Why duel with silly weapons when you can duel with whole cities? In Rival Cities, Hamburg and Altona go head to head to see who will be the city anyone's ever heard of. I think you probably know who pulled that off IRL.
But if you'd rather fight with fruit or sausages, fear not because we have those for you too - in our Work in Progress.
If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a Patreon supporter on patreon.com/nopunincluded
On to the timestamps:
00:00 Cold open
01:41 Intro
05:18 Work in Progress
06:05 Sausage Sizzle
08:17 (Reiner Knizia's) Fruit Fight
14:47 Corps of Discovery
25:46 Correspondence
27:16 Rival Cities
Hey now Cabalists and welcome to episode 320 of The Secret Cabal! Origins Game Fair 2025 is nearly here and we're all fired up. If you're going to be there you got to join us for our meetup at the Whistle and Keg on June 20th. Then the gang gets into some of the games they've been playing including Praga Caput Regni, YRO, Obsession Upstairs Downstairs, Space Empires 4x, Biblios and a feature review of Septima from Mind Clash games! Then after Tony T hooks us up with his amazing new segment the Founders jump into another Short Topic Extravaganza. Praga Caput Regni: 00:04:44, YRO: 00:12:55, Obsession Upstairs, Downstairs: 00:21:14, Space Empires 4x: 00:31:33, Biblios: 00:42:28, Septima: 00:58:39, News with Tony T: 01:35:45, Short Topic Extravaganza: 02:15:57. Check out our sponsors Restoration Games at https://restorationgames.com/. Game Toppers at https://www.gametoppersllc.com/. And CGE at https://czechgames.com/.
00:00:00 Intro 00:04:30 Music Talk 00:06:30 Appliance Malfunctions 00:10:00 Discord Conversations 00:12:00Miniature Market Discussion 00:16:15 Taste Buds 00:22:30Portal Games 00:24:00 Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Besties Bakeoff Card Game 00:30:30Cyclades: Legendary Edition 00:46:00Gametoppers LLC 00:48:15 Rajas of the Ganges: Cards & Karma 00:54:15 SWU Update 00:57:00 Switch 2 Attempts 01:03:15Hubworld: Aidalon
We’ve been on an absolute whirlwind of recording episodes, and I can practically hear y’all shouting, “What the heck, make it stop!” Trust me, I get it—it feels like we’re popping up in your podcast queue nonstop. But here’s the deal: we’ve had some special releases in between our regular shows, so while it may seem like we’re flooding your feed, it’s all in the name of keeping things exciting. Or so we tell ourselves.
This time, we dove into a true classic that recently got a well-deserved facelift—Cyclades. Originally released in 2009, it was one of those gems we missed before board games became a staple in our lives. And wow, the production quality is nothing short of stunning. For those who picked up the deluxe components, I bet you weren’t disappointed.
Now, let me be honest—this game exposed my weaknesses in a way I didn’t see coming. It wasn’t the game’s fault; it was mine. But hey, maybe that’s a sign of a solid strategy game—one that lays bare where you struggle and pushes you to improve. If you were a fan of the classic and have a well-loved, slightly worn-out copy sitting on your shelf, it might be time to snag this refreshed edition and bring Cyclades back to the table in all its glory.
Thanks for listening and appreciate all the support.
This time, Tom shares his adventures in Mexico, and Julie has tales to tell from Greece. Then, we kick of our discussion of video games that feel like board games with Eric's obsession with Blue Prince, before moving on to a bunch of other electronic games, including some that have made the leap to boardgames. We open up the mailbag for a question and Tale of Horror, and break down our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
In this jam-packed episode, Conor takes the reins as host and is joined by Adrian and Joe to chat about what they’ve been playing, some solo deep-dives, party chaos, and emerging favourites.
Joe's Long Weekend of Mayhem
Joe dives into his recent experience playing Blood on the Clocktower over a long weekend with friends. Expect stories of bluffing, betrayal, and late-night accusations as he shares how this social deduction classic went down with his group—and whether any friendships survived the chaos!
Conor Compiles... and Compiles Again
Conor has been putting in serious time with Compile, getting in multiple plays of this clever and compact card game. He shares his thoughts on how it holds up after repeated plays, where it shines, and whether it’s earned a permanent spot in his rotation.
Adrian Goes Solo with The Anarchy
Adrian has been digging deep into The Anarchy, especially in solo mode. He breaks down how the game works, what makes it stand out mechanically, and why it’s kept him coming back to the table. If you’re a solo gamer or a fan of crunchy historical themes, this one’s for you.
Plus, the team riffs on gameplay highlights, player dynamics, and what’s exciting them in the hobby right now.
SPONSORS
Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Advent Games and More Than Meeples.
Advent Games is an Australian online board game store based in Sydney, NSW. http://www.adventgames.com.au/
More Than Meeples is an Australian retail and online game store based in Brisbane, QLD. https://morethanmeeples.com.au/
PATREON
Hey there, BBQ fans! Guess what? We’ve got a Patreon! By joining, you’ll unlock exclusive content, gain access to a members-only section of our Discord where you can help shape the show, and so much more. Plus, your support will help us grow and bring some awesome new projects to life in 2025.
At the Board Game BBQ Podcast, we’re passionate about what we do and promise to keep the fun and shenanigans rolling. We’re so grateful for your support! Joining our Patreon is totally optional, and we ask that you don’t contribute if it’ll cause financial stress. But if you’d like to chip in from just USD$5 a month, click the link to check out our Patreon page.
