#309: An Age Contrived

It is striking that no one submitted a question regarding the hues of our auras, so allow us to address the issue here and declare that amber is the colour of our energy.I regret nothing.01:39 AYURIS: Capital Lux 2: Generations (Eilif Svensson & Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2020)Games Played Last Week:03:46 -G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game: Raise the Flagg Campaign Expansion (T.C. Petty III, Renegade Game Studios, 2023)07:10 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, Allplay, 2024) ARTIST: Damien Mammoliti11:27 -Leviathan Wilds (Justin Kemppainen, Moon Crab Games, 2024)14:14 -Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Scrawlers--Heroes of Waterdeep (Vangelis Bagiartakis and Konstantinos Karagiannis, WizKids, 2023)16:44 -Set a Watch (Mike Gnade and Todd Walsh, Rock Manor Games, 2019)20:52 -Mysterium Park (Oleksandr Nevskiy and Oleg Sidorenko, Libellud, 2020)24:08 -Biohack (Yofiandhy D Indrayana, uchibacoya, 2024)30:05 -Mage Knight: The Board Game (Vlaada Chvatil, WizKids, 2011)32:31 -Word Traveler (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Office Dog, 2024)News (and why it doesn't matter):36:23 Regicide Legacy on Kickstarter! Can Badgers from Mars triumph again?38:30 Dune: War for Arrakis expansion/reprint on Gamefound40:03 Topic: Omnibus Questions Delta BetOur Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

There is only one novel and commendable Kant pun, delivered in the novel and commendable film Hedwig and the Angry Inch:"I got kicked out of university after delivering a brilliant lecture on the aggressive influence of German philosophy on rock and roll, entitled, 'You, Kant, Always Get What You Want.'"01:41 AYURIS: Mosaic: A Story of Civilization (Glenn Drover, Forbidden Games, 2022)Games Played Last Week:04:11 -Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs (Joe Klipfel and Nikki Valens, Cephalofair Games, 2024)07:59 -Scrap (Kenny Michael-Otton, Jolly Swagman Games, 2023)14:52 -Biohack (Yofiandhy D Indrayana, uchibacoya, 2024)18:42 -Leviathan Wilds (Justin Kemppainen, Moon Crab Games, 2024)23:44 -Wolves (Connor Alexander, Coyote & Crow LLC, 2024)33:57 -Dungeon Fighter: Second Edition (Aureliano Buonfino, Lorenzo Silva, and Lorenzo Tucci Sorrentino, Horrible Guild, 2021)News (and why it doesn't matter):38:42 Mythic Battles goes to Egypt40:07 Vote for the Golden Geek and for the Deutsche Spiele Preis (DSP) awards!40:44 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag Coming soon: 3-part series on philosophy 42:07 Topic: Omnibus Questions Delta AlephOur Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We are storytellers here at SVWAG. This week, we tell the stories of mismatched plagues with dead llamas posing as European dudes, of quixotic strivings for yet more skirmish games, of famous philosophers who hustled cards. Of course, if you wish to hear different stories, the power is yours! You have but to submit your questions for the upcoming Omnibus Questions episode, and all your idle demands shall be satisfied!Games Played Last Week:02:33 -Scrap (Kenny Michael-Otton, Jolly Swagman Games, 2023)09:12 -Root: The Marauder Expansion (Nick Brachmann, Patrick Leder, Cole Wehrle, and Joshua Yearsley, Leder Games, 2022)14:29 -Cartographers: A Roll Player Game (Jordy Adan, Thunderworks Games, 2019)16:52 -Lacuna (Mark Gerrits, CMYK, 2023)19:21 -The Edge: Dawnfall (Michał Oracz, Krzysztof Piskorski, and Marcin Świerkot, Awaken Realms, 2018)News (and why it doesn't matter):27:26 dlp's Orléans 10th Anniversary Edition, Walker has grievances30:47 Star Control II sequel, Free Stars: Children of Infinity, on Kickstarter31:56 Feature Game: An Age Contrived (Chris Matthew, Bellows Intent, 2024)Our Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

