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 ----------
--------------------------
----------------
--------

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)

Eric returns from his travels for a classic PCP episode and we get down to doing what we do best. We have Tramways in-depth. We have rants. We have disagreements. We have things that went bad.

Add in some raves, some whisky and a meaty trick-taking card game and I believe all the boxes have been ticked. Much fun was had. No animals were hurt. It's a win-win. Enjoy.

SCHEDULE:

02:20 -- Business & Scheduling
13:12 -- Trick of the Rails
32:18 -- New Pornographers, Deep Purple, Chuck Prophet, Vagabond, Hurray for the Riff Raff. Jesca Hoop
43:52 -- The Father John Misty Throwdown
59:00 -- The Quiet Man 8 Year Old Single Malt
63:15 -- Things Went Bad (Tramways Edition)
70:50 -- Tramways (in-depth)
113:05 -- Unbelievable (or is it?)

It's finally here. Our first 18XX extravaganza. After 40-plus hours of 18XX gaming, and with the help of guest hosts Joe Sturgis and Tony KR, plus cold medicine, tea and lozenges, the PCP finally goes deep on this train crazy phenomenon. Run those routes and split those stocks!

Coming at this from a new player's perspective, we take you on a ride from the casual ease of 1846 to the intense pressure of 1854. And by "casual ease" we mean pretty damn hard, but with a friendlier learning curve. Anyway, it's pretty much all 18XX this time around, and the main drama is whether Jim's voice will hold out for the entire episode. Enjoy.

STATIONS:

06:47 -- To 18XX or not to 18XX
16:43 -- 1846
54:38 -- 1854

Welcome to an episode filled with old games and some special guests. Edward and Amanda from Heavy Cardboard join in as we discuss how to get old games back to the table. And after a day of gaming here at Punching Cardboard headquarters, we unleash a session report covering the three underrated titles that ended up on our table. To be honest, we weren't even planning to play these games.

In this episode we leave the cult of the new outside in the rain and rediscover (or discover) some titles that should be getting a little more love. We hope you have as much fun listening to it as we did making it.

SESSIONS:

15:40 -- The Wayback Machine
16:54 -- Baseball Highlights:2045, Super Motherload, Argent
27:19 -- Getting Games Back to the Table (Part 1)
32:17 -- Dominant Species, Wir Sind Das Volk, In the Year of the Dragon, Metropolys, Florenza
40:29 -- Getting Games Back to the Table (Part 2)
53:21 -- The Music Segment
61:33 -- Edward as Navigator, a True Adventure.
62:55 -- The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire (Session Report)
75:51 -- Shogun (Session Report)
94:13 -- Thunder Alley (Session Report)
109:37 -- Captains of the Gulf: A Friend gets his due.

.

It's three in the morning and I'm trying to raise the spirit of a Chicago radio host not nearly forgotten. We'll see if it works as I'm on my own in this one. This show about conversation. This show of lively banter. And here, today, this episode, conjuring past techniques, offering up monologue. 

Well, monologue and music. A solo diatribe exploring the ins and outs of two recent Kickstarter deliveries, Anachrony and Gloomhaven. And a little indugence in the creative side with a couple of homemade tracks, an experiment, and a reward for those who've been paying attention and diggin' the surprise musical endings.

We'll see who are friends are now.

TIMELINE:

02:00 -- The Jay Andres Effect
06:14 -- Thanks for the Nomination
08:52 -- Anachrony (first take)
32:24 -- Old 97's, Graveyard Whistling
47:33 -- Until Dawn
53:52 -- Gloomhaven (in-depth)
90:45 -- Punching Cardboard, the Full Track

In this episode we try to honor February, that month in which we unsuccessfully try to play games already played and on our shelves. After opening with an in-depth look at all Arkwright still has to offer, we dust off Bruxelles 1893, a 2013 title that has just been reprinted and can be found once again sitting on store shelves, beckoning all newcomers.

In-between we also discuss 1846, Fields of Despair and Jump Drive, all of which have been getting some serious play here in the land of punched cardboard.

We pepper all this game talk with a little whiskey and music because, well, whiskey and music. Art, architecture, trench warfare, railroads, stock markets, distilled grains, space, fuzzy guitars, Catalonian TV: Where else are you gonna get such disparate elements in one show? Have at it folks, and play nice.

ORDERS:

03:06 -- Arkwright (revisited, with additions)
43:10 -- Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition Irish Whiskey
46:01 -- Whiskey 101-1 -- Types and Grains
53:02 -- 1846:The Race for the Midwest (First Take)
58:20 -- Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918 (First Take)
68:10 -- Jump Drive (First Take)
74:15 -- Merli
76:36 -- Japandroids, Near to the Wild Heart of Life
84:05 -- Bruxelles 1893 (revisited, in-depth)

Your mission should you choose . . . wait. Umm, in a Galaxy far, far . . . no, not that (please, not that). Space, the final . . . uh-uh. Can anyone hear you scream in space? Who is Zarathustra, and why did he Also sprach? I think I'm running out of references here.

Anyway, here be episode 103 replete with an in-depth conversation about Spielworxx's latest, Solarius Mission. We also get into what the future holds for our gaming lives, answer viewer mail, discuss what hit our tables during Portland's snowpocalypse and drink some Bruichladdich classic whisky. Get your steak knives out.

CAPTAIN'S LOG:

06:20 -- Recently on Eric's Table (The Colonists, Ora et Labora, Days of Ire, First Class)
21:45 -- Recently on Jim's Table (Bios: Genesis, Wing Leader, Age of Thieves)
30:15 -- Viewer Mail
53:12 -- Bruichladdich Scottish Barley, The Classic Laddie
63:21 -- The Year Ahead: Questioning the Gaming Hobby.

Welcome to our annual ranking of the good stuff. Within you will find us telling you about all the drams, tunes and games we really connected with this past year, all organized, categorized, ranked and presented with tidy little bows. This is the whole big cake of goodness, and you might want to cut and ingest a few slices at a time.

Then again . . . we know you guys. Just forget the forks and plates and dive right in. It’ll all be okay in the morning. Right?

LISTS

05:40 — Games 15 down to 11
28:49 — Whisk(e)y of the Year
49:19 — Games 10 down to 6
98:54 — Albums of the Year
131:29 — Games 5 down to 1

Just like John Ford filming a classic western, we brave the elements to bring you episode 101 in all it's Technicolor, widescreen glory. Winter may be wicked outside, but we're moseying down the trail, single malt in hand, and we're delivering the low down on a chuck wagon full of games, followed by a full dissection of what life's like on The Great Western Trail. Get 'em up.

CATTLE CALL:

01:37 -- Shirts & Other Business
06:06 -- The Lightning Trail Begins
06:44 -- Forged in Steel (Quick take)
08:35 -- Lorenzo Il Magnifico (Quick Take)
12:29 -- Inis (Quick Take)
20:13 -- Solarius Mission (Quick Take)
34:04 -- Kepler 3042 (Quick Take)
42:21 -- The BIOS:Genesis Rulebook (AARRRGGGHHHHH!)
45:28 -- Oracle of Delphi (Quick Take)
47:33 -- Guild Ball (Quick Take) - Last entry on the Lightning Trail
51:00 -- Bleeding Heart Pigeons - Is
55:09 -- Other spins (The Stones, Leonard Cohen, Thank You Scientist, Car Seat Headrest, L.A. Salami)
61:10 -- Clynelish 14 year old
70:24 -- The Great Western Trail (In-Depth)
133:35 -- The Crazy World of Lego Robotics

Well, we made it. Episode 100. An epic journey culminating in an epic show. Yea us!

Yep, this one's a long one, filled to the brim with hearty conversation. And while we do what we normally do, including covering two massive releases, Princes of the Renaissance and A Feast for Odin, we do take a few moments toward the end to acknowledge the milestone and heap some praise on ourselves (I mean, someone's gotta do it).

Thanks to everyone who listens because you're the people who really got us here. In other words, it's your fault. Seriously, thank you all for tuning in. We really dig this show, and we hope it makes your day when it lands in whatever podcast app you use. Thank You.

08:07 -- BGG CON 2016
20:00 -- Princes of the Renaissance (1st impressions)
48:03 -- In Search of James Hetfield -- The New Metallica Album!
56:13 -- A World Off Its Axis
65:27 -- A Feast for Odin (in-depth)
115:27 -- Episode 100! (Some Self-indulgence)
131:28 -- VH1's Behind the Podcast: The Hegemonic Years

Welcome to episode 99 of the podcast; a shorter, more concise episode this time out. Why? because your time is valuable and we care and it was definitely not because we were a little wiped out by time we recorded this week, because there's no reason to be wiped out trying to make a living and raise a family and live life. Nope.

Anyway, we have a Terraforming Mars session report along with an in-depth discussion on Haspelknecht. And some first impressions of A Feast for Odin to boot. All in about 90 minutes. You're welcome.

MENU:

04:15 -- T-Shirts?
09:35 -- Terraforming Mars: The Revenge! (session report)
21:40 -- A Feast for Odin (a Drool for Eric (1st impressions))
37:03 -- Atlanta
41:17 -- Haspelknecht (in-depth)

If you've ever been to the races, you may have seen a race where one of the horses goes off slowly. He doesn't stumble out of the gate; rather, he lollygags, taking in the sights, smelling the fresh cut of the infield, letting the pack get a dozen or so lengths ahead for the first part of the race. After a bit of this our boy decides to kick it into gear so he can see what all the fuss is about at the front of the pack. With luck he gets there before the race is done.

Well, this is kinda what we do in episode 98. We kick things off with one of our new-ish segments, which isn't fine-tuned to our usual perfection (ahem). But we soon catch up and start plowing through the field, challenging for the lead until the end. You can tell us if we've won or not.

GENERATIONS:

03:00 -- Thank You Jason Dinger
08:20 -- Wayback Machine - October 2013
22:44 -- Vinhos Deluxe (unboxing)
29:19 -- This Hobby's Done! No It Isn't! Yes It Is!, No! 
31:39 -- (a diverion) Doctors!
38:12 -- Back to the Hobby Question
56:30 -- Glengoyne 18 year old
68:23 -- Nick Cave Wants Your Soul - Skeleton Tree
83:33 -- Terraforming Mars (in Depth)

Well kids, Essen 2016 is right around the corner and it's that time of year when we tell you which games have us drooling. And we are crossing the streams with this one. It's dangerous, I know, but it has to be done.

In order to give you the bestest, biggest, baddest selection possible we are joining forces with Edward and Amanda from the Heavy Cardboard podcast. These lists are so good that we are broadcasting on both channels. Choose your poison and hide your wallets. Oh, and enjoy. Please.

Eric's back, and we're taking old games, new albums, dead presidents and adjective-less baristas. We also discuss how the world could have ended in 1962 if we were in charge. But hey, we weren't. So you're welcome.

More fun than you can fit in your crawl space. Especially when you have at least 14 baristas down there.

COFFEE:

03:25 -- Three Kingdoms Redux (session report)
34:58 -- New Tunes (fea. Ryley Walker, Angel Olsen, Lisa Hannigan, Metallica, The Tragically Hip & more)
49:52 -- The Wayback Machine -- Our Hot Games of September 2014
63:53 -- Baristas in the Crawl Space
66:45 -- 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 (in-depth)

Welcome to episode 95 of the 'cast, another no-nonsense dissection of all things boardgaming. Right? Correct? Well, it is episode 95. I mean, you have to agree to that much. Really, you do. Okay fine. Still, it is an episode. It is.

Anyway, with Eric dividing his time between Patriots training camp and his historic run on the PGA tour, we welcome Marty back to the program for his second pinch-hit appearance. And we're throwing some off-the-beaten-path games at him (and you). C'mon somebody, hit that nasty sinking curve!

PITCH COUNT:

06:39 -- You Got Digital All Up in My Analog!
21:29 -- Argent: The Consortium (revisited)
36:09 -- City of Spies: Estoril 1942 (in-depth)
66:10 -- Nina & Pinta (in-depth)
120:40 -- Goodbye Hip

Do you like moving pictures? Do you like images streamed to your television? Do you like people talking about people talking about fascinating things? Do you like music, whisky, games? Fun. Do you like fun? Well, take a listen, then maybe sample some of what we discuss here, and you might just have more fun than you can stand. Or not. But hopefully.

Welcome to episode 94, chock full of many things considered.

ENTRIES:

05:45 -- A Little Thing About Social Justice Warriors
11:45 -- The Lowell Observatory
18:08 -- Stranger Things and Sing Street
24:44 -- The Tragically Hip
26:10 -- Giving it Away (Arkwright 1)
29:15 -- The Kindness of Listeners
30:30 -- The Pogues Irish Whiskey
36:08 -- Core Worlds (in depth)
69:55 -- Viking Dalliances
73:23 -- Game Expansions (overview)

Join us as we take a ride on that old Kickstarter highway, down to the alt-Euro land of Scythe in the years after the Great War. And this is the big one, Elizabeth! Filled to the brim with deluxe goodness and leaving a vapor trail of buzz and hype. 

Fair play, too, as Stonemaier Games offer up the safest bets in the crowdfunding arena. You're gonna get your game on time and it's gonna be pretty. Really pretty.

But does the game play safe or does it's soul rise to the level of it's blinged out exterior. We discuss, very much in-depth, right here in episode 93. Enjoy.

ACTIONS:

02:22 -- That Arkwright Thingy
12:41 -- Castles of Burgundy: The Card Game (in-depth)
32:08 -- Kilchoman, Machir Bay
39:25 -- Mystic Vale (1st impressions)
46:15 -- Scythe (really in-depth)

How many games is too many? 200? 100? 50? 11? Which games would you eliminate if your significant other decided that the shelves in your house could be put to better use. We look at this question by deciding which ten games we would keep if we had to reduce our collections. Feel free to play along.

ITEMS:

05:32 -- Old Pulteney Navigator
11:55 -- Viewer Mail, Scheduling, and Other Bits-o-Buisiness
15:41 -- Kickstarter Hype, Bookshelf Games and Life Expectancy (Guildhall, Yokohama & others, in brief)
44:17 -- Are You Listening?
53:57 -- Speaking of Radiohead
64:22 -- Nina & Pinta (teaser)
67:50 -- Reducing Our Collection to 10 Games

Hello and welcome to another packed episode designed to keep you company on your long commutes. Eric returns to the mic and we discuss Radiohead, John Doe, Princes of the Renaissance & Arkwright giveaways, and HeavyCon 2016 before launching into our dissection of Level 99's Millennium Blades. Packed, I said.

This one was interesting to edit. As I listened to our in-depth discussion about Millennium Blades I kept thinking of more things to say about the game itself. And though we gave it about an hour of exposure, I felt we left something on the table. Still, you should get a good idea about this unique, fascinating, maddening, and fun game. Enjoy.

BOOSTER PACKS:

04:43 -- Princes of the Renaissance Giveaway Update
06:22 -- Arkwright Giveaway Teaser
12:23 -- Revisiting the Euro question
21:43 -- Virtuosity: The Soulless Euro of Music
25:31 -- John Doe & The Only Song About Relationships You'll Ever Need.
29:23 -- Radiohead Adoration
45:45 -- HeavyCon 2016
52:28 -- Shameless Prototype Plug
63:33 -- Millennium Blades (in-depth)

You are about to embark on a journey back in time. Back to harsh landscapes and unforgiving environments. And dice rolls. Lots of dice flying everywhere.

Come with us to find out how to coerce your lowly ape-like ancestors on the path to being human. And then learn how to keep them alive as they hunt and forage in harsh Arctic climes. We're going all in on Phil Eklund's Neanderthal and Greenland in this one. Welcome to the wayback machine.

ERAS:

07:52 -- Princes of the Renaissance contest announcement.
13:36 -- Heading to Heavy Con
15:25 -- MMA or UFC, What???
19:30 -- To Euro or not to Euro, what is the answer?
44:33 -- Neanderthal & Greenland (in-depth)

Have you been looking for a living card game that you can dive right in on without worrying about constant updates? Don't want to buy two (or three) core sets? Are you a reformed Magic player who wants to scratch that itch without going back down the rabbit hole? Can Plaid Hat games help you with their entry into the genre, Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn? We'll suss it out for you right here. Right now. Definitively. Or something like that?

Also, gaming with kids. Should you even bother. I mean, of course you want to game with your kids, so let's discuss how to do it. 

All this and more in Episode 89. Don't be fooled by false endings.

CHALKBOARD:

00:34 -- Amrut Fusion Single Malt
13:20 -- Weedy Poker
16:05 -- More Games Acquired
17:54 -- What You Want & What We'll Do
26:50 -- Gaming With Kids
60:30 -- Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn (fairly in-depth)
101:50 -- Get Sleep and Avoid Divorce.

Welcome to the PCP Magiporium, performances every Thursday through Sunday. We have mechanics and mystics, apprentices and assistants. Escape artists are chained in tanks of sea water. Illusionists will conjure impossible creatures. Rabbits will pop from hats. Monkeys will fly. Minds will clash. Look! What's behind that cloud of smoke?

You'll want to see a show every week, so arrive early for the best seats. This week, Trickerion! All secrets will be revealed. 

TRICKS:

06:30 -- Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Single Malt
13:07 -- Trickerion: Legends of Illusion (in depth)

Scotland or Japan? It's the question on everyone's minds. Who's minds, you ask? Where ya been? No one's talking about Kardashians or Trumps or hunky Canadian dudes who somehow get to run countries where people eat poutine and slide rocks across frozen, swept water. Nope, it's all about a place full of craggy rocks and craggy people vs. the land of Hello Kitty and Karaoke.

And like Chris Hardwick after The Walking Dead we're here to talk you through it, to lend support as you try to sort out your feelings about those places and some games based on them. It's a tough one, too. Do you lightly follow a path through the windswept shores, rocky hills, and green pastures on The Isle of Skye in search of sheep and fine whisky, or do you build and run factories in Nippon, spreading your goods, and ships and trains out across the whole of Japan? Who knows? We don't, but were gonna talk about it anyway.

DESTINATIONS:

04:29 -- Some Games We Encountered
13:30 -- The Joy of Rockin' Live
23:57 -- Isle of Skye (in depth)
73:34 -- Nippon (in depth)

I'm sick, and it's difficult to come up with a clever paragraph or two to introduce our 85th episode, so I'll just lay it out in a simple fashion.

On this podcast you will hear our interview with Mercury Games' Richard Diosi, who will be giving you the lowdown on the reprint of Princes of the Renaissance. You will hear a lot of game talk, including an in-depth examination of Pax Pamir. And of course, we have a dram and a little fun along the way. Please excuse the coughing and enjoy.

TIMETABLE

08:52 -- Princes of the Renaissance (interview and specifics)
36:24 -- Park Safely (rant)
40:15 -- Games and our Dynamic Ratings?
57:55 -- Can a Game be too Heavy?
68:46 -- Connemara Peated Single Malt
76:06 -- Pax Pamir (in-depth)

Welcome to our first episode in 2016. We seem to have settled into a pattern of releasing a show just about once a month. We can sustain this, I think. And maybe add a few more into the mix when time allows. So consider this the first of about 15 for 2016

In this episode we take on a couple of your questions and answer them with a fairly lengthy discussion, trying to turn over every stone in the sandbox. We also take an in-depth look at The Gallerist, including an amazing two-minute drill from Eric (He got the ball all the way to the twelve yard line before the clock ran out).

We throw in a little talk of whisky and philosophy, but games come under a great deal of scrutiny in this one.

ATTRACTIONS:

04:04 -- A Question of Questions
07:04 -- A Question of Balance and Weenies
31:30 -- A Sandbox named Absurd
46:40 -- Horrible Bosses
51:55 -- Oban, Distillers Edition: Distilled 1999, Bottled 2014
61:03 -- No Fun February
62:55 -- Kickstarter Dos (Millennium Blades) & don'ts (Thrash 'n' Roll)
71:56 -- The Gallerist (in-depth)
131:38 -- Russian Railroads: German Railroads (a quick word)
135:50 -- Secret Question

Just because it's a thing you do, we  offer up our 2nd annual discussion and ranking of the games we encountered for the first time this year, along with the best whisky and music enjoyed whilst playing.

You'll hear thrilling descriptions of game from two lists, each 17 games long. Why 17? We don't ask "why" here at the PCP, we merely forge ahead and trounce the Goblins. We also add in top fives (or more) in whisky and music. We suggest you sample the wares and create your own pairings.

Also, since this is a spoiler free time of year, individual games will not be listed in the times below. However, in the next few days we will post our lists in our BGG Guild (https://www.boardgamegeek.com/guild/1805) which you will be able to peruse at your lesiure.

SECTORS:

05:57 -- Games 11-17 (or so), and disappoinments
40:48 -- Whiskies of the Year
52:01 -- Games 6-10 (or thereabouts)
90:16 -- The Albums You Need to Hear
110:05 -- Games 1-5 (exactly)

It's Splotter time on the old podcast. We've been spending quite a bit of time organizing and reorganizing our fledgling food empires and we're taking a little coffee break so we can tell you how it's all going. Join us and find out if schlepping drinks and flipping burgers is more fun than you remember.

MENU:

07:47 -- 2015 World Whiskey of the Year: Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
17:43 -- Neanderthal, et al.
21:10 -- Food Chain Magnate (in-depth review)
77:03 -- Music (Samantha Crain, City and Colour, Joanna Newsom)
85:40 -- The Gallerist Postponed (we need another hour on this one)

And as promised, part two of our Essen games extravaganza; AKA, the good stuff. Nothing more to say than listen in and hold on to your wallets.

