So Very Wrong About Games

Pickaxe

A podcast about all manner of hobby games by Mike Walker and Mark Bigney. Bad games don't go easy on you, so we don't go easy on them. Thorough analysis via reviews, news, and discussion of topics in gaming. We take context seriously, we value your time, and we're not into hype. Just because games are fun doesn't mean we can't take them seriously, and just because we take them seriously doesn't mean we can't have fun.

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421 episodes
Updated July 21

Episodes421

Newest first

Apr 25, 2023 · 1 hr 19 min
#260: The Game Must Flow
We get introspective this week, or at least as much as the editorial gibbons allow. If we get too deep they get nervous, and as every podcaster will tell you, nervous gibbons are bad for the show. Walker, Mark alleges, is a masochist who sacrifices himself on the altar of speed, which may or may not mean game flow; Walker counters that Mark abuses the takesies-backsies. 01:50 AYURIS: Imperium: Classics and Imperium: Legends (Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi, Osprey Games, 2021) Games Played Last Week: 06:13 -XenoShyft: Dreadmire (Michael Shinall, CMON, 2017) 11:24 -Raccoon Tycoon (Glenn Drover, Forbidden Games, 2018) 16:01 -Dwellings of Eldervale (Luke Laurie, Breaking Games, 2020) 20:37 -Code of Nine (BakaFire, Z-Man Games, 2012) 22:47 -Akropolis (Jules Messaud, Gigamic, 2022) 25:47 -Ortus Regni (Jon Sudbury, Jon Sudbury Games, 2014) 29:11 -Rallyman: DIRT (Jean-Christophe Bouvier, Holy Grail Games, 2023) 38:21 -Resist! (Trevor Benjamin, Roger Tankersley, and David Thompson, Salt & Pepper Games, 2022) News (and why it doesn't matter): 41:14 Support us on Patreon! Tons of exclusive content and bennies at www.patreon/svwag 42:41 Mike Hutchinson's Hobgoblin on Kickstarter 43:34 Walker's Who Asked for This? Call of Duty: The Board Game by Arcane Wonders 44:39 Walker's Who Asked for This? The Last Spell: The Board Games 45:23 Path of Civilization by Fabien Gridel, simultaneous play Civ game 45:48 Altay: Dawn of Civilization by Paolo Mori and Ole Steiness, deck-building/kingdom-building 46:14 Revive: Call of the Abyss expansion 47:15 Bitoku: Resutoran expansion 47:36 Ernest et Célestine, co-operative back-drawing from Space Cow 48:27 Non-Key game from Richard Breese: The Glade 48:59 Topic: The Games Must Flow Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 18, 2023 · 1 hr 25 min
#259: Revive
Is there a difference between a fruit salad and a fruit cup? I mean, the first question is whether a fruit cup contains a fruit salad, or if the contents are some other substance; then one can query whether the cup and its contents are a gestalt whole. Let us not forget the prospect of a fruit cup of Theseus, whereby each fruit piece is removed and replaced with an equivalent fruit (I would ask what an equivalent fruit is, but that's getting sidetracked)--is it the same fruit cup? Heraclitus would say you can't take a bite of the same fruit salad twice. There's the somewhat absurd possibility of a fruit cup of Damocles--presumably the fruits therein would have been prepared by Procrustes. What I'm getting at is melon is gross. Games Played Last Week: 00:53 -Just One (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter, Repos Production, 2018) 01:04 -So Clover! (François Romain, Repos Production, 2021) 04:17 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Games, 2022) 08:19 -Decrypto (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2018) 12:08 -Horseless Carriage (Jeroen Doumen and Joris Wirsinga, Splotter Spellen, 2023) 25:57 -Mosaic: A Story of Civilization (Glenn Drover, Forbidden Games, 2022) 28:34 -Planet Unknown (Ryan Lambert & Adam Rehberg, Adam's Apple Games, 2022) 31:47 -Capital Lux 2: Generations (Eilif Svensson & Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2020) 33:48 -Wizards of the Grimoire (Cole Banning and Joe Banning, Grimoire Games, 2022) 36:53 -Ra (Reiner Knizia, 25th Century Games, 2023) 42:53 -Tiny Turbo Cars (Hjalmar Hach, Alessandro Manuini, Jonathan Panada, Laura Severino, and Giulia Tamagni, Horrible Guild, 2022) 47:46 -Blazon (David Conklin, 25th Century Games, 2023) News (and why it doesn't matter): 51:45 Ad-free episodes at www.patreon.com/svwag 52:00 Paolo Mori shopping a reprint of Dogs of War 52:48 Support your favourite creators at the BGG Golden Geek Awards! 53:55 Movie rights of Trickerion, Anachrony, and Terraforming Mars sold 55:22 Regicide 2nd edition: now with bards! 56:12 Heavy Gear RPG 4th Edition on KickStarter 58:21 Feature Game: Revive (Helge Meissner, Eilif Svensson, Anna Wermlund, and Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2022) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 11, 2023 · 1 hr 4 min
#258: Gatefall
From Wikipedia: "Boglins were a series of toy puppets distributed by Mattel. They were created by Tim Clarke, Maureen Trotto, and Larry Mass, and licensed by Seven Towns. The original run of Boglins was released in 1987, coinciding with a "creatures" craze that included Ghoulies, Critters, and Gremlins. Boglins were goblin-themed hand puppets made of flexible rubber and could be manipulated to represent speech and facial expressions." Games Played Last Week: 01:26 -The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2019) 03:38 -Cartographers: A Roll Player Game (Jordy Adan, Thunderworks Games, 2019) 05:27 -Res Arcana (Thomas Lehmann, Sand Castle Games, 2019) 08:41 -Tribes of the Wind (Joachim Thôme, La Boîte de Jeu, 2022) 10:20 -Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum (Pauline Kong, Haymen Lee, and Marie Wong, Hot Banana Games, 2023) 13:20 -Switch & Signal (David Thompson, KOSMOS, 2020) 16:06 -SEAL Team Flix (Pete Ruth & Mark Thomas, WizKids, 2018) 18:30 -Star Fighters: Rapid Fire (Michael Dunsmore and Jordan Nichols, Alley Cat Games, 2023) 22:10 -For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game (Wilhelm Su, Self-published, 2021) 24:47 -Oak (Wim Goossens, Game Brewer, 2022) 28:28 -Messina 1347 (Raúl Fernández Aparicio & Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2021) 31:01 -Cysmic (Jason Blake, Star Reach Games, 2023) News (and why it doesn't matter): 38:20 RIP Klaus Teuber, inventor of Catan. Dan Thurot's obituary: https://spacebiff.com/tag/klaus-teuber/ 39:23 Vladimír Suchý and Delicious Games: Evacuation 39:39 Ultimate Innovation: Age 11 for each expansion, Unseen Expansion 41:15 The List is back! www.sowronggames.com/episodenotes 42:26 Feature Game: Gatefall (Jack Dire, Jack Dire Studios, 2020) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 4, 2023 · 1 hr 8 min
#257: Just the Games
And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Huey that if Walker moves my games one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Dewey too, because Walker's moved my games four times already this year, and they used to be over by the window, and they could see the squirrels, and they were merry, but then, Walker switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if Walker takes my stapler then I'll set the studio on fire... 01:38 AYURIS: Witchstone (Martino Chiacchiera & Reiner Knizia, R&R Games, 2021) Games Played Last Week: 04:00 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023) 05:54 -Wizards of the Grimoire (Cole Banning and Joe Banning, Grimoire Games, 2022) 09:15 -Codenames (Vlaada Chvátil, CGE, 2015) 14:05 -Pala (Jeffrey D. Allers, Cambridge Games Factory, 2012) 19:17 -Circadians: First Light (S J Macdonald, Garphill Games, 2019) 24:33 -Dice Manor (Garrett Herdter, Arcane Wonders, 2023) 28:25 -A.E.G.I.S.: Combining Robot Strategy Game (Cassandra Clark, Sarah Como, Breeze Grigas, Zach Kettell, Ryan "The Boulder" Richford, and Tom Wozencraft, Zephyr Workshop, 2018) 33:18 -51st State: Master Set--No Man's Land (Joanna Kijanka and Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal Games, 2023) 38:22 -Aristeia! (Alberto Abal, Jesús Fuster, and David Rosillo, Corvus Belli, 2017) 2020 42:48 -SCOUT (Kei Kajino, Oink Games, 2019) 45:30 -Summoner Wars (Second Edition): Starter Set (Colby Dauch, Plaid Hat Games, 2021) 47:22 -Whale Riders (Reiner Knizia, Grail Games, 2021) 52:06 -Empyreal: Far Corners (Trey Chambers, Level 99 Games, 2022) 54:56 -Ark Nova (Mathias Wigge, Feuerland Spiele, 2021) News (and why it doesn't matter): 56:46 Alleged Phantom Division will allegedly be on crowdfunding "soon"-ish 57:57 Expansion to Radlands 58:27 Santorini: Riddle of the Sphinx and deluxe Pantheon Edition 1:00:34 New Decrypto expandalone edition with new words 1:02:08 SVWAG Presents Masterpiece Theatre: Barry Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 28, 2023 · 57 min
#256: The Wolves
The mighty weremoose is a solitary creature, peaceable until roused to anger. Its only known predator is the American military deciding to once again invade Canada for reasons. When threatened, the weremoose rises to its full bipedal height of 6 meters, whereupon its sheer Chad-esque magnificence causes other creatures of the forest to quail and flee. Soldiers in the presence of this manifestation of the weremoose have been known to spontaneously reconsider their enlistment and retire on the spot. Games Played Last Week: 01:45 -Cysmic (Jason Blake, Star Reach Games, 2023) 12:26 -Summoner Wars (Second Edition) (Colby Dauch, Plaid Hat Games, 2021) 16:21 -Weather Machine (Vital Lacerda, Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2022) 18:02 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023) 21:04 -League of the Lexicon (Stavros Damos and Steven Noble, Two Brothers Games, 2021) 26:02 -Turncoats (Matilda Simonsson, Milda Matilda Games, 2021) 28:20 -Tribes of the Wind (Joachim Thôme, La Boîte de Jeu, 2022) News (and why it doesn't matter): 33:01 Three Ring Circus by Fabio Lopiano and 33:54 Silver Bayonets by Joseph McCullough gets the Canada expansion by Ash Barker 34:58 Mantic wins best title award: Dungeon Saga: Origins Legenday Edition 35:19 Gatefall Monsters on Gamefound 36:00 Allies have to do a better job making gaming spaces inclusive, especially at tournaments 39:53 Feature Game: The Wolves (Ashwain Kamath and Clarence Simpson, Pandasaurus Games, 2022) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 21, 2023 · 57 min
#255: The Great Wall
Everything's gotta be a competition. "I've seen better walls," scoffs the ingrate. "I've had darker ages," insists the depressive. "Well, I'm a Time Duke," growls the superstar Duke (esq., O.B.E.). It's all right, people. We can accept the superlatives without making it a contest. Games Played Last Week: 00:58 -Dark Ages: Heritage of Charlemagne (Adam Kwapiński & Andrei Novac, Board&Dice, 2021) 08:04 -Horizons of Spirit Island (Eric R. Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2022) 09:10 -Keyflower (Sebastian Bleasdale & Richard Breese, R&D Games, 2012) 13:02 -Spots (Alex Hague, Jon Perry, and Justin Vickers, CMYK, 2022) 14:07 -Gatefall: Lost in the North Woods (Jack Dire, Jack Dire Studios, 2022) 17:52 -Time Barons (Jon Perry and Derek Yu, WizKids, 2014) 19:44 -Light Speed (James Ernest and Tom Jolly, Cheapass Games, 2003) 23:37 -Tiletum (Simone Luciani and Daniele Tascini, Board&Dice, 2022) 25:21 -Summoner Wars (Second Edition) (Colby Dauch, Plaid Hat Games, 2021) News (and why it doesn't matter): 28:09 Walker hates embargos, forgets about the thing 28:29 RPGs let you do anything, so why re-create TV scenarios? The Walking Dead RPG 29:33 New Dark Crystal card game, Walker unimpressed 29:50 Mighty Mighty Boards customer service 30:08 Great Western Trail: New Zealand with SHEEP? 31:31 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag 32:32 Feature Game: The Great Wall (Kamil 'Sanex' Cieśla, Robert Plesowicz, & Łukasz Włodarczyk, Awaken Realms, 2021) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 14, 2023 · 1 hr 8 min
#254: Mille Fiori
