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Not perturbed by Kellen’s trip to Germany, we’re all daydreaming about the motherlode of board game conventions, Essen SPIEL. There’s a lot of games coming to the show, and because we’re not going, and presumably you aren’t either, we’ll just tell you what’s going to be there instead! The good stuff, anyway. Before we Germinate, we talk about Calimala, Tír na nÓg, and Typewriter.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

02:42 – Calimala
09:42 – Tír na nÓg
16:15 – Typewriter
26:15 – Essen SPIEL 2025 Preview
28:49 – Mission: Red Planet (Third Edition)
31:18 – The Other Side of the Hill
33:29 – Severton
36:12 – Harvest Valley
38:11 – Pulitzer
39:26 – Echoes of Time
41:14 – Oopsie
42:55 – Feya’s Swamp
43:46 – Baghdad: The City of Peace
45:25 – Ghost Lift
48:07 – Coming of Age
49:33 – The Presence
51:50 – Carnival of Sins
53:37 – The Republic of Rome: Remastered
55:22 – Theocratia

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #345 – Essen SPIEL 2025 Hype List appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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Dreaded continuity! We’re following up Episode 41 from seven years ago about the games that started our love for board games! After those first loves, what really got our hearts aflutter with the joy that the hobby had to offer? Before we yearn, we talk about Der Fliegende Holländer, and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

02:52 – Der Fliegende Holländer
16:03 – The Hobbit: There and Back Again
27:14 – The games that made us
29:11 – Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
32:54 – Mage Knight Board Game
36:33 – Francis Drake
39:33 – Two Rooms and a Boom
42:44 – Survive: Escape from Atlantis!
46:46 – Grand Austria Hotel
49:53 – Dead Last
55:26 – Rising Sun

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #344 – … But the Second Leaves a Mark appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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The draft’s back! This time it’s card games, and we’re picking the best of what ought to be a staple of any good collection. We love card games, we love drafting games, and you love winning money, so be sure to vote for whoever you think drafted the best set, and you could win a $100 gift card! Before deal everyone in, we talk about Money!, Venture, and Fishing.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

03:02 – Money!
12:43 – Venture
20:27 – Fishing
28:39 – Card Games Draft 
31:15 – Innovation
32:38 – Race for the Galaxy
34:20 – Hanabi
35:27 – Marvel Champions: The Card Game
36:21 – Dominion
37:47 – SCOUT
39:28 – Glory to Rome
40:58 – The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
41:50 – Arboretum
42:12 – Lost Cities
42:57 – Bohnanza
43:57 – Tichu
45:06 – Skull King
47:00 – Res Arcana
48:07 – That’s Not a Hat

Vote for your favorite list and have a chance to win a $100 gift certificate at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/draft

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #343 – Fantasy Draft: Card Games appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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There’s any number of subtle innuendoes we could’ve gone with, but this is what we’re doing I guess. If you haven’t got there yet, we’re talking about games that aren’t just slow rides, but instead leave you gasping for more right as they climax. Before we finish, we talk about No Loose Ends, Eselsbrücke, and The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

01:24 – No Loose Ends
09:08 – Eselsbrücke
19:33 – The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
33:52 – Comings and Goings
37:44 – Games that finish strong
40:17 – Agricola
40:44 – Splendor
41:14 – The Voyages of Marco Polo
44:03 – Terraforming Mars
45:28 – Blood on the Clocktower
46:57 – Innovation
47:49 – Rumble Nation
49:50 – Moon Colony Bloodbath
52:12 – Dominion

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #342 – Oops! All Foreplay appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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One, two, three, four, five, everybody in the car so come on let’s ride … to the mailbag! We’re answering your pressing questions – and oh how they press – about all manner of things: Crowdfunding ads! Narrative games! Getting jaded about board games! You wrote in because you had to know what we thought, and who are we to say no. Before we get covered in papercuts, we talk about Wheedle, Dune: War for Arrakis, and Transgalactica.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

02:05 – Wheedle
09:31 – Dune: War for Arrakis
19:52 – Transgalactica
34:00 – Mailbag
34:39 – Kickstarter red and green flags?
43:36 – Narrative in board games?
51:23 – Do we get jaded?

