Every Night Is Game Night

Anthony and Jason are joined this week by D. Brad Tolton, president and founder of Level 99 Games. Brad has a lot of experience with producing expansions for his core lineup of titles, so we pick his brain a bit about how expansions are planned and made. We also talk a bit about when expansions can become too much.    We then talk about two big recent releases that enable solo mode for their base games. Anthony gives his thoughts about Runebound: Unbreakable Bonds, while Brad and Jason break down Millennium Blades: Set Rotation. 

Anthony and Jason take a look at some of the newest puzzle-style polyomino games with solo modes, including NMBR9 and Cottage Garden. We then delve into discussing whether these games have a place on the tabletop or would be better suited to digital apps, plus a discussion of recent arguments over solo play. 

Anthony and Jason take a deep dive on one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2017 with First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet. They look at the game's components and theme, how it plays, the issues with the rulebook that have been the talk of early backers, and how the app operates. Plus a non-spoiler discussion of the first campaign and how it fulfills on Portal's promise for a narrative experience.  Want to stay up to date with all of ENGN's content - make sure to connect with us on Twitter (@ENGN_Podcast), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), and on our website (www.boardgamersanonymous.com). Your reviews are a huge help to us as well - getting more people to see the show. 

Anthony and Jason dig into the deep cuts for some cult of the not-so-new games that we haven't had a chance to talk about yet. Jason kicks things off with a pair of lighter card-weight games with Gem Rush (from Victory Point Games) and The Banishing (from WizKids).  Anthony then ups the weight with Conflict of Heroes with the Solo Expansion. Find out how this very popular war game plays with the solo expansion attached to it.    Stay tuned for not just the new stuff that's lighting up the charts, but the old school stuff will shine through when it deserves to be heard. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, BoardGameGeek, and on our website, www.boardgamersanonymous.com to connect and learn more. 

Jason sits down with Jason Tagmire from Button Shy Games for a chat about his latest Kickstarter, Twin Stars: Adventure Series I. We chat about designing Twin Stars, running monthly kickstarters, and getting rolling as a small company. We also briefly talk about another popular Button Shy game, Pentaquark.   Jump on the kickstarter before it expires on Wednesday, 7/26! Also, check us out on twitter (@engn_podcast), boardgamersanonymous.com, iTunes/ Google Play Store, and wherever else solo gamers hang out! 

It's ComicCon week, so Anthony and Jason are diving into three games with pop culture themes, including Harry Potter Deck Building Game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past from IDW, and the Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game. All three games can be played solo, so we dig in and share our thoughts on how they run. Are they worth tracking down? Should you get them for solo-only play? Are they generally too light to be anything more than family or fan-only fare? Find out in our reviews. Make sure to connect with us and carry on the conversation on boardgamersanonymous.com, Facebook (boardgamersanonymous), and on Twitter (@engn_podcast and @bgapodcast). And if you haven't yet, leave us a short review on iTunes. We'd love your feedback!

Jason sits down with Radomir "Gad" Mirchev to discuss the newest Kickstarter project from Vermin Games, A Place in the Sun. Learn more about the game, now available on Kickstarter, and determine if you're interested in backing. 

  Anthony and Jason welcome back Dr. Patrick Rael, History Professor at Bowdoin College to discuss difficult themes in board games, this week focusing on World War II. Specifically, we dig into the politics of managing the war with Churchill: The Big Three Struggle for Peace, and what it means to use Hitler and Nazi imagery in board games with Black Orchestra.  The first half of the episode, we'll provide a brief summary and review of both games, and then dive into a more detailed discussion about the use of this theme in games, how it can be done well, when it is not done well, and what gamers and game designers and publishers should be thinking about.  Connect with ENGN on Twitter (@engn_podcast), Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous), and on www.boardgamersanonymous.com. You can also connect with us on BoardGameGeek in our guild (1735).

This week Anthony and Jason welcome Dr. Patrick Rael, History Professor at Bowdoin College, to discuss difficult themes in board games. We've split this into two parts with part one this week covering difficult themes of colonialism and slavery in the United States with Comancheria and Freedom: The Underground Railroad. Join us as we discuss both of these games and how they play as games, followed by a more in-depth discussion of the games' themes and the difficult issues that they bring to the table. Connect with ENGN on Twitter (@engn_podcast), Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous), and on www.boardgamersanonymous.com. You can also connect with us on BoardGameGeek in our guild (1735).

Ricky Royal is on the podcast!  This week on a special preview series episode, Anthony and Jason sit down for a mega-sized interview with Richard Wilkins (AKA Ricky Royal), the man behind Box of Delights, and the one who has taught countless solo gamers how to play Mage Knight (among others).  We're chatting about Renegade, Ricky's first game as a designer, launching on Kickstarter July 18th from Victory Point Games. We both had a chance to play and we pick Ricky's brain about the game, its roots, and the future. 

