Podcasts by Boardgames To Go

BGTG 159 - 100 Great Games, Epilogue (with Stephen Glenn and Mark Jackson) from 2015-05-04T05:50:05

As you may recall, Stephen, Mark, and I already finished our countdown of 100 Great Games in an earlier episode. However, for a long while we'd planned to do one more episode together--this one-...

BGTG 158 - Boardgame Road Trip 2 (with Dave Arnott) from 2015-04-20T17:55:42

Just as we did a couple years ago, Dave & I recorded a podcast on the way back during our boardgame road trip to play with friends in Fresno. Recorded on a smartphone in the car, there's more ba...

BGTG 157 - Games Played in 2014 (with Martin Griffiths) from 2015-02-25T06:18:51

Like a lot of you, I keep track of the games I play...

BGTG 156 - Games of BGG.con 2014 (with Greg Pettit) from 2015-01-30T06:10:40

ANOTHER episode related to BGG.con?! Wel...

BGTG 155 - BGG.con 2014 Planning For NEXT Year from 2014-12-23T21:27:15

I'm glad I've received good feedback about all of t...

BGTG 154f - BGG.con 2014 (Sunday) from 2014-11-23T23:26:33

Today isn't even really a "day" at BGG.con. Most people sleep in (after late nights), then wake up, check out, and are heading home. That ...

BGTG 154e - BGG.con 2014 (Saturday) from 2014-11-23T05:51:15

Last full day of BGG.con. Last day at all, really, since tomorrow I check out of the hotel & head to my airport terminal/gate around noon....

BGTG 154d - BGG.con 2014 (Friday) from 2014-11-22T08:36:10

Today was a full day where I'd planned almost nothing ahead of time. A full day of gaming, right? Actually, it turned out that I played ve...

BGTG 154c - BGG.con 2014 (Thursday) from 2014-11-21T07:16:09

My first full day at BGG.con, and it was a good one. This was the only day I had several scheduled activities, some wargame-ish titles ear...

BGTG 154b - BGG.con 2014 (Wednesday) from 2014-11-20T08:02:23

A long day, starting with a 4am alarm clock in Santa Clarita, California, ending with a 2am bedtime in Dallas, Texas. I'm here, and taking...

BGTG 154a - BGG.con 2014 (Tuesday) from 2014-11-18T19:13:58

Just a test recording, really, to see if I can make a passable podcast with just the mobile devices (not a laptop) I'll have with me at BGG.con this week. Today (Tuesday) I'm still at home, but ...

BGTG 153 - 100 Great Games, the Top Ten (with Stephen Glenn&Mark Jackson) from 2014-11-13T21:39:04

At long last, here are the Top Ten! As we count them down in reverse order, we stay true to form--having a few personal grumbles about these amazing titles. At the same time, we're honestly resp...

BGTG 152 - Essen (and BGGcon) Anticipation 2014 from 2014-10-14T04:58:14

I don't even know how long I've been doing this. My window-shopping the Essen lists predates this podcast of nine years. Who else fondly remembers Mik Svellov's Brett'n'Board], Ken Tidwell's Gam...

BGTG 151 - Mark Hates Games (with Brian Murray&David Gullett) from 2014-09-19T00:51:13

"Mark hates games."

Is that true? No, but it's a comment I've heard secondhand more than once! Brian Murray is a great gamer I've met at SoCal Games Days, and through our shared friend Da...

BGTG 150 - 100 Great Games, part 7 (with Stephen Glenn&Mark Jackson) from 2014-09-03T21:53:34

Here are #11-20 on the list, counted down in reverse order as we discuss them on the podcast. I thought we'd have nothing but praise for a...

BGTG 149 - Modern Microgames (with Jeff Myers) from 2014-08-27T05:09:59

Microgames are hot right now. It all "started" wit...

BGTG 148 - 100 Great Games, part 6 (with Stephen Glenn&Mark Jackson) from 2014-08-15T22:29:04

Here are #21-30 on the list, counted down in rever...

BGTG 147 - A Look Back at 2013 (with David Gullett) from 2014-07-08T20:59:52

It's a little crazy to finally publish this long-d...

BGTG 146 - SR&Feedback (AbluXXen, Walking Dead Card Games, Where's Bob's Hat) from 2014-05-02T05:14:53

Remember when I used to do "Session Report & Feedback" episodes? Me neither. These are when I'd just talk about some games I've played recently (not part of a meta topic, just a session report),...

BGTG 145 - 100 Great Games, part 5 (with Stephen Glenn and Mark Jackson) from 2014-01-31T04:44:35

Stephen Glenn and Mark Jackson rejoin me (Mark JOHNson) to continue this series. In 2012, these two guys polled a number of experienced gamers (a few designers, many reviewers, all enthusiasts) ...

BGTG 144 - Gaming with Regular People (with David Gullett) from 2014-01-13T07:03:49

Have you ever played Bunco? I'm now in a couples Bunco group, a n...

BGTG 143 - Post BGG.con 2013, part 2 (with Greg Pettit) from 2013-12-12T03:50:14

Who really believed me when I said I'd get Part 2 of the podcast out this week? I realize my credibility for prompt podcast publication isn't great. :) And yet--here it is! 

As I said in ...

BGTG 142 - Post BGG.con 2013, part 1 (with Greg Pettit) from 2013-12-10T05:52:33

Although I've only made it to one BGG.con so far (the first one, ...

BGTG 141 - 100 Great Games, part 4 (with Stephen Glenn&Mark Jackson) from 2013-10-28T20:14:57

Stephen GlennListen

BGTG 140 - SR&Feedback (Clubs, Qwixx, Via Appia, more) from 2013-10-14T05:09:16

Session Report and Feedback episode with games I've played recently, as well as my experiences attending out-of-town Meetups.

BGTG 139 - Essen Anticipation 2013 (with Dave Gullett) from 2013-09-27T06:30:48

Last year I failed to do my annual "Essen Anticipation" podcast. It was just too much. This year, however, I got an earlier jump on it...and I enlisted the help of a friend.

BGTG 138 - Experience Games (with Greg Pettit) from 2013-07-15T02:27:04

Do you know the term, Experience Game? I thought everyone did, but in prepping for this episode I found that it's used a lot less often than I thought. Not only that, but I lear...

BGTG 137 - SR&Feedback (Vinci II, TransAmerica with Vexation, Eclipse on iOS) from 2013-05-31T06:04:09

I've been doing this podcast now for more than eight years! I can't quite believe it myself. In the beginning, more than a handful of shows were audio session reports, which I then combined with...

BGTG 136 - 100 Great Games, part 3 (with Stephen Glenn and Mark Jackson) from 2013-05-24T07:40

Stephen Glenn and Mark Jackson join me for part 3 of our 100 game countdown series.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/19524

BGTG 135 - Boardgaming Road Trip (with Dave Arnott) from 2013-03-13T05:40

Have you ever gone a boardgaming road trip? I expect quite a few people might drive a few hundred miles to go to a game convention, but I've never done that. Games Days on Saturdays are local fo...

BGTG 134 - A Look Back at 2012 from 2013-02-24T23:18:26

Every year I like to look back over the previous one in boardgami...

BGTG 133 - 100 Great Games, part 2 (with Stephen Glenn and Mark Jackson) from 2013-02-07T04:22:29

The guys join me for part 2 of our 100 game countdown series.

BGTG 132 - GameNight! (with Scott Alden&Lincoln Damerst) from 2013-01-03T16:04

Have you seen the latest video project on BGG? It's called GameNight!, literally hosted (i.e. in their home) by Lincoln Damerst & Nikki Pontius, as well digitally hosted by Scott Alden on Boardg...

BGTG 131 - 100 Great Games, part 1 (with Stephen Glenn&Mark Jackson) from 2012-12-20T07:47

Several years ago, Stephen Glenn and Mark Jackson polled a number of experienced gamers (a few designers, many reviewers, all enthusiasts) for their top games. I was pleased to be part of it. Th...

BGTG 130 - Post BGG.con 2012 (with Greg Pettit) from 2012-12-12T07:03:17

As he's done for the past few years, Listen

BGTG 129 - Boardgame Blogging (with Jeff Myers) from 2012-11-28T13:22:56

Do you read boardgame blogs? I mean, besides this one? :)

My friend Jeff Myers is a boardgame blogger, and he joins me on this episode to talk about the subject, both as a...

BGTG 128 - The Value of a Boardgame (with Greg Pettit) from 2012-11-19T20:54

Greg Pettit must enjoy talking about meta topics on my podcast as...

BGTG 127 - Essen Anticipation 2012 (sort of...) from 2012-10-16T21:31

Every year I look forward to Essen, both for the games that are being released, and at the analysis of the hits & misses from current & previous years. This time I tried to do the same thing, bu...

BGTG 126 - A Few Geeky Games from 2012-08-09T04:50

After the last episode where I complained about geeky games, I felt a little compelled to describe a few of those games I DO happen to enjoy. It's a bonus that I got to work in a reference to Cu...

BGTG 125 - Boardgame Themes for Grown Ups (with Greg Pettit) from 2012-08-03T05:25:11

Greg Pettit returns to the topic of narrative themes in boardgames, except that it's mostly Mark that needs to unload his true feelings about geeky versus historical themes.

http://www.bo...

BGTG 124 - A Sense of History (or European Vacation Part 2) from 2012-06-14T05:16:30

Notice: I'm in the process of moving this blog over to Boardgamegeek. I'm still running the show, and the podcast will still be available through your normal subscription (iTunes, or whatever)--I'm...

BGTG 123 - Outdoor Boardgaming (with Dave Gullett) from 2012-05-28T17:57:09

Notice: I'm in the process of moving this blog over to Boardgamegeek. I'm still running the show, and the podcast will still be available through your normal subscription (iTunes, or whatever)--I'm...

BGTG moving to BGG...but where? from 2012-05-16T20:49:06

Although the podcast will continue to be available through iTunes or wherever else you get it, I'm planning to move this blog over to a new location, on Boardgamegeek. I welcome your feedback about...

BGTG 122 - SR&Feedback (Würfel Bohnanza&Lords of Waterdeep) from 2012-04-28T17:48:20

Filling in the gaps between episodes with guests, I like to post episodes that let me simply talk about some games I've played lately, offer scattered opinions & thoughts about them, and then share...

BGTG 121 - Secondhand Games (with Greg Pettit) from 2012-04-26T15:33:12

I'm still trying to keep podcasts coming out more frequently, and now I've got friends who are actively pushing me along. That can only help! In this case, it's Greg Pettit, who I thought of immedi...

BGTG 120 - Favorites of 2011 (A Few Acres of Snow, Pergamon) from 2012-03-13T20:57:40

What?! Two episodes in the same month?! When was the last time I did that? Unfortunately, it's been a while. But as I say during the early part of this podcast, I've got a little more free time now...

BGTG 119 - Euro Train Games (with Dave Arnott) from 2012-03-08T06:22:59

Train games mean something special, at least to train gamers. Usually they involve the 18XX system and hours of deep gameplay. Oddly, though, sometimes it means a very light game such as Express. W...

BGTG 118 - Post BGG.con 2011 (with Greg Pettit) from 2011-12-05T19:55:55

This is a very long episode, but no one ever complains about length so I decided to keep it intact rather than splitting it into two shorter shows.Just as he did last year, my buddy Greg Pettit w...

BGTG 117 - Long Games (with Ryan Wheeler) from 2011-11-12T01:23:35

First of all, welcome to anyone who discovered (or re-discovered?) my show after hearing my guest appearance on boardgame podcast, Ludology. I joined Ryan Sturm over Skype (when Geoff Engelstein wa...

BGTG 116 - Essen Anticipation 2011 from 2011-10-19T04:47:51

I'm not even late! Not quite, anyway. The annual small (& large) game publisher extravaganza in Essen, Germany is set to start with the press day about 24 hours after I post this, and the doors ope...

BGTG 115 - Spiel des Jahres, Then&Now from 2011-07-16T19:28:08

The recent announcement of the Spiel des Jahres winner, Qwirkle, gave me the good idea to play that game again...as well as the excuse to talk about a handful of other SdJ winners I've played "rece...

BGTG 114 - Party Games for Shy Boardgamers (with David Gullett) from 2011-07-05T02:07:29

You may think it's odd or ridiculous that a guy who hosts a boardgame podcast feels uncomfortable in some social party games due to the putting-yourself-out-there part of them. But that's exactly h...

BGTG 113 - European Vacation from 2011-04-05T14:52:20

Part of what's kept me away from the microphone lately has been some overseas travel. First was our family T. O. A. L. (Trip of a Lifetime) to Germany & Italy. Then, surprisingly, a return visit to...

BGTG 112 - Five-Player Games (with Dave O'Connor) from 2011-02-01T06:19:06

Here's a podcast that I recorded with my buddy DaveO last summer. You probably know that I prefer lighter games. Well, DaveO likes the heavier stuff (as well as some quicker games). We got to talki...

BGTG 111 - Post BGGcon (with Greg Pettit) [second try] from 2010-11-29T19:24:57

I'm posting this show again to get the correct version in the RSS/iTunes feed. (An earlier posting of this show erroneously copied an earlier episode.) Sorry for the trouble. -MarkListen

Show #111 is now fixed. Please try again. from 2010-11-29T05:35:27

For the first hours after it was posted today, the latest podcast episode had a glitch that meant subscribers were getting a repeat of the previous episode #110. A couple astute listeners brought t...

BGTG 110 - All About the Easy Play games (with David Arnott) from 2010-11-16T05:39:20

At long last, another "All About" show, the format in which a guest and I talk through a particular game in great detail. This time we tried something a little different, discussing the entire seri...

All of BGTG's archives are up! from 2010-11-06T18:25:51

At long last I've managed to make all of Boardgames To Go's five and a half year podcast archive available on iTunes! They've always been available through this blog, but the process was cumbersome...

BGTG 109 - Essen Anticipation 2010 Part 2 from 2010-10-17T14:30:06

Whew! I hurried up and recorded Part 2 of my annual "Essen Anticipation" episode so I could get it posted before the Spieltage itself. Hopefully some of the people who wanted to listen to it before...

BGTG 108 - Essen Anticipation 2010 Part 1 (with Scott Alden&Lincoln Damerst) from 2010-10-15T19:42:01

It's that time again. Time for excitement about the Spiel game expo (Internationale Spieltage) held in Essen, Germany every October. Even when my fall season gets busy with work, kids' school, and ...

Back to normal (and Facebook) from 2010-10-08T00:14:43

Not only has the podcast not blown up yet (at least I think that's right), but this morning I managed to Undo something I fiddled with on the feed that I later regretted. Though it hasn't gotten me...

In case the podcast blows up... from 2010-10-03T02:42:20

You should know that I'm still here. And by "blows up," I just mean that the feed may disappear from iTunes, or stop showing podcasts attached at all. Or it may be just fine. Either way, Boardgam...

BGTG 107 - Handcrafted Games (with Lincoln Damerst and Greg Wilzbach) from 2010-09-05T17:54:09

I grabbed two of my artistically talented friends (Greg did my podcast logo!) and put them on the microphone to talk about their hobby-within-a-hobby: handcrafted games. These guys have both taken ...

I'm trying something new with this blog&podcast (behind the scenes) from 2010-09-05T17:52:48

For a while now, listeners of the podcast have asked for an easier way to access all of BGTG's archives. They've actually always been available, but it takes some work. You have to click on one of ...

BGTG now (also) on BGG from 2010-08-19T13:22:38

Got those acronyms? Now Boardgames To Go has its own existence on Boardgamegeek. This is in addition to this blog & website, which I intend to always be the podcast's true home. However, for some i...

BGTG 106 - SR&Feedback (Super Slapshot, Age of Industry) from 2010-08-17T04:23:34

At long last, another episode, and a long-winded one at that! These session report & feedback shows are supposed to be easier episodes for me to bang out--I need to remember that! Doing them more o...

Recent gaming (face-to-face, play-by-web, and iPhone) from 2010-06-28T02:49:48

June was a crazy month at work (as I knew it would be), so I haven't managed to post shows even though I've still got a good one in the can . . . and I managed to record another one. I need to p...

BGTG 104 - Boardgame Themes (with Greg Pettit) from 2010-06-14T14:27:35

Themes in boardgames are a favorite subject of mine. I'm sure I've said before how interested I am in the themes these games of ours have. Some themes instantly attract me to a game, while others a...

New BGTG call-in number is 206-337-7401 from 2010-05-30T19:22:52

Yeah, I lost my old call-in number, the same one the show has had for five years. I haven't completely given up hope, and I may ask for your help in getting it back, but for the moment any audio fe...

BGTG 105 - Games of the Decade (with Dave Arnott) from 2010-05-30T19:19:11

Now that the first decade of the new century & millennium is past, Dave & I reflected on what that ten-year span meant for boardgames. Back in late 2007 he & I recorded a "decade+1" retrospective f...

Comment feed working again from 2010-05-14T22:00:13

By the way, you can subscribe the comment feed in order to keep up with comments on all of this blog's posts without having to remember to check them.Listen

Should I start a BGG guild? from 2010-05-14T20:06:01

The flurry of good comments & discussion following the recent podcast about boardgame theming was split between those posted right here on the website, and others on a Boardgamegeek thread. Though ...

Did it work? from 2010-04-30T05:35

Hmm, I'm not sure. Since I set this site up in the prehistory of podcasting, it's built on a complicated mix of three different hosting accounts (libsyn for the podcast files, GoDaddy.com for my we...

BGTG 103 - SR&Feedback (Pandemic On the Brink, Caylus Magna Carta, Patrician) from 2010-03-18T14:35:20

First of all, please consider bidding in my latest Geeklist auction. It ends mid-day on March 24, and has some great, unusual, and/or out-of-print games. Titles like Zoff in Buffalo, Basari (the go...

BGTG 102 - Games Played in 2009 (with "Davebo" Gullett) from 2010-03-11T05:33:50

For more than a decade now I've kept track of the games I played over the course of a year. For nearly as long I've reviewed those lists after each year passed. First I posted on Usenet or my own w...

Twitter, Facebook, and now Buzz? from 2010-02-11T04:56:50

I've been making little updates between major blog entries about boardgaming using Twitter. You can find those at twitter.com/BoardgamesToGo. This blog and its podcast will always be my main conten...

BGTG 101 SR&Feedback (Dog, Keltis Way of the Stone, Sorry Sliders) from 2010-02-11T04:34:11

First show of the new year, and it's another session report & feedback episode. Though I originally just picked three games I played recently & wanted to discuss, as I prepped for the show I found ...

BGTG 100 SR&Feedback (Tobago, Numeri, Polar Derby) from 2010-01-05T16:00:33

Yea! When I started this podcast nearly five years ago, I had no idea I'd still be doing it now. The pace certainly slowed down from the early days, but I'm so pleased to have stumbled across the f...

MJ's Games played in 2009 from 2010-01-02T20:24:15

I'll do a show recapping this information later, but while I can't record a podcast right now with family visiting, I can squeeze in a blog post. Throughout the year I keep my games-played statisti...

BGTG 99 - Ten Years of Essens from 2009-11-06T04:16:29

Chris left a comment after the previous podcast (anticipating this year's Essen), asking what games were my favorites from past Essens. That was the idea behind this show--my favorites, BGG's favor...

BGTG 97 - All About Brass (with Stephanie Kelleher) from 2009-10-24T19:20:28

If you pay attention to the episode numbers, you'll see this one actually belongs before the previous show about Essen. I only needed to hurry that one out in time for the big game fair in Germany ...

BGTG 98 - Essen Anticipation 2009 from 2009-10-19T19:56:11

As before, I've managed to squeeze in a show just before the Essen game fair Spiel that shares my anticipation for the event and a number of games. Nope, I'm not going there, just living vicariousl...

Last&next month's games from 2009-10-10T03:03:59

I'm in the middle of more business travel than I've ever had to do before. I know a lot of people have to travel more than I, so I'm not complaining. I'm just experiencing the impact it has on your...

Go "vote" on the À La Carte card game award from 2009-09-14T19:14:40

I've always enjoyed reading through the results of the best card game award given in Germany, the À La Carte. Kind of like the Spiel des Jahres or International Gamers Awards, this award is given b...

Gamewright euros (and testing Twitterfeed) from 2009-09-06T16:56:56

Gamewright is mostly known for mass market kids' games that are notably better than what you usually find on the shelf at Toys R Us or Target. They also do an amazing job at sneaking a little educa...

BGTG 96 - Translations, Editions, and Revisions (with David Gullett) from 2009-08-31T01:43:52

Let me clear about this--most of the explanation for the delay in this podcast (recorded almost two months ago) is simply that I never got around to finishing & posting it. Part of that is because ...

BGTG 95 - SR&Feedback (Container&Chicago Express) from 2009-07-02T21:35:10

Whoops! I almost let two months go by since my last show. I've been playing plenty of games, so here's a session report & feedback show to describe my inability to play economic games with any skil...

BGTG 94 - Are any of our games Classics? (with Greg Pettit) from 2009-05-04T14:33:29

It comes up from time to time in discussions about our hobby--will any of the games we're playing now achieve "classic" status? There are commercial classics like Monopoly, Risk, and Scrabble, as w...

Follow BGTG on Twitter from 2009-04-20T19:31:15

I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with it yet, but went as far as deciding to get a Twitter account for this podcast. My podcasts have tended to be longer and in more depth--Twitter is about ...

BGTG archives going ALL the way back... from 2009-04-19T22:36:49

A podcast listener recently posed this question about easy access to the BGTG archives. I'm a long time listener but ever since my iPod was decommissioned I've been away. Now that I've got a new...

BGTG 93 - All About Big City (with Eric Burgess) from 2009-04-15T03:16:23

It must be just about time for a boring show with just me on the mic, but you're spared once again! This time I have fellow podcaster Eric "Boardgame Babylon" Burgess with me to talk about another ...

BGTG 92 - Game Awards (with Dave Arnott) from 2009-03-30T00:41:10

Part 2 of my discussion with Dave Arnott was about game awards. There are a bunch of them, from the Spiel des Jahres to the Golden Geeks. We talk about a whole range of them, and also consider how ...

BGTG 91 - 2008 Year in Review (with Dave Arnott) from 2009-03-20T18:22:30

What started as one show with two topics ended up being two shows. This is the first part, where Dave Arnott and I reflect on 2008. That means talking about our games played, totals as well as "fiv...

Join me for PBW Brass? from 2009-03-17T19:46:17

Lately I've really been enjoying Brass in its play-by-web implementation. The presentation isn't pretty, but is perfectly functional, and it enables more play of this deep game. Anyone care to join...

BGTG 90 - Veto-Proof Game Night (with Ryan Wheeler) from 2009-03-10T01:46:20

My buddy Ryan Wheeler is part of our local game group, the Santa Clarita Boardgamers. In fact, he's the driving force of the group, hosting most of the game nights, always adding to his collection,...

Games for auction from 2009-03-01T15:42:04

I've posted another auction on Boardgamegeek. Help me get rid of some games so I can trick myself into buying more, immediately overwhelming the storage space I'm trying to recover! :)Auction ends ...

More play-by-web from 2009-02-22T18:08

I'm doing that again (never stopped, really). Go to the usual sites (SpielByWeb, Mabiweb, MichaelSchacht.net) to look for games I've started for BGTG podcast listeners, and the password for each is...

Did you leave me a voicemail? from 2009-02-19T16:51:11

Someone just did, and I'd like to respond on a future episode, but unfortunately he must've been calling on a cell phone with a poor signal. The audio drops out during all of the important words of...

BGTG 89 - SR&Feedback (Viva Topo!, Slamwich, Tief auf Tier) from 2009-02-17T16:42:14

Before I can post any new shows, I wanted to clear the decks for some accumulated feedback, as well as follow-through on my previous blog entry about family gaming over the holidays. Again I brough...

Thanksgiving Weekend gaming from 2008-12-01T04:13:18

This Thanksgiving we packed up the car to drive 300 miles to my folks' house. My brother did the same with his family, coming from the other direction. (California is a long state!) As usual, I pac...

BGTG 88 - Dominion, Arkham Horror, Marrakech, and En Garde from 2008-11-20T15:53:56

This is a session report & feedback show . . . but without the feedback. The reason for that is that I had to record this podcast in the car. I say had to because I spent too much of my at-home pod...

A fresh call for online games from 2008-11-03T22:06:51

As usual, your best bet to find me is on a play-by-web game. I've recently started the following, all of which can take more players as I write this. The password is the same as ever, BGTG.On Mabiw...

Vicarious Essen from 2008-10-31T20:08:13

Essen is behind us now, and the Fairplay scouts & other reports are settling in on the better titles. Remember two years ago when I insisted I'd buy Die Saulen von Venedig? Then the mediocre report...

Essen photos from 2008-10-24T16:10:49

I mentioned it in the last podcast, and more than ever I recognize how influenced I am by the look of these games. I like reading the Essen first-impression reports, but I like seeing the photos ev...

BGTG 87 - Essen Anticipation 2008 from 2008-10-23T21:35:32

As promised, here's my annual episode running through the new Essen games that have caught my eye. There are games I'm pretty sure I want, others I'm pretty sure I don't, and a whole bunch I need t...

Pre-Essen show from 2008-10-20T16:03:03

Essen is now right around the corner, but I'm going to try to squeeze in an "Essen Anticipation" show, as I've done in previous years. I got a few requests for this episode, and that's the best ins...

Anyone for Vinci? from 2008-09-16T20:48:58

This blog recently received a great comment from Tristan who re-listened to the 2.5-year old All About Vinci episode after finally getting to try the game in-person. Vinci is still a great favorite...

BGTG 86 - All About Harry's Grand Slam Baseball (with David Gullett) from 2008-09-12T21:26:34

As promised, here's another All About show, my first in a long time. The way these shows work, I usually employ a guest, and the two of us talk about one game in great detail. This time, that guest...

Another "All About..." show is coming from 2008-09-11T14:15:22

Hurray! I've wanted to do another "All About" show for some time, and last night I recorded one. It wasn't about Big City, though, as I'd hinted in my last podcast (that's another I still want to d...

BGTG 85 - SR&Feedback (with Rattlesnake, XiangQi, Citadels, Manila, and Tribune) from 2008-09-08T03:44:48

You're in luck. The carcast I recorded earlier about some games played at a recent Games Day was also destroyed accidentally, so I just had to re-record it at home. This way it ends up with better ...

A truly lost episode from 2008-09-04T14:41:44

Oops. I thought I'd finally get around to posting a carcast recorded more than a year ago after I'd played some business-themed games, comparing & contrasting all three of them. They were Shark, Bu...

Something else about Byzantium (and another car-cast) from 2008-08-19T04:34:28

One thing this blog is good for is correcting mistakes & omissions in my podcasts. After recording the recent one about Martin Wallace games, I forgot to mention the interesting and authentic-feeli...

BGTG 84 - Martin Wallace games (Brass, Tinner's Trail, Byzantium) from 2008-08-15T21:32:15

Two podcasts in less than a week?! Weird, I know. Not likely to be repeated soon, either. I just figured I might as well jump on the opportunity when I could.Also, I'd mentioned on this blog a coup...

BGTG 83 - Aug 10, 2008 - Re-Introduction with my "New" Top Ten from 2008-08-11T01:32:42

Though I'm too chicken to listen to it, anyone that wants to can go back into my archives to download BGTG #1. In that episode I tried to give an introduction to myself, describing my own likes & d...

BGTG auction and my new appreciation for Martin Wallace from 2008-07-29T18:09:52

First of all, another podcast is coming. Somewhere I've got an old "car-cast" I did last year after our group had played several different business games. I'll post that soon. Before that I want to...

BGTG 82 - June 17, 2008 - SR&Feedback (Hamburgum&Streetcar) from 2008-07-16T13:54:09

Uh...yeah. At the start of this show I say I recorded it back on May 29. Which I did. Then I labeled the file and blog entry June 17, because that's when I edited it. Except that I ran into a techn...

BGTG 81 - May 23, 2008 - Games of 2007 from 2008-05-23T16:45:21

Memorial Day Weekend is pretty late for a 2007 recap show, but here it is anyway. I said I'd follow this show up sometime with another blog entry to have a written summary of my games played, too. ...

BGTG 80 - Apr 29, 2008 - SR&Feedback (Galaxy Trucker&Key Harvest) from 2008-05-03T15:21:58

Finishing up my feedback backlog (my feedbacklog?), here's a show with audio comments from my listeners. Does that include Mr. Reliable for audio feedback, Mark Jackson? Sure does! He's here, along...

BGTG 79 - SR&Feedback (Play By Web games) from 2008-04-19T15:22:50

Waaaaay back in show #3 I covered play-by-web boardgaming. I've touched on it since then, and for this show it's "where" my game session took place. That is, on the web, against a variety of friend...

BGTG 78 - Back in the saddle from 2008-03-31T04:58:01

I still need to do a feedback show to go through a backlog, but today I couldn't wait for that. You see, I've had a break in my busy schedule--or at least an attitude adjustment after a recent vaca...

BGTG 77 - Recent Game Rambling from 2008-01-18T18:18:28

No, I haven't disappeared again, and this little episode is meant to prove it. I have more to say about other games, my year in review, my new top ten list, and a backlog of feedback to work throug...

BGTG 76 - Summertime Games from 2007-11-21T16:33:47

A quick, little podcast this time, one from my "archives." By that I mean this was one of those shows I recorded last summer, when I wasn't uploading any podcasts. At least one of those recordings ...

BGTG 75 - Decade+1 Retrospective (with Dave Arnott) from 2007-11-09T19:41:08

Last year, my buddy Dave Arnott and I talked on the phone about how we'd now been in the hobby for a decade. In that time the hobby was in many ways the same, but the interesting parts were the dif...

BGTG 74 - Post-Essen 2007 (with Mike Siggins) from 2007-11-03T23:34:24

Once again I'm pleased to bring Mike Siggins' boardgame commentary to podcasting with our annual show recapping his observations about Essen. Mike writes some of these in his column on Funagain.com...

BGTG 73 - Oct 15, 2007 - Pre-Essen 2007 from 2007-10-15T13:38:24

I'm just squeezing this show in before the Spiel game fair starts in Essen later this week. If you're like me you've been reading the lists and rumors about new games with great anticipation . . . ...

BGTG 72 - Oct 10, 2007 - Where are all the kids? from 2007-10-11T15:01:44

Here's one of those shows I recorded long ago, this one back in April. I went over to David Gullett's house, and we played some games with our kids. And that was also the subject of the podcast--pl...

BGTG 71 - Sept. 19, 2007 - SR&Feedback (Settlers Dice, Canal Mania, Dschungelschatz) from 2007-09-22T16:24:21

A chance to talk about some games I've played recently: one light game, one gamer game, and one kid game. I also talk about ordering overseas using Amazon.de, a new experience for me. Plus some rec...

Help me save an audio interview? from 2007-09-12T23:16:35

The last time I asked for help here, a listener in Germany enabled me to get a copy of Saturn, the beautiful wooden balancing game by Theta. Thanks again, Olav!Now I've got a different sort of plea...

BGTG 70 - Sep 9, 2007 - Light Wargames from 2007-09-10T05:25:35

Did ya miss me?Sorry it's been so long! Doug Garrett smoked me out recently, interviewing me for his podcast, and giving me the little encouragement/kick to get podcasting again. I've got at least ...

Help from a German fan of BGTG? from 2007-06-24T05:56:19

I have a favor to ask of a fan of the show who happens to live in Germany. If that's you and you'd like to help me out, drop me an email. Thanks.-MarkUpdate: Got my help, thanks!Listen

Carribean, Hacienda, Reef Encounter, game parts from 2007-06-03T02:54:02

Another missed game night with friends, but at least I got in a game with Candy. This was Caribbean, acquired in trade just this week in shrinkwrapped condition. It's a game with a decidedly middle...

Spiel des Jahres thoughts from 2007-05-29T00:35:02

I wrote the following to my local game group, but it might be of general interest reading here, too. It's my quick, initial take on the Spiel des Jahres nominees.Thief of BaghdadJenseits von Theben...

Recent games: T&T, Tempus, Vinci, play by web from 2007-05-28T23:48:18

You might think that if I've got the ability to write a blog post, then I should be able to produce another podcast. Well, you'd be wrong. :-) Wasn't it about last year at this time that I got busy...

BGTG 69 - Mar 21, 2007 - Adlung Spiele Games from 2007-03-27T22:04:34

Here's a solo show focusing on a particular publisher, Adlung Spiele. These are the guys (or maybe just one guy with some freelance authors & illustrators) that produce one of my favorites, Verräte...

My wife's favorite type of boardgame from 2007-02-19T06:01:34

Wow, when I said my family gaming was starting to work, I wasn't kidding! Last night my wife & I played our new copy of On The Underground.Not only that, but this was a game she requested, or at le...

BGTG 68 - Feb 12, 2007 - Looking Back at 2006, Forward into 2007 from 2007-02-16T16:39:15

A quick show with my thoughts on boardgaming over the past year, and what I anticipate for 2007. These retrospectives are a little harder to do without stats . . . but then what would stats tell me...

Some Essen titles (Yspahan, On the Underground, Elephant in a Porcelain Shop, and Null&Nichtig) from 2007-02-15T04:21:54

As of this writing, I've actually recorded two podcasts. One of them had to be scrapped for audio quality reasons, and I'm in the process of redoing it. That one is with a special guest, so I reall...

BGTG 67 - Jan 1, 2007 - Pretty, Wooden Abstracts from 2007-01-02T02:37:51

I've surprised myself by becoming more and more interested in abstract games over the years. However, as I discuss in this show, that's due to discovering a wide range of abstracts that don't make ...

BGTG 66 - Dec. 8, 2006 - Thanksgiving Leftovers (Qwirkle, Winner's Circle, Harry's Grand Slam Baseball, Hyle7, Make Five)&Feedback from 2007-01-01T22:57:11

Whew! The show is now posted. You know that getting a podcast out during this part of the year is tricky for me (aren't we all busy with the holidays?), and with the backlog of material it has turn...

End of the year games (part 2) from 2006-12-31T17:58:24

In addition to the games I've played with gamers to round out the year, I've continued to have more success with friends & family, too. Those are much lighter games, but that never bothered me in t...

End of the year games (part 1) from 2006-12-24T02:07:27

Like I said, no chance to do another podcast this year, but I can fill you in on some recent gaming via the blog. Last night I attended my last Santa Clarita game group session of the year, and we ...

It's that time of year... from 2006-12-08T02:45:43

Remember how I said I planned on taking a planned hiatus from mid-November until after New Year's? Well, that was a good idea, because this is just a very busy time for me to work in some podcastin...

I must be doing something right from 2006-11-17T05:45:22

My best chance for playing games with Molly is when she's bored, having exhausted all other options. That sounds bad, but when that happens she's not reduced to playing a boardgame with dad--she lo...

Not at BGG.con from 2006-11-13T02:57:09

Nope, I didn't make it back to BGG.con this year. I never manage to be a regular attendee of conventions--even though I've been to many of them once. Last year it was BGG.con, the year before was t...

BGTG 61 - Aug 2, 2006 - Friendly, Local Game Stores from 2006-11-12T16:36:34

Whew! Finally a new show. Like the last time I (unintentionally) took a little time off from the podcast, it was a little hard to get back into the swing of things. Last time I thought a simpler Se...

BGTG 62 - Sep 18, 2006 - Dialing it Back from 2006-11-12T16:36:34

Okay.That was a long break, wasn't it? Too long? I think so. In other words, I haven't quit the podcast. I want to do more... I will do more. But in this episode I explain how a combination of int...

BGTG 63 - Oct 15, 2006 - Pre-Essen Show from 2006-11-12T16:36:34

Just like last year, I can't help sharing some of my excitement about the Essen game fair happening this week . . . even though I won't be going. I was lucky enough to be there in 2003, something t...

BGTG 64 - Oct 23, 2006 - SR&Feedback show (Thurn und Taxis, Gene Pool, Wallamoppi) from 2006-11-12T16:36:34

I'm starting to catch up with some older feedback as I begin to do more Session Report shows again. I had a bit of a cold while recording this one, but I hope it still sounds ok. And I sure hope I ...

BGTG 65 - Oct 27, 2006 - Post-Essen Show (with Mike Siggins) from 2006-11-12T16:36:34

As promised, here's the post-Essen followup show. A few weeks ago I talked about the games I was interested in hearing more about at Essen. Now here's Mike Siggins, coming on the podcast to give BG...

Case in point from 2006-11-12T16:36:34

I was getting set up to record another podcast tonight. Took the notes, did the research, printed out some feedback. Yep, I was all set. And then my kids asked to play a game before bed, suggesting...

BGTG 58 - May 17, 2006 - SR: Ticket to Ride: Märklin, Buy Low Sell High, Dschunke and Feedback from 2006-11-12T16:36:33

See? I told you I'd get a show out this week. Just had to ignore my family to get it done. (I'm kidding.) Don't know if I will, but I think I should try to knock out a couple more semi-smaller show...

BGTG 59 - June 2, 2006 - SR: Settlers of the Stone Age, Wyatt Earp, Safeknacker, Modern Art, Pirate's Cove (and Feedback) from 2006-11-12T16:36:33

Once again, I hope people are reading the blog as well as listening to the podcast. Because I often think of things I missed after the podcast is finished. (It's not just me--the host for the high...

BGTG 60 - June 14, 2006 David Arnott Leftovers about Medici, Elasund (and Hacienda) from 2006-11-12T16:36:33

During the All About Vinci show, my guest Dave Arnott thought to bring up something we'd failed to cover during our previous All About show, covering Medici almost a year ago. Rather than include t...

Join me for PBW Hacienda from 2006-11-12T16:36:33

I've been playing play-by-web Hacienda for a while on Yucata.de. They even just started offering alternate maps (at least one). But now SpielByWeb.com also has Hacienda, and I like their game manag...

A podcast soon, I hope. from 2006-11-12T16:36:33

I've been advised in feedback to stop apologizing for being late on my podcasts. So I won't do that anymore, but I will point out that I'm more disappointed than anyone. I think from now on I'll pl...

Podcast download stats from 2006-11-12T16:36:33

Just for curiosity's sake. Those of you with more interest in podcasting ought to at least lurk on the boardgamepodcasters Yahoo group.Measuring the number of folks listening to podcasts is an inex...

BGTG 56 - April 15, 2006 - All About Vinci (with David Arnott) from 2006-11-12T16:36:32

I was on vacation last week. No, not at the Gathering of Friends, I was in Hawaii with my family. I thought I might catch up on a little podcasting backlog or at least spruce up the web page. Inste...

BGTG 57 - April 30, 2006 - Ordering Overseas from 2006-11-12T16:36:32

Here's a shorter show that I've wanted to do for a while, talking about how I've ordered games from overseas. Up until just recently that always meant Germany--albeit from a few different webshops-...

Your loss is my gain from 2006-11-12T16:36:32

I wish I could be putting out more podcasts. I've got lots of ideas, some guests lined up (some have been waiting for months!), some partial shows recorded, and outlines for future shows. What I do...

BGTG 55 - April 4, 2006 - "Dark Johnson" Interview (with David Arnott) from 2006-11-12T16:36:31

Dave Arnott sprung this show on me, turning the tables on the interviewer. His plan was to expose me for the sinister, heartless gamer that I really am. Of course, the plan backfired and I come out...

BGTG 54 - April 1, 2006 - New Gamer and Gamer Dads (with David Gullett) from 2006-11-12T16:36:26

[A technical complication meant this show took the longest to pull together, but I'm pleased to say it worked completely. If you want to read the audio editing story, check out the boardgamepodcast...

They're coming! Honest! from 2006-11-12T16:36:26

Apologies for taking so long to get these shows out. Really--they're very close. I'm proof-listening to the Gamer Dad episode with David Gullett now, and I've already recorded the All About Vinci s...

A show-and-a-half look forward from 2006-11-12T16:36:26

I'm wrapping up some editing on a show I recorded with David Gullett (davebo on BGG) about gamer dads, as well as his relatively recent entry to this hobby. Fun stuff, especially when we got both h...

BGTG 53b - Mar 6, 2006 - All About La Città (with Jonathan Degann, part 2) from 2006-11-12T16:36:25

Here's part two of the podcast, the one where Jonathan and I get into La Città in detail. By the way, be sure to check out Eric Burgess' podcast Boardgame Babylon, which also features periodic epis...