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #341 – A Little Bit of Mailbag appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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Are board games best played multiplayer? Who can say, but whether it’s because you can’t get people together at the appropriate time, or you’re just itching to play something on your lonesome, there’s a burgeoning scene of solo games out there waiting to be played, and we’re going to talk about them. Well, some of us are, anyway. Before we go it alone, we talk about Hunted: Kobayashi Tower, Corps of Discovery, and Senji.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

01:56 – Hunted: Kobayashi Tower
12:51 – Corps of Discovery: A Game Set in the World of Manifest Destiny
26:30 – Senji
43:50 – Solo games
46:08 – For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game
48:09 – Marvel Champions: The Card Game
50:22 – Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020
53:49 – Guilty: Houston 2015
55:13 – Vantage
55:51 – Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #340 – All by Myself appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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Sometimes once is enough, you know? Doesn’t mean it was bad, but it might just be that you can have too much of a good thing. We’re talking about board games that we’d recommend everyone play once, but only once. Before we hit and run, we talk about Kaivai, East India Companies, and Vantage.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

01:44 – Kaivai
10:58 – Feya’s Swamp
13:15 – East India Companies
21:31 – Vantage
39:41 – Games to play only once
41:22 – War of the Ring: Second Edition
41:47 – Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition
43:44 – Sidereal Confluence
44:08 – Blood on the Clocktower
44:19 – Two Rooms and a Boom
45:19 – Mister Diamond
45:40 – Hearts of AttrAction
46:51 – Catan
49:21 – Sanctum
49:37 – Deal with the Devil
50:08 – Nemesis

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #339 – One and Done appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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Gen Con! Where all the cool games are, before you even know they’re cool. Or hot! We’ve got you covered, if you want to know what all the best stuff coming out of Indianapolis is going to before before anyone else, then look no further than this episode. Five games each that we’re excited to hear more about at the show! Before we face the heat, we talk about Line of Fire: Burnt Moon, and Rise.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

02:51 – Line of Fire: Burnt Moon
11:57 – Rise
21:46 – Gen Con Preview
23:53 – Party Panda Pirates 
26:09 – Tabriz
27:33 – The Last Command
28:53 – Llama Llama
31:25 – Tearable Quest
33:22 – Furnace Duel
35:59 – Koinobori
37:58 – Galileo Galilei
39:59 – Merchants of Andromeda
42:02 – Ruins
45:03 – Slam Throne
47:34 – Lightning Train 
48:40 – Guessocracy: Roll & Vote
51:22 – Habemus Papam
52:34 – Into the Machine

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #338 – Gen Con 2025 Preview appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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It’s time again to turn the tables and get your take, to feel out the collective tastes of you, the listeners of the show. It’s the annual Listener Top 20! You’ve been sending in all of your lists (thank you!), I’ve been compiling all of the data (you’re welcome!) – and here it is, in a convenient list format. Before we ask the audience, we talk about Flip 7, Hot Streak, and Kolejka.

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

02:37 – Flip 7
10:40 – Hot Streak
19:47 – Kolejka
27:42 – Listener Top 20
29:05 – Agricola
29:55 – Gloomhaven
31:26 – Guards of Atlantis II
32:20 – Blood on the Clocktower
33:20 – Arcs
34:40 – Tigris & Euphrates
35:21 – Terraforming Mars
35:54 – Marvel Champions: The Card Game
36:42 – Inis
37:24 – Innovation
38:13 – Race for the Galaxy
39:02 – Root
40:04 – Concordia
41:00 – The Castles of Burgundy
41:41 – Ark Nova
42:03 – Dune: Imperium
43:19 – Ra
43:35 – Brass: Birmingham
45:11 – Spirit Island
46:27 – Hansa Teutonica

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #337 – Our Listeners’ Top 20 Board Games of All-Time 2025 appeared first on Board Game Barrage.

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When playing games it’s easy to fall into the trap of over-anaylsing turns, or questioning whether the move we made was the right one, or even allowing people to roll back whole turns – so we’re asking if maybe we’ve been wrong this whole time, and we should just … embrace it? Are mistakes interesting? Before we have any regrets, we talk about Apiary, Wizards Cup, and Wroth. Be sure to submit your games for the Listener Top 20!

If you don’t want to miss an episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Stitcher/Spotify, or add our RSS feed to your favourite app. Reviews and subscriptions really help us and would be greatly appreciated! To download the episode directly, click here.

If you’d like to discuss anything in the episode, please do so in the comments below, visit our BoardGameGeek guild, join our Discord, or Facebook Group! Any feedback is also always helpful. If you’d like to show your support for the show, we also have a Patreon with some fun rewards, and a merch store!

Timecodes:

02:43 – Apiary
13:43 – Wizards Cup
20:41 – Wroth
31:37 – Mistakes are fun?

Thank you to Heart Society for generously letting us use What’s On Your Mind, Kid? from their album Wake the Queens.

The post BGB Podcast #336 – Happy Little Accidents appeared first on Board Game Barrage.