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Games, Gamers, and Why We Play

An in depth look at games, Gamers, and why we play

The Cardboard Herald

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Licensed Games: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - Off The Table Aug 16, 2021

August 19, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Potent theme delivery systems or sinister cash grabs preying on your nostalgia? Today we talk about licensed games.

Defining IP

Cynical cash grabs or a source of joy?

What makes something look promising or damning?

Games where fighting IPs are the platform (unmatched, Funko Battles, VS System)

IP Games in our collections

Lovecraft vs. the Mythos & Public Domain

Licensing & preventing games getting

Best/Worst that we’ve seen

What IPs are you dying to see?

LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Sorting through what's wicked & what's wise with designer & full-time game producer Fertessa Alysse

August 9, 2021 Jack Eddy
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This was a great chat with Fertessa and a rare opportunity to dive deep with a full-timer at a game company. Wicked & Wise is live on Kickstarter August 10th, here's the link: http://weirdgiraffegames.com/WW17

00:00 - Intro

00:48 - Staffer or Freelancer?

02:19 - Funco, Production & Prospero Hall

07:09 - History with tabletop games

11:44 - Alternate career paths

13:31 - Buy in from family?

16:10 - Pitching to Weird Giraffe

18:53 - Design & development of Wicked & Wise

19:45 - The problem with cooperative games

24:57 - Establishing Theme

26:29 - Design & Development sacrifices

29:28 - Inspiration to improve output?

34:20 - Day to day routine as a games producer

40:42 - Dream game with dream IP

LINKS:

Fertessa's Twitter https://twitter.com/fertessa

Our Site - www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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First Impressions of Kemet: Blood & Sand - Off The Table Aug 2, 2021

August 3, 2021 Jack Eddy
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We've gotten it to the table, some of us more than once! Gonna talk through our opinions of the new release of this modern classic.

SHOW NOTES:

Hypecicles

-Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition

-MTG D&D

-Descent: Legends of the Dark

History of Kemet

Game 2012 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127023/kemet

Ta Seti 2015 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/161842/kemet-ta-seti

Seth 2018 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/254543/kemet-seth

Blood & Sand KS 2020 - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matagot/kemet-blood-and-sand

Our History with the game

Blood & Sand

-How many times we’ve played?

-Does it feel like the same game?

Highlights:

-How scaling powers are handled

-Balance

-Power trays

-Cosmetics (dem pyramids)

Low Points:

-Board design

-Rules wording

-Errata!? https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2694291/rulebooks-revision-availableWe've gotten it to the table, some of us more than once! Gonna talk through our opinions of the new release of this modern classic.

SHOW NOTES:

Hypecicles

-Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition

-MTG D&D

-Descent: Legends of the Dark

History of Kemet

Game 2012 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127023/kemet

Ta Seti 2015 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/161842/kemet-ta-seti

Seth 2018 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/254543/kemet-seth

Blood & Sand KS 2020 - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matagot/kemet-blood-and-sand

Our History with the game

Blood & Sand

-How many times we’ve played?

-Does it feel like the same game?

Highlights:

-How scaling powers are handled

-Balance

-Power trays

-Cosmetics (dem pyramids)

Low Points:

-Board design

-Rules wording

-Errata!? https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2694291/rulebooks-revision-available

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Making Sense of BGG's Rankings - Off The Table Jul 26, 2021

July 28, 2021 Jack Eddy

Going over the history, the methodology (that we know of) and how much importance we should place on the BGG rankings & top 100. Come talk to us on discord: https://discord.gg/6nGJsA6NNp

Our notes for the podcast:

What is it?

BGG founded in 2000 https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/BoardGameGeek_History#

By 2001 they had rankings

Uses an undisclosed algorithm that seeds some votes and incorporates user ratings

Ratings are not about quality, necessarily, but about desire to play https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/ratings

10 - Outstanding. Always want to play and expect this will never change.

9 - Excellent game. Always want to play it.

8 - Very good game. I like to play. Probably I'll suggest it and will never turn down a game.

7 - Good game, usually willing to play.

6 - Ok game, some fun or challenge at least, will play sporadically if in the right mood.

5 - Average game, slightly boring, take it or leave it.

4 - Not so good, it doesn't get me but could be talked into it on occasion.

3 - Likely won't play this again although could be convinced. Bad.

2 - Extremely annoying game, won't play this ever again.

1 - Defies description of a game. You won't catch me dead playing this. Clearly broken

What do we know about the methodology for ranking?

30 ratings to be eligible for ranking, seeded with 100 votes of 5.5, and apparently more dummy votes are added the more rankings a game has: https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/ratings

Entropy?

Moderation to avoid false fraud votes

Past # 1 games

Tigris & Euphrates

Puerto Rico

Agricola

Twilight Struggle

Pandemic Legacy Season 1

Gloomhaven

Of the top 100 - Jack’s played 56

Jack’s most surprising game that’s not in the top 100 - Kemet

John’s most surprising game that is in the top 100 - Nemesis

Other cool stuff:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Talking Art, Inspiration, Oath and Animals with Kyle Ferrin of Leder Games - TCbH Interviews

July 23, 2021 Jack Eddy
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01:46 Childhood expressions

04:36 Cartooning inspirations

08:20 Is being part of a studio restrictive?

12:35 Using art to get people into the game

14:31 Translating the abstract

19:18 Oath's visual identity

23:12 Oath's Worldbuilding

30:56 Fort's visual identity

31:56 How do you organize your day?

37:41 Impact on & advice for the next generation

40:30 What makes the Leder team so special

44:37 Art for engagement

47:59 Fort Cats & Dogs

51:05 Capturing animal personalities

54:08 Grounding Oath with animals

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Conflict in Games - Off The Table Jul 12, 2021

July 12, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Talking about the different forms conflict can take in games. Come talk to us on discord: https://discord.gg/6nGJsA6NNp

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Are Expansions Good? - Off The Table July 5, 2021

July 5, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Come talk to us on discord: https://discord.gg/JZYZHUgqGR

I can easily answer no to "are expansions bad?", but it's much harder to answer if they are good. So John and I talk it through.

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Dave Beck of Paverson Games talks Game Design, Academia and Distilled - TCbH Interview

July 2, 2021 Jack Eddy
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00:11 Who are you and what are you doing here?

01:59 - Acceptance of game design theory in academia

05:59 - Getting into board games

08:38 - Did you want to design board games right away?

11:07 - Start with theme or mechanics?

11:37 - When did you know when Distilled was something special?

14:59 - Concerns about an alcohol focussed theme?

16:47 - Overcooking a game

20:37 - Luck vs. skill

23:48 - Other designs in the works?

26:32 - Targetting kickstarter

TASTY LINKS:

Richard Garfield Lecture - https://youtu.be/av5Hf7uOu-o

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Purging Games - Off The Table Jun 28, 2021

June 28, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Tackling the what, when, and how of trimming down the game collection. Also here are the links to the other stuffs:

New Gale Force 9 Dune - https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/06/new-dune-board-game-coming-later-this-year.html

Terraforming Mars - Ares Expedition kickstarter fire - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/strongholdgames/ares-expedition-the-terraforming-mars-card-game/posts/3224358

Fort - Cats & Dogs - https://ledergames.com/products/fort-cats-dogs-expansion

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Top 10 Board Game Inserts - Casual Friday ft. Jennifer Graham-Macht of Keymaster Games

April 16, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Jen makes an excellent subject matter expert due to PARKS having the dopest insert ever.

Check the vid version here: https://youtu.be/tLnnELnfliA

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Top 10 Games to Play Over Coffee - Casual Friday ft. Chris Douglas DA

April 9, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Games to play over a nice warm cup of Joe. (or Tea, I guess. If you must...)

02:31 - Azul: Summer Pavillion

03:37 - Sagrada

05:23 - Splendor

07:33 - Harbour

10:38 - Istanbul

12:49 - Cartographers

15:02 - Crystallo

19:02 - Carcassonne

21:32 - Terraforming Mars

23:27 - Jaipur

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Joe Arthur Ellis of Plaid Hat Games on Summoner Wars 2.0, Forgotten Waters, Apps and more

April 6, 2021 Jack Eddy
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J. Arthur Ellis is the co/designer of Forgotten Waters, Raxxon and more. It was great to talk to one of the OG Dougs who joined the PHG team, now developing their digital products.

01:14 - Entry into Plaid Hat Games

03:45 - Tackling Summoner Wars 2.0 as a fan

05:49 - PHG's Goals with Summoner Wars 2.0

09:47 - Web based vs. Installed Applications

13:04 - Transition from web guy to game designer

14:30 - Raxxon

15:54 - Collaborative Game Design

19:58 - Asmodee to Independent

25:17 - Changes to Summoner Wars 2.0 most looking forward to

31:03 - Scope for Summoner Wars vs. Ashes

34:54 - Physical versions of digital solo content?

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Top 10 Games to Build a Collection Around - Casual Friday ft. Kyle Frost of GIVEPAUSE Hobby

March 19, 2021 Jack Eddy
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This is a long one, fam. Mainly because there was some really great conversation about the nature of games, collection, and getting them played. Though spoilers and timestamps below, I'll have this up on the podcast channel soon.

04:44 - Santorini

08:46 - Rise of Tribes

11:45 - Dungeon Mayhem

14:17 - Kingdom Builder

16:59 - Century Golem Edition

21:20 - 7 Wonders Duel

25:56 - Parks

31:44 - Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

36:57 - Carcassonne

42:11 - Audience Picks

43:36 - Dune Imperium

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Top 9 Love at First Play Games - Casual Friday ft. Kyle Frost of GIVEPAUSE Hobby

February 26, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Kyle & I recorded this video podcast & originally published on his channel as Episode 1 of "If Shelves Could Talk". Go check out his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDT1qNRYXxeWVsJ4jnF42g?feature=emb_ch_name_ex

03:50 - Marco Polo II

07:00 - Mafia De Cuba

10:50 - Terraforming Mars

12:55 - Dune Imperium

19:15 - Wingspan

23:45 - Ethnos

28:30 - Spirit Island

35:10 - Small World

39:15 - Lords of Waterdeep

"Onion Capers" Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Top 10 Iconic Games (We Haven't Played) - TCbH Casual Friday ft. Guest John Foster

February 22, 2021 Jack Eddy

Because there are so many games, and we haven't even scratched the surface of playing all of them. Still resetting up the studio post-flood so forgive the weird camera angles.

