Board Games with Scott

TransEuropa is a good introductory train game where players have secret agendas to connect five cities using communal track. (11:28)

TransEuropa (and the similar game, TransAmerica), is a great introduction to modern board games. It’s a light game where players connect cities across Europe by playing track that everyone shares. In this episode of Board Games with Scott, Scott Nicholson discusses this game and the expansion, Vexation. The expansion adds a little bit of complexity and makes the game more confrontational.

Watch it through Vimeo:

Board Games with Scott 047 - TransEuropa and Vexation from Scott Nicholson on Vimeo.

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You can order TransEuropa or order Vexation through Funagain Games . If you do decide to order the game because of this episode, let the folks at Rio Grande Games know at http://www.riograndegames.com/contact.html, as this does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

18xx is a series of complex economic train games where players invest and manage multiple train lines, set in the 1800’s. (42:03)

The 18xx series of games are a long-standing series of economic train games. Players invest in one or more train corporations and manage their routes on a board. In this episode of Board Games with Scott, Scott Nicholson discusses the series of the 18xx games. This episode is not traditional in that Scott doesn’t teach you a specific game. Since each game in the 18xx series is different, Scott focuses on the topics that most have in common. These games are long but can provide a rewarding and deep game experience.

Watch it through Vimeo:

Board Games with Scott 046 - 18xx from Scott Nicholson on Vimeo.
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Internet Archive
in one of many formats, or
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You can order 1870 through Funagain Games (although it’s temporarily out of stock). If you do decide to order the game because of this episode, let the folks at Mayfair Games know at mayfair@mayfairgames.com, as this does make a difference!

All of funagain.com’s 18xx games can be found at http://www.funagain.com/control/category/~category_id=SERIES_0428

You can order 18FL through Deep Thought Games.

There are some sample 18XX games in a “Learning to Play” series at BoardGameGeek at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/207393 and
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/207400

There is a Yahoo group to discuss 18XX at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/18xx/

Also, a plethora of 18xx information is available at Keith Thomasson’s site - http://www.fwtwr.com/18xx/index.htm

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

(Begin Blatant Plug)

I’ve designed my first board game, called Tulipmania 1637. It’s a stock market game that replicates the bubble market that was in 1637 regarding the price of tulip bulbs that almost destroyed the dutch economy. I made the game after visiting the Tulip museum in Amsterdam and learning all about Tulipmania, and wanted to pass along the lesson of how bubble markets occur and the role of unethical people in these markets. You are one of these less-than-ethical investors trying to take advantage of the innocent Tulip Buyers.. and each other.

It’s planned to be published in October (and as soon as I get a copy, I’ll make a Blatant Plug Video about it.)

But, if you want to explore it, the publishers have created a version that you can try online for free until the game comes out.

You can read the rules and download the software to try the game at
http://www.jklminteractive.co.uk/jklm/tulipmania.php

and you can preorder the game with a discount at
http://www.jklmgames.co.uk/gamessin.php?game=420

(end Blatant Plug)

Puerto Rico is a modern eurogame that combines strategy and tactics about building an effective plantation in San Juan. (34:29)

Puerto Rico is one of the top-ranked games at BoardGameGeek and is one of my favorite games. That said, it is a medium-complexity game that offers a new player a large number of choices. Puerto Rico broke ground in the way that turns were handled and many games have taken inspiration from it over the years. This is also one of my most-requested games, and I surprised several of those requesters by asking them to look at an early version of the video (thanks for responding, Keith and Louis!)

To enjoy this video, you can watch it below:

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Download it from the
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in one of many formats, or
Right-Click and save:
Very-High-Quality Quicktime (672 MB)
High-Quality Quicktime (from Vimeo) (323 MB)
Not-So-High-Quality MP4 (88 MB)
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New!
I’m also playing around with Vimeo. You can try watching the video below:

Untitled from Scott Nicholson on Vimeo.

If you have feedback about Vimeo as compared to the Internet Archive versions, please let me know! (scott@scottnicholson.com)

You can order Puerto Rico through Funagain Games. If you do decide to order the game because of this episode, let the folks at Rio Grande Games know, as this does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

It’s not a full-blown episode of Board Games with Scott, but it’s a video about board games. The show that inspired me to start the series is off the air, but the host is now doing a cooking show. He contacted me and asked me to be on the show, so I offered up a segment on “After Dinner Games”.

I demonstrated:
- Felix, the Cat in the Sack
- Portrayal, and
- Rattlesnake .

By the way, when you play Felix, before you start bidding, you get to see the first cat in the sack; I didn’t show that correctly. Also, the table was a little slanted, so Rattlesnake was harder than it should have been. But, when it’s time-pressed recorded-live TV, things happen!

Since this one is short, I put it up on YouTube:

You can also grab it over at the Internet Archive at http://www.archive.org/download/bgws_jan08_foodforthought/bgws_special_0108.mp4 (32 MB)

Discuss this segment over at Board Game Geek at http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/279641.

Portrayal is a party game where players draw what they are told. (13:53)

Time for something lighter! This is a party game from a small publisher, Braincog, and I really enjoyed it. While you draw in the game, it’s not like a traditional drawing game. Make sure and have pencil and paper ready so you can Play Along with Scott.

Note - I’m still calibrating my new studio, and there are some times when the audio goes a little funny.

To enjoy this video, you can watch it below:

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You can order Portrayal through Braincog. If you do decide to order the game because of this episode, let the folks at Braincog know, as this does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Reef Encounter is a medium-weight strategy game about coral reef combat and hungry parrotfish. (37:06)

Welcome! It’s been a while, but I’m getting settled in after my move, and am ready to start up again. This episode is about Reef Encounter and features clips from an interview that I did with the designer, Richard Breese, at Essen 2006.

To enjoy this video, you can watch it below:

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- Lower-quality MP4 or
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Audio only (31 MB MP3)

You can order Reef Encounter through Funagain Games. You can also play it online at SpielbyWeb.

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

On Tuesday, Nov. 27th, I was on WORD-FM, talking about Board Games. You can get the MP3 file directly or listen to the segment at http://www.archive.org/details/Word-fmSegment-BoardGameRecommendations-November2007

If you are visiting here because you heard me on WORD-FM, welcome! Here are videos about the games I discussed on the show:

Wits and Wagers - http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/?p=53

GiftTRAP - http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/?p=43

Blokus
I talked about Blokus on a local PBS segment, which you can get at
http://biblio.syr.edu/videos/hourcnygameshi.wmv (high-quality, 54MB file) or
http://biblio.syr.edu/videos/hourcnygameslow.wmv (low-quality, 9MB file).

Ticket to Ride - http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/?p=19

The community site is Board Game Geek - http://boardgamegeek.com.

If you are looking to purchase some of these games, you can get them at Funagain Games.

Finally, if you want to learn more, I’ve got a Board Games 101 video where I present an overview of these types of games.

I’ve been on hiatus for a while in making new videos, but I’ve started production up again. To be notified about new videos, there are some options over on the right-hand column near the top, like “E-mail notification”.

What could be going on?

In case you are interested, I’ve started a BoardGameGeek Guild about Board Games with Scott. This is where I’ll talk about what I’m up to, what games I have planned to make videos about, and offer forums for other chit-chat about the show.

You will need a BGG account to join, and then you can sign up at
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/guild/395

(p.s. I still can’t find my camera! It was one of the last things to be packed, so now I’m suspecting it is in a box labeled for a different room, like (shudder) “Storage”. The unpacking continues…)

We’re moved into the new place (and still have had no offers on the old one). I’ve put up track lighting in the basement for my filming, but I have not yet found the box with the video camera. It’s somewhere.. in a box…somewhere…

As it always seems to go, everything takes longer than it should. You would think in this time of a housing slump, there would be so little work that those involved with houses would be eager to work!

We own the house, but are still waiting on some big repairs before we can start moving in. My studio is still in a box, and I’m spending all that free time that would usually go to making a video on packing, painting, assembling, and trying to get most of the house ready before school starts. Consider BGWS in hiatus until I get my life back in order. If you just can’t live without your dose of Scott, I’m still contributing to the On Board Games podcast.

(We actually own two houses - if you know of anyone in Syracuse looking for a house, please send them my way!!)

Greetings!

We’re closing on our new house tomorrow (after weeks of delays) so I won’t be putting up an episode for another few weeks as we repair the new house and then move in. (note - our current house remains unsold, so if you are looking or know someone who is looking in the Syracuse area, please point them to MLS# 173519).

I was the organizer and moderator of a panel called “Meet the Boardgame Broadcasters” at Origins, and Jim Van Verth of The Vintage Gamer recorded the panel and put it up on his site. It features me, representing both Board Games with Scott and the On Board Games podcast, Tom and Sam from the Dice Tower, Dave and Stephen from The Spiel, and Jim from The Vintage Gamer, and Mark and Jay from The Metagamers. We talk about our shows and have a lot of fun.

You can listen to this panel over at
http://essentialmath.com/vintagegamer/?p=60
where it says “Standard Podcast”.

If you want to discuss it, there is a thread at Board Game Geek
.

World of Warcraft, the Boardgame is a long fantasy game for two teams of players. (38:27)

Special Note! I’ll be at Origins. There is a Meet the Boardgame Broadcasters panel Saturday morning at 10AM that I’ll be on, and will be happy to go out to lunch with BGWS viewers afterwards. I’ll also be spending a lot of time in the Board Room.

In this special episode of Board Games with Scott, BGWS coorespondent Matt Carlson takes a look at World of Warcraft and the Shadows of War expanasion. This two-team fantasy game takes several hours to play and is full of many familiar references for those playing the computer game.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
Low quality, Quicktime (60 MB)
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You can order World of Warcraft through Funagain Games.

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

ConHex is a fast abstract connection game for two players (17:54)

In this episode, I interview Michail Antonow, the designer of ConHex, about his game, teach the game and play a sample game. ConHex is a clever two-player abstract game where players are attempting to connect two sides of a square board. Games move very quickly, but the game has considerable depth in just a few rules.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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You can order ConHex through Funagain Games or through Clemens Gerhards

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

The Pillars of the Earth is a light strategy game about gathering resources and employing craftsmen to turn those resources into parts of a catherdal. (27:07)

The Pillars of the Earth was an Essen 2006 release based on Ken Follett’s book of the same name. It’s a family strategy game which is similar to Caylus in many ways, but is a less intense experience. It’s a six-round game where in each round, players collect resources, acquire craftsmen, and then use the craftsmen to turn the resources into parts of a cathedral. Victory points are awarded for cathedral components.

By the way, I’m trying to replace some of my failing equipment. If you’d like to help out, you can send Paypal donations to scott@scottnicholson.com.

To enjoy this video, you can watch it at the Internet Archive

or

Watch it here:

or

Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 040, Low quality (51 MB)
BGWS 040, High quality, (198 MB)
BGWS 040, Audio only (25 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

You can order The Pillars of the Earth through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of this game because of this video, let the publisher know! In the US, it is Mayfair games at mayfair@mayfairgames.com, and elsewhere, Kosmos or 999 Games . This does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Looking for a little Scott to tide you over between episodes of Board Games with Scott? I’ve joined up with Don Dennis (the pirate from Board Games without Scott) and Erik Dewey (reviewer for Knucklebones magazine) to do a new netcast called “On Board Games”.

This is a regular series where we talk about larger issues in gaming, focusing on the behind-the-scenes angles when possible. I participate in the discussions and review games (and some of them are games I didn’t like)!

So far, we have an introduction and three episodes.

You can find the series (with RSS feeds) at onboardgames.net.

Here are direct links to:
Episode 0: Meet the Makers
Episode 1: Don’t Quit Now
Episode 2: Expanding Game Play
Episode 3: Critical Reviews and the Modern Board Game

Enjoy!

