In episode 42, we discuss the games we have on order or have recently received and are very excited to play! First, we chat about what is bringing us joy: Shackleton Base: A journey to the Moon, The White Castle Duel, Emberheart, and Castle Combo: Out of the Oubliette!
Do your games magically appear like ours? From Dungeons and Kittens RPG to Speakeasy, we’ve got quite the list of games we’re looking forward to. Listen in to hear about each game or–for some of us around the table–the top hits. With rainy days ahead, we’re hoping to catch up on our unplayed games (episode 32: shelf of shame!) so we’re ready when these games arrive.
Connect with us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 41, we discuss Jungo, Trio, and Combo – all three published by Happy Camper. First, we chat about what is bringing us joy: Dungeons & Kittens, Ostia, Sweet Lands, and Skull King. On this episode, Becky, Reed, and Gillean prepared a special joy segment called: Ambush Angela!
Jungo, Trio, and Combo are all brightly colored card games that play in 15-20 minutes or less. We love that Happy Camper is taking harder to find games and reimplementing them to reach a greater audience!
Jungo (2-5 players) is a reimplementation of Hachi Train with a jungle theme. In this game, players are racing to be the first to empty their hand of cards. To shed cards, players must be able to overplay the card or set of cards last played. This is done by playing a higher value or a larger set of cards (for example, three 1s beat two 2s.) The fun part is balancing shedding cards to win and adding cards to your hand to build a better hand. Cards can never be rearranged, but when a card is added by either drawing a card instead of playing or by beating the cards on the table, it can be placed anywhere in the hand.
Trio (3-6 players) is a reimplementation of Nana (one of our top collective favorites!!!) In Trio, players are trying to be the first to collect three sets of matching cards (three 1s, three 9s, three 10s, etc…) or all three 7s to win the game. Trio introduces a team playing variant and makes the winning condition of collecting two sets that add or subtract to 7 (4s and 11s, 5s and 2s, etc.)
Combo (2-6 players) is a reimplementation of Surfosaurus MAX. In Combo, players work together to create different smoothie combos–the easiest being a collection of any combination of suits and numbers to the trickiest being a run in a single suit. Gameplay is simple: play a card and draw a card until all players have played two or three cards (depending upon the number of players.) Players score if their card contributes to the winning combo; there are some fun nuances here! The game ends after everyone has been the starting player an equal number of times (depending on player count), and the player with the most points wins!
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 40, we review Molly House designed by Jo Kelly and Cole Wehrle and published by Wehrlegig Games. First, we chat about what is bringing us joy: Twinkle Starship, Nokosu Dice, Haggis - Grok Edition, and Apiary.
Molly House is a 2-5 player game all about creating joy in the queer community in early 18th century London; build your reputation and joy by cruising the streets (eyes), throwing festivities, and foiling threats. Though… all will be for naught if the Community’s joy isn’t raised alongside the players’ joy or if the Molly houses are raided and the community is betrayed by informers. This game is rich in queer history and strategically leaves space for interpretation and wondering. Will you stay loyal to the community and prioritize their joy or will your stack of indictments and their threats of death persuade you to collaborate with the Society for the Reformation of Manners?
In this episode, we also discuss the Zenobia Award–a competition and mentoring program–which connected Jo Kelly with Cole Wehrle to create this historical game. We share quotes from and highly recommend “Origin Stories: Molly House – An Interview With Co-Designer Jo Kelly” by Alex of Talking Shelf Space.
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 39, we review Weather Machine by Vital Lacerda and published by Eagle-Gryphon Games! First, we chat about what is bringing us joy: Galactic Cruise, Kinfire Council, Lightning Train, and Brightcast.
Weather Machine is a crunchy, crunchy game for 2-4 players (a Solo mode is included with the Upgrade Pack). The players are scientists working with Professor Lativ to refine his weather machine in order to take control of the planet’s weather. Unfortunately, the initial design of Professor Lativ’s weather machine caused a “butterfly effect” when used, which improved weather locally but worsened it elsewhere on the planet. The government has stepped in to help you and Professor Lativ improve the weather machine by providing subsidies and assisting with extreme weather events caused by running the prototype. Players maneuver between Supply, the Government’s Weather Machine, Lativ’s Lab, and R&D. Each space requires area specific resources to take the corresponding action(s). Efficiently manage your vouchers, robots, and machine parts and publish your findings regarding the weather machine, and you may just become known as the savior of the world.
We’re three Lacerda’s in now, and all three games land a bit differently for each of us. We do agree Weather Machine’s theme is the most abstract compared to Lisboa and Kanban EV, and that does make it a bit harder to grasp. We’re looking forward to our next play!
