Episode 53 – Thawed Out – Board Game Impact

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In this episode Bruce has finally thawed out in Texas and although he lost power several times he is thankful because board games don’t require power so he was able to get in even more gaming. Together Bruce and Josh talk about what they have been playing recently as well as some of what they have backed or are excited about on Kickstarter. Enjoy!

Specific Games Discussed:

Root (Leder Games)
Sleeping Gods (Red Raven Games)
Merlin (Queen Games)
Canvas (Road To Infamy)

Kickstarters and coming soon things

Darwin’s Journey (Thundergryph)
Maquis 2nd Edition (Side Room Games)
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition (Stronghold Games)
Radlands (Roxley)
Clinic 2nd & 3rd Extensions (AV Studio)
CoraQuest (Dan & Cora Hughes)
Crafting Arzium (Zoom Out Media)
Meeples & Monsters (AEG)
War Chest: Seige Expansion (AEG)
Red Rising (Stonemaier Games)

To learn more about Board Game Impact you can:

Join the Patreon: Board Game Impact
Like the Facebook Page: Board Game Impact
Instagram: @boardgameimpact
Email: boardgameimpact@gmail.com

Audio Transcription (Generated by AI)

Episode 53 Thawed Out

00:00:08 – 00:05:03

In this episode of board game impacts. We’re going to be talking about a whole bunch of kick starters and gains. You’ve been playing reselling now that we’ve been thought out here in texas a stay tuned. Welcome back to another episode of board game impact. Of course my name is bruce. And i’m joined by. This is josh. Josh and so we are recording I just want to give a quick caveat before we get started so the episode that came out last week. This is yeah. It’s only been a week. And that is because texas froze over for a week and so thank you for understanding this kind of like weird schedule just one put that out there because literally there’s rolling quote unquote rolling blackouts across the state and for many people. It wasn’t rolling and there’s still power and things like that and so if you’re listening to this and the state of texas we just want to say and you’re still having some ongoing things or friends who are just wanted to say like. Hey i hope all that gets worked out fast and that you are safe and that we are here with you and this is one of those times. That josh is getting put out there. Very thankful to be aboard gamer. Because when the power went out for hours on end i was able to get in some games and just opened up the blinds in the snow. The snow reflected the the sun pretty well so we can get some games so actually have more games than i was planning to even be able to talk about things going on. That’s good right. Glad you found found some ways to entertain while you were there definitely elizabeth and i were thinking about you a lot over the last weekend of course Sitting all of our thoughts and well wishes to all of our listeners and everyone Down there in texas I know that that is a struggle I can only imagine what some folks have been going through so Yeah glad here that you Are doing well. I’m glad to hear that that caitlin is doing well and Hope hope everyone else out. There is also making through in this Very very strange times very much and by strange like you can’t be like you’re right on the money because literally four days ago it was negative one. And it’s now seventy so it is just crazy. What’s been nice this out there. I’m on a couple email threads with fellow geeks. Who board game geek. Things and it’s been really nice having people like reach out and see this community come together and so if you’re like okay. What the heck is this podcast about. This is your first time. We are so this is a board game related podcast. And so what does she do. We both work in higher education. And so what we do. Is we break down our gaming experiences through our educational lenses for the benefit of you and your gaming group and so if that sounds like something of interest makes to hit subscribe and we put out these episodes every other week with the obvious exception of texas freezes over so with that being said josh. Let’s jump into some games. We’ve been getting the play lately. What’s something that you’ve been able to get to the table or digital implementation. He got well. Have a maybe a shocker. For some on time listeners. After listening to me rail against this game quite a bit in the past got route to table White supple couple weeks ago now yes so For for folks who have been listening to the show for a while as you all will know Throughout this pandemic i have been Continuing to meet with a pod So it’s Four guys that that we get together and play some games in person once a week and we have been doing a ten by five challenged so ten games played five times over the course a year and the intention behind. This was getting bigger heavier games. That are harder to get to the table when we’re all on lockdown And getting them out to the table to play Every so often and so the deal is you don’t complain about other people so route was not my pick But i i have to. I’m coming around on it. Why still. I still have my hesitancy in that.

00:05:04 – 00:10:04

There is the reason. I agreed to play in this way. A is all four of the people know how to play the game. Fair know how each of the factions work we will continue to learn more and more as we play through these five plays we will be introducing new factions to everyone because Starting out. I think we all have played with the authors and the Those are gulp lizard colt But no one has played with the new factions the underground factions so will experience all of those brand new together So we’re we’re going about it in a way where it very much feels like. Everyone is on the same footing And this first game. Really kind of emphasized and highlighted that for me I can’t remember the last time. I played a game of route. Where one person didn’t lose by like fifteen to twenty points and in this game So we had the base based actions in play. So i was playing is the Bag bond and we have the cooperative style player though. I did not play as cooperative player. Choice the choice We had the cats the birds and the woodland alliance in as well Every single person was with when within one turn of winning the game a knife edge. Razor’s edge oh so and i was able to eke out the victory purely by a luck. Had someone come attacked me. I would’ve lost but the only person who had the ability to come and attack me Did not have the move enough moves to get a their units over to make the attack and so we’ll high the skin of my teeth. I was able to eke out a victory but everyone like had the had. Any other person had one more turn. They would’ve they would’ve won as well so it was. It was really kinda cool to have that level of tension in a game and not have a runaway lose winner not have a fall behind loser not have a king make on accident right. You know. I think someone could have come attack me But the only way i was able to win was i was able to craft t- In my last turn and there’s no way they could have known that. I was going to be able to do that so it’s not like they gave me the victory because they didn’t know any better. They gave me the victory because it was an unknown quantity strategy behind that. Yeah so you know. I will say. This was my favorite game of route. That i have played so far. We will see if it continues to grow on me as we play with hot Greater player count. But i can definitively say i will never play this game again with someone who’s never played. That’s i. i respect that because like for the listeners. Who haven’t really played first of all. I very much like root. I have all the things of except for the like the vinyl mats. And i’m probably going to get those at some point with the next starter but i enjoy it for what it is. It’s really a war game and in disguise and that’s not for everybody so especially there can be a learning curve with it especially since every faction has its own different flavor essentially in mechanics. But just what. I’m hearing you say. I know that you love big meaty heavy game meaningful decisions and i’m also hearing that. There was an investment around the table. That was mutual and everybody lived up to their end of the social contract. The own on there. And so. I’m honestly here and that the stars aligned for you in this situation. Yeah absolutely You know right playing grew like right group Right player count. I definitely do think that this is a game that shines at four players agreed. I’ve played it everywhere from two to six And nothing feels quite as good as a four player game So yeah the stars really aligned on this one With the group with the expectation You know for the play. The right i hadn’t played route in vary longtime.

00:10:05 – 00:15:21

I think i played online with you once in in january and that was a reminder that i did not remember as much as i thought i did so everyone agreed to. I think everyone had the app and we all agreed to like refresh ourselves on all of the mechanics beforehand and come in fresh and no it and that that really worked it helped a lot. I will give a lot of credit to the app The digital implementation of route is really really. Well done. i give a lot of credit to the folks who work on the dire off digital did an amazing job with that implementation velvet steam. Josh and i’m looking forward to continuing to hear because it sounds like you’re going to play it four more times right at least well. I’m rooting for you. I’m gonna bring one up as a little bit of a teaser and then talk another game and that is over the past week. I’ve been able to play a lot of sleeping gods by red raven games. Which is the latest game from ryan lock it and the crew including like mallory lock it and the rest of the team It’s the next iteration in the above and below near and far type of line of there’s an adventure storybook however the big thing with this one is it’s cooperative zeke. Play one four players. You could probably even do a little bit more than that if you wanted to. But really what it is. You have this adventure book and you have a little ship that you place on it and you can sail the ship around and do all sorts of things. And i’m not gonna get into spoilers. Josh verdy play play through the campaign a campaign of once already and then i am two thirds of the way through a second campaign of this and i haven’t even scratched the surface on this game. I feel like oh wow yeah. So you’ve you’ve already had an ending. I’ve had and there’s thirteen possible endings. Had one of them. Now if this is a spoiler you can say so. Because i’ll just share with listeners. This is been the game. I am most looking forward to. It came in a little over a week ago and my wife. And i just have not found the time to sit down and play it Keeping my fingers crossed the we get a chance to this week. I’m going to try and ambush her tonight and force her to reserve a time for us to play this but I if this is a a a spoiler feel free to share. If you feel like it’s something you’re comfortable saying is one of the endings you lose or is that outside of the thirteen innings from what you’re aware of i don’t know that there is a quote unquote lose and not a spoiler. I just want to open your mind other possibilities and that is okay story based game right in so with that. You’re going to have to unpack the story. Gotcha and i think you need to constantly be evaluating what you’re wanting to do. Yeah say there. It’s really hard to talk about a game like this. That is so heavily story dependent. Yeah so what. I think we’re going to have to do josh and wanted to prep for this. Is i think you and i well. We’re going to do an episode just on this game but i think what we’re going to do is kind of me just kind of making an executive decision while we’re recording fun with this and that is we’re going to record an episode. I’m gonna play the credits and then we’re going to have a continuation of that episode. That is nothing. But we’re we can talk about spoiler things so that way if you want to listen to the basics of the game kind of how it works. Water thoughts are on it and by the way of emailed back and forth with ryan. Lock it about some things in the game and so like if you want that stuff yelled to talk about that but then have a more story. And why i was leaning into and emailing with ryan in the post credits episode just to be fair for those who want to completely avoid spoilers. Yeah i think that’s a really good way to go about that. You know i find it. I do know. I noticed wild back ryan actually posted on his kickstarter page for this some tips for surviving sweeping god as well as an official easy mode only normal and brutal yes and he has acknowledged that normal is still pretty dang hard so so we’ll get into i of that.

