Eat Lunch and Board Game

In this episode, I am joined by Chris Backe. Like me, Chris does multiple things for the gaming community. We talk about the usual topics, as well as his two websites that he is working on to benefit the community: prereleasegames.com and tabletoppublishers.com These sites could help designers at all levels of the design process. More details about these sites in this episode. Thanks for listening!

Chaos of the Old World

Conquest of the Empire

Board Game Museum video: Masterpiece

The Alpha is a surprisingly amazing game from a company typically known for making playing cards. This "Light Strategy Game" (as it says on the box) revolves around the prisoner's dilemma. This makes for fun playing and some trust issues.

Fan Made Traits Expansion

In this episode, Jeffrey Hinebaugh, a lawyer by day and a board game book author by night, joins me to talk about his book, A Board Game Education (and its "sequel"), and how he reads probably as much as I do about board gaming. Like me as well, his day job has nothing to do with board games. I highly recommend getting his book(s), especially if you have a young one in your life that you are trying to get into the hobby. Thanks for listening!

Friend of the show, Norm Hastings, did a great video for Acquire. Watch it here.

Norm Hastings really loves older games. He found that there was no content for these older games. So, Norm fixed that problem by creating his own YouTube Channel, Board Game Museum. He has close to 300 vintage game reviews. I have watched too many already, as each one makes me want to locate and purchase the game he reviewed. He joins me on this episode to talk about what game he still pines to find, whether Officer Jones from Monopoly is a punk, and more. He might have even convinced me to start a channel reviewing Clue and its variations.

In this episode, John Garcia joins me to talk about his board game, Table Golf Association. It is an incredibly huge wooden hex-based dexterity game. You are trying to flick your slider across these hexes to literally sink your shot. We also talk about his league membership you can join to get an official t-shirt, post your creations, and find out about tournaments in your area. This awesome game is available on Kickstarter. You should consider backing it!

Arwen Kathke, a fellow board gaming podcaster, stops by the show to answer the usual questions. Along the way, we discuss our ever growing, never decreasing shelves of shame, how the castle from Beauty and the beast had the best library (of course we would replace the books with games), Arwen stated her love of Belle’s dress, too. We also talk of old bad IP games. She mentioned a hard to find Ninja Turtles game (which I have placed in the show notes), and which series of escape rooms in a box is better: Unlock or Exit. Check it out.

Guillotine came to my attention after reading The 100 Best Family Games. Luckily, our neighbor knew, loved, and had the game. She explained it to us, and we were instantly hooked. We decided her game needed an upgrade, so we had this 3D-printed guillotine made for her. It is an ideal game for the office. Thanks for listening.

Gabe Barrett joins me in this episode, all the way from Honduras. We talk about how the gaming landscape has changed over the pandemic. Gabe also talks about how he loves to game with his children. Throwing burritos at them, stacking Fuzzies, and mercilessly beating them at a Powerpuff Girl game. Through all this he still finds time to host the most influential board game podcasts: Board Game Design Lab

Another game thought I procured at the suggestion of a guest. Simply Suspects is a definite game to play over a lunch hour. It takes about 15-20 minutes to play, is a riot, and you can reset and play again in less than a minute. I mention in the podcast a few "official" variants. The rules for these can be downloaded here.

In this episode, I am joined by Game Sommelier Joan Moriarity. She works at the Toronto game cafe, Snakes & Lattes, where she tries to help patrons find a new game to enjoy. She has some fantastic thoughts and philosophies on gaming, why we should, and some off the beaten path recommendations! She is also the co-author of Your Move: What Games Teach Us About Life. It was a fast and fantastic read that led me to reach out to her.

In this episode, I am joined by Daniel Jose Ruiz. I came across his article "Dragons are for White Kids with Money: On the Friction of Geekdom and Race" while reading a book about board gaming. Daniel is an author, podcaster, and more. Being a father of two young kids, we swapped ideas for games. Daniel brought Yogarrr to my attention, and I bought it immediately for my kids. We also discuss how we get through boring meetings, how a chiropractor could make a lot of money being at a convention, and much more.

In this episode, I am joined by designer Dustin Dobson. He is the designer behind Skulls of Sedlec, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite 18-card games from Button Shy. We talk about his inspiration for the game, and how he has built a bridge through board games. If you haven't already, listen to my review of Skulls of Sedlec, and grab a copy! Here is a link to the pictures Dustin took of the actual Ossuary.

Another fantastic game from Button Shy Games, this episode I look at Avignon: A Clash of Popes by John du Bois. Like other games from Button shy, you can get it off the Button Site or the PNP Arcade site. This innovative game introduces the mechanic of Push and Pull. You push cards toward your opponent or pull cards towards you. The strategy must adapt to the cards on the table, or your chances of being elected Pope diminish.

Skulls of Sedlec, published by Button Shy Games, features 18 cards where you are stacking the skulls in the Sedlec Ossuary. This game is simply amazing and should be purchased from Button Shy's site or PNP Arcade. You choose which one better fits your budget.

In this episode, author Ben Hoppe joins me. He wrote the book, The Beginner's Board Game Bible. It helps you to understand where to start with gaming, and how some great games to try out. We talk about taking games everywhere, the bonding that can be done over gaming, and finding a copy of Mystery of the Abbey. Ben has a fun quiz that will tell you what game would be best for you. Take it here. Post in the comments what game it determined was your game. For me, Catan. That was no shock. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Molly talks about an amazing fellowship she works with, The Horizons Fellowship. We also discuss her company's games, all of which are party games, but with a twist. You can get a free copy of Wing It's Print and Play on their site: Flying Leap Games.

Restaurantrepreneur is a print-and-play roll-and-write from Ellie Dix of The Dark Imp. This game can be downloaded off The Dark Imp website for less than $4, and it should become a staple in your game collection. You only need to supply 3 standard dice. You certainly have these sitting around, and you should certainly have this game to accompany those lonely dice!

In this episode, Ron RIch of Air Loom Games talks about his game on Kickstarter, New York Pizza Delivery. I personally played this game's prototype. It is a fun mash-up of simple mechanics to create an original game high in theme. Ron also has an Etsy store where he sells 3D printed game accessories such as box organizers and cardholders. We talk about getting more games than we have space, 3D printing, and how Ron created an infant bath toy that was stolen from him.

James and I talk about how board gaming has helped him bond with his family. How he plays with his father, his brother, his children, and with his 103-year-old grandmother who still beats him on the regular. James is also the founder of Tin Robots Games, and they currently have a Kickstarter live: Hamsters vs. Hippos. James is the host of Board Game Binge, a 30-minute podcast where he interviews people from various facets of the industry.

In this episode, I was joined by a legend of the industry, Phil Orbanes. He started in the industry while in college and sold his first company. Then, he worked for Parker Brothers for over 10 years as a Senior Vice President. Lastly, he co-founded Winning Moves Games. Phil has also written many books about board games, Monopoly, and Parker Brothers. Phil is still active in the community, writing more books, and has amazing stories to tell. I was so excited that he agreed to come on the show. I hope that you enjoy this episode as much as I do. I encourage you to read his books as they detail the history of this great hobby.

In what will shock no one, I was targeted by Facebook ads for a company called www.MeepleShirts.com. So, obviously, I clicked on the ad and went to spend some money. I bought the Coffee & Board Games shirt. While there, I also reached out to the owner of the site, Brian Welch. He joins me to talk about his gaming habits, taking games camping, and giving some love to Carcassonne.

Julie Ahern, VP of Greenbrier Games, joined me in this episode. We talked about her nomadic lifestyle, the importance of a company's name, the beginnings of the convention scene opening up, and so much more.

Sarah Atherton joined the show this episode all the way from London, England. She has a pop-up game shop, Get Your Game On, that she takes to markets. I love the idea! She has a real passion for games and getting people the "right game." She also talks of the woes of having to ship games, specifically if they get intercepted by a lady in pink slippers. It is a hilarious story!

This episode features the designer of Dice Fight: Chicken Edition, one of the most played games in my collection (no lie). Aaron has self-published and self-made each and every one of the games that he has sold. He says that he running low, and he is not sure what he will do when he runs out of chicken buckets. That's right, the game comes in a fried chicken take-out bucket. So, I urge you to go to dicefight.net and order a copy before he runs out. While you are there, check out his video for his roll-and-write and read the bios of the 80 chickens from the game. Each and every chicken is unique in look, name, and bio. Aaron and I also talk about using games to teach, how to get your little ones to love gaming, and finally getting back together in person!