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Episodes
- BGTG 88 - Dominion, Arkham Horror, Marrakech, and En Garde
(20mb)
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:53:56 -0600 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
This is a session report & feedback show . . . but without the feedback. The reason for that is that I had to record this podcast in the car. I say had to because I spent too much of my at-home podcasting time playing Dominion instead! I started playing this game on brettspielwelt, and then got my own set to play face-to-face games. Hype is a turnoff for me, even buzz makes me suspicious, but in this case I'm enjoying the game just as much as everyone promised. I can't help but experience the game as a former Magic:the Gathering player, and I'm not sure what gamers without a CCG background will make of this. I think it's fantastic, and I try to explain why in this podcast. I think it's an incredible application of German boardgame style & elegance to CCGs.
This episode was originally planned to feature me gushing about games I really enjoyed, but I threw in Arkham Horror because it goes against that grain. Really, this isn't my kind of game, but that doesn't mean I'll never try it (or turn down my friends who want to play it). The last two, Marrakech (aka Suleika) and En Garde are new & old favorites.
-Mark - A fresh call for online games
Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:06:51 -0600 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
As usual, your best bet to find me is on a play-by-web game. I've recently started the following, all of which can take more players as I write this. The password is the same as ever, BGTG.
On Mabiweb: In the Year of the Dragon, Samuari, Kreta, In the Shadow of the Emperor
On Spielbyweb: Amun-Re, Hoity-Toity, Reef Encounter, Santiago
On michaelshacht.net: Hansa (two of these)
On Boardgamegeek: Tigris & Euphrates (two of these)
All of these are in English, very easy to understand.
Also, don't forget that the offer still stands to play Vinci with me. Only Ed Rozmiarek took me up on that earlier offer, and we need a couple more players to start. This website is all in German, but we'll help a newbie learn the ropes. Once you get the hang of it it's a great interface.
-Mark
P.S. On BSW, look for MarkJohnson. I'll probably be losing at Dominion again, enjoying myself. :-) - Vicarious Essen
Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:08:13 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Essen is behind us now, and the Fairplay scouts & other reports are settling in on the better titles. Remember two years ago when I insisted I'd buy Die Saulen von Venedig? Then the mediocre reports came in, and I got to play it once. It wasn't a bad game, but it didn't shine for me. I didn't buy it. (Though I'll probably play it again some day.)
This year the game that fits that description this year is Sutter's Mill. I haven't ruled it out entirely, but I hope I'll get a chance to try someone else's copy first. Hmm, come to think of it, Oregon may have been the equivalent game in 2007. Both western-themed, which is what interested me originally.
My group has placed an overseas post-Essen order. This used to be an annual tradition, both to grab exciting new titles and to pounce on special sales for older games (usually a game you loved more than everyone else). The way the hobby's been going, those orders have been slowing down. I don't think we even placed one last year. This time, though, it was decent-sized again. The somewhat better exchange rate helps, as well as some other factors (like Martin Wallace's Treefrog games being no more expensive this way). Too bad we won't get the games before the Thanksgiving holidays in late November, but at least they should arrive before Christmas. (When's Hannukah this year?) So we'll get our Essen excitement while it's still 2008.
One new game I have gotten to play a bunch lately is Dominion, thanks to the online implementation at Brettspielwelt. I haven't been a BSW regular for years (play-by-web works better for me than realtime), but once in a while I check it out again, especially when there are new titles. In my podcast I mentioned how the hype for Dominion is kind of a turn-off, but now that I've played it I can happily report I like it. In fact, I really like it. Deckbuilding was a fun part of my Magic:The Gathering days, and it's very cool to see that built right into a euro card game. My only concern is that the BSW interface makes everything so fast & easy, when I eventually play with the real game I'll be bothered by the effort to collect & shuffle cards constantly, track extra actions & buys, and so on. But that's a nit. The game is great fun and I can't wait to get my hands on a real copy.