01:24 - Why this list?

03:49 - Kingdom Death: Monster

06:10 - 1977 SPI War of the Ring

09:29 - Lords of Vegas

11:47 - Cuba Libre

13:15 - Sekigahara

14:30 - Star Wars Rebellion

16:10 - Suburbia

18:03 - Food Chain Magnate

20:24 - Agricola / Caverna

22:20 - Fan Pick - Small World

23:47 - Fan Pick - Arkham Horror LCG

25:09 - Fan Pick - Twilight Imperium

26:38 - Fan Pick - Concordia

27:39 - Memoir '44

Big thanks to people who submit their own picks. You can find their channels here:

Give Pause Hobby: https://www.youtube.com/user/Dea7hfrog

Dice & Dragons: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCsWuE13J_UW-Ge1jdxVLew

Board Game Hot Takes Podcast: https://boardgamehottakes.com

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Talking Kingdoms of the Deep with designer, publisher & podcaster Ian Zang - TCbH Interview

February 5, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Video interview here: https://youtu.be/cO_-inC4Ots

Ian has his hand in a lot of pies, but currently it's mostly this oceanic one, Kingdoms of the Deep: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/galacticraptorgames/kingdoms-of-the-deep

02:40 - Vibe Check

04:08 - Pitched as a sequel?

07:31 - 75 minutes to design... how long to develop?

11:29 - Breaking games in the best sort of ways

13:09 - Why not include the intended expansion in the base game?

14:30 - Carla Kopp telling it like it is

17:53 - How do you make actionable advice based on this "pitch"

21:38 - Podcasting

24:39 - Getting jaded to games & taking the blue pill

29:28 - Gravitation Games

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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10 Greatest Expansions of All Time - Casual Friday ft. Kyle Frost of GIVEPAUSE Hobby

January 29, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Video version here: https://youtu.be/XqBaGBbvIKk

Find the sister vid on games we loved at first play here: https://youtu.be/ttlq_N0zWCE

01:30 - Methodology for curating the list

03:25 - Pandemic: In The Lab

05:31 - Champions of Midgard: Dark Mountains & Valhalla

07:47 - Lords of Waterdeep: The Scoundrels of Skullport

10:52 - Concordia: Salsa

13:39 - Telsa Vs. Edison: Powering Up

17:01 - Viticulture: Tuscany Essential Edition

19:56 - Spirit Island: Branch & Claw

23:28 - Caverna: The Forgotten Folk

26:15 - Root: The Underworld Expansion

31:24 - Terraforming Mars: Prelude

Go check out GIVEPAUSE Hobby here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDT1qNRYXxeWVsJ4jnF42g?feature=emb_ch_name_ex

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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TCbH's Top 10 Solo Games

January 13, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Because I know the best games. Also, I know how to spoil the best games so here is the list of my top 10 for your convenience. Originally published as a Casual Friday video here: https://youtu.be/6GCWMI--E7I

01:12 - # 10 - Clans of Caledonia

02:36 - # 09 - Set a Watch

04:33 - # 08 - Everdell

05:43 - # 07 - Tiny Towns

07:02 - # 06 - Marvel Champions

08:25 - # 05 - Wingspan

10:03 - # 04 - Terraforming Mars

11:43 - # 03 - Pax Pamir 2nd Edition

13:03 - # 02 - Gloomhaven

14:52 - # 01 - Spirit Island

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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TCbH's Top 10 Sentimental Games

January 6, 2021 Jack Eddy
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Holidays are a time to observe the squishy stuff. Here's the top 10 games for reasons beyond what we normally quantify in board games. Originally published as a casual Friday video here: https://youtu.be/PBv5quyBZP4

00:51 - Santorini

02:11 - Dragon Dice

03:51 - 7 Wonders Duel

05:13 - The Lord of the Rings

06:58 - Root

08:21 - Cartographers

09:01 - Eldritch Horror

11:49 - Eclipse

13:18 - The Grizzled

15:18 - HeroQuest

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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Talking about The Zenobia Award with Jessica Cassaday, Liz Davidson and Cole Wehrle - TCbH Interview

December 30, 2020 Jack Eddy
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Find out more about the Zenobia Award here: https://zenobiaaward.org. Watch the video version of this interview here: https://youtu.be/UmrC1FdGHZ8

01:04 - What is the Zenobia Award?

03:01 - How'd they get involved

04:47 - Why limit the scope to historical games?

10:50 - Hope to expand the genres of historical games?

14:41 - How do you measure outcomes?

16:29 - Backlash

20:41 - Navigating authenticity and tragedy when making historical games

23:01 - Where's the money coming from?

24:52 - What can the average gamer do to create a more inclusive hobby?

HOT LINKS:

Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com

Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald

Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald

Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9669551

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