Episode 31: The one about fighting plagues, woodland creatures, and game collections

Episode 31 is here!

Recently Played (00:15) - La Granja; Pandemic Legacy: Season 2

News (08:21) - Root KS Campaign

"it" Factor (18:38) - Tokaido as a great example elegance and simplicity.

#culture (28:03) - Owning multiple (similar) games

We hope you enjoy!

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 30: The one about Essen Spiel 2017

In Episode 30, we talk about those games coming out of Essen Spiel 2017 that have us most interested.

Nemesis (01:15)

Terraforming Mars: Venus Next (05:20)

Alien Artifacts (08:10)

Nusfjord (12:03)

Charterstone (15:22)

Altiplano (20:40)

Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 (24:07)

We hope you enjoy!


Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 29: The one about deluxe games, card games, and downfalls

Episode 29 is here!

Recently Played (00:15) - Gloomhaven; Lost Cities

News (10:23) - Downfall KS Campaign

"it" Factor (20:02) - First Class as a great example of a card game based on a board game.

#culture (32:52) - Deluxe edition pros and cons

We hope you enjoy!


Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 28: The one about building cities, ponzi schemes, and eating donuts

Episode 28 is here!

Recently Played (00:15) - Between Two Cities (+ Expansion) and Ponzi Scheme

News (10:03) - 7th Continent KS Campaign

"it" Factor (19:39) - Twilight Imperium and giving you direction

Game Changers (29:43) - Go Nuts for Donuts

#culture (38:41) - How many times do you have to play a game to review it?

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 27: The one about buying low, selling high, and getting lucky

Episode 27 is here!

In this one, we finally don't talk about Gen Con, as we go through some news for Stefan Feld's newest game (Merlin) and Cerebia: The Inside World; why we love the bidding in For Sale; how we would fix our criticisms of Dead of Winter: Warring Colonies; and luck vs. randomness in games.

Recently Played (00:15)

News (13:38)

"it" Factor (28:38)

Game Changers (41:57)

#culture (1:01:45)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 26: The one all about Gen Con 2017

We've hit a milstone - 1 year doing The Boarding Party!

And despite doing daily Gen Con recaps, we wanted to give an overview of our Gen Con experience as a whole, in addition to what we've been playing recently.

Recently Played (00:15)

Least favourite games (13:17)

Our favourite games (25:15)

Gen Con as a whole (43:43)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 25c: The one about Gen Con day 3

Our Episode 25 is going to be split into several parts, as Jeremiah and Jeff give quick recaps of each of their days at Gen Con.

In this instalment, we talk about our plays of Dead of Winter: Warring Colonies, Dig Down Dwarf, and a talk through of King's Forge: Gold.

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 25b: The one about Gen Con day 2

Our Episode 25 is going to be split into several parts, as Jeremiah and Jeff give quick recaps of each of their days at Gen Con.

In this instalment, we talk about our plays of Terraforming Mars, Twilight Imperium (4th Edition), Planetarium, and Whistle Stop.

Tune in each day for our recaps!

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 25a: The one about Gen Con day 1

Our Episode 25 is going to be split into several parts, as Jeremiah and Jeff give quick recaps of each of their days at Gen Con.

In this instalment, we talk about our plays of Exit, Go Nuts for Donuts, and First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet ... and about games we saw while wandering the exhibitor hall.

Tune in each day for our recaps!

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 24: The one about Gen Con 2017

With our 24th episode, we bring you our Top 10 games (in no particular order, of course!) that we're looking forward to at Gen Con 2017. These could be games we want to demo (or at least watch others play) or even pick up for purchase.

The list is split into two halves: The first half consists of games that we chose that did not overlap; and the second half are games that we both chose for our lists (and combine their discussions).

Enjoy!

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 23: The one about founding Gloomhaven, fighting alien hordes, and flipping cities

Episode 23 is here!

In this one, we talk about Founders of Gloomhaven, why we love Xenoshyft, how we might improve Flip City ... and trials and tribulations of finding new game groups.

Recently Played (00:15)

News (20:19)

"it" Factor (34:22)

Game Changers (46:06)

#culture (1:03:30)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 22: The one about impromptu space operas, house rules, and having direction

After a short hiatus, Episode 22 is upon us!

Jeff is in Canada, and we're recording remotely. In this episode, we talk about what we've been up to (Patchwork, Twilight Imperium, Codenames: Deep Undercover, and more), get into some news involving Werewords and Pandemic Legacy Season 2. We wrap things up by talking about games that give you good direction right from the start, how we might update Splendor (in the context of its new Expansion), and the power of house rules.