INGREDIENTS

01:03 -- The Bloody Inn
08:05 -- Grand Austria Hotel
16:53 -- 504
21:28 -- Shakespeare
31:33 -- Food Chain Magnate
45:42 -- Bretagne
60:55 -- Lignum
80:18 -- Nippon

Despite the prospect of ever orbiting schedules we have somehow collided for a long moment to record another installment of As the Podcast Turns, Essen edition. Yea us! In fact, what we recorded was so long that this will be the first of two concurrent releases today. And yeah, we know you know how to use the pause button, but it actually makes the editing job easier.

Last week we attended a small con in Bellevue that focuses on getting the most recent Essen releases to the table. A couple hundred folks attend and there seems to be at least one copy of each Essen title available to play. Much cheaper and more intimate than a trip to Germany

Between us we put in over 80 hours playing our most anticipated games. We then rushed home through a torrential downpour to tell you about it (or was it to get soaked taking our kids out Halloween night?). Anyway, sit back and enjoy the first half of our Essen game coverage. Maybe grab some strudel while you're at it.

We have come to the crossroads here at the 'cast. The external forces of life, real and imagined, have conspired against us. We are against the ropes and down on one knee, a significant cut upon the brow, bloodied, the referee close to the end of his count.  We're not sure there's anywhere to go from here and you can listen in as we consider our options.

We also get to a good selection of games, getting in depth on a few, but quick and concise overall, back in the land of reasonable show lengths

TIMES:

02:15 -- The Hard Stuff: Down for the Count???
23:30 -- Furniture for Games
27:28 -- Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game
32:58 -- Istanbul
42:20 -- Roads & Boats
48:25 -- Clinic
54:25 -- The Voyages of Marco Polo
58:19 -- Murano
62:37 -- Gold West
67:40 -- Steampunk Rally
75:23 -- The Secret Question
77:30 -- Kickstarter Grumbles

Three Kingdoms Redux is currently the 2156th ranked game on Board Game Geek. It's a game we've been playing this month, one that's been on our radar for quite a while, and in this episode we're going to do our longest single game review telling you why that ranking is approximately 2150 places off.

Also, we've discovered another fine game about to hit Kickstarter, World's Fair 1893. This one has demanded to be on our table more than we expected, and we could see it garnering some silverware in 2016.

Add to this a bottle of Whisky and a handful of light games played just before recording and you have our longest episode yet (On a side note, we plan to reverse this length trend as we slouch on toward episode 100).

ATTRACTIONS:

04:44 -- Sixes &Sevens: Light Game Deathmatch (Discoveries, Mottainai, Flip City, Welcome to the Dungeon, Traders of Osaka)
19:30 -- Practicing Guitar
21:00 -- World's Fair 1893 (in-depth KS preview)
59:17 -- The Bottle of Guilt: Ardbeg Auriverdes
70:22 -- Transition
71:21 -- Three Kingdoms Redux (in-depth review)

Someone recently commented that our podcasts are almost as long as Wagner's operas. Well, seeing as we take that as a challenge, this one's epic! Sweeping! Cinematic! In 70 mm Technicolor!

After some short reviews and music talk, and  spin-offs of Eric's "When Things Went Bad" segments, we launch into our annual Essen preview. These are the games we're hoping will take some money out of our pockets. Do we play it safe? Can we find something unique, something off the radar? And how many of these games will even be available to us?

Gotta say, this is a long one, but I sure enjoyed the listen while editing.

LISTS:

03:05 -- Starfighter (review)
23:49 -- Secret Question #8
24:17 -- Tides of Time (review)
30:20 -- Bountytown
52:05 -- Music: Destroyer, Matt Pond PA, Joe Henry
64:50 -- Essen Preview, How We Do
67:10 -- A Wife's Wisdom and When Things are Forgotten
69:40 -- Shout Out Louisville
71:40 -- More Wisdom?
75:45 -- List Making & Expansion Desires
78:57 -- Essen & Beyond, 5th Choices
86:10 -- 4th Choices
95:17 -- 3rd Choices
105:00 -- 2nd Choices
112:40 -- 1st Choices
121:26 -- Honorable Mentions

Guess what kids? We've been playing games. Lots of games. New games, old games, good games, bad games, even unpublished games (like Gil Hova's upcoming charmer, The Networks). Yea games!

And now, through the miracle of the Interent, you can follow along and listen to what we think of all these games we've played. It's kinda like a sing-a-long, with that bouncy ball hopping around above the words, except we don't have video, so it's really not like that at all.

FOLLOW THE BALL:

01:50 -- Six Degrees of Aggravation
07:16 -- The Networks (Review)
53:35 -- Yellow Spot Irish Whiskey
60:54 -- We played Gen Con games at Sasquatch
63:05 -- Starfighter
69:00 -- Codenames
72:11 -- Spyfall
75:58 -- Discoveries
77:00 -- Secret Question #7
79:15 -- Viceroy
80:50 -- Isle of Skye
82:14 -- New York, 1901
86:15 -- Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot
94:33 -- Ty Con 2015 (the Seconding)
97:37 -- Kohle & Kolonie (mini-review)

Here at Punching Cardboard headquarters there is always the difference between what plans are made and what plans are realized. Here it is, our 75th show. The plan was to record something a little out of the ordinary for episode 75; the realization is our typical fare with some humor, conversation and opinions on games, whisky and music.

Still, we think that’s pretty good. After all, we wouldn’t have made it to episode 75 if we didn’t feel we were doing good things, and we wouldn’t have kept going if you all weren’t listening (Yep, we’re throwing you guys under the bus).

So if you’ve been around for a good while, thanks for putting our ‘cast into your rotation. And if you’re just coming to the party, welcome. We hope you’ll all stay on board for this ride. We may not record too many special episodes over the next 75, but we’ll probably realize 75 more episodes. Just imagine, Episode 150 — Caverna 2: the Agricola Field Recordings! (remastered edition). You know you want it. So do we. Let’s have fun together.

TRACK LISTING:

01:50 — Tame Impala / Jason Isbell
07:16 – – (Upcoming Games)
07:47 — We Give Phil Eklund All Our Money
12:14 — “Kingdom Builder? This About Kingdom Builder?”
14:00 — Thanks for the games
17:38 — (What We’ve Been Playing / Buying)
17:45 — Trambahn
22:20 — Mage Knight Expansion Troubles?
25:14 — King of New York / Sheriff of Nottingham / Citadels
29:16 — The BenRiach Septendecim, 17 year old Peated
34:13 — Barony
66:13 — Secret Question #6

Welcome to episode 74. Inside you will find a lengthy discussion about games that we have played more than any others, a tasting report on a new single malt, and a few new music recommendations.

But to top it off Jim spends about a half hour talking to Richard "Doc" Diosi of Mercury games about their upcoming reprint of Princes of the Renaissance.

So sit back and pour a wee dram and enjoy.

HEADLINES

03:45 -- Madeira Revisited
16:32 -- Interview with Richard "Doc" Diosi (Mercury Games)
27:23 -- Princes of the Renaissance
50:36 -- anCnoc 12 year old single malt
58:45 -- Tame Impala, Jason Isbell, Little Steven
68;33 -- Defend Your Ten (Our top ten most played games)
117:20 -- True Confessions
119:00 -- The Secret Q (we almost forgot)

Despite this week's title our episode is so Germanic that we might have been better off sipping some hefe-weizen rather than our drams of 18 year old Aberlour.

We open with an examination of a fan created copy of the German-only Kashgar and close with a look at making German autos with Kraftwagen. Many hard consonants and guttural utterings can be found in between, including talk about something called Kickstarter.

Wir Sind Das Podcast!!!

01:50 -- Kashgar: Händler der Seidenstraße
28:22 -- 3x1 results
34:30 -- Kickstarter Follies
45:30 -- Aberlour 18 year old
50:35 -- Last week's Secret Q: Our Response
65:00 -- Secret Question #4
67:37 -- Kamasi Washington, The Epic
72:45 -- Kraftwagen

You want a discussion about a lot of board games? You've come to the right place. We make good on our promise to catch up on what we've been playing, which results in some "near" reviews of several games.

Plenty of cardboard related talk in this one. And a Green Spot toast to some deserving new champions who have a very large cup to carry around all Summer.

BOXSCORE:

00:30 -- Captain Serious and the Showtime Kid (Duncan Keith too.)
04:19 -- Business
09:55 -- Bring on the Cavalcade of Games
10:15 -- Oh No, It's the Watch Patrol!
18:00 -- Rune Age
22:03 -- Chimera
37:24 -- Lewis & Clark
50:56 -- Depth to Length, a Litany
62:25 -- The Secret Question (#3)
64:54 -- Dungeon Lords (You Will Play This Game)

We are undeterred. We are punk and grunge and garage. We are sweating and drinking and fumbling about in the studio for show notes. We are tired but persistent. We are Rune Age and Noir. We are Heatstroke, coming to a venue near you and turning it up to 11.

All that and a long discussion of a new classic, Keyflower.

ON THE DIALS:

04:14 -- I'm Playing Baseball.
07:00 -- Noir: Black Box Edition (review, sorta)
20:45 -- Laphroaig, 18 years old.
28:09 -- Use a Nice Glass, Please
29:35 -- To Spark the Interest
38:04 -- Audiophile Corner (The Phantom Band, Mikal Cronin, Torres (MacKenzie Scott), Phosphorescent)
47:00 -- The Secret Question
52:30 -- 3x1: The Geeklist and Update
55:25 -- Keyflower (review)
99:15 -- Input Randomness

Well, this one certainly got away from us, didn't it? Our docket looked thin with a new idea, a few apologies, a clarification of mission, and a few game summaries, but somehow we reached the two hour mark.

I guess we didn't expect our summaries to become full blown reviews, and we also forgot to factor in the fun we were having. I imagine not recording in three weeks played a role as well. Just more of us to love, I guess.

THE DOCKET:

02:05 -- Sylvion (review)
33:30 -- All Apologies
40:00 -- Ardbeg Corryvreckkan
52:11 -- Secret Question #1
59:55 -- The Hitchhikers Guide to Punching Cardboard (Mission Statement)
72:55 -- Future Scheduling
74:57 -- Asgard (unexpected review)

The interesting thing about our show is that the vast majority of the time we are in agreeance about most everything we cover. Yet, we are sometimes defined by the very few feisty arguments that have graced this program (and you can't see the smiles on our faces when we record these).

Will this be a defining episode? Quite possibly, as we do come down on very opposite sides of one of our 3x3 entrants. Rest assured, no podcasters we're injured in the making of this episode (We quite enjoyed ourselves), and we put Mayweather and Pacquiao to shame.

ROUNDS:

01:09 -- Green Spot
09:39 -- No Business
11:25 -- Future Spins
18:05 -- Trains: Rising Sun and Other Deck Builders
22:43 -- First Things Went Bad, Then Good (Lords of Scotland, Onirim)
29:50 -- Love Letter Batman Bar Etiquette
31:41 -- Whiskey and Pancakes
32:40 -- How is That 3x3 Coming Along?
40:15 -- 1714: The Case of the Catalans (Impressions, Main Event)
95:20 -- MTG and Little League

Today we head back in time, and without the help of a TARDIS.

We drink some finely aged Scotch and discuss a finely aged band, and then we dart back to the beginning of the 20th Century and explore the great age of yellow journalism. But it all still seems so modern, so we head for the way way back machine and go play with a couple of ancient civilizations in the Mediterranean.

It's just all so historical. Maybe more than we can fathom, but we go anyway, because it's what we do. Come along for the ride.

HISTORIES:

05:20 -- Ardbeg Uigeadail
12:03 -- The Waterboys, Modern Blues
19:36 -- Baseball Highlights Expansion News
22:37 -- Penny Press (impressions)
45:20 -- Polis: Fight for the Hegemony (in-depth)
107:10 -- Fight the Power!!

Oh man, did we pack this show. We threw everything at this one. I even think I saw a kitchen sink fly by.

We give you a little something to drink, a little something to listen to, something to watch, a couple things to play, stuff that went bad, annoying stuff, some oil, water, vinegar: Everything you like or hate about us is in this one.

Forgive us for we know not what we do.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN:

01:37 -- 3x3 Challenge Update (play along)
05:38 -- We Don't Just Go Along With the Crowd
07:48 -- Aberlour A'Bunadh
15:10 -- Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit and Think . . . 
25:18 -- Everybody Plays!!!
29:45 -- The Proper Use of Facebook
30:33 -- Daredevil
34:45 -- Arboretum (review)
55:55 -- When Things Went Bad (music edition)
58:10 -- ZhanGuo (review)

While we considered continuing the remote podcasting with a trip on Route 66, we decided to return to the studio instead and get back to some normalcy. A little Whisky, a little music, a lot of games, and a new challenge await you in this magical land. We hope you enjoy your visit.

ROADMAP:

02:58 -- Some Thank Yous
08:01 -- Balvenie Doublewood
11:27 -- The Baseball Project
16:08 -- Kick (starting) the Spring Lull
18:35 -- Lord of the Rings LCG
27:07 -- Lords Of Xidit
40:36 -- The 3x3 Challenge
77:07 -- ZhanGuo Will Have to Wait

Our second and final installment from our live Gamestorm sessions. Recorded first on the day, but a very difficult edit deems it airs last. A number of creative people grace the microphones, and we are joined by Jason Hancock of The Docking Bay 94: The Game Reviewers podcast in this joint effort. Film, fiction and gaming all feature here, with a special discussion of the new game March of the Ants. 

For those who're looking for our regular programming, we hope you enjoy this diversion. And never fear, our regularly scheduled programming will return in Episode 66.

TIMES:

07:08 -- J. R. Ralls (Citizen George) & Robert LaCosse
12:48 -- Knob Creek
19:00 -- Rhiannon Louve
25:16 -- Michael Mindes (TMG Games)
35:44 -- "Lindsey Stirling is so awesome!"
45:38 -- Dave Howell (Penny Gems)
55:30 -- Tim Eisner & Ryan Sisher (March of the Ants), Special Interviewer: Kate Reid
70:50 -- The Mindes Returns

Welcome to our first remote broadcast, recorded live at Gamestorm in Vancouver Washington, Saturday, the 21st of March. This is a loose affair featuring two very witty guests, Mike Selinker (Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Betrayal at the House on the Hill, and many others) and Michael Mindes (Owner of Tasty Minstrel Games).

After a false start, we get the buttons pushed correctly and the levels set as best we can, and we settle in to a lively conversation of many things board games and some things not. There's a fair bit of chatter in the background as this was recorded in the midst of a reception, but if you pretend you pulled up a bar stool and were eavesdropping on a fun exchange, then all will be well? We enjoyed this immensely and we hope you do as well.

