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

Staunch competitive players may feel that co-operative games are a bit pointless. After all, it makes more sense if there is only one winner, rather than several, or so their reasoning might go. However, even if you love co-operative games and even if you prefer them to competitive games, there are some games where you don't feel like you're achieving anything - and that might feel pointless to you. In this article, I want to look at this in a little more detail. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/04/05/pointless-co-operation-topic-discussion/ Useful Links The Crew review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/12/05/the-crew-the-quest-for-planet-nine-saturday-review/ Skat: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6819/skat Doppelkopf: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9364/doppelkopf Pandemic: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/01/18/pandemic-saturday-review/ Sleeping Gods: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/03/27/sleeping-gods-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/

There is something hiding in the city. I'm sure of it. I keep finding clues and my detectors are picking up very strange signals - but I need proof! Hard facts that I can present to the science community to make them believe that I have found a Cryptid: Urban Legends by Hal Duncan and Ruth Veevers from Osprey Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/04/02/cryptid-urban-legends-saturday-review/ Useful Links Cryptid: Urban Legends: https://ospreypublishing.com/cryptid-urban-legends Osprey Games: https://ospreypublishing.com/store/osprey-games/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/343274/cryptid-urban-legends Onitama BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2999035/onitama 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/

Rob Ingle works for Stop, Drop and Roll Games Studio and has been an artist for a long time. As he says himself, he is straightforward, honest and punctual. He is skilled in illustration, design and all manner of creative work. Read the audio transcript here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/30/rob-ingle-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/

We all know how some games can take a while to set up. Sometimes it's because there are just a lot of components and different pieces to take out of the box and place on the table. Other times, it's because you have to sort components a certain way, after they were all mixed together in a previous play of the game. The opposite can also be true, where you have to shuffle tiles or cards, after they ended up all in order when you finished playing the game last time. In this article, I want to look at both: games that sort or shuffle themselves during play and are virtually immediately ready to play again, as well as games that expect you to shuffle or sort components before you can play them again. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/29/self-sorting-games-topic-discussion/ 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 Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash)

My last board game convention was Airecon 2020 and it was the last event of its kind in the UK - and as it turned out, there wasn't going to be another in-person UK board game convention until 2021. It was a wonderful event, even though everything felt weird. Nobody was sure whether to shake hands or not. The special guests who had flown in from the USA weren't even sure if they would be able to get back home. Luckily, they did make it back safely and it wasn't long until the UK went into full lockdown. So, I was keenly looking forward to Airecon 2022, the first board game convention I was happy to attend after a two-year break. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/26/airecon-2022-saturday-review/ Useful Links Airecon: https://www.airecon.co.uk/ Airecon 2020 review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/04/04/airecon-2020-saturday-review/ Imagination Gaming: https://imaginationgaming.co.uk/ Watch It Played: https://watchitplayed.tv/ Paula Deming: https://www.paulademing.com/ Tabletop Games Blog Radio: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/radio/ The Wren Bakery: https://www.thewrenbakery.com/ UNHCR - The Refugee Charity: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/united-kingdom-for-unhcr.html DEC - Humanitarian Appeal for Ukraine: https://www.dec.org.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAjw_tWRBhAwEiwALxFPocXnlBZJxfRGuhELYY4CWtQYT3tEzJ7rUpqXRtPSDPbT95ompHTBABoCeLUQAvD_BwE 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/

Co-operative games come in all shapes in sizes, just like any game. So there should be something there for anyone, irrespective of what you're looking for, as long as you want an experience where everyone works together to win the game as a team. In this article, I look at a handful of different types of co-operative games, giving examples of games that fit into the category, so that, hopefully, you can find something that suits you. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/22/how-to-play-together-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Sub Terra II review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/11/16/sub-terra-ii-infernos-edge-saturday-review/ Pandemic review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/01/18/pandemic-saturday-review/ Library Labyrinth review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/26/library-labyrinth-saturday-review/ CoraQuest review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/15/coraquest-saturday-review/ Assembly review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2018/11/17/assembly/ The Crew review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/12/05/the-crew-the-quest-for-planet-nine-saturday-review/ The Mind review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/05/the-mind/ Jaws review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/10/10/jaws-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/ (Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash)

