Author: Anthony

Anthony and Jason are joined this week by D. Brad Tolton, president and founder of Level 99 Games. Brad has a lot of experience with producing expansions for his core lineup of titles, so we pick his brain a bit about how expansions are planned and made. We also talk a bit about when expansions can become too much. We then talk about two big recent releases that enable solo mode for their base games. Anthony gives his thoughts about Runebound: Unbreakable Bonds, while Brad and Jason break down Millennium Blades: Set Rotation.

It’s contest time! Gen Con is coming up this week, which means it’s time to celebrate all things board games, with a big contest to award those of you who are most active out there. It’s more than just another con though. It’s Gen Con 50 and BGA has launched a complete refresh to celebrate. Launching today, our brand new website has a fresh look and feel, we’ve updated our logo and branding, and we’re excited to be sharing all new content with you in the weeks to come. As part of that, we’re giving away $50 to three gamers…

This week, Chris and Anthony sit down to discuss CMON’s must buy games – the five titles you should check out from their catalog. In addition, we have the question of the week, this week asking what factors people consider when choosing a game for their collection. Our Acquisition Disorders include Isle of Skye: Journeyman and Professor Evil and the Citadel of Time, and at the table this week, Anthony reviews First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet while Chris looks at two Dr. Who games: Dr. Who The Card Game & Dr. Who The Card Game Time Clash Starter Set.…

Anthony and Jason take a look at some of the newest puzzle-style polyomino games with solo modes, including NMBR9 and Cottage Garden. We then delve into discussing whether these games have a place on the tabletop or would be better suited to digital apps, plus a discussion of recent arguments over solo play.

Reiner Knizia is one of the most decorated and prolific game designers of the last 25 years. His games have undergone something of a rediscovery in the last two years as well, with reprints of his biggest hits including Medici, Tigris & Euphrates, Samurai, Ra, Amun-Re, and recent releases and announcements of Modern Art and Through the Desert. So, it’s not surprising that he’s released a brand new, Spiel des Jahre nominated game that few in the west had even heard of before the nominations went out. But that’s exactly what Quest for El Dorado is, and as I recently…

On Episode 129 of BGA, Anthony and Chris dig into Five Tribes and share 6 games you might like if you also like this one – breaking them down by lighter, similar, and heavier weights. To start, we’ll dig into our question of the week, asking you, the listeners what game mechanic you use to introduce people to board gaming. Next, we dive into our acquisition disorders, including Queendomino and Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium. Then we dive into our recent plays with The Quest for El Dorado and In the Year of the Dragon: 10th Anniversary Edition. Both games…

Anthony and Jason take a deep dive on one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2017 with First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet. They look at the game’s components and theme, how it plays, the issues with the rulebook that have been the talk of early backers, and how the app operates. Plus a non-spoiler discussion of the first campaign and how it fulfills on Portal’s promise for a narrative experience. Want to stay up to date with all of ENGN’s content – make sure to connect with us on Twitter (@ENGN_Podcast), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boardgamersanonymous), and on our…

There’s something irresistible about a CMON big box game. Never the most complex of games, these behemoths nonetheless evoke a kind of giddiness you rarely see in similarly weighted games. Maybe it’s the miniatures. Maybe it’s the exceptional artwork. Heck, maybe it’s the well illustrated, feature rich rulebooks. Whatever it is, I can’t help myself when CMON releases a new minis game. I want to play with all those little toys. Rum & Bones was not a game I enjoyed (or picked up) in its first release, so when Second Tide became available, it offered an opportunity to get in…

It’s a dark time – one of disease, pestilence, and death. The Dark Ages settled over Europe like a cold, wet blanket, dousing aspirations, and leaving behind shivering peasants, just happy to be alive. So, you know, it wasn’t a great time. Games set in that period can be one of two things – they can either be a reminder of just how horrible it was to be alive, or they can give us a glimpse at the people and efforts made to make things better. This is one of the latter, and highlights the efforts involved in overcoming all…

On the last episode of Board Gamers Anonymous, Anthony reviewed The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire, designed by Eric Lang and published by CMON. He gave this otherwise solid game a tepid review because (without actually using the term) he felt it was “overproduced”. It got me to thinking – when can we judge that a game is “overproduced”? Is it even possible to overproduce a game, considering that we are in a hobby where we are basically playing with toys? Don’t we want our toys to look and feel their best? I’m wading in highly subjective waters, I know. I do…