This episode, as all episodes, is brought to you by our crack editorial team of semi-trained gibbons. Always go with gibbons. Cheaper than interns! More personable than rhesus! Less violent than capuchins! Better hygiene than Mark! Games Played Last Week: 01:05 -Votes for Women (Tory Brown, Fort Circle Games, 2022) 05:19 -Joan of Arc: Orléans Draw & Write (Ryan Hendrickson and Reiner Stockhausen, dlp Games, 2022) 09:54 -Quantum (Eric Zimmerman, Funforge, 2013) 11:54 -Gang of Dice (Reiner Knizia, Mandoo Games, 2022) 14:25 -Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest (Paolo Mori, Stonemaier Games, 2022) 16:49 -Hamlet: The Village Building Game (David Chircop, Mighty Boards, 2022) 21:35 -Claustrophobia 1643 (Croc & Laurent Pouchain, Monolith, 2019) 23:42 -Spots (Alex Hague, Jon Perry, and Justin Vickers, CMYK, 2022) 24:51 -Piazza Rabazza (Guido Hoffman and Jens-Peter Schliemann, Zoch Verlag, 2022) 28:45 -Findorff (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2022) 33:36 -Nemesis: Lockdown (Adam Kwapiński, Awaken Realms, 2022) 37:51 -Blue Lagoon (Reiner Knizia, Blue Orange Games, 2018) News (and why it doesn't matter): 39:36 Ad-free versions available on Patreon, please alert us to problematic ads 40:05 Reach out to the content creators you enjoy! 40:21 Call for academic submissions! https://boardgameacademics.com/submissions 41:19 Feature Game: Mille Fiori (Reiner Knizia, Schmidt Spiele, 2021) 57:26 SVWAG Presents Masterpiece Theatre: A Knock at the Cabin Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 7, 2023 · 1 hr 23 min
#253: New and Improved
"And Blass is reeling from Yves Saint-Laurent's inverted atomic drop! But wait, who's that running towards the ring? IT'S THE BIG O! Oscar de la Renta is coming to the assistance of his tag-team partner! We thought Pierre Cardin had locked him backstage in his dressing room but no, here he is, steel chair in hand! And he levels YSL with one perfect shot to the head!!! Can you believe it? This the kind of action you can only see on pay-per-view in Versailles!" 01:24 AYURIS: Trickerion: Legends of Illusion (Richard Amann & Viktor Peter, Mindclash Games, 2015) Games Played Last Week: 04:06 -Deities (Gary Kim, Mandoo Games, 2022) 08:24 -Manhattan (Andreas Seyfarth, Hans im Glück, 1994) 10:48 -Votes for Women (Tory Brown, Fort Circle Games, 2022) 18:43 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023) 23:29 -Barony (Marc André, Matagot, 2015) 24:49 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021) 24:59 -Antike II (Mac Gerdts, PD-Verlag, 2015) 25:54 -Tribune (Karl-Heinz Schmiel, Spielworxx, 2021) 31:20 -Cockroach Poker (Jacques Zeimet, Drei Magier Spiele, 2004) 31:49 -Karuba (Rüdiger Dorn, HABA, 2015) 34:33 -Fealty (R. Eric Reuss, Asmadi Games, 2011) 37:17-Paperback Adventures (Tim Fowers and Skye Larsen, Fowers Games, 2022) News (and why it doesn't matter): 41:08 Ad-free versions available on Patreon, please alert us to problematic ads 42:05 Shipyard by Vladimír Suchý being reprinted 42:59 The Battle of Versailles: fashion! Gossip! Celebrities! And... rebuilding Versailles. Ugh. 44:33 Potential SVWAG-Con poll! https://forms.gle/R7pDHNnx5EQXgSUh8 45:08 Topic: New and Improved Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 28, 2023 · 1 hr 20 min
#252: IKI
As employers, we gamers are a strange lot. We are expected to feed our workers, house them, give them their raw materials; we tell them where to go, when to work,a nd for how long; we subject them to fires, predation, starvation... and on top of all this, in some games we appear to confiscate all their wages! At least in Food Chain Magnate we occasionally allow them to go to the beach. Under strict supervision. Until we permit them the sweet release of death. I mean, until they "retire." Yeah, that sounds better. Games Played Last Week: 01:24 -Air, Land, & Sea: Spies, Lies, & Supplies (Jon Perry, Arcane Wonders, 2022) 02:59 -Tinners' Trail (Martin Wallace, Alley Cat Games, 2021) 06:09 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023) 11:31 -Great Western Trail: Argentina (Alexander Pfister, eggertspiele, 2022) 16:57 -The Stygian Society (Kevin Wilson, APE Games, 2020) 21:56 -Company of Heroes (Bryan Kromley, Bad Crow Games, 2021) 29:05 -Voyages (Matthew Dunstan and Rory Muldoon, Postmark Games, 2021) 31:53 -Woodcraft (Ross Arnold and Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2022) News (and why it doesn't matter): 33:58 Potential SVWAG-Con poll! https://forms.gle/R7pDHNnx5EQXgSUh8 34:40 Support content creators that you like! Reach out and thank someone. 