Given that we hyped up all those games last week, it's only fair that we prepare ourselves for the aftermath. We look back at some of the most famous and infamous games of yesteryear that were very highly anticipated, and wonder what became of them. Before we relive the comedown, we talk about Master Word, Living Forest, and Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef.

02:00 - Master Word 06:27 - Living Forest 13:29 - Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef 25:04 - Anticipated games of years past 26:56 - Founding Fathers 27:35 - Vinhos 28:32 - Wok Star 29:50 - 51st State 30:27 - CO₂ 31:11 - Rex: Final Days of an Empire 33:01 - Glory to Rome 36:12 - Xia: Legends of a Drift System 36:50 - Cthulhu Wars 37:48 - Myth 38:43 - Conan 39:40 - Viceroy 40:32 - Mysterium 41:57 - Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 45:10 - SeaFall 47:57 - Cry Havoc 49:02 - Founders of Gloomhaven

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Gen Con is a week away! We're headed to Indianapolis (hope to see you there!) but before we do, we're looking down the preview list to get ourselves hyped. These are our five games we're each most excited to see at the show! Before we go Indy, we talk about Vabanque, Orongo, and Blood on the Clocktower.

02:06 - Vabanque 07:25 - Orongo 15:12 - Blood on the Clocktower 23:49 - Our most anticipated Gen Con 2022 games 25:50 - San Francisco 27:07 - Diamond Dig 28:28 - Turing Machine 29:55 - Weirdwood Manor 31:02 - Deal with the Devil 33:00 - Last Light 34:30 - Starship Captains 35:22 - Framework 36:49 - ??? 37:04 - Time of Empires 38:38 - Green Team Wins 40:58 - Catherine: The Cities of the Tsarina 41:53 - The Shadow Planet: The Board Game 43:30 - Cat in the Box 45:30 - Autobahn

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There's a phenomenon called twin films, where competing studios release very similar movies at the same time. We imagine the same idea in board game land, and highlight some of the biggest board game grudge matches - and judge which game we think came out on top. Before there can be only one, we talk about Viking See-Saw, Dandelions, Codex Naturalis, and Luna.

02:38 - Viking See-Saw 05:32 - Dandelions 13:09 - Codex Naturalis 17:52 - Luna 28:30 - Twin game matchups 30:46 - Azul 30:46 - Sagrada 31:35 - Century: Spice Road 31:35 - Splendor 32:28 - Race for the Galaxy 33:28 - Roll for the Galaxy 33:45 - Dune: Imperium 33:45 - Lost Ruins of Arnak 35:08 - Cascadia 35:08 - Wingspan 36:29 - Eclipse 36:29 - Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition 37:29 - Codenames 37:29 - Decrypto 37:47 - Ark Nova 37:47 - Terraforming Mars 38:19 - Azul vs. Sagrada 40:13 - Century: Spice Road vs. Splendor 42:48 - Race for the Galaxy vs. Roll for the Galaxy 45:43 - Dune: Imperium vs. Lost Ruins of Arnak 48:22 - Cascadia vs. Wingspan 51:22 - Eclipse vs. Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition 51:52 - Codenames vs. Decrypto 54:13 - Ark Nova vs. Terraforming Mars

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Ambie Valdés, from the excellent podcast Board Game Blitz, joins us to talk about family games, and possibly also the Fast and the Furious franchise. Ambie actually has kids, so might know a little more about this than the rest of us. Kids love Vin Diesel. Before we edutain, we talk about Savannah Park, Cryptid, and Stroganov.

04:43 - Savannah Park 11:26 - Cryptid 17:51 - Stroganov 27:11 - Family games 29:55 - Tidy Up! 33:01 - Wingspan 38:03 - Ticket to Ride 40:04 - Flash Point: Fire Rescue 41:39 - Let's Catch the Lion! 43:05 - Qwirkle 43:29 - Gulo Gulo

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Well, we can't play everything, and that was probably more true ten years ago than it is now. So we thought we'd look back at the decade past, and highlight some games that we feel like we missed out on. Before we prolong our backlogs, we talk about Loot of Lima, Yosemite, and Planted: A Game of Nature & Nurture.

