So Very Wrong About Games

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Synopsis

A podcast about all manner of hobby games by Mike Walker and Mark Bigney. Bad games don't go easy on you, so we don't go easy on them. Thorough analysis via reviews, news, and discussion of topics in gaming.

Episodes

  • #283: Calling It a Win

    17/10/2023 Duration: 01h28min

    "Somethin' tells me it's all happening at the zooI do believe itI do believe it's trueThe monkeys stand for honestyGiraffes are insincereAnd the elephants are kindly but they're dumbOrangutans are skepticalOf changes in their cagesAnd the zookeeper is very fond of rumZebras are reactionariesAntelopes are missionariesPigeons plot in secrecyAnd hamsters turn on frequentlyWhat a gas, you gotta come and seeAt the zoo"-Simon and Garfunkel, "At the Zoo", clearly written about contemporary board games01:39 AYURIS: -G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game (T.C. Petty III, Renegade Game Studios, 2021)Games Played Last Week:04:28 -Knarr (Thomas Dupont, Bombyx, 2023)06:05 -Trolls & Princesses (Pim Thunborg, Game Brewer, 2023)13:14 -Imperium: Legends (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Osprey Games, 2021)17:11 -Neotopia (Orlando Sá and André Santos, Arcane Wonders, 2023)24:27 -Trailblazers (Ryan Courtney, Bitewing Games, 2023)28:21 -Federation (Dimitri Perrier and Matthieu Verdier, Explor8, 2022)34:

  • #282: City of the Great Machine

    10/10/2023 Duration: 01h08min

    It's all Fat Bear Week and puns this week, both of which share one important characteristic--they have distended, pendulous bellies. Wait, that wasn't it.It's that they are both to be respected for their power and danger. Those people you hear about who try to live with bears always suffer the same fates as the serial deployers of puns, in that they are both found dead and alone. Games Played Last Week:01:42 -Undaunted: Stalingrad (Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2022)04:45 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021)08:02 -Can't Stop (Sid Sackson, Playte Games, 2023)14:23 -Hybris: Disordered Cosmos (Damien Chauvreau, Aurora Game Studio, 2023)27:38 -Praga Caput Regni (Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2020)28:52 -Fast & Furious: Highway Heist (Prospero Hall, Funko Games, 2021)32:32 -Trolls & Princesses (Pim Thunborg, Game Brewer, 2023)37:06 -Battle Card: Series 1 (Nils Johansson and David Thompson, Postmark Games, 2023) News (and why it doesn't matter):4

  • #281: Games for Mixed Company

    03/10/2023 Duration: 01h08min

    We turn to yet another discussion of important issues in boardgaming, this time WE INTERRUPT YOUR SILLY EPISODE NOTES FOR A SERIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTIt is fat bear week! The possibility of a US federal government shutdown has been averted, and thus the voting public (even foreigners, we won't tell) may vote on which lorge bois of the ursine variety shall take the prize! For those uninitiated, the US National Park Service runs a bracketed competition to determine the preferred corpulent bear. Note: none of these bears are anthropomorphic, nor have any been inadvisably given projectile weapons.01:20 AYURIS: Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2021)Games Played Last Week:03:45 -My Island (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2023)08:23 -3 Ring Circus (Remo Conzadori and Fabio Lopiano, Devir, 2023)14:36 -Uprising: Curse of the First Age Expansion (Cornelius Cremin, Pawel Mazur, and Dirk Sommer, Nemesis.Games, 2023)16:38 -Sky Team (Luc Rémond, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2023)24:21 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Ga

