I think it's fair to say that we crushed this last year (although some of us better than others), so it's only correct and right that we should return to do it again. What are the best games of 2026 going to be? Well, only we know, but we're willing to part with that information. Get your fat stacks ready. Before we set ourselves up for failure, we talk about Alibis, Mosaic: A Story of Civilization, and Cyclades: Legendary Edition.
03:02 - Alibis 09:18 - Mosaic: A Story of Civilization 23:25 - Cyclades: Legendary Edition 36:27 - Anticipation Auction 2026 41:18 - The Game Makers 44:25 - Cozy Stickerville 46:39 - Brass: Pittsburgh 50:35 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Trick-taking Game 54:04 - Revenant 56:21 - World Order 59:31 - Dark Pact 1:02:28 - The Great Library 1:03:56 - Spirited 1:05:25 - Realm of Reckoning 1:08:55 - Avalon: The Riven Veil 1:12:57 - La Pâtisserie Rococo 1:14:24 - Nippon: Zaibatsu 1:17:24 - Rewild: South America 1:18:44 - Movers & Shakers Submit your games for the Listener Top 20 at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/top20
In Volume 1 of The Best of The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast, we’re cracking open the vault and revisiting some of the wildest, weirdest, and most unforgettable moments from the show’s history. We’re talking chicken wing sauce on the cards, Catwoman miniatures, Turkey Man, the Wood Booger, anal beads, Chris playing with a pig, Steve Dice Clay, Tony’s bathroom habits and night terrors, and almost getting kicked out of Origins Game Fair. It's wild, crazy, bananas, boombastic, brilliant, magnificent, monumental and meshugenah - it's The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast.
Hang on a minute, where's Davey? Well he's moving house so Dan has moved up his run a little earlier than expected but in this episode he invites a load of guests onto the show, well guests being workers or characters in board games where we have to guess what game they're a part of. Does it make sense? If not don't worry just listen and play along.
FIRST PLAYER: Dan OTHER PLAYERS: JP, Becky & Rob
In this episode you'll learn: - how Dan has been returning to the moon in Shackleton Base by Sorry We're French - Rob has played the latest Stonemaier Games game of Vantage and lets us know what he thinks - that Becky has been going through the Flatout Games care package with the latest game Nocturne - that JP's all in pledge of Ashes Ascendancy has arrived and tells us all about it - which "guests" have joined us on this episode in the guise of board game workers that we all have to guess, so join in at home
Julie's out this time, so Tom and Eric spend time looking back at Epic Game Events that they've been involved with at conventions over the years. What worked well, and what did not? Plus, a question from the mailbag about digital vs. in-person gaming, and Tom and Eric each present a full set of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
We finally got Thebai, the newest release from Boards & Dice, to the table. After seeing it at Gen Con, the production immediately caught our eye, and the designers hinted at the kind of tough, timing‑sensitive decisions players would face. That promise absolutely shows up in play. Turns are wonderfully clean—place your die, resolve the action, then move your Archon for a bonus action—but the simplicity hides a surprising amount of depth. Positioning is everything. The strongest move in the moment can easily create problems down the line, and the board state shifts just enough each round to keep you second‑guessing your priorities. On top of that, the looming battles add a steady undercurrent of tension. You can’t ignore them, even when you’re tempted to chase a clever combo elsewhere. Thebai ultimately becomes a race for victory points, and the endgame accelerates fast. Points pour in quickly, so timing your big plays matters just as much as choosing the right ones. It’s a sharp, elegant design—easy to teach, but full of those delicious “oh no, that changes everything” moments that make Boards & Dice titles so satisfying.
We love historical games that look beyond the familiar battles and instead explore the lesser‑told moments—especially those late‑war pivots where everything hangs by a thread. WunderWaffen fits that niche perfectly. The Allies are closing in on Germany, and the German player is scrambling for a last‑ditch path to victory through experimental research. It’s a tense, asymmetrical setup, but not a simple 3‑versus‑1 scenario; only one player can win, so everyone has to keep each other in check, even if that occasionally means helping Germany to prevent someone else from running away with the game. One of the standout mechanics is the turn structure. Each round, you choose two of your three action tokens to use and must hand the third to another player. That single decision point creates delicious pressure—what you keep, what you give away, and who you empower all shape the board in subtle ways. It’s a small rule with big strategic consequences. The game moves quickly, and for groups that enjoy negotiation, table talk becomes an extra layer of strategy. Deals, promises, and threats can shift the momentum just as much as the research tracks or battlefield positioning. WunderWaffen ends up being a fast, interactive contest of timing, leverage, and opportunism—exactly the kind of historical “what‑if” experience that keeps us coming back.
Thanks for listening and be sure to join our Discord server
Join Banana, Conor and Joe as they discuss what has been hitting the table. Joe is mixing Tinder and board games in an effort to get through his shelf of shame. Conor is living his best life in Sydney with his brother from another mother and building arrays in Civolution. Banana is more fascinated by Joe’s love life than any games, although she’s excited about getting another fix of Ark Nova vibes in Sanctuary. There’s lots of gaming goodness here, so join us for the chat!
Sizzling Games:
Quacks of Quedlinburg [44.11]
Civolution [50.14]
Sanctuary [59.55]
Question of the Pod Recap [1.10.28]
New Question of the Pod: What’s a great game to play on a date, and why?
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 slippy ol’ episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down Podcast, Tom and Matt are chatting about Emberleaf; a game of woodland creatures amassing honey and battering bandits! “Like Pooh gone all vigilante on them asses”.
Our dynamic duo then seek to area control eachother in a WORTH WRESTLE! Whose critical opinion on this luminous box will come out on top? Neither, really. They’re both pretty chill about the whole thing. Everyone’s allowed opinions - even YOU!
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Trajan, The Gang, and Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated. Then we talk about what we would put in our board game go bags (if we had them) to take to gatherings that aren't necessarily about board games.
In Episode 339, Don and Jamie kick things off by talking about their upcoming trip to TotalCon in Massachusetts. Then the gang dives into the games they’ve been playing, including Troyes, The Voynich Puzzle, 12 Rivers, On Mars, Toy Battle, 3 Tricky Pigs, and a feature review of Xenology by Dan Manfredini, published by Play to Z. After Tony T delivers his news segment, the fellas wrap things up with a discussion about how players interface with board games. Troyes: 00:05:45, The Voynich Puzzle: 00:11:07, 12 Rivers: 00:22:22, On Mars: 00:32:36, Toy Battle: 00:39:48, 3 Tricky Pigs: 00:53:50, Xenology Review: 00:56:47, News with Tony T: 01:25:09, Board Game User Interface: 02:26:17. Check out our sponsors Restoration Games at https://restorationgames.com/ and Game Toppers at https://www.gametoppersllc.com/.
Paula is here to lead the gang in some highly fashionable rounds this week!
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.
Clef and Tim return to the normal scheduled programming of disc golf and baseball before talking a bunch of board games. We talk recent plays of Memoir '44, Duel for Cardia, Catan, Dracula vs Van Helsing, Wooden Shoes & Iron Monsters, and Atlantis Exodus! We also discuss our motivations for buying games (trading not included).
Board game talk starts at 23:33!
Join the discord at discord.gg/s8hYtWkMS3 and visit punchboardparadise.com for more info on PPCon 2026!
Reviews of Reavers of Midgard: The Card Game, Marco Polo II, Age of Galaxy, Botswana and so much more. All the pegs deep dive La Patisserie Rococo. Game discussion starts at {00:37:04}.
Thank you to our sponsors: Grand Gamers Guild and Eagle Gryphon Games
This week's guest is designer of Spaceship Unity, Divvy Dice and Minecraft: Builders and Biomes, Ulrich Blum. We talk about being a chef, the beauty of Switzerland and being an indie creator...but which games did he choose?
Anmelden