No topic is off-limits for the upcoming return of our Omnibus Questions, as we demonstrate in this episode by tackling such issues as pre-Reformation papal indulgences. And if you were to guess which host brought up that little historical nugget, you'd be wrong!Possible questions: who would win in a street fight, J.G. Fichte or Nietzsche? Do sheep poop? Who is the best member of Team Avatar? (Fichte, yes, and Appa, respectively) 02:17 AYURIS: It's a Wonderful World (Frédéric Guérard, La Boîte de Jeu, 2019) and It's a Wonderful Kingdom (Frédéric Guérard, La Boîte de Jeu, 2021)Games Played Last Week:06:23 -Orléans: The Plague (Reiner Stockhausen, dlp games, 2023)13:59 -Antiquity (Joroen Doumen & Joris Wiersinga, Splotter, 2004)20:30 -Just One (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Production, 2018)22:51 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Games, 2022)23:47 -Quest (Don Eskridge, Indie Boards & Cards, 2021)28:38 -Sidereal Confluence (TauCeti Deichmann, Wizkids, 2017)32:53 -Fast Sloths (Friedemann Friese, 2F-SPiele, 2019)35:59 -Set a Watch (Mike Gnade and Todd Walsh, Rock Manor Games, 2019)37:38 -The Big Push: Trench Warfare on the Western Front in World War One (Renaud Verlaque, Hollandspiele, 2017)42:14 -Robinson Crusoe: Collector's Edition (Joanna Kijanka and Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal Games, 2024)45:43 -Wabash Cannonball (John Bohrer, Rio Grande Games, 2023)News (and why it doesn't matter):48:28 Adventure Time RPG on crowdfunding49:27 Business Time! Embracer group spins off Asmodee (with debt), Goliath acquires Lucky Duck Games 51:06 Munchkin Big Box solves our problems51:43 Topic: Favourite MechanismsOur Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

While we have little experience with Ed Sullivan's TV offerings, his legacy is a fascinating one. While he capitulated to pressure during the Red Scare, he did show remarkable courage in platforming African American performers despite opposition from his sponsors. Quite surprising is that the illness that eventually killed him was kept a secret from him by his family, a practise that was already frowned on in the United States by the seventies but is still widespread in many parts of the world. Games Played Last Week:01:36 -The Vale of Eternity (Eric Hong, Mandoo Games, 2023)04:28 -Voidfall (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2023)08:42 -Radlands (Daniel Piechnick, Roxley, 2021)10:11 -Mindbug Battlefruits (Christian Kudahl, Marvin Hegen, Skaff Elias, and Richard Garfield, Nerdlab Games, 2024)14:36 -ICECOOL Wizards (Brian Gomez, Brain Games, 2024)19:32 -Ratyl (Andy Gallagher, Busy Dad Games, 2023)25:46 -Agricola (Revised Edition) (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2016)29:42 -Almost Innocent (Philippe Attali, Kolossal Games, 2023)31:18 -E.T. The Extra-Terestrial: Light Years from Home Game (Propsero Hall and Brian Kirk, Funko Games, 2022)33:55 -Dune: Imperium--Uprising (Paul Dennen, Dire Wolf, 2023)38:16 -Word Traveler (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Office Dog, 2024)News (and why it doesn't matter):41:11 Earth Reborn by Christophe Boelinger possibly to be expanded44:31 Vladimír Suchý and Delicious Games go to Resafa45:12 Feature Game: Galactic Renaissance (Christian Martinez, Matagot, 2024)Our Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It is said that both politics and religion are not good conversational fodder among people you don't know well (and perhaps not even for people with whom you are close), but sadly those are among Mark's favourite topics. The sun having been devoured may cause the astronomers to be delighted, but Mark knows a portent when he sees one, and he is confident some kind of sacrifice to appease violent spirits is in order. Walker escalates things by invoking the divine right of kings, the intersection of religion and politics, but then again escalation is Walker's