Luke has a longstanding war with party games – in that he basically finds them tedious and annoying. But what makes a good party game different from a bad one? We like to think it’s the moment of contact with another person not to shame or embarrass – but rather to work together and share a moment of contact.
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You may have noticed that this episode appears at a slightly different schedule than our usual podcasts. Partly, this is due to the fact that your illustrious hosts will BOTH be otherwise occupied on the Monday this episode is supposed to go Live, but – also – it just seems fitting that the episode where we lay out some of our hopes for tabletop gaming and the future of InnRoads in the coming year gets posted on the eve of 2015’s arrival.
So, in this episode, we talk about the games we’re excited for, the trends we hope to see more of in the future, and let you guys in on some of the things we hope to see from the InnRoads site in this new year. See you in 2015!
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It’s our 2nd annual InnRoads award show for the year 2014. Luke and I picked some of our favorites from the following – after the usual witty banter that is:
Favorite Game Played (does not have to be new this year):
Luke – Saga – Dark Ages
Mike – Doomtown Reloaded
Favorite Game Added to Your Collection:
Luke – Marvel Dice Masters
Mike – Sheriff of Nottingham
Favorite Game Publisher:
Luke: Asmodee
Mike: Asmodee
Favorite Video Game:
Luke: Shadow of Mordor
Mike: This War of Mine
Favorite Franchise game:
Luke: D&D
Mike: X-Com Imperial Assault
Favorite Game of the Year:
Dead of Winter
Imperial Settlers
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This is 2014’s penultimate episode. Since this the first episode to drop in December, giving you plenty of time to secure gifts for the gamer in your life – we decided we wanted to share with you folks our top 10 (5 from each of the hosts) gaming related gifts we’d love to see under our trees on the 25th.
If you hear us talk about our lists and want to know more – you can check the following (top 5s start at 17:50):
Mike’s top 5 Luke’s top 5
5. The Broken Token LCG box (engraved) 5. Imperial Settlers
4. Kings of Israel 4. Cold Express
3. Castles of Mad King Ludwig 3. King of New York
2. Hyperborea 2. Power Grid Deluxe Edition
1. Dead of Winter 1. Star Wars: Imperial Assault
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In this episode we talk about two issues that have popped up when games aren’t fun – one of them negative – the other positive.
In the negative sense, we spend some time talking about the disqualification of the Ticket to Ride world champion because of cheating. Can our competitive nature bring us to the point that we stop enjoying games when we aren’t winning?
In the positive- we talk about the depth of gaming in board games, RPGs, and video games coming out lately. When titles like Freedom: The Underground Railroad, Dog Eat Dog, and This War of Mine challenge what some folks think about gaming – we realize that games don’t always have to be fun, as long as they’re compelling.
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We didn’t do a Halloween episode this year because, well, we were busy recording this one Halloween night. Neither of us had many trick-or-treaters come to our doors, but we came to the campfire with a ton of great stories to tell. This episode is jam packed full of our gaming experiences. From talking about the “older” games coming off the shelf for Extra Life up to the newest of the new with games like Lords of Xidit, Loot Letter, and Machi Koro.
We also take a moment in this episode to remember that the games we play are just games. As much as we love them, and as much as we consider them powerful influences for good in the lives of individuals and the community – they cannot, and should not ever, be placed with higher value than the people that are at the table playing them.
Pssst … Hey guys. Future Mike here. I told you I’d post a link up for the InnRoadsministries.com one year anniversary contest. So HERE YOU GO. Just follow that link, subscribe to the newsletter, and you’re entered to win $25 gift certificate for Cool Stuff Inc!
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This post starts out with Luke and myself bantering about Star Realms and Five Tribes, but before long you get to have a listen into what happened during our fund raiser for Extra Life on October the 25th. As of this posting, we have raised just shy of $1000 for the event, but donations are STILL BEING ACCEPTED! Please consider following THIS LINK to our team’s donation page and giving to help Children’s Specialized Hospital here in New Jersey.
If you are a part of the Tavern or Game Church City, you saw a post from me sharing that my wife went into the hospital due to an intense bipolar episode. This is a rare but painful reality among those struggling with this diagnosis, and it was hard – but it could have been much worse. Suze was actually out of the hospital and on the road to full recovery enough that she was in attendance at the event (though in another part of the building). We would both like to thank everyone who made the event happen and hope that you will donate to help these kids.
Whether you donate or not, I hope that you’ll enjoy the recordings of this event as they start off filled with excitement and possibility before ending with exhaustion and slurred speech.
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We’re in a post-Gencon, pre-Essen timeframe. Add to that the fact that Luke and I were not even able to get any real play-time in between episodes, and you get yourself a grab bag!
In this one, we talk about the state of tabletop gaming and whether it is just settling in to its growing pains as a hobby before moving on to a collection of odd geek topics including Peter Capaldi’s Doctor Who, Gotham, Agents of SHIELD, and Civ: Beyond Earth, and Shadows of Mordor.
As with our last episode, you can find out more information about what the InnRoads Regulars are all about and why we look forward to participating in Extra Life every year on our website. And if you would like to donate to this year’s event, please head over to our team roster – select any or all team members to visit their personal fund raising page and make a donation. All the money goes directly through the folks at Extra Life to our local Children’s Miracle Network hospital – Children’s Specialized Hospital.
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In this episode we discuss our new video series – InnRoads Plays – and a bit about Mike’s first game in the system. We also talk about one of the darlings of Gencon -according to many reviewers anyway – in the form of Imperial Settlers.
Remember to sign up and/or support our Extra Life team as we look to raise at least $1500 to help support a local children’s hospital.
If you are interested in signing up to be part of the InnRoads Regulars, remember that the player who raises the most money besides myself will WIN an InnRoads Regulars t-shirt. The shirt will be made available for purchase to anybody on the team, but ONLY team members will be able to get it – so sign up today and start raising support!
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We talk about the games we’re playing like Zooloreto and Doomtown, give a bit of a teaser for our upcoming video series introducing you guys to D&D 5e, have a brief discussion about the “Gamergate” hashtag.
On top of all that, though, a good chunk of this episode is both of us talking about an issue from a number of weeks ago that fell in between our recording schedule and our gencon episodes. While the media and bloggers have stopped talking about it, we wanted to take a minute to talk about Robin Williams, depression, and our own struggles with mental health.
Also – as per the announcement at the end of the episode – be sure to sign up and/or support our players for our Extra Life 2014 Event
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