Bucket List Board Gamers – Details, episodes & analysis

We thought it was about time we addressed the elephant in the room, and made sense of why we are called the Bucket List Board Gamers!

The first in what we hope to be a long-running series, this episode Luke, Craig and Jay discuss their picks for Entry Level or 'Beginner' games that they think are best placed to entice people into the hobby of board gaming.

Whether it be alluring visuals, tasty tactility or an effortless teach, Luke, Craig and Jay explain their two picks, then vote to decide which three games take the first slots on the prestigious... Bucket List Board Gamers Bucket List of Board Games! 

We're still working on the name...

Apologies to our Patreons, this was recorded before you very generously joined so there is no shout-out in this episode, but we love you all the same!

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As you may have heard in the episode, we are proud affiliates of Meeple Design and Meeple Coffee, who sell gorgeous gamer-related artwork and gorgeous gamer-related coffee, respectively.

We wouldn't advertise something we weren't massively fond of, and a lot of the Bucket List Board Gamers have Meeple Design artwork and apparel, and Jay wouldn't be able to get through these huge editing sessions without at least one cup of Hero's Upgrade coffee by his side at all times.

By using the links below to buy your merch and high quality coffee beans/grounds, you'll also be supporting the channel and a small business, so it's a win-win-win situation.

Meeple Design - https://meepledesign.com/?ref=BLBG

Meeple Coffee - https://www.meeplecoffee.co.uk/?ref=BLBG

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

This episode we've got our grubby little hands on not one, not two, not three but FOUR games that are yet to hit the market, and we're going to talk about them!

We have played Risible Games 'A Cure for What Ails You', Schnarf Games 'Survive Alive', No Drinks on the Table's 'Divide & Conker' and Tablescope's 'Light Speed Arena'!

Plus we're joined by the Snake Oil Salesman Doc Cheetham AKA Jerry from Risible himself to talk about his game!

But enough waffle, if you want to know what we thought of them all, all you have to do is hit play!

**Important Information**

Below is all the info you need about the games we discussed in this episode!

'A Cure for What Ails You' by Risible Games
Risible Games Website
A Cure for What Ails You Kickstarter Preview (Live now and ending on Halloween!)
A Cure for What Ails You on BGG

'Survive Alive' by Scharf Games
Schnarf Games Website
Survive Alive on Gamefound (Campaign has now closed but check out the Gamefound for potential late pledges)
Survive Alive on BGG

'Divide & Conker' by No Drinks on the Table
No Drinks on the Table Website
Divide & Conker Kickstarter Preview (Live now and running until the 27th September!)
Divide & Conker on BBG

'Light Speed Arena' by Tablescope
Tablescope Website
Light Speed Arena Pre-Order Page
Light Speed Arena on BGG

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

Quite the episode title, huh?

Yes, with AireCon Prime under a month away, we're talking about our favourite board gaming convention again! And this time we have the perfect people to shed some light on what this year's AC Prime will have in store; namely Mr. AireCon himself Mark Cooke, and perennial AireCon attendee and board gaming royalty Rodney Smith of Watch It Played.

We find out what's staying the same, what's changing, exactly where Kay will be on the 15th to the 17th of March, and some might say most importantly, whether we'll still be able to get some delicious poutine and hand made pizzas.

It wouldn't be Bucket List episode without there being some technical difficulties though, and this time we have a real cracker as one member of the team gets unceremoniously dumped into the ether just 5 minutes in. Who? You'll have to listen to find out!

If you're interested in attending Airecon Prime 2024, you can find all the details over on the Airecon website, including how to purchase tickets!

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

With March (not February!) fast approaching we thought it was about time we got ourselves (and hopefully you, our beloved listeners) hyped about Airecon 2024!

That's right, Harrogate once again plays host to the 4 day boardgame extravaganza known here at BLBG as 'Airecon Prime'!  Airecon provides the opportunity to check out what your favourite publishers have in store, the chance to buy more games to pad out that ever increasing Kallax setup, and oodles of space for open gaming!

You can check out the Bring and Buy, borrow top titles from the lending library, or grab some excellent and reasonably priced food from the street food court (Jay recommends the Pizza!)

Laurie from Stop, Drop & Roll Games joins us in this episode to reminisce about Airecon 2023 and discuss Airecon 2024! 

You can find out more about Airecon and pick up tickets here: https://www.airecon.co.uk/

And you can check out Stop, Drop & Roll Games at their website https://www.sdrgames.studio/ as well as find them on stand L13 at Airecon 2024 itself!

Enjoy!

Side Note... Our Christmas episode IS still coming, it's just very... very... very fashionably late!

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

Back in October three of the Bucket List Board Gamers headed to the brand-spanking new AC West convention in Telford!

How did they find it? What did they play? Is there anything they would change? And most importantly, who won the Table Flipping Championship by sending their meeple the furthest, while also gaining the most table rotations and rolling highest on 2 D20's?

If that's not hooking you in, we honestly don't know what will!

You can find out more about all the Airecon events here: https://www.airecon.co.uk/

And if you're in the market for some beautiful Board gaming merch, or Coffee designed specifically for Board gamers, check out Meeple Design and Meeple Coffee! Plus if you purchase using these links you'll be helping out the podcast too!

It's a win-win!

Enjoy!

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

It's Spooky Season and here at Bucket List Board Gamers we love a good horror-themed board game! We love them so much, we've decided to pick 2 each and pitch them to our fellow BLBG'ers, then pull together a Top 5 that we recommend to you, our lovely listeners!

So pop out a bowl of sweets for the Trick or Treaters, dim the lights, grab your favourite blanket to hide under and prepare yourself for the Bucket List Board Gamers Halloween Special!

**Advertisement**

Do you sometimes need a little boost when it comes to your next gaming session? Perhaps a little pick-me-up to keep you going? Or maybe you're just hunting for that perfect blend of coffee!

Whatever the reason, you should check out Meeple Coffee! They have 5 different blends, all themed around board gaming, all absolutely delicious.

Visit the store by using our link below and it will even help support the channel if you make a purchase!

https://www.meeplecoffee.co.uk/?ref=BLBG

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

In this episode we look at one of the big hitters in the board game world; Wingspan! Designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier Games in 2019, Wingspan captured the hearts of the board gaming world with its easy to learn but difficult to master mechanics.
 
The game's stunning artwork, provided by Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo, Natalia Rojas and Beth Sobel, also plays a huge part in this beautiful games allure.

Find out what we think as we discuss the base game, the expansions, and what might be next for the game that swept the Golden Geeks in 2019!

Already listened and heard Luke mention his Wingspan Wall Art? Check it out, along with loads of other high quality board game related prints and other amazing merchandise at Meeple Design!

If you use our affiliate link (https://meepledesign.com/?ref=BLBG) every purchase will help out the channel too!

*Please Note* This was one of the first episodes we recorded, and as such there is some dubious audio quality in parts! We've resolved this going forward, but apologies if some of it doesn't sound the best!

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

In this episode we're taking a trip to rural France once more as we look at 2011's Castles of Burgundy! Designed by Stefan Feld and illustrated by Julien Delval and Harald Lieske, there is much debate as to how this one looks versus how it plays!

Quite coincidentally we're releasing this just as backers have started to receive their new and improved Kickstarter versions of the game, so if you've heard of the name but don't quite know what it's about, allow us to fill you in!

Unfortunately for Luke, we don't have a B*$t@rd quota, so expect a few bleeps toward the end of the episode!

Background music : Fantasy Motion by Alexander Nakarada

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

In this episode of the Bucket List Board Gamers we implore you to grab some meat, toast, potions, leaves, gems and most importantly anvils, and join us as we discuss Flamecraft from Cardboard Alchemy and Lucky Duck.

Designed by Manny Vega and beautifully illustrated by Sandra Tang, Flamecraft sees the players vying to collect the most points as they travel around a small hamlet of shops occupied by various friendly artisan dragons.

Is there enough gameplay behind the delightful illustrations to make this one a valuable addition to anyone's collection? Listen in and find out!

Note: This was one of the first episodes we recorded, and as such the levels are a bit off, so apologies for that! We're working to get everyone's audio as crisp as possible so please bare with us!

Background music : Fantasy Motion by Alexander Nakarada

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard

Braid up your beard, climb aboard your Longship and set sail for Valhalla with us, as this episode we discuss A Feast for Odin!

A Feast for Odin is a points driven, worker placement romp through the life and times of a Norman tribe, these days more commonly known as Vikings!

With multiple routes to victory, will you end up with a cornucopia of resources at your disposal or will your best laid plans lead to a disaster tantamount to Ragnarok?

It seems like Loki may have been tinkering with some of our audio equipment, so apologies for the odd bit of distortion (and some distinctly ovine background noise in parts!)

Background music : War Shout by Alexander Nakarada

• Jerry Moncrief
• Daniel Fullard