Boardgames To Go

BGTG 118 - Post BGG.con 2011 (with Greg Pettit)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:55:55 PST

This is a very long episode, but no one ever complains about length so I decided to keep it intact rather than splitting it into two shorter shows.Just as he did last year, my buddy Greg Pettit went to Bgg.con in 2011 and joined me on the podcast afterward to discuss the new games he played there. Like a lot of people, he focused on new releases, including a bunch that are new from this year's

BGTG 117 - Long Games (with Ryan Wheeler)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:23:35 PST

First of all, welcome to anyone who discovered (or re-discovered?) my show after hearing my guest appearance on boardgame podcast, Ludology. I joined Ryan Sturm over Skype (when Geoff Engelstein was snowed in) to discuss the difference between 2-player and multiplayer games. There's also been some good follow-up discussion on Ludology's guild over at Boardgamegeek.But back here, on my own show,

BGTG 116 - Essen Anticipation 2011

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:47:51 PDT

I'm not even late! Not quite, anyway. The annual small (& large) game publisher extravaganza in Essen, Germany is set to start with the press day about 24 hours after I post this, and the doors open to the public the day after that. Four days of record-setting boardgame product launches and direct sales will follow, along with some sense of which games are the best ones.For those of us who don't

BGTG 115 - Spiel des Jahres, Then & Now

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 12:28:08 PDT

The recent announcement of the Spiel des Jahres winner, Qwirkle, gave me the good idea to play that game again...as well as the excuse to talk about a handful of other SdJ winners I've played "recently." Ok, not really that recent, but there was a game party last year when I specifically wanted to concentrate on games from 1999 or earlier. Quite by accident, I found myself concentrating on some

BGTG 114 - Party Games for Shy Boardgamers (with David Gullett)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:07:29 PDT

You may think it's odd or ridiculous that a guy who hosts a boardgame podcast feels uncomfortable in some social party games due to the putting-yourself-out-there part of them. But that's exactly how I feel, and my suspicion is that other boardgamers may feel the same. Meanwhile, there are clearly a bunch of other people--including boardgamers--who really enjoy the fun, laughs, and camaraderie

BGTG 113 - European Vacation

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:52:20 PDT

Part of what's kept me away from the microphone lately has been some overseas travel. First was our family T. O. A. L. (Trip of a Lifetime) to Germany & Italy. Then, surprisingly, a return visit to Europe shortly thereafter by just me because of a new assignment at work. Though neither of those trips were about games, I couldn't help getting in SOME shopping and playing while I was over there.

BGTG 112 - Five-Player Games (with Dave O'Connor)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:19:06 PST

Here's a podcast that I recorded with my buddy DaveO last summer. You probably know that I prefer lighter games. Well, DaveO likes the heavier stuff (as well as some quicker games). We got to talking about that, and the conversation drifted to our differences in opinion about the number of players in a game. I felt that five was a troublesome number, while he could quickly think of several

BGTG 111 - Post BGGcon (with Greg Pettit) [second try]

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:24:57 PST

I'm posting this show again to get the correct version in the RSS/iTunes feed. (An earlier posting of this show erroneously copied an earlier episode.) Sorry for the trouble. -Mark

Show #111 is now fixed. Please try again.

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:35:27 PST

For the first hours after it was posted today, the latest podcast episode had a glitch that meant subscribers were getting a repeat of the previous episode #110. A couple astute listeners brought that to my attention, and I was able to quickly fix it. If you're one of those that got the wrong episode, try redownloading. (In iTunes, I got it to work be deleting the duplicate show, the un- and

BGTG 111 - Post BGGcon (with Greg Pettit)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:21:59 PST

After my annual "Essen anticipation" show, perhaps it's only natural that some listeners ask me for a post-Essen show where I can share my opinions about the new games after I've played them. The only trouble is that it will take me some months to get all of those plays in, since I didn't go to Essen myself and haven't hardly had any chance to play (or even see) the new games. Here in the US,

BGTG 110 - All About the Easy Play games (with David Arnott)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:39:20 PST

At long last, another "All About" show, the format in which a guest and I talk through a particular game in great detail. This time we tried something a little different, discussing the entire series of fast-playing games in small, square boxes called Easy Play by German publisher Schmidt Spiele. Since we covered so many games in this episode, this is one of my longest shows ever, nearly two

All of BGTG's archives are up!

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:25:51 PDT

At long last I've managed to make all of Boardgames To Go's five and a half year podcast archive available on iTunes! They've always been available through this blog, but the process was cumbersome (at best). Now by getting all of the shows into the main podcast feed, podcast accumulators like iTunes (the 900-lb gorilla), iPodder, Podtrapper, Zune, etc. should all have the entire back catalog of

BGTG 109 - Essen Anticipation 2010 Part 2

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 07:30:06 PDT

Whew! I hurried up and recorded Part 2 of my annual "Essen Anticipation" episode so I could get it posted before the Spieltage itself. Hopefully some of the people who wanted to listen to it before the show opens (even when traveling there?) will get it in time. This episode is more like my Essen shows from previous years. I talk a little about about general things, then launch into a long

BGTG 108 - Essen Anticipation 2010 Part 1 (with Scott Alden & Lincoln Damerst)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:42:01 PDT

It's that time again. Time for excitement about the Spiel game expo (Internationale Spieltage) held in Essen, Germany every October. Even when my fall season gets busy with work, kids' school, and other activities, there's always this time when I start living vicariously through the pre-, post-, and (now) during-the-event reports. Over a decade ago we heard about the new titles debuting at

Back to normal (and Facebook)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:14:43 PDT

Not only has the podcast not blown up yet (at least I think that's right), but this morning I managed to Undo something I fiddled with on the feed that I later regretted. Though it hasn't gotten me any closer to having all of the podcast archives in iTunes--that's still my major project--I'm hoping I've restored things back to their previously working condition. That's because a listener reminded

In case the podcast blows up...

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 19:42:20 PDT

You should know that I'm still here. And by "blows up," I just mean that the feed may disappear from iTunes, or stop showing podcasts attached at all. Or it may be just fine. Either way, Boardgames To Go is still going strong, just publishing erratically as usual. All that's happening is that I'm transitioning the hosting location and blog/podcast feed details from a multi-site mess to

I'm trying something new with this blog & podcast (behind the scenes)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:52:48 PDT

For a while now, listeners of the podcast have asked for an easier way to access all of BGTG's archives. They've actually always been available, but it takes some work. You have to click on one of the archive pages, then find a show and click on its MP3 link to play it through your browser, or right-click it to save it to your computer for later copying to your player or importing into iTunes.

BGTG 107 - Handcrafted Games (with Lincoln Damerst and Greg Wilzbach)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:54:09 PDT

I grabbed two of my artistically talented friends (Greg did my podcast logo!) and put them on the microphone to talk about their hobby-within-a-hobby: handcrafted games. These guys have both taken a known, existing boardgame or two and hand made their own copies. It might have been to create something that's hard to get, or it might have been to make a personalized, deluxe version of a favorite

BGTG now (also) on BGG

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:22:38 PDT

Got those acronyms? Now Boardgames To Go has its own existence on Boardgamegeek. This is in addition to this blog & website, which I intend to always be the podcast's true home. However, for some it may be convenient to keep up with the podcast from BGG, along with their other favorite boardgame podcasts. Like so many features that Aldie adds to that amazing site, its full potential isn't yet

BGTG 106 - SR & Feedback (Super Slapshot, Age of Industry)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:23:34 PDT

At long last, another episode, and a long-winded one at that! These session report & feedback shows are supposed to be easier episodes for me to bang out--I need to remember that! Doing them more often will work through the response backlog and make them easier & shorter. We'll see how well I do at remembering that... :-) In addition to a lot of great comments about past shows, I talk about

Recent gaming (face-to-face, play-by-web, and iPhone)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 19:49:48 PDT

June was a crazy month at work (as I knew it would be), so I haven't managed to post shows even though I've still got a good one in the can . . . and I managed to record another one. I need to post some "normal" session report & feedback shows in between the featured episodes, though. I'll get to that. Despite all that, I still got in some great gaming in June, especially with one big

New BGTG call-in number is 206-337-7401

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 30 May 2010 12:22:52 PDT

Yeah, I lost my old call-in number, the same one the show has had for five years. I haven't completely given up hope, and I may ask for your help in getting it back, but for the moment any audio feedback should instead go to 206-337-7401. Sorry for the inconvenience.

BGTG 105 - Games of the Decade (with Dave Arnott)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 30 May 2010 12:19:11 PDT

Now that the first decade of the new century & millennium is past, Dave & I reflected on what that ten-year span meant for boardgames. Back in late 2007 he & I recorded a "decade+1" retrospective for episode #75, but that had a little different focus. For that earlier show, we tried to talk about our own introduction and growth in the hobby, like what games we first learned about & played, how

Comment feed working again

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:00:13 PDT

By the way, you can subscribe the comment feed in order to keep up with comments on all of this blog's posts without having to remember to check them.

Should I start a BGG guild?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 14 May 2010 13:06:01 PDT

The flurry of good comments & discussion following the recent podcast about boardgame theming was split between those posted right here on the website, and others on a Boardgamegeek thread. Though that's fine, it makes me wonder if it wouldn't be better to facilitate them more on one location than the other. And though I'd really prefer to have the comments archived here, with the podcast itself,

BGTG 104 - Boardgame Themes (with Greg Pettit)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:27:35 PDT

Themes in boardgames are a favorite subject of mine. I'm sure I've said before how interested I am in the themes these games of ours have. Some themes instantly attract me to a game, while others are an immediate turn-off. When I'm playing a game, I particularly enjoy historic theming on the cards, or historic notes within the rulebook. You'd think that makes me a theme-gamer. I certainly

Did it work?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:35:00 PDT

Hmm, I'm not sure. Since I set this site up in the prehistory of podcasting, it's built on a complicated mix of three different hosting accounts (libsyn for the podcast files, GoDaddy.com for my webhosting, and Blogger.com for the blog editing interface). Now after five years one of those tools has changed how it works, which means I need to tweak settings I haven't touched in that long. (And,

BGTG 103 - SR & Feedback (Pandemic On the Brink, Caylus Magna Carta, Patrician)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:35:20 PDT

First of all, please consider bidding in my latest Geeklist auction. It ends mid-day on March 24, and has some great, unusual, and/or out-of-print games. Titles like Zoff in Buffalo, Basari (the good version!), Krieg und Frieden, and a pair of games from an original Chinese publisher & designer. I'm back with another session report & feedback show. These episodes are usually only about some

BGTG 102 - Games Played in 2009 (with "Davebo" Gullett)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:33:50 PST

For more than a decade now I've kept track of the games I played over the course of a year. For nearly as long I've reviewed those lists after each year passed. First I posted on Usenet or my own website, later boardgame mailing lists, my blog, and lately this podcast. Like a lot of you, I find it interesting to look back over the stats from the previous year, noting increases or decreases in

Twitter, Facebook, and now Buzz?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:56:50 PST

I've been making little updates between major blog entries about boardgaming using Twitter. You can find those at twitter.com/BoardgamesToGo. This blog and its podcast will always be my main content, but if you want little tidbits in between the irregular episodes, that's where to find them. Just recently I also created a Facebook page for the podcast, at (you guessed it) facebook.com/

BGTG 101 SR & Feedback (Dog, Keltis Way of the Stone, Sorry Sliders)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:34:11 PST

First show of the new year, and it's another session report & feedback episode. Though I originally just picked three games I played recently & wanted to discuss, as I prepped for the show I found a number of related points between them. That's why I mentioned this could also be called "The Crossover Show." Maybe I should ask Shannon Appelcline to produce one of his snazzy relationship diagrams

BGTG 100 SR & Feedback (Tobago, Numeri, Polar Derby)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:00:33 PST

Yea! When I started this podcast nearly five years ago, I had no idea I'd still be doing it now. The pace certainly slowed down from the early days, but I'm so pleased to have stumbled across the finish line to episode 100! Except that this isn't really a finish line--I'm going to keep podcasting, and I hope you'll keep listening. I thought about some big celebration or other special show for

MJ's Games played in 2009

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:24:15 PST

I'll do a show recapping this information later, but while I can't record a podcast right now with family visiting, I can squeeze in a blog post. Throughout the year I keep my games-played statistics on Boardgamegeek (the "cloud" of our hobby), which makes it so easy to pull that data out now. Here are the raw stats, and below I'll offer a little commentary. "Quarters" Dominion 47 Brass 44

BGTG 99 - Ten Years of Essens

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:16:29 PST

Chris left a comment after the previous podcast (anticipating this year's Essen), asking what games were my favorites from past Essens. That was the idea behind this show--my favorites, BGG's favorites, and what seemed liked the favorites at the time (Fairplay ratings). I looked up the past decade of Fairplay rankings, compared it against current BGG rankings, and also figured out my favorites

BGTG 97 - All About Brass (with Stephanie Kelleher)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:20:28 PDT

If you pay attention to the episode numbers, you'll see this one actually belongs before the previous show about Essen. I only needed to hurry that one out in time for the big game fair in Germany this week. I'd recorded this episode focusing on Martin Wallace's Brass with guest Stephanie Kelleher (songlian on BGG). Stephanie is at Essen right now helping with the BGG/Geekdo booth! We both

BGTG 98 - Essen Anticipation 2009

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:56:11 PDT

As before, I've managed to squeeze in a show just before the Essen game fair Spiel that shares my anticipation for the event and a number of games. Nope, I'm not going there, just living vicariously through the preview information about the games about to debut at this enormous event in our hobby. All of this may will change after we start hearing (and seeing!) more about this games from

Last & next month's games

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:03:59 PDT

I'm in the middle of more business travel than I've ever had to do before. I know a lot of people have to travel more than I, so I'm not complaining. I'm just experiencing the impact it has on your life, especially your time with family & friends. The family part is my deal, but the friends parts relates to games, which is why I'm writing about it on the blog.Last month I did play some games. You

Go "vote" on the À La Carte card game award

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:14:40 PDT

I've always enjoyed reading through the results of the best card game award given in Germany, the À La Carte. Kind of like the Spiel des Jahres or International Gamers Awards, this award is given by an editorial board. However, this year they've opened up an online poll--not to decide or change the outcome of the award, just as a fun check between what the game-buying public thinks is the best

Gamewright euros (and testing Twitterfeed)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:56:56 PDT

Gamewright is mostly known for mass market kids' games that are notably better than what you usually find on the shelf at Toys R Us or Target. They also do an amazing job at sneaking a little educational value into some of the titles (often math), while others are just silly fun. Another sneaky move they pull off is bring eurogames by award-winning designers to America by skillful retheming of

BGTG 96 - Translations, Editions, and Revisions (with David Gullett)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:43:52 PDT

Let me clear about this--most of the explanation for the delay in this podcast (recorded almost two months ago) is simply that I never got around to finishing & posting it. Part of that is because the show is longer than usual--longer than fits on a CD--and I thought I wanted to edit it down considerably. But as you know if you're a longtime listener, I don't really do that kind of editing. I

BGTG 95 - SR & Feedback (Container & Chicago Express)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:35:10 PDT

Whoops! I almost let two months go by since my last show. I've been playing plenty of games, so here's a session report & feedback show to describe my inability to play economic games with any skill! But as badly as I've been doing at them, I'm still interested. In fact, I'm even more interested in the games because it feels like there's something everyone else understands about their strategy

BGTG 94 - Are any of our games Classics? (with Greg Pettit)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:33:29 PDT

It comes up from time to time in discussions about our hobby--will any of the games we're playing now achieve "classic" status? There are commercial classics like Monopoly, Risk, and Scrabble, as well as cultural or timeless classics like Go, Chess, and Poker. That's an awfully high standard for any game to achieve, even ones we think so highly of on our game nights and gamesdays. What does

Follow BGTG on Twitter

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:31:15 PDT

I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with it yet, but went as far as deciding to get a Twitter account for this podcast. My podcasts have tended to be longer and in more depth--Twitter is about the opposite form of communication. That's why it may prove useful--sometimes I have small, even tiny things to say or ask that are appropriate for Twitter. Boardgamegeek now has some hooks into

BGTG archives going ALL the way back...

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:36:49 PDT

A podcast listener recently posed this question about easy access to the BGTG archives. I'm a long time listener but ever since my iPod was decommissioned I've been away. Now that I've got a new one, I'm trying to catch up with previous episodes but I've hit a small snag - iTunes (or rather BGTG's feed on iTunes store) only shows the 10 most recent files [. . .] Not that this is really a

BGTG 93 - All About Big City (with Eric Burgess)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:16:23 PDT

It must be just about time for a boring show with just me on the mic, but you're spared once again! This time I have fellow podcaster Eric "Boardgame Babylon" Burgess with me to talk about another of my favorites, Big City. Turns out it's one of his, too, and when I made a half-serious request for someone to do this episode with, Eric responded right away. We live somewhat far from each other,

BGTG 92 - Game Awards (with Dave Arnott)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:41:10 PDT

Part 2 of my discussion with Dave Arnott was about game awards. There are a bunch of them, from the Spiel des Jahres to the Golden Geeks. We talk about a whole range of them, and also consider how game awards are similar or different from other artistic awards, such as the Oscars. (By the way, I did go see Slumdog Millionaire that night, and though I liked it I wouldn't have called it the Best

BGTG 91 - 2008 Year in Review (with Dave Arnott)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:22:30 PDT

What started as one show with two topics ended up being two shows. This is the first part, where Dave Arnott and I reflect on 2008. That means talking about our games played, totals as well as "fives & dimes." We also consider which were are favorite releases or discoveries in 2008. Along the way are some inevitable discussions about online plays, whether realtime (e.g. brettspielwelt, Game

Join me for PBW Brass?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:46:17 PDT

Lately I've really been enjoying Brass in its play-by-web implementation. The presentation isn't pretty, but is perfectly functional, and it enables more play of this deep game. Anyone care to join me? The password is bgtg, as always. http://wargamessoc.union.shef.ac.uk/brass/index.php http://wargamessoc.union.shef.ac.uk/brass/lobby.php?GameID=1406

BGTG 90 - Veto-Proof Game Night (with Ryan Wheeler)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:46:20 PDT

My buddy Ryan Wheeler is part of our local game group, the Santa Clarita Boardgamers. In fact, he's the driving force of the group, hosting most of the game nights, always adding to his collection, and infecting the rest of us with his enthusiasm and sense of humor. When schedules conflicts led to only two of us showing up for games one night, I pressured him into recording another podcast with

Games for auction

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:42:04 PST

I've posted another auction on Boardgamegeek. Help me get rid of some games so I can trick myself into buying more, immediately overwhelming the storage space I'm trying to recover! :)Auction ends on Friday, March 6. See the instructions at the top of the page.

More play-by-web

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 10:08:00 PST

I'm doing that again (never stopped, really). Go to the usual sites (SpielByWeb, Mabiweb, MichaelSchacht.net) to look for games I've started for BGTG podcast listeners, and the password for each is bgtg.Also, if you go to the realtime sites Brettspielwelt or GameTableOnline (or the hybrid pbw/realtime site Yucata.de--which just added Arkadia in beta test), be sure to see if I'm online. I always

Did you leave me a voicemail?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:51:11 PST

Someone just did, and I'd like to respond on a future episode, but unfortunately he must've been calling on a cell phone with a poor signal. The audio drops out during all of the important words of his message, like his question why I don't do more shows about my ______ games. What was that? Or his name--that also dropped out.If you're out there, please try again!

BGTG 89 - SR & Feedback (Viva Topo!, Slamwich, Tief auf Tier)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:42:14 PST

Before I can post any new shows, I wanted to clear the decks for some accumulated feedback, as well as follow-through on my previous blog entry about family gaming over the holidays. Again I brought I bag full of specially chosen games, and again we played some of them. Just a few, really, but I knew to expect that. This year my gaming was mostly confined to playing with my young nephews, which I

Thanksgiving Weekend gaming

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:13:18 PST

This Thanksgiving we packed up the car to drive 300 miles to my folks' house. My brother did the same with his family, coming from the other direction. (California is a long state!) As usual, I packed up a bunch of games, knowing full well we wouldn't play all or even most of them. But we've got room in the minivan, and so why not pack different games so we have options. :-)As it turned out, I

BGTG 88 - Dominion, Arkham Horror, Marrakech, and En Garde

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:53:56 PST

This is a session report & feedback show . . . but without the feedback. The reason for that is that I had to record this podcast in the car. I say had to because I spent too much of my at-home podcasting time playing Dominion instead! I started playing this game on brettspielwelt, and then got my own set to play face-to-face games. Hype is a turnoff for me, even buzz makes me suspicious, but in

A fresh call for online games

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:06:51 PST

As usual, your best bet to find me is on a play-by-web game. I've recently started the following, all of which can take more players as I write this. The password is the same as ever, BGTG.On Mabiweb: In the Year of the Dragon, Samuari, Kreta, In the Shadow of the EmperorOn Spielbyweb: Amun-Re, Hoity-Toity, Reef Encounter, SantiagoOn michaelshacht.net: Hansa (two of these)On Boardgamegeek: Tigris

Vicarious Essen

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:08:13 PDT

Essen is behind us now, and the Fairplay scouts & other reports are settling in on the better titles. Remember two years ago when I insisted I'd buy Die Saulen von Venedig? Then the mediocre reports came in, and I got to play it once. It wasn't a bad game, but it didn't shine for me. I didn't buy it. (Though I'll probably play it again some day.)This year the game that fits that description this

Essen photos

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:10:49 PDT

I mentioned it in the last podcast, and more than ever I recognize how influenced I am by the look of these games. I like reading the Essen first-impression reports, but I like seeing the photos even more. These days, you'd think you could do a search on "Essen spiel" in Flickr and find tons of photos, both from BGGers and average Germans who took photos & uploaded them. I've found a few that way

BGTG 87 - Essen Anticipation 2008

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:35:32 PDT

As promised, here's my annual episode running through the new Essen games that have caught my eye. There are games I'm pretty sure I want, others I'm pretty sure I don't, and a whole bunch I need to know more about first (hopefully by playing).Essen opens its doors to everyone tomorrow, and the press-only day has already started. Folks like me will be checking internet sites repeatedly through

Pre-Essen show

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:03:03 PDT

Essen is now right around the corner, but I'm going to try to squeeze in an "Essen Anticipation" show, as I've done in previous years. I got a few requests for this episode, and that's the best inspiration for doing it.-Mark

Anyone for Vinci?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:48:58 PDT

This blog recently received a great comment from Tristan who re-listened to the 2.5-year old All About Vinci episode after finally getting to try the game in-person. Vinci is still a great favorite of mine, and now I'd like to see if any other listeners would like to join me in a play-by-web version. Now, I'll warn you that the website is all in German, so if you've never played pbw (or Vinci),

BGTG 86 - All About Harry's Grand Slam Baseball (with David Gullett)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:26:34 PDT

As promised, here's another All About show, my first in a long time. The way these shows work, I usually employ a guest, and the two of us talk about one game in great detail. This time, that guest is David Gullett, who you've heard on BGTG before, and the game we're talking about is Harry's Grand Slam Baseball.Now, HGSB is a rather small, light game to spend more than an hour talking about. That

Another "All About..." show is coming

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:15:22 PDT

Hurray! I've wanted to do another "All About" show for some time, and last night I recorded one. It wasn't about Big City, though, as I'd hinted in my last podcast (that's another I still want to do). No, for this one I got my buddy Dave Gullett (BGG's davebo, aka the Big Red Rock Eater) to share the mic with me and talk all about Harry's Grand Slam Baseball. That might seem a little game for a

BGTG 85 - SR & Feedback (with Rattlesnake, XiangQi, Citadels, Manila, and Tribune)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:44:48 PDT

You're in luck. The carcast I recorded earlier about some games played at a recent Games Day was also destroyed accidentally, so I just had to re-record it at home. This way it ends up with better audio quality, and I got to tack on some recent email feedback, too.These are all games I played at a recent Games Day put on by LA's famous Stephanie. You've heard about her on other podcasts, and

A truly lost episode

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:41:44 PDT

Oops. I thought I'd finally get around to posting a carcast recorded more than a year ago after I'd played some business-themed games, comparing & contrasting all three of them. They were Shark, Buy Low Sell High (aka Palmyra), and one more I've forgotten. Well, it doesn't matter now because this apparently I deleted this recording I discarded when I was at a low ebb in my satisfaction with

Something else about Byzantium (and another car-cast)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:34:28 PDT

One thing this blog is good for is correcting mistakes & omissions in my podcasts. After recording the recent one about Martin Wallace games, I forgot to mention the interesting and authentic-feeling arms races that happened in our complete 3-player game. Though Ryan & I both agreed that Mike was out to a big lead, we ran into trouble going after him during the middle & end of the game. Because

BGTG 84 - Martin Wallace games (Brass, Tinner's Trail, Byzantium)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:32:15 PDT

Two podcasts in less than a week?! Weird, I know. Not likely to be repeated soon, either. I just figured I might as well jump on the opportunity when I could.Also, I'd mentioned on this blog a couple weeks before that I was thinking of sharing my (changing) thoughts about Martin Wallace games, based on some recent plays of Brass, Tinner's Trail, and Byzantium. Martin's games are so popular on BGG

BGTG 83 - Aug 10, 2008 - Re-Introduction with my "New" Top Ten

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:32:42 PDT

Though I'm too chicken to listen to it, anyone that wants to can go back into my archives to download BGTG #1. In that episode I tried to give an introduction to myself, describing my own likes & dislikes in games. It always helps to know those things about a game reviewer. You get to figure out how my opinions map to yours. Maybe you & I are on the same page, and the games I like are ones you'll

BGTG auction and my new appreciation for Martin Wallace

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:09:52 PDT

First of all, another podcast is coming. Somewhere I've got an old "car-cast" I did last year after our group had played several different business games. I'll post that soon. Before that I want to record my "re-introduction" episode. I believe I did an intro episode way back in BGTG #1, but I'm afraid to listen to it myself! Instead I think I'll redo the introduction, taking this opportunity to

BGTG 82 - June 17, 2008 - SR & Feedback (Hamburgum & Streetcar)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:54:09 PDT

Uh...yeah. At the start of this show I say I recorded it back on May 29. Which I did. Then I labeled the file and blog entry June 17, because that's when I edited it. Except that I ran into a technical glitch, and I only just now resolved all of that to get it posted on July 13. Whew!Anyway, it's here now. Not long after my 2007 recap described some new games I hadn't had the chance to try yet, I

BGTG 81 - May 23, 2008 - Games of 2007

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:45:21 PDT

Memorial Day Weekend is pretty late for a 2007 recap show, but here it is anyway. I said I'd follow this show up sometime with another blog entry to have a written summary of my games played, too. I found that I enjoyed re-reading my reports from earlier years . . . and missed not having them for 2005 & 2006.In a nutshell, I'm still playing 400 games per year, about 180 different titles--the same

BGTG 80 - Apr 29, 2008 - SR & Feedback (Galaxy Trucker & Key Harvest)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:21:58 PDT

Finishing up my feedback backlog (my feedbacklog?), here's a show with audio comments from my listeners. Does that include Mr. Reliable for audio feedback, Mark Jackson? Sure does! He's here, along with a couple other guys that offer some good comments or questions related to some earlier episodes of BGTG.Like all my feedback shows, that part is at the end, preceded by some game discussion. This

BGTG 79 - SR & Feedback (Play By Web games)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:22:50 PDT

Waaaaay back in show #3 I covered play-by-web boardgaming. I've touched on it since then, and for this show it's "where" my game session took place. That is, on the web, against a variety of friends, playing a variety of games. I spend the most time talking about Mykerinos on Mabiweb, mostly due to the excitement of having a new play-by-web game to try. But I also touch on several more, including

BGTG 78 - Back in the saddle

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:58:01 PDT

I still need to do a feedback show to go through a backlog, but today I couldn't wait for that. You see, I've had a break in my busy schedule--or at least an attitude adjustment after a recent vacation--and just needed to record a podcast again. I'm playing some more games, catching up on some podcast listening, and wanted to share some thoughts about recent games. This particular show happened

BGTG 77 - Recent Game Rambling

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:18:28 PST

No, I haven't disappeared again, and this little episode is meant to prove it. I have more to say about other games, my year in review, my new top ten list, and a backlog of feedback to work through. But this is what I could get out right now, and it'll have to do. In it, I talk about some older games I played with my son & other kids (and gamer-dad Dave Gullett) at a recent SoCal Games Day. Then

BGTG 76 - Summertime Games

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:33:47 PST

A quick, little podcast this time, one from my "archives." By that I mean this was one of those shows I recorded last summer, when I wasn't uploading any podcasts. At least one of those recordings was unceremoniously dumped, but this is one I still had lying around. It's another recording made in my car, but I learned from episode 74 that mostly leaving the audio alone is better than trying to

BGTG 75 - Decade+1 Retrospective (with Dave Arnott)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:41:08 PST

Last year, my buddy Dave Arnott and I talked on the phone about how we'd now been in the hobby for a decade. In that time the hobby was in many ways the same, but the interesting parts were the differences. Now we have Boardgamegeek, do a lot less overseas ordering, and I can't recall the last time I played a game with a separate page of card translations we all had to hand back & forth while

BGTG 74 - Post-Essen 2007 (with Mike Siggins)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:34:24 PDT

Once again I'm pleased to bring Mike Siggins' boardgame commentary to podcasting with our annual show recapping his observations about Essen. Mike writes some of these in his column on Funagain.com, called The Gamer's Notebook, and that piece is a good companion to this BGTG episode.At the end, I also have a brief review on the one Essen title I've managed to play so far, Wolfgang Kramer's Origo.

