The Married with Board Games Podcast

It's been two years since the last episode of The Married With Board Games Podcast and Spencer and Lara have a lot to talk about! We discuss some games we've played over the last 2 years including Heaven and Ale, Root, Crusaders, Mystic Vale, Cosmic Encounter Duel, and Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. Lara resurrects her Game Night Grub segment with a tasty recipe (https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51134/soft-pretzel-bites-recipe/) Finally, we end the show discussing the Deckscape escape room system and compare the other available systems.

Spencer and Lara share their plans for The Married with Board Games Podcast moving forward.

First up in episode 38, we announce the winner of the Empires of the Void II contest! Thanks again to Red Raven Games for sponsoring the contest. Then we welcome special guest Rob Daviau to discuss the part he plays at Restoration Games, and the most requested game to be restored - Fireball Island! Fair warning - we get really erxcited about this game in the episode.

Holy moly it happened. We got to interview one of our all-time favorite designers, Ryan Laukat! In this episode sponsored by Red Raven Games, we remind you how to enter the contest to win Empires of the Void II, and then we get to know the mind behind the design in our interview with Ryan. Finally, we all name our top 5 Space Games! Visit marriedwithbg.com/survey to enter the contest!

In this very special episode sponsored by Red Raven Games, we give you the details for how to win a copy of the Deluxe Edition of Empires of the Void II! (Pssst. It involves this survey.) We also give our thoughts on Empires of the Void II, Colt Express: Horses and Stagecoach, A Tale of Pirates, and Mythos Tales. Plus, we're highlighting a game on Kickstarter we think you should check out! We want to thank Red Raven Games for sponsoring this episode and the contest. Check out their website and follow them on Twitter!

Spencer and Lara give their thoughts on The Rose King from KOSMOS, Justice League: Dawn of Heroes from Abba Games, and Dinosaur Island from Pandasaurus Games. A discussion is had on the best games to play with a partner who doesn't typically play games. We tease an upcoming AWESOME contest.   Time Stamps: 1:32 - The Rose King 12:00 - Justice League: Dawn of Heroes 21:55 - Dinosaur Island 35:00 - Games for Non-Gaming Partners 55:02 - Announcements

Spencer and Lara have reviews of three games in this episode: Illimat from Twogether Studios, The Ruhr from Capstone Games, and Mechs vs. Minions from Riot Games. The focus of the show is their favorite games that focus on dice. Why did it take this long to make this list?? Time Stamps: 4:05 - Illimat Review 16:15 - The Ruhr Review 24:20 - Mechs vs. Minions Review 33:17 - Favorite Dice Games

In our first episode of 2018, we kick things off with a discussion of the newest entries in the Exit: The Game series from KOSMOS. We share our thoughts on how The Forgotten Island, The Polar Station, and The Forbidden Castle compare to each other, as well as how they compare to the first three Exit games. We even compare how they stack up to other escape room games. Lara is on a mission to derail your New Year's Resolution already with her latest Game Night Grub Recipe, Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars (momontime.com). We revisit our Best of 2016 list to see if it still holds up, and then we name our top 10 games that were released in 2017. Time Stamps: Exit Discussion - 1:17 Game Night Grub - 16:22 Best of 2016 Recap - 20:33 Top 10 of 2017 - 29:15

It's the season of giving, but also the season of wishing. We have a few games on our wishlists, and would like to share what they are and why. We also asked you to share what you are most wishing for, and we read those too! Included in this episode are reviews of Pie Town from Renegade Games, The Ravens of Thri Sahashri from Osprey Games, and Lost Cities from KOSMOS. And, we hope you're hungry, because we've got a Game Night Grub recipe that is perfect for this time of year! Christmas Cookie Dough Dip Recipe Time Stamps: Pie Town Review -  2:18 The Ravens of Thri Sahashri Review - 15:37 Lost Cities Review - 22:00 Game Night Grub – Christmas Cookie Dough Dip - 33:43 Christmas 2016 recap - 39:04 The top 5 games we want for Christmas - 45:34 Listener response - 55:04