02:13 - Loot of Lima 09:17 - Yosemite 14:56 - Planted: A Game of Nature & Nurture 23:01 - Games from last decade we want to play 24:14 - Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game 25:53 - Black Friday 27:12 - Haggis 28:07 - Sentinels of the Multiverse 30:09 - Kolejka 31:30 - Eclipse 33:02 - Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery 34:20 - Copycat 35:31 - Caverna: The Cave Farmers 38:06 - Duel of Ages II 40:24 - Kanban 42:07 - Wir sind das Volk! 43:21 - Kingdom Death: Monster 45:18 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization 47:23 - Mombasa 48:59 - Arkham Horror: The Card Game 50:14 - Arkwright 51:03 - Adrenaline 52:18 - This War of Mine: The Board Game 53:14 - Gaia Project 54:36 - Calimala 55:51 - Obsession 57:50 - Mage Knight Board Game 58:34 - Gùgōng 59:39 - Barrage 1:00:53 - Crusader Kings

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We're spread across the world and time, so we do the thing we should never do; we put the questions to you. Yes, you! It's a mailbag episode, we're answering a trio, a trilogy, a trichopteran of your questions. Before we put in our hand and pull out a letter, we talk about Caesar!: Seize Rome in 20 Minutes!, Symphony No.9, and Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen.

03:46 - Caesar!: Seize Rome in 20 Minutes! 11:36 - Symphony No.9 19:10 - Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen 37:48 - Do you create game specific ambience? 43:45 - What games have you been returning to? 44:22 - The Great Zimbabwe 45:16 - Tigris & Euphrates 46:37 - Great Western Trail 47:49 - Cascadia 50:03 - Imperium: The Contention 50:24 - Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage "Game." 50:54 - What's a one sentence description of your tastes?

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Yes, you could make the argument that every game is a negotiation game if you try hard enough, but for a lot of games it's more integral to the design. We look at games that we think integrate negotiation mechanics especially well, and ask how much is too much (or too little) when it comes to negotiation. Before we compromise, we talk about Septima, and Kremlin.

02:12 - Septima 18:09 - Kremlin 34:26 - Negotiation as a mechanic 35:51 - Catan 38:01 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant 43:23 - Inis 45:45 - Rising Sun 47:31 - Between Two Cities 49:22 - Dune 50:28 - Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery 52:48 - Diplomacy

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While we tend to enjoy games across the whole spectrum, there's something particular about sinking your teeth into a really heavy game. But it's not always an easy prospect; conditions have to be just right. So what makes a heavy game worth it? Before things get heavy, we talk about Barony, Bausack, Whitehall Mystery, and Dead Reckoning.

02:14 - Barony 13:17 - Bausack 18:07 - Whitehall Mystery 22:59 - Dead Reckoning 32:23 - Diplomacy 34:43 - War of the Ring: Second Edition 35:15 - A Feast for Odin 38:45 - Shipyard 40:03 - Vindication 41:21 - Mage Knight Board Game 42:35 - Forbidden Stars 46:59 - Food Chain Magnate 54:09 - The Great Zimbabwe

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There's a lot of discourse lately about the pros and cons of negative board game coverage, and so of course we thought we ought to weigh in. Is there value in negative criticism versus positive, or should there be a balance between the two? Before we take the good with the bad, we talk about Homeworlds, Ave Caesar, and Founders of Teotihuacan.

01:42 - Homeworlds 12:39 - Ave Caesar 18:03 - Founders of Teotihuacan 30:31 - Negative criticism 56:06 - Quest

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It's easy to get lost in mechanical discussions of games, and forget to appreciate them as physical creations. There can be beauty in games, and we're here to get to the heart of it the only way we know, the one on one fight to the death that we call BGBBOB. Before we get skin deep, we talk about First Empires, Mille Fiori, and Foundations of Rome.