Yspahan is a strategy game where players play the role of merchants, occupying souks and caravans in order to score points in this quick 30-minute game (20:06)

Yspahan is a clever and short strategy game. Where there is a theme, it doesn’t really match up with the gameplay, but is still fun. Players place cubes in shops in the city of Yspahan, and if they can occupy all the shops of a color in a district at the end of a week, score points. You can also score points by sending your cubes to a caravan and by building new buildings that give you special abilities. There are many strategies and ways to get points in this interesting little game.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 039, Low quality (50 MB)
BGWS 03, High quality, (173 MB)
BGWS 039, Audio only (19 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

Watch the episode with Spanish subtitles at http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=-8648913020595685624&hl=es

You can order Yspahan through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Yspahan because of this video, let the publisher know! In the US, it is Rio Grande games at riogames@aol.com, and elsewhere, Ystari games at info@ystari.com. This does make a difference!

A big thanks to Scott Tepper for teaching me the game and giving me the inspiration to name the quadrants!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Lifeboats is a light negotiation game about sailors trying to make it ashore in leaky lifeboats. (15:09)

In Lifeboats, players have escaped a sinking ship onto a series of lifeboats. These lifeboats have not been well-maintained, so have sprung leaks. Players are maneuvering for the best boats and try to avoid being tossed overboard when the boat springs a new leak. This is done through negotiation and voting, but players have precious little to offer in negotiations.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 038, Low quality (38 MB)
BGWS 038, High quality, (117 MB)
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With Spanish Subtitles - http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=2628948059002180083&hl=es

You can order Lifeboats through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Lifeboats because of this video, let the publisher know at zman@zmangames.com . This does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Rum & Pirates is a family strategy game about collecting honor points through strategic placement of scarce resources. (16:38)

In Rum & Pirates, players control a group a pirates. On your turn, you control the movement of your pirate leader, following along with members of your group. Based upon where the leader goes, you can get a few victory points easily or have to engage in some type of challenge or adventure to gain more points. You can spend resources to take extra turns, but when you are out of pirates, you are done for the round. Any pirates left over head back to the ship to fight over bunks (and therefore, more points). It’s a lighter game than others in this series (like Puerto Rico), but has good theme and flavor. Mmm - tastes like Pirate!

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 037, Low quality (33 MB)
BGWS 037, High quality, (126 MB)
BGWS 037, Audio only (15 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

You can order Rum & Pirates through Funagain Games.

Note - the picture of the ship’s hold came from lesjc@lineone.net via Flickr through the Creative Commons license.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Rum & Pirates because of this video, let the publisher know at riogames@aol.com in the U.S. or info@aleaspiele.de in Germany. This does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Greetings!

I have good news, more good news, bad news, good news, and a request.

The good news:
This semester, I’ve been promoted at work to Program Director of the Masters of Science in Library and Information Science program, which is an administrative position where I plan courses, marketing, find adjuncts, and basically run that academic program.

The more good news:
I’m also starting on a new research agenda looking at “Gaming in Libraries.” Many libraries are offering gaming programs, but the focus seems to be on video games. I want to systematically explore the whole spectrum of games as to what formats and types of games would be best for different age groups and demographics based upon the goals of the library.

The bad news:
This means I am swamped. I’m traveling more, I’m in more meetings, and I’m much busier than before. This will ebb and flow as the semester goes, but right now, it is flowing.

Given my new responsibilities, I will not be keeping to a two-week schedule for new episodes. I will continue to do the show, but the shows will come out when I have the time. When I have more free time, you’ll see more episodes, and when I’m very busy, you’ll see fewer. I don’t want to burn out by forcing them out, as that will show in their passion and quality. I also am not going to take shortcuts to “just get them out the door;” I’m making permanent resources at BGWS, and as such, I’m focusing on quality and not quantity.

If you want more videos, I’d encourage you to grab your friends and a camera and make some! Making these has been fun and a great boon to my gaming career, so I would encourage anyone who has the passion to give it a shot!

Finally, the good news again:
I’m working with a few others to do an audio podcast. I will be doing a segment where I explore games that don’t quite drive my passion enough for me to make a video, but I still find have something worth talking about. I’ll post information about this as it becomes available. So, you’ll soon still get your regular dose of Scott, just in easy-to-swallow audio format.

So, here’s my plea:
Please don’t write asking when the next one is coming out. When I have the time, I’ll make one. If I decide to quit making them, I’ll tell everyone.

Thanks for your consideration!

Scott

The Gone Gaming awards have been posted, and Board Games with Scott was selected as the Best Podcast/Videocast for 2006. In addition, they have placed BGWS into the Gone Gaming Hall of Fame (since I also won an award last year), so BGWS is not eligible for an award in the future.

So, which one of you will start a new videocast to win next year?

Shear Panic is a light strategy game about managing the position of your sheep in a flock. (24:48)

This week on Board Games with Scott, host Scott Nicholson discusses Shear Panic - The Best Game Ewe Ever Heard and interviews the designers, Gordon and Fraser Lamont. In this 2-4 player light strategy game (with really nice components), players are manipulating a flock of sheep to achieve different goals. Each player has two sheep in the flock and is trying to either get them close to each other, move them toward a black sheep, or move them to the front or back of the flock.

This video on Shear Panic covers the Mayfair version of the game, which is very similar to the version published by 999 games (Panic in de Wei). The game has also been released by Zoch Verlag as Haste Bock?, which has some significant differences.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 036, Low quality (50 MB)
BGWS 036, High quality, (147 MB)
BGWS 036, Audio only (23 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

You can order Shear Panic through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Shear Panic because of this video, let the publisher know at mayfair@mayfairgames.com. This does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

But hey, you know, any publicity is good publicity, as they say.

These folks poked some serious fun at BGWS and the hobby…

http://www.current.tv/google/GC02295

but I still found it funny.

(all except for the first entry in the “Here’s some games Scott likes to play” part…that just hurt.)

It’s all about raising awareness, and if a lampooning is what it takes, well, I’ll take it.

If you want to discuss this, head over to
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1258296

(By the way, I’m filming the next BGWS episode now, so it will be coming sometime next week.)

My Veoh Show

I was on our local live PBS talk show, HourCNY, last week. This time, my focus was games that could be purchased locally. The sad news I got was that the show is going off the air; HourCNY was the reason I started BGWS, as I saw how useful video-based explorations could be.

You can see this 13-minute segment at the Internet Archive.

Right-Click and Save:
HourCNY visit, Low Quality (20 MB)
HourCNY visit, High Quality (62 MB)

You can discuss this segment over at BoardGameGeek.

To those of you coming here from The 9 (http://9.yahoo.com/2006/12/11/), welcome to my show!

Each episode I do is about a different board game. Some of my shows are about party games, others about family games, and some about strategy games.

Here are a few good starting points:

- Are party games your style? Then check out Wits & Wagers or Gift Trap

- Want a good game for the family? Take a look at Carcassone: The Discovery or Ticket to Ride

- How about something a little more strategic? Visit Blue Moon City or Masons

- Or, for a brief overview of many different games, there is the Board Games 101 show.

No matter what you explore, you can use the RSS feed, Itunes subscription, or E-mail notifcation (all on the right-hand side) to learn when there are new shows.

Enjoy, and may your Monopoly board be covered with dust!

Scott

Holiday Sale! Use the special code JV8X4F83 at CustomFlix and get 20% off the BGWS DVD. This video has the first 9 episodes of BGWS and a special episode on Aquadukt, all of which were remastered to DVD-quality video so they look good on a television. You could buy this video and a few of the games I talk about for the non-gamer in your life as a holiday gift! This offer is good through December.

BattleLore is a two-player light tactical war game that can be played in a historical or fantasy setting. (28:06)

This week on Board Games with Scott, host Scott Nicholson discusses BattleLore. This game is in the lineage of Battle Cry, Memoir ‘44, and Command and Colors: Ancients. It is a card-driven war game where two players fight it out for dominance of the battlefield. It’s elegant design makes it simple to get into and understand, but allows for more complexity than one might expect.

Please note - Scott is taking a break over the holidays, and this will be the only episode released in December. Look for the next episode in the first half of January!

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 035, Low quality (49 MB)
BGWS 035, High quality, (158 MB)
BGWS 035, Audio only (25 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

You can order BattleLore through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of BattleLore because of this video, let the publisher know at marketing@daysofwonder.com. This does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Wits & Wagers is a party game that combines trivia, knowledge of other players, and gambling. (10:46)

This week on Board Games with Scott, host Scott Nicholson discusses Wits & Wagers. This is a party game with a game show feel. Players attempt to guess the answer to numerical questions without going over, and then place wagers on whose answer was correct.

Please Note - This episode is different in that it is designed for people new to the hobby of board gaming. I created this episode with the idea that you could burn a copy of the episode onto a CD and give it to someone along with a copy of the game as a holiday gift. I give you permission to distribute this episode along with the game when used as a gift.

I do have a request - if you do give this video along with the game, let me know that you did that; as this is a new format idea, I’m curious to see if people actually use it in the intended manner.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 034, Low quality (23 MB)
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You can order Wits & Wagers through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Wits & Wagers because of this video, let the publisher know at http://www.northstargames.com/contact/index.page. This does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Blue Moon City is a strategy racing game about making clever card combinations more effectively than opponents. (20:09)

This week on Board Games with Scott, host Scott Nicholson explores Blue Moon City. This game is set in the the world of Blue Moon, which is a popular 2-player card game. In this board game, players are rebuilding the wartorn city through bringing together the races of the area. It is a racing game where players are trying to be the most effective using their resources in clever ways to rebuild more of the city.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 033, Low quality (38 MB)
BGWS 033, High quality, (140 MB)
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You can order Blue Moon City through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Blue Moon City because of this video, let the publisher, Fantasy Flight Games, at http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/contact.html . This does make a difference!

Comments on this episode? Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Carcassonne is a tile-laying game, highly recommended for families and new players to Eurogames. (14:04)

This week on Board Games with Scott, host Scott Nicholson explores Carcassonne: The Discovery. Carcassonne is a series of games; the original one was about building cities and fields, and the resulting board looked like Carcassonne in France. There have been many other Carcassonne games in the line; this one was designed for new players to the series. The result is a good introduction to not only tile-laying games but these types of eurogames as well. (Also, seasoned players of the series should take a look - this version of Carcassonne has some key differences that give it some interesting decisions.)

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

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Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 031, Low quality (20 MB)
BGWS 031, High quality, (76 MB)
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You can order Carcassonne: The Discovery (and support BGWS) through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Carcassonne: The Discovery because of this video, let the publisher, Rio Grande Games, know through an e-mail to riogames@aol.com . This does make a difference!

Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

I recently returned from the Essen game fair in Germany. It was my first trip, so I wanted to make an audio show about my personal experiences there. I took about 8 hours of footage from the show, so you can expect to see a lot about the Essen games over the next 6 months, so I didn’t talk about specific games. Instead, I focused on what it was like for me as a first-time Essen attendee.

You can listen to this at

http://www.archive.org/download/bgws_essentalk/bgws_essentalk.mp3

P.S. I’d like to thank all of you who said “Hi” at Essen. That was really meaningful to me. Thanks!

Du Balai is a fantasy-themed puzzle game where players all play at the same time trying to find one of two solutions. (15:29)

Note - I’m posting this a week early, as I’m heading to Essen soon. The next episode of BGWS will be posted Nov. 3rd, so if you need to, ration this episode appropriately.

This week on Board Games with Scott, Scott Nicholson takes a look at the French game, Du Balai. (It has since come out in English as Wicked Witches Way.) In this game, players are witches and warlocks flying in a broom race. To advance, players must figure out one of two spells by looking for unique single-color symbols rolled on a large quantity of dice. This type of game is known as a simultaneous puzzle game, as players are all working on the same puzzle at the same time.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

Or

Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 031, Low quality (30 MB)
BGWS 031, High quality, (100 MB)
BGWS 031, Audio only (15 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

If you decide to purchase a copy of Du Balai because of this video, let the publisher, Asmodee Games, know through an e-mail to asmodee@asmodee.com. This does make a difference!

Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

Ad Acta is a game about being a civil servant involving card and queue management and a good dose of humor. (25:20)

This week on Board Games with Scott, designer Andrea Meyer joins Scott Nicholson to talk about her game, Ad Acta. This game takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to civil servitude as players attempt to get their work done at the right time while delaying the work of others. Andrea also talks about two of her other games, Wordwild and Hossa, and discusses some of the issues in being a game designer and a game publisher.

The site for Andrea’s company, Bewitched Spiele, is at http://www.bewitched-spiele.de/.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

Or

Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 030, Low quality (49 MB)
BGWS 030, High quality, (166 MB)
BGWS 030, Audio only (23 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

I make one small mistake in the video - during a rules review, I say that the messenger takes files from the inbox. They actually take files from the outbox.

You can order Ad Acta (and support BGWS) through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Ad Acta because of this video, let the publisher, Bewitched Spiele, know through an e-mail to info@bewitched-spiele.de

Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

New! There is a PayPal donate button over to the right on the main site, if you’d like to help support the show directly. I’m trying to upgrade some of my equipment.

Easter Island is a a two-player strategy game about bouncing light beams around the board in an attempt to destroy your opponent’s pieces. (10:38)

This week on Board Games with Scott, Scott Nicholson explores Easter Island. In this two-player abstract(ish) strategy game, players move pieces that can reflect beams of light. Players can also shoot beams of light from off the board, reflecting these beams around in an attempt to destroy their opponent’s pieces.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

Or

Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 029, Low quality (20 MB)
BGWS 029, High quality, (64 MB)
BGWS 029, Audio only (10 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

You can order Easter Island (and support BGWS) through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Easter Island because of this video, let the publisher, Twilight Creations, know!

Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

New! Order the BGWS DVD, with episodes 1-9 and a special episode on Aquadukt.

Timbuktu is a lighter-weight deduction game where players lead herds of camels through the dangerous desert, avoiding traps and delivering goods. (17:15)

This week on Board Games with Scott, Scott Nicholson explores Timbuktu. This is a deduction game from Germany where players attempt to carry goods via camels safely to Timbuktu. As the game goes on, dastardly theives await at the oases to steal goods from camels that happen to be in the wrong place. Players deduce the safe places to travel through cards and observation.

To enjoy this video, you can click on the picture below:

Or

Right-click and Save one of the these files (Internet Archive):
BGWS 028, Low quality (33 MB)
BGWS 028, High quality, (160 MB)
BGWS 028, Audio only (15 MB MP3) (Other formats available)

If you would prefer, this episode has also been subtitled in Spanish, which you can see at
http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=2806843126275083523&hl=es

You can order Timbuktu (and support BGWS) through Funagain Games.

If you decide to purchase a copy of Timbuktu because of this video:
- If you are in the US, let Rio Grande know.
- If you are overseas, let Queen Games know.
This does make a difference!

Discuss this episode over at BoardGameGeek.

On Friday, August 25th, I appeared on the HourCNY talk show in Syracuse on a 14-minute live segment about boardgaming with your kids.

You can watch the video through the Internet Archive.
Right-Click and Save:
HourCNY Visit 003, Low quality (21 MB)
HourCNY Visit 003, High quality (99 MB)

If you are visiting BGWS from that show, welcome!

Here’s more information on the games I demonstrated:

• Mäuse-Rallye (Mice Rally): Learn more at http://boardgamegeek.com/game/4256. It’s gone out of print, so get it quickly - I found it at Lane’s Best.
• Walk the Dogs: Learn more at http://boardgamegeek.com/game/15410. Order it from Simply Fun.
• 10 Days in Europe: Learn more at http://boardgamegeek.com/game/5867. Buy it locally at Play the Game, Read the Story or order it from Funagain Games.
• GiftTRAP: Watch the full BGWS episode about this for more information. Buy it from GiftTRAP enterprises.

You can see my previous HourCNY segments at http://scottnicholson.com/games/hourcny.html

Want to play games? The Syracuse Boardgamers is a public group for playing board games. We meet at Play the Game, Read the Story on Tuesday nights from 5-10 pm.