Board Game Radio

with Doug and Michael
  • 4.7 (20)
  • Games
  • Weekly

Board Game Radio with Doug & Michael is a weekly tabletop gaming variety show. Join us as we explore what makes board games fun, memorable, and truly worth gathering around the table for — through casual conversation, stories, and a shared love of the hobby.

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 288 - The Primary, E-tailers, and Halloween High Fives!

    This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael are back from Gamehole Con with crowdfunding scorecards, a confession about broken solo promises, and a Powerball plan that involves hiring your co-host as a full-time board game friend. How much would it take? In This Week in Gaming, Thunderworks teases Cartographers Adventures, Steamforged goes quiet on millions in unfulfilled campaigns, CMON's DC United still has folks hoping, and Osprey Games walks away from board and card games entirely. Then it's time for a deep dive on The Primary—a presidential campaign game with zero party politics. Can area control, action programming, and role-played mudslinging make election night actually fun at the table? Then it's time for What's On Your Mind! What's your ideal multi-day playing convention if your game room vanished tomorrow? And is it okay to buy from e-tailers and Amazon—or do friendly local game stores still get the final say? After that, Stupid Money, Smart Money puts sleeves, Kallax shelves, bit containers, gaming tables, fancy dice, and 3D printers on trial. Which ones are worth it… and which ones are pure luxury? Finally, it's High-Five Halloween Games—just in time for All Hallows' Eve. Immersive vibes, Universal Monsters, mad scientists, and more than a few things that go bump in the night. Which spooky titles made Doug and Michael's lists, and what are you playing this Halloween? Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it's about games, it's on the table! 00:00:00 Intro / Welcome00:00:45 Follow-Up00:08:29 This Week in Gaming00:15:47 The Primary00:26:14 What's On Your Mind00:38:02 Stupid Money, Smart Money00:59:09 High-Five Halloween Games01:15:42 Wrap-Up

    Episode 288 - The Primary, E-tailers, and Halloween High Fives!

  2. Oct 23

    Episode 287 - Gamehole Con 2026 Recap

    This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael are reporting live from the floor of Gamehole Con 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. No segments, no transitions, just wall-to-wall convention!Michael spent four days in a brand-new tabletop hall and came back with stories. Did he just find his new favorite Reiner Knizia game? Which game had him wrestling with the rulebook? And why should a great game ever be unplayable because of its color palette?Then Doug joins the fun, and a trip to the board game library turns into a surprise game neither of us saw coming. Plus, we finally get our hands on one of Gen Con's hottest titles. Did it live up to the hype?Finally, how does Gamehole Con stack up against Gen Con, and could Board Game Radio be coming to Gamehole Con 2027?Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it's about games, it's on the table!00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio 00:00:35 Welcome to Gamehole Con 2026 00:05:15 World Order 00:13:41 Ankh: Gods of Egypt 00:19:23 Brink 00:28:36 Ra 00:31:59 Yellow & Yangtze 00:41:18 Bean to Bar 00:48:22 Guards of Atlantis II 00:55:10 Cross Bronx Expressway 01:01:57 The Games We Played Together 01:03:49 Obsession 01:06:04 Santiago de Cuba 01:09:59 Drillers 01:12:29 More Games From the Con 01:13:13 Convention Thoughts and Takeaways 01:22:20 Wrap-Up

    Episode 287 - Gamehole Con 2026 Recap

  3. Oct 16

    Episode 286 - Kingmaking, Strategy Games, and Goldilocks!

