Hey Now Cabalist! The show kicks off with Steve's mailbag and more about Tony Squatty Potties and then we dive into the games: LA-1, Star Wars Outer Rim, The White Castle, Clank! Catacombs w/ Lairs and Lost Chambers, Viticulture Bordeaux, and a feature review of Aquaria from Tomas Holek. Then after Tony T's News segment we take a bunch of questions from listeners. LA-1: 00:06:15, The White Castle: 00:16:50, Clank! Catacombs with Lairs and Lost Chambers: 00:24:24, Star Wars Outer Rim: 00:32:10, Viticulture Bordeaux: 00:42:23, Aquaria Review: 00:50:36, News with Tony T: 01:24:34, Short Topic Extravaganza: 02:22:16. Check out our sponsors Restoration Games at https://restorationgames.com/ and Game Toppers at https://www.gametoppersllc.com/.
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.
1st round votes are in, now each successive round moves quickly—just three days. 2nd round voting due March 18 at noon BGG-time in Texas (UTC-5).
How are you voting? For the games you enjoy the most or the ones you predicted to win (based on what you imagined OTHERS would vote for)? I've heard the latter is like how a political primary works.
Close calls & Blow-outs
• Vikings squeaked by Wandering Towers via a single vote
• Same for Nucleum over Anachrony
• Meanwhile, Top & Down only GOT one vote compared to El Grande, losing 2% to 98
• Similarly Cleopatra & SOA over SOS Titanic, or 7 Wonders Duel over Terror in Meeple City, Diamant/Incan Gold over Andromeda, or Memoir 44 over Warriors. (I told you there were some gimmes in the first round)
But what about Ticket To Ride over Elfenland? 96% to 4%??
Regarding Designer Teams contrasting with individual designers, there doesn't seem to be any pattern in the results yet. That is, designers' individual efforts are not favored over their collaborations…or the other way around. It's just whatever is the better game?
However, thinking about has led me to offer some half-baked theories and observations.
All (almost): the collaborations tend to be with people from the same country, speaking the same language. I'm sure this is naturally easier
Kramer: I think the games with collaborators are more "gamer-y"
Moon: I think his collaborations are more "lush"
Cathala: Similar to Kramer
"Italians": Don't know! But looking forward to Nucleum vs Barrage
Clef and Tim catch up on their respective disc golf and baseball news before forging ahead into board games. We talk recent plays of Thunder Road: Vendetta, Compania, Guards of Atlantis 2, and Dokitto! Ice before getting into the effects of bad rulebooks and what a good rulebook looks like.
Board games start at 27:38!
Join the discord at discord.gg/s8hYtWkMS3 and visit punchboardparadise.com for more info on PPCon 2026!
This week's guest is designer of Dwellings of Eldervale and Andromeda's Edge, Luke Laurie. We discuss teaching, imposter syndrome and whisky...but which game did he choose?
Reviews of Off With Their Heads, Pandora’s Legacy, Robokraft, Chicken Fried Dice and so much more. All the pegs deep dive Dune Imperium Uprising Game discussion starts at {00:45:54}.
By the time you're listening to this, we're probably already in Vegas for Dice Tower West! We're going to hang about all day playing games - which naturally leads to the question of what we're going to play? These are the games we came up with! Before we bite off more than we can chew, we talk about Ghost Lift, Cities, and I, Napoleon.
02:31 - Ghost Lift 08:13 - Cities 14:06 - I, Napoleon 24:40 - Dice Tower West anticipated games 26:05 - Biblios 27:04 - Feya's Swamp / Kaivai 28:26 - Cheese Thief 29:03 - Habemus Papam 31:15 - Wroth 33:33 - Greed Incorporated 35:39 - Dark Pact 38:45 - Secret Tribe 39:52 - Eternal Decks 41:03 - All In: Predictions 42:04 - Cthulhu: Dark Providence 44:14 - Robo Rally Dice Submit your games for the Listener Top 20 at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/top20
Hearken, loyal Cabalists, and well met! This day the Lords gather in council to speak upon a matter of great import: the keeping of harmony within the fellowship of the gaming table, and the careful tending of the culture of play that binds our company together. Together shall the assembled Lords deliberate on how best to grant the players the experience they seek, and what rightful charge the Game Master must bear within the fellowship. For as in any kingdom, the balance of duty, guidance, and merriment must be wisely kept.
