So Very Wrong About Games

We take a break from heady issues this week; so we instead touch on what constitutes a trick, what friends are good for, and colonialism. You know, light discussion. 02:35 AYURIS: Core Worlds (Andrew Parks, Stronghold, 2011)Games Played Last Week:04:09 -Fort (Grant Rodiek, Leder Games, 2020)09:15 -Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game (Justin Gary & Ryan Sutherland, Stone Blade Entertainment, 2021)12:09 -The Voyages of Marco Polo (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015)13:16 -Endeavor: Age of Expansion (Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2020)15:51 -Turn the Tide (Stefan Dorra, AMIGO, 1997)20:22 -6 nimmt! (Wolfgang Kramer, AMIGO, 1994)21:45 -Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017)23:45 -Yokohama (Hisashi Hayashi, Tasty Minstrel Games, 2016)25:42 -Sonora (Rob Newton, Pandasaurus Games, 2020)28:36 -Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy (Touko Tahkokallio, Lautapelit.fi, 2020)News (and why it doesn't matter):29:12 Dune: Imperium30:24 "Everyone's waiting f

"Put down your chainsaw and listen to meIt's time for us to join in the fightIt's time to let your babies grow up to be cowboysIt's time to let the bedbugs bite...Talk with your mouth fullBite the hand that feeds youBite on more than you chewWhat can you doDare to be stupid"-"Weird Al" Yankovic, noted Lovecraft scholar, "Dare to Be Stupid"Games Played Last Week:01:07 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Marco Portugal, & Sotirios Tsantilas, CMON, 2020)03:57 -Imperial Struggle (Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews, GMT Games, 2020)08:38 -Downforce (Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, & Wolfgang Kramer, Restoration Games, 2017)12:03 -Albedo: Yggdrasil (Kai Herbertz, Herbertz Entertainment UG, 2019)16:25 -Off the Rails (Andrew Platt & Stuart Platt, Rotten Games, 2018)18:34 -Planet Apocalypse (Sandy Petersen, Sandy Petersen Games, 2020)23:54 -Madeira (Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade, What's Your Game?, 2013)26:30 -Gaslands: Refuelled (Mike Hutchinson, Os

Walker is a force of nature, a pent-up human-shaped mass of pure rage. The only outlet that can sate his furious destructive impulses is the ecstasy of the uninhibited flick--the catharsis of venting all of his power on a disc and then watching it careen around the board (then off the table, off someone's skull, off the floor, under the bookshelf, and then embedded in the drywall). He ten thunders with laughter, even as Huey informs him he missed his target and Dewey calls an ambulance. Is it a wonder, then, that Mark favours flicking games that encourage a modicum of restraint?01:18 AYURIS: Quartermaster General: The Cold War (Ian Brody, PSC Games, 2018)Games Played Last Week:03:00 -Menara: Rituals and Ruins (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Verlag, 2019)08:08 -Rangers of Shadow Deep (Joseph McCullough, Self-published, 2019)10:20 -Alone (Andrea Crespi & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2018)15:48 -Pax Renaissance 2nd Edition (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Ion Game Design, 2020)18:06 -Albedo (Kai Herbertz, Herbe

“The game which our enemies have laid before us is, in so far as the French dictated it, is a monument of pathological fear and pathological hatred; and in so far as the Anglo-Saxons dictated it, it is the work of a capitalistic policy of the most brutal and cleverest kind.” –A deliberate misquote of Count von Brockdorff-Rantzau reviewing Versailles 1919Games Played Last Week:01:40 -Nippon (Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade, What's Your Game?, 2015)05:24 -Space Cadets: Away Missions (Dan Raspler & Al Rose, Stronghold, 2015)09:10 -Sonora (Rob Newton, Pandasaurus Games, 2020)14:51 -Godzilla: Tokyo Clash (Prospero Hall, Funko Games, 2020)19:41 -Flaming Pyramids (Norbert Abel, Cheeky Parrot Games, 2018)21:27 -FlickFleet (Jackson Pope & Paul Wilcox, Eurydice Games, 2018)23:17 -Can't Stop (Sid Sackson, Parker Brothers, 1980)24:24 -Alone (Andrea Crespi & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter):31:00 Spiel des Jahres (Pictures) and Kennerspiel des Jahres

