Botch Games Podcast (games)

In episode 40, Craig follows the trend of every other media site out there and goes through all of his lists of 2015. First off, Craig hits the low notes and talks about his disappointments of 2015 and the games he wished he had played during 2015. Then in a SPECIAL GUEST segment, Craig is joined by his lovely wife, and surprisingly talkative son who give their top 5 games from the previous year. Lastly, Craig gets in to the meat of the episode and talks his top 10 games of 2015, and wraps up the show with his biggest anticipations of 2016! We hope you enjoy the episode and that you have a wonderful start to your new year!

A list of Games you might hear in the episode:

Bring out yer Dead (Upper Deck)

Ticket to Ride (Days of Wonder)

The Networks (Formal Ferret)

Seafall (Plaid Hat)

Ashes (Plaid Hat)

Colt Express (Asmodee)

Flick em Up (Pretzel Games)

Elysium (Space Cowboys)

Pandemic Legacy (Z-Man)

Arboretum (Z-man)

X-Com (FFG)

Blood Rage (CMON)

Dark Moon (Stronghold Games)

504 (Stronghold Games)

Mottainai (Asmadi Games)

Secret Hitler (Max Temkin)

Scythe (Stonemaier Games)

Between Two Cities (Stonemaier Games)

7Wonders Duel (Repos)

Rum and Bones (CMON)

The Grizzled (CMON)

Lanterns (Foxtrot)

Orleans (TMG)

Arcadia Quest (CMON)

Rhino Hero (HABA)

Direct download: 40final.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 10:40pm EDT

In Episode 39, Craig takes a look at three games sent to him for review from Tasty Minstrel Games (TMG). First up is the competitve push your luck game of cutting wires and making your friends explode in Bomb Squad Academy. Secondly, He look at the cooperative, Hanabi-style game, Bomb Squad, full of map movement, bomb defusal, secret hands, and a real-time countdown timer. Lastly, he looks at the import/reprint Orleans, a bag building, action selection game. Happy New Years Everyone!

Show Times:

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes: (9:30)

Bomb Squad Academy (TMG): 13:00

Bomb Squad (TMG): 32:20

Orleans (TMG): 56:00

Direct download: 39final.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 2:06am EDT

In Episode 38, Craig digs through his stack and pulls out the last few games to be reviewed from 2015 in anticipation of his best of 2015 list debuting in January 2016. Starting off Craig gives a brief synopsis of Lifeline, a storytelling iOS and Android game and his adoration for the style. Second, he goes even further away from his normal reviews and gives an in-depth look at Secret Hitler, a hidden role game which is live on Kickstarter from the team the created Cards Against Humanity. Now on to the main event! This week, Craig reviews Bring out Yer Dead from Upper Deck Entertainment, an area-control, family style game, Elysium from Space Cowboy, a Greek mythology card drafting/selection game, and Cosmic Encounter, the age old classic game of conquest and OP aliens. Have a great holiday, dear listener!

Show Times:

Lifeline App (3 minute games): 6:00

Secret Hitler (Max Temkin): 10:30

Bring OUt Yer Dead (Upper Deck): 23:30

Elysium (Space Cowboy): 37:40

Cosmic Encounter (FFG): 52:20

Direct download: 38.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 10:45pm EDT

In Episode 37, Craig takes a look at expansions for two of his favorite Antoine Bauza games, in Takenoko Chibis, an expansion about baby pandas, and Tokaido Crossroads, a game about even more choices on Tokaido road. He discusses what he thinks was necessary additions in the expansions, what didn't need to exist, and his overall thoughts of how the expansions add or detract from the base games. Also in this episode, Craig goes in depth about Above and Below from Ryan Laukat's Red Raven Games, and if the game can blend mechanisms from Thematic games and Euro games successfully. 

Show Times:

Takenoko: Chibis (Matagot): 9:03

Tokaido: Crossroads (FunForge): 26:20

Above and Below (Red Raven Games): 41:18

 

Direct download: 37.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 12:06am EDT

In Episode 36, Craig celebrates the first year of the show and discusses three games that keep hitting his table. First up is Steampunk Rally, a Dice-placement, card-drafting, engine-building racing game of a time, published by Roxley Games. Next up, is Loop, Inc. the game of time-travel-for-profit, released by Eagle Gryphon Games. Lastly, he digs in to a spoiler-free run through of how Pandemic Legacy works, and why you should own it. Right. Now. Also feel free to stick around after the outro for a spoiler HEAVY recap of the first four months of Craig's campaign with his family!

Show Times: 

Steampunk Rally (Roxley Games): 7:45

Loop, Inc. (Eagle Gryphon): 27:30

Pandemic Legacy SPOILER FREE! (Z-Man Games): 48:30

Pandemic Legacy ALL THE SPOILERS!! (Z-man Games): 1:08:30

Direct download: 36.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 12:30am EDT

In episode 35, Craig pairs up two Word/Deck Building games in a comparison of mechanics and gameplay. First he talks about Paperback from Tim Fowers, the Dominion/Scrabble hybrid, and then he discusses Dexicon from Andrew Rowse and Eagle-Gryphon Games and the new concepts it adds to the almost stale deckbuilding genre. Lastly, Craig digs into Seven7s from Jason Tagmire and Eagle-Gryphon games, discussing its simple deck complexity. Also note, Craig is aware he is terrible at his job.

Show Notes:

Paperback (Tim Fowers): 8:30

Dexicon (Eagle-Gryphon): 20:30

Seven7s (Eagle-Gryphon): 38:04

Direct download: Ep35.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 3:59pm EDT

In Episode 34, Craig digs in to three tile placement games, which quickly becomes a lesson on intro/family games. During the episode he discusses Lanterns: The Harvest Festival from Foxtrot Games and Renegade Games, Between Two Cities from Stonemaier Games, and New York 1901 from Blue Orange Games.

 

Show Times:

Lanterns (Foxtrot Games): 6:50

Between Two Cities (Stonemaier Games): 20:45

New York 1901 (Blue Orange Games) 41:15

Direct download: 34.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 9:56pm EDT

In Episode 33, Craig dives into three games that showed up on his doorstep thanks to the magic of Kickstarter. All three games are 2015 releases and have shown up within the past month or so which means he has fought hard to get several plays of each game to bring them to your attention, dear listener. 

First Craig talks about Vault Wars, the auction game from Floodgate Games, then he digs in the latest installment of the Tiny Epic line from Gamelyn Games, Tiny Epic Galaxies, and he finally wraps us with his newest game obsession, Mottainai, from Asmadi Games. 

 

Show Times:

Vault Wars (Floodgate Games): 7:00

Tiny Epic Galaxies (Gamelyn Games): 26:00

Mottainai (Asmadi Games): 39:00

Direct download: 33.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 2:44pm EDT

In episode 32, Craig talks specifically about three Cool Mini or Not games. First off he takes a look back at Arcadia Quest, a 2014 release, but with fresh perspectives and more experience. Next, Craig dives into  the cooperative game the Grizzled, which is an upcoming release, and was a big hit at GenCon 2015. Lastly, he dives into the area-control, card-drafting game, Blood Rage designed by Eric Lang. 

Direct download: 32.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 10:15pm EDT

In episode 31, Craig begins his convention season wrap-up by discussing three games he played (see bought) at Gen-con 2015, specifically, Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot from Portal Games, Codenames from CGE, and Trove:The Crystal Caverns from Leder Games.

Direct download: 31intro.mp3
Category:Games -- posted at: 2:26pm EDT