Shuffle your deck of creature and vegetable cards, put the pile facedown on the table and spread the cards out, so everyone can reach them and after explaining a handful of rules, you're ready to play A game about quickly grabbing creatures that are totally different & counting your beetroots by Andrew Beardsley and Behrooz Shahriari from Stuff By Bez. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/19/a-game-about-quickly-grabbing-creatures-that-are-totally-different-counting-your-beetroots-saturday-review/ Useful Links A game about quickly grabbing creatures that are totally different & counting your beetroots: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bybez/bezzy-bargain-bag-2-creatures-frantic-gameplay-root-veg Stuff By Bez: http://www.stuffbybez.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/349947/game-about-quickly-grabbing-creatures-are-totally 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 don't know if you've ever come across it, but the final round, or sometimes the final few rounds, of a game often feel different to the rest of the game. There is the common term "end game" and the concept of an "end game trigger" in modern board games, so there is a relatively clear distinction between how a game finishes and the rest of the game. In this article, I want to discuss how games feel different as they come to their conclusion and what different types of "end game" formats there are. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/15/the-final-round-topic-discussion/ 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 Josh Millgate on Unsplash)

The city-states of Venice, Florence and Genoa and their economy were doing extremely well. However, their military strength was extremely lacking not only in size, but also in experience and conviction. It was clear that strong soldiers with real battle experience were needed. So when the English soldiers returned from the Crusades, they were welcomed with open arms. Finally, the city-states would be able to extend their reach and influence, thanks to the wonderful Condottiere by Dominique Ehrhard, Duccio Vitale and Justin Kemppainen from Z-Man Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/12/condottiere-saturday-review/ Useful Links Condottiere: https://www.zmangames.com/en/products/condottiere/ Z-Man Games: https://www.zmangames.com/en/index/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/112/condottiere The King is Dead (2nd Edition): https://ospreypublishing.com/the-king-is-dead-45352 Osprey Games: https://ospreypublishing.com/ The King is Dead (2nd Edition) review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/03/13/the-king-is-dead-2nd-edition-digital-eyes/ 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/ (Image courtesy of Z-Man Games)

Hey there. It's Joe Slack from the Board Game Design Course. Oliver was kind enough to let me write a guest post on his blog about victory conditions other than victory points to spark some new ideas and get you thinking about other new games to play. I hope you enjoy this article! Victory points (VP) are so common in modern board games, along with the condition that the player at the end of the game with the most VP is declared the winner. Sometimes it is called influence, sometimes just points or it may be money or some other resource or currency. But it is all essentially the same thing. So, we’re going to dive into some other fun and interesting ways that players can win a game, along with examples of each. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/08/victory-conditions-other-than-victory-points-topic-discussion/ 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 GR Stocks on Unsplash)

Sending someone a letter seems to have become a thing of the past and sending people postcards is mostly restricted to when you've gone away on holiday - but it's been ages since many of us have done that. However, many of us love sharing games with others, so it would be amazing if you could send someone a card that's also a game and even add a little message. Well, that's exactly what Six Greetings Card Games by Ellie Dix from The Dark Imp does. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/05/six-greetings-card-games-saturday-review/ Useful Links Six Greetings Card Games: https://www.thedarkimp.com/kickstarter/ Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedarkimp/six-greetings-card-games The Dark Imp: https://www.thedarkimp.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/357824/six-greetings-card-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/ (Illustration courtesy of The Dark Imp)

Amelie Le-Roche is a veteran video game animator, creating games in her free time. She loves to explore different art styles and unique themes while creating family-friendly board games. She started Zerua Games in 2018 (which means "sky" in Basque) as a creative outlet. Read the audio transcript here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/02/amelie-le-roche-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/

A large number of board games are about winning and losing. Sure, for many of us, it doesn't really matter whether we win or lose, as long as we have a good time, either with friends, family or alone. In co-operative games, you play against the game itself and either you win or the game does. The same goes for solo games, of course, which are basically co-operative games, but with a single player. In this article, I want to look at the different win and loss conditions you can find in co-operative or solo games. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/01/co-operative-loss-topic-discussion/ 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 Tim Mossholder on Unsplash)

It is the evening and everyone has gone home, but you. The library is dark and everything is quiet, when suddenly, out of the corner of your eyes, you think you can see a book opening all by itself in the horror aisle. As you turn to get a better look, you see Dracula standing there, with Bram Stoker's book by his feet. You know exactly what to do, because this isn't the first time this has happened. You rush to the fiction section and pull out three particular books, whose heroines will surely be able to catch the vampire and put him back in his book. The problem is, the library's aisles are starting to shift and change and your way is being blocked but shelves. You have to be quick and find a way through this Library Labyrinth by Jessica Metheringham and Mill Goble from Dissent Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/26/library-labyrinth-saturday-review/ Useful Links Library Labyrinth: https://librarylabyrinth.com/ Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dissentgames/library-labyrinth Dissent Games: https://dissentgames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/356885/library-labyrinth 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/