00:15:22 – 00:20:00

I’m very much looking forward to a deep dive on this let’s Let’s hope and aim for the very near future on that agreement. Agreed like i said going to try and try and force force it to the table over the next couple of weeks and maybe we can get a full playthrough in before before we get a chance to record. Sounds good if just to do you say that we’ll say this the first campaign. there’s a learning mode at the beginning which was really good. I appreciate that from learning context but the campaign entertain us for about twelve hours the first campaign so that was pretty good but another game because i said it was that was more spoiler filled really teasing for the future so actually give you much more information about this one. I’ve been able to play canvas a couple times which is by road to infamy games josh. Are you familiar with this at all. Have you been seen very familiar. Okay so this game. I saw it on kickstarter and i was email messaging with george. Who’s been on the episode before on the show before. And i was like i am backing this. He’s like okay cool. Because i really like to borrow it so i need to do. You need to give my copy to george but this game is a game. it’s tom. Vassal did his review of it and reviewed it as an excellent said. This game should be in every mass market store to help introduce people to the hobby so this is a game. Now that i’m looking it up and looking at it a little bit more Just popped up on on a good friend of mine shelf. A last time i was there i saw it though. I will definitely have to take a look at this time over Playing some games so how. You can find this game on people’s shelves by the way it doesn’t say the name of the game anywhere on the sides nor the front because it’s a piece of art hence canvas and actually there’s a nice little knock out in the back of it so you can actually hang on the wall like a piece of art like they’ve really gone overboard on this in a really cool way but what the game is is you are doing set collection where there’s five goals out and what you’re doing is those goals relate to different artistic things like patterns and composition and colour arrangements like all sorts of different things and what it is the cool part about this game is. There’s five cards on display. And you have in your little supply for little paint. Palettes like bob ross pallet with like different plots of paint on it and what you can do is you can spend those. It’s kind of like when you want to. You have a row of cards and you don’t want the first car. Do you want the second one. So you have to put a coin down on the first one and you can take the second one and then you have this pile of coins on the first one because no one really wanted it and some time eventually someone takes it and gets all those things but in this case it’d be getting those inspiration markers right and so what it is is every card is a transparent card like those like like playing cards. People advertise to play in the pool. Like no one’s gonna do that but at that kind of material and it’s got a different little thing on it like some of them have a background that’s mostly transparent or like a cat or a mouse or different types of things. It’s a giant giant deck of these plastic cards. The bottom of it. It’s got little swatches in the order of roy d. bibs so red red yellow green etc and so there’s five swatches and you’re essentially making little patterns on your turn. You do one of two things one. Pick up a card from the row now again if you wanna get one. That’s further down the row. You have to spend those inspiration markets. If you don’t have inspiration you gotta just take the first one because it’s easy pickens it. You have a hand of up to five so you start with zero cards in your hand so the other option you can do is once you have at least three or if you have five cards in your hand you have to make a painting. You take any three of these cards. You have to take three. That are in your hand and you put them together and whatever order you want them. So ’cause it’s kinda like gloom where he can cover up things and you slide it into the provide. They provided all of the card sleeves for this. And they’re like tarot size cards and you slide it in and you make a one of a kind piece of art. The game will end when everyone has built has made three pieces of art.

00:20:00 – 00:25:01

When you have three pieces of art you kinda just wait for everybody else to finish. We love this so much. Josh we immediately played another four games that night. We played like five games in two hours. That’s impressive. I’d just i know it kind of just like threw everything at that but yeah when he got no no. I’m looking through the the photos on. Bg right now. I i have been intrigued by this concept of card building for a while. Now right this idea that you are not Building a decker building a hand. But you actually have these transparent cards at slot into one another and create a bigger piece. And i think this is a really really cool implementation of that I love the weight on this. I think it looks like something that that would be perfect for You know a couples night. You know my wife. And i go over and hang out with partner buddy and his partner and play this I think that would be a lot of fun. yeah i mean. Bg has this rated as a one point five. Yeah i’m out of five on on difficulty so looks very very simple but also really enjoyable really pleasant. You know i in completely unrelated simple semblance. And i hope you’ll understand going with this reminds me it evokes the feelings that just looking at it evokes the feelings that wingspan gives me Just an enjoyable experience and enjoyable game. Where i don’t care how well i do but it’s just a fun thing to take part in one hundred percent. I lost every game. I played against my wife. Actually really haven’t won a game against her in a couple of months. He says that’s why i’m playing sleeping. Gods with her. So that goes like this cooperative. So it’s like we win together. I just yeah. you’re right to us. I had it was very aesthetically pleasing and the games were so short. Didn’t necessarily care to have that. Like deep deep deep strategy. But also i could teach it really fast and the implementation of this. They just of went above and beyond with it now full transparency had do you have the kickstarter version which the wooden pieces and stuff. But i mean honestly. I don’t that but because it comes with all the other regular cardboard tokens but it definitely did help with the world out there so just very briefly how does you. How do you actually score the. Yeah the artwork art that you create sure so one of them is like pattern its composition and so it has like let’s say it wants three like every set of two triangles so pattern so every set of triangles on that piece of art. That you make you’ll get a ribbon for it depending on how many ribbons. Let’s say that composition one or pattern. One is the green ribbon each of those goals that everybody is trying to work towards however many ribbons of that color. You have you. There’s a little thing on the bottom of that card. That says if you have three you get x. Number of points. And so you score up for the different colors of ribbon and that’s it and if you need context and you don’t understand the symbolic of what’s going on the symbolism you can turn over the gold card and it has examples. Yeah that nine. That looks absolutely fantastic. The also I love seeing some of these completed pieces On the pictures on bg Because it looks as though you are able to build pictures similar to Dixit or two mysterious. Which is my favorite kind of artwork of just these barry of oxidative kind of that. That style just really clicks with me yes cool. It’s cool and they all have little names on them and so when you put a left and right name together you can actually like a double name. It’s kinda cool so it’s it’s really well done. Just gotta give it credit like they knocked it out of the park with us yeah. This is amazing. I’m i’m really looking forward to trying to get to the table because this looks absolutely fantastic.

