A board game review podcast for people who enjoy playing games with family and friends
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In this episode, we load up our donkey carts with fruit to deliver around the island in Finca! In Finca, players take on the role of farmers at harvest time on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Move your farmers around the windmill to generate resources, collect colorful chunky fruit tokens, deliver fruit strategically around the island with your don…
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Today we have a FIRST PLAY review of Sirens, a 2024 game for two players designed by Art Casey with illustrations by Gabi Naftaly and published by Envy Born Games. In Sirens, players take on the role of the sirens of Greek myths, those creatures whose beautiful singing lured Odysseus’ sailors into the sea and to their doom. In the game, players dra…
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Usually when I review and recommend a board game here on the podcast, I’ve played that game at least ten times. That way I know the game well and I know it has some staying power. That means I usually review older games, but I like to play new games, too. So here’s a FIRST PLAY review of a new game that I think you might like! Today we’ll take a lo…
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In this episode, we build the technologies and societies needed to fight climate change in Daybreak! Daybreak is a 2023 game published by CMYK and designed by Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace. In this cooperative board game, up to four players take on the role of world powers like the U.S. and China enacting climate action policies. The goal of the…
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50. Five Games to Start Your Collection
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In this episode, we celebrate four years (and 50 episodes) of the podcast by recommending my top five games to start your board game collection! I started First Player Token to provide some advice to people who like playing board games with family and friends but maybe get a little overwhelmed when shopping for board games at Target or Barnes & Nob…
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Usually when I review and recommend a board game here on the podcast, I’ve played that game at least ten times. That way I know the game well and I know it has some staying power. That means I usually review older games, but I like to play new games, too. So here’s a FIRST PLAY review of a new game that I think you might like! Today we’ll take a lo…
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In this episode, we put on our funny Viking hats and go plundering in Raiders of the North Sea! Raiders of the North Sea is a two to four player game published in 2015 by Garphill Games. It was designed by Shem Phillips with art by Mihajlo Dimitrievski. The game is about building your Viking crew, raiding settlements, and bringing back plunder for …
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In this episode, we board the Jolly Roger and steal from treasure from a Spanish galleon in Tortuga 1667! In Tortuga 1667, players take on the role of pirates attacking Spanish ships near the island of Tortuga and stealing their gold. Half of the players are secretly working for the British and half for the French. At the start of the game, you kno…
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In The Wolves, we build our packs and carve out our territory! The Wolves is a 2022 game designed by Ashwin Kamath and Clarence Simpson with art by Pauliina Linjama and a quality production from publisher Pandasaurus Games. In The Wolves, between two and five players each controls a pack of wolves vying for territory across a wilderness. This game …
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In this episode, we try to save the planet from a relentless alien invasion in Under Falling Skies! Under Falling Skies is a 2020 board game designed by designed by Tomáš Uhlíř published by Czech Games Edition with art by Petr Boháček and Kwanchai Moriya. It’s a solo game about repelling an alien invasion that clearly takes some inspiration from th…
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In The Blood of an Englishman, we see if Jack can steal the goose that lays golden eggs from the giant at the top of the beanstalk! In 2016, Renegade Games published a two-player card game inspired by “Jack and the Beanstalk” called The Blood of an Englishman. One player takes on the role of Jack, attempting to steal the giant’s treasure through a …
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In this episode, I try out a new format by giving very brief reviews of ten games I played at our local board game convention, Tennessee Game Days, earlier this fall! Tennessee Game Days is an event held each spring and fall here in Nashville, Tennessee, where people come from around the state and the region to spend a few days in hotel convention …
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In this episode, we try to figure out if our opponent put the poison in our glass or in his glass in the game In Vino Morte! In Vino Morte is a 2016 game designed by Chris Anderson with art by Ben Toz and published by Button Shy Games. It’s inspired by that classic scene in The Princess Bride where the Dread Pirate Roberts and the scoundrel Vizzini…
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Usually when I review and recommend a board game here on the podcast, I’ve played that game at least ten times. That way I know the game well and I know it has some staying power. That means I usually review older games, but I like to play new games, too! That leads me to this bonus episode you’re listening to right now. Instead of a scripted and h…
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In this episode, we see what happens when heroes from stories and legends battle it out in Unmatched! Unmatched is actually a series of games from Restoration Games. That company specializes in taking older games and redesigning them for a modern audience. They have “restored” games like Downforce, Fireball Island, Thunder Road, and Dark Tower. Unm…
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Usually when I review and recommend a board game here on the podcast, I’ve played that game at least ten times. That way I know the game well and I know it has some staying power. That means I usually review older games, but I like to play new games, too! That leads me to this bonus episode you’re listening to right now. Instead of a scripted and h…
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In this episode, we battle for the honor of hosting the king in our chateaus in Royal Visit! Royal Visit is a 2021 game designed by Reiner Knizia with art by Karl James Mountford and published by Iello Games. It’s a two-player game, with players occupying opposite ends of a valley hoping to attract the visiting king to their magnificent chateaus. T…
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In this episode, we become Scottish chieftains expanding our lands in… Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King! The Isle of Skye is one of the large islands off the northwest coast of Scotland, famous for its stunningly beautiful landscape and as the home to the Scottish clans of MacLeod and MacDonald. This mountainous land suitable for fishing and fa…
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In this "First Play" bonus episode, we take a look at the game Kohaku from 25th Century Games, a 2020 game designed by Danny Devine with art also by Danny Devine! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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Here's an extended cut of Emily's color commentary on the game Mysterium! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we work together to solve a murder in the game with no words… Mysterium! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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Today we have some initial impressions of the game Power Plants after a first play! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we take a look at Gobblet Gobblers, a game that you’ll want to know about if you’re tired of playing tic-tac-toe! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we work together to catch a sneaky, pot-pie-stealing fox in the cooperative kids game Outfoxed! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we build cities and farms and roads in the modern classic, Carcassonne! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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Today we have some initial impressions of the game Gartenbau after a first play! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we review Bristol 1350 and try to avoid a pandemic like it’s the 14th century by escaping the city on an apple cart! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we’re going back to the space race with the upcoming new expansion, Space Explorers: Age of Ambition! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we have a very special guest joining us to review Takenoko, a game that teaches you what to do in the unlikely event someone gives you a panda. Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we review Tsuro: The Game of the Path! See whose path to enlightenment lasts the longest... Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we review the game Clank! Go searching for dragon treasure while moving very quietly... Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we review Incan Gold, a game that will have you pressing your luck to recover lost treasure! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we take a look at one of the best two-player games around, Patchwork, a game about quilting! Patchwork is a colorful 2014 game designed by Uwe Rosenberg with art by Klemens Franz that takes the notion of patches on a quilt and turns it into an elegantly designed game for exactly two players. In Patchwork, players take on the role o…
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Splendor, a game about collecting gems and impressing fancy people! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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Oros! A game about building mountains and seeking knowledge! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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Sleeping Queens! A game of queens and kings and dragons and knights and basic arithmetic! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we time-travel to the 1960s to compete in the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union in… Space Explorers! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we travel to a beautiful island off the coast of Greece famous for its white and blue buildings in the board game Santorini! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we travel to 17th century Japan for some competitive vacationing in the board game Tokaido! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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We're back with another family game recommendation: The Crew, a game that will have you taking tricks and exploring space! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we recommend the city-building game Sprawlopolis, a game to play without family and friends. Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we recommend a game that will have you eating your vegetables: Abandon All Artichokes! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In this episode, we recommend a game that will have you bluffing, bribing, and smuggling: Sheriff of Nottingham. Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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We're back with a family board game recommendation for a game that will have you cheering on cute, colorful penguins: ICECOOL. Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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We're back with another family board game recommendation, a game that will make you want an ice cream cone: Rocky Road a la Mode! Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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We have another great family game to recommend: Gizmos. Ever want to make your own Rube Goldberg machine? Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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We have another great family game to recommend: Herbaceous. You can't help but want to collect and pot herbs as you play this relaxing game. Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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In Wingspan, players take on the role of bird enthusiasts, trying to collect the best birds for their wildlife preserves. It's a great game for couples, and might just turn players into birdwatchers. Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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PARKS does a great job of capturing the beauty and wonder of the US National Parks, and it's a fun game for couples. Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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Forbidden Island is a cooperative game where the players work together to explore a mysterious island, find its treasures, and escape before the island floods. Send us a textAv Derek Bruff
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