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This week it’s all about FAMILY as the crew get together to discuss some of our favorite racing games! Tune in to hear our thoughts on a coup d'etat in board games, the poetry of angry reviews, and the virtues of simulation vs arcade racing games. Also a surprising lack of Fast & Furious references. [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:14] Aaron brings news of a HUGE upset on BGG [00:07:42] Ian stumps the boys with this weeks Bitter Board Gamers [00:14:16] Ian starts of the reviews with a discussion of Bristol 1350 [00:24:02] Aaron brings the best Mario Kart ever, Dodos Riding Dinos [00:33:46] Ian brings the inspiration for this episode, Rallyman: GT [00:48:22] Outro Other Games Discussed This Episode: Downforce, Salem 1692 -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

Editor’s note: Our audio got eaten by our recording software. Apologies for any choppiness. This week, are joined by actual smart person Tori and take a deep dive into the history of the Tarot! We also ponder over shows and movies based on games, designers flying a bit too close to the sun, and and the storied history of Tarot cards.   [00:00:00] Intro [00:02:29] Ian gives his hyped review of the first few episodes of The Last of Us TV show [00:08:19] Matt gives a brief review of Tiny Epic Dungeons [00:14:27] Ian digs deep into the BGG reviews for another game of Bitter Boardgamers! [00:25:13] Tori tells us all about the history of Tarot Cards [01:01:40] Outro   David Parlett Website: https://www.parlettgames.uk/ Tarot deck art discussed this episode: https://imgur.com/a/pbwo3BU Other Games Discussed This Episode: Cribbage, 7 Wonders Duel, Agricola   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week, the crew returns from a brief holiday hiatus and catches up from the holidays! We go over our resolutions from last year, talk about some new and favorite games we played over the break, and celebrate a momentous anniversary.   [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:16] Aaron kicks off with a recap of last year’s recap [00:08:20] Ian climbs on the soap box to throw some shade on BGA [00:13:49] Matt gives his thoughts about the weird choices for board game movies [00:19:23] Ian tries to stump Matt & Aaron with some Ruined Recaps [00:23:05] The gang chats about our holiday highlights [00:50:30] Outro   Other Games Discussed This Episode: Marvel United, Terraforming Mars, Agricola, Tiny Epic Pirates, Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done, Wrong Party, Fantasy Realms, Scout, Star Wars: Rebellion   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

It’s almost Christmas, and boy do we have a treat for you! This week the crew sits down with Gary Dworetsky, designer of the upcoming Slay The Spire The Board Game! Listen in as we rant about ridiculous overproduction in games, get completely stumped by Grumpy Gamers, and of course our interview with Gary! [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:30] Aaron talks about the amazing value presented in the Fantasy Realms: Deluxe Edition [00:06:05] Ian really puts the screws to us with this weeks Bitter Board Gamers [00:16:36] Interview with Gary from Contention Games [00:59:44] The crew finish out with our personal thoughts on Slay the Spire [01:05:30] Outro Other Games Discussed This Episode: Frosthaven, Oregon Trail  Sign up for late pledges of Slay the Spire and more at ContentionGames.com   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week, the crew discuss a few recent favorites! Tune in to hear Matt and Aaron’s latest obsession, an absolutely nauseating game, and how well a classic game system holds up today!   [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:16] Matt talks about a hot new mobile card game, Marvel SNAP! [00:12:08] Ian tries to trip up the boys with this week’s Bitter Board Gamers [00:19:12] For our first review, Ian gives his thoughts on a true modern classic, Hive [00:30:26] Matt tells us about the latest Pandemic-system game: Star Wars: The Clone Wars [00:42:23] Outro   Other Games Discussed This Episode: Isle of Cats, Coup   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week,the boys get a little “sketchy” with a conversation about white-board games! We discuss weird board game plots, a new video game obsession, and whether we could all use a nap. Climb aboard!   [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:53] Matt introduces a new game: Skip Intro [00:07:18] Aaron talks about a potential usurper to the Slay the Spire throne [00:14:52] Ian starts off our review section with a family classic, Telestrations [00:21:10] Aaron writes a brief review of one his favorite word games: Just One! [00:27:47] Ian sends us home with (probably) best trivia game: Wits & Wagers [00:37:01] Outro   Other Games Discussed This Episode: Isle of Cats, Slice & Dice (video game), Pictionary   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week, the crew get slightly spooky with another triple header! Tune in to hear us talk about classic Southern restaurants, Matt’s obsession with old stuff, and more! [00:00:00] Intro [00:00:56] Ian mounts the soapbox to talk about some truly strange “dice” [00:09:10] Matt climbs in to the time machine to talk about Nine Men’s Morris [00:17:24] Ian hosts another round of everyone’s favorite game Bitter Board Gamers! [00:24:24] Aaron starts off the reviews with Cindr [00:33:23} Ian reviews the terrifyingly terrible Oregon Trail: The Card Game [00:46:24] Matt finishes us off with an ACTUAL scary game, Horrified [00:57:47] Outro Other Games Discussed This Episode: Gekido: Bot Battles, Libertalia   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week, the boys decide to try out a simpler life with their review of Stardew Valley! Listen in to hear our thoughts on online board games, the sheer pleasure of a game teaching you slowly, and a fear of pie charts. [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:20] Aaron waxes poetic about his unabashed love for Board Game Arena [00:13:44] Matt talks about his experience with Jaws of the Lion and it’s wonderful on-boarding experience [00:22:05] Aaron brings some Rule Book Randomness, courtesy of Obsession [00:25:33] The crew dive in to their main discussion of Stardew Valley [00:49:10] Outro   Other Games Discussed This Episode: CuBirds   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

