Podcasts by Men on Board

Pandemic Check-In 2 from 2022-05-09T04:01

We are once again temporarily back, although (hopefully) this time it is going to be less temporary! This time around, we are reflecting on the last two years and specifically focusing on remote ga...

Pandemic Check-In from 2021-02-15T05:01

We’re (temporarily) back! This is a bit of special episode and breaks from any of our normal format as we just wanted to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing over the last year. So join us as...

Episode 60: Vincent Dutrait from 2020-03-09T04:01

Today we’re looking at games that both have artwork created by the extremely talented Vincent Dutrait. First we take a look at Museum and then we discuss Treasure Island. Then, in our broader view,...

Episode 59: Marvel from 2020-02-25T05:24:13

Sorry for the short delay in getting this one out to you, but it will be worth the wait! We’re going back to theme today and discussing two games set in the Marvel Universe: Legendary: A Marvel De...

Episode 58: Engine Building from 2020-02-10T20:47:05

Today we’re taking a look at two recently released games that use engine building in two different ways: Fantastic Factories and Ecos: First Continent. We then have a conversation about the cult of...

Episode 57: Social Deduction from 2020-01-27T05:15:58

We are going back to one of Aaron’s favorite categories: social deduction. We’re covering a large span of time between games as we’re talking about the classic Ultimate Werewolf and the soon to be...

Episode 56: Tableau Building from 2020-01-13T17:48:24

Today we are talking about two games that both have players building a collection of cards in order to chain different effects in the game: Everdell and Wingspan. Both games also have the adorable ...

Episode 55: Star Wars from 2019-12-30T05:01

With the release of The Rise of Skywalker, we wanted to take the opportunity to geek out over Star Wars and talk about two games from within the Star Wars universe: Star Wars: Rebellion and Star Wa...

Board Game Kiki Episode 8: PAX Unplugged 2019 from 2019-12-16T18:41:51

We weren’t looking at the calendar very closely when we decided to do a Kiki for our last episode because we didn’t realize that we’d be doing back to back Kikis so we could talk about PAX Unplugge...

Board Game Kiki Episode 7: Holiday Gift Guide from 2019-12-02T05:01

Episode 54: Deduction from 2019-11-25T05:01

First off, we’d like to apologize for our unplanned, unannounced one week hiatus! Aaron was busy writing a murder mystery party that we did last weekend, so we’re just catching up on our other ner...

Episode 53: Mystery + from 2019-11-04T05:01

We’re calling this episode Mystery + because both of the games that we’re talking about our mysteries with a little bit of a stretch, but the truth is that this episode could have been called a lot...

Episode 52: Habitat Building from 2019-10-21T16:20:37

The episode length is a little bit longer than usual because we are talking about two games with a lot going on with their strategy and we really wanted to dig deep into them. The games we’re talk...

Episode 51: Flip&Write from 2019-10-07T16:15:37

Today we’re pressing our luck with our success of having all five hosts on the show next week and repeating the process while talking about two Flip & Write games: Welcome To… and Cartographers. T...

Episode 50: Anniversary Extravaganza from 2019-09-23T04:01

Today not only marks our 50th episode, but it is also our 2 year anniversary of launching this podcast! To celebrate, we each picked a game from our first 49 episodes to revisit and discuss how ou...

Episode 49: Stefan Feld from 2019-09-09T21:22:56

The recording of this episode ended up going on for a crazy long amount of time, so if something in the episode sounds a little bit weird, it’s probably because a 5 minute non-sequitur or tangent w...

Episode 48: Arkham Horror Files from 2019-08-26T04:01

So while editing this episode, we realized that we kept referring to the series of games that we talk about in this episode as the Arkham Files, when in actuality the name of the series is the Arkh...

Episode 47: Television from 2019-08-13T00:05:51

We accidentally completely lost our sense of time in this episode, so it unfortunately ended up a little bit shorter than we usually like, but the end result should make up for the play length! To...