default instinct. Further proof of Fenrir's influence, no doubt!01:44 AYURIS: Space Station Phoenix (Gabriel J. Cohn, Rio Grande Games, 2022)Games Played Last Week:03:54 -Black Rose Wars: Rebirth (Andrea Colletti, Diego Fonseca, and Marco Montanaro, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2024)11:15 -G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game: Raise the Flagg Campaign Expansion (T.C. Petty III, Renegade Game Studios, 2023)12:34 -Hissy Fit (Levi Robertson and Chris Stone, Stone Age Distractions, 2023)16:09 -Almost Innocent (Philippe Attali, Kolossal Games, 2023)16:47 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021)17:15 -Matches (Daniel McKinley, Thing 12 Games, 2024)19:42 -FORK (Ta-Te Wu, Sunrise Tornade Game Studio, 2023)22:08 -Voidfall (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Mindclash Games, 2023)25:13 -Battlecrest: Metronn Base Game (Dustin Dobson & Milan Zivkovic, Button Shy, 2024)28:55 -Omen: Whispers of the Muse (John Clowdus, Small Box Games, 2024)News (and why it doesn't matter):32:11 Divine Right is back on Kickstarter34:04 Light Speed Arena by Tablescope Games on Kickstarter May 736:26 Topic: What Brings You Back?Our Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

I never really understood the term "undead." I mean, it's a binary, right? If it's not dead it must be alive, at least in the context of things that could or were once alive. The negation never seemed to be doing enough work to imply what it was intended to imply. That is, until Walker and Mark got sick. They're not dead, but going straight to "alive" seems a rather hopeful exaggeration. Undead seems appropriate for now.01:47 AYURIS: Carnegie (Xavier Georges, Quined Games, 2022)Games Played Last Week:03:48 -Legacy of Yu (Shem Phillips, Garphill Games, 2023) 07:30 -Set a Watch (Mike Gnade and Todd Walsh, Rock Manor Games, 2019)09:12 -Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs (Joe Klipfel and Nikki Valens, Cephalofair Games, 2024)15:03 -Stonespine Architects (Jordy Adan, Thunderworks Games, 2024)17:23 -Marshmallow Test (Reiner Knizia, Gamewright, 2020)19:21 -Black Rose Wars: Rebirth (Andrea Colletti, Diego Fonseca, and Marco Montanaro, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2024)21:47 -Almost Innocent (Philippe Attali, Kolossal Games, 2023)25:52 -Paint the Roses (Ben Goldman, North Star Games, 2022)28:50 -Fromage (Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset, Road to Infamy Games, 2024)32:40 -Dragonbond: Lords of Vaala (Jack Caesar and Alessio Cavatore, Draco Studios, 2023) 37:52 -City of the Living (Sebastian Bleasdale and Reiner Knizia, Trick or Treat Studios, 2024)News (and why it doesn't matter):42:31 Micro Macro Bonus Box has come home43:26 Age of Innovation balance adjustments for Illusionists and Navigators46:22 Don't Starve the board game47:26 Upcoming from Alex "Green Team" Cutler: Don't Skip Leg Day and Box Top Pinball Haunted House from Pandasaurus48:44 Walker cuteness weakness: Kyoto no Neko49:30 Railroad Tiles from Horrible Guild50:38 Lots of content on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/svwagOur Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We haul ourselves off of our deathbeds to deliver this episode unto you. Prospects for our recovery seem dim, but we would sooner die than deprive you of that which is most sacred--namely content. Of course, illness may yet claim us, but we are far too stoic and noble to complain.01:49 AYURIS: Stroganov (Andreas Steding, Game Brewer, 2021)Games Played Last Week:04:46 -Hissy Fit (Levi Robertson and Chris Stone, Stone Age Distractions, 2023)06:53 -Finished! (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2017)12:01 -City of the Living (Sebastian Bleasdale and Reiner Knizia, Trick or Treat Studios, 2024)15:07 -Legacy of Yu (Shem Phillips, Garphill Games, 2023) 20:27 -Bus (Jeroen Doumen and Joris Wiersinga, Capstone Games, 2019)24:51 -Battlecrest: Metronn Base Game (Dustin Dobson & Milan Zivkovic, Button Shy, 2024)28:59 -G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game: Raise the Flagg Campaign Expansion (T.C. Petty III, Renegade Game Studios, 2023)31:25 -Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs (Joe Klipfel and Nikki Valens, Cephalofair Games, 2024)Our Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We present to you a specially chemically-enhanced episode. Walker has been doping specifically in preparation, eschewing any sustenance other than military-grade lozenges. Mark will be performing his hosting duties while fully immersed in a tank of benzocaine oral painkiller. It is a good thing that the International Olympic Committee has no sway here in SVWAG studios, or we would likely get disqualified for the podcast luge event.Games Played Last Week:01:30 -Raising Robots (Brett Sobol & Seth Van Orden, Nauvoo Games, 2023)08:26 -Omen: Banks of the Styx (John Clowdus, Small Box Games, 2024)11:40 -Set a Watch (Mike Gnade and Todd Walsh, Rock Manor Games, 2019)13:47 -Cryo (Tom Jolly & Luke Laurie, Z-Man Games, 2021)17:33 -Formula D (Laurent Lavaur & Eric Randall, Asmodee, 2008)18:39 -Riftforce (Carlo Bortolini, 1 More Time Games, 2021)22:36 -Piazza Rabazza (Guido Hoffman and Jens-Peter Schliemann, Zoch Verlag, 2022)News (and why it doesn't matter):25:37 RoboRally Transformers: can Autobots get drunk?27:12 An expansion to Unfathomable, the Battlestar Galactica re-theme27:52 Burned was too pure for this crowdfunded world28:19 Etherstone from ThunderGryph Games by Virginio Gigli and Simone Luciani on Kickstarter29:11 Avatar: The Last Airbender co-op deckbuilder29:43 Feature Game: Kutná Hora: The City of Silver (Ondřej Bystroň, Petr Čáslava, and Pavel Jarosch, Czech Games Edition, 2023)51:24 SVWAG Presents Masterpiece Theatre: Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)Our Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For reasons both personal and highly arbitrary, the SVWAG style guide (authored by gibbons, of course) does not countenance using the word "teach" as a noun, with the possible exception as a casual nickname for a teacher. Thus a game does not, in our parlance, have a "teach" except insofar as you call the person explaining the rules to you "teach". As in, "yo, teach, thanks for doing this thankless job, you make our hobby possible, I'm certainly not going to give you a hard time for any minor rules errors or didactic missteps, lemme buy you a pizza, teach, you incredibly physically attractive hero." 01:25 AYURIS: Sakura Arms (BakaFire, Level 99 Games 2022)Games Played Last Week:04:04 -La Granja: Deluxe Master Set (Michael Keller and Andreas "ode." Odendahl, Board&Dice, 2023)10:19 -Unchained (David Gregg, Trick or Treat Studios, 2024)18:04 -Paku Paku (Antoine Bauza, Ravensburger, 2017)21:34 -Turbo Kidz (Emmanuel Gauvain, Scorpion Masqué, 2023)23:46 -Nine Tiles Panic (Jens Merkl and Jean-Claude Pellin, Oink Games, 2019)25:49 -5 Towers (Kasper Lapp, Deep Print Games, 2023)26:33 -Clip Cut Parks (Shaun Graham and Scott Huntington, Renegade Game Studios, 2019)28:17 -The Same Game (Wolfgang Warsch, Edition Spielwiese, 2023)34:17 -Omen: Songs of Far Shores (John Clowdus, Small Box Games, 2024)38:45 -The Vale of Eternity (Eric Hong, Mandoo Games, 2023)43:27 -Sentinels of the Multiverse (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011)News (and why it doesn't matter):49:39 Ninja Division declares bankruptcy, leaves thousands of Kickstarter backers in the lurch50:57 New Mage Knight expansion! Apocalypse Dragon from WizKids by Phil Pettifer51:43 Star Trek Star Realms52:02 Magical Athlete reprint by CMYK in 202552:41 Topic: Rules ExplanationsOur Sponsors:* Check out Express VPN: www.expressvpn.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy