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Simple, Yet Intriguing
by Simple, Yet Intriguing
Simple, Yet Intriguing is a weekly podcast for board game lovers. Join hosts Luke, Chris and Sophie as they set out to play and review every single game designed by the legendary Reiner Knizia (with occasional detours into other designers). Whether you're a board game aficionado or just getting started, everyone is welcome to join in for the ride!New episodes every Monday.
Episodes
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#74: Foodie Forest (aka Too Many Cooks) (Card Games 7)
We're piling ingredients into a soup as we playanother trick-taking game but this time it's a Knizia game! What twists in the genre do we have in store? Will we make delicious soups? Games Mentioned: Foodie Forest, Masters of Maple Syrup, Puerto Rico, Race for the Galaxy, Tichu, Haggis, Ruins,...
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#73: LUZ (Taiki Shinzawa 7)
This week we take a look at your opponents cards but NOT our own in a newly uncovered Shinzawa trick taking feat: LUZ. Games Mentioned: LUZ, Hygge, Photograph, Coffee Roaster, Get On Board, Hanabi, Ghosts of Christmas, 9 Lives, No Loose Ends, Bomb Busters, Xylotar, Wizard, Skull King, Spades…
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#72: No Loose Ends (Taiki Shinzawa 6)
We've uncovered another Taiki Shinzawa gem! This time we're planning and pulling off a heist and then hiding the evidence through trick taking! Surprise! Games Mentioned: No Loose Ends, Shut the Books, Spades, Wizard, Skull King, Sluff Off!, Skat, Bridge, The Crew, Euchre, Hearts, dnup, Scout, 9...
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#71: Risk Express (aka Age of War, Camarades) (Dice Games 7)
This week we are entering an Age of War and talking Risk Express and its various incarnations as well as its link to the Cthulhu co-op dice game Elder Sign. Games Mentioned: Risk Express, Camarades: La Bombe ext., Elder Sign, Hasbro Express Games, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Pick-omino,...
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#70: The Hobbit: There and Back Again (The Hobbit 3)
It's the last episode in our The Hobbit series (for now...) as we discuss the new-ish roll & write-ish path building-ish game: The Hobbit: There and Back Again! We also wrap-up the series and discuss the games with our beloved Win, Lose, or Banana segment. Games Mentioned: The Hobbit: There and...
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#69: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey & The Desolation of Smaug (The Hobbit 2)
It's a two game doozy this week as we discuss the board game adaptations of the film adaptations of The Hobbit. How does it compare to Knizia's other co-operative Tolkien adaptation? And why is there no third game? Listen and find out! Games Mentioned: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The…
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#68: The Hobbit (The Hobbit 1)
We're returning to Middle-Earth! This time we're playing Knizia's 2010 competitive-ish game: The Hobbit! Games Mentioned: The Hobbit, Take 5, Candy Land, Relationship Tightrope, Dark Moon, Quacks, Pandemic, The Lord of the Rings Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:29 - The Hobbit: How Does it Work?...
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#67: Fuji (Wolfgang Warsch 6)
On the final episode of our Wolfgang Warsch in 2018 series we discuss the oft-forgotten dice comparison cooperative game about escaping lava: Fuji! Games Mentioned: Fuji, Tatsu, Forbidden Island, Gang of Dice, Sky Team, The Gang, Pandemic, The Crew, Family - Country: Japan, Win, Lose, or Banana,...
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#66: That's Pretty Clever! (Wolfgang Warsch 5)
Luke and Chris are feeling pretty clever this week as they discuss another dice drafting roll & write masterpiece(??) in the penultimate Wolfgang-Warsch-2018-designed-game episode. Games mentioned: That’s Pretty Clever!, Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends, Codenames, Galaxy Trucker, Mage Knight Board...
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#65: Illusion (Wolfgang Warsch 4)
Test your eyes with us this week as we play another 2018 Warsch game: Illusion! What will we see and will we like it? Games Mentioned: Illusion, Take Five, El Grande, Tikal, Mexica, Java, The Princes of Florence, Timeline, SET, MicroMacro: Crime City, Cockroach Poker, Liar’s Dice, Figment, The…
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#64: Deck, Bag, and Pool Avoidance Game (Bonus)
In an attempt at redemption, we play a game this week! This cut-for-time segment features us attempting to name games in the BGG Top 100 without the Deck, Bag, and Pool Building mechanism. SPOILERS AHEAD Games Mentioned: Anachrony, El Grande, Welcome To..., Puerto Rico, Isle of Skye, Cascadia,...
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#63: The Mind (Wolfgang Warsch 3)
It's time to telepathically communicate in Wolfgang Warsch's award winning card game. We break down how we feel about this game emotionally and philosophically. Games Mentioned: The Mind, Azul, Quacks, That’s Pretty Clever!, The Gang, Hanabi, Bridge, The Game, Take Time, Bomb Busters, The Mind...
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#62: Brikks (Wolfgang Warsch 2)
This week we are using paper, pencil and dice to drop non-branded tetrominoes in the digital space of Wolfgang Warsch's Brikks! (I'll be honest, it's basically a Tetris roll-and-write game). Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Wolfgang Warsch Biography 06:06 - Brikks: Overview and How it Works...
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#61: [The] Quacks [of Quedlinburg] (Wolfgang Warsch 1)
It's a bag-building-push-your-luck-try-not-to-explode fiasco this week in our new series! We discuss the games that Wolfgang Warsch made in the year 2018 starting with The Quacks of Quedlinburg. It's a real place! Games Mentioned: Orleans, Automobiles, Coffee Roaster, Clank!, Mystic Vale…
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#60: High Society (Modern Classic 12)
We're elevating the podcast to a higher echelon with special guest Graeme Goldthorpe! We ask him about his favourite Knizia games and we dig deep on the pure auction game High Society. Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:51 - Guest Introduction 08:25 - High Society: How Does it Work? 13:05 - High...
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#59: Schotten Totten / Battle Line (Modern Classics 11)
This week we are discussing the 1999 two-player bona fide classic Schotten Totten and its sibling Battle Line. How does it compare to other two-player Knizia titles? What does the title mean?? Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:00 - Schotten Totten: How Does it Work? 04:51 - Battle Line & Schotten...
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#58: The Lord of the Rings (Modern Classics 10)
We're back in Middle-Earth for the early cooperative game The Lord of the Rings! No confrontation this time. Does it stand the test of time? Can the Doctor make thematic games?? Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:16 - What We Played This Week: Trajan 09:37 - The Lord of the Rings: How Does it…
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#57: The Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation (Modern Classics 9)
We're journeying to Middle-Earth to talk about Chess, Stratego, tables and The Confrontation between Good and Evil! Who will prevail?? Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:20 - Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation: How Does it Work? 05:31 - Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation Discussion 15:54 - Aha...
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#56: The Quest for El Dorado (Modern Classics 8)
This week we're returning to our Modern Classics series to deck build AND race to find a lost city in The Quest for El Dorado. Does our newest game in the series live up to the hype? Episode Chapters 0:00 - Intro 00:45 - What We Played This Week: Ghosts Galore 08:31 - Intro to Modern Classics…
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#55: 2026 Challenges - Q1 Check-in
Luke, Chris and Mechanic Mechanic Matt report their progress on their 2026 challenges. Plus they play a fun game! Games discussed: Flip 7, Charioteer, Set Dice, Inis, Spellbound (1981), Here Lies, Regicide, Ribbit. Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:30 - Sophie’s Challenge Check-in 04:32…
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#54: Wingspan: Americas Expansion (Elizabeth Hargrave 8)
We're joined by Mechanic Mechanic Matt to round out our Hargrave series by talking about all of the Wingspansions including the new Americas expansion! Hummingbirds are birds! Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:11 - Matt's Hot Takes & Wyrmspan Discussion 06:26 - Oceania Board Comparison and Nectar...
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#53: Tussie Mussie Complete Collection (Elizabeth Hargrave 7)
We're back to flower gifting and passive-aggressive communication with the BIG BOX version of wallet game Tussie Mussie! Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:32 - What We Played This Week: Vegas Showdown 07:36 - Tussie Mussie Complete Collection Overview 09:51 - Orange Flowers Expansion 13:55 -...
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#52: Sanibel (Elizabeth Hargrave 6)
We're walking on the beach! Conceptually! This week we're talking Elizabeth Hargrave's 2026 tile-laying, shell-bagging game: Sanibel! -- 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Hargrave Game Banter 08:33 - Sanibel Discussion 19:45 - Aha! Moments 31:27 - Gamer Recognize Game? 39:12 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted &...
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#51: Rheinländer (Tile Laying 10)
In anticipation of the reprint, the boys (of tile laying with fame) are playing the 1999 hidden gem Rheinländer! Mechanic Mechanic Matt also helps them to dissect the history of pre-Reiner Knizia tile layers. -- 00:00 Intro 1:36 Gaming History: Tile Laying Games 16:58 World Series of Board Gaming...
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#50: Spectaculum (Tile Laying 9)
Chris and Luke gloriously return to the circus to talk about Spectaculum and how circuses are the same as trains! -- 00:00 - Intro 01:17 - What We Played This Week - Unmatched Adventures TMNT 08:34 - Spectaculum Discussion 17:20 - aha! (and Oh My!) Moments 21:52 - BGG Trivia Game 29:31 - Gold...
