Game Brain: A Board Game Podcast About Our Gaming Group

Tom, Paul, and Elder talk about recent plays of "Food Chain Magnate" and "Space Station Phoenix" and then games they would play for the rest of their lives.  Plus, Tom has more news from Essen.

Matt, Tom, Ben and Dmitry discuss the 2022 release "Skymines" (aka Moon-basa) as well as preview their most anticipated games of Essen 2022 and give four Essen games a brief "rulebook review". 

Tom, Trey, Paul, and Ben discuss the 2019 release "Western Empires" as well as "On Mars," "Ticket to Ride," "Viticulture," and "Food Chain Magnate."

Ben and Matt revisit Grand Austria Hotel with the Let's Waltz expansion before doing a deep dive with their initial impressions of the 2022 release John Company, Second Edition by Cole Wehrle.  Afterwards, they discuss the expectations they carry — perhaps unfairly — into a game night.

Now that we've finally notched some in-person plays The Transcontinental and Carnegie, we share our thoughts about what's changed in person versus online.  Plus, we talk about the modular game boards that pique our interest and recent plays of Tzolkin, Fresh Fish, and Ethnos.

00:00:00 Introduction: A discussion of Cossacks and the Steppe00:04:30 Avalon Poll results and discussionTom calls our listeners "trolls" and compares them to the "Silent Majority."00:08:20 Game NightHighly abbreviated Avalon discussion00:09:30 WormholesTrajanMore highly abbreviated Avalon talk wiithout talking about the actual game.Underwater CitiesBen does a Paul impression. Tom does a Mike impressionThe first of many discussions about minks, ermines, sables, stoats, and ferrets00:24:25 Great Western Trail: Argentina18Chesapeake00:43:00 Lacrimosa00:47:45 DaybreakPandemic: Rising Tide00:58:30 Vegas ShowdownLords of VegasJames Ernest / Cheapass Games / Crab Fragment LabsBlock and Key01:13:30 Review: Stroganov - designed by Andreas Steadingapologies to Andreas Steading for calling him Andreas SteadlingDarwin's JourneyThe Transcontinental01:58:40 Outro

Ben, Candice, and Paul review "1848: Australia" and then discuss how to demystify the 18xx genre.0:00;00 - Introduction: Welcome Ben, Omnigamer Candice and Gamebreaker Paul: Railways of Australia, 1848, 18xx, Avalon, Tank Duel, TI4, Die Macher, Tribune0:09:07 - This Week’s Game Night: Eclipse; Eclipse: Second Dawn; (TI) Tzolk’in (Tribes expansion) Pax Pamir 2nd ed, The Climbers, (Santiago) Railways of the World Async on BGA (Eastern America Map) Pictomania, 2nd ed, (Through the Ages, Pictionary) Telestrations after Dark, Top Ten, Destinies, (Sagrada, Clank, Clank: Legacy) 18 Ireland, 1817,0:41:41 - Game News: Village Big Box, Stonewall Uprising,(Twilight Struggle)0:46:37 - Games on the Brain: Hegemony, Stonewall Uprising, 1979: The Iranian Revolution, Free at Last, 1941: The Race to Moscow,  Black Orchestra, Labyrinth: The War on Terror, Wings for the Baron, Wonderland Tour (Quacks of Quedlinburg Heaven and Ale) 1;07:42 - Review of 1848 Australia:  1822 PNW, 1846, 1830, 1889, 1817, 18 Chesapeake2:02:22 - Falling in love with 18xx: Agricola, Ticket to Ride, 18 Ireland, 18 Chesapeake,18 Los Angeles, 1822, Railways of the World, Brass, 1846, 1817, Age of Steam, 1882, 1840, Vienna, 1829, 1889, 1849, 1862, 1872, 18xx.games2;48:22 - Sign Off: Taking a Break

Ben and Paul make up for episodes of neglected game sommelier segments with this mega roundup of questions we're overdue to answer.0:00:00 - Introduction: Welcome Ben and Paul 0:04;39 - This Week’s Game Night: 1848, Dice Realms, Taverns of Tiefenthal, (Russian Railroads) 18Ireland 0:23:11 - Board Game Sommelier0:24:10: Games for an Adult Community: Scrabble, Catan, Wavelength, Tichu, Telestrations, Ticket to Ride, 6 Nimmt, A Fake Artist Goes to New York, Just One, Concordia, Mahjong0:32:10 - Games for Newish Players who value Player Interaction:  Fresh Fish, Innovation, Concordia, Crisis, Gunkimono, Voluspa, Santorini, Twilight Struggle0:44:20 - Games/Designers that Suggest a Player who likes them  is a good or bad fit for the group: Sagrada, Catan, Arkwright, 18xx, Brass, Twilight Imperium, Foundations of Rome, Cards Against Humanity, Werewolf, Mafia, Avalon, Secret Hitler, Code Names, Decrypto, Ticket to Ride, 18Chesapeake, Age of Steam, Otello, Exploding Kittens1:03:05 - Economic Games with Player-Driven Economies (for train game and Splotter enthusiasts): Lowlands, Hegemony, Modern Art, Bohnanza, Navagador, Clans of Caledonia, Food Chain Magnate, Brass, Kraftwagen, Art Decko1:11:28 - Games that Hold Up: Taverns of Tiefenthal, Carnegie; and that don’t: Art Decko, Bitoku; and maybe both; Russian Railroads; Brick and Mortar1:17:30 - Six Player Games:  (like Architects of the West Kingdom and Libertalia, but not Dune) Quartermaster General, Railways of the World, Tribune, Keyflower, Key to the City: London, Medici, Viticulture (Tuscany), Thunder Alley1:24:26 - Shag, Marry, Kill: Barrage, 18xx, Avalon1:31:09 - Sign Off: @kirbooloni.com

0:00:00 - Introduction: Welcome Tom, Candice and Mike0:09:57 - This Week’s Game Night: Carnegie Deluxe (Gingkopolis, Carson City, Troyes,) Time of Crisis, (Railways of the World) Battle for Rokogon, Dale of Merchants, (El Grande, Babylonia, Wiz War)0:30:00-  Game News: BGG Con 2022, (Ark Nova, Messina) Cat in the Box, Undaunted: Stalingrad, Undaunted: Reinforcements, (Undaunted: Normandy, Undaunted: Africa) San Francisco, War of the Ring: The Card Game (Hunt for the Ring, Successors)0:49:34 - Time of Crisis Review: Age of Iron and Rust Expansion, Twilight Imperium1:35:45 - The Joys of Hand Management: Dominion, Dune Imperium, Terraforming Mars, Ark Nova, Race for the Galaxy, Twilight Struggle, Undaunted Normandy; Everdell, Scout, Bohnanza, Glory to Rome, Hand in the Sea, Arboretum, (Art Decko, Modern Art) Time of Crisis, Mumbasa/Sky Mine, Friedrich, Maria, Terraforming Mars: Prelude, Dual Powers (Labyrinth, Twilight Struggle,) Pax Porfiriana, Twilight Struggle, (Agricola, Gloomhaven) Star Wars: the Card Game, Taj Mahal2:21:36 - Sign Off: Kirbooloni.com