Episode 417 - Pessoa

Release Date: April 24, 2022

Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Running Time:  158 min

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This game chronicles the last 22 years of Portugal’s prodigal son, Fernando Pessoa, the renowned poet, mystic, and raconteur of the early 20th century. Pessoa wrote most of his work not under his own name but as one of 77 distinct heteronyms, each with its own identity, passions, and outlook on life. He allowed the artistic voice of each heteronym a chance to speak through his.

In the game , you play as one of Pessoa’s heteronyms, attempting to transform creative energy into inspiration and inspiration into poetry. Visit cafes to gather cards or the bookshop to influence your outlook and style. Then linger in the public square to assemble the best poems you can, hoping the stars align with each move you make.

But here’s the rub: There are four players in Pessoa but also only one. You, the player, live in Pessoa’s mind, while  Pessoa, the poet, the person, is an independent but neutral force in the game.You’ll need to flow from metaphysical mind space on one board to the physical world where Pessoa himself wanders Lisbon in search of his latest creations. Which part of Pessoa will be the most adept at finding the words that will echo through the ages?

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

Poetry professor and fellow podcaster James Engelhardt joins us for a special interview with Pessoa, the game review, AND Doug goes toe to toe with James in the Game Night Grab Bag segment.

Check out James on Lay It On The Table, part of the Geek & Southern Network.

 

Episode 416 - Scribbly Gum

Release Date: March 13, 2022

Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Running Time:  115 min

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It’s Autumn in Australia and you’re a Scribbly Gum moth, looking for the best places to lay your eggs. Behold the mighty eucalyptus! Lots of shelter for for your larvae as they burrow between the layers of bark, old and new. They’ll dig back and forth growing and moulting until the time comes  to munch their way to daylight. When the old bark falls away, their scribbles tell a story on every tree.

Scribbly Gum is a flip and write game. Each turn a movement tile is flipped and players direct their larvae by drawing paths through the layers of tree bark, hoping to gather food to complete meals. After three rounds of twisting and turning paths, the most well fed moths will emerge the winner!

Listen in to explore the game and take a fun side trip with our resident entymologist, Lucio Rodriguez, to learn more about the Scribbly Gum moth.

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE...

A quadruple sized Meal segment featuring four recipes paired with four game recommendations, including contributions from Doug, Stephen, Lucio (The First Airbender) and Paco from GMS Magazine and So Play We All.

Episode 415 - Votes For Women

Release Date: February 20, 2022

Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Running Time:  180 min

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From the Declaration of Sentiments at Seneca Falls, to the protests, rallies, and organized campaigns across the nation, Votes for Women  chronicles the 72 year struggle to ratify the  19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote.

This two-part area control game is driven by sets of multi-use cards dripping with history. Compete or cooperate to explore both sides of this complex conflict. The Suffragists push Congress to pass the 19th amendment and gather support from 36 states to ratify it, while the Opposition uses the power of the status quo to systematically undermine and unravel these efforts over multiple generations.

In playing through this critical struggle, Votes for Women is a palpable reminder that the fight goes on today for a just and tolerant society. There will always be those ready to strip away the rights of others. If we can rehearse how to resist and overcome them in a game, we might be able to take those tabeltop lessons in defeat, and in victory, and see how they apply to the grander game where we are all players every single day.

That’s an awesome accomplishment; most certainly one worthy of our Spiel of Approval!

Listen in for a deep dive into the game and the rich history it embraces, followed by a chat with Tory Brown, the designer of the game!

Tory joins us for a Game Night Grab Bag segment. Her challenge? Bring three games that encourage players to engage with history (especially under appreciated history).
 

Episode 414 - Awkward Guests

Release Date: December 19, 2022

Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Running Time:  109 min

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Mr Walton was killed in his study. And all the guests at Walton manor have good reasons to want him dead. Can you and your fellow detectives step in and find the murderer? Starting with a few leads, you must piece together the crime by asking questions and sharing information. Timing is everything. Gather enough evidence to support your theory and you'll solve the case before everyone else.

Awkward Guests uses an ingenious deck of cards to generate thousands of cases, each with a different outcome. With seven different difficulty levels and a companion app that allows co-op and solo play, this game is an open invitation to any fan of mysteries to channel their inner Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, or Jessica Fletcher for an evening of crime-solving fun.

Listen to explore the game and decide for yourself if we make a compelling case for the latest winner of our Spiel of Approval!

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE...

A holiday-themed Meal segment! We offer up recipes for a snack and a game to give Santa a break on Christmas night.

