Over the Tabletop

Coming to us from Ringstrue Games (thank you!), we're coming back to you with our reviews of Dungeon Squared and Wetworks! Both are fun, easy to pick up and play, and work well for two players! There's deckbuilding, dungeon crawling, espionage, set collection, hand management, and more across the two games. Give a listen!

Over the Tabletop tears right into 2020 with a game that's truly EPIC .... because that's part of the title. It's Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Annihilageddon and it's got 100 percent more deckbuilding, 100 percent more two-player capabilities, and probably 75 percent more poop jokes than all previous Epic Spell Wars. Join your friendly neighborhood Battle Wizards for a full run-down of the game and way fewer spicy takes than usual because, well, it's winter. We're tired.

We'll be honest, this episode is way late, but trust us, it's been a Month. At some point BEFORE the Month, we played All Manor of Evil, the product of a successful Kickstarter! A Lovecraftian card game with a neat trick of working well for two players, give a listen to see what we think! (Because we don't actually remember, other than our review being quite positive!)

Like rolling? Like writing? You'll love this week's games! Join Over the Tabletop as we discuss Imperial Settlers, Brikks, and That's So Clever, three games that let you toss some dice, press your luck, and keep track of your gaming destiny with those tiny little mini-golf pencils!

Welcome to Season 3 of Over the Tabletop! We're kicking off things with an adventuresome journey to rapidly expanding local-to-us indie game festival, BostonFIG! Come for our reviews of some brand-new two-player games, stay for those trademark Over the Tabletop shenanigrams!

The jig is up, the news is out, we've finally found ... a game that is well-crafted and great for solo play but not quite as flavorful for two players. It's Renegade, from Victory Point Games, a game that James and Erin appreciate many aspects of and are excited to play NOT with each other! We also discuss what makes for a good solo game and appreciate the attention paid to proofreading Renegade's instruction booklet!

We're back and Erin is TIRED this episode, but it's a lively discussion regardless of our newest cooperative deckbuilder, Aeon's End Legacy! We're fans of the story aspect of the game, which pits us, a couple of scrappy Breach Mages against villains daring to destroy the probably picturesque village of Gravehold!

It's the biggest ... well, certainly the heaviest ... game we've played yet! Gloomhaven from Cephalofair Games offers a meaty gameplay experience to go along with weighing some 20 pounds or nearly one and a half stones! James and Erin also discuss the utility of house rules for a more enjoyable gaming experience, as well as a SHIFT IN POWER on Over the Tabletop's Twitter account!

The name is a mouthful, but luckily we here at Over the Tabletop find this biweek's game quite delicious! Exorcism at the House of Monkton Falls from The Screaming Brain is one we playtested last year and Kickstarted. It scratches that cooperative, race-against-time, spooky mystery itch without feeling like it's impossible to ever get that house clear! Also this week: Erin REALLY wants to copyedit your game's instruction manuals and James celebrates Galentine's Day.

Come hear the audible sighs of relief as Erin realizes she doesn't need to know *anything* about anime to play -- and enjoy -- Death Note: Confrontation! This two-player deduction game pits super-sleuth L against the mysterious Kira as both race the clock (there's no clock, but it's a fairly quick game) to win!

James makes a baseball joke and we choose our own adventure with Legacy of Dragonholt, a roleplaying game that doesn't require a GM or lots of fiddly math to play or even other people to play! That ticks all of Erin's boxes and it's a fun, accessible adventure that seems like it'd be ideal to get young people or new-to-gaming folks interested in roleplaying games and THEN THEY'LL BE TRAPPED AHAHAHAHAHA.

We spent so much time thinking about whether we COULD play Duelosaur Island, we didn't .... no, actually, we did spend a lot of time thinking about whether we should -- and we agree that we AND YOU should play it! A purely two-player game from Pandasaurus Games, Duelosaur Island blends dice drafting, resource management, a little bit of take that!-style action, and comes up with an enjoyable visit to the world of dino DNA, risk management, and excitement!

Over the Tabletop went on the road to see some stuff and play some games! Join us for a chat about The Uncommons, a board game cafe in NYC and the games we played there, including InBetween, a fun, quick battle between the forces of good and evil!

Over the Tabletop returns with an update of an older deckbuilder, Thunderstone Quest! The game, which has an expansion set running on Kickstarter now, streamlines the play in a very effective way, eliminating a lot of the unnecessary math from the old game, much to Erin's approval!  

This week, we're on the cutting edge with our review of a super-new game, Direwild from Iron Horde Games! This one was our Game of the Con at GenCon and we're excited to take a more comprehensive look at a fun, tricky, and rewarding twist on game mechanics! Join us as we build our decks (some of us more successfully than others) and crawl cooperatively through a dungeon, all with the help of puppies and kittens!

It's potion-making time! We're back with a look at Alchemy! - a quick, portable "Apprentice Duel" version of a larger game and we really like it for all of those reasons! In advance, we apologize for an extended bit about digestive problems, none of which occurred during the playing of this enjoyable game that mixes set-matching with a bit of "mess with your opponent" fun! From Aviary Games, this is one we really enjoyed from Boston FIG!

We make our triumphant return to the Boston Festival of Indie Games to check out locally-grown gaming goodness. We report on a few promising options, check out a new-to-us game (Alchemy from Aviary Games!), and discuss Erin's short attention span when it comes to anime as well as James' commitment to smart scheduling when it comes to game cons and dog festivals!

It's so much fun being evil! At least we THINK it is, as we try out Disney's Villainous, a new game from Wonder Forge that combines hand management, mess-with-your-opponent opportunities, and variable player powers! We take on the roles of the likes of Maleficent, Ursula the Sea Witch, and Captain Hook and ... it's not bad? 

This podcast episode is scheduled for ONE FALL! We're back on our wrestling-themed game enthusiasm with a card game that has quite delighted us over the last few weeks -- it's SRG's The Supershow! With a dash of dice rolling luck, clever card play, and some thematic role-playing, it's one we've welcomed into our regular game rotation! Also listen as Erin loses a bet and gets active on social media!

We're baaaaaack from GenCon, having patted all the cats Indianapolis had to offer, collected all the Scotty's Brewhouse dice, and tried several new games! We'll talk about some highlights (Direwild! The Supershow!), some interesting updates (Thunderstone Quest!) and more. Come get the inside scoop on our favorites!

With just a few short days before GenCon 2018 dawns, we're back with our preview of highly-anticipated-by-us games and events during this year's event! Join us for us for all the best tips for making the most of not waiting in line at Noodles & Company during GenCon!

It's Erin in board game form -- Cat Lady! We come back from a bit of a hiatus with a light, fun look at a light, fun game. Co-producer Solstice gives this charmingly illustrated card drafting game two cat-thumbs up (and she can, because she has thumbs!) as do we!  

We played this mid-dayish, but it's Twilight Struggle! A card game evoking the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR, involving strategy, cunning, and wit, so of course James won several rounds. Erin is still a fan, though, and so is Co-Producer Solstice, so give a listen and see if you might enjoy this classic offering from GMT Games!

From the people who brought you Ascension comes a game reviewed by the people who also recently brought you a review of Ascension, it's Shards of Infinity! Over the Tabletop's fondness for deckbuilders really comes to life in this one, once we figured out how to actually play it. Erin's running on a high of five games won and she's not even bothered by the fact we weren't playing correctly! Give it a listen!

James and Erin have pieced together a lovely episode for listeners on Patchwork, a game by Uwe Rosenberg of Agricola fame! This game gains points for a uniquely pleasant experience and also not being Agricola! Join us also for a rich tapestry of philosophical talk on game groups and game styles!

Over the Tabletop rises to greatness as always with Stone Blade Games' Ascension! A solid deckbuilder that's been around for several years and has several expansion/standalone games, it's been a go-to game for James and Erin, with wins on both sides. Or not! It's hard to tell, because the game is enjoyable enough (pretty art! appealing victory tokens!) not to worry about winning or losing. Co-producer Solstice also offers her thoughts! (spoiler alert, they are "Meow!")

