Author: Anthony

This week Anthony and Jason welcome Dr. Patrick Rael, History Professor at Bowdoin College, to discuss difficult themes in board games. We’ve split this into two parts with part one this week covering difficult themes of colonialism and slavery in the United States with Comancheria and Freedom: The Underground Railroad. Join us as we discuss both of these games and how they play as games, followed by a more in-depth discussion of the games’ themes and the difficult issues that they bring to the table. Connect with ENGN on Twitter (@engn_podcast), Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous), and on www.www.boardgamersanonymous.com. You can also connect…

Ricky Royal is on the podcast! This week on a special preview series episode, Anthony and Jason sit down for a mega-sized interview with Richard Wilkins (AKA Ricky Royal), the man behind Box of Delights, and the one who has taught countless solo gamers how to play Mage Knight (among others). We’re chatting about Renegade, Ricky’s first game as a designer, launching on Kickstarter July 18th from Victory Point Games. We both had a chance to play (and you can read Jason’s full review here), and we pick Ricky’s brain about the game, its roots, and the future.

This week on BGA, Anthony and Chris sit down to discuss abstract games, in particular Santorini and games you might like if you also like this instant classic from Roxley Games. Digging into six games that are similar in some ways to Santorini, we provide a few insights into how you can find new games to match your playing preferences. Acquisition Disorders First up this week is a pair of acquisition disorders to look forward to this summer. Anthony kicks things off with Paramedics: CLEAR! a new game from Smirk and Dagger releasing at Gen Con that we had a…

Puzzles and Mystery! This week, Anthony and Jason dive into puzzles and mysteries with a full rundown of solo play for all four major escape room games, including Exit, Unlock!, Escape Room the Game, and Escape the Room. We also look at the classic mystery solving game, Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective (the newer release with the Jack the Ripper mysteries). How do these games play, are they better solo or with other players, and most important of all, why do we always have to ask if a game will work solo? Why the stigma of playing a fun and perceived…

In this week’s episode, we look back at the games of Origins Game Fair 2017. We highlight 15 different games that were hot this year, including several that released at the game fair, and several more that will be releasing over the summer and at Gen Con in August. It was our second Origins Game Fair, and you could feel the 12% growth – it was bigger, and the booths were hit much harder on Saturday than in past years. You can read Anthony’s full review of the con here for some of the highlights. Question of the Week In…

III. Introduce the Game Properly           5) Describe the Theme: “In this game, you are a _____ trying to do ____.”           6) Demonstrate Game Flow: Show First, Then Tell           7) Relate Game Flow to Victory Conditions

Jason sits down with Walter Barber of Greenbrier Games and discusses several of their recent releases including Grimslingers, Of Dreams and Shadows, and Walter’s own game, coming soon from the company. They also talk about solo gaming in general, some of the history behind the company and their biggest releases and how Grimslingers and its unique aesthetic was born. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook (BoardGamersAnonymous), Twitter (@engn_podcast) and on BoardGameGeek (Guild 1735). A review on iTunes means the world to us as well – we love to read your feedback!

Origins Game Fair still manages to be one of my favorite cons, not because of the sheer volume of publishers or diversity of events, but the combination of scope, accessibility, and locale. Columbus is a great town, and the con is the perfect size – big enough to feel substantial but not so big as the crush you in a swarm of people (a la Gen Con). We just returned from yet another Origins – five days of gaming and events in Columbus – and it did not disappoint. The final attendance numbers put it at more than 10% growth…

Chris and Anthony are back with BGA – this week looking at our top 10 two player games. These games are the perfect fit for those quiet game nights alone with a significant other, filler when you get left out of the large game group between big plays, or when on the road at a con. Plus, we’re looking at Acquisition Disorders with The Godfather from CMON and The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31, one of which we spotted at Origins this past week. We also dig into recent plays of Gekido Battle Bots and Sushi Go Party! with At…

Scheduling Note: For those wondering where Episode 40 is, we missed last week with Anthony out of town for Origins. Sorry for the delay in the episode, which will be up this week on Friday, along with today’s special preview episode. Thanks and enjoy! Jason sits down this week with Brady Sadler to discuss two Kickstarters currently running for games he designed – Street Masters: Rise of the Kingdom and Epic AF. Sadler is a seasoned designer who has worked on a lot of our favorite solo games in his time at Fantasy Flight, including the recently cancelled Warhammer Quest:…