The unofficial motto of SVWAG has always been, "stop trying to make fetch happen." Similarly, you can't just make up words out of thin air--it's not like they're holidays or anything that can be conjured ex nihilo (Happy Arkhipov Day!). What's an Arnak, anyway? Can you lose ruins of something that never existed? I suppose a fantasy is a good pretext to give us an arm's length distance from generations of pith-decked looters and graverobbers. Relatedly, Walker desperately wants to coin the term "Azteckian," but Mark's not having it.
Games Played Last Week: 01:32 -Quantum (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013) 04:15 -Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game (Seiji Kanai & Alexander Ortloff, Zman Games, 2020) 07:34 -BattleCON: Unleashed (D. Brad Talton, Level 99 Games, 2020) 12:52 -Sakura Arms (BakaFire, AEG, 2017) 15:05 -Race for the Galaxy: The Brink of War (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2010) 16:52 -Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers (Klaus-Jürgen Wrede & Bernd Brunnhofer, Hans im Glück, 2002) 18:27 -Alhambra (Dirk Henn, Queen Games, 2003) 20:12 -Pavlov's House (David Thompson, Dan Verssen Games, 2018) 27:17 -Luxor (Rudiger Dorn, Queen Games, 2018) 29:25 -Quetzal (Alexandre Garcia, Gigamic, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 32:24 Descent: Legends of the Dark 34:28 Dragonlance digression 36:38 More Knizia from Grail Games 37:59 Too many Kickstarters! Yedo, Freedom Five, Frostpunk, Darkest Dungeon, Grand Austria Hotel, Crash Octopus, Kabuto Sumo, Sakura Arms 38:51 Arkhipov Day: Ocotber 27th
39:01 Feature Game: Lost Ruins of Arnak (Elwen & Mín, CGE, 2020)
In honour of Arkhipov Day (October 27th--he saved your life or that of your forebears, he deserves a day), we turn to reflections of how games model war. Even themeless euros often include war as a convenient backdrop for the processing of cubes, so it is hardly restricted to one genre of gaming or another. That said, gaming is not unique--pretty much any medium can boast of a plethora of war narratives.
01:17 AYURIS: HATE (Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, Alexandru Olteanu, & Nicolas Raoult, CMON, 2019)
Games Played Last Week: 04:41 -Darkest Night (Second Edition) (Jeremy Lennert, Victory Point Games, 2018) 10:40 -Quantum (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013) 14:58 -7 Wonders Duel (Antoine Bauza & Bruno Cathala, Repos Production, 2015) 15:58 -Lucky Numbers (Michael Schacht, Ravensburger, 2012) 16:47 -Keyflower (Sebastian Bleasdale & Richard Breese, R&D Games, 2012) 17:03 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 17:58 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG, 2020) 22:27 -Black Rose Wars (Marco Montanaro, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2019) 28:05 -Horizon Wars: Zero Dark (Robey Jenkins, Self-published, 2020) 31:53 -Underwater Cities (Vladimír Suchý, Rio Grande Games, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 39:35 Finishing Time not ready for prime time 41:32 Patreon: sign up for a year and get two months free 42:24 October 27th is Arkhipov Day
I never knew a kid who had any kind of fort. In grade school I heard of a kid who could form Voltron, but that may have been an extravagant lie. My mom's friend's kids had a Sega Genesis, and that was pretty rad. I keep acquiring more games in the vain hope that it will make me popular, but it hasn't worked yet. Maybe one or two more Street Masters expansions will do the trick. I am told to be popular you have to wash your hair at least once every two weeks.
Games Played Last Week: 02:21 -Black Rose Wars (Marco Montanaro, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2019) 14:07 -ELO Darkness (Tommaso Mondadori & Alberto Parisi, Reggie Games, 2018) 17:33 -Sakura Arms (Baka Fire, AEG, 2017) 20:23 -Wits & Wagers (Dominic Crapuchettes, North Star Games, 2005) 22:06 -Too Many Bones (Adam & Josh Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2017) 27:43 -Nanga Parbat (Steve Finn, Dr. Finn's Games, 2021) 30:17 -Scythe (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2016) 32:19 -Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization (Vlaada Chvátil, CGE, 2015) 34:59 -A Feast for Odin (Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2016) 37:09 -Pandoria (Jeffrey D. Allers & Bernd Eisenstein, Irongames, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 39:42 Street Masters: Tide of the Dragon on Indiegogo 41:03 Core Worlds: Empires and new solo mode 42:38 Neuroshima Hex! 3.0: Troglodytes jumping the shark? 44:11 Horseless Carriage from Splotter 44:45 Does Mega-Gargant mean nothing?!? 46:06 October 27th is Arkhipov Day
46:52 Feature Game: Fort (Grant Rodiek, Leder Games, 2020)
The mere framing of a question can subtly or overtly determine the answer. There's an old joke about a monk who asks his superior, "Can I smoke while I meditate?" He is told no, as that would be sullying an act that is meant to be free from worldly concerns. The clever monk decides instead to ask another superior, "While I smoke, can I meditate?" So it is with boardgames! Framing can have tremendous consequences.
01:55 AYURIS: XenoShyft: Onslaught (Keren Philosophales & Michael Shinall, CMON, 2015) and Dreadmire (Michael Shinall, CMON, 2017)
Games Played Last Week: 04:35 -Assault on Doomrock: Doompocalypse (Christopher Niewiadomski & Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster Games, 2017) 06:47 -Alma Mater (Acchittocca, Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Stefano Luperto, & Antonio Tinto, eggertspiele, 2020) 11:50 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 15:13 -Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2019) 17:36 -Inhuman Conditions (Tommy Maranges & Cory O'Brien, Web published, 2018) 23:43 -First Class (Helmut Ohley, Hans im Gluck, 2016) 26:35 -Argent: Summer Break (Trey Chambers, Level 99 Games, 2014) 35:55 -On the Edge (John Nephew & Johnathan Tweet, Atlas Games, 1994)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 40:23 Sakura Arms from Level 99 Games 42:27 Armada by Mantic 43:27 Groundhog Day by Prospero Hall 44:10 Renegade and Hasbro monetize your childhood: G.I. Joe, Transformers, and My Little Pony 44:53 Nerd Alert: First Monday in October
Social standards of behaviour are often subtle and variable, but we can all agree that children are often blind to their subtle nuances. Like, don't be a massive jerk--that's one of those tricky nuances that often escape the notice of your average child, what with many of them being borderline sociopaths kept in check only by their relative powerlessness and incompetence. Then again, perhaps Mark is the sociopath for not being able to tolerate the annoyances of child behaviour. Then again, perhaps both are true, and Mark is merely a giant, sociopathic man-baby. All that said, no human deserves to be subjected to Monopoly.
Games Played Last Week: 01:20 -Monopoly (Charles Darrow & Elizabeth J. Magie Phillips, Hasbro, 1933) 06:55 -Pendulum (Travis P Jones, Stonemaier Games, 2020) 16:53 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 17:48 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 19:35 -Flick ‘Em Up: Dead of Winter (Gaëtan Beaujannot, Jonathan Gilmour, Jean Yves Monpertuis, & Isaac Vega, Pretzel Games, 2017) 21:51 -Cthulhu Wars (Sandy Petersen & Lincoln Petersen, Petersen Games, 2015) 24:25 -Pandoria (Jeffrey D. Allers & Bernd Eisenstein, Irongames, 2018) 28:06 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 30:48 HeroQuest, and much history of Hasbro 38:14 Quartermaster General: Total War expansion 38:42 The Last of Us 39:55 GMT makes good on recent errata 40:49 Grand Austria Hotel gets grander? 41:21 For Sale expansion and Autorama 43:14 Dragonland reprint
Hwaet! The second installment of our much-ignored segment, SVWAG Poetry Corner, takes a turn for the epic. First we did haiku, and now we discuss Old English epic poetry. Sure the noble limerick can't be far behind? We also discuss the most excellent lifestyle habits of our new idol, Kane Tanaka, who seems to be living her best life on her own terms. You go, Kane Tanaka! Rip off some monster's arm or something.
Games Played Last Week: 02:27 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG Games, 2020) 03:36 -Bärenpark (Phil Walker-Harding, Lookout, 2017) 05:08 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 06:16 -Forgotten Waters (Mr. Bistro, J. Arthur Ellis, & Isaac Vega, Plaid Hat Games, 2020) 12:54 -Sorcerer (Peter Scholtz, White Wizard Games, 2019) 15:50 -Cerebria: The Inside World (Richard Amann, & Viktor Peter, Mindclash Games, 2018) 18:24 -Alma Mater (Acchittocca, Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Stefano Luperto, & Antonio Tinto, eggertspiele, 2020) 23:11 -Reykholt (Uwe Rosenberg, Frosted Games, 2018) 24:08 -Anachrony (Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2017) 28:18 -Europe Divided (Chris Marling & David Thompson, PHALANX, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:38 More Street Masters and more Aftershock woes 33:37 Tobago gets a volcano 34:56 Do board games make you immortal? The story of Kane Tanaka 36:23 Zoch goodness: Kurtz vor Knapp
Our cup runneth over, if the cup in question is being filled by tiles laid there by Reiner Knizia. Three Knizia tile-laying games were sampled by SVWAG, which of course made it a good week. One feels that if someone proposed a topic of "Reiner Knizia tile-laying games", the appropriate editorial response would be "narrow the scope, please."
Games Played Last Week: 01:12 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 02:27 -Mariposas (Elizabeth Hargrave, AEG, 2020) 07:07 -Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun (Daniele Tascini & Dávid Turczi, Board&Dice, 2020) 14:37 -Carolus Magnus (Leo Colovini, Rio Grande, 2000) 20:04 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 21:48 -Indigo (Reiner Knizia, Ravensburger, 2012) 25:27 -Starlink (Markus Slawitscheck & Arno Steinwender, Blue Orange Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 29:36 The possible returns of things called HeroQuest and Avalon Hill 31:17 Dungeon Fighter returns 32:26 Ludonova: Sumatra by Knizia and Polynesia by Peer Sylvester 33:36 Where's Waldo the Murderer? MicroMacro: Crime City https://www.micromacro-game.com/en/index.html 36:07 Roll and write claims another victim--Troyes: Dice 36:38 Our Patreon: Boss us around! Exclusive content! Get games! etc.
In remembrance of things past, we bite hard into the madeleine that is large player count gaming. The recollection of not being sequestered into small basements, where... actually, scratch that, we were often in basements in the Before Times. At least I think so. Time is now an illusion.
01:57 AYURIS: A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians (Gernot Köpke & Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: 03:44 -Time of Legends: Joan of Arc (Pascal Bernard, Mythic Games, 2019) 11:32 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 12:32 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 13:19 -Thor (Reiner Knizia, Heidelberger Spieleverlag, 2002) 16:42 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG, 2020) 19:45 -Small Islands (Alexis Allard, MushrooM Games, 2018) 22:04 -Iwari: Deluxe Edition (Michael Schacht, ThunderGryph Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 28:20 Moar Assault on Doomrock? Maybe! 29:49 Satire no more: Dinosaur "Rawr 'n Write" from Pandasaurus 30:29 Neuroshima Hex! limited edition big box 34:03 "Borrowed" intellectual property: Fire Emblem and Anna's Roundtable
"Cosmic Frog: World Eaters from Dimension Zero--A Game of Strategic Gluttony." I mean, what could I or anyone else possibly say that could add to that?
Games Played Last Week: 01:46 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 03:34 -Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2019) 07:19 -Castle Itter (David Thompson, DVG, 2019) 12:44 -Kingdom Builder (Donald X. Vaccarino, Queen Games, 2011) 14:24 -Las Vegas Royale (Rudiger Dorn, alea, 2019) 16:40 -Barrage: The Leeghwater Project (Tommaso Battista & Simone Luciani, Cranio Creations, 2019) 22:17 -My City (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2020) 25:46 -For What Remains (Paul Low, David Thompson, & Ricardo Manuel Luis Tomas, DVG, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 32:17 Riot Games' Tellstones 34:48 Meeple Towers (sadly not dexterity) 35:59 More Civ-as-card-game: Imperium 36:54 BGG covering digital gaming again, and Neuroshima: Convoy 37:32 Eric Lang leaving CMON to become freelance again
I mean, maybe, possibly, hopefully, with luck, theoretically, given the right group, hypothetically, in time, conceivably, eventually, if I push hard enough, imaginably, as a favour, I could imagine, someday, perchance, play this again. Weather permitting.
01:36 AYURIS: Cerebria: The Inside World (Richard Amann, Viktor Peter, István Pócsi, Frigyes Schőberl, Nick Shaw, & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: 04:34 -Istanbul (Rudiger Dorn, Pegasus Spiele, 2014) 06:06 -Blue Moon (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2004) 09:23 -Saint Petersburg (Bernd Brunnhofer, Hans im Glück, 2004) 12:08 -Spirit Island: Jagged Earth (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2020) 16:52 -Undaunted: North Africa (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2020) 23:17 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 25:10 -Rome & Roll (Nick Shaw & Dávid Turczi, PSC Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 34:30 Lookout for more Uwe Rosenberg: Hallertau 35:15 More Stories for Orleans 35:39 Multiple He-Mans? Hes-Men? Archon and CMON 37:35 David Thompson's Switch and Signal 38:21 Dinosaur World 39:00 Root digital
Old conflicts are put to bed, taxonomies are shelved, and instead we take refuge in sweeping declarations. Walker focuses on the ad hominem, trying to dissuade people from game design because they are insufficiently hardcore; Mark focuses on games, declaring that you can't base games on random spat out tiles. Nuance is for the weak, and qualifications are for those lacking character. Mostly.
Games Played Last Week: 02:04 -Too Many Bones: Dart (Adam Carlson & Josh J. Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2020) 06:28 -Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, CGE, 2012) 09:19 -Russian Railroads (Helmut Ohley & Leanhard "Lonny" Orgler, Hans im Gluck, 2013) 13:23 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 1998) 16:36 -The Fox in the Forest Duet (Foxtrot Games, Renegade Game Studios, 2020) 18:13 -Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2019) 20:44 -Terraforming Mars (Jacob Fryxelius, Stronghold, 2016) 21:37 -Cthulhu: Death May Die (Rob Daviau & Eric Lang, CMON, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 25:09 The Princess Bride Adventure Book Game 26:26 Capstone's Iron Rails: Iberian Gauge 27:35 Feld's Castles of Tuscany 28:32 Pfister's CloudAge 29:17 Another Teotihuacan expansion 30:00 Correction: Plaid Hat still owns Ashes 30:22 Sniper Elite 31:12 Walker complains about the Board Game Design Starter Kit 32:39 Mark loves the USPS
34:14 Feature Game: Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy (Touko Tahkokallio, Lautapelit.fl, 2020)
We take a break from heady issues this week; so we instead touch on what constitutes a trick, what friends are good for, and colonialism. You know, light discussion.
