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Draft Mechanic

Jake and Danielle talk about their latest board gaming experiences, delicious craft beer, and find any opportunity to join the two together.
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Now displaying: 2017
Dec 18, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode #64: Variants: Queendomino v Kingdomino; BONK; Clank! Sunken Treasures

It’s the final episode of the year! Today we bring you a Variants discussion with Queendomino v Kingdomino: which do we prefer, and which one’s for you? In recent plays, we discuss Tumblin’ Dice, BONK, Sons of Anarchy and the Sunken Treasures expansion for Clank! We put Queendomino on tap, and Danielle’s beer segment is a followup to last week’s Barleywines discussion. And in the Final Round, we answer some very important food and beverage questions from listeners! Thanks for joining us in 2017 and we’ll see you again on New Year’s Day!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

03:44 News: Downforce expansion!

06:25 Kickstarter Updates

07:35 Recent Plays: Tumblin’ Dice

11:32 Recent Plays: BONK

19:48 Recent Plays: Sons of Anarchy

28:45 Recent Plays: Clank! Sunken Treasures

36:11 Grey Fox Games sponsorship spot

37:20 Variants: Queendomino v Kingdomino

63:42 On Tap: Queendomino

68:45 Barleywines v Old Ales

75:20 Final Round

79:26 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Draft Mechanic is sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Check out their website for information on all their great games, and sign up for the newsletter for updates direct to your inbox!

Our theme and bump music is from the album “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to the band for their help!Come listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/64queendomino

Dec 4, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode #63: Azul six-pack review & on tap; Alien Frontiers, Harvest Dice, Go Nuts for Donuts!; Listener Q&A; Barleywines

It’s December, but don’t feel blue - unless you’re talking about today’s six-pack review feature, Azul! We’re looking at Plan B Games’ newest family-weight abstract games and also sharing a handful of thematic beer pairings. In recent plays, we talk about games we played at the fourth quarter MooseCon game day: Alien Frontiers, Go Nuts for Donuts & Harvest Dice. Danielle’s beer segment is about barleywines, and we wrap up this episode with some quick listener Q&A. Enjoy!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:30 FBGL Championship & Wrap-up

04:58 Games News

07:42 TIME Stories News

13:24 TIME Stories: A note about Estrella Drive

16:41 Kickstarter Updates & New Projects

21:48 Recent Plays: Alien Frontiers

31:44 Recent Plays: Go Nuts for Donuts!

36:47 Recent Plays: Harvest Dice

46:10 Grey Fox Games sponsorship spot

47:20 Six Pack Review: Azul

48:06 Azul: Gameplay Description

53:25 Azul: Discussion

71:50 Azul: Final Thoughts

73:23 On Tap: Azul

79:28 The Beer Primer: Barleywine

88:13 Listener Q&A

96:59 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Draft Mechanic is sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Check out their website for information on all their great games, and sign up for the newsletter for updates direct to your inbox!

Our theme and bump music is from the album “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to the band for their help!Come listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/63azul

Nov 20, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode #62: Six Tasty Games; Caverna on tap; Book of Dragons preview; Gamers for Cures marathon

I hope you’re hungry, because this one’s stuffed full of flavor! Today we’ve got a six-pack of tasty games for the Thanksgiving season, plus Danielle’s got a beer segment on cooking with beer! Our on tap game today is Caverna, and we recap our recent plays at the Gamers for Cures charity gaming marathon last weekend in Cary, NC. We’ve also got a Kickstarter preview of Robert Burke’s Book of Dragons!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:45 Games news

08:27 FBGL Championship Update!

12:46 Kickstarter: Bushido

15:15 Kickstarter: Book of Dragons

20:21 Gamers for Cures Marathon

21:15 Recent Plays: Shadows over Camelot

30:33 Recent Plays: Cytosis

39:17 Recent Plays: Mission: Red Planet

49:55 Recent Plays: Problem Picnic: Attack of the Ants!

54:39 Grey Fox Games sponsorship spot

55:29 Six Pack: Tasty Games for Thanksgiving

73:52 On Tap: Caverna

82:09 Cooking With Beer

89:54 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Don’t forget to vote in the FBGL Championship matchup! You could win $100 to an Online Game Store of your choice or one of several actual games!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Draft Mechanic is sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Check out their website for information on all their great games, and sign up for the newsletter for updates direct to your inbox!

Our theme and bump music is from the album “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to the band for their help!Come listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/62tasty

Nov 6, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode #61: Downforce review, Exoplanets on tap, Extra Life Game Day: Hotshots, Dragonfire & more!

Just like Extra Life, this episode is marathon-length! We played for 15 hours straight and turned around to record this episode with our recent plays plus a review of Downforce from Restoration games and an on-tap segment with Exoplanets. Danielle wraps up this episode with a discussion of various packaging strategies: what’s the difference between bottles and cans? Find out this answer and much more in today’s Draft Mechanic!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

03:34 Among the Stars app!

10:55 FBGL Update - 3 Weeks left!

14:38 KS Preview: Mars Open

21:26 Extra Life Game Day

23:00 Recent Plays: Hotshots

32:03 Recent Plays: Camel Up!

37:47 Recent Plays: Police Precinct

46:23 Recent Plays: Dragonfire

56:38 Grey Fox Games sponsorship spot

57:29 Six Pack Review: Downforce

57:55 Downforce: Rules Overview

62:19 Downforce: Discussion

73:45 Recent Plays: Exoplanets

85:13 On Tap: Exoplanets

88:25 Canning versus Bottling

101:38 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Don’t forget to vote every week for your favorite FBGL teams to enter in our drawing for a $100 gift card to an Online Game Store of your choice!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Draft Mechanic is sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Check out their website for information on all their great games, and sign up for the newsletter for updates direct to your inbox!

Our theme and bump music is from the album “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to the band for their help!Come listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/61downforce

Oct 24, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 60: Fast Forward! Fear, Fortress & Flee; Matryoshka on tap; InBetween; Best Treehouse Ever: Forest of Fun!

Essen is just around the corner and we’ve got a few of the hot hot releases to talk about! Our big feature today is the new Fast Forward series from Friedemann Friese - three new ‘fable’ games that you learn as you play and change with each game. It’s a wild new idea - did FF pull it off? We’ve also got a look at the latest from Board&Dice - InBetween - a tight two-player battle over a quiet suburban town. We’re also going to share a Kickstarter preview for the latest Green Couch Games title - Best Treehouse Ever’s standalone/combinable expansion Forest of Fun! Spoiler: it’s FUN. Our on tap is one of our recent plays - the small-box card collecting and trading game Matryoshka - and we share four beer pairings worth hunting down for your collection if you can! Danielle’s got a beer primer on the difference between Scottish and Scotch ales to wrap the episode up. But what’s that, down there in the timestamps? Seems there’s some mysterious audio at the end of this episode after the credits? How odd…

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

03:47 Jake’s Essen Picks

11:21 Kickstarter: Legends of Sleepy Hollow

13:46 KS Preview: Best Treehouse Ever: Forest of Fun!

24:12 Recent Plays: InBetween

40:41 Grey Fox Games sponsorship spot

41:32 Feature: Friedemann Friese’s Fast Forward Series

43:55 Fast Forward: Fear

49:25 Fast Forward: Fortress

54:52 Fast Forward: Flee

60:08 Fast Forward: Wrap-up

64:55 Recent Plays: Matryoshka

74:22 On Tap: Matryoshka

80:05 Beer Primer: Scottish and Scotch Ales

87:11 Outro?

88:21 Mysterious Audio

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Don’t forget to vote every week for your favorite FBGL teams to enter in our drawing for a $100 gift card to an Online Game Store of your choice!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Draft Mechanic is sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Check out their website for information on all their great games, and sign up for the newsletter for updates direct to your inbox!

Our theme and bump music is from the album “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to the band for their help!Come listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/60fastforward

Oct 9, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 59: Six Spooky Games for the Season; Summit on tap; Flamme Rouge, Blood Bowl: Team Manager, Insider; GABF 2017 Recap

In today’s episode, we lean into the spooky season with a six-pack of games for your Halloween festivities. We’re also putting Summit on tap with six thematic beer pairings to help you get up the mountain safe and sound. In recent plays, we talk Flamme Rouge, Blood Bowl: Team Manager & Insider, and wrap it up with a recap of the 2017 Great American Beer Festival. Excellent, let’s get to it!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:18 FBGL Week 4 Recap

05:30 [Essen Intensifies]

07:03 Kickstarter: Near & Far: Amber Mines

09:15 Kickstarter: Zero Hour

11:16 Kickstarter: The 7th Continent follow-up

15:29 Recent Plays: Blood Bowl: Team Manager

21:43 Recent Plays: Flamme Rouge

33:03 Recent Plays: Insider

41:03 Grey Fox Games sponsorship spot

42:12 Six Spooky Games for the Season

66:28 On Tap: Summit, The Board Game

75:57 Quick notes on Summit hops

78:19 2017 Great American Beer Festival

86:48 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Don’t forget to vote every week for your favorite FBGL teams to enter in our drawing for a $100 gift card to an Online Game Store of your choice!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Draft Mechanic is sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Check out their website for information on all their great games, and sign up for the newsletter for updates direct to your inbox!

