00:01:40 Intro
00:06:00 Sport Ball Stuff
00:12:30 El Grande with the family
00:15:00 Lawn Care
00:18:00 Game Toppers LLC
00:20:00 LOTR: Fate of the Fellowship
00:52:00 The Wondrous Museum
00:59:45 Miniature Market
01:00:45 Builders of Baldur’s Gate
01:30:45 Portal Games
01:32:00 Leaders
01:38:00 Outro

A quick search of the word Pandemic as it relates to the board game mentions on this site, you will find a bunch of them. However, back in Episode 5 is when we do this first mention and where our mission on the podcast was to bring awareness to board games beyond those found at big box stores. That was on February 12, 2013.

Time marches on and we find ourselves with a new entry using the Pandemic system with the LOTR: Fate of the Fellowship. Mr. Leacock has done an incredible job with this one. In my opinion, this brings the base goodness of the Pandemic series to the LOTR world and then ramps it up a few notches. To be honest, it might be a little too hard at times. But who cares, play it again and think of the feeling you will have when you destroy the ring.

We also have some slight dissension in the ranks at RDTN where one does like a game as much as someone else and we have a solid discussion on why. This doesn’t mean that the game isn’t good, just that there is a difference of opinion on what some people like versus what others like.

The Wondrous Museum is an engine builder that plays very fast and has solid decision making for which cards to play and how to use the runes that activate the cards. Leaders if a two person duel game that shrinks down the board to where players are using special moves by their champions to allow them to capture the other person leaders. Your champions are never removed from the board, so it is all about positioning while maintaining a solid defense for your leader.

Thanks for listening and be sure to visit the Discord site to tell us about what type of grass is in your area.

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00:00:40 Intro
00:05:30 Foot Update
00:09:30 Arkham Horror RPG – Terra Antarctic
00:14:30 Perfect Mismatch
00:19:30 Monster Pit
00:24:00 On the horizon
00:27:00 Miniature Market
00:28:00 Yokohama Duel
00:37:30 Up or Down
00:43:00 Portal Games
00:44:30 Rival Cities
00:54:30 Twinkle Twinkle
00:59:00 Game Toppers LLC
01:01:00 Uninvited Guests at a Wedding
01:08:30 Gwent
01:15:00 Outro

Yokohama Duel is a two-player strategy game set in Meiji-era Japan, where players compete as merchants navigating trade routes and foreign relations. It condenses the original Yokohama into a tighter format, emphasizing tactical movement, resource collection, and contract fulfillment. With modular setup and multiple scoring paths, it offers deep replayability in a compact package that many still trying to find the best way to victory.

Rival Cities pits two players against each other in a historical rivalry between Hamburg and Altona. Through lawsuits, trade, and political maneuvering, players vie for dominance in a tug-of-war of influence and prestige. The game can be quick playing and therefore making each decision impactful and every turn a strategic duel.

Up or Down is a fast-paced card game focused on building ascending or descending sequences, ideal for quick, engaging play. Meanwhile, Twinkle Twinkle offers a peaceful tile-laying experience where players draft transparent tiles to complete star charts and connect constellations. Both games are accessible yet clever, appealing to casual and puzzle-loving players alike.

Don’t forget to enter our contest over in the Discord channel for your chance to win a copy of Uninvited Guests at a Wedding

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00:00:00 In Memoriam
00:07:45 Pickle Ball
00:12:30 Plantar Fasciitis
00:20:00 Game Toppers
00:22:10 Battle of Hoth
00:33:15 12 Rivers
00:41:00 Miniature Market
00:42:15 Lightning Train
01:00:00 Portal Games
01:01:00 General Orders: Sengoku Jidai
01:08:00 Outro

Set during one of the most iconic confrontations in the Star Wars universe, Battle of Hoth is a fast-paced miniatures strategy game that plunges players into the icy terrain of Hoth. We are fans of Memoir ’44, so we hoped things hadn’t changed that much in this reimplement. There are 17 scenarios and multi-stage campaigns, so plenty of replayability.

From the designer of Clank! and Dune: Imperium, Lightning Train is a bag-building economic game that reimagines classic train games with a modern twist. This game is definitely one that will be in our annual Squirrely Awards show. It does a lot right, but there are some elements that don’t cause the train to go off the tracks, but do need a little help. I think this is one of those games that will require you to help each other out from time to time in order to achieve your own objectives.

12 Rivers is a family weight worker placement game that involves a mechanic which centers around releasing marbles (pearls) down the board, creating a dynamic and tactile experience as players race to gather the most valuable bounties. With alpacas as transport and fairies offering special actions, the game balances whimsy with some light strategic depth.

