Shelley and I discuss our last LeiriaCon game

Wandering Towers by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling from Capstone Games and Abacusspiele

then we talk about a gorgeous game we discussed in Episode 807 as we get it and its expansion back to the table:

Meadow plus its brand new Downstream Expansion by Klemens Kalicki from Rebel and Asmodee

Remember that you can help keep this podcast running by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or you can buy some games at reasonable prices from our extensive list:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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This week, we grab Rôla, co-designer with Costa (whom we spoke to last week) and talk more about LeiriaCon, game design, and the games we play. Some of his designs include

Dom Pierre

Café

Moesteiro

Yinzi

Lata

Stephens

If you have a chance to sponsor the podcast, please do so at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or you can check out our list of games for sale here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Costa (1/2 of the design team of Rola and Costa) and Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro (1/2 of the Paulo Soledade and Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro design team) join Shelley and me on the mics for a discussion of conventions, game design and philosophy, and this hobby and industry we love.

The Rola & Costa team have designed such games as

Dom Pierre

Moesteiro

Café

Yinzi

as well as the forthcoming Lata and Stephens

Paulo and Nuno are responsible for

Madeira

Nippon

Arraial

Panamax

La Stanza

Reis de Portugal

To hear more from these designers' partners in design, check out episode 875 in which we talk with Paulo, or next week's Episode 878 when we get Rola on the mics.

Remember you can sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or purchase some games from us for your own shelves which we can ship to you:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I took a break from playing games at LeiriaCon to discuss our impressions of three of the titles we had a chance to peruse for at least 1 play. Take these with a grain of salt, but these were our impressions of

Beer and Bread by Scott Almes from Deep Print Games, Capstone Games, and Pegasus Spiele

Shinkansen: Zero Kei by Isra C. and Shei S. from Ludonova and Tesla Games

Garden Nation by Remi Saunier and Nathalie Saunier from Bombyx, Board Game Circus, and Maldito Games

You can sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or buy some titles from our extensive list which we can send to you:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Paulo Soledade joins us at LeiriaCon on the mics and over a decent bottle of wine as we talk about the convention, Portugal's annual board game award, game design - including Madeira and Nippon, two of his co-designs - and some of his favorite games, including Imperial.

We had a great time talking and hope you enjoy the conversation.

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This week Shelley and I report for the first of a number of episodes from LieriaCon in Portugal - a fantastic gaming convention that we attended in March. We will have some interviews with organizers and designers in the coming weeks, but this week it's two of the games we had a chance to play:

My Shelfie by Phil Walker-Harding and Matthew Dunstan from Cranio Creations

and

Mille Fiori by Dr. Reiner Knizia from Schmidt Spiele and Devir

Remember that you can support the podcast by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or check out our list of games that deserve to be on your shelf (for excellent prices!):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I head to Medici-run central Italy and attempt to gain favor with those in power in

Florence by Dean Morris from Braincrack Games, as well as Giant Roc and Maldito Games

then we head into deep space where our competing ships attempt to settle a new planet and make use of Alien Tech in

Alien Frontiers Edition X by Tory Niemann from Starling Games

Remember you can sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or you can help us find new shelves for some games that no longer fit on our own by purchasing a few from our extensive list:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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I had a week off in February, so while Shelley was at work one day, I spent part of my day on a Google Meet call with the wonderful Tony Boydell - designer of such games as Snowdonia, Lux Aeterna, Alubari: A Nice Cup of Tea, Race the Rails, and - of course - Scandaroon!

We discuss his past designs, creating a brand new Museum of Board Games, and some of the games he's playing currently.

It's a wide-ranging discussion - we had a great time, and hope you enjoy it!

And if you're able to sponsor the podcast, you can do that in two ways: either on Patreon:

www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

OR by purchasing games from our list of games that need to find new homes:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I decorate our home with plants, working our green thumbs in

Verdant by Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, Aaron Mesburne, Kevin Russ, and Shawn Stankewich from AEG and Flatout Games

then we head to Ghana to learn about the forest ecosystem and fruit bats' important contribution in

Atiwa by Uwe Rosenberg from Lookout Games

Remember that you can sponsor the podcast by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

or help us clear out our shelves and get some games headed your way by purchasing some from this Google Sheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I get historical in two different games this week, checking out the EXCELLENT middle-weight dice placement game

Moesteiro by Rola and Costa from PYTHAGORAS

then draft cards and create our journeys through time in

Trekking through History by Charlie Bink from Underdog Games

Remember that you can help out the podcast by supporting us at

www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

OR you can head over to our Google Sheet and find some games to buy that deserve a good home:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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This week Shelley and I head to The Desert Planet Arrakis to get in some plays of

Dune: Imperium by Paul Dennen from Direwolf and Legendary

with its expansion

Rise of Ix and Immortality

then we check out another design from two designers we talked about last week

The Guild of Merchant Explorers by Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert from AEG

Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames and check out the games we have available for purchase at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I once again get a small box and big box to the table this week, but both of these were pretty hefty brainpower-wise.

We start with by laying train track cards into a 3x4 grid to complete lines and score points from trip cards in

Village Rails by Matthew Dunstand and Brett J. Gilbert from Osprey Games

then we explore Mozart's life and final Requiem, helping to tell his story and finish his final piece in

Lacrimosa by Gerard Ascensi and Ferran Renalias from Devir

Remember you can support the podcast by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or purchase a game or two from us from this list:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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This week Shelley and I go through some of our disappointments in gaming from 2022, organizing those comments into categories. Remember you can sponsor the podcast by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or check out our list of games available for purchase at reasonable prices here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharin

Games I Kickstarted that were disappointing when we played them. (Doug)

Stroganov

Petrichor

This is beautiful...why isn't it fun? (Shelley)

Petrichor

Games that were more fiddly or difficult to learn than they should have been... (Doug)

Carnegie

Corrosion

Origins: First Builders

This is too fiddly to have any fun (Shelley)

Findorff

Well...this is OK, but I'd rather play something else by these designers (Doug)

Golem

Boonlake

Brilliant designer...but what was he thinking? (Shelley)

Boonlake

What am I supposed to do again??? (Shelley)

Golem

This is a lot more boring than I thought it would be.... (Doug)

Three Sisters

I loved the original, but hate this version. (Shelley)

Viticulture World

Wow...this is really disappointing...(Doug)

Findorff

Citta Stato

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Shelley and I peruse our list of played games in 2022 and separately choose which ones belong in our personal Top 10 Lists for 2022. We did NOT peek before we sat down to record!

Doug's Honorable Mentions:

Bitoku

Yokohama Roll & Write by Hisashi Hayashi from Okazu Brand

Dandelions by Takashi Sakaue from BoardgameTables

Exhaust by Hisashi Hayashi from Okazu Brand

Maui by Frank Crittin, Gregoire Largey and Sebastien Pauchon from Next Move/Plan B

Dog Park by Lottie & Jack Hazell from Birdwood Games

Shelley's Honorable Mentions:

Maui by Frank Crittin, Gregoire Largey and Sebastien Pauchon from Next Move/Plan B

Isle of Cats Explore and Draw by Frank West from City of Games

Pastiche: Birth of a Masterpiece by Rikkati from Twins Lion Do

Ark Nova by Mathias Wigge from Feuerland Spiele

Doug's Top Ten:

10) My Lil' Everdell by James A and Clarissa A Wilson from Starling Games

9) Akropolis by Jules Messaud from Gigamic

8) Pastiche: Birth of a Masterpiece by Rikkati from Twins Lion Do

7) Dinner in Paris by The Trolls from Funnyfox

6) Dom Pierre by Rola and Costa from R&R Games

5) Ark Nova by Mathias Wigge from Feuerland Spiele

4) Foundations of Rome by Emerson Matsuuchi from Arcane Wonders

3) Tiletum by Daniele Tascini and Simone Luciani from Board&Dice

2) Applejack by Uwe Rosenberg from The Game Builders

1) Catherine: Cities of the Tsarina by Johannes Schmidauer-Konig from Capstone Games & dlp Games

Shelley's Top Ten:

10) Foundations of Rome by Emerson Matsuuchi from Arcane Wonders

9) Applejack by Uwe Rosenberg from The Game Builders

8) My Lil' Everdell by James A and Clarissa A Wilson from Starling Games

7) Yokohama Roll and Write by Hisashi Hayashi from Okazu Brand

6) Catherine: the Cities of the Tsarina by Johannes Schmidauer-Konig from Capstone Games & dlp Games

5) Dinner in Paris by The Trolls from Funnyfox

4) Dog Park by Lottie & Jack Hazell from Birdwood Games

3) Dom Pierre by Rola and Costa from R&R Games

2) Dune Imperium w/Rise of IX Expansion by Paul Dennen from Dire Wolf

1) Tiletum by Daniele Tascini and Simone Luciani from Board&Dice

10

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Shelley and I get two more fantastic games to the table this week, beginning our discussion with how the Contractors expansion affects the solid small-box game

Red Cathedral by Israel Cendrero and Sheila Santos from Devir

then the box gets bigger, and the dice manipulation gets even more interesting in

Tiletum by Simone Luciani and Daniele Tascini from Board&Dice

Thanks again this week to our sponsor LEIRIACON - taking place March 23-26 in Portugal. Shelley and I look forward to seeing any listeners who make the trip!

https://www.spielportugal.org/leiriacon/leiriacon-2023

Remember you can also sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or buy a couple of games from us, helping solid games find a new home (new games added all the time):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I check out a game that's right in our wheelhouse (straightforward, medium-weight, Schachtian) in

Catherine: The Cities of the Tsarina by Johannes Schmidauer-König from Capstone Games and dlp Games

then find ourselves moving into a "try before buy" phase with 2F Spiele Games as we just did not like the fiddly

Findorff by Friedemann Friese from 2F Spiele and Rio Grande Games

Remember to check out LeiriaCon's website and sign up to join us in Portugal March 23-26! https://www.spielportugal.org/leiriacon/leiriacon-2023

You can also help out this long-running little podcast by sponsoring us directly at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

or by purchasing some games that need new homes from our personal collection:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I tackle both ends of the gaming weight spectrum this week with a small-box, 2-player-only younger brother to a modern classic

Splendor Duel by Marc André and Bruno Cathala from Space Cowboys

then we dive into the deep end for the latest heavy title from a designer known for making out brains work

Woodcraft by Vladimir Suchy and Ross Arnold from Delicious Games

Thanks to our main sponsor this week - LeiriaCon! Taking place March 23-26 on the west coast of Portugal, this conventionhas been on Shelley and my bucket list and we're so glad we can attend this year. Join us!

https://www.spielportugal.org/leiriacon/leiriacon-2023

Also, you can sponsor the podcast yourself at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR buy a game or two from us - check out this extensive list of games that need find a new home: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I tackle a couple of smaller-box, medium weight games that we loved. First we create groves of apple trees in

Applejack by Uwe Rosenberg from The Game Builders

then we head to the beach in Hawaii and claim the best spots with our multi-colored towels in

Maui by Frank Crittin, Gregoire Largey, and Sebastien Pauchon from Next Move Games

Thanks to our sponsor this week - LEIRIACON! Taking place form March 23 - 26, join us on the west coast of Portugal for four days of gaming goodness. Here's the link to the website for all of the information: https://www.spielportugal.org/leiriacon/leiriacon-2023

Also, you can support the podcast directly at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

Finally, if you're looking for a game or two to check out, why not support the podcast by buying something from us? Here's the link to our Google Sheet with a list of games we have for sale. Make us an offer! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing

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Shelley and I tackle two ends of the complexity spectrum in this week's episode, loving every minute of both experiences. On the less complicated, family-friendly end of the spectrum, we try out Everdell's little sibling

My Lil' Everdell by James A. and Clarissa A. Wilson

then we get much more complex, but in wonderful ways, as we make champagne in

Dom Pierre by Rola and Costa from R&R Games and Pile Up Games

Remember that you can support the podcast by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or checking out our games for sale on this document: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit#gid=0

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Shelley and I check out the GORGEOUS Collector's Edition of

Everdell by James A Wilson from Starling Games

in preparation for our review of the brand new My Lil Everdell next week.

But before that we fix our erroneous ways by doing a re-review of

Dandelions by Takashi Sakaue from BoardgameTables.com (which is now Allplay)

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