Our theme and bump music is from the album “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to the band for their help!Come listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/59spooky

Sep 25, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 58: The 7th Continent review, Part 1 & On Tap beer pairings; Photosynthesis; Lazer Ryderz; Raiders of the North Sea; FBGL Update and Understanding Yeast in Beer

In today’s land-mass sized episode, we dig in deep to The 7th Continent for the first of what will be several reviews of this mammoth card-based exploration game. How is it holding up after ten-plus hours of gameplay? Judging by the length of this episode, we had a lot to say! We’re also giving it the On Tap treatment with five great beers for your next continental exploration session. In recent plays, we look at Photosynthesis, Lazer Ryderz, and Raiders of the North Sea. Danielle wraps up this episode with a discussion of a history of our understanding of yeast in beer. I hope you’ve got plenty of durability left on your podcast player, because this episode’s a big one!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:57 Kickstarter: Stellar Leap

05:43 Fantasy Board Game League Update

12:40 Recent Plays: Photosynthesis

23:12 Recent Plays: Lazer Ryder

29:13 Recent Plays: Raiders of the North Sea

38:59 Review: The 7th Continent (Part 1)

40:05 The 7th Continent: Gameplay Run-through

44:29 The 7th Continent: Discussion

84:46 The 7th Continent: Final Thoughts… for now

85:55 On Tap: The 7th Continent

91:49 Understanding Yeast in Beer

96:31 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Don’t forget to vote every week for your favorite FBGL teams to enter in our drawing for a $100 gift card to an Online Game Store of your choice!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Draft Mechanic is sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Check out their website for information on all their great games, and sign up for the newsletter for updates direct to your inbox!

Our theme and bump music is from the album “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to the band for their help! Come listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/58seventh1

Sep 11, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 57: Second Podiversary! The 2017 Fantasy Board Game League! The Networks: The Executives preview! Magic Maze! Indulgence on tap!

Welcome back, dear listeners! It’s time for our second Podiversary - and with that, it’s time for the second season of the Fantasy Board Game League! We’ve teamed up with board game content creators across the boardosphere for this season and it’s time to kick off the first week of matchups! We discuss the Top 10 draft picks and look back at the Year Two state of the podcast in our feature segment. But we’ve also got a big feature at the top of the show - a Kickstarter Preview of the new expansion for Gil Hova’s The Networks - The Executives! We dig this expansion (currently on Kickstarter!) so much that we made it into its own feature. We also look back at recent plays of Magic Maze, Eminent Domain & Illimat and then put Indulgence on tap! Thanks again for listening, enjoy the show and don’t forget to vote for your favorite FBGL teams each week at draftmechanic.net!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping & happy 2nd Podiversary!

04:35 Games news: Essen buzz & Conventions

09:35 Kickstarter Preview: The Networks: The Executives

23:10 Recent Plays: Magic Maze

31:50 Recent Plays: Eminent Domain

39:03 Recent Plays: Illimat

47:37 Grey Fox Games sponsor break

48:41 The 2017 Fantasy Board Game League!

72:44 2017 State of the Podcast

77:55 On Tap: Indulgence

85:52 Oktoberfest!

93:32 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Don’t forget to vote every week for your favorite FBGL teams to enter in our drawing for a $100 gift card to an Online Game Store of your choice!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Draft Mechanic is sponsored by Grey Fox Games. Check out their website for information on all their great games, and sign up for the newsletter for updates direct to your inbox!

