Over The Tabletop

With just a few short days before GenCon 2018 dawns, we're back with our preview of highly-anticipated-by-us games and events during this year's event! Join us for us for all the best tips for making the most of not waiting in line at Noodles & Company during GenCon!

It's Erin in board game form -- Cat Lady! We come back from a bit of a hiatus with a light, fun look at a light, fun game. Co-producer Solstice gives this charmingly illustrated card drafting game two cat-thumbs up (and she can, because she has thumbs!) as do we!  

We played this mid-dayish, but it's Twilight Struggle! A card game evoking the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR, involving strategy, cunning, and wit, so of course James won several rounds. Erin is still a fan, though, and so is Co-Producer Solstice, so give a listen and see if you might enjoy this classic offering from GMT Games!

From the people who brought you Ascension comes a game reviewed by the people who also recently brought you a review of Ascension, it's Shards of Infinity! Over the Tabletop's fondness for deckbuilders really comes to life in this one, once we figured out how to actually play it. Erin's running on a high of five games won and she's not even bothered by the fact we weren't playing correctly! Give it a listen!

James and Erin have pieced together a lovely episode for listeners on Patchwork, a game by Uwe Rosenberg of Agricola fame! This game gains points for a uniquely pleasant experience and also not being Agricola! Join us also for a rich tapestry of philosophical talk on game groups and game styles!

Over the Tabletop rises to greatness as always with Stone Blade Games' Ascension! A solid deckbuilder that's been around for several years and has several expansion/standalone games, it's been a go-to game for James and Erin, with wins on both sides. Or not! It's hard to tell, because the game is enjoyable enough (pretty art! appealing victory tokens!) not to worry about winning or losing. Co-producer Solstice also offers her thoughts! (spoiler alert, they are "Meow!")

We're back with a on-location report from local gaming convention TotalCon! We offer our thoughts on some newly sampled games such as Vampires vs. Unicorns and The Exorcism at the House of Monkton Falls! We also review longtime favorite, Hero Realms from White Wizard Games! This episode also brings an update on the Android Netrunner legacy game we've been playing/bickering over for several months. Give a listen!

We return with Twilight of the Gods, a fun outing from Victory Point Games that James likes a lot even though Erin has won every game thus far! The game, much like Magic with some twists, has an expansion up on Kickstarter right now. Also this episode, Solstice meows in the background, causing immediate cuteness meltdowns; Erin grumbles a bit about card terminology; and we recap our San Francisco trip!

We cast our net wider this week while discussing the board game oeuvre of a favorite game maker, Small Box Games! They're a solid game developer with a strong Kickstarter presence, grasp of different game mechanics, and making gold coins look like delicious cheeseballs. Also in this episode, Erin can't open her tea, James has super vacation brain, and Solstice audibly climbs into a bag! Join us!

It's unanimous, folks! A game that James, Erin, AND Co-Producer Solstice KitKat all enjoy! This week's episode has us playing Mission to Planet Hexx, a delightful romp through space and even though Erin lost and is feeling surly about it, she's STILL jazzed to try again. It's a brand-new day! It should also be noted that James still can't stand Ticket to Ride.

This week, Over the Tabletop plays Witches of the Revolution from Atlas Games and it's ... fine? Erin is unexpectedly aggro about how great this deckbuilder with a cooperative twist could have been and James is intent upon spoiling The Last Jedi for listeners. (Don't worry, we've sonically excised the spoilers!) Come for our discussion of how awesome Occult Candyland would be and what our top five favorite TV shows might be!

The weather outside is weather, but inside your ears, it's a new episode of Over the Tabletop! This week, we see if things end happily ever after with Dark Tales, an engaging card game with lots of replayability. Come for the game discussion, stay for the warping of the Duck Tales theme song and lots of unwelcome Little Mermaid and Spin Doctors references!

Ever have one of those games that's super popular, well-crafted, and just plain ol' not for you? Arkham Horror might be that game for James and Erin. It's chock full of juicy story, twists and turns, and growing madness, but that impending sense of doom and seemingly insurmountable odds ... aren't always what you want in a fun game night. Give a listen!

It's another installment of Over the Tabletop, a weekly-ish podcast dedicated to two-player board games! This week, we discuss Epic PvP from AEG and Fun to 11 Games. Described as a "shufflebuilding" game, Epic PvP offers quick gameplay with up to 72 (probably) different character combinations James and Erin discuss the importance of reading ALL the rules to properly enjoy a game as well as our fave Diablo character classes!

Sometimes your gameplay will be less for the beer-and-pretzels set and more for the milk-and-cookies crowd! Make holidays magical by getting the whole family/chosen family/friends/people stranded at the airport involved! This week, we offer up a few family-friendly suggestions for games that work well for the non-gamers in your Christmas coterie/Solstice suite/Hanukkah huddle/Yule crew. We also as is our wont, have a decidedly explicit discussion of the serial murder-centric television program Hannibal, so maybe keep Bing Crosby on the surround sound DURING your actual holiday get-togethers and listen to this beforehand. (but definitely listen and enjoy!)

We're back, with a look at one of James' favorite games of all time and a game that Erin acknowledges is certainly very well constructed. This living card game (code: you can buy packs of cards forever and always and make your partner shudder about how complex things will get) combines some solid asymmetrical play with a bit of bluffing and usually, for Erin, some tears. 

What happens when two overly-into-Salem-adjacent-media folks find a game with this theme? Lots of praise for said game (a worker placement game we enjoy!!), along with takes that are hellfire-hot about other things we DON'T like. Listen for James' opinions on The VVitch and Erin's weirdly specific historic references, and our review of DPH (not NPH) Games' "Affliction: Salem 1692!"

We're on the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the Edge of Humanity! Luckily, this precipice is a pretty cool place, since we both really enjoyed the game. Give a listen as we discuss our playthrough, as well as Erin's sneaky It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia references, a confusing rainbow pin, and James' strongly-held opinions about game boxes!

A fun extra this week for you fine folks, in addition to our review of Legend of the Five Rings (spoiler alert, Erin can't hold her honor) -- an interview with game designer Luca Vince Caltabiano, creator of the upcoming Neon Knights 2086. We talk Kickstarter, game design, and the value of a thriving gaming community. Enjoy!

We take a deeper dive into Geek Fever Games' Druid Dice, a fave from our recent gaming con experience! Come for our playthrough of a game that is Tetris meets Candy Crush meets Super Puzzle Fighter and stay for our favorite druid-related media, including James' list of things he'd rather do than watch the Nic Cage remake of "The Wicker Man!"