Vox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic

Length: 1:15:13

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: They say time flies when you're having fun, right? Well we must've been having a ton of fun, because 5 years have passed in a flash. That's right - The Cardboard Republic is now 5 years old! And this week, Erin and Ryan reflect on that fact, sharing some thoughts about the era when the started and what they hope for gaming in the future.

GUESTS: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (0:54):

• Harvest Dice by Grey Fox Games (BGG Link)
• Professor Evil and the Citadel of Time by Passport Game Studios / Funforge (BGG Link)
• Pulsar 2849 By Czech Games Edition (BGG Link)
• Through The Desert by Z-Man Games / Asmodee (BGG Link)

FEATURED TOPIC - (25:42):

• The CR turned 5 years old last month. In a lengthy retrospective, Erin and Ryan reflect on what the industry was like when we first launched and the numerous ways it has changed: the good, the bad, and everything in between. We then crack open the mailbag and answer some of your questions!

PLUGS - (1:14:37):

• We’re raffling off a copy of the aforementioned Harvest Dice to a lucky Patreon backer. Consider donating today!
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos, Instagram pictures, and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to one or two - or all of them if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Length: 1:05:40

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: Game nights may have been lacking lately, but Ryan returns from BGGCon to make up for that with plenty to spare! In this episode Erin and Ryan recap some of the highlights of this years's BGGCon and then pivot into the holidays by suggesting some games you can offer up at holiday events filled with adults who may not have touched a game since Monopoly.

GUESTS: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (1:11):

• None! Because of BGGCon!

QUICK TOPICS - (1:11):

• BGGCon! Ryan discusses - at length - a number of game highlights, as well as his favorite part of the convention.

FEATURED TOPIC - (34:13):

• Rather than rattle off our own version of a holiday gift guide, we take a different angle going into the holiday season talking about games to bring to events that will appeal to a wide crowd - be they gamers or not.
  • The best Yankee Swap games are abstract, accessible, and easy-to-learn.
  • This leads to suggestions ranging from some classic non-gamer games (like LCR) to some great Gateway level alternatives, like Splendor.

PLUGS - (1:04:57):

• We’re raffling off a copy of Rocky Road to a lucky Patreon backer. Consider donating today!
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos, Instagram pictures, and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to one or two - or all of them if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Length: 48:54

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: This week, Erin and Ryan recover from their giant Gen Con episode by reviewing...probably one of the smallest games they have - Qwixx! They also talk about BFiG and some prototypes!

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (0:53):

• The Networks: Executives by Formal Ferret Games (BGG Link)
• Cerebria by Mindclash Games (BGG Link)

QUICK TOPICS – (21:48):

• The Boston Festival of Indie Games is coming up on September 23rd. We’ll be there playing games and presenting an award. If you’re in the Boston Area, swing by and say hello!

REVIEW - (26:16):

• Qwixx is a small, speedy roll-and-write game from Gamewright. Over the course of about 15-20 minutes, 2-5 players take turns rolling dice and crossing numbers off their player sheets, but there’s still a bit of strategy involved. A little bit. If you choose the wrong numbers to scratch out, you’re doomed to lock yourself out of valuable options down the road. If you play too conservatively, though, you’re going to struggle to keep up. We build up a consensus on who this accessible, portable dice chucking game and who should roll on to other things instead.

(Note: if you don't see pictures below, you can view them via the RSS feed or clicking this link.)

A standard Qwixx scorepad, with Red and Yellow in ascending numerical order and Blue and Green in descending order

With this dice roll, any player may choose to cross out a six on any of their four tracks

The active player chooses to pair the 2 white die with the blue die and crosses out Blue 6

A player's final score of 88 points

PLUGS - (48:22):

• We’re raffling off a copy of Go Nuts For Donuts to a lucky Patreon backer. Consider donating today!
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Length: 58:47

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: A primary reason that board gaming is such an entertaining hobby is that it fosters and encourages socializing with other people. To that end, this week Erin and Ryan talk about this year's BGG Con, then discuss some of the many online communities available to gamers.

GUESTS: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (01:34):

• Fuju Flush by Stronghold Games
• Terraforming Mars by Stronghold Games
• Honshu by Lautapelit / Renegade Game Studios
• Ave Roma by A-Games
• Flamme Rouge by Lautapelit

FEATURED TOPIC - (20:30):

• This week is all about board gaming communities within the board gaming world, including the positives and negatives they each offer to the hobby. The primary ones :
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • BoardGameGeek
  • Instagram

PLUGS - (57:57):

• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos, Instagram pictures, and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either - or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at [email protected]. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.

Length: 59:26

Show Links: RSS | iTunes | Stitcher | Download Episode

Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long.

Vox Republica is proudly supported by our Patreon. Consider contributing today!

DESCRIPTION: It's October, which means Halloween! Which means spooky things! Which brings us to the idea of gaming atmosphere. Why is it that exactly that board games struggle so hard to generate feelings of dread? What makes this medium, as opposed to movies, books, and even RPGs, so much more difficult? This week, Erin and Ryan parse over the possibilities behind it. Then, they venture back to the early American Frontier with a review of the dice allocation game Discoveries.

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (01:39):

• Strife: Shadows & Steam by V3G
• Ahead in the Clouds by Button Shy Games
• Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation by Fantasy Flight Games

FEATURED TOPIC – (13:15):

• It's rare for a horror themed game to make you feel afraid, upset, or otherwise creeped out. Why is it that board games as a form of entertainment fare so much better at causing that to happen as opposed to movies, TV, or even classic RPGs? Some things we discuss to that end include:
  • What is it about them inherently makes this difficult
  • The difficulty of being surprised when you know what can happen
  • Outside influences such as lighting, music, and even scents can help set the mood
  • How whole genres of board games avoid theme as a primary goal to begin with
  • How app-enabled games may help going forward

QUICK TOPICS - (22:59):

• Erin makes an announcement about her participation in a new positive launching soon that'll focus on the positive things board gaming offers.

REVIEW - (25:35):

• Discoveries is a 2015 dice placement and dice manipulation game by Ludonaute & Asmodee Editions. Designed to be a lighter experience to their heftier title Lewis & Clark while maintaining a similar theme, this game does exactly that. In this dice rolling adventure, each player is a member of the famed Lewis & Clark Expedition. Their goal was to venture across the American Frontier through unexplored lands (to the Europeans anyway) and take note of everything they experienced, from the plants and animals, to interactions with the various American Indian tribes, to mapping out the land itself. This is represented by each player having access to a handful of resource dice that are rolled periodically. Through a series of turns, players allocate dice results to different actions as a means of befriending tribes as to claim their cards for more powerful action abilities, and / or complete journal cards to score VP. The goal is to essentially have the most complete (i.e. valuable) journal at the end of the game. With excellent artwork, simple rules, and a uncommon theme, Discoveries does a decent job conveying this game's purpose. That said, as we explore it, it's evident that much like the Expedition, Discoveries runs into its own share of obstacles.

(Note: if you don't see pictures below, you can view them via the RSS feed or clicking this link.)