Knowing when to give up is a valuable skill. As children we are told to stick with painful and unpleasant things, and while that is often wise, sometimes it just results in more pain. Discerning the difference between choking down one's vegetables--good!--and pursuing a hobby merely for the sake of it--bad!--is a tricky bit of prudence that many adults can't quite seem to get. The notion of an "acquired taste" is somewhat related. Eating chocolate is something you can nail the first time and every time, so acquiring a taste for expensive Scotch whisky that tastes of dirt seems a little off. But sometimes... sometimes! You should try that thing again.
Games Played Last Week: -Just One 6m04s (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Productions) -Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King 9m06s (Andreas Pelikan & Alexander Pfister, Lookout Games, 2015) -Up Front 10m49s (Courtney F. Allen, Avalon Hill, 1983) -Sol: Last Days of a Star 14m45s (Ryan Spangler & Sean Spangler, Elephant Laboratories, 2017) -Bunny Kingdom 20m41s (Richard Garfield, IELLO, 2017) -Rangers of Shadow Deep 25m25s (Joseph McCullough, Self-published, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter): -More Middara 29m28s -Starfarers of Catan Returns 30m32s -Bloomberg Doesn't Understand 32m03s -Pronunciation Legends from CMON 35m13s
This is not, strictly speaking, the first foray into gaming that Hellboy has done--not even the first in the miniatures genre. There were some Hellboy Heroclix, but let us speak as adults--that's not really saying much. Everyone has been in Heroclix now. 43% of the human population has been represented as a Heroclix figure at some point. Walker has, like, four different versions (albeit two of those are repaints). I hear the "Raging Fury" Walker figure is banned in most tournament play.
Games Played Last Week: -Just One 1m59s (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Productions) -Lords of Hellas 4m57s (Awam Kwapinski, Awaken Realms, 2018) -Tammany Hall 7m39s (Doug Eckhart, IDW Games, 2007) Editorial note: Mark erred in his playing of Tammany Hall (unused favour chips are not worth points). We'll have a full correction next week, and Mark will revisit the game as soon as he can. We apologize for the error. -Small City 14m37s (Alban Viard, AVStudioGames, 2015)
News (and why it doesn't matter): -Free Doomrock expansion! 21m55s -Moar Apocalypse with Last Aurora 23m00s -Sadler Bros.' Altar Quest 24m00s
Feature Game: Hellboy: The Board Game 24m35s (James M. Hewitt & Sophie Williams, Mantic Games, 2019)
Heroscape! This show has spent far, far too long talking about things that are not Heroscape. Today we attempt to remedy that deficiency by talking about Heroscape, which is a game--nay, an experience--nay, a lifestyle!--worth discussing. It was a wonderful retail oddity, an overproduced and affordable big box beauty. It is why basements were invented. It isn't the greatest game, but it is definitely Heroscape.
AYURIS: Lords of Hellas 1m54s (Awam Kwapinski, Awaken Realms, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: -Junk Art 6m31s (Jay Cormier & Sen-Foong Lim, Pretzel Games, 2016) -Claustrophobia 1643 9m02s (Croc & Laurent Pouchain, Monolith, 2019) -Pax Renaissance 12m34s (Matt Eklund & Phil Eklund, Sierra Madre, 2016) -Heroscape 13m32s (Stephen Baker, Rob Daviau, & Craig Van Ness, Hasbro, 2004) -Scythe 16m37s (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2016) -Newton 18m20s (Simone Luciani & Nestore Mangone, Cranio Creations, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter): -Earth Reborn Reborn? 20m44s https://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/32180941#32180941 -Too Many Too Many Bones? 22m36s -Co-op City Building 23m32s -Karate Tomate! 24m18s -RTS -> Cardboard in Company of Heroes 26m05s -Snake? SNAAKE! 27m22s -Post-Apocalyptic Small Furry Things 29m19s -Jim Felli's The World Reapers: A Game of Overpowered, World-Eating, Cosmic Frogs 30m05s
Topic: You Need to Take a Little Off the Top, Bud 32m14s
Do you sometimes feel like having your blind brother hurl spears at you as a party trick? Do you feel the urge to put your hand in a giant wolf's mouth to make your friends feel bad? Do you wish you could ride a chariot pulled by cats for no discernible reason? Do you long to carry on rambling conversations with a severed head? Do you want days of the week to be named after you? Well, this is your episode!
Games Played Last Week: -Just One 1m26s (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Productions, 2018) -Lords of Hellas 3m12s (Adam Kwapiński, Awaken Realms, 2018) -Combat Commander: Europe 5m26s(Chad Jensen, GMT, 2006) -Barenpark 7m56s (Phil Walker-Harding, Lookout Games, 2017) -Corporate America 8m31s (Teale Fristoe, Nothing Sacred Games, 2013) -Reykholt 10m09s (Uwe Rosenberg, Frosted Games, 2018) -Burning Suns 11m05s (Emil Larson, SunTzu Games, 2013) -51st State: Master Set - Allies 13m32s (Joanna Kijanka & Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal Games, 2019) -Tammany Hall 16m12s (Doug Eckhart, IDW Games, 2007)
News (and why it doesn't matter): -Chad Jensen diagnosed with cancer and is raising funds 21m24s https://www.gofundme.com/help-chad-with-chemo -Stack with Tuki 22m16s -Ready availability of Queenies? 23m16s -Papillon flies again 24m51s -Modiphius doubles down on Bethesda 25m31s
Names are powerful. The Spiel des Jahres means "game of the year" simpliciter, but for years we know that the juries have been casting a narrower and narrower net of what games thay would consider. It has become more of a specialized imprint, which is fine--but it's strange that the name still inspires such cachet. Anything with rules in excess of 3 or so pages seems now to be firmly beyond the pale as far as the SdJ is concerned. Ah, well, times change, and we are prone to fits of curmudgeonly behavior. We do at least give our rundown of the 3 nominated games.
AYURIS: The City of Kings 1m02s (Frank West, The City of Games, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: -Trick Shot 2m35s (Nikita Krylov &Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2019) -LAMA aka Wrath of the Appliances: Rise of the Killer Kameras 4m50s (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2019) -Just One 8m01s (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Productions, 2018) -Red Alert: Space Fleet Warfare 10m03s (Richard Borg, PSC Games, 2019) -Fireball Island: The Curse of Vol-Kar 13m51s (Rob Daviau, JR Honeycutt, Justin D. Jacobson, Chuck Kennedy, & Bruce Lund, Restoration Games, 2018) -Hansa Teutonica 15m38s (Andreas Steding, Z-Man Games, 2010) -SpaceCorp 17m03s (John H. Butterfield, GMT Games, 2018) -Rayguns and Rocketships 19m33s (Scott Rogers, IDW Games, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter): -The tangled webs Kickstarter weaves (and then pulls) 26m23s (Correction: During this segment we mistakenly conflated Travis Worthington of Indie Boards and Cards and Travis R. Chance of Kolossal Games. They have both had projects canceled by Kickstarter. We apologize for the error.) -Endeavor: Age of Expansion Expansion 30m30s -Pandemic Targets real-time 31m51s
Credibility, like a butterfly, is a fragile and beautiful thing. Mark is fundamentally opposed to subtlety and ephemeral joy, so he naturally seeks to destroy either whenever he encounters it. When it comes to credibility he does this by routinely making gross over-generalizations. This time he has managed to make an instant replay-esque correction, at least. As for what he does to butterflies, let's just say he manages to make garden parties awkward.