Hi! My name is Lewis Shaw and I run Braincrack Games, a UK-based tabletop games publisher that's been bouncing around the scene since 2016. After my recent interview with Heavy Cardboard and a post on our own blog where I listed some of the reasons I don't think people should rush to start their own board game publishers, Oliver was kind enough to invite me to guest post on Tabletop Games Blog and talk more about the challenges the industry has thrown us in recent years - a brave choice, considering I could easily clear a room this way! Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/22/what-could-go-wrong-an-abridged-almanac-of-production-pitfalls-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Braincrack Games: https://www.braincrackgames.com/ Heavy Cardboard: https://www.heavycardboard.com/ Florence: https://www.braincrackgames.com/florence Florence BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/317411/florence 4 reasons to NOT start a publishing company article by Lewis Shaw: https://www.braincrackgames.com/braincrack-blog/2022/1/28/4-reasons-to-not-start-a-publishing-company- Last Resort: https://www.braincrackgames.com/last-resort Last Resort Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/braincrack-games/last-resort 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 Lewis Shaw, Braincrack Games)

We were still trying to understand the special powers of the 8 elemental realms and how our dragon, wizard and warriors could take advantage of each and how we could impose our dominance over the other factions in this growing world. Each realm also had a giant monster that would wreak death and cause havoc amongst us, if we couldn't work out how to defeat it first or control it and steer it in our favour. We didn't have much time to build our Dwellings of Eldervale by Luke Laurie from Breaking Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/19/dwellings-of-eldervale-saturday-review/ Useful Links Dwellings of Eldervale: https://dwellingsofeldervale.com/ Breaking Games: https://breakinggames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/271055/dwellings-eldervale Rise of Tribes review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2018/12/15/rise-of-tribes/ 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 idea that variability and replayability in board games have the same meaning is understandable, but of course, even though the two terms are related, they are independent of each other. Just because there is a lot of variability in a game doesn't mean that you'll want to play it over and over again and that it will feel different every time. Similarly, a game that is highly replayable, offering a different and interesting experience every time you play it, doesn't require it to be highly variable as well - but let me explain... Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/15/variable-replayability-topic-discussion/ 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 Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash)

It was quiet in the deep, dark wood. Everything was still and nothing stirred - but everyone was ready. The cats had taken up their position in every clearing, six birds were waiting patiently by their roost in one corner of the forest, the racoon had taken cover deep in the woods and the crows were biding their time in a handful of clearings of their choice. The moment was near. It was time to decide who was the best animal in the woodland, who was the Root by Cole Wehrle from Leder Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/12/root-a-game-of-woodland-might-and-right-saturday-review/ Useful Links Root: https://ledergames.com/products/root-a-game-of-woodland-might-and-right Root review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/02/20/root-a-game-of-woodland-might-and-right-digital-eyes/ Leder Games: https://ledergames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/237182/root 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 longer you have been part of the board game hobby, the more you are used to various terminology and conventions. You will also have become more accustomed to the way rulebooks describe games and how to read them to get the most out of them. However, if you're still new to the hobby then some things may not be obvious. In this article, I want to look at some of these terms and conventions that won't be familiar to people new to our hobby and also touch on whether rulebooks should be expected to describe them in more detail. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/08/implicit-conventions-topic-discussion/ 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 Inês Ferreira on Unsplash)

You were proud of your large library and your hard-working group of scribes was continually adding new tomes, with wonderfully decorative lettering and illustrations. However, you only had so much gold and the best scribes weren't cheap, but you had to somehow continue growing your collection of books to keep the bishop happy and outdo other abbots who were vying for influence. So you persevered and did what you could to have the most Biblios by Steve Finn from iello. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/05/biblios-digital-eyes/ Useful Links Biblios: https://www.gameslore.com/acatalog/PR-Biblios-Card-Game.html iello: https://www.iello.fr/co.uk BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34219/biblios 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 Mark Besada)

Albert Pinilla is an illustrator born in Barcelona. He is the co-creator and illustrator of the card game We Can Play: Women Who Changed The World and co-creator of the game publisher Julibert. He has also illustrated books such as The Interactive Constitution and Climate Change, the Choice Is Ours and has illustrated children's board games for companies such as Jumbo Disset, Goula, Nathan and Headu. Read the audio transcript here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/09/albert-pinilla-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/

After setting up a board game and explaining the rules, if necessary, the next step usually is to decide who starts. Different games decide this differently, so in this article, I want to discuss the various ways in which board games choose the first player and I will also touch on games where the first player changes from round to round. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/02/01/i-go-first-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Turn order article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/01/07/turn-order/ 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 Braden Collum on Unsplash)

Around sixty million years ago on Earth, dinosaurs reigned supreme on land, but at sea, a giant struggle was still unfolding. Creatures were slowly adapting to the changes in their watery habitat and hoping to be victors in this fight for survival. The threat of a giant meteor striking the Earth was increasing all the time, so it was a race to become the Dominant Species: Marine by Chad Jensen from GMT Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/29/dominant-species-marine-saturday-review/ Useful Links Dominant Species: Marine: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-943-dominant-species-marine-2nd-printing.aspx Dominant Species: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-909-dominant-species-6th-printing.aspx GMT Games: https://www.gmtgames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/262941/dominant-species-marine Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Additional Music: Predator by Purple Planet Music (https://www.purple-planet.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/