We're back with a on-location report from local gaming convention TotalCon! We offer our thoughts on some newly sampled games such as Vampires vs. Unicorns and The Exorcism at the House of Monkton Falls! We also review longtime favorite, Hero Realms from White Wizard Games! This episode also brings an update on the Android Netrunner legacy game we've been playing/bickering over for several months. Give a listen!

We return with Twilight of the Gods, a fun outing from Victory Point Games that James likes a lot even though Erin has won every game thus far! The game, much like Magic with some twists, has an expansion up on Kickstarter right now. Also this episode, Solstice meows in the background, causing immediate cuteness meltdowns; Erin grumbles a bit about card terminology; and we recap our San Francisco trip!

We cast our net wider this week while discussing the board game oeuvre of a favorite game maker, Small Box Games! They're a solid game developer with a strong Kickstarter presence, grasp of different game mechanics, and making gold coins look like delicious cheeseballs. Also in this episode, Erin can't open her tea, James has super vacation brain, and Solstice audibly climbs into a bag! Join us!

It's unanimous, folks! A game that James, Erin, AND Co-Producer Solstice KitKat all enjoy! This week's episode has us playing Mission to Planet Hexx, a delightful romp through space and even though Erin lost and is feeling surly about it, she's STILL jazzed to try again. It's a brand-new day! It should also be noted that James still can't stand Ticket to Ride.

This week, Over the Tabletop plays Witches of the Revolution from Atlas Games and it's ... fine? Erin is unexpectedly aggro about how great this deckbuilder with a cooperative twist could have been and James is intent upon spoiling The Last Jedi for listeners. (Don't worry, we've sonically excised the spoilers!) Come for our discussion of how awesome Occult Candyland would be and what our top five favorite TV shows might be!

The weather outside is weather, but inside your ears, it's a new episode of Over the Tabletop! This week, we see if things end happily ever after with Dark Tales, an engaging card game with lots of replayability. Come for the game discussion, stay for the warping of the Duck Tales theme song and lots of unwelcome Little Mermaid and Spin Doctors references!

Ever have one of those games that's super popular, well-crafted, and just plain ol' not for you? Arkham Horror might be that game for James and Erin. It's chock full of juicy story, twists and turns, and growing madness, but that impending sense of doom and seemingly insurmountable odds ... aren't always what you want in a fun game night. Give a listen!

It's another installment of Over the Tabletop, a weekly-ish podcast dedicated to two-player board games! This week, we discuss Epic PvP from AEG and Fun to 11 Games. Described as a "shufflebuilding" game, Epic PvP offers quick gameplay with up to 72 (probably) different character combinations James and Erin discuss the importance of reading ALL the rules to properly enjoy a game as well as our fave Diablo character classes!

Sometimes your gameplay will be less for the beer-and-pretzels set and more for the milk-and-cookies crowd! Make holidays magical by getting the whole family/chosen family/friends/people stranded at the airport involved! This week, we offer up a few family-friendly suggestions for games that work well for the non-gamers in your Christmas coterie/Solstice suite/Hanukkah huddle/Yule crew. We also as is our wont, have a decidedly explicit discussion of the serial murder-centric television program Hannibal, so maybe keep Bing Crosby on the surround sound DURING your actual holiday get-togethers and listen to this beforehand. (but definitely listen and enjoy!)

We're back, with a look at one of James' favorite games of all time and a game that Erin acknowledges is certainly very well constructed. This living card game (code: you can buy packs of cards forever and always and make your partner shudder about how complex things will get) combines some solid asymmetrical play with a bit of bluffing and usually, for Erin, some tears. 

What happens when two overly-into-Salem-adjacent-media folks find a game with this theme? Lots of praise for said game (a worker placement game we enjoy!!), along with takes that are hellfire-hot about other things we DON'T like. Listen for James' opinions on The VVitch and Erin's weirdly specific historic references, and our review of DPH (not NPH) Games' "Affliction: Salem 1692!"

We're on the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the Edge of Humanity! Luckily, this precipice is a pretty cool place, since we both really enjoyed the game. Give a listen as we discuss our playthrough, as well as Erin's sneaky It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia references, a confusing rainbow pin, and James' strongly-held opinions about game boxes!

A fun extra this week for you fine folks, in addition to our review of Legend of the Five Rings (spoiler alert, Erin can't hold her honor) -- an interview with game designer Luca Vince Caltabiano, creator of the upcoming Neon Knights 2086. We talk Kickstarter, game design, and the value of a thriving gaming community. Enjoy!

We take a deeper dive into Geek Fever Games' Druid Dice, a fave from our recent gaming con experience! Come for our playthrough of a game that is Tetris meets Candy Crush meets Super Puzzle Fighter and stay for our favorite druid-related media, including James' list of things he'd rather do than watch the Nic Cage remake of "The Wicker Man!"

We got out and saw some stuff and now we're back! This week, we discuss a local game con, the Boston Festival of Indie Games. It's a great way to try out some new games and games in development, including Phoenix Covenant, Visitor in Blackwood Grove, Druid Dice, Adventures of the Cimmerian Forest, Pinball Showdown and more! It's also a great opportunity for us to test out our editing skills after some really bizarre tangents. Join us!

This week, we take our drift compatibility out for a spin with Zothren Invasion, a semi-cooperative card game that pits pieces of giant robots against somewhat reptilian alien invaders! Aw, darn, we didn't discuss the movie Alien Invaders. We do, however, chat about Pacific Rim, the genesis of Erin's love of square dancing, and why sometimes house rules are necessary in gaming.

This week, we're rolling them stones, wood, and possibly house-themed dice with Castle Dice! It's more commonly known around the Over the Tabletop royal court as one of the few resource management games James enjoys. Join us as we discuss some quality castle movies (Bitchy Paul Giamatti in Ironclad!), make up some inappropriate parody songs about college football, and score a hat trick of cursewords!

We return to our regularly scheduled program of editing the more ribald of our game commentary with The Twelve Doctors, an obscure print-and-play game that we both enjoy, despite Erin being terrifically bad at it. Join us as we discuss our favorite Doctors, come up with a stunning array of synonyms for boners, and offer up some stern words for avocado toast fans!

We'll be honest, friends, we go a little off the rails (primarily in good ways) in this mostly-unedited episode as we find ourselves playing a game that's entertaining in lots of ways and also not in a few key other ways. Thrill to James' tight five on eliptony and Erin's childhood misunderstandings of classic horror movies! 

This week, rather than playing a game, we bring you our tried-and-true advice for having a .... well-rounded experience at GenCon, the nation's premier gaming convention, which kicks off its 50th event this week in Indianapolis. Over the Tabletop knows gaming AND knows Indianapolis. so listen up as we give you all the tips that are fit to print and the ones that aren't, including proper photo etiquette, curiously detailed commentary on where and how to imbibe your favorite gaming spirits, and why Erin feels no one should wear costumes with wings, ever.

We flex our head-to-head fighting muscles this week with Exceed from Level 99 Games, a great game that always does exactly what you might think to our expectations! We also discuss one of our favorite kickpunching movie stars, Scott Adkins, and debate exactly how many Universal Soldier movies one really needs to watch to understand the mythos. We also select winners of our custom dice bag contest! Spoiler alert, everyone wins!

It's a combat for the ages .... mostly between Solstice and Erin's unattended feet, as we dive into Ophidian 2360, a futuristic gladiatorial card game! Join us in our game ludus as we discuss our fervent love for TV shows about gladiators including 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' and James calls for challengers on a particularly controversial pop culture topic.

Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn! Join us for some arts 'n' Lovecrafts as we flee toward the eminently speakable enjoyment of Lost in R'lyeh, an Uno-esque card game from Atlas Games. Will Erin rise from the deep by actually winning a game? WHO CAN SAY?

Join us as we weave a rich tapestry of words, as our heroes find love, get scorned .... and lost ... and otherwise embattled in a run through Z-Man Games' "Tales of the Arabian Nights!" Apart from a few valid questions about dated terminology, we quite love this game, win or lose. Mostly lose. But it's all about the journey!