Dan has brought along his version of a therapy session as the gang discuss their main board gaming regrets. Whether that's what they've bought, sold, how they acted and much more. Come and join the team and also share your own regrets as we would love to hear about them
FIRST PLAYER: Dan OTHER PLAYERS: Adrian, Becky & Kerley
In this episode you'll learn: - that Dan has been to the edge...Thunders Edge in Twilight Imperium by Fantasy Flight Games - Kerley has been playing an upcoming kickstarter Fjordar by Go To Pieces Games - that whilst Becky isn't a fan of fish, she's a fan of Koi by 999 Games - all about the teams board gaming regrets as they go round the table bringing them to life.
LINKS REFERENCED IN THE SHOW N/A
EPISODE CHAPTERS
0:00 - TURN 1 - Player Count
3:18 - TURN 2 - Let's Talk About Hex
3:31 - Adrian - Sanctuary
10:52 - Bex - Koi
17:06 - Kerley - Fjordar
22:53 - Dan - Twilight Imperium 4: Thunders Edge
29:34 - TURN 3 - Main Event: Board Gaming Regrets
30:32 - Showing new games that you're done with, 3am Teaches, TI tantrums & a nesting box
42:41 - Buying a game others in the group have, always getting the "all-in" versions of games, big box games that are too much, & MegaCiv
1:00:42 - Buying games we've already sold, got to collect them all, not discovering 4 players TI , selling games that got us in the hobby
Julie's been to a castle! And GAMA Expo! We chat about those adventures for a bit before moving on to the topic of physical weight of our games. How heavy is too heavy? We also share a question from the mailbag, and collect some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
Every now and then, three games land on the table that have nothing in common thematically yet feel spiritually linked by the way they create tension and leave players talking long after the last turn. Angel’s Share, Soothsayers, and One Hour World War II each approach strategy from a different angle—one slow and atmospheric, one mystical and tactical, and one brisk and historical—but all three deliver that satisfying “let’s run it back” energy we love to highlight.
Angel’s Share wraps its theme around you like koozie around a can your favorite beverage. It’s a game about aging spirits, but more importantly, it’s a game about timing—when to wait, when to bottle, and when to accept that the angels are going to take their cut whether you like it or not. The tension builds slowly as barrels mature and opportunities evaporate, and the emotional arc is surprisingly rich for such a streamlined design. Every choice feels like a negotiation with time itself, and the payoff—good or bad—lands with a satisfying thud.
Soothsayers is a sharp, thematic card game where players become mystics interpreting omens to shape the future in their favor. At its heart, it’s a tableau‑building and card‑manipulation puzzle: each turn you’re choosing which actions to take, trying not to hand your opponents an advantage, and racing to assemble a tableau that makes everyone else wonder where things went sideways. The tension comes from reading both the shifting cards on the table and the intentions of the players around you—every decision feels like a moment of doubt, a quiet question of whether you made the right call or just sealed your fate among the stars.
One Hour World War II does exactly what its title promises: it delivers a full, satisfying wargame experience in the time it takes to watch a TV episode. Despite its brevity, it captures the sweep of WWII with asymmetric powers, meaningful tactical choices, and a tempo that never drags. The design rewards bold plays and clever positioning, offering just enough historical flavor without bogging down in simulation. It’s an ideal entry point for players curious about wargames and a refreshing palate cleanser for veterans who want strategy without the marathon.
Thanks for listening and appreciate all the support
Join Conor as he welcomes two of Australia's most celebrated board game designers — Matt Dunstan and Phil Walker-Harding — for the first episode from Oceania Month in 2026! Matt is best known for games like Next Station London, Elysium, and the Adventure Games series, while Phil is the mind behind Sushi Go!, Imhotep, Bärenpark, and Gizmos. Together they give us a sneak peek at the upcoming Designer Day event at Play Con — an exciting opportunity to meet and game with some of the best minds in the hobby. There's big game talk, design insights, and plenty of Aussie board game love in this one. Pull up a chair!
Sizzling Games:
Millennium Blades
Figment
Blood Rage
New Question of the Pod:
"What’s the best game or game mechanism you’ve seen on TV or in movies?"
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.
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Anmelden
