Board Game Barrage

Epizodes

• #364: Mechanism Matchup 02.07.2026 1h 10min

  There are two board game mechanisms you just can't escape, they're on everyone's mind, flooding the discourse. That's combat, and card draw mitigation. Everyone won't stop talking about them. So we had to weigh in too, not just with what we feel are the best examples of games that have done them best, but some other quirky takes on them too. Before we mitigate our card draws, we talk about Rolling Deep, Eureka!, dnup, and Grinivil. 03:59 - Rolling Deep 15:12 - Eureka! 16:48 - dnup 24:48 - Grinivil 40:10 - Combat mechanisms 41:07 - Kemet 45:00 - Dune 48:40 - Shogun 52:42 - Forbidden Stars 53:51 - Dead Reckoning 54:48 - Gloomhaven 55:12 - Card draw mitigation 56:09 - Dark Pact 57:19 - La Granja 58:26 - Glory to Rome 59:58 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization 1:02:07 - Race for the Galaxy 1:02:57 - 7 Wonders Duel 1:06:28 - The Vale of Eternity Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #363: The Dark Depths of Mailbag 18.06.2026 1h

  It's been a while since we've plumbed the depths of the bottomless chasm we call "fanmail", so this week we're reaching our hands as far as we can and pulling out some questions that have yet to see the light of say. Before we dig too greedily and too deep, we talk about Politrickers, Marvel Champions: The Card Game, and Banana Governance. 02:19 - Politrickers 10:47 - Marvel Champions: The Card Game 19:13 - Banana Governance 30:33 - Minimum expectations with new players? 40:59 - "Late to the Party" games? 47:19 - Stuff that we're looking forward to! 47:45 - The Danes 56:57 - Purple Haze Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #362: Hot Takes About Board Games 04.06.2026 57min

  The people demand takes, so get 'em while they're hot. We're weighing in on some possibly bad, certainly edgy opinions, and deciding where we land (spoiler: we're always right). Before we get heated, we talk about Diplomacy: The Golden Blade, and Cozy Stickerville. 01:46 - Diplomacy: The Golden Blade 12:33 - Cozy Stickerville 25:41 - Hot takes! 26:11 - Co-op games are just single player games with an audience 32:01 - Catch Up mechanics ruin competitive integrity 37:39 - Legacy games are a predatory waste of money 41:22 - If a game takes more than 30 minutes to teach, it's a bad design 45:56 - Player elimination is actually a good mechanism 47:36 - Hidden victory points are a cowardly design choice 51:38 - Gateway games Like Catan or Monopoly should be actively avoided 52:44 - House ruling a game means you bought the wrong game 53:10 - Theme is a myth 54:13 - Kickstarter deluxe editions are actively ruining the hobby Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #361: Collaborative Draft: Games of 2016 21.05.2026 1h 7min

  We had such fun collaboratively coming up with our definitive Top 50 list back in December, that we've decided to do it again. In the spirit of award season, we're celebrating the games of yesteryear, or yester-ten-years to be precise. It's the definitive best games of 2016, as decided cooperatively by us! Before we come together, we talk about Shady Lady, In the Shadows: Resistance in France 1943 - 1944, and Duel for Cardia. 03:02 - Shady Lady 09:58 - In the Shadows: Resistance in France 1943 - 1944 20:25 - Duel for Cardia 27:12 - Games of 2016 32:28 - Krazy Wordz 35:00 - New Angeles 37:20 - The Oracle of Delphi 39:50 - Great Western Trail 42:06 - Scythe 44:40 - Fuji Flush 46:38 - A Feast for Odin 51:42 - Insider 53:48 - Inis 55:57 - SiXeS Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #360: Guessing Golden Geeks Galore 07.05.2026 59min

  It's long been said that we're the foremost experts in knowing which way the awards winds blow, so we're putting our talents to use guessing, nay, predicting, nay, deciding who the winners in the Golden Geeks are going to be. Before we geek out, we talk about Chronicles of Crime: 2400, Quarto, and Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon. 04:07 - Chronicles of Crime: 2400 12:00 - Quarto 16:13 - Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon 30:16 - Golden Geeks 2025 Travel Games UK: https://www.travel-games.co.uk/ Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #359: Top Brass 23.04.2026 59min

