Player One | Player Two: The Board Gaming Duo Eric Bonkowski & Kathleen Shaw

In April 2016, Kathleen and I played a game that crushed me in disappointment. Checking nearly every box of my gamer wishlist, Sentinels of the Multiverse came into our one bedroom apartment and left a trail of ardent thumbs down in its wake. Alas, it was not a good fit on nearly any level. It departed our collection scant weeks later in a box bound for the local Goodwill.

Fast forward six years, and Greater Than Games has released what they've designated the "Definitive Edition," promising better gameplay, better balance, better synergy, and better artwork.

Can this "Definitive Edition" make good on promises broken years after the fact??

Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Definitive Edition
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/335212/sentinels-multiverse-definitive-edition

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

If you've listened to our podcast before or know our gaming history, you probably know that Kathleen and I came to the hobby from Magic: The Gathering. That being said, once we left Magic behind, we didn't look back. Magic: The Gathering and other head-to-head dueling games just wasn't our bag any longer.

But what about Daniel Piechnick's Radlands?

Piechnick is a seasoned Magic: The Gathering player, and one read-through of the rules will prove he knows Magic's weak spots, because Radlands goes to great lengths to fix them. But is it enough to bring us back to solve our issues with the head-to-head dueling format... or not?

Radlands
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/329082/radlands

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

Thematically, it feels appropriate that we name this episode after a Powerwolf song, but that may just be because I've not played Bloodborne. Anyway, let's dive into this huge box of plastic Victorian-esque horrors as we look at the Eric Lang/Michael Shinall co-designed campaign dungeon crawler. I'm not huge on dungeon crawlers, and I'm even more not huge (huh?) on campaign games, so this sounds like a great fit!

Let's find out!

Bloodborne: The Board Game
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/273330/bloodborne-board-game

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

Deck building as a mechanic is a staple of the hobby, but one that we've both made clear isn't always enough to provide a satisfying gameplay experience. Add in a pretty niche theme and it seems like a recipe for disaster.

Or is it?

Well butter me up and call me a biscuit, because there's really something great here. Shame on my snobbery, but now I know. And knowing is half the battle!

Yes, that was truly inevitable.

G.I. Joe Deck-Building Game
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/343526/gi-joe-deck-building-game

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

We've gone dark since May 2021, and now we've entered 2022. I'm gettin' tired of reassessing where we are and our general mental and physical well-being, but here we are. Instead of getting mopey, let's talk about what games we're playing and what has made us happy over the past eight months.

Christmas always brings games to gamers homes, but that's not all we're talking about. Player 1 and Player 2 give quick catchups on big boxes of plastic MARVEL: Crisis Protocol, BLOODBORNE, and CLOUDSPIRE, as well as itty bitty card game VILLAGE GREEN.

Anyway, here's a new episode finally! Now with more GI Joe references? Hope you are well. Keep on hangin' in there.

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our site!
www.houseofcardboard.com 

On May 5, 2021, Marvel United: X-Men successfully funded on Kickstarter, raising nearly $6,000,000 of their $300,000 goal. I backed it, even though I've got some gripes with the 2020 release of Marvel United. Why did I back it? Because if I had even a passing interest in the game, I had to.

Why, you ask? Because Kickstarter, baby.

Let's take a look at 2020's Marvel United as an entity in and of itself, and then listen as we discuss how Kickstarter has left its mark on it, for better or for worse.

Marvel United
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/298047/marvel-united

Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)
www.betterwithmusic.com/

Check out our new site!
www.houseofcardboard.com