Episode Thirty - Mindwright

Hey everybody - it’s a calculator party! Bring out your Casios and we’ll get down with spreadsheets like it’s 1799. On today’s podcast not only do we tackle the mini-beast that is Arkwright: The Card Game but give an early scoop on Mind MGMT and a brief glance at Murano: Light Masters.

Timestamps:

Murano: Light Masters - ( 03:04 )
Arkwright: The Card Game - ( 20:00 )
Mind MGMT - ( 37:35 )

If you enjoyed this episode, leave a comment below.

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and also searchable on Google Podcasts

Info

Episode Twenty Nine - Dinosaur Building Blocks

Three board games enter, one board game leaves. But only having endured the harsh nature of Elaine’s and Efka’s critique. That’s the No Pun Included podcast and it’s back once again for the twenty ninth time.

Timestamps:

Dinosaur World - ( 06:50 )
Exit Advent Calendar: Mystery of the Ice Cave (no spoilers) - ( 28:31 )
Magnate: The First City - ( 41:16 )

If you enjoyed this episode, leave a comment below. Unlike our YouTube videos, there’s no other sensible way for you to have a nice chat with us, or maybe even some other listeners. Who knows? You might even find a friend.

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and also searchable on Google Podcasts

Info

Episode Twenty Eight - Reimplemented

Cult of the new? More like “cult of the game that I’ve already played but haven’t played in ages and now there’s a new version so I bought it again just so I could play it and not play the copy I already had!” That’s right, today we discuss three board games that are renditions, re-editions, reimplementations or maybe just second editions.

Timestamps:

A Brief Note on our Too Many Bones Video - ( 00:55 )
Dinosaur Island: Rawr'N Write - ( 07:56 )
Mobile Markets: A Smartphone Inc Game - ( 30:59 )
Great Western Trail: Second Edition - ( 45:53 )

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and also searchable on Google Podcasts

Info

Episode Twenty Seven - Ambitious Kickstarters With Bad Rulebooks

Ah, rulebooks. Don’t you just love sitting down with a cup of hot beverage and an arcane manual written by what you assume is a “game wizard” and spend four hours of your day trying to understand what exactly phrases like “spend your faucet token to activate the hyrdraulics action space” actually mean, to only inevitably give up and desperately search YouTube for a Watch it Played video? Well, this episode of the No Pun Included podcast is delivered to you by this exact feeling. Not all games in today’s episode have bad rulebooks - but the ones that do excel at it.

Timestamps:

Sheepy Time - ( 04:00 )
Beast - ( 18:21 )
The Great Wall - ( 40:19 )

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and also searchable on Google Podcasts

Info

Episode Twenty Six - Coffee Coffee coffe coffee

What two things would you miss if you were to live on the moon? That’s right, it’s coffee, and the ability for sound to echo whilst you’re doing a moonwalk in vacuum. With that tenuous link between this episode’s board games established, I can tell you a little bit more what to expect from each. Luna Capital is yet another spin on the tableau building formula, Echoes brings something fresh by giving us our very first audio mystery game, and Coffee Traders is this episode’s chunky boy, giving most euro games a run for their money in terms of complexity.

Timestamps:

Luna Capital - ( 08:35 )
Echoes - ( 24:23 )
Coffee Traders - ( 38:45 )

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and also searchable on Google Podcasts

Info

Episode Fifteen - Iwari

Is The King is Dead so good that we’re really looking at it again? Who knows? Well, you will after listening to our latest podcast. We’re also delving into the ping-tastic world of pinball, learning how to quilt for cats, seeing why the Too Many Bones storage box comes with a strange tap-like artefact, escaping Star Wars, and last but not least teaching you about British 90s pseudo-quiz shows via Iwari. Oh and Efka gets finger-waggingly annoyed as he grumps about yet another thing that pops his balloons..

