Light Speed: Arena

"Well, that was your mother And that was your father Before you was born dude When life was great You are the burden of my generation I sure do love you But let’s get that straight" -Paul Simon, "That Was Your Mother" 01:34 AYURIS: Nucleum (Simone Luciani & Dávid Turczi, Board&Dice, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 04:04 -SILOS (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2025) 09:34 -Ayar: Children of the Sun (Mandela Fernandez-Grandon & Fabio Lopiano, Osprey Games, 2025) 17:46 -Ichor (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2025) 24:24 -Kingdom Rush: Elemental Uprising (Alara Cameron, Helana Hope, and Sen-Foong Lim, Lucky Duck Games, 2023) 27:02 -Carolingi (Christoph Cantzler & Sebastian Freudenberg, Sea Cove Games, 2024) 39:17 -Giants Moving Tiny Furniture (Ian Clayman & Ken Gruhl, Exploding Kittens, 2025) 42:59 -TowerBrix (Simon Thomas, KOSMOS, 2024) News (and why it doesn't matter): 45:36 Shackleton Base Expansion: Below. Above. Within. 47:07 Burned on Gamecrafter October 14! https://www.thegamecrafter.com/crowdsale/burned 48:02 Container reprint, a little more minimalist this time 49:03 Topic: Nostalgia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this day of Labour, we offer our solidarity to you. We also offer our labour, because we don't take many days off. No union for us in the opinion mines! I'd complain to my manager, but since that's me, I guess I'd be inclined to ignore it. Classic conflict on interest. The gibbons only complicate the org chart in unhelpful ways. Games Played Last Week: 01:01 -Hot Streak (Jon Perry, CMYK, 2025) 04:13 -High Tide (Marceline Leiman, Underdog Games, 2024) 09:23 -Hyperborea (Andrea Chiarvesio & Pierluca Zizzi, Asterion, 2014) 12:55 -Tianxia (Antonio Petrelli & Daniele Tascini, Board&Dice, 2025) 20:37 -Federation (Dimitri Perrier and Matthieu Verdier, Explor8, 2022) 27:49 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, Allplay, 2024) 29:43 -So Clover! (François Romain, Repos Production, 2021) 34:24 -Figment (Wolfgang Warsch, CMYK, 2025) News (and why it doesn't matter): 39:42 Kasper Lapp's INK 40:37 Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag 41:22 Adam and Brady Sadler's The Malice of Light Adventures from Twintale Studios 42:51 Suna Valo by Andreas Odendahl 43:14 Part of the Pickaxe Network! Join us Thursday, September 25th at 17:00-18:30 BST for Pickaxe week on the Yogscast feed. 43:40 Feature Game: Light Speed: Arena (Leonardo Alese, James Ernest, Tom Jolly, and Emanuele Santellani, Tablescope, 2025) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I've always chafed at the conventional wisdom that young goats are good at trick-taking games. Or, at least, ones where you are not incentivized to go null. Do they hold their cards in their cloven hooves? Do their dead eyes come to life when contemplating the vagaries of trump suits? It must be true, though, because I have it on good authority from a cartoon rabbit that tricks are for kids. 01:23 AYURIS: Envelopes of Cash (Andy Schwarz, Envelopes of Cash LLC, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 03:57 -Ginkgopolis (Xavier Georges, Pearl Games, 2012) 08:48 -Vaultbreakers (Valentino Mori, Vaultbreakers Games, 2024) 13:07 -Sidereal Confluence (TauCeti Deichmann, Wizkids, 2017) 17:46 -Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor (Cornelius Cremin, Pawel Mazur, & Dirk Sommer, Nemesis.Games, 2021) 20:01 -Hot Streak (Jon Perry, CMYK, 2025) 21:47 -Signal (Jasper Beatrix, DVC Games, 2025) 26:36 -KINGs: TRICKTAKERs (Hiroken, Joyple Games, 2023) 32:40 -Quantum (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013) -Fromage (Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset, Road to Infamy Games, 2024) News (and why it doesn't matter): 38:52 Part of the Pickaxe Network! Join us Thursday, September 25th at 17:00-18:30 BST for Pickaxe week on the Yogscast feed. 39:49 Hanami by Keymaster, reprint of Reiner Knizia's Samurai, on Kickstarter 40:51 Topic: Trick-Taking Games Redux Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Losing a component is rough. Knowing that one of your games is incomplete is like having a permanent absence in your soul. It's one thing to eschew that one added expansion--that's a triumph of restraint. But that missing block in Viking See-Saw will taunt you forever, a blight on your consciousness that can never be healed. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Games Played Last Week: 00:52 -Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor (Cornelius Cremin, Pawel Mazur, & Dirk Sommer, Nemesis.Games, 2021) 04:37 -Riftforce: Beyond (Carlo Bortolini, 1 More Time Games, 2022) 09:44 -Unstoppable (John D. Clair, Renegade Game Studios, 2025) 3D printed tokens: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1851400332/ 14:27 -Signal (Jasper Beatrix, DVC Games, 2025) 20:35 -Viking See-Saw (Reiner Knizia, itten, 2021) 23:19 -Dune: Imperium--Uprising (Paul Dennen, Dire Wolf, 2023) 28:32 -MicroMacro: Kids--Crazy City Park (Johannes Sich, Edition Spielwiese, 2025) 29:35 -Champions of Midgard (Ole Steiness, Grey Fox Games, 2015) News (and why it doesn't matter): 31:57 Part of the Pickaxe Network! Join us Thursday, September 25th at 17:00-18:30 BST for Pickaxe week on the Yogscast feed. 32:57 Ryan Laukat's Song of Silveranth 33:42 Feature Game: The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship (Matt Leacock, Z-Man Games, 2025) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inigo: I am waiting for you, Vizzini. You told me to go back to the beginning. So I have. This is where I am, and this is where I’ll stay. I will not be moved. Brute: But the Prince gave orders — Inigo: — So did Vizzini — when a job went wrong, you went back to the beginning. And this is where we got the job. So it’s the beginning, and I’m staying till Vizzini comes. -The Princess Bride (who knew Inigo was a Black Sabbath fan?) 02:39 AYURIS: Federation (Dimitri Perrier and Matthieu Verdier, Explor8, 2022) Games Played Last Week: 05:32 -The Gang (John Cooper and Kory Heath, KOSMOS, 2024) 10:08 -The King Is Dead: Second Edition (Peer Sylvester, Osprey Games, 2020) 13:28 -TEAM3 PINK (Alex Cutler & Matt Fantastic, Brain Games, 2019) 18:02 -Rebel Princess (Daniel Byrne, José Gerardo Guerrero, Kevin Peláez, and Tirso Virgós, Zombi Paella, 2023) 23:00 -Fives (Taiki Shinzawa, CMYK, 2025) 26:53 -Bargain Hunter (Uwe Rosenberg, Valley Games, 1998) 31:14 -The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship (Matt Leacock, Z-Man Games, 2025) 32:48 -Line of Fire: Burnt Moon (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2025) 39:22 -Cosmic Frog (Jenna Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2020) 45:05 -Planepita (Eisuke Fuijinawa & Kazunori Hori, SzpiLAB, 2022) News (and why it doesn't matter): 47:15 Part of the Pickaxe Network! Join us Thursday, September 25th at 17:00-18:30 BST for Pickaxe week on the Yogscast feed. [EDIT: Mark says the wrong date on the show. The correct date is September 25th.] 48:35 Expansions! For Freedom: The Underground Railroad, Twilight Imperium 4th, Thunder Road: Vendetta, and another edition of Shogun because why not? 51:08 Update on CGE's Harry Potter-themed Codenames: CGE pledges 100% of profits to appropriate charities 52:14 Devir pledges to replace racist imagery in Ace of Spades 53:09 Topic: Starting Over Your Collection Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"We don’t ask that you stop loving your fantasy world. We ask you stop paying money for the privilege to dream of it. If you want to read the [Harry Potter] books or watch the movies, consider buying second-hand or renting them from a library. Small changes can make sure you never put your hard-earned money into JKR’s hands." -Blacklist CGE zine Games Played Last Week: 01:01 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 1998) 05:49 -Tiletum: Prospect for Silver (Simone Luciani & Daniele Tascini, Board&Dice, 2025) 10:10 -Endeavor: Deep Sea (Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2024) 18:03 -Through Ice and Snow (Fernando Eduardo Sánchez, 2Tomatoes Games, 2024) 22:41 -Hot Streak (Jon Perry, CMYK, 2025) 27:39 -The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship (Matt Leacock, Z-Man Games, 2025) News (and why it doesn't matter): 41:05 New Doom board game(s) by Modiphius 41:46 High Tide by Marceline Leiman 42:20 SVWAG's statement on boycotting Czech Games Edition and in support of trans and non-binary gamers Blacklist CGE zine: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10BUxxRO08jS9ZFnfnt0dnMPEZi5lrwke 44:15 Feature Game: Vantage (Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2025) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A chief misgiving Mark has about the con is that he is a terrible playtester. He was able to play two unpublished games, and while the designers were gracious he is seldom able to offer anything of much substance. "This game," he might say, "has cards. And other things." Past that, for some reason, when confronted with a prototype his faculties often fail him. 01:48 AYURIS: Arborea (Dani Garcia, Alley Cat Games, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 05:00 -Phantom Division (Pete Ruth & Mark Thomas, Phantom Horizon, 2026) 14:38 -Westphalia (Amabel Holland, Hollandspiele, 2019) 23:33 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Marco Portugal, & Sotirios Tsantilas, CMON, 2020) 27:19 -Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2021) 33:25 -Rise & Fall (Christophe Boelinger, Ludically, 2024) 38:15 -Space Cadets: Dice Duel (Geoff Engelstein and Sydney Engelstein, Stronghold, 2013) 43:06 -Outlive (Gregory Iliver, La Boite de Jeu, 2017) News (and why it doesn't matter): N/A 45:22 Topic: SVWAG Con Report Chef Ashlee: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068315809451 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The purest juxtaposition that reveals the absurdity of "take that" effects can be found in many of your heavier games and some consims with cards. You gather the resources, marshal your forces, laboriously haul those troops hither and yon, and then sometimes have to manage some activation tokens or whatnot to finally get it on. And then your opponent plays the "nuh uh" card. Fun! 01:19 AYURIS: Daybreak (Matt Leacock & Matteo Menapace, CMYK, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 04:35 -Star Wars Unlimited (Jim Cartwright, Tyler Parrott, Daniel Schaefer, & Jeremy Zwirn, Fantasy Flight Games, 2024) 09:33 -Steam Power (Martin Wallace, Wallace Designs, 2024) 16:20 -Spot It! Bluey (Denis Blanchot, Jacques Cottereau, Guillaume Gille-Naves, & Igor Polouchine, Blue Orange, 2025) 19:15 -Mosaic: A Story of Civilization (Glenn Drover, Forbidden Games, 2022) 21:47 -TowerBrix (Simon Thomas, KOSMOS, 2024) 25:46 -Walk the Plank: Deluxe Edition (Shane Steely & Jared Tinney, Mayday Games, 2017) 28:36 -Bomb Busters (Hisashi Hayashi, Pegasus Spiel, 2024) 32:47 -Paint the Roses (Ben Goldman, North Star Games, 2022) 38:24 -Kinfire Delve: Scorn's Stockade (Kevin Wilson, Incredible Dream Studios, 2024) 41:55 -Transgalactica (Daniele Tascini, Devir, 2025) 49:15 -Phantom Division (Pete Ruth & Mark Thomas, Phantom Horizon, 2026) News (and why it doesn't matter): 55:14 Looking forward to SVWAGCon! 55:43 Topic: Take That Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Dear friend, if you wanna feel better Don't let the devil make you toss this letter If you've been crossed up by hoodoo voodoo A wizard or the lizard You got family trouble, man trouble, woman trouble No light through the tunnel If you're lookin' for a true friend, or a true lover Or if you've been livin' undercover Well, I'm comin' to your town to break it all down And help you with all of this I'm lookin' to help you find bliss one day Or one way, can't miss" -Jack White, "Archbishop Harold Holmes", presumably extolling the virtues of the Millipede Death Cult Games Played Last Week: 01:14 -Cthulhu: Death May Die--Fear of the Unknown (Rob Daviau, Eric M. Lang, and Marco Portugal, CMON, 2024) 06:28 -Dune: Imperium--Uprising (Paul Dennen, Dire Wolf, 2023) 12:48 -Innovation Ultimate (Carl Chudyk, Asmadi Games, 2025) 18:25 -Leviathan Wilds: Deepvale (Justin Kemppainen, Moon Crab Games, 2025) 22:03 -Line of Fire: Burnt Moon (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2025)  27:23 -Rumble Nation (Yogi Shinichi, Hobby Japan, 2017) 29:23 -Iron Forest (Brian Gomez, Brain Games, 2024) 32:23 -Crash Octopus (Naotaka Shimamoto, itten, 2021) 33:08 -Junk Art (Jay Cormier & Sen-Foong Lim, Pretzel Games, 2016) 33:51 -The Breach (Michele Morosini, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2024) 41:27 -A Gentle Rain (Kevin Wilson, Incredible Dream Studios, 2024) News (and why it doesn't matter): 44:34 Open registration for SVWAG Con (July 25th-July 27th) on Eventbrite! https://tinyurl.com/25s6p5jd 45:24 REPRINTS! PitchCar and expansions, Ra: The Dice Game, Rheinlander, Junk Art 49:35 Carnegie expansion in development 49:52 Feature Game: Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon (Fabio Lopiano & Nestore Mangone, Sorry We Are French, 2024) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is remarkable to reflect on how much hobbies can demand of us, and certainly board gaming is no different. Setting aside the administrative, economic, and social burdens; we then have to spend so much time teaching, setting up, and tearing down. Alas! 23-step processes for general set up prior to the 12-step individual player board set up. It was not always thus, but here we are. 01:42 AYURIS: Voidfall (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 07:15 -Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon (Fabio Lopiano & Nestore Mangone, Sorry We Are French, 2024) 13:37 -Cthulhu: Death May Die--Fear of the Unknown (Rob Daviau, Eric M. Lang, and Marco Portugal, CMON, 2024) 17:48 -Barony: Heroes (Marc André, Grail Games, 2025) 21:04 -Netrunner: System Gateway (Zoe Cohen, McGregor Crowley, June Valencia Cuervo, Max Chippington Derrick, Gregory Tongue, and Jade Wesley, Null Signal Games, 2021) 34:37 -Planepita (Eisuke Fuijinawa & Kazunori Hori, SzpiLAB, 2022) 40:50 -ALIEN: Fate of the Nostromo (Scott Rogers, Ravensburger, 2021) 44:47 -Endeavor: Deep Sea (Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2024) News (and why it doesn't matter): 50:05 Germán P. Millán's Covenant 50:35 Blood Rage: Valhalla expandalone to be on crowdfunding 53:52 Little Soldiers: green army men miniatures game 54:38 SVWAG Con (July 25th-July 27th) SOLD OUT 55:34 Topic: Setup and Teardown Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices