Talk Cardboard No Pun Included
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- Loisirs
A Board Game Podcast by No Pun Included
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Leviathan Wilds, Through the Desert (Bazaar), Spectral
Hello boardgamers and boardgamees, how are your MEEPLES? Do they need feeding? Watering? Some TLC? Or do they just need a good dose of the Talk Cardboard podcast to refresh that wooden noggin? Well worry not young meeple trainer, we’ve got a new episode digitally bumbling its way to you right now.
A real smorgasboard of delights this week as we take a look at three very different games to suit very different needs. Spectral is a strange melange of deduction and Keyflower style bidding? Does that even work? Does it make sense? Is Ryan Courtney the only designer that can pull this off?
Talking of designers that can pull things off, how about none other than Reiner Knizia himself, who, believe it or not, designed another game. Except he designed this one quite a long time ago and also made a very fresh expansion for it right now. Through the Desert is a mean mean classic and Bazaar is a mixed bag of modules to add some zest.
And finally, a board game based on a beloved video game (unofficially) that doesn’t just work but maybe even surpases its insipiration? Leviathan Wilds is the tabletop version of Shadows of the Colossus and there are moments when it towers above it.
Find more episodes on https://nopunincluded.com/podcast
If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded
On to the timestamps:
0:00 Cold Open
1:05 Intro
3:03 Spectral
30:25 Through the Desert (+Bazaar Expansion)
56:55 More letters on Salton Sea
1:01:40 Leviathan Wilds -
Two Player Special: Run, Haggis, Harrow County
I don’t know about you, but I think there’s something special about the momentum of two player games. The tension, the back and forth. The sensation of making a clever move is so much more palpable than in any other player count. Today we’ll take a look at three two player games, each interesting in its own way, and also two more on our bonus episode.
Our friend Jon from JonGetsGames has designed a game called Spring Cleaning, which we mention in the episode, you can pre-order it here: https://www.newmillindustries.com/store/p/spring-cleaning-preorder or you can play it online on boardgamearena.
If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded
On to the timestamps:
0:00 Cold Open
2:04 Intro
4:08 Run
24:31 Haggis
37:07 Harrow County -
Agemonia, Terra Nova
Dear listeners, it’s never been clearer to us that board games have entered into a new era - the era of the size race. Each month publishers are competing to release a bigger campaign game than the one before and in terms of scope, Agemonia is definitely in the running for the lead. In terms of box size it’s no slouch either, looking eerily similar to that 32 pound Frosthaven box. To provide some contrast and levity, the second game on this episode is Terra Nova, a sleeker, slimmer, smaller and shorter version of its big sibling - Terra Mystica.
If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded
On to the timestamps:
0:00 Cold Open
1:46 Agemonia
41:34 Agemonia content warning start
45:49 Agemonia content warning end
48:22 Audience Correspondence - Salton Sea
55:52 Terra Nova -
Salton Sea, Arcs
There is a duality in first time plays, at least when you’re playing with a mind to reviewing. One path leads to potential, the other to the bin. A first time play can reveal quirks and kinks that promise an interesting second or third or fourth and beyond plays; exploration and indulgence. It can equally reveal a design you never wish to revisit. On today’s episode - two board games. Arcs and Salton Sea. A remix of space board games and a trudge through the bleak world of mining lithium. Each a representative of both polar opposites of first impressions.
Articles and websites discussed in the episode can be found here:
Vote for your favourite podcast in the BGG Awards: https://boardgamegeek.com/geekawards/boardgame
From Wingspan to Wyrmspan: An Accesibility Journey - https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/157687/from-wingspan-to-wyrmspan-an-accessibility-journey
Rolling with Two: Wyrmspan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifMREbPv1Zk
Colorbling Games - https://colorblindgames.com/
If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded
On to the timestamps:
0:00 Cold Open
1:46 Intro
2:49 Flavor Text
9:13 Salton Sea
41:46 Weight vs Subject
45:02 Arcs
1:15:03 Outro -
7th Citadel, Wyrmspan
This episode we only cover two games, but we had so much to say it ended up being a full length episode anyway. Which isn’t a surprise really when you end up with two follow ups for two massively succesful games. It’s the follow-up episode! And if you strain your thinking really hard, you could even argue that this very episode is a follow up to previous episodes, and thus thematically represents the games themselves. It’s nice when things like that line up perfectly. Please enjoy our chatter on 7th Citadel (sequel to 7th Continent) and Wyrmspan (sequel to Wingspan).
If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded
0:00 Cold Open
0:38 Intro
2:44 7th Citadel
34:15 Wyrmspan -
Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze, Witchcraft!, Revive
“What’s good?” you might ask me. Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Just board games. Three specific board games that are, in fact, good and COINCIDENTALLY are all featured on this episode of Talk Cardboard. What a treat! A threefer. A co-op boss battler that’s good, a solo deck-builder that’s good and, wait for it, a EUROGAME that is very good! It’s good games vibes only. Enjoy!
If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded
0:00 Cold Open
2:00 Intro
3:17 Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze
22:08 Witchcraft!
38:41 Revive