-Mark - Essen photos
Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:10:49 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
I mentioned it in the last podcast, and more than ever I recognize how influenced I am by the look of these games. I like reading the Essen first-impression reports, but I like seeing the photos even more. These days, you'd think you could do a search on "Essen spiel" in Flickr and find tons of photos, both from BGGers and average Germans who took photos & uploaded them. I've found a few that way, but not many.
Now the other reports and photo-pages are starting to trickle in, and so far the best I've found is at Milan Spiele. Looking through the Thursday (Donnerstag) photos, I see one game that jumps out at me: Windriver, by Argentum Verlag. It appears to be the designer's first game, and the publisher doesn't have a big track record, either. The rules are online, so I may have to actually read them. Heck, there's a good chance the game isn't so special. But it sure looks great to me. (I guess I'm a sucker for western themes, too. Doesn't that map look like the Little Big Horn area, with feeder streams into a larger river with mountains around?)
-Mark - BGTG 87 - Essen Anticipation 2008 (0mb)
Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:35:32 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
As promised, here's my annual episode running through the new Essen games that have caught my eye. There are games I'm pretty sure I want, others I'm pretty sure I don't, and a whole bunch I need to know more about first (hopefully by playing).
Essen opens its doors to everyone tomorrow, and the press-only day has already started. Folks like me will be checking internet sites repeatedly through the weekend to digest scraps of information and opinions about the new titles. Exciting!
-Mark - Pre-Essen show
Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:03:03 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Essen is now right around the corner, but I'm going to try to squeeze in an "Essen Anticipation" show, as I've done in previous years. I got a few requests for this episode, and that's the best inspiration for doing it.
-Mark - Anyone for Vinci?
Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:48:58 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
This blog recently received a great comment from Tristan who re-listened to the 2.5-year old All About Vinci episode after finally getting to try the game in-person. Vinci is still a great favorite of mine, and now I'd like to see if any other listeners would like to join me in a play-by-web version. Now, I'll warn you that the website is all in German, so if you've never played pbw (or Vinci), then this is a tough way to learn. But for any that aren't put off by that obstacle, please join me at
http://zocktempel.dyndns.org/vinci
I'm in game number 5525, and the password (as always) is BGTG.
-Mark - BGTG 86 - All About Harry's Grand Slam Baseball (with David Gullett) (32mb)
Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:26:34 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
As promised, here's another All About show, my first in a long time. The way these shows work, I usually employ a guest, and the two of us talk about one game in great detail. This time, that guest is David Gullett, who you've heard on BGTG before, and the game we're talking about is Harry's Grand Slam Baseball.
Now, HGSB is a rather small, light game to spend more than an hour talking about. That is, until you consider that it's a game we both consider favorites, both rate a 10. How can a game that's so simple & small--its detractors say it's all luck, with no real decisions--interest us so much? That's the sort of stuff we talk about. In the process, many more games are brought up for discussion, such as other light card games (e.g. Mille Bornes) and sports board/card games (e.g. Pizza Box Football).
Actually, I did my best to cover light board & cardgame treatments of all kinds of sports, since those are a particular interest of mine. We cover Pizza Box Football, Pizza Box Baseball, Dirk Nowitzki's Crunchtime Basketball, Gridiron Fantasy Football, Pocket Football, Card Football, En Garde, Scoozie, and Streetsoccer. I should've included Strand-Cup and You Can't Check Me.
Towards the end Dave asks me some questions about why I sound so unethusiastic about games most times on BGTG. That's not my intent, and the conversation may lead me to making some changes in how I talk about games in future episodes, especially how I wrap up a segment.
This is a longer episode, just past 90 minutes. I think you'll like it.
-Mark - Another "All About..." show is coming
Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:15:22 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Hurray! I've wanted to do another "All About" show for some time, and last night I recorded one. It wasn't about Big City, though, as I'd hinted in my last podcast (that's another I still want to do). No, for this one I got my buddy Dave Gullett (BGG's davebo, aka the Big Red Rock Eater) to share the mic with me and talk all about Harry's Grand Slam Baseball. That might seem a little game for a whole show, but we found plenty to talk about, between the game itself, sports, sports board/card games, and light games in general. I think you'll like it.