Games Played Last Week: 04:09 -Fort (Grant Rodiek, Leder Games, 2020) 09:15 -Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2021) 12:09 -The Voyages of Marco Polo (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015) 13:16 -Endeavor: Age of Expansion (Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2020) 15:51 -Turn the Tide (Stefan Dorra, AMIGO, 1997) 20:22 -6 nimmt! (Wolfgang Kramer, AMIGO, 1994) 21:45 -Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017) 23:45 -Yokohama (Hisashi Hayashi, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2016) 25:42 -Sonora (Rob Newton, Pandasaurus Games, 2020) 28:36 -Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy (Touko Tahkokallio, Lautapelit.fi, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 29:12 Dune: Imperium 30:24 "Everyone's waiting for Tidal Blades" 31:25 More Assault on Doomrock, but only in Polish 32:44 Yet another edition of Blood Bowl, no more Guild Ball 35:02 Gods Love Dinosaurs (as do everyone else) 36:04 Ashes: Reborn [Editor's note: Plaid Hat has not sold Ashes to Team Covenant; the latter will merely be handling the distribution. We apologize for the error.] 37:10 Topic: Restrictive Player Counts
"Put down your chainsaw and listen to me It's time for us to join in the fight It's time to let your babies grow up to be cowboys It's time to let the bedbugs bite ... Talk with your mouth full Bite the hand that feeds you Bite on more than you chew What can you do Dare to be stupid"
-"Weird Al" Yankovic, noted Lovecraft scholar, "Dare to Be Stupid"
Games Played Last Week: 01:07 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Marco Portugal, & Sotirios Tsantilas, CMON, 2020) 03:57 -Imperial Struggle (Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews, GMT Games, 2020) 08:38 -Downforce (Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, & Wolfgang Kramer, Restoration Games, 2017) 12:03 -Albedo: Yggdrasil (Kai Herbertz, Herbertz Entertainment UG, 2019) 16:25 -Off the Rails (Andrew Platt & Stuart Platt, Rotten Games, 2018) 18:34 -Planet Apocalypse (Sandy Petersen, Sandy Petersen Games, 2020) 23:54 -Madeira (Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade, What's Your Game?, 2013) 26:30 -Gaslands: Refuelled (Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:27 FFG News... except not 32:05 Mythic Games' Darkest Dungeon 32:46 Mythic will do right by its Reichbusters backers? 34:21 TI4: Prophecy of Kings 35:20 X-Men: Mutant Insurrection 36:43 Dire Alliance from Blacklist Games 38:23 Santorini: New York 39:00 Knizia's Tutankhamun 39:15 Street Masters Digital 40:40 All the Games You Like Are Bad is back. Sorry.
41:12 Feature Game: Cthulhu: Death May Die (Rob Daviau & Eric Lang, CMON, 2019)
Walker is a force of nature, a pent-up human-shaped mass of pure rage. The only outlet that can sate his furious destructive impulses is the ecstasy of the uninhibited flick--the catharsis of venting all of his power on a disc and then watching it careen around the board (then off the table, off someone's skull, off the floor, under the bookshelf, and then embedded in the drywall). He ten thunders with laughter, even as Huey informs him he missed his target and Dewey calls an ambulance. Is it a wonder, then, that Mark favours flicking games that encourage a modicum of restraint?
01:18 AYURIS: Quartermaster General: The Cold War (Ian Brody, PSC Games, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: 03:00 -Menara: Rituals and Ruins (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Verlag, 2019) 08:08 -Rangers of Shadow Deep (Joseph McCullough, Self-published, 2019) 10:20 -Alone (Andrea Crespi & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2018) 15:48 -Pax Renaissance 2nd Edition (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Ion Game Design, 2020) 18:06 -Albedo (Kai Herbertz, Herbertz Entertainment UG, 2017) 23:08 -FlickFleet (Jackson Pope & Paul Wilcox, Eurydice Games, 2018) 25:33 -Blitzkrieg!: Nippon Expansion (Paolo Mori, PSC Games, 2019) 29:33 -Qwixx (Steffen Benndorf, Gamewright, 2012)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:13 The team behind Wavelength gives us Fuzzies 32:25 Everyone can relax: Steven Universe Beach-a-Palooza funded 33:48 Mobile painting studio for the post-plague world 35:08 Return of All the Games You Like Are Bad: video reviews to follow
“The game which our enemies have laid before us is, in so far as the French dictated it, is a monument of pathological fear and pathological hatred; and in so far as the Anglo-Saxons dictated it, it is the work of a capitalistic policy of the most brutal and cleverest kind.” –A deliberate misquote of Count von Brockdorff-Rantzau reviewing Versailles 1919
Games Played Last Week: 01:40 -Nippon (Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade, What's Your Game?, 2015) 05:24 -Space Cadets: Away Missions (Dan Raspler & Al Rose, Stronghold, 2015) 09:10 -Sonora (Rob Newton, Pandasaurus Games, 2020) 14:51 -Godzilla: Tokyo Clash (Prospero Hall, Funko Games, 2020) 19:41 -Flaming Pyramids (Norbert Abel, Cheeky Parrot Games, 2018) 21:27 -FlickFleet (Jackson Pope & Paul Wilcox, Eurydice Games, 2018) 23:17 -Can't Stop (Sid Sackson, Parker Brothers, 1980) 24:24 -Alone (Andrea Crespi & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2018)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:00 Spiel des Jahres (Pictures) and Kennerspiel des Jahres (The Crew) winners 32:06 Daimyo: Rebirth of an Empire by laboitedejeu 33:03 Steven Universe: Beach-a-Palooza is in trouble? 35:30 Walker watches Pendulum 36:15 Spielworxx's Die Macher on BGG Store
Walker feels he has missed his calling, and tries out his tight five as an insult comic this week. He directs his barbs at the typical targets--Mark, board game covers, games no one asked for, Mark, media he finds unengaging, and Mark. The latter (and former) does his level best at being supportive in the classic tradition of Ed McMahon, but one remembers why Don Rickles and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog are solo acts.