Thanks for listening as always, we really do appreciate it.

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In this episode we catch up with Ignacy from Portal Games. We talk about the latest and upcoming releases including Age of Galaxy and Bohemians. We get a tease of what's coming in 2026

And we finish off the episode with Rank Em!

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00:01:00 Day One
00:01:35 Setting up the Portal Booth
00:03:00 Spill on aisle 2200
00:05:15 Level 99 Kickstarter
00:09:00 Asmodee Press Releases
00:14:15 All Play Releases
00:15:30 Hatchett Releases – Tag Team
00:19:00 Osprey – General Orders Sengoku Jidai
00:24:00 Miniature Market
00:25:15 Day Two
00:27:45 Restoration Games
00:29:45 Thunderworks Games
00:30:15 Asmodee – Did you know this…
00:31:15 Lucky Duck Games
00:33:00 Hatchette Games
00:34:30 UVS Card Games
00:37:30 North Star Games – Nature
00:40:50 Taste Buds – Lime Coke Zero from East Europe
00:44:30 Strike Tournament Results
00:51:00 Portal Games
00:53:20 Day 3
01:00:30 Chip Theory Games
01:02:30 Around the Stump
01:06:30 Dead Alive Games
01:10:30 CGE Meeting
01:16:00 Ares Games
01:23:00 Rift Bound
01:27:00 Capstone – Up or Down
01:28:30 Uninvited Guests at a Wedding
01:31:30 Day 4
01:33:15 Slam Throne – OMG!
01:36:45 Bezier Games
01:41:00 Brotherwise Games
01:41:30 Pandasaurus Games
01:45:15 Devir Games
01:46:30 Luma Imports
01:49:30 Game Toppers LLC
01:51:00 Taste Buds – Jerky

Another Gen Con in the books. The crowds were as thick as ever, but the overall energy felt a bit more subdued this year. Still, there were plenty of solid games to discover and enjoy—even if nothing sparked a mad dash to grab the latest release. We spent much of our time connecting with publishers, hoping to gather insights and highlights to help our listeners spend wisely. And of course, Gen Con wouldn’t be complete without a few surprises—Slam Throne and Battle for Hoth definitely caught our attention in the hall.

Huge thanks to everyone who helped, donated, and participated in this year’s annual Strike Tournament. Whether you rolled dice, cheered from the sidelines, or chipped in behind the scenes, your energy and generosity made it all possible. The success of this event isn’t about the two old guys running it—it’s about the incredible community that shows up year after year. We’re grateful for every one of you who helped make it another memorable tournament.

If you were at Gen Con, love to hear your thoughts over in our Discord channel.

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00:02:00 Introduction
00:04:30 Superman Thoughts
00:11:30 Summer Movie Results
00:15:00 Horrified D&D
00:18:30 Middle Ages
00:21:30 Agricola
Herd Mentality/ MonsDRAWsity
00:29:00 Portal Games
00:30:30 Celestia
00:36:00 Ofrenda
00:45:30 Miniature Market
00:51:30 Game Toppers LLC
00:53:30 Outro

Ofrenda and Celestia are on the table for this episode. Each game offers distinct thematic journeys, yet all challenge players to make clever decisions under pressure. Ofrenda is a vibrant card-placement game inspired by Día de los Muertos, where players build altars to honor deceased relatives. The goal is to fulfill each spirit’s wishes by arranging portraits, offerings, candles, and marigolds in just the right configuration—while avoiding family drama from beyond the grave.

Celestia shifts gears into a whimsical airborne adventure. Players board a fantastical aircraft and journey through sky cities, collecting treasures while facing hazards like pirates and lightning storms. Each round, a new captain rolls dice to determine challenges, and passengers must decide whether to trust the captain or jump ship to claim their loot. It’s a push-your-luck game with bluffing and risk assessment at its core, wrapped in dreamy artwork and accessible rules.

Thanks for listening and hope to see you at Gen Con. And a big thanks to everyone coming to the strike tournament.

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00:02:00 Introduction
00:08:30 Vanessa Returns
00:13:30 Blackmail Tapes
00:15:00 Return of the 80s
00:16:30 Emberleaf
00:31:00 Portal Games
00:33:00 Barony: Royal Addition
00:50:30 Game Toppers
00:51:30 Positano
00:59:00 Miniature Market
01:00:00 Citizens of the Spark
01:11:30 Star Wars Unlimited

Welcome back, fellow board gaming aficionados. Today, we’re diving into titles that embody wildly different flavors of adventure: the dudes on the map chaos of Barony, the whimsical card drafting of Citizens of the Spark and Emberleaf, and the sun-soaked “look what I built” serenity of Positano. All three of these games involve a good bit of strategy, with a good helping of inter-activeness against your fellow players. Well, almost all of them.

