Episode 106: Moe Poplar - Educational Historic Games? - Top 5 Cooperative Games - Community and Color Changing Trees
Episode 106
Friday, October 23, 2026 • Duration 01:01:43
Episode 106: Moe Poplar - Educational Historic Games? - Top 5 Cooperative Games - Community and Color Changing Trees
Board game designer and owner of Ashy Feet Games joins me to talk about his views on the educational value of historical games. Our top 5 cooperative games with honorable mentions. And end talking about his tabletop community and how I touched some color changing trees.
Episode 105: Lizzy, Ben, & Josey - Where Game Mechanics Meet Art - Top 3 Games for Bookworms - Fun weekend plans
Episode 105
Friday, October 9, 2026 • Duration 01:36:31
Episode 105: Lizzy, Ben, & Josey - Where Game Mechanics Meet Art - Top 3 Games for Bookworms - Fun weekend plans
Meet the designers and artist behind Bookwrym from Sword and Rose Press. We talk about how mechanics influence the art and vice versa in their game. For the book lovers, there’s a few game recommendations. And then we end with our fun weekend plans.
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:29 Get to know my guests
00:00:41 Lizzy Ives
00:01:28 Ben Kepner
00:01:53 Josey Tsao
00:04:48 How did they meet?
00:09:24 How did they get into board games?
00:11:42 How did Josey become a board game artist?
00:27:43 Importance of good art and graphic design
00:29:24 Artist input
00:36:40 Layers of Discovery
00:38:06 Who's cats are in the expansion?
Episode 104: Tina Burns & Dr. Amelia Herbst - Geek Girl Con - Women in Gaming - Finding Community
Episode 104
Friday, September 25, 2026 • Duration 01:03:29
Episode 104: Tina Burns & Dr. Amelia Herbst - Geek Girl Con - Women in Gaming - Finding Community
Tina and Amelia from the board of Geek Girl Con joins me to talk about the con, femme presenting designers, artist, and musicians in gaming, and how finding your community makes all the difference.
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:28 Get to know Tina Burns
00:01:48 Get to know Dr. Amelia Herbst
00:02:48 Backgrounds and Perspectives on Gaming
00:05:05 What types of games do they like to play?
00:12:59 Introduction to GeekGirlCon
00:14:19 The Importance of Safe Spaces in Geek Culture
00:15:24 What's in a name?
00:17:02 GGC - Every Geek is welcome!
00:20:27 Growing up at GGC
00:21:16 Supporting GeekGirlCon
00:22:59 Volunteer Opportunities and Roles
00:25:16 5 Femme presenting designers, artist, musicians and their work
Episode 103: Curt Covert (Smirk and Dagger) - Exhibiting at Conventions- Games we’ve been playing lately (not from Smirk and Dagger)
Episode 103
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 01:41:57
Episode 103: Curt Covert (Smirk and Dagger) - Exhibiting at Conventions- Games we’ve been playing lately (not from Smirk and Dagger)
Join me as we get to know Curt Covert, the owner of Smirk and Dagger games. We discuss what goes into exhibiting at conventions. While we go through a lot of information, it’s definitely not everything. But it might help someone starting out or might be an interesting peek behind the curtain. Then, we talk about 5 games we’ve been playing lately. And of course, ending with something positive happening in our lives. Don’t be afraid to go up or reach out to Curt if you have questions about the board game industry. He’s truly a fountain of knowledge.
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:16 Get to know Curt Covert
00:01:27 Smirk and Laughter
00:04:34 Trickarus
00:12:11 Main Topic: Exhibiting at Conventions
00:12:33 Curt's overall philosophy
00:16:14 Choosing the Right Conventions for Exhibiting
00:19:01 First Steps to getting a booth
00:24:19 Navigating Convention Spaces and Traffic Flow
00:33:03 Line Management at Conventions
00:37:54 Efficient Booth Breakdown Strategies
00:42:59 Planning for Conventions - when to start
00:43:56 Engaging Booth Promotions
00:49:37 5 games (not from Smirk and Dagger) that we've been enjoying
00:49:55 Wondrous Creatures
00:53:32 Dino Racer
00:57:42 Fliptoons
Episode 102: Peter Vaughan - Crowdfunding Tips and Tricks - Top 5 Bag and Deck Building Games - Con Memories
Episode 102
Friday, August 28, 2026 • Duration 01:21:36
Episode 102: Peter Vaughan - Crowdfunding Tips and Tricks - Top 5 Bag and Deck Building Games - Con Memories
Peter, one of the owners of Cardboard Alchemy, takes time away from his big Kickstarter for Whisperwood, to talk about what he has learned about crowdfunding, his favorite bag and deck builder, ending with some good memories from conventions.
00:06:10 How Kickstarter has changed for Board Games
00:07:57 Trends and Changes in Crowdfunding
00:13:26 Tips for those starting out in crowdfunding
00:17:08 Whisperwood: Cozy, Crunchy, Combo-filled Bag Builder
00:23:24 Preparing for a Crowdfunding Launch
00:26:08 Kickstarter is live, Now what?
00:27:50 Marketing Strategies Post-Kickstarter
00:31:27 Top 5 Bag & Deck Building Games
00:32:49 Orleans
00:37:03 Altiplano
00:39:49 Cubitos
00:41:42 Concordia
00:43:57 Mystic Lands
Episode 101: Ilka Luza - How to Behave at the Table. - Top 5 Games We Like to Play on Repeat - A Surprise Gift and White Water Rafting.
Episode 101
Friday, August 14, 2026 • Duration 02:03:51
Episode 101: Ilka Luza - How to Behave at the Table. - Top 5 Games We Like to Play on Repeat - A Surprise Gift and White Water Rafting.
Grab a drink and maybe some snacks because this is a longer episode. My super talented friend, Ilka Luza, joins me to discuss an important topic that’s not necessarily said out loud, some of our favorite comfort games, something that made us smile lately, and lots and lots of stories.
Episode 100: Lainie - Convention Planning Insights and Tips - 5 Games from BGG's top 100 that we love - Board Game Con Friends
Episode 100
Friday, July 31, 2026 • Duration 01:04:55
Episode 100: Lainie - Convention Planning Insights and Tips - 5 Games from BGG's top 100 that we love - Board Game Con Friends
Happy 100th Episode to the BGG Podcast! Let’s peek behind the scenes of Board Game Geek events and conventions with someone who helps run them, Lainie! Then we look at BGG’s top 100 games via user ratings to talk about 5 we love. And share some joy in finding friends through conventions.
Episode 99: Dutch Yoda - Gen Con vs Spiel - Top 5 BGG Gen Con Preview List 2026 - World Cup and the Beach Boys
Episode 99
Friday, July 17, 2026 • Duration 01:53:14
Episode 99: Dutch Yoda - Gen Con vs Spiel - Top 5 BGG Gen Con Preview List 2026 - World Cup and the Beach Boys
My friend, Dutch Yoda, joins us all the way from around the globe to talk about the differences and similarities between the 2 biggest board game conventions in the world, Gen Con and Spiel. Then we had a hard time picking our Top 5 games from the BGG Gen Con Preview list for 2026. We then talked about how the World Cup and the Beach Boys brought a little joy in our lives. I hope you can stop by one of his streams and chat with him directly especially about coffee and crowdfunding.
00:00 Intro
00:51 Get to know Dutch Yoda
02:24 How you became Dutch Yoda
03:17 Start in the hobby
05:43 Exploring Gen Con vs. Spiel
14:54 Food Culture at Conventions
18:02 Media Events: A Contrast Between Gen Con and Spiel
Episode 98: Aaron B. (Game Enthus) - The Remaster’s Era - Top 5 Games We Like to Teach - Lunch Time Gaming & Getting Recognized
Episode 98
Friday, July 3, 2026 • Duration 01:19:30
Episode 98: Aaron B. (Game Enthus) - The Remaster’s Era - Top 5 Games We Like to Teach - Lunch Time Gaming & Getting Recognized
Hey everyone! I’m excited to introduce Aaron, also known as Game Enthus on social media, who’s joining me to chat about all those games that are getting remastered, remade, updated with a second edition, brought back, or republished with some tweaks. We’re gonna try to nail down what exactly defines the “Remaster’s Era” of tabletop gaming. Then, we’ll share our top 5 favorite games to teach others. We’ll wrap up with some feel-good stories about gaming with coworkers during lunch and those moments when we get recognized. Oh, and we almost forgot to mention—we usually team up to teach a game on the Learn and Play schedule at PAX Unplugged. So, if you’re heading there, come join us for a fun game!
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:54 Get to know Aaron B.
00:06:08 The Remasters Era in Board Games
00:33:06 Top 5 Games we Enjoy Teaching
00:35:51 Hues and Cues
00:39:22 River of Gold
00:41:54 Panda Royale
00:45:20 Wok and Roll
00:47:30 So Clover!
00:50:02 Duck and Cover
00:53:13 Faraway
00:56:36 Cities
Cities USA
01:00:10 Green Team Wins
Green Team Wins Again
01:03:28 Seti: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Kanban EV
Sweet Lands
01:08:00 Honorable Mentions
Episode 97: Cole Smith - Games that Combine 2 Mechanisms well - Top 5 Area Control Games - A Frame Job & Good Food
Episode 97
Friday, June 19, 2026 • Duration 01:22:43
Episode 97: Cole Smith - Games that Combine 2 Mechanisms well - Top 5 Area Control Games - A Frame Job & Good Food
Canadian board game and graphic designer, Cole Smith, joins me to talk about his current published games, games that combine 2 mechanisms well, and his favorite mechanism, area control, games.
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:21 Get to Know Cole Smith and his games
Tanuki
Sauros
3 Magi
00:05:58 The Journey of Game Design
00:08:23 Cole's Favorite Mechanism or Game that inspires him
00:14:42 Games that Blend 2 Well-Known Mechanics Well
Lost Ruins or Arnak
Dune Imperium
Endless Winter: Paleoamericans
Patchwork
Cascadia and other Flatout line of games
Sauros
Rumble Nation
Radlands
7 Wonders Duel
Sagrada
Nokosu dice
King of Tokyo
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Trick Taking Game
Iliad
Tag Team
Arcs
00:33:32 Top 5 Area Control Games
00:37:57 The King is Dead: Second Edition
00:40:18 Rumble Nation
00:41:46 Waddle
00:44:35 Ankh: Gods of Egypt
00:47:25 Marrakech
00:50:50 Rumble Nation (Overlap)
00:51:09 Sunrise Lane
00:54:27 Scythe
00:58:45 Foundations of Rome
00:40:55 Real life in a fantasy world
00:44:43 Artist input is important
00:46:37 How important is graphic design?
00:49:04 A good artist is worth their weight in ... books.
00:53:49 Top 3 games for Bookworms
00:54:27 ContraBanter
00:56:38 Décorum
00:58:55 Spots
01:00:06 Detective: City of Angels
01:01:15 A Place for All My Books
01:04:22 Leaf
01:05:22 Rocca Town
01:07:01 The Lord of the Rings: Trick Taking Games
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Trick-Taking Game
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Trick-Taking Game
Please note: this episode was pre-recorded so that it could be edited on time. Therefore, there might be a few games that were posted on the BGG Preview list after this episode was recorded.
(Please note that these time stamps might not be accurate due to the use of dynamic ads.)
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