The Spiel

Get your lanyard and badge ready. We're off to Columbus Ohio for Origins Game Fair. Our tour of the exhibit hall leads us to fourteen interviews with game publishers large and small.

Decision time. Five nominees, four weeks, one chance to predict the winner. We review and discuss Fauna and Finca, the final two games in contention for the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award.

Jury's out. Five nominees, four weeks, one chance to predict the winner. We review and discuss Dominion, FITS and Pandemic, three games in contention for the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award.

Say goodbye, Candyland. No need to cringe on family game night. We review a slew of games aimed at kids that adults will enjoy, too, including Kayak Chaos and Duck! Duck! Go!

These games have potential, literally. If there's a modern rival to chess, it's the Gipf Project. In this mega-episode, we play Ultimate Gipf and the final game in the series, Tzaar.

Letter perfect. We build ancient monuments and wonders to impress the King in Utopia and spell our way Boggle-style through hedge rows in Amuse Amaze.

An offer you can't refuse. We play by mob rule this week, packing heat and hijacking hooch with two gangster themed games: Chicago Poker and Family Business.

Ground Control to Major Tom. We take to the stars to haul freight for The Man in Galaxy Trucker and then battle through a collapsing star to become the Galactic Emperor.

Board games are team sports, too. There are plagues to fight and a village to defend! We dive into Pandemic and Ghost Stories, two in the latest wave of co-op "us vs. the world" games.

Avoid the Lulo List. More games inspired by the Spanish speaking world. We duel for glory in Toledo and angle for rum and power in Cuba. Plus two classic card games little known to gringos.

No pasarán! From building towers of people in Catalonia to manning the barricades in Madrid, we play España 1936 and Castellers, two games from Spanish publisher Devir.

The alphabet of giants. We shake the buildings from our sleeves by playing Metropolys and Manhattan, two simple, elegant games about skyscrapers.

Puzzle primer. We explore a new trend: the convergence between puzzles and games. We review six different titles including On the Dot, three forms of Ubongo, Code Omega and Santy Anno.

Itadakimasu! With chopsticks in hand and sake cups full, we dig into Wasabi, a tile laying game between rival sushi chefs. Dave also reports from the Obsessive Collector's Desk on card and dice organization.

We got game. Lots of 'em. With over 50 gift suggestions in dozens of categories, you're sure to find a great game for almost everyone on your list.

Schwing! With family gatherings just around the corner, we try out Good Question and Say Anything, two new party games with wild questions and hilarious answers.

I am not a crook... or a jelly donut. But if I play my cards right, I could end up President of the United States! We play 1960: Making of the President, a board game that simulates the contentious election campaign between Richard Nixon and JFK.

If the apocalypse comes, beep me. First we take a trip to Colonial America to battle classic horror movie villains in A Touch of Evil. Then we enroll at Sunnydale High and try to dust The Master playing Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

The voice of the people is the voice of games. Populism rules the day. We pander to the Roman public for seats on the council in Municipium and follow up with Gridstones and Gubs, two titles by new and independent game designers.

Volcanos and snake-haired gods. We build towers and temples on a fiery island in Taluva and guide ancient Etruscan oracles to a sacred altar in Tuchulcha, a wacky Parcheesi variant.