1679221861
Cult of the Old

Advertise on podcast: Cult of the Old

Rating
★★★★★
4.6
from
10 reviews
Categories
This podcast has
36 episodes
Language
English
Explicit
No
Date created
2023/03/26
Latest episode
2026/10/12
Average duration
66 min.
Release period
42 days

Description

Every episode of Cult of the Old your hosts Iain McAllister, Nate Owens, and Matt Thrower focus on a title from the history of tabletop games. They’ll look at the impact of the game at the time, their own critical impressions, the games ongoing influence on the modern hobby, and whether or not they would still recommend it!

Unlock Cult of the Old podcast Email contact info,
Listeners & Audience details

Email contact information

Direct podcast contact details

Listeners

Audience numbers & engagement insights

Audience details

Podcast Insights

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Cult of the Old podcast


Cult of the Old - Codenames
2026/10/12
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Sometimes this cast paints us into a corner. There are games we would love to cover but we have to wait for the inexorable passage of time for those titles to become just that little bit older to fit into our self imposed limits of a ‘decade or more’. Our game this episode has just passed that venerable mark allowing for us to dive into it, especially given it has just had a bit of a refresh.  Just over 10 years ago our game this episode, burst onto the scene bringing new life to the ‘party game’ genre. A simple seeming puzzle of word connections created by one of the most diverse designers ever, Vlaada Chvatil. See if you can work out what we mean as we make the connections between the past and the future with Codenames.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Galaxy Trucker - Episode Link Through the Ages - Episode Link Codenames: Pictures  Codenames: Duet Taboo Password - TV Show and game  Captain Sonar Worldspanner Factions - The Giant Brain  Hardback  Paperback Apples to Apples Res Arcana Arcs Cards Against Humanity Just One Decrypto So Clover The Chameleon Whirly Derby Mage Knight Sebaton  Tash Kalar Space Alert Alibis French Toast Fiction Dominion - Episode Link Blood on the Clocktower Dixit - Episode Link Other Mentions Guardian Interview https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/sep/26/vlaada-chvatil-codenames-board-game-market-czech-phone Tabletop Gaming Magazine Interview https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/features/the-making-of-codenames-with-designer-vlaada-chvatil/ 10000 dollar pyramid  Jackbox party games Big Potato Games Czech Games Edition All Play Codenames App  Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Join our Discord Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Bohnanza
2026/09/21
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  This Episode We all begin by just playing games, but then the thought grabs you ‘what if I can do better?” From scribbled notes in a dog eared notebook, to early prototypes with questionable art assets, these initial journeys into design can stop at the kitchen table. For the few that push through, the rewards of seeing your work finally in print can be the end of the story. For fewer still it is the spark of a career.  In 1997 an unassuming box of cards became the megaphone announcement of a new designer on the scene. With odd art depicting anthropomorphised legumes, and cartoon pulses, this trading game spawned numerous expansions and is still widely available until this day. It led to a long career for its designer Uwe Rosenberg. Let’s dig up some opinions and plant our flags in the bean trading game that is Bohnanza.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Catan - Episode Link Citadels - Episode Link Civilisation  Freight Train Mega Civilisation Pit Mamma Mia  Scout Agricola  Patchwork Cosmic Encounter  Trade on the Tigris Lords of Vegas Zoo Vadis I’m The Boss Other Mentions Airecon Uwe Rosenberg interview Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Jenga
2026/08/31
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  What are we looking at this cast It is easy to forget that the board games world does not stop at the borders of board game geek. Since the dawn of the modern era, that arguably started with Catan, there has been an attitude amongst some that games in the mainstream like Monopoly and Cluedo are mere trifles. Games that are not worth considering when we have such highly crafted artisan experiences to nourish us. But games are old, much older than the modern expression of them. From the egyptian game of Senet to the scratched in the sand boards of Mancala and its many variants, simple but engaging games are woven into the fundamental DNA of the modern expression of tabletop gaming. Today we are covering one of those games, or at least it feels like one of those games. Arriving on the scene via a toy company in the early 80s, this game feels like something much older and elemental. A stacking game defined almost entirely by the imperfections in its production that has sold 95 million copies worldwide. We are going to take a block and put it on top, in Jenga.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Carrom  Crokinole  Tak Pitchcar Draughts Hnefatafal  Latrunucli  Ker Plunk Pick up sticks Jacks Knucklebones Twister Junk Art Rhino Hero Nekojima Tetris Tumble Can’t Stop King of Tokyo Men At Work El Grande Villa Paletti  Bandu Riff Raff Dread Star Crossed  Icarus  Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Join our Discord Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Lords of Vegas
2026/08/10
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Let me take you back dear listeners. Way back. A time before gin joints, and speakeasies, when the saloon was king. The west keened a golden siren call to thousands of prospectors some struck it rich, others did not return, and America was forever changed. Although it was California that most flocked to, a little further east, and a century or two later, another place would become synonymous with the idea of striking it rich. Las Vegas, Nevada.  Las Vegas has become a mecca for those looking to make their fortune, but the house always wins. Although it would be interesting to go as far back as the Wild West to look at something like Poker, that is not the aim of my preamble today. Nor is it to look at any of the numerous parlour games become gamblers laments that have taken up residence in the glitzy casinos of Las Vegas. No today we look at a game that asks you to invest in Vegas before it was Vegas. To have the vision to construct strange churches to greed and avarice in the middle of the desert. To truly become Lords of Vegas.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Camden Chinatown Waterfall Park Acquire Catan - Episode Link Monopoly - Episode Link Other Mentions Mike Selinker accusations Cheapass Gamestf Fortress Ameritrash Iain’s Lords of Vegas Americana Review Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Innovation
2026/07/20
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Games can be many things. They can be journeys back in time, a window to nostalgia or a new and exciting arrangement of ideas. They can range in tone from light to dark. Climb in complexity from breezy to fiendishly complicated. They can be laden with components, stacked high with plastic, or they can be, like our next game, a deceptively simple set of cards.  This game is, by most people’s measure, a bit of an ugly mess of graphic design, but that hasn’t stopped it getting a cult following. Like many games we have covered over our first 3 seasons, it stamped its designer's name on the history of the hobby. Join us as we look at a game where every card makes you do a second take. It’s time for Innovation.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Glory to Rome Mottainai  Uchornia  Impulse Sidereal Confluence Innovation Ultimate Doomtown 7th Sea Netrunner Magic the Gathering  Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - The Castles of Burgundy
2026/06/29
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  It’s the fourth season of Cult of the Old and we have a new 10 episode arc for you covering games, big and small, but all interesting. We begin this season with a game that defined a genre, the point salad. A heady mix of random chance, manipulated fate, and multiple paths to glorious points heaven gave us one of the classics of the 2010s. It may be as dry as the desert, but it carved a path through the next couple of decades with remakes, upgrades, reissues, and spinoffs. Come and sip a glass of fine wine with us as we construct the Castles of Burgundy.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Battlestar Galactica - Episode Link Nexus Ops Cosmic Encounter - Episode Link Puerto Rico - Episode Link Alien Frontiers Kingsburg Lords of Vegas Catan - Episode Link Wingspan In the Year of the Dragon Notre Dame  Power Grid - Episode Link Ark Nova Sanctuary Agricola - Episode Link Other Mentions Fortress Ameritrash Branson Board Game Cafe Awaken Realms BGA version Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Through the Ages
2025/06/23
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Dear listeners, it is once again time for us to part ways. As we come to the end of our third season, let us reflect on the games we have covered. From the family friendly Ticket to Ride, to the genre defining titles like El Grande and Dominion, and the brutal chance of Blood Bowl we have covered a wide range of genre, mechanism, and complexity. However, no game this season has the reputation for sheer scale and difficulty of our final title.  Not only did our last title this season establish its designer as a powerful voice, but it took a venerable genre and turned it inside out. The civilisation style of board games is almost as old as the hobby, and our final title took this genre, stripped out a lot of the fundamentals and made a game that took the world by storm. Join us for one last time this season as we go Through the Ages. Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Pandemic Mage Knight Codenames Francis Tresham Civilisation  Mega Civilisation  Prophecy Sid Meier’s Civilisation New Leaders Through the Ages App Can’t Stop - Playte Version Flip 7 FFG Civilisation Mare Nostrum Imperium Six Sojourns - Eight Minute Empire Carta Impera Victoria Civilisation: A New Dawn Innovation Ark Nova Other Mentions Matt Leacock Boardgame Arena Digital Antiquarian  Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Blood Bowl
2025/06/09
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Nate: Well Iain we are almost at the end of the season Iain: That’s right Nate and the teams have all to play for N: Teams? I: Yes Nate, teams. In no other sport do we get to see the sheer physicality and natural brutality brought out in such a glorious manner N: This isn’t a sports podcast Iain, it’s a board game podcast I: Can’t it be both?  N: I guess it could. If we covered a board game from at least 10 years ago that happens to be focused on sport I: How about a fantasy sport?  N: Tell me more Iain I: Well Nate, let me tell you about a sport that is not only an allegory for the animosity between many fantasy races but also stands as one of the icons of the British gaming scene.  N: Is it from a famous British Publisher? I: You took the words right out of my mouth Nate N: Meat Loaf? I: No thanks I’ve eaten.  N: Enough of this, let’s get on with the show I: You’re right Nate, let’s tell these fine folks about Blood Bowl.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Warhammer Epic 40k Warhammer 40k Necromunda Warhammer Quest Space Hulk    Monsters of the Midway Football Strategy Avalon Games Terror of the Lichemaster (warhammer campaign) Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game Mordheim Gorkamorka Dune Blitz Bowl Dreadball Blood Bowl: Team Manager Kaos Ball Other Mentions Games Workshop Ltd. Tabletop Simulator Mod we used  Beastie Boys - License to ill  American History X The Producers TSR Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Power Grid
2025/05/26
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Sometimes you hear about games by reputation. The epic length of Twilight Imperium, the complexity of Vita Lacerda designs, the seemingly simple mechanisms behind the games of Reiner Knizia. These reputations can attract or repel in equal measure, and sometimes they are undeserved. The folklore around some games can be a hindrance to their uptake. However some folk tales are firmly based in reality.  The game we are covering tonight is one of those games that I knew by reputation alone. Dry, excruciating downtime, with very little in the way of redeeming features. Despite that description this is a game that has always been available, an evergreen in more ways than one. Now that I have played the game, what do I think? We will get to that. As to what my fellow hosts think, well they are in the ring and ready to fight over the classic that is Power Grid.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Ticket to Ride - Episode Link  Imperial Railway Rivals McMulti Playboss Age of Steam City of Big Shoulders Chicago Express Bohnanza Puerto Rico - Episode Link Fearsome Floors Plum Island Horror Fish, Flip, and Frikadelen  504 Ark Nova  Seti Thebes Red November Patchwork Ra Modern Art - Episode Link Fishing Other Mentions Brettspielwelt The story of Power Grid - https://opinionatedgamers.com/2016/07/11/funkenschlag-at-fifteen-the-story-of-power-grid/ Team Links Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Memoir 44
2025/05/12