  There are big spiky moments that happen in the meta that is the board game hobby, and the Brass: Pittsburgh crowdfunding campaign feels like one of them. It is after all, a successor to the #1 ranked game on BGG. That's something! Enough so that it sent Mark into a bit of an existential spiral, and we're here to talk him down. Before we catch a falling Wallace, we talk about Hummingbirds, Fendo, and Soothsayers. 06:59 - Hummingbirds 14:44 - Fendo 18:53 - Soothsayers 29:23 - Brass: Pittsburgh crowdfunding Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #358: Our Listeners' Top 20 Board Games of All-Time 2026 09.04.2026 1h 1min

  Oh man, oh man, it's time that we ask you (yes, you) to tell us (yes, us) what your favourite games are, because for one time a year, it doesn't matter what we think about games, but you better be ready to tell us what you think about games. A lot of you did, so here it is, the listener top 20! Before we ask you to do all the work, we talk about Emberheart, Gods & Mortals, and Feya's Swamp. 01:30 - Emberheart 14:11 - Gods & Mortals 23:46 - Feya's Swamp 37:14 - A Feast for Odin 37:55 - Agricola 38:32 - Terraforming Mars 39:17 - Guards of Atlantis II 40:09 - Concordia 42:05 - Tigris & Euphrates 43:16 - Blood on the Clocktower 44:00 - El Grande 44:47 - The Castles of Burgundy 46:12 - Inis 47:38 - Race for the Galaxy 48:06 - Arcs 49:08 - Ark Nova 49:30 - Root 50:06 - Innovation 51:11 - Spirit Island 52:05 - Ra 52:51 - Brass: Birmingham 53:26 - Dune: Imperium 54:04 - Hansa Teutonica Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #357: We Played a Mass of Games! 26.03.2026 1h 8min

  We made it back in one piece, and all told I think we did pretty well! We got through a heck of a lot of what we wanted to play, and we're here to tell you all about it - including Dark Pact, Totally Human, and Banana Governance, and more! 02:36 - Totally Human 14:04 - Dark Pact 20:56 - Gold Country 28:21 - Staked! 32:58 - Secret Tribe 41:34 - Habemus Papam 50:11 - 3 Chapters 55:22 - Banana Governance 01:02:29 - Hellapagos Submit your games for the Listener Top 20 at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/top20 Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #356: On the Road Again 12.03.2026 47min

  By the time you're listening to this, we're probably already in Vegas for Dice Tower West! We're going to hang about all day playing games - which naturally leads to the question of what we're going to play? These are the games we came up with! Before we bite off more than we can chew, we talk about Ghost Lift, Cities, and I, Napoleon. 02:31 - Ghost Lift 08:13 - Cities 14:06 - I, Napoleon 24:40 - Dice Tower West anticipated games 26:05 - Biblios 27:04 - Feya's Swamp / Kaivai 28:26 - Cheese Thief 29:03 - Habemus Papam 31:15 - Wroth 33:33 - Greed Incorporated 35:39 - Dark Pact 38:45 - Secret Tribe 39:52 - Eternal Decks 41:03 - All In: Predictions 42:04 - Cthulhu: Dark Providence 44:14 - Robo Rally Dice Submit your games for the Listener Top 20 at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/top20 Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #355: Anticipation Auction: Games of 2026 26.02.2026 1h 21min