Happy Birthday to BGTG! from 2006-11-12T16:36:25

In prepping that last show I missed the fact that the one-year anniversary for this podcast already came & went! I'd remembered it was sometime in March, but hadn't taken the time to find out exact...

BGTG 53a - Mar 6, 2006 - All About La Città (with Jonathan Degann, part 1) from 2006-11-12T16:36:24

Finally! Another All About show, which are the sort that everyone seems to love best. This one was recorded with Jonathan Degann, who you may know from his opinions on mailing lists, his Game Theor...

Homework assignment: La Città from 2006-11-12T16:36:24

Not really an assignment, but if you want to get the most out of the next All About show, maybe you'd like to refresh your memory about La Città. I recorded a two-parter with Jonathan Degann about ...

BGTG 51 - Feb.13, 2006 - SR: Jenseits von Theben, Vegas Showdown, Bolide, Zahltag, and Feedback from 2006-11-12T16:36:23

This episode became my white whale. It was a struggle to get it recorded, edited, partially scrapped & re-recorded, and finally posted. Towards the end, I have to admit that I just gave up a little...

BGTG 52 - Feb.26, 2006 - SR: Vinci, Wallenstein, Hansa, and Tikal (all play-by-web) and Feedback from 2006-11-12T16:36:23

Back to another Session Report & Feedback show, and back to my usual recording setup. This show focuses almost exclusively on play-by-web games, sharing some news about them, and talking about a fe...

All About shows Geeklist from 2006-11-12T16:36:23

Listener Christopher Boothe took the initiative to create a geeklist of his favorite BGTG episodes, the All About shows. Thanks, Chris!Listen

Sorry for the delay! from 2006-11-12T16:36:23

I'm disappointed, too. I actually recorded a podcast three days ago. I was experimenting with a different recording setup, and after listening to it I decided the sound quality in the first half of...

Long shows no problem? from 2006-11-12T16:36:23

In my 50th podcast I went over the single-CD show duration (about 78 minutes). Actually I've done that several times, but in all the other instances I split the show into two parts. This time I did...

BGTG 50 - Jan 24, 2006 - A Look Back at Essen (with Mike Siggins) from 2006-11-12T16:36:22

My fiftieth podcast! Wow, I really wasn't sure I'd ever make it this far when I started last March. The show has morphed a bit over time, mostly in response to some limitatation I want to address o...

Another good boardgame podcast from 2006-11-12T16:36:22

This has already been reported on Boardgamenews.com, but I also want to call your attention to Garrett's Games & Geekiness, a new boardgame podcast by Doug Garrett. Doug is probably best known as t...

More voicemail fixes from 2006-11-12T16:36:22

Sheesh, around the same time I recorded an outgoing message for the Boardgames To go dial-in number (206-222-BGTG), the voicemail capability on my Skype account (username: boardgamestogo) went kabl...

Voicemail and more play-by-web from 2006-11-12T16:36:22

It was pointed out to me that the BGTG voicemail line (206-222-BGTG) didn't have an outgoing greeting, making it a little weird to leave a voicemail. That's now fixed, so it should be more inviting...

Board Game Internet Awards from 2006-11-12T16:36:21

This podcast won an Honorable Mention in the BGIA's Best Game Podcast or Videocast category! I appreciate the selection, and most of all the initiative of the Gone Gaming blog that dreamed up these...

Join me for play-by-web games? from 2006-11-12T16:36:21

I play a somewhat steady stream of play-by-web boardgames. If listeners want to join me, just pop over to one of thsoe sites and look for games called Boardgames To Go. On the sites that use passwo...

Help a brother out? from 2006-11-12T16:36:20

I'm raising some GeekGold so that my logo designer (and onetime BGTG guest) Greg Wilzbach can get an avatar on BoardgameGeek. A nice listener spontaneously donated some GG to me last week--which wa...

BGTG 49 - Jan 21, 2006 - Five&Dime Lists (with Mark JACKson) from 2006-11-12T16:36:20

Though it's happening less often nowadays, in the past people have confused Mark Jackson and myself. Though that's mostly due to the similarity in our names, we have some similar tastes in games (e...

BGTG 47 - Jan. 8, 2006 - Behind the Scenes at BGTG from 2006-11-12T16:36:19

This is more or less an update of the "intro to podcasting" show I did way back in May, 2005. It's especially intended for people who might start up their own boardgame podcast--whether they were t...

BGTG 48 - Jan. 14, 2006 - Retrospective on 2005 from 2006-11-12T16:36:19

For a long time I've posted a retrospective on my past year in the hobby, first to rec.games.board, then spielfrieks, then my blog. This year, of course, I've shifted it over to a podcast episode. ...

iTunes glitch from 2006-11-12T16:36:19

A little note for those of you who download this show in iTunes (and hopefully read the blog, too, or else you'll miss this). For some reason, iTunes refuses to list episode 46A in its listing, eve...

Ouch. from 2006-11-12T16:36:18

That hurt.

Fight on! from 2006-11-12T16:36:18

In about an hour my alma mater, the University of Southern California takes on the University of Texas for the college football national championship. But get this--Texas is also my alma mater! Yea...

Vintage Gamer (new boardgame podcast) from 2006-11-12T16:36:18

Jam Van Verth has just started a new boardgame podcast. It's called The Vintage Gamer, and he intends to cover the older games that are forgotten while we all play the "shiny, new" ones. And by old...

BGTG 46a - January 2, 2006 - SR: Lots of games, and Feedback from 2006-11-12T16:36:17

Yea! I finally got to record a new podcast! I needed to do a fair bit of catching up, which meant the podcast got to be pretty long. With that in mind I split it into two parts. This is the first p...

BGTG 46b - January 2, 2006 - SR: Lots of games, and Feedback from 2006-11-12T16:36:17

Here's part two of this episode, just the feedback portion. Keep 'em coming! :-) It's good to be back.-MarkLinksSkype (my username is BoardgamesToGo)Naturelich Games (blog)(what did I miss?) Listen

Happy New Year (and 30 questions) from 2006-11-12T16:36:16

Happy 2006! The holidays are just about behind us now, and my schedule will soon be returning to normal. With that will come a chance to get back into some podcast recording. I had no idea I would ...

Happy Holidays from BGTG from 2006-11-12T16:36:16

Wow, I really thought I'd have the opportunity to record a show by now. But guess what? It's busy around the holidays. I'll do another podcast as soon as I'm able.In the meantime, Merry Christmas f...

Upcoming podcast from 2006-11-12T16:36:16

Ok, at least some of my listeners are reading this site, too. So I can at least get the word out about some plans for upcoming podcasts. The in-laws left yesterday, my folks arrive in a week, and I...

BGTG 44b - Nov.23, 2005 - My own BGG.con impressions (part 2) from 2006-11-12T16:36:15

[Nothing went wrong when I published the last show without a full proof-listen beforehand, so I'm doing it again. This isn't supposed to be my regular practice, but the holidays are upon us, family...

BGTG 45 - Dec. 2, 2005 - My days with Steve Jackson Games from 2006-11-12T16:36:15

The last in the series of BGG.con-related shows, this one's only connection is the fact that I first tried to record it on the way to BGG.con . . . and the fact that it features Texas (Austin, this...

I'm still here... from 2006-11-12T16:36:15

...it's just that busy, holiday time of the year. I want to record a Session Report & Feedback show (but with some tweaks for both) soon. Right now we've got my in-laws visiting, so the podcast has...

BGTG 43 - Nov. 6, 2005 - All About Euphrat&Tigris (with Greg Pettit) from 2006-11-12T16:36:14

At last! Another All About show, and one I'd been planning to do for some time. My buddy and BGG.com roommate Greg Pettit has played the game a fair bit, and shared his opinions about the game's st...

BGTG 44a - Nov.16, 2005 - My own BGG.con impressions (part 1) from 2006-11-12T16:36:14

[Against my better judgment, I'm posting this show before I've had a chance to listen to it. Someone please email me if there's something amiss, and I'll correct it ASAP. I don't have the opportuni...

BGTG 41 - Oct. 31, 2005 - SR: Hansa, Roller Coaster Tycoon (plus Feedback) from 2006-11-12T16:36:13

A bit of a delay last week, with family visiting and a conference. Just time enough to squeeze in one more show before BGG.con, which is in three days! This session report show enabled me to work t...

