Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

The tabletop hobby has many niches within it. Maybe you are a miniatures person, battling over the table with painted models and buckets of dice. Just boardgames for you? No problem. How about being a dedicated card game player? Within these subcultures things get even more niche, but out of these specialisations seismic shifts can emerge. 

The 18xx genre of games is a complicated, byzantine, and often misunderstood section of the hobby. These games see players buying, selling, and building trains and train companies in a variety of different ways. The fascination with trains in the tabletop hobby doesn’t stop with this particular class of games though. When our first game this season hit the tables, it became a household name, being translated into 33 languages and, as of 2024, selling 18 million copies worldwide. I’ll be checking your travel pass as we get on board withTicket to Ride. 

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. We will also link to previous episodes where we have one. 

Games Mentioned

Votes for Women

Catan -Episode Link

Rummy

Elfenland 

Brass -Episode Link

Bagh Chal

Hnefatafl 

Monopoly -Episode Link

Age of Steam 

Memoir 44

Ticket to Ride - Legends of the West

Lords of Vegas

Spirit Island

Gloomhaven

Other Mentions

Martin Wallace

Masters Traditional Games

Around the world in 80 games book

Team Links

Websites you can find the cast on

There Will Be Games

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Bluesky

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us atcultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    It is the end, dear listeners. As we stare once more into the inky black void of our season break, we contemplate our own mortality and wonder if there is anything out there between the episodes. Such musings can leave us imagining monstrosities that exist in the gaps between seasons. Entities vast and overwhelming that we can barely understand and are wise to not look at directly. Only by coming together in the warm embrace of our listeners can we stand a chance to fight back such Eldritch Horrors.    The game we are discussing for our last episode this season similarly tackles the darkness of the unknown. This game took the mythos of HP Lovecraft and turned it into a co-operative game where investigators take on horrors beyond measure to save a small town in Massachusetts. A game that arguably gave rise to the hobby game obsession with Cthulhu and was certainly one of the earliest co-operative games. Join us on a road trip to the end of space and time, in Arkham Horror.    The original game was designed by Richard Launius, Charlie Krank, Sandy Petersen, and Lynn Wills. We are mostly covering the second edition version created by Fantasy Flight Games and designed by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson.   Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Call of Cthulhu RPG Battlestar Galactica - Episode Link D&D Gold box Games Pool of Radiance Curse of the Azure Bonds Tales of the Arabian Nights Talisman - Episode Link War of the Ring Twilight Imperium Third Edition  Arkham Horror: RPG Elder Sign Eldritch Horror Star Wars: Outer Rim   Other Mentions   Ride the Lightning - Metallica  Ramsay Campbell Thomas LeGotti    Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter Instagram    Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    For the first episode of this season we are going back to what many consider the beginning of the modern era. Arriving onto the tabletop scene in the mid-90s Settlers of Catan was a breath of fresh air into a hobby that had grown somewhat stale. It made a star of its designer Klaus Teuber, who sadly passed in 2023. Join us as we trade wood for sheep and discuss the relevance this game still has in the modern hobby.    Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Baraborosa Hoity Toity Borderlands Go Magic Realm Dominion Game of Thrones Catan Star Trek Catan Risk Puerto Rico Vila Paletti   Other Mentions   New Yorker Interview Spiel des Jahres   Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky   Nate Bluesky Threads   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon   https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    For the last game of this season we are venturing once more beyond the stars and further back in time than we ever have before. Cosmic Encounter is a game that has been around before the hobby as we know it today even existed. Having had numerous versions over the years, the team dive into the impact of this game and what lies behind its longevity. Designed by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, Bill Norton, Peter Olotka, and Kevin Wilson over the various versions. There have been artists and publishers too numerous to mention but are all listed on BGG. The most recent version of the game that most people know is from Fantasy Flight Games.    CULT OF THE OLD WILL RETURN!   Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Diplomacy Dungeons & Dragons Magic: The Gathering Settlers of Catan Acquire Dune Dune: A game of Conquest and Diplomacy Borderlands Gearworld Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen Dominion  Medium Root Andean Abyss Battlestar Galactica Arkham Horror   Other Mentions https://therewillbe.games/articles-interviews/7232-an-interview-with-peter-olotka   Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  From time to time a game comes along that captures the zeitgeist. A title that stands like a colossus above the rest of the releases that year, offering a veritable garden of delights to players. Just the sort of game we like to talk about on Cult of the Old. 7 Wonders was such a game, taking the civilisation game and boiling it down to a simpler drafting mechanism. Designed by Antoine Bauza, published by Repos Productions, with art from Dimitri Chappuis, Miguel Coimbra, Etienne Hebinger, and Cyril Nouvel.   Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Magic : The Gathering Fairy Tale Mare Nostrum Innovation Mottainai RA Civilisation, Frances Tresham version Villagers Civilisation: New Dawn Catan Wingspan Werewolf Dominion Tortuga 1667 Sushi Go/ Party 7 Wonders Duel Carta Impera Victoria Netrunner Project Nisei/ Null Signal Res Arcana Millennium  Blades     Other Mentions   Serge Laget passing Wizards of the Coast controversy Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter    Matt Twitter   Nate  Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Join us on our Discord https://discord.gg/Ye6Bem5Q6x Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    So far this season we’ve been on the farm, battled in tokyo, cured a worldwide pandemic, built an industrial empire, expanded our Citadels, struggled in the cold war, and been the lords of waterdeep. Now it is time to cross the barrier into the unknown as we journey to space for the first sci-fi game of the season. It’s time to put on your cap, yell “10-4, Rubber ducky’ and blow your space horn as we sign up to become Galaxy Truckers. Published by Czech Games Edition and designed by Vlaada Chvatil with art from Tomáš Kučerovský and Radim Pech.   Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Bananagrams Race for the Galaxy Agricola - Cult of the Old Episode Pandemic - Cult of the Old Episode Prophecy Through the Ages Dungeon Lords Mage Knight Space Alert Pictomania Jungle Speed Magic Maze 5 minute dungeon 5 minute marvel Millennium Blades Pendulum Tash Kalar Last Will Codenames Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy   Other Mentions   Czech Games Edition Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Join us on our Discord https://discord.gg/Ye6Bem5Q6x   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    Dungeons and Dragons has always been the dominant game in the tabletop RPG space. From its early days to the all encompassing 5th edition, there have always been attempts to leverage that name in other ways. T-shirts, mugs, TV shows, and of course board games. Lords of Waterdeep from designers Peter Lee and Rodney Thompson is a game that took many by surprise when it came out. Putting the worker placement mechanism into the world of DnD as you take on the role of one of the Lords of the city, it remains on shelves to this day and we delve into the reasons why.    Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Agricola Caylus Kingsburg Pillars of the Earth Alien Frontiers Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition Old School Essentials Castle Ravenloft Wrath of Ashardalon Conquest of Nerath Nexus Ops Argent Consortium Lords of Vegas Ra Risk Legacy Assault of the GIants Tyrants of the Underdark Dune: Imperium Everdell Anachrony Other Mentions -  Folded Space Inserts   Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Join us on our Discord https://discord.gg/Ye6Bem5Q6x   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  This episode the team find themselves in the midst of the Cold War. Twilight Struggle from  designers Ananda Gupta and Jason Matthews, sat atop the BGG rankings for many years. It brought card driven wargames to a wider audience and has influenced the direction of much of the wargames side of the hobby. Originally published by GMT Games with Art from Viktor Csete, Rodger B. MacGowan, Chechu Nieto, Guillaume Ries, and Mark Simonitch.   Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   We the People (Washington’s War) Hannibal: Rome vs Carthage Paths of Glory Here I Stand El Grande Turn Zero Expansion Hammer of the Scots A Victory Lost Dominant Species Sekigahara  Pandemic: Legacy Root Dawn of Freedom 1960: The Making of a President 13 Days Watergate Red Flag Over Paris Fire in the Lake A Distant Plain  People Power Labyrinth: War On Terror The Troubles   Other Mentions   ACTS - Automatic card tracking system Dispatches, vietnam book Wargameroom.com    Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Join us on our Discord https://discord.gg/Ye6Bem5Q6x   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    This episode the team is turning to their first small box game of the season. A game with a mean streak that brought the mechanism of role selection to the modern hobby audience and made a name for its designer. Citadels from designer Bruno Faidutti and publisher Hans im Glück was a staple of every backpack. Across the various versions it has art from Cyrille Daujean, Julien Delval, Jesper Ejsing, Bruno Faidutti, Didier Graffet, Bjarne Hansen, Darrell Hardy, Florence Magnin, Jean-Louis Mourier, Scott Nicely, Hassan Nozadian, Christian T. Petersen, Brian Schomburg, and Richard Spicer.   Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Castle (Castel) Verräter  Meuterer Werewolf Five Tribes 7 Wonders Duel  Lords of Vegas  Blood on the Clocktower Puerto Rico Mission: Red Planet El Grande Mascarade Survive/ Escape from Atlantis Cockroach Poker Carta Impera Victoria   Other Mentions   Faiduttis perfect game library Complexity and Depth article from Iain Iain’s Collection  Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Join us on our Discord https://discord.gg/Ye6Bem5Q6x   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    In this episode of Cult of the Old we visit the industrial revolution in England through the game Brass. With a new edition, called Brass:Lancashire, released through Roxley Games in the not too distant past, this game has caught the limelight again and reminded everyone what a powerhouse designer Martin Wallace is. The original release was through Warfrog Games. Artists who have worked on the game are Gavan Brown, Lina Cossette, Peter Dennis, David Forest, Eckhard Freytag, and Damien Mammoliti.   Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Age of Steam Steam Railroad Tycoon/Railways of the World Ankh Morpork Power Grid/Funkenschlag Struggle of Empires Few Acres of Snow  A study in emerald Auztralia Age of Industry Brass: Birmingham Twilight Struggle Through the Ages Tinner’s Trail Barrage Kanban Indonesia Greed Incorporated Food Chain Magnate Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Join us on our Discord https://discord.gg/Ye6Bem5Q6x   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    In this episode of Cult of the Old the team look at a game that couldn’t be more appropriate for our times. The game that introduced the idea of co-operation to modern boardgame audience, Pandemic. Designed by Matt Leacock with art from Josh Cappel, Christian Hanisch, Régis Moulun, Chris Quilliams, and Tom Thiel. Originally published by Z-Man Games.    Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Reiner Knizia’s Lord of the Rings Red November Witch of Salem  Arkham Horror 1st edition - Chaosium edition Arkham Horror 2nd Edition - FFG Eldritch Horror Defenders of the Realm Dungeons and Dragons Adventure series Castle Ravenloft Wrath of Ashardalon Legend of Drizzt Arkham Horror: The Card Game Settlers of Catan Hanabi Spirit Island The Crew Gloomhaven   Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Join us on our Discord https://discord.gg/Ye6Bem5Q6x   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

