone. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/06/teaching-games-responsibilities-as-a-learner-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Teaching games article series: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/category/teaching/ Teaching games - responsibilities as a teacher: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/30/teaching-games-responsibilities-as-a-teacher-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Tivinize by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/62-tivinize License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.sascha-ende.de If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Eric Mok on Unsplash)

It was hard to get the favour of the Emperor. Many noble houses were vying for their attention by offering their resources and manual labour to help restore the Emperor's wonderful monuments. As a way to remember the work everyone did and to honour the grace and power of the Emperor, artists were commissioned to create beautiful paintings. It was your hope to catch the Emperor's eye and receive the ultimate recognition: being invited as a guest at the Eternal Palace by Steven Aramini from Alley Cat Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/09/03/eternal-palace-saturday-review/ Useful Links Eternal Palace: https://www.alleycatgames.com/eternal-palace Alley Cat Games: https://www.alleycatgames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/306311/eternal-palace Teach and playthrough video: https://youtu.be/exso9gRqkeo Jacqui Davis interview: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/02/03/jacqui-davis-let-me-illustrate/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Orbitalmelody by Lilo Sound Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5577-orbitalmelody License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://electronicmoods.com/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Continuing my series of articles about teaching games, in this article I want to talk about what responsibilities the teacher has. It's not always obvious, but when you teach a game, you're not done after explaining the rules to the group. You have to continue to keep an eye on things, to make sure everyone plays correctly. You also have to be ready to answer questions during the game. That's a lot of responsibility to shoulder. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/30/teaching-games-responsibilities-as-a-teacher-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Teaching games article series: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/category/teaching/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Big Potato on Unsplash)

The Durrani Empire had just collapsed and large swathes of Central Asia had fallen into disarray. It was an ideal opportunity for the ferengi to impose their power over the region and fight out their rivalries somewhere far away from their daily politics. The foreigners were completely unaware of how the local Afghan leaders were manipulating them to their own benefit. They played their own "Great Game" with these superpowers and knew that the imperial might would not survive for long. There was never going to be a Pax Pamir: Second Edition by Cole Wehrle from Wehrlegig Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/27/pax-pamir-second-edition-saturday-review/ Useful Links Pax Pamir: Second Edition: https://wehrlegig.com/collections/frontpage/products/pax-pamir-second-edition-1 Wehrlegig Games: https://wehrlegig.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/256960/pax-pamir-second-edition Oath review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/27/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-saturday-review/ Leder Games: https://ledergames.com/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Bugbears Be Approaching by Tim Kulig Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8518-bugbears-be-approaching License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://timkulig.com/albums If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Depth in board games is often confused with complexity. They are related, but they're also very different. I wrote a whole article about complexity about two years ago. So now it's time for me to look at depth in more detail. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/23/the-deep-blue-depth-in-board-games-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Article about complexity in board games: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/08/11/complex-complexity-topic-discussion/ Splotter: https://www.splottershop.com/ Scythe review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/19/scythe/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash)

I wasn't sure what it was. It was certainly yellow. Maybe it was a banana. Or it was a pencil. Actually, it could have even been a lemon. I just couldn't remember. There were just too many cards on the table. I wish I could Recollect from Pikkii. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/20/recollect-saturday-review/ Useful Links Recollect: https://pikkii.com/products/recollect-memory-challenge-game Pikkii: https://pikkii.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/368121/recollect-memory-challenge-game Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo courtesy of Pikkii)

It's been a long-standing tradition in the board game hobby to show others your lovely collection. People love posting photos of their board game shelves. It's no surprise really. People are proud of the games they've got. Some of the games in your collection will be rarities, they might be out of print, maybe you have games signed by the designer or you just love the latest and greatest. In a similar vein are so-called "haul photos" showing off the games you managed to get your hands on at a convention. In this article, I want to look at the latter in more detail. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/16/trawl-the-haul-topic-discussion/ Useful Links UK Games Expo 2022 review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/11/uk-games-expo-2022-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

