So Very Wrong About Games

Generally we here at SVWAG prefer sci-fi to fantasy, especially if it is of the general sort. There is something joyous about the weird flights of fancy that sci-fi can enable, such as Andromeda's Edge with its "Jelluloid Technoblorps." That said, there's something particularly odious about importing generic fantasy into your sci-fi, like space dwarves and space dragons--something Andromeda's Edge also does. Call it a wash. Games Played Last Week: 01:01 -Harmonies (Johan Benvenuto, Libellud, 2024) 02:14 -Dro Polter (Paul Schulz, Oink Games, 2023) 05:56 -Rise and Fall (Christophe Boelinger, Ludically, 2024) 11:26 -Planet Unknown (Ryan Lambert & Adam Rehberg, Adam's Apple Games, 2022) 16:27 -Undaunted 2200: Callisto (Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, Osprey, 2024) 18:18 -Irish Gauge (Amabel Holland, Capstone Games, 2019) 22:25 -Jekyll vs. Hyde (Geonil, Mandoo Games, 2021) 26:42 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, Allplay, 2024) 31:43 -Cthulhu: Death May Die--Fear of the Unknown (Rob Daviau, Eric M. Lang, and

If you replayed all the published SVWAG episodes back-back, it would take over 355 hours, or almost 15 days. This is not necessarily how we would recommend you spend your time. Indeed, for our purposes, we are equally wrong regardless of whether anyone is there to hear it; while we sometimes engage with Western philosophy due to Mark's academic background, the realm of the koan is beyond our purview.  Long story short, feel free to re-download all our episodes to your heart's content. I'm sure it would help us with some algorithm somewhere. 01:41 AYURIS: Autobahn (Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone, Alley Cat Games, 2022) Games Played Last Week: 05:06 -Harmonies (Johan Benvenuto, Libellud, 2024) 11:30 -Valka (Brooke Penrose, Terrible Games, 2024) 17:01 -Keep the Heroes Out!: Boss Battles (Luís Brueh, Brueh Games, 2024) 21:43 -Undaunted 2200: Callisto (Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, Osprey, 2024) 29:36 -CATAN: Starfarers Duel (Klaus Teuber and Benjamin Teuber, KOSMOS, 2023)  33:38 -Rise and Fall (Christo

I find so many mnemonics to be profoundly disappointing. Unless there's a structural element to tie the components together, a mnemonic will not serve to dispositively disambiguate a dyad.  I assure you, that lamentable bit of alliteration was unintentional. For example, "I before E except after C" also works qua slogan as "I after E except before C." There are the ones about beer and liquor, feeding or starving a cold, colour of the sky and sailors' states of mind... I recall the structure, but not which one goes with which. Relatedly, is there a mnemonic to remember how to spell mnemonic? Games Played Last Week: 02:27 -The Voyages of Marco Polo (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Hans im Gluck, 2015) 04:52 -Pulsar 2849 (Vladimír Suchý, CGE, 2017) 07:29 -Faiyum (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2020) 12:01 -MicroMacro: Crime City--All In (Johannes Sich, Edition Spielwiese, 2022) 14:45 -Who's the Banana? (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi Games, 2009) 17:07 -Rats of Wistar (Simone Luciani and Danilo Sabia, Cranio Creations,

Solidarity, dear listeners, on this most august September Labour Day. Of course, Labour Day is the labour holiday invented for the US and Canada so as to undermine global solidarity. Nearly everywhere else celebrates International Workers' Day instead. One must marvel at the ingenuity of inventing Labour Day so as to undermine global labour solidarity.  02:29 AYURIS: Rolling Heights (John D. Clair, AEG, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 06:59 -Harmonies (Johan Benvenuto, Libellud, 2024) 09:49 -Flowerfall (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2012) 11:51 -MicroMacro: Crime City--All In (Johannes Sich, Edition Spielwiese, 2022) 12:29 -Who's the Banana? (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi Games, 2009) 14:52 -Dodo (Frank Bebenroth and Marco Teubner, MOSMOS, 2020) 19:00 -Life in Reterra (Ken Gruhl and Eric M. Lang, Hasbro, 2024) 21:48 -Windmill Valley (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2024) 25:12 -Ra (Reiner Knizia, alea, 1999) 28:28 -River of Gold (Keith Piggott, Office Dog, 2024) 33:06 -Spectral (Ryan Courtney, Bitewing Games, 2024) 37:07 -Barg