00:25:01 – 00:30:03

Bruce yeah so that is canvas by road. Infamy games josh. How about you give one more and then let’s jump into kicks argus. Yeah so a game. That i got to play last week. Very very excited about Merlin merlin is published by queen games designed by Stephan feld and michael. I can’t pronounce his last name starts with an r rich teen anyway Merlin is a really a very point salad game as are most stephan. Feld designed games. It is a game that he activates argues utilizes one of my favorite mechanisms which is a rondell. Go in and merlin you control of various knights of of king arthur’s court and you are moving your nights around a rondell taking various actions in order to claim Territory control in the dominion In order to fend off traitorous Rebels who are attacking your forts In order to gain influence in the various courts of the land. And all of these things are going to score points as you make your way through. Meanwhile you’re collecting different items that are going to be allow you to score some victory point cards and just a lot of different ways to score points. Not a ton of theme here. If you’re looking for a heavily thematic game this is definitely not one. That is a box of the theme of merlin about the the closest thing to theme that you can come to this is everyone has their own night. And you’re nights move clockwise around the board around Around table meanwhile merlin is controlled by everyone and can move either forwards or backwards. In time as merlin does in the stories of king arthur’s courts a merlin is able to age and move backwards in time and do all of these fun things so again. Not a lot of Theme here but really really in my mind. Impressive impressive tactics involved in this game So at starting year round you have four dice. Three of which will control your Your night and one of which will control merlin. You roll those dice up. And then you have to pick and choose which time when you’re going to play which die Remembering that everyone is jointly controlling merlin. So by the time it gets around to you. merlin may not be in the spot. You expected him to be in So yeah. I adore this game. I’ll be honest with you. It may not be steph. Feld greatest design but it is. My favorite stephan fell design. It is the game that i will drop at a hat to play and the big box expansion just came for this yesterday so i’m very excited to get it back to the table. It is also part of that ten by five for that group It was one of my nominated games for for the ten by five. So i’m very excited. Get back to the table because this thing also has a ton of expansions This last week we just played the base But i now have all of the expansions. So going to be sprinkling those in for future places. Well nice i really enjoy moreland. It’s it’s really good. It’s just a it can be a beast set up. I will say that so when we used to bring your copy to game night when you were here in texas it was a lot to set up and i always worried about like something going on the dark floor and like being lost to the ether. but setting it up in advance of a game night when i’ve had people over to the house has been like super successful and people really like it. I agree with you. I don’t know that it’s people say it’s not step involves greatest but it’s definitely one of my favorites like barnen. Yeah so i will. I will say the big expansion came with game trays insert. I spent a good chunk of my sunday yesterday on packing and kind of organizing everything into those game trays. So setup should take significantly less time.

00:30:03 – 00:35:01

Now so yeah. I’m very very much looking forward to getting to play some more of this and had been probably a year or more since i had played it And and it just reminded me playing it again. How much i adore. This game actually really enjoyed it too player. So if someone’s looking at it and have it on the shelf. I haven’t tried that too player. I’d recommend it. I enjoyed it and josh before we get into kick stars since you said you were doing crafty. Put away things. I spent the weekend crafting and building war hammer. Things magnetising them. So i can swap out the guns so you and i both had like a building and putting things away. They’ve weekend. I’m not surprised. In the least bit bruce a couple of weeks but yeah i was actually quite challenging but turned out pretty good. So josh how about we have a. There’s a lot going on kickstarter right now. How ’bout we jump into that and by the way listeners. Talk about these things. Do you know that depending on when you’re listening to this some of these things are at different stages of like pledging or late pledge or other pledge just know that and if if you’re looking for one of these and need help finding it don’t hesitate to reach out either facebook or instagram or over just like board game back to g mail dot com to so we want to help you if you’re if you’re trying to locate of these kickstarts whereabouts about because we could hear this at all sorts of times. So josh how about you lead us into one of yours for picture. So i am very very excited This is currently available for late. Pledge so the main campaign has ended but it is as of recording this still available for late. Pledge and that is darwin’s jeremy by thunder griff games So darwin’s jenny. You will be playing as one of four scholar between one and four scholars who are following in the footsteps of charles darwin making your way around the galapagos islands following his path And conducting research and all while journaling your Experts and sending letters back home This game thunder griffith Just phenomenal with the production. Our work just a gorgeous gorgeous looking game i- hemmed and hawed for a good week over whether to back this. Because i probably should slow down on. What how many starters i am going for. But he says this. Y’all as we’re talking about the. I can yes but it just. It looks so phenomenal and the deluxe components for the deluxe edition. Yeah you you just. You can’t beat it but Top it all off one of my favorite designers designed by This lucia ni. I believe is how you pronounce his name. co designed Zoll ken co designed marco polo Two of my all time favorite games and so you combine simone luciana with this amazing amazing. Look i’m a really cool theme to nothing unique. Something different I’m over the moon. I’m really really excited for this. Came josh. I remember in this production quality on this is kind of out of the park. i remember. I felt like we saw a prototype of this at bg. Did you get to try it. I don’t recall seeing a prototype of this. It might have been other. Darwin themed games. Yes i know that there. This is not the first. Darwin themed game That has come out but it is definitely the one that is most caught my eye. Yeah i mean. It’s it’s absolutely gorgeous. And i’m looking forward to hearing about it when it comes in to us because i think it’s completely outstanding and also darwin theme in the galapagos is something that’s very interesting to me like my stepdad actually went scuba diving through the galapagos islands. And that would be a dream to see like well sharks and stuff so yeah. I’m very curious to see how they pull in that theme of that exploration and no taking and the science behind it.

