All Episodes

85: Hidden gems, makeovers, themes our guest should illustrate (guest: Kwanchai Moriya)

84: Instant classics, celebs we'd like to game with (guests: The Op)

83: Board game match-ups! (guest: Amanda Panda/Panda8ngel)

82: Deck building, Kickstarter surprises/disappointments, culling collections (guest: Rock Manor)

81: Puzzle Strike 2, video game influences, push-your-luck (guest: Sirlin Games)

80: New (and old!) games to look forward to in 2022 (guest: Ruel Gaviola)

79: The 2021 Games of the Year episode

78: Board Game Arena pros/cons, playing "blind," and more (guest: Emerson Matsuuchi)

77: Robots, worker placement, game design jealousy (guest: Peter C. Hayward/Blue Beard)

76: Video games going analog, turning theme into gameplay (guests: Level 99 Games)

75: Forever games, teaching newbies, coolest marketing (guest: Board Game Barrage)

74: Recent co-op faves, crafting in games, & board game "dream teams" (guest: Nikki Valens)

73: Partner swap! Two-player gaming with 1 Minute Board Games

72: Design inspirations, gaming trends, and trivia! (guest: Reiner Knizia)

71: Working with a legend, game length, and fave genres (guests: Bitewing Games)

70: Solo games - here to stay? Plus tons of recs! (guest: Jeremy Howard)

69: Popping the social bubble, surprise games, publisher woes (guest: James Hudson)

68: Gamer origin stories, adjacent hobbies, and Uwe! (guest: Dice Tower Podcast)

67: Post-quarantine gaming, elegant designs, content creation (guest: JonGetsGames)

66: Real-time board games, games partners disagree on (guests: 1 Minute Board Games)

65: What board games have taught us, themes, online sales (guest: BoardGameCo)

64: 3-course gaming, culling collections, & evolving tastes (guests: Red Raven Games)

63: Fave game names, tech in games, and conventions (guests: Rose Gauntlet)

62: Board games we changed our opinions on, invested the most in, have a hard time getting to the table (guests: Before You Play)

61: Board games that get you HYPED, our backlogs, livestreaming (guest: Paula Deming)

60: Learning/teaching pet peeves, favorite animal-themed games, Capstone Games (guest: Board Games in a Minute)

59: Separating art from artist, video game licenses, deckbuilding (guest: Boards Alive)

58: Fave things to do with board games (besides playing them), best components, and...jigsaw puzzles??

57: The 2020 Board Games of the Year episode

56: More party games, "old" games that need love, mechanics we seek out or avoid (guest: comedian Grant Lyon)

55: Party + gateway games, childhood memories, and house rulin' (guests: Plaid Hat)

54: Inclusivity, innovative gameplay, educational games that aren't educational games (guest: Elizabeth Hargrave)

53: Top 3 games we're dying to play, the board game café business (guest: Meepleville)

52: Spiel des Jahres 2020, Euro vs. Ameritrash...fight! (guest: Roy Cannaday)

51: RPGs, video games, and our ideal gaming groups (guests: Jon Gilmour, Ian Moss)

50: Best games, genres, and podcast moments -- our 50th episode special!

49: Unique deckbuilders, design vs. development, hobbies that should be board games (guests: Leder Games, Terrible Games)

48: Points? Who cares? Plus: Fave universes, illustration-based games, and social interactions (guest: Eric Slauson)

47: Fave themes, RPG-ish board games, designers' inspirations, cultural appropriation (guests: Sen-Foong Lim, Banana Chan)

46: Sleeper hits, games to play outside, genres we dislike (guest: Ruel Gaviola)

45: Streamable games, big-name licenses, and that X factor (guest: The Op's Pat Marino)

44: Politics, premium bits, and remakes (guest: James Hudson)

43: Pirate games, Forgotten Waters, losing interest in the hobby (guests: Plaid Hat, Tim Schafer)

42: 2P/solo games, failing co-op, roll & writes, Uwe Rosenberg (guest: Jamey Stegmaier)

41: Async digital games, designing during COVID, and more (guest: Emerson Emerson Matsuuchi)

40: Gaming (and publishing) in a COVID-19 world + The Crew (guests: Deep Water Games)

39: Classic games, culling games, and conventions (guests: Board Game Spotlight)

38: Is there a board game for everyone? Plus: The LOLest games, board game movies, and Kickstarter trailers

37: Mike Young (Plan B) explains why game publishing is so tough! Plus, our fave board game franchises and imports.

36: Celebrating 20 years of BoardGameGeek

35: The 2019 games of the year...and looking ahead at 2020

34: BoardGameGeek drops in to discuss Azul, Abomination, and BGGCON

33: John D. Clair (Ecos, Mystic Vale) explains how he designs board games. Also: Our fave Star Wars, deckbuilding, and engine-building games.

