49 – Special Guest: Stephen Buonocore, Pandemic Legacy Season 1, The Quacks of Quedlinburg, Imperial Settlers: Rise of the Empire, Architects of the West Kingdom

In what could possibly be Conor’s last episode when Sarah hears it, the team is joined by the recently-retired president of Stronghold Games Stephen Buonocore. It’s undeniably one of our best episodes as he shares with us what he’s been up to in retirement, the process of publishing games, what he’s been playing lately, and his involvement in the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund.

In our Sizzling Games segment, Mike is the next team member to wade into Pandemic Legacy Season 1 and is loving the journey so far. Stephen has been stirring the pot in The Quacks of Quedlinburg, Conor has been building his empire in Imperial Settlers: Rise of the Empire, and Steve is continually impressed by Architects of the West Kingdom.

In the Board Game Bracket we announce the winner from the recent Gaia Project vs Too Many Bones battle. And then, in a Board Game Bracket first, Conor defends Root against the publisher of Terraforming Mars. The gloves come off on this battle, as they both go for a TKO.

Finally in Swear an Oath, Steve got Isle of Cats to the table with his sons, and swears to play Barrage. After playing Rise of Empires, Conor swears to play Paladins of the West Kingdom. Mike failed to fulfill his Big Easy Busking oath, so he dutifully doubles-down with Imaginarium, and stuns everyone with a hidden talent. But, to show us all up, Stephen swears an oath to play the mammoth game – Twilight Imperium 4th Edition.

Thanks again to Stephen Buonocore for joining us on this episode. Follow along with Stephen’s adventures on his social channels: Twitter <https://twitter.com/podfathergaming>
Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/stephen.buonocore>
YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgc1JLSZChfxj3KGbAXziQ>
Website <https://podfathergaming.com/>

Hear him on his Board Game Insider Podcast, and every Thursday on the BoardGame Breakfast with Tom Vasel and Zee Garcia.

For more information on the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund go to <https://www.jackvasel.org/>

Topic of the Week: Stephen Buonocore (04:10)

Sizzling Games: Pandemic Legacy Season 1 (38:12), Quacks of Quedlinberg (43:26), Imperial Settlers (46:57), and Architects of the West Kingdom (51:12)

Board Game Bracket (57:02)

Swear An Oath (01:14:42)

**SPONSORS**

Thanks to Advent Games for sponsoring this episode. 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.Thanks also to our second sponsor, VR Distribution. VR Distribution is Australia’s fastest-growing distributor of board games, toys and collectibles, trading cards, and licensed merchandise and gaming accessories. If you are looking at setting up a business, give them a call to discuss, or visit https://vrdistribution.com.au

**COMPETITION**

We have Special thanks to our sponsor Advent Games. If you would like to win a copy of one of Tekhenu, go to http://www.adventgames.com.au/ and browse the game categories!Join The Board Game BBQ Community FB page if you haven’t already, and then comment on the competition post with your favourite PRE-ORDER from the Advent Games website and TELL US WHY you’re looking forward to it. (Full T&Cs on the Board Game BBQ Community FB page)

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

Terraforming Mars (2016)

Root (2018)

Vega Showdown (2005)

Amun-Re (2003)

Detective: Season One (2020)

Scooby Doo! Betrayal at Mysery Mansion (2020)

The Quacks of Quedlinburg (2018)