Sometimes I get asked to recommend games for someone to play. As you can imagine, that's never easy and my first question tends to be what other games they have already played. If they're completely new to the hobby, I usually ask how many people they intend to play with, whether they're a competitive group, how long they're happy to play for. It's also sometimes good to find out what sort of films, TV shows or activities they like, because many board games have a setting that might fit. So, in this article, I want to give you a list of different types of games that I tend to suggest to people. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/25/board-games-for-everyone-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Fluxx: https://www.looneylabs.com/games/fluxx Mint Tin Mini Skulduggery review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/03/09/mint-tin-mini-skulduggery/ The Mind review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/05/the-mind/ Quacks of Quedlinburg review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/06/06/the-quacks-of-quedlinburg-saturday-review/ Colt Express review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/01/colt-express-saturday-review/ Forbidden Island review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/05/02/forbidden-island-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/

Spice, the final frontier. These are the adventures of the Houses Atreides and Harkonnen and the Imperium their five-round mission to explore Arrakis, to seek out new territories and new Spice Blows, to boldly go where no Fremen has gone before. This is Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, Peter Olotka, Greg Olotka and Jack Reda from Gale Force Nine. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/22/dune-a-game-of-conquest-and-diplomacy-digital-eyes/ Useful Links Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy: https://www.gf9games.com/dune/743/dune-a-game-of-conquest-diplomacy/ Gale Force Nine: https://www.gf9games.com/ Dune (2019) review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/02/08/dune-saturday-review/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/341165/dune-game-conquest-and-diplomacy Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Second Intro Music: Theme from Star Trek by Alexander Courage 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 have mentioned it on this blog before, but my favourite way of being taught a new game is by diving right in. Teach me only the absolute minimum, just so I roughly know what sort of game we're playing and get an outline of what I'm trying to achieve and then let me start taking my turn. It's the sort of style of teaching that Paul Grogan of Gaming Rules advocates and it's probably the best option for demoing a game at a convention as well. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/18/teaching-games-teach-as-you-go-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Gaming Rules: https://www.youtube.com/GamingRulesVideos Teaching games - learn yourself: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/11/teaching-games-learn-yourself-topic-discussion/ 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/

Oh no! Wizard Pebbledash’s assistants, Kevin and Annabelle, are missing! Of course, it is our task to find them and return them home safely. We are a motley crew of four daring adventurers of all shapes and sizes. Some of us have brave hearts, others have strong minds and there are some here who have a keen eye, but all of us are in high spirits and ready to face the dangers ahead of us. So off we go into the shadows of Hoodez Dungeon on our first CoraQuest by Cora and Dan Hughes. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/15/coraquest-saturday-review/ Useful Links CoraQuest: https://www.coraquest.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/318546/coraquest CoraQuest on the BBC news website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-56013280 Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Music: The Charming Prince by Arnav Srivastav (https://soundcloud.com/909-music/arnav-srivastav-the-charming-price-get-it-on-www909-musiccom) 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 want to continue my series on how to teach board games to others by talking about how you can learn the game yourself or ask others to learn it for themselves. After all, you can't teach others until you know how to play it yourself and you're a better teacher if you've actually played the game yourself. Also, sometimes it's actually fun to learn a game and not always a big onus to expect others to learn a new game for themselves before you all meet up to play it. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/11/teaching-games-learn-yourself-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Magnate: The First City: https://magnategame.com/ Magnate review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/11/30/takebacks-magnate-the-first-city/ Naylor Games: https://naylorgames.com/ Magnate BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/258242/magnate-first-city Root: https://ledergames.com/products/root-a-game-of-woodland-might-and-right Root review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/02/20/root-a-game-of-woodland-might-and-right-digital-eyes/ Leder Games: https://ledergames.com/ Root BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/237182/root Watch It Played: https://www.youtube.com/c/WatchItPlayed 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 Seven Shooter on Unsplash)

We had pulled off the heist of the century and everyone was still buzzing, pumped with adrenaline. We had made it safely back to our hideout and now it was time to divvy up the loot. We were about to count out cash, gold, gems, paintings and microfilms when the boss came up with a crazy idea. "Let's play Blackjack," they said, "and sort out who gets what that way." They even gave it a name. They called it The Split by Michael Fox from Wayfinder Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/08/the-split-saturday-review/ Useful Links The Split: https://www.wayfinder-games.com/store/p/the-split Wayfinder Games: https://www.wayfinder-games.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/344682/split "Cheat" card "Turn the Tables" dedicated to Oliver Kinne (Tabletop Games Blog): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/idlemichael/the-split-from-wayfinder-games/posts/3296840 Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Music: Motorbreaks by Arnav Srivastav on 909 Music (https://www.909-music.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/