On the latest episode of Cult of the Old the team discuss the massive Kaiju of dice chuckers, King of Tokyo!

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  “The sky above the port was the color of television, turned to a dead channel”  The famous opening line of William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer, released in 1984. Only a couple of years before in his short story ‘Burning Chrome’ Gibson had defined the term “Cyberspace”. He used it to refer to a global network of interconnected computers. In publishing Neuromancer Gibson helped solidify the genre of Cyberpunk and the rest is history. Or the future. Depends on how you look at it.  Popular culture embraced Cyberpunk. We got films like Blade Runner and tabletop RPGs like Cyberpunk and Shadowrun. These games saw plucky teams of street rebels take on the shadowy corporations that ruled the future of those settings. The title we are covering tonight lets you step into the role of a megacorp, or the hackers that are taking them on. It came from the mind of Richard Garfield, who only 3 years earlier had defined a genre and upset an industry with a little game called Magic: The Gathering. Put on your mirrorshades and jack in as we take a dive into Netrunner.  Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Magic: The Gathering Disney Lorcana Star Wars Unlimited Austin Powers CCG Sim City CCG V:TES Android Android: Infiltration New Angeles  Call of Cthulhu LCG Lord of the Rings LCG Game of Thrones LCG Star Wars LCG Omen: Reign of War   Other Mentions   jinteki.net Null Signal The Peripheral Snow Crash Bladerunner 2049 Netrunnerdb Hearthstone   Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter Instagram   Support us on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  The team are starting this journey with the most pastoral of worker placement games, Agricola. Designed by Uwe Rosenburg with art by Klemens Franz. Originally published by Lookout Games.   Games Mentioned Bohnanza Caylus Bus Keydom Lords of Waterdeep Lancaster Feast for Odin Dominion Power Grid  Le Havre Teotihuacan  Puerto Rico Terra Mystica Spirit Island  Caverna At the Gates of Loyang Ore et Labora   Other Mentions Z-Man Games Dale Yu - Opinionated Gamers Playagricola.com Team Links Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games The Cult of the Old   Iain The Giant Brain Twitter   Matt Twitter   Nate Twitter   Support us on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Join us on our Discord https://discord.gg/Ye6Bem5Q6x   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    What are we looking at this cast?   People love board games for all sorts of reasons. The satisfaction of a well executed strategy. Building the perfect engine. Riding the curve of chance to push your luck just enough. We enjoy the finely honed mixing of mechanism, theme, and setting to produce the perfect game. Our next game this season is none of those. It just wants to watch the world burn.    Having had 9 different editions over the course of its existence this game sees players donning their robes, picking up a staff, and pouring over their spell books. Not for intense wizardry research. Oh no. Just to make sure that your fellow wizards see the wrong end of a fireball and get fried by your lightning bolt. Welcome to Wiz War.   Wiz War was designed by Tom Jolly and has had various artists over the course of its editions.    Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Dungeons & Dragons Cosmic Encounter - Episode Link  Nuclear War Mille Bornes Dungeon Quest Merchant of Venus  Fireball Island Dark Tower Slay The Spire Inscryption Tresham Civilization  1830 Mage Wars Summoner Wars   Munchkin Bang! Arcane Blaster Casters  King of Tokyo - Episode Link   Other Mentions   Interview with Tom Jolly https://web.archive.org/web/20191031005246/http://controlledareagaming.com/2016/09/09/interview-with-tom-jolly-designer-of-wiz-war/   Reflections on the publishing of Wiz War https://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/a-brief-history-of-wiz-war/   Dragon Magazine Cheapass Games Fantasy Flight Games Restoration Games The Duelist    Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky   Nate Bluesky Threads   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon   https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    Themes in games have become a hot topic over the last few years. As the hobby expands, people have begun to ask if we can tackle difficult subject matter in the guise of a boardgame. Designers like Cole Wherle try to answer these questions with their titles Pax Pamir and John Company.    Some themes have existed since the dawn of the hobby and the rise and fall of civilisations is one such example. From the original Tresham Civilisation game, many titles have addressed the civ building aspect of this theme. However only one game focuses on the constant wax and wane of history in a very playable time scale. The tense ebb and flow of history condensed down into a tight compact box. It’s a Small World, after all.    Small World was designed by Phillippe Keyaerts, with art from Miguel Coimbra and Cyrille Daujean. It was published by Days of Wonder.   Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Vinci Mare Nostrum History of the World Dominion Age of Steam Power Grid Agricola  - Episode Link Worldspanner Factions Civilisation Pirates Cove Ticket to Ride Memoir 44  Colosseum Cleopatra and the society of architects  Battlelore Commands and Colours: Ancients Commands and Colours: Napoleonics Lords of Waterdeep - episode link Risk Nexus Ops Power Grid Civilization - New Dawn Tempus Twilight Imperium Third Edition Through The Ages Clash of Cultures  Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy   Other Mentions   Days of Wonder Fantasy Flight Games    Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky   Nate Bluesky Threads   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon   https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    Within any sub-culture certain things become the boogeyman. Films so terrible they are just terrible and become the poster child for the worst the form has to offer. Books so ponderous that no-one can make them to the end and everyone wonders why anybody bothers trying. Board games are not immune from this and it is of course those games that a lot of us grew up with that become the target of our ire.    That does not mean they are not worthwhile discussing and here on Cult of the Old we want to take a look at the history and impact of one of those pariahs. Yes it's time to choose if you want to be the dog or the hat, to hope you don’t go to Jail, and to see if you can get the best value properties. The game that makes Capitalism fun, Monopoly!    Monopoly was designed by Elizabeth Maggie, not Charles Darrow as you will learn in our cast!   Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Monopoly: Ultimate Banking Edition  Catan - Episode Link Pandemic - Episode Link 7 Wonders - Episode Link Risk Modern Art Acquire Power Grid Lords of Vegas Millennium Blades Contract Bridge Kriegspiel Magnate: The First City Monopoly Deal I’m the Boss   Other Mentions   Senet Magazine The Monopolists Dollop Episode on The Landlords Game   Team Links   Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky   Nate Bluesky Threads   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon   https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    This Episode….   The idea of adventure draws many to different hobbies. Some go scaling mountains, while others hurtle down them. Camping outdoors brings many to the wonders of forests and lakes across the world. Even dry and inhospitable deserts hold wonders to be explored. Much as I don’t mind a bit of outdoors living, a lot of my adventures have been found round the gaming table, exploring strange places and encountering odd folk.    Roleplaying games excel at this kind of adventure but sometimes we don’t want the faff of creating a character or lumbering a friend with the responsibilities of the GM. Sometimes we want something to give us that feeling without all the work needed to run a good RPG. The next game we are talking about attempted to do just that. It’s a game that has been around for a long time and still keeps getting reprinted. We will look at why, discuss its influences and legacy, as we climb the wizards tower to the top of Talisman.   The game was designed by Robert Harris and published by Games Workshop and Fantasy Flight Games.  It has art from Christos Achilleos, Ryszard Anotnoiszczak, Gary Chalk, and Peter Andrew Jones.    Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Dungeons and Dragons Bugs Bunny Adventure Game Magic Realm Dungeon Mystic Wood Dungeon Quest Dungeon Crawl Classics Agon Deathmatch Island Swords & Wizardry Mork Borg  Mage Knight Catan Episode Link Runebound Expeditions Vindication Heroquest Star Wars: Outer Rim Eldritch Horror   Other Mentions   Talisman Island Bob Harris site Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky   Nate Bluesky Threads   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon   https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  When we turn our minds to the subject of influential designers there is surely one name at the top of everyone’s list. Dr. Reiner Knizia. A designer with somewhere in the region of 700 titles to their name. Many of us have our favourite Knizia titles, and the hosts of this show are no exception.  The good doctor is famous for many games and is associated with many mechanisms that feature time and again in his designs. One of those is auctions. In our game tonight we will visit art auctions across the world, buying up the finest pieces, for the least amount of money and making huge profits. Or so we hope. Open the doors and put your finest pieces on display in the classic game Modern Art.    Modern Art was designed by Reiner Knizia with various artists across all the editions.   Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned Modern Art: The Card Game Monopoly  Bridge Spades Ra Medici Hoity Toity Cafe international Scotland Yard Die Macher  For Sale Furnace Beowulf Hobbit   Other Mentions Ancient Robot Games   Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky   Nate Bluesky Threads   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon   https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!   Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.    Good games being lost in the shuffle is not a new phenomenon as Puerto Rico knows only too well. Overlooked for a Spiel des Jahre award the year of release this game has always had a controversial place in the hobby. Hugely influential but with a setting that could be easily described as insensitive, this game has had a massive impact on the hobby and recently had an attempted re-release to get rid of some of the more problematic elements. We will discuss that, and everything else about this game in this episode.    Puerto Rico was designed by Andreas Seyfarth with art from Franz Vohwinkel.   Show Links   Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned   Manhattan Thurn & Taxis Citadels El Grande Ra Taj Mahal Princes of Florence Power Grid Tigris & Euphrates Paths of Glory Crokinole  Eminent Domain San Juan Brass Five Tribes Twilight Imperium 3rd San Juan  Race For the Galaxy  Other Mentions   Puerto Rico Evolver Digital Antiquarian Privilege of Play   Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt Bluesky   Nate Bluesky Threads   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon   https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape.  The history of TV and film franchises becoming tabletop games has not been one filled with glory. Eager executives and overconfident designers would rush games out to market, only to be met with a distinct sound of disinterest from the gaming public. Despite a few honourable exceptions, like Star Wars Queen’s Gambit and Epic Duels, when our next game came to market, everyone thought it would continue this run of duds. It did not.  Released 4 years after the start of the TV series it was based on, Battlestar Galactica saw players engaging in inevitable betrayal and cunning tactics to win the game for their side. This game of artificial intelligence versus humans is not only on the nose for the current political climate, but, like its parent show, linked to the politics of its time through metaphorical allusions to 9/11.  The game was designed by Corey Koniecza, with art from Kevin Childress, Brian Schomburg, and Wil Springer.  Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.   Games Mentioned Battlestar Galactica  Battlestar Galactica the CCG Arkham Horror War of the Ring Mafia /Werewolf Starcraft Betrayal at House on the Hill Shadows over Camelot Labyrinth: War on Terror Twilight Struggle Tortuga 1667 Blood on the Clocktower Dark Moon One Night Ultimate Werewolf The Resistance The Resistance: Avalon  Nemesis Nemesis Lockdown Unfathomable Dune   Other Mentions Fringe Tao of gaming Team Links   Websites you can find the cast on There Will Be Games   Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky   Matt Bluesky   Nate Bluesky Threads   Support us on Ko-Fi   https://ko-fi.com/cultoftheold   Support us on Patreon   https://www.patreon.com/CultoftheOld   Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

Amongst the thousands of games that are released each year into the tabletop hobby, it can be hard to stand out as a designer. Your name rings out less than the games you make, making it hard to carve a space for yourself, let alone a career. For the designer of our next game, this has not been a problem. Dr Reiner Knizia was designing games before the hobby as we think of it today existed and is regarded as one of the best of all time.

How do you know what games are his best though? Which game shows off that particular Knizia magic? When did he come to the attention of the wider community? Well the game we are covering on this episode is considered by some to be his masterpiece. A game that sat at the top of the BGG rankings for several years, has been reprinted numerous times, and is the perfect example of some of Knizia’s most famous design tropes. Let’s dip into the refreshing water of Tigris & Euphrates.

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Catan - Episode Link

El Grande 

Risk 

Axis & Allies

Diplomacy

Civilization

Acquire

Go

Modern Art - Episode Link

Ra 

Taj Mahal

Lord of the Rings

Lost Cities

Samurai

Amun-Re

Through the Desert

Revenge of the B-Movie 

Yellow & Yangtze

Race for the Galaxy

Puerto Rico - Episode Link

Dune

Gest of Robin Hood

Hex

Carcassonne

Babylonia 

Quest for El Dorado

Blue moon

Other Mentions

Deutscher Spiele Preis 

Tigris & Euphrates video part 1 - other parts can be found from there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRCub6Xxng0

Team Links

Websites you can find the cast on

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Bluesky

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

The three of us on this cast are purveyors of words. We use them to communicate our thoughts on games in the written or audio form. In doing so we hope to convey the emotions, feeling, and mechanisms behind games we love and loathe. 

Words have a long history of association with games. From Victorian parlour games to modern expressions of the form in games like Codenames and Paperback Adventures. Of course here on Cult of the Old we are not interested in the modern expressions so much as the origins of word games. 

We aren’t going to go back as far as the Victorians this episode. We are instead going to go back to the early 20th century. Then a game that was originally called Criss-Cross words was brought to a wider audience. It is then when it took on its modern name which you will already be familiar with. Scrabble. 

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Codenames

Paperback Adventures

Kriegspiel

Monopoly - Episode Link

Tigris & Euphrates - Episode Link

Anagrams

Go

So Clover

Upwords

Boggle

Acquire

Letter Jam

Other Mentions

Words with Friends

Rosemary’s Baby

Sneakers

Team Links

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Bluesky

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

Games come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. As consumers and critics of the form we try and categorise, quantify, and contemplate the flaws and virtues of these forms. We have tackled many games over the first two seasons of Cult of The Old from the heavier economic stylings of Brass, the negotiation heavy stylings of Cosmic Encounter, and the gentle , if grim, farming of Agricola. One category we haven’t touched on so far is that of the party game.

These games tend to take a large number of players and lie at the lighter end of the mechanical spectrum. Although not the originator of this style of game, the title we are covering today is arguably one of the most influential. Coming in a blockbuster year of titles it was the lightest of that crop to make a mark, and it didn’t really take off properly until a couple of years later. A game that allows the players to express themselves through art, interpretation and surreal imagery. Welcome to the dream world of Dixit. 