Our theme and bump music is from the album “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to the band for their help!Come listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/57fbgl

Aug 28, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 56: Ex Libris six-pack review and on tap; Codenames: Duet; Custom Heroes; Seikatsu; The Beer Primer: Cream Ale

We’re wrapping up our Summer of Hot Games bonus episodes with the hottest, freshest batch of games around! Our six-pack review for this episode is Ex Libris, the hot new release from Renegade Game Studios that will be hitting FLGS shelves soon! We’ve also got three smaller hot new titles to talk about. The first is our yearly check-in with Codenames - how does Codenames: Duet adapt and improve on the system? Second is Custom Heroes from AEG - a new ladder-climbing card game that adds Mystic Vale’s Card Crafting system to create cards that are constantly evolving throughout the game. Finally, we’re looking at Seikatsu from IDW Games, a three-player abstract game that will leave your brain fried right out. Danielle’s putting together a Beer Primer on the Cream Ale style today, and we’ve got some final thoughts from Gen Con 50 as well. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Episode 56!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

03:51 Gen Con 50 Wrap-Up

12:44 Kickstarter: “Now Boarding” from Tim Fowers

15:10 Recent Plays: Codenames Duet

24:40 Recent Plays: Custom Heroes

34:16 Recent Plays: Seikatsu

42:05 Six Pack Review: Ex Libris

44:14 Ex Libris: Gameplay overview

50:27 Ex Libris: Discussion and review

75:12 Ex Libris: Final Thoughts

76:09 On Tap: Ex Libris

80:53 The Beer Primer: Cream Ale

86:20 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/56exlibris

Aug 21, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 55: Gen Con 50 Wrap Up!

Hey all! Episode 55 is going to be a little different! Each day during Gen Con 50, we sat down with our buds (Shane, Tamara, Steven, Dan) and talked about what we saw at the biggest con of the year (and the biggest Gen Con in history). I’ve assembled those recordings chronologically just like last year for over an hour of extra content! We really hope you enjoy our wrap-ups, and we’ll be back next Monday for another episode and a more in-depth look at some of the hottest games of the year, fresh from Gen Con 50!

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/55genconwrap

Aug 14, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 54: The Gen Con 50 Hype List & Vegas Wits & Wagers!

The Hype List is here! The Summer of Hot Games wouldn’t be complete without our exhaustive look at a big pile of games we’re excited to learn more about at Gen Con 50 this week in Indianapolis. In addition to that big feature, we’re also busting out our Kickstarter preview of the upcoming Vegas Wits & Wagers from North Star Games! But one feature isn’t enough for an episode this big - we’re also putting Vegas Wits & Wagers on tap, we’ve got a special guest popping in to talk about Fantasy Flight Games’ big announcement, and we’ve got a discussion with two of our game group about their plans for their first trip to Gen Con. I hope you’ve got a long drive, because this super-stuffed episode is just brimming with HYPE!

Intro

00:00 Show Housekeeping

03:20 Corrections from Episode 53

05:19 Kickstarter Preview: Vegas Wits & Wagers!

16:48 Gen Con events roundup! Punchboard Media meet up!

18:47 Sun King Brewery events at Gen Con

20:09 The mystery of HYPE

21:12 Twilight Imperiul, 4th Ed. (special guest Chris Kirkman)

37:48 Getting into the hype list!

1:00:54 Checking in with Tamara and Steven

1:23:32 Back to the hype list!

2:13:22 On Tap: Vegas Wits & Wagers

2:17:37 Wrap-up

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/53diceforge

Aug 7, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 53: Dice Forge; Pit Crew on tap; Terraforming Mars: Hellas; Wordsy & Word Domination

Welcome back to another Draft Mechanic! It’s the summer of hot games, and in today’s bonus weekly episode we look at the new dice crafting game Dice Forge from Libellud. Do the parts add up to more than just a pretty package? We’ve got the new real-time racing game Pit Crew on tap with some speedy beer choices, plus first impressions of the new Hellas map for Terraforming Mars. Also in recent plays, we talk about two new word games hitting the table this summer: Wordsy and Word Domination! Danielle’s beer segment is the positive side of last week’s segment as she talks about what foeders are and how they help brewers make exceptional sour beer. Enjoy the show and don’t forget to come back next week for our Gen Con 50 preview episode!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:46 Looking forward to Gen Con 50

04:54 IndieGoGo: Watch it Played Season 7 Fundraiser

08:07 Con Report: MegaMooseCon

12:46 Recent Plays: Terraforming Mars “Hellas” map

21:20 Recent Plays: Word Domination

27:59 Recent Plays: Wordsy

35:21 Review Feature: Dice Forge

35:54 Dice Forge: Gameplay Overview

39:34 Dice Forge: Discussion

58:51 Dice Forge: Final Thoughts

59:45 On Tap: Pit Crew

70:00 The Beer Segment: What is a Foeder?

