182: Special Guest – Matt Aslin! Plus, Kingdom Death Monster, The Fields of Normandy

Podcast, Adrian, Conor, Mitch, Guests /

Oceania Month continues on Episode 182 as Conor, Mitch and Adrian welcome Australian designer of The Ratcatcher and the upcoming Drop Bears: Matt Aslin. Matt shares with us where his inspiration comes from, his differing approaches to designing Solo and multiplayer games, and the team hypothesise what the next Australian myths might feature in Matt’s next game…

Next the crew break down three of the categories from the upcoming Board Game BBQ Awards: Best Artwork, Best Expansion, and Game of the Year. You can find the link to the nomination form on all of our socials including Discord, Twitter, Instagram and on our Discord Community. Nominations are open to anyone in the community for three weeks. Facebook, Discord, Instagram, Twitter. Nominate in all 9 categories, or just a few. Once nominations close on Sunday 27th then we take the most-nominated game in each category and they become the official nominees for the BBQ Awards. Then we hand it over to our esteemed panel of judges; our Patreons; to vote. And this will all culminate in the BGBBQ Awards Night which once again will be filmed for YouTube, and we hope to have some surprises on the show as well.

In the Board Game Bracket we settle the last match-up, Crokinole vs A Feast For Odin, before we cue up the next battle: Aeon’s End vs Root. To make sure your favourite goes through to the next round make sure you vote on our socials.

Finally, in Swear An Oath, Adrian smashed it  out of the park on Hadrian’s Wall during the week, but still hasn’t played Lord of the Rings: Journeys In Middle Earth. Mitch really enjoyed the small-box game Harsh Shadows, and Conor got Zapotec to the table as well. New oaths include painting more Kingdom Death Monster minis (Adrian), Marvel United: X-Men (Mitch), and Dead Reckoning (Conor).

Sizzling Games: Kingdom Death Monster (29:50), The Fields of Normandy (54:04)

BGBBQ Awards Discussion: (1:12:45)

Board Game Bracket: (1:33:15)

Swear An Oath: (1:45:20)

You can see more of Matt’s work here: https://PlatypusIndustries.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlatypusIndustries/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/platypusind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platypusindustries/

Book your tickets for the Sydney Game Day on Aril 9th here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/board-game-bbq-sydney-game-day-autumn-2022-tickets-268336280037

Book your tickets for the Brisbane Game Day on May 21st here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/board-game-bbq-brisbane-game-day-autumn-2022-tickets-273585711227

Has this episode left you with a thirst for more? Here are all of the games that we discussed:

The Ratcatcher (2020) 

Drop Bears: Survival Series, Chapter 1 (2022) 

Kingdom Death Monster (2015) 

Bismark Solitaire (2021) 

Undaunted: Normandy (2019) 

Undaunted: North Africa (2020) 

The Fields of Normandy (2022) 

Bitoku (2021) 

Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile (2021) 

Daimyo: Rebirth of the Empire (2021) 

Unsettled (2021) 

Pipeline: Emerging Markets (2021) 

Res Arcana: Perlae Imperii (2021) 

AH:LCG – Edge of the Earth (2021) 

Paladins of the West Kingdom: City of Crowns (2021) 

Cartographers: Heroes (2021) 

Agropolis (2021) 

Skulls of Sedelec: Castle Guards (2021) 

Sleeping Gods (2021)

Great Western Trail: 2nd Ed (2021) 

Ark Nova (2021) 

Merchants Cove (2021) 

Hadrian’s Wall (2021) 

Crokinole (1876) 

A Feast For Odin (2016) 

Aeon’s End (2016) 

Root (2018) 

Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth ((2019) 

Harsh Shadows (2021) 

Marvel United: X-Men (2021) 

Zapotec (2022) 

Dead Reckoning (2022) 

**SPONSORS**

Thanks to 2D6 for sponsoring our Sizzling Games segment. Check out their website at (2D6games.com.au) to see their massive range of games and don’t forget they offer free delivery all around Australia. So why not order your next Sizzling Game from them today!!

Our Board Game Bracket 2.0 is proudly sponsored by Game Toppers LLC. They have joined the BBQ, and are even providing us with one of their Game Toppers for our Game Days! Check out their Kickstarter now! These Game Toppers are amazing, and can transform any old table into an A1 quality Game Table! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/burky/game-toppers-30-upgrading-every-game-you-play?ref=discovery&term=game%20toppers

Our Swear An Oath segment is proudly sponsored by Advent Games . Advent Games (http://www.adventgames.com.au/) are an Australian online board game store based in Sydney, NSW. Their core values are integrity, customer satisfaction, and providing a wide range of products including those hard-to-find board games.

**PATREON**

Yes, that’s right. We have a Patreon. By becoming a Patreon member you will receive exclusive content, have access to a members only section of our discord where you can contribute to the content of the show, and much more. Your Patreon support will also allow us to expand the podcast and deliver some exciting upcoming projects that we have planned for 2022.

Our team at the Board Game BBQ Podcast love what we do and will continue to deliver the same shenanigans that you have come to expect from us, and we are already incredibly grateful and humbled by all of your support. Being a member of the Patreon is by no means an obligation and please do not support the Patreon if it will it cause you financial hardship in any way. But if you would like to support us from as little as USD$5 a month please click the link and head to the Patreon page.

Thanks again for all of your continued support. We work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive community and you are all awesome. See you at the BBQ!! Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ

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©2024 BOARD GAME BBQ

Dana

Episode Dana Is On

Hi everyone! It’s Dana here or as everyone knows me, Dana Banana. I’m a stay-at-home mother of three children in Brisbane, and I’m new to the podcast as of 2023. It’s so wonderful to be able to talk about board games and this hobby I love. I love the look and feel (and yes the smell …) of a physical board game. But not just that, board gaming has given me confidence and a social outlet as well. Board gamers are some of the most accepting people I’ve ever met and I feel really lucky to be a part of this community.

I love medium to heavy Euros, particularly anything with animals or a nature theme. To be honest any game with a strategic or tactical puzzle just makes me so happy. It always amazes me how broad our hobby is. There’s something for everyone! My other passions are travel, photography and spending time with my family and our two dogs and cat.

Dana’ top-10 games (as of Dec 2023)

1. Ark Nova
2. Dwellings of Eldervale
3. Viticulture Essential Edition
4. Wingspan
5. Obsession

6. Castles of Burgundy
7. Meadow
8. Lost Ruins of Arnak
9. Great Western Trail 2 nd Edition
10. Space Base

joe

Episode Joe Is On

I’m Joe, originally a Darwin boy but currently live in the Inner North of Melbourne. My love of gaming started with the original Super Mario Bros on the NES at age 5yo and have been hooked on gaming ever since! I love gaming in its many forms and actively play video games, tabletop RPGs and best of all: Board Games. One of my favourite things about board gaming is its ability to bring together a group of strangers around a game and come away with new friends by the end of it.

While I have a special place in my heart for games that have high conflict, I tend to like games of many types and themes and have even been known to get stuck into a heavy euro or two!

Joe’ top-10 games (as of Dec 2023)

1. Root
2. Kanban EV
3. Scout
4. Revive
5. Veiled Fate

6. Vast: The Mysterious Manor
7. The White Castle
8. Na Na (Trio)
9. Res Arcana
10. Hegemony

Conor

Episode Conor Is On

Hi all, I’m Conor and I’m from Warrnambool in South West Victoria. I’ve been playing board games with my family all my life but have been collecting them myself for the last 6 or so years. After playing lots of Magic The Gathering with my dad and brothers I adore card games, such as my favourite game of all time, The Arkham Horror Living Card Game!

I play a whole range of games, and I’m always looking for new ones to learn! Feel free to find me on conors_boardgame_corner on Instagram to see what I’m playing lately!

Conor’ top-10 games (as of Dec 2023)

1. Spirit Island
2. Arkham Horror: The Card Game
3. Too Many Bones
4. Gaia Project
5. Cloudspire

6. Root
7. Underwater Cities
8. Beyond the Sun
9. Imperial Settlers Empires of the North
10. A Feast for Odin

Lauren

Episode Lauren Is On

Hi there, I’m Lauren and I live in Sydney. Back in high school I played hundreds of games of werewolf with my friends, and we even developed our own werewolf megagame that we played over several weeks. I also played regular games of Settlers of Catan and other classic gateway games, though absolutely credit Wil Wheaton’s show Tabletop for introducing me to what other board games were out there. Since then it has been a steady decline into board gaming madness *gestures to wall of Kallax shelving*

Outside of gaming, I am passionate about mental health advocacy, reading and learning about psychology, and I’m always looking for games that work in a therapeutic context.