BGTG 73 - Oct 15, 2007 - Pre-Essen 2007

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:38:24 PDT

I'm just squeezing this show in before the Spiel game fair starts in Essen later this week. If you're like me you've been reading the lists and rumors about new games with great anticipation . . . even though you aren't attending Essen in-person. This year, I took a closer look back at the previous year's Essen buzz before & after the show, confirming that I've only got about three "keepers" from

BGTG 72 - Oct 10, 2007 - Where are all the kids?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 08:01:44 PDT

Here's one of those shows I recorded long ago, this one back in April. I went over to David Gullett's house, and we played some games with our kids. And that was also the subject of the podcast--playing games with kids. Over a year ago I posted an earlier podcast with Davebo about Gamer Dads, meaning the games we play with our own kids. This time, I tried to discuss a slightly different topic--

BGTG 71 - Sept. 19, 2007 - SR & Feedback (Settlers Dice, Canal Mania, Dschungelschatz)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 09:24:21 PDT

A chance to talk about some games I've played recently: one light game, one gamer game, and one kid game. I also talk about ordering overseas using Amazon.de, a new experience for me. Plus some recent feedback.-MarkLinksSettlers of Catan Dice GameCanal ManiaDschungelschatz

Help me save an audio interview?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:16:35 PDT

The last time I asked for help here, a listener in Germany enabled me to get a copy of Saturn, the beautiful wooden balancing game by Theta. Thanks again, Olav!Now I've got a different sort of plea. Recently you've heard me say that I actually have some recordings made earlier in the year that were never posted. One of them, an interview with art & graphics professional Mike Doyle, is great

BGTG 70 - Sep 9, 2007 - Light Wargames

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 22:25:35 PDT

Did ya miss me?Sorry it's been so long! Doug Garrett smoked me out recently, interviewing me for his podcast, and giving me the little encouragement/kick to get podcasting again. I've got at least two more podcasts recorded from some time ago, but I wanted to record a fresh one tonight to lead-in with an explanation of where I've been for half a year.As it happens, besides playing all of my usual

Help from a German fan of BGTG?

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:56:19 PDT

I have a favor to ask of a fan of the show who happens to live in Germany. If that's you and you'd like to help me out, drop me an email. Thanks.-MarkUpdate: Got my help, thanks!

Carribean, Hacienda, Reef Encounter, game parts

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 19:54:02 PDT

Another missed game night with friends, but at least I got in a game with Candy. This was Caribbean, acquired in trade just this week in shrinkwrapped condition. It's a game with a decidedly middle-of-the-road (at best) reputation, a lukewarm 6.2 rating and ranking in the high 700s. I got to see this game undergoing final playtesting (I think) when I went to the Gathering back in 2004. It hadn't

Spiel des Jahres thoughts

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 28 May 2007 17:35:02 PDT

I wrote the following to my local game group, but it might be of general interest reading here, too. It's my quick, initial take on the Spiel des Jahres nominees.Thief of BaghdadJenseits von ThebenZoolorettoBaumeister von ArkadiaYspahan[I'm in the process of making an internal trade deal for Thief of Baghad now--no one around here seems to own it.]I think I've played Jenseits a grand total of

Recent games: T&T, Tempus, Vinci, play by web

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 28 May 2007 16:48:18 PDT

You might think that if I've got the ability to write a blog post, then I should be able to produce another podcast. Well, you'd be wrong. :-) Wasn't it about last year at this time that I got busy? More than that, it was six years ago that my gaming went on total hiatus for a few months. It just so happens that the main project at work is at the same stage the previous monumental effort was six

BGTG 69 - Mar 21, 2007 - Adlung Spiele Games

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:04:34 PDT

Here's a solo show focusing on a particular publisher, Adlung Spiele. These are the guys (or maybe just one guy with some freelance authors & illustrators) that produce one of my favorites, Verräter, and other small card games. Most of them are only small in format, though--a single deck of cards in a tuckbox. Many of their games play much larger than they appear, feeling like more of a boardgame

My wife's favorite type of boardgame

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 22:01:34 PST

Wow, when I said my family gaming was starting to work, I wasn't kidding! Last night my wife & I played our new copy of On The Underground.Not only that, but this was a game she requested, or at least she agreed that it sounded interesting after I described it to her the week before. That was after I'd played it for the first time at my local game group, and thought the mechanics and--especially-

BGTG 68 - Feb 12, 2007 - Looking Back at 2006, Forward into 2007

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 08:39:15 PST

A quick show with my thoughts on boardgaming over the past year, and what I anticipate for 2007. These retrospectives are a little harder to do without stats . . . but then what would stats tell me, anyway? For me, the real point is to talk about games that have become new favorites, especially ones I think will be keepers for the long haul. To be honest, I'm not sure how many of even the "hits"

Some Essen titles (Yspahan, On the Underground, Elephant in a Porcelain Shop, and Null & Nichtig)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 20:21:54 PST

As of this writing, I've actually recorded two podcasts. One of them had to be scrapped for audio quality reasons, and I'm in the process of redoing it. That one is with a special guest, so I really hope I can get it redone sooner rather than later. The other is a more routine solo show, no technical problems, just needs a little more work (editing, test-listen). It's my retrospective on 2006,

BGTG 67 - Jan 1, 2007 - Pretty, Wooden Abstracts

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 18:37:51 PST

I've surprised myself by becoming more and more interested in abstract games over the years. However, as I discuss in this show, that's due to discovering a wide range of abstracts that don't make my head hurt. You see, I've never been a fan of chess, go, logic puzzles, or anything else that requires such hard thinking. It's just not fun for me. Even then, it's not the analysis that I find as

End of the year games (part 2)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 09:58:24 PST

In addition to the games I've played with gamers to round out the year, I've continued to have more success with friends & family, too. Those are much lighter games, but that never bothered me in the first place, and of course those are much more approachable (and more fun) for people who don't enjoy learning new rules all the time. I had another chance to break out a few light games during some

End of the year games (part 1)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 18:07:27 PST

Like I said, no chance to do another podcast this year, but I can fill you in on some recent gaming via the blog. Last night I attended my last Santa Clarita game group session of the year, and we were joined by Greg Parker. He's a long way from home up in Redding, but has family down here so we see him once in a while during holidays. Podcast listeners should be familiar with Greg from his

BGTG 66 - Dec. 8, 2006 - Thanksgiving Leftovers (Qwirkle, Winner's Circle, Harry's Grand Slam Baseball, Hyle7, Make Five) & Feedback

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 14:57:11 PST

Whew! The show is now posted. You know that getting a podcast out during this part of the year is tricky for me (aren't we all busy with the holidays?), and with the backlog of material it has turned out to be a biggie. Good news, I hope. The last time I had a show larger than one audio CD, almost no one downloaded the split file--everyone downloaded the big sucker like usual. So either you've

It's that time of year...

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 18:45:43 PST

Remember how I said I planned on taking a planned hiatus from mid-November until after New Year's? Well, that was a good idea, because this is just a very busy time for me to work in some podcasting. Just the same, I wanted to catch up on some audio feedback, and my plan is still to put together kind of a "mash-up" show. Somewhere I've still got a recording made last August that was never

I must be doing something right

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 21:45:22 PST

My best chance for playing games with Molly is when she's bored, having exhausted all other options. That sounds bad, but when that happens she's not reduced to playing a boardgame with dad--she looks forward to it. She just looks forward to it after everything else falls through. :-) Hey, I'll take it. Recently her friends have been busy doing other things, so we've had several days over the

Not at BGG.con

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 18:57:09 PST

Nope, I didn't make it back to BGG.con this year. I never manage to be a regular attendee of conventions--even though I've been to many of them once. Last year it was BGG.con, the year before was the Gathering, before that was Essen, and before that was Kublacon when Knizia was there. A few years prior I was lucky enough to go to Gulf Games. All of these have been great fun, and hopefully someday

BGTG 65 - Oct 27, 2006 - Post-Essen Show (with Mike Siggins)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:36:34 PST

As promised, here's the post-Essen followup show. A few weeks ago I talked about the games I was interested in hearing more about at Essen. Now here's Mike Siggins, coming on the podcast to give BGTG listeners some firsthand accounts of his time at the fair, and impressions of some games. Be sure to also read Mike's column (the "Gamer's Notebook") at Funagain on the same subject. -Mark

BGTG 64 - Oct 23, 2006 - SR & Feedback show (Thurn und Taxis, Gene Pool, Wallamoppi)

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:36:34 PST

I'm starting to catch up with some older feedback as I begin to do more Session Report shows again. I had a bit of a cold while recording this one, but I hope it still sounds ok. And I sure hope I edited out all the times I coughed!Something I forgot to mention was the information Gene Pool's designer posted about self-publishing his game. It's on the Board Game Designers Forum.-Mark

Case in point

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:36:34 PST

I was getting set up to record another podcast tonight. Took the notes, did the research, printed out some feedback. Yep, I was all set. And then my kids asked to play a game before bed, suggesting Time's Up. Obviously, the podcast was backburnered and we had fun with the game instead!(Later I'll have to talk about how to play Time's Up with kids . . . and with only three players.)

BGTG 63 - Oct 15, 2006 - Pre-Essen Show

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:36:34 PST

Just like last year, I can't help sharing some of my excitement about the Essen game fair happening this week . . . even though I won't be going. I was lucky enough to be there in 2003, something that may never happen again. But you don't have to GO to Essen to be excited about all of the new game releases. Some of them have already been available for purchase from vendors, but most are making

BGTG 62 - Sep 18, 2006 - Dialing it Back

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:36:34 PST

Okay.That was a long break, wasn't it? Too long? I think so. In other words, I haven't quit the podcast. I want to do more... I will do more. But in this episode I explain how a combination of internal choices & external pressures has led to this major slowdown of Boardgames To Go.To be honest, I think I sound a little rusty in this one. But it'll come back to me. I'm looking forward to talking

BGTG 61 - Aug 2, 2006 - Friendly, Local Game Stores

BoardgamesToGo@gmail.com (Mark Johnson) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:36:34 PST

Whew! Finally a new show. Like the last time I (unintentionally) took a little time off from the podcast, it was a little hard to get back into the swing of things. Last time I thought a simpler Session Report and Feedback show was the way to get back into the podcasting groove, but this time I wanted to try a theme show. That's because I'd been hearing the excellent series hosted by Eric Burgess

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