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The delicious schnitzel's are calling us over to Germany again for another round of Essen Spiel 2025 and as always we've got you covered with games, experiences and bringing to life the convention. In this first part we cover the journey over including an encounter with "Double Bake Brenda" on Tuesday, Wednesday including the press event and Thursday. Stay tuned for the next part which includes Friday - Sundays shenanigans.
OUR PLAYERS - JP & Davey
SPECIAL GUEST - Mark Monk (NinjaGeekGames)
LINKS REFERENCED IN THE SHOW
Gaming Rules Pre-Essen Stream featuring JP - https://www.youtube.com/live/xYcKA9NcANI?si=NgUK6VQfiHViP3Kc
Essen Diaries - Missed our vlogs during the event, you can catch them on our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJMkOlbitmc&list=PLKzfzaHJK9iEgvZ1MGW1-d2Lhuu6ZqpHi
EPISODE CHAPTERS
0:00 - TURN 1 - Player Count
3:08 - TURN 2 - Welcome to Essen SPIEL 2025
16:27 - DAY 0: WEDNESDAY
49:18 - DAY 1: THURSDAY
1:31:58 - TURN 3 - The Final Turn
You can check out JP's new podcast called Just Play right here https://www.justplaypod.co.uk we'd love to have you and also on the new YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@JustPlayPodcast
ENGAGING WITH THE SHOW
- Join us on Discord
Tom, Julie, and Eric are back from Germany and ready to talk about games, food, crowds, and everything else they saw at Spiel 2025.
00:44 - Tired
01:50 - Official Numbers/Crowd Flow
07:09 - Travel Adventures and Weather
08:46 - What Was Different for Eric
11:31 - Food
13:35 - Eric's Birthday
15:44 - Julie's Author Signing
21:16 - Tom's Live Show
25:22 - Big Games
31:14 - How To Stand Out
35:51 - Limited Stock and How To Deal With It
40:17 - What Did We Go Home With?
44:12 - A Carnivore Did It
47:25 - Flow
50:50 - Ghost Lift
54:48 - Formidable Farm
58:22 - Leaders
59:52 - The Old King's Crown
Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
We deliver this episode despite the officially mandated period of public mourning due to Toronto's setbacks in basesball. In Canada, public mourning is characterized by donning black jean jackets and swapping our Tragically Hip for the more down-tempo Blue Rodeo, to say nothing of abstaining from boardgaming.
Please don't turn us in for violating federal law. We might get banned from Tim Horton's.
01:44 AYURIS: An Age Contrived (Chris Matthew, Bellows Intent, 2024)
Games Played Last Week:
04:56 -X-ODUS: Rise of the Corruption (Second Edition) (Francisco Velasco E., Szilágyi L. Gábor, Yann Hilaire, Romain Lesiuk, & Bernardo Rippe, Bored Game Ink, 2026)
14:29 -Voidfall (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2023)
20:42 -Raising Robots: Friends (Brett Sobol & Seth Van Orden, Nauvoo Games, 2025)
24:03 -1490 Doom (Barrett Stanley, Buer Games, 2025)
30:23 -Natera: New Beginning (Eric Fugere & Hugo Tremblay-Ledoux, Horizon Games, 2025)
34:35 -Deck EXPRESS: Southern Railway (J Simmons, Pigeonhole Games, 2022)
38:07 -No Thanks! (Thorsten Gimmler, CMYK, 2025)
44:08 -I'm Out (Masato Uesugi, CMYK, 2025)
47:42 -Floral (James Newman, Edition Spielwiese, 2024)
52:56 -INK (Kasper Lapp, Final Score Games, 2025)
News (and why it doesn't matter):
57:13 Render unto us your questions! Ask us anything for Omnibus Questions
58:08 Blue Orange Games' Got Five!
58:44 Topic: Listener Hot Takes
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00:01:30 Intro
00:04:30 BooBQ Event
00:07:00 Snake Charmers
00:15:00 Magical Athlete
00:22:45 Star Wars Tournament
00:28:30 Guests at BoooBQ
00:31:30 Taste Buds
00:36:30 Portal Games
00:38:00 Dirt & Dust
00:51:00 Railroad Tiles
00:57:00 Miniature Market
00:58:30 Hood
01:10:00 Umami
01:16:30 Outro
Another year and another BooBQ is in the books. It was a great time and we had the opportunity to play a bunch of group games, eat a ton of food, and test our Halloween knowledge through Wits and Wagers, what a classic. We even got the chance to do a local constructed deck Star Wars Unlimited tournament that sucked in a bunch of new players. So, in a way, we were like a bunch of vampires and brought them into the fold
Magical Athlete is a riotous racing game where fantasy characters with wildly asymmetric powers compete in unpredictable sprints. It’s light, fast, dice rolling game that will have hilarious moments throughout the game—perfect for groups who love a bit of chaos. Dirt & Dust, by contrast, is a deck builder that leans into the solitaire play with players trying to solve their own challenges while not really being impacted by others. Then there’s Railroad Tiles, a spatial puzzle that rewards clever planning and route optimization. It’s a satisfying blend of tactical tile placement and long-term strategy, ideal for fans of games like Carcassonne or Metro.
Finally, Umami brings a unique twist to the table: a culinary-themed game that’s all about balancing flavors and crafting harmonious dishes. With elegant mechanics and a soothing aesthetic, it’s a game that feels like a warm bowl of ramen on a rainy day. Together, these four titles form a kind of tasting menu for board gamers—each one distinct, memorable, and worth savoring. Whether you’re in the mood for laughter, clever puzzles, or thematic immersion, this quartet offers a delicious spread of experiences. Just like the buffet table at BooBQ.
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This week join Jules, Adrian and Conor as they chat about what they've been getting played. Jules has been watching sumos slam in Slambo. Conor has been scaling colossi in Leviathan Wilds. Adrian shares the tale of losing at Riftbound to a literal child - because nothing says humble like being demolished by someone who still needs to be put to bed at night!
This plus our Question of the Pod recap and finally ending with what has us fired up!
Timestamps:
Up or Down [0:07:40]
Money [0:13:26]
Merchants of Andromeda [0:17:25]
Cities [0:25:45]
Slambo [0:33:10]
Leviathan Wilds [0:38:14]
Riftbound: The League of Legends TCG [0:45:39]
New Question of the Pod: What game rule have you been playing incorrectly?
Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483
Has this episode left you with a thirst for more? Here are all of the games that we discussed:
Up or Down https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428058/up-or-down
Money https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125/money
Merchants of Andromeda https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436516/merchants-of-andromeda
Cities https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/402676/cities
Slambo https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/435357/slambo
Leviathan Wilds https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/358737/leviathan-wilds
Riftbound: The League of Legends TCG https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436560/riftbound-the-league-of-legends-trading-card-game
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
SOCIALS
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On this episode of On Board Games, Erik talks with Bruce Voge III about games (and other things) they've played including:
You can get a discount on Zencastr.com using this link.
(27:01) Then, the two talk about the role of luck in game design.
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Email us: onboardgamesmailbag@gmail.com
On Board Games Guild at Board Game Geek
Shelley and I check out two small-box games that provide a much bigger experience than their boxes might suggest.
First up is Allplay's tableau builder released earlier this year
Oddland by Dan Schumacher
then we check out a brand new Essen 2025 release
1975: White Christmas by Albert Reyes
Remember you can support this podcast and our video series by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames
OR check out the extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing
Remember to SUBSCRIBE!
On this flexibly numerical episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down Podcast, Tom and Matt are, you guessed it, talking once again about games with CARDS, BOARDS, and DICE! In exactly that order - each game picking up a new component like a hungry Katamari.
First up is Duel for Cardia - a perplexing little two-player dueller that lets you hop back in time to un-win your opponent - swiftly followed by 20 Strong, a solo-only game of clobbering a wolf. Or escaping a dream! Or becoming an alien. It’s a modular game system, you see.
Finally, we’re chatting about Vantage - an open-world board game that’s one of 2025’s biggest! And Tom’s feeling all confused about it…
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Timestamps:
02:12 - Duel for Cardia
11:23 - 20 Strong
25:37 - Vantage
Opener: Please send in your comments, questions, or suggestions for next month's Feedback-focused episode Closer: When do you opt out of game night? Every year I pay special attention to Fairplay magazine's booth at Essen. In recent years, they've been great about sharing their Scoutaktion results on social media, too. Fairplay is primarily a German language print magazine for our hobby, but every year at Essen they do an additional service for our global hobby: they collect ratings for the first impressions of these new titles, and share them for all to see.
Here's what they reported last year. Notice anything? The top rated game in the expert category went on to win the Kennerspiel a year later, and the same thing happened with the top-rated family category game winning the Spiel des Jahres! The predictions for later success & staying power aren't always that accurate, but they're always pretty good. They are definitely worth watching. For this episode I go through the 10 top titles in each of this year's Expert and Family categories for Fairplay booth voting. They call these their Scoutaktion reports. I've been following these avidly for a quarter-century. Amazing!
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Yggdrasil and Dreadful Meadows. Then, since it's still almost Halloween, we talk about games that have magic in them, whether it's fantasy magic or real magicians!
Check out TabletopLiveNetwork.com for more info on TLN, and catch Ambie's stream at twitch.tv/ambierona!
0:00-Intro
0:38-Announcements
1:22-Recent Games - Yggdrasil
7:09-Dreadful Meadows
12:14-Magical Games
25:07-Outro
26:03-Bloopers
Support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/boardgameblitz
Or shop at our merch store or our Amazon Storefront
This episode was sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Use the code "BLITZ10" to get 10% off your entire cart.
For the full show notes visit our site at http://www.boardgameblitz.com/posts/423
This episode is not about Bananagrams (at least, I don't think so), but it is about the price of things (though not Bananagrams specifically, shut up about Bananagrams). In a world where everything costs more, we're talking about the value of games, and how far a game has to go to justify its price. Before we decide if the price is right, we talk about The Presence, and River of Gold.
02:08 - The Presence 17:32 - River of Gold 27:03 - Board Game Pricing 27:59 - Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition - Thunder's Edge 33:20 - Biblios 34:15 - Agricola
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Anmelden