Episode 46: Magic from 2019-07-29T04:01

Today we’re talking about the games Seasons and Res Arcana, and we called the category magic, but the connection between these games is a lot less general than that. Later, in our Broader View, we...

Episode 45: Dungeon Crawling from 2019-07-15T04:01

In this episode we are looking at two cooperative games where players are each playing as a miniature on a board and exploring a dungeon: Dungeons & Dragons Castle Ravenloft and Warhammer Quest Sil...

Episode 44: Theme Parks from 2019-07-01T04:11:57

Today we’re taking a look at theme parks in two very different ways: Unfair and Dinosaur Island. Because both of these games have some swingy randomization mechanics, we then talk about our though...

Board Game Kiki Episode 6: Origins 2019 from 2019-06-24T21:01:36

Today we’re taking a look at the games that we played and our overall experiences that we had at Origins Game Fair 2019. We played a lot of games, so some of our thoughts are quicker than others! ...

Episode 43: Days of Wonder from 2019-06-17T06:11:03

This episode was edited the night after getting back from Origins, so these show notes are going to be short and to the point! Today we’re talking about two games that were both originally publish...

Episode 42: Pick Up and Deliver from 2019-06-04T03:58

We apologize for the delay in getting today’s episode out, but we think that it was worth the day’s wait! Today we’re talking about two pick up and deliver games: Firefly and Merchant of Venus. T...

Board Game Kiki Episode 5: Art from 2019-05-27T16:36:55

Today’s Kiki is all about art in boardgames, and we run through exactly how much we value art and what we look for in art. We didn’t announce it in this episode, because we didn’t know it at the t...

Episode 41: Asymmetric from 2019-05-20T06:06:34

We went a little bit long today, but that’s because we’re essentially talking about 9 different games in our descriptions. And that’s because today we are taking a look at asymmetrical games by co...

Episode 40: Steampunk from 2019-05-06T05:09:14

Today we’re talking about games with a steampunk theme, and we’re discussing The World of SMOG: On Her Majesty’s Service and Victorian Masterminds. Then in our Broader View, after looking forward ...

Episode 39: Cerebria from 2019-04-22T04:01

While editing this episode, we realized that we had some unfortunate audio issues, and we apologize for the quality in some parts! Because of this, we edited a little bit more than we usually do, ...

Board Game Kiki Episode 4: Role Playing Games from 2019-04-08T04:01

Starting off with a programming note, due to moving this episode is going to be a gap filler until we get the games unpacked and the studio set up in Aaron’s new house. Episode 38 will be airing o...

Episode 38: Historic War from 2019-03-25T05:45:09

As of this episode, our friend and occasional fill-in host Other Matt is officially joining the cast of Men on Board. We accidentally forgot to elaborate on how this is going to work moving forwar...

Episode 37: Daniele Tascini from 2019-03-11T04:01

Today we are focusing on two games by the designer/codesigner Daniele Tascini: Teotuhican: City of Gods and Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar. We also probably mispronounced about half of this episode....

Board Game Kiki Episode 3: 2018 Retrospective from 2019-02-25T05:01

Today, instead of doing one of our standard format episodes we’re doing a Kiki about what we thought about 2018 in terms of gaming, as well as looking ahead to our hopes for 2019. We also may have...

Episode 36: Mystery from 2019-02-11T05:01

As of this episode, Men on Board is officially a part of the Dice Tower Network! We talk a little bit about that and some new things that we’re going to be doing with the podcast. Our category th...

Episode 35: Deduction from 2019-01-28T05:01

This episode, we’re happy to have our friend Other Matt once again step in to help us out while Josh was unavailable. Today we’re looking at two very logical deduction games, Sleuth and Cryptid, a...

Episode 34: Bag Building from 2019-01-14T05:01

In our first episode of 2019 we’re looking at two bag building games that use their shared mechanic and two different ways. First up is the push your luck style of Quacks of Quedlinburg and next w...

Episode 33: Racing from 2018-12-31T05:01

On the last day of 2018 we’re talking about racing games and comparing Formula D and Downforce. In our Broader View, we have a discussion about what we do when we’re not enjoying a game. We’re al...