Recently Played (00:15)

News (13:40)

"it" Factor (27:30)

Game Changers (43:07)

#culture (56:52)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 21: The one about long nights, diving deep into abyss, and game discounts

Episode 21 is here!

In this one, we gush about our recent play through of Dead of Winter: The Long Night, go through our Gencon event schedule, and talk about the future of our podcast.

In addition, we give our thoughts on what makes Abyss such a great game, the ways in which we think Ethnos could be improved (though we still love it!), and the controversial topic of buying games at a discount.

Recently Played (00:15)

News (11:54)

"it" Factor (30:09)

Game Changers (42:48)

#culture (56:52)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 20: The one all about CMON Expo

Join us for our special 20th episode, all about CMON Expo!

The Godfather: Corleone's Empire (02:50)

Swag Bags (15:24)

Kronia (19:34)

Council of Four (29:10)

Massive Darkness (37:17)

Ethnos (45:45)

TL;DR Wrapup (1:00:49)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 19: The one about CMON Expo, Elysiums, and Marvel

Join us for our 19th Episode!

Since it's been a while, we talk about what we've been up to outside of games (mostly Marvel stuff!), and run through recent plays of Sagrada and Trajan. We give our thoughts on the expansions for Between Two Cities and Dead of Winter; talk about what we think makes Elysium a great game; and a quick preview of CMON Expo.

Off the Table (00:15)

Recently Played (11:14)

News (20:57)

"it" Factor (32:25)

#culture (46:15)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 18: The one about clever dice and reprints vs. new editions

Join us for our 18th Episode!

We run through of our recent play of Mechs vs. Minions; go on and on about the Gloomhaven Kickstarter; talk about our favorite uses of dice in modern games; and ask the question of "When is a reprint actually a new edition?".

We also introduce a new segment (now called "Design Thinking") where we talk about the design of a game, ways it didn't work for us, and how we think it could be improved.

Recently Played (00:15)

News (05:43)

"it" Factor (18:48)

Design Thinking (34:00)

#culture (51:54)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 17: The one about terraforming mystics, iconography, cults of the new

We're happy to bring your our 17th Episode!

Listen on to hear what we've played recently, all things Terra Mystica news, the use (misuse?) of icons in games, and the dreaded cult of the new.

About Us (00:28)

Recently Played (05:22)

News (16:40)

"it" Factor (37:36)

#culture (53:03)

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 16: The one about Iron Fist and social gaming

A little late, but we're back for Episode 16!

About Us (00:15)

A quick discussion of video games we've been playing ... plus a lengthy discussion about why we didn't like Iron Fist.

Recently Played (11:45)

Together, we played Blood Rage. Separate, Jeremiah played Guilds of London and Jeff played Anachrony.

News (24:16)

Cool Mini or Not has announced a new FLGS program; and there's a new expansion for Scythe called The Wind Gambit!

"it" Factor (37:04)

We don't often gravitate towards "Social" games, but we do talk about some that we like (and don't like).

#culture (53:51)

Related to the topic of social games, we talk about playing games with people who don't normally play games.

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 15: The one about rising suns, gloomhavens, and intellectual properties

We ended up off-track last week, so we went the extra mile to go back to schedule with Episode 15!

About Us (00:15)

Our newest segment, about what we've been doing outside of the world of board games. In short, Jeremiah has been playing some Zelda: Breath of the Wild; and Jeff just wrapped up a third playthrough of the Mass Effect Trilogy.

Recently Played (10:14)

Several games played between us, but the star of the show was Gloomhaven.

News (19:28)

The GAMA trade show brought lots of new goodies. But we can't help ourselves to talk about anything other than Rising Sun.

"it" Factor (31:55)

Games have timers in many different ways. We talk about several games that manage to do timers in creative and fun ways.

#culture (44:59)

Intellectual properties are everywhere. We talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of their use in board games.

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 14: The one about games that ramp up and convention season

With a few things going on, we ended up off our typical schedule by a week. But we're finally back with Episode 14!

Recently Played (00:15)

We played a lot, but spend way too long talking about Alchemists + The King's Golem Expansion.

News (06:51)

Raiders of the North Sea and Champions of Midgard have strikingly similar Kickstarter campaigns. And Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn announced two deluxe expansions.

"it" Factor (17:35)

Every game gets more intense as it progresses. But some games have a true "ramp up" at the end. We talk about several that achieve this.

2-Player Review (31:33)

We played Raiders of the North Sea 2-Player and give you our thoughts.

#culture (43:47)

Convention season is kicking off with many opening up ticket sales. And it also means that more games will be announced!

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 13: The one about our top 10 2-player games

We're back for Episode 13, the luckiest of all podcast numbers!

In this episode, we give our respective top 10 games (in no particular order, of course!) to play when we just have two people at the table. This is in the spirit of our 2-player review segment, but includes 2-player only games in addition to those games that we think play exceptionally well with two.

The list is split into two halves: The first half consists of games that we chose that did not overlap; and the second half are games that we both chose for our lists (and combine their discussions).

Enjoy!

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 12: The one about expansions and game protection

The Boarding Party is back with Episode 12!

Recently Played (00:15)

We managed to get a good amount of games in, Jeremiah's first game of Zombicide: Black Plague, several games of Mechs vs. Minions, and a scenario of Mythos Tales.

News (06:51)

Heroes of Land, Air & Sea is out on Kickstarter and we give you our thoughts.

"it" Factor (17:35)

Games expansions are a beautiful thing. We talk about what we love in expansions, and a few examples of game expansions we never play without.

2-Player Review (31:33)

Bruno Cathala's Sobek is a set collection game we first played a while ago. In a pretty saturated market, how does it fare?

#culture (43:47)

From card sleeves to custom inserts to careful storage and handling, we talk in depth about the many ways we (and others) protect our games from ... ourselves.

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 11: The one about our 10x10 Challenge

The Boarding Party is back for it's standard format for Episode 11.

Recently Played (00:15)

Jeff played some Zombicide: Black Plague and we both played Lords of Waterdeep.

News (07:54)

First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet is doing a pre-order through Portal Games; and Clank! has an expansion on the way.

"it" Factor (19:37)

What games have art is so good and so well integrated that it elevates them?

2-Player Review (33:20)

Just for you, we played World's Fair 1893. A game we love with more players, what do we think of it with only 2?

#culture (43:47)

All of the games we're going to include as part of our collective 10x10 Challenge.

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

The Boarding Party's 10x10 Challenge: Update 1

As part of our 2017 Gaming Resolutions, we have decided to undertake a collective 10x10 Challenge.

For those unaware, the 10x10 Challenge is where we commit to playing 10 different games 10 times each. The aim is to celebrate the games that we have, and love!

Here's our starting point, with the 10 games chosen only (no plays of them ... yet!). Our plan is to track this on a monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly basis showing our progress.

Episode 10: The one about 2016 and 2017

2017 is officially here and so is our newest episode. In our 10th episode, we change things up a bit to do a look back on 2016 and look ahead to 2017 for all things gaming.

2016 Podcast Stuff (00:15)

We look back on where our podcast started and some of the things we've been able to do over the past half year.

2016 Games (06:38)

Restoration Games (from the great Rob Daviau) announced its first three games: Stop Thief, Dragon Master, and Downforce.

2016 Events (25:22)

2016 was great (for games). We talk about Pandemic Legacy: Season 1, Scythe, and Mechs vs. Minions, among many others.

2017 Events (40:47)

Looking ahead to Gencon and Cool Mini or Not Expo, and how we plan to cover them differently.

2017 Games (47:49)

So many good games coming out. It's looking like the year of the legacy games with Pandemic Legacy: Season 2, Charterstone, Ultimate Werewolf Legacy, Chronicles: Origins, and Gloomhaven. Plus a few other non-legacy games of note!

2017 Podcast (1:09:22)

What's we're planning for our podcast.

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes

Episode 9: The one about games with mass appeal and game rankings

After a few weeks off for the holidays, The Boarding Party is back for Episode 9.

Recently Played (00:15)

We managed to get a good amount of games in, including Kingdomino, Mechs vs. Minions, and Scythe ... but the piece de resistance was certainly our epic game of Twilight Imperium!

News (08:39)

Restoration Games (from the great Rob Daviau) announced its first three games: Stop Thief, Dragon Master, and Downforce.

"it" Factor (18:25)

We talk about the beauty of games with mass appeal, using Codenames (and Codenames: Picutres) as a backdrop.

2-Player Review (32:24)

T.I.M.E. Stories has taken the industry by storm, and we give our thoughts on how it works with only 2p.

#culture (47:52)

Sites like Boardgamegeek have robust rating systems, which turn into rankings of the best (and worst!) board games of all time ... what do we think of these systems?

Play Episode   |   Subscribe with iTunes