Board Game Hot Takes

In Episode 240 we discuss board games that have gotten a facelift. New productions, 2nd editions, and similar topics. We also discuss a poll about leaving game groups.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:29 Poll Time: Have you ever left a game group?10:54 Board Games That Get Facelifts13:45 Recent Examples - Castles of Burgundy, La Granja, Brass, Kemet, Cyclades, Irish Gauge, Ethnos, Acquire, Yokohama20:33 How we feel about this - Terraforming Mars, Agricola, Great Western Trail, The Castles of Burgundy, Mosaic, Manhattan Project: Energy Empire30:50 What would we want out of Agricola refresh - Agricola: Dead Harvest40:14 What Makeovers Do We Want - Gaia Project, Beyond the Sun, Le Havre, Quacks of Quedlinburg, The Expanse, Forbidden Stars47:55 Are big refreshes a problem because of price? - Agricola, Marrakesh, Foundations of Rome, Foundations of Metropolis, EclipseIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

In Episode 239 we each talk about 5 board games that we love but can run a little longer than they should. We also discuss a poll on publicly discussing your board game interests.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:55 Poll Time: How public are you about your board game love?12:08 Games we enjoy that can outstay their welcome12:28 Trailblazer: The Arizona Trail15:51 Kabuto Sumo19:57 Tapestry25:30 Lords of Xidit29:37 Dominant Species34:09 Final Girl37:27 Star Wars: Outer Rim41:38 Star Wars: Rebellion44:22 Harmonies49:43 Aquatica55:20 Wonderland's War58:16 Starship Captains1:02:52 Chimera Station1:05:43 Battlestar Galactica1:09:39 Auztralia1:14:10 Final ThoughtsIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

In Episode 238 we each talk about 5 board games that have the types and level of player interaction that we really like. We also discuss a poll on whether complexity and price should have a correlation.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:44 Poll Time: Do you correlate complexity with price?14:02 Player Interaction19:52 Parks (Agricola)25:35 Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Carnegie)30:31 Clans of Caledonia (Gaia Project)34:35 My Little Scythe (Wolves, Gaia Project, Sol: Last Days of a Star)40:01 Stockpile (Pan Am, Lancaster, Modern Art)45:24 Nidavellir (Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest)48:54 Great Wall (Lancaster)53:10 Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory56:44 Troyes1:01:00 Carcassonne (Barrage, Terraforming Mars)1:07:44 Baseball Highlights 2045 (Blood Rage, Magic: The Gathering)1:12:31 Rebirth (Tigris and Euphrates, Samurai, Blue Lagoon)1:17:17 Fractal (Rising Sun, Blood Rage, Dune, Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy, Battle for Rokugan)1:25:34 Bruxelles 1893 (Lancaster, Barrage)1:30:33 Final ThoughtsIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

In Episode 237 we give our hot take review on SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.We announce some board game giveaways and then talk about some games that have been on our tables including Dinosaur Island, Stockpile, Guild of Merchant Explorers, and Architects of the West Kingdom: Age of Artisans.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:20 Patreon Board Game Giveaways02:50 SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Description04:25 Gameplay and Mechanisms18:42 Production and Theme25:49 Final Thoughts37:21 Dinosaur Island44:46 Stockpile53:40 Guild of Merchant Explorers55:18 Architects of the West Kingdom: Age of ArtisansIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

In Episode 236 we discuss the decisions you make around setting up a game to make it the best possible experience for your game group including things like changes you make after random setup steps, how you pick asymmetric factions, and what expansions you add in.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:38 Curating board game setupIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205

In Episode 235 we give our hot take review on The Guild of Merchant Explorers covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.We discuss a poll on how tariffs might impact board game buying habits and we discuss some games that have been on our table including Skyrise, Black Forest, Belaad, Oh No Volcano, and Slay the Spire.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:22 Poll: If the percentage of prices on board games increase by double digits due to tariffs how much would that change your buying habits?07:26 The Guild of Merchant Explorers Description09:15 Gameplay and Mechanisms21:15 Production and Theme27:32 Final Thoughts32:42 Skyrise and Black Forest revisited37:42 Belaad: The Land of Swords and Quills46:32 Oh no, Volcano!50:51 Slay The Spire: The Board gameIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boardgamehottakesJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

In Episode 234 we look back at some hidden gems from 2015-2019. We each name a game that doesn't get discussed much anymore from each of these years and talk about why they deserve more attention. We also discuss some our listeners board game highlights from 2024 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:40 Listeners Top Picks from 2024 06:28 Top 5 Overlooked Games (2015-2019) 09:20 2015 - Chaosmos 12:20 2015 - Cthulhu Realms 16:17 2015 - Deep Space D6 20:07 2016 - Bloc By Bloc 23:01 2016 - Imhotep 27:03 2016 - Kingdomino 30:39 2017 - A Handful of Stars 33:44 2017 - Outlive 35:35 2017 - Godfather: Corleone's Empire 39:48 2018 - Space Corp: 2025-2300AD 42:51 2018 - Disney Villainous 49:16 2018 - Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig 51:50 2019 - Dreamscape 54:26 2019 - Chocolate Factory 57:17 2019 - Wavelength If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.social Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boardgamehottakes Join our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205 Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

In Episode 233 we give our hot take review on Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We discuss board game restaurants, pubs, and cafes and then discuss some games that have been on our table including Kanban EV, Troyes, and Shasn Azadi. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:10 Discussion: Board Game Pubs 08:33 Shackleton Base Description 11:33 Gameplay and Mechanisms 31:37 Production and Theme 38:53 Final Thoughts 44:24 Kanban EV 49:15 Troyes 54:46 Shasn: Azadi If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.social Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boardgamehottakes Join our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205 Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

In Episode 232 we take a look back at 2024 and discuss some of the great (and no so great) games we played last year. Some of them were even published last year. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 3:20 Biggest Surprises in 2024 11:59 Biggest Disappointments in 2024 21:28 Best New to Us in 2024 36:23 Best Production Published in 2024 45:36 Lookback at Best Games of 2023 47:37 Best Games of 2024 1:05:25 Most Played Games of 2024 1:14:07 Board Game Revelations 1:20:18 2024 BGG Rankings Forecast 1:29:12 Listener Shoutout If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.social Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boardgamehottakes Join our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205 Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

In Episode 331 we give our hot take review on Rats of Wistar covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We share poll results on buying games with the intent to sell them at a higher price and then discuss some games that have been on our table including Frozen Frontiers, Rebel Princess, and Dune: Imperium. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:25 Poll: Have you ever bought a game with the intention of flipping it, either for selling or trading it? 13:05 Rats of Wistar Description 15:12 Gameplay and Mechanisms 31:30 Production and Theme 38:50 Final Thoughts 42:54 Frozen Frontier 45:25 Rebel Princess 50:32 Dune: Imperium If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.social Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boardgamehottakes Join our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205 Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd