This week Shelley and I check out one of the Spiel des Jahres nominees

Captain Flip by Paolo Mori and Remo Conzadori from PlayPunk

and then check out a heavier title

Sand by Ariel Di Costanzo and Javier Pelizzari from Devir

Thanks as always to Bezier Games for their sponsorship

You can also sponsor the podcast directly by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

OR check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table here:

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

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This week Shelley and gather performers together and compete in

3 Ring Circus by Remo Conzadori and Fabio Lopiano from Devir

then we enjoy a couple of classic 2-player titles:

Balloon Cup (also published as Pinata) from Stephen Glenn from Rio Grande and KOSMOS

and

Die Pyramiden des Jaguar by Gunter Burkhardt from KOSMOS

Thanks to Bezier Games for their support, and you can support the podcast directly by heading over to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

or checking out our list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table:

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

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This week Shelley and I have fun sketching the

Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig by Ted Alspach from Bezier Games

then check out the another map expansion for

Mini Express by Mark Gerrits from Moaideas Game Design

the Taiwan 1908 map by Jay Bernardo

Thanks to our sponsors Bezier Games and YOU, the listener, who can support the podcast directly at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

and possibly purchase a few games from us after perusing our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table:

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

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Thanks to our sponsors www.beziergames.com

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

or check out our extensive list of games for sale - games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table:

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

This week Shelley and I discuss the latest nominations for the Games of the Year coming out of Germany, then have a great time interviewing YouTube gamer and Bezier Marketing guru Jay Bernardo!

Jay's YouTube Channel (Cardboard East):

https://www.youtube.com/@CardboardEast

And the names and BGG links to all of the SdJ, KdJ and Kinder nominees and recommended titles:

Spiel des Jahres Nominees:

Captain Flip by Paolo Mori and Remo Conzadori from PlayPunk

In The Footsteps of Darwin by Gregory Grard and Matthieu Verdier from Sorry We Are French

Sky Team by Luc Remond from Scorpion Masque and KOSMOS

SdJ Recommended Titles:

Harmonies

Passt nicht!

Phantom Ink

Schatz it if you can

Trekking Through History

Trio

Kennerspiel des Jahres Nominees:

Daybreak (or e-Mission) by Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace from CMYK and Schmidt Spiele

Guild of Merchant Explorers by Matthew Dunstan and Brett J Gilbert from AEG and Skellig Games

Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West by Matt Leacock, Alan R. Moon, and Rob Daviau from Days of Wonder

KdJ Recommended Titles:

Bier Pioniere

Botanicus

Forest Shuffle

Ritual

Kinderspiel des Jahres Nominees:

Große kleine Edelsteine by Wolfgang Warsch from Schmidt Spiele

Die magischen Schlussel by Markus Slawitscheck and Arno Steinwender from Happy Baobab and Game Factory

Taco Kitten Pizza by Dave Campbell and Thierry Denoual from Blue Orange

Kinder Recommended:

Fluffy Valley

Lecker Lava

Die Nadel im Heuhaufen

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Shelley and I get a wonderful new SMALL card game to the table

Aqua: Set Collection Game of Art by Ta-Te Wu from Sunrise Tornado

then check out our first of FOUR new map expansions for

Mini Express by Mark Gerrits from Moaideas Game Design:

United Kingdom 1918 by Tony Boydell

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Shelley and I compete as ultrasmart rat clans in

Rats of Wistar by Simone Luciani and Danilo Sabia from Cranio Creations and Capstone Games

then we look once again (prepping to look at expansion maps) at

Mini Express by Mark Gerrits from Moaideas Game Design

This week's podcast is sponsored by Bezier Games, makers of modern classics like

Castles of Mad King Ludwig

Suburbia

as well as the draw and write sequel

Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig

and the new trick-taking card games

Xylotar

and

Sandbag

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This week Shelley and I join the ancient Roman medical society and try to treat patients and impress Galen in

Galenus by Harry-Pekka Kuusela from ION Game Design

and then we try out a new version of an older title

Pollen by Dr. Reiner Knizia from Allplay

a solid retheming of the 2009 Samurai The Card Game

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

check out our extensive list of games for sale (with more coming over the next couple of weeks!):

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

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Shelley and I get in some games with the guys, checking out

Ecos: First Continent by John D. Clair from AEG

and

Garden Guests by Stephen Glenn from Van Ryder Games

Sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table:

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

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Shelley and I check out a couple of trick takers originally from Japan

First we discuss Gossip Trip Trix by Maeda Jay from Mashika

then we try to avoid paradoxes in

Cat in the Box Deluxe Edition by Muneyuki Yokouchi from Bezier Games

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

OR

Check out our extensive list of games for sale and get a cool game that no longer fits on our shelves, but belongs on your table:

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

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Shelley and I check out the new dogs and New Tricks available in the expansion to

Dog Park by Lottie and Jack Hazell from Birdwood Games

then we try a small-box 2-player card game

Air, Land, and Sea by Jon Perry from Arcane Wonders

Sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

OR

check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table:

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

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This week it's all about small box games.

The first, quick title for 1-2 players is

Autumn by Maria and Enrique Blasco from Devir

then we try one of those small games that play like their bigger brothers in

1923 Cotton Club by Pau Carles from Looping Games

Make sure to sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR

help us make room for new games by supporting the podcast and getting some great titles for your own table here:

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

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As promised, Shelley and I get one of last week's big games back to the table with it's recent expansion for a discussion of what that adds in

Revive + The Call of the Abyss Expansion by Helge Meissner, Kristian Amundsen Ostby, Eilif Svensson and Anna Wermlund from Aporta Games

then we got a great and beautiful mancala-based game on the table with

Amritsar by David Heras Pino from Ludonova

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Shelley and I get two HEAVY games to the table this week, re-visiting

Revive by Helge Meissner, Kristian Amundsen Ostby, Eilif Svensson and Anna Wermlund from Aporta Games

Scholars of the South Tigris by Shem Phillips and SJ MacDonald from Renegade Game Studios and Garphill Games

Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR

check out the extensive list of games we have for sale that belong on your table!

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

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Shelley and I play two games that provide variety through various player boards:

The Gig by Robb Smigielski, Lewis Shaw, Jamie Gray, and Dann May from Braincrack Games

and

Apiary by Connie Vogelmann from Stonemaier Games

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Shelley and I get two heavier games to the table this week. First up is a sequel to a worker placement/deck builder we've enjoyed in the past:

Dune Imperium: Uprising by Paul Dennen from Dire Wolf and Legendary

then we create cool 3-ring binder books, collect resources and perform actions in

Books of Time by Filip Glowacz from Board&Dice

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Shelley and I work together to build Orleans' cathedral in the cooperative family game

The Cathedral of Orleans by Wolfgang Dirscherl, Markus Müller, and Reiner Stockhausen from dlp games and Matagot

then we compete to capture the most genies while collecting resources in

Djinn by Benjamin Schwer from Hall Games and Pegasus Spiele

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Shelley and I add the Marine Worlds Expansion to

Ark Nova by Mathias Wigge from Feuerland Spiele and Capstone Games

and then roll dice to build canals and ship goods in

Heart of Venice by Yuko Y from JrnyCat

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This week Shelley and I get snooty as we buy painting to hang on our crowded wall in

Art Society by Mitch Wallace from Mighty Boards

the go prehistoric as we wander across various landscapes in

Footprints by Eilif Svensson, Asmund Svensson and Geir Andre Wahlquist from Chilifox Games

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After our Top 10 Games last week, it's time to reveal some of our disappointments of the year...and also suggest OTHER games by many of the designers that you should play instead.

The Fox Experiment (play Wingspan)

Mosaic

Glades (play Keythedral)

Spellbook (play Sushi Go...or get a pack of cards and play Rummy!)

Atiwa (play Agricola)

Railway Book (play Yokohama)

Trekking Through History (play Trekking the National Parks)

Stack n Stuff

Orichalcum

Rauha

Bonsai

And our best gaming experience (to end on a positive note) involved playing flowerpower out on our deck.

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Remember to sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

or check out our extensive list of games for sale here:

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

It's time for our annual countdown of our favorite games that were new to us in 2023! We always wait about a month into the next year so we can try and play as many of the big games as possible, but we still haven't gotten around to all of the possibly great games we have seen on other reviewers end-of-year lists. With that caveat, listen for our comments and our lists are below:

Doug's Honorable Mentions

In the Footsteps of Darwin by Gregory Grard & Matthieu Verdier from Sorry We Are French

Lunaris 45 by Rola & Costa from Pile Up Games

Wandering Towers by Michael Kiesling & Wolfgang Kramer from Abacusspiele

Moesteiro by Rola & Costa from Pythagoras

Doug's Top Ten

10) Revive by Helge Meissner, Kristian Ostby, Eilif Svensson, & Anna Wermlund from Aporta Games

9) Terracotta Army by Przemyslaw Formal & Adam Kwapinski from Board&Dice

8) Marrakesh by Stefan Feld from Queen Games

7) Forest Shuffle by Kosch from Lookout Games

6) Amygdala by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer from Game Brewer

5) Darwin's Journey by Simone Luciani & Nestore Mangone from ThunderGryph Games

4) House of Cats by William Attia & Kristian Ostby from Aporta Games

3) Tucana Builders by Kristian Ostby & Eilif Svensson from Aporta Games

2) The White Castle by Isra C & Shei S from Devir

1) Barcelona by Dani Garcia from Board&Dice

Shelley's Honorable Mentions

Oranienburger Kanal by Uwe Rosenberg from Spielworxx

Forest Shuffle by Kosch from Lookout Games

Wandering Towers by Michael Kiesling & Wolfgang Kramer from Abacusspiele

Earth by Maxime Tardif from Inside Up Games

Moesteiro by Rola & Costa from Pythagoras

Shelley's Top Ten

10) Terracotta Army by Przemyslaw Formal & Adam Kwapinski from Board&Dice

9) Joan of Arc - Orleans Draw & Write by Ryan Hendrickson & Reiner Stockhausen from dlp Games

8) Amygdala by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer from Game Brewer

7) Neotopia by Orlando Sa & Andre Santos from MEBO Games

6) Darwin's Journey by Simone Luciani & Nestore Mangone from ThunderGryph Games

5) Caldera Park by Michael Kiesling & Wolfgang Kramer from Deep Print Games

4) Tucana Builders by Kristian Ostby & Eilif Svensson from Aporta Games

3) House of Cats by William Attia & Kristian Ostby from Aporta Games

2) The White Castle by Isra C & Shei S from Devir

1) Barcelona by Dani Garcia from Board&Dice

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