02:03 AYURIS: Talon (Jim Krohn, GMT, 2016) and Talon 1000 (Jim Krohn, GMT, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: 03:45 -The Voyages of Marco Polo (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015) 06:20 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 07:29 -Versailles 1919 (Geoff Engelstein & Mark Herman, GMT Games, 2020) 16:10 -The Taverns of Tiefenthal (Wolfgang Warsch, Schmidt Spiel, 2019) 17:38 -Cosmic Frog (Jim Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2020) 21:02 -Reichbusters: Project Vril (Jake Thornton, Mythic Games, 2020) 26:20 -That's Pretty Clever (Wolfgang Warsch, Schmidt Spiele, 2018) 30:04 -The Hunted: Twilight of the U-Boats, 1943-1945 (Gregory M. Smith, GMT Games, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 36:14 Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps at last?! 37:20 Dim possibility of Descent Third Edition? 39:50 Not Alone expands on Kickstarter 40:26 Tammany Hall reprint 41:03 Rita Modl and King of 12 42:04 Mindclash's Perserverence: Castaway Chronicles 43:39 Catapult Kingdoms 43:48 Walker dunks on Escape the Night
45:41 Topic: I'm 90% Sure: Rules you Forget or Ignore
"From the discovery of New France to the 1981 Referendum, all of Quebec history is based on a single fallacy: that the British actually wanted to own Quebec. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The British already had a surplus of colonies in the sunny Caribbean and took little interest in the Canadian icebox later dismissed by Voltaire as nothing more than 'quelques arpents de neige'... In 1759, with war raging everywhere between France and England, the British knew if would look suspicious if they didn't engage the French in North America. They placed the expedition in the hands of a thirty-two-year-old, inexperienced general, James Wolfe, and gave him strict orders: 'Put up a good fight... but lose.' Wolfe devised a clever theatrical strategy. He would choose an impossible attack-route: Arriving by boat on the St. Lawrence river then scaling the unassailable walls of the fortress of Quebec, thus guaranteeing defeat and dumping Quebec with France for good. But Wolfe's glorious defeat was snapped from the jaws of victory by Montcalm who brilliantly out-manoeuvred Wolfe and surrendered--a stroke of genius that got the colony off France's hands once and for all." -Nick Auf der Mar, "La Petite Histoire du Québec (Version Anglaise)"
Games Played Last Week: 01:09 -SEAL Team Flix (Pete Ruth & Mark Thomas, WizKids, 2018) 02:37 -Teotihuacan: City of Gods (Daniele Tascini & Dávid Turczi, NSKN Games, 2018) 04:04 -Yokohama (Hisashi Hayashi, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2016) 04:48 -Sprawlopolis (Steven Aramini, Danny Devine, & Paul Kluka, Button Shy, 2018) 08:26 -Mezo (John Clowdus, Kolossal Games, 2019) 13:25 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 15:02 -Qwixx (Steffen Benndorf, Gamewright, 2012) 16:41 -That's Pretty Clever (Wolfgang Warsch, Schmidt Spiele, 2018) 17:30 -Coloretto (Michael Schacht, ABACUSSPIELE, 2003) 19:32 -Orléans: Invasion (Inka Brand, Markus Brand, & Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2015) 20:59 -Scythe (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2016)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 25:55 Expansion to Twilight Imperium 4th ed. 26:44 Pandemic Legacy Season 0 27:20 Undaunted: Reinforcements 28:39 DeepMind: An AI for Diplomacy? 29:35 Lord of the Rings: Anniversary Edition 31:01 Steven Universe Beach-a-Palooza on Kickstarter July 14th 31:29 Pendulum by Stonemaier 31:39 Lost Ruins of Arnak by CGE 31:59 Documentary: Gamemaster
We return, ill-advisedly, to the heavily-mined waters of classification and taxonomy. Mark will put up with it because of his love of Mac Gerdts, and Walker will put up with it because he gets to troll Mark with contrived classifications.