78:31 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

http://www.draftmechanic.net/show-notes/2017/53diceforge

Jul 31, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 52: RAXXON review; Century: Spice Road review & on tap; Spires; NMBR 9; Unearth

It’s week 3 of our Summer of Hot Games! Today we’ve got another exciting Kickstarter preview: Before the Earth Explodes from Green Couch Games! Also, we’ve got another special Double Feature review for you this week of two hot, hot games. First up, we look at the (finally released!) Century: Spice Road, the debut title from Plan B Games, and then we back it up by putting it on tap with six beer pairing choices. We’re also going to do a full review of RAXXON, the secretly-released new [REDACTED] from [REDACTED], which features a [REDACTED] that we didn’t expect. In recent plays, we’ve got Spires, NMBR 9 and Unearth. And going on the theme of RAXXON, Danielle’s got a beer segment in which she talks about the different kinds of things that can spoil your beer and cause some very unpleasant side effects. Don’t worry, though, because RAXXON is here to help!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:37 Con Watch: MegaMooseCon August 4th-6th!

03:51 Gen Con 50 Preview Tool on BGG

06:14 Best Treehouse Ever Contest Results

07:54 Preview: Before the Earth Explodes

13:49 Recent Plays: Spires

22:43 Recent Plays: NMBR 9

27:00 Recent Plays: Unearth

36:57 Review: Century: Spice Road

48:10 On Tap: Century: Spice Road

54:40 Review: RAXXON

77:51 Is my beer infected?

86:36 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

Jul 24, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 51: Sentient & Barenpark double feature review! Barenpark on tap; Medina; Fields of Arle; Stockpile; Can Beer Quench your Thirst?

The Summer of Hot Games rolls on! We’re ramping up with a big double feature of Sentient and Barenpark, and we swing back around to put Barenpark on tap. We talk recent plays of Medina, Fields of Arle and Stockpile. Jake ends out the episode with some discussion about whether beer can actually quench your thirst! You’re gonna need it, because it’s a hot one!

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:42 Con Watch: MegaMooseCon August 4th-6th!

04:04 Contest: Best Treehouse Ever!

05:42 Kickstarter: Star Scrappers Cave-In update

06:20 Kickstarter: Star Realms Frontiers

10:58 Upcoming: Fast Forward - Fear, Fortress & Flee

16:28 Recent Plays: Medina

23:15 Recent Plays: Fields of Arle

36:01 Recent Plays: Stockpile

45:01 Review: Sentient

57:41 Review: Barenpark

75:42 On Tap: Barenpark

83:27 Can beer quench your thirst?

92:08 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

Jul 17, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 50: The Summer of HOT GAMES begins! Flipships, Fox in the Forest, Rococo on tap, Listener Q&A, Giveaways

Episode 50! That’s half of a hundred! I’m not really sure how we made it this far, but nothing left to do but keep going! We’re fresh back from our trip to Dice Tower Con, and boy howdy did we play a big ol’ pile of games. Such a big stack of games, in fact, that we’ve got too many to talk about in this episode… or two, or three, or… well. You see where this is going. So, with the monumental Episode 50 under our belt, we’re launching The Summer of Hot Games with WEEKLY episodes through Gen Con where we look at the latest and greatest and get you ready for the spectacle in Indianapolis. Today we’re talking about Flipships and The Fox in the Forest; we’ve got a kickstarter preview of Star Scrappers: Cave In, we discuss a pair of Felds, put Rococo on tap, answer listener questions and do a giveaway for a fun game from Green Couch Games! And to think, this is only the start of the Summer of Hot Games… you’re gonna need some sunscreen for your meeples!

Intro

02:13 Con Watch: MegaMooseCon!

03:52 Con Watch: Gen Con 50!

06:02 The Summer of HOT Games! Double the Draft Mechanic!

08:35 Kickstarter Preview: Star Scrappers: Cave In

18:12 Recent Plays: Flipships

24:58 Recent Plays: Notre Dame, 10th Anniversary Edition

34:02 Recent Plays: Bora Bora

42:07 Recent Plays: The Fox in the Forest

48:09 The First Ever Draft Mechanic Listener Q&A!

76:31 On Tap: Rococo

82:46 The Beer Primer: Kvass

93:10 A Giveaway?!

95:04 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

Jul 3, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 49: Yamatai v Five Tribes; Five Tribes on tap; The Lost Expedition; TIME Stories: Lumen Fidei

To be honest, we planned on doing Yamatai as a six-pack review, but the more we played it the more we realized it would be a perfect candidate for our “Variants” series, where we pit a game up against another that shares enough similarities to warrant the comparison. What’s our comparison point for Yamatai? Well, look no further than designer Bruno Cathala’s prior design for Days of Wonder, Five Tribes! Both fit that highly produced, mid-weight 2-4 player niche, but what are the benefits of each? Find out in today’s feature segment! Also, we’re putting Five Tribes on tap with beer pairings for each of the tribes. We’re also going to discuss recent plays of The Lost Expedition, Parade, and the latest TIME Stories scenario, Lumen Fidei. Don’t worry - there’s no spoilers here! In our beer segment this episode, we’ll take a look at some America-themed beers for the Independence Day holiday. So sit back, relax, grab a pint and enjoy the show!

Intro

01:00 Show housekeeping, upcoming events

04:12 Beer News: “Independent Brewer” seal

08:11 Games News: MAP Policies expand

10:25 Games News: Pandemic Legacy: Season 2

13:06 Recent Plays: Parade

19:43 Recent Plays: The Lost Expedition

26:26 Recent Plays: TIME Stories “Lumen Fidei” and TIME Stories overall discussion

36:20 Variants: Yamatai v Five Tribes

61:43 On Tap: Five Tribes

66:30 America-themed beers for Independence Day

72:18 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

Jun 19, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 48: Near and Far six pack review & on tap; Thrash & Roll; Jaipur app; Secret Hitler; Skull

Today’s episode of Draft Mechanic comes to you from a great distance! Well, thematically. We’re in the same studio as always, but today’s game is quite the journey: Near and Far from Red Raven games! We give it the full six-pack review, and it’s a doubleheader as well as our game on tap. In recent plays, we talk about Thrash & Roll, Secret Hitler, Jaipur, Skull and more! Also, Jake takes over the beer segment to dig into the controversy surrounding a partial ‘investment’ into the community beer rating website RateBeer. Hope you’ve got comfortable shoes on; let’s go on a journey!

Intro

01:00 Show housekeeping

04:16 Kickstarter: GameTek: The Book

06:48 Recent Plays: Terraforming Mars & Scythe

09:42 Recent Plays: Thrash & Roll

18:50 Recent Plays: Secret Hitler

24:16 Recent Plays: Jaipur on iOS

33:42 Recent Plays: Skull

37:25 Six Pack Review: Near and Far

38:24 Near and Far: Gameplay Run-through

43:15 Near and Far: Discussion

64:24 Near and Far: Final Thoughts

66:08 Near and Far: On Tap beer pairings

72:04 RateBeer investment controversy

80:35 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! And now, you can listen to the full album on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

Jun 5, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 47: Fields of Green v. Among the Stars; Coldwater Crown on tap; Honshu; Pocket Mars; Shahrazad

I’ll be up front about this one - I’m sorely disappointed that Episode 47 doesn’t contain a single Star Trek reference. But now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’m very proud of what we put together here, including the debut of a new segment! In our new feature, Variants, we’re doing the compare and contrast treatment for Fields of Green and Among the Stars - two games with the same foundation that go in different directions, both from designer Vangelis Bagiartakis and published by Artipia/Stronghold Games. We get back on the boat with our on tap featured game Coldwater Crown, and also discuss recent plays of Honshu, Pocket Mars and Shahrazad. Finally, Danielle has put together a beer segment for those headed to Origins Game Fair as she tracks down the best craft beers local to the Columbus area! So sit back, relax, grab a pint and enjoy the show!

Intro

01:00 Show housekeeping

03:30 A new project?

04:09 Introducing… Punchboard Media!

05:48 Kickstarter: Zero Hour

07:10 Kickstarter: TORG Eternity

07:52 News: Asmodee exclusive with Alliance

14:53 Recent Plays: Honshu

24:43 Recent Plays: Pocket Mars

32:54 Recent Plays: Shahrazad

40:43 Variants: Fields of Green v. Among the Stars

62:35 On Tap: Coldwater Crown

66:12 Craft Beer Options for Origins Game Fair

74:14 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen! Listen to full songs on our website!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

May 24, 2017

Draft Mechanic: Spoiler Episode Epsilon

T.I.M.E Stories: Expedition: Endurance, 1914 NT

WARNING! This episode contains MAJOR, MASSIVE, COMPLETE SPOILERS for the T.I.M.E Stories scenario “Expedition: Endurance.” After nearly a year, we dive back in to Spoiler Epsiode territory as our debriefings from the fifth T.I.M.E Stories scenario see the light of day. We have half an hour of discussion from Team Alpha, and then Team Beta returns after the break to join us after their run. Things went much differently for the both of us and there was definitely a lot to pick apart. With scenario six, Lumen Fidei, looming on the horizon, it’s time to jump back into the cassions for another round!

Intro

01:30 Team Alpha discussion

29:33 Team Beta discussion

57:55 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also very active on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our spoiler episode theme music is “Rinse/Repeat” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen!

Thanks for listening and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

May 24, 2017

On today's special episode, we're here to introduce Punchboard Media, a new collaborative network we're launching with a great group of board game media content creators.

Visit the new website at punchboardmedia.com, and join us on social media!

Twitter: @punchboardmedia
Facebook: /punchboardmedia
Instagram: @punchboardmedia

Punchboard Media - Where we all bring something to the table!

May 22, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 46: Ethnos six-pack review; Blood Rage on tap; CMON Expo games review; The Beer Primer: Pilsner

Oh, hello there! We just got back from Atlanta, and boy, are our meeples tired! (laughter) But seriously, last weekend we got to play a ton of games at CMON Expo and we’re here to tell you all about them. It tied in nicely to our featured game for this episode’s six-pack review - Ethnos - the new area control game from CMON that’s got the industry buzzing. And while we’re at it, let’s take a look back at one of CMON’s biggest smash hits as we put Blood Rage on tap with some legendary drinks that you can enjoy while pursuing Valhalla. Danielle wraps up our episode with a Beer Primer on the Pilsner style of beer, and why it’s deserving of your respect. So sit back, relax, grab a pint and enjoy the show!

Intro

01:00 Show housekeeping

03:33 Kickstarter: Diceborn Heroes

06:13 Unlock! watch, Spoiler Episodes and a Special Announcement

11:36 Going to CMON Expo

13:19 Recent Plays: Dojo Kun

18:04 Recent Plays: SherLook

21:54 Recent Plays: Council of 4

26:56 Recent Plays: Gekido, Bot Battles

31:20 Recent Plays: BloodBorne, the Card Game

35:45 Recent Plays: Modern Art

40:09 Recent Plays: Dogs of War

47:03 Six Pack Review: Ethnos

48:10 Ethnos: Gameplay overview

50:14 Ethnos: Discussion

67:09 Ethnos: Final Thoughts

67:54 On Tap: Blood Rage

73:56 The Beer Primer: Pilsner

86:03 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

May 8, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 45: Six-Player Six Pack; Las Vegas on tap; Barcelona; Mystic Vale; Betrayal at the Brewery on the Hill

Welcome back to another episode of Draft Mechanic, fresh off the tap! Today, we’re sharing a six-pack of games that play six (or more!) but still have some meat on their bones! We’re putting Las Vegas on tap with some lucky brews, and we’re discussing recent plays of Barcelona, Mystic Vale and Orleans. We also look at some exciting titles announced for Origins release this year. And sadly, we’ve got a recurrent topic in our beer segment as we talk about Lagunitas and local favorites, Wicked Weed, selling out to Big Beer. Sit back, relax, grab a pint and enjoy the show!

Intro

02:15 CMON Expo this weekend!

03:45 Upcoming: Five Tribes, Whims of the Sultan

05:20 Upcoming: Onitama, Sensei’s Path

06:15 Upcoming: Century: Spice Road

07:47 Upcoming: Flatline

08:36 Upcoming: Fields of Green

10:28 Upcoming: Bohnanza: The Duel

12:43 Kickstarter: Gloomhaven finishes #24 of all time

14:01 Recent Plays: Barcelona, The Rose of Fire

26:46 Recent Plays: Mystic Vale

34:18 Recent Plays: Orleans

39:55 Six Pack: Six Player Games

53:44 On Tap: Las Vegas

59:04 The Betrayal at the Brewery on the Hill

69:00 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

Apr 24, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 44: Anachrony six-pack and on tap; Fugitive; Valeria: Card Kingdoms & Veggie Garden

So, buckle up for a wild temporal ride! Danielle wraps up this episode with a discussion about how beer tastes can change over time! In the news, we’ve got some new app implementations and a video game coming to board games. We’re also going to talk about some recent plays: Fugitive, Valeria: Card Kingdoms and Veggie Garden. Today, we dive in and do double duty with our six-pack review and our on-tap feature. It’s a big hefty euro that features time travel as a major mechanic - quite the headache! Though, that’s what you get when you’re reviewing a game like Anachrony. Bear with me, this is going to be a confusing one. In today’s episode, we’ve got quite the paradox!

Intro

01:00 Intro / Housekeeping

02:40 International Tabletop Day

03:45 App Gaming: Terra Mystica

05:27 App Gaming: Race for the Galaxy

09:01 Upcoming: Super Mario Level Up!

11:09 Kickstarter: Brass, Lancashire & Birmingham

14:28 Recent Plays: Fugitive

20:35 Recent Plays: Valeria Card Kingdoms

27:23 Recent Plays: Veggie Garden

33:26 Six Pack Review: Anachrony

33:53 Anachrony: Rules Walkthrough

41:55 Anachrony: Discussion

65:49 Anachrony: Final Thoughts

68:10 On Tap: Anachrony

73:37 Changing Tastes over time

79:49 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

Apr 10, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 43: Coldwater Crown six-pack; Sagrada on tap; Holmes: Sherlock & Mycroft

Welcome back to another episode of Draft Mechanic! Today, it’s all about interesting themes rich with color. Our big feature is a six-pack review of Coldwater Crown, the recent release from designer Brian Suhre and Bellwether Games. On tap today we have Sagrada, an awesome new dice-drafting game that sets a new standard for gorgeous. In recent plays, we talk about receiving mysterious packages, rolling for railways, racing for evidence and real-time dungeon delving! We hope you enjoy today’s episode, drop us a line on BGG or social media to let us know! And now… on with the show!

Intro

01:00 Intro / Housekeeping

02:30 Travel: Chicagoland Dice Dojo

03:57 News: Scythe, The Wind Gambit

06:30 Kickstarter: The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast

08:51 Kickstarter: Matryoshka

12:21 Recent Plays: The Mysterious Package Company

17:26 Recent Plays: 30 Rails

22:04 Recent Plays: Holmes: Sherlock & Mycroft

31:25 Recent Plays: 5-Minute Dungeon

37:24 Six Pack Review: Coldwater Crown

38:13 Coldwater Crown: Rules Walkthrough

44:33 Coldwater Crown: Discussion

57:50 Coldwater Crown: Final Thoughts

61:11 On Tap: Sagrada

73:00 The Beer Primer: Saisons

81:12 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

Mar 27, 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode 42: A Trip to Asheville; Herbaceous on Tap; Well Played board games cafe; beer research resources

On this episode of Draft Mechanic, we talk through a massive pile of games we played during the Grand Opening of Asheville NC’s new board game cafe, Well Played! We talk about Dream Home, Celestia, Ice Cool, Fauna, OutLawed, Heroes & Tricks and more in this jam-packed episode. It was so many games that we had to ask for the help of three of our friends for a wide variety of opinions! We’ve also put the recently released and gorgeous Herbaceous on tap with TEN beers paired up with the different herbs in the game. Danielle’s also got a quick rundown of some resources you can use to learn more about craft beer. So sit back, relax, grab a pint and enjoy the show!

Intro

01:00 Intro / Housekeeping

02:30 CMoN News: Eric Lang, Adrian Smith & CMoN Play

08:14 Upcoming: Flipships from Kane Klenko

09:34 Upcoming: Dice Forge from Regis Bonnessee

11:32 Well Played Board Game Cafe in Asheville, NC

18:00 Recent Plays: Dream Home

24:33 Recent Plays: Celestia

29:13 Recent Plays: Noch Mal!

34:16 Recent Plays: Lanterns, The Harvest Festival

40:28 Recent Plays: No Thanks!

44:30 Recent Plays: OutLawed!

50:10 Recent Plays: Heroes & Tricks

59:16 Recent Plays: Fauna

68:05 Recent Plays: Ice Cool

72:19 Reflections on the trip to Asheville

77:58 Recent Plays: Herbaceous

79:36 On Tap: Herbaceous

92:54 Beer Info Resources

96:40 Outro

We hope you enjoyed today's episode! Send us some feedback at draftmechanic@gmail.com and visit us on the web at draftmechanic.net!

Join us at the local, our BGG Guild (#2470)!

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram - follow us at @draftmechanic! Also, Like us on Facebook!

Our theme music is “Superpower of Choice” by the Liberation Jumpsuit - thanks to Drew and Jeff for making it happen!

Thanks for listening! Please game responsibly and we’ll see you back here again soon for another round!

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