Puzzles and Mystery!  This week, Anthony and Jason dive into puzzles and mysteries with a full rundown of solo play for all four major escape room games, including Exit, Unlock!, Escape Room the Game, and Escape the Room. We also look at the classic mystery solving game, Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective (the newer release with the Jack the Ripper mysteries).  How do these games play, are they better solo or with other players, and most important of all, why do we always have to ask if a game will work solo? Why the stigma of playing a fun and perceived social game alone?  Be sure to connect with us to further the conversation on BoardGameGeek (guild 1735), Twitter (@engn_podcast, @bgapodcast), and on Facebook (Solo Board Gamers Group and Board Gamers Anonymous). 

Jason sits down with Walter Barber of Greenbrier Games and discusses several of their recent releases including Grimslingers, Of Dreams and Shadows, and Walter's own game, coming soon from the company. They also talk about solo gaming in general, some of the history behind the company and their biggest releases and how Grimslingers and its unique aesthetic was born.  Be sure to connect with us on Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous), Twitter (@engn_podcast) and on BoardGameGeek (Guild 1735). A review on iTunes means the world to us as well - we love to read your feedback!

Scheduling Note: For those wondering where Episode 40 is, we missed last week with Anthony out of town for Origins. Sorry for the delay in the episode, which will be up this week on Friday, along with today's special preview episode. Thanks and enjoy! Jason sits down this week with Brady Sadler to discuss two Kickstarters currently running for games he designed - Street Masters: Rise of the Kingdom and Epic AF. Sadler is a seasoned designer who has worked on a lot of our favorite solo games in his time at Fantasy Flight, including the recently cancelled Warhammer Quest: Adventure Card Game. Learn how that system is being reimplemented in Epic AF and some of the controversy around the new game's theme.    Thanks for listening to ENGN! Make sure to connect with us on Twitter (@engn_podcast), on Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous and the Solo Board Gamers Group), and on www.boardgamersanonymous.com. And if you haven't yet, please rate us on iTunes. It means a lot to us and helps other solo gamers find the show!

This week, Anthony and Jason are taking a closer look at two games that came out about a year ago at Origins Game Fair, along with six games we're excited to see and learn more about this year at the convention.  We'll dive into The Networks as well as Quests of Valeria and their solo modes, and then share three games each that we're eager to pick up or see more of at Origins next week. Anthony will be at Origins, so make sure to drop him a line or track him down (look for the BGA shirt!). 

Part two of our epic two part solo game run through with Luke Hector from the Broken Meeple. In this episode, we run through each of our top 5 solo games of all time, along with some extra special bits at the end for you to get a sense of what everyone is into when it comes to solo games.  Make sure to listen to part 1 if you haven't yet to hear all of the games on our top 10 lists!

In part one of our epic two part special, Luke Hector joins us to discuss solo games. But not just any solo games, our top 10 solo games. Each of us shares our top 10 list, from the crunchiest euros to the goofiest variants.  The episode ended up being nearly two and a half hours long, so we've split it into two. Today, you're getting #10-6 on the list, and on Friday we'll be dropping #5-1 plus some extra bonuses. Enjoy the episode and be sure to check out Luke's feed on the Broken Meeple. 

Jason sits down with designer Keith Matejka to discuss Roll Player and the expansion, currently on Kickstarter: Monsters & Minions. 

This week on Every Night is Game Night, Anthony and Jason sit down to discuss solo variants. We pick four games with different takes on adding solo play to a typically multiplayer-only game and discuss how they play in general, but also how that approach tends to work, while selecting our favorites from the bunch.  The games covered include Five Tribes, 7 Wonders, 7 Wonders Duel, and Takenoko. We also dig a bit into Automa and how it can help to improve solo play through carefully mimicking the opposing player's turn. 

Jason sits down to discuss the new campaign on Kickstarter for Outer Limit Games with developer, Joseph Pilkus. Titled Tradewars - Homeworld: Exterra Edition, the game promises a unique take on deck building and sci-fi exploration with solo support. 

We were super excited this week to have a bit of time to talk with Josh and Adam Carlson, the founders of Chip Theory Games and designers of Too Many Bones, one of the hottest solo games out there right now.  They sat down with us to chat about the game, their approach to components in design, some of the criticisms the game has received and what we can expect in the future from both Too Many Bones and Chip Theory.  Enjoy the interview and keep an eye out for more coverage of Chip Theory Games as their newest Kickstarter approaches next month. Connect with us on Facebook, on Twitter (@bgapodcast and @engn_podcast), and on our guild on Board Game Geek (1735) to stay up to date with all things solo.