BGTG 42 - Nov. 6, 2005 - Boardgamegeek.Con (with Aldie and Derk) from 2006-11-12T16:36:13

My listeners will know that I wanted to record something at Boardgamegeek.con, and I finally got that chance in the final hours of the event: an interview with Aldie and Derk about the convention i...

Back from BGG.con from 2006-11-12T16:36:13

Last night I got back from a great time at BGG.con. I'd write about it here, except that . . . well, you know . . . I'm going to record it in a podcast. I've actually got a number of podcasts comin...

Oops (again) from 2006-11-12T16:36:13

The last podcast that went out had an unedited bit of messiness in it. Not a big deal, just a garbled description, gap while my thoughts cleared, then a fresh attempt. In reality, this happens in e...

BGTG 39 - Oct. 9, 2005 - Essen Anticipation from 2006-11-12T16:36:12

No, I'm not going to Essen this year. But I managed to go once, back in 2003, and not going never stopped me from getting excited about the event. In this podcast I talk about what observed myself ...

BGTG 40 - Oct. 16, 2005 - SR: Air Baron&Around the World in 80 Days (plus Feedback) from 2006-11-12T16:36:12

At last! A session report show! And these days, what's even more important to me than the session report about a couple games is the feedback section. I'm so pleased to get as much feedback as I do...

Oops! from 2006-11-12T16:36:12

I included a link to a file in my last blog entry, and it automatically went out like a podcast. It's not, of course, it's just the reformatted PDF file of Fairplay magazines Essen 2005 scouting re...

Fairplay scout results from Essen 2005 from 2006-11-12T16:36:12

Fairplay magazine's scout reports are tabulated from Essen 2005. Go over to the magazine's site to see the original data, and to also look at past years' results. Here I've reformatted their data i...

BGTG 37 - September 25, 2005 - Mark's Wargaming Credentials from 2006-11-12T16:36:11

Although this podcast will never be about wargames in a substantial way, I still play the occasional wargame and still consider myself a wargamer. Just an infrequent one. :-) Even though I don't pl...

BGTG 38A - Oct 4, 2005 - Euro/Wargame Hybrids (with Mike Siggins) from 2006-11-12T16:36:11

Listener, Siggins.Siggins, Listener.The oldtimers in this hobby will recognize the name instantly, as well as my play on Ken Tidwell's introduction of Mike Siggins to his new readers on the Interne...

BGTG 38B - Oct 4, 2005 - Euro/Wargame Hybrids (with Mike Siggins) from 2006-11-12T16:36:11

Mike suggested his own topic for this podcast: the elusive hybrid game that combines elements of Euro games (short play, elegant mechanics, nice bits) and wargames (real history, maybe nice maps). ...

BGTG 35 - SR: Kablamo, Bootleggers, Indus from 2006-11-12T16:36:10

I think this is settling into a standard format for this podcast: an audio session report show with feedback/letters section tacked onto the end for BGTG-aholics. (The other standard format is the ...

BGTG 36A - All About Verräter (with Greg Aleknevicus - Part 1) from 2006-11-12T16:36:10

You can tell from the date that I've had this show recorded for a week already. The "All About" shows are often my most well-regarded . . . by both my listeners and myself! So you know I didn't wan...

BGTG 36B - All About Verräter (with Greg Aleknevicus - Part 2) from 2006-11-12T16:36:10

Here's part 2 of the show, the longer part that is the in-depth treatment of Verräter. You know, I'd love to get a translation of Casasola Merkle's "Entsehung" page for the game. It tells the story...

BGTG 30 - Game Presentation with Greg Wilzbach from 2006-11-12T16:36:09

This was a fun show to record, sitting down with the local gamer & friend who designed the BGTG logo(s). After some general chat about how Greg's background, how he got into the hobby, and joined t...

BGTG 31 - All About Medici (with Dave Arnott) from 2006-11-12T16:36:09

Another All About show, another with a second voice, and another long one! This should be interesting... Though I normally prefer shows to be shorter, perhaps only half as long, this is also the ki...

BGTG 32 - SR: Torres online, Fjords, Carcassonne:Princess&Dragon from 2006-11-12T16:36:09

Though I've missed the past three Santa Clarita Boardgamers sessions (drat), I've still had a few opportunities for playing games. Here are some opinions about those, including a new play-by-web of...

BGTG 33 - Local game groups (with Ryan Wheeler) from 2006-11-12T16:36:09

Ryan shows up in lots of my session reports because he's the most constant figure at Santa Clarita Boardgamer sessions. He and his wife Erin host most of our game nights. With that in mind, this sh...

BGTG 28 - SR: Way Out West, TransEuropa from 2006-11-12T16:36:08

Sorry for the nearly 2-week break between podcasts. That wasn't my plan, but life sometimes gets busy. Fortunately, half of that was for a fun weekend spent winetasting with Candy when the kids sta...

BGTG 29 -The Wife Show from 2006-11-12T16:36:08

It's been a long time coming, but I finally got my wife Candy to join me for a podcast. Considering how popular and everlasting the question "How can I get my wife/girlfriend to play games with me?...

BGTG 26 - Microgames from 2006-11-12T16:36:07

Finally! I've wanted to get back to a theme show for a while, and one on microgames has been on my to-do list. As I say in the show, this is really sort of training me for doing some shows about wa...

BGTG 27 - SR: Gygés, Geschenkt, M, Raceway 57, Tower of Babel, Exxtra, Medici from 2006-11-12T16:36:07

A little bit longer podcast this time, as we played lots of games and had some interesting discussion to boot! Plus, I responded to feedback at the beginning of the show, something I hadn't done fo...

The Jim Lehrer of Podcasts from 2006-11-12T16:36:07

Chris Brooks runs a boardgame blog where he recently offered his assessment of "the three" boardgame podcasts, Geek Speak, Boardgames To Go, and The Dice Tower. I'm happy with his assessment of my ...

Even more for iTunes from 2006-11-12T16:36:07

I finally figured out how to make my older podcasts show up in iTunes. Now the bulk of my listeners should have access to the earlier material. A grand experiment in my podcast host and bandwidth l...

BGTG - July 5, 2005 - SR: Smarty Party Jr., Attacktix, Geschenkt, Oceania from 2006-11-12T16:36:06

Once again I included my son Sam on the podcast. This show is an audio session report for some games played with family over the 4th of July holiday weekend. So it's got some angst about getting fa...

BGTG 24 - July 9, 2005 - Two-player games SR: Jambo, Starship Catan, Richelieu, Flowerpower from 2006-11-12T16:36:06

This show was something of a hybrid, an audio session report that had an overall theme: 2-player games. That's because the most recent Santa Clarita Boardgamer session just had two players! Myself ...

BGTG 25 - July 18, 2005 - SoCal Games Day 22 (with Sam) from 2006-11-12T16:36:06

Over a week between podcasts, rats! Well, sometimes our lives get busy, right? Between a crunch at work . . . and a literal crunch at home (car crash--everyone's ok), there wasn't a chance to recor...

BGTG - June 30, 2005 (All about Entdecker) from 2006-11-12T16:36:05

I've been wanting to do this for a while, talk for an entire show about one game. And now I've done it, about one of my very favorite games Entdecker. I suppose this kind of show is really somethin...

The logos are here! from 2006-11-12T16:36:05

Greg Wilzbach's logos are now displayed at the top of this page. I had one idea, helped by some other friends, and Greg also came up with his own concept. The result is two nice logos. While I coul...

BGTG - June 27, 2005 SR: Grand Canyon, Victory&Honor, Tonga Bonga, Pylos from 2006-11-12T16:36:04

I wonder how long it will be until I feel like I know what I'm doing?! Seems like every podcast I learn a little something new. This time it's as simple as making the podcast and blog post title wi...

BGTG - June 28, 2005 (Boardgame resolutions) from 2006-11-12T16:36:04

A quick little show, the shortest I've done in a while. Mostly I just struck while the iron was hot, but with a surge in subscribers due to podcast support in iTunes, it's proven to be timely. Welc...

Welcome, iTunes users! from 2006-11-12T16:36:04

Now iTunes supports podcasting, and shows like mine saw an immediate surge in listeners. Boardgames To Go was one of the shows included in iTunes' initial podcast directory. So welcome, iTunes user...

Tip Jar from 2006-11-12T16:36:04

The show I just uploaded marks my need to bump up my podcast hosting subscription plan one level. I'm just recording too much! Even at the 32kbps (sound ok, by the way?), I'm running smack into the...

BGTG - June 14, 2005 (My daughter's take on boardgames) from 2006-11-12T16:36:03

Anyone who's a parent of multiple kids knows this rule: be fair to all of them. So after Sam got a chance to be on my podcast, talking about the games he likes, I knew that Molly deserved a turn. A...

BGTG - June 24, 2005 (Boardgames and the Internet) from 2006-11-12T16:36:03

After a trio of shows sharing the microphone with someone else, I’m back to doing my solo show. That will still be what I do most of the time, I think. It’s back to a theme show, too, focusing on t...

Upcoming shows from 2006-11-12T16:36:03

As expected, my flurry of podcasting last week is being followed by 7-10 days of no podcasting at all. Was I right in deciding to just shoot those previous shows out as quickly as I recorded them? ...

BGTG - June 11, 2005 (SR: Tonga Bonga, Crokinole, Fairy Tale) from 2006-11-12T16:36:02

Last week I joked that Tonga Bonga would be our Game of the Month. Here we were, playing it again--by request! Maybe it's meant to be. This time was different in that it was a 3-player game, and I ...

BGTG - June 11, 2005 (Mike Mayer and Robo Rally) from 2006-11-12T16:36:02

You asked for a second voice on Boardgames To Go? You got it!Ok, only some of you asked for a second voice. And ok, I won't have someone like Mike Mayer joining me on the podcast regularly. In fact...

BGTG - June 11, 2005 (My son's take on board and video games) from 2006-11-12T16:36:02

Here's another show where I have someone else recording with me. Only this time it's my son Sam, and he's plugged in locally to the same laptop. (Technical aside: this was incredibly easy, just pat...

BGTG - June 4, 2005 (Mark's boardgaming biography) from 2006-11-12T16:36:01

A show all about me. I hope this is still of interest to everyone--I figure it's important to know where your writer/podcaster is coming from. Once you're calibrated on who I am, you can interpret ...

BGTG - June 5, 2005 (SR: Tonga Bonga, David&Goliath, Oltremare, Tichu, Oceania) from 2006-11-12T16:36:01

A nice, big session report. Last week's session wasn't any longer than the previous one, but instead of playing one big game (Struggle of Empires), this time we played several shorter games. These ...

Here they come from 2006-11-12T16:36:01

The pattern continues--I don't have time to work on the podcast much during the week, and so it all piles up on the weekend. I actually recorded three new shows today. Partly that's because I'm sti...

Get 'em while you can from 2006-11-12T16:36:01

Am I posting too many shows? Can you keep up? You don't have to, of course, but I understand the desire to stay up-to-date with a website or podcast you follow. Turns out I've been uploading a litt...

BGTG - May 30, 2005 (SR: Struggle of Empires, Alhambra, Flowerpower) from 2006-11-12T16:36

I had a few technical challenges with this show--hopefully none of them come through in the recording. (I did the intro on my little Treo phone/PDA thingie, then pasted it into my normal Audacity r...

BGTG - May 28, 2005 (Intro to Strategy Boardgames) from 2006-11-12T16:36

This show may not be as interesting to listeners who have been enjoying this hobby for a while. But as I mentioned in a previous show, I think it's important that this podcast have one show intende...

Another "people's choice" award from 2006-11-12T16:36

I haven't talked very much about wargaming on Boardgames To Go (yet...). However, I do still play some of those, and today happens to be the final day for submitting your votes for the Charles S. R...

BGTG - May 22, 2005 (Game Awards) from 2006-11-12T16:35:59

A theme show I'd mentioned earlier, focusing on the ideas behind game awards. I was consciously trying to avoid just making this a rundown of the various awards, trying to get a little behind the p...

A little tweaking from 2006-11-12T16:35:59

I did a little tweaking this afternoon, discovering that I had a way to check some more usage statistics than I'd previously known. One of them I can share right here on the sight: a little graphic...

BGTG - May 16, 2005 (Conventions, part 2) from 2006-11-12T16:35:58

Finishing up the earlier theme show about conventions, this time covering invitational events like The Gathering of Friends and Gulf Games, then wrapping up with some of the smallest but best event...

It's over, but at least I've got a poll working from 2006-11-12T16:35:58

Just as I predicted, the universe returned to normal and I dropped off the Top 40 list at Podnova.com. This morning I found that the listing was based on subscriptions, I imagine ones registered th...

My feet are on the ground, and I'm reaching for the stars! from 2006-11-12T16:35:58

It can't last--I know it can't--but all day I've been in the listing of Top 40 podcasts at Podnova.com. This site is primarily a new podcatching service, one that works as a web application or down...

New domain name, email, even a BGG text ad! from 2006-11-12T16:35:58

Last week I purchased my own domain name for this site & podcast. It's now at (what else?)...http://BoardgamesToGo.com (yea!) This also permits me to receive email feedback at Mark@BoardgamesToGo.c...

BGTG - May 2, 2005 (SR: Settlers, Dancing Dice, Basari, Ra, San Marco, Xe Queo!, Ingenious, Star Wars Ep. 2 Card Game, Kapitan Wackelpudding) from 2006-11-12T16:35:57

Oof, that's a long title for this post. But I wanted that top line to tell people what's in this podcast, so that can see it in their RSS reader or podcast aggregator. This entire show is an audio ...

BGTG - May 10, 2005 (Conventions, part 1) from 2006-11-12T16:35:57

Finally did the show about conventions, and I didn't even finish what I wanted to say. But I limited myself to a half-hour, just the same. I'll wrap up in a future show, though that will probably n...

BGTG - May 12, 2005 (Listening to podcasts--and recording them!) from 2006-11-12T16:35:57

June 11 update: I've switched over to 32kbps MP3 exporting out of Audacity, rather than the 48 I was originally using. For speech the difference in audio quality ought to be barely detectable, whil...

BGTG - May 14, 2005 (SR: Crokinole, Schrille Stille, Star Wars Attack of the Clones, Puerto Rico, Traumfabrik) from 2006-11-12T16:35:57

This audio session report mostly talks about the games I played at two recent Santa Clarita Boardgamer sessions. What do people listen for in an audio session report, anyway? I don't spend any time...

BGTG - April 16, 2005 (Game of the Month) from 2006-11-12T16:35:56

Ok, with four of these shows "in the can," it's time to go live with this podcast/blog. Right after I upload this show I'll spread the word online and we'll see what happens. Naturally I hope peopl...

BGTG - April 22, 2005 (Family boardgaming) from 2006-11-12T16:35:56

This show is all about playing boardgames with your family. Well, with my family. A family who isn't as blown away by strategy boardgames as I am, they still humor me from time to time. They even e...

More links from 2006-11-12T16:35:56

One comment I received more than once was a desire to have some links for the games or sites I mention during a podcast. I've gone back through the past shows and appended some links that should he...

Family game success from 2006-11-12T16:35:56

Wouldn't you know, not long after I posted my last show about gaming with my family, I managed to have a new success: 2-player San Marco with my wife. Now, San Marco isn't intended for just two pla...

Thanks for the feedback (keep it coming!) from 2006-11-12T16:35:56

Ok, now the podcast has been "live" for a few days, folks have listened to some of the shows, and the feedback is starting to trickle in. Thanks very much. It's generally quite positive, which make...

BGTG - April 2, 2005 (Play-by-Web Games) from 2006-11-12T16:35:55

In the third show I describe a variety of online boardgames I like to play, using the play-by-web (or email) format, as opposed to a realtime format like Brettspielwelt or the Days of Wonder site. ...

BGTG - March 29, 2005 from 2006-11-12T16:35:55

Second try, and this time I've got a slightly better microphone and less monotone voice. :) I talk about why I'm doing a podcast at all, why I hope there will be more boardgaming podcasts soon, and...

Boardgames To Go - First podcast! from 2006-11-12T16:35:55

This first one is a little rough, both because I was working with a poor microphone and mistakenly thought I should keep my voice relatively flat. But at least it's a start! At the end I wrap up wi...