00:35:01 – 00:40:05

That’d be really cool. So yeah so. As josh said late pledges still currently available. So i have a kickstarter. This is the smallest kickstarter. I’m going to talk about because i’m backing it for the expansion and that is key second edition so this is a reprint by side room games and well as now. An expansion mckee is a solo only game worker placement game. One golden geek award back in the day for a solo design contests inside room games. Who done some other really great Solo games Partnered up with them and said let’s make this the thing and what it is. It’s the year you are. The french resistance in nazi-occupied france. And you’re trying to do different things throughout paris to then subvert whatever’s going on and so how works is there’s a mission deck and at the start of your thing you’ll randomly draw two of those those missions. You’re trying to work towards some of them have to you have to do it by a certain day or you have to do certain things before you do another thing. Because that’s how did missions were together the supplies before you can try and blow up the bridge Or you have to send out the communication before you can go pick up the spy. That’s air-dropped in by the british into the field or even simple things like trying to keep the people fed right. And you’re you’re smuggling in to keep people healthy so it’s a really good little worker placement game. I own the first edition. And i’ve played it a number of times. I’ve really enjoyed it. I also really like what sydrome games does for their production. And so i back this at the the five dollars or more one which is just for the new content which gives new missions to add in as well as a tux for some of the cards and then a couple more components just to add into the game. so it’s a really small expansion. That’s why it’s just the five dollar or more level. But this is a great and wonderful solo game that i highly recommend looking at if you are looking for a solo worker placement game that is challenging is a good one. Yeah i actually also own the first edition and as you were talking. Bruce went ahead and spent the five dollars. Yeah so i will also be getting this new content. This is actually a game that i throw in my work bag. Yes so i really enjoy keeping around my office Whenever i need to mentally step away from work during a lunch break i can usually set this up and play it in ten to fifteen minutes. Yeah it’s not a super long game by any means and so yeah. I can usually set it up. Play through a quick game two On my lunch break. And it’s kind of that separation forces me to not work through my lunch break. sometimes That is needed. So yeah i am. I love this game. Monkey is just a phenomenal design If you are in any way shape or form even remotely interested in so low games Cannot recommend this one enough I didn’t see. I believe it’s not overly priced even from a if you go tony nine. Yeah yes twenty. Nine four for all of the content so Truly really not a bad price for for a game with the amount of Replay ability in the amount of Just enjoyment that. I personally have gotten out of and the great thing is. This is a second edition. So we know they know how to make But just if you’re worried about doing a solo game. I know one thing that always worries me is how complicated is it going to be to do like upkeep and things like that side-room games has become really really good at making it a really easy to understand a game of taking the actions for the game. So it’s really recommend looking into it as there at the time of this recording. There’s only just a couple of days left so hopefully if you hear this you can hop on Hopefully there’s going to be a late. Pledge but there’s been different orders. I think he did pledge on his other ones. So hopefully there is for this one as well when he got josh so again. That probably needs very little hype. This point but i am still going to hype. The heck out of it is aries expedition from stronghold games.

00:40:05 – 00:45:03

So if you are unaware of what aries expedition. This is terra forming mars. The card game tear forming. Mars is one of The biggest games of all time One of the view. And that in recent memory that i would really describe as an evergreen game and sh- wrong hold is going back to tap that one more time after promising us that they would not be releasing any more expansions. Just it’s just gonna be smaller game and it’s a standalone game and you’re still going to buy it because it’s tariff warming mars. Yeah so aries expedition. You might wonder tear forming mars. What are you talking about. Josh airy terrifying mars already is a card game which yes arguably it is a very very heavily card driven game but in aries expedition. You kind of remove the big center board where you’re placing tiles down Rather you’re just tracking on a much smaller center board the conditions for endgame Which i believe are are relatively similar to tear forming mars original So i’m i. I loved reforming mars. It’s it’s a phenomenal game in my mind. This is you know getting the gold gang back together. It promises to be in my mind an exceptional game as well so reasonably priced. I believe it’s fifty dollars for the forty four hundred fifty dollars something like that The thirty nine forty so forty dollars for the just the game Of course there’s also a you can get anything you can get everything so neoprene matt’s you can get. You can get everything from her for mars to yes. Yeah so if you’re missing anything from terrifying mars. A great way to adhere collection but Yeah very very much. Looking forward to this bruce are you. Are you a backer. Do you know anyone who’s backing this. Connect this on heresy that you and some other people i know are backing it. I am not a backer so for me. I own full transparency. I’m surrounded by people that play and have all everything fr- forming mars so it’s kind of like the game have been mooching off everybody Just full transparency. So i know. I don’t necessarily need to. There’s some privileges that acknowledged that. But for me i see this because i watched does run through of it can see this working really really well especially like the two three player count which sometimes have regular tear forming. That game could go on for a long time. I honestly see this. As like a reimplementation of the things you love about tariff on mars but in slightly more streamlined and artistic way right and i think what they’re doing with where you choose one of the phases from your hand and everybody reveals and those in that turn. Those are the only actions that are happening that turn. I think that that’s really cool in like this cooperative. Diplomacy were trying to companies. But we have to make a decision about what we want to try and do and it has to like we all kind of work together. Sort of I think that’s really cool. I like so when josh says card game there’s there is a there is a player board for everybody as well as like a tiny little map. Not completely just cards. So just don’t wanna set you up for that. But very much car driven. I think in looking at the card stack it. Looks like so like our buddies and you included with this. Josh like we have all the cards for all the expansions. It looks like this deck is already that is and so now. I’m not a backer. Because i know i’m going to get to play it. And so i chose to use some of my kickstarter monies elsewhere. Yeah so yes this. This game based game has three hundred cards in yum. Because they’re offering customized card sleeves. Which i will not be picking up as much as i enjoy having sleeved cards You can get them for cheaper. Just the clear ones and that’ll be fine for me but No i a respect and understand that thousand percent.

00:45:03 – 00:50:08

I would one hundred percent expect that justin will be picking this up and so. I know that you’ll have abilities to play it with or without backing it. I just need to say this. I need to say this there. Better be a pets card. Just say my favorite game. I would be woefully amiss. They did not include pets. Everyone’s fan favorite Whether it actually works to score them points or not. Yeah very very much looking forward to this. Though you know anything more terrifying mars. I’m gonna eat it up so that makes sense so josh and i just got the notification that you did back mickey Thank you for telling me just does online so with that. I’m gonna talk about another card game in that. This one did finish funding and it is rad. Lands by raucously games. So if you’re not familiar with roxy should be because it’s the group that did the iron clays which are really really like the best poker chips ever but also did the re implementations of brass as well as dice thrown. It’s they’ve been very much known for bringing out some really great games of late with like super high production quality but redlands actually before redlands. I need to talk about a rule josh. I’ve had a rule that i am not buying collectible or living things by that. I mean i’m not. I’m no longer doing like the magic. The gathering the intranet net runner key. Ford’s any of that stuff any of that like you have to keep consuming and consuming. Just like where there’s usually a meta i’m going to cut you off your just a second bruce. Yeah as you j- just moments ago finished talking about how you spend your weekend putting together right. There’s a difference. There’s a difference in that like magic the gathering. I need to stay up on the latest releases in order to actually play. Okay okay. so that’s the collectible. Don’t get me wrong. I’m collecting the heck out of my minis. Don’t get me wrong at all. That’s the difference that there’s the hobby side of that. That’s what i’m going to justify it with. But i’m saying like a collectible card game type thing or or or a dice masters regatta get the latest releases and it’s only xyz format. What intrigued me about rad lands and the reason i need to say this role is because the first thing they were saying. Oh we have a designer from magic the gathering like is this going to set me up to break my rule right. What rad lands is is a because it’s also like everything you need is right here so also sounded like a living card game like time to then. I watched several playthrough news and reviews of it and the man versus people. One really stood out to me. The they described it really well. This is not a collectible. This is not a living thing. There’s no expansions or anything like that. It’s a card game in which you’re you and the other player are going to work off of the same deck of cards almost like a star realms but is a quick playing magic the gathering like feel where you’re doing hand management and you’re managing your resources every turn in this case water instead of like amana things like that to try and protect your aces and you’re trying to put things down to go and attack the basis of the other person because it’s a polka post-apocalyptic up apocalyptic say that word right now mad max style world and it all comes in a nice little deck box like this. The two sided deck boxes in the art is gorgeous. And so from that. If i can Getting a two player card game with a magic the gathering feel with people who designed magic but it’s not expanding its not collectible. It’s a card game in a box like everything else. This immediately went to the top of my attention. So yeah i will. I will say just from a production art value. this one stands out it as absolutely phenomenal. I did not back this for the exact same reason you just explain for. Aries is is seems like everyone in their brother that i know back fisk game And so i’m just.

00:50:08 – 00:55:05

I’m counting on being able to play with some their people Whenever whenever it does come in it. Definitely i think it would scratch a ton of inches and i would not be surprised to see it. End up on my shelf at some point in the future when it hits retail I will also note for listeners. That while this campaign has ended If you go to kick our campaign still a us can sign up to be notified of the preorder A so you can still you know. Set up to to be able to get a copy When it does come. But yeah. I i hear you Percent on everything that you you’re. You’re sharing their bruce. I had all the same feelings but decided to my funds elsewhere. Aries josh. you’re absolutely right. I feel like everybody has is backing this game. What i actually would love to do with it. Because it’s everything i’m seeing about it. The games play quick like twenty minutes. Max our would actually love to get us together and do like a bracket tournament and play it. I think that would be legit to do. Yeah i think that’d be a star realms tournament type thing and that’s i’ve played a ton of star with my wife. I think i played this with our two. Yeah so that is rad lands. You can sign up for the late. Pledge by the way the game was forty. Us forty dollars us. I did go on this. So i do. Have those two really nice neoprene player mats coming into so. Yeah awesome yeah. So that’s that is rad. Lands josh where you got the so one that. I’m probably not going to be backing us sadly but wanted to highlight because i think it is worth noting is clinic is getting to expansions in a deluxe format. You know tool yes got to love. Some ian o’toole art work so for listeners. Who are not familiar with the game. Clinic clinic is a game in which you take on the role of a hospital administrator and you are building and running your hospital Trying to cure folks and send them back out into the world So what this kickstarter is is. They are publishing their second and third extensions however you can If you already own the base game you can get the first second and third extensions you can get just the second just the third Or you can go all in the whole nine yards get the base game and all three expansions the challenge is that the one hundred seventy five dollar Yeah to go all into that and just a little bit out of my price range at the moment given everything else. That is going on That i’m dropping money on and hoping to spend some money on in the near future Clinic has been like on my list of much. Must have games for quite a while and it is really hard to get a copy I really wish they would have a available for just the base game in this Kickstarter though i understand why not doing that. The main focus years to get the funding for the expansion By i think this game looks fantastic. again you know tool Artwork for me a notable is absolutely phenomenal And and it just looked really really really neat So just wanted to highlight that Make sure folks were aware ’cause clinic is is a really neat game and i think it has flown under the radar for a lot of folks for some reason. I’m not really sure why It’s it’s definitely interesting. Don’t want to belabor the point. Because i know you’re not really back in. It is a game that definitely interest me. I have heard in talk about this before in. This game is the hardest game that he is done. The graphic design for because listeners. If you haven’t looked this up because there’s not many games like it the whole game. You’re building your hospital and the tiles are isometric.

00:55:05 – 01:00:12

So they’re kind of slanted polygons right and you’re building up and around and so literally you have things on different floors and so it’s an isometric view where you’re looking in almost like a forty five degree angle from the side of the building into the building so it’s a beautiful artwork but it definitely is a little bit of a mind trip to understand what things are and where they are. I know some people have talked about that struggling with that. But once you know oh it’s so metric. These these are different floors. It might click for you and what you’re looking at. So i just did want point that out because it is gorgeous and like seriously. Good us for meghan his work. But yeah that’s that’s clinic is the second and third extensions so i backed another game. Josh and this game has funded. And i’m so happy if funded but you can late pledge as well as you can actually go on over to game found and pledge over there if you’re wanting to pick up a copy but this is core quest very different than clinic yet super different. So cora quest if you’re not familiar with the name kora kora and her father dan are both contributors on the dice. Tower cores like an elementary school. Precious the two of them review kids games. and so. it’s cora talking about games. So during lockdown there were getting bored with like math class and things like that and so like. Why don’t we make a game just to do and the game ended up being pretty cool. Apparently and it’s a dungeon crawl that you can play with family members. So i have three nieces. And their varying ages right and this looks like a game. I could play with them. The beautiful thing with this or couple one love the story to love the fact of the extra design that went into this. There’s a free website you can go to and is like you can have your kids. Draw their own art for a character. Name it and you can scan it in onto the website and pick from different stats. Get like three options for different types of things and you can print it out including a little standi for that character so you can have your kids or cousins. Whatever play with the character. They’ve designed in this game so just like the fact that i can like my wife. We met in the toy store. She was running in california and run like the different things for kids. Think of like having a make your adventurer like crafting day where. They’re drawing it out. No matter what that looks like you can upload it and then play with it is just phenomenal and then. The fact of josh is just beautiful. I need to talk about it before. I turn it over to you. And that is for the different characters. They didn’t all call for art and what they did is they had kids from around. The world submit art for this game and then they went through and they pick different things so they had like a character called sword. Girl and although dan and cora huddersfield the in the uk the the girl was designed by girl in the us. And it’s a girl in a wheelchair that looks like a freaking battlewagon. It’s legit but one of the things they’ve also stressed with this also help teach kids is they wanted to have this game show as much inclusivity and access to kids and people from all around all different ability levels and so i think that like the fact that it’s really about helping to do something and entertain play games with kids and families but also has all this other like beautiful story going on with it. I showed it to my heart to my wife. And she’s like you have to back that and then we’ve been just loving seeing all the news coverage they’ve been getting but yet josh. You looked into this before. You got the notification for me that i back this year. Well i about the same time that. I got the notification that you had backed it. I also got a note of probation that good friend of mine here in colorado matt had backed it. Oh and so. I had looked into it a little bit. One thing that i wanted to point out as we were just talking about him in connect Some of these characters were designed by ian. Oh tools children. What’s that. I just looking here. One of the stress goals that was unlocked was characters by ian o’toole children. Oh my gosh so There is a connection between clinic. And cora quest here while this is this is just a heartwarming. Little story Again this is probably one of those that i will Pick up at some point in the future My my nephews I think this would be great to to play with them.

01:00:12 – 01:05:00

Whenever i’m back in illinois next But absolutely a fantastical story. I adore everything about it I don’t follow much of the dice. Tower so i don. I didn’t know the story behind. Dan and cora prior to this but no. It’s a really cute little game and it’s kinda cool to have a dungeon crawler that is for Like kids is just fun The artwork is is heartwarming. It’s a it’s really really neat by the way. If you’re curious they don’t just take the kids from around the world. They actually had designers. Come on take. The kids are at work and then like make it even nicer but still kid and colored in with nice shading all things like that but yeah it’s just kinda cool and i’d just the story of it. I was like yeah. You can have thirty years for me. That’s fine just for what this is. And they’ve had a lot of backers because they had on the hanley had a goal of sixteen thousand and they got five fifty three hundred backers by the time this closed which is just crazy cool and just wish them all the success and that coronate solicit up. She’s apparently so lit up with all of this and so congrats to them on all these things josh. We’ve been talking about a lot of things. I’m gonna throw three things that our listeners. And then you. And i need to talk about the last thing to give what we’re looking forward to doing the week. This episode airs guiso launching. Soon that i’m excited about a couple of many things on kicks are crafting which is by zoom out media which is all the from bg. He’s a producer on this. That is going to be the second movie. They’re making on board games. The first one was the game designers. This one is a in-depth. Look at the design process of ryan. Lock it with red raven games so that is coming out. So if you’re interested in seeing a documentary about that you can back that back. The first one Meatballs monsters by a j. It seems like just a cute little like fantasy themed bag building game with some really cool little meatballs. So that’s exciting also saw post today. That war chest is getting another expansion. This is not a kick starter. That’s just going to be preordered. Josh and i’ve talked a lot about that game in the past. And then lastly josh. What are we doing the this week. When this episode launches i mean. I’m going to knock on wood here as i say this. Yeah it should be launching this week. It’d be fair at the time of this recording. We don’t know the date and we definitely don’t know the price but it’s happening for both of us as soon as it happens. So got a preface it. This is not a stone. Meyer podcast. But i will certainly be scouring the stone meyer preorder for the next week as i await the arrival of the red rising preorder. Yeah so red. Rising is a Hand management game based on the red rising series. It’s a book series. That honestly i had never heard of before this. I am seven hours into book. Ones audiobook josh. Where you at so. I just picked up book to yesterday and plan to start Probably this weekend. But i i was similar. I had not I had not heard of this series until this game announcement but immediately I had two friends when i mentioned this to them. Say they love this series. And so i went and looked it So seven hours and is a pretty good chunk there. Bruce your closing in on the end of how at sixteen hours long. Okay okay. yeah so so. How are you feeling about it thus far. I’m really liking it listeners. I would akin it to a combination between a couple of things. I’d throw in a little bit of harry potter. I would throw in a little bit of hunger games but like the brutal hunger games And then what was the last one. There was another book to that. I wanted to compare it to. And i’m blanking on it right now. Oh enders game okay. Yeah so. I don’t get the i love and i don’t have time right now but maybe in the deep dive. This is where. I’m at seven hours in. That’s my feeling.

01:05:00 – 01:08:45

I’d i’d love to explore the kerry potter themes because i don’t really get that but one hundred percent this was described in. I think the perfect language to me. It is a heavy metal version of hunger games. This does this book does talk about or the series does talk about some pretty serious things of oppression and Essentially cast systems. And what can happen with that. I will just say the harry potter side of it is the dividing up of houses and people in right like that like not like levels of cast but groups within groups. That’s where i’m talking about. Yep i guess. Yeah i can see that but this game looks absolutely great If if any listeners. I don’t know that we’ve talked about this. Have you ever played the game realms. I have not so listeners. If you haven’t played the game fantasy realms i highly recommend it bruce i strongly recommend if you can find a copy to give it a shot berry similar hand building mechanic in that game This looks just like a kind of beefed up a little bit more game ary version of that game. And so i’m i love fantasy realms arm really really looking forward to read rising yeah. I’m just really looking forward to it. one quick note. If you’re looking at the preorder and you’re like what’s going to be different. So the preorder on sewn myers website is going to be for the collector’s edition. The regular editions coming out to every local game store. There’s no differences in game. Play the differences are that the collector edition has a different color insert and actually has like an insert worth pocket with pockets of things as well as all of the components in the collector. One or metal and it has like cartwright’s and on some of the cards. There’s a like folk gold leaf So that’s the differences. But there’s no differences in gameplay decide thought. Yeah berry excited. I cannot wait. We’ll be getting it as soon as that goes live. Yup same here and so with that josh. How about you just say your closing words. And then i will close this out Listeners as always thank you so much for joining us definitely hope that this has been helpful and making some decisions about either games. You want to play games that you want to buy Hope that this was helpful in informing you about some of those out as always thank you. So much for listening bruce what he got so i just wanna say thank you for also being understanding about the delay with the last episode coming out literally texas froze over and so if you are affected by that again we hope that everything gets better soon and also depending on when you’re listening to this with those different kick starters help you track down any of those fish you’ve emails board game impacted. Gmo dot com But we could really use you. If you wouldn’t mind doing is tell other people about the show. Hopefully it’s been helpful And if it has been make sure rate it in your podcast app to help with that discovery ability So that way more people can find out about some of the school contact coming out. So they can make informed choices from their lenses. ’cause josh and i yes. We agree on things but we definitely disagree on others and so hopefully that juxtaposition But really in all of this as the weather’s now getting better out there. We just want you to go out and make your positive impact on the world.