Walker feels he has missed his calling, and tries out his tight five as an insult comic this week. He directs his barbs at the typical targets--Mark, board game covers, games no one asked for, Mark, media he finds unengaging, and Mark. The latter (and former) does his level best at being supportive in the classic tradition of Ed McMahon, but one remembers why Don Rickles and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog are solo acts.02:03 AYURIS: Talon (Jim Krohn, GMT, 2016) and Talon 1000 (Jim Krohn, GMT, 2018)Games Played Last Week:03:45 -The Voyages of Marco Polo (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015)06:20 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019)07:29 -Versailles 1919 (Geoff Engelstein & Mark Herman, GMT Games, 2020)16:10 -The Taverns of Tiefenthal (Wolfgang Warsch, Schmidt Spiel, 2019)17:38 -Cosmic Frog (Jim Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2020)21:02 -Reichbusters: Project Vril (Jake Thornton, Mythic Games, 2020)26:20 -That's Pretty Clever (Wolfgang Warsch, Schmidt Spiele, 2

"From the discovery of New France to the 1981 Referendum, all of Quebec history is based on a single fallacy: that the British actually wanted to own Quebec. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The British already had a surplus of colonies in the sunny Caribbean and took little interest in the Canadian icebox later dismissed by Voltaire as nothing more than 'quelques arpents de neige'... In 1759, with war raging everywhere between France and England, the British knew if would look suspicious if they didn't engage the French in North America. They placed the expedition in the hands of a thirty-two-year-old, inexperienced general, James Wolfe, and gave him strict orders: 'Put up a good fight... but lose.' Wolfe devised a clever theatrical strategy. He would choose an impossible attack-route: Arriving by boat on the St. Lawrence river then scaling the unassailable walls of the fortress of Quebec, thus guaranteeing defeat and dumping Quebec with France for good. But Wolfe'

We return, ill-advisedly, to the heavily-mined waters of classification and taxonomy. Mark will put up with it because of his love of Mac Gerdts, and Walker will put up with it because he gets to troll Mark with contrived classifications. 01:10 AYURIS: Gloomhaven (Isaac Childres, Cephalofair Games, 2017)Games Played Last Week:03:24 -Reichbusters: Project Vril (Jake Thornton, Mythic Games, 2020)07:56 -Hanamikoji (Kota Nakayama, EmperorS4, 2013)10:59 -Lords of Waterdeep (Peter Lee & Rodney Thompson, Wizards of the Coast, 2012)14:44 -Cartographers: A Roll Player Game (Jordy Adan, Thunderworks Games, 2019)20:50 -Barrage (Tommaso Battista & Simone Luciani, Cranio Creations, 2019)25:18 -Thunderbolt Apache Leader (Dan Verssen, Dan Verssen Games, 2012)News (and why it doesn't matter):29:48 Frostpunk Board Game 30:43 The Field of the Cloth of Goldhttps://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/105690/designer-diary-story-making-field-cloth-gold 32:08 Yura Yura Penguin33:12 Max Temkin and Cards Against Humanity’s To

Editorial standards are constantly evolving here at SVWAG, and they lately proceed largely from Walker's unilateral declarations. Things get to be pronounced however he wills them. Prior utterances by anyone are rendered immediately obsolete if and when he deigns to acknowledge something. Comparisons are now his exclusive purview. Walker has spoken.Games Played Last Week:01:52 -Hour of Need (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2020)04:21 -Inhuman Conditions (Tommy Maranges & Cory O'Brien, Web published, 2018)08:59 -Crazy Tower: Contruction/Sabotage (Alexis Harvey, Félix Leblanc, Manuel-Lucas Bergeron Duhamel, & Mathieu Auger, Synapses Games, 2020)12:15 -Fantastic Factories (Joseph Z Chen & Justin Faulkner, Metafactory Games, 2019)14:51 -Fuji Koro: Deluxe (Jerome Demeyere, Game Brewer, 2020)17:04 -Flick Wars (Shaun Austin & Andrew Tullsen, Breaking Games, 2019)20:59 -Big City: 20th Anniversary Jumbo Edition! (Franz-Benno Delonge, Mercury Games, 2019)News (and why it doesn&#