  • #280: Knarr

    26/09/2023 Duration: 01h17min

    Any old person could consult Wikipedia, but only the true elite tune in to SVWAG to hear Walker summarize random boat-related articles for them. It's a power move to rival even the most outrageous exploits of the viking peoples. Games Played Last Week:00:50 -Faeries & Magical Creatures (Glenn Drover, Foridden Games, 2023)05:27 -Dogfight! (Carlo A. Rossi, PSC Games, 2023)09:48 -Ceylon (Chris Zinsli and Suzanne Zinsli, Ludonova, 2018)12:10 -Almost Innocent (Philippe Attali, Kolossal Games, 2023)16:55 -Barrage: The Nile Affair Expansion (Tommaso Battista and Simone Luciani, Cranio Creations, 2022)22:33 -Jenga Maker (Uncredited, Hasbro, 2022)25:21 -Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Scrawlers--Heroes of Waterdeep (Vangelis Bagiartakis and Konstantinos Karagiannis, WizKids, 2023) 27:53 -3 Ring Circus (Remo Conzadori and Favio Lopiano, Devir, 2023)33:16 -Paku Paku (Antoine Bauza, Ravensburger, 2017)36:39 -Emerge (Adam DeYoung, Pandasaurs Games, 2023)42:18 -Albedo (Kai Herbertz, Herbertz Entertainment UG, 2017)

  • #279: Barcelona

    19/09/2023 Duration: 01h08min

    We return to the bizarre cant of Letterkenny, invoking specifically the term "ferda," which is a contraction of "for the boys/girls." It is a great way to punctuate a sentence, especially if you do not wish to be understood--but that is true of all cant. Relatedly, if you haven't already, please do peruse our own glossary on sowronggames.com! We are not above our own cant, especially given our penchant for acronyms.Games Played Last Week:02:07 -My Island (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2023)05:48 -Too Many Bones: Unbreakable (Josh J. Carlson, Adam Carlson, Logan Giannini, and Josh Wielgus, Chip Theory Games, 2023)11:14 -El Grande (Wolfgang Kramer & Richard Ulrich, Hans im Gluck, 1995)15:03 -Asgard's Chosen (Morgan Dontanville, Mayfair Games, 2013)19:07 -Wild Tiled West (Paul Dennen, Dire Wolf, 2023)24:33 -Dawn of Ulos (Jason Lentz, Thunderworks Games, 2023)26:41 -Marshmallow Test (Reiner Knizia, Gamewright, 2020)28:04 -Kabuto Sumo: Total Mayhem (John Brieger, Michael Dunsmore, and Tony Mil

  • #278: Ending Games Early

    12/09/2023 Duration: 01h26min

    Walker and Huey voted to end the game early, but there were then procedural questions as to whether that warranted a runoff in the French Presidential style. Chip III repeated his preference for a ranked-choice voting system, but he couldn't decide whether his second choice was a single transferable vote or first past the post. Meanwhile, Mark gerrymandered the rest of the table into one sprawling district, and made three new districts intersect at his spine so he got three votes to everyone else's collective one. He moved, seconded, and veto-proofed a motion to the effect that everyone else should stop talking.00:59 AYURIS: Cryo (Tom Jolly & Luke Laurie, Z-Man Games, 2021)Games Played Last Week:03:23 -The Witcher: Old World (Łukasz Woźniak, Go On Board, 2023)11:55 -My Father's Work (T.C. Petty III, Renegade Game Studios, 2022)15:09 -City of the Great Machine (German Tikhomirov, CrowD Games, 2023)20:47 -Gang of Dice (Reiner Knizia, Mandoo Games, 2022)23:10 -Tinderblox (Rob Sparks, Alley Cat Ga