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  A large part of the culture of the tabletop hobby is tied up with games emulating history. From HG Wells’ Little Wars to the early days of Avalon Hill and the modern expressions of the form in GMT Games, wargames are undoubtedly a large part of tabletop gaming’s history and present. We have covered one of the icons of this genre with Twilight Struggle in Season 1, a game that sat atop the BGG rankings for many years. Our next game this season has never had such an accolade, but has still been a massive presence over the years. Taking the more complicated wargames that were available at the time and distilling them into a fast card driven experience, it crossed the aisle into more  mainstream hobby gaming. Soon it was on gamers shelves everywhere and spawned numerous, and we do mean numerous, expansions, campaign books and more. Pull up a chair and reminisce with us as we look back at Memoir 44.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Twilight Struggle  Ticket to Ride Battlecry Commands & Colours Ancients Commands & Colours Napoleonic  Commands & Colours series  We the People Combat Commander Heroscape Star Wars Queen’s Gambit Battlelore Netrunner Samurai Battles Other Mentions Vassal  Richard Borg Interview Team Links Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - El Grande
2025/04/28
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Over the last two and half seasons of Cult of the Old we have covered some absolute classics. From the brutal farming of Agricola that kicked off our very first season to Catan that began our second we have looked at games venerable and revered, and some that are just past their prime Some of those games still hold their place in the hobby, but many have been surpassed as designers take the original ideas and improve on them ten fold.  This is not the case for the game we are covering tonight.  Hitting the scene in 1995, the same year as Catan, our next title quickly became a watch word for area control. Though many games have followed in this Grand Dames footsteps, none have managed the combination of simple mechanisms, devilish decisions, and twists of fate that this title nailed. Pick up your caballeros and send them into the depths of the Castillo as we explore El Grande.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Catan - Episode Link Civilisation Risk Go 6 Nimmt Heimlich & Co Torres Tikal Heroquest Villa paletti  San Marco Mission Red Planet  Race for the Galaxy Dominion - Episode Link Arcs Root Chaos in the Old World Kemet Wallenstein Shogun Other Mentions Rio Grande Games Z-Man Games Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Scrabble
2025/04/14
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  The three of us on this cast are purveyors of words. We use them to communicate our thoughts on games in the written or audio form. In doing so we hope to convey the emotions, feeling, and mechanisms behind games we love and loathe.  Words have a long history of association with games. From Victorian parlour games to modern expressions of the form in games like Codenames and Paperback Adventures. Of course here on Cult of the Old we are not interested in the modern expressions so much as the origins of word games.  We aren’t going to go back as far as the Victorians this episode. We are instead going to go back to the early 20th century. Then a game that was originally called Criss-Cross words was brought to a wider audience. It is then when it took on its modern name which you will already be familiar with. Scrabble.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Codenames Paperback Adventures Kriegspiel Monopoly - Episode Link Tigris & Euphrates - Episode Link Anagrams Go So Clover Upwords Boggle Acquire Letter Jam Other Mentions Words with Friends Rosemary’s Baby Sneakers Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Dixit
2025/03/31
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Games come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. As consumers and critics of the form we try and categorise, quantify, and contemplate the flaws and virtues of these forms. We have tackled many games over the first two seasons of Cult of The Old from the heavier economic stylings of Brass, the negotiation heavy stylings of Cosmic Encounter, and the gentle , if grim, farming of Agricola. One category we haven’t touched on so far is that of the party game. These games tend to take a large number of players and lie at the lighter end of the mechanical spectrum. Although not the originator of this style of game, the title we are covering today is arguably one of the most influential. Coming in a blockbuster year of titles it was the lightest of that crop to make a mark, and it didn’t really take off properly until a couple of years later. A game that allows the players to express themselves through art, interpretation and surreal imagery. Welcome to the dream world of Dixit.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Stella on BGA Apples to Apples Cards Against Humanity  Balderdash Charades Monopoly - Episode Link Telestrations Time’s Up Fictionary Mysterium Dixit Journey Dixit Odyssey  Once Upon A Time Old Hellfire Club Scrawl Medium The Chameleon  Spyfall Pictionary Codenames So Clover Decrypto Concept Other Mentions Dixit online - Tixid  Blankety Blank Catchphrase Call my Bluff Team Links Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Twitter Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Dominion
2025/03/17
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Many of the games we have covered over 3 seasons have an important place in the hobby landscape. From Catan at the birth of the modern board game renaissance, to the success of Monopoly, and the influence of Agricola we have covered many big titles.  The game we are covering this episode has one of the farthest reaching impacts of anything we have covered so far. Coming out in 2008 this box of cards took the hobby world by storm, spawning numerous expansions and countless imitators. The mechanism it spawned is still everywhere in the hobby, and continues to be innovated upon. Let’s get shuffling and dealing as we dive into the phenomenon that was, and is, Dominion. Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Magic: The gathering St. Petersburg Netrunner - Episode Link Pandemic - Episode Link  Ascension  Star Realms Arctic Scavengers Thunderstone Tanto Cuore  Shards of Infinity Race for the Galaxy  Star Wars Unlimited Arkham Horror LCG Puzzle Strike Undaunted Series Dune: Imperium Automobiles Tyrants of the Underdark Gloomhaven Arkham Horror: The Card Game Clank  Battlestar Galactica Cosmic Encounter  Dixit Star Wars: Deckbuilding Game Millennium Blades Ruthless Quacks of Quedlinburg  Other Mentions Diana Jones Award Gathering of Friends Fortress Ameritrash    Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]
Cult of the Old - Tigris & Euphrates
2025/03/03
Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  Amongst the thousands of games that are released each year into the tabletop hobby, it can be hard to stand out as a designer. Your name rings out less than the games you make, making it hard to carve a space for yourself, let alone a career. For the designer of our next game, this has not been a problem. Dr Reiner Knizia was designing games before the hobby as we think of it today existed and is regarded as one of the best of all time. How do you know what games are his best though? Which game shows off that particular Knizia magic? When did he come to the attention of the wider community? Well the game we are covering on this episode is considered by some to be his masterpiece. A game that sat at the top of the BGG rankings for several years, has been reprinted numerous times, and is the perfect example of some of Knizia’s most famous design tropes. Let’s dip into the refreshing water of Tigris & Euphrates. Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Catan - Episode Link El Grande  Risk  Axis & Allies Diplomacy Civilization Acquire Go Modern Art - Episode Link Ra  Taj Mahal Lord of the Rings Lost Cities Samurai Amun-Re Through the Desert Revenge of the B-Movie  Yellow & Yangtze Race for the Galaxy Puerto Rico - Episode Link Dune Gest of Robin Hood Hex Carcassonne Babylonia  Quest for El Dorado Blue moon Other Mentions Deutscher Spiele Preis  Tigris & Euphrates video part 1 - other parts can be found from there https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRCub6Xxng0 Team Links Websites you can find the cast on Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]

Podcast reviews

Read Cult of the Old podcast reviews


4.6 out of 5
10 reviews
★★★★★
PeterWC1989 2026/06/29
Fantastic, one of the best
A magnificent board game podcast. The hosts are intelligent, erudite, thoughtful, charming, and fun. Wish we got an episode every week, but it’s alway...
★★★★★
PretzelJim 2025/09/02
The podcast I didn’t know I needed.
This podcast is SO good. It is my favorite board game podcast, I can’t wait to see what games they cover next season!
★★★★★
jfjfjfjfjtjfjvjjfkskskfkf 2023/04/13
Boardgaming’s Sage Voices
It’s still early, but the first two episodes promise a wealth of information on boardgaming’s heavy hitters, games that changed the direction of the h...
★★★★★
Cappster_ 2023/04/13
Entertaining History of Board Games
Cult of the Old is the most informative board gaming podcast out there. They take deep dives and explore the history of some of the most popular games...
check all reviews on apple podcasts

Podcast sponsorship advertising

Start advertising on Cult of the Old relevant audience podcasts


What do you want to promote?