Games Played Last Week: -Bios: Megafauna 2nd Edition 3m08s (Andrew Doull, Phil Eklund, & Jon Manker, Sierra Madre, 2017) -Brook City 6m37s (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2019) -Rayguns and Rocketships 12m06s (Scott Rogers, IDW Games, 2017) -A Game of Thrones: Catan--Brotherhood of the Watch 15m45s (Klaus Teuber & Benjamin Teuber, Fantasy Flight, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Walker expands what he no longer has 22m00s -Wherefore art thou, journalism? Round 1: Tariffs vs. Gamers 22m31s (Polygon article: http://bit.ly/polygontariffs) -Space Invaders 27m16s -Round 2: Stonemaier vs. Gaming Goat 28m01s -Papillon rises again? 30m41s
Summer is here, friends and neighbours, and with it comes a a thickening of the blood that prompts torpor. We here at SVWAG are part lizard, you see, and so we must budget additional time to sun ourselves and slough off our scales. At any rate, we will be shifting to a summer schedule but still releasing an episode every week--though the magic of segment-swapping. How can such wizardry be true? The secrets are revealed herein!
Games Played Last Week: -Imperius 5m36s (Grant Rodiek, Kolossal Games, 2018) -Bärenpark 7m18s (Phil Walker-Harding, Lookout, 2017) -Burning Suns 10m05s (Emil Larson, SunTzuGames, 2013) -Downfall 13m11s (John D. Clair, Tasty Minstrel, 2019) -Adrenaline: Team Play DLC 15m41s (Filip Neduk, Czech Games Edition, 2018) -Pandemic: Fall of Rome 17m39s (Matt Leacock & Paolo Mori, Z-Man, 2018) -Space Cadets: Dice Duel 19m25s (Geoff Engelstein and Sydney Engelstein, Stronghold, 2013) -Gentes: Deluxified Edition 21m14s (Stefan Risthaus, Tasty Minstrel, 2018) -Roll for the Galaxy 24m53s (Wei-Hwa Huang & Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande, 2014) -Brook City 26m54s (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Trick Shot on Kickstarter 31m16s -No dice for BloodBorne 32m36s -Pax Renaissance goes deluxe but not -ified 33m08s -Die Macher improves its graphics 34m18s -Cleopatra, comin' at ya (Clone High fans? Anyone?) 36m00s -Scythe goes modular, jumps shark? 37m03s
We humble ourselves before you, O merciful audience, so as to lay bare our sins against the gaming world. Granted we toil as rules explainers on the behalf of ungrateful vermin who do not appreciate our labours, but nonetheless we take full responsibility for mildly inconveniencing the filthy ingrates who can't be bothered to read a rulebook. We implore that these monstrously selfish demons might find it in their paltry hearts and feeble minds to grant us a little mercy. We sincerely apologize to these subhuman monsters, we truly do.
AYURIS: Feudum 3m20s (Mark K. Swanson, Odd Bird Games, 2017)
Games Played Last Week: -The Boldest 4m38s (Sophia Wagner, Pegasus Spiele, 2019) -Wingspan 6m36s (Elizabeth Hargrave, Stonemaier Games, 2019) -Council of 4 9m00s (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Cranio Creations, 2015) -Root 11m42s (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2018) -Imperius 12m20s (Grant Rodiek, Kolossal Games, 2018) -Siege of the Citadel 15m23s (Richard Borg, Eric M. Lang, Jason Little, & Kevin Wilson, Modiphius, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -51st State expands with Allies 18m00s -Mark is not a lawyer on the Great Western Trail 19m14s -In space, no one can hear you roleplay 21m59s -Warhammer Underworlds goes digital 22m32s -Terraforming Kickstarter 23m27s -Kolossal Kickstarter takedown 24m15s
"Money makes the world go 'round" is a common saying decried by most astronomers and physicists, who instead stubbornly maintain that it is due to some invisible thing that can't even qualify for a credit card. "More money than God" is also a strange phrasing, insofar as I believe the theological consensus (ranging from the Abrahamic faiths all the way to Pastafarianism) is that God does not hold assets in the standard sense. Then again, I've never seen His portfolio. Anyway, Cthulhu Wars is expensive and so are exciting plans.
AYURIS: Quartermaster General 2m35s (Ian Brody, Griggling Games, 2014)
Games Played Last Week: -Walker has a family 4m24s -Res Arcana 5m27s (Thomas Lehmann, Sand Castle Games, 2019) -The Boldest 7m19s (Sophia Wagner, Pegasus Spiele, 2019) -Snit's Revenge 10m51s (Tom Wham, TSR, 1977) -Hanabi 12m39s (Antoine Bauza, R&R, 2010) -FlickFleet 13m18s (Jackson Pope & Paul Willcox, Eurydice Games, 2018) -Magnastorm 15m42s (Bauldric & Friends, Feuerland Spiele, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -CMON licenses God of War... 18m48s -...and Bloodborne 19m07s -More pretty things from Ryan Laukat 20m20s -Marco Polo voyages again 21m04s -Warhammer Underworlds (Shadespire, really) lives on 21m58s
We spare you the onomatopoeias this week, as our audio editing software cannot process the brightly-coloured spiky expostulations properly. Walker gets to backpedal at full speed this week, having previously declared his being done with both 1 vs. all games and games with tons of minis. So he surely wouldn't have any enthusiasm for this 1 vs. all minis-heavy game, would he? Could he?!
Na na na na na na na na Na na na na na na na na PLASTIC
AYURIS: GKR: Heavy Hitters 1m25s (Matt Hyra, Cryptozoic Entertainment, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: -Res Arcana 3m08s (Thomas Lehmann, Sand Castle Games, 2019) -Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress 6m56s (Jervis Johnson, Games Workshop, 2018) -Warpgate 9m38s (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2018) -Titans Tactics 12m37s (G. Kelly Toyama, Imbalanced Games, 2013) -Pax Renaissance 14m21s (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Sierra Madre Games, 2016) -For Sale 18m34s (Stefan Dorra, Uberplay, 1997)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Mensa? Do we care about Mensa? 19m26s -Renegade charms again with Bubble Tea 21m40s -Mega Vampires and Mega Werewolves 22m13s -More tile-laying from Reiner Knizia 23m19s
Here's the thing, at least as Mark understands it: acquired tastes are weird. Some things are great the first time. Furthermore, some things are easy and great the first time. Take chocolate, for example. Most people start out champs at eating chocolate. Mark tried to get good at something once, but he found out that requires effort. Who has time for ten thousand hours when there's elite-level candy consumption to be had? Walker on the other hand laments Mark's narrow little horizons.
AYURIS: Space Alert 2m59s (Vlaada Chvatil, CGE, 2008)
Games Played Last Week: -Warpgate 4m22s (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2018) -Caverna: The Cave Farmers 6m38s (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2013) -Codenames 8m10s (Vlaada Chvatil, CGE, 2015) -KeyForge: Call of the Archons 9m29s (Richard Garfield, Fantasy Flight, 2018) -Intrigue 10m06s (Stefan Dorra, AMIGO, 1994) -Combat Commander: Europe 14m13s (Chad Jensen, GMT, 2006) -Aristeia! 16m39s (Alberto Abal, Jesús Fuster, & David Rosillo, Corvus Belli, 2017) -Pax Renaissance 19m01s (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Sierra Madre Games, 2016)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Spread the Love Letter, spread the pain 21m59s -In Defiance of the glut of dungeon crawlers 22m58s -Conflick in the Neutral Zone, again 25m35s -Scramble for outrage in wargamer land 26m37s
Today is a telling day in the annals of SVWAG, especially with respect to Mark coming to terms with his own essential wrongness. He gets to partially repent for his tonal excesses with respect to the AYURIS; he gets to mull over painful loves lost in Billionaire Banshee; and he gets to realize that once again that while Walker cares deeply about people, he cares mostly about stuffing his face and listening to loud music. Things get real.
