Board Game Hot Takes

Mar 03 2025 239 ep. 66 mins 221
Board Game Hot Takes Podcast artwork

We tell you how a board game experience felt - just minutes after we finish playing. Three unique points of view. No non-game nonsense.

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Top 5 Board Games With Great Player Interaction

Mar 03 2025 93 mins  
In Episode 238 we each talk about 5 board games that have the types and level of player interaction that we really like. We also discuss a poll on whether complexity and price should have a correlation.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:44 Poll Time: Do you correlate complexity with price?14:02 Player Interaction19:52 Parks (Agricola)25:35 Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Carnegie)30:31 Clans of

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Feb 24 2025 59 mins  
In Episode 237 we give our hot take review on SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.We announce some board game giveaways and then talk about some games that have been on our tables including Dinosaur Island, Stockpile, Guild of Merchant Explorers, and Architects of the West Kingdom: Age of Artis

Hot Topic - Curating Board Game Setup

Feb 17 2025 55 mins  
In Episode 236 we discuss the decisions you make around setting up a game to make it the best possible experience for your game group including things like changes you make after random setup steps, how you pick asymmetric factions, and what expansions you add in.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:38 Curating board game setupIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at http

The Guild of Merchant Explorers

Feb 10 2025 58 mins  
In Episode 235 we give our hot take review on The Guild of Merchant Explorers covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.We discuss a poll on how tariffs might impact board game buying habits and we discuss some games that have been on our table including Skyrise, Black Forest, Belaad, Oh No Volcano, and Slay the Spire.Timestamps:00:00 Introductio

Top 5 Overlooked Games (2015 - 2019)

Feb 03 2025 61 mins  
In Episode 234 we look back at some hidden gems from 2015-2019. We each name a game that doesn't get discussed much anymore from each of these years and talk about why they deserve more attention. We also discuss some our listeners board game highlights from 2024 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:40 Listeners Top Picks from 2024 06:28 Top 5 Overlooked Games (2015-2019) 09:20 20

Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon

Jan 27 2025 66 mins  
In Episode 233 we give our hot take review on Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We discuss board game restaurants, pubs, and cafes and then discuss some games that have been on our table including Kanban EV, Troyes, and Shasn Azadi. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:10 Discussion: Board Game Pubs 08

2024 Lookback and Board Game Awards

Jan 20 2025 92 mins  
In Episode 232 we take a look back at 2024 and discuss some of the great (and no so great) games we played last year. Some of them were even published last year. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 3:20 Biggest Surprises in 2024 11:59 Biggest Disappointments in 2024 21:28 Best New to Us in 2024 36:23 Best Production Published in 2024 45:36 Lookback at Best Games of 2023 47:37 Best Games

Rats of Wistar

Jan 13 2025 56 mins  
In Episode 331 we give our hot take review on Rats of Wistar covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We share poll results on buying games with the intent to sell them at a higher price and then discuss some games that have been on our table including Frozen Frontiers, Rebel Princess, and Dune: Imperium. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:25 Po

Mailbag #5 - Why we play, board games as art, and more topics

Jan 06 2025 73 mins  
In Episode 230 we return to the mailbag and answer a bunch of our listener's board game related questions. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 1:03 What draws you to boardgames and what do you get most of your hobby? Why do you play boardgames. 8:48 What are your thoughts on thumbing down people on Board Game Arena? 17:13 What games or mechanisms have tiers that you can find in games at

Top 5 Games we Only Played Once in 2024

Dec 30 2024 43 mins  
In Episode 229 we look back at the games we played once for the first time in 2024. Great games and we want to play them more. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 1:58 Luthier 4:06 Lancaster 5:05 Clockwork Wars 6:18 Marrakesh 8:49 Dune: Imperium Uprising 6 Player 11:12 Hallertau 12:59 Dune 16:58 Biohack 19:06 Walnut Grove 21:32 Unconscious Mind 25:07 Ceres 27:33 Black Forest 28:19 Thund