    This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle some surprisingly tricky questions: Do we need a new term for strategy games, and how do you feel about kingmaking? In This Week in Gaming, we take a look at Pet Quartet and share our thoughts on the game. Plus, Magical Athlete is showing up at Walmart! What does that mean for the hobby? Then it's time for Redacted Reviews! We've pulled glowing reviews from BoardGameGeek, but there's a catch—the names of the games have been removed! Can we figure out which games are getting all that praise based on the reviews alone? Finally, we introduce Goldilocks: Overrated, Underrated, or Perfectly Rated? We're putting BoardGameGeek's ratings, complexity scores, and player counts under the microscope. Do we agree with the gaming community, or have they gotten it completely wrong? This week's games include: - First-Class Letters - Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure - Venture Angels - Splendor - Wild Magic - Just One Plus, we talk about why our Discord community is such a great place to discover new games and get recommendations! Join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it's about games, it's on the table! 00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio 00:01:23 Follow-Up on Campaign Games 00:12:49 What's Awesome in Tabletop Gaming 00:17:44 Review of Pet Quartet 00:26:19 Discussion on Strategy Games 00:34:42 Exploring Kingmaking in Board Games 00:42:12 Redacted Reviews 00:55:26 Goldilocks: Evaluating Game Ratings 00:56:52 Exploring Word Games: First Class Letters 01:01:24 Diving into Clank: A Deck-Building Adventure 01:06:52 Venture Angels: The Art of Secret Bidding 01:11:30 The Charm of Splendor: A Gem-Collecting Race 01:15:05 Wild Magic: A Hidden Gem in Card Games 01:19:44 Just One: The Ultimate Party Game

    Episode 286 - Kingmaking, Strategy Games, and Goldilocks!

  4. Oct 9

    Episode 285 - Chocolate, Space, and the New World Order

    This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle a question every campaign gamer eventually faces: What do you do with a campaign game after you’ve finished it? Keep it on the shelf as a trophy? Pass it along? And should our answer change if the campaign can actually be played again? In This Week in Gaming, we’re looking ahead to Game Store Day on November 7 and celebrating the local game stores that help keep the tabletop community rolling. Then Troll er No? returns! We’ve collected some wonderfully brutal negative BoardGameGeek reviews—but some of them are completely made up. Can we tell the real internet trolls from the imposters? Finally, Michael puts on his salesman hat for Play or Pass. He’ll pitch games from his collection to Doug, answer Doug’s questions, and try to convince him that these games deserve a spot at the table. Will Doug agree to play…or send them straight to the pass pile? Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it’s about games, it’s on the table! 00:00:00 Crowdfundin' Carl 00:01:12 Intro to Board Game Radio 00:01:56 Follow-Up and Community Engagement 00:04:08 The Appeal of Simplified Games 00:09:25 This Week In Gaming 00:09:48 Game Store Day and Local Support 00:11:36 A Gluttony of Crowdfunding Campaigns 00:16:52 What's On Your Mind? 00:17:30 Advantageous Moves 00:27:20 Campaign Games: To Keep or Not to Keep? 00:27:38 When To Move On From Campaign Games? 00:38:05 Troll er No? 00:39:26 7 Wonders: Architects 00:49:28 Rebirth 00:55:58 Play or Pass: Game Hole Con Edition 00:57:31 Bean To Bar 01:01:25 Brink 01:03:33 World Order

    Episode 285 - Chocolate, Space, and the New World Order

  5. Oct 2

    Episode 284 - Games We've Cooled On

    This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael dig into the art—and occasional pain—of teaching board games. What parts of teaching trip us up the most, and which games have proven especially difficult to get to the table? In This Week in Gaming, we talk about CMON’s $19 million capital raise and Chip Theory Games working with Jennifer Graham-Macht to bring Neon Knight to a wider audience. Then it’s time for The Great Game Guessing Game! We’ve each dug up an obscure game from before 1995, and the other host has to figure out what the game is about based on the title alone. What could possibly go wrong? Finally, it’s List Time with our High-Five Games We’ve Cooled On—games we once enjoyed or were excited about, but that just don’t hit the same way anymore Plus, we follow up on your trick-taking questions from Discord. Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it’s about games, it’s on the table! 00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio 02:58 This Week In Gaming 03:24 Jumpmasters: A New Favorite Game 15:01 Chip Theory Games Expands 17:47 CMON Raises Cash 19:48 What's On Your Mind? 20:17 Difficulty Teaching Games 30:54 The Great Game Guessing Game 31:42 Higgly Piggly: The Plastic Farm Game 35:15 Time Agent 38:41 Rootie Kazootie Word Game 42:30 Times to Remember 48:21 High Five Games We've Cooled On