01:44 - First Empires 08:25 - Mille Fiori 16:41 - Foundations of Rome 32:51 - BGBBOB: Beautiful games 34:18 - Photosynthesis 35:23 - Root 39:12 - Brass: Lancashire 40:34 - Rising Sun 43:26 - Spirit Island 44:36 - The Gallerist 46:28 - Yamataï 48:00 - Azul 49:51 - Agricola 51:17 - Pax Pamir: Second Edition 53:26 - Wingspan 54:23 - Inis 56:41 - Foundations of Rome 57:33 - Startups 1:00:19 - Ark Nova

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It doesn't happen as much as it does in other industries, but every so often the people at the top demand serialization. We're talking about sequels in board games, when they work, when they (super) don't, and what we'd like to see get the treatment. Before we get franchised, we talk about Next Station: London, Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition), and Azul: Queen's Garden.

01:23 - Next Station: London 09:29 - Dawn of the Zeds (Third Edition) 21:44 - Azul: Queen's Garden 39:51 - A Study in Emerald (Second Edition) 40:42 - Uwe Rosenberg Puzzle Trilogy 43:15 - Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan 45:13 - Brass: Birmingham 47:11 - Glen More II: Chronicles 48:21 - Empires of the Void II 48:36 - The Resistance: Avalon 49:44 - 7 Wonders Duel 50:10 - 7 Wonders: Architects 50:42 - Alchemists 52:05 - Lignum 52:27 - Francis Drake

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Metagaming is all about the game that exists within (and without) the game - it's everything that's not written in the rules. Whether that's something that emerges at your table, or in the community at large, it can be a big part of the social experience, and we're all for it. Before we get meta, we talk about Rum & Pirates, Box One, Shamans, and Crescent Moon.

05:00 - Rum & Pirates 11:24 - Box One 14:58 - Shamans 22:11 - Crescent Moon 38:55 - Metagaming 44:01 - Hanabi 44:40 - The Resistance 48:04 - Root 56:35 - Blood Rage 59:02 - Keyflower

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With the middle of the year rapidly approaching, we've acquired our fair share of games that we're really itching to play. We talk about what's recently made its way into our collections that we just can't wait to get to the table. Before we break out the back scratchers, we talk about Ivanhoe, Freshwater Fly, Vindication, and Cryptid: Urban Legends.

02:23 - Ivanhoe 09:13 - Freshwater Fly 17:11 - Vindication 24:22 - Cryptid: Urban Legends 37:36 - Games we're itching to play 38:40 - Dead Reckoning 41:04 - Gloomholdin' 44:18 - Mille Fiori 46:29 - Foundations of Rome 49:57 - Innovation 51:31 - A Feast for Odin 52:17 - Biblios

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The Golden Geek results are in for 2021, and to avoid burying the lede ... we won! We're over the moon, naturally, but we couldn't have done it without you. We celebrate by giving our takes on the rest of the awards, how we voted, and what we think about the other categories. Before we bathe in our glory, we talk about Aristocracy, Senators, and Ark Nova.

06:08 - Aristocracy 15:51 - Senators 23:58 - Ark Nova 42:15 - Golden Geek Awards 43:29 - That Time You Killed Me 43:58 - Summoner Wars (Second Edition) 44:17 - Radlands 45:30 - Sleeping Gods 46:16 - Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile 47:52 - The Crew: Mission Deep Sea 49:19 - PARKS: Nightfall 49:56 - The Adventures of Robin Hood 51:03 - 7 Wonders: Architects 52:00 - Cascadia 54:07 - Ankh: Gods of Egypt 57:12 - Gloomholdin' 1:02:31 - Red Flag Over Paris 1:03:07 - Podcast of the Year Check out the results here: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2859849/16th-annual-golden-geek-winners-2021

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It's easy to get caught up in the cult of the new, but there are so many amazing games that came out before we were even in the hobby. Mark Bigney of So Very Wrong About Games joins us to look at the games we love from yesteryear, and other older games we really ought to play. And stick around for even more special appearances after the show! Before we go back in time, we talk about Sobek: 2 Players, Phantom Leader Deluxe, and Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition.

04:30 - Sobek: 2 Players 11:59 - Phantom Leader Deluxe 27:56 - Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition 37:07 - Acquire 41:45 - Bus 45:29 - Dream Factory 49:49 - Civilization 53:15 - Advanced Civilization 1:00:52 - Quo Vadis? 1:01:43 - Ikusa 1:03:20 - Antike II 1:03:52 - Die Macher 1:05:41 - Victory in the Pacific 1:10:18 - Subbuteo Please vote for us in the Golden Geek awards! https://boardgamebarrage.com/vote

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There are many ways that we can accidentally contribute to gatekeeping in the hobby - pushing those who want to embrace it away. Whether it's to those outside, or even, bizarrely, to those already in, we break down the subtle (and unsubtle) ways we do it, whether or not we mean to. Before we find the keymaster, we talk about San Marco, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, and Ghosts of Christmas.

02:28 - San Marco 10:57 - Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion 20:34 - Ghosts of Christmas 32:03 - Exploding Kittens 32:18 - Catan 33:17 - Wingspan 43:02 - Codenames Please vote for us in the Golden Geek awards! https://boardgamebarrage.com/vote

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It doesn't quite work the same, but what do you expect when Neilan's not present? Speaking of presents, it's Mark's birthday so the rest of the crew celebrate with a parade of (don't call them hot) questions, where they invent expansions, and save the planet. Before we get older, we talk about Time Barons, and The Key: Sabotage at Lucky Llama Land.

03:57 - Time Barons 13:37 - Hanabi Deluxe II 15:34 - The Key: Sabotage at Lucky Llama Land 28:06 - Beyond the Sun 30:57 - The Quest for El Dorado 32:38 - Biblios 33:32 - Pax Renaissance 36:54 - The Castles of Burgundy

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It's been a little while, but we're back with the next hundred games on BoadGameGeek, and we're drafting a five game collection from them. Who ended up with the best picks? Vote and you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before things get drafty, we talk about Imperium: The Contention, Wonderland's War, and Gentes.

02:19 - Imperium: The Contention 07:20 - Wonderland's War 19:23 - Gentes 33:32 - Quantum 35:31 - Kemet: Blood and Sand 37:51 - Through the Desert 39:28 - Pax Renaissance 40:45 - Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes 42:45 - Pax Porfiriana 43:27 - Coloretto 45:02 - Camel Up 46:14 - Cuba Libre 47:02 - Nova Luna 48:57 - Furnace 49:59 - Imperium: Classics 51:56 - Fort 54:09 - Space Empires 4X 57:47 - Carson City

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Does the perfect game exist? Probably not, but is that even the point? This week we discuss the elusive 10/10 rating, whether it makes sense to apply it, and what that means for rating games in general. Before we realize pobody's nerfect, we talk about Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage "Game.", Manila, and Picture Perfect.

02:11 - Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage "Game." 12:14 - Manila 16:55 - Camel Up 18:50 - Picture Perfect 31:05 - Tigris & Euphrates 37:58 - Ark Nova 40:17 - Wingspan

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Wow, hundreds of you sent in your favourite games, and it was absolute chaos. But we got all the data together, cleaned up the typos, and crunched the numbers via a super secret algorithm, and here we are, your favourite games of all-time! For this year, at least. Before you take the stage, we talk about Schotten Totten 2, For Science!, and The Bridges of Shangri-La.

02:17 - Schotten Totten 2 13:13 - For Science! 23:17 - The Bridges of Shangri-La 33:59 - Pax Pamir: Second Edition 35:07 - Inis 36:34 - El Grande 37:43 - Dominion 39:14 - The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine 39:45 - Scythe 40:29 - Terraforming Mars 41:11 - Terra Mystica 42:53 - A Feast for Odin 43:18 - Agricola 44:20 - Race for the Galaxy 44:41 - The Castles of Burgundy 45:47 - Innovation 46:55 - Gloomhaven 47:36 - Great Western Trail 48:21 - Concordia 49:58 - Root 51:07 - Hansa Teutonica 52:21 - Brass: Birmingham 53:19 - Spirit Island

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