Let me start by wishing you a Happy New Year. We all somehow made it into 2022, probably a little worse for wear, but we made it nonetheless. The world has changed a lot, but there are still many moments of positivity and hope. I don't want to make predictions about what might happen to us all in the future, but instead, I want to focus on the Tabletop Games Blog and maybe talk about a couple of things that I hope for in our hobby. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/04/looking-ahead-at-2022-topic-discussion/ 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 Marek Okon on Unsplash)

It's the 11th of July in the year of our Lord 1899. At 10am Mountain Daylight Time, the Union Pacific Express departed Folsom in Union County, New Mexico as scheduled, but only a few minutes after leaving the village's last buildings behind, heavily armed bandits started robbing the 47 passengers, taking purses and jewellery. A short while later, gunshots could be heard and some of the bandits had climbed onto the roof of the train. It was feared that Marshal Samuel Ford, who was protecting the Nice Valley Coal Company's weekly pay, was being attacked. The whole incident went down in history as the "Attack of the Colt Express" by Christophe Raimbault from Ludonaute. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/01/01/colt-express-saturday-review/ Useful Links Colt Express: http://www.ludonaute.fr/portfolio/colt-express/?lang=en Colt Express unboxing: https://youtu.be/cy6gV7LKR0I Colt Express Digital Eyes review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/10/30/colt-express-digital-eyes/ Ludonaute: https://www.ludonaute.fr/?lang=en BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/158899/colt-express Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Sound Effects: BBC Sound Effects Library (bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2021 BBC) 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/

Like probably everyone else does at the end of another calendar year, it's time for me to look back on 2021 and share with you what I've been up to. In fact, this year I want to share with you some more detail, so that you can see what is involved in doing what I do in the name of the Tabletop Games Blog. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/28/2021-in-review-topic-discussion/ 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/

Yes, it's the time of year again where I list the 5 board games that I think were the best in 2021. The games don't necessarily have to have been published this year, but as long as I have played them in 2021, they qualify to appear on this list. Of course, as is now custom on the Tabletop Games Blog, the #1 game will receive the exclusive and prestigious Top Table Award. I know you're already at the edge of your seat to find out who got the coveted trophy, but let me list the top 5 board games of 2021 in reverse order, to raise the excitement even further and make you wait a little bit longer. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/25/top-5-board-games-of-2021-saturday-review/ Useful Links Genotype review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/06/26/genotype-a-mendelian-genetics-game-saturday-review/ Genotype unboxing video: https://youtu.be/96fOb9A8H4Y Luzon Rails review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/06/05/luzon-rails-saturday-review/ Jessi Cabasan: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/10/28/jessi-cabasan-let-me-illustrate/ The King is Dead review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/03/13/the-king-is-dead-2nd-edition-digital-eyes/ Sleeping Gods review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/03/27/sleeping-gods-saturday-review/ Oath review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/27/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-saturday-review/ Oath Takebacks review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/06/19/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-takebacks/ Oath Digital Eyes review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/01/02/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-digital-eyes/ 5 Heavy Christmas Board Games review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/18/5-heavy-christmas-board-games-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/

In my third article about teaching games, I want to talk about light games. The advantage of these games is, that they are easy to teach and quick to learn - and often also quick to play. So, this article should be rather short, but as we know, the easier something is, the better you have to execute it and given that lighter games are usually the sort of games new people to the hobby will come in contact with first, we need to do a good job teaching these types of games or we may miss a chance to grow our hobby. So, no pressure. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/21/teaching-games-light-games-topic-discussion/ 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/

Most of us will have a lot of spare time over the holidays and if we have board game enthusiasts among the family, this is the perfect time to set up and play some heavy games. We might also have more time to meet up with our games group and again, now is the time to get those heavy games to the table that we might not feel like playing of an evening after a busy day at work. So, here are 5 heavy board games I think you should play over the holidays. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/18/5-heavy-christmas-board-games-saturday-review/ Useful Links Oath: https://ledergames.com/products/oath-chronicles-of-empire-exile Oath Digital Eyes review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/01/02/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-digital-eyes/ Oath Takebacks review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/06/19/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-takebacks/ Leder Games: https://ledergames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/291572/oath-chronicles-empire-and-exile Tharos: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tribune/tharos Tharos review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/10/16/tharos-saturday-review/ Spielworxx: https://www.spielworxx.de/ Tharos on Tabletopia: https://tabletopia.com/games/tharos BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/292901/tharos Harald Lieske: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/12/23/harald-lieske-let-me-illustrate/ Dominant Species: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-943-dominant-species-marine-2nd-printing.aspx GMT Games: https://www.gmtgames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/262941/dominant-species-marine Brass: Birmingham: https://roxley.com/products/brass-birmingham-deluxe-edition Brass: Birmingham review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/10/03/brass-birmingham-saturday-review/ Roxley Games: https://roxley.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224517/brass-birmingham Magnate: The First City: https://magnategame.com/ Magnate: The First City review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/06/29/magnate-the-first-city/ Naylor Games: https://naylorgames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/258242/magnate-first-city 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/