But most of all, you can tell that we never really get out of second gear in the episode, so you are blessed to have Vanessa back on the mic to help us get moving.

Enjoy as always, leave comments on the discord server, and thanks for listening

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00:02:00 Introduction
00:16:30 Taste Buds
00:24:00 Portal Games
00:26:00 FlipToons
00:32:00 DC Forever
00:43:00 Game Toppers
00:45:00 Wizards & Co.
00:49:30 Mythical Dice
00:54:00 Miniature Market
00:55:00 Tacta
00:59:30 Movie Reviews with Vanessa

Tony is on vacation, so Vanessa joins more for the classic RDTN intro banter. Plus in the outro, they talk about their favorite movies from the first half of 2025.

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00:02:00 Introduction
00:06:00 Banana Ball
00:16:00 CMON New
00:19:00 Taste Buds
00:23:00 Portal Games
00:25:00 Slide
00:30:00 Rumble Nation
00:43:00 Game Toppers
00:45:30 Butterfly Garden
00:51:00 Huang
01:06:00 Miniature Market
01:07:00 Timber Town
01:13:00 Switch 2 Release

In this episode we cover two fun but very different area control games. Plus Marty goes to a Banana Ball game and gets a Switch 2

Discord
Support the Show

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00:02:30 Introduction
00:06:00 Strike Tournament Update
00:09:15 Health Update
00:13:30 Game night Discussion
00:15:30 Game Toppers Kickstarter 5.0
00:17:30 Line of Fire: Burnt Moon
00:24:30 Cretaceous Rails
00:41:30 Portal Games
00:43:30 Looot
00:49:30 Miniature Market
00:51:00 Santorini: Riddle of the Sphinx
01:00:00 Switch 2
01:05:00 Clare Obscure: Expedition 33

LoooT, the Spieli des Jahres nominee, made it to the table recently. Now, this is a Viking-themed strategy game where players lead their clan to victory by gathering resources, capturing buildings, and expanding their empire. Just picking and placing a tile will not get you a victory, you have some decisions to make that will have you balancing risk and reward.

Cretaceous Rails is not a doomed theme park like so many built with dinosaurs as the main attractions. This medium-weight euro game combines economic strategy with thematic elements, allowing players to take tourists on safari and construct a thriving dino resort where every piece in the game is a resource to be used. With careful planning and resource management, you should out-maneuver the other park operators and come away with a victory and not be eaten by the T-rex.

Santorini is a beautifully designed abstract strategy game that brings Greek mythology to life and Roxley has taken the new Pantheon Edition up to new hieghts with the components. Gameplay hasn’t changed, players take on the role of gods and heroes, competing to build a majestic island of Santorini without getting trapped by the competition. And now with the coop version added to the mix, Riddle of the Sphinx, this should dust of those old copies and get the game back to the table.

Thanks for listening and appreciate all the support

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00:00:00 Intro
00:02:30 Discord Debate
00:08:30 50 Years Ago
00:13:30 Gen Con Strike Tournament
00:18:30 They listen??
00:21:30 Arkham Horror Adventures RPG
00:23:30 D&D Dungeon Software – it is gone
00:25:30 Portal Games
00:27:30 Pathfinder Dice Conquest
00:31:30 Calimala
00:46:00 Miniature Market
00:48:00 Skyjo
00:53:30 The Floor
01:00:00 Outro

We revisited a game from back in the early days of RDTN called Calimala thanks to the reprint by Alley Cat Games. Using a unique action-selection system, players produce and deliver cloth while contributing to the construction and decoration of the city’s buildings. The game features dynamic scoring phases and strategic planning as you carefully plan out every turn. We enjoyed it then, but how about now?

Sometimes we will find those games that are just so basic and fun that we wonder how we missed them back in the day. That is the case for Skyjo, where players aim to have the lowest score by the end of the game. Each player starts with a grid of face-down cards and must carefully swap, reveal, and discard cards to minimize their total points. This is the game wish I had as my daughter aged to replace Rat-a-tat Cat.