We're smoking peat, greasing wheels, shooting sparks, and slapping applesauce in episode 63. We begin slowly and end with a beginning, all out-takes included. The whisky's a little smoky and the language a little salty, but we get our kicks in this one. All that and some serious examination of a couple of heavyweight games. Please enjoy responsibly.

SPELLS:

02:00 -- Peat Monster!
10:30 -- Hand. Cannot. Erase. (Steven Wilson)
17:25 -- Bono Feld
19:05 -- Kanban (revisited in full)
51:15 -- Oh So Heavy???
58:00 -- A Baseball Highlights Afternoon Special.
61:30 -- Argent: The Consortium (pre-review. to be revisited)
104:50 -- To Begin at the Beginning (Schedules, Gamestorm, Brian DePalma, Minecraft, Requests, Pics, and etc).

Welcome to the quiet little village of Episode 62. Here, at the local pub you can enjoy a fine dram of single malt whisky, prepared with loving care by the town vicar, whilst listening to the locals spin tales of their mining exploits on Mars. What more could you ask for?

DRILLING SCHEDULE:

01:15 -- Cthulhu Approved Whisky: HP, Dark Origins
09:50 -- Old Fun February: Fail
23:02 -- Evil Tower of Cubes
31:12 -- Super Motherload (review)
58:55 -- Gamestorm Plans?????

You want a game you can bring home to your spouse and play on a cold snowy evening, just the two of you, a nice fire going, a little wine. When things go good, shall we say.

But you also want that game to shine when you have company, when you slap it on the table, when you show your friends just who's daddy you are. Yep, you want a game that covers the range of players indicated on it's enticing linen box, a game that does more than sit on your shelf, taunting you over the money you spent, knowing that . . . um . . . um, yeah.

Well, we discuss scalability and let you know about 19 games that fit the bill. Listen forth.?

TIPPING THE SCALES

02:47 -- Ardbeg Again
05:30 -- Music Reviews (Cracker and Blue Rodeo)
13:40 -- Playing New Games in Old Fun February -- Super Motherload
17:40 -- Railroads and Peppers
20:25 -- ZhanGuo
24:30 -- Eric Won't Play Dungeon Petz!
27:50 -- Scales Defined
30:00 -- Up the Scale
46:48 -- Down the Scale
60:45 -- Working Across the Player Count (Games listed in the Tags)

You asked for it, and you got it. We take a deep look at Deus in this episode, a game that has divided our opinions like no other before it and quite possibly none that will come after. And then we go deeper, exploring the depths of Stefan Feld's oceanic research labs in Aquasphere, because we all live in some sort of colorful submarine. With robots. And Crystals. And a laser barrier between us and our point salad.

TIMES:

06:45 Deus (review)
42:25 Aquasphere (review / impressions)

Welcome to this week's episode of Punching Health Care. We get all medical in this bad boy, finding cures for what ails you with Bad Medicine and saving the world (not) in Pandemic: the Cure. We also toss in some musical cures for KatyPerryItis that will have Kanye West's head spinning (there's probably a cure for that too). It's all about theme, baby!

APPOINTMENTS:

06:50 -- Bad Medicine (preview)
37:08 -- January's Music Selections
41:45 -- Pandemic: The Cure (review)
58:00 -- Co-ops and Difficulty

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in two weeks but Baseball Highlights: 2045 reported to Punching Cardboard yesterday, so we're getting a jump on the action. We've got cyborgs, we've got robots, we've got naturals, and we've got a card game with a fairly unique take on the sport of baseball that should allow access for anyone with even a passing interest.

We also discuss (ahem!) the avalanche of games either hitting the table or pending, and whether this is a good thing or not (Eric: Yes! - Jim: NO!). All this and a short preview of 1714: The Case of the Catalans lie ahead. Tread carefully (except with the Baseball part because that is a gentile, pastoral sport).

INNINGS:

00:42 -- Powers, John's Lane Release
05:18 -- They Were Just There Not to Get Fined
14:49 -- Too Many Games (Argue: Fight)!
31:09 -- New Dice For Quantum
33:45 -- Game Weight. 1714: The Case of the Catalans (preview)
39:16 -- Baseball Highlights: 2045 (review)
75:42 -- The Two Stories of Kickstarter

We spend a lovely day out on the farm, wandering the fields and picking packs of yellow, red, blue, green orange, black, white, brown, some clear glittery, and (I won't alliterate anymore) peppers. We're in Scoville, USA and we're making chili.

We also talk the best music from 2014, our Kickstarter habits, game addiction, and upcoming cons. Uh-oh, Eric's eyes are watering. He must have forgotten to wash his hands after handling his peppers.

TIMING:

06:18 -- Big Box Mania
07:35 -- Ardbeg: Build Your Collection
08:14 -- Technology Moves Ahead
10:06 -- Top 5 Albums of 2014
20:49 -- Gen Con and Other Possibilities
24:40 -- Eric Does Orleans
26:30 -- Addiction Trumps Virus
29:20 -- All Our Kickstarters
34:46 -- Scoville (review)

Takin' the heavy down a notch or four from last week, we're controlling areas in Londonderry and rollin' bones in space for episode 56. Still, there's plenty of meat in these titles, and plenty of flavor bringing us back for more.

Thank you, sir, may I have another.

TIMELINESS:

02:22 -- GlenDronach, The Original 12 Year-old
05:50 -- Bidness
09:45 -- Playing From The Shelf Challenge
12:53 -- The Punchies!
15:25 -- GameStorm & Other Possible Appearances
19:43 -- The Walled City: Londonderry & Borderlands (review)
53:10 -- Roll for the Galaxy (review)

Welcome to Episode 55, the Director's cut. Yup, this is a long one. To be fair, We are covering the mammoth known as Arkwright, and we devote well over an hour to this beast alone. We also drink a little Jameson and sew a few quilts just to keep ourselves honest. Might be a rant in there too (just a little one).

TIMER:

02:40 -- Jameson
05:10 -- You mean there's more football!?
08:53 -- Patchwork (review)
20:32 -- Refusing to buy Star Realms expansion
25:20 -- Arkwright (review)

Hello and welcome to 2015, Punching Cardboard style! Well, an approximation of our style as we are admittedly a little off our game after this holiday break. I mean, we're hustling all over the place, trying to make the plays, but it's like the balls taking funny hops or something.

Anyway, forgive the extra long rules explanations as we delve into a couple of mid-weight, short-playing games: Akrotiri and Lagoon: Land of Druids.

TIMES:

02:40 -- Redbreast 15 Year-old Irish Pure Pot Still
08:48 -- Game Trayz
18:00 -- Akrotiri (review)
53:00 -- We Will Play Kill Shakespeare and Other Tales
59:35 -- Lagoon: Land of Druids (review)

Well, it's that time of year, the time when everyone climbs all over everyone else to get their Top 10 lists up and running. We're no different here at the PCP, so we have some lists for you too. However, we are different enough to put a little spin on the exercise. So,  mainly because we've yet to play all the major 2014 releases, here are the top games we played for the first time in 2014.

Yeah, bet you didn't see that coming.

Of course, rather than keep it simple, we throw other lists at you first: Disappointments, games that need to be played more, honorable mentions. In other words, we talk about a lot of games in this one. Help you somebody!