Some important editorial notes! -the game walker mentioned is Völuspá, and no we don't know what work those accents are doing; -SVWAG does not engage in the eating of seal meat (no one's thought to offer, really); -we hope that Undaunted 2200: Callisto will follow in Battle of Britain's excellent example of having a badass Sikh pilot. Games Played Last Week: 01:02 -Nocturne (David Iezzi, Flatout Games, 2024)  03:24 -Cosmic Encounter (Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, Bill Norton, Peter Olotka, and Kevin Wilson, Fantasy Flight, 2008) 12:20 -Spectral (Ryan Courtney, Bitewing Games, 2024) 15:13 -The Edge: Dawnfall (Michał Oracz, Krzysztof Piskorski, and Marcin Świerkot, Awaken Realms, 2018) 22:20 -Darwin’s Journey (Simone Luciani and Nestore Mangone, ThunderGryph Games, 2023) 24:50 -Life in Reterra (Ken Gruhl and Eric M. Lang, Hasbro, 2024) 28:06 -Undaunted: Battle of Britain (Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2023) News (and why it doesn't matter): 34:55 English Sakura Arms now owned by Japanime Ga

The full title of the Spider Lord is Spider the Third, by the Grace of God of the Unfinished Basement, Canada and His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Subterranean, Defender of the Faith. 01:56 AYURIS: Ginkgopolis (Xavier Georges, Pearl Games, 2012) Games Played Last Week: 05:02 -Knarr (Thomas Dupont, Bombyx, 2023) 08:12 -Primal: The Awakening (Tommaso Mondadori and Alberto Parisi, Reggie Games, 2024) 12:55 -Beowulf: The Legend (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2005) 19:19 -Pavlov's House (David Thompson, Dan Verssen Games, 2018) 23:26 -Deep Rock Galactic (Ole Steiness, MOOD Publishing, 2022) 24:47 -Capital Lux 2: Generations (Eilif Svensson & Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2020) 29:17 -Trolls & Princesses (Pim Thunborg, Game Brewer, 2023) 32:21 -Dro Polter (Paul Schulz, Oink Games, 2023) 36:47 -Gnome Hollow (Ammon Anderson, Levity Games, 2024) News (and why it doesn't matter): 42:22 Board Game Arena: Gnome Hollow, Orleans, Darwin's Journey 43:47 Flickering Stars: sci-fi dexterity by Matt Leaco

It is Festivus once again here at SVWAG, where we shall once again vent our collective spleen over features of games that irk us. Sometimes we will assert that our umbrage is righteous and ought to be shared, and other times we will concede we are merely motivated by idiosyncratic pique. Our feelings, in either case, shall not be denied. 00:46 AYURIS: Beowulf: The Legend (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2005) Games Played Last Week: 04:21 -Terminus (Earl Aspiras and Tom Volpe, Inside Up Games, 2024) 08:53 -For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game (Wilhelm Su, Self-published, 2021) 12:41 -Deep Rock Galactic (Ole Steiness, MOOD Publishing, 2022) 15:15 -Harvest (Trey Chambers, Keymaster Games, 2024) 20:44 -Assault on Doomrock: Ultimate Edition (Tom Stasiak, Beautiful Disaster Games, 2023) 24:46 -Tribune (Karl-Heinz Schmiel, Spielworxx, 2021) 29:18 -Charioteer (Matt Calkins, GMT Games, 2022) News (and why it doesn't matter): 33:59 Peacemakers: Horrors of War, a promising sequel to Dawn of the Peacemakers 35:27 Quarterma

Who is this Wilmot? What wares is he housing? Few answers are offered. We are merely told, rather imperiously, that we work at his warehouse. Sure, we have weekends off, but on occasion the fickle demiurge Wilmot commands us to speak in monosyllable, or move seats, or hide secrets from our colleagues. One shudders to imagine what terrible fate befalls those foolhardy enough to flout his edicts. Games Played Last Week: 00:41 -Terminus (Earl Aspiras and Tom Volpe, Inside Up Games, 2024) 10:15 -Hour of Need (Adam Sadler & Brady Sadler, Blacklist Games, 2022) 13:40 -Animal Upon Animal (Klaus Miltenberger, HABA, 2005) 14:01 -Ghost Blitz (Jacques Zeimet, Zoch Verlag, 2010) 14:50 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Games, 2022) 15:45 -Spirit Island: Nature Incarnate (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2023) 21:39 -Robinson Crusoe: Collector's Edition (Joanna Kijanka and Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal Games, 2024) 28:29 -Slay the Spire: The Board Game (Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, and Casey Yano, Cont

We here at SVWAG take pains to differentiate between two conflated ideas. We say "approachable" for rulesets that are easily learned and internalized, reserving the similar-sounding term "accessible" to refer to games that are usable for people with disabilities. Relatedly, MICHAEL WALKER IS BACK. 02:43 AYURIS: Oak (Wim Goossens, Game Brewer, 2022)   Games Played Last Week: 04:25 -Friday (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2011) 07:12 -Fast Sloths (Friedemann Friese, 2F-SPiele, 2019) 10:56 -Ghost Blitz Mini (Jacques Zeimet, Zoch Verlag, 2010) 12:11 -For Sale (Stefan Dorra, Uberplay, 1997) 13:52 -Primal: The Awakening (Tommaso Mondadori and Alberto Parisi, Reggie Games, 2024) 18:19 -Corporate America (Teale Fristoe, Nothing Sacred Games, 2013) 23:10 -Guards of Atlantis II (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2022) 25:57 -Arcs (Cole Wehrle, Leder Games, 2024) 33:00 -Slay the Spire: The Board Game (Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, and Casey Yano, Contention Games, 2024)  35:33 -Combat Commander: Europe (Chad Jense

Our guest host this week is the estimable Mark Besada of the Golden Geek Award-winning podcast, Board Game Barrage! Known as the Green Tank because he is more swole than the Hulk (rumours persist that Lou Ferrigno learned all he knew about bodybuilding from Mark), he nonetheless exudes generosity and hospitality.  Unless you throw down in Ghost Blitz, that is. Then it's Go Time.    Games Played Last Week: 02:31 -Skytear Horde: Monoliths (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2024) 07:39 -Lords of Scotland (Richard James, Z-Man Games, 2010) 11:27 -Slay the Spire: The Board Game (Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, and Casey Yano, Contention Games, 2024) [EDIT: The "Ironclad" character was erroneously referred to as the Ironborn. We apologize for the error and look forward to your many, many correction emails] 17:11 -Distilled (Dave Beck, Paverson Games, 2023) 21:51 -RelicBlade: Adventure Battle Game (Sean Sutter, Metal King Studio, 2015) 30:23 -Sky Team (Luc Rémond, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2023) 34:05 -G

Our next guest host during Michael Walker's recovery is Efka Bladukas, half of No Pun Included! Efka is an internationally-renowned board game critic and dog enthusiast, known for his detestation of whimsy and tireless tolerance of Mark's yammerings. He once split a mountain in twain with his bare hands while simultaneously inventing cold fusion, but he's so humble he'll probably deny it--which is proof positive that it's all true. Games Played Last Week: 01:37 -Captain Flip (Remo Conzadori and Paolo Mori, PlayPunk, 2024) 08:30 -In the Footsteps of Darwin (Grégory Grard and Matthieu Verdier, Sorry We Are French, 2023) 13:31 -It’s a Wonderful World: Corruption & Ascension (Frédéric Guérard, La Boîte de Jeu, 2020) 17:34 -Cascadero (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2024) 22:03 -Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Scrawlers--Heroes of Waterdeep (Vangelis Bagiartakis and Konstantinos Karagiannis, WizKids, 2023) 27:27 -Power Vacuum (Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher, Keen Bean Studio, 2024) 39:03 -Leviathan Wilds (Justin Kemppainen, Moo

Our first guest host while Michael Walker is recovering is James de Moss, aka Jimbo! Many a human being has become lost in the deep recesses of Jimbo's sonorous voice, and thus one must take care lest you become consumed by his powerful charisma. Jimbo brings his extensive experience of digital board games, and board game adaptations, to SVWAG. 02:29 AYURIS: Planet Unknown Games Played Last Week: 06:13 -Skytear Horde: Monoliths (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2024) 09:32 -Mythwind (Nathan Lige and Brendan McCaskell, Open Owl Studios, 2023) 12:10 -Slay the Spire: The Board Game (Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, and Casey Yano, Contention Games, 2024) 15:07 -Sentinels of the Multiverse (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011) 22:50 -Marshmallow Test (Reiner Knizia, Gamewright, 2020) 26:20 -Primal: The Awakening (Tommaso Mondadori and Alberto Parisi, Reggie Games, 2024) 37:33 -Oak (Wim Goossens, Game Brewer, 2022) 39:50 -Gaia Project (Jens Drögemüller &

One of the under-appreciated virtues of an auction game is that each session can provide its own economy. While daunting to new players, who don't know what things might be worth, their flailing speculation actually helps determine what things are worth. If they buy that share of red for a squillion moneys, guess what, that is what that market would bear. At least for now, that is. Some jerk might then get the next share for two cents and a smile, but watching those economies develop differently every time is part of the magic. Games Played Last Week: 01:22 -Snow Planner (Akashi, Soragame Studio, 2024) 04:24 -That's Not a Hat (Kasper Lapp, Ravensburger, 2023) 05:45 -Guards of Atlantis II (Artyom Nichipurov, Wolff Designa, 2022) 10:27 -Iberian Gauge (Amabel Holland, Capstone Games, 2017) 18:17 -Medici (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 1995) 23:08 -CATAN: Starfarers Duel (Klaus Teuber and Benjamin Teuber, KOSMOS, 2023)  28:46 -Mythwind (Nathan Lige and Brendan McCaskell, Open Owl Studios, 2023) News (and why it doesn't

While we pride ourselves on our internationalist focus here at SVWAG, we have been remiss in our multilingualism lately. While we reliably rendezvous with French on a semi-regular basis, a skosh of Japanese here and there, a quantum of Latin periodically, and whatever language AYURIS pretends to be, our Spanish could use some work. We thus devote ourselves to utter three whole words of Spanish in this episode. 01:30 AYURIS: Dwellings of Eldervale (Luke Laurie, Breaking Games, 2020) Games Played Last Week: 03:36 -Federation (Dimitri Perrier and Matthieu Verdier, Explor8, 2022) 06:40 -Successors 4th Edition (Richard H. Berg and Mark Simonitch, PHALANX, 2022) 12:10 -Knarr (Thomas Dupont, Bombyx, 2023) 13:13 -TRICKTAKERs (Hiroken, Joyple Games, 2021) [EDIT: Mark mistakenly claimed that there is no English edition, but this is incorrect] 16:40 -Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan (Gordon Calleja, Mighty Boards, 2024) 22:03 -The Plum Island Horror (Hermann Luttmann, GMT Games, 2023) 26:36 -Sky Team (Luc Rémond, Le Scor

All I need to know about animal reproduction I learned from Uwe Rosenberg. I suspect many people have The Talk, which in my case was my father teaching me how to play Agricola. Navigating my twenties in utter ignorance wasn't easy, but now that Uwe has told me about the birds and the bees (and the sheep and the pigs and the cows) via Agricola I'm practically a biologist. 01:25 AYURIS: Dead Reckoning (John D. Clair, Alderac Entertainment Group, 2022) Games Played Last Week: 05:10 -Tigris & Euphrates (Reiner Knizia, Hans im Gluck, 1997) 09:12 -Antike II (Mac Gerdts, PD-Verlag, 2015) 11:32 -That's Not a Hat (Kasper Lapp, Ravensburger, 2023) 16:26 -Galactic Renaissance (Christian Martinez, Matagot, 2024) 21:56 -The Vale of Eternity (Eric Hong, Mandoo Games, 2023) 23:58 -Meeple Circus (Cedric Millet, Matagot, 2017) 27:31 -Mythwind (Nathan Lige and Brendan McCaskell, Open Owl Studios, 2023) 30:48 -Titans Tactics (G. Kelly Toyama, Imbalanced Games, 2013) News (and why it doesn't matter): 33:59 Please support us o

After a prolonged period where we have not discussed Kramer & Kiesling (the Kramer & Ulrich duo yielded El Grande, which we mention rather frequently), here we see a bumper krop of K&K kollaborations. The gibbons are fickle, and even the mighty Wolfgang and Michael must yield to their whims. But fortune (and apes) have at last smiled on them, and we revel in the classic Euro goodness as well as their more recent offering. Games Played Last Week: 01:05 -Monikers (Alex Hague and Justin Vickers, CMYK, 2015) 05:34 -Java (Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer, Ravensburger, 2000) 11:31 -Tikal (Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer, Ravensburger, 1999) 13:31 -Wandering Towers (Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer, ABACUSSPIELE, 2022) 18:30 -Morgan's Magic Map (Gian Andrea Cappuzzo, Rio Grande Games, 2023) 20:17 -Tiny Towns (Peter McPherson, Alderac Entertainment Group, 2019) 22:08 -Sniper Elite: The Board Game (Roger Tankersly & David Thompson, Rebellion Unplugged, 2022) 25:43 -Earthborne Rangers (Andrew Fischer, Br

In the vast panoply of human misfortunes, it is often fruitless to try to rank misery. Was historical tragedy X worse or better than atrocity Y? It seems callous to ask. That said, thanks to the applied research of a retired ethicist with the aid of Reiner Knizia's Zoo Vadis, we have conclusively discovered that it is better to be extorted by a marmoset than assaulted by an armadillo. Thus is human knowledge expanded. 01:01 AYURIS: Heroscape (Stephen Baker, Rob Daviau, & Craig Van Ness, Hasbro, 2004) Games Played Last Week: 05:30 -Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor (Cornelius Cremin, Pawel Mazur, & Dirk Sommer, Nemesis.Games, 2021) 10:23 -Zoo Vadis (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2023) 15:53 -Marabunta (Reiner Knizia, Space Cowboys, 2023) 22:35 -Feed the Kraken (Maikel Cheney, Dr. Hans Joachim Höh, and Tobias Immich, Funtails, 2022) 26:19 -La Granja: Deluxe Master Set (Michael Keller and Andreas "ode." Odendahl, Board&Dice, 2023) 31:30 -Sand (Ariel Di Costanzo and Javier Pelizzari, Devir, 2024) News (and

Before the people of Quebec celebrated the Journée nationale des Patriotes (National Patriots' Day), they instead on the same day had the Fête de Dollard. A cynic might speculate that the timing of these holidays was chosen so as to pre-empt the English Canadian Victoria Day, and that cynic would be right. Games Played Last Week: 01:21 -Dice Flick (Rami Gaber, Pegasus Spiele, 2021)  04:49 -A Message from the Stars (Clarence Simpson, Allplay, 2024) 11:21 -Switchbacks (Susumu Kawasaki, Allplay, 2022) 14:23 -Mage Knight: The Board Game (Vlaada Chvatil, WizKids, 2011) 18:29 -Leviathan Wilds (Justin Kemppainen, Moon Crab Games, 2024) 19:32 -Priorities (Uncredited, Clarendon Games, 2020) 22:11 -Word Traveler (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Office Dog, 2024) 25:59 -Cascadito (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2024) News (and why it doesn't matter): 28:27 Grail Games will be reprinting Marc André's Barony with its Sorcery expansion 28:53 Indonesia reprint from Splotter with a new board 29:51 Black Forest from Tido Lorenz

It is striking that no one submitted a question regarding the hues of our auras, so allow us to address the issue here and declare that amber is the colour of our energy. I regret nothing. 01:39 AYURIS: Capital Lux 2: Generations (Eilif Svensson & Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2020) Games Played Last Week: 03:46 -G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game: Raise the Flagg Campaign Expansion (T.C. Petty III, Renegade Game Studios, 2023) 07:10 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, Allplay, 2024) 11:27 -Leviathan Wilds (Justin Kemppainen, Moon Crab Games, 2024) 14:14 -Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Scrawlers--Heroes of Waterdeep (Vangelis Bagiartakis and Konstantinos Karagiannis, WizKids, 2023) 16:44 -Set a Watch (Mike Gnade and Todd Walsh, Rock Manor Games, 2019) 20:52 -Mysterium Park (Oleksandr Nevskiy and Oleg Sidorenko, Libellud, 2020) 24:08 -Biohack (Yofiandhy D Indrayana, uchibacoya, 2024) 30:05 -Mage Knight: The Board Game (Vlaada Chvatil, WizKids, 2011) 32:31 -Word Traveler (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Office Do

There is only one novel and commendable Kant pun, delivered in the novel and commendable film Hedwig and the Angry Inch: "I got kicked out of university after delivering a brilliant lecture on the aggressive influence of German philosophy on rock and roll, entitled, 'You, Kant, Always Get What You Want.'" 01:41 AYURIS: Mosaic: A Story of Civilization (Glenn Drover, Forbidden Games, 2022) Games Played Last Week: 04:11 -Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs (Joe Klipfel and Nikki Valens, Cephalofair Games, 2024) 07:59 -Scrap (Kenny Michael-Otton, Jolly Swagman Games, 2023) 14:52 -Biohack (Yofiandhy D Indrayana, uchibacoya, 2024) 18:42 -Leviathan Wilds (Justin Kemppainen, Moon Crab Games, 2024) 23:44 -Wolves (Connor Alexander, Coyote & Crow LLC, 2024) 33:57 -Dungeon Fighter: Second Edition (Aureliano Buonfino, Lorenzo Silva, and Lorenzo Tucci Sorrentino, Horrible Guild, 2021) News (and why it doesn't matter): 38:42 Mythic Battles goes to Egypt 40:07 Vote for the Golden Geek and for the Deutsche Spiele Preis (DSP) awards