  I think it's fair to say that we crushed this last year (although some of us better than others), so it's only correct and right that we should return to do it again. What are the best games of 2026 going to be? Well, only we know, but we're willing to part with that information. Get your fat stacks ready. Before we set ourselves up for failure, we talk about Alibis, Mosaic: A Story of Civilization, and Cyclades: Legendary Edition. 03:02 - Alibis 09:18 - Mosaic: A Story of Civilization 23:25 - Cyclades: Legendary Edition 36:27 - Anticipation Auction 2026 41:18 - The Game Makers 44:25 - Cozy Stickerville 46:39 - Brass: Pittsburgh 50:35 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Trick-taking Game 54:04 - Revenant 56:21 - World Order 59:31 - Dark Pact 1:02:28 - The Great Library 1:03:56 - Spirited 1:05:25 - Realm of Reckoning 1:08:55 - Avalon: The Riven Veil 1:12:57 - La Pâtisserie Rococo 1:14:24 - Nippon: Zaibatsu 1:17:24 - Rewild: South America 1:18:44 - Movers & Shakers Submit your games for the Listener Top 20 at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/top20 Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #354: Don't Call It a Comeback 12.02.2026 58min

  All of this has happened before and will happen again. Everything comes back around, including games you could swear you've played before. Whether they're remakes, reimplimentations, or rejuvenations, we're tackling the world of board game revivals. Before what's old is new, we talk about Agent Avenue, 7 Empires, and Stellar Ventures. 02:24 - Agent Avenue 07:25 - 7 Empires 18:26 - Stellar Ventures 33:52 - Remakes 39:01 - Blood on the Clocktower 40:55 - Zoo Vadis 48:03 - Dune: Imperium - Uprising 54:14 - A Feast for Odin Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #353: Getting it Just Right 29.01.2026 47min

  Sometimes you know the type of game you want to play, just not exactly which game quite fits the bill. Is that heavy Euro too heavy? That deck builder not builder-y enough? Before we sit down with Goldilocks, we talk about Rise and Fall, and JOYRIDE: Survival of the Fastest. 01:09 - Rise and Fall 12:53 - JOYRIDE: Survival of the Fastest 25:08 - Games that are Just Right 29:30 - Hanabi 29:57 - Wilmot's Warehouse 30:13 - Bomb Busters 33:25 - Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne 37:59 - Lisboa 38:55 - SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence 42:58 - Dominion Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #352: Combined Top 50 Games of All-Time 2025 Draft: 10-1 15.01.2026 57min

  Well, we started this thing, so I guess we ought to finish it, as ill-advised as that might be. This is where all the chickens come home to roost, where we learn how badly we've set ourselves up to fail - but you never know, it might just all work out! It's the top ten greatest board games ... of all-time! 06:29 - #10 - Codenames 13:56 - #9 - The Resistance 18:15 - #8 - Age of Steam 23:09 - #7 - Troyes 27:52 - #6 - Hansa Teutonica 32:39 - #5 - Cthulhu Wars 33:48 - #4 - Hundreds of Horses 40:27 - #3 - Brass: Birmingham 44:40 - #2 - A Question of Scruples 52:05 - #1 - Time's Up! Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #351: Combined Top 50 Games of All-Time 2025 Draft: 30-11 08.01.2026 45min

  Happy new year! We're back to continue the very peaceful, collaborative, kind endeavour that is coming together to harmoniously assemble our top 50 games. It's been nothing but chill, friendly vibes, and we expect that to continue into 2026. It's the next twenty games on our definitive top 50 board games... of all-time! 01:20 - #30 - Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar 06:43 - #29 - Dominion 09:36 - #28 - Fuji Flush 11:13 - #27 - Innovation 12:53 - #26 - Blue Lagoon 14:27 - #25 - El Grande 15:11 - #24 - Dune 16:17 - #23 - Inis 19:16 - #22 - Decrypto 21:27 - #21 - The Estates 23:24 - #20 - Yellow & Yangtze 26:08 - #19 - Archipelago 27:34 - #18 - Agricola 30:04 - #17 - Guards of Atlantis II 31:33 - #16 - Taj Mahal 33:03 - #15 - The Voyages of Marco Polo 35:08 - #14 - I'm the Boss! 37:00 - #13 - Lords of Vegas 38:05 - #12 - A Feast for Odin 41:32 - #11 - Telestrations Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #350: Combined Top 50 Games of All-Time 2025 Draft: 50-31 18.12.2025 1h 13min

  Okay, things are a bit different this year. In honour of our 350th episode (a very important milestone), we're going to combine forces, like ... Voltron. I'm the head, and my left and right feet are here with me to collaboratively (yes, you heard right) compile Board Game Barrage's definitive (definitely definitive) top 50 board games... of all-time! 06:27 - #50 - Zoo Vadis 08:32 - #49 - Splendor 11:45 - #48 - Azul 14:51 - #47 - Imperial 2030 17:13 - #46 - Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant 19:15 - #45 - Pictomania 25:50 - #44 - Stationfall 32:35 - #43 - Ra 34:20 - #42 - Food Chain Magnate 39:31 - #41 - Diplomacy 41:41 - #40 - Dune: Imperium - Uprising 43:33 - #39 - Race for the Galaxy 47:40 - #38 - Caylus 1303 50:59 - #37 - Root 54:34 - #36 - Cosmic Encounter 56:40 - #35 - Blood on the Clocktower 59:03 - #34 - Glory to Rome 1:01:04 - #33 - Fresh Fish 1:05:01 - #32 - Biblios 1:06:23 - #31 - So Clover! Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #349: Anticipation Auction 2025 - And the Winner Is… 11.12.2025 50min

  Remember way back at the beginning of the year when we took some bets on what we thought the games of the year were gonna be? Well, all those good and bad decisions are back to help or haunt us, as we tally up where things stand with the end of the year results. Before we find a winner, we talk about Wriggle Roulette, Whale Street, and Scales of Fate. 04:45 - Wriggle Roulette 11:32 - Whale Street 19:12 - Scales of Fate 29:45 - Anticipation auction results Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #348: Got 'Em, Ghost Turkey 27.11.2025 22min

  Somehow Ghost Turkey returned. And you never saw it coming! That might be because we forgot to remind people that it's Thanksgiving, but never mind that, the important thing is you're fools. Not us though, we're back with yet another juicy, cranberry soaked list of bird gaming goodness. Gobble gobble! 00:00 - ??? Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #347: Bob's Design 13.11.2025 1h 11min

  BGBBOB is back, and it's been long enough that you might need a reminder. Ten game designers enter the ring, and through the arduous process of one vs one battles, we arrive at our (and not just our, but the) definitive ranked list of ... these particular designers. It's science. Before we fight it out, we talk about Iliad, The Old King's Crown, and Franchise. 03:29 - Iliad 13:56 - The Old King's Crown 34:01 - Franchise 42:04 - BGBBOB: Game designers Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #346: It's One Bananagrams, How Much Could It Cost? 30.10.2025 50min

  This episode is not about Bananagrams (at least, I don't think so), but it is about the price of things (though not Bananagrams specifically, shut up about Bananagrams). In a world where everything costs more, we're talking about the value of games, and how far a game has to go to justify its price. Before we decide if the price is right, we talk about The Presence, and River of Gold. 02:08 - The Presence 17:32 - River of Gold 27:03 - Board Game Pricing 27:59 - Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition - Thunder's Edge 33:20 - Biblios 34:15 - Agricola Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store
• #345: Essen SPIEL 2025 Hype List 16.10.2025 58min

  Not perturbed by Kellen's trip to Germany, we're all daydreaming about the motherlode of board game conventions, Essen SPIEL. There's a lot of games coming to the show, and because we're not going, and presumably you aren't either, we'll just tell you what's going to be there instead! The good stuff, anyway. Before we Germinate, we talk about Calimala, Tír na nÓg, and Typewriter. 02:42 - Calimala 09:42 - Tír na nÓg 16:15 - Typewriter 26:15 - Essen SPIEL 2025 Preview 28:49 - Mission: Red Planet (Third Edition) 31:18 - The Other Side of the Hill 33:29 - Severton 36:12 - Harvest Valley 38:11 - Pulitzer 39:26 - Echoes of Time 41:14 - Oopsie 42:55 - Feya's Swamp 43:46 - Baghdad: The City of Peace 45:25 - Ghost Lift 48:07 - Coming of Age 49:33 - The Presence 51:50 - Carnival of Sins 53:37 - The Republic of Rome: Remastered 55:22 - Theocratia Register for this year's Ghost Turkey at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store