Episode 413 - Root Beer Float Challenge

Release Date:  December 5 , 2022

Download: PDF

Designer: Brady Peterson, Tim Swindle

Publisher: Gray Matters Games

2-8 players  | 30 min  |  ages 8+  | 2 min to learn | MSRP $25

 

You have come together to crown a new champion by assembling that most tasty treat - the root beer float! The ice cream, the soda, the straws and cherries are laid out and ready. Using these charming props, you will compete to complete a series of hilarious challenges - sometimes on your own, sometimes with a team, and sometimes head-to-head. Be the first to collect the right combination of ingredients and you’ll claim the crown!

Read on to explore how this game promotes active (but silly) competition. Root Beer Float Challenge reminds us the door to play is never closed. Sometimes all we need is a small push to peek through and rediscover Major Fun.

Written review continues after the break.

Episode 412 - Keystone: North America

Release Date: November 21, 2022

Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Running Time:  61 min

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The work of a field biologist is never done. You can learn so much by studying how ecosystems hang together. And the more of North America you explore, the more you understand how each ecosystem is an interconnected and delicate mesh of organisms. So much depends on keystone species. These organisms are the glue that holds a habitat together. When they are threatened or disappear, a whole ecosystem can collapse like a house of cards, forever changed, and not for the better.

Keystone North America is a card driven board game. Players are biologists tasked with assembling ecosystems by arranging organisms into the most optimal sequences possible. The challenge is balance. The best place for an organism in one ecosystem may prevent another ecosystem from flourishing. The more you play with the building blocks of life on this large scale, the more chances you have to puzzle out small secrets from the living world.

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

A Meal segment with Paco García-Reed Jaen's recipe for arroz al horno and a game recommendation from Stephen.

Episode 411 - Stampede

Release Date: November 14, 2022

Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Running Time:  34 min

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You are a stamp collector and your obsession is for one particular set of stamps featuring wild animals.

Driven by this animal passion, you'll do almost anything to collect the whole set, including messing with other collectors that get in your way.

But remember the Collector's Code. Play fair, no stealing! Just trading. Swapping one for one.

Stampede is a game of card swapping and set collecting. Using each animal's special action, can you build the best album? It will take stealth, planning, and a bit of luck to collect the most dangerous... postage!

Episode 410 - Hey Yo

Release Date: November 7, 2022

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Running Time:  40 min

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Yo! You and your crew are about to jump on stage for your first rap battle. The DJ will lay down the beat and it is up to you to follow along, connecting cards and phrases in rhythm. The beat won’t stop for anyone so it will take concentration, communication and quick thinking to keep your group from being booed off the stage. If you can get everyone in synch, you will wow the crowd and maybe even level up.

Hey Yo is a rhythm-based card game driven by a small electronic gizmo that lays down a beat for your team to follow. Connect cards and symbols in time with the beat and you’ll have a chance to score well before the song ends.

Listen in to explore the game and discover how Hey Yo finds its rhythm and earns the Major Fun Award.

Episode 409 - Nidavellir

Release Date: October 24, 2022

Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Running Time:  127 min

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Nidavellir, the kingdom of the dwarves, faces a threat that could doom everyone. Fafnir, the dragon of myth and legend, is bent on gathering the riches of the realm and will stop at nothing to add to its hoard. The King calls upon you to raise an army.

Naturally, the best place to find skilled dwarves is at the pub! Each turn, you’ll make the rounds at three different taverns, bidding for the services of warriors, blacksmiths, hunters, miners, and explorers, hoping to amass the greatest assembly of talent and power - enough to defeat the dragon, impress the king, and earn the undying gratitude of all dwarves across the land!

Nidavellir is a set collection game driven by a series of auctions. Each auction comes with a twist. Once per round, you may upgrade the coins you have, giving you more power to pay the best dwarves to join your army.

Listen in to explore the game, learn about the myths that inspired it, and discover how it earns our Spiel of Approval!

Episode 408 - Mountain Goats

Release Date:  October 17, 2022

Download: PDF

Designer: Stefan Risthaus  Art: A. Gavril, D. Profiri

Publisher: Boardgametables

2-4 players  | 10 min  |  ages 6+  | 3 min to learn | MSRP $19

 

What a beautiful day. The sun is shining on the mountains, and the goats are out to play! As they leap from rock to rock, the goats start to get hungry. Where are the most delicious flowers found? At the tops of the mountains, of course. Let’s go!

Mountain Goats is a game of dice rolling and set collection. Each turn you’ll roll the four dice and then combine them to move your goats up the mountains. The longer your goats stay on the peak, the more score tokens you collect. But beware! There are other goats climbing behind you, trying to knock you off. Collect the highest total and you'll become the Queen (or King) of the Mountain!

Read on to learn how this quick compact game offers just the right balance of chance and strategy to be Major Fun.

Written review continues after the break.

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