"Robert! This here is velvet--not velveteen. A gentleman must learn the difference."

-Gilbert Fontaine de la Tour D'Haute Rive

Games Played Last Week:

01:53 -Fishing (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2024)

08:04 -Revive (Helge Meissner, Eilif Svensson, Anna Wermlund, and Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2022)

10:46 -SCOUT (Kei Kajino, Oink Games, 2019)

14:33 -MLEM: Space Agency (Reiner Knizia, Rebel Studio, 2024)

16:53 -Unconscious Mind (Laskas, Jonny Pac, Yoma, and Antonio Zax, Fantasia Games, 2024)

20:10 -SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Laskas, Jonny Pac, Yoma, and Antonio Zax, Czech Games Edition, 2024)

28:27 -Kollide (Uncredited, Relatable, 2024)

31:12 -Gun It (Randy O'Connor, Randy O Games, 2024)

35:14 -Harmonies (Johan Benvenuto, Libellud, 2024)

38:08 -Gudnak (Timothy S. O'Brien and Ian Oliver, Chaotic Great, 2024)

42:19 -Good Puppers (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi Games, 2021)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

44:20 The System Works: BGG improved plague counters, Rise & Fall replacement part

45:50 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag

46:05 If you or someone you know has lost games in the West Coast fires, please reach out 

47:05 Feature Game: Thunder Road: Vendetta--Maximum Chrome (Dave Chalker, Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, Brett Myers, and Brian Neff, Restoration Games, 2023)

Thunder Road: Vendetta--Carnival of Chaos (Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, and Brian Neff, Restoration Games, 2024)

The editorial department of So Very Wrong About Games has several sub-divisions, and admittedly the orgchart gets a bit baroque at this point. The rules errors office is technically a sub-branch of the fact checking desk, but it is funded out of the game design sub-budget. This muddies the line of accountability, and as anyone who works with gibbons can tell you, this is not ideal. 

03:53 AYURIS: Lacrimosa (Gerard Ascendi and Ferran Renalias, Devir, 2022)

Games Played Last Week:

05:20 -Endeavor: Deep Sea (Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2024)

08:30 -Hanabi (Antoine Bauza, ABACUSSPIELE, 2010)

13:55 -Thor (Reiner Knizia, Heidelberger Spieleverlag, 2002)

16:39 -Quin (Brian Rooney and Taeleen Woodard, Arch & Gravity Publishing, 2024)

21:12 -Hamster Roll (Jacques Zeimet, Zoch Verlag, 2000)

24:33 -Gun It (Randy O'Connor, Randy O Games, 2024)

30:20 -Spirits of the Forest (Michael Schacht, ThunderGryph Games, 2018)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

33:44 Project K: The League of Legends Trading Card Game

35:42 Dragons Down: Natives and Legends on Kickstarter

36:26 Assault on Doomrock: Party Hard expansion soon on crowdfunding

37:11 Gamers in need after Los Angeles fires: https://www.gofundme.com/f/our-home-is-gone-we-need-your-help

38:11 Topic: Only at Certain Player Counts

It has come to our attention that there has been a great deficiency in SVWAG through the years, namely our shameful neglect of the French language. The sheer Gaul!

Games Played Last Week:

01:34 -The Isle of Cats Duel (Frank West, The City of Games, 2024)

04:28 -Res Arcana: Lux et Tenebrae (Thomas Lehman, Sand Castle Games, 2019)

08:00 -Worldspanner Factions (Brett G. Murrell, Worldspanner, 2024) 2003, 2013

17:44 -The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2021)

20:30 -Atiwa (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2022)

23:33 -My Favorite Things (Daiki [Nilgiri] Aoyama and Pepe_R, Play for Keeps, 2015)

31:03 Endeavor: Deep Sea (Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2024)

37:35 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, Allplay, 2024)

39:39 -Dro Polter (Paul Schulz, Oink Games, 2023)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

41:34 Fort Circle Games' First Monday in October by Talia Rosen available for pre-order

42:28 Stranger Things Risk...?

43:10 APE Games to reprint Whale Riders

43:38 Kasper Lapp's Our Secret Society

44:04 Formaggio, expandalone to...

44:18 Feature Game: Fromage (Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset, Road to Infamy Games, 2024) 

Trust the launcher.

01:28 AYURIS: Darwin’s Journey (Simone Luciani and Nestore Mangone, ThunderGryph Games, 2023)

Games Played Last Week:

03:49 -Iron Forest (Brian Gomez, Brain Games, 2024)

10:22 -Slide Quest (Nicolas Bourgoin & Jean-François Rochas, Blue Orange, 2019)

14:00 -The Gang (John Cooper and Kory Heath, KOSMOS, 2024)

17:08 -Harmonies (Johan Benvenuto, Libellud, 2024)

19:23 -Set a Watch (Mike Gnade and Todd Walsh, Rock Manor Games, 2019)

23:12 -Endeavor: Age of Expansion (Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2020)

28:05 -Windmill Valley (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2024)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

32:35 It's already Lunar New Year

33:33 From Fortress America to 2045, Walker makes associations

37:21 Second Zenobia Award winner: The Porters, by Lucas Cockburn, Neco Cockburn, and Alex Goss about unionization of black Canadian rail workers

38:57 Topic: Sheep in Wolves' Clothing

Walker's glorious return portends a bumper crop of games to discuss, so we will forego a feature game or topic this week in favour of a deluge.

02:11 AYURIS: Stationfall (Matt Eklund, Ion Game Design, 2023)

Games Played Last Week:

07:08 -Tiny Mini Golf (Kamis Kamiński, Self-published, 2023)

12:46 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Games, 2022) 

15:33 -Flip 7 (Eric Olsen, The Op Games, 2024)

18:08 -The LOOP (Maxime Rambourg and Théo Rivière, Pandasaurus Games, 2020)

20:20 -Civolution (Stefan Feld, Deep Print Games, 2024)

24:26 -Iron Forest (Brian Gomez, Brain Games, 2024)

27:20 -Windmill Valley (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2024)

28:44 -Dragons Down (Scott DeMers, Mr. B Games, 2024)

36:05 -The White Castle: Matcha (Israel Cendrero & Sheila Santos, Devir Games, 2024)

37:43 -Black Forest (Tido Lorenz and Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2024)

40:26 -Dead Cells: The Rogue-Lite Board Game (Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, and Théo Rivière, Scorpion Masqué, 2024)

47:44 -Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders (Tim Eisner and Ben Eisner, Druid City Games, 2024)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

51:48 Red Tank media literacy: ask what elements of con hauls were purchased

53:43 Green Team Wins Holiday Party Pack

In addition to having to struggle with new hardware on account of gravity murdering his tablet of 10+ years, we now must try to adjust to capturing the sweet, sonorous tones of the elusive Jimbo. It's hard to get audio levels right when the mic's compressor itself swoons from sheer bliss.  

02:43 AYURIS: Revive (Helge Meissner, Eilif Svensson, Anna Wermlund, and Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2022)

Games Played Last Week:

06:28 -Civolution (Stefan Feld, Deep Print Games, 2024)

19:45 -Race for the Galaxy (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2007)

25:22 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021)

27:56 -Windmill Valley (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2024)

30:32 -The Isle of Cats Duel (Frank West, The City of Games, 2024)

34:22 -The White Castle: Matcha (Israel Cendrero & Sheila Santos, Devir Games, 2024)

37:01 -Battalion: War of the Ancients (Paolo Mori and Francesco Sirocchi, Osprey, 2024)

43:11 -Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

45:31 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag

46:00 New content for Snap Ships Tactics!

46:52 Behold: Rome is on The Game Crafter

47:15 Persuasion by Xoe Allred Hollandspiele (PAX Unplugged)

48:11 Topic: Frustration with Randomness

We're trying this YouTube thing in earnest, now, doing the video podcasting thing. This is our inaugural attempt at plastering our mugs on the internet in a podcast form. You have to be where your audience is, and also, Mark hopes that a link to a video can serve in lieu of his having to travel to see anyone ever again.

https://www.youtube.com/@SoVeryWrongAboutGames

Games Played Last Week:

01:08 -This Is Not a Test: Post-Apocalyptic Skirmish Rules (Joseph McGuire, Worlds End Publishing, 2013)

05:17 -The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth (Antoine Bauza & Bruno Cathala, Repos Production, 2024)

11:13 -Iron Forest (Brian Gomez, Brain Games, 2024)

