173: Special Guest – Tom Vasel! Plus Horrified, Black Sonata, Ark Nova and Bristol 1350

Topic of the Pod: (00:45) Special Guest: Tom Vasel

Sizzling Games: (54:39) Horrified, Black Sonata, Ark Nova, Bristol 1350

Game BBQ Bracket Battle 2.0 (01:17:21) Teotihuacan v Everdell

Swear An Oath: (1:24:55)

Episode 173: Special Guest – Tom Vasel! Plus Horrified, Black Sonata, Ark Nova, and Bristol 1350 Nova

On this special episode Steve, Mike and Dan are joined by the man in the hat, Tom Vasel. He shares some stories from his early days of reviewing games, his experiences from the other side of the industry, and he answers an assortment of questions from our Patreons.

In our Sizzling Games segment Steve revisits the horrors of Horrified, Dan has been on the search for the Dark Lady in Black Sonata, Tom is still raving about Ark Nova, and Mike has been dodging the plague in Bristol 1350.

We launch the next match-up in the Bracket Battle 2.0: Teotihuacan vs Everdell. It’s Steve vs Mike and they plead their case as to why their game is better (and Tom and Dan pile on as well!). To make sure your favourite goes through to the next round make sure you vote on our socials.

Finally in Swear an Oath, Steve is continuing to play every game in his collection, Mike has been playing Mystic Vale and is already intent on getting the expansion, and Dan played MicroMacro with his family of budding detectives. New oaths include a game of Teotihuacan with 5 expansions (Steve), The Prodigals (Mike), Radlands (Dan), and even Tom gets in on the Oath-swearing action.

You can find the Dice Tower YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/thedicetower
Their Kickstarter is currently running. Find out more information here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tomvasel/dice-tower-kickstarter-2022 (Ends Jan 29, 2022)
To find out more about the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund, make a donation or apply for community assistance, head to https://www.jackvasel.org/

Sizzling Games: Horrified (54:38), Black Sonata (57:55), Ark Nova (01:04:12), Bristol 1350 (01:08:50)
Board Game Bracket: Teotihuacan v Everdell (1:17:21)
Swear An Oath: (1:24:55)

MONTHLY COMPETITION
This month thanks to 2D6 Games we are giving away a copy of Ark Nova. To enter, head on over to our Facebook Community page and follow the instructions to gain an entry into the draw.

Has this episode left you with a thirst for more? Here are all of the games that we discussed:
Smartphone Inc (2018) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/246684/smartphone-inc
Time Stories (2015) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146508/time-stories
Vicious Fishes (2010) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70922/vicious-fishes
Nothing Personal (2013) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/120523/nothing-personal
Roll Player Adventures (2021) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/254708/roll-player-adventures
Horrified (2019) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/282524/horrified
Black Sonata: The Fair Youth (2020) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/295232/black-sonata-fair-youth
Ark Nova (2021) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/342942/ark-nova
Bristol 1350 (2021) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/308989/bristol-1350
Teotihuacan: City of Gods (2018) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/229853/teotihuacan-city-gods
Everdell (2018) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199792/everdell
Mystic Vale (2016) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194607/mystic-vale
The Prodigals Club (2015) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181796/prodigals-club
MicroMacro: Full House (2021) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/338834/micromacro-crime-city-full-house
Radlands (2021) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/329082/radlands
Gloomhaven (2017) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/174430/gloomhaven

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. The Patreon is simply a way for you to continue to support the Board Game BBQ Podcast and help us cover the ongoing costs that come with producing two 90min episodes a week.
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

BOARDGAMEBBQ.COM
https://boardgamebbq.com/
Head on over to the Board Game BBQ website for links to previous episodes, more information on all of the games mentioned, and upcoming events.

JOIN OUR DISCORD!
The BGBBQ now has a Discord Channel. Want to join the community and chat with the team and other listeners about your favourite hobby? Like to get updates when our podcasts are released, and get exclusive content? Need a place you can chat with other players while you’re playing your own online games, overlooking for some like-minded gamers to play online with? Well, here’s your invite: https://discord.gg/wgswSutRAz

FACEBOOK COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/995437657579603/
Why not join The Board Game BBQ Community page on Facebook. It’s a place where everyone can post about their games, write reviews, engage with the community, and support each other. Regardless of if you are a casual gamer, a designer, an artist, a content creator – everyone is welcome!

INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/boardgamebbq/
Follow us on Instagram to be notified when a new episode drops, or when our Discord events are happening. And don’t forget to use #oathfulfilled when you finally get a game off your shelf of shame.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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