    Episode 284 - Games We've Cooled On

  6. Sep 25

    Episode 283 - Tend, Rebel Princess, Machi Koro: Life, and Brave & Bold

    This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael celebrate one of the best parts of tabletop gaming: introducing the hobby to new players and seeing that moment when a game unexpectedly clicks. Then, are you playing the wrong game with the wrong people? We talk about how the group around the table can completely change the experience. We also debut a brand-new segment: Geek Sequence! Can we correctly rank a lineup of games based on a single BoardGameGeek metric? This week, we put our knowledge of game complexity to the test. Finally, it’s our Monthly Game Roundup, featuring four games that have been hitting our tables: 🌱 Tend — IV Studio 👑 Rebel Princess: Deluxe Edition — Bezier Games 🏙️ Machi Koro: Life — Pandasaurus Games ⚔️ Brave & Bold: Bag Building Combat Game — Resurrection Games We’ll tell you what we played, what stood out, and what we thought about each one. Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation on Discord at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, leave us a 5-star review. If it’s about games, it’s on the table! 00:00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio 00:04:43 This Week In Gaming 00:05:22 Wow Factor For New Gamers 00:08:59 New Buying System Consequences 00:15:47 Magic: The Gathering Update 00:20:07 What's On Your Mind? 00:20:50 The Impact of Group Dynamics on Gaming Experience 00:33:30 The Inception of Game Collection Reduction 00:40:54 Geek Sequence 00:41:37 Ranking Games by Complexity 00:49:54 Family Games By Dr. Reiner Knizia 00:54:21 Monthly Game Roundup 00:54:54 Brave & Bold: Bag-Building Combat Game 01:02:00 Machi Koro: Life 01:09:17 Trick-Taking Games: Rebel Princess Review 01:19:16 Tend: A Complex Flip and Write Experience

    Episode 283 - Tend, Rebel Princess, Machi Koro: Life, and Brave & Bold

  7. Sep 18

    Episode 282 - CrowdFunding Debates, Board Game Bling, & Phil Walker-Harding

    We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, including some new crowdfunding campaigns. We'll discuss gaming cynicism and table real estate. We debate some game night hypotheticals about consistent game nights and expansions versus bling! We finish the episode by drafting Phil Walker-Harding Games! 00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio 07:21 This Week In Gaming 07:56 Upcoming Crowdfunding 11:34 Bestselling Games 14:24 What's On Your Mind? 14:49 Veteran Gamer Cynicism 28:02 Table Real Estate and Game Acquisition 36:36 Game Night Hypotheticals: Choices and Dilemmas 36:59 New vs. Old 40:25 Expansions or Bling? 43:44 Consistent Game Nights? 46:31 Discount or Speed? 50:57 Collection Selection: Phil Walker-Harding Don't forget to check out our Discord! https://www.boardgameradio.com/discord/

    Episode 282 - CrowdFunding Debates, Board Game Bling, & Phil Walker-Harding

  8. Sep 11

    Episode 281 - Family Games & Gen Con Hotness Through The Years

    We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discussing family games on BoardGameGeek, and revisiting GenCon Hotness! 00:00:20 Introduction & Follow-up 00:03:32 This Week In Gaming & Awesomeness 00:04:50 Exploring Personal Gaming Backlogs 00:09:23 Exciting News in Tabletop Gaming 00:14:01 Does BoardGameGeek Have a Family Games Problem? 00:34:42 Exploring Gen Con's Hotness Over the Years 00:37:13 2023 Gen Con Preview 00:45:59 2024 Gen Con Preview 00:51:51 2025 Gen Con Preview 00:58:27 2026 Gen Con Preview 01:00:42 Reflections on Game Quality and Hype Don't forget to check out our Discord! https://www.boardgameradio.com/discord/

    Episode 281 - Family Games & Gen Con Hotness Through The Years
See All (288)

4.7
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

Board Game Radio with Doug & Michael is a weekly tabletop gaming variety show. Join us as we explore what makes board games fun, memorable, and truly worth gathering around the table for — through casual conversation, stories, and a shared love of the hobby.

Information

  • Creator
    with Doug and Michael
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    288
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © with Doug and Michael
  • Show Website
    Board Game Radio

You Might Also Like