Five Games For Doomsday

Happy Holidays! Ben and Steve sit in the Guild and enjoy a glass of moonshine and reminisce on Christmases past.

This week's guest is ex-CIA analyst and inventor of the COIN series of games Volko Ruhnke. We talk about how the COIN series has crossed over, designing games for the CIA and the gaps in our knowledge of history...but which games did he choose?   Combat Commander Pacific: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28181/combat-commander-pacific War of the Ring: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/115746/war-ring-second-edition Steel Inferno: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/289247/verdun-1916-steel-inferno Inferno Hunt for Blackbeard: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/263479/hunt-blackbeard

The release of Pandemic Legacy Season 0 marks the end of the Pandemic Legacy Series and I sit down with Matt Leacock to talk about the new game and his views on the series as a whole.

Here is the second part of the history of Surprised Stare Games recorded at Spiel Digital 2020.

This week's guest is the owner of City of Games and the designer of Isle of Cats, Frank West. We talk about obsession, computer science and how to run a publisher...but which games did he choose?   Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/5g4d   Magic the Gathering: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/463/magic-gathering Werewolf: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/925/werewolf Pingo-Pingo:https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171136/pingo-pingo Blackout Hong Kong: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/262215/blackout-hong-kong Eclipse: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/72125/eclipse

Isaac joins Ben in a bar of ill repute to discuss what the pandemic has done to us as gamers.

In this special live show recorded at Spiel Digital, the founders of Surprised Stare Games chart their history as a company.

This week's guest is mover and shaker in both digital and analogue games, Grant Rodiek. We talk about growing up in Texas, the huge world of The Sims and the discipline of designing for the tabletop...but which games did he choose?   Support the show here: https://www.patreon.com/5g4d   Carcasonne: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/822/carcassonne Call of Duty: https://www.callofduty.com/modernwarfare Combat Commander: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21050/combat-commander-europe Pax Pamir 2nd Ed.: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/256960/pax-pamir-second-edition Star Realms: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/147020/star-realms

This week's guest is writer, mentor and host Ruel Gaviola. We talk about growing up in Southern California, poker and the state of board game media...but which games did he choose?   Support the show here.   A Deck of Cards Twilight Imperium Viticulture Paperback Crokinole

This week's guest is biblical scholar, Latin teacher and evangelist for Solo Games, Elizabeth Davidson. We talk about playing alone, why Christianity was so successful and how David Hasselhoff is in real life...but which games did she choose?   A deck of cards. Lord of the Rings LCG Mage Knight Too Many Bones Aeon's End

This week's guest is the best known board game reviewer on the planet, Tom Vasel. We talk about his childhood, speaking in front of crowds and his charity work...but which games did he choose?   Le Havre Ticket to Ride Lost Cities Frosthaven Cosmic Encounter

As as response to nutty stuff on the internet I have a chat with doctor, Max Davie about the disease and our response to it.

This weeks guest is host of The Dice Tower, audio book artist and voice of board gaming, Eric Summerer. We talk about celebrity, joining the dice tower and what makes a good voice actor...but which games did he choose?  Support the show here.   Can't Stop Marvel Legendary Quacks of Quedlinburg The Crew Merchant of Venus

Dex pays a visit to the local gossip rag but what will he find out? 

Ben and Richard pop into the guild and chat about The Prestige and whether board games are art.

Now Dex Raymond, private eye, has been set on the trail he makes his way to MGM Studios to track down the mysterious Marsh. 

This is part one of a Cthulhu Confidential  actual play starring Steven Syrek as Dex Raymond and Ben Maddox as The Guide.

Ben gets Thomas Sing, designer of The Crew on the phone to have a chat about serendipity.