From November 15-18, we spent our time playing games, meeting people, and teaching games at Board Game Geek Con 2017 in Dallas.  In this episode we will talk about our overall experience, some highlights of the event, and then discuss every single game we played. Yes, all 15 of them! We’d like to thank our friends at UnboxBoardom, for their support of this episode. As a special promotion, use the code “MARRIED” at check-out for $10 off any new subscription!  Sign up today at unboxboardom.com. Time Stamps: Working at Bezier Booth 6:08Meeting Publishers - 10:48Meeting Designers – 14:30Games Talk – 20:48Place of Mad King Ludwig -  21:20New York Slice – 23:16Werewords – 25:27Panic Mansion – 30:15Pandemic: The Cure – 33:24Downforce – 34:28Wurfel Bohnanza – 36:14A Tale of Pirates – 38:38Dragon Castle – 41:22Meeple Circus – 43:53Santa’s Workshop – 47:37Mint Works – 49:41Whitehall Mystery -  50:44Queendomino – 53:45Standout Games – 55:05

It’s the time of year for gift giving, and Spencer and Lara have some recommendations for which board games to give to people on your list! We break down our list by category, so we’ve got you covered! Reviews on this episode include Fog of Love by Hush Hush Projects and Planet of the Apes by IDW Games. In addition to those, we have a new game night grub segment, along with our latest Horror-Themed Board Game Trailer! We’d like to thank our friends at UnboxBoardom, for their support of this episode. As a special promotion, use the code “MARRIED” at check-out for $10 off any new subscription!  Sign up today at unboxboardom.com.   Time Stamps: Fog of Love Review – 2:35 Planet of the Apes Review – 9:30 Game Night Grub – 15:45 Board Game Trailer – 19:26 2017 Gift Guide – 25:45   Find the full Holiday Gift Guide at marriedwithbg.com/holiday2017 Music Credits: "Bump in the Night" Kevin MacLeod http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Distant Tension" Kevin MacLeod  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Anxiety" Kevin MacLeod http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We had a chance to play Potion Explosion: The Fifth Ingredient, and we give our thoughts on that. We also have reviews of Samurai Gardener from Osprey Games and Steam Time from Kosmos. Our topic of the show is cheating. We define cheating, discuss why someone might cheat, and describe how we would recommend dealing with it if you catch someone cheating. Time Stamps: Fifth Ingredient Review - 1:07 Samurai Gardner Review - 9:45 Steam Time Review - 16:08 Discussion Topic: Cheating - 27:53 Announcements - 45:30

Spencer and Lara review the newest game from Plan B Games, Azul. Azul is a beautiful tile laying game in which players take turns drafting colored tiles and then score points based on how they've placed their tiles to decorate the palace.  Haspelknecht is also discussed. In that game from Capstone Games, the players take upon the role of farmers with opportunities to exploit the presence of coal in their lands in the southern part of the Ruhr region of Germany. Lara has a game night grub recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect for this time of year... and all year round! Recipe is by Cooking Classy. Mike Young, Lead Communications for Plan B games stops by to talk about their games and to share his list, along with Spencer and Lara, of top five games to introduce non-gamers to the borad game hobby. Time Stamps: Azul Thoughts 5:07 Haspelknecht Thoughts 13:40 Game Night Grub 21:42 Plan B Games Report 25:14 Top 5 Gateway Games 39:10   A review copy of Haspelknecht was generously provided by Capstone Games. A review copy of Azul was generously provided by Plan B Games.

In this episode, we begin with some reviews! First we talk about the latest game from Jolly Roger Games, Iron Curtain. Then we discuss the incredibly-hyped Terraforming Mars from Stronghold Games. Finally, we give our thoughts on Roll Player, a game about character creation from Thunderworks Games. For the main topic of the show, we name our top 5 games that give us chills, just in time for the month of October! Time Stamps Iron Curtain Review - 7:51 Terraforming Mars Review - 15:52 Roll Player Review - 26:10 Top 5 Spooky Games - 40:05

In this episode, we have reviews of Hotshots from Fireside Games and Champions of Midgard from Grey Fox Games. Then, Lara shares a recipe called Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Dip for her Game Night Grub Segment. And we are also joined by Morgan and Eddie George of Nerd Wife Nerd Life who share their overall impressions of Gen Con 50 and list their top 5 games played at the show. Time Stamps Hotshots Review - 03:24 Champions of Midgard Review - 14:12 Game Night Grub - 20:56 Gen Con Overview with Morgan and Eddie George - 26:15 Top 5 Games Played at Gen Con 50 - 40:30 Contact: Follow Nerd Wife Nerd Life on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Follow Married with Board Games on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. http://www.marriedwithbg.com