  • #277: Race to the Raft

    05/09/2023 Duration: 01h03min

    No cats were harmed during the recording of this episode. Official SVWAG cat Chandler (aka Potato aka Chan-Chan aka The Chan-Man) had his dignity challenged when Mark laughed at his strange partially-shaved body, but we don't think that counts. Official SVWAG dog Bruno (aka The Dog) resents human non-walk activities, but again, that probably doesn't count. The editorial gibbons and the HR gibbons colluded to classify Mark and Walker as "sub-animal automated speakboxes" and then took Labour Day off.Games Played Last Week:01:10 -Marshmallow Test (Reiner Knizia, Gamewright, 2020)03:30 -Amun-Re: 20th Anniversary Edition (Reiner Knizia, Alley Cat Games, 2023)05:52 -Everything Ever (Nathan Thornton, Floodgate Games, 2023)10:28 -Sushi Boat (Dario Massarenti and Francesco Testini, Japanime Games, 2023)14:49 -Fit to Print (Peter McPherson, Flatout Games, 2023)20:58 -That's Not a Hat (Kasper Lapp, Ravensburger, 2023)22:18 -Lunar Rush (Steven "Skippy" Brown, Dead Alive Games, 2023)29:03 -Aege

  • #276: Gaming on the Road

    29/08/2023 Duration: 01h05min

    I was originally going to riff on Ginsberg's Howl, but I confess I had completely forgotten what a monster of a piece it is--redolent in imagery and references that are very much of a time since past. I considered then moving on to Nelson's On the Road Again, and faced the opposite problem--man, that song has some simple lyrics. I guess Shelley and Shakespeare are the sweet spot. 01:24 AYURIS: Praga Caput Regni (Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2020)Games Played Last Week:03:56 -Shadowrift (Jeremy Anderson, Game Salute, 2012)06:41 -Jetpack Joyride: Deluxe Edition (Michał Gołębiowski, Lucky Duck Games, 2019)10:18 -Barcelona (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2023)14:22 -Regicide (Paul Abrahams, Luke Badger, & Andy Richdale, Badgers from Mars, 2020)17:17 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Sotirios Tsantilas, Artipia Games, 2016)20:33 -Ready Set Bet (John D. Clair, AEG, 2022)26:32 -Aegean Sea (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2023)34:52 -So Clover! (François Romain, Repos Production, 2021)39:02 -Northgard:

  • #275: Nidavellir

    22/08/2023 Duration: 01h12min

    As a certain talk-show huckster was wont to say, we train people how to treat us. Without absolving other people of their own responsibility, we can nonetheless take a certain amount of responsibility for entirely predictable reactions to our own decisions. "Don't feed the troll," goes the internet wisdom, and wise it is--Mark routinely fails to heed that good advice in the face of taunting by Walker. That said, Walker cannot claim to be long-suffering about Mark's mythological digressions while simultaneously goading him with mythologically-themed games. Games Played Last Week:01:41 -Demon Ship (Malev Da Shinobi, Black Site Studios, 2023)06:05 -Space Base (John D. Clair, AEG, 2018)10:22 -Snap Ships Tactics (Josh Derksen, Snap Ships, 2023)15:00 -Knarr (Thomas Dupont, Bombyx, 2023)19:39 -Quantum (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013)23:00 -Orléans Stories (Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2019)26:18 -Dracula vs Van Helsing (Maxime Rmbourg and Théo Rivière, Mandoo Games, 2023)29:02 -Caverna: Frantic Fie

  • #274: Cruel Betrayal of Expectations

    15/08/2023 Duration: 01h33min

    David Hume argued that all ideas are either simple or complex, and that in turn all complex ideas are merely composed of simple ideas. He wasn't a huge fan of some of those complex ideas; he used the example of a chimera, where you take a lion, a snake, and a goat (three simple ideas, but we can quibble with that later if you like) and smush them all together to get a complex idea. Hume was sceptical about complex ideas, to say the least.We can agree or disagree with Hume on many fronts, and indeed this is a podcast fundamentally aligned with German Idealism; but we would happily ally ourselves with the Humeans to declare with one unified voice that "phygital" is an abomination that must be purged.01:37 AYURIS: Ultimate Railroads (Helmut Ohley & Leonhard "Lenny" Orgler, Hans im Glück, 2021)Games Played Last Week:04:43 -Witchstone: Full Moon (Martino Chiacchiera & Reiner Knizia, R&R Games, 2023)11:57 -Lacuna (Mark Gerrits, CMYK, 2023)16:20 -Dice Miner (Joshua DeBonis & Nikol

  • #273: Games from the Crypt

    08/08/2023 Duration: 01h25min

    There was A Time Before. Historians no doubt will soon abandon the antiquated notions of BCE and CE, and will instead resort to the infinitely more practical Pre-SVWAG and Post-SVWAG eras. In the dim and distant past of Pre-SVWAG, people had the audacity to release games before we could weigh in on them officially. Whether this was borne of opportunism, undue haste, or some other impulse we will not speculate.03:40 AYURIS: Khôra: Rise of an Empire (Head Quarter Simulation Game Club, IELLO, 2021)Games Played Last Week:05:02 -The Defence of Procyon III (Dávid Turczi, PSC Games, 2021)08:34 -Catacombs: Red Box (Aron West, Elzra, 2022)10:40 -Snap Ships Tactics (Josh Derksen, Snap Ships, 2023)17:03 -Wizards of the Grimoire (Cole Banning and Joe Banning, Grimoire Games, 2022)19:01 -Super Fantasy Brawl (Jochen Eisenhuth, Mythic Games, 2022)22:59 -Autobahn (Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone, Alley Cat Games, 2022)24:57 -Age of Civilization (Jeffrey CCH, ICE Makes, 2019)29:05 -Mists over Carcassonne (Klaus-Jürgen Wrede

  • #272: Archeos Society

    01/08/2023 Duration: 01h10min

    Perhaps the greatest lingering question is how and why the Ethnos fantasy races were translated into academic professions for Archeos Society's re-theme. Apparently dwarves (Ethnos) are analogous to photographers (Archeos Society), and orcs (orc board!) are akin to curators. Odd. Halflings into students seems appropriately condescending. As much as the comparison stings, though, I can't teally object into making trolls professors. I've met some that truly fit the description.Games Played Last Week:03:07 -Race to the Raft (Frank West, The City of Games, 2023)08:08 -Dorfromantik: The Board Game (Michael Palm and Lukas Zach, Pegasus Spiele, 2022)14:30 -Too Many Bones: Dart (Adam Carlson & Josh J. Carlson, Chip Theory Games, 2020)18:10 -Lords of Ragnarok (Adam Kwapiński, Awaken Realms, 2023)26:58 -Blood Rage: Promos Box (Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2019)29:23 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Marco Portugal, & Sotirios Tsantilas, CMON, 2020)32:22 -One Deck Galaxy (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi Games, 20

  • #271: Expeditions

    25/07/2023 Duration: 01h10min

    Some randomness is accepted nearly uncritically by many gamers. Conventional deckbuilders have exceptionally high variance as a rule, but no one bats an eye. We accept that anything martial might have mixed results, even after repeated attempts--in fact, many protest when the wound-making is too deterministic. Tiles from a bag? Sure. The instant that locomotion is involved, though, your typical gamer gets all shirty. Magical Athlete would like a word.Games Played Last Week:02:52 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021)06:00 -Lacuna (Mark Gerrits, CMYK, 2023)08:25 -Picky Eaters (Tanya Basu and Avi Setton, Le Fou, 2024)14:42 -Spirit Island: Nature Incarnate (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2023)15:43 -Time Barons (Jon Perry and Derek Yu, WizKids, 2014)19:07 -Kemet: Blood and Sand (Jacques Bariot & Guillaume Montiage, Matagot, 2021)21:40 -Shards of Infinity (Gary Arant & Justin Gary, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2018)25:36 -Merchant of Venus (Richard Hamblen, Avalon Hill, 1988)News (and w