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
Timestamps:
00:33 - Galactic Cruise
06:00 - Kinfire Council
9:34 - Lightning Train
15:13 - Brightcast
18:36 - Weather Machine Introduction and How to Play
22:45 - Production, Components, and Artwork
36:25 - Gameplay
55:12 - Final Thoughts
1:04:15 - Who is this game for?
In episode 38, we create starting collections with various budgets: $100, $250, $350, and $500! Angela’s brother’s experience of diving into a board game collection from scratch inspired this topic. We all approached our lists a bit differently: beginner friendly games, wide representation of mechanics, foundational games, and the games that bring our friends joy and inspire them to purchase for themselves.
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
Board games and happiness are free at the link in bio
00:53 Capital Lux 2 Generations
03:36 Yokai Septet
08:35 Acquire
11:35 Rumble Nation
14:30 Molly House
17:30 Starter Collection Introduction
19:44 Angela’s $100 Starter Collection
24:57 Reed’s $250 Starter Collection
33:31 Gillean’s $350 Starter Collection
40:19 Becky’s $500 Starter Collection
In episode 37, we review Patchwork and A Feast for Odin in Polyominoes Part 1! First, we chat about what is bringing us joy: Sea Salt & Paper: Extra Pepper, Ptolemy, the Board Game Community speaking out, and Brightcast.
Patchwork and A Feast for Odin are both Uwe Rosenberg games, and they differ quite a bit in their complexity (1.60/5 and 3.86/5, respectively, on BGG.) Patchwork is a 2-player game in which players are attempting to complete a quilt - or get as much done as they can. A Feast for Odin plays 1-4 players, and it is a saga in which players seek to make their viking clan prosper.
Why are we discussing these two games together and including such a beefy game in Polyominoes Part 1? Interestingly, Patchwork came from the design process of A Feast for Odin as Uwe explored income from covering up spaces and printing the cost on the tiles (check out “An Interview with Uwe Rosenberg” by Lest My Opinions go Unheard to learn more!) They’re also the only two Uwe polyominoes all four of us have played together.
We all love a polyomino game, and we’re very excited to finally be kicking off this sporadic series with two solid games.Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
00:53 - Ptolemy
03:11 - Sea Salt & Paper: Extra Pepper (with a tangent on Alpine Spice [not a game])
08:32 - Board Game Community Speaking Out
15:30 - Brightcast
18:01 - Patchwork
31:60 - A Feast for Odin
In Episode 36, we discuss games published in 2023! We don’t feel like we’ve played enough 2023 games to create a collective top 10 list, however, we do talk about our collective top 3 games, games we still want to play, games that didn’t live up to the hype, and games we played but didn’t love.
This week, we turned last pod’s bonus episode into a full episode as the original recording ran longer than a game of Great Western Trail New Zealand, and, with Reed being our #1 listener, we had to sheer our time. We hope this helps, Reed!
Extra bonus–Gillean keeps us (mostly) on the rails as our host.
Extra extra bonus–Angela shames Malcolm for being bootylicious so we’re boosting his confidence with this week’s episode announcement on instagram.
Find Malcolm on our instagram @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In Episode 35, we’re finally tackling games published in 2024! We start with a cumulative top 10 (the points are made up, but we’re trusting Angela’s calculations) and roll into an analysis of our individual lists, games that surprised us, and games that didn’t live up to the hype. Our individual top 10 lists varied quite a bit, but we all saw a similar theme emerge.
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
00:38 How did we create this list and how many 2024 games have we played?
1:24: Notable 2024 games we did not play and the games we still want to play
7:25 Explanation of how we get to our Collective Top 10
08:16 Game #10
10:57 Game #9 and #8 - they tied!
17:10 Game #7
21:28 Game #6 and #5 - Another tie!
28:20 Game #4
31:57 Game #3
34:36 Game #2
40:46 Game #1
43:35 Fun Facts about our lists
49:44 Things that surprised us about our collective and individual lists
54:08 Games that did not live up to the hype (Was there a game published in 2024 that did not live up to the hype for you?
In episode 34, we review Galactic Cruise by Kinson Key Games! First, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: Rumble Nation, Gin Rummy, Ahoy!, and Dominion.
Galactic Cruise is a game for 1-4 players with an expected 90-150 minute playing time. Designing and manufacturing a cruise ship, advertising and catering to guests, and managing the company and our own reputations, we discuss bumping workers, refusing to help our friends, and the value of completing company goals in this worker placement game.
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
Timestamps:
00:44 Rumble Nation
02:40 Gin Rummy
04:06 Ahoy
6:08 Dominion
10:20 Description and rules of Galactic Cruise
12:32 Components, box, art/design, the rulebook, etc
21:07 Game play
50:30 Who is this game for?
