Episode 287 - Gamehole Con 2026 Recap

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael are reporting live from the floor of Gamehole Con 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. No segments, no transitions, just wall-to-wall convention!Michael spent four days in a brand-new tabletop hall and came back with stories. Did he just find his new favorite Reiner Knizia game? Which game had him wrestling with the rulebook? And why should a great game ever be unplayable because of its color palette?Then Doug joins the fun, and a trip to the board game library turns into a surprise game neither of us saw coming. Plus, we finally get our hands on one of Gen Con's hottest titles. Did it live up to the hype?Finally, how does Gamehole Con stack up against Gen Con, and could Board Game Radio be coming to Gamehole Con 2027?Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord. Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review. If it's about games, it's on the table!00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio00:00:35 Welcome to Gamehole Con 202600:05:15 World Order00:13:41 Ankh: Gods of Egypt00:19:23 Brink00:28:36 Ra00:31:59 Yellow & Yangtze00:41:18 Bean to Bar00:48:22 Guards of Atlantis II00:55:10 Cross Bronx Expressway01:01:57 The Games We Played Together01:03:49 Obsession01:06:04 Santiago de Cuba01:09:59 Drillers01:12:29 More Games From the Con01:13:13 Convention Thoughts and Takeaways01:22:20 Wrap-Up

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle some surprisingly tricky questions: Do we need a new term for strategy games, and how do you feel about kingmaking?In This Week in Gaming, we take a look at Pet Quartet and share our thoughts on the game. Plus, Magical Athlete is showing up at Walmart! What does that mean for the hobby?Then it's time for Redacted Reviews! We've pulled glowing reviews from BoardGameGeek, but there's a catch—the names of the games have been removed! Can we figure out which games are getting all that praise based on the reviews alone?Finally, we introduce Goldilocks: Overrated, Underrated, or Perfectly Rated? We're putting BoardGameGeek's ratings, complexity scores, and player counts under the microscope. Do we agree with the gaming community, or have they gotten it completely wrong? This week's games include:- First-Class Letters- Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure- Venture Angels- Splendor- Wild Magic- Just OnePlus, we talk about why our Discord community is such a great place to discover new games and get recommendations! Join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review.If it's about games, it's on the table!00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio00:01:23 Follow-Up on Campaign Games00:12:49 What's Awesome in Tabletop Gaming00:17:44 Review of Pet Quartet00:26:19 Discussion on Strategy Games00:34:42 Exploring Kingmaking in Board Games00:42:12 Redacted Reviews00:55:26 Goldilocks: Evaluating Game Ratings00:56:52 Exploring Word Games: First Class Letters01:01:24 Diving into Clank: A Deck-Building Adventure01:06:52 Venture Angels: The Art of Secret Bidding01:11:30 The Charm of Splendor: A Gem-Collecting Race01:15:05 Wild Magic: A Hidden Gem in Card Games01:19:44 Just One: The Ultimate Party Game

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle a question every campaign gamer eventually faces: What do you do with a campaign game after you’ve finished it? Keep it on the shelf as a trophy? Pass it along? And should our answer change if the campaign can actually be played again?In This Week in Gaming, we’re looking ahead to Game Store Day on November 7 and celebrating the local game stores that help keep the tabletop community rolling.Then Troll er No? returns! We’ve collected some wonderfully brutal negative BoardGameGeek reviews—but some of them are completely made up. Can we tell the real internet trolls from the imposters?Finally, Michael puts on his salesman hat for Play or Pass. He’ll pitch games from his collection to Doug, answer Doug’s questions, and try to convince him that these games deserve a spot at the table. Will Doug agree to play…or send them straight to the pass pile?Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review.If it’s about games, it’s on the table!00:00:00 Crowdfundin' Carl00:01:12 Intro to Board Game Radio00:01:56 Follow-Up and Community Engagement00:04:08 The Appeal of Simplified Games00:09:25 This Week In Gaming00:09:48 Game Store Day and Local Support00:11:36 A Gluttony of Crowdfunding Campaigns00:16:52 What's On Your Mind?00:17:30 Advantageous Moves00:27:20 Campaign Games: To Keep or Not to Keep?00:27:38 When To Move On From Campaign Games?00:38:05 Troll er No?00:39:26 7 Wonders: Architects00:49:28 Rebirth00:55:58 Play or Pass: Game Hole Con Edition00:57:31 Bean To Bar01:01:25 Brink01:03:33 World Order

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael dig into the art—and occasional pain—of teaching board games. What parts of teaching trip us up the most, and which games have proven especially difficult to get to the table?In This Week in Gaming, we talk about CMON’s $19 million capital raise and Chip Theory Games working with Jennifer Graham-Macht to bring Neon Knight to a wider audience.Then it’s time for The Great Game Guessing Game! We’ve each dug up an obscure game from before 1995, and the other host has to figure out what the game is about based on the title alone. What could possibly go wrong?Finally, it’s List Time with our High-Five Games We’ve Cooled On—games we once enjoyed or were excited about, but that just don’t hit the same way anymorePlus, we follow up on your trick-taking questions from Discord.Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review.If it’s about games, it’s on the table!00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio02:58 This Week In Gaming03:24 Jumpmasters: A New Favorite Game15:01 Chip Theory Games Expands17:47 CMON Raises Cash19:48 What's On Your Mind?20:17 Difficulty Teaching Games30:54 The Great Game Guessing Game31:42 Higgly Piggly: The Plastic Farm Game35:15 Time Agent38:41 Rootie Kazootie Word Game42:30 Times to Remember48:21 High Five Games We've Cooled On

