Episodes
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Episode 267 - The Final Episode
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Color Jam and the second edition of Rosetta: The Lost Language. Then we just chat and reminisce about the podcast and the end of it all. Thanks for tuning in for the final regular episode of Board Game Blitz! 0:00-Intro...
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Episode 266 - Shelf Improvement
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including The Detective Society: Family Adventures and MECCHA CHAMELEON. Then in our penultimate episode we talk about some tips and tricks for building (or maintaining) a board game collection. In our final "Board Game Etymology"...
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Episode 265 - Do We Need to Read?
Ambie and Crystal discuss a game they both played recently, Playthings. Then we talk about different ways you can learn rules in board games and which are our favorite ways to learn. Remember to check out our new merch! 0:00-Intro 0:40-Announcements 3:05-Recent Games - Playthings 15:04-Ways of...
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Episode 264 - To Blave!
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including The Case of the Curiously Quiet Theater, Alibi: 3 Intricate Mysteries, and Flip 7: With A Vengeance. Then we talk about the similarities and differences between deduction, social deduction, and bluffing in board games....
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Episode 263 - KublaConning
Ambie and Crystal are joined by Ambie's kids to talk about their time at KublaCon this year! They talk about mini painting, the things they saw, and the games they played. Ambie and Crystal also talk about some games they played. 0:00-Intro 0:39-Kublacon Recap 14:41-Ambie’s KublaCon 27:53-Outro...
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Episode 262 - 10 YEARS OF BLITZ
It's our 10 year anniversary episode! In this special episode, Ambie and Crystal reminisce about how the podcast started and what's happened with it in the past 10 years. Then Ambie has a special trivia game for Crystal to celebrate the 10 year anniversary! We also have a special announcement at...
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Episode 261 - Best of the Blitzies
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Got Five! and dnup. Then we hop into our time machine to go back to all the 10 previous years of our Blitzies awards and see which games we still love! 0:00-Intro 0:41-Recent Games - Got Five! 6:57-dnup 11:42-Blitzies...
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Episode 260 - The 2025 Blitzies
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Lost in Adventure: The Curse of Jack Parrot and Otter Chaos. Then we reveal our top 5 games of 2025 in our annual awards show, the Blitzies! 0:00-Intro 0:44-Recent Games - Lost in Adventure: The Curse of Jack Parrot…
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Episode 259 - Taiwan & Ketchup
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Until Proven Guilty: Thirst for Justice and Taskmaster: The Escape Room. Then we talk about what's been going on the last few weeks since Dice Tower West - Ambie's trip to Taiwan and what board games she saw there, and what...
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Episode 258 - Interview with Heather Newton
Ambie and Crystal discuss Escape Comics: The Alien Ship. Then Ambie interviews Heather Newton, the lead organizer of Protospiel Online, and we learn a bunch about Protospiel and Protospiel Online! 0:00-Intro 0:44-Recent Games - Escape Comics: The Alien Ship 6:34-Interview with Heather Newton...
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Episode 257 - Dice Tower West Recap
Ambie talks about the time she had at Dice Tower West - all the games she played, some other convention events she did, and other things in Vegas. She's also joined by her kids for part of the show. 0:00-Intro 0:32-DTW Recap 16:01-Kids’ Las Vegas Trip 22:40-The Rest of Ambie’s Las Vegas Trip...
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Episode 256 - A Walk Down Gamery Lane
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Cozy Stickerville, Unlock! Short Adventures, and Dungeons & Dragons: Builders of Baldur's Gate. Then we talk about some of our good memories from our childhood and what games we played then. 0:00-Intro 0:45-Announcements...
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Episode 255 - Our Board Game Go Bags
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Trajan, The Gang, and Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated. Then we talk about what we would put in our board game go bags (if we had them) to take to gatherings that aren't necessarily about board games. 0:00-Intro...
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Episode 254 - The Perfect Player Color
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon and Applejack. Then we talk about different player colors in board games, including what color we like playing in games and why. Check out our new Valentine's shirt design! 0:00-Intro...
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Episode 253 - Yes Games
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including CoraQuest and Hot Streak. Then we talk about games we'll always say yes to if someone wants to play it! 0:00-Intro 0:39-Recent Games - CoraQuest 10:46-Hot Streak 16:57-Can’t Say No 28:39-Outro 29:34-Bloopers Join our discord...
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Episode 252 - Our Holiday Recap
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Cozy Stickerville and Sunderfolk. Then since it's our first episode after our holiday break, we talk about what we did during the holidays - games, puzzles, escape rooms, and advent calendars! 0:00-Intro 0:41-Recent Games -...
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Episode 251 - Silly Ghost Busters
In another annual bonus episode, Kevin and Roy take over the show and talk about some games they've played (recently and not recently), Silly Shenanigans, Ghost Stories, and Bomb Busters (Kevin's version). You can watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube. 0:00-Intro 0:40-Recent Games -...
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Episode 250 - Q&A Celebration
Ambie and Crystal have a special Q&A episode to celebrate the 250th episode of Board Game Blitz!. 0:00-Intro 0:35-Q&A 03:52-What 3-5 episodes from the first 250 are the most memorable to you? 06:49-What is the coolest thing you've gotten to do as a result of doing the podcast? 11:51-What game(s)...
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Episode 249 - Interview with Blaž Urban Gracar
Ambie and Crystal interview Blaž Urban Gracar, the designer of All is Bomb, LOK, Abdec, LOK Digital, Workworkwork, and Herd! Check out all his games on his website Letibus Design. Herd figurines designed by Vojta Karen. 0:00-Intro 0:36-Interview with Blaž 31:08-Outro 32:03-Bloopers Join our…
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Episode 248 - All You Need is Love
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Spirits of the Wild: Awakening and Numberwang. Then, in honor of Crystal's upcoming wedding, we talk about board games that are about love, and we play some questions of The Couples Game! 0:00-Intro 0:41-Recent Games…
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Episode 247 - Oh Oh It's Magic
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Yggdrasil and Dreadful Meadows. Then, since it's still almost Halloween, we talk about games that have magic in them, whether it's fantasy magic or real magicians! Check out TabletopLiveNetwork.com for more info on TLN, and...
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Episode 246 - Spooky Stuff
Ambie, Crystal, and special guests Kevin and Roy discuss a couple games they played recently, including Yogi, Mr Postmouse's Picnic, and Twinkle Twinkle (plus the How I Wonder expansion and Extraterrestrials mini-expansion). Then, since it's almost Halloween, we talk about scary monsters, movies,...
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Episode 245 - Cozy Games
Ambie, Crystal, and special guest Amanda Panda discuss a couple games they played recently (which all happen to be from AllPlay), including Slambo!, Llama Llama, Tearable Quest, Alibis, and Waddle. Then, we talk about relaxing or cozy games that we like and what can make a game relaxing (or the...
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Episode 244 - Deduction: Social or Nah?
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Terrorscape 2 and the app for My City. Then, we talk about deduction games and social deduction games, and what makes a game social deduction. Note: I mistakenly said Terrorscape 2 is on Kickstarter but it's actually on...
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Episode 243 - Name That Game
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Ghost Stories and The Great Evening Banquet. Then, inspired by Game Night Picks, Crystal makes Ambie play a trivia game about her board games! 0:00-Intro 0:42-Recent Games-Ghost Stories 6:42-The Great Evening Banquet...
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Episode 242 - Bringing Games to Life
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Concealed, MicroMacro: Downtown Detective (mobile app), and Draw Along with Dave (web app). Then, we talk about a few games where the themes are something we'd like to do in real life. 0:00-Intro 0:46-Recent Games-Concealed...
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Episode 241 - Does Size Matter?
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Mystery Puzzle: The Lost Fire, First Contact, and Gibberish. Then, we talk about the size of our game collection, how it has evolved over our time in the hobby, and what we think the ideal collection size would be.…
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Episode 240 - The End of Games
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Codenames (the new version), Little Alchemists, and Look at the Stars. Then, we talk about games where players can choose whether or not to trigger the end game, and what we like or don't like about them. 0:00-Intro...
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Episode 239 - Midyear Board Game Tag
Ambie and Crystal got tagged by RollingReggie in his 3rd annual Midyear Board Game Tag, so we take the whole podcast episode to answer his questions about how the first half of 2025 is going so far in our board gaming! 0:00-Intro 0:34-Midyear Board Game Tag 02:02-1. What is your favorite game so...
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Episode 238 - Top of the Top
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Rescuing Robin Hood, Tiwanaku, and Holiday Hijinks: The Independence Incident. Then, we talk about our top 5 games that we've played that are currently in the top 100 ranked games on BoardGameGeek.com. Use our affiliate link...
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Episode 237 - Time is of the Essence
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including The Lord of the Rings, Fate of the Fellowship and ONDA. Then, we talk about setup time - how it can make a game harder to get played, and ways to mitigate that time. 0:00-Intro 0:42-Recent Games - The Lord of the Rings: Fate...
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Episode 236 - KublaCOOL
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Sherlock: The Game is Afoot and EXIT: The Game - Family: 2 Escape Adventures. Then, we're joined by special guests Dracula and Elphaba to talk about Ambie and her family's time at their local convention, KublaCon! Also, it's...
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Episode 235 - So Colorful!
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Signal, Here Lies, and Awkward Guests 2. Then, we talk about colors in board games - both as a theme and as a mechanism. 0:00-Intro 0:43-Recent Games - Signal 1:58-Here Lies 8:54-Awkward Guests 2: The Berwick Cases...
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Episode 234 - Wolfgang Warsch
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Signal and Lure. Then, we talk about the board game designer Wolfgang Warsch and the games he's made. 0:00-Intro 0:39-Recent Games - Signal 8:21-Lure 12:41-Wolfgang Warsch 25:31-Outro 26:26-Bloopers Join our discord Support…
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Episode 233 - The Cost of Board Games
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Top Tier and Bag of Chips. Then, we talk about how the US tariffs might affect the board game industry (especially for publishers and retailers in the US). Post from Ami Baio of Pink Tiger Games 0:00-Intro 0:38-Recent Games…
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Episode 232 - What Did You Expect?
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Holiday Hijinks #8: The Easter Escapade, The Case of the Curiously Correct Blueprints, and Café. Then, we talk about expectations we and other gamers have when opening a new game box, how those expectations have changed over...
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Episode 231 - The 2024 Blitzies
Ambie and Crystal host the 2024 Blitzies, the annual awards show about our favorite games of the year! Also make sure to check out Ambie’s top 10 list on YouTube. 0:00-Intro 0:34-DTW Recap 2:09-The 2024 Blitzies 03:45-Best Family Game 05:26-Best Kids' Game 07:41-Most Innovative Game 09:38-Most...
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Episode 230 - CONjecturing
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Slay the Spire: The Board Game and Flip 7. Then, we talk about our preparations (or lack thereof) for Dice Tower West and board game conventions in general. 0:00-Intro 0:42-Announcements 1:55-Recent Games - Slay the Spire…
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Episode 229 - Totally Mechanical!
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Time Division and Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West. Then, we talk about our favorite board game mechanics and why we like them. 0:00-Intro 0:38-Announcements 2:22-Recent Games - Time Division 6:55-Ticket to Ride...
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Episode 228 - Simple Complexity
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Holiday Hijinks: The Groundhog Gambit and The Cupid Crisis, Dorfromantik: The Board Game, and Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game. Then, we talk about how both simple and complex games can have value. 0:00-Intro...
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Episode 227 - Resolved Resolutions
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Bomb Busters and Gussy Gorillas. Then, we talk about the goals we made at the beginning of 2024 and whether or not we were able to complete them! Our Jubensha playthrough video and podcast episode 0:00-Intro 0:46-Recent…
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Episode 226 - Games from 2000
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including My Puzzle Adventure: Dragon and Box Two. Then, we realize that the year 2000 was 25 years ago and we look back on games that were released back in the year 2000! 0:00-Intro 0:41-Recent Games - My Puzzle Adventure: Dragon...
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Episode 225 - Mickey and Stinky
It's time for our annual bonus episode! Ambie is joined by Mickey and Stinky Flower Pot as they talk about a couple games they played recently, Disney: Mickey and the Beanstalk and First Orchard. You can watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube. 0:00-Intro 0:38-Recent Games - Disney:...
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Episode 224 - The Future of Gaming
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Adrift: A Puzzletale, Exit: The Game - Advent Calendar: The Missing Hollywood Star, and Stich für Stich. Then, we interview Sara Beth Way and talk to her about board gaming in the younger generation and the game she's...
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Episode 223 - Thanksgaming
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including My First Adventure: The Odyssey of the Phobos, Unlock! Kids: Detective Stories, Holiday Hijinks: The Kringle Kaper and The Birthday Burglary, Endangered Rescue #1: Galápagos Penguins, Wilmot’s Warehouse, and The Search for...
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Episode 222 - Interview with Dave Bresnick - Mahjong!
Ambie and Crystal interview Dave Bresnick, the founder and president of the United States Professional Mahjong League, a US based Riichi Mahjong league in New York! Links mentioned: American Riichi Assosication, World Riichi Championship, Riichi Book I, @USPML (Instagram), @SparrowsNestStudio...
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Episode 221 - Goody Gifts
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Stamp Swap, Typeset, and Sausage Sizzle. Then, we talk about some "goody gifts" - small games that can fit in a stocking, goody bag, or trick or treat bag! 0:00-Intro 0:55-Recent Games - Stamp Swap - watch the playthrough...
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Episode 220 - Interview with Jonathan Chaffer
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently from the Holiday Hijinks line - The Pumpkin Problem, The Turkey Trial, and The Groundhog Gambit. Then, we interview the designer of the Holiday Hijinks (new set currently on Kickstarter), Jonathan Chaffer and talk about how he designs...
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Episode 219 - Chit Chat
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Sync, Rabble, and Panda Spin. Then, we take an episode to just chat with each other about recent happenings in life. Topics include a board game retreat Crystal just went to, Ambie's game playing with her kids, and some non...
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Episode 218 - Chonky Games
Ambie and Crystal discuss a couple games they played recently, including Wilmot's Warehouse and Expressions. Then, we do a shared list of our top 5 board games that don't fit in a standard KALLAX shelf from IKEA.Check out Ambie's August Recap video on YouTube to hear more about Wilmot's Warehouse...