We're downsizing, imagining a brighter future where we don't have hundreds of games to fret about not playing, but a very slight, extremely manageable twenty. Some say it can't be done, but that's never stopped us before. Before we get low, we talk about After you, Betobeto-san, Skull Queen, and Star Trek: Captain's Chair - To Boldly Go.
01:53 - After you, Betobeto-san 09:11 - Skull Queen 17:21 - Star Trek: Captain's Chair - To Boldly Go 28:12 - Minimalist board game collections
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Nick hosts a three way battle of the brains. Which frankly doesn't bode well considering the nature of the podcast.
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.
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PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/thisgameisbroken
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This time, we discuss the finer points of hosting a game night. From the guest list, to the planned games, to what to do about the food, we attempt to answer what seems like a simple question from the mailbag. Also, we have a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and a healthy dose of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:00 - Introduction
00:49 - It's Vegas Time (Dice Tower West)
01:19 - Tom's Birthday and Personal Talk
03:20 - Game Night
30:15 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror
35:40 - Star Wars The Deckbuilding Game: Mandalorian and Empire and Rebels Reinforcements
40:17 - Forbidden Legacy
44:16 - Hercules and the 12 Labors
48:48 - The Pride Pursuit
51:41 - Strange Slot Simulator
56:38 - Tea and Rum
Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
Dice Tower West Registration dicetowerwest.com
00:00:30 Intro
00:04:45 Recent RDTN Poll
00:14:00 LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring Trick Taking Game
00:17:00 Quick Hits
00:17:30 Sandcastles
00:19:45 Gruntz
00:22:11 Computer Junkyard
00:27:45 Enemies of Gotham City
00:32:15 Six Sided Seas
00:36:15 Miniature Market
00:39:00 Abroad
00:53:30 Bunny Kingdom Town
00:59:30 Game Toppers LLC
01:01:00 All Mine
01:10:00 Outro
Some game nights feel like a whirlwind tour through every corner of the hobby, and this week’s lineup delivered exactly that. Sand Castles and Grunts are two wildly different flavors of competition—one a charming, tactical puzzle of building and defending fragile seaside creations, the other a scrappy, tongue‑in‑cheek skirmish game where your squad of blocky little soldiers bumbles bravely toward victory. Both games share that delightful “easy to teach, surprisingly clever” vibe that keep things fresh in the hobby at times.
Then we have world of Computer Junkyard and the comic‑book chaos of Enemies of Gotham City. Computer Junkyard scratches that nostalgic itch, letting players sift through piles of retro tech to assemble the best contraptions—half strategy, half puzzler. Enemies of Gotham City flips the script into full superhero mayhem, where iconic villains clash, plot, and posture in a fast‑moving battle of wits and wickedness.
Then there is a trio of games that each bring their own distinct charm. Six Sided Seas turns dice‑driven piracy into a pirate battle across unpredictable waters, while Abroad offers a gentle, globe‑trotting experience built around exploration and cultural discovery. Bunny Kingdom Town offers a bright, two player, family‑friendly strategy—one about expanding adorable rabbit realms, with enough take‑that spice to keep it from being a solitaire style game. All Mine is a gamer’s trick taking game where the play is fast, but the planning is what wants you coming back for more. This is one of those games that stays in the game bag to be pulled out to end the evening or get things started.
And speaking of big swings, this is the perfect moment to remind listeners to sign up for notifications on Game Toppers’ upcoming Kickstarter. We rave about their mats for a reason—the quality is top‑tier, the artwork is stunning, and this next series looks like one people will be proud to show off on game night. We’ve already got our eyes on the Lord of the Rings designs, and that purple plain mat is calling our name. Honestly, who doesn’t need another game mat.
Thanks for listening
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Episode 369 — The Board Game BBQ Podcast
Backflip your way into this week's episode of the Board Game BBQ Podcast! This week, Conor's been keeping it varied, running through the light and quick Captain Flip alongside meatier fare in Entropy and Carnegie, while Jules has been getting into the simultaneous card-flipping fun of Dnup. The lads also talk through the latest, hottest crowdfunding gems they have their eyes on.
The crew also tackle this week's question of the pod: "What Board Game Experience Do You Wish You Could Go Back and Relive, and Why?"
All that and more on this week's episode of the Board Game BBQ Podcast!
Sizzling Games:
Carnegie: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/310873/carnegie
Dnup: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/432456/dnup
Other games mentioned:
Captain Flip: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/393325/captain-flip
Entropy (2017): https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/223151/entropy-worlds-collide
Entropy (2026): https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/462941/entropy
Black Rose Wars Resonance: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/xplored/black-rose-wars-resonance
Orbitstar: Expedition to Darwin IV: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/422171/orbitstar-expedition-to-darwin-iv
DECKO: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/449146/decko
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, 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 lately.
Games discussed are:
You can get a discount on Zencastr.com using this link.