  • #270a: Bonus Patreon Sampler

    22/07/2023 Duration: 01h13min

    We offer to you a sampler, a little smorgasbord, a variety platter of content from our Patreon. We hope this will placate you in light of our absence last week. If you'd like more, you can of course support us on Patreon. Only if you want to, though. We'll still be wrong either way.www.patreon.com/SVWAG03:46 Pledge of Indifference 2023-07-06 Audio (we also publish a video version)03:56 Shipwrights of the North Sea07:17 Tanares Adventures Ultimate Edition11:41 Cyclades Legendary Edition18:14 Buttons & Bugs20:23 Other pledges: Planet Unknown Supermoon, Stroganov expansion (Note: Mark did not end up backing Projekt Riese, but Walker did back Cyclades Legendary Edition)21:23 BLOAT #1821:44 World Beyond SVWAG--Returnal's storytelling, emergent vs. narrative storytelling, have difficulty with emergent storytelling in video games, but prefer it in board games, Nikki Valens 34:45 Meta Media--ethical standards of US Supreme Court, Thurgood and Cecilia Marshall, "dicta," rules textualism, For Sa

  • #270: Ra

    18/07/2023 Duration: 01h28min

    While we pride ourselves on editorial standards here at SVWAG, we have no shame when it comes to pandering. We thus present to you the episode of SVWAG with the most cat discussion yet. The good news is that Chandler (aka Chan-Chan aka Potato aka SVWAG Cat) is doing extremely well. Could a co-host stint be far behind? Perhaps a guest appearance by Bruno (aka SVWAG Dog)? Whatever we think the market wants.Games Played Last Week:02:20 -The Siege of Runedar (Reiner Knizia, Ludonova, 2021)03:27 -Radiant: Offline Battle Arena (Jack Murray, Heel Turn Games, 2019)04:26 -Sakura Arms (BakaFire, Level 99 Games, 2022)05:35 -Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes (Paolo Mori, PSC Games, 2019)06:36 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Games, 2022)08:24 -Imperium: The Contention (Gary Dworetsky, Contention Games, 2021)10:08 -Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2021)14:14 -SEAL Team Flix (Pete Ruth & Mark Thomas, WizKids, 2018)16:49 -Cosmic Frog: Find Muck (Jim Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2023)21:45 -

  • #269: Credibility in Crowdfunding

    04/07/2023 Duration: 01h02min

    Two crowdfunding campaigns stand before you. One only tells lies, the other only tells the truth. Both claim to be innovative and to be able to deliver on time. How do you decide which one to back? Or wait, a crowdfunding campaign launches but during the funding period every individual component is replaced by a new one; is it the same campaign? Or wait, there are five crowdfunding campaigns on one side of a track and one campaign on the other, and this trolley...02:25 AYURIS: Imperium: The Contention (Gary Dworetsky, Contention Games, 2021)Games Played Last Week:03:56 -Tapple (Uncredited, The Op Games, 2021)06:43 -Undaunted: Battle of Britain (Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2023)08:14 -Oh No, Volcano! (Phil Walker-Harding, Buffalo Games, 2023)10:58 -The Siege of Runedar (Reiner Knizia, Ludonova, 2021)16:04 -Sakura Arms (BakaFire, Level 99 Games, 2022)18:17 -Autobahn (Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone, Alley Cat Games, 2022)22:35 -Sidereal Confluence: Bifurcation (TauCeti Deichmann, WizKids

  • #268: Undaunted: Battle of Britain

    27/06/2023 Duration: 01h11min

    It is a well-known fact, observed by Infinity: the Game, Across the Spider-Verse, and Undaunted: Battle of Britain, that a Sikh man in uniform is always a good look. So here's to pilot Singh in his Hurricane! Not to mention Sergeant Singh in his power armour, and Captain Singh in his Spider-Man movie (in my heart, it is his film).Games Played Last Week:01:01 -The Defence of Procyon III (Dávid Turczi, PSC Games, 2021)11:02 -That's Not a Hat (Kasper Lapp, Ravensburger, 2023)14:49 -Beyond the Sun: Leaders of a New Dawn (Dennis K. Chan and Joseph Summa, Rio Grande Games, 2023)19:50 -Thunder Road: Vendetta (Dave Chalkers, Brett Myers, Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, Jim Keifer, and Brian Neff, Restoration Games, 2023)25:07 -Sherlock Holmes: Baker Street Irregulars (Cédric Asna, Makaka Editions, 2019)27:26 -It's a Wonderful World (Frédéric Guérard, La Boîte de Jeu, 2019)31:48 -IKI (Koota Yamada, Sorry We Are French, 2015)34:41 -Knarr (Thomas Dupont, Bombyx, 2023)News (and why it doesn't

