Garrett's Games 961: Ultimatch, Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, and Donut Shop

Shelley and I check out another Essen 2024 pick up, Ultimatch by Justin and Ann-Marie De Witt from Fireside Games then check out 2018's Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig by Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset from Stonemaier Games and Bezier Games and finally enjoy some sweet baked goods in a release from earlier in 2024: Donut Shop by Jeffrey D. Allers from 25th Century Games Thanks as always to our sponsor Bezier Games and remember that you can support the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR  check out the extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing  

For our Wednesday podcast we look at two family-friendly domino-style games: Zoomies by Magnus Karlsson from Fireside Games and Ananda by Dirk Barsuhn from Zoch We liked one, and were frustrated with the other... Thanks as always to Bezier Games for their sponsorship! You can sponsor the podcast directly at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing Also, be sure to check out our videos of games we've enjoyed from Essen 2024 (including Zoomies, which should be up shortly) here: https://www.youtube.com/@garrettsgames  

For Sunday's podcast this week we play some heavier fare, though two of them are quick to play. First up is an Essen 2024 release  Steam Power by Martin Wallace from Wallace Designs Then we head back into storybook land with great art reminiscent of classic kids literature and to the farm with Harvest by Trey Chambers from Keymaster Games And finally we check out an Essen 2023 release that's the heaviest of the three titles this week: Karvi by Torgeir Tjong from Hans im Glück Thanks as always to our sponsor Bezier Games Check out our YouTube videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@garrettsgames Here's the direct link to our video for Steam Power: https://youtu.be/t7npdv5R2_4 You can support the podcast by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames or check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing  

For our Wednesday podcast this week, Shelley and I explore two chicken-themed games! First up is the lighter family-oriented Rooster Chase by Costa from PYTHAGORAS. Then we attempt to group our hen breeds together in Hens by Giampaolo Razzino from Little Rocket Games. Thanks as always to our sponsor Bezier Games You can support the podcast directly by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR  Check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing    

For our Sunday podcast this week we look at another new Essen 2024 release, a smaller title from earlier in 2024, and then a BIG game from a few years ago: Asian Tigers: A Story of Prosperity  by Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro and Paulo Soledade from PYTHAGORAS Alpina by Luc Remond from Helvetiq New Frontiers by Tom Lehmann from Rio Grande Games Thanks as always to our sponsor Bezier Games You can sponsor the podcast directly by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR check out our list of game that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing  

Garrett's Games does TWO podcasts this week! With so many games to discuss, we add a Wednesday show, reviewing one great game and two that won't hit our table again: Stephens by Rola and Costa from Pile Up Games In The Footsteps of Marie Curie by Florian Fay from Sorry We Are French Camargue by Timo Diegel form Abacusspiele Remember to check out our new game reviews on our YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@garrettsgames Thanks as always to our sponsor Bezier Games You can sponsor the podcast directly at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but possibly belong on your table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing  

Family-style games hit the table this week as we check out three more Essen 2024 titles: Tivoli by Asger Johansen from Plotmaker Games Tower Up by Frank Crittin, Gregoire Largey and Sebastien Pauchon from Monolith Board Games Feiges Huhn! by Ken Gruhl and Quentin Weir from Amigo Thanks as always to  our sponsor Bezier Games You can also support the podcast directly by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR  check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing  

Shelley and I check out a small Amigo card game from Spiel 2023, as well as two BRAND NEW Spiel 2024 games: Z3bra by Dirk Hanneforth and Uwe Molter from Amigo Floresta by Nuno Santos and Przemek Wojtkowiak from MEBO Games and Arcane Wonders Spectacular by Eilif Svensson and Asmund Svensson from Chilifox Check out our new VIDEO reviews at our YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYn2XqDNGAzjFYQzrkJDZOQ Remember you can support the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing  

This week as we finish our stay in Essen, we look at a re-release, as well as a recent fun play First up is  Kreta or Sardegna by Stefan Dorra the former title released by Goldsieber in 2005, and now re-released as the latter title from Playte then we try to get shoppers to our stores over our rail networks, all while avoiding Godzilla in Shinjuku by Gary Kacmarcik from Studio Supernova

Shelley and I check out a couple of card games that are readily available at Essen this week, then have some fun with an Essen 2023 release as well. First up is  Seers Catalog by Taylor Reiner from Bezier Games (they're located in Hall 2) then we check out a new 2-player title Chu Han by Tom Lehmann from Matagot, Frosted Games, and Grail Games (Matagot can be found in Hall 3) and one of 2023's family-friendly releases Havalandi by Reiner Knizia from Edition Spielewiese (Hall 6) and Pegasus Spiele (Hall 3) Thanks to Bezier Games for their sponsorship. You can support the podcast directly by going to www.patreon.com/garrettsgames OR check out our extensive list of games that no longer fit on our shelves, but belong on your table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing