Talk Cardboard

Just for reference, the population of Klaipėda, the third largest city in Lithuania is approximately 161 000 people. The number of attendees in this year's Spiel Essen was 220 000 people, meaning they managed to cram the entirey of Klaipėda and much more into just eight convention halls and every one of those people were buying board games. I appreciate that that is maybe not everybody's jam, and aspects of it are not our jam either. But getting our mitts into a jar of Bonne Maman filled with gooey new board game releases - put a bib on me and fire up the toaster! In this special joint episode of No Pun Included and Talk Cardboard we cover 16 new releases from Spiel Essen 2025, which you can either listen to here or partake in the video version https://youtu.be/NHVLn-ZxVWs If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/ On to the timestamps: 0:00 Cold Open 2:46 Intro 5:42 Night Soil (Unranked) 9:11 Bouba Kiki 14:14 Nocturnis 17:56 Formidable Farm/Formidabel! 22:00 Tax the Rich 27:44 Echoes of Time 36:30 Fearless 41:30 National Economy 48:23 Thesauros 1:00:34 biD Coin 1:07:20 Kikai/Bricolage Heads 1:16:46 Tag Team 1:26:59 Recall 1:36:14 ??? 1:56:10 ?? 2:03:33 ? 2:14:53 Outro

Spinning pandas, evolving primates, and... Capitalism! We have all three for you in this episode - thankfully not all in the same game. We could have had three games about mammals, but we didn't think this through.  If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/ Onto the timestamps: 00:00 Cold open 02:09 Intro 03:45 Panda Spin 18:34 Primates 32:51 Tycoon: India 1981 48:25 Correspondence

Only three games this episode? What gives? Well, in the tried and true brand tradition, we decided to go back to our original formula. But no sad trombone noises please - we're really, definitely, honestly going to make it work this time... On this episode, we have Identity - a trick taking game that promises personality, Out of Sorts - a game of inventing a cataloguing system for books in an alien library, and Magical Athlete - a game of racing a banana, a giant baby, and various other quirky things round a track. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/ On to the timestamps: 00:00 Cold open & intro 05:50 Identity 14:16 Out of Sorts 28:57 Magical Athlete 42:03 Correspondence 

There are episodes where we bring as much knowledge as we can about whatever board game we are talking about. And then there are episodes where we just want to share why something didn't click so much that we didn't want to go beyond game one. Apropos of nothing, today we'll be chatting about Brink, a "trading cubes in space" game that conceptually riffs on Catan but in execution whiffs on us. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/ On to the time stamps: 00:00 Cold Open & Intro Work in Progress:  2:08 Tenby 7:26 Railroad Tiles 10:42 Rumble Nation 18:53 Winter Rabbit Audience Correspondence: 25:05 Vantage, Neurodivergence in Board Games Main Feature: 31:23 Brink

Well, Hot Dog! Do we have an episode for you! We peruse the lofty promises of Vantage, try to keep ourselves on track in Railroad Tiles, discuss whether selling doughnuts at night is really worth your time in Taiwan Night Market, and Efka tells us about angry dice you can chuck about in the bath, in Wroth.  But wait! That's not all! The main game on our podium is Hot Streak - which not only has a hot dog, but also a fish, a bear, and HM the Queen herself in a game of racing, falling down, getting back up again, and trying all over again. Phew.  If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/ On to the timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open & Intro Work in Progress:  00:54 Vantage 19:14 Railroad Tiles 25:01 Taiwan Night Market 28:26 Wroth Audience Correspondence: 36:19 Gaming Tables Main Feature: 41:23 Hot Streak

Pew pew kaboom! That's the sound of every child's living nightmare - their toys coming to life and unleashing an arsenal of deadly weaponry in their bedroom. Many a sleepless night I've had in my youth with this vivid imagery - blood, guts, plastic viscera strewn across my chewbacca rug - which might I add, also comes alive and eats the other toys... anyway, turns out they made my nightmare into a board game and you can now play it. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/ On to the time stamps: 0:00 Cold Open Work In Progress 0:56 The Old King's Crown 6:24 Ensemble 12:19 Haggis Audience Correspondence 16:14 Trick Taking Main Feature 27:51 Toy Battle

Good news, we're still on holiday. Better news - we're still doing the holiday cast, which means more free podcast more delivered to more you. Moorish! You know what else is moorish? Trees! Just can't get enough of those suckers. And you know where trees live? That's right, in Germany. And you know what Germany has? Autobahns. But also forests. Apropos of nothing, let's talk about a board game called Black Forest which is about a forest in Germany. Once again, no timestamps because we're still on holiday and it's still just one game in the episode. You'll be fine. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/

