Podcasts by Garretts Games and Geekiness

Garrett's Games 815: Dune: Imperium Rise of Ix and Brew from 2022-02-14T01:32

Shelley and I get the expansion to Dune: Imperium to the table

Dune: Imperium The Rise of Ix expansion by Paul Dennen from Dire Wolf and Legendary

and then get our potions going in...

Garrett's Games 814: Cryo and Dune: Imperium from 2022-02-07T05:22

Shelley and I enjoy two games set in the future

Cryo by Tom Jolly Luke Laurie from Z-Man Games

and 

Dune: Imperium by Paul Dennen from Dire Wolf and Asmodee

Garrett's Games 813: Cape May and Glass Road from 2022-01-30T22:19:33

Shelley and I spend time playing games set in the past with 2-word titles. First, we head to New Jersey to design one USA's first vacation spots in

Cape May by Eric Mosso from Thunderwork...

Garrett's Games 812: Rossio and Key Market from 2022-01-23T21:43:58

Shelley and I place tiles in a beautiful square in Lisbon in

Rossio by Orlando Sa from Pythagoras

then harvest crops, play the markets, and develop apprentices in

Key Market...

Garrett's Games 811: Savannah Park and Key Harvest from 2022-01-16T18:19:17

Shelley and I move animals around the savannah in 

Savannah Park by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling from Capstone Games and Deep Print Games

then we attempt to strategically d...

Garrett's Games 810: Sumatra and Yellow and Yangtze from 2022-01-09T19:16:28

Shelley and I try out the latest Dr. Reiner Knizia title as we wander the jungle doing research in

Sumatra from Ludo Nova

then check out the revamped game of inner and outer strugg...

Garrett's Games 809: Flourish and Tokyo Metro from 2022-01-02T19:14:44

Shelley and I hurt our brains trying to finagle good investments in 

Tokyo Metro by Jordan Draper from Jordan Draper Games

then we head into the garden to grow flowers and build fo...

Garrett's Games 808: Curators and re-review of Nautilus from 2021-12-26T18:13:14

Shelley and I compete to build the most profitable museum in

Curators by Tove & Pablo Jomer and Jacob Westerlund from Worldshapers and Little Rocket Games

then we head under the se...

Garrett's Games 807: Village Green and Meadow from 2021-12-23T23:02:19

Shelley and I spend time building individual tableaus this week in this delayed episode (sorry for the Thursday release everyone!):

Village Green by Peer Sylvester from Osprey Games

Episode 807 Delayed - Tune into YouTube and See You Thursday from 2021-12-19T23:59:45

Oops! I forgot my SD card reader, so can't get out today's episode until we return from our vacation getaway on Thursday. We hope you tune in then for our discussion of

Village Green by P...

Garrett's Games 806: Truffle Shuffle and Attika/US Telegraph from 2021-12-12T19:27:47

Shelley and I enjoy some bon bons and create poker-esque sets in 

Truffle Shuffle by Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, and Shawn Stankewich from AEG

then we head back to 2003 and ancie...

Garrett's Games 805: Point Salad and Tikal from 2021-12-05T23:28:41

Shelley and I enjoy collecting vegetables in the fun new card game

Point Salad by Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, and Shawn Stankewich

then we dust off a Spiel des Jahres winner from...

Garrett's Games 804: Furnace and re-review of Egizia from 2021-11-28T23:24:05

Shelley and I get our 19th Century industrialist hats on, building factories and funning them to the best of our ability in

Furnace by Ivan Lashin from Arcane Wonders and Hobby World

Garrett's Games 803: Llamaland and TEN from 2021-11-21T17:16:29

Shelley and I build our lands out and UP as we herd llamas and try to claim points in 

Llamaland by Phil Walker-Harding from Lookout Spiele

then we get abstract and push our luck, ...

Garrett's Games 802: Blatterrauschen and Witchstone from 2021-11-14T23:29:10

Shelley and I roll and draw our way through the four seasons using arrays in 

Blätterrauschen by Paolo Mori from KOSMOS

then we plan our actions by building in our cauldrons to dev...

Garrett's Games 801: Aquatica and Farmerama re-review from 2021-11-07T22:17:45

Shelley and I head below the depths to buy and conquer land in

Aquatica by Ivan Tuzavsky from Cosmodrome Games and Arcane Wonders

then return to the farm for a re-review of a game ...

Garrett's Games 800: Clever Cubed&Explorers from 2021-10-31T21:05:04

Shelley and I check out the third game in the Clever series of roll & writes:

Clever Cubed or Clever Hoch Drei by Wolfgang Warsch from Stronghold Games and Schmidt Spiele

and then ...

Garrett's Games 799: Kohaku and Riverboat re-review from 2021-10-25T04:23:19

Shelley and I have fun making beautiful koi ponds in

Kohaku by Danny Devine from 25th Century Games

and then we ply our trade on the grand Mississippi in

Riverboat by Michae...

Garrett's Games 798: Embarcadero and a re-review Qwirkle from 2021-10-17T22:27:38

Shelley and I get a new title to the table that's set in post-Gold Rush San Francisco,

Embarcadero by Adam Buckingham and Ed Marriott from Renegade Game Studios

then get a classic ...

Garrett's Games 797: Essen 2021 Preview Part 2 from 2021-10-10T20:00:11

Shelley and I spend this week going through the second half of my curated list of games arriving at Essen 2021 in less than 2 weeks. Here's a rundown of the games discussed (organized alphabetic...

Garrett's Games 796: Essen 2021 Preview Part 1 from 2021-10-03T20:32:21

This is Part 1 as Shelley and I go through BGG's Essen Preview after I spent some time curating the list. Here are this week's titles:

The following are listed by Publisher, as that's the...

Garrett's Games 795: Trails and Re-Review of Coal Baron: The Great Card Game from 2021-09-26T17:38:52

Shelley and I head out on the hiking paths in

TRAILS by Henry Audubon from Keymaster Games

then head back to the 19th century and a rather dirty industry in

Coal Baron: The ...

Garrett's Games 794: Lost Explorers and Re-Review of Africana from 2021-09-19T22:52:19

Shelley and I set out to explore parts of the world this week in

Lost Explorers by Cédrick Chaboussit from Ludonaute

and then focus on the African continent in

Africana by M...

Garrett's Games 793: Cascadia and Amyitis Re-Review from 2021-09-13T04:38:56

Shelley and I head to ancient Babylon to build the hanging gardens in 2007's

Amyitis by Cyril Demaegd from Rio Grande and Ystari

then we head north to the Pacific Northwest to buil...

Garrett's Games 792: NiDavellir and Project L from 2021-09-06T00:46:19

Shelley and I go to taverns and draft the help of dwarves in 

Nidavellir by Serge Laget from GRRE Games

then get abstract with polyominoes with

Project L by Michal Mikes, Ja...

Garrett's Games 791: Let's Make A Bus Route Dice Game and On The Underground: London&Berlin from 2021-08-29T19:47:25

Shelley and I check out new iterations of some of our favorites this week, trying out the new version of Let's Make A Bus Route

Let's Make A Bus Route: The Dice Game by Saashi and from Sa...

Garrett's Games 790: Terraforming Mars - Ares Expedition and La Citta from 2021-08-22T18:27:34

Shelley and I check out the 'card-game' version of Terraforming Mars (one of our favorite heavier titles of the past few years):

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition by Sydney Engelstein, J...

Garrett's Games 789: Juicy Fruits and re-review of Finca from 2021-08-15T18:12:03

Shelley and I enjoy some fruity goodness this week, looking at

Juicy Fruits by Christian Stöhr from Deep Print Games and Capstone Games' new family line

and then check out 

...

Garrett's Games 788: Café and re-review of Nippon from 2021-08-08T17:16:11

Shelley and I were fortunate enough to travel to Portugal this summer and returned with an awesome card game that's well worth hunting for

Café by Rôla and Costa from Pythagoras Games

Garrett's Games 787: Lisbon Tram 28 and a Re-review of the classic Through the Desert from 2021-08-01T22:47:23

Shelley and I get a chance to play a cool new forthcoming game from Mebo Games

Lisbon Tram 28 by Pedro Santos Silva

then we pull a classic of camel caravan building to which we hav...

Garrett's Games 786: New York Zoo and Wingspan's Oceania Expansion from 2021-07-26T13:01:23

Shelley and I compete to build our zoos the fastest in

New York Zoo by Uwe Rosenberg from Feuerland Spiele and Capstone Games

then we head Down Under to check out new birds and int...

