Moving your Collection

It's been embarrassingly long since we last did a podcast, but between moving house and babies life has definitely been getting in the way.

Fortunately we have still been managing to squeeze in some gaming during that time, so we do have a few games to talk about including  El Grande, Santorini, Pillars of the Earth, Loony Quest and Last Will.

We also talk about moving house - including what its like to have to pack up your entire games collection and say goodbye to inbuilt shelving! First world problems I know!

Hopefully the next episode will be out a little sooner than it took the last one to come out but we will see!

Escape Room Games

OK so its been more like 4 weeks than 2 weeks since the last one! But we are back with another episode (that may or may not have been recorded over 2 weeks ago)

This time we are talking about a current passion - Escape Room games! The only thing we have been playing a lot of recently!

We mention the excellent Escape This Podcast A LOT this episode so be sure to check out them. http://www.escapethispodcast.com/

We also talk about Mark Robers youtube video on how to beat escape rooms, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwgaTYOx0RI

Finally we mention a print and play escape room that @Merchm3nt recommended us on twitter https://www.escape-team.com/ - we have yet to check it out but that doesn't mean you shouldn't!

We also talk about some of the other games we have been playing recently including Cockroach Poker, World Championship Russian Roulette, Sushi Go and Quixx.

Designer Games

This week we are discussing something we don't usually mention on our podcast - designers! We love games but don't always pay attention to the people that make them.

This week we are discussing why we should be paying more attention as well as some of the reasons we don't.

We also discuss some of the games we have been playing recently including Modern Art, Mountains of Madness, Majesty for the Realm, Descent, Strike and BSG (of course).

Campaign Games

Much like getting this podcast out, it can some times be a struggle to organise a games day with friends.

Make it the same group of friends and a regular intervals and that challenge gets even harder. Despite this there is something about campaign games that makes it worth the effort.

This week we are discussing some of our on going campaign games as well as discussing some we have enjoyed in the past focusing on Descent, Near and Far and Pandemic Legacy.




We also discuss some of the games we played this week including Majesty: For the Realm, Clank, Strike and World Championship Russian Roulette.

Jigsaw Puzzles

This week we are doing a one of mini episode on puzzles (mostly because we haven't been playing a lot of board games)


We discuss how similar jigsaw puzzles are to board games and discuss a review puzzle we received recently from Buzzed Puzzles - check out their new take on jigsaw puzzles at their website - www.buzzedpuzzles.com/about.php

Is this puzzle too risqué for instagram?

A post shared by Becky Crothers (@boardgamesinbed) on Aug 16, 2018 at 3:19pm PDT

Dice dice baby

This week is all about dice and the many different ways dice are used in board games.

We discuss the perception that dice games are high luck and low strategy and the different ways games mitigate the luck of the dice, using a few case studies of games we have played this week including Dice Forge, Champions of Midgard, Roll Player and Strike (as well as talking about a few other favourites from our collection).

We also discuss some of the games we played in the week including Santorini, New York Slice and 5 Player Splendor. We also share some exciting news with you which may explain why we haven't played as many games recently! 

To learn more about Carcassonne the board game visit www.carcassonnecentral.com

And if you are interested in purchasing your own case for Splendor check out 3d.firedrake.org/#Splendor

Too many games?

This week it was my birthday! And I was lucky enough to receive a number of games as gifts from family friends for which I was very grateful. But it's also brought about a mini existential crisis about the size of our board game collection - do we now have too many games?

Please note I fully appreciate that this is a ridiculous issue to have, there are plenty of people in the world with real problems and having too much of a good thing is not a real problem - but this is a podcast about board games so that's what we are talking about!

We also discuss the games we played this week including Clank, Skrike and Oh My Goods.

Forgotten Games

Apologises this weeks podcast is so late- we had some technical issues which caused it to be delayed by a week and then the extra four days is just lazyness on my part (its too hot).

Hopefully you haven't forgotten about us because this week we are discussing our forgotten games- games we like but that just haven't made it off the shelf in over a year. We discuss three different games this has happened to (Cacao, Machi Koro and Forbidden Island) and the different reasons that have kept them on the shelf.

We also discuss some other games we have played this week including Age of Sigmar and Battlestar Galactica.
Our discussion of BSG lasts 7 minutes and its account of our last game- if you haven't played BSG before (or even if you have) it might not make loads of sense and you might want to skip it! Its on from 10.45 - 17.45.

For more information about Inside Voices including the fellowship program check out www.insidevoicesnetwork.com/news/

Long Distance Gaming

One of the great things about board gaming is that it brings us closer together and gives you a chance to interact face to face with friends and family.

But what about those times when you can't help being apart. Is it possible to get that same board game experience remotely.

This weeks episode is all about how you could play board games long distance including ways of playing real board games when your apart and some digital substitutions.

We also discuss some of the games we played remotely with each other this week including NMBR 9, Legacy of Dragonholt, Star Realms, Carcassonne and Stone Age.

If you are curious about the Ludology episode I kept talking about, listen to it here: http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-177-ai-ai-captain

Once upon a podcast...

We have hardly played any games this week so to make up for it we are playing a game on the podcast!

This weeks pillow talk is all about story telling games. We discuss what counts as a story telling game, what we do and don't like about them and even have a go at Faybell - the story telling game from the Wibbell++ system.


We also discuss the other games we played that week including Escape Room in a Box, a wedding escape game and Legacy of Dragonholt.

KonMari the Collection

This week we are discussing getting rid of our games!

There comes a point in most gamers lives where your shelves are full and you have to make a choice - move to a bigger house or cull your collection to make space for new games!

We recently used the KonMari method to reduce the size of our games collection. (Though moving house is also on the cards!)

We discuss how this worked as well as some other methods of selecting which games to keep or say goodbye to, as well as what peoples motivations for having a collection might be. 

We also discuss the games we have been playing in the week including Harvest Dice, Ghost Stories, Burgle Bros., Zombie Doctor, Lotus, Hearts, Legacy of Dragonholt, The Mind, Herbaceous, Ex Libris and Agricola: Family Edition.

For more info on Zombie Doctor check out their website www.zombiedoctor.co.uk/

UKGE 2018

It's now been a week since UKGE and it already feels like forever ago!

Kelly and I had so much to talk about at the end of each night we ended up splitting the episode into 3 parts - a part for each day.

Our first day see us easing into the convention with a few demo games including War of the Buttons, When I Dream, Pioneers, Logan Stones and Harvest Dice and then having a late night with a epic game of BSG.



On day two we play even more games including High Society, One Week and One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Rumplestiltskin, Legacy of Dragonholt, Fruitti di Mare, Startups and Q bitz.

We also take a break from gaming to attend (and participate in) a comedy board game quiz - This Game is Broken's live show and try our luck in Paul Grogan's charity raffle.



The final day has as jumping on few final demos including 5 Minute Chase, Pikoko, Chronicals of Crime, Pictomania, Wordsy, Legendary Inventors, Kanagawa and Spirt Island.

We also recap our experiences of the whole convention and compare it to previous years.


Once again we had another fantastic year at UKGE, it's certainly a high point of the year for us and something we look forward to. We are happy to see the convention grow and grow and would recommend you attend next year if you get the chance!

Retheming Games

Following our recent logo change we are talking this week about retheming games - does it bring games to a wider audience - or is it just a corporate cash grab?




We also discuss the games we have been playing this week including Splendor, Citadels, Pocket Mars and Descent Shadows of Nerekhall.

Board Game Stag Do

The stag do is an honoured tradition where prior to his big day, the groom has a big night out with his closest male friends, consumes a lot of alcohol and maybe frequent a Strip Club.

Fortunately this is not what our friend Tim chose to do, and instead we got to go down the pub, consume a moderate amount of lemonade and play some awesome fun Board Games!

In this weeks episode we applaud Tim for his excellent stag do and discuss some of the many games we got to play there.




As well as the stag do games we also discuss some of the other games we got to try in the week including Game of Thrones, Dice Forge, the Goonies Adventure Card Game and Fog of Love. (The stag do games we discuss are Decrypto, New York Slice and Deception Murder in Hong Kong)

Check out links to all our social media and if you have ever thought to yourself 'Man I'd really like to own a T-shirt with the logo of that weird podcast I listen to on' well now is your chance! Follow the Merch link to check out our redbubble store!

Burnt out on Board Games

It's been a slow weeks gaming for us and we are questioning why that is... could it be that we are burnt out on board games or are there wider issues? We discuss what factors could cause us to become disinterested in the hobby we love!


We discuss the few games we did get to play including Scythe, Dice Forge, Quixx, Wibbell ++ and Zoomaka.

Also you may have noticed we have had a logo change! Our new logo was provided to us by friend of the show Jamie Riseborough

Diceni

We are back from our unscheduled holiday and talking about Diceni - the closest thing Norwich has to a games convention.

We discuss the demo games we got to try there, notably Escape the Dark Castle and Wibbell++  from the amazing Stuff by Bez, as well as our general impressions of the convention.


We also have our usual discussion of some games we got to play in the week including Dice Forge, Inis, Meeple Circus, Hive and Kingdomino.

As mentioned early we had an unscheduled break, this is to give me a bit of an editing buffer for the show so going forward our episode will be a week behind. This will mean we are quite as up to date with current events but it will make me a lot less stressed on a Sunday evening! If you did want to stay right up to date with us you can always follow us on social media - just check out the links below!

Stranger Gamer

Board gaming is a fun and social hobby and is great to enjoy with friends and family. But what about those times when you are gaming with people you don't know? 

As two self confessed socially awkward people, how do we cope gaming with strangers - what difficulties does that bring and what benefits?

We also discuss some of the games we have been playing this week including BSG, 7 Wonders, Pandemic Legacy S2 (no spoilers), The Mind and Liberatalia.

We also finally reveal the mystery board game sound and introduce a new one- so keep listening at the end of the episode for that!

Happy Nearly Birthday to Us.......

Its nearly our 1st anniversary! Well kinda. Either way I figured 50 episodes was worthy of celebration!

This week we are recapping on how the first year of the podcast has gone, answering some questions from our listeners (and friends) and discussing whats coming up in the future. We are so happy that people listen to us and hopefully enjoy the show so it was really nice to look back at what we have done over the last year.


As always we also discuss the games we have been playing this week including Pictionary, Codenames, Great Western Trail, Rising Sun, The Mind and Crossing.

To hear more from us please follow us on social media and if you have some spare time a review on iTunes would be very much appreciated.

Also if you are curious about the edited photo of Tom Vassel...

The Length of a Board Game

How long is a good board game? About the same length of a piece of string I think!

This week we are discussing the length of games, and the impact that has on a persons experience and enjoyment. We both tend to favour shorter games (less than two hours) but with one of our favourite games being the exception we speculate on what makes those longer games appealing?




We also discuss the someone shorter games we have been playing this week including Herbaceous, Incan Gold, Qwirkle, The Mind, Skull King and give our first impressions of Zoomaka - a game that we received a review copy of this week.

There is still time to enter our 'Guess that board game sound' competition - just submit your answer on any of our social media pages or in the comments below!

Replayability

This week following a seemingly controversial new purchase, we are discussing the replayability of games, in particular - what factors make a game replayable, and how important is it for a game to be replayable?


We are also discussing games we have played in the week including Dominios, Skull King, Arctic Scavengers, Sunset Over Water and most importantly Herbaceous.

We also launch a new competition this week, so keep listening to the end of the episode for details for that! (Please note this is just for fun- there are no prizes). Feel free to put your answers in the comments below!

Also to support the Uganda board game convention Ben talks about visit:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/uganda-village-board-game-convention

Carcassonne

Carcassonne wasn't our gateway game like it is for many - but it is still a favourite of ours.

Despite a skill imbalance (Kelly wins nearly all of our games) it is one of our favourite games to play two player. Over the years we have acquired a few expansions for it, but we tend to only play with the first one, Inns and Cathedrals.

We wanted to spend some time exploring the expansions we have by dedicating an entire days gaming to Carcassonne., culminating in a mega game where we play with every expansion we have.

This weeks podcast is a discussion about the days gaming and also about what it is we love about Carcassonne! There's also a quiz at the end! 




We also discuss a couple of new favourites including Dice Forge and Photosynthesis, Kelly's actual favourite Battlestar Galactica and Becky's first thoughts of potential favourite Sunset Over Water.

All the games

Kelly and I had some rare time apart this week, which meant we ended up doing some gaming apart as well.

The result of this is that between the two of us we have played 34 games this week (16 unique games!)

All these different games left very little time for a pillow talk so in this weeks episode we just discuss ALL THE GAMES - including Inis, Whitehall Mystery, Cosmic Encounter, HMS Dolores, China Town, Star Realms, In Vino Morte, Arrogance, Timeline British History, Pocket Mars and Spyfall.




We did however have a pillow talk last week - all about Gaming with our Grandparents, and the particular considerations we have to make when playing a game with someone who is over 80. Unfortunately I forgot to post it to the website last week - so if this is the only way you access the podcast then here it is now - and please accept my apologies for not posting it sooner (please note we are on itunes, stitcher and most places where you can get podcasts from!)




So potentially a double feature for some of you this week! If that still isn't enough you can always follow us on social media for more in the week!

Airecon

This week we were lucky enough to attend Airecon for the first time.

Having only been to UK Games Expo before we weren't really sure what to expect from this smaller convention (if you call 1500 people a small convention?) but whatever our expectations were they were met and exceeded.

This week are discussing what is now possibly our favourite con, including the many games we got to play there, some of the people we got to meet and just generally what our experience of the convention was!



Throughout this bumper episode we are also discussing the many games we played whilst we were there (plus a few from the week before). This list includes:

Mumbo Jumbo
Karuba
Giant Tsuro
Jim Henson's Labyrinth
Azul
Century Spice Road
Imperial Settlers
Dice Forge
Whistle Stop
Adrenaline
The Resistance: Avalon
Photosynthesis
Vegas Showdown
The Networks
Codenames Duet
Cottage Garden
Two Rooms and a Boom

If you aren't sick of us following this extended episode please keep up with us on social media!

Ding and Dent

No, we aren't talking about our fellow inside voices podcast Ding & Dent!

This week a friend of ours was lucky enough to pick up some heavily discounted games- the catch? A great big hole in the box!

This week we are discussing if a damaged game is worth the discount - and just how important a games box is anyway!


We also discuss many of the new (to us) games we were fortunate enough to get to play this week including Near and Far, Gubs, Viticulture and the not so new Colt Express as well as how we got on at our works board game club.

For those curious this is the box cover of Caylus I showed Kelly not the newer edition which looks a bit better:

Also if you are at Airecon next and you see us around please do speak to us! We would love to meet you! We will be doing a special Airecon episode next week which will be a little bit late as we will still be there on Sunday! 

Expansion

What's better than your favourite board game? Your favourite board game with more bits!

This week we played a lot of expansions (for us at least) so we are discussing them and the concept of expansions.

Do you really need all the extra things or is it just a cynical ploy to get you to spend more money?

What do expansions  bring to the table - new weird and wonderful ways of playing? Extra players? Just more stuff!




We also discuss some of the other games we played this week including Bang! The Dice Game, When I Dream, Flick 'em Up Dead of Winter, the Bloody Inn, Hive and the expansions we played including Takenoko Chibis, Carcassonne Under the Big Top and some of the Star Realms expansion packs.

Some links to things we mentioned in the show you might be interested in include:

• Ski the Mountain Kickstarter
• Of Dice and Men Podcast
• The Inside Voices Network

If you want to hear more from us in the week please follow us on social media!

Competitive Partners

Clearly Kelly and I enjoy playing games together and I strongly advocate it as a good hobby for couples - certainly co-op games can help with cooperation and discussion skills.

But what happens when things get competitive and when its not just the two of you? Even in competitive games there is sometimes chances for temporary alliances and surely if you are playing with your spouse you would side with them...

This week we are discussing how all is not fair in love and war and how gaming with your partner in a group of other players changes the dynamic.




We also discuss some of the games we  have been playing this week including a session report from our latest game of BSG, an old favourite, Biblios and two new games to us World Championship Russian Roulette and Rising Sun.

To hear more from us follow us on social media, we are on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. For more great podcasts check out insidevoicesnetwork.com.

Inside the Box

Yes. We really are going to be talking about game boxes this week.

It might seem like the least important part of a board game but apparently we have a lot of opinions about how our games are stored!

We discuss hard hitting topics such as different box sizes and the merits over a custom insert. Also what do you do when a game has the perfect insert... but then you get an expansion?



We also discuss some of the many, many games we played this week including Cat Lady, Dominion, Ex Libris, Arrogance, NameTrain, Scythe, Tiny Epic Quest and the Goonies Adventure Card Game.

You can keep up with us the rest of the week by checking us out on social media or for more great podcasts check out insidevoicenetwork.com or visit the shiny new facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/187838101808296/

Component Moment

Video games may have their flashy graphics and automatic maths but one thing they don't have is chunky wooden pieces and lots of lovely, lovely cardboard.

A games components are a big part of the tactile experience board gaming brings and one of the many things I enjoy about gaming. This week Kelly and I discuss our favourite types of components in games, discuss the age old debate of mini vs standee and discuss if component upgrades in games/ deluxe versions are worth it. 

We also discuss some of the games we have been playing this week including Ra, Schotten Totten, fridge Carcassonne and Tiny Epic Quest.

Keep up with us the rest of the week by following us on twitter and for more great podcasts check out insidevoicesnetwork.com

Games 'showing their age'

What dates a game?

Could you tell a modern board game from one that was released 20 years ago?

This week we are discussing what might make us feel a game is 'showing it's age' and how this affects our enjoyment of a game. Is a game feeling dated personal to the player or would all gamers feel the same way?



We also have our usual discussion of games we have been playing this week including Battlestar Galactica, Pandemic Legacy season 2 (no spoilers), Untold Adventures Await and Crossfire.

Keep up with us the rest of the week by following us on social media. For more great podcasts check out  insidevoicesnetwork.com and thisgameisbroken.libsyn.com/ to listen to This Game is Broken, a board game game show I had the honour of judging a round of.

Jack of all Board Games

I'm a big fan of variety when it comes to board games, and whilst we don't have the largest collection out there we certainly have enough that we could play different games each week. I'm very grateful we are able to do this, it keeps the hobby fresh for me and I get to try out lots of new games... but the flip side of this is I never feel like I truly master a game.

This week we talk about taking the time to try and master a game and what that would entail, including the importance of repeat plays and the ethics of looking up strategy tips.

Also do you need to play the same game over and over, or can just generally master board gaming and become a master of gaming?


We also have our usual discussion about games we played in the week including Magic Maze, Untold Adventures Await and Codenames Pictures.

Check out our social media to catch up with us the rest of the week and check out the Inside Voices Network for more great podcasts.

It's the taking part that counts.

Winning isn't everything- but it isn't nothing either. This week we are talking about how winning influences our enjoyment of a game. We have found that often the games we love aren't always the ones we are very good at - so what makes these games our favourites if its not winning!


We also discuss some of the games we have been playing this week including Fog of Love, Pillars of the Earth, Lanterns and The Chameleon.

Remember to check us out on social media though out the week and we should also be on the Our Turn podcast this week so go check them out to hear more from us!

Expectation Vs Reality

Is it ever possible to be truly objective about a game?

Nearly every game we play we go into with expectations - whether its because we backed it on kickstarter two years ago and we have been riding the hype train ever since, or because it caught our eye because of a colourful well designed box, its impossible not to have at least some opinions on a game before you start playing.

This week we discuss the factors that influence our expectations of a game and how those expectations affect our enjoyment of that game. Does a lot of hype or a good review help or hinder our enjoyment?



We also discuss games we have been playing this week including Barenpark, Schotten Totten and Welcome to the Dungeon, as well as giving our thoughts on the integrated tutorial in Fog of Love and how playing Mint Works in the pub might look a bit dodgy!

Keep up with us in the week by following us on social media and checkout other great podcasts in the inside voices network at insidevoicesnetwork.com