-Mark - BGTG 85 - SR & Feedback (with Rattlesnake, XiangQi, Citadels, Manila, and Tribune) (15mb)
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:44:48 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
You're in luck. The carcast I recorded earlier about some games played at a recent Games Day was also destroyed accidentally, so I just had to re-record it at home. This way it ends up with better audio quality, and I got to tack on some recent email feedback, too.
These are all games I played at a recent Games Day put on by LA's famous Stephanie. You've heard about her on other podcasts, and heard her directly on Boardgame Babylon. I ought to feature her on one of my own podcasts sometime!
-Mark - A truly lost episode
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:41:44 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Oops. I thought I'd finally get around to posting a carcast recorded more than a year ago after I'd played some business-themed games, comparing & contrasting all three of them. They were Shark, Buy Low Sell High (aka Palmyra), and one more I've forgotten. Well, it doesn't matter now because this apparently I deleted this recording I discarded when I was at a low ebb in my satisfaction with carcasts. It's gone! And while I can just spout off about BLSH any time I want, I'm a lot less familiar with Shark and couldn't recreate my comments about that game without playing it again. Not to mention the forgotten third game (Acquire? Big Boss?). Now I wish I hadn't hit that delete button.
Oh well, I'll just have to record something new. I've played a lot of old favorites and some new games (Agricola, TTR:Card Game) recently, so there should be plenty to talk about. And I know I do have one remaining carcast lying around, talking about playing games with my kid & others at a local games day. So I'll get that posted next.
-Mark - Something else about Byzantium (and another car-cast)
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:34:28 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
One thing this blog is good for is correcting mistakes & omissions in my podcasts. After recording the recent one about Martin Wallace games, I forgot to mention the interesting and authentic-feeling arms races that happened in our complete 3-player game. Though Ryan & I both agreed that Mike was out to a big lead, we ran into trouble going after him during the middle & end of the game. Because you build up your army which is located in one city--not distributed strength throughout your holdings--it becomes a local juggernaut. No matter how much I knew Ryan was building his juggernaut to go after Mike, it became unnerving to see that large threat in my unprotected rear area. Even if I thought Ryan would stick to the plan & attack Mike, what would he do the following turn? Although he might wish to keep going after Mike, the board connections sometimes restricted him from doing so. Worse, they might leave him with no other good opening but to attack me.
Strictly for points, you understand. :-)
So then what? Well, I build up my army in a location where I can still go after Mike, but I can also counter Ryan if he opts to go after me instead (or in addition). That threathens Ryan, and he is delayed in his attack on Mike to be sure he knows what I'm up to. See where this is going? See who wins from all of this uncertainty and anxiety? Mike!
Though some might not care for that dynamic, calling it kingmaking, turtle-ing, or something similar, it's not either of those things. It's an added diplomatic development in a game that has no specific rules for diplomacy. In fact, the nature of the game--playing both sides of the conflict--discourages anything like alliances. I just found it to be an interesting development.
-Mark
P.S. Despite my own misgivings, the limited feedback I've received about the podcasts recorded in the car is that they're fine, particularly if they let me put out more material. I've got an old one in the can, and a new one from just today. I guess I'll still dabble with those things. I've downloaded Levelator, and I'll give it a try on the car-casts. (Though I think Levelator is primarily good for evening out different audio levels from two or more speakers, not filtering out road noise.) - BGTG 84 - Martin Wallace games (Brass, Tinner's Trail, Byzantium) (17mb)
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:32:15 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Two podcasts in less than a week?! Weird, I know. Not likely to be repeated soon, either. I just figured I might as well jump on the opportunity when I could.
Also, I'd mentioned on this blog a couple weeks before that I was thinking of sharing my (changing) thoughts about Martin Wallace games, based on some recent plays of Brass, Tinner's Trail, and Byzantium. Martin's games are so popular on BGG, yet I've struggled to enjoy many of them. Yet I still struggle because he attempts some of the most interesting game settings & treatments of any designer out there. They just work for some people better than for me (I guess).
I think more highly of Tinner's Trail and Byzantium, though, despite some issues that I still have with their designs. I'm not yet sure what to make of Brass. I've only played it once, and while that felt like enough exposure to draw a conclusion about Tinner's Trail, I find Brass to be much more involved, and it'll take another play or two to form an opinion.
Maybe someday I can tackle other Martin Wallace games I enjoy, like Way Out West and (possibly) Liberte. Who knows? Maybe I'll even try Age of Steam again. :-)
-Mark - BGTG 83 - Aug 10, 2008 - Re-Introduction with my "New" Top Ten (23mb)
Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:32:42 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Though I'm too chicken to listen to it, anyone that wants to can go back into my archives to download BGTG #1. In that episode I tried to give an introduction to myself, describing my own likes & dislikes in games. It always helps to know those things about a game reviewer. You get to figure out how my opinions map to yours. Maybe you & I are on the same page, and the games I like are ones you'll probably enjoy. But it can even help if we don't see eye-to-eye, so you'll know when I'm disappointed in a game that it might be something you'd like anyway.
To anchor these preferences of mine, I also talked about my Top Ten games at the time. When I mention En Garde and Entdecker, it helps you understand what else you're going to hear from me on the podcast.
That was 2005, now I felt it was time to do this again. I get to talk about the podcast itself, my likes & dislikes (mostly the same, some changes), and a new top ten list. It doesn't replace my old list, it augments it with some more recent titles.
-Mark - BGTG auction and my new appreciation for Martin Wallace
Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:09:52 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
First of all, another podcast is coming. Somewhere I've got an old "car-cast" I did last year after our group had played several different business games. I'll post that soon. Before that I want to record my "re-introduction" episode. I believe I did an intro episode way back in BGTG #1, but I'm afraid to listen to it myself! Instead I think I'll redo the introduction, taking this opportunity to present my new top ten list. (Spoiler alert: I'm cheating, since I'm going to briefly recap my old top ten list, then talk about a new top ten. :-)
I'm also running a game auction on Boardgamegeek, using their trade geeklist system. I'd rather give my sales commission to BGG than ebay! Right now I've got a collection of oddball stuff, which is a glimpse into my collection of several years back. I used to be more interested in games that others didn't talk as much about, which means there are some unusual items there (e.g. Abilene, Die Glucksritter). Plus wargames. I've got a decent sized collection of wargames and wargame magazines that I'm going to start selling off in future auctions. Some of this stuff just isn't going to be played by me, so it might as well go to someone who can do more with it. Plus, I'd like to free up some space to buy some other things.
Last, I'm going to need to talk about Martin Wallace games in a future podcast. I'm sure you've heard me say that I don't really care for Martin Wallace's designs too much. While that's still true for some of his games (i.e. Age of Steam, Princes of the Renaissance), lately I've had a chance to play & enjoy Byzantium, Tinner's Trail, and Brass. That's the order in which I prefer them, too. The first two, in particular, weren't what I expected from a Martin Wallace game, and that's something I'd like to record a podcast about.
-Mark - BGTG 82 - June 17, 2008 - SR & Feedback (Hamburgum & Streetcar) (20mb)
Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:54:09 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Uh...yeah. At the start of this show I say I recorded it back on May 29. Which I did. Then I labeled the file and blog entry June 17, because that's when I edited it. Except that I ran into a technical glitch, and I only just now resolved all of that to get it posted on July 13. Whew!
Anyway, it's here now. Not long after my 2007 recap described some new games I hadn't had the chance to try yet, I got to play Hamburgum. Besides being a notable 2007 release, it was my first experience with the rondel mechanism. Very interesting, and I'd like to try the other rondel games some time.
I was just as excited to play an older game, Streetcar. Actually we played the German original, Linie 1. And this was back from the days when the German original and American reprint looked quite different, not the co-productions like we're so used to nowadays. I've always really enjoyed this game as one of the best connection games out there.
-Mark - BGTG 81 - May 23, 2008 - Games of 2007 (9mb)
Fri, 23 May 2008 11:45:21 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Memorial Day Weekend is pretty late for a 2007 recap show, but here it is anyway. I said I'd follow this show up sometime with another blog entry to have a written summary of my games played, too. I found that I enjoyed re-reading my reports from earlier years . . . and missed not having them for 2005 & 2006.
In a nutshell, I'm still playing 400 games per year, about 180 different titles--the same as it's been since about 2000. The only thing different in my numbers last year is the number of new-to-me games dropped from around 90 to less than 70. It's my little battle against the "cult of the new." :-)
I recap some of the 2007 titles that are definite winners with me, and some losers. Then, there's a whole raft of games I still need to try for the first time! (Collateral damage from that battle I just mentioned.)
-Mark - BGTG 80 - Apr 29, 2008 - SR & Feedback (Galaxy Trucker & Key Harvest) (24mb)
Sat, 03 May 2008 10:21:58 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Finishing up my feedback backlog (my feedbacklog?), here's a show with audio comments from my listeners. Does that include Mr. Reliable for audio feedback, Mark Jackson? Sure does! He's here, along with a couple other guys that offer some good comments or questions related to some earlier episodes of BGTG.
Like all my feedback shows, that part is at the end, preceded by some game discussion. This time it's about two newer releases I've played a bit recently, Galaxy Trucker and Key Harvest. Both are releases from last fall's Essen, but that's where the similarity ends. GT is a realtime construction puzzle game with science fiction theming, while KH is a more deliberate and strategic contest themed around medieval farming. Very Richard Breese.
-Mark
P.S. I've enjoyed playing more play-by-web games with my listeners. Now Hansa has moved from Mabiweb to designer Michael Schacht's own website . . . where new PBW offering Patrician has now appeared. Look for me & my games over there, too. - BGTG 79 - SR & Feedback (Play By Web games) (17mb)
Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:22:50 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Waaaaay back in show #3 I covered play-by-web boardgaming. I've touched on it since then, and for this show it's "where" my game session took place. That is, on the web, against a variety of friends, playing a variety of games. I spend the most time talking about Mykerinos on Mabiweb, mostly due to the excitement of having a new play-by-web game to try. But I also touch on several more, including new ones at new sites (Des Jeux sur Plateau, Ludoholic), and new ones at old sites (Yucata.de).
Then I round out the show with some feedback from recent and not-so-recent episodes.
I'll be working on another SR & Feedback show next, this one covering games played the normal way (face-to-face!), as well as audio feedback.
-Mark
P.S. In the very beginning of the show I also reflect on the games that debuted the one year I made it to the Gathering of Friends, back in 2004. It's always interesting for me to look back at early impressions to see which games have proved to be keepers. In this instance, I think it was a great year. From that introduction, I still own & play my copies of Ticket To Ride, Hansa, Einfach Genial, San Juan, and St. Petersburg. Goa and Power Grid are two heavier games I don't own (but should own PG!). Sunken City was the notable stinker, but that was clear from the first play (same with Oh Pharaoh and the rest of that small line). Dos Rios is the one I was & still am on the fence about. I guess I have to admit that it's not a keeper. In fact I've never owned it. But it's a good idea, interesting mechanics, and a game I "almost really enjoy." - BGTG 78 - Back in the saddle (12mb)
Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:58:01 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
I still need to do a feedback show to go through a backlog, but today I couldn't wait for that. You see, I've had a break in my busy schedule--or at least an attitude adjustment after a recent vacation--and just needed to record a podcast again. I'm playing some more games, catching up on some podcast listening, and wanted to share some thoughts about recent games. This particular show happened to have more talk about a couple wargames: Hammer of the Scots over email with Paul Tevis (of the Have Games, Will Travel podcast), and Duel In The Dark played face-to-face. I know the latter is marketed as more of a Euro game, published by Z-Man, but I think it's at least as much of a wargame, albeit a light one with flashy components. Really, I think it's a good example of a wargame/euro hybrid. Oh, I talk about some other games, too, such as another look at Kingsburg, and my first play of Take It To The Limit.
-Mark - BGTG 77 - Recent Game Rambling (9mb)
Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:18:28 -0600 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
No, I haven't disappeared again, and this little episode is meant to prove it. I have more to say about other games, my year in review, my new top ten list, and a backlog of feedback to work through. But this is what I could get out right now, and it'll have to do. In it, I talk about some older games I played with my son & other kids (and gamer-dad Dave Gullett) at a recent SoCal Games Day. Then I spend a little more time talking about some new games I've had a chance to try. For a guy that mostly plays recent & old favorites, I was a bit surprised that I had things to say about Kingsburg, Amyitis, Race for the Galaxy, and Cold War: CIA vs KGB
-Mark - BGTG 76 - Summertime Games (8mb)
Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:33:47 -0600 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
A quick, little podcast this time, one from my "archives." By that I mean this was one of those shows I recorded last summer, when I wasn't uploading any podcasts. At least one of those recordings was unceremoniously dumped, but this is one I still had lying around. It's another recording made in my car, but I learned from episode 74 that mostly leaving the audio alone is better than trying to get too fancy with the filtering and noise reduction.
I called this episode "Summertime Games" as a catch-all term for the rundown of several games I was playing, mostly with my own family, during this time. No real theme other than that--a pleasant reflection that I really am playing more games with them, and that they're games I enjoy, too. This is a show I could bang out quickly before the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US.
Speaking of Thanksgiving and family gaming, once again I've packed way too many games to bring to grandma's house for the holiday. Only this time I know my own kids may want to play a couple with me, and we're hoping to involve some of the other relatives, too. Plus, I think my selection of games is getting better suited for a family weekend than I used to bring. We'll see. Maybe that can be a future podcast episode, along with some overdue feedback.
-Mark - BGTG 75 - Decade+1 Retrospective (with Dave Arnott) (37mb)
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:41:08 -0600 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Last year, my buddy Dave Arnott and I talked on the phone about how we'd now been in the hobby for a decade. In that time the hobby was in many ways the same, but the interesting parts were the differences. Now we have Boardgamegeek, do a lot less overseas ordering, and I can't recall the last time I played a game with a separate page of card translations we all had to hand back & forth while playing. Seemed like a good idea for a podcast.
Then my podcast sort of went on hiatus, and so the decade has now become eleven years, or "decade+1." In our retrospective, we talked about a number of changes over the years, trying to talk about the hobby in general, but understandably drifting back to our own local experiences much of the time. We also tried to describe what we know about the hobby before we got into it. The earlier generation (of which my previous guest Mike Siggins was an important part).
This is one of my longest shows ever, but I decided to post the whole thing rather than two parts because some of you may need some boardgame material to listen to while on a long trip to BGG.con next week. Sadly, I won't be there, but Dave Arnott will! Be sure to tell him if you see him what you thought of the podcast.
-Mark - BGTG 74 - Post-Essen 2007 (with Mike Siggins) (27mb)
Sat, 03 Nov 2007 18:34:24 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
Once again I'm pleased to bring Mike Siggins' boardgame commentary to podcasting with our annual show recapping his observations about Essen. Mike writes some of these in his column on Funagain.com, called The Gamer's Notebook, and that piece is a good companion to this BGTG episode.
At the end, I also have a brief review on the one Essen title I've managed to play so far, Wolfgang Kramer's Origo. I got to play this one even though I've never seen it in-person, thanks to the wonder of Brettspielwelt's online boardgame portal.
-Mark - BGTG 73 - Oct 15, 2007 - Pre-Essen 2007 (12mb)
Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:38:24 -0500 Author: BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson)
I'm just squeezing this show in before the Spiel game fair starts in Essen later this week. If you're like me you've been reading the lists and rumors about new games with great anticipation . . . even though you aren't attending Essen in-person. This year, I took a closer look back at the previous year's Essen buzz before & after the show, confirming that I've only got about three "keepers" from an initial list of perhaps thirty games that caught my eye in some way. And three is a good year!
Does that mean there are only 2-3 that interest me this year? No, it just means that's what I'll have to hang onto in 2008. Right now I'm again interested in well over thirty titles, anxiously awaiting play reports, photos, and even a chance to check them out myself. The process of winnowing down to the few keepers is part of the fun, too.
-Mark