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael celebrate one of the best parts of tabletop gaming: introducing the hobby to new players and seeing that moment when a game unexpectedly clicks.Then, are you playing the wrong game with the wrong people? We talk about how the group around the table can completely change the experience.We also debut a brand-new segment: Geek Sequence! Can we correctly rank a lineup of games based on a single BoardGameGeek metric? This week, we put our knowledge of game complexity to the test.Finally, it’s our Monthly Game Roundup, featuring four games that have been hitting our tables:🌱 Tend — IV Studio👑 Rebel Princess: Deluxe Edition — Bezier Games🏙️ Machi Koro: Life — Pandasaurus Games⚔️ Brave & Bold: Bag Building Combat Game — Resurrection GamesWe’ll tell you what we played, what stood out, and what we thought about each one.Visit BoardGameRadio.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join the conversation on Discord at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, leave us a 5-star review.If it’s about games, it’s on the table!00:00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio00:04:43 This Week In Gaming00:05:22 Wow Factor For New Gamers00:08:59 New Buying System Consequences00:15:47 Magic: The Gathering Update00:20:07 What's On Your Mind?00:20:50 The Impact of Group Dynamics on Gaming Experience00:33:30 The Inception of Game Collection Reduction00:40:54 Geek Sequence00:41:37 Ranking Games by Complexity00:49:54 Family Games By Dr. Reiner Knizia00:54:21 Monthly Game Roundup00:54:54 Brave & Bold: Bag-Building Combat Game01:02:00 Machi Koro: Life01:09:17 Trick-Taking Games: Rebel Princess Review01:19:16 Tend: A Complex Flip and Write Experience

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, including some new crowdfunding campaigns. We'll discuss gaming cynicism and table real estate. We debate some game night hypotheticals about consistent game nights and expansions versus bling! We finish the episode by drafting Phil Walker-Harding Games!00:20 Introduction to Board Game Radio07:21 This Week In Gaming07:56 Upcoming Crowdfunding11:34 Bestselling Games14:24 What's On Your Mind?14:49 Veteran Gamer Cynicism28:02 Table Real Estate and Game Acquisition36:36 Game Night Hypotheticals: Choices and Dilemmas36:59 New vs. Old40:25 Expansions or Bling?43:44 Consistent Game Nights?46:31 Discount or Speed?50:57 Collection Selection: Phil Walker-HardingDon't forget to check out our Discord!https://www.boardgameradio.com/discord/

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discussing family games on BoardGameGeek, and revisiting GenCon Hotness!00:00:20 Introduction & Follow-up00:03:32 This Week In Gaming & Awesomeness00:04:50 Exploring Personal Gaming Backlogs00:09:23 Exciting News in Tabletop Gaming00:14:01 Does BoardGameGeek Have a Family Games Problem?00:34:42 Exploring Gen Con's Hotness Over the Years00:37:13 2023 Gen Con Preview00:45:59 2024 Gen Con Preview00:51:51 2025 Gen Con Preview00:58:27 2026 Gen Con Preview01:00:42 Reflections on Game Quality and HypeDon't forget to check out our Discord! https://www.boardgameradio.com/discord/

We’ve got a great show this week! We’ll be sharing what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, discussing our thoughts on the hobby, visiting the Shelf of Shame Support Group, and chatting with Dave Beck of Paverson Games!00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio00:03:28 Drillers Game Sales00:08:18 Accountability Test #100:14:48 This Week In Gaming: Teacher Fund00:17:36 Chess Joker: Review00:31:03 What's On Your Mind? What would you miss?00:41:06 The Shelf of Shame: Confessions and Reflections00:46:55 Understanding Why Games Go Unplayed00:55:46 Rethinking the Shelf of Shame01:02:01 Interview: Dave Beck01:05:16 Video Games to Tabletop Games01:08:05 Balancing Academia and Entrepreneurship01:11:54 Transitioning from Designer to Publisher01:15:53 Class of 89 and Small Batch01:25:10 Celebrating Awards and Recognition01:31:18 The Impact of Board Game Arena01:38:04 What makes tabletop gaming awesome?

In this episode, Michael and Doug share what’s awesome this week in tabletop gaming, including winning contests and new game releases. They also discuss expanding into other parts of the hobby, playing Stupid Money/Smart Money Gencon Edition, and closing out with a Monthly Game Roundup featuring Hell of a Deal, Circadia, Wild Magic, and Guillotine!00:00:00 - Introduction to Board Game Radio00:03:01 - Follow-Up and Community Engagement00:06:22 - What's Awesome in Tabletop Gaming00:09:05 - New Game Releases and Themes00:12:07 - Experiences with Local Game Stores00:16:24 - What's On Your Mind? Diving into Magic: The Gathering00:24:20 - Community Challenges in TCGs00:28:10 - The Barriers to Entry in Collectible Games00:34:07 - Stupid Money, Smart Money: Gen Con Edition00:53:25 - Monthly Game Roundup01:03:30 - Diving into Circadia: Gameplay Mechanics and Strategies01:12:08 - Wild Magic: Family-Friendly Fun and Strategic Depth01:20:11 - Guillotine: A Classic with New Art

In this episode, Doug and Michael do a thorough follow-up of GenCon. They dive into the show's headlines, along with their surprises, misses, and overall impressions.00:00:20 - Welcome Back to the Studio00:01:27 - Reflecting on Gen Con Experience00:06:26 - Crowd Management and Venue Expansion00:08:06 - FOMO and News Coverage at Gen Con00:11:41 - Weather Challenges at Gen Con00:12:34 - Game Announcements and Highlights00:18:21 - All Play's New Game Lines00:26:10 - Restoration Games and Unmatched Updates00:32:46 - Final Thoughts and Reflections00:35:27 - Excitement Over New Games00:39:31 - Surprises from Gen Con00:49:30 - Misses and Regrets at the Convention00:53:07 - Reflections on Future Conventions01:03:41 - Overall Experience and Takeaways