Thanks for listening and be sure to grab your Strike Gen Con Tickets if you are headed to Gen Con this year. Head over to Buy Me a Moon Pie to purchase

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00:00:00 Intro
00:04:30 Music Talk
00:06:30 Appliance Malfunctions
00:10:00 Discord Conversations
00:12:00 Miniature Market Discussion
00:16:15 Taste Buds
00:22:30 Portal Games
00:24:00 Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Besties Bakeoff Card Game
00:30:30 Cyclades: Legendary Edition
00:46:00 Gametoppers LLC
00:48:15 Rajas of the Ganges: Cards & Karma
00:54:15 SWU Update
00:57:00 Switch 2 Attempts
01:03:15 Hubworld: Aidalon

We’ve been on an absolute whirlwind of recording episodes, and I can practically hear y’all shouting, “What the heck, make it stop!” Trust me, I get it—it feels like we’re popping up in your podcast queue nonstop. But here’s the deal: we’ve had some special releases in between our regular shows, so while it may seem like we’re flooding your feed, it’s all in the name of keeping things exciting. Or so we tell ourselves.

This time, we dove into a true classic that recently got a well-deserved facelift—Cyclades. Originally released in 2009, it was one of those gems we missed before board games became a staple in our lives. And wow, the production quality is nothing short of stunning. For those who picked up the deluxe components, I bet you weren’t disappointed.

Now, let me be honest—this game exposed my weaknesses in a way I didn’t see coming. It wasn’t the game’s fault; it was mine. But hey, maybe that’s a sign of a solid strategy game—one that lays bare where you struggle and pushes you to improve. If you were a fan of the classic and have a well-loved, slightly worn-out copy sitting on your shelf, it might be time to snag this refreshed edition and bring Cyclades back to the table in all its glory.

Thanks for listening and appreciate all the support.

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One of our favorite traditions—and guilty pleasures—is diving into upcoming movie reviews with our good friends Dan and Chris. Let’s be honest, Marty needs some insightful voices on the show, or else it’d just be me listening to him ramble about movies (and trust me, that’s a whole experience on its own).

After all the fun banter, we move on to the real competition—drafting our predictions for which films will dominate the box office. If you’ve got the time, we’d love to hear your thoughts over on our Discord channel!

Thanks for tuning in, and we’ll be back to gaming in the next episode.

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00:00:00 Intro – it is a long one

00:11:30 Technology in Sports

00:16:30 Health Discussion

00:20:30 Coyote vs ACME

00:22:00 Video Game Hall of Fame

00:29:45 Game Toppers LLC

00:31:30 Great Western Trail: El Paso

00:48:00 Solstis

00:54:00 Portal Games

00:57:00 Kraftwagen: Age of Engineering

01:14:30 Miniature Market

01:16:30 Arkham Horror Lovecraft Letter

01:21:00 SWU Update

01:28:30 E-Win Racing Chairs

Board games have a magical way of transporting us to different worlds—whether we’re managing cattle in the American frontier, navigating mountains, or engineering automobiles. Today, let’s dive into three fascinating board games that offer unique themes and strategic gameplay: Great Western Trail: El Paso, Solstice, and Kraftwagen: Age of Engineering

The new GWT is a streamlined version that, in our opinion, is a good way to get people into the game. Solstice allows for two players to battle it out in a heavy luck driven game. Kraftwagen is a redesign of the original that is a historical economic game that places players in the shoes of automobile pioneers, balancing technological progress with financial strategy.

Each of these games offers something distinct—Great Western Trail is a immersive ranching journey in El Paso, Solstice is a luck-balanced strategic battle, and Kraftwagen takes players into the exciting world of automotive innovation. Whether you’re an experienced gamer looking for your next challenge or a newcomer exploring different themes, these three titles showcase the beauty and variety of board game design

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00:00:00 Intro to Rank’em

00:01:30 Question 1 – Bread

00:11:50 Restoration Games Updates

00:11:30 Starcraft Miniature Games

00:19:45 Question 2 – Sports Ball

00:32:00 Restoration Convention News

00:36:00 Question 3 – Monsters

00:41:30 Restoration – Battle Monsters

01:01:00 Question 4 – Conquerors

01:08:15 Outro

Join us as we chat with Rob and Justin from Restoration Games to dive into the exciting world of reviving classic board games. But that’s not all—there’s a twist! We challenge them to a lively game of Rank’em, where we present three items, and they rank them in any order they choose. The fun doesn’t stop there—together, we’ll debate, defend, and dissect whether their rankings hit the mark or missed the mark entirely.