Episode 25 includes reviews of Seikatsu from IDW Games, Zoo Ball from Osprey Games, and Flash Point: Fire Rescue from Indie Boards and Cards. Our latest Board Game Trailer segment explores a heart wrenching betrayal at a creepy house on a hill. And then we have a discussion about how tastes in gaming can change, including tweets from you! Time Stamps: Seikatsu Review - 03:45 Zoo Ball Review - 09:23 Flash Point: Fire Rescue Review - 16:51 Board Game Trailer - Betrayal at House on the Hill - 23:15 Changing Tastes Discussion - 29:00 Song Credits "The Show Must Be Go" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Too Cool" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Cheery Monday" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "There is Romance" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Lone Harvest" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Rains Will Fall" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

On episode 24 of The Married with Board Games Podcast, we have reviews of Shahrazad from Osprey Games, Whistle Stop from Bezier Games, Windup War from Bellwether Games, and Viticulture: Essential Edition from Stonemaier Games. Then, Lara borrows a Game Night Grub Recipe from her mother, who borrowed it from The Pioneer Woman. We discuss all things expansions, including questions such as are they necessary or are they cash grabs? And then we discuss our most anticipated expansions, including some from our listeners! Time Stamps: Announcements - 1:15Shahrazad Review - 8:16Whistle Stop Review - 17:25Windup War Review - 21:18Viticulture: Essential Edition Review - 26:02Game Night Grub - 33:00Expansions Discussion - 39:116 Most Anticipated Expansions - 48:49 Game Night Grub Recipe - Olive Cheese Bread by The Pioneer Woman Find the link to the recipe at marriedwithbg.com

On episode 23 of the Married with Board Games Podcast, we have reviews of Sagrada from Floodgate Games, Lovecraft Letter from AEG, and Viral from Arcane Wonders. Lara brings us a spicy Game Night Grub recipe called Cheesy Bacon Jalapeno Corn Dip. And then Brian Henk of Overworld Games joins us to talk about their latest project to hit Kickstarter, Total Recall: The Official Tabletop Game.  Finally, in honor of their launch, we all go around the "table" to share our top five social deduction games. TIMESTAMPS: Welcome - 00:14 Sagrada Review - 03:21 Lovecraft Letter - 09:08 Viral - 14:07 Game Night Grub - 21:34 Brian Henk Chat - 30:13 Top 5 Social Deduction Games - 43:50 Contact Information - 01:07:09 Visit marriedwithbg.com for the full Game Night Grub Recipe. Total Recall is now on Kickstarter.

In our first BONUS episode, we chat with Keith Baker and Jenn Ellis, owners of Twogether Studios. Keith and Jenn are a married couple who run a board game company together. We chat with them about what that's like and their current game on Kickstarter, Action Cats! We also discuss the future of Twogether Studios. (NOTE: There's some slight distortion in the first 3 minutes of the episode due to our MWBG microphone gain being turned up. Please bear with it for those first few minutes. Thank you!) "Keith is an award winning game designer known for his Dungeons & Dragons world of Eberron, and the transparent card game Gloom among other titles. Jenn has spent 20 years in product management and developed customer engagement programs for big companies and tiny non profits. They live in Portland, Oregon with their dog Sensei Ping and two adorable cats."

In episode 22, we’re back from Dice Tower Con! We kick things off with reviews of Purrrlock Holmes: Furriarty’s Trail, Kerala, and The Lost Expedition. Spencer brings a quirky new Rule Book Mad Libs Segment featuring Potion Explosion. And then we name our top 5 games we demoed at Dice Tower Con! Time Stamps: Purrrlock Holmes: Furriarty’s Trail review: 3:29 Kerala review: 10:02 The Lost Expedition review: 16:06 Rule Book Mad Libs – Potion Explosion: 23:27 Top 5 Games played at Dice Tower Con: 26:25 Contact Info: 49:10