Shelley and I get another GREAT game from Essen 2016 to the table - addictively playing it MANY times in a row, then throw in a dessert micro game for good measure.

Ave Roma by Attila Szögyi from A-Games

and

Tallinn by Stefan Risthaus from Ostia Spiele

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Shelley and I get a chance to talk about the new Bezier revamp of Jeff Allers called New York Slice, then have a great time playing What's Your Game's fantastic Essen 2016 release Railroad Revolution.

New York Slice by Jeff Allers from Bezier Games

and

Railroad Revolution by Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini from What's Your Game

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Shelley and I check out a game that flew under a lot of people's radar at Essen, then get the card/game version of a fantastic title from a couple of years ago to the table:

Rhodes by Pieter Boots from The Game Master

and

First Class: All Aboard the Orient Express by Helmut Ohley from Hans im Gluck

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Shelley and I tackle something BIG as well as something lighter with

Solarius Mission from Spielworxx and designed by Michael Keller and Andreas "ode" Odendahl

and

Herbaceous from Dr. Finn's and Pencil First Games, designed by Eduardo Baraf, Steve Finn, and Keith Matejka

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Shelley and I discuss our plays of Codenames Pictures, the sequel to CGE's bestseller, then talk about the HUGE Z-Man/Feuerland release Feast for Odin.

Codenames Pictures by Vlaada Chvatil from CGE

and

Feast for Odin by Uwe Rosenberg from Z-Man/Feuerland Spiele

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Shelley and I get

Schwupps by Michael Feldkötter from Amigo

and

Colonists by Tim Puls from Mayfair

We liked ONE of them!

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Shelley and I delve into our list of games released and played in 2016 now that we have most of the ones we needed to get to under our belts. Here are our lists, and listen to find out our reasoning behind our choices:

Shelley's List:

1) Scythe

2) Mystic Vale

3) Yokohama

4) Ulm

5) Round House

6) Lorenzo il Magnifico

7) Kanagawa

8) First Class: All Aboard the Orient Express

9) Terraforming Mars

9.5) Coal Baron: The Great Card Game

10) Cottage Garden

Honorable Mentions: Colony & Great Western Trail

Doug's List:

1) Scythe

2) Yokohama

3) Terraforming Mars

4) Colony

5) Great Western Trail

6) Cottage Garden

7) First Class: All Aboard the Orient Express

8) Ulm

9) Mystic Vale

10) X Nimmt!

11) Round House

Honorable Mentions: Castles of Burgundy Card Game & Honshu

Disappointing Releases:

Blood Rage - Hated this one...

Oracle of Delphi - I will play almost any other Feld over this one.

Ticket to Ride Map Collection 5: UK & Penn - Takes the joy out of the game IMO

Bohemian Villages - Just not fun after the GREAT Orleans

Adventure Land - Good to see HABA entering the family market, but this odd, plodding and just not fun game wasn't a good choice. Karuba, their other Essen 2015 family release IS worth your time.

TIME Stories - I see its appeal, but feel it's not worth the price of admission...

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Shelley and I try out 2 family-style games that will still appeal to the gamers listening:

What's Up by Dennis Kirps and Jean-Claude Pellin from Strawberry Studio

and

Santorini by Gordon Hamilton from Roxley Games

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Shelley and I cover three games that just didn't wow us.

Waldgärtner by Claas Fischer from Edition Essentia

Inis by Christian Martinez from Matagot

Dokmus by Mikko Punakallio from Lautapelit

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Shelley and I check out 2 of R&R Games' Essen 2017 releases this week. A heavier Euro called

Ulm by Günter Burkhardt

and a lighter more luck-based title

Touria by Inka and Markus Brand, and Michael Rieneck

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Shelley and I took advantage of a Queen Games sale on Amazon to pick up some of their newer titles to check out. This episode we try TWO of them with mixed results.

World Monuments by Piero Cioni

and

Glüx by Jakob Andrusch

Enjoy!

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Shelley and I try out two games back in August for your consideration:

Sifaka - a first release from Azao Games and designed by Christian Kruchten and Jean-Claude Pellin where you are lemurs searching for mangoes on a grid you build over the course of the game.

and

Tumult Royal(e) - from KOSMOS and designed Klaus and Benjamin Teuber where players race to gather materials and build statues celebrating their own glory.

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Shelley and I have some fun on this August-recorded episode of two Essen 2015 releases.

Joraku by Iori Tsukinami from Moaideas Game Design

and

Domus Domini by Heinz-Georg Thiemann

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Shelley and I checked out the card game version of Coal Baron, then tried out the re-theming of a game from a few years ago!

Coal Baron: The Great Card Game by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer from Stronghold, eggertspiele, and Pegasus

and

Fields of Green by Vangelis Bagiartakis from Stronghold and Artipia

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Shelley and I check out a couple of lighter games, then delve into the busily designed pizza delivery game Papa Paolo.

Honshu by Kalle Malmioja

Papà Paolo by Fabrice Vandenbogaerde from Quined Games

and

Bubblee Pop by Gregory Oliver from Bankiiiz Editions

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Shelley and I tackle three 2-player-only games this week, discussing

Sola Fide: The Reformation by Jason Matthews and Christian Leonhard from Stronghold and Spielworxx

Hanamikoji by Kota Nakayama from emperorS4

and

Jolly & Roger by Shaun Graham and Scott Huntington from Abacusspiele

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Shelley and I get a chance to learn some Japanese painting techniques with the beautiful and fun Kanagawa, then try to make the most from our herds of cattle in Great Western Trail!

Kanagawa by Bruno Cathala and Charles Chevallier from Iello

and

Great Western Trail by Alexander Pfister from Stronghold Games and eggertspiele

Enjoy!

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Shelley and I go heavier, then lighter this week with

Lorenzo il Magnifico by flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, and Simone Luciani from Cranio

and

Kingdomino by Bruno Cathala from Blue Orange

Enjoy!

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Shelley and I head out to the Tetris-style gardens of Cottage Garden by Uwe Rosenberg, then head north to get a taste of Viking culture with Jorvik by Stefan Feld.

Cottage Garden by Uwe Rosenberg from Edition Spielwiese

and

Jorvik by Stefan Feld from Stronghold Games

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Shelley and I spend some time playing three VERY different games at a Post-Essen Weekend.

Flamme Rouge by Asger Harding Granerud from Lautapelit

a quick and interesting card game

Dodelido by Jacques Zeimet from Drei Magier Spiele

a small-box card game that requires quick thinking and pattern recognition

and

Capital by Filip Milunski from Granna

A Cities/7Wonders mash up about the re-building of Warsaw

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