PlayDNA – Details, episodes & analysis

5 Towers
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game

Coloretto
Boop
Birdwatcher

Games Mentioned
Kohaku
Sky Team
Sail
9 Lives
Smug Owls
Mission: Red Planet
Seas Of Strife

Games Mentioned
Queen By Midnight
Deduckto
Dragonwood
Deckscape: Behind The Curtain
Wandering Towers
Chickyboom 

Love board games AND animals? So do we! These picks are for you.

This episode is a crossover between this podcast and our new comedy animal themed podcast, Best Beast. Check out Best Beast here! Best Beast (buzzsprout.com)

Games we played:
Awkward Guests | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Forgotten Waters | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Durian | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
The Climbers | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Games we discussed:
Evolution | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Happy Pigs | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Trash Pandas | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Zooloretto | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Mariposas | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Planet | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Mondo | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Beez | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Odin's Ravens (Second Edition) | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Which one is it? Can a toy have a beginning and end and not be a game? Can a game have rules and actually be a toy? And where on earth do we fit in puzzles? We slog our way through this question and try to determine what qualities make something feel like a "game" vs any other activity.

Games we played:

Commands & Colors: Napoleonics | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Underwater Cities | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
School of Sorcery | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Games have been used throughout history as a means of communication, for both good and evil. From Hitler to Queen Elizabeth I,  cards and games have proven a powerful tool in manipulating people's feelings and beliefs.

Games we played:
ZÈRTZ | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Commands & Colors: Napoleonics | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

More information about propaganda in games:
In der Fuehrer’s Face - The World of Playing Cards (wopc.co.uk)
Using Playing Cards For Propaganda – PlayingCardDecks.com


If you want to learn more about how games have been used during wartime, check out our episode "All's Fair in Games and War"
https://www.buzzsprout.com/930691/5916613

How important is the way a game ends? A good ending can cement a playing experience together, while a bad one can erase a game completely from your memory, or even worse, make it memorable for all the wrong reasons. This week Damon talks about how having a strong narrative arc and a satisfying ending is possible to achieve, even in games without complex stories or themes. We discuss our favorite victory point endings, fixed time endings, control endings, and aha endings, and which ones left us feeling unsatisfied.

Games we played:
Baron Voodoo | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Las Vegas | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Games we discussed:
Arkham Horror | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Agricola | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
For Sale | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Istanbul | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Catan | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
PARKS | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Camel Up | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Codenames | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Time's Up! | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Risk | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Everdell | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Betrayal at House on the Hill | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
SeaFall | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Mysterium | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Talisman | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Star Realms | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Find us on our website
www.playdnapodcast.com

Or our instagram @playdna_podcast

A Valentine's Day Curation- 9 love themed games you can play with your partner or friends this Valentine's Day, or anytime you are feeling the love!

Games we discuss:
The Ravens of Thri Sahashri | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Rose Ceremony | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Consentacle | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Fog of Love | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Marrying Mr. Darcy | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
...and then, we held hands. | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Arranged! | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
GiftTRAP | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Love Letter | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

This week Sarah tells us about the two most common flavors of train game, we talk about our favorite train games, and how the "genre" train and the "theme" train differ.

Games we played:
Shadows in Kyoto | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Portals and Prophets | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Games we discussed:
1829 | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Railways of the World | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Paris Connection | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Empire Builder | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
String Railway | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
TransAmerica | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Ticket to Ride | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
First Class: All Aboard the Orient Express! | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Brass: Lancashire | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Trains | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Age of Steam | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Snowdonia | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Yes! Edible games are a thing and they are delicious. Cassandra discusses her experience with one of Jenn Sandercock's edible games The Order of the Oven Mitt, and how edible games can make us think differently about design and play.

Games we played:
Drone Home | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
PARKS | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Curious Cargo | Board Game | BoardGameGeek


Edible Game Links:

The Order of the Oven Mitt (free sample recipe and game!)
EdibleGamesCookbook_sample.pdf

Edible Games Cookbook (hard copy or kindle options)
Edible Games | Play with your food!

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