Change is exactly like a starving polar bear, in that it is a frightening beast that will bite your face off. Despite that, we have changed the format of our episode notes in a startling act of courage. That said, as Robert Browning wrote, "One taste of the old time sets all to rights." It is in that spirit that we began, with the blessing of the Government of Ontario's health guidelines, to actually play games in meatspace again. We express our sincere condolences to those unfortunates living in situations where that is not safely feasible.03:22 AYURIS: New Frontiers (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande, 2018)Games Played Last Week:05:17 -Street Masters (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2018)10:47 -Monolith Arena (Michał Oracz, Portal Games, 2018)14:05 -Tank Duel: Enemy in the Crosshairs (Mike Bertucelli, GMT Games, 2019)17:34 -Flick Wars (Shaun Austin & Andrew Tullsen, Breaking Games, 2019)22:23 -Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017)24:45 -Hyperborea (Andrea Chiarves

"Please note that there are only two references to sports in this book... and both are appropriately dismissive. If you wish for sports information, might I kindly refer you to every other aspect of our culture?"-John Hodgman, "The Areas of My Expertise"Games Played Last Week:-Commands and Colors: Napoleonics 1m40s (Richard Borg, GMT Games, 2010) -Wingspan 3m08s (Elizabeth Hargrave, Stonemaier Games, 2019)-Flick ‘Em Up: Dead of Winter 6m05s (Gaëtan Beaujannot, Jonathan Gilmour, Jean Yves Monpertuis, & Isaac Vega, Pretzel Games, 2017)-The Taverns of Tiefenthal 12m47s (Wolfgang Warsch, Schmidt Spiel, 2019)-Legacy of Dragonholt 20m17s (Nikki Valens with Daniel Clark, Tim Flanders, Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda, & Greg Spyridis, FFG, 2017)-Tank Duel: Enemy in the Crosshairs 22m48s (Mike Bertucelli, GMT Games, 2019)News (and why it doesn't matter):-Terraforming Mars Big Box 26m40s-Awaken Realms Makes Walker Whole 29m01s-Dragon Gyas 29m36s -Massive Darkness 2 31m53s-Merchants of the Dark Road

To be clear, we're not giving or receiving any awards this week--rather we're discussing their use, possible abuse, and impact on the hobby. Were we to deserve an award for this episode, though, clearly it would be for the quality and quantity of top-notch segues. Play style leads to play style, mechanism to mechanism, all flowing as naturally and as smoothly as a natural and smooth thing. Note that while our segues are stellar, are metaphors are often less so.AYURIS: Pandemic: Fall of Rome 1m28s (Matt Leacock & Paolo Mori, Z-Man, 2018)Games Played Last Week:-Commands and Colors: Napoleonics 4m00s (Richard Borg, GMT Games, 2010) -Kemet 6m37s (Jacques Bariot & Guillaume Montiage, Matagot, 2012)-Twilight Struggle 11m13s (Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews, GMT Games, 2005)-Blood Rage 15m00s (Eric Lang, CMON, 2015)-Teotihuacan: City of Gods 15m57s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018)-Gaslands: Refuelled 20m58s (Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2019)-Maharaja 24m53s (Michael Kiesling & Wolfga

We sometimes don't understand the appeal of food-based games, friends and neighbours. To be sure, we adore Food Chain Magnate, but that is not parasitic upon our sincere appreciation of (say) lemonade and pizza. There seem to be many games based on enthusiasm for beer, coffee, whiskey, spicy food, wine... Wait, I'm noticing a trend. Is our indifference to alcohol poisoning yet another area of life?!Games Played Last Week:-Gaia Project 1m01s (Jens Drögemüller & Helge Ostertag, Feuerland Spiele, 2017)-Legacy of Dragonholt 2m55s (Nikki Valens with Daniel Clark, Tim Flanders, Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda, & Greg Spyridis, FFG, 2017)-Race for the Galaxy 6m37s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2007)-Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition 11m30s(Jason Little & Frank Brooks, Fantasy Flight, 2018)-Guards of Atlantis II: Tabletop MOBA 15m13s (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2020)-A War of Whispers 19m55s (Jeremy Stoltzfus, Starling Games, 2019)-Tobago 24m49s (Bruce Allen, Zoch Verlag, 2009)-TINYforming Mar

