The Ascent of Board Games

Episode 80 - who'da thunk it? Thank you so much for sticking with us over (gulp) almost eight years of our nonsense. (Don't do the math - lots of two-part episodes have ruined that.) 

This month, we take a deep dive into the game designs of Antoine Bauza, a talented designer with an eclectic repertoire that ranges from a few all-time classics (including one that's currently in the BGG top 20) to some lighter games to some that the ...

We're back to wrap up our discussion on "sandbox games," and this part stretches the definition a bit; there's at least one game here where it's not the map that's bigger than you can explore in one game, but the rule set itself. (Yes, it's a Frank special.)

• What game does Joe describe as "a beautiful mess"?
• Frank is doing things in his new obsession and all he can say is "...and apparently, this matters."

What are your ...

This month, we're here to talk about what we're calling "sandbox games" - games that have bigger maps and/or more content than you can possibly explore in a single game, but which aren't built as long campaign or legacy games. Thus, you need to take some notes and carry information - and, in some cases, rules - from one game to the next.

Also, one brief apology: Your Humble Editor has been quite sick these last few weeks, and thus ...

HOO boy, this one has been an odyssey. Between computer hardware failures, file corruption, ice storms, and assorted other real-world chaos, it's a bit of a surprise that this episode made it out at all, much less on time. But it's here! Join us as we talk about games where one or more players are looking to win the game in a completely different way from everyone else.

• Is Joe the first person ever to compare the Bene Gesserit...

Well, now that THAT's over with (THAT being the year 2025), it's time to see what we're looking forward to in 2026. A list made of our hopes and dreams for the new year, shared with all of our beloved listeners.

• We've discovered Frank's weakness. (It's Mothra.)
• Brian really loves early-stage concept art.
• Frank reveals Mike's perfect game - a Legacy game comprised entirely of stickers.
• "When in doubt, kill a Nazi."
• Not a board ...

As we head into the last days of 2025, it's time for our traditional look back at our favorite games and game-related events of the last 12 months. Discussions include:

• The best game shipping wrapper we've ever seen.
• A really impressive deck-builder that you can't get for love or money...
  • ...or CAN you? 
• A game box even bigger than last month's!
• Blood on the Clocktower, but solitaire...and on a PC?
• Frank cheats and...

More opinions on computer games that have been converted into board games!

Among our conversations:

• Which of us played a demo of Civilization: A New Dawn and didn't like it? The answer may shock you!
• We disagree on many things, but we all agree on...post-apocalyptic child labor?
• What's up with This Room?
• A game box that Jayson's doctor won't allow him to lift.

What have we missed? What's your favorite board game version ...

Yes, we're back again, this time to talk about board games that were converted from computer games. Some of them are excellent...some are just cash grabs. Listen on to find out which is which! Also, if you want to make this episode a drinking game, take a drink every time we say "...but the minis are gorgeous!" (Not responsible for liver damage.)

We discuss:

• What kind of board game could be based on the world's first "cathode ...

An episode without Frank? But what about all the history? Well, thankfully, history in this case starts in around 1993, with the publication of Magic: The Gathering, because we're reviewing the career of its designer, Richard Garfield.

We discuss:

• Not one, but two of Garfield's notable ancestors.
• An interview where he talks about how MtG has drifted away from what he wanted it to be, along with some rather salacious stories fr...

We're back to finish our discussion of trick-taking games, covering the end of the creative surge around 2000 and then the new resurgence of clever designs that we've seen since 2019. Like last month's episode, this one is a bit on the shorter side, but we promise to make up for it next month!

We discuss:

• A game so complicated that Frank can't keep track of what cards have been played - and he (and Sandi) designed it!
• Why does...

Why hello there! This month is the first part of our discussion about the wonderful world of trick-taking games, starting with the old classics and covering the first part of their resurgence in the 1990s. The rest of the topic, including the second (current) surge of clever new designs, will come next month. This could realistically have been a single episode, but for various uninteresting logistical reasons, we're splitting it in...

Welcome back, everyone! This month we're talking about games with a social or political message. It's not JUST because it's Pride Month in the USA, and it's not JUST because tariffs are currently wreaking havoc on the entire board game industry...but it's not NOT because of those things, either. 

Many links follow:

• Amabel Holland's great video about, among other things, the REAL origins of Monopoly
• The games that made Jayson s...

We're back, and so is Brian's voice! And we simply have to tell you about a bunch MORE role-playing games that have interesting mechanics. 

• We talk about games where characters don't trust each other, or perhaps do but shouldn't.
• We give a lot of love to Bully Pulpit Games and Rowan, Rook, & Decard, because they do consistently great work.
• We talk about a bunch of great GMless, no-prep games, and you can see several of the...

I know, I know, we said we weren't going to do the Ascent of Role-Playing Games thing. And we're not! But there ARE a bunch of role-playing games that have some interesting mechanics, and we're going to be talking about those this month and next. (If you don't like it, join our Discord server so you can vote against it the next time we run a poll!)

• Brian's voice is absolutely shot to hell after weeks of coughing - apologies fo...

That's right, folks, it's episode 70! Do I hear 75? No? Episode 70, going once, going twice...sold to the discerning podcast listener!

• IS Jayson actually Agent 47? Probably not. Forget we said anything.
• Frank calling out Reiner Knizia within 4 minutes of the episode start
• "What is fish?" Help us, Jane Austen! 
• Is this the first Eurogame? 
• What happens when you take the auctions out of a game that's all about auctions? 
• What is...

This is episode 69. We're discussing sex games. We're sorry. (Except Joe...Joe isn't sorry at all.) Sandi has joined us to try to provide a little bit of maturity to the topic; we'll let you decide if she succeeded.

This is an adults-only episode (and we mean it this time), but we won't be offended if you decide to give this one a miss. Just come back next month, please? I promise we won't do it again.

• We find a series of weir...

Well, we made it to 2025, technically. What new board games are coming out to give us hope for the future?

• Frank describes one of his choices as "big...sprawling...French..."
• Joe is unhappy with Mike's love/hate relationship with Tales of the Arabian Nights
• Has Joe made The Ultimate Crowdfunding Mistake?
• Will Frank go 3-for-3 on Fantasy Name: Dramatic Subtitle?
• The delightful Deep Regrets teaser trailer that sold Jayson on the...

The end of the year draws nigh, so of course we have to do a year-end countdown. All five of us - even the near-mythical Jayson - have prepared a list of our five favorite games from The Year That Was - enjoy!

• We argue about what a game's name means because of a (missing?) apostrophe
• Frank teaches Jayson the lore of the Mothman
• All of Frank's choices are, for once, board games!
• The same cannot be said for Joe.
• We are definitel...

Happy post-Halloween! Now that everyone's hopped up on sugar (and/or in a sugar crash coma), let's finish our discussion of party games! Come along as we discuss:

• Mike's greatest weakness - a limited knowledge of Campbell's Soup varieties!
• What game company was founded because of a flooded salmon boat?
• "They're Belgian, but that's French enough." (We're sorry.)
• A mercifully brief digression into Marcel Proust's 7-volume À la re...