Continuing in my series of articles about how to teach games to others, I want to talk about maybe the best approach - and that is getting your games group to learn a game together. After all, for many of us, playing board games is a social activity and at the very least, it's a hobby we share. So it makes sense to also share the burden of teaching, or rather learning, how to play a new game. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/14/teaching-games-learning-together-topic-discussion/ 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 Clay Banks on Unsplash)

Continuing with my list of 5 board games for Christmas, this week I talk about medium weight games. These games are for those days over the holidays, when the weather is horrible outside and you want to be inside, all cozy and warm, maybe with a mug of hot chocolate and spend around an hour playing a board game with either your immediate family and/or with friends. The games on this list will take a little longer to teach and learn and playing time will be around the 1 hour mark, maybe a little longer. However, they're not too difficult or complex to make your brain hurt. They're at just the right level to keep you occupied before you all settle down in front of the TV to watch a film together. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/11/5-medium-weight-christmas-board-games-saturday-review/ Useful Links Splendor: https://www.spacecowboys.fr/splendor-english Splendor review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/07/25/splendor-saturday-review/ Splendor unboxing video: https://youtu.be/eqatqPK62-E Space Cowboys: https://www.spacecowboys.fr/our-board-games BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148228/splendor Wingspan: https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/ Wingspan review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/03/16/wingspan/ Wingspan unboxing video: https://youtu.be/OBG3s-BsYDI Wingspan brief impressions video: https://youtu.be/Fn-MBwoVhYM Watch It Played rules video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgDgcLI2B0U Jon Gets Games rules and play through video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDJ5WwpV3Sg Stonemaier Games: https://stonemaiergames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192/wingspan ttps://www.geniusgames.org/products/genotype-a-mendelian-genetics-game Genotype: https://www.geniusgames.org/products/genotype-a-mendelian-genetics-game Genotype review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/06/26/genotype-a-mendelian-genetics-game-saturday-review/ Genotype unboxing video: https://youtu.be/96fOb9A8H4Y Heavy Cardboard 3-player playthrough: https://youtu.be/XBk6vAemFyQ Genius Games: https://genius-games.eu/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/252752/genotype-mendelian-genetics-game Small Railroad Empires: https://www.archonagames.com/small-railroad-empires/ Small Railroad Empires playthrough with the designer: https://youtu.be/DqZvaQZMk9g Archona Games: https://www.archonagames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/299178/small-railroad-empires Sleeping Gods: https://redravengames.squarespace.com/sleeping-gods Sleeping Gods review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/03/27/sleeping-gods-saturday-review/ Sleeping Gods Watch It Played rules video: https://youtu.be/qCjfbyscG8s Red Raven Games: https://redravengames.squarespace.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/255984/sleeping-gods 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/

Teaching someone the rules to a board game is never easy. I wouldn't say I'm an expert when it comes to teaching, but over time I've learned a few things that have helped me to become a better teacher. I found that different types of games require different types of teaching. So I thought I'd share with you what I've learned so far and maybe you pick up some ideas that help you with teaching new games to people. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/07/teaching-games-vp-games-topic-discussion/ 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 Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash)

Yes, Christmas is just around the corner, so it's time for me to put together lists of games you might want to get out over the holidays and play. I thought I'd start with a list of five games that you can play with all the family. These games are easy to teach and learn and quite quick to play. Most of them can be played up to four players, so if you have a large family gathering, you might need to split into smaller groups. I hope you find this list useful. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/12/04/5-family-christmas-board-games-saturday-review/ Useful Links The Split: https://www.wayfinder-games.com/store/p/the-split Wayfinder Games: https://www.wayfinder-games.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/344682/split Mint Tin Mini Skulduggery: https://subquark.com/rules-mtmskulduggery.html Mint Tin Mini Skulduggery review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/03/09/mint-tin-mini-skulduggery/ subQuark: https://subquark.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/265226/mint-tin-mini-skulduggery Karuba: https://www.habausa.com/karuba-tile-laying-puzzle-game/ Karuba review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/08/14/karuba-digital-eyes/ HABA: https://www.habausa.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/183251/karuba Colt Express: http://www.ludonaute.fr/portfolio/colt-express/?lang=en Colt Express review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/10/30/colt-express-digital-eyes/ Ludonaute: https://www.ludonaute.fr/?lang=en BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/158899/colt-express Kombo Klash: https://www.wearehubgames.com/our-games/komboklash Kombo Klash review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/03/06/kombo-klash-saturday-review/ Hub Games: https://www.wearehubgames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/317312/kombo-klash 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/

There are so-called "race" games, where the first player to fulfil certain winning conditions takes the victory and the game ends immediately. These games differ from other games where you play so many rounds and whoever has the most points at the end wins. Most race games are highly competitive and it's every player for themselves, but in some of these types of games, the situation is a bit more complicated. In this article, I want to look at race games where positive player interaction is a thing. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/30/for-the-win-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Oath review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/27/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-saturday-review/ Rising Sun review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/10/26/rising-sun-saturday-review/ Splendor review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/07/25/splendor-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/ (Photo by Seth kane on Unsplash)

As the Chancellor, I had the people on my side. The Empire was going to thrive and grow and be beautiful. Yet, there were rumours of Exiles stirring in the Provinces and Hinterland, trying their best to claw back control. They were two visionaries, one stomping through the regions, using brute force to exert their influence and letting the wolves lose on anyone who would get in their way, while the other was biding their time in the Salt Flats, enlisting the help of witches and unnatural powers, trying to glean secrets and waiting for the right moment to strike. Both were intent on taking over the Empire, because they both had sworn an Oath by Cole Wehrle from Leder Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/27/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-saturday-review/ Useful Links Oath: https://ledergames.com/products/oath-chronicles-of-empire-exile Oath review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/01/02/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-digital-eyes/ Oath Takebacks review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/06/19/oath-chronicles-of-empire-and-exile-takebacks/ Leder Games: https://ledergames.com/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/291572/oath-chronicles-empire-and-exile Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Music Snippet: Hotel California by Eagles (https://eagles.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/

I think something that many of us in the hobby feel very bad about, are the many board games that are set against historic events, but that make no attempt to respectfully represent what happened and often sweep under the carpet the atrocities that were committed during the time that the games are set. So it's very refreshing to see people come together to create an award that tries to redress the situation and encourages the creation of historical games designed by people from marginalized groups. The hope is that these games will be much more representative, respectful and diverse. That's the Zenobia Award. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/23/zenobia-award-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Zenobia Award: https://zenobiaaward.org/ 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/ (Logo courtesy of Zenobia Award)

Takahama was dying. We were tending to him and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. The windows were wide open and a warm breeze filled the room. Takahama was muttering about how he was too ill to visit his love Akiko's grave and how she would miss the white rose he brought her every day. We told him that he would visit again as soon as he was better, when suddenly, a pure white butterfly flew in through one of the windows and landed on his pillow. We tried to shoo it away, but to no avail. The butterfly would keep coming back, so we relented and allowed it to stay. Takahama looked at the butterfly, smiled and then his final breath left his lungs, as he died in peace. The butterfly saw this, lifted off the pillow and flew out of one of the windows. We didn't know this at the time, but it flew all the way to Akiko's grave and when it landed, it disappeared. The butterfly was one of the Fluttering Souls by Joel Lewis from Good Games Publishing. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/20/fluttering-souls-saturday-review/ Useful Links Fluttering Souls: http://www.goodgamespublishing.com/games/fluttering-souls.html Good Games Publishing: http://www.goodgamespublishing.com/ BBG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/258154/fluttering-souls Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Music: Eternal Hope by Purple Planet Music (https://www.purple-planet.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/

Someone once said that board games are basically just a framework to arbitrate a victor. Even though that sounds quite cold, at its heart, it describes how many of us, especially competitive players, feel about board games. There needs to be someone at the end of the game who has won. The emphasis here is on the singular victor rather than winning as a team. In this article, I want to look at what it means not to have a single victor. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/16/all-tied-up-topic-discussion/ 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 Ruthson Zimmerman on Unsplash)

There was darkness everywhere. The surface of the Earth was empty and cold. There was no noise, nothing stirred or moved. It was an arid place, void of everything - a blank canvas - but you would change all that. You would command the energies of the Earth and mould lifeless piles of mud into creatures that would populate the world. It was the time of the Golems by ThunderGryph Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/13/golems-saturday-review/ Links Golems: https://thundergryph.com/golems/ ThunderGryph Games: https://thundergryph.com/ Matchbox Collection reviews: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/category/matchbox-collection/ BBG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/303734/golems 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 ThunderGryph Games)