Board Game Kiki Episode 2: Pax Unplugged 2018 from 2018-12-17T05:30:02

We’re switching up the schedule this week and pushing back Episode 33 to December 31st and instead we’re releasing this Board Game Kiki episode about Pax Unplugged 2018. Just as a heads up, we had...

Episode 32: Cooperation from 2018-12-03T05:01

This episode ended up being a little bit longer because we were having a lot of fun in our Broader View, so hopefully you enjoy the extra content! The category this week is cooperative games, and ...

Episode 31: Next Move from 2018-11-19T05:01

In this episode we’re talking about Next Move, which is an imprint from the publisher Plan B Games. We’re talking about both of the games that Next Move has published to date: Azul and Reef. In o...

Episode 30: Social Deduction from 2018-11-05T05:01

In this shorter than average episode, we’re going back to Social Deduction games, but this time we’re focusing on games that play in a short amount of time. Specifically, we’re talking about One N...

Episode 29: Shakespeare from 2018-10-22T15:53:05

Shakespeare is the category this week as we discuss the games Histrio and Shakespeare. In our Broader View, we talk about settings in board games, and the conversation goes into some places that w...

Episode 28: Escape Rooms from 2018-10-08T23:31:06

This week we’re looking at two series of games that simulate the feeling of an escape room: the Unlock series and the Exit series. Because of the nature of these games, we were very careful to avo...

Episode 27: Hidden Movement from 2018-09-25T23:02:25

Today we’re celebrating our one year anniversary, and because this episode is coming out a day late, it is actually coming out on our one year anniversary! So in honor of making it a full year, we...

Episode 26: Twilight Imperium from 2018-09-10T05:08:16

This episode went longer than we try to keep our episodes, but since we're talking about Twilight Imperium that seemed appropriate.  Specifically, we're talking about Twilight Imperium Third Editio...

Episode 25: App Integration from 2018-08-27T04:01

Today we're discussing board games that are in some degree hybrids of board games and video games.  These are games that require smartphone apps in order to be played, and the two games that we're ...

Episode 24: Deckbuilding + from 2018-08-13T04:01

In part two of our two part "plus" series, we're looking at deckbuilding games that both have some mechanics that go a little bit beyond the typical deckbuilding game.  Specifically, we're talking ...

Episode 23: Deduction + from 2018-07-30T04:01

In this episode's category, we're looking at two deduction games that have a little bit more going on than just straightforward deduction: Mystery Express and Alchemists.  In our Broader View, we t...

Episode 22: Queen Games from 2018-07-16T04:36:27

Today we're taking a look at a publisher that typically makes family friendly games that can be scaled up in complexity with expansion content: Queen Games.  Specifically, we're talking about Alham...

Episode 21: Prolific Expansions from 2018-07-02T04:01

In this episode, we're looking at games with a lot of available expansion content: Carcassonne and Dominion.  In our Broader View, we have a discussion about what we consider before purchasing an e...

Board Game Kiki Episode 1: Origins 2018 from 2018-06-25T04:01

In our first Board Game Kiki, we're talking about everything that we did and played at Origins Game Fair 2018!  These Kiki episodes are going to be sporadic and occur only when we have something th...

Episode 20: Alexander Pfister from 2018-06-18T04:42:49

Today we're looking at two games designed by Alexander Pfister: Mombasa and Great Western Trail. In our Broader View, we talk about game designer signatures. Shorter show notes courtesy of getting ...

Episode 19: Set Collection from 2018-06-04T04:49:09

This week we're looking at set collection with Splendor and Century: Golem Edition (which is mechanically identical to Century Spice Road, but Aaron just likes animating golems more than trading sp...

Episode 18: Social Deduction from 2018-05-21T04:33:43

After starting off with some bad news last episode and promising the same for this week, we were pleasantly surprised to see that we did not have the same issue in this recording!  This week, we're...

Episode 17: Cooperative Dice from 2018-05-09T04:09:22

Unfortunately, we had some issues with the recording in this episode, so Mat's sound quality is a little bit distracting.  As a result, we had to do some creative editing, so hopefully this doesn't...