The Dice Pirates return! After an extended hiatus the crew sets sail once again to discuss some of their favorite game. Join us for another session of Bitter Board Gamers, a classic Matt rant about Sagrada: Artisans, and Aaron breaks down Living Planet and his disdain for social interactions.   [00:00:00] Intro [00:02:20] The crew all get on the soapbox to try and puzzle out who asked for Sagrada: Artisans [00:10:41] Ian hits us with a classic: Bitter Board Gamers [00:17:30] Aaron starts off the reviews with Living Planet, with bonus mini rants! [00:29:51] Ian fills us in on his impressions of Cities of Splendor [00:42:35] Matt rounds out the reviews with Massive Darkness 2 [01:00:43] Outro   Other Games Discussed This Episode: Stardew Valley, Tiny Epic Galaxies   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

The Dice Pirates return to cover some of their favorite pattern making games! It’s a throwback to the old days as Matt and Ian set sail without Aaron, and debut a new game, Ruined Recaps!   [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:00] Matt responds to a rant about too many solo games! [00:08:20] Ian breaks down the newly available Castles of Burgundy Special Edition [00:17:00] Ruined Recaps makes its debut! [00:22:18] The crew jumps into three of their favorite pattern building games [00:25:40] Ian leads off with Azul, the classic of the genre [00:33:50] Cats take over the podcast with Calico [00:42:20] Peer through the windows as the crew breaks down Sagrada! [00:53:00] Outro   Other Games Discussed This Episode: Tiny towns   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

The news is back! After our hiatus there is a lot to cover, so Aaron and Ian break down the new Gen Con safety requirements, yet another Azul variant, and FFG hitting a big milestone!   RELEASES   Portal Games newest title Batman: Everybody Lies sees players taking on the roles of iconic characters with unique hidden agendas and ways of gathering information https://shopportalgames.com/products/batman-everybody-lies   WizKids rereleasing 2021 Kennerspiel des Jahres nominee Fantasy Realms with new Deluxe edition https://wizkids.com/fantasy-realms-deluxe-edition/   Plan B announces Azul: Master Chocolatier, new edition of modern classic Azul https://bgg.cc/boardgame/363247/azul-master-chocolatier   UK publishers Backspindle Games releasing Lucha Wars!, an updated version of their 2016 release Luchador! Mexican Wrestling Dice https://www.backspindlegames.com/product/lucha-wars/   Asmodee Digital releases Jaws of the Lion DLC for Gloomhaven, also announces that the game will be coming to home consoles in 2023 https://twitter.com/AsmodeeDigital/status/1527257770524700673   EXPANSIONS   In honor of 25th anniversary, FFG is releasing the 25th faction for Twilight Imperium, the Council Keleres https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2022/4/28/the-council-awaits/   The next campaign expansion for Marvel Champions LCG, titled Mutant Genesis finally introduces the X-Men to the universe of the game https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2022/5/19/mutant-genesis/ NEWS   Financial investors The Chernin Group acquire 25% stake of Funko, also invest heavily in Exploding Kittens. They have also announced an intention to focus more in the CCG space https://www.boardgamequest.com/the-chernin-group-buys-25-of-funko-more-ccgs-on-the-way/   Jim Butler names as new president of Paizo, Inc after current president Jeff Alvarez steps down for health reasons  https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6si1o?Jim-Butler-Named-Paizo-President   Snakes & Lattes continues US expansion, adding two new stores in Glendale, CA and Provo, UT  https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/51217/snakes-lattes-adds-two-u-s-locations   Gen Con, Origins announce proof of vaccination and mask wearing requirements for 2022 shows  https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-dawn-deestar-wood https://www.gencon.com/gen-con-indy/health-and-safety https://www.originsgamefair.com/show-policies   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

After an impromptu hiatus, the crew are back to discuss some small box games with big box fun! Tune in this week to hear about one publisher getting into some hot water for severely underestimating shipping costs, the surprising popularity of a particular fiddly game, and Matt finally plays a modern “classic”.   [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:14] Aaron brings up the Marvel Zombies shipping crisis [00:07:15] Ian goes off script on the soapbox, wondering why so many people like Villanous [00:12:06] Matt adds to the chaos with a tale of his first time ever playing Cards Against Humanity [00:16:18] Ian tries once again to stump Aaron and Matt with some Bitter Board Gamers [00:23:43] Ian starts off our main topic with Dutch Blitz [00:30:18] Matt shockingly brings a dungeon crawler as his pick, Warhammer Quest [00:42:06] Aaron finished up the show with two of his favorites, Looterz and Q.E. [00:52:59] Outro Other Games Discussed This Episode: Snake Oil, Robinson Crusoe, Oregon Trail, Heroes of Terrinoth   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

Jump into the longest news episode yet, as Ian and Aaron break down all the new Wizards of the Coast news, Stonemaier's new Viticulture expansion, and Fantasy Flight Games surprising new announcement!   RELEASES   Wizards of the Coast announce two highly anticipated returning settings for 5E, Dragonlance and Spelljammer https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50988/wizards-coast-teases-d-d-dragonlances-return   https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50989/wizards-coast-announces-d-d-spelljammer-adventures-space   Love Letter getting new Second Edition, 10th Anniversary release, and story based content https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/love-letter-second-edition/news/love-letter-second-edition   Next Move Games latest title Maui to feature competitive beach towel placement https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/maui/news/maui-board-game-announced-release-date   FFG surprise announces a Roll and Write set in the Twilight Imperium universe, Twilight Inscription https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/361545/twilight-inscription EXPANSIONS   Wizards of the coast release a menagerie of creature tokens for DMs to improve their tabletop presence https://wpn.wizards.com/en/products/dd-campaign-case-creatures-dungeons-dragons-accessories   Jaws of the Lion DLC for Gloomhaven digital to launch May 17 https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/780290/view/3180112431326071702   Greater Than Games releasing newest expansion to Spirit Island: Feather and Flame https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50987/spirit-island-expansion-heads-retail   Stonemaier Games announces new co-op expansion and big box “Wine Box” storage for Viticulture (World) https://stonemaiergames.com/games/viticulture/viticulture-world/ NEWS   Stonemaier games delays pre-orders due to changing existing cards that contained insensitive material https://stonemaiergames.com/south-america-cultural-consulting-and-fixing-a-big-mistake/   Asmodee announces Unbox Now, a digital site similar to Board Game Arena (will include 11 of their top games, and will also allow playing them in BGA) https://venturebeat.com/2022/04/12/asmodee-launches-unbox-now-a-collection-of-its-best-board-games/ Wizards of the Coast acquire DndBeyond https://dnd.wizards.com/news/announcement_04132022?utm_campaign=D%26D&utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_content=6764725558   Isle of Cats publisher shares detailed behind the scenes numbers  https://old.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/u24pmu/five_years_as_a_publisher_some_statistics/   Uganda Village Boardgame Convention 2022 crowdfunding campaign is live https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/uganda-village-boardgame-convention-2022   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week, the crew go deep in a discussion of the art of the teach. We talk about some admittedly weird anniversary game releases, how stars are really just like us, and the essential do’s and dont’s of sharing your favorite hobby with the people you love.    [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:55] Ian climbs on the soapbox to try and figure out just who Agricola 15 is actually for [00:10:35] Matt shares how he was able to manifest Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition into existence [00:18:41] The crew shares some silly rules from their own collection [00:22:43] The crew gives their best practices for how to teach games and keep it fun [00:49:38] Outro   Other Games Discussed This Episode: Wingspan, Pendulum, Consentacle, Dwellings of Eldervale, Dead of Winter   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

