Boardgames To Go

I know a lot of Daves, and many of them have been on my podcast. With that in mind they're helping me celebrate a new holiday, Davecember, when each of them joins for me a mini-episode sprinkled randomly this month into your feed. I'll ask each of them similar questions, and each David also gets a bit of time to bring up something they want to share with my listeners. Enjoy! Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners.     David Thompson @Skirmish_Tactics Next is David Thompson, best known as the co-designer of the Undaunted series, War Chest, Resist, Sniper Elite, and as the sole designer for his Valiant Defense series (e.g. Pavlov's House) plus others. -Mark

I know a lot of Daves, and many of them have been on my podcast. With that in mind they're helping me celebrate a new holiday, Davecember, when each of them joins for me a mini-episode sprinkled randomly this month into your feed. I'll ask each of them similar questions, and each David also gets a bit of time to bring up something they want to share with my listeners. Enjoy! Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. David G. @davebo First up is David Gullett, aka Davebo. He's got a thing for data, whether it's good or not. -Mark

Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. @Gregarius As he's done many times, my friend Greg Pettit joins me for a mega-episode discussing all the games we played at BGGcon. Greg's an every-timer to BGGcon, while I went to the first one (2005), then a decade until my next in 2014 (first year I was an empty-nester), and sort of every-other-year since then. Looking back, I see I also went in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and now 2024. I enjoy myself every time I go, but it's difficult to swing it every year. When you listen to this episode, you may find it helpful to follow along with our geeklist. That way you can track what games we've talked about, which are coming next, and what are 5-star ratings are. I've also inserted the game boxes here in the order discussed, which will also appear in the shownotes. The "Newest of the New" Games              A Bunch of Two-Player Games        Mostly Trick-Taking Games, or at least Card Ga

Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. Openers: Mark: Fishing Steve: Trick Taking Game Conventions (here's one, and here's another) Closers: Mark: What do I think is an OG game? I can tell what it ain't! Steve: What would new boardgamers think is an OG game? Nonsense Junkie @elschmear My friend Steve Paap returns to his set of interview questions for me. A year and a half ago, back on episode 214, Steve turned the microphone around on me. Now he's back with more questions for yours truly.   First, though, he tries to rile me up by having me defend my "favorite boardgame" Entdecker from a variety of BGG comments from folks who didn't like it. They rate it a 4, 3, or 2, and explain why. Does it get under my skin? Not really. He says I'm too nice for that, Maybe that's it, but the truth is that no game is really for everybody, and I'm well aware that Entdecker is less-than-average for many gamers. There are some comments I f

Opener: Noli Closer: Just a few games that caught my eye or attention in other ways coming at Essen. Galileo Galilei, In the Footsteps of Marie Curie, Port Arthur, Amazonia Park, and Flatiron      My call for feedback earlier this year sparked both halves of this podcast. First, there was a request for me to explain my history with the best, most famous, and original CCG, Magic The Gathering. Though I dabble a tiny bit even now, there were a few years in the beginning when I dove in with both feet. It was, as we now say, a lifestyle game. I still think it's incredible, clearly one of my all-time favorites, but it's not easy to keep up with Magic and other games. Therefore it's mostly part of my gaming past, but I have such fond memories and will definitely play a game here or there in the future. Such as on M:tG Arena, the fantastic free-to-play digital version of the game. When Settlers of Catan (and Air Baron! another of my early favorites) showed up, eurogames essentially displaced Magic for me. Though

Opener: Wayfarers of the South Tigris David Arnott @Arnott Mike Mayer @Mike Mayer If you're like me, you've been supplementing your in-person boardgaming with the ability to play online. I've been doing that for over 20 years, way before the covid pandemic struck. However, that worldwide event opened up the joys of online boardgaming to many more gamers, especially as they worked to keep connections going with friends they couldn't see across the table for many months. Add in the explosion of titles and popularity of BoardgameArena, coupled with the widespread use of Discord, Zoom, or other voice/video communication tools, and gamers today have more ability to stay in touch than ever before. My two guests have taken that, stuck with it, and done more than I've ever managed to do with all of my online play: make a regular game group out of it. Three years on, no longer with the pandemic as the reason, Dave and Mike continue to get together almost every week to play games together. One's

Openers:   Mark: First in Flight Tim: Arcs Closers: Tim: Changing enjoyment (and ratings) of games Mark: Is it possible to go to too many game events? Tim @Denga If you've followed me for any time, especially on our Discord server, you've heard me talk about a couple things: my appreciation for the "new" podcast Board Game Hot Takes, and my observations of how the energy of our hobby has shifted from when I joined it. I get to combine both of those topics into one episode by inviting one of the three BGHT hosts, Tim, to join me on the mic and use him as a representative of the "next generation" of boardgame hobbyists. He chuckles at that characterization, pointing out he's not that much younger than me, and has been playing boardgames for a few years. But that still makes him the New Kid on the Block compared to an old fart like me, and I think it shows in the types of games he & I both love.   That's what we talk about, how the bulk of the hobby may be broadening and unchanging (think a

Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. Openers: Voyages Closers: Virtual Flea Markets (VFMs) at game conventions and other events It'll be no surprise to any listener that I care about the Spiel des Jahres. In addition to its decades-long strong & beneficial effect on our boardgaming hobby, these awards are a better predictor for me than any other. Predictor of what? Of the games I'll actually continue to own and play with family & friends. True, they skew more toward lighter games, but that's ok with family. And truthfully, that's the preference of myself and several of my longtime gaming friends, too. If you only know the SdJ from recent years when it homed-in on the lightest games, more about parties than strategy, then I'd forgive your feeling that these aren't an award process that means much to a hobbyist. I'm thinking of recent winners like Just One, Pictures, MicroMacro Crime City, and even Dorfromantik. However, while

Openers: Knarr, Faraway Closers: Ordering games nominated for the IGA and SdJ awards Mark Johnson @MarkEJohnson Mark Jackson @akapastorguy Recently I asked my listeners for more feedback about this old podcast. What I heard back was very encouraging--thanks for that. Most of you just tell me to keep doing what I like & want. Good, I will! Some other comments called back to the All About… episodes I used to do, deep dives into individual games. Others remembered the 100 Great Games series fondly, a collaboration I did with Mark Jackson and Stephen Glenn. More ideas came up, too. I’ve mulled those over and devised something that should be fun for me and worthwhile for the listeners. I’ve invited an old friend to join me in discussions about the Spiel des Jahres winner from a particular year. That makes it kind of a deeper dive into that title, but we also talk about the other nominees from that year. Not only that, but the longer list of recommended games, too. Along the way, we

Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. In my last episode's Closer I asked for feedback. Really, all podcasters ask for feedback in every episode. I'm no different. Well, I'm only different in that I've been podcasting forever, and many of my listeners have given me feedback over the years. Other than comments on Discord, however, it had been some time since I received much feedback, which is why I asked for it specifically. And if you'll indulge me, this episode's second half is all about that feedback, and my responses to it.      Before I get to that, however, I talk about a bunch of games played recently. I used to do this, what I called my "Session Report (SR) & Feedback" episodes. However, it's been a while since I published that kind of episode. How long? A decade! By my records, the last time was exactly 10 years ago, in episode 146 from the May 2014. Seems ok to do another. Closer: If it's been 10 years since my last "SR &a

Opener: The final winners for Mark Madness! Castles of Burgundy and  eryn roston @baditude Closer: A specific call for feedback to the podcast. Tell me what you like me to do more of, or do less. Session Report & Feedback episodes, like the old days? All About shows (more old days)? Something else? Over the years I've been to many game conventions, both big & small. However, it wasn't until this past month that I attended a Dice Tower event. The Dice Tower West annual game convention is held in the west, in Las Vegas, which means it's a pretty easy drive for me - four hours across the southwest. Though I'm not really a Vegas kind of guy, this is still a big geek convention of boardgamers, right? Right. In that, it felt very familiar to the multiple times I've visited BGGcon in Dallas...just in a different city, hosted by a different organization. I knew some of my buddies had attended in prior years, and many months I started asking them if they'd attend in 2024. I think most of us were on

Go vote for the championship! (And the 3rd/4th place consolation match) https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/328714/boardgames-to-go-season-20-2024?itemid=10561730&commentid=12087718#comment12087718  

It's the Final Four. Go vote now at https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/328714/boardgames-go-season-20-2024?itemid=10561730&commentid=12083072#comment12083072

It's the Elite Eight! Get your votes in before March 24 at https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/328714/boardgames-go-season-20-2024?itemid=10561730&commentid=12079786#comment12079786  

Get your Sweet Sixteen votes in now! https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/328714/boardgames-go-season-20-2024?itemid=10561730&commentid=12074798#comment12074798  

Micro-episode for the next round of voting.    Vote here! https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/328714/boardgames-go-season-20-2024?itemid=10561730&commentid=12070025#comment12070025

Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners.   Play along and predict the winners at https://challonge.com/3abpsej6 Predictions must be submitted by March 12 to be in the contest Mark Johnson @MarkEJohnson Patrick Pence @Farsol Last year I ran my first "March Madness" style, 64-game, single-elimination vote, with a contest to submit predictions for the entire bracket. If you've got a pool for the famous college basketball tournament in your office, or with your friends, then you know what this is. Actually, these days many other copycat tournament prediction contests exists--there's a big one on BoardGameGeek, my favorite movie podcast (Filmspotting) does one for films, and so on. My version is similar, but it lists a bunch of games to be voted on against each other. Listeners suggested I call it Mark Madness, and that's what we did. Last year I picked all 64 games that we voted on, pulling from recent award winners

Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. Opener: Daybreak     Last year was a great year of boardgaming for me. Apparently I played more games than ever, whether you include online plays or not. In this episode I go over the ones I played the most, the ones I liked the most, and some topics other than titles themselves. Like...gaming events I attended, others I'm aiming for in 2024, my excitement for the growing library of "history games," and how I'm still unsatisfied that boardgames haven't built as much connection to travel or place as they could. Closer: Mark Madness is coming back for 2024, and last year's champion Patrick Pence is helping me! We want your suggestions for divisions & games to go up against each other. -Mark

Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. Opener: Welcome to Season 20(!!!) of this little podcast I didn't make it to BGGcon last November, but several of my buddies did. Two of them, Greg Pettit and Dave O'Connor, join me on the podcast to talk about their experience there. For almost half the time we talk about about everything BUT the games (the venue, the crowd, the bazaar, the puzzle hunt, etc)...and then we get into a lot of games. We talk about Heat, Anunnaki, Wandering Towers, Bristol 1350, 1902 Melies, Blood on the Clocktower, Oak, Tricky Badger, Match of the Century, That’s Not A Hat, Rebel Princess, Rollet, Armadillo, At The Office, Voodoo Prince, Gang of Dice, Babylonia, Havalandi, Pax Pamir, Turncoats, Cosmoctopus, Nemesis, Cosmic Frog, and The Thing! Whew! Closer: Playing games with family (especially party games) using whatever "rules" and "scoring" are most fun -Mark

Please join us on the Boardgames To Go discord server where you can chat online with other podcast listeners. Opener: Sea Salt & Paper eryn roston @baditude Darryl Boone @booned I'm a pretty positive guy, and I hope that normally comes through on my podcast. While I have distinct preferences for the kinds of games I play, I try to be willing to play most things. Or at least, when I turn something down I try to be kind about it. It helps to have been around long enough, wearing those preferences on my sleeve. My friends know the kind of big, plastic-filled, multi-hour fantasy fighting games that aren't for me. However, it IS true that I have an inner monologue, and it can be frustrated with the aspects of our hobby that I don't like. Even worse, I think those aspects are detrimental to its wide enjoyment and acceptance with many people. You know how I open every episode by saying my podcast is about "family strategy boardgames"? Because that's what I like best, and it's what's m