NPI News ( 1:08 )
Games We’ve Been Playing ( 02:48 )
- The King is Dead ( 03:32 )
- Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade ( 08:26 )
- Calico ( 22:57 )
- Too Many Bones: Undertow ( 33:23 )
Games We’re Looking Forward To ( 43:51 )
Efka Grumps a Board Game ( 46:58 ) HeroQuest
Elaine Ungrumps a Board Game ( 54:21 )
Puzzle Deduction One and Done Escape Room Segment ( 58:55 ) Star Wars Unlock
Feature Review - Iwari ( 1:12:10 )

You can find the BGG Distance Gaming Guide at: https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Distance_Gaming_Guide

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher.

Info

Episode Fourteen - The King Is Dead

Wow, have we got an episode for you. Not only are we travelling in time (thematically, not literally)… not only are we discussing the Lithuanian word for ‘yuk’…not only are we escaping a rabbit hole…but we’re also having an argument. Actually, more than one. And Efka says the word ‘fart’ at some point too. What more could you want?

NPI News ( 03:02 )
Games We’ve Been Playing ( 06:15 )
- Tellstones: King’s Gambit ( 06:35 )
- Root Digital ( 19:03 )
- The Loop: Dr. Foo Strikes Back… Back… Back… ( 24:41 )
- Glasgow ( 39:34 )
- Mariposas ( 49:21 )
Efka Grumps About a Game ( 1:05:51 ) Meta Narratives
Elaine Ungrumps a Board Game ( 1:12:39 )
Puzzle Deduction one and done Escape Room segment ( 1:17:30 ) In Pursuit of the White Rabbit
Feature Review - The King is Dead - Second Edition ( 1:30:51 )

You can find Elizabeth Hargrave’s website at: https://www.elizhargrave.com/

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher.

Info

Episode Nine - Space, Cats, No Turtles

Boy what an episode. It features smells, mold, nightmare hotels but it also features some board games! Today we’re discussing such cardboard delights as:

The Crew ( 02:53 ) - You might have heard about trick-taking (and if you haven’t - we got you covered) but what if we told you: trick taking BUT CO-OPERATIVE?! Up is down, left is right and the world of cards is forever changed and nothing will ever be the same.
Isle of Cats ( 21:23 ) - Talking of spins, we take a brief dive into the world of cats as envisioned by our friend Frank West, designer of Isle of Cats. If you had the chance to play the lovely drafting game called Bunny Kingdom, you might find a lot that’s familiar here, except this time cats. And we all know that cats are polyominoes.
On Mars ( 39:20 ) - What’s bigger than big? Mars big. And finally we have the biggest most complicated Mars game ever. Is this something you wanted? Well, Vital Lacerda’s On Mars is here and it’s gravitational pull will demand your attention whether you like it or not.
Mailbag ( 1:00:35 ) - Listener Jake asks us what we think about games like Gloomhaven and Cloudspire that focus on emulating video game experiences in board games and whether they go too far.

Want to send us a question? Fire it to efka@nopunincluded.com

If you enjoyed this episode, drop a comment below. Unlike our YouTube videos, there’s no other sensible way for you to have a nice chat with us, or maybe even some other listeners. Who knows? You might even find a friend.

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher.

Info

Episode Eight - Twentieth Anniversary Edition

Come one, come all - today is truly a celebration of cardboard as we anniversarize not one but two board games that are twenty years old. Except we also have a board game that’s a brand-spanking new baby and also one of the twenty year old board games is a nine year old board game. What happened? Has it faked its drivers licesne? Has it dilated time? You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out.

Castles of Burgundy: ( 02:32 ) - How more burgundy could the Castles of Burgundy get? There’s hardly any more room for anything burgundier. But should the new edition of this classic pry itself into your collection?
Wavelength: ( 18:47 ) - Close your eyes. Listen to my voice. Raisins are a horrible horrible fruit. You are of course allowed to disagree, but if you want to win a round of Wavelength with me, you better get on board.
Bus: ( 30:16 ) - What if we told you that there is a game that has ‘Vrrooomm!’ (with exactly those letters) action spot and if you want to win Bus you better Vrrooomm! well. And what if we told you that in Bus you build transportation links and dilate time?
Mailbag: ( 44:26 ) - Listener Jeff asks how to downsize their collection. We asked friend of the show Matt Damon but sadly he downsized himself and is no longer available so Efka’s advice will have to do.