The news is here again, and Ian and Aaron break down the new FFG expansions, Reiner Knizia turtle games, and the new Castles of Burgundy kickstarter!   RELEASES   Luma Imports releasing Garden Nation, an area control game from publisher Bombyx https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50872/luma-imports-will-release-garden-nation   Asmodee will handle retail release for Kickstarter hit Canvas https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50859/canvas-comes-u-s-retail   New Reiner Knizia title “Turtle Mania” to be released by Pegasus Spiele https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50844/pegasus-spiele-reveals-reiner-knizias-turtle-mania   Deep Print Games will publish Skymines, a reimplementation of 2015 hit Mombasa, including a new campaign mode and modules https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/130673/earn-most-crypcoin-alexander-pfisters-skymines   EXPANSIONS   FFG announces next Cosmic Encounter expansion, “Cosmic Odyssey” https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50884/fantasy-flight-games-announces-cosmic-encounter-expansion   Czech Games Edition to release an expansion for their new edition of Galaxy Trucker called “Keep On Trucking”  https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50867/galaxy-trucker-keep-trucking NEWS   Alea games partnering with Awaken Realms to release an absolutely wild looking new deluxe version of The Castles of Burgundy https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/the-castles-of-burgundy/news/castles-of-burgundy-deluxe-edition   Agricola getting special 15th anniversary release called Agricola 15 https://www.dicebreaker.com/series/agricola/news/agricola-15-edition -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week, Matt, Ian, and Aaron are joined by special guest Dani Standring to talk about some of our favorite 2 player games! We get into some industry talk, whether two player modes should even be included in some titles, and tease a future episode.   [00:00:00] Intro [00:00:54] Dani tells us about her journey into board games [00:02:06] Dani gives us a little peek behind the curtains of GAMA [00:06:56] Matt tells an absolutely toe-curling story (content warning: bad board game storage) [00:11:00] Ian tries to stump us with this week’s Bitter Board Gamers [00:17:45] Dani kicks off our main topic with her thoughts on what makes a great 2 player experience [00:26:04] Aaron talks about one of his unlikely favorites, Inhuman Conditions [00:35:25] Dani talks about one of her recent favorites, Botanik [00:38:05] Matt discusses the space adventures of Star Realms: Outer Rim [00:58:42] The crew ponders how well RPGs could work with only one “player” [01:02:40] Outro   Huge thanks again to Dani for joining us!   TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@dani_standring Instagram: instagram.com/dani_standring Facebook: twitter.com/dani_standring/ Discord: discord.gg/kRy9gNkFbu   Other Games Discussed This Episode: Tiny Epic Kingdoms, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Ankh, Race for the Galaxy, Fog of Love, Riftforce, Unusual Suspects, Calico, Lost Cities   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