Podcasts are often a discursive medium, and so naturally we find ourselves touching on many and diverse topics. This week, we delve into poetry and Star Trek, just in case you were under the illusion that we were anything other than unreconstructed nerds. Walker, being part jock, had to be restrained so as to not spontaneously give himself a wedgie.AYURIS: Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done 2m06s (Seth Jaffee, Tasty Minstrel, 2018) Games Played Last Week:-Bullet♥︎ 3m22s (Joshua Van Laningham, Level 99 Games, 2021)-Sapiens 7m10s (Cyrille Leroy, IELLO, 2015)-Legacy of Dragonholt 10m12s (Nikki Valens with Daniel Clark, Tim Flanders, Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda, & Greg Spyridis, FFG, 2017)-Can't Stop 17m38s (Sid Sackson, Parker Brothers, 1980)-Gaslands: Refuelled 19m36s (Mike Hutchinson, Osprey Publishing, 2019)-Kingdomino 24m58s (Bruno Cathala, Blue Orange Games, 2016)-TINYforming Mars 27m11s (Michael Bevilacqua, Web published, 2019)-Innovation (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2010)-Hour of Need 35m48s (Adam Sadler &am

There are so many life lessons to be learned from the presidency of Richard Milhous Nixon. For one, shave before debates. For another, hire limber secretaries with flexible standards on truth. Always be sure to hire expert lockpickers. Make sure your vice president will have your back (Nixon at least got a mulligan on that one). I mean, he's not a role model of mine--I wouldn't get his face tattooed on my back, to pick something at random--but he does serve as a potent set of object lessons. Games Played Last Week:-Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game 3m31s (Dan Verssen, DVG, 2014)-Splendor 5m48s (Marc André, SPace Cowboys, 2014)-Bullet♥︎ 8m28s (Joshua Van Laningham, Level 99 Games, 2021)-Castles of Burgundy 12m36s (Stefan Feld, alea, 2011)-Horizon Wars: Zero Dark 15m34s (Robey Jenkins, Precinct Omega Publishing, 2020)-Patchwork 20m57s (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2014)-Potion Explosion 21m55s (Stefano Castelli, Andrea Crespi, & Lorenzo Silva, Horrible Guild, 2015)-Glory to Rome 24

Subtitles are to be used with discretion. Some people can't be trusted with them, and most of those people seem to work in Hollywood and non-fiction publishing. We resist the urge much of the time, but every once in a while the dam bursts and we must find an outlet for our pent-up subtitling impulses. We have over twenty this time. We're sorry.AYURIS: Teotihuacan: City of Gods 3m53s (Daniele Tascini, NSKN Games, 2018) Games Played Last Week:-Vanguard: Dawn of War 6m45s (Uncredited, Archon Studio, 2017)-Trieste 11m11s (Matthew Ma, Victory Point Games, 2013)-Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game 15m46s (Dan Verssen, DVG, 2014)-Innovation 23m07s (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2010)-Twilight Struggle 27m39s (Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews, GMT Games, 2005)-Coralia 31m20s (Michael Rieneck, HUCH!, 2019)-Under Falling Skies 33m02s (Tomáš Uhlíř, Web-published, 2019)News (and why it doesn't matter):-More Walker! Walker a guest on Board Game Barrage 34m59s-Fantasy Flight pulls down Tabletop Simu

A rulebook generates expectations, and whether and how those expectations are met or frustrated is an interesting phenomenon. Sometimes you get exactly what you want and that's a good thing--and sometimes the rules promise a set of experiences that never manifest. Over time, you start to get a better feel for what a game might be like by virtue of its rulebook, but even experienced gamers can be thrown for a loop by an unexpected mismatch. To summarize, what I'm saying here is that Nemesis is bad.Games Played Last Week:-Cosmic Frog 1m15s (Jim Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2020)-Traintopia 8m41s (Przemek Wojtkowiak, Board&Dice, 2020)-Carolus Magnus 14m54s (Leo Colovini, Rio Grande Games, 2000)-Wingspan 17m24s (Elizabeth Hargrave, Stonemaier Games, 2019)-Successors 3rd ed 18m23s (Richard H. Berg, John B. Firer, & Mark Simonitch, GMT Games, 2008)-Scythe 21m25s (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2016)-Pax Renaissance 2nd Edition 24m58s (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Ion Game Design, 2020)-Fantast