GENERAL TIMELINESS:

08:20 -- What We're Doing
09:00 -- Friendless Stats
10:48 -- Disappointments
26:27 -- Need More Plays
44:35 -- Honorable Mentions
64:17 -- The Top 10 Games We Played For the First Time in 2014

Over two long play sessions we've decided the fate of post-war Germany five times over, and we've survived to tell the tale. Just how good is Histogame's Wir Sind Das Volk!, and can it rise above GMT's cold war competition? Can these game designers take the ridiculous and make it sublime? Will we come to grips with the whisky is rated? Why is the sky blue?

Join us on this magical journey back to the middle of the 20th Century and find out. Mostly.

SHOWTIMES:

00:42 -- BenRiach 10 Year-old Curiositas
02:57 -- Ratings: Theirs, Ours and Everyone's
09:30 -- Wir Sind Das Volk! (very full review)

We're a little low-key early on in this one, but there's nothing like Feld mechanics to raise the temperature of a discussion. Come along to a quiet little city on the Zwin. Or even better, join us for some Dim Sum in 1960s New York City.

TIMESCAPES

03:05 -- When Things Go Bad #2
06:50 -- Jim plays Uwe, WHA????
21:38 -- Temporum, a brief note
24:45 -- Setup? This is about setup???
28:45 -- The Feld Throwdown begins
30:30 -- Featuring the Bruges Expansion (review)
53:05 -- Expansions?
60:45 -- Chinatown (review)
76:10 -- Age of Steam
83:00 -- Lethargy Incorporated

Episode 50! A Milestone. We've got special guests and previews of secret upcoming games by all-star designers and marching bands and . . . well, none of that really. Just Jim and Eric pontificating about some games they've played. But that's what you came for, right? Right? Hello?

THE TIMES (ARE A CHANGIN')

01:35 -- What to put under the tree
07:30 -- How could we forget Imperial Settlers?
08:35 -- Meh (Five Tribes)
13:12 -- Meh 2 (La Isla)
19:49 -- And fill the stockings too.
21:25 -- La Granja (full review)

You do not mess around with Sandra. If she wants something, she wants it now, and you hop to. And don't try impressing here with your fifth upgraded part when she's only interested in the first three. She doesn't have time. Just make sure you're working enough shifts and pushing those cars through in a timely order to facilitate the Automotive Revolution.

But if you want an escape you can always go to Greenland. In 1200 AD. Find yourself a fine Norse woman and settle down a while. Watch out for sharks.

TIMELINE:

01:23 -- Auchentoshan
03:38 -- Productive Gaming & the Sheriff of Nottingham
10:43 -- More Castles for the Mad King
14:40 -- Twilight Imperium III forever, and ever, and ever. . . . 
18:20 -- A Word about Streamlining
19:40 -- Kanban: Automotive Revolution (review)
38:26 -- Greenland (review)

And here we are, on the last episode of our first season. Welcome. This, I believe, is also our longest episode as well (something I could look up, but if you've been listening, you know . . . ).

We discuss many, many things in this episode, including a trip to Stonemaier Games' Design Day event, United Airlines' complete incompetence (Save one beautiful soul) and a bunch of games played. Long reviews of Panamax and Castles of Mad King Ludwig included for your listening pleasure.

We do rant and ramble a bit, but we think some of it is quite entertaining, and Jim's story of his journey back from St. Louis ends with hope for us all.

THE TIMES:

3:15 -- Stonemaier Design Day
8:05 -- Horse and Pony Show
14:00 -- RANT! De-icing and the redemption of humanity
23:00 -- Asmodee: The New Electronic Arts?
25:00 -- More St. Louis Shout-outs.
28:30 -- Eric plays Brass and Cosmic Encounter
31:10 -- The Ty Wyman Memorial Cup, Race 2 (Thunder Alley)
33:07 -- Review: Panamax!
68:00 -- Review: Castles of Mad King Ludwig
91:25 -- Queen Corrects Greed MSRP

You wanted it. We promised it. Then you waited for it. And now it is here! The COIN series comes to the Punching Cardboard Podcast. And this episode is so big that good ol' T.C. returns to help carry the weight of this series.

We discuss some other games as well, and yeah, well, for the better part of an hour: COIN!!!

TIMES

3:20 -- Our never ending Kill Shakespeare update
8:03 -- Our Machi Koro impressions
10:49 -- What's been on our tables
11:30 -- Panamax 1st impression
16:32 -- Munchkin Deluxe? not really
17:20 -- Segue
19:08 -- A little Cosmic Encounter
20:05 -- How to Concentrate in Vinhos
22:25 -- COIN series featuring Fire in the Lake

We spend some time with some lighter fare and end up running all over the place in this episode. Kickstarters delivered late. Over-priced games. Greed. Greed. Sushi Go wrongly compared with 7 Wonders (I mean, come on!). Games where red cards win. More 7s. Games with shoddy components. Etc.

TIMELINE:

9:05 -- quick take on Trains: Rising Sun
10:52 -- IDW bungles Kill Shakespeare
21:50 -- Greed (Queen games bungles)
33:50 -- Card Drafting (7 Wonders, Seasons, etc.)
50:57 -- Red7
52:20 -- She didn't realize it was Carl Chudyk
54:34 -- Back to Red7

With Essen 2014 in the rear view mirror we take a look at the games we will be pursuing. Two lists, five items on each, 10 games that at least one of us will own even if home equity lines of credit are needed.

And then there are all the games that didn't make our lists that we're just not gonna buy. Nope, no way, no chance, only in an emergency, only if they look really great, or good, or at least appear in some physical form at our friendly local game store. But truly, other than that . . . .

TIMESTAMP:

2:18 -- Lagoon 1st Impression
5:30 -- Essen post-view
6:40 -- Deus
12:00 -- Wir Sind Das Volk (We are the People)
15:45 -- Samurai Spirit
20:25 -- Kanban: Automotive Revolution
26:28 -- Aquasphere
32:15 -- Arkwright
39:09 -- Mythotopia
44:20 -- Colt Express
51:20 -- Greenland
64:32 -- The Castles of Mad King Ludwig
68:58 -- Notables from our long lists

Welcome to episode 44, the episode in which we were going to discuss GMT's Fire in the Lake.  Yup, we're all set to get that one on tape, but circustances continue to prove they are far from within our control as Eric is stranded at work, and even though we've recruited our friend T.C. to join the fun, we are unable to get things rolling.

Plan B. Guest host? check. Other games to chat about? check. Electricity? check. Single malt whisky? check. Alrighty then, Fire in the Lake and COIN to be pushed back again. Fire up the chatter about Ars Victor, Dead of Winter and Here I Stand. Enjoy.

Before we get to the games on the table this week we want to take a moment to let you know that from October 1st through October 8th we will be proud participants in the 2014 Stonemaier Charity Auction. Stonemaier Games will be auctioning off nine supreme copies of Euphoria, including extra bells and whistles like Game Trayz inserts, pairing each game with a different blogger/podcaster. Each blogcaster will be choosing a charity that will receive 50% of bid for that particular copy. The blogcaster with the largest amount bid will see the entire amount sent to it's charity. The Charity we have chosen is the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. We have much more information about this on the podcast, and you can click the links above (or below) to find out even more. And keep an eye out for tweets to keep you updated as the week progresses.

We also get to some games, taking a first look at Spanish farming in La Granja and a full look at gun-fighting in the Doomtown corral. And we even discuss the reviewing of games in general, something sparked by recent reviews of a Kicstarter game called Lagoon. Follow the timeline below for all the goodness.