It's time for the news once again, as Aaron and Ian dive into new Marvel themed games, Knizia losing his spots on the top 100 of BGG, and Villainous selling like hotcakes!   Releases   New Marvel themed edition of Fantasy Realms, called Marvel Remix, published by WizKids https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/marvel-remix-wizkids-card-game/   Anthology of 13 stand-alone adventures titled Journeys through the Radiant Citadel from Wizards of the Coast. Written by a team of PoC, a first for DnD https://dnd.wizards.com/products/journeys-through-radiant-citadel https://twitter.com/ajitgeorgeSB/status/1506290676476125189?t=H8xh14tIOYBJcWjdI9W_Aw&s=19   Portal Games co-publishes the North American edition of Brazil: Imperial, the fast-paced 4x euro game. This is the second game Portal Games has co-published for the english market https://portalgames.pl/en/portal-games-to-co-publish-the-english-edition-of-brazil-imperial/ Expansions   New expansion for Villainous, Bigger and Badder. Includes Pixar villains https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/reviews/22979237/disney-villainous-bigger-badder-board-game-review-release-date-price#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16473664995502&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com   New expansion for Parks, Wildlife https://keymastergames.com/products/parks-wildlife   Star Wars: Outer Rim expansion, Unfinished Business https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2022/3/24/unfinished-business/ News   Catan dawn of mankind https://www.google.com/amp/s/comicbook.com/gaming/amp/news/catan-dawn-humankind-new-game/   Tigris & Euphrates knocked off BGG top 100, where it has been since site started in 2001, used to be number 1, no more Knizia games in  https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/tk7sgm/tigris_and_euphrates_knocked_off_the_bgg_top_100 https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2030734/top-100-games-2001   New BGG app https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2833769/download-our-new-bgg-iphone-ipad-app   Marvel & Disney Villainous have combined sold over 3 million copies https://www.dicebreaker.com/series/villainous/news/disney-marvel-villainous-sold-3-million-units   Asmodee Digital partners with Tilt Five for AR games https://www.prweb.com/releases/tilt_five_partners_with_asmodee_digital_to_transform_family_game_night/prweb18571043.htm   Van Ryder Games, Lucky Duck to publish Dark Quarter, using same framework as Destinies App based mystery game (investigative game) https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/50755/van-ryder-lucky-duck-partner-dark-quarter -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week, the crew are joined by Dice Pirate Tori to discuss Stonemaier Games’ latest release, Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest! Tune in to hear some grumpy game reviews, a brief history lesson on Ancient Egypt, and whether all player counts are valid for every game.    [00:00:00] Intro [00:02:42] Matt gives his impressions on Ankh [00:08:55] Tori drops some actual knowledge about Ankh [00:12:34] Ian brings the heat in this week’s installation of Bitter Board Gamers [00:19:26] Tori, Ian, and Aaron give their reviews of Libertalia [00:16:36] Outro   Other Games Discussed This Episode: Bluffaneer, Gekido: Bot Battles, Village Pillage   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

The news keeps coming and this week Aaron and Ian discuss the new Stonemaier game, even more Villainous expansions, and Renegade Games re-releasing Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done.   Releases   Funko to release Rear Window, base on Hitchcock film https://funkogames.com/games/rear-window-game/   Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest pre-orders available https://stonemaiergames.com/games/libertalia/   Sleeping Gods Sequel, Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies announced https://gamefound.com/projects/draft/k5jf8ffw634mqqq9d0dxa445814   Expansions   Ravensburger announces new Star Wars Villainous expansion :Power of the Dark Side) https://www.polygon.com/22967946/star-wars-villainous-board-game-announcement-release-date-price   News   Renegade Games rereleasing Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done, along with long rumored expansion https://renegadegamestudios.com/blog/announcing-crusaders-thy-will-be-done/   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis" 

This week, Matt, Ian, and Aaron take a deep dive into the card slinging world of deck builders! Tune in to hear us take on silky smooth segues, silly board game rules, and a deliciously spicy take about digital versus physical board games   [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:21] Matt gives us his thoughts on a recent first time play of Robinson Crusoe [00:07:39] Ian gives us a big run down on some tiny games [00:10:03] The crew discuss the joys of silly first player rules [00:16:09] Matt starts off our main topic and the undeniable legacy of Dominion [00:28:34] Ian talks about a simple but huge addition to the formula with Tyrants of the Underdark [00:49:14] Aaron makes an argument that digital implementations can be better than the original [00:59:17] Outro Other Games Discussed This Episode: SPY, Trash Pandas, Valley of the Kings, FORT, Star Realms, Hero Realms, Shards of Infinity, Ascension   -  Intro and Outro Music - "A Robust Crew by Darren Curtis"