35:26 Wabash Cannonball by John Bohrer to be reprinted by Rio Grande 36:33 Ethnos by Paolo Mori to be reprinted by Space Cowboys: Archeos Society 38:24 General Orders: WWII by David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin 39:29 Guards of Atlantis II reprint with new content on Gamefound in April 41:22 Ravensburger consolidating Quest for El Dorado with Vincent Dutrait art and new expansion: Dragons, Treasures, and Mysteries 42:18 Feature Game: IKI (Koota Yamada, Sorry We Are French, 2015) 1:07:15 SVWAG Presents Masterpiece Theatre: The Last of Us (eps. 1-5) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 21, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
#251: Game Design Trends
You like SVWAG? Their early work was a little too negative for my taste. But when SHUX came out in '20, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole podcast has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate...
Feb 14, 2023 · 1 hr 12 min
#250: Autobahn
I once saw a video of a woman driving a Shelby GT350 Mustang on the Autobahn. It hit 275 kph without breaking a figurative sweat, roaring its primal power the entire way. I was petrified even watching the video. This is to say nothing of the terror I...
Feb 7, 2023 · 1 hr 11 min
#249: Rolling Heights
A comprehensive list of what transpires in RRR would sound like the incoherent ramblings of someone undergoing a very potent trip, which is why we merely indulge in a curated list. While Mark does not retract his naming Decision to Leave as his...
Jan 31, 2023 · 58 min
#248: Serge Laget
Our favourite Serge Laget game is Senji. "Senji" is a contraction of "Sengoku Jidai," or Warring States Period, which refers to over a century of near total civil war in Japan that started in 1467. Scholars differ as to when it ended, but mostly we...
Jan 24, 2023 · 1 hr 3 min
#247: Ginkgopolis
Ah, you dear internet pedants, I can hear your rapid and ever-present desire for infinite emendations and futile attempts to be comprehensive! "What of the expansion, uhm actually," you demand. We have little experience with the Ginkgopolis expansion,...
Jan 17, 2023 · 1 hr 37 min
#246: 2022 Year in Review
Welcome to our year-end eleganza extravaganza! Lists are compiled. Harsh truths confronted. For example, while one generally takes a while to acclimatize to the using the new year in dates, 2022 seemed immediately apt and people switched over...
Jan 10, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
#245: Beowulf: The Legend
"I'm head of the class I'm popular I'm a quarter back I'm popular My mom says I'm a catch I'm popular I'm never last picked I'm in the Green Team clique Being attractive is the most important thing there is If you wanna catch the biggest fish in your...
Jan 3, 2023 · 1 hr 22 min
#244: Oak
After much popular demand, we present to you the much-anticipated return of Masterpiece Theatre. Our esteemed patron--who is utterly unaware of our existence, such is his focus on his twin demesnes of fastness and furiousness--deserves no less. Of...
Dec 27, 2022 · 1 hr 26 min
#243: Real-Time Games
We take no time off for Boxing Day here at SVWAG, a day so named because according to the common law of the King (still feels weird saying that) citizens of the Commonwealth are permitted to punch someone in the face on this day only. It's like a...
Dec 20, 2022 · 1 hr 24 min
#242: Random Events
All things in SVWAG are glorious, and that applies doubly for our glorious returns. We will also not be taking any additional breaks during the holidays! Yes, we can pledge an uninterrupted broadcast schedule through to the new year--leading directly...
Dec 6, 2022 · 1 hr 1 min
#241: Planet Unknown
Sometimes a game's title leads to it being underplayed. Such is not the case for Carolus Magnus, whose chief downside might be the surplus of excellent aliases (Chuckie Mags, Charlie Big-Big, Carlos Grande, Caroolie Magoonie, et al). Planet Unknown,...