HEX&CUBE: Euro Board Games and Board Game Design – Details, episodes & analysis

In this lovely 18th episode of the HEX&CUBE podcast, I invite my friend Jeremy Lounds on to have a little chat about abstract games. We get into the usual conversation about cashew milk and our fragile, old-man bodies.

Jeremy's Game "Duwen"
Jeremy's Twitter


Link to discussion.

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Kyle's Twitter

Kyle's Instagram 

Welcome (00:18)
Get to know Jeremy (02:10)
Ode and Game Design(11:18)
DECO and Abstract games (16:53)
Outro - (54:49)

Wow. What an enjoyable episode! I had a blast talking with Andreas Odendahl (Ode). We talked about Helmets, chickens, and even board games. I learned that censoring can actually be fun, and that Suchy is lazy (Ode's words, not mine). :D We got to talk about Ode's approach to designing and about his game, Cooper Island. This is a long'n, but an oh-so-good'n.


"Ode's Box of Games" Facebook Page
Ode's Twitter
Ode's Instagram


Link to discussion.

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Kyle's Twitter

Kyle's Instagram 

Welcome (00:18)
Get to know....Ode! (00:56)
Ode and Game Design(23:30)
Cooper Island (45:43)
Outro - (1:31:43)

If length was an indicator of net-worth, this 8th episode is the Jeff Bezos of board game podcasts. Still recording remotely, Kyle welcomes back Joe and Joel, as well as a very dear friend, Michael Searles, to talk about some board games. Mostly, the conversation is about Wingspan, the greatest game, not only of 2019, but of all time. We all verbally bow to the innovative genius that is Wingspan, and revel in it's shining light, which breaks into the darkness that is card games. The Golden Geek Awards is crazy though. Fur real.

Satire aside, we all think Wingspan is a good game, and are pumped on what it has done within and without the hobby with regards to raising awareness for and offering an entry into hobby gaming. But dang.

*Link to discussion.* (Right click and open in new window)

Welcome (00:20)
News (3:22)
Game Night(s) - Great Western Trail, Space Base, Funkoverse, The Voyages of Marco Polo(6:41)
Topic - Golden Geek Awards(29:26)
Outro - (2:20:00)

In the greatest episode yet, Kyle brings back some of the gang via electricity to talk remotely about genre in board gaming. Kyle and the Triple J Extravaganza also share some of their most recent gaming experiences with lovely chit-bearers like Altiplano, The Crew, Chocolate Factory, and The Isle Of Cats. Swing wide your listening-holes and receive some bombastic board-gaming sound waves! And what would an episode such as this be without a couple potentially offensive remarks from John. Enjoy!

*Link to discussion.* (Right click and open in new window)

Welcome (00:22)
News (3:16)
Game Night(s) - Chocolate Factory, The Isle of Cats, The Crew, Altiplano(7:00)
Topic - Board Game Genres (23:20)
Outro - (1:18:05)

*Intro and outro music - "The Garden State" by Audiobinger, via freemusicarchive.org

In this wonderful 6th episode, Kyle, completely and socially distanced, shares his experiences playing some good board games and not so good board games with his wife, and then rambles on for 20 minutes about expectation in games to only vaguely get to a point. Hope you enjoy it!

*Here is the link to the blog post we were featured in!* (Right click and open in new window)

*Link to discussion.* (Right click and open in new window)

Welcome (00:22)
News (1:38)
Game Night(s) - Bruges, Ulm, Coal Baron: The Great Card Game (4:14)
Topic - Expectations in gaming (18:49)
Outro - (38:40)

*Intro and outro music - "The Garden State" by Audiobinger, via freemusicarchive.org

In this episode, Kyle shares his vision for HEX&CUBE to die after the first year with no listeners, talks about vikings shipping goods in Hamburg in the 1900s, and his resolution to stop making counterfeit game inserts and selling them on Ebay. Shorter isn't always better, but in the case of this episode, it very well may be.

Welcome (00:22)
News (1:08)
Game Night - Jorvik (5:53)
Topic - 2020 Gaming Resolutions (15:32)
Outro - (23:08)


*Intro and outro music - "The Garden State" by Audiobinger, via freemusicarchive.org

In this bonus episode, Kyle shares a little about his experience with Protospiel MN. We learn two very important lessons from this episode: Cats are people too, and precisely where the Mall of America is located.

*Intro and outro music - "The Garden State" by Audiobinger, via freemusicarchive.org

On this fourth episode, the dudes talk about their experience hosting the second annual Lakes Area Game Fest. They discuss how great they are at hosting conventions, how The Mind is trash and how Kyle's tastes in games are also trash, and that the threat of excommunication is quite motivating. Phrase of the day: "Cringing with laughter".

Welcome (0:20)
News (3:26)
Lakes Area Game Fest - Real Talk - What worked, what could work better, and dreams. (4:20)
Lakes Area Game Fest - Gamez (48:42)
Outro (1:20:46)

*Intro and outro music - "The Garden State" by Audiobinger, via freemusicarchive.org

And then there were two. Joe and I talk about our Christmas haul, some games that involve blind monkeys and a wise man, and we wrap things up talking about some publishers that get our blood pumping. It's the longest episode yet, filled with inches of insight.

Welcome (0:20)
Christmas (2:00)
News (9:59)
Game Night - Team 3, Wisdom of Solomon (14:40)
Topic: Publishers that are rad (33:20)
Outro (1:24:49)

*Intro and outro music - "The Garden State" by Audiobinger, via freemusicarchive.org

In this bonus episode Kyle welcomes his lovely, non-gamer wife, Bri, to the show as they enjoy some playful banter and Bri shares her thoughts on gaming and condemns people who watch television. We hope you enjoy it, and we wish you a Happy Holidays!

*Intro and outro music - "The Garden State" by Audiobinger, via freemusicarchive.org