Red Rising
Today we discuss Red Rising, designed by Jamey Stegmaier and Alexander Schmidt. Published by Stonemaier Games, it’s a hand-management game based on the popular books series by author Pierce Brown!
Wild Assent
Today we discuss Wild Assent, designed by Robert McConnell and published by Lazy Squire Games. It’s been more than two years since this game was revealed to the Kickstarter community but it’s in the fulfillment process now, so it’s time to return to the days of old and hunt packs of monsters in this tactical skirmish game replete with gorgeous miniatures.
Dive
Today we discuss Dive, designed by Romain Caterdjian and Anthony Perone, rendered in drool-worthy detail from Alexandre Bonvalot, and published by Sit Down! In Dive, players act as ocean divers who will push their luck in order to explore the depths and observe the creatures who roam the waters.
Empyreal: Spells & Steam
Today we discuss Empyreal: Spells & Steam, designed by Trey Chambers and published by Level 99 Games! In Empyreal: Spells & Steam, players act as necromancers in an industrial age, using their skill and savvy to construct rails and connect a network of towns together in a competitive route-building experience.
Air, Land, & Sea
Today we discuss Air, Land, & Sea from Jon Perry and Arcane Wonders! In this two-player card game, players fight for control of three theaters of war—air, land, and sea. Overseeing the war effort, players must have a mind for tactics as they play cards into these theaters and try to outsmart their opponent.
Cosmic Frogs (ft. Tablenauts)
Today we discuss Cosmic Frog by Devious Weasel Games designed by Jim Felli! In Cosmic Frogs, Cosmic Frog is a game of collection, combat, and theft on a planetary scale. Each player controls a two-mile-tall, immortal, invulnerable frog-like creature that exists solely to gather terrain from the Shards of Aeth, the fragments of a long-ago shattered world.
Sleeping Gods
Today we discuss Sleeping Gods by Red Raven Games, a game that combines campaign, rich narrative, worker placement, tableau building and action efficiency! In Sleeping Gods, you and up to 3 players become Captain Sofi Odessa and her crew, lost in a strange world in 1929 on your steamship, the Manticore.
Santorini
Today we discuss Santorini by Roxley Games and designed by Gord! Santorini is a re-imagining of the pure abstract conceived over 30 years ago. It’s is an accessible strategy game, that’s simple enough for all age levels while aiming to provide gameplay depth and content for hardcore gamers to explore.
Russian Railroads (ft. Jonny Pac)
Today we discuss our Russian Railroads in celebration of it’s recent reprint announcement. We sit down with acclaimed designer Jonny Pac (e.g. Coloma, Lions of Lydia, Fistful of Meeples, Merchants Cove) to figure out what exactly fuels this powerful locomotive.
Skytear (ft. Team Covenant)
Today we discuss our favorite tabletop MOBA with Steven Wooley from Team Covenant. Skytear is a competitive card-driven miniatures skirmish game published and designed by PVP Geeks. In the game players uses a draft system that supplements regular deckbuilding, where players pick heroes from four factions.
Yura Yura Penguin and Ghost Blitz
Today we discuss two unique party games: Yura Yura Penguin designed and published by Ryoko Yabuchi and Ghost Blitz designed by Jacques Zeimet and published by Zoch Verlag! Yura Yura Penguin is what you’d expect if you’d put Uno, Jenga and adorable penguin artwork in a blender.
Dwellings of Eldervale (ft. Quackalope Writing Team)
Today we discuss Dwellings of Eldervale designed by Luke Laurie and published by Breaking Games featuring The Quackalope Writing Team! Dwellings of Eldervale Dwellings of Eldervale is hybrid worker placement game set in a once lost magical world.
Cartographers and Popular Roll & Writes (ft. Jay Cormier)
Today we discuss bevy of Roll & Writes with Jay Cormier founder of Off The Page Games and designer of games like Akotiri, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Junk Art and many more! In the episode we talk about all things surrounding Roll & Writes, but we focus specifically on That’s So Clever, Patchwork Doodle, Cartographers, Welcome To and Rajas of the Ganges: The Dice Charmers. We cap the episode off by breaking down the history of the genre and what innovations influenced its modern day implementation.
Merv (ft. Board Games In A Minute)
Today we discuss Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road designed by Fabio Lopiano and published by Osprey Games featuring Sarah Shaw from Board Games In a Minute! Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road is a tense economic game charting the rise and fall of the greatest city in the world. In Merv, players are vying to amass power and wealth in the prosperous heart of the Silk Road. Through careful court intrigue, timely donations to the grand mosque, and favorable trade deals, players attempt to redirect as much of that prosperity as possible into their own pockets. Meanwhile, beyond the city walls Mongol hordes approach. If you help construct the city walls, you give up on precious opportunities to build up your own stature, but leave it unprotected and you will burn with the city. The player with the most victory points by the third year wins! (Description provided by the publisher.)
Dune: Imperium (ft. Jeremy Howard - MvM)
Today we discuss Dune Imperium designed by Paul Dennen and published by Dire Wolf featuring Jeremy Howard from Man Vs Meeple! Dune: Imperium is a game that finds inspiration from the Dune legacy, both the new film from Legendary Pictures and the seminal literary series from Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson. It uses deck-building to add a hidden-information angle to traditional worker placement. You start with a unique leader card and ability, and you’ll acquire cards and build your deck, your choices will define your strengths and weaknesses. Cards allow you to send your Agents to certain spaces on the game board, so how your deck evolves affects your strategy. Unlike many deck-building games, you don’t play your entire hand in one turn. The cards you play and keep in your hand will determine where you can go on the board, what you can purchase from the market and your strength in the conflict phase. Whoever reaches 10 points, and is able to keep them when the game ends, wins! (Description provided by the publisher.)
Era: Medieval Age (ft. The Hexy Beast)
Today we discuss Era: Medieval Age designed by Matt Leacock and published by eggertspiele featuring The Hexy Beast! Era: Medieval Age serves as the spiritual successor to Roll Through The Ages. In Era, your dice represent different classes of medieval society as players attempt to build the most prosperous city. The "build" comes into play as players actually build their cities on their boards. By the end of the game, each player will have a unique city of their very own. (Description provided by the publisher.)
Tidal Blades (ft. Jamey Stegmaier)
Today we discuss Tidal Blades designed by the Eisner Brothers and published by Druid City and Skybound Games featuring Jamey Stegmaier from Stonemaier Games! In Tidal Blades 15 years have passed since the Great Battle, a cataclysmic confrontation that spawned a rift into where creatures dwell. Now a tournament is being held to find heroes that can stop the onslaught of monsters that are once again spewing forth! You and up to 2-5 players will compete to become a Tidal Blade, the elite guards of the island realm. To win, you’ll need to succeed at challenges being held throughout multiple arenas and rise above the competition. Each day you’ll send your hero to take actions on the different Locations and to undertake Challenges. Challenges can only be completed in matching locations and will require a push your luck dice system to accomplish. Completing Challenges and fighting monsters will advance your character in four traits further improving your chances on future turns. Each Tidal Blade will be judged at the end of the 5 rounds based on the Challenges they have completed, the level of each of their Traits, their standing on the Champions Board, and the monsters they have fought. The winner will be named “Tidal Blade: Hero of the Reef!”
Great Western Trail (ft. Before You Play)
Today we discuss Great Western Trail designed by Alexander Pfister and published by eggertspiele featuring Monique and Naveen from Before You Play. In GWT you are rival cattlemen in 19th century America, herding cattle from Texas to Kansas city in a circular trail. Through a combination of rondel movement, hand management and tableau building you’ll move your cattleman down the trail. Along the way you will hire new staff, construct buildings and purchase new cattle before reaching your destination, all while avoiding hazards and taxes. Once in Kansas your cattle are then shipped by train, earning you money, opportunities to evolve your player board and victory points. The winner is the player who manages their herd best and exhibits the best timing within the trail.
Bargain Quest (ft. Jeremy Howard from MvM)
Today we discuss Bargain Quest designed by Jonathan Ying and published by Renegade Games with Jeremy Howard from Man Vs. Meeple. In the game players will take the role of shopkeepers in an adventuring town plagued by monsters. Players must draft items and then secretly choose which items to place in their windows to attract wealthy heroes to their shops. Once all heroes have been equipped, they venture out to battle against monstrous threats, earning money and prestige for the shop they represent. Throughout the game players will encounter new heroes and monsters while upgrading their shops and hiring employees. Once the third monster is defeated the player who has earned the most gold and prestige is the winner. (Description provided by the publisher.)