(43:33) Then, the two talk about games with unusual mechanics.
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Inverse Genius: http://www.inversegenius.com/ Patreon account: http://www.patreon.com/obgRSS Feed: http://onboardgames.libsyn.com/rss
Email us: onboardgamesmailbag@gmail.com
On Board Games Guild at Board Game Geek
Listen, usually I edit the SU&SD podcast with a spring in my step and glee in my heart. But this week, I’m textbook “Lurgied”. Merriam Webster “Grotty”. The very definition of a “Nasty Wee Man”. I’m not bothering with a proper description this week.
See, this pod was not edited with a step of spring and heart of glee, no no. It was edited with ducts of snot and larynx of mucus. A head full of plague. Listen to these words and imagine my shuddering form snipping away at them; slowly saturating my ‘Logitech G840 Gaming Mouse Pad™’ with sticky-sweet mansweat. Mmm.
Have a great week, everybody!
Timestamps:
01:20 - Kingdom Crossing
15:19 - Totally Human
22:46 - Emblems
Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. Which is more elegant? Perhaps they both are?
@Gregarius
Openers: • Mark: dnup • Greg: Gold Country What the heck is "elegance" in boardgame design or play, anyway? Can it be defined? Probably not, but it can definitely be discussed. Greg suggested on our Discord server that the term is so imprecise, so subjective, that no one should use it any longer. I disagree. Though it definitely is subjective, it's also been talked about for so long in our hobby that some common characteristics have emerged. I had fun digging through BGG archives, but also much further back into rec.games.board and Sumo magazine to read how it's been considered (or re-considered) for decades. Now, there are even YouTube videos from designers & publishers that talk about the concept. Plus a lot of reviewers/pontificators, like us. It's not accurate to say we reached any definitive conclusions, but I do believe we identified some common characteristics that hobbyists mean when they say a game is elegant. 1. Fewer rules. Possibly in an absolute sense, but more often we mean there are a modest amount of rules relative to the game's subject, experience, or what it's trying to do. Probably fewer rules compared to "peer" games, too. However, the rules still need to be clear, not suffering from brevity. 2. A "clean" and highly functional physical design. Boardgames are tangible items, and the ability to see & handle the game components across the table without reading glasses or tweezers or endless storage containers is a strong aspect of an elegant boardgame. The physically beautiful abstracts have a leg up here. 3. Natural or intuitive gameplay. This relates to both of the above characteristics, and is especially interesting to think about for our usual themed boardgames. The rules, the production, and setting or subject of a game can help make it easier to learn & play a game just because it "makes sense." Players can almost anticipate how & why certain things happen, rather than just needing to remember the rules. Game duration sometimes get mentioned, but even I don't like to include that as a quality of a game's elegance. True, a lot of common examples for elegant games tend to be shorter (and so do my favorites), but I believe that's correlation rather than causation. At least theoretically, a longer and thematically complex game could still be elegant in the way it's learned, played, and physically experienced. (The degree of difficulty for the designer/publisher is quite high, and I struggle to think of any great examples, but I want it to be possible.) I really recommend designer Matthew Dunstan's entire YouTube channel, and this episode about game elegance in particular.
How to design elegant games Closers: • Greg: Thrift store finds • Mark: How games like Carolus Magnus can receive themes that are both arbitrary and perfect at the same time Also be sure to check out the excellent BGG blog by@waxbottle, Mostly Short Sentences
-MarkThe SVWAG Canon (https://www.sowronggames.com/svwag-canon) is an elite list of games that Walker and Mark both very much enjoy. Walker is nervous around recommendations, per se, and the imitations on an ideal game library or somesuch is subject to many practical constraints--so instead SVWAG has an unruly list of games that are greatly enjoyed by both the hosts. And it is time for that list to be updated!
02:08 AYURIS: EGO (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2025)
Games Played Last Week:
04:52 -Dwellings of Eldervale (Luke Laurie, Breaking Games, 2020)
09:10 -Brumble Quest (J. Arthur Ellis, Plaid Hat Games, 2026)
13:53 -Endless Winter: Paleoamericans (Stan Kordonskiy, Fantasia Games, 2022)
16:31 -Banana Governance (Mukai, Mukai, 2025)
23:06 -Avalon: The Riven Veil (Jamie Jolly, Shadowborne Games, 2026)
30:26 -Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges (David Killing & Sen Foong-Lim, The Op games, 2026)
35:37 -The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers--Trick-Taking Game (Bryan Bornmueller, Office Dog, 2026)
38:06 -World Championship Russian Roulette (Anthony Burch, Tuesday Knight Games, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter):
43:57 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag
49:17 Glorious Listener Survey over
46:07 Concept Kids to Concept: Stories
47:00 Mass market, big box store versions of Scout and now Dro Polter
47:54 Wizards of the Grimoire (aka Bookie Bookie, Pew Pew) 3
48:24 Topic: Canon Update
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Anmelden