Editorial standards are constantly evolving here at SVWAG, and they lately proceed largely from Walker's unilateral declarations. Things get to be pronounced however he wills them. Prior utterances by anyone are rendered immediately obsolete if and when he deigns to acknowledge something. Comparisons are now his exclusive purview. Walker has spoken.
Games Played Last Week: 01:52 -Hour of Need (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2020) 04:21 -Inhuman Conditions (Tommy Maranges & Cory O'Brien, Web published, 2018) 08:59 -Crazy Tower: Contruction/Sabotage (Alexis Harvey, Félix Leblanc, Manuel-Lucas Bergeron Duhamel, & Mathieu Auger, Synapses Games, 2020) 12:15 -Fantastic Factories (Joseph Z Chen & Justin Faulkner, Metafactory Games, 2019) 14:51 -Fuji Koro: Deluxe (Jerome Demeyere, Game Brewer, 2020) 17:04 -Flick Wars (Shaun Austin & Andrew Tullsen, Breaking Games, 2019) 20:59 -Big City: 20th Anniversary Jumbo Edition! (Franz-Benno Delonge, Mercury Games, 2019)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 24:52 Pipeline 2P? Curious Cargo 25:31 Pandemic: Hot Zone PnP 26:28 Starfinder pre-painted minis 27:09 Gloomhaven hits Target 28:33 Sonora: "Flick and Write", again 29:41 More Battleground: Fantasy Warfare 31:13 Games are political: ConsimWorld's myopia [NB: An earlier version of this episode falsely claimed that Cool Mini or Not has been silent on Black Lives Matter. CMON issued a statement of support on June 5th, 2020. We apologize sincerely for the error.]
Change is exactly like a starving polar bear, in that it is a frightening beast that will bite your face off. Despite that, we have changed the format of our episode notes in a startling act of courage. That said, as Robert Browning wrote, "One taste of the old time sets all to rights." It is in that spirit that we began, with the blessing of the Government of Ontario's health guidelines, to actually play games in meatspace again. We express our sincere condolences to those unfortunates living in situations where that is not safely feasible.
03:22 AYURIS: New Frontiers (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande, 2018)
Games Played Last Week: 05:17 -Street Masters (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2018) 10:47 -Monolith Arena (Michał Oracz, Portal Games, 2018) 14:05 -Tank Duel: Enemy in the Crosshairs (Mike Bertucelli, GMT Games, 2019) 17:34 -Flick Wars (Shaun Austin & Andrew Tullsen, Breaking Games, 2019) 22:23 -Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017) 24:45 -Hyperborea (Andrea Chiarvesio & Pierluca Zizzi, Asterion, 2014) 26:49 -Asgard’s Chosen (Morgan Dontanville, Mayfair Games, 2013) 29:16 -Fuji Koro: Deluxe (Jerome Demeyere, Game Brewer, 2020)
News (and why it doesn't matter): 37:33 Biblios Roll & Write 37:53 Freedom Five: More Sentinels 39:19 Monumental Cost 40:00 Charles S. Roberts Wargame Awards 40:45 Domination
Anmelden
