#21: Calculation Conundrum

This week we're talking about those moments when you find yourself calculating the math behind multiple possible plays, potentially getting stuck in "analysis paralysis", and whether we enjoy those calculations and finding the best path to victory, or whether we prefer having those lines blurred and unable to be found.Games We Mentioned In This EpisodeSardegnaBabyloniaEl GrandeModern ArtRumble NationArboretumMediciForest ShuffleDune: ImperiumBrass: BirminghamTimestamps0:00 Appetizer - Discussion on Sardegna (remake of Kreta)14:03 Ad Break - Victory Pints15:03 The Calculation Conundrum: Math, analysis paralysis, andunnecessary convolutedness38:15 Blurring the lines: Games with hidden information or unpredictable elements52:13 The role of randomness and high-stakes scoring1:04:18 Closing thoughts on economic games and concluding remarksAll You Can Board's SocialsYoutube⁠Discord⁠Patreon⁠Visit ⁠https://victorypints.ca⁠ for your boardgames.

This week, we're discussing how we feel about three games after our first plays of them. Hear our thoughts and whether or not we're hungry for more.Games We CoveredTrans EuropaWinner's CircleLOTR: Fate of the FellowshipAll You Can Board's SocialsYoutubeDiscordPatreonVisit https://victorypints.ca for your boardgames.

How important is novelty when it comes to playing board games? Would you rather play new games that do new things or take interesting risks? Or play games that are more conventional, but nail what they're going for? All that and more on today's episode!

Today's episode is all about games. Two games to be exact! We're talking about our experiences with Key to the City: London and The Voyages of Marco Polo.

This week Carlo and Dylann are discussing which five board games they'd pick to be the only board games they play for the rest of their lives. It's not an easy decision to come to and both have their own criteria and ways of approaching it. Do you agree with their choices? What would your Five Forever Games be?

When a board game is popular, you can be sure there will be follow-ups of some kind, usually in the form of sequels, reimplementations, spinoffs or expansions. Focusing specifically on the first two, Carlo, Dylann and Braiden discuss their thoughts on board game follow-ups, which games they'd love to see follow-ups to, and how they'd expand on loved board games.

Gateway games are some of the most important types of games in our niche hobby. They introduce new people to the wonderful world of board games and help show what this hobby is capable of. What are our gateway games? What makes a good gateway game? And what games have we had success with to bring others into the hobby? All this and more on today's episode!

We continue our conversation from last time and dive deep into the YouTube ecosystem, largely from the perspective of board games, but also in general. We look at some of our own metrics and revenue numbers and discuss what has changed in the space and how we feel about it.

We've been in board game media for over 6 years now and we thought it would be interesting for all of you, but also for us, to do a bit of a dive into our opinions and thoughts on the space, our approach, our thoughts on the landscape, on YouTube, and everything in-between. And in fact, we were having such a thorough discussion, we decided to break this into two parts! But you won't have to wait long for part 2, expect it this weekend!

Practically every entertainment medium goes through fads, or what we're calling here, the Cycles of Hype. Board games are no different, but what are the cycles that the board game hobby has gone through since we've been a part of it? And what are the highs and lows of each one and how do we feel about these cycles overall? All that and more on today's episode!