32: Rob Manuel (Indie Megabooth, ex-G4TV/Geek & Sundry) discusses what it takes to be a successful board game content creator, plus how to talk to non-gamers about board games over the holidays, why there aren't more negative game reviews, and some Ravens

31: Jerry Hawthorne (Mice and Mystics) talks world-building, plus kid-friendly family games, how game design taps into dopamine, and leftover legacy game content

30: Bebo (Be Bold Games) brings the strangest/coolest topic to date. Also: most anticipated Essen releases, the biggest problems in the industry, and games that are/aren't worth the setup time

29: Why are some games so hard to buy? Scott Morris of GTS Distribution explains the manufacturing/distribution process for us -- plus recent faves that we've been playing and some of the best worker-placement games (with a twist).

28: Nikki Valens (Mansions of Madness, Quirky Circuits) tells us how she goes from designing horror games to cute and adorable ones, plus our fave co-op games, how legacy games use legacy elements, and escape-room games

27: Scott Alden (BoardGameGeek co-founder) asks if there are too many games being published, plus the top 3 non-obvious things we look for in games, the baggage of BoardGameGeek reviews, and a rave about Japanese favorite Wind the Film

26: Dan Ackerman (Techlandia) chats with us about the making of his board game, how important winning is, the current state of board game media, and how the indie tabletop scene feels like the indie video game scene from five years ago

25: Post-Gen Con 2019! We team up with Board Game Spotlight to announce our games of the show, our favorite early prototypes, why we buy what we buy at the show, and building communities

24: Gen Con 2019 preview special! Our favorite Gen Con memories, what to plan for as a first-timer, lesser-known things to do there, and a bonus review of a unique new bidding game!

23: A pre-Gen Con Kickstarter glut, games we've purchased second (or third) editions of, and Epic Space Games

22: Grant Rodiek (Cry Havok, Farmageddon) can only save three games to play forever, plus the trials of an indie game designer, what kind of collectors we are, and Tokyo Game Market

21: Origins Game Fair, 2019 (Kenner)spiel des Jahres, and growing up with Steve Jackson Games

20: Nicole Amato (Cardboard Fortress) joins our chat! We discuss licensed board games, social deduction (without the lies), what it's like to co-design, and what themes we'd like to see more of

19: The OG crew are reunited, as Shoe celebrates some recent Kickstarter arrivals, Christina takes stock of the rise of the Roll & Write genre, Mike reflects on the role of 'super filler' games, and Nick pens a love letter to Castles of Burgundy

18: Our friend Laura Hubbard stops by to talk math in games, plus games about science (naturally), our favorite games to play with our significant others, and how we engage with early game prototypes

17: Anna Kipnis (ex-Double Fine) discusses games with uniquely human interactions, plus modern pub games, games that reveal players' personalities, and how working in video games has influenced our board game preferences

16: Theresa Duringer (Shards of Infinity) tells us how board games can help your career, plus board games we only play digitally, the best ones that need an app, and themed snacks!

15: Jordan Draper (Tokyo Series) discusses integrating diverse themes into games, plus great travel games, expectations for game length, and how games have changed our lives

14: James Hudson (Druid City Games, Skybound Games) joins us to revisit ethics in board game media, plus bad board game art, the importance of story context, and our favorite board game influencers

13: Steve Nix (Gen7) discusses his worldbuilding and how game mechanics can trigger emotions, plus worker placement vs. dice placement games, and the pros and cons of game promos

12: Emerson Matsuuchi (Century series, Reef) ponders what qualities of board games attract video gamers, plus what makes for a good rule book, giving players meaningful story choices, and designing games to be merged together

11: Game of the Year Celebration - Part 2

10: Game of the Year Celebration 2018 - Part 1

09: Ryan and Malorie Laukat (Above and Below, Megaland) talk board games they'd like to see made into video games, plus the prettiest games around, making open-world games, and using our imaginations

08: Best practices for teaching games, a trip to BGG.CON, games that make us yell, and the best party game you've never heard of

07: Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games (Scythe) talks Civilization-style games, plus upgrading game components, games that sound lame but are actually great, and why we go to gaming conventions

06: Tim Schafer joins us to discuss why so many digital game creators are "going analog," plus the best gateway games for video gamers, the most innovative components we've seen, and gaming as a responsible parent

05: Special guest game designer Jon Gilmour talks board game experiences, plus Halloween-appropriate games, being a board game sommelier, and board games everyone loves except you

04: The best modern word games, ethics in board game coverage, Western Legends' cowboy in a box, and Japanese shopping sprees

03: Seminal childhood games, gaming with soundtracks, how we organize our collections, and Keyforge

02: Our Fav 2-Player Games, Great Gateway Games, Roleplaying with Kids on Bikes, and Keymaster Games

01: Gen Con 2018 Highs and Lows, Choosing Your Own Adventure with House of Danger, Oink Games