Thanks a million for being amazing! We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community, and you all make it special. See you at the BBQ!! https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ
On this episode of On Board Games, Erik is joined by Marc Specter of the Grand Gamers Guild to talk about games (and other things) they've played including:
Galactic Cruise
Buffet Boss
The Plum Island Horror
Kokeshi
You can get a discount on Zencastr.com using this link.
(20:58) Then, they discuss the impacts the current 145% tariff on Chinese goods has on the boardgame industry.
There is board game talk in this episode, I promise. It's just after all the food, baseball, and disc golf in the beginning. Clef and Tim talk some recent plays of Crisis, Maria, Pax Illuminaten, and Lowenherz before discussing our favorite convention experiences in leading up to PPCon 2025!
Join the discord at discord.gg/s8hYtWkMS3
This week's guest is the owner of Naylor Games, James Naylor. We discuss truth claims on religion, train games and the pressures of being a small publisher...but which games did he choose?
On this microscopic episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down Podcast, Tom and Matt are yammering on about a few of the rather interesting games they’ve played over the past few weeks! Expeditions: Around the World is like if Ticket to Ride had only one train going spare, and Penguin Party has got Matt all excited. Diatoms is an algae-based puzzler with nifty pattern-based-scoring, and Crafting the Cosmos has you making LIFE ITSELF?!
Get ready to flick your way to victory, or get the flick out of here because it's time to play Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition - a 4X game - but iiiin flicking spaaaaace!
We also have the games we've been playing this week in our new segment: 'Work in Progress', where Elaine compares Eternal Decks to being back at school, and Efka tells us about under-salted negotiations in Moonrakers.
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Signal and Lure. Then, we talk about the board game designer Wolfgang Warsch and the games he's made.
0:00-Intro
0:39-Recent Games - Signal
8:21-Lure
12:41-Wolfgang Warsch
25:31-Outro
26:26-Bloopers
I set out to give myself a break this month, just talking about some recent games and fielding a few questions sent to me. In fact, I've been doing so much gaming lately that I had to whittle my list down to just these six games to share my impressions about. Then the feedback questions ended up being more fun to dive into than I expected. These kinds of shows are fun & easy to do--I won't do them all the time, but every once in a while should be ok. Closer: Message me with any of your questions, and I may use them on a future Session Report & Feedback episode. -Mark
Happy 333! In honour of our three hundred and thirty third episode, BoardGameGeek has decided to host an emergency session of the Golden Geek Awards, and we're here to tell you about all the nominees that satisfy the crucial conditions of being (1) good games (2) we played (3) last year. Before we open our third eye, we also talk about Einfach Genial 3D, Gazebo, and Stalk Exchange.
02:28 - Einfach Genial 3D 11:48 - Gazebo 19:08 - Stalk Exchange 28:43 - 2025 Golden Geek Awards 30:34 - Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth 31:09 - A Gest of Robin Hood 32:45 - Ironwood 33:09 - Compile: Main 1 39:45 - Arcs: The Blighted Reach Expansion 41:08 - Monkey Palace 42:10 - City of Six Moons 43:43 - Flip 7 45:26 - Endeavor: Deep Sea 46:07 - Fromage 48:21 - Civolution 49:26 - Hister Bingo 50:57 - Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs
In this, the first interview special from The Secret Cabal, Jamie welcomes Honorary Founder and President of Restoration Games Justin Jacobson to discuss a very important issue impacting the board game industry right now - tariffs. The goal of this discussion is to understand what the tariffs are and how they work, how they're impacting the board game industry, how the industry is reacting, and what we can do to weather the storm.
This Game is Broken is a comedy board game panel show with Matthew Jude, Dave Luza, Paula Deming, Nick Murphy and Mike Murphy. We play a lot of nonsense games full of role playing and trivia as well as other fun stuff which can be found at the links below.
Another week and another episode from our team of board game ramblers where Davey as first player takes us through an insight into one of players "Tambo" to explore his very own "Waaaa" moments which has recently nicknamed him "Wah-ambo". So put on your best Waaluigi impressions and see whether you agree with Tambo's Wah's or not.
FIRST PLAYER: Davey OTHER PLAYERS: Kerley & Adrian
In this episode you'll learn: - whether Adrian has achieve zen in Harmonies by Libellud - about Davey's initial experience in having a learning game of Pax Illuminaten by Ion Game Design - all about how Tambo has got his new nickname "Wah-ambo" and why Davey has decided to do a full episode based on Tambo's grievances in the board gaming hobby - whether the team agree with Tambo's "Wah's" or not or maybe introducing some of their own as well
LINKS REFERENCED IN THE SHOW N/A
EPISODE CHAPTERS
0:00 - TURN 1 - Player Count
2:59 - TURN 2 - Let's Talk About Hex
3:31 - Davey - Pax Illuminaten
11:26 - Ticket to Ride & Clank Catacombs
13:12 - Adrian - Harmonies
21:51 - TURN 3 - Main Event: Wah-ambo
23:48 - Waaah One - Not getting the cards you want or need for a game
27:53 - Waaah Two - Fall so behind on VP's with no way of catching up
30:57 - Waaah Three - AP between turns especially when it takes long enough and people go off to get drinks / food
35:12 - Waaah Four - When someone gets a crap load of VP's on blind luck
42:01 - Waaah Five - When someone has taught a game and a key rule was remembered half way through
47:34 - Waaah Six - When someone is losing a game and no enjoying whilst being vocal
55:21 - Adrian's Waaah-xtension
1:01:23 - Waaah Seven - Playing a co-op and being alpha gamed
1:08:56 - Waah Eight - When at a convention and no one can decide on a game
1:12:55 - Waah Nine - Turn up for a game night and it's not even set-up ready
1:21:56 - TURN 5 - Penultimate Turn: What's Coming Up
Anmelden