Good news, we're on holiday. Better news, we're not leaving you without podcast. It's a smaller episode, yes, but it is Talk Cardboard delivered right to your door, for free! Mmmmm, free podcast, what could be more delicious? Oh, I know, human suffering! If you feel like what you need more in your life is a cardboard simulation of robots slaughtering endless amounts of flesh bags on the moon, Moon Colony Bloodbath has got you sorted.   Not doing timestamps cause we're on holiday. Also, it's just one game. You'll be fine. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on http://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/

Sharpen your papercuts because it's time to put cards face down in front of you and simultaneously flip them face up! The Old King's Crown is maybe the year's most exciting game and we've got an exciting early scoop! If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on https://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/ On to the time stamps: 0:00 Cold Open 1:40 Intro Work In Progress 2:08 Emberleaf 11:19 Hot Streak 22:00 Project L 26:24 Survive the Island Main Feature 31:06 The Old King's Crown

Efka opens our review of Eternal Decks with "This is the main candidate for Game of the Year 2025" and if you need a better endorsement to learn about a cool new board game, I can't think of one. And I'm Efka. This and more in this week's Talk Cardboard. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on http://patreon.com/nopunincluded SHIRTS! Find them on http://no-pun-included-shop.fourthwall.com/ On to the time stamps: 0:00 Cold Open 1:30 Intro Work In Progress 1:59 Barony: Royal Edition 6:25 In the Shadows: Resistance in France 1943 - 1944 (DNF) 10:08 Emberleaf 14:32 The Old King's Crown Audience Correspondence:  21:34 Blue Prince Main Feature 28:46 Eternal Decks  

You want me to do what now? Play a board game on the TV? Using my phone? Never! *shakes fist at cloud* *shakes more fist at cloud* *picks up phone and starts playing* Wait this thing is good! Like, real good. Okay, I guess today we're talking about a board game that's also a video game that's also a phone game. And you're going to listen and you're going to enjoy it. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded On to the timestamps: 00:00 Cold open 01:24 Intro 02:03 'Work In Progress"; Fruit Fight 03:50 Tenby 08:10 Deep Regrets 15:57 Correspondence 20:01 Sunderfolk

Why duel with silly weapons when you can duel with whole cities? In Rival Cities, Hamburg and Altona go head to head to see who will be the city anyone's ever heard of. I think you probably know who pulled that off IRL.  But if you'd rather fight with fruit or sausages, fear not because we have those for you too - in our Work in Progress. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a Patreon supporter on patreon.com/nopunincluded   On to the timestamps: 00:00 Cold open 01:41 Intro 05:18 Work in Progress 06:05 Sausage Sizzle 08:17 (Reiner Knizia's) Fruit Fight 14:47 Corps of Discovery 25:46 Correspondence 27:16 Rival Cities

Get ready to flick your way to victory, or get the flick out of here because it's time to play Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition - a 4X game - but iiiin flicking spaaaaace!  We also have the games we've been playing this week in our new segment: 'Work in Progress', where Elaine compares Eternal Decks to being back at school, and Efka tells us about under-salted negotiations in Moonrakers. Bonus Episodes on patreon.com/nopunincluded Eternal Decks tutorials mentioned in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT1d_lHw4yM On to the timestamps: 00:00 Cold open 01:40 Intro 02:10 'Work In Progress"; Eternal Decks 08:09 Joyride 11:52 Moonrakers 16:01 Correspondence 24:44 Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition

Have you ever wanted to be a poorly paid miner? What about on an Alien Planet? Whilst being bothered by swarms of beasties? If you answered yes, yes, and yes, then get your drills and ziplines ready for our deep dive into  Deep Rock Galactic: The Board Game,  If you answered no, then luckily we also have a whole host of other games we're talking about in our new segment "Work in Progress", where we give a quick look to the games we've been playing this week.  If you'd like to support us, head over to our Patreon at patreon.com/nopunincluded , where you'll get access to all of our bonus episodes, plus our lovely Discord server.   Onto the timestamps: 00:00 Cold open 01:14 Intro & "Work In Progress" brief 01:34 Nokosu Dice 03:25 Eternal Decks 07:36 Elden Ring: The Board Game 11:34 Flow 17:20 Dune: Imperium - Bloodlines 22:43 Correspondence 23:12 Deep Rock Galactic: The Board Game

Talk Cardboard returns tomorrow! Meanwhile, enjoy a mini psa on the format change and why the hiatus happened.

Get your engines warmed up, your fishing rod at the ready, and your knee-pads on as we delve into a crash, bash racing game in Thunder Road: Vendetta, freeze our fingers building a village in Saltfjord, and co-operatively fight for the freedom of Kaan in Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on patreon.com/nopunincluded On to the time stamps: 00:00 Cold open 02:31 Intro 03:39 Correspondance regarding board game libraries 04:56 Thunder Road Vendetta 22:24 Correspondance regarding learning games 25:23 Saltfjord 44:52 Correspondence regarding games made of chocolate 49:40 Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan 1:22:49 Outro

One thousand five hundred plus games released over four days is a HOT WEEKEND in board games and the Elaines and Efkas of this world were in attendance. Did we play all 1500 games? No. Did we play the hot ones? Yes. Did we play the weird ones? Yes. Did we play the good ones? Oh my yes yes yes. So grab a warm beverage, plonk yourself into a comfy chair and write off the next hour and a half because we bring you informed coverage of all the games that we played and what you should be on the lookout for in the next three months of board games. What a time to be alive. You can now watch a video version of the episode on YouTube - link here If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on patreon.com/nopunincluded On to the timestamps: 0:00 Cold Open 1:40 Intro 4:15 15 - Milkuro 6:44 14 - Rock Rubber Scissors 8:58 13 - Potato Tomato 11:18 12 - Bomb Busters 17:45 11 - Overparked 21:09 10 - Big Two 26:17 9 - Bottle Imp 30:50 8 - Civolution 41:33 7 - Altay: Dawn of Civilization 49:56 6 - Seas of Strife 53:36 Joint 5,4,3 - ??? 1:01:29 Joint 5,4,3 - ??? 1:06:14 Joint 5,4,3 - ??? 1:18:55 2 - ??? 1:24:32 1 - ???

Folks, folks and folks, please come join us for a marvelous carboard celebration through time, energy and cities. Gaze your eyes to Paris in 1920 and marvel at the deductive action of Kronologic. Now turn those eyeballs further east towards Germany and amaze yourself with the fantabulous power of Nucleum and finally, fly up and up and up and then look down for a birds eye view of cities in Cities. It’s a show like no other and that show is called Talk Cardboard. For more NPI please visit https://nopunincluded.com If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on patreon.com/nopunincluded On to the timestamps: 0:00 Cold Open 2:48 Intro 3:42 Audience Correspondence: Convention Demo Learning 8:45 Kronologic: Paris 1920 19:52 Audience Correspondence: Board games in libraries 25:29 Nucleum + Nucleum: Australia 1:09:31 Audience Correspondence: Wilmot's Warehouse 1:13:26 Cities 1:25:40 Outro

Vroom vroom it’s time to kaboom! Or something along those lines because today’s feature game is all about smashing cars into other cars. It feels like we’ve seen this type of game over and over through time, from Rock’n’Roll Racing to Mario Kart to Twisted Metal to Carmaggedon - the world is full of games that let you cause car accidents on purpose. But let me tell you, it’s never been done like that in cardboard. Joyride is a delight! And there’s other games too! We take a look at the somewhat bland and reliable Invincible: The Hero-Building Game and the charming Wilmot’s Warehouse in its new board game incarnation. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on patreon.com/nopunincluded On to the timestamps: 0:00 Cold Open 0:39 Intro 1:44 Audience Correspondence: Qualia 5:29 Joyride: Survival of the Fastest 30:58 Audience Correspondence: Standardized Size 34:29 Invincible: The Hero-Building Game 53:19 Audience Correspondence: More Haggis Letters 55:29 Wilmot's Warehouse

Cute, but deadly! We used to dance under that name but you could also use those three words to describe today’s selection of games. Harvest is a farming worker placement game so cloyingly sweet you could squeeze condensed milk out of it. Is it good? Jury’s still out. War Stories: Occupied France is the unlikely combination of Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective and Undaunted - how does that even work? We’ve got the scoop. And finally… Dorfromantik: The Duel. Last year’s adaptation of Dorfromantik to board game form was low key our favourite light tile layer. But now naturally come the spin-offs and we’ve got some takes. If you’d like to check out our bonus episodes - become a patreon supporter on https://patreon.com/nopunincluded On to the timestamps: 0:00 Go Listen to So Very Wrong About Games 1:34 Cold Open 3:35 Intro 4:30 Audience Correspondence - Horror Games 12:25 Harvest 28:30 Audience Correspondence - Haggis 30:44 War Story: Occupied France 48:40 Audience Correspondence - More Haggis 51:26 Dorfromantik: The Duel 1:00:24 Outro