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Stella on BGA

Apples to Apples

Cards Against Humanity 

Balderdash

Charades

Monopoly - Episode Link

Telestrations

Time’s Up

Fictionary

Mysterium

Dixit Journey

Dixit Odyssey 

Once Upon A Time

Old Hellfire Club

Scrawl

Medium

The Chameleon 

Spyfall

Pictionary

Codenames

So Clover

Decrypto

Concept

Other Mentions

Dixit online - Tixid 

Blankety Blank

Catchphrase

Call my Bluff

Team Links

Websites you can find the cast on

There Will Be Games

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Twitter

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

Many of the games we have covered over 3 seasons have an important place in the hobby landscape. From Catan at the birth of the modern board game renaissance, to the success of Monopoly, and the influence of Agricola we have covered many big titles. 

The game we are covering this episode has one of the farthest reaching impacts of anything we have covered so far. Coming out in 2008 this box of cards took the hobby world by storm, spawning numerous expansions and countless imitators. The mechanism it spawned is still everywhere in the hobby, and continues to be innovated upon. Let’s get shuffling and dealing as we dive into the phenomenon that was, and is, Dominion.

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Magic: The gathering

St. Petersburg

Netrunner - Episode Link

Pandemic - Episode Link 

Ascension 

Star Realms

Arctic Scavengers

Thunderstone

Tanto Cuore 

Shards of Infinity

Race for the Galaxy 

Star Wars Unlimited

Arkham Horror LCG

Puzzle Strike

Undaunted Series

Dune: Imperium

Automobiles

Tyrants of the Underdark

Gloomhaven

Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Clank 

Battlestar Galactica

Cosmic Encounter 

Dixit

Star Wars: Deckbuilding Game

Millennium Blades

Ruthless

Quacks of Quedlinburg 

Other Mentions

Diana Jones Award

Gathering of Friends

Fortress Ameritrash 

 

Team Links

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Bluesky

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

Dear listeners, it is once again time for us to part ways. As we come to the end of our third season, let us reflect on the games we have covered. From the family friendly Ticket to Ride, to the genre defining titles like El Grande and Dominion, and the brutal chance of Blood Bowl we have covered a wide range of genre, mechanism, and complexity. However, no game this season has the reputation for sheer scale and difficulty of our final title. 

Not only did our last title this season establish its designer as a powerful voice, but it took a venerable genre and turned it inside out. The civilisation style of board games is almost as old as the hobby, and our final title took this genre, stripped out a lot of the fundamentals and made a game that took the world by storm. Join us for one last time this season as we go Through the Ages.

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Pandemic

Mage Knight

Codenames

Francis Tresham Civilisation 

Mega Civilisation 

Prophecy

Sid Meier’s Civilisation

New Leaders

Through the Ages App

Can’t Stop - Playte Version

Flip 7

FFG Civilisation

Mare Nostrum

Imperium

Six Sojourns - Eight Minute Empire

Carta Impera Victoria

Civilisation: A New Dawn

Innovation

Ark Nova

Other Mentions

Matt Leacock

Boardgame Arena

Digital Antiquarian 

Team Links

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

BlueSky

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

Nate: Well Iain we are almost at the end of the season

Iain: That’s right Nate and the teams have all to play for

N: Teams?

I: Yes Nate, teams. In no other sport do we get to see the sheer physicality and natural brutality brought out in such a glorious manner

N: This isn’t a sports podcast Iain, it’s a board game podcast

I: Can’t it be both? 

N: I guess it could. If we covered a board game from at least 10 years ago that happens to be focused on sport

I: How about a fantasy sport? 

N: Tell me more Iain

I: Well Nate, let me tell you about a sport that is not only an allegory for the animosity between many fantasy races but also stands as one of the icons of the British gaming scene. 

N: Is it from a famous British Publisher?

I: You took the words right out of my mouth Nate

N: Meat Loaf?

I: No thanks I’ve eaten. 

N: Enough of this, let’s get on with the show

I: You’re right Nate, let’s tell these fine folks about Blood Bowl. 

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Warhammer

Epic 40k

Warhammer 40k

Necromunda

Warhammer Quest

Space Hulk   

Monsters of the Midway

Football Strategy Avalon Games

Terror of the Lichemaster (warhammer campaign)

Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game

Mordheim

Gorkamorka

Dune

Blitz Bowl

Dreadball

Blood Bowl: Team Manager

Kaos Ball

Other Mentions

Games Workshop Ltd.

Tabletop Simulator Mod we used 

Beastie Boys - License to ill 

American History X

The Producers

TSR

Team Links

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Bluesky

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

Sometimes you hear about games by reputation. The epic length of Twilight Imperium, the complexity of Vita Lacerda designs, the seemingly simple mechanisms behind the games of Reiner Knizia. These reputations can attract or repel in equal measure, and sometimes they are undeserved. The folklore around some games can be a hindrance to their uptake. However some folk tales are firmly based in reality. 

The game we are covering tonight is one of those games that I knew by reputation alone. Dry, excruciating downtime, with very little in the way of redeeming features. Despite that description this is a game that has always been available, an evergreen in more ways than one. Now that I have played the game, what do I think? We will get to that. As to what my fellow hosts think, well they are in the ring and ready to fight over the classic that is Power Grid. 

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Ticket to Ride - Episode Link 

Imperial

Railway Rivals

McMulti

Playboss

Age of Steam

City of Big Shoulders

Chicago Express

Bohnanza

Puerto Rico - Episode Link

Fearsome Floors

Plum Island Horror

Fish, Flip, and Frikadelen 

504

Ark Nova 

Seti

Thebes

Red November

Patchwork

Ra

Modern Art - Episode Link

Fishing

Other Mentions

Brettspielwelt

The story of Power Grid - https://opinionatedgamers.com/2016/07/11/funkenschlag-at-fifteen-the-story-of-power-grid/

Team Links

Websites you can find the cast on

There Will Be Games

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Bluesky

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

A large part of the culture of the tabletop hobby is tied up with games emulating history. From HG Wells’ Little Wars to the early days of Avalon Hill and the modern expressions of the form in GMT Games, wargames are undoubtedly a large part of tabletop gaming’s history and present. We have covered one of the icons of this genre with Twilight Struggle in Season 1, a game that sat atop the BGG rankings for many years.

Our next game this season has never had such an accolade, but has still been a massive presence over the years. Taking the more complicated wargames that were available at the time and distilling them into a fast card driven experience, it crossed the aisle into more  mainstream hobby gaming. Soon it was on gamers shelves everywhere and spawned numerous, and we do mean numerous, expansions, campaign books and more. Pull up a chair and reminisce with us as we look back at Memoir 44. 

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Twilight Struggle 

Ticket to Ride

Battlecry

Commands & Colours Ancients

Commands & Colours Napoleonic 

Commands & Colours series 

We the People

Combat Commander

Heroscape

Star Wars Queen’s Gambit

Battlelore

Netrunner

Samurai Battles

Other Mentions

Vassal 

Richard Borg Interview

Team Links

Websites you can find the cast on

There Will Be Games

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Bluesky

Nate

Bluesky

Instagram

Support us on Patreon

Email us at cultoftheolduk@gmail.com 

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old!

Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. 

Over the last two and half seasons of Cult of the Old we have covered some absolute classics. From the brutal farming of Agricola that kicked off our very first season to Catan that began our second we have looked at games venerable and revered, and some that are just past their prime Some of those games still hold their place in the hobby, but many have been surpassed as designers take the original ideas and improve on them ten fold. 

This is not the case for the game we are covering tonight. 

Hitting the scene in 1995, the same year as Catan, our next title quickly became a watch word for area control. Though many games have followed in this Grand Dames footsteps, none have managed the combination of simple mechanisms, devilish decisions, and twists of fate that this title nailed. Pick up your caballeros and send them into the depths of the Castillo as we explore El Grande. 

Show Links

Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mentions during the course of the cast.  We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question.

Games Mentioned

Catan - Episode Link

Civilisation

Risk

Go

6 Nimmt

Heimlich & Co

Torres

Tikal

Heroquest

Villa paletti 

San Marco

Mission Red Planet 

Race for the Galaxy

Dominion - Episode Link

Arcs

Root

Chaos in the Old World

Kemet

Wallenstein

Shogun

Other Mentions

Rio Grande Games

Z-Man Games

Team Links

Iain

The Giant Brain

Bluesky

Matt

Bluesky

Nate

Bluesky

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