Sides is a hilarious cooperative party game. In many ways it is the love child of Name That Tune and Password.

Playing as a team, how many magic words can you all score before you run out of letters? You do this together… but you do it by picking sides.

A line of seven letters sits before you. One side is a team of two, the Investigators. They must guess a magic word based on clues the Witnesses give. Only only clue is allowed at a time and the clue must begin with the letter at the end of either side of the line.

Investigators who listen closely each round have access to way more information than that one single clue, though, because the witnesses must openly discuss and debate whose clue works best.

Two groups, one team. Two letters, one magic word. Do your best to see things from many different sides.

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE...

Bruce Voge joins us for another installment of Flickin' Around. We learn all about Biñho, a game where players score goals through a gauntlet of pegs, across a pitch covered with artificial turf.

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We live on a planet whose average temperature is rising. Climate change is happening all around us and the rate of that change is sure to bring far reaching and often catastrophic consequences on a scale humanity hasn’t seen or dealt with before.

But all hope is not lost.

If the collective will, intelligence, and resources of societies around the globe can be marshaled to confront the overlapping challenges posed by climate change, we can create a path to brighter days ahead.

Daybreak is a cooperative board game about stopping climate change. It is an unapologetically hopeful vision of the near future, where you and your friends create the technologies, policies, and resilient societies we need to sequester more carbon than we collectively produce.

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE...

Daybreak designers Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace join us for a Meal segment. We discuss the development of the game and then Matt and Matteo give us a recipe and game recommendation for a great night of food and fun.

and

We chat with T Caires (Hachette Board Games US) about the Green Games Guide, a best practices document looking at environmental impact and sustainability in the board game industry, whether you are a publisher, retailer, or player. Then we learn about a couple of T's favorite games.

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Japan is home to at least fifteen different cat islands called Nekojima. On each island, there are hundreds of frisky felines for each handful of people.

In this game, our Nekojima is very small and the people there need power. Can you install power lines across four districts? One by one poles with colorful power lines go up and up, over and through.

The crowds of curious cats, though, can’t resist strolling along the wires, threatening to short circuit your plans. It will take excellent balance and teamwork to light up the island. Try your best to not bring the whole network crashing down.

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ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE...

Lucio Rodriguez joins us to explore fun facts related to Japan's many cat islands and several other cat islands around the world.

My Favorite Game features a visit from Gubbins. He tells us about My Farm Shop from noted designer Rudiger Dorn.

A crowd of onlookers packs into the kwoon. Today, Kung-fu masters are sparring to hone their skills in a grand melee. Each is trained in two schools: Tiger & Dragon. They trade blows with lightning quickness and precision. Raw strength is almost never the winner in battles like this. Knowing when to strike is key.

Tiger & Dragon is a climbing game based on the Japanese classic Goita, using two suited Mah Jongg style tiles. Attacks are offered and countered with matching tiles. Then a new attack begins. The first player to go out wins the round but HOW you win will ultimately determine your score.

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE...

Bruce Voge drops by with the latest installment of Flickin' Around. We learn about Hamster Roll, a game where you stack crazy wooden pieces inside a giant wooden hoop.

We step into the Wayback Machine for a My Favorite Game segment with Mike McMann. Mike waxes nostalgic about Succession Wars, a game of grand strategy from the 1980s set in the Battletech universe.

To round out the show, I take a deep dive into the history of Mah Jongg - its origins, how it became a worldwide phenomenon, and all the different materials tiles are made from.

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There are dog shows and cat shows, but have you ever heard of a fish show? Goldfish fans from across the land compete each year to display the most sensational swimmer. It takes talent and planning to create the most pleasing arrangement of colorful scales. Can you win Best in Show with your finest fish?

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ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE...

Lucio Rodriguez, The Spiel's resident biologist, stops by to deliver fun facts and debunk several myths related to goldfish (and sing us a fishy-funeral song).

Erwin Susara helps us launch a brand new segment: My Favorite Game! He tells us about one of his favorite games. We hope you'll join us this season and tell us about a game you love.. and why!

In our season finale, two award winning games earn our Meeple Crown for 2023. These games embody the essence of Major Fun and our Spiel of Approval. Congratulations to Votes for Women and Thunder Road: Vendetta!

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE...

Game Night Grab Bag with noted designer (now publisher) Antoine Bauza!

A Meal segment with Paco Garcia from GMS Magazine with holiday treats and games to go with each one.
 

The will of a distant relative has left you the sole owner of a distillery that has fallen on hard times. Instead of selling, you decide to take on the task of restoring it to its former glory. It will take dedication, planning, the right mix of quality ingredients and equipment, and a talented staff to turn things around.

Around the globe, several other small distilleries are rising from the ashes. Which one will revive its secret family recipe and gain the most renown as purveyor and producer of the world’s finest spirits? The title Master Distiller is not given. It must be earned.

Distilled is a game of strategic spirit crafting. Follow recipes to gather ingredients hoping they will meld into something sublime as they go through the precarious process of distillation. Bottle and sell what you can or age your creations hoping for a greater payout down the line. Seven rounds stand between you and success.

Romi Rami is a new game with an old soul. It has some famous card game cousins. You may have met them, Rummy and Contract Bridge, or its crazy board game uncle, Ticket to Ride. You’ll collect set of cards from one market in hopes of filling contracts from another. Keep your eyes peeled for the bonus suits and trophies, too. They can really boost your score.

Written review continues after the break.

Movie Night! You and your friends have gathered to enjoy a flick at the cineplex. But which one? Can you find one you will all agree to watch? 

You scan the listings and realize you don’t know any of these films. Rebel Panda? Kung Fu Soup? Duck Without a Cause??  What are these movies?

Fortunately, you can always rely on the two critics: Polly Positive, and The Grumpy Guy. And look, they reviewed the same movie! 

But which movie is it? Somehow, the title of the movie is missing from their reviews. It’s not clear which picture they are both talking about. 

Is it Interview In the Hat? The Cat Alone?? Maybe Home with the Vampire?

Guided by the reviews, each of you tries to sort it out by process of elimination. Only one movie at the cineplex can be THE ONE. The rest, clearly, are Not That Movie!

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Obsession is a richly thematic strategy game depicting the struggles of four once proud family estates in 19th century Britain. Central to the story and the game is the courtship of two eligible Fairchild heirs.  Over the course of four seasons, you must manage, expand, and improve your estate and household staff, host increasingly elaborate activities for guests, and gather an increasingly influential crowd of friends and allies to increase your reputation and standing. The game culminates with a successful courtship and marriage. The family with the best overall standing in Derbyshire will cement its legacy well into the next century.