A brand new greenfield site was ready for development. The architects had submitted their drawings and the planners were satisfied that everything was in order. Everyone was in agreement that this new place should grow organically, but had to follow strict rules. New houses could only be placed in certain ways to create this brand new Town 66 by Christoph Cantzler and Anja Wrede from Oink Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/13/town-66-saturday-review/ Useful Links Town 66: https://oinkgames.com/en/games/analog/town-66/ Oink Games: https://oinkgames.com/en/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/361212/town-66 Oink Games reviews: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/category/oink-games/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

It's always interesting to see how different games decide when they end. There are so many different ways of ending a game. Some games are played over a fixed number of rounds and others end when a certain goal or goals are achieved. There are also games that have a slightly more random timer. What happens when a game ends is also not always the same. In some games, all players get one more turn or the current round is played out. Other games end immediately and nobody gets another chance. In this article, I want to look at how all of these different endings create different player experiences. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/09/uncertain-death-end-game-triggers-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Sagrada review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/06/sagrada-saturday-review/ Aquamarine review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/16/aquamarine-saturday-review/ Undaunted: Normandy review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/23/undaunted-normandy-saturday-review/ Adventure Games: The Dungeon review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/25/adventure-games-the-dungeon-saturday-review/ Dominant Species: Marine review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/29/dominant-species-marine-saturday-review/ Scythe review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/19/scythe/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Silent Alpha by MusicParadise Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5067-silent-alpha License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: http://www.music-paradise.de If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash)

As an artist, I knew this was going to be a challenging project. Making stained glass window masterpieces required clever and careful planning and meticulous execution. The prospect of having one of your pieces be seen by people around the world was a daunting prospect, but working for such a prestigious family made up for it. I was honoured to be employed by the famous family of Sagrada by Adrian Adamescu and Daryl Andrews from Floodgate Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/06/sagrada-saturday-review/ Useful Links Sagrada: https://floodgate.games/products/sagrada Floodgate Games: https://floodgate.games/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199561/sagrada Rules teach video: https://youtu.be/0JLpaGHL8MQ Azul review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/09/19/azul-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) The following music was used for this media project: Music: Wanderer by Alexander Nakarada Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4772-wanderer License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Reviewing board games is something I take quite seriously. It's important to me that people reading my reviews know that what they read are my own, independent thoughts. I also want to ensure that my views properly reflect my experience of a game. I want my reviews to be relatively thorough and a fair assessment of the game. In this article, I want to look at how often I feel I need to have played a game before I'm ready to review it. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/02/enough-is-enough-minimum-board-game-review-requirements-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Reviewing games – the importance of gameplay experience article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/26/reviewing-games-the-importance-of-gameplay-experience-topic-discussion/ Brass: Birmingham review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/10/03/brass-birmingham-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Main Music: Namaste by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash)

It was a glorious time of progress, industry and opportunity. The turn of the 20th century promised so much and if you were flush with cash, there were plenty of opportunities to invest and reap huge rewards. That was especially true for the railroad industry in the United States. In one place alone, there were five companies working together to build the greatest station in the world. They all bought stock in one of the potentially most lucrative companies in Chicago. Their hopes and dreams all began at Union Station by Travis D. Hill from New Mill Industries. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/30/union-station-saturday-review/ Useful Links Union Station: https://www.newmillindustries.com/games/unionstation New Mill Industries: https://www.newmillindustries.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/318638/union-station Small Railroad Empires: https://www.archonagames.com/small-railroad-empires/ Luzon Rails review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/06/05/luzon-rails-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

The goal of board game reviews is to give the reader the information they need to make a decision about whether a game is for them or not. Reviews are always going to be subjective and people may agree with them or they may not - or most likely they'll agree with some things and not others. Either way, reviews have to convey what a game is like, from a product perspective as well as a gameplay experience angle. In this article, I want to focus on the latter and explain why I think gameplay experience is so important. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/26/reviewing-games-the-importance-of-gameplay-experience-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Main Music: Without You by Valcos & Chris Linton [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/WithoutYou Watch: http://youtu.be/wdpGocMoipw If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash)

We had just landed in Normandy. It was the summer of 1944, but it was relatively cold. We were thousands of miles from home and the landscape was unknown to us. Yet, we had to push deeper into a country we didn't know in our goal to push the German forces out of France. There was regular machine gun fire and mortar bombardment. It was really scary, but we remained Undaunted: Normandy by Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson from Osprey Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/23/undaunted-normandy-saturday-review/ Sources Estimated Battle Casualties during the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944: https://www.britannica.com/story/estimated-battle-casualties-during-the-normandy-invasion-on-june-6-1944 The 10 Things you Need to Know about D-Day: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-d-day D-Day: Facts on the Epic 1944 Invasion That Changed the Course of WWII: https://www.history.com/news/d-day-normandy-wwii-facts World War II (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II Useful Links Undaunted: Normandy: https://ospreypublishing.com/undaunted-normandy Osprey Games: https://ospreypublishing.com/store/osprey-games/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/268864/undaunted-normandy Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

I think a lot of people in the board game hobby play together for fun and for the social aspect. Sure, many of us want to win the game. We don't play to lose. However, I think only very few people are hugely competitive. Playing board games is more of a hobby. In this article, I look at different ways of improving your game and what it might take to become better at winning. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/19/winning-at-all-cost-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Scythe review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/19/scythe/ Terra Mystica review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/06/01/terra-mystica/ Crescent Moon review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/05/21/crescent-moon-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Main Music: Afternoon by DreamHeaven Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6242-afternoon License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.patreon.com/dreamheaven If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Big Potato on Unsplash)

It was a beautiful day. The sea was calm and the sun was shining. The water was crystal clear and even while you were sitting on the side of the boat, in your full diving gear, you could see the corals and wonderful sea creatures in the water. You knew it was going to be a long day and you would probably split it into two or three dives. You did one last check of your gear and then you leant back and dropped into the Aquamarine by Matthew Dunstan and Rory Muldoon from Postmark Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/16/aquamarine-saturday-review/ Useful Links Aquamarine: https://www.postmarkgames.com/aquamarine Postmark Games: https://www.postmarkgames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/360471/aquamarine Aquamarine trailer: https://youtu.be/KAbpv39e5fY Rory Muldoon interview: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/10/14/rory-muldoon-let-me-illustrate/ UK Games Expo 2022 review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/11/uk-games-expo-2022-saturday-review/ Skora review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/05/14/skora-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Sound Effects: BBC Sound Effects Library (bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2021 BBC) Music: Broken by DreamHeaven Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6475-broken License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.patreon.com/dreamheaven If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

As we know, and as I always say, there are so many games, chances are there is something for everyone. Not only that, there will be games for all sorts of different types and sizes of groups. That has always been true for family games that can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages and interests. In this article, I want to look at what it is I enjoy so much about playing games with my family. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/12/family-fun-enjoying-games-as-a-family-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Face-off article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/28/face-off-interactions-in-two-player-games-topic-discussion/ He ain't heavy article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/08/he-aint-heavy/ Home is where the board games are article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/05/17/home-is-where-the-board-games-are-topic-discussion/ Chai review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2018/11/24/chai/ Colt Express review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/01/colt-express-saturday-review/ Azul review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/09/19/azul-saturday-review/ Town 66 BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/361212/town-66 Scout review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/02/scout-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

I thought long and hard about how to start this review. Usually, the introductory paragraph of my reviews is like a short story, setting the scene of the game and the experience you're likely to get. I finish by linking back to the title of the game, making it part of the short story. Yet, for this game, its name is a little short story in itself. So I might as well just go straight to the title. Here goes... In this review, I look at A game about stuffing balloons as a team, without talking. But it's a card game - there are no actual balloons by Bez Shahriari from Stuff by Bez. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/09/a-game-about-stuffing-balloons-as-a-team-without-talking-but-its-a-card-game-there-are-no-actual-balloons-saturday-review/ Useful Links Stuff by Bez: http://www.stuffbybez.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/362779/game-about-stuffing-balloons-team-without-talking The Mind review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/05/the-mind/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

I like heavy games a lot. Games that take around 2 hours to play are probably also the favourites in my games group. Sure, you need to spend an hour learning them, then probably half an hour teaching them to the group and then two or more hours playing them - but as a reward, your brain gets a full workout. At the same time, there are also many reasons why quick-to-play and easy-to-learn games can be the better option. In this article, I want to compare the two. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/05/quick-and-dirty-easy-to-learn-quick-to-play-games-topic-discussion/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Background Music:  If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Flavien on Unsplash)

Finally, the baton of ringmaster has been passed to you. Your predecessor has been in the job for many decades, but now it's your turn. You need to get the most out of the motley crew of performers and put together a show that will beat your rivals'. Yet, immediately it becomes clear that you need to bring in new talent to make your circus really stand out from the rest. It's time for you to Scout by Kei Kajino (梶野 桂) from Oink Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/02/scout-saturday-review/ Useful Links Scout: https://oinkgames.com/en/games/analog/scout/ Oink Games: https://oinkgames.com/en/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/291453/scout Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Sound Effects: BBC Sound Effects Library (bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2021 BBC) Background Music: Circus Theme Song (String Version) by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5699-circus-theme-song-string-version- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

I love playing board or card games with my wife. Spending a little, or a lot of time together focused on the same activity is a wonderful way to connect. It started as a date night, but now we might play a quick 5-10 minute game or two over lunch or we play a longer game. Co-operative games tend to be our favourite. Working together to solve the puzzle that the game presents is a lot of fun. That's why we also love solving the Sunday crossword puzzle together. There are very few two-player competitive games that we enjoy and in this article, I want to explain why. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/28/face-off-interactions-in-two-player-games-topic-discussion/ Useful Links We Can Play review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/05/28/we-can-play-saturday-review/ Wingspan review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/03/16/wingspan/ Biblios review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/05/biblios-digital-eyes/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Background Music: Coffee by Alex-Productions Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9330-coffee License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/ (Photo by Big Potato on Unsplash)

Waking up from an uneasy sleep, you look around. You aren't quite sure where you are or how you got here. There is moonlight streaming through the small, barred window. It looks like you're in some sort of cell, but you're not chained up or otherwise restrained unlike the skeleton opposite you. There is only one thing for it. You have to find a way to escape Adventure Games: The Dungeon by Phil Walker-Harding and Matthew Dunstan from Kosmos. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/25/adventure-games-the-dungeon-saturday-review/ Useful Links Adventure Games: The Dungeon: https://www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk/product/adventure-games-the-dungeon/ Kosmos: https://www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/267813/adventure-games-dungeon Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Sound Effects: BBC Sound Effects Library (bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2021 BBC) Background Music: Dark Hollows by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7120-dark-hollows License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

As you probably know by now, I'm a very visual person. I love great illustrations in board games, hence my series "Let me illustrate" highlighting board game artists in the industry. At the same time, a board game with an amazing look alone is not enough. The gameplay needs to be great too and the rules must not be more complicated than necessary for the weight of the game. So in this article, I want to look at how important realistic resources are to me in games. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/21/immersive-resources-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Let me illustrate podcast series: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/let-me-illustrate/ Terra Mystica review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/06/01/terra-mystica/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Background Music: Sinuswelle by Sascha Ende® Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/537-sinuswelle License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/

Waking up from years of hibernation, all of us were a bit dazed and confused. Temporary amnesia was very common and while we all knew our names, we only had some basic memories of what had happened before or what we were meant to do. We weren't even sure which ship we were on, let alone its layout. When we saw that one of our colleagues was dead and had a gaping hole in their chest, we knew something was seriously wrong. Nobody was sure what caused our colleague's death. We knew we had to work together to get out of this nightmare, but the trust in each other had evaporated. So we set about exploring the ship and finding our Nemesis by Adam Kwapiński from Awaken Realms. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/18/nemesis-saturday-review/ Useful Links Nemesis: https://awakenrealms.com/games/nemesis/ Awaken Realms: https://awakenrealms.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167355/nemesis Pandemic review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/01/18/pandemic-saturday-review/ Sleeping Gods review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/03/27/sleeping-gods-saturday-review/ Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Background Music: Alien motion picture soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/