1:55 -- Stonemaier Charity Auction
10:40 -- La Granja
31:20 -- Review Fight!
50:45 -- Doomtown: Reloaded

Charity Links:

https://bbrfoundation.org/
http://stonemaiergames.com/2014-charity-auction/

What's wrong with us?

In opposition to those poorly received games we like, our guilty pleasures, there must be games that are well-loved and critically acclaimed which elude our ability to enjoy. Right? Surely.

We spend the Lion's share of this episode discussing games that, despite their acknowledged goodness, one of us is unable to like. It was a fun, maddening discussion, and we hope you'll enjoy it, or at least tell us why we're wrong. Because we are wrong.  Very, Very wrong.

Timestamps:

2:55 -- Kickstarted Games Update
17:10 -- Anticipated Games
23:05 -- What's Wrong With Us
25:48 -- Tzolk'in
31:55 -- Shogun
44:47 -- Brass
50:00 -- Suburbia
54:13 -- Le Havre
61:10 -- Honorable Mentions

This is one action packed episode, chock full of opinions about games old and new. Games of all types. Card games, war games, Euro games. You like laying tiles? Yup, we talk about those too.

It's a long one, so here's a menu in case we're talking about anything you want to skip:

3:39 -- The Arran Malt Whisky (cask strength)
4:27 -- Doomtown: Reloaded
13:25 -- Fire in the Lake
24:00 -- Will we be playing Five Tribes?
27:20 -- Clearance!
28:15 -- The Castles of Burgundy
33:15 -- Ginkgopolis
41:50 -- Seasons
48:45 -- Quantum
59:15 -- Istanbul
103:45 -- Legacy: The Testament of Duke DeCrecy

There is always special satisfaction in grabbing an item off a clearance table and finding it to be something of real value. Even better when said item is a worker placement game that you will be able to enjoy many times over.

What's He Building in There? is such a game, a fairly straight forward exercise in placing workers, but with a theme that makes us smile as we place them. Find out just how much fun we had building our doomsday machines in this week's episode.

This week we're arming Orcs and Elves and hobgoblins, all in the name of making more money. More moola. No prestige or honor, just cold hard cash.

Battle Merchants allows you to get you "Lord of War" on and we're gonna discuss just how much fun that is.  As if you expected anything else.

The imperials are here, and they are settling!

It seems like you have to wait forever to access games that debut at the big cons (Panamax anyone?), but a GenCon release lands in the Pacific Northwest just days after its debut in Indianapolis, so we're here to tell you about it.

Portal Games has gotten copies of Imperial Settlers to market, to stores, to shelves, and more importantly, to us. Yes! Imperial Settlers is ours, and we're playing the something out of it.  Tune in here to see what we think.

This episode finds us doing a rare preview for a game yet to see publication: Galaxy of Trian. We put the basic game of this lovely galaxy through it's paces and teleport back to tell you what we think. Bear in mind, we are working with a prototype of the final game and things may change.

Since we are doing a preview/review we should also say our stance regarding previews is simple: (spoilers) If someone sends us a demo or prototype and asks us to give it a review, we will play it and if we like it we may do a show about it.  If we don't, we won't.  And when we say "like it," we mean we would put it into rotation with the published games we are playing at that time. Phew.

Potato Man! Port Royal! Gem Rush!

Yes, little games are people too. Or sometimes you just want to play a bunch of short, satisfyingly simple games.

So we get down with some quick, light fillers, two of which are not yet available in the U.S., but we do have an international audience, so we talk about them anyway. And did we say Potato Man!

Despite what we say on the podcast this is indeed episode 35.  The number of this episode shall be 35 and none other, etc., etc.

And in this episode we offer up a little Carl Chudyk action by discussing two of his more recent inventions, Innovation and Impulse. Listen in to see where we come down on strategic, chaotic card play and wild momentum swings.

We could care less about NASCAR, or Indy car, or Motorcross, or F1, or any other type of real world contest where people climb into or on machines and go fast, and yet here we are looking at a game that just might be the first legitimate contender for the best game of 2014.

There is nothing overly complex or unique about Thunder Alley; however, it's card driven mechanics and bring the field with you strategies result in an experience that's just fun. Simple fun.  Oh, and it's exciting too.

Step inside, we'll tell you more.

You've got 3 corps, 22 cards, air support at the ready, some gas, ammo and food, and there's absolutely no way you're ever getting across the Rhine. No Way! None. Keiner!

And so what. Who needs to beat a game to win it, or enjoy it. You just need to beat the person you're playing with, and that can be done. Oh yeah!  

So this is our story of 1944: Race to the Rhine. Listen in and maybe you can find the way to get across the Rhine in time. Enjoy the journey.

This episode finds us doing our first preview, this for Chris Handy's Pack-O-Game. These games come in boxes that resemble your old-fashioned Wrigley's pack of gum; however, it's pretty certain that the flavor contained within lasts longer.

We also take a look at the deck builder Valley of the Kings, a game that lets you plan for your own afterlife.

All this, and a special appearance by Lemmy.

This is the episode in which we tell you, dear listener, what games you can get to the table when gaming with your casual or non-gamer wife.

Though we specify "wife", we would expect that the strategies contained herein would also work with non-gamer husbands and partners, but as the only married people on this podcast are men, we only have experience with wives, hence the specificity of . . . ah hell, just apply these ideas to anyone you know and if it doesn't work, see title above.

Thank you for your support.

Who could blame you if you thought this episode was about the Star Wars: X-Wing miniatures game?  I mean, we head down that road until abruptly switching gears into a review of Helios. To be fair, that was our intention from the beginning.

Mmmmm, pie.

It's one episode before 30 (will there be a 30?) and we've decided to give some underplayed and undervalued games some love.

This is a long episode, which starts with a discussion about reviewing games and gives a little insight on how we approach this podcast.  For our discussion proper we each choose 3 games and reveal them in order. Here's a rough idea of when we actually get to the games.

Number 3 choices -- @ 20 minute mark
Number 2 choices -- @ 43 minute mark
Number 1 choices -- @ 65 minute mark

You have a bazillion different cards that can hit the board and 8 rounds to create a Civilization.  What will yours look like?  It's episode 28 and we're talking Nations!

And we . . . will . . . not . . . compare . . . aaahhhh!  Who're we kiddin', there's no self control in this group.

This is a long one, but we start off having a really good time before we get down to the dissection.

Spoiler: Eric rates Terra Mystica a 10, and he says it's the top game he's ever played. Can we talk him down from the mountain?

And because no one has ever wanted to know, we ask the question: Led Zeppelin or Metallica? Hint: Zep is the correct answer.

On tour again, back in the power trio format! We ship ourselves to the Portuguese colony of Madeira, where we encounter wild grapes, free range wheat and unprocessed sugar. And lots of wood.  

Yep, it's a Euro game and we have punched the cardboard and pushed the wood.  Is Madeira the best of the 2013 Essen crop?  Listen on.

What creates depth in a board game? Is it a complexity of mechanics? A heavy coat of theme? Level 10 armor? Cows? A fair amount to drink?

Listen in and see if we can figure it out as we discuss some recent releases that are simple to play but offer more than meets the eye, or brain.

Everything old is new again as Eric makes his triumphant return to the podcast.  In this episode we take a long look at playing with our . . . by, by ourselves, and we talk about some of the games that lend themselves well to this endeavor.

Mainly we discuss what everyone in the know already knows about Mage Knight, but we do it in a charming and entertaining fashion.  Just go with it.

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.