Podcasts by Board Game Bros
BOARD GAME BROS
We are Jeffrey Craig and Matthew Craig - brothers in real life and board game designers in real life. This is our board game hobbyist/design podcast where we talk about our favorite games. We start every episode talking about how the game is played, and then we examine how game design was used to assist the player and enhance the gameplay.
Further podcasts by Board Game Bros
Podcast on the topic Hobbys
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141: Return to Dark Tower from 2022-06-07T21:07:50
140: That's Pretty Clever! from 2022-03-10T16:42:51
139: Overboss from 2022-02-17T15:54:05
138: Pictures from 2022-01-28T21:35:02
137: Quarriors from 2021-12-22T18:09:45
136: Clank! from 2021-11-14T20:06:08
135: Fright from 2021-10-13T18:39:34
134: Fluxx&Chrononauts from 2021-09-23T18:40:39
133: Century Spice Road&Eastern Wonders from 2021-09-02T01:07:10
132: The Palace of Mad King Ludwig from 2021-08-16T18:37:23
131: Everdell from 2021-07-20T17:37:53
130: Welcome To... from 2021-06-25T23:14:11
129: Wavelength from 2021-06-07T14:32:47
128: Pendulum from 2021-05-11T01:27:37
127: Planet from 2021-04-18T21:05:19
126: Spirit Island Expansions (Branch And Claw + Jagged Earth) from 2021-04-05T14:59:35
125: Teamfight Tactics Revisited from 2021-03-08T18:35:46
124: Roll for the Galaxy from 2021-02-22T03:12:04
123: Architects of the West Kingdom from 2021-02-08T01:31:11
122: Cartographers from 2021-01-24T21:40:11
121: Our Favorite Mechanics from 2021-01-12T18:57:46
120: Competitive Board Gaming from 2020-12-14T02:16:07
119: The Castles of Burgundy from 2020-11-30T23:50:37
118: Player Counts from 2020-11-16T03:57:23
117: Evolution from 2020-10-04T21:59:01
116: Among Us from 2020-09-20T19:10:09
115: Board Game Trends from 2020-09-06T21:01:17
114: Sanctum from 2020-08-08T20:39:27
113: 2 Player Games from 2020-07-13T16:26:29
112: Photosynthesis from 2020-06-21T21:00:11
111: Viticulture from 2020-05-20T00:27:20
110: Rolling Realms from 2020-04-29T00:47:35
109: Fortune Street from 2020-04-12T20:00:33
108: The Dusty Shelf: Uno (Patreon Preview) from 2020-03-29T21:23:47
107: Love Letter from 2020-03-16T02:30:48
106: Betrayal Legacy pt. 2 from 2020-03-01T17:18:25
105: Terra Mystica from 2020-02-16T21:37:23
104: Citadels from 2020-02-01T20:58:17
103: Res Arcana from 2020-01-20T17:58:08
102: Rob Daviau&Return to Dark Tower from 2020-01-05T20:53:20
101: Let's Make a Game (Patreon preview) from 2019-12-22T20:07:40
100: Top 5 Games of the 2010s from 2019-12-08T05:44:05
99: Magic Maze from 2019-11-16T14:00
98: King of Tokyo from 2019-11-09T19:13:14
97: Elder Sign from 2019-10-27T22:23:30
96: Nevermore from 2019-10-22T03:26:08
95: Mr. Jack from 2019-10-13T20:14:55
94: Tapestry from 2019-10-05T13:00
93: Five Tribes from 2019-09-22T18:36:40
92: 7 Wonders Duel from 2019-09-15T21:09:51
91: Hero Realms from 2019-09-07T18:20:13
90: Santorini from 2019-08-31T19:07:50
89: Affordable Games from 2019-08-25T19:07:54
88: Kingdomino from 2019-08-18T17:34:10
87: Tiny Epic Kingdoms from 2019-08-11T18:19:30
86: Coimbra from 2019-08-04T17:35:46
85: DotA Underlords VS Teamfight Tactics from 2019-07-21T22:30:55
84: Subtext + Pitchstorm from 2019-07-13T18:05:42
83: Auctions and Bidding from 2019-07-08T00:37:12
82: Cryptid from 2019-06-30T18:25:03
81: Keyforge (First Impressions) from 2019-06-15T17:20:42
79: Tiny Towns from 2019-06-01T13:00
78: Quacks of Quedlinburg from 2019-05-25T19:44:59
76: The Mind from 2019-05-04T21:14:46
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the award-winning, mind-melding, communication-forbidding game from 2018, The Mind. Learn how this game melds a simple objective into a fun arcade-esque psy...
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75: Jackbox Party Packs 1-5 from 2019-04-27T17:00
This week the Board Game Bros put on another video-game-themed end-of-month episode when they run down every trivia and party game in every Jackbox Party Pack, all the way from 1 to 5. Listen to...
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74: Werewords from 2019-04-20T16:57:53
This week the Board Game Bros continue their social deduction theme with Werewords. Listen for how this game puts a deduction spin on 20-questions by telling key players what the word is and mak...
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73: The Resistance from 2019-04-13T15:46:17
This week the Board Game Bros carry the social deduction theme for the month when they talk about The Resistance. Learn how to blend in as a Spy and see how the many bureaucratic steps of assign...
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72: Spyfall from 2019-04-06T16:49:27
This week the Board Game Bros kick off their month of bluffing and deduction games with Spyfall. Learn what makes a good spy, what makes a good non-spy, and what makes this game good.
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71: Difficulty in Board Games from 2019-03-30T17:08:16
In this end of the month episode the Board Game Bros discuss difficulty in board games. Listen for reasons why you would make a difficult board game and what you have to do to achieve a good lev...
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70: Power Grid from 2019-03-23T17:15:32
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the auction-bidding, map-controlling, power-supplying game Power Grid. Learn about this 15 year old game's strategic depth and why having a table on the bac...
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69: Heaven and Ale from 2019-03-16T13:00
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the leap-frogging tile placement game Heaven and Ale. Listen for their expert lap-1 strategy and the reasons why this game can be frustrating for newcomers ...
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68: Camel Up from 2019-03-09T18:42:37
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the family-friendly betting game Camel Up. Listen to how the components are used to amusing and brilliant effect to balance the game's predictability and su...
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67: Fury of Dracula from 2019-03-02T14:00
This week the Board Game Bros are covering their first listener-suggested game, Fury of Dracula. Listen where this hidden movement, combat clashing game stands out and where it falls short.
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66: DotA 2: Autochess from 2019-02-23T14:00
On this special end-of-month episode, the Board Game Bros discuss another board-game-themed video game (mod, that is), DotA 2: Autochess. Learn about the deep complexities and the unique catchup...
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64: Euphoria from 2019-02-02T19:12:13
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the dystopian worker placement game Euphoria. Listen to the key strategy to managing your minions' knowledge and the key difference between this game's work...
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63: Super Mario Party from 2019-01-26T17:03:42
This week the Board Game Bros depart from their usual format to discuss the virtual board game Super Mario Party. Hear about how Nintendo mitigated luck and rewarded strategy in this update to t...
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62: Betrayal Legacy (Part 1) from 2019-01-19T18:48:10
This week the Board Game Bros Discuss how the aspects of a legacy game when paired with the dread that emerges from the horror theme in Betrayal Legacy.
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61: Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig from 2019-01-12T14:00
This week the Board Game Bros review the co-op/competitive hybrid tile drafting game Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig (sheesh... that was a mouthful). Listen for the reasons why you should...
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60: Bunny Kingdom from 2019-01-05T17:35:29
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the card drafting, area control game Bunny Kingdom. Listen as they break down the surprisingly strong strategy and the unfortunate terminology within the ga...
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59: BGB Goodstuffs Episode 9: End of the Year Special from 2018-12-22T14:00
In this special episode of Goodstuffs, the board game bros give the usual recap of their interests before talking about their favorite games and episodes of the year. Hear which episodes Matt an...
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58: Roll Player from 2018-12-15T14:00
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the character-creation board game Roll Player. Learn how this game accurately draws from the experience of creating a character for an RPG (sometimes to a f...
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57: Vast: the Crystal Caverns from 2018-12-08T14:00
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the dungeon-delving asymmetrical board game Vast: the Crystal Caverns. Listen as Jeff and Matt go into great detail how the unique player rolls play and int...
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56: Gateway Games Retrospective from 2018-12-01T14:00
When the Board Game Bros started the podcast, they made a series of episodes covering the traditional list of gateway games. This week, Matt and Jeff give that list an update with some newer gam...
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55: Lords of Waterdeep from 2018-11-24T14:00
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the worker placement game of intrigue Lords of Waterdeep. Listen for the reasons why Jeff and Matt believe this game belongs in the list of essential gatewa...
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54: Goodstuffs: Matt's Special Edition #1 from 2018-11-17T13:00
Jeff's on vacation this week but the other brother in real life and game designer in real life is still here! Joining Matt this week is friend and special guest, Galen. In this episode these boa...
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53: Mystic Vale from 2018-11-10T14:00
This week the Board Game Bros have a few choice words for the card-crafting game of natural energy Mystic Vale. Listen to the issues Matt and Jeff take with the balance and mechanics of this gam...
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51: Social Deduction from 2018-10-27T17:17:25
The Boooo-oard Game Bros (sorry not sorry) wrap up October with a discussion on the genre/mechanic of Social Deduction in board games. Learn how games will force players to lie through the manip...
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50: Betrayal at House on the Hill from 2018-10-24T13:00
Jeff had a sore throat last weekend so this is a special mid-week edition of your otherwise regularly-scheduled Board Game Bros podcast! This week the Board Game Bros review the RPG-inspired gam...
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49: Mysterium from 2018-10-13T13:00
This week the Board Game Bros continue the spooky games discussion with the ghost-murder-solving game of psychic visions, Mysterium! Learn the best ways to interpret clues and see how the surrea...
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48: Dead of Winter: The Long Night from 2018-10-06T17:00:35
It's the most spookiest time of the year and the Board Game Bros are here to review spooky games! This week the Board Game Bros review the hybrid co-op competitive zombie survival game Dead of W...
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47: Engine Building from 2018-09-29T13:00
It's the end of the month, and so this week the Board Game Bros discuss the meta-genre of engine building. Learn about what an engine is, how to build it, and what makes building it so dang fun....
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46: Concept from 2018-09-22T17:46:29
This week the Board Game Brothers discuss the image-linking guessing game Concept. Learn the various levels of using the pieces to creatively get the point across and hear why the points don't r...
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45: The Networks from 2018-09-15T17:06:43
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the TV network management game The Networks. Hear about the simple math involved and learn how to set yourself up for success (specifically in seasons 1 and...
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44: Broom Service from 2018-09-08T13:00
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the trick-taking potion-delivering board game Broom Service! Matt and Jeff are big fans of what the trick-taking bravery/coward mechanics do for the strateg...
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43: Smash Up from 2018-09-01T14:45:22
This week the Board Game Brothers discuss the light deck-mixing card game Smash Up. Jeff and Matt provide their tier lists for the decks in the base game, provide some tips for how to combine th...
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42: Goodstuffs Episode 8 from 2018-09-01T14:39:04
It's the first of the month and you know what that means! On this episode of BGB Goodstuffs the Board Game Bros discuss all manner of board games, video games, and board-game-themed video games!...
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41: Terraforming Mars from 2018-08-25T15:13:13
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the atmosphere-altering game of corporate battle Terraforming Mars. Listen as they rank resources, encourage engine building, and compliment how the game wo...
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40: Charterstone Part 2 from 2018-08-18T13:00
The Board Game Brother's are back again with the shortly-awaited sequel to episode 24 in Charterstone part 2! SPOILER ALERT: Jeff and Matt (along with their parents) finished the game and in the...
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39: Concordia from 2018-08-11T13:00
This week the Board Game Brothers are back to discuss the Mediterranean-spanning euro game Concordia. Jeff and Matt have some hangups on the game's otherwise ingenious card action system, but so...
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38: Goodstuffs Episode 7 from 2018-08-01T13:00
It's another installment of BGB goodstuffs, the Board Game Brothers discuss a whole host of topics, board gaming and otherwise! Learn what games they've been playing lately, what games won Spiel...
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37: From the Vault: Geekway 2017 from 2018-07-28T13:00
Jeff's feeling under the weather this week, so for your listening pleasure here is a Board Game Bros episode recorded May 31, 2017 covering Geekway 2017! This was the second episode Jeff and Mat...
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36: Red Dragon Inn 2&3 from 2018-07-21T16:35:17
In the final week of Expansion month, the Board Game Bros are hitting you with a double feature of expansions: Red Dragon Inn 2 and 3. Learn the various ways the designers addre...
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35: Small World: Underground from 2018-07-14T16:13:05
In the next expansion of the Board Game Bros' month-long look at board game expansions, Matt and Jeff discuss the expansion/sequel Small World: Underground. Learn how the addition of a simple me...
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34: Dominion: Intrigue from 2018-07-07T21:36:38
In July the Board Game Bros are discussing expansions of games from previous episodes. In the first episode of this series, Jeff and Matt talk about the first expansion of the OG deckbuilder Dom...
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33: Goodstuffs Episode 6 from 2018-07-01T15:44:18
This month the Board Game Bros have more video games to talk about than ever! New Magic set, new Overwatch hero, plus we tried out Roll Player.
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32: How to Start Designing a Board Game from 2018-06-30T13:00
This week the Board Game Bros give helpful tips for the process of game design. Learn that there's no such thing as too much playtesting, and don't sweat trying to make the perfect game - the im...
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31: Munchkin from 2018-06-23T15:39:30
This week the board game brothers discuss the 2001 backs-stabbing dungeon-crawling card game Munchkin! Listen as Jeff and Matt sympathetically give this game a good roasting for how it was desig...
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30: Spirit Island from 2018-06-16T16:11:23
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the cooperative colonial-destroying game Spirit Island. Learn the not-perfect-but-good-enough strategy for pushing back colonial oppressors from your perfec...
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29: Champions of Midgard from 2018-06-09T13:00
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the worker placement dice battle viking game Champions of Midgard. Learn about how Jeffrey thinks this is a worker placement game with dice elements, and ho...
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28: Charterstone Part 1 from 2018-06-03T00:26:12
In today's episode, the Board Game Bros. discuss the legacy worker-placement game Charterstone. Listen as Matt and Jeff explore how the game uses the campaign format to its advantage, how the ga...
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27: Goodstuffs Episode 5 (Geekway Edition) from 2018-06-01T12:55:28
For this month's special BGB Goodstufs episode, the Board Game Brothers discuss every game they played at Geekway to the West. Listen to hear what they thought of all these games, which ones the...
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26: Collectible Card Games from 2018-05-26T13:00
In may's end-of-month genre discussion, the Board Game Bros tackle competitive card games. Learn how a players relationship with a collectible card game grows and deepens over time and how game ...
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25: Millennium Blades from 2018-05-19T13:00
In the third and final installment of Greatest Hits May, the Board Game Brothers discuss the listener-requested TCG "meta" game Millennium Blades. Learn how this game attempts to simulate the ex...
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24: We Didn't Playtest This at All from 2018-05-12T13:00
In the next installment of Board Game Bros' Greatest Hits May, Jeff and Matt discuss their favorite party game We Didn't Playtest This at All. Learn how this game manages to make losing fun and ...
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23: Scythe from 2018-05-05T20:10:15
May is Board Game Bros' greatest hits month where they talk about some of their favorite games of all time (which they inevitably talk about in every episode) and Jeff and Matt kick it off with ...
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22: Goodstuffs Episode 4 from 2018-05-02T00:17:41
This month the Board Game Bros have 2 months of gaming to catch up on in Goodstuffs Episode 4! Matt and Jeff talk about some upcoming games, some games they have bought and played, some games th...
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21: Party Games from 2018-04-28T19:20:50
This week the Board Game Bros deviate from their end-of-month mechanical discussion to talk about the party game genre! Learn about what party games are meant for, what makes a good party game, ...
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20: Red Dragon Inn from 2018-04-21T13:00
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the party "drinking" game Red Dragon Inn. Learn Jeff and Matt's takes on the political and apolitical strategies involved in the game, and see if you can fi...
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19: Dice Forge from 2018-04-14T13:00
This week the Board Game Bros discuss the unique mechanics of the dice-building game Dice Forge. Listen to Jeff break down the various actions of the game into numbers of extra turns, and see if...
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18: Food Chain Magnate from 2018-04-07T16:56:49
This week the Board Game Bros finally discuss the much hyped game Food Chain Magnate. Learn in detail how to avoid the various punishing aspects of the game in detail as Jeff and Matt answer the...
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17: BGB Goodstuffs Episode 3 from 2018-04-01T12:00
Welcome to another BGB bonus episode, Goodstuffs episode 3! In our special April 1st episode the brothers Matt and Jeff discuss all manner of games they have played in the past month–some old, s...
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16: Card Drafting from 2018-03-31T13:00
For this month's mechanical discussion the Board Game Bros talk about card drafting. Listen to Jeff and Matt discuss how a great depth of strategy and metagame comes from a mechanic that needs s...
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15: Tigris and Euphrates from 2018-03-24T05:00
This week the Board Game Bros cover the abstract area control game Tigris and Euphrates. Listen to Jeff and Matt talk about the simplicity of the mechanics and how they lead to dynamic conflicts...
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14: Codenames (ft. Clay) from 2018-03-17T16:47:10
The Board Game Bros have their first guest on the podcast when they talk about the party game Codenames. After a complicated game last week, Jeff, Matt, and their friend Clay discuss what sets C...
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13: Battlecon: Devastation of Indines from 2018-03-10T14:00
The Board Game Brothers discuss the fighting-game-made-board-game Battlecon: Devastation of Indines. Learn how this may be the most complicated Jeff and Matt have discussed yet, and why the comp...
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12: Small World from 2018-03-03T19:03:07
This week, the Board Game Bros discuss the fantasy wargame SmallWorld. Listen to Jeff and Matt discuss the decline mechanic that gives the game tension, and the race and class combinations that ...
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11: BGB Goodstuffs Episode 2 from 2018-03-01T05:10:13
Welcome to another BGB bonus episode, Goodstuffs episode 2! In the second ever Goodstuffs episode, the Bros talk about Crank!, We Didn't Playtest This, the Munchkin CCG, and more! Also - is this...
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10: Deck Building from 2018-02-24T14:00
The Board Game Brothers dig deep in deck building design discussion on this week's episode. The brothers have decided that every last Saturday they will ditch the single game discussion to speak...
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9: Agricola from 2018-02-17T14:00
The brothers discuss farming in the dark ages in Agricola! Learn how this game is definitely not a gateway game, and how it's punishingly complicated (and that weirdly makes us want to play it a...
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8: 7 Wonders (Gateway Games Part 7) from 2018-02-10T06:45:28
The Board Game Bros discuss 7 Wonders in the 7th and final part of their gateway games series. Even though this one might be a little more complicated than the other board games in the gateway g...
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7: Splendor (Gateway Games Part 6) from 2018-02-03T17:00
The Board Game Bros discuss Splendor in part 6 of their gateway games series. Listen as Jeff forgets to say all the friggin rules, and hear the brothers' short, succinct appreciation for Splendo...
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6: BGB Goodstuffs Episode 1 from 2018-02-01T14:00
In this bonus Board Game Bros episode series, Jeff and Matt talk about board game news, give mini reviews of games they've been playing, and talk about all the other gaming stuff they are into. ...
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5: Forbidden Island (Gateway Games Part 5) from 2018-01-27T14:00
The Board Game Bros discuss the cooperative game Forbidden Island in part 5 of their gateway game series. Learn about what makes Forbidden Island the "gateway-weightiest" cooperative game and le...
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4: Carcassonne (Gateway Games Part 4) from 2018-01-20T18:15:42
The Board Game Bros discuss the classic tile placement area control game Carcassonne in part 4 of their gateway games series. Learn about the strategic complexities that arise from the simple me...
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3: Ticket to Ride (Gateway Games Part 3) from 2018-01-13T06:00
The Board Game Bros discuss the "mother" of all gateway games, Ticket to Ride, in part 3 of their gateway games series. In this episode Jeff and Matt talk about what makes this popular train gam...
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2: Dominion (Gateway Games Part 2) from 2018-01-06T06:00
The Board Game Bros' discuss the classic deckbuilder Dominion in part 2 of their gateway games series. In this episode Jeff and Matt talk about how Dominion's design makes it the perfect gateway...
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1: Settlers of Catan (Gateway Games Part 1) from 2018-01-06T06:00
The Board Game Bros' very first episode kicks off a 7-part series on gateway games with Settlers if Catan. In this episode Jeff and Matt talk about what Catan is all about, how the game's design...
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