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This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle some surprisingly tricky questions: Do we need a new term for strategy games, and how do you feel about kingmaking? In This Week in Gaming, we take a look at Pet Quartet and share our thoughts on the game. Plus, Magical Athlete is showing up at Walmart! What does that mean for the hobby? Then it's time for Redacted Reviews! We've pulled glowing reviews from BoardGameGeek, but there's a catch—the names of the games have been removed! Can we figure out which games are getting all that praise based on the reviews alone? Finally, we introduce Goldilocks: Overrated, Underrated, or Perfectly Rated? We're putting BoardGameGeek's ratings, complexity scores, and player counts under the microscope. Do we agree with the gaming community, or have they gotten it completely wrong? This week's games include: - First-Class Letters - Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure - Venture Angels - Splendor - Wild Magic - Just One Plus, we talk about why our Discord community is such a great place to discover new games and get recommendations! Join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it's about games, it's on the table! 00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio 00:01:23 Follow-Up on Campaign Games 00:12:49 What's Awesome in Tabletop Gaming 00:17:44 Review of Pet Quartet 00:26:19 Discussion on Strategy Games 00:34:42 Exploring Kingmaking in Board Games 00:42:12 Redacted Reviews 00:55:26 Goldilocks: Evaluating Game Ratings 00:56:52 Exploring Word Games: First Class Letters 01:01:24 Diving into Clank: A Deck-Building Adventure 01:06:52 Venture Angels: The Art of Secret Bidding 01:11:30 The Charm of Splendor: A Gem-Collecting Race 01:15:05 Wild Magic: A Hidden Gem in Card Games 01:19:44 Just One: The Ultimate Party Game

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle a question every campaign gamer eventually faces: What do you do with a campaign game after you’ve finished it? Keep it on the shelf as a trophy? Pass it along? And should our answer change if the campaign can actually be played again? In This Week in Gaming, we’re looking ahead to Game Store Day on November 7 and celebrating the local game stores that help keep the tabletop community rolling. Then Troll er No? returns! We’ve collected some wonderfully brutal negative BoardGameGeek reviews—but some of them are completely made up. Can we tell the real internet trolls from the imposters? Finally, Michael puts on his salesman hat for Play or Pass. He’ll pitch games from his collection to Doug, answer Doug’s questions, and try to convince him that these games deserve a spot at the table. Will Doug agree to play…or send them straight to the pass pile? Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it’s about games, it’s on the table! 00:00:00 Crowdfundin' Carl 00:01:12 Intro to Board Game Radio 00:01:56 Follow-Up and Community Engagement 00:04:08 The Appeal of Simplified Games 00:09:25 This Week In Gaming 00:09:48 Game Store Day and Local Support 00:11:36 A Gluttony of Crowdfunding Campaigns 00:16:52 What's On Your Mind? 00:17:30 Advantageous Moves 00:27:20 Campaign Games: To Keep or Not to Keep? 00:27:38 When To Move On From Campaign Games? 00:38:05 Troll er No? 00:39:26 7 Wonders: Architects 00:49:28 Rebirth 00:55:58 Play or Pass: Game Hole Con Edition 00:57:31 Bean To Bar 01:01:25 Brink 01:03:33 World Order

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael dig into the art—and occasional pain—of teaching board games. What parts of teaching trip us up the most, and which games have proven especially difficult to get to the table? In This Week in Gaming, we talk about CMON’s $19 million capital raise and Chip Theory Games working with Jennifer Graham-Macht to bring Neon Knight to a wider audience. Then it’s time for The Great Game Guessing Game! We’ve each dug up an obscure game from before 1995, and the other host has to figure out what the game is about based on the title alone. What could possibly go wrong? Finally, it’s List Time with our High-Five Games We’ve Cooled On—games we once enjoyed or were excited about, but that just don’t hit the same way anymore Plus, we follow up on your trick-taking questions from Discord. Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it’s about games, it’s on the table! 00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio 02:58 This Week In Gaming 03:24 Jumpmasters: A New Favorite Game 15:01 Chip Theory Games Expands 17:47 CMON Raises Cash 19:48 What's On Your Mind? 20:17 Difficulty Teaching Games 30:54 The Great Game Guessing Game 31:42 Higgly Piggly: The Plastic Farm Game 35:15 Time Agent 38:41 Rootie Kazootie Word Game 42:30 Times to Remember 48:21 High Five Games We've Cooled On

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael celebrate one of the best parts of tabletop gaming: introducing the hobby to new players and seeing that moment when a game unexpectedly clicks. Then, are you playing the wrong game with the wrong people? We talk about how the group around the table can completely change the experience. We also debut a brand-new segment: Geek Sequence! Can we correctly rank a lineup of games based on a single BoardGameGeek metric? This week, we put our knowledge of game complexity to the test. Finally, it’s our Monthly Game Roundup, featuring four games that have been hitting our tables: 🌱 Tend — IV Studio 👑 Rebel Princess: Deluxe Edition — Bezier Games 🏙️ Machi Koro: Life — Pandasaurus Games ⚔️ Brave & Bold: Bag Building Combat Game — Resurrection Games We’ll tell you what we played, what stood out, and what we thought about each one. Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation on Discord at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, leave us a 5-star review. If it’s about games, it’s on the table! 00:00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio 00:04:43 This Week In Gaming 00:05:22 Wow Factor For New Gamers 00:08:59 New Buying System Consequences 00:15:47 Magic: The Gathering Update 00:20:07 What's On Your Mind? 00:20:50 The Impact of Group Dynamics on Gaming Experience 00:33:30 The Inception of Game Collection Reduction 00:40:54 Geek Sequence 00:41:37 Ranking Games by Complexity 00:49:54 Family Games By Dr. Reiner Knizia 00:54:21 Monthly Game Roundup 00:54:54 Brave & Bold: Bag-Building Combat Game 01:02:00 Machi Koro: Life 01:09:17 Trick-Taking Games: Rebel Princess Review 01:19:16 Tend: A Complex Flip and Write Experience

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, including some new crowdfunding campaigns. We'll discuss gaming cynicism and table real estate. We debate some game night hypotheticals about consistent game nights and expansions versus bling! We finish the episode by drafting Phil Walker-Harding Games! 00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio 07:21 This Week In Gaming 07:56 Upcoming Crowdfunding 11:34 Bestselling Games 14:24 What's On Your Mind? 14:49 Veteran Gamer Cynicism 28:02 Table Real Estate and Game Acquisition 36:36 Game Night Hypotheticals: Choices and Dilemmas 36:59 New vs. Old 40:25 Expansions or Bling? 43:44 Consistent Game Nights? 46:31 Discount or Speed? 50:57 Collection Selection: Phil Walker-Harding Don't forget to check out our Discord! https://www.boardgameradio.com/discord/

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discussing family games on BoardGameGeek, and revisiting GenCon Hotness! 00:00:20 Introduction & Follow-up 00:03:32 This Week In Gaming & Awesomeness 00:04:50 Exploring Personal Gaming Backlogs 00:09:23 Exciting News in Tabletop Gaming 00:14:01 Does BoardGameGeek Have a Family Games Problem? 00:34:42 Exploring Gen Con's Hotness Over the Years 00:37:13 2023 Gen Con Preview 00:45:59 2024 Gen Con Preview 00:51:51 2025 Gen Con Preview 00:58:27 2026 Gen Con Preview 01:00:42 Reflections on Game Quality and Hype Don't forget to check out our Discord! https://www.boardgameradio.com/discord/

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discussing our thoughts on the hobby, visiting the Shelf of Shame Support Group, and chatting with Dave Beck of Paverson Games! 00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio 00:03:28 Drillers Game Sales 00:08:18 Accountability Test #1 00:14:48 This Week In Gaming: Teacher Fund 00:17:36 Chess Joker: Review 00:31:03 What's On Your Mind? What would you miss? 00:41:06 The Shelf of Shame: Confessions and Reflections 00:46:55 Understanding Why Games Go Unplayed 00:55:46 Rethinking the Shelf of Shame 01:02:01 Interview: Dave Beck 01:05:16 Video Games to Tabletop Games 01:08:05 Balancing Academia and Entrepreneurship 01:11:54 Transitioning from Designer to Publisher 01:15:53 Class of 89 and Small Batch 01:25:10 Celebrating Awards and Recognition 01:31:18 The Impact of Board Game Arena 01:38:04 What makes tabletop gaming awesome?

In this episode, Michael and Doug share what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, including winning contests and new game releases. They also discuss expanding into other parts of the hobby, playing Stupid Money/Smart Money Gencon Edition, and closing out with a Monthly Game Roundup featuring Hell of a Deal, Circadia, Wild Magic, and Guillotine! 00:00:00 - Introduction to Board Game Radio 00:03:01 - Follow-Up and Community Engagement 00:06:22 - What's Awesome in Tabletop Gaming 00:09:05 - New Game Releases and Themes 00:12:07 - Experiences with Local Game Stores 00:16:24 - What's On Your Mind? Diving into Magic: The Gathering 00:24:20 - Community Challenges in TCGs 00:28:10 - The Barriers to Entry in Collectible Games 00:34:07 - Stupid Money, Smart Money: Gen Con Edition 00:53:25 - Monthly Game Roundup 01:03:30 - Diving into Circadia: Gameplay Mechanics and Strategies 01:12:08 - Wild Magic: Family-Friendly Fun and Strategic Depth 01:20:11 - Guillotine: A Classic with New Art

In this episode, Doug and Michael do a thorough follow-up of GenCon. They dive into the show's headlines, along with their surprises, misses, and overall impressions. 00:00:20 - Welcome Back to the Studio 00:01:27 - Reflecting on Gen Con Experience 00:06:26 - Crowd Management and Venue Expansion 00:08:06 - FOMO and News Coverage at Gen Con 00:11:41 - Weather Challenges at Gen Con 00:12:34 - Game Announcements and Highlights 00:18:21 - All Play's New Game Lines 00:26:10 - Restoration Games and Unmatched Updates 00:32:46 - Final Thoughts and Reflections 00:35:27 - Excitement Over New Games 00:39:31 - Surprises from Gen Con 00:49:30 - Misses and Regrets at the Convention 00:53:07 - Reflections on Future Conventions 01:03:41 - Overall Experience and Takeaways

In this episode, Doug and Michael discuss their Day 2 at GenCon! They discuss experiences in the exhibit hall, the Allplay new game announcements, AEG Big Game Night, and more!

In this episode, Doug and Michael discuss their Day 1 at GenCon! They discuss experiences in the exhibit hall, the hottest games, and instant reactions to a great first day at the convention!

In this week's episode, Doug and Michael share Michael's 2026 purchasing plan, talk solo games, discuss convention tips, preview Gencon with guest Harrison Dunn, and play a game of Blind Rank! 00:00:20 - Introduction & Follow-up 00:03:28 - Michael's Board Game Buying Challenge 00:11:15 - What's Awesome This Week in Gaming 00:22:37 - What's on Your Mind? - Convention Tips and Tricks 00:31:13 - Gencon Preview with Harrison Dunn 01:19:40 - Blind Rank

In this episode we’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discuss reprinting games and going on game buying sabbatical. Lastly we chat with guest Phill Klamm about all things Disney Lorcana and play a game of Troll er No with him! 00:00:20 - Introduction and Follow-Up 00:02:45 - This Week in Gaming 00:08:19 - What's On Your Mind? 00:08:50 - Reprints of Older Games: A Trend Analysis 00:16:48 - Not Buying Games 00:25:38 - Introduction to Phill Klamm and Lorcana 00:28:41 - Overview of Lorcana: The Trading Card Game 00:31:42 - Phil's Journey into Competitive Play 00:34:39 - What Keeps Phil Engaged in Lorcana 00:37:24 - Accessibility and Cost of Playing Lorcana 00:40:35 - Understanding the Mechanics of Lorcana 00:43:36 - Family Involvement and Community in Lorcana 00:46:35 - Getting Started with Lorcana 00:49:25 - Threats and Future of Lorcana 00:52:43 - Pack Opening and Final Thoughts 00:56:19 - The Excitement of Opening Packs 00:59:11 - The Joy of Gaming and Learning 01:00:32 - Troll or No: The Game Begins

This week we’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discuss industry awards and balancing fun with winning, chat with designer and developer Paul Salomon from GameHead Games, and play a game of The Great Game Guessing Game. 00:00:20 - Introduction and Follow-Up on Expansion Extravaganza 00:02:20 - This Week In Gaming: Spiel de Jahres Winners 00:10:00 - Industry Awards: Value and Insights 00:18:07 - Discussion on Playing for Fun vs. Winning 00:25:30 - Special Guest: Paul Solomon 00:26:54 - Journey into Board Games 00:28:29 - Role of Creative Director at Game Head 00:30:34 - Current Projects and Exciting Developments 00:32:44 - Designing vs. Developing Games 00:37:44 - Working with Designers and Publishers 00:42:47 - Signing Games from Renowned Designers 00:45:43 - Game Development Insights and Strategies 00:52:42 - Understanding the Board Game Industry 00:56:52 - The Social Aspect of Gaming 01:00:38 - The Great Game Guessing Game

This week Doug & Michael discuss upcoming releases from Stonemaier Games, Horrible Guild, and Pandasaurus Games, express gratitude to a local game store, ponder the best way to introduce new games, and the plethora of small box games available. The finish the episode by reviewing expansions for Faraway, Castle Combo, Honey Buzz, and Return to Dark Tower. 00:00:20 - Introduction to Board Game Radio 00:00:59 - Follow-Up on Previous Games 00:02:19 - This Week In Gaming 00:13:47 - Celebrating Local Game Stores 00:20:07 - What's On Your Mind? 00:20:21 - Choosing Games for New Players 00:33:31 - Discussion on Small Box Games 00:44:12 - Expansion Extravaganza 00:45:04 - Faraway: Under Starry Skies 00:49:40 - Castle Combo: Out of the Oubliette! 00:56:15 - Honey Buzz: Fall Flavors 01:06:49 - Return to Dark Tower: Covenant Expansion