  • #267: Top 10 Revisited & "Golden Age"

    20/06/2023 Duration: 01h19min

    Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents and everyone is running a Kickstarter. It is trivially easy to string together quotations going back to the dawn of human civilization lamenting how the youth are ruining everything, how the good old days were so great, and wishing we could go back to the golden age. See, I blame it on the baby boomers aging and succumbing more and more to nostalgia. See, in the good old days, before the boomers, we had things in perspective.01:51 AYURIS: Anno 1800 (Martin Wallace, KOSMOS, 2020)Games Played Last Week:03:37 -Yucatan (Guillaume Montiage, Matagot, 2023)14:06 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023)15:44 -Sorcerer City (Scott Caputo, Druid City Games, 2020)20:50 -Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Scrawlers--Heroes of Waterdeep (Vangelis Bagiartakis and Konstantinos Karagiannis, WizKids, 2023) 25:36 -Dorfromantik: The Board Game (Michael Palm and Lukas Zach, Pegasus Spiele, 2022)26:15 -The Red Cathedral: Contractors (Isra C. and Shei S.

  • #266: Pent-Up Extravaganza

    13/06/2023 Duration: 01h19min

    Mark's enthusiasm for Dungeon Scrawlers is telling. Whereas most children enjoy mazes, drawing, or even colouring, Mark instead as a child enjoyed the programmatic, deterministic mundanity of connect-the-dots. Straight(ish) lines and ascending natural numbers only, please. No doubt at a similar age Walker was already pursuing his jock/theatre kid synthesis, doing a number from Gilbert & Sullivan as his endzone dance after scoring a touchdown. 01:13 AYURIS: Soldiers in Postmen's Uniforms (David Thompson, Dan Verssen Games, 2021)Games Played Last Week:03:32 -Tindaya (Lolo González, Red Mojo, 2022)06:41 -Radiant: Offline Battle Arena (Jack Murray, Heel Turn Games, 2019)09:07 -Formula D (Laurent Lavaur & Eric Randall, Asmodee, 2008)12:15 -Undaunted: Battle of Britain (Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2023)16:39 -Orléans (Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2014)18:48 -Witchcraft! (Trevor Benjamin, Roger Tankersly, and David Thompson, Salt & Pepper Games, 2023)23:49 -The Red Cathedr

  • #265: Lacrimosa

    30/05/2023 Duration: 01h08min

    We are very proud of our strict editorial standards here at SVWAG. Among them is our firm stance on Monty Python references, which are very firmly circumscribed. Philosophers are mentioned all the time, but never the song; and similarly we discuss Mozart here (in two different media!) without any kind of passing gesture to his decomposition. People have tried to smuggle in other references to the show, but those responsible have been sacked.Games Played Last Week:01:34 -Dice Hospital: ER--Emergency Roll (Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert, Alley Cat Games, 2022)02:35 -Joan of Arc: Orléans Draw & Write (Ryan Hendrickson and Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2022)04:46 -Tinderblox (Rob Sparks, Alley Cat Games, 2020)06:36 -Similo (Martino Chiacchiera, Hjalmar Hach, & Pierluca Zizzi, Horrible Guild, 2019)08:21 -Crazy Tower (Alexis Harvey, Félix Leblanc, Manuel-Lucas Bergeron Duhamel, & Mathieu Auger, Synapses Games, 2020)09:30 -Glenn Drover's Empires: Galactic Rebellion (Don Beyer and Glenn Drover,

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