AYURIS: Champions of Midgard 1m47s (Ole Steiness, Grey Fox Games, 2015)
Games Played Last Week: -Die fiesen 7 4m03s (Jacques Zeimet, Drei Hasen in der Abendsonne, 2015) -Factory Funner 6m17s (Corné van Moorsel, Cwali, 2016) -Swordcrafters 7m15s (Ryan Lambert, Chris Neuman, & Adam Rehberg, Adam's Apple Games, 2018) -Formula D 8m48s (Laurent Lavaur & Eric Randall, Asmodee, 2008) -Billionaire Banshee 10m26s (Steven “Razlo” Bailey, Breaking Games, 2014) -Quadropolis 13m20s (François Gandon, Days of Wonder, 2016) -Vengeance 14m05s (Gordon Calleja, Mighty Boards, 2018) -Race for the Galaxy: The Brink of War 15m35s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2010)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Carnival Zombie 2nd ed. finally shambles out of development limbo 17m28s -Vicious, adorable creatures in Crumbs 19m03s -Golden Geek Awards voting over 20m24s -Bus reprint by Capstone 21m05s
HATE has landed, and you can't have it. CMON's dalliances with Kickstarter exclusives have been numerous, but now they have their first Kickstarter-exclusive game. We review it not to taunt you with things you can't acquire, but rather to give you the vicarious thrill of someone who can have everything. Let your imagination whisk you away to a universe that is all plastic cannibalistic hardcases!
AYURIS: Battlelore 2nd Edition 2m14s (Richard Borg & Robert A. Kouba, FFG, 2013)
Games Played Last Week: -Root 4m39s (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2018) -Gùgōng 6m37s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018) -Blood Rage 8m36s (Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2015) -Die fiesen 7 10m34s (Jacques Zeimet, Drei Hasen in der Abendsonne, 2015) -Calimala 11m33s (Fabio Lopiano, ADC Blackfire Entertainment GmbH, 2017) -Hansa Teutonica 13m11s (Andreas Steding, Argentum Verlag, 2010) -Amun-Re: The Card Game 13m54s (Reiner Knizia, Super Meeple, 2017) -Agricola 15m45s (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2007) -Hanabi 18m25s (Antoine Bauza, ABACUSSPIELE, 2010)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Bauza has sequels for Ghost Stories and Tokaido 20m21s -Asmodee will distribute CMON post-Kickstarter 21m37s -The OP lands Die Hard license 22m57s -Walker falls for Aquicorn Cove's stunning visuals 24m48s -...and for Fuji Koro 25m12s
Feature Game: HATE 25m50s (Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, Alexandru Olteanu, & Nicolas Raoult, CMON, 2019)
As my father is wont to say, "Accept credit, pass blame." Actually, no, I said that, and it's my father's fault that I forgot the correct attribution. Is that how that works? At any rate, we here at SVWAG are always happy to claim responsibility for all positive developments. When and if peace breaks out anywhere, we will assert it is our doing based merely on this aside. Such is the power of our episode notes and our self-aggrandizement!
AYURIS: The World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch 2m08s (Fel Barros, Christophe Madura, Alexandru Olteanu, David Rakoto, & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: -Barony 4m51s (Marc André, Matagot, 2015) -Millennium Blades 5m37s (D. Brad Talton, Level 99 Games, 2016) -Santorini 7m32s (Gord!, Roxley, 2016) -Space Base 8m37s (John D. Clair, AEG, 2018) -Scythe 11m43s (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2016 -Obsession 13m17s (Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games, 2018) -Caverna: The Forgotten Folk 16m20s (Uwe Rosenberg & Alex Wilber, Lookout Games, 2018) -Claustrophobia: 1642 (Croc & Laurent Pouchain, Monolith, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Mild Patreon Shilling 23m34s -Peace during the Age of Steam 24m09s -Dune is back. Insert reference here. 25m36s -Sneak Breakout preview 28m35s
Feature Game: XenoShyft: Onslaught 29m12s (Keren Philosophales & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015) and Dreadmire (Michael Shinall, CMON, 2017)
Topic: 1 vs. All vs. Coop vs. Semi-Coop vs. Vs. 53m54s
Currencies drive many things, perhaps most things. HATE is driven by a currency called Savagery, which I believe is floated on the international market and its exchange rate fluctuates daily. We here at So Very Wrong About Games fuel our episodes with Snark, which is pegged conveniently to the Canadian Dollar. As a consequence, when some of you might be tempted to correct Mark on the name of the 1987 Richard Halliwell design ("um, actually, it's Block Mania, not Block Panic"), you are only making them stronger.
