
292 episodes

Board Game Barrage Board Game Barrage
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- Leisure
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4.8 • 376 Ratings
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Join Kellen, Neilan, Mark, and Christina for a podcast about board games, the latest hotness, and how to have fun with your friends even when you're losing.
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#293: The Great Epochs of Board Gaming
In what could be our most grandiose episode yet, we attempt to tame the wild history of all of board games. We traverse the timeline, unpacking what we consider to be the great epochs of the hobby, in an attempt to explain how modern game design evolved into its present form. Before we unpack the deep lore, we talk about General Orders: World War II, Oak, and Big Boss.
Timecodes:
02:36 - General Orders: World War II
11:47 - Oak
20:24 - Big Boss
31:20 - The great epochs of board games
31:45 - The First Epoch
33:17 - The Royal Game of Ur
34:37 - Senet
43:23 - The Second Epoch
44:50 - Monopoly
48:11 - Risk
50:29 - Operation
56:23 - The Third Epoch
57:22 - Catan
1:02:33 - Dominion
1:20:19 - The Fourth Epoch
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https://boardgamebarrage.com/store -
#292: Lightning Round
Uh oh, is that thunder? That must mean it's time for a lightning round - we're scooping up all the lovely questions and suggestions that just aren't big enough for the main event, and stuffing them in the blender. This week, it's public spaces, warning labels, gaming tips, and PAX Unplugged. Before we put fingers on buzzers, we talk about Gift of Tulips, Five Three Five, and Anunnaki: Dawn of the Gods.
Timecodes:
01:36 - Gift of Tulips
10:20 - Five Three Five
16:52 - Anunnaki: Dawn of the Gods
32:08 - How American society affects board gaming
39:54 - What are we excited to play at PAX
40:26 - Stationfall
40:56 - Blood on the Clocktower
41:30 - The Great Zimbabwe
41:50 - Pax Porfiriana
43:40 - Roads & Boats
44:49 - Warning stickers on games
48:22 - Hot gaming tips
Join the PAX Unplugged Math Trade at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/trade
Send us topic ideas at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics
Check out our wiki at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki
Join the discussion at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord
Join our Facebook group at:
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Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/store -
#291: Fantasy Draft: Reiner Knizia
Drafts are back, baby. And not just any old draft, no, but to celebrate the return of the greatest game, we're drafting none other than the best of the only true and living doctor, Reiner Knizia. Who ends up with the best list? Vote for your favourite, you could win a $50 gift voucher! Before we doc it up, we talk about Empire's End, My Favourite Things, and Four Horsemen.
Timecodes:
02:33 - Empire's End
12:15 - My Favourite Things
21:15 - Four Horsemen
27:48 - Drafting Reiner Knizia games
33:44 - Tigris & Euphrates
34:49 - Zoo Vadis
36:32 - Ra
37:47 - Modern Art
39:19 - The Quest for El Dorado
41:03 - Blue Lagoon
42:03 - Lost Cities
45:29 - Medici
46:39 - Stephenson's Rocket
47:44 - My City
49:13 - Taj Mahal
52:09 - Babylonia
53:29 - Mille Fiori
55:14 - Yellow & Yangtze
58:04 - High Society
Join the PAX Unplugged Math Trade at:
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Send us topic ideas at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics
Check out our wiki at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki
Join the discussion at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord
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Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at:
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#290: Stuck in the Mid With You
Are board games stuck? Not to be dramatic or anything, but it does seem like we keep circling the same ideas over and over again, right? We speculate on where we think the hobby is headed, and whether or not it needs a shake up. Before we plateau, we talk about Orchard, Hadrian's Wall, Terracotta Army, and Santiago.
Timecodes:
03:09 - Orchard: A 9 card solitaire game
06:49 - Hadrian's Wall
13:45 - Terracotta Army
24:34 - Santiago
35:45 - Board game stagnation
38:17 - Return to Dark Tower
41:55 - Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020
43:55 - Turing Machine
44:09 - Cryptid
45:59 - Dead Reckoning
50:37 - Stationfall
Join the PAX Unplugged Math Trade at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/trade
Send us topic ideas at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics
Check out our wiki at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki
Join the discussion at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord
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Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/store -
#289: Essen SPIEL 2023 Hype List
It's almost time for Essen SPIEL 2023, the great German Mecca of our people - and while we're not going ourselves, that's not going to stop us yearning. We're hear to tell you about all the amazing games available at the show this year that you ought to be excited about. Before we gaze longingly across the Atlantic, we talk about Asara, Skytear Horde, and Dwellings of Eldervale.
Timecodes:
02:31 - Asara
10:15 - Skytear Horde
14:04 - Dwellings of Eldervale
28:11 - Essen SPIEL 2023 Preview
30:04 - The Same Game
32:52 - Among Cultists: A Social Deduction Thriller
32:40 - Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West
34:11 - Civolution
35:25 - World Wonders
36:42 - Dying Message
38:27 - Kutná Hora: The City of Silver
40:24 - Tiny Mini Golf
42:19 - Arabella
43:38 - ArcheOlogic
45:41 - Terra Pyramides
46:51 - Sunrise Lane
48:25 - Evacuation
49:54 - TwinStar Valley
51:04 - Planta Nubo
Send us topic ideas at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics
Check out our wiki at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki
Join the discussion at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord
Join our Facebook group at:
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Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at:
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#288: Less is More
A little prune, a little embellish, a nip, a tuck, and a flourish, and we can get this thing just how we like it. We're looking at all the little things that we'd like to see more of, all the things we'd like to see less of in the world of board games. Before we giveth and taketh away, we talk about First in Flight, Tramways, and Wandering Towers.
Timecodes:
02:39 - First in Flight
11:57 - Tramways
23:32 - Wandering Towers
31:50 - What we want more and less of in games
33:13 - More middleweight
35:18 - More emergence
36:50 - Stationfall
37:13 - Troyes
37:13 - Glory to Rome
37:13 - Innovation
38:13 - Archipelago
39:03 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant
40:02 - More rough edges
41:57 - Cosmic Frog
44:11 - More Saga
44:11 - Dead Reckoning
46:24 - Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
46:36 - More community conventions
47:49 - More games with less rules
49:09 - Less trick takers
51:05 - Less board games
53:35 - Less dour color palettes
54:54 - Eschaton
55:13 - 3 Ring Circus
56:02 - The Guild of Merchant Explorers
56:27 - Less generic themes
57:37 - Less individual player boards
58:44 - Less multiplayer solitare
1:00:23 - Less content creators working for publishers
Send us topic ideas at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics
Check out our wiki at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki
Join the discussion at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord
Join our Facebook group at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook
Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at:
https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
Customer Reviews
The deep dives!
I’ve listened to board game barrage for years, but I finally had to leave a review to acknowledge the depth of research they put into their November 23 “board game epochs” show. Even more impressive than usual!
fun & right level of depth
🎽
also i listen to you guys when i run, which is the highest level that i rate podcasts
The Best Board Game Podcast
This is simply the best board game podcast. The chemistry between all four hosts is fun, and their different tastes for games can really help see things from different perspectives.
But I especially love that they give plenty attention to older great games rather than just focusing on the latest BGG hotness, they have helped me curate a collection that includes several great games 10-30 years old.
Lastly, their discord community is great and welcoming, and I love how friendly and accessible the hosts are, even being to play games with them on BGA. Mark especially helped me though a tough time and made me feel welcomed in the community and I’m forever grateful for this group of people ❤️