We also get to hear all about their new game coming to Kickstarter called Battle Monsters. This is a reimplement of Battle Masters from 1992. Battle Masters was originally themed as an army of Good battling again an army of evil. The game had a huge footprint and miniatures and we hear how Restoration is bringing it back.

If you liked this version of Rank’em, please leave comments over in our Discord Channel.

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00:02:00 Intro

00:06:30 Thoughts on Feast of Hemlock Vale

00:09:30 Dice Driven Euros

00:11:30 Starcraft Miniature Games

00:17:00 Pickleball Elbow

00:21:00 Taste Buds

00:25:30 Portal Games

00:28:00 Nova Era

00:51:30 Top Tier

00:57:00 Miniature Market

00:58:00 Bebop

01:10:00 Architects of Amytis

01:18:00 Game Toppers LLC

01:2100 Star Wars Unlimited Update

We are back again for another riveting episode of RDTN. But there is a surprise in this episode, there is somewhat a theme with the games we played. We are going to be talking about dice driven euros, meaning a euro with dice. Okay, that could have gone without saying. Not all games we talk about are euro dice, so don’t miss those discussions as well.

When you get a chance after listening to the episode, we would appreciate taking the time over at Boardgamegeek and giving us a vote for best podcast. Thank you in advance.

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00:02:00 Intro

00:11:00 Forbidden Visions of Lucious Galloway

00:14:00 Tony’s Travels

00:17:30 East India Companies Giveaway

00:19:30 Pencil Fights

00:23:30 Risky Play

00:27:00 Taste Buds

00:32:00 Miniature Market Ad

00:33:30 Tales of Arthurian Knights

00:47:00 Pyramido Forgotten Treasures

00:53:30 Game Toppers Ad

00:55:00 Video Game Champion

01:10:30 Portal Games Ad

01:12:00 Outro

Tony’s back from his and it’s been a while since we’ve been the mics, so we are a little rough around the edges. Ok, so that’s not different that usual.

We got some to tell you about plus a new Taste Buds. And don’t forget to enter our contest!

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00:02:00 Intro

00:15:30 Comic Hunters with the McRee’s

00:17:30 General Orders Giveaway

00:19:00 Portal Games Ad

00:20:30 East India Companies

00:47:00 Emerald Skulls

00:53:00 Game Toppers Ad

00:57:00 Black Forest

01:15:30 Miniature Market Ad

01:17:00 Azul Duel

01:27:00 Outro

We’re back a hot new Rosenburg game, a new flavor of Azul, a dice betting game and surprise market game that no one is talking about.

Plus we are giving away a copy of General Orders! To enter join our Discord channel.

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00:05:30 Intro

00:05:30 It’s in the Cards

00:08:00 Best Family Game

00:11:30 Best coop

00:15:00 Historical Game

00:18:00 “It’s Alive!” (New edition, re-release)

00:23:00 Commercials

00:27:00 This Game has Bling (top production)

00:30:00 The Ignacy Award

00:33:00 Just the two of us

00:37:30 Pass the Advil

00:41:30 Game of the Year – Tony

00:44:30 Game of the Year – Marty

It’s time for our 10th Annual Squirrelly awards! We look at our top games of 2024. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, this year is a little different.

Let us know what your favorite games are over in our Discord Channel

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00:03:00 Intro

00:03:00 Tantrum Con

00:15:00 Game Toppers

00:16:00 Altay: Dawn of Civilization

00:32:00 Hispania

00:38:30 Miniature Market

00:40:00 Seti

00:53:30 Portal Games

00:55:00 Rainbow

01:04:00 Ewin Chairs

01:18:00 Outro

We are talking about so really big thinking games in this episode with Seti and Altay. Seti has been on the hot list for awhile and during a convention where we had no interruptions in our play time, we got it to the table. Up front, this is one of those games where the actions are easy to understand on a players turn, but all the little stuff takes the time to explain. Then when playing the game, you have to concentrate on how it will all go together based on the cards you have acquired. Lots to plan out, time crunch to beat other players to certain goals and you can’t do it all which is a common theme in this game.

Altay was fresh when it came to a deck building game and one that we all enjoyed when it was on the table. It can promote a little pile on during the game, but that is when other players need to come to the rescue of the player that is getting beat upon. If you are not a friend of strong conflict in deck builders, then this may not be the game for you.

We have been fortunate enough to have the chance to play Prey and now Rainbow card games from All Play. Love this well thought out games and different takes on proper trick-taking games. With Rainbow, playing up to six is what sold me on this game because tough to find games that do trick taking well with six.

Thanks for listening and be ready for our annual award show that is coming up soon.

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