I am a Samurai warrior, going it alone for episode 23.  One must do what one has to in order to keep to schedule, and I must talk to myself for 30 minutes (I can't believe I went on for 30 Minutes).

Anyway, what follows is a fairly comprehensive review of Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan.

Hello and welcome to cross-stitching 101.  

Okay, not really, but we are going off into the world of the Arts with today's podcast arguing (and we mean arguing) over the qualities of a little game called Bruxelles 1893.

Listen in to find out what we think about schmoozing patrons at the theater and building fancy works of art. Hint: we disagree.

A special Friday posting to get the blood flowing. Here, after a very heartfelt and reasoned coffee discussion, we delve into round two of our Game of Tournamentsand take a side trip on the Tokaido road.

With new rules in place in this ever morphing contest we hope to get you, dear listener, involved in the action. We will posting the second round match-ups over the next few days. Please head over to our BGG blog and partake in the adventure that is the Game of Tournaments.

We answer viewer mail in this episode.  Well, we respond to a question posed by one of our listeners.  Same thing, really.  No?

Okay, fine, so we have no viewers, but we do ramble on a little about viewing bad TV game shows, so something somewhere has been viewed.

Anyway (and I say this too many times in this episode), after quite a bit of banter to open the show we decide to address the question of whether collectible editions are good for the hobby. Are they?

And, oh yeah, those are old school Netrunner cards in that photo.

Seeing as Russia has taken over the world's headlines (and not yet the world) we decide to get all topical up in this house and revisit the new version of an old game that we played a while ago.  The game is set in a Russia's second city, which is how we get all topical.

We also give The Agents another shout out and then because we like you we cut this episode short and leave you with more time in your day to find something fun to do.  You're welcome.

Let me just say this: It's just not nice to kill somebody's dragon before he's had any time to get to know that dragon.  Giants, go for it, but leave the poor dragon alone.

We play a couple rounds of Rune Wars and a few other American style games, and we survive to tell the tale.  Unfortunately someone didn't let Ralph live long enough to tell any tales.  Mean. Just plain mean.

Spring Break is over and we are back to talk about board game expansions.

What do they add to game play?  Are they worth it? Why such a big box? That little box is cute.  Where the hell is the Trains expansion?  I don't like these giants. You're sacrificing who to whom? You got your Carcassone in my Keyflower!

We want Trains, expanded!

Firstly, we really like this episode and feel we were actually good this time out.  B, we apologize for the length as we were so busy being good that we ignored the timer we set to constrain ourselves. Well, not so much ignored as spat in the face of the timer.

In our longest episode to date (and hopefully ever) we announce our Game of Tournaments, review The Agents, and dissect the Kickstarter experience. We do a lot of dissection here.

So please enjoy our novel length show and watch for our Game of Tournaments post announcing the 16 games that will be competing for the Unplaced Worker award.

It's a Cramer fest!

This week we discuss the merits of making Scotch whisky for clansmen up in Scotland, fighting France for the favor of King Henry, and sewing dresses for the French socialites we just, um, conquered for said King, while drinking the whisky we made, because, well, why make it if you're not going to drink it, and will this sentence ever stop running?!?

What we're trying to say is we look at several games designed by Matthias Cramer. Maybe we should stop drinking.

Yes, this was it: our show about nothing, our Seinfeld episode.  See what the critics have to say.

"Not since the Pop-O-Matic have we been so enthralled." ~ Gerbil Monthly
"Is this going on the air?" ~ Justin Bieber
"It was a discussion." ~ BBC 13
"A few thoughts were completed." ~ The Journal of Non-Sequitur Dining
"Frank Turner will never hang out with them." ~ Tattoo Weekly

We promise to be much better next time out.