AYURIS: Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire (David Sanders, Games Workshop, 2017) 1m54s
Games Played Last Week: -HATE 4m34s (Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, Alexandru Olteanu, & Nicolas Raoult, CMON, 2019) -Climb! 7m08s (Benoit Michaud, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2008) -Siege of the Citadel 9m32s (Richard Borg, Eric M. Lang, Jason Little, & Kevin Wilson, Modiphius Entertainment, 2019) -Goodcritters 11m45s (Fabian Zimmermann, Arcane Wonders, 2018) -Teotihuacan: City of Gods 14m43s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018) -Infinity 15m20s (Gutier Lusquiños Rodríguez, Corvus Belli, 2005) -Pax Pamir 17m25s (Phil Eklund & Cole Wehrle, Sierra Madre Games, 2015) -Obsession 21m35s (Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -The Talisman nightmare has started: Batman and Kingdom Hearts 25m34s -It, and I can't even 26m43s -Worst expansion title competition 27m30s -Judge Dredd enters the Wildlands 28m57s -Restoring Epic Duels 30m09s -Age of Steam boils over. Again. 31m49s
You do you, Walker always says, except he almost never does. Mark always says smoke 'em if you got 'em, despite his never uttering those words and frankly not knowing what they mean. He tried smoking once and didn't enjoy it. Why care about such petty things as truth or data when it feels consistent with a narrative you're peddling? Echoes of contemporary politics abound, as we ponder whether a game needs to be balanced so long as it tells a good tale.
AYURIS: Rising Sun (Eric Lang, CMON, 2018) 5m26s
Games Played Last Week: -Cerebria: The Inside World 8m57s (Richard Amann, Viktor Peter, István Pócsi, Frigyes Schőberl, Nick Shaw, & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2018) -Teotihuacan: City of Gods 11m22s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018) -Spirit Island 12m10s (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017) -Tajemnicze Domostwo/Mysterium 15m24s (Oleksandr Nevskiy & Oleg Sidorenko, Portal Games, 2013) -Millennium Blades 19m11s (D. Brad Talton Jr., Level 99 Games, 2016) -Shadowrift 21m11s (Jeremy Anderson, Game Salute, 2012) -Donning the Purple 24m54s (Petter Schanke Olsen, Tompet Games, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Hanabi deluxe blows up again 27m32s -Dice Forge rebels 28m45s -Capstone gauges Winsome's Irish Gauge 29m09s -Sailor Moon deceives...? 31m00s -White Goblin will Yoko no mo 32m04s
Feature Game: A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians 33m37s (Gernot Köpke & Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2018)
The Peter Principle observes that people tend to get promoted to their level of incompetence. Namely if someone does a job well, they'll be promoted, until such time as they cease doing a job well and persist at that level of ineptitude. We mention this not because it accurately describes the arc of Mark's life both professionally and personally--which, let's face it, it does--but rather because we have decided to promote the AYURIS from off-hand remark into Full Fledged Segment (AYURIS, FFS [tm]). Time stamp and everything! If it does well, it'll get it's own podcast; if it does poorly, all hail the Peter Principle.
AYURIS: 51st State: Master Set (Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal, 2016) 1m31s
Games Played Last Week: -Kingdom Death: Monster 5m28s (Adam Poots, Kingdom Death, 2015) -Reykholt 9m02s (Uwe Rosenberg, Frosted Games, 2018) -Bargain Hunter 15m35s (Uwe Rosenberg, Valley Games, 1998) -Meltwater: A Game of Tactical Starvation 17m34s (Erin Lee Escobedo, Hollandspiele, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -The Orville Clix 19m34s -Samuel Bailey's Stars a little less Forbidden 19m59s -Samuel Bailey digs Deep 21m17s -Rooting around for more factions 22m22s -KeyForging on 22m46s -Being on the same Wavelength 23m14s -Even deeper Descent 24m31s -Rushing into the Kingdom of boardgames of apps 25m19s
Feature Game: Cerebria: The Inside World 25m58s (Richard Amann, Viktor Peter, István Pócsi, Frigyes Schőberl, Nick Shaw, & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2018)
Sometimes categories are useful taxonomical tools, and sometimes they are so blunt as to be confusing and unhelpful. What gets parsed as "worker placement" can get downright murky at times. To Walker, though, the world is clear and simple. Tolstoy tells us that "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Walker has a modified view--all fun games are fun and thus good and interchangeable, and all unfun games are bad and thus the same. It's a good thing he's not a critic or anything.
