They say time flies when you're having fun, so I can certainly say we had fun while recording this one. Our bad. But for those of you who enjoy long, rambling discussions peppered with brilliant insights, you just might find this one to your liking. Enjoy.

THE PATH AHEAD:

00:05:12 -- 2017 T-Shirts
00:12:40 -- Gaming on Ye Olde Ranch
00:21:18 -- The Ruhr (First Take)
00:27:15 -- Card City XL (First Take)
00:30:50 -- Mini Rails (First Take)
00:33:27 -- Clans of Caledonia (First Take)
00:42:33 -- Chicago Express
00:53:16 -- Redbreast 15yo & Children at Play
01:04:50 -- Viewer Mail
01:38:25 -- Music Roundup (Ben Allison, Kamasi Washington, Mike Stern, Queens of the Stone Age, Destroyer)
01:55:22 -- Lignum (In-depth)

Never say never. Be prepared for anything. The show must go on. Choose your cliche and join us for episode 117 of the unbroken Punching Cardboard podcast.

In this episode we bid farewell to Eric, a difficult thing to do as he has been crucial to this show's success. But for us, this is Rock 'n' Roll, or the closest thing we can manage. Band albums, solo albums, a rotating cast of musicians, and someone always wants to keep playin'. So welcome new Punching Cardboard co-host Joe to the stage as we intend to rock on. Of course we have some new material in the form of some Time of Crisis riffs and Gentes melodies.

Meet the new show, same as the old show.

TUNES:

00:00:43 -- A Farewell to Eric
00:05:37 -- Oh, Hello Joe
00:17:52 -- Subwoofer Goes Poof!
00:28:45 -- Time of Crisis (First Take)
01:02:25 -- Gentes

Welcome to our annual get-together with the fine folks over at Heavy Cardboard. It takes us a while to get into the meat of the episode as our planned 15 minute intro turned into an easygoing conversation with some unexpected insights into the thoughts and feelings behind these endeavors.

So, this is an epic show, a way-too-many-games discussed show, and some might argue a way-too-long show. But when you're having a good time, time flies, and we thoroughly enjoyed this session. We hope you concur.

EXHIBITS:

00:02:11 -- Games Played and Feelings Felt
01:05:57 -- 2016 Lists in Review
01:26:39 -- Ten
01:35:18 -- Nine
01:45:13 -- Eight
02:05:30 -- Seven
02:10:50 -- Six
02:22:03 -- Five
02:32:49 -- Four
02:42:51 -- Three
02:55:32 -- Two
03:12:15 -- One
03:23:12 -- The Ones That Missed The Cut

Okay kids, I think this is a good one. A little giddiness, a little edginess. Three game session reports that press our buttons and invite some good critical analysis. Add in two albums that we've been waiting to sink our teeth into and it's easy for us to raise this discussion to 11. Enjoy the show.

DECIBELS:

00:14:15 -- Sidereal Confluence (First Take - Session Report)
00:54:12 -- The Godfather (First Take)
01:10:30 -- Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey
01:13:15 -- Music (Steven Wilson - To The Bone; The War on Drugs -- A Deeper Understanding)
01:47:39 -- Mythotopia (The Showdown)

Jules Verne published Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in 1870. Dan Quisenberry lead the American League in Saves five times. Nemo, the main character in Verne's novel, was the captain of the Nautilus, a submarine. The Nautilus exercise equipment company was founded in 1986. Quisenberry, a submarine style relief pitcher, won a World Series in 1985, and may have used a Nautilus machine for strength training later in his career. Somehow, neither Verne or Quisenberry are with us today.

Coincidence?

Well, we can't be sure, but we do know that this episode covers board games based on material from both men's careers. Maybe you can solve the mystery, or at least enjoy the episode.

EVENTS:

00:08:25 -- Nemo's War (in depth)
00:48:48 -- Baseball Roundup
00:52:20 -- Baseball Highlights 2045
00:59:55 -- Clutch Baseball
01:16:45 -- Strat-O-Matic Baseball
01:34:48 -- Out of the Park Baseball

It's a hot August night, and a cloud of smoke has descending into the Willamette Valley as wildfires rage throughout the region. We may not be able to breath freely for a few more days, and cool air is just a dream at the moment, but we decided to brave the elements to bring you tales from the rebuilding of Lisbon after a devastating earthquake in 1755. We have made a good many attempts at reconstruction, and we hope you enjoy these tales as we discuss the merits of Vital Lacerda's Lisboa.  Stay cool and breathe free.

BLUEPRINTS:

06:33 -- Poll Wars
13:47 -- Peter Perrett, The Only Ones, Manchester Orchestra
24:45 -- Lisboa

It's time for Punching Cardboard, The Musical! Well, not really, but we are going to have a long outro discussing a good many recently released albums. But before that extended jam hits we'll chat about some recent boardgame expansions and German Whisky. We'll even toss in a story about mirrors in Detroit to round out a full episode. We hope you enjoy.

REFLECTIONS:

00:11:03 -- Another Amazing Travel Story
00:23:58 -- Barony: Sorcery
00:32:28 -- Automobiles: Racing Season
00:43:15 -- Haspelknecht: The Ruhr Valley Expansion
01:05:30 -- 1844 (Short Session)
01:09:48 -- Call to Post, Coming Soon-ish
01:16:57 -- The Music: New albums by Jason Isbell, The Mountain Goats, Slowdive, Ride, Big Thief and many more.

Time passes quickly, leaving in its wake a trail of unanswered questions. 

What was Heavy Con really like? Are the people of  Denver as fragile as the Wicked Witch of the West? Are auteurs better at making games? Has Unfair received fair treatment? Can Whiskey be made in a castle. Why do we continue to enjoy Splotter games?

Well, have no fear about the unknown. We're here to try and sort this mess out. Feel free to play along at home.

QUANDARIES:

00:04:46 -- Heavy Con
00:19:15 -- A Very Opulent Palace
00:20:28 -- Colorado Rain
00:25:58 -- Knappogue Castle 12yo Irish Single Malt
00:36:44 -- Unfair (first take & rant)
01:07:14 -- Q&A #1: HiFi
01:14:22 -- Q&A #2: The Auteur vs. the Committee
01:35:16 -- Splotter Games, an Overview

After four years of gaming together we decided to finally offer up our top ten game lists. Due to the weight of the chaos of our worlds, this is a measured affair, with a more carefully considered discussion of the games listed. We promise to return to our fisticuffs next time around.

THE TIMES:

07:25 -- Gaming Frustrations and Public Spaces (Viewer Mail Cont.)
37:35 -- Doin' the Work
40:12 -- The Bestest Games Ever
59:39 -- The Not Top Ten

----------- SPOILERS ----------
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1:06:39 -- Food Chain Magnate
1:09:10 -- 18XX (1854 at the moment)
1:11:36 -- Strat-o-Matic Baseball
1:18:05 -- Nippon
1:22:54 -- Three Kingdoms Redux
1:26:40 -- Yedo
1:31:02 -- Magic, The Gathering
1:35:58 -- Tash-Kalar
1:38:49 -- Trickerion
1:42:04 -- Galaxy Trucker
1:48:46 -- Sekigahara
1:51:48 -- Kanban
1:59:29 -- ZhanGuo
2:11:04 -- Keyflower
2:17:18 -- 1714: The Case of the Catalans
2:21:06 -- The Great Zimbabwe
2:25:02 -- Arkwright
2:30:03 -- Through the Ages
2:33:03 -- Terra Mystica

How about a short introduction. Episode 109. Anachrony. Viewer mail. 'nuff said.

Enjoy.

ANOMALIES:

04:30 -- Viewer Mail
30:00 -- Anachrony (in-depth)