Learning a new game, playing it for the first time, probably with a few rules mistakes, then playing it again, now with a better understanding of how the game works, then playing it once more, after having formulated a rough strategy and feeling you know what the game wants from you is a lot of fun. We've all experienced this, I'm sure, but there is another level to playing games that only becomes apparent after several plays. It is what is often called the "meta" of a game. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/09/the-metaverse-topic-discussion/ Links Scythe review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/01/19/scythe/ Stonemaier Games: https://stonemaiergames.com/ Dune review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/02/08/dune-saturday-review/ Gale Force Nine: https://www.gf9.com/ 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 Robynne Hu on Unsplash)

"Bubble, bubble, my lovely potions," you cackle gleefully as you carefully stir more solvents into the vial that's slowly being heated over the Bunsen burner. The library you're working in is full of old, musty smelling books full of alchemic knowledge, carefully annotated and added to by the many generations of scientists who have come before you. You can't stop now. You're so close. The light is fading but your candles still provide enough light. Then you hear the familiar voice of your housekeeper: "It's time to stop now, Rebis" by Gaetano Cavallaro from Thundergryph Games. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/06/rebis-saturday-review/ Links Rebis: https://thundergryph.com/rebis/ Thundergryph Games: https://thundergryph.com/ Matchbox Collection reviews: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/category/matchbox-collection/ BBG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/301085/rebis 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/

With a climate catastrophe looming on the horizon, more and more people do what they can to try and turn things around or at least do their bit to slowly steer things in the right direction. The board game hobby is no different. More and more games now not only try and raise awareness of environmental issues, but the games themselves strive to be more environmentally friendly or even carbon-neutral. In this article, I want to highlight a handful of projects that do what they can to help the planet. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/11/02/carbon-neutral-games-topic-discussion/ Links Earth Rising: 20 Years to Transform Our World: https://sdrgames.studio/earth-rising/ Stop, Drop & Roll: https://sdrgames.studio/ Hero Time Manufacturing: https://herotime1.com/ Tree Sisters: https://treesisters.org/ YouTube video about carbon offsetting: https://youtu.be/wQPlwd_kkIg UK Government carbon calculator: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/carbon-calculator Carbon Care emissions calculator: https://www.carboncare.org/en/co2-emissions-calculator.html Forests of Pangaia: https://www.pangaia.games/ Tree-Nation: https://tree-nation.com/ Treecelet: https://treecelet.com/ Pilfering Pandas: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/05/08/pilfering-pandas-saturday-review/ Wren Games: https://wrengames.co.uk/main/ Kickstarter update about adopting a panda: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wrengames/pilfering-pandas/posts/3338932 The Spill: https://www.smirkandlaughter.com/the-spill Smirk & Laughter: https://www.smirkandlaughter.com/ 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 Jonas Allert on Unsplash)

"Hands up! Give me all your money!" you shout at the passengers on this express steam train to Colt City as you wave your revolver from side to side. You're in for a big haul and already imagine how you're going to spend all this money and how you're going to pawn the jewellery and become rich - but you hadn't expected the marshall being on board, as well as other bandits going from coach to coach trying their luck at getting rich quick at the same time as you. Your carefully planned heist seemed to quickly go off its rails and you begin to consider jumping off this fast-moving Colt Express by Christophe Raimbault from Ludonaute. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/10/30/colt-express-digital-eyes/ Links Colt Express: http://www.ludonaute.fr/portfolio/colt-express/?lang=en Ludonaute: https://www.ludonaute.fr/?lang=en BBG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/158899/colt-express 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/ (Image courtesy of Ludonaute)

We're used to seeing epic movie-style trailers for video games. They feel like million-pound productions that were directed by a famous Hollywood director with a cast of blockbuster actors. Of course, these are all animated sequences, often showing in-game footage, which makes sense, because modern 3D video games look very realistic and are often set in an epic conflict of some sort. Board games are a bit different though, but because CGI and 3D animation have become so highly accessible these days, many crowdfunding campaigns and some board game marketing campaigns feature these amazing looking videos. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/10/26/board-game-trailers-topic-discussion/ Links Magic: The Gathering trailer: https://youtu.be/b5W9t62t10I Shasn: Azadi trailer: https://youtu.be/P6a-g-Bav5w Shasn trailer: https://youtu.be/P6a-g-Bav5w Thunder Road: Vendetta trailer: https://twitter.com/RestorationGame/status/1447619661709860868 Unsettled Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/orangenebula/unsettled-board-game/description Circadians: Chaos Order Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shem/circadians-chaos-order-first-light-2nd-edition Solar Sphere Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/drandagames/solar-sphere-harness-the-power-of-the-stars/description Lunar Base Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hugphones/lunar-base-a-moon-colonization-base-building-card-game/description 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 Jakob Owens on Unsplash)