The Long View

In this episode of Quick Looks from The Long View, Elhannan Lloyd Keller and I go through 16 pages of Gen Con games to try to find the titles that most intrigue us. Which games are on our radar, and which seem to be just more of the same? What hidden gems could be lurking? Tune in and find out in this two hour extravaganza of prognostication and opinion! Thanks, as always, to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com for their continued support of the show, to The Dice Tower and, of course, to YOU for listening as always!

In this episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined by Serious? Lee and Mike Walker as we explore the intriguing game of Polis: Fight for the Hegemony Is this game a war game, a resource management game? A civilization game? Is it all of them, or none of them? Is it too punishing for its own good, or a diamond polished by repeated play? Tune in to find out! The Long View is a proud member of The Dice Tower Network, and is generously sponsored by www.gamesurplus.com Thanks to them for their continued support, and thanks, of course, to YOU for listening! The episode can be found here in the BGG database or through iTunes or Stitcher by subscription.

In this episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined by Jimmy Okolica as we explore the intriguing train game experience of 18OE: On the Rails of the Orient Express. What distinguishes this title from others in the 18xx genre? Is it the best two player experience in this family of games? What standard does it set in design and production? Tune in to hear our thoughts and impressions. The Long View is a proud member of The Dice Tower Network, and is generously sponsored by www.gamesurplus.com Thanks to them for their continued support, and thanks, of course, to YOU for listening! The episode can be found here in the BGG database or through iTunes or Stitcher by subscription.

In this episode of Quick Look from The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined by Elhannan Lloyd Keller as we review two new titles: Ophir from Terra Nova Games and Frontier Stations from Victory Point Games. What do these games have to offer? Is Ophir a rondel game in disguise, or just another recipe filling game? Will Frontier Stations become your next favorite cooperative "castle defense" game, or will it leave you colder than the vacuum of space? Tune in to hear our impressions of these new titles! The Long View is a proud member of The Dice Tower Network, and is generously sponsored by www.gamesurplus.com Thanks to them for their continued support, and thanks, of course, to YOU for listening! The episode can be found here in the BGG database or through iTunes or Stitcher by subscription.

In the second episode of Quick Looks from The Long View, Elhannan Lloyd Keller and I tackle two new games. First up is Too Many Cinderellas from Grail Games. Does this new micro game bring anything new to the field? Is it just a light filler, or does it offer opportunities with clever play? Listen and find out! Next, we review Roll for the Galaxy from Rio Grande Games. Is it possible for the dice version of a game to EVEN be better than the original? Listen to hear our thoughts about this fascinating new game. Finally, I review Versailles from NSKN Games. Does this game offer anything new to the worker placement genre? Is there a rondel hidden in there? Check out the review to find out! Thanks, of course, to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com, the Dice Tower and thanks to YOU for listening!

In this episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined by Chris (TheRocketSurgeon) as we discuss the classic Martin Wallace game of London. What makes this game hold up after five years? What makes it unique compared to other tableau building games? These questions and more are tackled in this episode! As a bonus, I review the new Wallace title of Onward to Venus. Is this the poor neglected step child of Mythotopia, or does it deserve some attention and love of its own? Listen and find out! The review can be found at the 1:06:17 mark of the episode. Thanks, as always, to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com, The Dice Tower Network, and to YOU for listening!

In this, the first episode of The Long View - Quick Looks, I'm pleased to be joined by Elhannan Lloyd Keller as we review Harbour, from Tasty Minstrel Games, 12 Realms from MAGE Company, and finally Madeira from What's Your Game?. Thanks, as always, to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com, and to The Dice Tower. The Long View is a proud member of The Dice Tower Network of podcasts, go and see all that The Dice Tower has to offer! Thanks, of course, to YOU as well for listening!

In this episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined once again by Martin G as we discuss the fascinating new title Wir sind das Volk!. What makes this game so interesting? Is it thematic or abstract? Is there replay ability in this little box? Is this another game that can teach you something while you play? What makes it so compelling to the two of us? Tune in and find out as Martin and I attempt to answer all of these questions and more. As a bonus, I review a set of new titles including Forge War at the 1:09:00 mark of the episode. What new ideas does this game bring? Will miners really not work in large numbers? How hard can it be to make a mace, and why is copper so worthless? Last I saw, people were stripping it from houses to make a fortune! Find the answers to these questions and more in this review! In addition, I review two new card games, Elevenses and One Zero One from David Harding Down Under! Can a red blooded, grown man from the United States possibly enjoy a game about throwing a tea

In this special episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined by first time contributor Christian K as we discuss the new classic bluffing game, Coup. Along the way we discuss the expansion Coup: Reformation and the upcoming Coup: Rebellion G54. What makes this game so interesting? How balanced are the roles? Is it the best of the bluffing games, or does it grow stale after repeated play? Find out what Christian has to say about all of these questions and more in this special episode of The Long View! As a bonus, I also review the NSKN Games title Praetor. What makes this worker placement game any different than any other? Is age and experience better than youth? Find out, finally, in this episode! The review can be found at the 1:06:30 mark of the episode. I also review the upcoming release from Stronghold Games, Dark Moon. Is this the new king of hidden traitor games? What happens when good people have to do bad things? Is this game the ultimate recipe for paranoia? Listen and find out! The review ca

Top Ten Designers

In this episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined once again by Eric Brosius as we discuss one of his favorite games The Princes of Florence. Is this game the start of the modern euro as we know it? Can a game where you only do 27 things really be all that interesting or fun? What's the idea player count? Find the answers to these questions and more in this episode! As a bonus, I also review two new titles. First up is Captains of Industry by Michael Keller and Tasty Minstrel Games. What does this economic game offer that is different from all the others? Does it deserve your attention? Listen and find out! Finally, I review Eggs and Empires from Ben Pinchback and Matt Riddle. Is this another ht from the dynamic duo? Does the theme come through? How does this game compare to other classic games, such as Raj? Listen and find out! Thanks, as always to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com and thanks to YOU for listening!

In this episode of The Long View, I'm thrilled to be joined by none other than Steve Oksienik as we discuss the games of Steve Finn, including Biblios, The Institute for Magical Arts, Let Them Eat Shrimp!, Capo Dei Capi and more! What makes Dr. Finn's games so compelling? What, if anything, are the similarities between his designs and those of Reiner Knizia? What does he have up his sleeve next? Find out the answer to these questions and more in this episode. As a bonus, I review two new titles from Asmodee, Deus and Abyss. What do these designs offer that's new? Do the themes come through? What are the best player counts for these games? Listen and find out! The Deus review can be found at the 1:43:00 mark of the episode, and the Abyss review can be found at the 2:02:30 mark of the episode. Thanks to my sponsor, www.gamesurplus.com, thanks to The Dice Tower Network, and thanks to YOU for listening!

In this episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined by first time guest Joe Sallen as we discuss his favorite game, Terra Mystica. What makes this game unique? Is the game a conflict game, or an economic game, or something else entirely? What novel ideas were presented in the game? What, if anything, does the expansion add to the experience. Find out the answers to these questions and more in this episode! As a bonus, I also review two new titles, City Hall by Tasty Minstrel Games, which can be found at the 2:06:30 mark of the episode, and Rattlebones by Rio Grande Games at the 2:25:20 mark of the episode. What makes these titles worthy of your time? Are the customizable dice of Rattlebones the next great mechanism in boardgaming? Does City Hall capture all of the backstabbing, wheeling dealing, influence peddling and application of cash that evokes the theme of politics? Listen and find out! Thanks, as always, to www.gamesurplus.com for their continued support of The Long View, thanks to The Dice To

In this episode of The Long View, I am pleased to be joined once again by Damian Gatortuba as we discuss the venerable classic, Axis and Allies. What is the place of this game in the hobby? Does it still have gaming goodness to offer us? Is mass market distribution the only reason for its success? Find the answers to these questions and more in this episode. As a bonus, I review two new titles: Tiny Epic Defenders from Gamelyn Games, the new cooperative hotness from the Tiny Epic world, and Baseball Highlights: 2045, the new face of baseball from designer Mike Fitzgerald and published by Eagle-Gryphon Games. The Tiny Epic Defenders review can be found at the 1:19:30 mark of the episode, and the review for Baseball Highlights can be found at the 1:33:30 mark of the episode. Thanks, as always, to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com for their continued support of the show, thanks to The Dice Tower and thanks, of course to YOU for listening! The episode can be found here in the BGG database, through iTunes or Stit

In this episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined by first time guest Mat Thomsen as we discuss the classic Reiner Knizia game of Medici. Is this a party game, or a serious study, or both? Is it the best auction game? What are the reasons for its enduring popularity? We attempt to answer these questions and more in this episode. As a bonus, I review the new title Roll Through the Ages: The Iron Age � Kickstarter Edition. Is this an upgrade from the original, or just more of the same? Is the addition of the Mediterranean essential or just extra Kickstarter fluff? Find out in my review at the end of the episode at the 49:00 mark of the show. Thanks as always, to www.gamesurplus.com for their continued support of the show, thanks to www.dicetower.com. The Long View is a proud member of The Dice Tower Network. Thanks, of course to YOU for listening! The episode can be found here in the BGG database, through iTunes and Stitcher by subscription, or by following the link listed below.

In this episode of The Long View, I'm pleased to be joined once again by Jim Shaw, as we continue our episode about Dominion. In this second installment, we look at the reach of this groundbreaking game. What deck builders followed? What evolutions have occurred since its release? Listen to this episode to hear our thoughts about the games that grew from Dominion, and some guesses about the future of the deck building genre. As a bonus I review two new titles, Imperial Settlers, and The Golden Ages. What do these two civilization light games have to offer? Listen and find out! Thanks, as always, to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com for their continued support, and to The Dice Tower Network, home to great boardgame podcasts and reviews, and thanks, as always, to you for listening!

In this special episode of The Long View, I'm thrilled to be joined by both Joel Eddy and TC Petty III as we dive into and explore dice games! What makes them so popular in board game design nowadays? What was the inspiration behind the design of TC's VivaJava: The Coffee Game: The Dice Game? Why the sudden proliferation of dice game versions of board games? Tune in and find out! As a production note, we have a slight echo from time to time in the first 20 minutes. We were eventually able to correct it, but some is still there. I did not want to delete those portions due to a slight echo, so I have left them in and ask for your patience. Thank You! As a bonus, I review two new titles. First up is Xia: Legends of a Drift System. Is this the ultimate space game sandbox? What can you expect from this intriguing design? Does it deliver thematic punch? These questions and more are answered in this review of this intriguing title. Finally, I review the surprising Paperback. Is this a word game even word game hat

In this special episode of The Long View, I complete my yearly look back at the previous year in board gaming. What are the best games of this year? You'll have to wait another year to see how they held up! No, I'm going to be looking at the year 2013 in gaming! Join me as I look back at this fascinating year in this episode of The Long View. In addition, I start a new tradition with the Long View New Classic Award! Each year, when I complete this episode, I'll announce what I believe is the New Classic game from the list. Which game from 2013 is destined to stand the test of time? What's the New Classic? Which games were in the running? Find out in this special episode! Thanks, as always to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com for their continued support, thanks to The Dice Tower Network and thanks to YOU for listening! Follow us at on Twitter, iTunes through subscription, here is the BGG database of Podcasts, and through the website www.thelongviewpodcast.com

In this episode of The Long View, I'm thrilled to be joined all the way from Iceland by Petur Eythorsson and Jens as we discuss the thematic title, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition). Is this the modern Diplomacy? What are the differences between the first and second editions? Do you hold your friends close, but your enemies closer? Does a knowledge of the books and HBO series enhance the game or disrupt it? All these questions and more are answered in this episode of The Long View. As a bonus, Jens and Petur review the old classic game of Intrigue. A game of deceit, lies and backstabbing. Sense a pattern here? Check out the review! Finally, I review two new games. First up is Lagoon: Land of Druids from Three Hares Games. The review can be found at the 1:27:30 mark of the episode. Find out what makes this game such a great example of a themed abstract. How can a game be both? Listen and find out! Finally, I review the new game Bullfrogs from Thunderworks Games. Is this just the latest lig

In this episode of The Long View, I'm thrilled to be joined by Eddie Campos Jr of the Start Space Podcast as we discuss one of Eddie's favorite games, Lords of Waterdeep. Is this a gateway worker placement game, or a themeless recipe filling drudge fest? Does the game stand up to repeated play? What, if anything, does the Lords of Waterdeep: Scoundrels of Skullport expansion add to the game? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of The Long View. As a bonus, I also review two new titles. First up is Viticulture from Stonemaier Games. Is this the ultimate wine making game? Listen and find out beginning at the 1:27:00 mark of the episode. I also review the newest big game in a little box, Tiny Epic Kingdoms from Gamelyn Games. Can a thirty minute game give a real 4x experience? Listen and find out! The review can be found at the 1:50:00 mark of the episode. Thanks, as always, to my sponsor www.gamesurplus.com, The Dice Tower Network, and thanks, as always, to YOU for listening! Th