The Discussion Phase

For many of us, we're constantly on a quest to find "the one." The one worker-placement game that's better the rest, or the one space themed game that replaces all the others; the one game to rule them all. This week we review a game that may have checked 2 of our boxes, a definitive Lord of The Rings experience and a best in class card battling system with Magic The Gathering's release of Lord of The Rings: Tales of Middle earth. We also review recent plays of Jaipur, Splendor: Duel, and Imperium: The Contention; as well as discuss the arrival of several long awaited Kickstarter games. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! ⁠https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs⁠ Geek Group App: ⁠https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection⁠ Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

Most people would say they enjoy board games as a way of escaping mundane daily routine, or at least to have a fun experience. So how would a game that requires you to be concerned about taxes, unemployment, minimum wage, and politics every be appealing. This week the Discussion Phase puts on our political analyst hats as we review Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory. We also review recent plays including MindBug, as well as recap our journey to US Nationals for ASOIAF. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

No game seems to be safe these days with "new editions" being released, enticing you to replace their predecessors. Up next on the chopping block is Terra Mystica, with the newest title in the series: Age of Innovation. We share our review of the game and see if it is as innovative as it claims. We also review recent plays including Duelosaur Island, and discuss how we can help improve each other's proficiency in gaming as we prepare for A Song of Ice and Fire: US Nationals. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

Grab your lasso and mount your horses because it's time to herd some sheep through the beautiful country of New Zealand. The third installment of Alexander Pfister's reimagined trilogy for Great Western Trail has finally arrived. Will this game close out the trilogy like Return of the King, or will it have us questioning all of our life choices like Rise of Skywalker? We also review the epic deduction game in Battlestar Galactica, as well as the newest 2 player title from PSC Games in Dogfight! Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

The time has come, Ragnarok is finally upon us! After nearly 2 years of waiting, the much anticipated Lords of Hellas has finally arrived. We share our initial thoughts on the game and whether or not it falls into obscurity as yet another viking game, or stands out on its own. We also review recent plays of Twilight Inscription and the newest edition of Castles of Burgundy. We finish our alphabet draft of the letters Y, Z, and #. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

Convention season is finally upon us and we are looking forward to all the new releases. This week on the Discussion Phase we highlight some of our most anticipated new titles from GenCon. We also review plays of Twilight Inscription, Search for Planet X, and LOTR Risk. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

The time has finally come, the "Good Doctor" is here. This week's designer diaries has long been in the works, and we are excited to highlight one of, if not the, most prolific board game designers in the industry with over 600 titles to his name. We also review recent plays of Tikal and Imperium: The Contention. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

The tournament scene has been heating up lately as several of us had a chance to compete for a spot at the national tournament for A Song of Ice and Fire Miniatures game. Did we make it? We look at other traditional board games that we would be excited to see have an official tournament for them. We review the latest deck-building dueling game in For Glory, as well as review a classic in Samurai. We also continue our alphabet draft with the letters Q through T. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

Ladies and gentlemen it's finally time to toss a coin to your Witcher. It's been years in the waiting, and the much anticipated adventure RPG game set in the world of the Witcher has finally arrived. Will it live up to the hype? In recent news, our corporate overlords have recently opened the doors to AI with ChatGPT, so we decided to figure out just how much it knows about board games and tried to make our own AI generated board games. We also continue our alphabet draft with the letters M through P. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

We're back this week with another Designer Diaries with yours truly, Simone Luciani. Luciani was our most represented designer from our previous Top 50 Games list, so thought it would be fitting to highlight him this week. We finally got one of most anticipated games from our self-of-shame played, Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles, but did it live up to the hype? Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

Part of growing up is realizing that you won't be able to do everything in life. Likewise we have to come to the realization that with our ever growing pile of unplayed board games, that probably not all of them are going to be played. This week on The Discussion Phase we tackle a board gamer's hardest question, which of our unplayed games need to stay and which ones need to go. We also review recent plays of GOA II, Eternal, Wingspan: Asia, and some Bullet Heart. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

Sometimes someone comes into your life and changes things forever. Just like a sappy Hallmark card, Guards of Atlantis II has come in and left quite the impression. This week on the Discussion Phase we take a deeper look at GOA II with our review of the game. We also breakdown the latest crowdfunding controversy with Mythic Games, as well as review of recent plays of Council of 4 and Dune: Immortality. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

This week on the Discussion Phase we are jumping into our Deloreans and visiting our younger selfs to give some games we would have enjoyed and appreciated back then. We also dive into a review of the recently delivered new title from Simone Luciani, Darwin's Journey. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

Our fancy pinkies are out and we're ready to spill some tea! This week on The Discussion Phase we are talking about board game etiquette, having fun calling ourselves and each other out. We review recent plays, discuss 40k hype, and highlight a hidden gem in Wink. We continue our alphabet draft of the best games from letters I through L, as well as check in on the status of BGG's March Madness. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

Don't worry we're not talking about the classic war game this week. This week on The Discussion Phase we compare the highs and lows of games for both the quality of their gameplay and production on a grid, to find which ones stand out above the rest. We also review recent plays of Revive, Ra, and look to see which games have advanced in BGG's March Madness for board games. We continue our alphabet draft of the best games from letters E through H. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

While the rest of the world is tuned in to see who the greatest college basketball team is, we're looking at the heavy weights of board games to see which one will rise to the top. This past month kicked off the 20th Annual Geek Madness Tournament, and we're here to give our picks and thoughts on the results so far. We review recent plays of Ruination and Hansa Teutonica, as well as news of a Lord of the Rings version of MtG. We also begin our alphabet draft, starting with the best games from letters A through D. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

We've finally made it, Episode 100 is finally here! In celebration of how far we've made it, we thought it would be fitting to take a look back on where we've come in our gaming journey and how are preferences in games have changed over the years.  Frosthaven has finally made it to our game table and we share our thoughts on initial gameplay. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

If you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, what unique faction or power are you choosing in your favorite board games? This week on the Discussion Phase we're examining our player identities and what it is about certain asymmetrical abilities in games that always seem to be the ones we gravitate towards. We review recent plays of Dwellings of Eldervale and Empires of the North, as well as discuss just how import reviews are now that Brass: Birmingham is the new #1 game of all time. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

All too often we can fall into the trap of thinking more in games means better, more content means quality, and miniatures equals fun. What happens when everything meant to make the game better actually makes it harder to get played? This week on the Discussion Phase we have been impressed by the ability of the recent released game Terra Nova and it's ability to take one of the heaviest games in Terra Mystica and streamline it in a way that makes is easier to teach, lighter in difficulty, but still retains the spirit of the game. We take a look a what other larger than life games may benefit from this same model. We also review recent plays of Dogs of War, Boast or Nothing, and more. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!

2022 is officially a wrap and we're looking forward to everything 2023 has to offer for board gaming. This week on the Discussion Phase we look back at some of our favorite gaming moments for the year as well as make personal goals for 2023 and look at the games we are most anticipating. We also review recent plays of Orichalcum, The Gallerist, and Vindication. Make sure to join us on Discord and get in on the discussion with us! https://discord.gg/WKZkT2DDNs Geek Group App: https://geekgroup.app/groups/yvhedwg8/collection Make sure to add your BGG profile to the Discussion Phase group!