16:55 -Trudvang Legends (Jordy Adan, Fel Barros, Guilherme Goulart, Eric M. Lang, Marco Maggi, Francesco Nepitello, Umberto Pignatelli, & Fabio Tola, 2022)

20:38 -The Gang (John Cooper and Kory Heath, KOSMOS, 2024)

23:31 -Wonderland's War (Tim Eisner, Ben Eisner, & Ian Moss, Druid City Games, 2022)

26:33 -SCOUT (Kei Kajino, Oink Games, 2019)

28:49 -Fromage (Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset, Road to Infamy Games, 2024)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

33:05 Witcher 3's card game Gwent getting a physical version from No Loading Games

34:57 Hachette distributing MicroMacro Crime City in North America

35:19 Reiner Knizia's Ape Town from Piatnik

36:22 Shut Up & Sit Down form "Strategic Partnership" with Play to Z Games

37:35 Feature Game: D.E.I.: Divide et Impera (Tommaso Battista, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2022)

All of our musical references are at least a decade out of date, even when we attempt to reference contemporary artists--I must assume, because Mark knows her name, that no one listens to Billie Eilish anymore. We think Drake is suing Kendrick Lamar over claims he plagiarized a board game design, but the details elude us. 

01:43 AYURIS: Gatefall (Jack Dire, Jack Dire Studios, 2020)

Games Played Last Week:

05:09 -The Gang (John Cooper and Kory Heath, KOSMOS, 2024)

07:45 -Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard (Gaëtan Beaujannot, Olivier Cipière, and Geonil, Mandoo Games, 2023)

11:28 -Chronicles of Avel (Przemek Wojtkowiak, Rebel Studio, 2021)

13:49 -Han (Michael Schacht, ABACUSSPIELE, 2014)

16:12 -Splendor Duel (Marc André and Bruno Cathala, Space Cowboys, 2022)

18:41 -Battalion: War of the Ancients (Paolo Mori and Francesco Sirocchi, Osprey, 2024)

23:23 -Rats of Wistar (Simone Luciani and Danilo Sabia, Cranio Creations, 2023)

25:12 -Galactic Renaissance Expansion: 5th Player (Christian Martinez, Matagot, 2024)

30:20 -Hallertau (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2020)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

34:30 Tales of the Arabian Nights 40th Anniversary Edition

35:11 Powerboats ripped off by Rebellion's Joyride? In any case, cite your work! 

38:44 Topic: Tempo Control

When you are obliged to cite your sources is a fraught question, full of nuance. Even in academia there is some disagreement as to when yo quote, when to paraphrase, and when simply to assume common knowledge. Like the preceding sentence, for example--I assume it is common knowledge not requiring a citation, but then again maybe not, and were I using footnotes here I would comment on the absurdity of citations in episode notes (to say nothing of footnoting episode notes). And don't get me started on ibid, supra, and all their blighted ilk! Safer, I think, just not to ever read anything, and thus one's incoherent nonsense is indisputably one's own.

Games Played Last Week:

01:20 -Versailles 1919 (Geoff Engelstein & Mark Herman, GMT Games, 2020)

12:33 -Mass Effect: The Board Game - Priority: Hagalaz (Eric M. Lang and Calvin Wong Tze Loon, Modiphius Entertainment, 2024)

16:11 -Fromage (Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset, Road to Infamy Games, 2024)

24:56 -Behold: Rome (Joe Klipfel, Mythfield Games, 2024)

28:34 -Karvi (Torgei Tjong, Hans im Glück, 2023)

30:44 -Revive (Helge Meissner, Eilif Svensson, Anna Wermlund, and Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2022)

35:07 -Castle Combo (Grégory Grard and Mathieu Roussel, Catch Up Games, 2024)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

36:04 Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan re-print and new campaign on crowdfunding

37:06 Sad passing of Kory Heath, designer of Zendo and co-designer of The Gang

38:44 Join us on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/sowronggames.bsky.social

39:13 Feature Game: The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game (Bryan Bormueller, Office Dog, 2025)

Apparently there were scrapped plans for the Gorn (the lumbering rubber lizard suit dude Kirk fights in that famous episode) to show up in other Star Trek properties. One plan had a Gorn show up as Worf's guest to Riker's bachelor party in Nemesis, and frankly despite how awful those latter movies were I would have been all over that. I can only imagine that the plan was abandoned when the props department couldn't get a styrofoam cocktail to look right.

01:42 AYURIS: The Wolves (Ashwain Kamath and Clarence Simpson, Pandasaurus Games, 2022)

Games Played Last Week:

03:49 -Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders (Tim Eisner and Ben Eisner, Druid City Games, 2024)

10:28 -Mass Effect: The Board Game - Priority: Hagalaz (Eric M. Lang and Calvin Wong Tze Loon, Modiphius Entertainment, 2024)

16:15 -The LOOP (Maxime Rambourg and Théo Rivière, Pandasaurus Games, 2020)

20:57 -Cryo (Tom Jolly & Luke Laurie, Z-Man Games, 2021)

24:37 -Flip 7 (Eric Olsen, The Op Games, 2024)

26:23 -Rebel Princess (Daniel Byrne, José Gerardo Guerrero, Kevin Peláez, and Tirso Virgós, Zombi Paella, 2023)

31:05 -Tiny Laser Heist (Evan Katz and Josh Roberts, Evan and Josh's Very Special Games Company, 2024)

37:54 -D.E.I.: Divide et Impera (Tommaso Battista, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2022)

44:42 -Modern Art (Reiner Knizia, CMON, 2017)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

48:13 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag

49:15 Ingenious goes vertical: Einfach Genial 3D

49:58 Clans of Caledonia's long-awaited expansion: Industria 

51:26 Star Trek Ascendancy: The Gorn!

52:41 Topic: Opening the Box Downers

Thrill to the latest superhero epic, "X-Men: Layover in Dulles." When the Blackbird is grounded due to an unexplained indicator light (meddling from the sinister Magneto? Who can say?!?!), the elite group of heroic mutants must navigate the perils of terminal D. Wolverine is having problems with the metal detectors again, which is troublesome as he is smuggling Cuban cigars. Rogue must battle the temptation of the 15-minute massage station. Panera bread keeps getting Cyclops' order wrong. It's epic, it's exciting, it's eight hours long!

01:42 AYURIS: The Great Wall (Kamil 'Sanex' Cieśla, Robert Plesowicz, & Łukasz Włodarczyk, Awaken Realms, 2021)

Games Played Last Week:

04:43 -Don't Rock the Croc (Uncredited, FoxMind, Unknown)

07:52 -War Story: Occupied France (Dave Neale and David Thompson, Osprey Games, 2024)

13:20 -Barcelona: Passeig de Gràcia (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2024)

20:27 -Mass Effect: The Board Game - Priority: Hagalaz (Eric M. Lang and Calvin Wong Tze Loon, Modiphius Entertainment, 2024)

27:04 -Freedom Five: A Sentinel Comics Board Game (Richard Launius, Adam Sadler, and Brady Sadler, Arcane Wonders, 2024)

32:13 Behold: Rome (Joe Klipfel, Mythfield Games, 2024)

36:40 -Rebel Princess (Daniel Byrne, José Gerardo Guerrero, Kevin Peláez, and Tirso Virgós, Zombi Paella, 2023)

39:00 -Seers Catalog (Taylor Reiner, Bézier Games, 2024)

40:35 -The Gang (John Cooper and Kory Heath, KOSMOS, 2024)

45:00 -Flip 7 (Eric Olsen, The Op Games, 2024)

49:31 -Scholars of the South Tigris (S J Macdonald and Shem Phillips, Garphill Games, 2023)

53:10 -Dogs of War (Paolo Mori, CMON, 2014)

57:33 -Crossbows & Catapults: Fortress War (Stephen Baker, Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, and Brian Neff, Restoration Games, 2024)

1:03:50 -Catapult Feud (Kristian Fosh, Vesuvius Media, 2021)

1:07:23 -51st State: Ultimate Edition (Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal Games, 2023)

1:08:54 -Ceres (Gustaf Sundström, Artipia Games, 2023)

1:10:02 -Last Aurora (Mauro Chiabotto, Pendragon Game Studio, 2020)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

1:12:32 Barony Royal Edition on Kickstarter

1:13:59 Smurfs Roleplaying Games

1:14:16 Reiner Knizia anthropomorphic animals: Money and Nyakuza

1:15:29 Zeo Genesis scalable miniatures games from OG Games Workshp designers

1:16:25 Planepita: dexterity with magnets!

1:17:01 Keep the Heroes Out! digital version delayed, Russian contract confusion