Sometimes, you just buy a game because of the name. You know nothing about it. But, the price is right, and it is called Butts in Space. I came across this card game on Etsy. I am starting to think that I should not be allowed on the internet unsupervised. Anyway, I added it as a favorite to come back to buy at a later date. Well that date came, but when I went back, the shop/publisher, The Dusty Tophat, was on a hiatus or vacation. I got an alert that they were back, but the game was no longer listed. Concerned, as you can imagine, I reached out to the shop to inquire what had happened to the card game I decided I needed. They told me that, “Etsy just removed the listing - we’ve reached out to Etsy so hopefully it gets relisted soon.” About 4 agonizing weeks later, it was relisted. I purchased it, packed it, and took on my family’s vacation. We played it three times in one night. The lore to Butts in Space is fantastic. The Son read it out loud through fits of laughter. “Oh no! Evil Butt has stolen all of the toilet paper in the universe and destroyed your toilet spaceship. Play as Bow Butt, Hairy Butt, Classy Butt, and Butt Butt as you try to gather more toilet paper than your friends before your spaceship is repaired.” It goes on, butt… you get the point. So let’s take a look at how we go about getting toilet paper in Butts in Space. BUTTS IN SPACE ON ETSY

Brian and I had a rough time with the recording website, but we still managed a fantastic conversation. He gave insight to working with an IP as a small designer, the differences with working with digital versus analog games, and we found out that we have a lot of the same tastes in games. Thanks for listening!

Well, it took me little time to hunt down an affordable copy of Chris Handy’s original Long Shot in the United States. I found it via BoardGameGeek Market. I had it delivered straight to work, and we played it the lunch hour of the day it arrived. It might be the shortest time from purchase to play ever! In Long Shot, you and your opponents are gamblers at the race track vying to make the most of your money. You can make money by placing bets that pay out, buying horses, or just playing cards that get you more money.

I have mentioned it before many times on this show, Edward and I love racing games. One evening, he and I were at a local game shop looking through the used games section. We found two games that caught our eyes: Long Shot: The Dice Game and Elfenland. Long Shot caught our attention because it was designed by Chris Handy and published by Perplext, the same designer publisher duo behind Roland Wright. That was, well, a roll and write game that I impulsively bought for $5 at a convention and we played on vacation. It was a blast. So, getting this game was a no-brainer. In Long Shot, you and your opponents are watching a horse race. You are betting on the horses, buying the horses, and trying to push your horses over the finish line. One great thing about this game in the workplace, it plays up to eight people! You could even play this over a video call, if you so chose.

In this episode, I am joined by Larry Saunders. I came across Larry when searching for Christmas presents for my coworkers. He has an Etsy shop where he makes various game related stickers. I reached out to him, and he told me that board games had helped him through a tough part of his life. Well, after almost two months of trying to get a night free together, Larry and I finally got to have our conversation. He has a great, but sad, story to tell. Thanks for listening.

A few of my past guests have suggested Cockroach Poker for a lunchtime game. I put it on my Christmas list a few years back. I never received it from friends, family, or Santa. One day while I was perusing the local game shop, there it was, hanging on a peg board. I was surprised that it was in a box that was barely four inches square. I don’t know what I was expecting, but not that. I immediately took it off the peg and purchased it for $11.99. Then, it sat unplayed for a month or so. It wasn’t until I was revisiting an old interview where the guest mentioned it that I remembered having bought it. I found it, took it to work, and learned to play Cockroach Poker. In Cockroach Poker, you are trying to NOT collect sets of the creepy crawly critters. However, the first to collect four of a kind, well, they LOSE. They don’t win. You are trying to bluff your way to victory. Can you lie better to your friends than they can lie to you? Test out your thoughts with Jacques Zeimet’s Cockroach Poker.

My dad found Outfoxed on the clearance section of Target and got it as a gift to the family for Easter. We played it right away with my sister who was 4, my mom who is 10 times that and some change, and my dad who is a little younger than mom. In outfoxed you work together as chickens trying to stop a fox from reaching the fox hole and escaping. WHY is the fox on the run? Because, the clever fox has stolen Mrs. Plumpert's pot pie and is high-tailing it to the foxhole! Can you and your chicken friends catch the sly fox? Or will the fox elude you?

At a recent board game day at the library, I was left as the odd man out. That did not bother me. I was happy to see so many people playing games. A fellow game nerd has his bag of games there. He said I could have a look, so I did. He had For Sale, a game that has been mentioned by a few guests and has come up in a few books. I sat down with it, opened the box, and was immediately distracted by the insert advertising the Bookshelf Series. Now, this was an old advertisement. It only listed games one through ten or twelve. There are now twenty-nine. Anyway, I had heard of a few of these games, and recognized a few of the designers. Reiner Knizia had a few games in this collection, and I was curious how much they would be. Being in a library, I just walked next door to the computer lab to take a look. I bought three of his games: Gem Dealer, High Society, and Looting London. I got all three, shipped, for under $40. What started off as learning a game that I wanted to play turned into a purchase of three games, and an episode about Reiner Knizia’s High Society. In High Society, you and your coworkers are wealthy influencers in the 19th century. You are trying to bid for luxury items and multipliers of your wealth while avoiding misfortune. While you amass your luxurious possessions, it is imperative to keep an eye on your fortune. While the player with the most luxurious collection wins, that player must NOT have the lowest fortune left in hand. In other words, can you balance your wealth and opulence better than your coworkers, and be part of the High Society? HIGH SOCIETY on BGG

I was talking with a fellow designer at a Protospiel about past Spiel des Jahres winners. About how it is sad that some of these games, these games that helped propel the board game hobby to the heights it is today, are no longer available. We then started looking at some of the games, and I couldn’t help purchasing a few. One that struck my interest was Andreas Seyfath’s Manhattan, 1994’s winner. He is better known for creating the 2002 game Puerto Rico. He and his wife won the 2006 Spiel des Jahres for Thurn and Taxis, which is also on my list to procure but it is quite, QUITE, expensive. Anyway, back to Manhattan, the subject of this episode. What caught my eye was the table presence. You are physically stacking buildings to build skyscrapers in the eponymous city. In Manhattan, you and your opponents are fighting to construct skyscrapers in six different neighborhood districts of the island: Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Midtown, Downtown, Soho, and Wall Street. Points are scored in three ways: owner of each building (player with the top floor), control of each district (player controlling the majority of buildings in a district), and owner of the tallest building (player with top floor of the building with the most floors). When the game ends, the player with the most points wins. Can you outthink, outwit, and outbuild your opponents? Manhattan on BGG

In this episode, I am joined by Freddie Carlini. He is the mastermind behind Mixtape Massacre, a highly thematic board game where you are the slasher hunting down victims to collect souvinirs. Freddie talks about how Mixtape Massacre is NOT TSA Friendly! It is a hilarious story. We also talk about running over zombies on a motorcycle, chunky dice being cool, and how dice trays save time and dice! All this and more coming up. Thanks for listening! Get a copy of Mixtape Massacre!

Spencer Mohr joins me on this episode. His company, Dastardly Fun Entertainment, has put out two games a year, and I have played and enjoyed both. Their second game, Dastardly Drivers, was a finalist in the game design competition I sponsored last year. Thanks for listening. Dastardly Fun Entertainment on The Game Crafter

My grandmother, who I called Mee-Maw, bought Michael Marra’s 13 Dead End Drive for me back in 1993 when it came out. I am not 100% sure why, but I am so glad she did. It is hard to believe that the game is 30 years old! That makes me even older. Anyway, 13 Dead End Dr got a lot of playing when I was young. My little sister, brother, and I played a lot of Clue, and this gave us a new mystery to solve, a new toy to play with. 13 Dead End Drive feels like Clue and Mouse Trap had a baby. In 13 Dead End Drive, rich Aunt Agatha has died with no related heirs. So, her 12 closest friends (and her cat) have gathered to claim her considerably large fortune. You and your opponents control a hand of the characters, vying to be rich. During the game, you are trying to knock off other1 characters to be the last one standing. Or, be the one featured above the fireplace when the detective arrives. Winning Moves

Pied Raven

John J. Wick, the game designer and RPG creator, joins me in this episode. He is the man behind CAT, a great RPG where you play a cat protecting your human from forces they cannot see. John and I talk about the usual stuff, and also his fun RPG's that can be played in a lunch hour. (Links below) PLAY CAT

In early 2019, The Son and I were watching a lot of Watch It Played with Rodney Smith. One episode that caught my eye was Horrified, by Ravensberger. Then, for some reason, I forgot about it. It kept coming up on lists of games that are great to play in an hour. While attending a convention, I saw it at the flea market event and snatched it right up. I sat down that night and played it with a fellow game designer. We both enjoyed it. In Horrified, you and your teammates are working together as characters right out of the Universal Monster movies, to rid the town of the monsters haunting the streets. Two to four monsters, of the seven available, are wandering around the streets terrorizing the villagers. You and your team must collect specific items that are scattered around the town. These items are then used to confront and defeat each different monster in a unique and specific way. All this must be achieved before the monsters terrorize the locals too much or the Monster deck runs out. Do you think you and your friends have what it takes to stand your ground, defend the town, and save them from Frankenstein’s monster, Wolf Man, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Invisible Man, or Mummy? Did the Son and I enjoy it after 3.5 years of waiting? How did it go over at the office? Thanks for listening!

Corey Clark, founder of Blue Falcon Board Gaming, joins me to talk about his organization and what they do. He has one of the most original ways to get into gaming. We try to come up with a term for people that are not board game literate. He also has one of the more obscure hidden gem games that I feel like I must own. All of that an more. Thanks for listening! Hidden Gem

When you think of the classic games, what comes to mind? Monopoly, Risk, Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, and of course Clue. It is unfortunate that Clue doesn’t get more respect in today’s board gaming community. The playtime is short. The rules are simple. And dammit, it is just plain fun! We had a copy of Clue when I was growing up. I am the oldest of three, and my sister, brother, and I would play Clue for hours. That is the best part about the game. You can just sort the cards out, draw a new set, and start again in about 3 minutes! This episode is long, as I cover a lot of versions and intersting facts about this amazing classic. Thanks for listening!

A month ago, I was quarantined to my bedroom with COVID. One night, I had a bout with insomnia. Then, it occurred to me! I had a few solo print and play games printed in my print and play box (link in the show notes) that were specifically designed for solo play. So, I got up, grabbed my D6’s and played 1472 The Lost Samurai. I did not win, but I was then encouraged to try 1972 The Lost Phantom. Again, I did not win. This time, I was encouraged to reach out to their designer Mike Heiman. He joins me today to talk about his journey in board gaming. He tells about his adventure creating his incredible solo print and play, USS Laffey: The Boat that wouldn’t sink, and his plans for other solo games in the XX72 franchise. All of the XX72 are available for free on Board Game Geek. All this and more are coming your way. Thanks for listening. Print and Play Box XX72 Games

As you faithful bridge-building listeners know, I am a huge fan of reading about board games. I then like to try and interview the author. This happened with The Beginner’s Board Game Bible and its author Ben Hoppe. In his fantastic book, (if you haven’t bought it yet, do it) he mentions games to help break people into this great hobby. Many of his game suggestions I had heard of, or already had played. Yet, one game nagged at me that I really wanted try. It was 1995’s Mystery of the Abbey. It was described as a next-level Clue. Clue with a little more. I was extremely interested, but then disappointed to learn that it was out of production. I then went out to look for a used copy. Prices fluctuated from $30-$60. As I was hunting down a copy, I came across one at a board game flea market for $35, and I pounced on it. Sadly, it sat on the Shelf of Shame for over a year. Finally, I got it to table at a library board game event. In Mystery of the Abbey, you and your fellow players are visiting monks at the serene Abbey. The next morning, the body of Brother Adelmo is discovered at the foot of the cliffs. You group is asked by the Abbot to look into the mysterious death of the Brother, and investigate the Abbey and its inhabitants to discover who killed the beloved Brother Adelmo. So, does Mystery of the Abbey do enough to separate itself from the classic game Clue? What it worth the hunting and searching for it? Did Ben Hoppe lead me astray? Can it be played in a lunch hour? Let’s find out!

I wish that I could say that I bought just a few games that came to my attention via Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop on YouTube, but that would be a lie. What I can say though, few games have come to my attention and immediately jumped into my top 5, if not top 3, like Champions of Midgard. Ole Steiness’s worker placement game made an immediate impact on me. I love worker placement games, yet there was something different about this game. Something about the way it played. Something about the interaction between players. Something about the overall feel of the game. It didn’t hurt that the episode featured an actual Viking playing the game. Well, ex-Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. Close enough. I held off buying it as it was a play and win game at Geekway to the West, the local game convention here in St. Louis. So, I went to the convention, learned to play it, loved it, and hoped I would win the game. Sadly, I did not. Even sadder, Grey Fox Games, the St. Louis based game publisher that publishes Midgard in the US was at the convention, but they sold out. So, I went to my friendly local game shop and purchased Champions of Midgard. It has since seen plenty of table time. In Champions of Midgard, you and your fellow players are Viking warriors who are vying for the spot of the recently deceased Jarl, leader of the clan. The creatures in area know of his passing and are coming to terrorize the village. You are trying to prove that you are the worthy successor by defeating these enemies and collecting glory (points). Over 8 rounds, you and your opponents will collect warrior dice, food, wood, get blessings, and fight enemies to prove once and for all, you are the Champion of Midgard!