The Thoughtful Gamer Podcast

Join Marc as he discusses the near future of The Thoughtful Gamer. October and November are shaping up to be a very exciting time. If you have any interest in all with what we're doing, listen in. Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

In this episode, Michael and I confront the age-old question: how much of a podcast can be made up of tangents before the tangents become the subject of the podcast? Also in this episode we talk about Meeple Like Us and issues of accessibility in board gaming, a bunch of random political things, our favorite games, gender representation, ethical choices in video games, the state of criticism and if it's okay for publishers to pay reviewers for reviews, and....Nazis?  It was a wild ride, but a tremendously fun discussion. 0:00 - Accessibility 3:40 - Controversial parts of Meeple Like Us 9:47 - Limitations of internet platforms like Reddit and Twitter 15:02 - Working with publishers on accessibility 26:24 - Gender representation/random hotbed political topics 54:36 - Some of our favorite games 1:02:44 - Criticism in board gaming and publishers paying for reviews 1:28:57 - Ethical choices within video games and board games   Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

A continuation of the last episode!. Matt tries to reign in Marc, Ben, Jeff, and JR as they nagivate the difficult terrain of the outer rim during the height of the empire, getting into a lot of messes along the way.

(Apologies for the audio quality. I'm investigating what went wrong.) Marc, Matt, and Orion discuss what makes co-op games unique, what problems can show up in the design, and how games overcome those problems. Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

Matt GM's a game of Fantasy Flight's Edge of the Empire Star Wars RPG system. Marc, Ben, Jeff, and JR nagivate the difficult terrain of the outer rim during the height of the empire, getting into a lot of messes along the way.

We've got a beast of an episode today! Inspired by GenCon, the game conference behemoth, Marc, Matt, and Orion discuss some of the games announced there, some of the games they've been playing recently, and their top 10 favorite old games. 4:12 - 1960: The Making Of The President 18:29 - Seikatsu 23:01 - Outpost: Siberia 27:59 - The Bloody Inn 33:55 - 1960 (reprise) 41:00 - Half-Witted Scruffy-Looking Podcast Recap 1:02:04 - GenCon 1:22:23 - Top 10 Games At Least 10 Years Old 1:52:41 - Netrunner Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

Out of nowhere, Fantasy Flight announced earlier this week that Twilight Imperium 4th edition would be released later this year! Obviously I am very excited about this, but it has a very hefty price tag. I take my critical eye to what we know about the game to help out those wondering if they should buy the 3rd edition now or wait for the new one. Just as I was about to upload this podcast I saw that Fantasy Flight had released the rulebook. I just read through it--here are my thoughts on the new information the rules revealed. Consider this a supplement to the thoughts on the podcast. 1. The rulebook is exceptionally clear and a huge improvement over the 3rd edition rulebook, which was decent. Fantasy Flight has really done a fantastic job with their rulebooks over the last couple of years, and they deserve a lot of praise for that. It's a remarkeable acheivement, particularly given how inelegant (I say with all fondness) and complicated their games can be. 2. Trade is much more freeform in this edition, with people able to trade both commodities (benign trade goods that don't become active until they're traded) and promissory notes (special powers and benefits on cards) on their turn, Catan-style. The trade strategy card merely refreshes the commodities. I love the idea of promissory notes, and I'm super excited to see what they contain, but I'm skeptical of the more open trading style. As players of Catan know, open trading like that can really slow down a game. I also feel like this weakens the trade strategy card a bit, which is mildly concerning. 3. Invading Mecatol Rex costs influence. Very intriguing. I like special rules involving this center planet, and I'm not sure what to think of this particular wrinkle. 4. The only listed variant ("advanced rules") just adds the promissory notes. I'm quite saddened by this, though I do understand that they're trying to provide the definitive version of the game. I desperately hope that there will be an expansion with a boatload of optional modules to give back that DIY feel to the game. But given that this version is retailing for over 50% more money, that's a very significant monetary investment. I said in the podcast that I was cautiously optimistic. After seeing the rulebook I'm a hair more optimistic, though I still have a couple of very mild concerns.    Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

We've got a fun one for you today as I talk with Emil Larsen, designer of Burning Rome, a short tactical card game set in ancient times. We discuss the mechanisms of the game, Emil's design philosophy, and how his board game experience helps him with his day job training officers in the military. 0:55 - 1960: The Making Of The President 13:58 - Interview with Emil Larsen Check out the kickstarter for Burning Rome here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/suntzugames/burning-rome Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction  

I get a little fired up on this one. Recently I found out that some reviewers are charging money for reviews, and I make the case that this is an inexcusable conflict of interest that needs to stop. Hear me out. Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

RAW AND UNEDITED! Some stuff I cut for time and a bunch of irrelevant tangents. We were very tired. Your peek behind the curtain.

Our most heated debate yet! Join Marc, Matt, and Orion as we discuss the merits of Vlaada Chvatil's massive adventure game: Mage Knight. Is it a masterpiece of design or merely "fine"? Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

Come hang out with Marc as he chills in the office and talks about what he's been playing lately, what he wants to play soon, and the agonizing decision of what Netrunner deck to run at Regionals. Also, some statistical analysis of the BoardGameGeek.com top 100 list to see if there really is a "cult of the new". 1:51 - Tzolk'in 4:30 - Commands and Colors: Ancients 7:45 - Mage Knight and new games 11:48 - Netrunner 16:44 - BGG Top 100 analysis   Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

Our friend Bubba stops by and we play two massive games with him! Falling Sky and Twilight Imperium are both great, very long games with a lot of politics and negotiation, and we recount our weekend playing them. 4:30 - Dominion and reminiscing about college 10:23 - Falling Sky 26:09 - Twilight Imperium Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

Come, relax, and hang out with Marc as he talks about what he's been playing recently and what's in store for the future of The Thoughtful Gamer. Also he rambles on about some bad opinions on reddit. 0:43 - Near and Far 7:14 - Board game table construction 9:50 - Unsolicited opinions and reddit 23:31 - The future Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction

Marc and Matt got to play some unpublished and indie games, and they're here to tell you all about them! We've got some good, some bad, and some inbetween, but all of it interesting. Music: Sailing The Solar Wind by Abstraction