Shelley and I have a wonderful time making bus routes, then a less than wonderful time sailing down part of the Mississippi, and end with a reflection on a great area majority under-appreciated classic.

Let's Make a Bus Route by Saashi from Saashi & Saashi

Broadhorns: Early Trade on the Mississippi by Jim Harmon from Rio Grande

and

Kreta by Stefan Dora from Goldsieber - a classic that would be a solid choice for re-publication

A great way to end the Meeplefest episodes!: Analysis Paralysis, should BGG have an ability to rate other gamers? Denis gets in a rant or two, and then games we loathe and love.

Our second to last part of the conversation of the gang around the table at Meeplefest 2018. The Hunt family, Tom Lehmann, Mark Johnson, Denis, Ric, Shelley, Candy, Doug R. and the gang discuss information placed on boxes and dealing with analysis paralysis.

Along with the usual crew of Ric, Doug R., Shelley, and Denis, designers Tom Lehmann, Candy Weber, Simon Hunt, John Shulters and Sarah Graybill join the gang at the table as the conversation turns to where and when we play, thoughts about design and analysis of the choices designers make.

Concordia

Quacksalber von Quedlinburg

Japanese games, origin stories of newbies around the table...it's all here for Night 2 of Meeplefest, Part 1.

Let's Make A Bus Route

Metro X

Ticket to Ride

Settlers of Catan

Grackles

Azul

Matt Leacock joins the table as we continue our discussion of games we've been enjoying (or not), along with comments on the SdJ and KedJ winners and nominees. Some of the new Roll and Write (or Draw and Draw) games also get a mention.

Pandemic Legacy Season 2

Forbidden Sky

The Mind

Quacksalber von Quedlinburg

MetroX

Welcome to...

Let's Make a Bus Route

The gang is once again around the table at Meeplefest for the first of multiple conversations about the games we play and the hobby we love. This week we focus on some of the fun titles we've been playing, as well as talking about Kickstarter (a perennial topic). Join Ric, Joe, Doug R., Candy, Denis and Shelley for this first 1/2 of the Night 1 conversation.

Shelley and I try to enjoy the luck-fest dice re-working of Istanbul, then work our farms a la Agricola in a cousin of that now venerable title (that's Uwe Rosenberg Approved!)

Istanbul The Dice Game by Rudiger Dorn from AEG

and

Lowlands by Claudia and Ralf Partenheimer from Z-Man Games

Shelley and I go lighter this week, having some fun exploring the streets of the lower half of Manhattan in

Ticket to Ride New York by Alan Moon from Days of Wonder

and

Splendor: Cities of Splendor by Marc Andre from Space Cowboys

Shelley and I have fun seeing which bird type comes out on top in

Birdie Fight/Songbirds by Yuo from Kocchiya

and finish off the campaign of

Charterstone by Jamey Stegmaier from Stonemaier Games

Shelley and I have a great time cooperatively building with blocks and cardboard, then tackle the first 6 games of a legacy title:

Menara by Oliver Richtberg from Zoch

and

Charterstone by Jamey Stegmaier from Stonemaier Games

Shelley and I struggle to enjoy two otherwise beautiful games:

Photosynthesis by Hjalmar Hach from Blue Orange Games

and

The Island of El Dorado, a Kickstarter game by Daniel Aronson

Before that discussion, though, we talk about a few of the games we enjoyed playing with visiting friends:

StreamRollers (previously discussed) from Stronghold Games

Han (also known as China & Web of Power) from Michael Schacht and Abacusspiele

Viva Pamplona by Wolfgang Kramer

This week Shelley and I try out a game of face comparisons with her entire family, then spend time building our separate Queendoms

FaceCards by Leo Colovini from Ravensburger

and

Queendomino by Bruno Cathala from Blue Orange Games

Shelley and I roll and write our train routes to set up deliveries, then go head to head in the sequel to The Game.

Steamrollers by Mark Gerrits from Stronghold Games

and

The Game: Face to Face by Steffen Benndorf and Reinhard Staupe from White Goblin (and others)

Shelley and I work to help characters of fables and legends fulfill their quests, then become citizens of the ancient city of Palmyra and work to build monuments, get rare goods, and fulfill the ruler's missions.

Woodlands by Daniel Fehr from Ravensburger

and

Tadmor by Gianluca Piacentini from Gotha Games

Shelley and I hire then raid villages, then get respect for spending money and somehow keeping what we spend!

Raiders of the North Sea by Shem Phillips from Renegade Games

and

Mercado by Rudiger Dorn from Kosmos

Shelley and I enjoy building our wineries with new possible visitors, then take the role of different countries as we gather goods, settle, and explore new parts of the world

Viticulture: Visit from the Rhine Valley Expansion by Tido Lorenz and Jamey Stegmaier from Stonemaier Games

and

Race to the New Found Land by Martin Kallenborn and Jochen Scherer from Hans im Gluck

It's time for our annual discussion of our thoughts on the Nominees and Recommended titles for German Game of the Year! The Spiel des Jahres (lighter, family games) and Kennerspiel des Jahres (still fairly light, but more involved games) are on the docket!

SdJ Nominees: Azul by Michael Kiesling from Next Move The Mind by Wolfgang Warsch from NSV Luxor by Rudiger Dorn from Queen Games

KedJ Nominees: Ganz Schon Clever by Wolfgang Warsch from Schmidt Spiele Heaven and Ale by Michael Kiesling from eggertspiele Quacksalber von Quedlinburg by Wolfgang Warsch from Schmidt Spiele

SdJ Recommended Games: 5-Minute Dungeon by Connor Reid from Kosmos Facecards by Leo Colovini from Ravensburger Majesty: For The Realm by Marc Andre from Hans im Gluck Memoarrr! by Carlo Bortolini from Pegasus/Stronghold Games Santorini by Gord! from Roxley Woodlands by Daniel Fehr from Ravensburger

KedJ Recommended Games: Clank! by Paul Dennen from Renegade Game Studios Pioneers by Emanuele Ornella from Queen Games

Shelley and I try to sync our minds and then make potions with random ingredients in two of Wolfgang Warsch's latest games:

The Mind from NSV

and

Quacksalber von Quedlinburg from Schmidt Spiele

Shelley jumps out of her comfort zone to check out the fun little new memory game from Stronghold Games, then I can't roll to save my life in the new Schmidt Spiele dice drafting game.

Memoarr! by Carlo Bortolini from Stronghold Games

and

Ganz Schön Clever by Wolfgang Warsch from Schmidt Spiele