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#49: Gazebo, with guest Alisha Giroux (Tile Laying 8)
Chris and Luke are joined by special guest Alisha Giroux, artist and graphic designer of Gazebo, to chat about the game and the work that goes into board game art. Later, they dig deep about nooks, patios, gazebos and dominos and how they all work within the world of Gazebo. Alisha can be found…
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#48: BGA Awards 2026
Chris, Luke and Mechanic Mechanic Matt look at and place their votes for the 5 awards and twenty nominated games for the upcoming boardgamearena.com awards! Check it out and vote here: https://bga.li/awards2026 -- 0:00 - Intro 7:15 - Best Casual Game 17:20 - Best Regular Game 27:57 - Best Expert...
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#47: Khan of Khans (Anniversaries)
Wrapping up our Anniversaries trilogy (until our first 2026 play!), we talk Khan of Khans - a very light card game set in the world of Glorantha. Luke also waxes loquacious about a trilogy of games - Nova Luna, Sanagi, and Framework. -- 00:00 - Intro 00:52 - What We (Luke) Played This Week (Nova...
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#46: Royal Visit (aka Times Square) (Anniversaries)
Whose chateau will the king visit? Which nightclub will attract the most famous guests?? How are these connected??? All of your most burning questions answered on this week's episode. Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm...
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#45: Classic Art (Anniversaries)
Debuting a concise new series to kick off our 2026 run, the lads are covering Classic Art to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its original 1996 release. We also chat French Toast, a recent release by AllPlay and the ever-magnanimous Peter C. Hayward. -- 01:01 - French Toast discussion (What We...
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#44: 2025 Year in Review!
Happy new year! 🎉Another year around the sun, another retrospective episode where we get the whole crew together to discuss the games we played, the challenges most of us catastrophically failed, and what we're looking forward to in 2026. --- Hosted & Edited by Luke O'Grady, Chris Lemieux…
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#43: ORBIT (Cosmic Silos Trilogy)
🚀Our final lap around the SILOS system takes the lads through a high-stakes galactic race that's fun for the whole family! Includes amicable chatting about 12 Chip Trick, as well as comparisons of ORBIT to other race & racing games. --- 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - 12 Chip Trick discussion (What We...
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#42: EGO (Cosmic Silos Trilogy)
👽 The lads wax enthusiastically about EGO, the exciting, interactive, and tough-to-categorize 2nd entry in the Cosmic Silos Trilogy from Bitewing Games about being better at making friends than your friends. Featuring banter about 'Waddle', a clever little penguin posturing game from Allplay &...
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#41: SILOS (Cosmic Silos Trilogy)
👾 Our latest 100% human-created episode covers the 2025 Reiner Knizia release SILOS from Bitewing Games, wherein skinsuits abound and cows are finally given their due. Featuring banter about recent Pandemic system game 'Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship', Star Wars games, and IP games in...
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#40: Tower Chess & Fives (Taiki Shinzawa)
Feast your ears on todays' double-feature-episode, where the lads reveal how little they know about Chess as well as their inability to distinguish the color green from the color magenta. Also featuring a quick discussion of CMYK's Magenta series! Chapters: 00:57 - Tower Chess Discussion 10:38 -...
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#39: Big Top (Taiki Shinzawa)
🎪 The usual circus that is this podcast continues with our penultimate Taiki Shinzawa episode! We speak briefly on the 2025 game Tag Team (from Scorpion Masqué, by Gricha German & Corentin Lebrat) before introducing the main act: Big Top (from Allplay, by Taiki Shinzawa), a fantastically clever...
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#38: Planet etuC / Pin Combi Trio (Taiki Shinzawa)
This week, Luke and Chris continue on their Taiki Shinzawa journey with two trick-taking games: 2020 Planet etuC and 2022 Pin Combi Trio. Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger
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#37: Maskmen / Cowardly Bat (Taiki Shinzawa)
Luke and Chris continue their journey through the games of Taiki Shinzawa. This week, join them as they chat through two unique card games: Cowardly Bat and Maskmen! Chapters: 01:23 - Cowardly Bat discussion 09:44 - Maskmen discussion 19:45 - Aha! moments 23:53 - BGG Trivia! Hosted by: Luke…
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#36: Nine Lives / Ghosts of Christmas (Taiki Shinzawa)
It's a trick-taking double feature extravaganza as Chris and Luke kick-off the new Taiki Shinzawa miniseries with Nine Lives and Ghosts of Christmas! Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger
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#35: Beowulf: The Movie Board Game Special (Chris's Challenge Bonus)
I! AM!! BEOWULF!!! Join the crew as they check in on Chris’s 2025 board game challenge—playing games based on movies! This week, we’re diving into a reimplementation of Reiner Knizia's Kingdoms: Beowulf: The Movie Board Game. Chapters 00:00 - Spoiler warning 00:46 - Introduction 03:01 - Beowulf...
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#34: Dragon Master (Tile Laying 7)
In today's episode (alt title 'How to Master your Dragon') Chris & Luke bandy words about the notoriously rules-light yet compelling game, Dragon Master. 🐉 We also debate whether this is a tile laying game at all! 🤷 Tally ho! Chapters: 00:00 - Hello 00:47 - Intro & what we played this week…
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#33: Genesis (Tile Laying 6)
This week, Pangea is splitting and the crew fight for world dominance as they chat through Knizia's pre-historic dice rolling/tile laying classic: Genesis (2006). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:38 - What did we play this week? 09:06 - Genesis discussion 16:50 - Aha! moments Hosted by: Luke O'Grady &...
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#32: Orongo (Nyakuza) (Tile Laying 5)
This week, Chris and Luke are praying to the gods of Easter Island as they chat through Knizia's blind auction / tile laying (maybe?) game: Orongo (recently re-released as Nyakuza). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - What did we play this week? 09:03 - Nyakuza discussion 21:44 - Aha! moments Hosted…
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#31: Cosmolancer (aka Kingdoms) (Tile Laying 4)
What do freelance fantasy space-whale photography and the establishment of profitable medieval realms have in common? That the boys talk about both of those themes in this episode! Chris and Luke bandy words about the classic tile-laying game Cosmolancer (originally released as Kingdoms), as well...
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#30: Butterfly Garden (aka Indigo) (Tile Laying 3)
In this ✨premier episode✨, the lads continue laying tiles in order to collect gems and/or guide butterflies. Join Chris and Luke as they highlight the classic Knizia game Indigo (re-released & re-themed as Butterfly Garden)! Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:49 - Banter: On Rulebooks 08:46 - Butterfly...
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#29: Mille Fiori (Tile Laying 2)
We continue our adventures in Tile Laying with The Boys as Luke & Chris chat Mille Fiori - on glassblowing, card drafting, and pattern building in beautiful Venice. Featuring surprise banter topic - going to Deep Space! Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Going to Deep Space (MLEM Banter) 04:48…
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#28: Rebirth (Tile Laying 1)
The crew is back with a shiny new Knizia series: Tile Laying with the Boys! Luke & Chris welcome our very own Mechanic Mechanic Matt to chat about the first game in the series: Rebirth. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:02 - Get to know Mechanic Mechanic Matt! 12:50 - How to play Rebirth 19:09 -...
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#27: Sid Sackson Special - Sleuth & BuyWord (Sophie's Challenge Bonus)
It’s time for a challenge check-in! The crew returns to see how Sophie’s board game resolution is going, diving into the depths of deduction in Sleuth and the wordy wheeling and dealing of BuyWord—both from the prolific designer Sid Sackson. Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by:...
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#26: Gang of Dice (Dice Games 6)
This week, the crew present you an offer you can't refuse: Gang of Dice! Plus, they rank all the games of their Cubes So Nice They Named it Dice: Dice Guys Finish Last series. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:33 - What did we play this week? 08:28 - How to play Gang of Dice 12:00 - Gang of Dice...
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#25: Reiner Knizia's Decathlon (Dice Games 5)
Lace up your sneakers! This week, the crew are diving headfirst into Reiner Knizia's Decathlon — ten dicey events, one questionable champion... Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:27 - What did we play this week? 11:53 - How to play Reiner Knizia's Decathlon 14:56 - Reiner Knizia's Decathlon...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Simple, Yet Intriguing is a weekly podcast for board game lovers. Join hosts Luke, Chris and Sophie as they set out to play and review every single game designed by the legendary Reiner Knizia (with occasional detours into other designers). Whether you're a board game aficionado or just getting started, everyone is welcome to join in for the ride!New episodes every Monday.
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Simple, Yet Intriguing
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Simple, Yet Intriguing have?
Simple, Yet Intriguing currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Simple, Yet Intriguing about?
Simple, Yet Intriguing is a weekly podcast for board game lovers. Join hosts Luke, Chris and Sophie as they set out to play and review every single game designed by the legendary Reiner Knizia (with occasional detours into other designers). Whether you're a board game aficionado or just getting...
How often does Simple, Yet Intriguing release new episodes?
Simple, Yet Intriguing has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Simple, Yet Intriguing?
You can listen to Simple, Yet Intriguing on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Simple, Yet Intriguing?
Simple, Yet Intriguing is created and hosted by Simple, Yet Intriguing.
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