So Very Wrong About Games

Like Mage Knight Nov 10, 2026 1:12:52 Walker's old man impulses are manifesting in a growing anti-Pokémon ideology. As a frontline retail employee, he deserves out sympathy, but surely Bulbasaur and Onyx do not deserve his scorn. After all, they are but servile prize-fighters, made to do violence at the behest of their child-masters. Similarly, they are not responsible for the broader economic forces that eventually lead to the abuse

Gunsen: The Battle for Toshi Ranbo Nov 3, 2026 1:23:26 Invented proper names are fine and all, but come on, give me a context. Is Gunsen a person, place or thing? Is it an event, a state of mind, a code, a vibe? I am meant to believe that Toshi Ranbo is the big fortress in the middle, definitely unlike a factory or Mecatol Rex, but is a Toshi Ranbo truly the best of all Ranbos? I don't know. I asked Louie, and he seemed about to get to the answer, but

Arkhipov Day Oct 27, 2026 52:36 Nothing captures the fundamental duality for which SVWAG strives than our two patron saints, Vasily Arkhipov and Honky Chonk Beardonkadonk. We aspire to be both enlightening and diverting, embracing both the ridiculous and the sublime, while trying to be simultaneously erudite and stupid. It's a daunting endeavour, but then again, both Arkhipov and The Beardonkadonk put in the work. 02:12 AYURI

The LOOP Oct 20, 2026 55:42 Walker claims that his grandfather invented Crokinole, just because no one else is given credit. Next he'll be saying someone in his family invented poutine, or calculus even before Leibniz and Newton got to it. Heck, let's say an ancient Walker formalized Linear B and call it a day. 01:44 -Crokinole (Uncredited, Mayday, 2025) 04:40 -Spaggetin (Franco Spardo, Alley Cat Games, 2026) 07:34 -Ga

Regionalisms Oct 13, 2026 59:08 In addition to using The Seven Years War quasi-exclusively to refer to that conflict, Canadians have a bevy of unique regionalisms to delight and confound our American neighbours. Our standards and measures are famously opaque, switching between imperial (a person's height and weight, distances less than ~100 meters) and metric (temperature always [except when baking], non-human weights usually, v

Toy Battle Oct 6, 2026 1:08:04 "Oh, boardgaming's very popular, Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads — they all adore it. They think it’s a righteous hobby." -Grace from Ferris Bueller's Day off, correctly observing that the hobby is for everyone Games Played Last Week: 01:13 -Revenant (Allan Kirkeby, Mindclash Games, 2026) 06:33 -Torres (Michael Kiesling & Richard Kramer,

Moving Day Sep 29, 2026 54:07 We cover the gamut of historical figures this week, from shy spiders, Thor, the Italian Masters, Iggy Pop, Terry Bogard, and one underexamined and grossly underappreciated figure in the form of Vasily Arkhipov. He made your life possible, so you owe him at least a day. 01:07 AYURIS: D.E.I.: Divide et Impera (Tommaso Battista, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2022) Games Played Last Week: 04:01 -Patchis

How to Save a World Sep 22, 2026 1:11:32 To paraphrase Sir Mix-a-Lot (O.B.E.), I like big bears and I cannot lie! Fat Bear Week is upon us. Let these corpulent kings of ursine excellence strut their stuff, and let us admire in awe at their tangible gains. These bears do not skip leg day. Some people have mukbang--we have out fat bears. Games Played Last Week: 01:05 -Panda Spin (Carl Chudyk, Moon Gate Design 2024) 05:04 -Brightcast (

Games Catch-Up Sep 15, 2026 1:09:28 With Walker imminently about to move (to Kingston from Kingston) and Mark still storing his games from the previous move, the overwhelming preponderance of the SVWAG collection(s) is currently shackled by packing tape. So much good design and fun toys yearning to get out! Alas, physical instantiation is a curse, the material world is a prison, and entropy always wins. Find me one realtor sympathe

Canon Update Sep 1, 2026 1:18:59 The SVWAG Canon (https://www.sowronggames.com/svwag-canon) is an elite list of games that Walker and Mark both very much enjoy. Walker is nervous around recommendations, per se, and the imitations on an ideal game library or somesuch is subject to many practical constraints--so instead SVWAG has an unruly list of games that are greatly enjoyed by both the hosts. And it is time for that list to be

Robo Rally Dice Aug 25, 2026 1:15:16 It's hard to go wrong with cats. Even most people who don't like cats are wise enough to keep relatively quiet about it, lest they suffer the consequences. What consequences? Oh, I don't know, maybe the fury of needle-armed psychopaths who watch things die for fun! And that's just the cat owners. ZING I kid, I kid. We here at SVWAG have considerable enthusiasm for Official SVWAG cat, Chandler, ak

Games that Build Cred Aug 18, 2026 1:22:35 [EDIT] In this episode, Mark falsely attributes the co-authorship of Ayar to Nestore Mangone, when in fact it was designed by Mandela Fernandez-Grandon and Fabio Lopiano. We regret the error. Have you heard of the Walker Quint? This patent-pending, uncopyrightable system is more than just a game organizational schema--it is a multipurpose framework that will REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR LIFE in every way

Notebook Nations Aug 11, 2026 1:18:13 The world is changing, what with everything being cozy and (some) crowdfunding projects fulfilling in weeks rather than years. This dizzying pace of evolution can be disorienting, which is why Notebook Nations seeks to comfort and console you by having throwbacks to the design decisions of years past. Games Played Last Week: 01:55 -Wonderland's War (Tim Eisner, Ben Eisner, and Ian Moss, Druid

Mid-Year Tag Questions Aug 4, 2026 1:17:03 We have recovered from SVWAG Con II: Electric Boogaloo, and to the best of our knowledge there was no "con crud" or equivalent contagion. We make no claims that the con possesses curative powers, though we haven't had anyone say that it *didn't* cure a chronic illness. 01:27 AYURIS: Andromeda's Edge (Luke Laurie and Maximus Laurie, Cardboard Alchemy, 2024) Games Played Last Week: 03:48 -E

SVWAGCon Beckons Jul 21, 2026 1:05:43 Just in time for SVWAGCon, Mark's car has fallen prey to Princeton's unforgiving roads and local practitioners of the mechanical arts. Which ones are trustworthy? Which are inept mountebanks? As far as mountebanks are concerned, would one prefer an inept one or a skilled one? These pressing questions will have to wait, as in the interim the barrier between Mark and his SVWAGCon obligations is ALL

Falling in Love with Your Collection Jul 14, 2026 1:13:34 "If you're down and confused And you don't remember who you're talking to Concentration slips away Because your baby is so far away Well there's a rose in a fisted glove And the eagle flies with the dove And if you can't be with the one you love honey Love the one you're with" -Confucius (probably, maybe Socrates, I don't know) 02:13 AYURIS: Deep Rock Galactic (Ole Steiness, MOOD Publ

Recall Jul 7, 2026 1:20:13 I was three actions deep into my tenth turn of Recall when I achieved total mastery. I was beyond the Schwarzenegger and the Farrell, deep with Koato and triple-mammaried subversives. A newb at the table interrupted my reverie with a question concerning ambiguous inconography. "That card?" I said, feeling like cutting a deal. "I can remember it for you wholesale." They called me a dick. Games P

Teaching vs. Discovery Jun 30, 2026 1:28:54 It is Inadvertent Surprise Railway Week (ISRW, pronounced "is raw") here at SVWAG, and we take a look at some train games without directly addressing the raging controversy of what, exactly, constitutes a train game. 02:25 AYURIS: Wilmot's Warehouse (Ricky Haggett, Richard Hogg, and David King, CMYK, 2024) Games Played Last Week: 07:06 -Railway Boom (Hisashi Hayashi & Simone Luciani, Arclig

Goa Jun 23, 2026 1:07:59 Acronyms and initialisms are a tricky thing. In SVWAG circles, one must be careful to use proper punctuation, lest GOA imply 2022's Game of the Year (GotY, not Gotye) Guards of Atlantis. Mark remains enraged that the SC2 acronym was robbed from Greatest of All Time (GOAT, not goat, obviously) Star Control 2 by the usurper StarCraft 2. Games Played Last Week: 01:07 -The Old King's Crown (Pablo

The Successful Campaign Experience Jun 16, 2026 1:20:36 SVWAG CON II Electric Boogaloo https://www.eventbrite.com/e/svwag-con-ii-electric-boogaloo-tickets-1986634285627 www.sowronggames.com www.twitch.tv/soverywrongaboutgames www.youtube.com/c/SoVeryWrongAboutGames https://twitter.com/sowronggames www.facebook.com/sowronggames www.patreon.com/svwag/ We are now a transnational podcast, bearing the official approval of both United States

Nippon: Zaibatsu Jun 9, 2026 1:12:35 Rest assured, Mark was subjected to the appropriate onboarding procedures and workplace safety trainings incumbent with his new (old?) role. The HR gibbons are ever-vigilant, and wouldn't dream of letting him skip the mandatory 56 week course. Well, that's the longest one, anyway--the ape sensitivity course is a mere 45 weeks long, despite the gibbons' insistence that it ought to be the most exhau

Feya's Swamp Jun 2, 2026 1:03:42 SVWAG CON II Electric Boogaloo https://www.eventbrite.com/e/svwag-con-ii-electric-boogaloo-tickets-1986634285627 www.sowronggames.com www.twitch.tv/soverywrongaboutgames www.youtube.com/c/SoVeryWrongAboutGames https://twitter.com/sowronggames www.facebook.com/sowronggames www.patreon.com/svwag/ 00:00 INTRO 01:39 Salton Sea (David Bernal Devir 2024) 09:25 Stellar Ventures (P

Baghdad: The City of Peace May 26, 2026 52:30 https://www.youtube.com/@BoardGamingRamblings SVWAG CON II Electric Boogaloo https://www.eventbrite.com/e/svwag-con-ii-electric-boogaloo-tickets-1986634285627 www.sowronggames.com www.twitch.tv/soverywrongaboutgames www.youtube.com/c/SoVeryWrongAboutGames https://twitter.com/sowronggames www.facebook.com/sowronggames www.patreon.com/svwag/ 00:00 INTRO 00:50 Secret Societies (S

Quest for the Roleplay Experience May 19, 2026 1:03:18 https://www.youtube.com/@everydayboardgames https://www.eventbrite.com/e/svwag-con-ii-electric-boogaloo-tickets-1986634285627 www.sowronggames.com www.twitch.tv/soverywrongaboutgames www.youtube.com/c/SoVeryWrongAboutGames https://twitter.com/sowronggames www.facebook.com/sowronggames www.patreon.com/svwag/ 00:00 INTRO 01:12 Formidable Farm (Friedemann Friese 2F-Spiele 2025) 04:43 Tric

Compania May 12, 2026 53:14 One Stop Co-op Shop www.youtube.com/c/OneStopCoopShop SVWAG CON II Electric Boogaloo https://www.eventbrite.com/e/svwag-con-ii-electric-boogaloo-tickets-1986634285627 www.sowronggames.com www.twitch.tv/soverywrongaboutgames www.youtube.com/c/SoVeryWrongAboutGames https://twitter.com/sowronggames www.facebook.com/sowronggames www.patreon.com/svwag/ 00:00 INTRO 01:30 Nippon: Zaibats

Moon Colony Bloodbath May 5, 2026 1:03:51 Get your SVWAG CON tickets HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/svwag-con-ii-electric-boogaloo-tickets-1986634285627 This weeks guest Tim Dolloff from Board Game Hottakes https://boardgamehottakes.com/ 00:00 INTRO 00:47 Euphoria Essential Edition (Morten Monrad Pedersen, Jamey Stegmaier, David J. Studley Stonemaier Games 2026) 05:56 The Waste of Parts (Evan Duda Sky Kingdom Games

That's my JAM Apr 28, 2026 1:00:09 This weeks guest: Jake Frydman https://www.decisionspacepodcast.com/ Blueberry jam not jelly........ don't be gross 00:00 INTRO 01:33 Cysmic (Jason Blake Star Reach Games 2026) 04:43 Bomb Busters (Hisashi Hayashi Pegasus Spiele 2024) 07:03 Crits & Tricks (Pete Wissinger Inside Up Games 2026) 10:47 Baghdad: The City of Peace (Fabio Lopiano, Nestore Mangone Alley Cat Games 2025) 1

The Looming Shadow of the Golden Age of Board Games Apr 21, 2026 1:07:50 This weeks guest: 5 Games 4 Doomsday Ben Maddox https://5g4d.com/ 00:00 INTRO 02:06 Moon Colony Bloodbath (Donald X. Vaccarino, Rio Grande Games 2025) 06:01 Ghost Blitz Junior (Jacques Zeimet Zoch Verlag 2018) 06:56 Paku Paku (Antoine Bauza Ravensburger 2017) 11:07 Imperial Elegy: The Road to the Great War 1850-1920 (Michael Lorino VUCA Simulations 2025) 17:12 Cysmic (Jason Blake

Fishing Apr 14, 2026 1:05:15 This weeks Guest Charlie Theel https://playerelimination.com/ Something smells tricky 00:00 INTRO 01:01 Dark Pact (Thomas Lehmann Trick or Treat Studios 2026) 05:21 Excalibur (Manny Trembley Roxley 2026) 08:48 Don't Mess with Cthulhu (Yusuke Sato New Board Game Party 2014) 10:59 Galaxy Trucker (Vlaada Chvátil Czech Games Edition 2007) 15:25 Railroad Tiles (Hjalmar Hach, Lorenzo Silva

Night Soil Mar 31, 2026 1:03:22 What's that smell? https://spacebiff.com/ This weeks guest Dan Thurot from Space-Biff 00:00 Intro 00:45 WENDYBUXXX (Jo Kelly Miasma Corp Games 2026) 02:58 Compania (Yog Akase, Level 99 Games 2025) 05:45 Inkwell (Jasper Beatrix, Lewis Graye, Joey Palluconi DVC Games 2026) 07:35 Eternal Decks (Hiroken Tricktakers Games 2025) 11:20 Dark Pact (Thomas Lehmann Trick or Treat Studios 2026)

WROTH Mar 24, 2026 58:40 Telling ME Calimala is good the nerve 00:00 Intro 00:58 Calimala (Fabio Lopiano Alley Cat Games2017) 04:59 Railroad Tiles (Hjalmar Hach, Lorenzo Silva Horrible Guild 2025) 08:15 Regicide Legacy (Paul Abrahams, Luke Badger, Andy Richdale Badgers from Mars 2025) 12:04 Movie Tricks (Vegard Eliassen Stillerud, Eilif Svensson, Åsmund Svensson Chilifox Games 2025) 15:35 SETI: Search for Extrater

It could have been a contender. Mar 17, 2026 1:00:02 00:00 Intro 01:25 Star Trek: Captain's Chair – To Boldly Go (Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi, Adam Turczi WizKids 2026) 02:53 Feya's Swamp (Helge Ostertag, Anselm Ostertag Fractal Juegos 2025) 07:07 Puerto Rico 1897: Special Edition (Andreas Seyfarth Awaken Realms 2025) 09:50 Compania (Yog Akase Asobition 2025) 12:00 Voidfall: Resurgence (Nigel Buckle, Marcel Dragomir, Dávid Turczi Mindclash Games

Burned Mar 10, 2026 50:50 Going to have to post a guard to the studio.... Can't keep letting riff raff stroll in. (unless its the rapper) 00:00 Intro 04:03 Innovation Deluxe (Carl Chudyk Asmadi Games 2017) 07:28 Tír na nÓg (Isaac Shalev, Jason Slingerland Grand Gamers Guild 2024) 09:59 Azul (Michael Kiesling Plan B Games 2017) 15:27 Coalitions (Andrew Rourke PHALANX 2026) 24:44 The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (Thomas

Crowdfunding Bubble Mar 3, 2026 55:23 This weeks guest Chris from Liege of Games https://www.youtube.com/c/Li%C3%A8geofGames 00:00 Intro 00:48 Torchlit (David Spalinski Allplay 2024) 03:51 The Hobbit: There and Back Again (Reiner Knizia Office Dog 2025) 06:31 Soar (Max Anderson, Zac Dixon, Austin Harrison IV Studio 2026) 12:08 Riftforce (Carlo Bortolini 1 More Time Games 2021) 13:57 Penguin Party (Reiner Knizia AMIGO 2008) NO

Galactic Cruise Feb 24, 2026 1:16:19 This weeks special guest Efka from No Pun Included https://www.youtube.com/c/NoPunIncluded/videos 00:00 Intro Games we played last week 01:11 Cena (A.I. Lab 2025) 04:40 Wine Cellar (Andrew Stiles 25th Century Games 2025) 05:29 Movie Tricks (Vegard Eliassen Stillerud, Eilif Svensson, Åsmund Svensson Chilifox Games 2025) 08:09 Sweet Takes (Hisashi Hayashi Hasbro 2023) 10:40 Inis: Nem

Sweet Lands Feb 17, 2026 1:04:47 This week's guest Don from The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast 00:00 INTRO Games We Played Last Week 01:52 Soothsayers (Jeff Grisenthwaite, Play to Z 2026) 05:45 Orléans (Reiner Stockhausen, DLP games 2014) 08:56 Xenology (Dan Manfredini, Play to Z 2025) 13:16 XenoShyft: Onslaught (Keren Philosophales, Michael Shinall, Cool Mini Or Not 2015) 16:30 Puerto Rico 1897: Special Edition (Andr

Not Lunar Rush Feb 16, 2026 43:58 This week I welcome the Hungry Gamer 00:00 INTRO Games We Played Last Week 01:08 Conquest Princess: Fashion Is Power (Seppy Yoon, Peter Yang Fight in a Box 2024) 03:44 War Chest (Trevor Benjamin, David Thompson AEG 2018) 06:08 Lands of Galzyr (Seppo Kuukasjärvi, Sami Laakso Snowdale Design 2022) 09:27 OffShoots (Dan Linden, Self-Published 2024) 12:20 Flamecraft Duals (Manny Vega Cardboard

Rating the T games from Board & Dice Feb 3, 2026 1:15:56 Today's episode is brought to you by the letter T T stands for tracks, tedium, Tiny mini games and sometimes Torturous 00:00 Intro AYURIS 01:08 Captain Flip (Remo Conzadori, Paolo Mori, PlayPunk 2024) Games We Played Last Week 04:06 Fields of Arle (Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele 2014) 08:16 Lunar Rush (Steven "Skippy" Brown, Dead Alive Games 2023) 10:08 Clans of Caledonia:

Valheim: The Board Game Jan 27, 2026 53:25 A viking fighting for Olav the Holy at Stiklestad gets an arrow in the eye. The man pulls the arrow out, his eyeball still on out it, and says: "Det jaggu nærme nasen! (That was damn close the my nose)" Another viking fighting for Olav at Stiklestad gets an arrow through his heart. He manages to pull the arrow out and study it. With his dying breath he says: "Eg har fettslintrat kring hjartet. Ko

Nokosu Dice Jan 20, 2026 58:48 On today's episode we have Sam from Board Game Dual Podcast https://boardgameduel.podbean.com/ 00:00 INTRO Games we played this week. 01:09 Yokohama Duel (Hisashi Hayashi, OKAZU Brand 2018) 05:19 Airlines Europe (Alan R. Moon, Rio Grande Games 2011) 07:45 I Made You a Mixtape (Mike DiLisio, Dan Hughes, Massive Asterisk 2025) 11:12 Mutant Chronicles: Siege of the Citadel (Richard Borg, Pr

Zenith Jan 14, 2026 1:08:28 https://boardgamebarrage.com/ Well here it is Walker's all alone now..... Today I am joined by Mark from Board Game Barrage 00:00 Intro 01:08 Games we played last week. 01:12 Bomb Busters (Hisashi Hayashi,Cocktail Games,2024) 05:00 Let's Go Japan (Josh Wood,AEG,2024) 08:28 Taj Mahal (Reiner Knizia,Ravensburger,2000) 11:55 Lone Wolves (Yasuyuki Nakamura,Anthony Perone, Wonderful World B

Plastic Love Jan 6, 2026 49:38 This guy just won't leave... Mark and I in our last, last episode together for a bit. Not to worry I will be rambling ever forward. In this shorter episode we talk about just the games we played last week, some news and scene. 01.29 -AYURIS: Slay the Spire: The Board Game (Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, and Casey Yano, Contention Games, 2024) Games Played Last Week: 05:05 -Tidal Bl

2025 Year in Review Dec 30, 2025 1:32:26 In some ways, the origin story of the podcast can be traced back to Sentinels of the Multiverse. Upon arriving in Kingston, Mark was at a games event at someone's home, and he saw that someone had brought a then-complete set (this was a few expansions ago) of Sentinels. He knew that this person, namely Walker, was a person worth knowing. It therefore seemed fitting that on one of Mark's last days

Gazebo Dec 23, 2025 1:08:05 "One day I was sitting in a gazebo, and there was a plaque on the gazebo and it said, 'This gazebo was built by the town in 1863.' That is in the middle of the Civil War. And the whole town built a gazebo. What was that town meeting like? 'All right, everyone, first order of business, we have all the telegrams from Gettysburg with the war dead. Let’s see here. Okay, everyone’s husband and brother

Racing Games Dec 16, 2025 1:10:51 "I thought the Rococo was the name of the ship in Aliens." "No, that's Sulaco. Rococo is the statute targeting organized crime." "No, that's RICO. Rococo is the hot beverage made with chocolate." "No, that's cocoa. Rococo is what you put on walls to give them texture." "No, that's stucco. Rococo is a kind of shortened note in music." "No, that's staccato..." 1:10 AYURIS: Fateforge: Chronic

Covenant Dec 9, 2025 1:07:00 You gotta read the fine print, always. Anyone dealing with a supernatural entity--whether a djinn or deity, gremlin or god--has to be conscious of the exceptions. It's simple enough--if the wizard handing you a fantastical creature tells you not to feed it, you just don't feed it. Similarly, if someone promises not to kill you *in a certain way*, MacBeth can tell you that's more of a threat than a

Omnibus Questions Epsilon Bet Dec 2, 2025 1:05:48 Yes, it’s Tapple! The toy sensation that’s sweeping the nation! Only $14.95 at participating stores! Get one today! Warning: Pregnant women, the elderly, and children under 10 should avoid prolonged exposure to Tapple. Caution: Tapple may suddenly accelerate to dangerous speeds. Tapple contains a liquid core, which, if exposed due to rupture, should not be touched, inhaled, or looked at. If Ta

The Hobbit: There and Back Again Nov 25, 2025 1:06:14 Before Dr. Reiner Knizia invented areas, everyone and everything was simultaneously co-located and yet distant all at the same time. It was primordial chaos. Movement was effectively impossible, as Xeno demonstrated; then Knizia did don his Bow-Tie of Delineation of Time and Space and constrained and liberated us all at once with his invention of areas. Games Played Last Week: 00:53 -Dungeons

Omnibus Questions Epsilon Aleph Nov 18, 2025 1:18:12 While Mark is perhaps disappointed at the typical tragic dearth of questions related to Macross and Terry Bogard, and Walker secretly yearns to be granted naming rights to a listener's offspring (protip: don't let him), SVWAG answers all* of your questions! *by which we mean some. 01:21 AYURIS: Cascadero (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2024) Games Played Last Week: 03:09 -Cerebria: The

Wonderland's War Nov 11, 2025 1:29:07 In our effort to answer all of your Omnibus Questions, sadly we cannot enlist the assistance of notable Canadian Keanu Reeves. In an interview with Stephen Colbert--as a joke after Keanu said something profound--he was asked, "What do you think happens when we die, Keanu Reeves?" After a pause, and the audience's laughter, Keanu said, "I know that that the ones who love us will miss us." I SAY DA

Listener Hot Takes Nov 4, 2025 1:34:15 We deliver this episode despite the officially mandated period of public mourning due to Toronto's setbacks in basesball. In Canada, public mourning is characterized by donning black jean jackets and swapping our Tragically Hip for the more down-tempo Blue Rodeo, to say nothing of abstaining from boardgaming. Please don't turn us in for violating federal law. We might get banned from Tim Horton's

Luthier Oct 28, 2025 1:28:55 "'Frederick Chopin was a Polish composer in the Romantic style who wrote primarily for the piano.' I guess this is sort of interesting, as most facts are. But history has shown us that *facts are not what most humans believe.* They are not that which motivates most men and women to love to or to crime. Now COMPARE this statement: 'Frederick Chopin was a Polish composer in the Romantic style who

Rulebooks Oct 21, 2025 1:17:48 As ever, we do not acknowledge one of the most pernicious false dichotomies in the rulebook space; whether rules should be strictly permissive (you can only do what the rules say you can) or strictly restrictive (you can do anything unless the rules say otherwise). I have never seen a rulebook forbid me from choking an opponent, nor have I see a rulebook give me permission to breathe. I will thus

Samurai Oct 14, 2025 1:14:37 "Wiarton Willie is the name given to a Canadian groundhog who lives in the community of Wiarton in Bruce County, Ontario. Every February 2, on Groundhog Day, Willie takes part in the local Wiarton Willie Festival. His role is to predict whether there will be an early spring. Although the original Wiarton Willie died in 1999, the Wiarton Groundhog Day celebrations continue each year with a successo

Tile-Laying Games Oct 7, 2025 1:22:55 Rest assured that every topic we address here at SVWAG will be utterly comprehensive and final, unless and until we decide to address it again. Thus, when we discuss tile-laying games, we perforce will cover all of them, each and and every one, and failure to specifically mention any title means it does not exist and must be scrubbed from all records as a revisionist lie. 01:41 AYURIS: Kutná Ho

Ayar: Children of the Sun Sep 30, 2025 1:05:19 "A quipu usually consists of cotton or camelid fiber cords, and contains categorized information based on dimensions like color, order and number. The Inca, in particular, used knots tied in a decimal positional system to store numbers and other values in quipu cords. Depending on its use and the amount of information it stored, a given quipu may have anywhere from a few to several thousand cords.

Why Is This Game So Long? Sep 23, 2025 1:15:29 We are staunchly body positive here at SVWAG, but we do prefer our bears fat. "Let me have about me bears that are fat," said Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, or he would have, had he known about the glory that is Fat Bear Week. I guess Caesar wouldn't have been totally down with the democratic aspect of the whole voting thing, but whatever! Exercise your franchise and vote for the moist chonkers bear

Star Wars: Battle of Hoth Sep 16, 2025 1:11:44 We tempt fate and refer to a number of third rails in the hobby community. For one, we acknowledge a loss in Regicide Legacy, which reliably summons the chattering mobs. Further, we mention both Star Trek and Star Wars, so undoubtedly we get a detail "wrong" that will "justify" a detailed response. Look, we're experts here. We completed the Kobayashi Maru in under 12 parsecs. We're regular calle

Nostalgia Sep 9, 2025 1:17:17 "Well, that was your mother And that was your father Before you was born dude When life was great You are the burden of my generation I sure do love you But let’s get that straight" -Paul Simon, "That Was Your Mother" 01:34 AYURIS: Nucleum (Simone Luciani & Dávid Turczi, Board&Dice, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 04:04 -SILOS (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2025) 09:34 -Ayar: Child

Light Speed: Arena Sep 2, 2025 1:05:29 On this day of Labour, we offer our solidarity to you. We also offer our labour, because we don't take many days off. No union for us in the opinion mines! I'd complain to my manager, but since that's me, I guess I'd be inclined to ignore it. Classic conflict on interest. The gibbons only complicate the org chart in unhelpful ways. Games Played Last Week: 01:01 -Hot Streak (Jon Perry, CMYK, 20

Trick-Taking Games Redux Aug 26, 2025 1:08:56 I've always chafed at the conventional wisdom that young goats are good at trick-taking games. Or, at least, ones where you are not incentivized to go null. Do they hold their cards in their cloven hooves? Do their dead eyes come to life when contemplating the vagaries of trump suits? It must be true, though, because I have it on good authority from a cartoon rabbit that tricks are for kids. 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Fate of the Fellowship Aug 19, 2025 1:07:25 Losing a component is rough. Knowing that one of your games is incomplete is like having a permanent absence in your soul. It's one thing to eschew that one added expansion--that's a triumph of restraint. But that missing block in Viking See-Saw will taunt you forever, a blight on your consciousness that can never be healed. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Games Played Last Week: 00:52 -Uprising: Curs

Starting Over Your Collection Aug 12, 2025 1:18:57 Inigo: I am waiting for you, Vizzini. You told me to go back to the beginning. So I have. This is where I am, and this is where I’ll stay. I will not be moved. Brute: But the Prince gave orders — Inigo: — So did Vizzini — when a job went wrong, you went back to the beginning. And this is where we got the job. So it’s the beginning, and I’m staying till Vizzini comes. -The Princess Bride (who

Vantage Aug 5, 2025 1:11:40 "We don’t ask that you stop loving your fantasy world. We ask you stop paying money for the privilege to dream of it. If you want to read the [Harry Potter] books or watch the movies, consider buying second-hand or renting them from a library. Small changes can make sure you never put your hard-earned money into JKR’s hands." -Blacklist CGE zine Games Played Last Week: 01:01 -Through the Desert (

SVWAG Con Report Jul 29, 2025 1:08:04 A chief misgiving Mark has about the con is that he is a terrible playtester. He was able to play two unpublished games, and while the designers were gracious he is seldom able to offer anything of much substance. "This game," he might say, "has cards. And other things." Past that, for some reason, when confronted with a prototype his faculties often fail him. 01:48 AYURIS: Arborea (Dani Garcia,

#369: Take That Jul 22, 2025 1:19:08 The purest juxtaposition that reveals the absurdity of "take that" effects can be found in many of your heavier games and some consims with cards. You gather the resources, marshal your forces, laboriously haul those troops hither and yon, and then sometimes have to manage some activation tokens or whatnot to finally get it on. And then your opponent plays the "nuh uh" card. Fun! 01:19 AYURIS: Da

#368: Shackleton Base Jul 14, 2025 1:20:35 "Dear friend, if you wanna feel better Don't let the devil make you toss this letter If you've been crossed up by hoodoo voodoo A wizard or the lizard You got family trouble, man trouble, woman trouble No light through the tunnel If you're lookin' for a true friend, or a true lover Or if you've been livin' undercover Well, I'm comin' to your town to break it all down And help you with all of this

#367: Set Up and Tear Down Jul 7, 2025 1:24:54 It is remarkable to reflect on how much hobbies can demand of us, and certainly board gaming is no different. Setting aside the administrative, economic, and social burdens; we then have to spend so much time teaching, setting up, and tearing down. Alas! 23-step processes for general set up prior to the 12-step individual player board set up. It was not always thus, but here we are. 01:42 AYURIS:

#366: 7 Empires Jul 1, 2025 1:13:23 Apparently the American custom of the "push present" can trace its roots to the Anglo-Indian tradition of the "baby bauble", although in the latter case jewellery is the more standard gift (instead of, say, boardgames). Can we acknowledge that baby bauble is a much less crude term? Let's try to be classy here, people. There is already enough about childbirth that is fraught. Games Played Last Wee

#365: Small Box, Big Game Jun 24, 2025 1:13:55 Walker's approach to parenting eschews what he sees as the coddling endemic in other families. He believes in competition above all else, where newbs must be pwned and even babies must git gud. "L2P" is his family motto. Some appalled anthropologists tried making a documentary about the Walker household, but they were forced to tone it down and release it as Squid Game. 01:21 AYURIS: Through the

#364: Pulling Levers Jun 17, 2025 1:14:27 "Because of the long-standing mutual enmity between Meany and Brown, Meany was named among the suspects in The Case Of Encyclopedia Brown’s Mangled Corpse. Meany denied the allegations. 'It’s true that Detective Brown and I didn’t see eye to eye, but I would never do something so downright dirty rotten as murder him,' Meany said. 'Besides, it’s a matter of public record that, at the time the crim

#363: The Social Contract Jun 10, 2025 1:15:35 We generally frown on ad hominem here at SVWAG, ensconced as we are in our glass houses. In the case of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (known affectionately as "Ja-Jay" by no one), though, who wrote extensively about proper methods of childhood education, we shall report that he confessed to rather callously sandbagging his lover into abandoning their children (Rousseau claimed there were five of them, tho

#362: Rumble Nation Jun 3, 2025 1:08:59 I've read several different accounts of the battle of Sekigahara, and I swear there's no mention of Kevin Bacon or anyone bleaching their hair. How am I to know if Pony Boy stayed golden? Games Played Last Week: 01:42 -MicroMacro: Kids--Crazy City Park (Johannes Sich, Edition Spielwiese, 2025) 04:20 -Good Puppers (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi Games, 2021) 07:38 -23 Knives (Tyler J. Brown, Play to Z, 20

#361: What Makes Longer Games Worth It May 27, 2025 59:32 Walker and Mark almost come to blows over Flip 7 this week. Their disagreements over the merits of the product (Game? Experience? Way of Life? Sub "Roll a 6, Win a Cookie" distraction?) have long simmered, but the fundamental schism can no longer be ignored or papered over. They finally have it out. 02:27 AYURIS: Knarr (Thomas Dupont, Bombyx, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 03:36 -Autobahn (Fabio

#360: Hot Streak May 20, 2025 1:14:06 "Observers brought attention to [Gritty's] appearance, which could be construed as frightening, while The Guardian described him as an "acid trip of a mascot." Response to Gritty's introduction was immediate and sharply mixed, with many fans on social media expressing bewilderment and some fright at his appearance. Public perception of Gritty became increasingly positive as Gritty's antics, which

#359: Gibberers May 13, 2025 1:14:11 "gibber--intransitive verb :to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and often foolishly" -Merriam-Webster "gibberer--noun :the hosts of SVWAG" Games Played Last Week: 01:17 -Sausage Sizzle (Inka and Marcus Brand, 25th Century Games, 2012) 05:22 -Landmarks (Rodrigo Rego & Danilo Valente, Floodgate Games, 2024) 09:11 -Skara Brae (Shem Phillips, Garphill Games, 2025) 14:20 -Moving Company (Guo Jiahui & W

#358: Tricky Edge Cases May 6, 2025 1:00:15 Chaka Khan, let me rock you Let me rock you, Chaka Khan Let me rock you, that's all I wanna do Chaka Khan, let me rock you Let me rock you, Chaka Khan Let me rock you, 'cause I feel for you -Chaka Khan, "I Feel for You" 01:26 AYURIS: Barcelona (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 03:10 -Snap Ships Tactics: Swarm Box (Josh Derksen, Snap Ships, 2025) 10:13 -Battle of Mekaverse

#357: Post-Easter Update Apr 29, 2025 1:11:41 While we pride ourselves in playing more games in a week than many play in a month, when we take a week away from the SVWAG studio we often face a truly herculean backlog of games to discuss. This two-week period is no exception. Rest assured, we would never leave our dear listeners in the lurch, so we will keep you updated so you need not miss a thing. 01:00 AYURIS: Race to the Raft (Frank West,

#356: Endgame Scoring Apr 15, 2025 1:13:57 Tiebreakers are arguably a kind of endgame scoring. I respect the fact that they are invariably necessary (I mean, if for no other reason than if they're omitted some smartass like me will complain). That said, clearly if the scoreboard goes to 200+ I don't imagine we'll be hauling out the second tiebreaker condition all that much. Frequently the endgame conversion of resources to points already s

#355: Rise & Fall Apr 8, 2025 1:16:22 When is a thing like another thing? Is Albedo like Core Worlds? Is Cat Blues like Rummy? Is Through the Desert like Go? Is a nudge as good as a wink to blind bat? Are all Roll & Writes inferior to Roll a 6, Win a Cookie? Is Christophe Boelinger France's Vlaada Chvátil? Probably, because it's all just like Mage Knight in the end. Games Played Last Week: 04:46 -Street Masters: Tide of the Dragon (

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