"Observers brought attention to [Gritty's] appearance, which could be construed as frightening, while The Guardian described him as an "acid trip of a mascot." Response to Gritty's introduction was immediate and sharply mixed, with many fans on social media expressing bewilderment and some fright at his appearance. Public perception of Gritty became increasingly positive as Gritty's antics, which subverted the cuddly, family-friendly appearance and demeanor of other NHL mascots, gained more attention on social media."

-Wikipedia

Games Played Last Week:

00:56 -Can't Stop (Sid Sackson, Playte Games, 2023)

04:01 -Tigris & Euphrates (Reiner Knizia, Hans im Gluck, 1997)

13:09 -Hansa Teutonica: East Expansion (Andreas Steding, Argentum Verlag, 2010)

19:06 -Pandemic: Fall of Rome (Matt Leacock & Paolo Mori, Z-Man, 2018)

22:03 -SpellBook (Phil Walker-Harding, Space Cowboys, 2023)

24:40 -Skara Brae (Shem Phillips, Garphill Games, 2025)

29:52 -Sausage Sizzle (Inka and Marcus Brand, 25th Century Games, 2012)

32:07 -Unstoppable (John D. Clair, Renegade Game Studios, 2025)

38:41 -Toy Battle (Paolo Mori & Alessandro Zucchini, Repos Production, 2025)

40:38 -Leviathan Wilds (Justin Kemppainen, Moon Crab Games, 2024)

43:48 -Men at Work (Rita Modl, Pretzel Games, 2019)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

49:10 Lunar Rush expansion: Innovation

49:30 Open registration for SVWAG Con (July 25th-July27th) on Eventbrite! https://tinyurl.com/25s6p5jd

49:58 Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

51:18 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag

53:32 Feature Game: Hot Streak (Jon Perry, CMYK, 2025)

[EDIT] We neglected to disclose that this was a review copy provided by the publisher. We apologize for the omission.

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00:00:00 Intro
00:02:30 Discord Debate
00:08:30 50 Years Ago
00:13:30 Gen Con Strike Tournament
00:18:30 They listen??
00:21:30 Arkham Horror Adventures RPG
00:23:30 D&D Dungeon Software – it is gone
00:25:30 Portal Games
00:27:30 Pathfinder Dice Conquest
00:31:30 Calimala
00:46:00 Miniature Market
00:48:00 Skyjo
00:53:30 The Floor
01:00:00 Outro

We revisited a game from back in the early days of RDTN called Calimala thanks to the reprint by Alley Cat Games. Using a unique action-selection system, players produce and deliver cloth while contributing to the construction and decoration of the city’s buildings. The game features dynamic scoring phases and strategic planning as you carefully plan out every turn. We enjoyed it then, but how about now?

Sometimes we will find those games that are just so basic and fun that we wonder how we missed them back in the day. That is the case for Skyjo, where players aim to have the lowest score by the end of the game. Each player starts with a grid of face-down cards and must carefully swap, reveal, and discard cards to minimize their total points. This is the game wish I had as my daughter aged to replace Rat-a-tat Cat.

Thanks for listening and be sure to grab your Strike Gen Con Tickets if you are headed to Gen Con this year. Head over to Buy Me a Moon Pie to purchase

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