Advertise on podcast: The Fifth Meeple Board Game Podcast

We’re back at it again, counting down our Best Board Games of All Time! This time, we’re tackling spots 15 through 11 and talking about the games that have earned their place among our all-time favorites. Do you agree with our picks, or are we completely off our rockers? Let us know what you think! Episode 121: Best of the Best: Top 15 Games of All Time! (15-11) Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:52 Best of the Best #15-11 Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

This week on The Fifth Meeple, it’s a true one-on-one showdown with Tag Team vs. Lairs! Both games put two players directly against each other, but they go about it in very different ways. We’ll see which game gave us the better head-to-head experience and which one kept us coming back for more. It’s a Duel of the Minds, and only one game can come out the victor! Episode 120: Duel of the Minds: Tag Team vs Lairs Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:09 What's on your table? 12:49 Tag Team 25:01 Tag Team: Collector's Corner 25:56 Tag Team: Final Thoughts 28:07 Lairs 40:13 Lairs: Collector's Corner 42:30 Lairs: Final Thoughts 45:12 Battle of the Funnest Showdown Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

The Rating the Rankings train keeps moving! This time we’re looking at BGG’s #21–30, breaking down the games, questioning some of their placements, and talking about which ones we’d move up or down. Then we bring back the snake draft for another round of board game bragging rights. Who built the better list?  (Check out Episode 97, 108 for the series "Rating the Rankings) Special Episode 119 (Rating the Rankings): BGG 21-30 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:22 BGG #21-30 49:04 The Draft Whose draft did you like best? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] and maybe we'll give you a shout out in our next episode!  As always get those games to the table!

DNUP is on the table for this mini review, and we’re breaking down everything from the gameplay to the fun factor. We’ll give you the good, the bad, and our honest take after playing it. Would we play DNUP again? You’ll have to listen to find out! Episode 118 (Mini): DNUP Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:51 DNUP 02:24 DNUP: The Good 08:13 DNUP: The Bad 15:16 DNUP: Collector's Corner 16:25 DNUP: Final Scores Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

Two games, one universe, and a whole lot of mechs! This week we’re putting Scythe against Expeditions in a battle that pits a beloved strategy classic against its spiritual successor. Which one gives us the better experience at the table? There’s only one way to find out!  Join us for this week's Battle of the Funnest Showdown! Episode 117: Mech vs Mech: Scythe vs Expeditions Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:08 What's on your table? 11:42 Scythe 34:28 Scythe: Collector's Corner 35:33 Scythe: Final Thoughts 40:35 Expeditions 01:01:09 Expeditions: Collector's Corner 01:02:33 Battle of the Funnest Showdown Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

In this mini episode, we’re heading behind the counter for a taste of Soda Jerk! We give you a quick rundown on how the game plays, what we enjoyed, and whether it deserves a spot at your next game night.  Enjoy! Episode 116 (Mini): Soda Jerk Timestamps:  00:00 Introduction 00:52 Soda Jerk 02:08 Soda Jerk: The Good 09:31 Soda Jerk: The Bad 13:39 Soda Jerk: Collector's Corner 14:20 Soda Jerk: Final Scores Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

This week we're proving that great board games don't need a giant box as Tenby and Forest Shuffle go head-to-head. From building up a seaside town in Tenby to creating powerful combinations of trees, animals, and wildlife in Forest Shuffle, both games give you plenty to think about without taking over your table. Which small-box game packs the biggest punch?  Let's find out in this week's Battle of the Funnest Showdown! Episode 115: Small Box, Big Punch: Forest Shuffle vs Tenby Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:09 What's on your table? 09:11 Forest Shuffle 25:16 Forest Shuffle: Collector's Corner 26:38 Forest Shuffle: Final Thoughts 28:39 Tenby 42:39 Tenby: Collector's Corner 43:34 Tenby: Final Thoughts 46:49 Battle of the Funnest Showdown Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

In this mini review, we’re taking a shot at Crokinole! We’ll talk about the gameplay, the skill, the flicking, and why this classic dexterity game continues to hit the mark! Episode 114 (Mini): Crokinole Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:56 Crokinole 02:25 Crokinole: The Good 07:13 Crokinole: The Bad 11:42 Crokinole: Collector's Corner 13:06 Crokinole: Final Scores Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

In our latest battle episode, Sanctuary takes on Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition in a showdown of cards, tiles, engines, strategy, and tough decisions! Both games bring their own streamlined take on the engine-building experience, but which one delivers the better gameplay? Which has the more satisfying decisions? And most importantly… which game comes out on top? The pedigree of these two games come from board game royalty but only one can win this battle today! Join us as we break them down, compare what they do best, and settle the score in our latest board game battle! Episode 113: Streamlined: Sanctuary vs Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:14 What's on your table? 14:14 Sanctuary 35:25 Sanctuary: Collector's Corner 36:27 Sanctuary: Final Thoughts 38:20 Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition 52:29 Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition: Collector's Corner 54:45 Terraforming Mars: Final Thoughts 56:43 Battle of the Funnest Showdown Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

It's that time again for a special trivia episode!  It's Pete's World and we all just live in it!  So play along as we do thing's Pete's way and try to get the highest score possible!  Enjoy! Special Episode 112 (Trivia): Pete's World Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:48 Pete's Trivia World Have any great trivia questions for us? Email us at [email protected] and maybe we'll put your trivia up on our podcast in the future (10 questions minimum| 15 questions max) as always play more board games!

You know that summer fling—you have a great time together, you can’t get enough of each other, and you’re not thinking too far into the future. Today, we’re bringing that same energy to the table with the board games we’re loving right now!  It's our annual summer fling episode so sit back and enjoy as we each talk about 3 games we are in love with at least for the summer of 2026. Special Episode 111: Summer Flings 2026 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:35 Summer Flings 2026 Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

The battle continues! Episode 110 features an Expansion Face-Off between SETI: Space Agencies and Shackleton Base: Below. Within. Above. We'll break down what each expansion brings to the table, who they're best for, and ultimately crown the winner. If you're wondering which expansion is worth adding to your shelf, this episode is for you.   Also check out Episode 69 where these two titans originally battled each other in one epic clash. Episode 110: Expansion Face-Off: SETI: Space Agencies vs Shackleton Base: Below.Within.Above Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:20 What's on your table? 13:21 SETI: Space Agencies  23:48 SETI: Space Agencies: Collector's Corner 24:52 SETI: Space Agencies: Final Thoughts 27:32 Shackleton Base: Below.Within.Above 42:17 Shackleton Base: Below.Within.Above: Collector's Corner 43:18 Shackleton Base: Below.Within.Above: Final Thoughts 46:15 Battle of the Funnest Showdown Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

There's been a lot of buzz around FlipToons lately, so we wanted to see what all the excitement is about. Is it a deck-builder worth tracking down, or is the artwork doing most of the heavy lifting?  Come find out the answers in today's mini! Episode 109 (Mini): FlipToons  Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:50 FlipToons 02:20 FlipToons: The Good 07:54 FlipToons: The Bad 11:16 FlipToons: The Collector's Corner 11:55 FlipToons: Final Scores Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!

The Rating the Rankings series rolls on! Today we're breaking down BGG's #11–20, discussing what makes each game worthy of its spot, which ones deserve to climb higher, and whether any have overstayed their welcome. Then we'll put our opinions to the test with another snake draft, competing for your votes to see who drafts the strongest lineup. It's another episode full of rankings, debates, and board game fun!  (Check out Episode 97 for the first in this series "Rating the Rankings) Special Episode 108 (Rating the Rankings): BGG 11-20 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:54 BGG Top 11-20 40:54 The Draft Whose draft did you like best? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] and maybe we'll give you a shout out in our next episode!  As always get those games to the table!

In today's mini we answer the question: Can Catan really fit in your pocket? This week we're taking a quick look at Catan: On the Road, the 15-minute card game that distills the classic resource gathering, trading, and settlement building experience into a fast, travel-friendly package. Does it capture the magic of the original, or should it stay packed away?   Episode 107 (Mini): Catan: On the Road Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:48 Catan: On the Road 02:33 Catan: On the Road: The Good 07:27 Catan: On the Road: The Bad 13:39 Catan: On the Road: The Collector's Corner 14:32 Catan: On the Road: Final Scores Thanks for listening! Want to keep the conversation going? Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and hot takes. And as always… play more board games!