“Imagine that you are creating a fabric of human destiny with the object of making men happy in the end, giving them peace and rest at last. Imagine that you are doing this but that it is essential and inevitable to torture to death only one tiny creature...in order to found that edifice on its unavenged tears. Would you consent to be the architect on those conditions? Tell me. Tell the truth.”― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers KaramazovAYURIS: Gùgōng 1m22s (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2018) Games Played Last Week:-Radiant: Offline Battle Arena 3m50s (Jack Murray, Heel Turn Games, 2019)-Cosmic Frog 5m00s (Jim Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2020)-Blitzkrieg! 17m07s (Paolo Mori, PSC Games, 2019)-World of Warcraft Miniatures Game 18m35s (Edward Fear, John Fiorillo, Justin Gary, Matt Hyra, Anthony Shaheen, & Patrick Sullivan, Upper Deck Entertainment, 2008)-Manoeuvre 23m54s (Jeff Horger, GMT Games, 2008)-Spyrium 26m07s (William Attia, Ystari Games, 2013)-Innovation 31m19s (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2010)-Carc

No daunts are asked and no daunts are given this week. "I don't give a daunt" is tattooed on Walker's back, no doubt an homage to Rhett Butler's famous ending line. We needed a little breather this time--a break from two-hour epic experiences. A little palate cleanser to ease us into a purely digital gaming life; because, to be frank, in this stage of isolation, we felt a little daunted.We will plead for your indulgence, as our audio setup is once again in a state of flux as we transition to a two-studio setup. Games Played Last Week:-Orleans 2m28s (Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2014)-The Quiet Year 3m03s (Avery Alder, Buried Without Ceremony, 2013)-Shadowrift 6m14s (Jeremy Anderson, Game Night Productions, 2012)-Spirit Island 8m17s (Eric R. Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017)-Carolus Magnus 11m42s (Leo Colovini, Rio Grande Games, 2000) -Race for the Galaxy 17m25s (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2007)-BattleCON: War of Indines 19m40s (D. Brad Talton, Jr., Level 99 Games, 2010)News (and wh

Isolation gaming continues, so we turn our lonely eyes to gaming alone--an endeavour that predates plague-induced solitude, but is certainly thriving now. Many a gamer is experimenting with those (increasingly frequent) variants for the first time. We understand--any port in a storm. Let us game alone together. AYURIS: Coimbra 1m48s (Flaminia Brasini & Virginio Gigli, eggertspiele, 2018)Games Played Last Week:-Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North 3m32s (Joanna Kijanka & Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal Games, 2019)-The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine 8m43s (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) -The Fox in the Forest Duet 16m52s (Foxtrot Games, Foxtrot Games, 2020)-The Quiet Year 18m20s (Avery Alder, Buried Without Ceremony, 2013)-Radiant: Offline Battle Arena 22m57s (Jack Murray, Heel Turn Games, 2019) -Hansa Teutonica 24m23s (Andreas Steding, Argentum Verlag, 2009)-Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire 26m51s (David Sanders, Games Workshop, 2017)-The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples 30m31s (Reiner Knizia, Raven

A little throwback for you, our dear and loyal listeners, a small taste of the pre-summer schedule splendour and abundance where we spoil you with both a topic and a feature game. It happened organically, you see, what with all the social distancing -mandated two-player gaming we've been doing. That, and we want to try to give you a little more in light of the world giving you a little less. Of course, if you want to hear less of us, you always have that power.Games Played Last Week:-Menara: Rituals and Ruins 2m59s (Oliver Richtberg, Zoch Verlag, 2019)-Sentinels of the Multiverse 5m39s (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011)-ELO Darkness 22m11s (Tommaso Mondadori & Alberto Parisi, Reggie Games, 2018)-The Fox in the Forest Duet 8m59s (Foxtrot Games, Foxtrot Games, 2020)-Pax Renaissance 13m24s (Phil Eklund & Matt Eklund, Sierra Madre Games, 2016)-Mezo: Souls for Xibalba 17m09s (John Clowdus, Kolossal, 2019)Mini-Spotlight: MOBA-Style Boardgames 19m36s-Rum &am