Garrett's Games 785: Legacy - The Testament of Duke de Crecy and In The Year of the Dragon from 2021-07-19T07:06:43

Shelley and I check out a "new to us" game from BGG's store:

Legacy - The Testament of Duke de Crecy by Michiel Justin Elliott Hendriks from Portal Games, IELLO and Pegasus Spiele

...

Garrett's Games 784: Mining Colony and Re-Review of Notre Dame from 2021-07-11T16:25:40

Shelley and I head to Mars to mine for riches in 

Mining Colony by Steve Finn from Dr. Finn's Games

and then head to Medieval France to make our fortunes and deal with rats as we r...

Garrett's Games 783: Sky Towers and Re-review of On The Underground from 2021-07-05T01:12:16

Shelley and I create towers with our hands of card in 

Sky Towers by Charles Ward from Ex1st Games

and then build different colored subway lines to manipulate how people travel aro...

Garrett's Games 782 - Nanga Parbat and Re-Review of Goa from 2021-06-27T16:06:28

Shelley and I capture animals and attempt to gain a foothold on the mountain in 

Nanga Parbat by Steve Finn from Dr. Finn's Games

then we reflect on an older titles as we sail to g...

Garrett's Games 781: Butterfly Garden and Re-Review of Trajan from 2021-06-21T04:06:13

Shelley and I capture, then deliver butterflies to beautiful outdoor spaces in

Butterfly Garden by Steve Finn from Dr. Finn's Games

then head to ancient Rome to get our mancala mec...

Garrett's Games 780: Biblios Quill and Parchment and Lions of Lydia from 2021-06-14T01:16:21

Shelley andI roll dice to collect books, travel as a novice, develop influence, and then spend it in

Biblios - Quill and Parchment by Steve Finn from Dr. Finn's Games

then we head ...

Garrett's Games 779: Fruit Picking and Finishing Time or Feierabend from 2021-06-06T20:09:34

Shelley and I pick food mancala-style in 

Fruit Picking by Jun-ichi Shinde from Korea Board Games

and then race from our jobs and try to get as happy as possible in

Finishin...

Garrett's Games 778: Whale Riders, both the Board and Card Game from 2021-05-30T14:39:33

Shelley and I check out both

Whale Riders (the board game) by Reiner Knizia from Grail Games

and its smaller cousin withmore of a publishing history

Whale Riders The Card Ga...

Garrett's Games 777: Patchwork Doodle and Four Gardens from 2021-05-23T19:36:27

Shelley and I try another variation of drawing polyominoes in

Patchwork Doodle by Uwe Rosenberg from Lookout Games

then spin a HUGE 4-story pagoda to obtain resources and build our...

Garrett's Games 776 - Mombasa and Medici: The Dice Game from 2021-05-16T19:32:19

Shelley and I check out version #4 of a Knizia classic

Medici: The Dice Game by Reiner Knizia from Grail Games

and then head to Africa with a bit of problematic theming but a great...

Garrett's Games 775 - Evidence and Hadrian's Wall from 2021-05-09T21:41:47

Shelley and I search for clues into the existence of cryptozoological creatures in 

Evidence by Orestis Liontaritis from Pegasus Spiele and Edition Spielwiese

then we head back in ...

Garrett's Games 774: 7 Summits and Paris - La Cité de la Lumière from 2021-05-02T22:05:34

Shelley and I journey first to the City of Light for a re-review of the now more readily available 

Paris - La Cité de la Lumière by Jose Antonio Abascal Acebo from Devir and Kosmos

Garrett's Games 773 - Starving Artists and a re-review of Fresco from 2021-04-25T15:19:57

Shelley and I check out a couple of art-themed games, one which we enjoy, and another which might have benefitted from some more development.

Starving Artists by Mike Wokasch from Deep Wa...

Garrett's Games 772: CloudAge and Majesty - For The Realm from 2021-04-18T23:16:33

Shelley and I work to entice good workers to our respective kingdoms in 

Majesty - For The Realm by Marc André from Z-Man and Hans im Glück

then wend our way through a post-apocaly...

Garrett's Games 771: Mini Express and Space Lunch from 2021-04-11T17:48:45

Shelley and I gather gorgeous food and beverages in the quick

Space Lunch by Simona Greco and Marco Rava with art by Natalie Dombois from ThunderGryph Games

then we build train rou...

Garrett's Games 770: Hats and Faiyum from 2021-04-06T13:03:51

Shelley and I draft hats and manipulate their values in order to attend the Mad Hatter's party in 

Hats by Gabriele Bubola from ThunderGryph Games

then we drain swamps, work the fi...

Garrett's Games 769: Canvas and Viscounts of the West Kingdom from 2021-03-28T19:13:26

Shelley and I paint cool layered pictures in

Canvas by Jeffrey Chin and Andrew Nerger (with art by Luan Huynh) from Road To Infamy Games

Then we travel through the circular realm g...

Garrett's Games 768: Hallertau and Monasterium from 2021-03-21T18:17:56

Shelley and I build and improve our towns through resource collection and farming in

Hallertau by Uwe Rosenberg from Lookout Games

and then work hard at dice drafting and novice as...

Garrett's Games 767 - Merv and Pandoria Merchants from 2021-03-14T22:43:29

Shelley and I journey along the Silk Road in 

Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road by Fabio Lopiano from Osprey Games

then we roll & write in a fantasy landscape in

Pandoria Mer...

Garrett's Games 766 - Praga Caput Regni and Carcassonne USA Maps from 2021-03-07T18:38:03

Shelley and I compete to build Prague in

Praga Caput Regni by Vladimir Suchy from Rio Grande Games

and then we check out two new USA maps - West & East - for the classic 

Ca...

Garrett's Games 765: Renature and Glasgow from 2021-02-28T21:25:20

Shelley and I work to build up the city of Glasgow in

Glasgow by Mandela Fernandez-Grandon from Lookout Games

and then send out domino-covered animals into fields to plant trees in...

Garrett's Games 764: Blue Moon City and Red Peak from 2021-02-21T16:45:41

Shelley and I head all the way back to 2006 to enlist dragons and build fantasy buildings to gain crystals for offerings in 

Blue Moon City by Reiner Knizia from Fantasy Flight Games 

Garrett's Games 763: Maglev Metro and Cloud City from 2021-02-14T21:50:50

Shelley and I build cool, 3-D towers and bridges in

Cloud City by Phil Walker-Harding from Blue Orange Games

then have a fantastic time building metro route for our cool train car ...

Garrett's Games 762: Rajas of the Ganges Goodie Boxes&Atlandice from 2021-02-07T23:04:33

Shelley and I head to the Ganges river valley once again to check out a bunch of expansions that come in TWO Goodie Boxes for 

Rajas of the Ganges by Inka and Markus Brand from R&R Games<...

Garrett's Games 761: Babylonia and Flandern 1302 from 2021-01-31T20:01:57

Shelley and I work with our nobles and farmers to establish dominance in

Babylonia by Reinder Knizia from Ludo Nova

then build different aspects of 6 cities in Flanders to gain maj...

Garrett's Games 760: Parks + Expansion, Parks Memories, and Thurn&Taxis + Expansions from 2021-01-24T20:14:16

Shelley and I spend some time hiking through and camping in our National Parks in

PARKS & PARKS Nightfall Expansion by Henry Audubon from Keymaster Games

then we try to tap into ou...

Garrett's Games 759: Lost Cities - Auf Schatzsuche and Tawantinsuyu from 2021-01-18T16:10:06

Shelley and I check out yet another variation on a Knizia classic in

Lost Cities: Auf Schatzsuche by Reiner Knizia and from KOSMOS

then we bring another heavy weight to the table, ...

Garrett's Games 758 - Beez and Tekhenu from 2021-01-10T21:03:20

Shelley and I collect pollen with our awesome 3-D bees in

Beez by Dan Halstad from Next Move Games

then we draft dice from around a 3-D obelisk, trying desperately to balance our p...

Garrett's Games 757: Whistle Mountain and Red Cathedral from 2021-01-03T21:54:52

Shelley and I fly our different sized dirigibles to gather resources and create machines and scaffolding to build a train trestle in

Whistle Mountain by Scott Caputo and Luke Laurie from ...

Garrett's Games 756: Little Town and Lost Ruins of Arnak from 2020-12-27T17:34:34

Shelley and I compete to construct the best buildings and take advantage of their resources, while feeding our people in 

Little Town by Shun and Aya Taguchi from Iello

Then we fin...

Garrett's Games 755: Bonfire and Trimau - Grand Tour from 2020-12-21T18:39:07

Shelley and I attempt to get rid of all of the cyclists in our hands in

Trimau: Grand Tour by Takahiro Amioka from KogeKogeDo

then delve deeply into the world of gnomes and Guardia...

Garrett's Games 754: Sovereign Skies and Robin of Locksley from 2020-12-14T14:43:34

Shelley and I explore space and establish diplomatic ties with various planets in 

Sovereign Skies by Aaron Andrew Wilson from Deep Water Games

then we compete to be the best robbe...

Garrett's Games 753: Paris and Ticket to Ride - Amsterdam from 2020-12-06T22:41:17

Shelley and I build and then obtain businesses in Paris to gain prestige through our ownership in

Paris by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling from GameBrewer

and the we build car...

Garrett's Games 752: Fafnir and Winner Winner Chicken Dinner from 2020-11-30T01:07:26

Two chicken-themed games this week! First, we're foxes trying to get as many chickens as possible for dinner in

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! by chad Elkins from 25th Century Games

Garrett's Games 751: Castles of Tuscany and Rajas of the Ganges - The Dice Charmers from 2020-11-23T16:05:17

Shelley and I work at building our respective modular-board regions with various hex-tile buildings in

Castles of Tuscany by Stefan Feld from alea

then we attempt to build up both ...

Garrett's Games 750! Iwari and The Isle of Cats from 2020-11-15T23:28:21

Shelley and I spend some time building our webs of power in

Iwari (The Deluxe Edition) by Michael Schacht from ThunderrGryph Games

then capture and transport polyomino cats in our ...

Garrett's Games 749: Silver Dagger and Trekking The World from 2020-11-09T01:15:59

Shelley and I work hard to get our villages cleared of werewolves in 

Silver Dagger by Ted Alspach from Bezier Games

and then we wander the world checking out various sites and col...

Garrett's Games 748: Hadara Expansions and Traders of the Air from 2020-11-01T20:56:05

Shelley and I get Hadara off the shelf once again to discuss playing it with its expansion:

Hadara: Marketplaces and Monuments by Benjamin Schwer and from Hans im Glück

then we tak...

Garrett's Games 747: Pan Am and Ticket to Ride: Stay at Home from 2020-10-25T19:07:21

Shelley and I spend some time developing route around the house in 

Ticket to Ride: Stay at Home (Print & Play) from Alan R. Moon and Days of Wonder

then we develop airline routes ...

Garrett's Games 746: Tybor the Builder and Medieval Realms from 2020-10-18T21:49:54

Shelley and I head back to the Middle Ages for both of this week's games, manipulating multi-use cards to draft workers and citizens and build our village in 

Tybor the Builder by Dennis ...

Garrett's Games 745: Fluttering Souls, Dreamscape, and Terraforming Mars' Turmoil Expansion from 2020-10-11T18:04:13

Shelley and I talk about THREE games in this quick episode, and sadly we can't really recommend any of them:

First we tried out the 2-player only 

Fluttering Souls by Joel Lewis fr...

Garrett's Games 744 - Grand Trunk Journey and Heaven&Ale + Expansion from 2020-10-04T19:41:25

Shelley and are delivering stuff this week, using trains to deliver a bunch of materials in

Grand Trunk Journey by Claude Sirois from Spielworxx

then using carts to deliver kegs of...

Garrett's Games 743: Succulent and Endangered from 2020-09-27T21:58:50

Shelley and get two family-oriented games to the table this week, looking first at 

Succulent by J. Alex Kevern from Renegade Game Studios

then at

Endangered by Joe Hopkins ...

Garrett's Games 742: Fantastic Factories and Teotihuacan + Late Preclassic Period Expansion from 2020-09-20T19:40:15

This week Shelley and I add and modify the HEAVY 2018 title 

Teotihuacan: City of Gods by Daniele Tascini from NSKN and Board&Dice

by adding most of the expansions that come in 201...

Garrett's Games 741: Welcome To...Expansions and Welcome To New Las Vegas from 2020-09-13T21:14:39

Shelley and I get out the much-discussed

Welcome To... by Benoit Turpin

to the table once again with most recent Easter and Quack expansions

Then we check out the brand new ...

Garrett's Games 740: Villagers and On Tour from 2020-09-07T15:11:06

Shelley and I tackle two Kickstarter games in odd-shaped boxes;

first we create our own towns in

Villagers by Haakon Gaarder from Sinister Fish

and then we take the band  Listen

Garrett's Games 739 - Tajuto and Traintopia from 2020-08-30T21:24:46

Shelley and I head to Japan to build different colored pagodas in 

Tajuto by Reiner Knizia from Super Meeple and Abacusspiele

then we head to a world of wonderful trains that move ...

Garrett's Games 738: Tapestry and Second Chance from 2020-08-23T19:24:09

Shelley and I get to drawing some polyominoes in individual grids in

Second Chance by Uwe Rosenberg from Stronghold & Edition Spielwiese

then we compete to build our civilizations ...

Garrett's Games 737: Gobi and Harvest Island from 2020-08-16T16:32:39

Shelley and I wander with our camels through the desert, attempting to reunite the nomad tribes in

Gobi by Shaun Graham and Scott Huntington from Capsicum Games

and then compete to...

Garrett's Games 736: EmperorS4's Trial of the Temples and Jiguan from 2020-08-09T21:32:16

Shelley and I check out TWO EmperorS4 games this week. First, we get our gem-collecting hats on in order to advance along paths in

Trial of the Temples by Wei-Min Ling and Michael Miheals...

Garrett's Games 735: Santa Monica and Save The Meeples from 2020-08-02T21:34:12

Shelley and I head to Southern California to design and help both locals and tourists find a place to enjoy the beach and shops in

Santa Monica by Josh Wood from AEG

and then we wo...

Garrett's Games 734 - Cartographers and Concordia Balearica&Cyprus from 2020-07-26T21:25:37

Shelley and I get another 'draw and draw' game to the table, this time filling our papers with tetris-style pieces that represent landscapes in

Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale by Jordy ...

Garrett's Games 733: Mandala and 1987: Channel Tunnel from 2020-07-19T22:37:17

Shelley and I compete over mandala designs in 

Mandala by Trevor Benjamin and Brett J. Gilbert from Lookout Games and Funforge

and then we head back to our youth and compete to bui...

Garrett's Games 732 - Chai and Coloma from 2020-07-12T20:46:27

Shelley and I get two flawed recent Kickstarter releases to the table this week, making tea in 

Chai by Dan and Connie Kazmaier from Steeped Games

then head to the Sierra foothills...

Garrett's Games 731: Wayfinders and Marco Polo II from 2020-07-05T21:34

Shelley and I travel around islands on pontoon planes in

Wayfinders by Thomas Dagenais-Lesperance from Pandasaurus Games

then we travel back in time and wander the Far East in 

Garrett's Games 730 - 5211 and Railroad Revolution/Evolution Expansion from 2020-06-28T22:36:07

Shelley and I have some fun with a quick and easy card game (that's better with MORE than 2 players)

5211 by Tsuyoshi Hashiguchi from Next Move Games

and then try a new twist on bu...

Garrett's Games 729: UBike Tour: Taiwan and Remember Our Trip from 2020-06-21T20:28:42

Shelley and I head to Asia this week, planning a bike trip around Taiwan in

UBike Tour: Taiwan by Chih-Fan Chen from Big Fun Games

then travel around Kyoto and Singapore in

...

Garrett's Games 728: Electropolis and Wingspan with its European Expansion from 2020-06-15T03:22:30

Shelley and I put on our hard hats and build up our two cities' electrical infrastructure in 

Electropolis by Chang Yu Di, Ku Chun Wei, and Wang Liang from Homosapiens Lab

and then...

Garrett's Games 727: Lanterns Dice and Formosa Tea from 2020-06-08T14:54:35

Shelley and I enjoy another dicey roll & write with fireworks in 

Lanterns Dice: Lights in the Sky by Chris Bryan from Foxtrot Games and Renegade Game Studios

and then we become ma...

Garrett's Games 726: On The Origin of Species and Die Inseln im Nebel from 2020-05-31T20:53:02

Shelley and I join Darwin on his scientific journeys around the Galapagos Islands for

On The Origin of Species by Gerard Ascensi and Ferran Renalias from Mont Taber

then drift thro...

Garrett's Games 725 - Paladins of the West Kingdom and Colors of Paris from 2020-05-25T17:03:40

Shelley and I attempt to build up our Medieval cities to defend against invading hordes in

Paladins of the West Kingdom by Shem Philips and SJ Macdonald from Renegade Game Studios

...

Garrett's Games 724: Florenza Dice Game and Expedition to Newdale from 2020-05-17T16:36:52

Shelley and I find our way back to Renaissance Florence for a third version of Florenza, this time with DICE, in

Florenza Dice Game by Danilo Festa and Stefano Groppi from Post Scriptum a...

Garrett's Games 723: Walking in Provence and Pharaon from 2020-05-10T17:41:02

Shelley and I spend part of this week in southern France taking photos both from our scooter and with a drone in

Walking in Provence by Wei-Min Ling from Emperor S4

and then we hea...

Garrett's Games 722 - Montmartre and The Magnificent from 2020-04-29T18:13:52

Shelley and I paint and sell our Impressionistic art to buyers in 

Montmartre by Florian Sirieix from Blam!

and then put on post-modern circus performances in 

The Magnifice...

Garrett's Games 721: Doctor! Doctor! and Era: Medieval Age from 2020-04-27T00:12:24

Shelley and I work against the clock and try to save a patient in

Doctor! Doctor! by Robert Couch from Indie Boards and Cards

and then try our hands at building our own Medieval vi...

Garrett's Games 720 - Dizzle and Edge of Darkness from 2020-04-20T00:26:04

Shelley and I get yet another roll and write to the table

Dizzle by Ralf zur Linde from Stronghold Games and Schmidt Spiele

and then get out a BIG box for some card crafting and wa...

Garrett's Games 719: PARKS and Ragusa from 2020-04-12T21:05:56

Shelley and I trek through some beautiful National Parks in

PARKS by Henry Audubon from Keymaster Games

then have fun building an Italian city while also getting resources from its...

Garrett's Games 718: Bloom, Just One, and Welcome To... expansions from 2020-04-05T20:40:35

Shelley and I take on an award-winning party game, along with two "write on your player board" titles:

Bloom by Wouter van Strien from Gamewright involves rolling & writing

Welcome...

Garrett's Games 717: Vadoran Gardens and Gizmos from 2020-03-29T21:39:46

Shelley and I build some card tableaux this week as we try out a smaller card game with some card orientation to ponder in 

Vadoran Gardens by Frank West from The City of Games

and...

Garrett's Games 716: Promenade and Atelier from 2020-03-22T22:33:55

Shelley and I have a great time as art dealers working the market and displaying great paintings in

Promenade by Ta-Te Wu from Sunrise Tornado Games Studio

then attempt to paint ma...

Garrett's Games 715: Caravan and Taverns of Tiefenthal from 2020-03-15T19:48:19

Shelley and I spend some time discussing moving goods by camels while trying not to get precious objects stolen from you in

Caravan by Joseph Huber from Rio Grande Games

then have ...

Garrett's Games 714: Across The United States and HYAKKATEN from 2020-03-09T20:36:39

Shelley and I get to Japanese building games this week as we delve into mall building in

HYAKKATEN by Takeshi Okusora from NSG Kurieito

then look into the Japanese rendition of bui...

Garrett's Games 713: Bruxelles 1897 and Masters of Renaissance from 2020-03-01T19:07:45

Shelley and I spend some time in late 19th Century Brussels, gaining influence with aristocrats, buying art, building buildings, and placing cards in an array in

Bruxelles 1897 by Etienne...

Garrett's Games 712: Crystal Palace and Silver&Gold from 2020-02-23T20:20:38

Shelley and I get another 'draw and draw' title to the table with

Silver & Gold from Phil Walker-Harding and Pandasaurus Games

then try something more meaty by heading to 19th Cent...

Garrett's Games 711: Carcassonne Maps and Orleans Stories from 2020-02-16T23:09:45

Shelley and I get a classic game off the shelf with new maps and cool wrinkles that affect play with

Carcassonne Maps by Klaus-Jurgen Wrede from Hans im Gluck

Great Britain

...

Garrett's Games 710 - Qwixx on Board, Anubixx, Te oder Kaffee, Glisse Glace and other Djeco titles from 2020-02-10T03:37:29

Shelley and I celebrate her birthday early with some smaller and shorter games, along with some discussion of games she's been playing with her students in class:

Qwixx on Board by Steffe...

Garrett's Games 709: La Stanza, Pictures, and Artbox from 2020-02-02T18:58:07

Shelley and I draw and recreate art this week with two art-focused games:

Pictures by Christian and Daniela Stöhr from PD Verlag

Artbox by Artem Lis from Jet Games Studio and Lavka...

Garrett's Games 708: Papillon and Nova Luna from 2020-01-26T22:02:17

Shelley and I have a great time planting our flowerbeds, collecting gnomes and caterpillars, and placing butterflies in flowers while playing

Papillon by J.B. Howell from Kolossal Games Listen

Garrett's Games 707 - Trails of Tucana and Cooper Island from 2020-01-20T00:54:37

Shelley and I take on another 'draw and draw' game this week, planning out our 

Trails of Tucana by Eilif Svensson and Kristian Amundsen Østby from Aporta Games

then build our riva...

Garrett's Games 706: Maracaibo, Chop! Chop!, and Tulum from 2020-01-12T23:55:06

Shelley and I talk through a couple of lighter games from Djeco that she can't wait to get into her classroom, as well as a MASSIVE and popular Essen 2019 title.

Chop! Chop! by Alexandre ...

Garrett's Games 705: Coralia and Carrossel from 2020-01-05T16:49:45

Shelley and I check out two more Essen titles this week, two "C" games that are both beautiful to look at and fun to play:

Coralia by Michael Rieneck from R&R Games

and

Carr...

Garrett's Games 704: Sorcerer City and 6 Castles from 2019-12-29T19:11:37

Shelley and I have fun laying tiles in two new titles we checked out.

First up was 

6 Castles by Costa and Rola from Pythagoras

and then 

Sorcerer City by Scott Caput...

Garrett's Games 703: Azul Summer Pavillion and Twisty from 2019-12-22T23:43:56

Shelley and I go abstract this week as we get

Azul: Summer Pavillion by Michael Kiesling from Next Move Games

to the table, followed by a fun filler 

Twisty by Faouzi Boughi...

Garrett's Games 702: Paris New Eden and Paris La Cité de la Lumière from 2019-12-15T22:31:45

Shelley and I spend our week in Paris for this episode, heading back to the Belle Epoque for 

Paris La Cité de la Lumière by Jose Antonio Abascal Acebo and published by Devir

then ...

Garrett's Games 701 - A-Games' Grund and Portolano, and more from BGG's W. Eric Martin from 2019-12-09T02:00:02

Shelley and I spend some time with two games from Hungary's A-Games

Grund by Máté Brunner, Sámuel Lackner, Márton Ollári, and Patrik Venczel

and

Portolano by Adam Geri

Garrett's Games 700! Humboldt's Great Voyage and W. Eric Martin of BGG from 2019-12-01T23:26:28

Shelley and I spend some time delving into the mancala mechanisms of R&R Games' new title 

Humboldt's Great Voyage by Remo Conzadori and Nestore Mangone

and then I begin a conversa...

Garrett's Games 699 - Alubari and Aldie of BGG! from 2019-11-24T22:45:51

Shelley and I have a great time with Snowdonia's brand new cousin

Alubari by Tony Boydell from Studio H

then I sit down for a chat with BGG's own Scott Alden (Aldie) for a discussi...

Garrett's Games 698 - Zoom in Barcelona and Beth Heile of BGG! from 2019-11-17T21:26:32

Shelley and I have a great time racing around Barcelona taking photos in

Zoom in Barcelona by Núria Casellas, Eloi Pujadas, and Joaquim Vilalta from Cucafera Games

Then Beth Heile,...

Garrett's Games 697 - Porto and Bezier Games' Ted Alspach from 2019-11-10T22:30:12

Shelley and I get MEBO Games' family-style new release

Porto by Orlando Sá

then I sit down at Essen for a quick chat with Ted Alspach of Bezier Games to discuss their current and u...

Garrett's Games 696: Lincoln Damerst joins me at Essen! from 2019-11-03T23:24:24

Lincoln Damerst of Game Night, the Boardgamegeek Show and other BGG projects joins me on the microphones while we had a break at Essen last week. Lincoln reflects on our 11 years of working the ...

Garrett's Games 695 - Vinyl and Barrage from 2019-10-28T03:08:59

Shelley and I have fun building our respective record collections in our games of 

Vinyl by Eric Alvarado from Talon Strikes Studios

then compete to dam rivers and generate power f...

Garrett's Games 694 - Bloom Town and Essen Preview L-Z from 2019-10-20T16:17:46

Shelley and I spend a few minutes discussing and reviewing 

Bloom Town by Asger Harding Granerud and Daniel Skjold Pedersen from Sidekick Games which is releasing at Essen and (I just fou...

Garrett's Games 693 - Essen Preview 2019: Publishers A-L, plus Sierra West from 2019-10-13T19:59:52

Shelley and I spend a few minutes previewing a game that will be readily available at Spiel 2019, then dive head first into the Essen Preview with a look at publishers A-L.

Sierra West by...

Garrett's Games 692 - Meeplefest 2019 Night 2, Part 4 (last one!) from 2019-10-06T23:41:35

The Meeplefest 2019 episodes finish up with conversations about inclusion of non-gamers, the use of VR and AR in games, as well a technology's role and possible problems going forward. Then we f...

Garrett's Games 691 - Meeplefest Night 2, Part 3 from 2019-09-29T21:04:51

The youngest Meeplefesters join the conversation as we delve into why they enjoy gaming, and then continue long-standing conversations about teaching games, reading game rules, and using tech in...

Garrett's Games 690 - Meeplefest 2019 Night 2, Part 2 from 2019-09-22T19:36:50

The roundtable for Night 2 continues with discussions of publishing and the tsunami of games AND gamers that have been building over the past few years. Joining Shelley and me on mics are

Garrett's Games 689 - Meeplefest 2019 Night 2, Part 1 from 2019-09-15T19:20:11

Designers, podcasters and gamers get on the mics once again for Night 2 of the 2019 Meeplefest Roundtable.

Matt Leacock (Pandemic, Pandemic Legacy, Era: Medieval Age, Forbidden Island, Mo...

Garrett's Games 688 - Meeplefest 2019 - Night 1, Part 3 from 2019-09-08T19:40:14

Night 1 of Meeplefest winds up with a great discussion about the Spiel des Jahres nominees, as well as the effect of both Kickstarter and the tsunami of games released has on the hobby. Joining ...

Garrett's Games 687 - Meeplefest 2019, Night 1, Part 2 from 2019-09-01T21:36:02

Meeplefest Night 1 continues with Part 2 as the designers and gamers sit around talking more about games we have enjoyed or had some problems with, then turn specifically to the Kennerspiel des ...

Garrett's Games 686 - Meeplefest 2019 Night 1, Part 1 from 2019-08-25T21:46:56

Night 1 of Meeplefest's podcasting roundtable extravaganza begins with awesome designers and podcasters hanging out around the table discussing design and development. On the mics for this part:...

Garrett's Games 685 - Karate Tomate and Shobai All Right from 2019-08-18T22:04:41

Shelley and I get a bunch of players together to challenge everyone's karate skills (or at least ability to collect and play cards) in

Karate Tomate by Reiner Knizia from Amigo

the...

Garrett's Games 684 - East Indiaman and Horticulture Master from 2019-08-11T22:31:39

Shelley and I work as rival shipping conglomerates in South Asia in

East Indiaman by David Wang from David Wang Studio

then get more contemplative with the beautiful garden-buildin...

Garrett's Games 683 - Amun-Re The Card Game and Manitoba from 2019-08-05T01:28:19

Shelley and I bid and build provinces in ancient Egypt in

Amun-Re: The Card Game by Reiner Knizia from SuperMeeple

and then play native Canadian tribes, gathering resources and jou...

Garrett's Games 682 - Cosmic Run: Regeneration and Architects of the West Kingdom from 2019-07-29T03:52:07

Shelley and I send our ships out into the void to find new planets to settle before they are wiped out by meteors in

Cosmic Run: Regeneration by Steve Finn from Dr. Finn's Games

an...

Garrett's Games 681 - Realm of Sand and Yinzi: The Shining Ming Dynasty from 2019-07-21T19:29:24

Shelley and I play in our respective sandboxes, using tetris-style pieces to create tile patterns in

Realm of Sand by Ji Hua Wei from EmperorS4

and then grow crops, sell them at th...

Garrett's Games 680 - Discovery: The Era of Voyage and Orleans: Trade and Intrigue from 2019-07-17T17:12:11

Shelley and I delve more deeply into

Orleans by Reiner Stockhausen and dlp games

as we try out a number of Trade and Intrigue expansion options, 

then we tackle another smal...

Garrett's Games 679 - Great Western Trail + Expansion and Lighthouse Run from 2019-07-07T23:02:22

Shelley and I race our boats along a river by the light of the beacons ahead of a storm in 

Lighthouse Run by Jim Harmon and from Amigo

then we expand our cattle delivery possibili...

Garrett's Games 678 - NEOM and Russian Railroads: American Railroads expansion from 2019-07-01T19:45:25

Shelley and I draft tiles and build futuristic cities in

NEOM by Paul Sottosanti from Lookout Games

and then build rails and run train companies in the US at the time of the Transc...

Garrett's Games 677 - Altiplano +Traveler and Santa Maria + American Kingdoms Expansions from 2019-06-23T20:16:36

Shelley and I get a couple of indispensable expansions to the table for two games we've enjoyed in the past:

Altiplano + the Traveler Expansion by Reiner Stockhausen along with Stefan and...

Garrett's Games 676 - Concordia Venus and Orleans with Bling from 2019-06-17T01:30:36

Shelley and I do some post-Tahoe hiking gaming, looking at a new expansion

Concordia Venus by Mac Gerts from PD Verlag

and then have a great time with our blinged out and expanded ...

Garrett's Games 675 - 3x8 Card Game and Copenhagen from 2019-06-09T23:57:41

Shelley and I spend some time with two games we turned out not to like very much:

3x8 by Christian Fiore and Knut Happel from Amigo

which is a card game with a race element 

Garrett's Games 674 - Sushi Roll and Tiny Towns from 2019-06-02T20:18:34

Shelley and I have a great time with the new dice-filled version of 

Sushi Roll by Phil Walker-Harding from Gamewright

and then work hard to get the proper raw materials to build o...

Garrett's Games 673 - Hex Roller and Gingerbread House from 2019-05-26T17:30:05

Shelley and I have a great time with two shorter games this week (as the school year comes to a close!).

The first games is another roll & write with a solid twist:

Hex Roller by R...

Garrett's Games 672 - Doppelt So Clever (Twice as Clever) and Among Thieves from 2019-05-20T01:11:38

Something a bit different on this week's episode as one of my current students - Harrison - joins me for a discussion of this week's first game

Among Thieves by Floyd Pretz from Indie Boa...

Garrett's Games 671 - Ted Alspach of Bezier Games and SILVER from 2019-05-12T23:37:54

Ted Alspach joins me over the Skype airways for a discussion of Bezier Games' growth as a company as well as their new forthcoming title:

SILVER

along with discussions of

CA...

Garrett's Games 670 - Hadara and Pandoria from 2019-05-06T04:54:57

Shelley and I delve into a new twist on card drafting and resource building in 

Hadara by Benjamin Schwer from Hans im Gluck

and then have a lot of fun with an awesome twist on the...

Garrett's Games 669 - Magnastorm and Sunset Over Water from 2019-04-28T23:56:28

Shelley and I first hike through nature, painting beautiful scenes and fulfilling commissions in

Sunset Over Water by Steve Finn, Eduardo Baraf, and Keith Matejka from Dr. Finn's Games an...

Garrett's Games 668 - Key Flow and Valparaiso from 2019-04-22T00:42:25

Shelley and I spend the week drafting cards, building our lands, and borrowing each other's actions in

Key Flow by Richard Breese, Sebastian Bleasdale, and Ian Vincent from R&D Games

Garrett's Games 667: Tony Boydell, Game design, and his Top 10 from 2019-04-14T01:06:42

Designer and raconteur Tony Boydell (of Snowdonia & Guilds of London fame) joins me for a conversation about game design, jaded gamers, and his own Top 10 from the past year.

Here's his l...

Garrett's Games 666 - Our Devilish Top Ten Choices! from 2019-04-07T23:06:10

Shelley and I spend some time looking through the games we've played and select our Top 10, as well as Honorable Mentions and games that just aren't for us!

Shelley's Lists:

Not Fo...

Garrett's Games 665 - Newton and Tales of the Northlands... from 2019-03-31T23:40:25

Shelley and I train our students and gain knowledge by wandering around Europe in

Newton by Simone Luciani and Nestore Mangione from Cool Mini or Not and Cranio Creations...

Garrett's Games 664 - Tudor and Wingspan from 2019-03-24T20:06:14

Shelley and I work hard to gain favor and move up the ranks in Henry VIII's court in 

Tudor by Jan Kirschner from Academy Games

and then get out our binoculars and play amateur orn...

Garrett's Games 663 - Walking in Burano and Skylands from 2019-03-17T20:43:55

Shelley and I build pastel buildings as we wander through the beautiful Venetian island of Burano in

Walking in Burano by Wei-Min Ling from EmperorS4

and then create fantasy island...

Garrett's Games 662 - Space Base and Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done from 2019-03-11T15:08:02

Shelley and I race to build the best fleet of space ships and send them out into the void in 

Space Base by John D. Clair from AEG

and then send our crusading knights across Europe...

Garrett's Games 661 - Cabo and Teotihuacan: City of Gods from 2019-03-03T20:52:53

Shelley and I get a chance to preview the forthcoming Bezier Games' title 

Cabo by Mandy Henning and Melissa Limes from Bezier Games

and then have fun burning our brains, building ...

Garrett's Games 660 - Fuji and Futuropia from 2019-02-24T16:00:45

Shelley and I take on 2 titles that start with F, but vary markedly in their play and fun value!

Fuji by Wolfgang Warsch from Feuerland Spiele had us running (unsuccessfully) from Fuji's ...

Garrett's Games 659 - Fine Sand and Gugong from 2019-02-18T04:13:05

This week Shelley and I enjoy some sand castle building from Stronghold Games, then have a bit less fun (possibly due to playing it 2-player) trying to win the favor of the Emperor.

Fine ...

Garrett's Games 658 - Orbis and 5x5 City from 2019-02-11T14:35:26

Shelley and I become competing gods as we build separate worlds with worshippers in pyramids for

Orbis by Tim Armstrong from Space Cowboys

and

5x5 City by Hisashi Hayashi fr...

Garrett's Games 657 - Coimbra and Polyssimo Challenge from 2019-02-04T00:51:46

Shelley and I start off with lighter fare as we draft, then place polyominoes in

Polyssimo Challenge by Alain Brobecker from Djeco

and then try to win favor and protect our interes...

Garrett's Games 656 - Yokohama Duel and Underwater Cities from 2019-01-27T23:56:25

Shelley and I head to Japan to duke it out as competing companies building our power and influence in 

Yokohama Duel by Hisashi Hayashi from Okazu Brand

and then head under the sea...

Garrett's Games 655 - Lift Off and The Boldest from 2019-01-21T00:25:21

Shelley and I have some fun as competing space agencies in 1950's inspired artwork of

Lift Off by Jeroen Vandersteen from Hans im Glück

and then explore uncharted forest where mons...

Garrett's Games 654 - Brikks and Forum Trajanum from 2019-01-14T02:28:44

Shelley and I have more fun with a roll & write polyomino game, then a fantastic time building our ancient Roman colonies.

Brikks by Wolfgang Warsch from Schmidt

and

Forum T...

Garrett's Games 653 - Trellis and Okavango from 2019-01-06T21:53:52

Shelley and I check out a quick filler and a solid family game from well-known designers:

Trellis by Teale Fristoe from Breaking Games

and 

Okavango by Michael Kiesling and ...

Garrett's Games 652 - Ceylon and Terraforming Mars: Colonies from 2018-12-30T23:34:30

Shelley and I attempt to make the best of our tea plantations in 

Ceylon by Chris and Suzanne Zinsli from Ludonova

and then expand our reach in the solar system with colonies in Listen

Garrett's Games 651 - WonderZoo and Blackout: Hong Kong from 2018-12-24T00:50:21

Shelley and I have some fun building rival zoos, then attempt to make the best of a BAD situation as the lights go out and stay out in Hong Kong!

WonderZoo by Florian Fay from Djeco

Garrett's Games 650 - Reykholt and Lindisfarne from 2018-12-17T01:39:23

Shelley and I have a great time rolling dice and creating frescoes for our competing Viking clans, then have a LOT less fun competing to grow veggies in Iceland.

Lindisfarne by Damien Fle...

Garrett's Games 649: Great City of Rome and Mr. Cabbagehead's Garden from 2018-12-10T15:34:27

Shelley and I plant rival gardens this week, hoping our neighbors don't disturb our crops too much, then build sections of Rome in two games that involve player building their own tableau.

Garrett's Games 648 - 1906 San Francisco and Crown of Emara from 2018-12-03T02:37:59

Shelley and I get rolling BIG time on two fantastic Essen releases. The first is a small-box game with a BIG box feel

1906 San Francisco by Perepau Llistosella from Looping Games

f...

Garrett's Games 647 - Arraial and Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra from 2018-11-25T21:28:47

Shelley and I get our party hats on as we organize a cool party in Portugal Tetris-style, then work with our glaziers to make the most beautiful stained glass windows!

Arraial by Nuno Biz...

Garrett's Games 646 - Reef and Symphony No. 9 from 2018-11-19T03:28:13

Shelley and I work hard to rebuild our reefs with cool plastic Duplo-like blocks, then attempt to be the best sponsors of classical composers!

Reef by Emerson Matsuuchi from Next Move/Pla...

Garrett's Games 645 - Blue Lagoon and PreHistory from 2018-11-11T18:50:48

Shelley and I check out the new Knizia game that's a cousin to Through the Desert, then try the second BIG game from Hungarian publisher A-Games.

Blue Lagoon by Reiner Knizia from Blue Or...

Garrett's Games 644 - Lost Cities Rivals and My Little Scythe from 2018-11-05T03:54:20

Shelley and I tackle two sequels of sorts this episode as we recover from Essen by adding this quick episode to the feed (recorded back in September). This time it's the recent releases

L...

Garrett's Games 643 - Illusion and Carpe Diem from 2018-10-28T15:18:41

Shelley and I have great fun with the latest alea/Stefan Feld release, and enjoy figuring out color percentages in Wolfgang Warsch's latest card game

Carpe Diem by Stefan Feld from alea/R...

Garrett's Games 642 - Paper Tales, Terraforming Mars: Prelude, and Essen Preview M-Z from 2018-10-21T18:37:50

Shelley and I have some fun with two more Stronghold releases, then go through the second half of the 1000+ games on BGG's Essen Preview (M-Z).

Paper Tales by Masato Uesugi from Stronghol...

Garrett's Games 641 - Spring Meadow and Essen Possibilities A-L from 2018-10-19T17:18:38

Shelley and I have fun with the third game in Uwe Rosenberg's Tetris-piece trilogy from Stronghold Games

Spring Meadow by Uwe Rosenberg from Stronghold Games

and then dive into BGG...

Garrett's Games 640 - Roman Poker and Little Town Builders from 2018-10-08T00:30:33

Shelley and I have a great time building Roman numerals in the fun 'end of the night' title

Roman Poker by Johannes Krenner and David Parlett from Amigo

and then scramble for build...

Garrett's Games 639 - Let's Make A Bus Route, Broadhorns, and Kreta from 2018-09-30T21:48:36

Shelley and I have a wonderful time making bus routes, then a less than wonderful time sailing down part of the Mississippi, and end with a reflection on a great area majority under-appreciated ...

Garrett's Games 638 - Final Meeplefest 2018 Episode from 2018-09-23T22:12:41

A great way to end the Meeplefest episodes!: Analysis Paralysis, should BGG have an ability to rate other gamers? Denis gets in a rant or two, and then games we loathe and love.

Garrett's Games 637 - Meeplefest 2018 Night 2, Part 3: Box information and AP from 2018-09-16T21:23:01

Our second to last part of the conversation of the gang around the table at Meeplefest 2018. The Hunt family, Tom Lehmann, Mark Johnson, Denis, Ric, Shelley, Candy, Doug R. and the gang discuss ...

Garrett's Games 636 - Meeplefest 2018 Night 2, Part 2 from 2018-09-09T20:01:53

Along with the usual crew of Ric, Doug R., Shelley, and Denis, designers Tom Lehmann, Candy Weber, Simon Hunt, John Shulters and Sarah Graybill join the gang at the table as the conversation tur...

Garrett's Games 635 - Meeplefest 2018 Night 2, Part 1 from 2018-09-02T20:17:51

Japanese games, origin stories of newbies around the table...it's all here for Night 2 of Meeplefest, Part 1.

Let's Make A Bus Route

Metro X

Ticket to Ride

Settlers o...

Garrett's Games 634 - Meeplefest 2018 Night 1, Part 2 from 2018-08-26T19:44:59

Matt Leacock joins the table as we continue our discussion of games we've been enjoying (or not), along with comments on the SdJ and KedJ winners and nominees. Some of the new Roll and Write (or...

Garrett's Games 633 - Meeplefest 2018 Night 1, Part 1 from 2018-08-20T05:13:17

The gang is once again around the table at Meeplefest for the first of multiple conversations about the games we play and the hobby we love.  This week we focus on some of the fun titles we've b...

Garrett's Games 632 - Istanbul The Dice Game and Lowlands from 2018-08-12T19:39:59

Shelley and I try to enjoy the luck-fest dice re-working of Istanbul, then work our farms a la Agricola in a cousin of that now venerable title (that's Uwe Rosenberg Approved!)

Istanbul T...

Garrett's Games 631 - Ticket to Ride New York and Splendor's Expansions from 2018-08-06T05:43:17

Shelley and I go lighter this week, having some fun exploring the streets of the lower half of Manhattan in

Ticket to Ride New York by Alan Moon from Days of Wonder

and

Sple...

Garrett's Games 630 Birdie Fight/Songbirds and Charterstone, Games 7-12 from 2018-07-29T20:46:46

Shelley and I have fun seeing which bird type comes out on top in 

Birdie Fight/Songbirds by Yuo from Kocchiya

and finish off the campaign of

Charterstone by Jamey Stegmaier...

Garrett's Games 629 - Menara and Charterstone from 2018-07-22T20:44:04

Shelley and I have a great time cooperatively building with blocks and cardboard, then tackle the first 6 games of a legacy title:

Menara by Oliver Richtberg from Zoch

and

C...

Garrett's Games 628 - Photosynthesis and Island of El Dorado from 2018-07-15T18:18:32

Shelley and I struggle to enjoy two otherwise beautiful games:

Photosynthesis by Hjalmar Hach from Blue Orange Games

and 

The Island of El Dorado, a Kickstarter game by Dani...

Garrett's Games 627 - Face Cards and Queendomino from 2018-07-08T19:42:26

This week Shelley and I try out a game of face comparisons with her entire family, then spend time building our separate Queendoms

FaceCards by Leo Colovini from Ravensburger

and Listen

Garrett's Games 626 - SteamRollers and The Game: Face to Face from 2018-07-01T21:43:53

Shelley and I roll and write our train routes to set up deliveries, then go head to head in the sequel to The Game.

Steamrollers by Mark Gerrits from Stronghold Games

and 

T...

Garrett's Games 625 - Woodlands and Tadmor from 2018-06-25T02:15:03

Shelley and I work to help characters of fables and legends fulfill their quests, then become citizens of the ancient city of Palmyra and work to build monuments, get rare goods, and fulfill the...

Garrett's Games 624 - Raiders of the North Sea and Mercado from 2018-06-17T20:12:48

Shelley and I hire then raid villages, then get respect for spending money and somehow keeping what we spend!

Raiders of the North Sea by Shem Phillips from Renegade Games

and

Garrett's Games 623 - Viticulture's Visit from the Rhine Valley and Race to the New Found Land from 2018-06-10T23:13:11

Shelley and I enjoy building our wineries with new possible visitors, then take the role of different countries as we gather goods, settle, and explore new parts of the world

Viticulture:...

Garrett's Games 622 - SdJ and KedJ Nomination Discussion! from 2018-06-03T18:37:59

It's time for our annual discussion of our thoughts on the Nominees and Recommended titles for German Game of the Year!  The Spiel des Jahres (lighter, family games) and Kennerspiel des Jahres (...

Garrett's Games 621 - The Mind and Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg from 2018-05-27T17:22:59

Shelley and I try to sync our minds and then make potions with random ingredients in two of Wolfgang Warsch's latest games:

The Mind from NSV

and 

Quacksalber von Quedlinbur...

Garrett's Games 620 - Memoarrr! and Ganz Schön Clever from 2018-05-20T19:13:08

Shelley jumps out of her comfort zone to check out the fun little new memory game from Stronghold Games, then I can't roll to save my life in the new Schmidt Spiele dice drafting game.

Me...

Garrett's Games 619 - Pioneer Days and De Stijl from 2018-05-13T22:48:56

Shelley and I head out west, hoping to avoid major difficulties in the dice drafting game

Pioneer Days by Matthew Dunstan and Chris Marling from Tasty Minstrel

and then get all abs...

Garrett's Games 618 - Shelley's Top 10+ of 2017 from 2018-05-06T22:03:49

A few weeks after Tony Boydell and I sat down over Skype, Shelley gets her chance to tell the world her favorites of 2017.  Here's the list:

Honorable Mentions:

Co...

Garrett's Games 617 - Riga and Rattaneer from 2018-04-29T22:26:04

Shelley and I delve into two smaller-box card-based games from different areas of the world this week.

Riga by Stefan Risthaus from Ostia Spiele finds the players gaining commodities in t...

Garrett's Games 616 - Scythe Expansions and Carthago: Merchants and Guilds from 2018-04-22T19:27:08

Shelley and I have a great time with Scythe and its expansions, then do some action selection as we attempt to gain commodities in Carthago.

Scythe 

Scythe: Invaders From Afar

Garrett's Games 615 - Tony Boydell&Some of 2017's Best from 2018-04-09T20:01:32

Tony Boydell's on board this week from across the pond for a discussion of some of 2017's best (and worst) games.  Here are some of the games we touch on

Tony's Lists:

Listen

Garrett's Games 614 - Nusfjord redux, The Little Flower Shop, and others from 2018-04-08T21:47:57

Shelley and I finally get back to Nusfjord to do it proper justice, then head over to Dr. Finn and design Flower Shop windows.  We also get previously reviewed titles to the table in Rococo and ...

Garrett's Games 613 - Keyper and Fox in the Forest from 2018-03-26T03:58:45

Shelley and I meander around the country in frustration, then head into the forest where I enjoy taking tricks and Shelley continues to be frustrated.

Keyper by Richard Breese from R&D Ga...

Garrett's Games 612 - Ethnos and Noria from 2018-03-25T21:49:38

Shelley and I enjoy a couple of fantasy-themed games this week, collecting sets of tribes to gain majorities in Ethnos, then developing resources through ring manipulation of actions in Noria! Listen

Garrett's Games 611 - Transatlantic and Concordia Gallia/Corsica from 2018-02-23T18:50:26

Shelley and I look back to Mac Gerdts' older title Concordia, then take on his Essen 2017 release Transatlantic

Concordia Gallia/Corsica by Mac Gerdts from PD Verlag

and

Tra...

Garrett's Games 610 - Merlin and Altiplano from 2018-02-23T17:53:18

Shelley and I move in circles around the Round Table, then head south for some fun with alpacas!

Merlin by Stefan Feld and Michael Rieneck from Queen Games

and 

Altiplano by...

Garrett's Games 609 - Stronghold's Fortress, Flee, and Finished! from 2018-02-23T16:56:28

Shelley and I check out the innovations in Friedemann Friese's other "Fast Forward" games, and I finally win Finished!

Games on tap:

Fast Forward Fortress

Fast Forward Flee<...

Garrett's Games 608 - Fast Forward FEAR and Rajas of the Ganges from 2018-02-23T02:36:11

Shelley and I had a fantastic time getting 

Fast Forward FEAR by Friedemann Friese from Stronghold Games

and

Rajas of the Ganges by Inka and Markus Brand from R&R Games

Garrett's Games 607: Pit Crew and Terraforming Mars Expansions from 2018-02-17T01:31:40

Shelley and I get two excellent Stronghold Games to the table!

Pit Crew from Geoff Engelstein

and

Terraforming Mars, both the Hellas & Elysium board expansion and Venus Next...

Garrett's Games 606 - Rescue Polar Bears and Feuville from 2018-02-11T23:45:50

Shelley and I enjoy a co-op, then grit our teeth to get through a game so you won't have to!

Rescue Polar Bears: Data & Temperature by Jog Kung and Huang Yi Ming from TWOPLUS Games

Garrett's Games 605 - Agra and Riverboat from 2018-02-03T05:51:25

Shelley and I take on one HUGE game, as well as one excellent game this week:

Agra by Michael Keller from Quined Games

and

Riverboat by Michael Kiesling from Mayfair/Lookout...

Garrett's Games 604 - Indian Summer and King's Will from 2018-01-28T23:54:10

Shelley and I get all Tetris-y again with the second nature-themed tile-laying game from Uwe Rosenberg, then plan out our estates in preparation for the King's visit.

Indian Summer by Uwe...

Garrett's Games 603 - Montana and Pulsar 2849 from 2018-01-19T23:54:19

Shelley and I check out a western state, then head into space this week!

Montana by Rudiger Dorn from White Goblin Games

and 

Pulsar 2849 by Vladimir Suchy from Czech Games ...

Garrett's Games 602 - Emanuele Ornella's Pioneers and Okanagan from 2018-01-16T00:11:41

After a quick correction about misreading some rules regarding last week's episode, Shelley and I get 2 games from Emanuele Ornella to the table for this week:

Pioneers from Queen Games Listen

Garrett's Games 601 - Smile and Nusfjord from 2018-01-08T00:55:13

Shelley and I have a good time grinning through our first lighter game, but then cannot recommend our second, middle-weight game – at least for 2 players.

Smile by Michael Schacht from Z-...

Garrett's Games 600 - Palace of Mad King Ludwig and Otys from 2017-12-25T22:45:36

Shelley and I FINALLY get a finished copy of Palace of Mad King Ludwig to the table after playing a much different prototype version about 9 months ago, then get a chance to send our divers into...

Garrett's Games 599 - Star Cartel and Heaven&Ale from 2017-12-20T22:23:22

Merry Christmas to those listening on the day this drops!

Shelley and I become goods smugglers this week, then head back in time to brew some beer in our monasteries!

Star Cartel b...

Garrett's Games 598 - Santa Maria and Ex Libris from 2017-12-17T16:48:33

Shelley and I put on our conquistador helmets, then head into the library to do some shelving.

Santa Maria by Eilif Svensson and Kristian Amundsen Ostby from Aporta Games

and

Garrett's Games 597 - Gentes and Calimala from 2017-12-10T22:36:55

Shelley and I have a fantastic time with two newer games from the related publishers ADC Blackfire and Spielworxx

Gentes by Stefan Risthaus from Spielworxx

and

Calimala by F...

Garrett's Games 596 - HABA for grownups: Conex and Iquazu from 2017-12-04T01:45:05

Shelley and I check out the two new HABA releases that are geared to gamers and families rather than just children (a trend they've been following for the past couple of years).

Conex by ...

Garrett's Games 595 - Biosphere and Codenames Duet from 2017-11-26T22:43:50

Shelley and I get a chance to delve into one of the buzzy-est games of Essen (Thanks Alan How!!!) and the new 2-player version of a modern classic

Biosphere from DDD Verlag and designed b...

Garrett's Games 594 - Azul and Majesty: For The Realm from 2017-11-19T22:38:30

Shelley and I get two of the top lighter to middle-weight games of Essen to the table.

Azul by Michael Kiesling from Plan B Games

and

Majesty: For The Realm by Marc Andre fr...

Garrett's Games 593 - Cousins' War and Zooloretto Duell from 2017-11-12T23:54:01

Shelley and I make it back form Essen and get a couple of 2-player-only titles to the table for our first post-Essen recording session.  They are

Cousins' War by David J. Mortimer from Su...

Garrett's Games 592 - Interviews from Essen from 2017-11-05T22:44:52

While hanging out in the BGG booth before the fair opened and then wandering the halls running into friends, I turned on the recorder to get some opinions about games seen and new stuff coming o...

Garrett's Games 591 - Column of Fire from 2017-10-30T06:37

Shelley and I get a short pre-travel-to-Germany episode in, reviewing one of the games getting its debut at the Essen fair.

Column of Fire by Michael Rieneck from KOSMOS

Garrett's Games 590 - Deadline and Bob Ross Art of Chill from 2017-10-22T13:58:59

Shelley and I have a great time solving murder mysteries as hard-boiled detectives, then get all zen as we chill with Bob Ross.

Deadline by Adam West and Dan Schnake from WizKids

a...

Garrett's Games 589 - Mini Park, Custom Heroes, and Essen Preview Part 1 from 2017-10-15T22:28:01

Shelley and I spend this week looking at two games that will be readily available at Essen in a couple of weeks (though AEG's has been out in the US for a month or so) as well as previewing the ...

Garrett's Games 588 - Whistle Stop and Cavera: Cave vs. Cave from 2017-10-08T14:39

Shelley and I finally get a chance to play a game we've been talking about from our sponsor (and enjoy it), as well as delve into the little brother of a BIG game we had fun with a couple of yea...

Garrett's Games 587 - Meeplefest 2017 Night 2, Part 2 from 2017-10-01T14:09:08

The group spends more time talking about design and the state of the hobby with Tom Lehmann, Susan McKinley Ross, Matt Leacock, and the rest of the gamers around the table.

Qwirkle

Garrett's Games 586 - Meeplefest 2017 Night 2, Part 1 from 2017-09-25T17:26:28

Meeplefest 2017 Night 2 involves Tom Lehmann, Matt Leacock, Susan McKinley Ross and a bunch of gamers spending time discussing great games played and the ways in which rules can help/hurt learni...

Garrett's Games 585 - Capital Lux and Dice Forge from 2017-09-17T22:59:40

Shelley and I get a couple of solid titles to the table at Meeplefest: an excellent card game and a 'not for us, but we see the appeal' dice building game.

Capital Lux by Eilif Svensson a...

Garrett's Games 584 - Hisashi Hayashi's Emperor's Choice and SheepNSheep from 2017-09-10T23:39:34

Shelley and I report back on two fantastic Hisashi Hayashi games we were fortunate enough to play at Meeplefest (thanks Lorna and Joe!).  They made a brief appearance on BGG's store at the begin...

Garrett's Games 583 - Meeplefest 2017, Night 1: Denis Rants! from 2017-09-04T01:31:50

We thought we were done on that first Friday night, but right after pushing STOP on the recorder, Denis decided he needed to delve into other issues and started anther 1/2 hour of discussion and...

Garrett's Games 582 - Meeplefest 2017, Friday Night, Part 2 from 2017-08-27T16:58:50

Ric, Joe, Matt, Doug, Chris, Denis, Shelley and others join in for a discussion of the Spiel des Jahres winner and nominee, as well as more on game design, playtesting, and 'The State of the Ind...

Garrett's Games 581 - Meeplefest 2017, Friday Night Part 1 from 2017-08-20T17:11:58

The first night of the annual roundtable conversations that many love to hear.  This year's Friday (Part 1) has the group (with Ric, Bob, Denis, Joe H., Doug R, Shelley, Matt Leacock, and Scott ...

Garrett's Games 580 - Viticulture Essential Edition and Vinhos Deluxe from 2017-08-14T03:05:56

Shelley and I enjoy a nice Italian Rosé while discussing two wine-themed games that have been released in new versions over the past few months.

Viticulture Essential Edition by Jamey Ste...

Garrett's Games 579 - SdJ/KdeJ Winners, Pyramid's Deadline and Lignum from 2017-08-07T02:34:47

Shelley and I spend a few minutes talking about the winners of the SdJ and KedJ awards, then delve into a couple of games that WE could have done without.

Pyramid's Deadline by Jun Sasaki...

Garrett's Games 578 - Barcelona: The Rose of Fire and Paris Paris from 2017-07-31T00:31:37

Two great cities, but only one great game in this week's episode!

Shelley and I get a classic that we continue to love to the table, as well as a less-than-classic game that we will be ri...

Garrett's Games 577 - Valletta and Die Garten von Versailles from 2017-07-24T02:08:47

Shelley and I check out two games that some were predicting would make the SdJ/KedJ nominations, but few a bit short.  Find out what we thought of them!

Die Garten von Versailles by Lena ...

Garrett's Games 576 - Spires and Clank! from 2017-07-17T01:37:13

Shelley and I enjoy two disparate games this week, building Spires through drafting and bidding, as well as building decks and exploring a dungeon while trying not to make too much noise!

Garrett's Games 575 - Medici: The Card Game and Kerala from 2017-07-09T21:30:17

Shelley and I enjoy a new Knizia title from Grail Games, and a great new title-laying game from KOSMOS.

Medici: The Card Game by Reiner Knizia from Grail Games

and

Kerala by...

Garrett's Games 574 - Targi + Expansion and Bohnanza The Duel from 2017-07-02T17:55:12

Shelley and I have fun with the extensive expansion to one of our favorite 2-player-only games, then try out the latest iteration of a classic German card game.

Targi + its expansion by A...

Garrett's Games 573 - Century: Spice Road and Barenpark from 2017-06-25T20:33:59

Shelley and I try out two recent releases that are on the lighter side of the spectrum this week - and that many are currently thinking about buying:

Century: Spice Road by Emerson Matsuu...

Garrett's Games 572 - Sagrada and Mystic Vale: Vale of the Wild Expansion from 2017-06-18T11:28:54

Shelley and I get a chance to roll dice and create stained glass windows, then build our cards in different ways while employing leaders to help our cause!

Sagrada by Adrian Adamescu and ...

Garrett's Games 571 - Mondrian the Dice Game and Wettlauf nach El Dorado from 2017-06-11T18:25:06

Shelley and I finally get that dice game that Tony Boydell of Surprised Stare fame was raving about back on Episode 562, and enjoy an SdJ nominee before we knew it was nominated.

Mondrian...

Garrett's Games 570 - Strike and Dice Stars from 2017-06-04T22:47

Shelley and I had some fun with a couple of dice games that Belgian friends Surya and Miriam brought with them on a California visit.

Strike by Dieter Nüßle from Ravensberger

and Listen

Garrett's Games 569 - 2017 Spiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel des Jahres Nominees and Recommendations from 2017-05-29T03:02:34

Shelley and I spend this episode going through the Spiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel des Jahres nominees and recommendations with our initial thoughts.

Spiel des Jahres Nominees: Listen