Lauren’ top-10 games (as of Dec 2023)

1. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
2. Arkham Horror: The Card Game
3. Eclipse Second Dawn for the Galaxy
4. Caverna: The Cave Farmers
5. Food Chain Magnate

6. MicroMacro: Crime City
7. Blitzkrieg: WW2 in 20 Minutes
8. The Search for Planet X
9. Tigris & Euphrates
10. Hansa Teutonica

Dan

Episode Dan Is On

I’m Dan, I’m a Melbourne boy, and I’ve been obsessed with games and puzzles since I was a kid. When I wasn’t playing games, I was cutting up bits of paper and inventing them and then forcing my little brother to play them with me. As I got older the distractions of life took me away from gaming but I rediscovered my passion in my late 30s and never looked back.

When I’m not playing two-player games with my beautiful Player 2, hosting games nights for friends, or teaching my two boys the wonders of boardgaming, I’m sharing my love for this rewarding hobby as @PlayerOnYourLeft on Instagram.

Dan’ top-10 games (as of Dec 2023)

1. Marvel Champions
2. Aeon’s End
3. Final Girl
4. Hadrian’s Wall
5. 7th Continent

6. Skyteam
7. Arkham Horror TCG
8. Teotihuacan
9. Cartographers
10. Inside Job

Adrian

Episode Adrian Is On

Hi I am Adrian. After backpacking around the world for a few years, I have finally settled in Brisbane, Australia. My partner and I play a lot of co-op games including Pandemic and Arkham Horror. I have really only just started to get more dedicated to the hobby, we’ll play games almost everyday. I have a son who is almost 5 and being able to teach him games like Rhino Hero and Sushi Go has been a great way to spend out time.

I have only just recently got into competitive games like Terraforming Mars and Unfair. I love learning new games as much as I like to play games i know very well.

Adrian’ top-10 games (as of Dec 2023)

1. Barrage
2. Kingdom Death Monster
3. Bristol 1350
4. On Mars
5. Pipeline

6. Teotihuacan
7. Gaia Project
8. Horseless Carriage
9. Brass: Birmingham
10. High Society

Mitch

Episode Mitch Is On

I’m Mitch and I hail from Lonely Island – I mean, I’m from Northwest Sydney. The others in the BBQ say I live on Lonely Island because I LOVE playing solo games! Don’t get me wrong, I love playing with a group as well. Ultimately I just love playing all types of games. I started playing RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, Cyberpunk 2020 and a few other titles when I was in high school and gradually our group stopped playing as with a day job, a beautiful wife and 3 amazing kids I had less and less time to put in the prep work. Then in 2016 I discovered board games!! A way to get similar enjoyment that I’d get from RPGs without the prep work overhead. A perfect solution!

Since then I’ve spent way too much money on board games, created my own game company, Hyper Vyper Games, run a successful Kickstarter campaign and started an awesome podcast with a bunch of strangers from across the country who I now consider my good friends.

Mitch’ top-10 games (as of Dec 2023)

1. Too Many Bones
2. Great Western Trail
3. Fleet: The Dice Game
4. Nemo’s War
5. Sleeping Gods

6. Nyet!
7. A Feast for Odin
8. Freedom: The Underground Railroad
9. Dice Throne
10. Condotierre

Jules

Episode Jules Is On

I’m Jules and I currently live in Melbourne. I love everything about board games! The social bonding, mental workouts and endless entertainment. I grew up playing board games and other tabletop war games such as Warhammer 40k but I got more serious about the hobby in 2016 when I was introduced to games such as Cosmic Encounter. My favourite genre of board games is area control/war games aka “dudes on a map”. I have the smallest board game collection in the BBQ crew but to me, the collection is the cream of the crop!

As a photographer I decided to combine these two passions and start an Instagram account dedicated to board game photography called Mates and Meeples. I also do a lot of commission miniature painting which I love! You can see my work here https://julesminipainter.com/

Jules’ top-10 games (as of Dec 2023)

1. Kingdom Death Monster
2. Super Fantasy Brawl
3. Root
4. Pax Pamir Second Edition
5. Black Rose Wars

6. Inis
7. Cloudspire
8. Brass: Birmingham
9. Bus
10. Oriflamme