Want to send us a question? Fire it to efka@nopunincluded.com

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher.

Info

Episode Four - Black Angel of Perth

What’s this? A podcast caught of it’s guard? Indeed. Our podcast got so scared it accidentally produced five discussions instead of the regular three. Five board games? FIVE BOARD GAMES? In one episode of the No Pun Included podcast? Is that even legal? The answer is we don’t know but whilst we’re waiting on the decision from the Supreme Cardboard Court, we’ll slip this episode in anyway and just see what happens.

Rurik: Dawn of Kiev (07:43)- Safe to say that his is the first and so far only game that takes you all the way back to the ancient Kievan Rus. But, does it stand up to the chops of it’s genre predecessors Kemet, Inis and Scythe? Let’s find out.
QE (20:14) - Say it together with me: QUANTATIVE EASING! Wasn’t that fun? It was. What does it mean? If you turn your podcast app’s slider to the indicate timestamp - you’ll find out!
Adventure Games: The Dungeon (29:03) - If you’re a fan of Kosmos published escape room in a box series EXIT, you might have been eagerly anticipating their follow up called Adventure Games. Anticipate no further because…. Well, you’ll have to listen for yourself.
Black Angel (42:15) - On to the highlights! Black Angel is popping up on many reviewer lists as the go to darling Euro Game of the year. But so far we’ve not been getting on with it. We haven’t finished our time with it yet and our opinions might change for the inevitable review video, but if you want to hear our early thoughts - this is it.
Watergate (1:03:07) - Watergate is a two player only game that (gasp) has completely won us over. Don’t miss your chance to find out what makes this head to head between WaPo and Tricky Dick so special.

Want to send us a question? Fire it to efka@nopunincluded.com

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher.

Info

Episode Three - Eighteen Sofa Wars

Alert! Alert! The sofas have run amok and it is up to our heroes, Efka and Elaine, to put all the sofa pieces back together. What treasures will we find in the crevices? What hidden board game gems are gathering dust under those pillows?

Star Wars: Outer Rim ( 03:55 )- How did an ENTIRE galaxy get lost in the folds of our sofa? We will never find out, but at least we can tell you if this Star Wars themed bimble bimbled our fancy.
Undaunted: Normandy ( 17:44 ) - The definitive accent pillow of today's podcast is this WW2 themed deck builder. And here’s us telling you why we think it's great and… why Efka just doesn't get on with it.
1846 ( 34:16 ) - Rounding out our game discussion is the one game that is definitely bigger than any sofa - 1846, which is just one flavour of the multifaceted genre of 18xx games. Find out how we felt about our first sit down onto board gaming's hardest cushions.

Want to send us a question? Fire it to efka@nopunincluded.com

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher.

Info

Episode Two - Blood on the UK Games Expo

Cripes. Elaine and Efka are back and they have hash browns - the scariest potato based substance. But you’re not here for hash browns (unless of course you are, in which case we direct you to your nearest cafe that serves a full English), oh no, you are here for board games. Hold on to your pants - we’ve got board games.

In our second episode we discuss a slew of games we played at UK Games Expo 2019 and there’s quite a few goodies we can’t wait to tell you about:

Pandemic: Rapid Response (2:22) - finally the answer to the question: what if Pandemic, but MORE stress? Does it need more stress? I don’t think I can answer that question before I chew on some valerian root.
Copenhagen (17:40) - Choo choo, a new train has come to town and its name is Copenhagen. And also the town’s name is Copenhagen. Everything is Copenhagen and here at NPI we are OK with that.
Letter Jam (30:00) - Letters are so yesterday so how about some letters that you would hate? Yes please, because let us tell you right now, Letter Jam is GREAT and you’re going to want to hear about it.
Blood on the Clocktower (38:57)- Closing out the episode is our discussion on our first game of perhaps the most ambitious social deduction game ever made.

And on a final note we’ve received quite a question in our mail bag but we’ll leave that for you to discover.

You can also subscribe to the Podcast via:
RSS, iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher.

Info