The Spiel

Season 20 begins with flourish and 3 Gs... Growth, Gubbins, and GAMA! Growth: We introduce a new format for the show. Gubbins: Co-Op Corner, a new segment hosted by Gubbins makes its debut. GAMA: Erwin Susara and I recap our adventures at the GAMA Expo.

In our season 19 finale, two award winning games earn our Meeple Crown for 2024. These games embody the essence of Major Fun and The Spiel of Approval. Congratulations to Life in Reterra and Daybreak!

Play eight cards in a line from left to right to catalog your adventure across a mysterious land. Then, the journey back begins. Each card will score in reverse order from right to left. Can you build the best lineup and become a world renowned explorer?

In Life in Reterra players build a new world on top of the old, placing terrain tiles and buildings to form communities. Buildings will unlock new rules and scoring potential and the very shape of the lands you create will help your new society succeed.

In Age of Comics players try to build a publishing empire during the dawn of the genre. With the right story, the right art, a head for business and a lot of moxie, you can build a fan base for a new hero and claim a spot in this ever expanding pantheon.

Imagine the love child of Blackjack and Rummy raised with the doting influence of its uncle, Stud Poker. That’s Flip 7. Try to assemble a set of 7 cards one by one each round in a race to rake in big points. This is press your luck at its finest.

In Forest Shuffle, you create a network of trees, hoping to form a balanced habitat for creatures, large and small. Growth always comes at a price, though. For some things to thrive, others must fall to the forest floor.

Tiny Laser Heist is a dexterity game where players rob gems from a mini museum using tiny hands to manipulate locks and avoid tripping alarms. But beware people who aren’t on your team can make your job even harder!

Assist the production of Georges Melies' silent film Journey to the Moon by orchestrating scenes and sequences from script to screen.

DroPolter: Ghost vs Palm Muscle is a whimsically absurd dexterity game. Drop your lucky charms in just the right order, then nab the ghost and win a tiny bell.

In 1859, Barcelona's expansion followed the first truly modern plan. A grid of wide streets divided into blocks and essential services in every area. Can you build this new Barcelona, using intersections and actions to balance the needs of all?

Mojo is a game of a mixed blessings. Everyone starts with eight cards and wants to shed as many as they can. If you end the round, grab the Mojo and hope have the lowest score. If so, that Mojo is good luck. If not, your score pays the price.

Himeji Castle, the white heron, is the center of power and culture for the region. Your clan has a plan to gain favor and influence, but there are rivals across all levels of life at the castle. Each family member you place has an important role to play.

Fun begins at the ends in Butts on Things. Collect as many cards with keisters by pairing posteriors on the tails of any row or column on the table. You’ll be over the moon when you find a way to cap off any line with a nice set of cans.

In Sea, Salt and Paper players create an origami seascape by assembling a tableau of ocean themed cards, each with its own way to score. When you reach the limit, bet on yourself for a chance to grab a big lead or play it safe and bank your points.

Thistleville is a small place, but there’s something happening around every corner. Grab the best tiles from a sea of stories on the table hoping to fill your small town paper's front page.

The tower has cleared your aircraft and it is time for the final approach. Sky Team is a co-operative game for two players who must plan and then alternate placing dice in order to land a commercial airliner at airports around the world.

A line of seven letters sits before you. One side is a team of two. They must guess a magic word based on a clue the other side gives. Only only clue is allowed and the clue must begin with the letter at the end of either side of the line.

Daybreak is a cooperative boardgame about stopping climate change. In the near future, we must work together to create the technologies, policies, and resilient societies needed to reach Drawdown, sequestering more carbon than we collectively produce.

Nekojima is a small island filled with cats. Can you install power lines across four districts without frisky felines short circuiting your plans. Try your best to not bring the whole network crashing down.

Tiger and Dragon is a climbing game using two suited Mah Jongg style tiles. Attacks are offered and countered with matching tiles. The first player to go out wins the round but HOW you win will ultimately determine your score.

There are dog shows and cat shows, but have you heard of a fish show? Goldfish fans from across the land compete each year to display the most sensational swimmer. It takes talent and planning to create the most pleasing arrangement of colorful scales.

In our season finale, two award winning games earn our Meeple Crown for 2023. These games embody the essence of Major Fun and our Spiel of Approval. Congratulations to Votes for Women and Thunder Road: Vendetta!

Distilled is a game of strategic spirit crafting. Follow recipes to gather ingredients hoping they will meld into something sublime. Bottle and sell what you can or age your creations hoping for a greater payout down the line.

A review of Romi Rami written by Stephen Conway.

Not That Movie is a cooperative party game. Each round, players work together to determine which movie the critics have described through process of elimination At the end of 5 rounds, are you an epic flop or worthy of an Academy Award?

Obsession is a richly thematic strategy game depicting the struggles of four once proud family estates in 19th century Britain. The game culminates with a successful courtship. Guide your family to the best standing in Derbyshire to cement its legacy.

Magical creatures come to Steam Up to sample bite-size dishes from bamboo baskets stacked high. Each creature arrives with an appetite and an agenda for their ideal meal. With Fate and Fortune looking over each course, may the fullest stomach win!

District Noir is a two player card game where you collect sets of cards, hoping to amass support of certain criminals or collect three key locations in the city in order to win. It’ll take all your cunning to hold onto this fickle, fractious town.

Wicked and Wise is a trick taking card game where teams of dragons and mice compete to amass the largest hoard. Dragons play cards to win tricks. Mice play cards to manipulate the game. Collect coins and complete goals to score.

In Lacrimosa, you play as one of Mozart’s dear friends. Your goal is to gather accolades and respect by helping to assemble a memoir and by hiring composers to finish the Requiem. In doing so, you hope to insure the future of Mozart's family.

Thunder Road: Vendetta is a reboot of a beloved roll and move car crashing game from the 1980s. Each player starts with 3 vehicles and a chopper. Who will survive this perilous race down Route Sixty Styx?

Four Corners is a puzzle hunt in a phone booth. Can you create patterns of matching symbols to meet your goals? Fill a common board with an ever-changing array of tiles - creating opportunities for some and challenges for others.

We finish the first half of Season 18 with a flourish - a variety show jam-packed with quality conversations and plenty of fun and games!

You are responsible for the economic and social development of a city. Dive into Politics, Industry, and Banking, or encourage growth in Culture and Schools. Each choice will cause ripples. Can you look far enough ahead to avoid unintended results?

Velonimo is a modern twist on card climbing and shedding games. Animals race their bikes up five mountains, each higher than the next. The first player to shed their hand in a round, finishes in first place and gets the leader’s jersey.

A review of Hand to Hand Wombat written by Stephen Conway.

Starting from a small town in Belgium, you are a merchant seeking prosperity across the continent. Fulfill contracts, establish trade houses, build cathedrals, and amass a staff of skilled workers. Plan well and you'll profit from the Fair each year.

A review of Broken & Beautiful written by Doug Richardson.

The years of training and sacrifice have all lead to this moment - the big chair - your first command of a starship! Each mission will require your leadership and many tough decisions as you explore the vast unknown sectors of space.

In Akropolis, you build a miniature city in ancient Greece, scoring points for plazas and districts in five different ways. Akropolis feels like five puzzles in one. Can you layer the pieces to make each part of your city prosper?

Portugal's poetic soul was best expressed by writer Fernando Pessoa. Visit cafes to gather cards or the bookshop to influence your style. Then linger in the public square to assemble the best poems you can, hoping the stars align with each move you make.

Scribbly Gum is a flip and write game. Each turn a movement tile is flipped and players direct their larvae by drawing paths through the layers of tree bark, hoping to gather food to complete meals. The most well fed moths will emerge the winner!

From the Declaration of Sentiments at Seneca Falls, to the protests, rallies, and organized campaigns across the nation, Votes for Women chronicles the 72 year struggle to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote.

Mr Walton was killed in his study. And all the guests at Walton manor have good reasons to want him dead. With a few leads, you must piece together the crime by asking questions and sharing information.

A review of Root Beer Float Challenge written by Stephen Conway.

Keystone North America is a card driven board game. Players are biologists tasked with assembling ecosystems by arranging organisms into the most optimal sequences possible. The challenge is balance.

Stampede is a game of card swapping and set collecting. Using each animal's special action, can you build the best album? It will take stealth, planning, and a bit of luck to collect the most dangerous... postage!

Hey Yo is a rhythm-based card game driven by a small electronic gizmo that lays down a beat for your team to follow. Connect cards and symbols in time with the beat and you’ll have a chance to score well before the song ends.

An ancient dragon threatens Nidavellir, the realm of the dwarves! The King needs an army, so off to the taverns you go, collecting warriors, blacksmiths, hunters, and more. Bid to recruit the best assembly of brave heroes, upgrading your coins as you go.

A review of Mountain Goats written by Doug Richardson.

Disney Mad Tea Party is a nerve wracking cup stacking game atop a very precarious table. Be the first to play all your cards or stack every last cup to win. Tension tuned by skill, strategy and a touch of luck drives each decision you make.

Golem is a game of cosmic forces and practical magic. Over four turns you will select marble and rabbi actions from the synagogue, studying ancient books, constructing powerful artifacts, and building golems to serve the community. The problem is control.

The coffee craze has hit Portugal and there's a fortune to be made supporting its growing cafe culture. Can you create a successful supply chain harvesting, drying, roasting and delivering coffee beans to meet the demand for this magic drink?

Picture Perfect is a game of logic and space with a technological twist. Over six rounds, can you puzzle out how to arrange all the party guests in a cardboard diorama? When you’re ready, snap a a photo with your phone and compare.

A review of Kabuto written by Stephen Conway.

Take a deep dive into this remarkable one-against-many game of hidden movement and deduction based on the graphic novel series by Matt Kindt.

A review of Ouch! written by Doug Richardson.

Aves is a card game with roots in the classics. It is also a game of simple, subtle, and sneaky strategies. To celebrate our 400th review episode, we invited Spielers from around the world to host 7 different segments featured over the past 16 years.

7 Wonders Architects is a quick-playing game of card drafting and empire building. Inspired by its wildly successful sibling (7 Wonders), Architects builds a different kind of fun - one that is open and approachable by a broader audience.

A review of Long Shot The Dice Game written by Stephen Conway.

The Boomerang family of games are draft-and write games. Build the best trip over seven cards, balancing multiple ways to score. Pick and place and go! The farther you wander, the better the trip.

Glow is a dice driven card and board game. You have eight days to gather companions and collect shards of light. The journey will be arduous, BUT with careful plans... and a little luck, you could become a legend!

A review of Block Ness written by Stephen Conway.

Brian Boru united Ireland and ended centuries of Viking dominance. Round by round and town by town, play cards to secure the crown through might, cunning, and matrimony in this trick-taking board game.

A review of Hide 'N Cheek written by Stephen Conway.

Three Sisters is a roll and write dice game where you plan, plant, nurture, and harvest a small farm over a single growing season. Each die you choose will shape your garden and the goods you can bring to market.

Pocket Paragons is a what-beats-what card dueling game. Select a card; play it’s ability and try to anticipate your opponent’s next move. Duel one on one or in teams of three characters. Seven cards separate you from glory or defeat.

Lux Aeterna is a real-time solo card game. Every choice in each round is a balancing act. For each card you select to repair your ship, you must choose another that brings it closer to destruction.

Four clue words on four leaves. Can your teammates use these clues to select and arrange four square donut-shaped cards so their keywords line up?

Join our party of misfit nerds for fun and games, plus plenty of freewheeling conversation spanning the wide world of geekdom. We hope you'll be in a festive mood for the season after listening to some Grade A goofing around.

Hibachi is a charming dexterity driven set collecting game. Players throw their chef's coins (hefty poker chips) to gather ingredients and special actions to fill recipes.

Ten is a press your luck card game with a twist. The goal is simple: assemble the longest runs of consecutive cards in four colors. How many cards are you willing to draw as you push two different totals closer and closer to ten?

A review of Hammer Time written by Stephen Conway.

Watergate is a tense card-driven tug-of-war. One player is the Editor of the Washington Post and the other player is the Nixon Administration. Will your efforts help usher a corrupt President from office or protect him from prosecution?

A review of Ohanami written by Doug Richardson

Welcome to the cardboard arcade! Four colorful pinball machines are nestled into a single box - each one a unique world, ready test of your skills.. and luck - challenging you to rack up the high score.

In Embarcadero, players step into the shoes of of a savvy business mogul to claim derelict ships and construct buildings, seeking their fortune. Who will emerge as a city leader and ruler of the bustling waterfront?

A review of Flapjack Flipout written by Stephen Conway.

Tricky Tides is a charming and challenging trick-up-and-deliver game. Play cards to tricks like any classic card game. The card you play determines how your ship sails across a network of islands. Fill orders and watch for monsters to amass your fortune.

A mysterious grid of 9 ancient stones lies before you. Rearrange them to match your pattern cards and score points. The challenge is, these pattern cards may either be used to move/flip the stones or score points... but never both!

The Shores of Tripoli is a two player card driven strategy game simulating the first Barbary War (1801-1805). Play as President Thomas Jefferson or Pasha Yusuf Karamanli. Tune in for a deep dive into the game and the rich history that surrounds it.

You have been commissioned to complete St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. Gather materials and use your influence over guilds and the clergy to claim and build more sections than your rival architects. Gain the favor of the Tzar and your place in history.

Persuade a military jury to convict or acquit Mary Surratt, accused of plotting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Build your case by drafting cards and dice, hoping to collect evidence, recruit jurors, and establish reasonable doubt.

It’s a garden party in Neverland. In eight short turns, by swapping cards on the tea table, can you assemble the most cherished collection of chapeaus?

A review of Decipher written by Stephen Conway.

How would you build the theme park of your dreams? Funfair gives you a chance to do just that. Play cards to assemble an exciting mix of five attractions. Add enhancements and staff, match blueprints, and build a showcase feature to bring in the crowds.

You are a visionary investor helping to finance buildings in in Paris. Start small with the backing of local banks and use two simple actions (place a key, move a key) to develop and transform the city.

A review of Cloud City written by Stephen Conway.

Can you play cards to maneuver a jointly controlled rocket to the right orbital velocity and deploy three satellites? A simple, subtle but ambitious game, Orbital Velocity is a math card puzzle that takes on gravity, economics, and game theory.

Let’s take a bike trip around northern Taiwan. Play scenery cards to visit as many sites as you can over the course of nine stops. The traveler who plans the best and pedals great distances will score well and create a memorable trip.

Players create a beautiful Japanese garden together by laying tiles, making their way through Torii gates. Build beautiful garden paths to collect memories of the landmarks and people you encounter along the way.

A review of Yura Yura Penguin written by Stephen Conway.

Castles of Tuscany is beautifully simple tile laying game that creates space and opportunity for depth and strategy. The game challenges players to stack simple small decisions together in order to build complex chains of actions and bonuses.

A review of Cupcake Academy written by Stephen Conway.

Join our party of misfit nerds for fun and games, plus plenty of freewheeling conversation spanning the wide world of geekdom. We hope you'll be in a festive mood for the season after listening to some Grade A goofing around.

Nova Luna is an abstract game of new beginnings. Players select and place colored tiles from the Moon clock, hoping to create patterns which allow them to place scoring tokens on the tiles. As the moon moves, new choices and strategies will arise.

A review of Calico written by Stephen Conway.

You are on a rescue mission to the Isle of Cats. The dread pirate Vesh is coming to loot and pillage, destroying anything in his path. Explore the island, gather cats and ancient treasures, and find a way to fit them all on your boat before Vesh arrives.

There's a party at the club and all the animals from the neighborhood are clamoring to get in! When the line is filled with five beasts, the club doors open. How many of your party animals can you get into the Beasty Bar before the night is over?

1987 Channel Tunnel is an action selection game powered by clever auctions and multi-use cards. Listen in to explore the game and discover how it packs a whole word of strategy and history into its small box.

Artbox is a game about perception. How to say a lot with a little. Working from a common set of shape dice, can you create a simple drawing, hoping others can select your magic word from a grid of cards?

Similo is a cooperative game of characters, communication, and deduction. Can you guide your team to the secret character in a grid of cards using only other character cards as clues?

A review of Gridopolis written by Stephen Conway.

The King's Dilemma tells the story a small council of royal advisors over the course of many generations. Every crisis the kingdom faces is yours to navigate. What legacy will you help write - for yourself, your house, and the people of the land?

A review of Maquis written by Doug Richardson.

A review of Wonder Woman: Challenge of the Amazons written by Stephen Conway.

Can you build a transportation empire by investing in railroad companies, delivering goods and passengers, and picking up gold along the way? In a train game world full of slow freights, Across the United States delivers balanced fun at blistering speed.

Walking in Provence is a card-driven map building game. Over ten turns you will create a mini-map and move your photographers to open meadows hoping to create the right mix of flowers and features for the perfect shot.

A review of Dragonrealm written by Doug Richardson.