Board Gamers Anonymous

It's that time of the month again - time to dig in and check out the hotness for January. But first off, we're psyched to announce that we've hit our goal on Patreon to launch our weekly contests! Back us at patreon.com/bga to join the party! First up, we ask everyone the question of the week: With so many reprints and reimplementations lately, what do you still have on your grail game list? For our acquisition disorders this week, Anthony digs into a line of Imperial Settlers and Detective content coming from Portal Games and Chris looks at the new expansion for Food Chain Magnate recently added to the Splotter website.  At the table, Anthony reviews Blackout: Hong Kong and Chris finally gets a chance to bring Newton to the table.  Finally, in our feature, we dig through the top 15 games on BGG and share why they are on the hotness this month.  Question of the Week: 4:12 Acquisition Disorders: 12:35 Blackout: Hong Kong Review: 21:56 Newton Review: 35:35 BGG Hotness Review: 43:49 If you haven’t ye

Thanks to our new Patreon backer this week, Andrew. We’re only $9 away from our next milestone – which would mean contests every week for backers. Check it out! To kick things off this week, we asked the listeners our question of the week: What's your go to digital board game when on a bus, in a line, or otherwise, whiling away time? Then we dive into acquisition disorders, in which Anthony looks at the slate of new digital games coming soon from Dire Wolf Digital, and Chris looks at Rio Grande's big slate of games for 2019, highlighted by Roll for the Galaxy: Rivals. At the table this week, Anthony reviews Victorian Masterminds and New Frontiers, while Chris looks at Dinosaur Island: Totally Liquid and Franchise.  For our feature, we're diving into an important topic, talking about social justice in board games and how it impacts the subjects, gameplay and processes in the games we love, with six examples of how it can be done right.  Question of the Week: 2:35 Acquisition Disorders: 7:16 Victorian M

Thanks to our new Patreon backer this week, Jim. Special thanks as well to Martin for his upgraded pledge. We’re only $13 away from our next milestone – which would mean contests every week for backers. Check it out! It's that time of year again - we're looking forward to the games we already know are on the horizon to share what we're most looking forward to.  We kick off this week's episode with our question of the week, "What are your board game resolutions for 2019?" and then dive into the big question - what games are we most looking forward to. Chris and Anthony run through 20 or so that are on the horizon.  If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/

Thanks to our new Patreon backers this week, Keith and Amy. Special thanks as well to Jim for his upgraded pledge. We're only $26 away from our next milestone - which would mean contests every week for backers. Check it out! With 2019 now here and new games just around the corner, we want to take one last look back at 2018 and the games we listed as our most anticipated of the year last January.  How did they fare? Did they release and if so, did we like them or were we disappointed? There's a fair mix of both in the list, plus a good bunch of games we didn't even know about until later in the year.  Check out the full list, plus our question of the week, "Do you track your plays? If so, what is your most played game of 2018?" If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our

Another year of amazing games is behind us, and that means it's time to share our best of the best and hand out our annual awards.  This year, we've selected 10 categories (5 of which were recommended by listeners) and then rounded it off with our top 2 games of the year overall. Categories include: Listener Categories: Overlooked Gem of the Year Most Innovative of the Year Biggest Surprise Theme that's Done (for a while) Best Expansion Most Underrated BGA Categories: 2.0 of the Year Kickstarter of the Year Game We Wish We'd Played Most Unnecessarily Overproduced Most Argued Over Game If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn

As a followup to Episode 200, we wanted to hear from the listeners on what their favorite games were, and you came through! We're excited to share the results of a survey of nearly 300 listeners who shared their top 20 games. We've aggregated the results and pulled the top 20 overall games together into a list of the best of the best.  Additionally, we take a look in this episode at what fell off of our top 50 lists from 4 years ago when we recorded Episode 100, and how we feel our lists have evolved since then.  If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the big 200 this week - our 200th episode of all time, and we're psyched. So psyched that we recorded a whole bunch of content to help keep you guys busy over the holiday break.  That's right, it's time for our Top 100 games of all time again, and this time with a bit of a twist. Anthony and Chris have both prepared a top 100 list of their own games. On episode 200 you can listen to the top 50 for each of them, with a very special bonus coming to Patreon including the 51-100 selections for all backers at $1 or higher.  We worked hard to pull this list together and are excited to share it with you. Check it out, our top 100 games (combined!) of all time.  If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate link. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/b

This week's episode is a fun one, if only because you can tell we are jazzed for next week and our big milestone at 200. In advance of that, we're going back to a classic with our "if you like" series. This time around, focused on Talisman - the classic fantasy themed roll and move.  To kick things off, we asked the listeners our question of the week: " Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alright, Pax is over and we had a blast. One of the best cons of the year for us (not just because it's local) and full of tons of games being played.  As is our tradition, we're recapping this week how the con went, what we loved, and what games we both saw and got a chance to play. Because this is Pax, there were a lot!  Previews and discussions of: Keyforge, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Azul Stained Glass, Victorian Masterminds, Architects of the West Kingdom, Teotihuacan, Terraforming Mars Colonies, Chronicles of Crime, Reykholt, Tokyo Metro, Battlestar Galactica, and Root First impressions and reviews of: Azul: Stained Glass, Teotihuacan, Forum Trajanum, Barrage, Underwater Cities, Smartphone Inc, Obsession. If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/bga), or using our Amazon affiliate li

We're getting ready for Pax this week and wanted to do something a little longer than the typical weekly episode, so we've revisited one of our more popular episodes from last year, reviewing the BGG Top 100.  To kick things off, we share our Question of the Week, courtesy of listener, Chris Jarvis, Would you rather see more licensed boardgames of big IPs from other media, such as film or video games, or do you prefer the hobby to build its own worlds and characters, like Near and Far, Forbidden Desert/Sky etc? Next up, we look at our acquisition disorders. Anthony kicks things off with Pandemic: Fall of Rome and then Chris looks at Luna, TMG's new Deluxified edition.  At the table this week, Anthony reviews Santa's Workshop and Colonies for Terraforming Mars, while Chris looks at Ultimate Werewolf Legacy and a dice tower from Altruistic. Finally, we dig back into the BGG Top 100, comparing it to where it was in October, 2017, and sharing whether we think the games on it now should rise, stay where they a

It's that time of year again - shopping!  To help everyone looking for gifts for the gamers and families in their lives, we've pulled together our 2018 holiday shopping guide, complete with more than 35 games released in 2018 that will be a good fit for your next game night or family get together.  First, we shared some of the recent games we've been playing. Anthony reviews the new Arthur expansion for Merlin and then shares at length about his newfound love for Keyforge. Chris reviews both Too Many Bones and its standalone sequel, Undertow.  Finally, to wrap things up, we share this year's holiday shopping guide.  Merlin: Arthur Expansion Review: 8:15 Keyforge Review: 16:40 Too Many Bones Review: 26:17 2018 Holiday Shopping Guide: 38:24 If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), Twitter (http://twitter.com/bgapodcast), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). You can support the show as well by donating on Patreon (www.patreon.com/

This week, we're trying things a little differently. We're looking at the top 10 countries based on games that use them in their theme. Check out which country-themes we like best.  Before that, though, we share the answers to the question of the week, "What's a game you love that has a mechanic you normally hate?" For our acquisition disorders, we look at Archmage Ascension and Patchwork Doodle, both games coming (hopefully) very soon.  At the table this week, Anthony reviews one of the hottest games out of Essen - Teotihuacan - and Chris looks at Smash Up: The Bigger Geekier Box and Smash Up: Oops, You Did It Again.  Finally, in our feature, we dig into ten countries that are used as the theme or backdrop for board games and rank them based on those games.  Question of the Week: 2:09 Acquisition Disorder: 8:11 Teotihuacan Review: 13:02 Smash Up: Oops, You Did It Again Review: 22:05 Smash Up: Bigger, Geekier Box Review: 26:04 Top 10 Countries Based on Their Games: 31:20 If you haven’t yet, be su

This week, Anthony and Chris look at six games you might like if you also like Coimbra.  Before kicking things off, though, we read answers to the question of the week from the listeners: What games do you pull out for big family gatherings like Thanksgiving? For our acquisition disorders, Anthony looks at Reavers of Midgard, the sequel to Champions of Midgard from Greyfox Games, and Chris looks at Glory: A Game of Knights, a recently highlighted game at Essen.  At the table, Anthony reviews Orbis and Rise of Queensdale, while Chris looks at Mystic Vale: Twilight Garden and Mystic Vale: Conclave.  Finally, in our feature, we look at six games that you might like for their dice drafting mechanics, if you also like Coimbra.  Question of the Week: 3:26 Acquisition Disorders: 6:42 Orbis Review: 13:55 Rise of Queensdale Review: 18:29 Mystic Vale: Twilight Garden Review: 32:40 Mystic Vale: Conclave Review: 37:52 If You Like Coimbra, Try: 43:04 If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with us on Facebook

This week, Anthony and Chris look at the hottest games from the Essen Spiel Geekbuzz list - discussing why they were hot, when and if we'll get a chance to play them, and what we're most excited to try.  Before we dive in, we look out our question of the week, discussing the answers our listeners gave to our question, "What's your favorite game that's at least 20 years old?" After this, for our acquisition disorders Anthony looks at Skulk Hollow from Pencil First Games, now on Kickstarter, and Chris looks at a recent Essen Spiel game, Kingdom Defenders. Reviewed at the table this week, Anthony looks at Dice Settlers, a new bag building game from David Turczi, and Chris looks at Wallet: Organized Crime at its Best, and Age of Thieves.  Finally, in our feature, we're looking at the top games from Essen Spiel and what we're most excited to try when they finally hit stateside.  Question of the Week: 9:52 Acquisition Disorders: 12:21 Dice Settlers Review: 18:07 Wallet Review: 26:48 Age of Thieves Review:

This week we're looking at games we love for the end of a long, arduous day, when there's no energy left to think or fight.  Before that, though, we remind everyone about our current ongoing contest. Click the link below and share your top games to enter a chance to win one of them from the final list. Contest ends on October 31! https://gleam.io/jwEDM/your-top-20-board-games-of-all-time For our question of the week, we asked everyone a similar question to our feature, " Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's that time of year again - time to look at the hottest games on BGG and try to figure out why they are there. Join us for a run down of the top 15 games on the Hotness list, what puts them there, and what you should be looking forward to.  Before that, though, we remind everyone about our current ongoing contest. Click the link below and share your top games to enter a chance to win one of them from the final list.  https://gleam.io/jwEDM/your-top-20-board-games-of-all-time For our question of the week, we asked the listeners, "What game do you love but find it very hard to get to the table regularly?" and we got a LOT of answers.  Acquisition disorders this week are a couple of pricy Kickstarter campaigns you likely haven't missed - Spirit Island: Jagged Earth for Anthony and Cloudspire for Chris.  At the table, we're reviewing Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, and Welcome to... Finally, check out our list of the 15 hottest games on BGG as of mid-October. Question of the Week: 5:07 Acquisi

Welcome to spooktacular October episodes! This week, we're delving deep into the very best of the best in mystery games, featuring our Top 10.  Before we dive in, though, make sure you take the time to enter our October contest - tell us your top 20 games and be entered for a chance to win one of the games on the final top 20 listener games list.  https://gleam.io/jwEDM/your-top-20-board-games-of-all-time First up on the episode, we asked our question of the week, "is there a set time each year you review and cull your collection, or is it more spontaneous (or for the hoarders among us, myself included, do you put it off indefinitely)?" For our acquisition disorders this week, Anthony is looking at the newest game from Alexander Pfister, Blackout: Hong Kong and Chris looks at Concordia Venus, a new spin on the Mac Gerdts modern classic.  At the Table, Anthony reviews both the new version of Manhattan, recently rereleased with beautiful new components, as well as CMON's Way of the Panda, a panda-filled

Contest Alert! Enter our Top 20 Listener Games contest to win a game from the final list: https://gleam.io/jwEDM/your-top-20-board-games-of-all-time This week, Anthony and Chris are looking at games you might like if you're a fan of Root and its blend of cute animals vying for woodland domination in the most unique wargame we've seen in a while.  To kick things off, we asked our question of the week: "What Kickstarter trick is most effective in getting you to back a game? (e.g. stretch goal exclusivity, early bird offers, reduced shipping, never going to retail, etc.) Which of these tricks is least effective for you?" Then, for acquisition disorders, Anthony looks at Food Chain Magnate: The Ketchup Mechanism & Other Ideas, while Chris looks at Key Flow, now on Kickstarter.  For our reviews this week, Anthony looks at a pair of quicker, lighter games in Fae and Pikoko while Chris dives deep into the expansion content currently available for Spirit Island - the Heart of the Wildfire & Serpent Slumbering Ben

If you're a long time role player or if you have a friend who would rather spend their evening playing D&D than a new board game you bring over, we have six games this week that might bridge that gap.  Before diving into the feature, we kick things off with our question of the week, asking you, the listeners, "What's the weirdest way and least expected strategy with which you've ever won a game?" For our acquisition disorders this week, Anthony looks at Periodic: A Game of the Elements, a new science game from Genius Games on Kickstarter, and Chris looks at Arthur, the first expansion for Stefan Feld's Merlin.  At the table this week, Anthony reviews Dwar7es Winter and Archmage, and Chris looks at Whistle Stop and its expansion, Rocky Mountains.  Finally, in our feature, we share six games you should check out if you're a big fan of RPGs or if you're trying to convert wayward friends to the board game fold.  Question of the Week: 4:39 Acquisition Disorders: 8:30 Dwar7es Winter Review: 13:45 Archmag

This week Chris and Anthony are discussing the hottest games currently on BGG to provide some insight on why they're there and what's upcoming.  First up, though, we have our question of the week, asking the listeners: "Between Two Cities of Mad King Ludwig was a pleasant surprise. What other games or game franchises would you like to see mashed together?" Next up, for acquisition disorders, Anthony looks at A Feast for Odin: Norwegians and Chris looks at Pearlbrook, the first expansion for Everdell, currently on Kickstarter.  At the table for our reviews this week, Anthony played both My Little Scythe and Blue Lagoon, and Chris played Reef Encounter and Blokus Duo.  Finally, in our feature, we look at the top 15 games currently on BoardGameGeek's hotness list.  Question of the Week: 3:03 Acquisition Disorders: 5:48 My Little Scythe Review: 12:18 Blue Lagoon Review: 22:15 Blokus Duo Review: 26:34 Reef Encounter Review: 28:24 BGG Hotness Review: 32:57 If you haven’t yet, be sure to connect with u