Games Played Last Week: -Welcome to... 3m47s (Benoit Turpin, Blue Cocker Games, 2018) -A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians 6m19s (Gernot Köpke & Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2018) -Architects of the West Kingdom 9m55s (Shem Phillips & S. J. Macdonald, Garphill Games, 2018) -Byzantium 16m06s (Martin Wallace, Warfrog, 2005)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Sushi Go Rolls on 20m13s -New Quest for El Dorado? Expansion? Hybrid? 21m21s -Scotland Yard: Now with dice, uncertain haberdashery 22m25s -Who wants to license Talisman? 22m59s -Ignorance is Bliss 24m36s -Time for more T.I.M.E. Stories 24m55s
Just as we are told that it's always five o'clock somewhere, we can be assured that Mark and Walker are always wrong somewhere. Time marches inexorably forward, and we mark that passage of time by checking in with the much-loved Quartermaster General series. Mark would happily tell you that time is nothing more and nothing less than a priori intuition, which when internalized allows us to ground the science of mathematics--and then Walker would rightfully point out that it's time for Mark to shut up.
Games Played Last Week: -Menara 3m01s (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Spiele, 2018) -Massive Darkness 5m18s (Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien & Nicolas Raoult, CMON, 2017) -Sentinels of the Multiverse 8m13s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater than Games, 2011) -Millennium Blades 10m20s (D. Brad Talton, Jr., Level 99 Games, 2016) -Kitchen Rush 12m17s (Vangelis Bagiartakis & Dávid Turczi, Artipia, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Quartermaster General (WWII) re-(quarter)mastered 15m22s -alea games joins a euro publishing revival 16m12s -Mystic Vale Steams up 17m27s -Plan B Games in a new Era from Matt Leacock 18m39s -Role-play as a Sentinel of the Multiverse 20m23s
Feature Game: Quartermaster General: The Cold War 22m11s (Ian Brody, PSC Games, 2018)
Sometimes our hosts can't quite understand what the situation demands of them. Walker has been known to approach thoughtful, deliberative games with the oft-repeated demand of "when do I get to shoot LEMME SHOOT." Mark tends to greet new acquaintances with profanity-laden assaults on their life choices, hygiene, and character. These traits perhaps serve to explain how they find themselves in the social circles that they do.
Games Played Last Week: -The Quacks of Quedlingburg 2m37s (Wolfgang Warsch, North Star Games, 2018) -Brass: Birmingham 5m18s (Gavan Brown, Matt Tolman, & Martin Wallace, Roxley, 2018) -In the Shadow of the Emperor 8m29s (Ralf Burkert, Rio Grande Games, 2004) -Kemet: Seth 11m09s (Jacques Bariot & Guillaume Montiage, Matagot, 2018) -Gaslands 15m39s (Glenn Ford & Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2017)
News (and why it doesn't matter) -Portal 2019: Roll & write, Neuroshima Hex! 16m58s -Restoring Conspiracy 17m50s -Build with ice (the Canadian currency) in Tuki 19m19s -Mark takes credit for Iwari 20m05s -New pain to Discover 21m52s -Rooting for new factions in Root 22m37s -Jim Henson's Labyrinth gets proportionally less Bowie 23m02s -How many Odysseys? Want 1001 of them? 23m58s
Feature Game: Talon 26m11s (Jim Krohn, GMT, 2016) and Talon 1000 (Jim Krohn, GMT, 2018)
Anmelden
