Sunday 29 October 2017

Can board games be Scary?

Last Halloween we threw a Board Game Halloween party. I gathered up any games we had with monsters, zombies, murder or ghosts in and we had a day just playing these 'scary' games!

Everyone had a lot of fun and good time had by all but - at no point do I believe anyone was genuinely scared of these games we were playing. Despite hoards of zombies, murdering hotel guests and hidden traitors these 'scary' board games all failed to scare us.

Personally I don't think the designers of these games were going for fear and that's fair enough, but there is something weirdly enjoyable about being scared for entertainment, that's why so many people go to theme parks, watch horror movies or jump out of planes.

This week we discuss if its possible, or desirable, for a board game to be truely scary.



As always we also discuss the games we have been playing this week including the potentially scary Dead of Winter and the definitely not scary Rhino Hero Super Battle.

Keep in touch with us during the week by visiting out social media (links at the side of the page) or check out insidevoicesnetwork.com for more great podcasts.

Also check out the We're Not Wizards podcast, we were pleased to be invited on as guests this week where we discussed a bit of our gaming history as well as what games we would want in a zombie apocalypse.  https://werenotwizards.podbean.com/e/boardgamesinbed/

Sunday 22 October 2017

Sportsmanship

Its not about the winning, its the taking part that counts!

With board gaming, I genuinely believe that's true. I usually consider a day spent gaming as a day well spent regardless of the outcomes of the games played.

But sometimes... just sometimes, we can all get a little bit too wrapped up in the game. We might gloat a little too much about our glorious victory or find ourselves sulking over a crushing defeat. 
Having played so many games together Kelly and I have both experienced less than sporting behaviour from the other.

This week we discuss how we can be better winners and losers, and what makes a sore loser or bad winner in the first place. 


We also have our weekly discussion on games we have played this week, including our final thoughts on BLANK, as well as getting the chance to play some of our favourite games One Night Ultimate Werewolf and Isle of Skye.

If you want to hear more from us in the week, check out our links to our social media pages below and if you have the time, we really would appreciate it if you could leave us a review on iTunes.


Sunday 15 October 2017

Battlestar Galactica

I don't like to play favourites with my games. I have lots of different games I like for lots of different situations.

But... if I had to pick, Battlestar Galactica would be up there. I've probably played it over 20 times, and given each game takes 3-5 hours, that means I've spent about 4 whole days of my life playing. That's a pretty glorious long weekend.

BSG is an older game (so old its currently out of print) but it is a classic. An epic space pursuit, pitting humans against hidden Cylons. It's got politics, space battles and a brig. Other than in Monopoly, in how many other games can you send your opponents to jail? Can the humans survive and reach their destination or can the Cylons defeat them before they get there?

Our good friend Chris has even stronger feelings about BSG than us, and just last week we completed his legacy variant. Played over multiple games, it follows the 4 seasons of the show, and when characters die in the game they are gone for the rest of the game (unless they are Cylons - because as you know there are multiple copies!) It seemed like the perfect time to have him on the podcast to discuss all things BSG.




We will be back to our normal format next week, but if you want to keep up with us in the mean time we have links to all our social media at the bottom of the page, and check out www.insidevoicenetwork.com for podcasts that probably aren't covering BSG!


Sunday 8 October 2017

Cult of the new... to me

Before we start, this weeks pillow talk topic was completely stolen from a blog post I recently read, by Dave Roy. Go check it out here (and the rest of his blog "Dude, Take Your Turn").

In his article he discusses how he doesn't really feel like he belongs to the "Cult of the New" - that brand of board gamer that keeps up with all the latest releases and only plays the new hotness, but instead reserves his excitement for board games he has recently discovered regardless if they were released in 2017 or 1977 (Cosmic Encounter anyone?)

Having limited funds, I definitely find myself a member of this cult and a happy one at that. I can get all the thrill and excitement of playing a new game, but know that it must be good enough to have stood the test of time.. something I could not guarantee if I only purchased new releases.

We explore this concept and discuss what might make a gamer crave new games and also why might we want to play old favourites.



As always we also discuss what we played in the week including old classics Survive Escape from Atlantis, Incan Gold and Harry Potter Clue(do); and so-new-its-not-been-released yet Blank.

Until next week catch up with us on social media - just use the links at the bottom of the page to find us, or if you want to find more great board gaming podcasts checkout insidevoicesnetwork.com.





Sunday 1 October 2017

Lets all Co-operate

As you know from last week I was ill,  and the house is upside-down because we are decorating and it was Kelly's birthday- so we had to celebrate that about 3 times. All these factors added up to very little gaming time so our list of games this week was pitifully short.

I was however able to catch up with a lot of gaming podcasts last week, so in light of International Podcast Day which was the day before this episode released I thought I would do a round up of some of the many gaming podcasts I listen to, including our fellow inside voices podcasts The Five By, Greatway Games and Ding and Dent as well as many more!

 

For Pillow talk this week we discuss Co-operative games and have a think about why we like them, how does luck in co-op games affect our enjoyment and what we think of the alpha gamer issue and Kelly asks the question - is a co-op still a co-op if you play it solo? 

If you want to hear more from us in the week the check us our on our social media using the links at the bottom of the page. Also this week we will be on the Botch Games Podcast (Episode 78 I believe) so check that out too!

Also check out www.insidevoicesnetwork.com for other awesome podcasts!