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Video Games: Chris has finally decided it's time to talk about Shenmue 3, and asks the question on everyone's lips: can Shenmue survive in the modern world of gaming? Meanwhile, Dave has another games round up for us, starting off with Unheard, a detective game with an eavesdropping twist, and moves on to the Obsidian RPG The Outer Worlds (the less said the better), and goes back to enjoy the spectacular Witcher 3. Finally, Chris has a good chat about his new retro gaming console, the Retrostone 2, because Chris doesn't relive his childhood gaming enough apparently. Enjoy! Shenmue 3 (01:15) Unheard (17:20) The Outer Worlds (27:00) Witcher 3 (29:05) Retrostone 2 (38:00) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Video Games: Chris and Dave have returned to their podcasting lives, which means returning to gaming, which means being grumpy. Chris gives Ghost Recon Breakpoint a bit of a protracted kicking, before Dave goes on a long gaming update in which he suggests Horizon Zero Dawn might be overrated, Gwent is a bit silly, Destiny 2 lives up to the disappointment, MLB The Show 19 is... a baseball game, but that Monster Hunter World is actually quite good. Finally, Chris gives the episode a positive ending by loving up mobile game Golf Blitz. Enjoy! Ghost Recon Breakpoint (03:17) Horizon Zero Dawn (24:20) Gwent (30:15) Destiny 2 (37:55) MLB The Show 19 (44:55) Monster Hunter World (48:05) Golf Blitz (54:40) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Board Games: Part two of our Tabletop Scotland Special, featuring Chris being massively relieved at having sold Feudum for a good cause, an overview of Tokaido, the one game we booked out of the games library over the weekend, interviews with Justin from BadCat Games, Andy from DMB Games, Darius from UNCON in Kent, a debate about Hero Quest, and Dave's round up of buying baked goods from LIDL. Enjoy! Highlights: Bring n Buy (01:30) Tokaido (06:30) Justin from Bad Cat Games (14:50) Darius from UNCON (30:00) Andy from DMB Games (39:45) Dave's LIDL roundup(55:10) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Euan Glasgow, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Board Games: Part one of our Tabletop Scotland Special, featuring an overview of our shenanigans during our weekend at the convention, interviews with Stuff by Bez, Andy from YAY Games, Kenny from the Dice Roll Cafe, and a good long chat about the excellent Bridge Simulator by Edinburgh College! Enjoy! Highlights: Games by Bez (13:00) YAY Games (27:35) Kenny from Dice Roll Cafe (43:00) Starship Bridge Simulator (49:45) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Euan Glasgow, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

A quick announcement from Chris about the current state of play at Unnecessary HQ.

Video Games: Chris and Dave (the stalwarts) are on their own this week, but it's worthwhile because they've both played the ridiculous and immensely fun Cooking Simulator; Chris has returned to Ghost Recon Wildlands and Planet Coaster to check out some new features, and has also managed to put a few hours into tycoon-style transport and industry building game Rise of Industry; and Dave has been having his brain burnt by the crazy puzzler Baba is You. Enjoy! Cooking Simulator (01:15) Planet Coaster (19:45) Ghost Recon Wildlands (23:20) Rise of Industry (29:25) Baba is You (44:45) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Board Games: Dave finally let Chris and Euan play Serious Poulp's survival storytelling game The 7th Continent, which was enjoyed immensely for roleplaying reasons; Chris and his non-gamer partner have had a crack at a couple more of Lucky Duck's Chronicles of Crime scenarios; and we've all got Villagers to the table, the new tableau-building euro-style card game from Sinister Fish. Enjoy! The 7th Continent (02:30) Chronicles of Crime (22:07) Villagers (26:30) NOTE: As explained at the beginning of the episode, we had some issues with Euan's vocal track. We've done what we can to fix it, but it's still a bit distorted. It's still listenable though, so don't worry! This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Euan Glasgow, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Video Games: Pawel and Dave have been playing the recently released action-adventure stealth game A Plague Tale: Innocence; Chris quickly mentions walking simulator What Remains of Edith Finch before getting lazy and sitting on his couch playing lots of difficult dungeon crawler Darkest Dungeon; and Dave's been doing some mobile gaming with the popular Rebel Inc. Enjoy! A Plague Tale: Innocence (02:35) What Remains of Edith Finch (23:00) Darkest Dungeon (25:10) Rebel Inc. (47:20) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Pawel Daruk, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Video Games: Dave's getting round to talking about award-winning puzzle/deduction game Return of the Obra Dinn in which he tells us about the mixture of ways you can identify a corpse; Chris has put his helmet on again and got into sinister PSVR puzzler Statik: Institute of Retention; and Pawel's been playing with cards in both the tactical roguelike Trials of Fire and the Dominion-inspired War of Omens. Enjoy! Return of the Obra Dinn (03:06) Trials of Fire (27:53) Statik: Institute of Retention (43:26) War of Omens (55:05) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Pawel Daruk, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Board Games: It's a wild mixture of tabletop games this week as Dave gives an overview of how stupid we all are while playing quirky investigation game Chronicles of Crime; Chris does his best to describe solid Euro game Lorenzo il Magnifico; and Euan terrorises us all with tales of Plague Inc, the game of destroying humanity with horrendous diseases. Enjoy! Chronicles of Crime (03:00) Lorenzo il Magnifico (26:45) Plague Inc (39:50) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Euan Glasgow, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Video Games: We're back after a short break, so we're packing a show with a load of games. Pawel's talking about The Witcher again, or whatever he calls it in Polish, but specifically Gwent and its solo version Thronebreaker. Chris has jumped back into survival games with Outward, which is a bit Kenshi and a bit Dark Souls, but also addictive and weird. Dave's been dabbling with puzzle games, playing maze puzzler The Witness and the co-operative mobile game Tick Tock: A Tale for Two, and to wrap up the episode Chris has some thoughts on Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, a game which Pawel rates very highly. Enjoy! Gwent/Thronebreaker(04:10) Outward (21:30) The Witness(36:35) Tick Tock: A Tale For Two (53:00) Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (59:50) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Pawel Daruk and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

We bring you a bit of a different episode this week, as Chris and Dave attended the Red Dice Games Mini-Con at the weekend where they played a couple of games and interviewed some of the lovely people they met there. Stuart, owner of Red Dice Games, tells us about his shop and the mini-con itself; Tom from Format 15 talks to Dave about his newest creation, Squirrel; Kevin from Inspiring Games tells us about Legends Untold and their plans for the future; and Eric from Juniper Green Board Gamers talks to Chris about bringing science games into the classroom. We also played some Hand of Fate: Ordeals and newly fulfilled Kickstarter Village Pillage, and our topic this week: what themes would you like to see in board games? Enjoy! Stuart from Red Dice Games (04:15) Hand of Fate: Ordeals (11:45) Tom Sudall from Format 15 & Squirrel (15:30) Kevin from Inspiring Games & Legends Untold (21:15) Eric from Juniper Green Board Gamers (33:10) Topic - Board Game Themes (42:07) Village Pillage (49:22) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by Chris Hanratty and Dave McCreary Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Video Games: Dave is eating chips but still finds time to get angry at Pawel while talking about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice; Pawel has taken his first foray into colony management games in Oxygen Not Included; and Chris is YET AGAIN reliving his childhood by playing the Theme Hospital spiritual successor, Two Point Hospital, with its crazy illnesses. Enjoy! Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (03:27) Oxygen Not Included (26:08) Two Point Hospital (45:53) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Pawel Daruk, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by Chris Hanratty and Dave McCreary Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Board Games: Chris is back from his mysterious extended leave and he and Euan want to tell you all about going rogue in sandbox Wild West game Western Legends by Kolossal Games; Dave has recently received a Kickstarter from Scottish publisher One Free Elephant called Microbrew, which has the tiniest box we've ever seen but is somehow amazingly deep; and we've finally got round to having a go at fantasy-themed programming game Lords of Xidit by Libellud. Enjoy! Western Legends (02:00) Microbrew (18:20) Lords of Xidit (33:00) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Euan Glasgow, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Video Games: With Chris stil away, we cover a rather varied trio of games this week. Pawel has been playing his cards right in hard to define RTS-themed card game Prismata; obsessing over the texture of Diablo-clone Warhammer: Chaosbane; and Dave has been getting to grips with simian smash and grab Ape Out. To close, the lads have a bit of a discussion about choosing the gender of your video game character. Also, Chris pops in unexpectedly to help finish the episode. Prismata (5:13) Warhammer: Chaosbane (20:10) Ape Out (38:05) VG chat: Choosing the gender of your video game character (48:40) This episode hosted by David McCreary, Euan Glasgow, and Pawel Daruk Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by David McCreary Logo by Rebecca Horner

Video Games: Chris is away and it's another anarchic episode. Pawel explains why newly released coop shooter Anthem is rubbish when you play it solo. Euan makes a welcome return to ever expanding rouguelike Streets of Rogue. Pawel tells us what it's like to play multiplayer wizarading sim Nine Parchments on your own, and Dave attempts something as well, but gives up on it half way through the episode. Enjoy! Anthem (3:45) Streets of Rogue (22:00) Nine Parchments (36:00) This episode hosted by David McCreary, Euan Glasgow, and Pawel Daruk Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by David McCreary Logo by Rebecca Horner

Board Games & Tabletop: Pawel has insisted on having his annual RPG slot, so we let him talk about the latest edition of Legend of the Five Rings by Fantasy Flight for a good chunk. Next up is the proper gaming section for proper people, where we enjoy the new deckbuilder Hand of Fate: Ordeals by Hand & Make, which is based on the video game of playing a deadly game of card-based adventure against the Dealer. Finally, Chris and Euan have gone back to a classic as they introduced a new board gamer to the archaeological fun that is Thebes by Queen Games, with its interesting time-spending mechanic. Gotta dig up the dirt! Enjoy! Legend of the Five Rings (04:49) Hand of Fate: Ordeals (25:36) Thebes (45:04) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Euan Glasgow, and Pawel Daruk Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by Chris Hanratty Logo by Rebecca Horner www.firstplayertoken.com

Video Games: This week, Dave and Pawel have an argument about the gameplay mechanics in the Resident Evil 2 remake (or is it a remix?), although Pawel doesn't really mind about Dave's opinions because he's actually fallen in love with roguelite adventure game Sunless Skies. Chris has been getting sweaty in VR with Beat Saber, and has wound down by tending to his cemetery in the wacky Harvest Moon-esque game Graveyard Keeper. Enjoy! Resident Evil 2 (01:24) Sunless Skies (29:30) Beat Saber (44:50) Graveyard Keeper (51:43) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Pawel Daruk, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by Chris Hanratty www.firstplayertoken.com

This week we have an episode rammed with board games, as Chris, Dave and Euan attended the ticket launch party for Tabletop Scotland 2019 and played a few little gems there! There's Klask, a dexterity game of magnets and scoring goals; Evil Overlord, a short but utterly chaotic card game of set collection; Skull, the simple but elegant bluffing game; Rhino Hero: Super Battle, a dexterity game of building a cardboard tower and having your superhero ascend it; and Walk the Plank, a short take-that card game with a programming twist! Finally, Chris and Dave talk about their recent experience at Red Dice Games, where they managed to get a play of New Frontiers, the latest in the Race for the Galaxy game family. Enjoy! Tabletop Scotland ticket launch (01:48) Klask (05:10) Evil Overlord (12:04) Skull (19:30) Rhino Hero: Super Battle (31:08) Walk the Plank! (41:35) New Frontiers (46:50) Tabletop Scotland website: https://tabletopscotland.co.uk (Note: Since this episode aired, Shades of Vengeance, the publishers of Evil Overlord, have informed us that the correct player count is 3-10, and the designer is Ed Jowett, with art by Sofia Michailidou and graphic design by Alexander Korchnev. Thanks for clearing this up guys!) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Euan Glasgow, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by Chris Hanratty

The first video games episode of 2019 begins with Chris feeling quite chuffed with his new Twitch affiliate status, which is mainly down to him playing 7 Days to Die obsessively. The crew chat about their first impressions of co-op adventure shooter Strange Brigade, while Chris and Pawel get confused by survival horror game Darkwood and the strategy game This Is The Police 2. Finally, Chris has another dive into the realms of nostalgia with Dungeon Keeper-esque War For The Overworld. Enjoy! 7 Days to Die/Twitch chat (01:48) Strange Brigade (07:50) Darkwood (25:12) This Is The Police 2 (36:07) War For The Overworld (48:32) This episode hosted by Chris Hanratty, Pawel Daruk, and Dave McCreary Music by the hosts, with Jokin Etxeberria This episode recorded and produced by Chris Hanratty