56:34 Final thoughts
In Episode 33, we review Endeavor: Deep Sea by Burnt Island Games and Grand Gamers Guild! To start off the episode, we talk about what’s bringing us joy: Crokinole, Trick & Snipers, the Tokyo Game Market, and Cyclades: Legendary Edition.
In Endeavor: Deep Sea, players head individual research institutes with the goal of having the most beneficial effect on the world’s oceans. Over the course of six rounds, players will assemble a crew of specialists to explore the ocean, research dive sites, publish scientific Journals, and conduct conservation efforts. Many of these actions will advance their institute’s attributes (Reputation, Inspiration, Coordination, and Ingenuity) and directly influence their ability to recruit team members, how much effort their team can exert, how efficiently their team functions, and the technological efficiency of their scientific vessels. All of this effort is exerted and attributes advanced in the pursuit of meeting scenario-specific Goals and creating the most positive Impact on the ocean. Be the most efficient at developing your institute and adapting to the scenario, and you’ll succeed in this endeavor–just as Endeavor: Deep Sea has in the homies’ hearts.
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In Episode 32, we discuss our collective Shelf of Shame! To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: Love Letter: Batman, Spire’s End: Hildegard, Endeavor: Deep Sea, and lower Tariffs in the U.S. which means… Kickstarter notifications.
With so many unplayed games on our shelves, we decided to submit our individual top 5 most-excited-to-play games to Angela to secretly rank them. Angela reveals our collective top 4 games, and we discuss the state of our shelves and how we got to this point.
Excitement, regret, shame, hope, and joy… all of these emotions describe how we feel about our shelves of shame. We’re past calling them shelves of opportunity as our unplayed game count keeps ticking up this year; we knew we needed to talk about it, and one of us may have been feeling like they needed to confess. 👀
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In Episode 31, we review Root by Leder Games! To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: Moon Colony Bloodbath, The Search for Planet X, Neko Syndicate, Kabuki Tricks, and Joyride.
Deep in the woodlands, an adorable and ruthless war is waging between Marquise de Cat and the creatures of the forest. As the Woodland Alliance spreads sympathy to unite all against the oppressive cats, the Eyrie Dynasties are rebuilding their forces and roosts to take back the forest. The vagabond? They’re out for themselves swaying between aiding or harming the other factions while collecting all of the things. As the war continues, new factions are moving in: the Lizard Cult fills the forest with whispers of the Dragon God, the Riverfolk Company are quickly establishing trade routes to supply the demands of the battling factions, and the Lord of the Hundreds are swarming in and hoarding any and all items they can find to make them stronger. Grounded in the Law of Root with well timed back-stabbing, only one faction–well, unless a vagabond has decided to form a coalition then it will be two–will rule the woodlands!
The homies enjoy this asymmetric war game and still have much more to discover–but will there ever be time???
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 30, we review Furnace by Hobby World and Arcane Wonders. To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy and discuss tariffs in the US and how they are intersecting with the board game world, including how they are impacting our FLGS. As we discuss in the episode, the tariffs have been ever changing, and, though we recorded less than three days ago, it was just announced this morning that there is another 90 day pause in tariffs, and the overall tariffs on Chinese goods has been reduced from 145% to 30%. If you are uninterested in the tariff conversation or if it’s a little too much right now, you can skip the conversation (timestamps: 12:05-34:40.) The games bringing us joy are: Taluva, Stonespine Architects, Sea Salt & Paper, and Deep Regrets.
Furnace is an engine-builder played over 4 rounds, each with 2 phases: auction and production. Each player has 4 bidding discs numbered 1-4, a starting company, and a start-up card. During the auction, players place their discs to either win company cards or gain compensation. After all cards from the auction have been processed, each player works through their company cards, activating production and/or processing materials to ultimately produce the most money to win the game. Although a bit of a “multi-player solitude” game–as Angela likes to say–we all enjoy this game and appreciate the 45 minute play time. Though–one of us may already be questioning how long we’ll want to keep it in the collection.
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In Episode 29, we review the Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated. To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: Bus (1999), The Guild of Merchant Explorers, Tales of Arthurian Knights, and Torchlit.
Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated expands upon the deck-building of Clank!, incorporating legacy-style gameplay. Players will found their franchise of the legendary adventuring company, Acquisitions Incorporated, and shepherd their fledgling treasure-hunters to immortal glory over the course of multiple games by shaping events that transpire before them. The game board, deck, and world of Clank! changes as players make decisions throughout individual games, creating a unique campaign tailored to your adventuring party. Be cunning, be bold, and most importantly, be ready… Unless you’re Reed, in which case, you just watch Angela destroy your hopes and dreams.
Join us on our (largely) spoiler-free adventure and explore the world of Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated.
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 28, we discuss games we played [mostly] once. We all try to play a new game multiple times to better form our opinions, but, sometimes, the judgement is strong and once is enough. For these games, the gameplay or theme wasn’t interesting, we felt like we saw everything there was to see, or the game did not fit the gaming group. However, it isn’t all one and done–some of the games we bring up are games we couldn’t stop thinking about after the first play.
We also revisit a few of our previous joy games that are no longer bringing us joy.
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 27, we review Rebel Princess and Fishing. To start off the episode, we chat about our Board Game Homie Weekend on the coast and what brought us joy: Brass: Birmingham, Daybreak, Nerdz Day Sale, and Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated.
Rebel Princess is a trick taking game that takes place over five rounds. Each player selects a Princess (each with their own special once-per-round ability) and attempts to avoid princes like the plague at the party. Just like Hearts, players must follow, and there is no trump suit. At the end of each round, count your proposals (number of prince cards and the dreaded frog prince that counts for five proposals) and add those points to your score. Collect every prince AND the frog, and you’ll score -10 points. At the end of the game, the player with the least amount of points wins!
Fishing is a trick taking game that takes place over eight rounds. Each player has a boat and a fishing net; during the round, you catch each card you won in a trick (or snatched from playing a zero) and add them to your net. At the end of the round, each card in your net is worth a point and then are shuffled and added to the bottom of any cards already on your boat. At the beginning of the next round, you draw cards from your boat deck to fill your hand. If you ever aren’t able to completely fill your hand, you get to supplement from the Ocean deck; the Ocean deck has more valuable cards and introduces the trump suit. The player with the most points at the end of the eighth round wins!
We’ve been having fun exploring trick takers (Angela and Gillean’s collections have been exploding in growth!) and getting to discuss what we enjoy and dislike about the two. While we enjoyed both of these games, our levels of enjoyment vary for each.
Connect with us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 26, we review Finspan by Stonemaier Games. To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: The Guild of Merchant Explorers, Root, Arcs, and Baseball Highlights: 2045.
You are a marine researcher seeking to observe aquatic life at different depths of the world’s seas and oceans over the course of four weeks, or in-game rounds. To do so, you’ll be exploring three different dive sites that specialize in different aspects of expanding your research: growing the collection of fish, discovering freshly laid eggs, and hatching eggs into young and consolidating to form schools of fish. Each dive site grants resources that will allow you to discover fish by providing their needed provisions or conditions, which could include discarding cards from hand, discarding eggs, and/or consuming young fish or other shorter fish in the ocean. Complete end-of-week objectives and keep discovering fish to become the most successful marine researcher!
The homies have now played all three games in the Wingspan universe, and we each rank them differently!
Connect with us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 25, we celebrate our one year anniversary of the pod! We chat about how we all met, the games and mechanics we love, hobbies we enjoy outside of board games, and all of the joy in between.
Thanks for engaging in board game conversations and BGA games with us over the past year!
Get to know us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 24, we review Lisboa by Eagle-Gryphon Games. To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: Hansa Teutonica, Let’s Go! To Japan, Compile: Main 1, and…learning the rules.
On November 1, 1755, Lisboa suffered an earthquake of an estimated magnitude of 8.5–9.0, followed by a tsunami and three days of fires that almost completely destroyed the city. Players take on the role of influential nobles who will help in the reconstruction and economic development of the city to receive graces from the King and the Marquis. You will work with the architects to build Lisboa anew, with the Marquis to develop commerce, and with the King to open buildings–all in the pursuit of gaining influence and the most important thing of all: wigs.
Connect with us @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies
In episode 23, we review SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by Czech Games Edition (CGE.) To start off the episode, we chat about the games that are bringing us joy: Cities, Creature Caravan, Viticulture Essential Edition, and Star Tycoon.
In SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, scientific institutions set their sights beyond planet Earth in the search for extraterrestrial life. Through landing on planets, scanning distant star systems for signals, and analyzing collected data, players will detect traces of life and eventually discover an alien species. Conduct further research into the alien species, effectively utilize your resources (including multi-use cards - one of our favorite aspects of SETI!), and accomplish milestones to establish your institution as the one to make the most significant contributions to understanding alien life within our galaxy.
Another visually stunning game by CGE! We’ve had some interesting plays of this game, and we’re looking forward to more.
And it’s not beige! @ https://lnk.bio/BoardGameHomies