The group spends more time talking about design and the state of the hobby with Tom Lehmann, Susan McKinley Ross, Matt Leacock, and the rest of the gamers around the table.

Qwirkle

Pandemic

Race for the Galaxy

Pandemic Legacy

Century Spice Road

Terraforming Mars

and others discussed

Meeplefest 2017 Night 2 involves Tom Lehmann, Matt Leacock, Susan McKinley Ross and a bunch of gamers spending time discussing great games played and the ways in which rules can help/hurt learning games.

Emperor's Choice

Terraforming Mars

Pandemic

Qwirkle

Race for the Galaxy

Alea Iacta Est

and others discussed!

Shelley and I get a couple of solid titles to the table at Meeplefest: an excellent card game and a 'not for us, but we see the appeal' dice building game.

Capital Lux by Eilif Svensson and Kristian Amundsen Ostby from Aporta Games

and

Dice Forge by Regis Bonnessee from Asmodee

Shelley and I report back on two fantastic Hisashi Hayashi games we were fortunate enough to play at Meeplefest (thanks Lorna and Joe!). They made a brief appearance on BGG's store at the beginning of August (maybe you picked up copies), but are worth hunting down (or picking up if you're a publisher!!!).

Emperor's Choice by Hisashi Hayashi from Okazu Brand

and

SheepNSheep by Hisashi Hayashi from Okazu Brand

We thought we were done on that first Friday night, but right after pushing STOP on the recorder, Denis decided he needed to delve into other issues and started anther 1/2 hour of discussion and ranting (wine helps!)

I hope you enjoy this bonus episode with the microphones picking up the ambient discussions around the table.

Remember you can sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

Ric, Joe, Matt, Doug, Chris, Denis, Shelley and others join in for a discussion of the Spiel des Jahres winner and nominee, as well as more on game design, playtesting, and 'The State of the Industry' as we see it.

The first night of the annual roundtable conversations that many love to hear. This year's Friday (Part 1) has the group (with Ric, Bob, Denis, Joe H., Doug R, Shelley, Matt Leacock, and Scott Caputo) beginning with some disappointing games from the past few months, then switching gears to delve into the KedJ and SdJ winners and nominees. We end Part 1 with some rather vehement feelings on both sides of Terraforming Mars.

Shelley and I enjoy a nice Italian Rosé while discussing two wine-themed games that have been released in new versions over the past few months.

Viticulture Essential Edition by Jamey Stegmaier, Alan Stone, and Morten Monrad Pedersen from Stonemaier Games

and

Vinhos Deluxe Edition by Vital Lacerda from Eagle-Griffin Games

Shelley and I spend a few minutes talking about the winners of the SdJ and KedJ awards, then delve into a couple of games that WE could have done without.

Pyramid's Deadline by Jun Sasaki from Oink Games

and

Lignum by Alexander Huemer from Mücke Spiele

Two great cities, but only one great game in this week's episode!

Shelley and I get a classic that we continue to love to the table, as well as a less-than-classic game that we will be ridding ourselves of as quickly as possible.

Paris Paris by Michael Schacht from Rio Grande and others

and

Barcelona: The Rose of Fire by Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello from Devir

Shelley and I check out two games that some were predicting would make the SdJ/KedJ nominations, but few a bit short. Find out what we thought of them!

Die Garten von Versailles by Lena and Gunter Burkhardt from Schmidt

and

Valletta by Stefan Dora from Hans im Gluck

Shelley and I enjoy two disparate games this week, building Spires through drafting and bidding, as well as building decks and exploring a dungeon while trying not to make too much noise!

Spires by T.C. Petty III from Nevermore Games

and

Clank by Paul Dennen from Dire Wolf and Renegade

Shelley and I enjoy a new Knizia title from Grail Games, and a great new title-laying game from KOSMOS.

Medici: The Card Game by Reiner Knizia from Grail Games

and

Kerala by Kirsten Hiese from KOSMOS

Shelley and I have fun with the extensive expansion to one of our favorite 2-player-only games, then try out the latest iteration of a classic German card game.

Targi + its expansion by Andreas Steiger from Kosmos

and

Bohnanza The Duel by Uwe Rosenberg from Amigo and Rio Grande

Shelley and I try out two recent releases that are on the lighter side of the spectrum this week - and that many are currently thinking about buying:

Century: Spice Road by Emerson Matsuuchi from PlanB Games

and

Barenpark by Phil Walker-Harding from Mayfair/Lookout

Shelley and I get a chance to roll dice and create stained glass windows, then build our cards in different ways while employing leaders to help our cause!

Sagrada by Adrian Adamescu and Daryl Andrews from Floodgate Games

and

Mystic Vale: Vale of the Wild by John D. Clair and from AEG

Shelley and I finally get that dice game that Tony Boydell of Surprised Stare fame was raving about back on Episode 562, and enjoy an SdJ nominee before we knew it was nominated.

Mondrian The Dice Game by Israel Cendrero and Sheila Santos from Tranjis Games

and

Wettlauf nach El Dorado by Reiner Knizia from Ravensberger

Shelley and I had some fun with a couple of dice games that Belgian friends Surya and Miriam brought with them on a California visit.

Strike by Dieter Nüßle from Ravensberger

and

Dice Stars by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc from Matagot and Wizkids

Shelley and I spend this episode going through the Spiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel des Jahres nominees and recommendations with our initial thoughts.

Spiel des Jahres Nominees:

Kingdomino by Bruno Cathala from BlueOrange and Pegasus

Magic Maze by Kasper Lapp from Pegasus and Sit Down!

Wettlauf nach El Dorado by Reiner Knizia from Ravensburger

SdJ Recommended:

Deja Vu by Heinz Meister from Amigo

Dodelido by Jacques Zeimet from Drei Magier

Fabled Fruit by Friedemann Friese from 2-F Spiele and Stronghold

Klask by Mikkel Bertelsen from Competo and Game Factory

Shiftago by Frank Warneke and Robert Witter from WiWa Spiele

Tempel des Schreckens by Yusuke Sato from Schmidt

Word Slam by Inka and Markus Brand from KOSMOS

Kennerspiel des Jahres Nominees:

Exit: The Game by Inka and Markus Brand from KOSMOS

Raiders of the North Sea by Shem Phillips from Garphill Games

Terraforming Mars by Jacob Fryxelius from Stronghold

Kennerspiel des Jahres Recommended:

Captain Sonar by Roberto Fraga and Yohan Lemonnier from Matagot and Pegasus

Big Book of Madness by Maxime Rambourg from Iello and Heidelberger

Great Western Trail by Alexander Pfister from Stronghold, Eggertspiele and Pegasus

The Grizzled by Fabien Riffaud and Juan Rodriguez from CMON

Shelley and I return to Yokohama this week, then explore building with numbers!

Yokohama by Hisashi Hayashi from Tasty Minstrel Games

(originally discussed last August on Episode 527)

and

NMBR 9 by Peter Wichmann from Abacusspiele

Enjoy!