Episode 16: Card Drafting from 2018-04-23T04:44:11

The category for this episode is card drafting games which we define as games where a player gets a hand of cards, selects one of those cards, and then passes the hand off to another player.  The g...

Episode 15: Mad King Ludwig from 2018-04-09T04:01

This episode takes a look at two similar appearing games that are actually very different.  The category is Mad King Ludwig, who was actually King Ludwig II of Bavaria.  The games we're talking abo...

Episode 14: Spiritual Successors from 2018-03-26T04:01

We're hoping that this episode is going to be the first in a series of episodes about Spiritual Successors of games (but if not it works well enough on its own!).  In our first installment of Spiri...

Episode 13: Mindclash from 2018-03-12T04:01

This episode went a little bit longer than usual, but that's because we have been waiting to talk about Mindclash Games since we started this podcast!  Today we're looking at the two games that hav...

Episode 12: Asymmetrical Teams from 2018-02-26T05:01

Today we're taking a look at a niche category of games, where players are divided into teams, and each member of the team is playing a different style of game.  Specifically, we're talking about Ca...

Episode 11: Two Players from 2018-02-16T23:11:37

Inspired by Valentine's Day, this week's category is Two Player Games and we talk about Star Realms and 7 Wonders Duel. In our Broader View, we talk about playing games with your significant other...

Episode 10: Eric Lang from 2018-01-29T05:01

In this episode we talk about two of our favorite games by designer Eric Lang.  First we discuss The Others: 7 Sins and then we chat about Arcadia Quest.  In our Broader View, we debate the pros an...

Episode 9: Dice Placement from 2018-01-15T05:01

Today we're talking about the dice placement games Sagrada and Roll Player.  In our Broader View conversation, we talk about owning multiple games that do similar things in your collection. [00:00...

Episode 8: Battlestar Galactica from 2018-01-01T05:01

Happy New Year! This first episode of 2018 is all about Battlestar Galactica. We look at and compare Battlestar Galactica the Board Game as well as Dark Moon, or as it was originally called, BSG Ex...

Episode 7: Family Games from 2017-12-18T05:01

Happy Holidays everyone! As we get ready to head home and spend some time with our families, we decided to talk about the family weight games Forbidden Island and Ticket to Ride. In our Broader V...

Episode 6: Area Control from 2017-12-04T05:01

The category for this episode is Area Control and we talk about Kemet and Scythe. In our Broader View, we start out trying to define the terms Ameritrash and Eurogame, but we end up spending more t...

Episode 5: Worker Placement from 2017-11-20T05:01

In this episode, we look at Worker Placement games and compare Agricola with Viticulture. In our Broader View, we give some advice about how to lose gracefully. [00:00:00] - Introduction [00:00:45...

Episode 4: Horror from 2017-11-06T05:01

In our (slightly late) Halloween episode, we take a look at two cooperative games with a traitor mechanic and a horror theme: Dead of Winter and Betrayal at House on the Hill. In our Broader View, ...

Episode 3: City Building from 2017-10-23T04:01

City Building is the theme of choice in this episode and we explore it by discussing the games Quadropolis and Suburbia. In our Broader View, we talk about selecting the right complexity level for...

Episode 2: Bruno Cathala from 2017-10-09T04:01

This episode is all about designer Bruno Cathala's games Five Tribes and Yamatai. In our Broader View, we talk a little bit about Analysis Paralysis. [00:00:00] - Introduction [00:01:51] - Yamatai...

Episode 1: Hidden Movement from 2017-09-25T04:03:18

In this episode we talk about Hidden Movement games by comparing Fury of Dracula and Letters From Whitechapel. Then in our Broader View discussion we talk about teaching strategy. [00:00:00] - Int...

Episode 0: Introductions from 2017-09-25T04:00:54

In this introductory episode we introduce ourselves and talk about our gaming history and our individual point of views about the board gaming hobby. We then have a broader view discussion about br...