#132: Heavy Duty with Monique from Before You Play

I'm not sure why you'd make a hall of fame that's not also a sidewalk, but that's exactly what BoardGameGeek have gone and done - they've curated 25 games into their hall of fame, and we're here to judge them for their choices. It's weird that they didn't come to us first, honestly. Before we deck the halls, we talk about Arborea, Beyond the Horizon, and Taiwan Night Market. 02:49 - Arborea 10:32 - Beyond the Horizon 20:43 - Taiwan Night Market 32:00 - BGG Hall of Fame  38:57 - Diplomacy 40:35 - Acquire 41:55 - Cosmic Encounter 43:25 - Civilization 45:05 - 1830: Railways & Robber Barons 45:46 - Magic: The Gathering 48:02 - Catan 49:03 - El Grande 49:58 - Tigris & Euphrates 51:04 - Ra 52:07 - Carcassonne 53:29 - Power Grid  53:49 - Ticket to Ride 54:16 - Caylus 55:26 - Twilight Struggle 56:26 - Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization 58:17 - Agricola 59:35 - Brass 1:00:25 - Race for the Galaxy 1:01:53 - Dominion 1:02:38 - Pandemic 1:03:39 - 7 Wonders 1:04:51 - The Castles of Burgundy 1:05:14 - Terra Mystica 1:06:54 - Concordia Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

6 Mar 20251h 11min

Okay, pay attention, this is gonna be different! We're looking at the rest of 2025, deciding what we think the most well received games of the year are going to be - but then we're going to be bidding on them, auction style. Whoever's slate ends up performing best in their categories at the end of the year gets all the glory ... and if you vote on who you think is going to win, you could get $50! Before we're going, going, gone, we talk about Nyakuza, Hooky, and Altay: Dawn of Civilization. 03:26 - Nyakuza 10:26 - Hooky 16:15 - Altay: Dawn of Civilization  27:16 - Anticipation Auction 2025 32:52 - Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread 38:12 - Puerto Rico 1897: Special Edition 41:10 - Molly House 45:03 - Nemesis: Retaliation  47:09 - Finspan 49:59 - Luthier 51:24 - The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era 55:23 - Transgalactica 59:18 - The Witcher: Path Of Destiny 1:01:56 - The Old King's Crown 1:04:07 - Star Trek: Captain's Chair 1:06:32 - Dune: Imperium – Bloodlines 1:08:38 - Zenith 1:10:26 - Galactic Cruise 1:12:10 - Speakeasy Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

20 Feb 20251h 14min

It's finally time to cap it all off with the cream of the cream, Mark and Neilan's final set of ten games each! These are the games that we think are the pinnacle of our respective tastes, that we'd never turn down, that any person ought to try at least once. It's the Top 10 Games of All-Time! 01:48 - Mark's #10 - Age of Steam 08:17 - Neilan's #10 - Brass: Birmingham 11:21 - Mark's #9 - Arboretum 17:35 - Neilan's #9 - Time's Up! 20:15 - Mark's #8 - Marvel Champions: The Card Game 23:48 - Neilan's #8 - The Oracle of Delphi 28:35 - Mark's #7 - The Estates 33:44 - Neilan's #7 - Pictomania 35:14 - Mark's #6 - Time's Up! 38:26 - Neilan's #6 - The Search for Planet X 42:09 - Mark's #5 - Brass: Lancashire 45:59 - Neilan's #5 - Alchemists 48:49 - Mark's #4 - Fresh Fish 52:56 - Neilan's #4 - Sidereal Confluence 57:33 - Mark's #3 - Barrage 1:03:52 - Neilan's #3 - A Feast for Odin 1:09:03 - Mark's #2 - Agricola 1:14:01 - Neilan's #2 - Blood on the Clocktower 1:20:27 - Mark's #1 - Biblios 1:23:04 - Neilan's #1 - Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

6 Feb 20251h 31min

Neilan's back to continue the journey down the lazy river of cardboard that is his top 50 board games of all time. It's games 30 through 11! I just counted, and that's twenty amazing games that I can't wait to tell you all about!  00:59 - #30 - Gloomhaven 02:58 - #29 - War Story: Occupied France 07:35 - #28 - Gaia Project 10:17 - #27 - Ark Nova 12:26 - #26 - Kemet 14:55 - #25 - Yellow & Yangtze 17:09 - #24 - Undaunted: Stalingrad 19:51 - #23 - War of the Ring: Second Edition 22:39 - #22 - Guards of Atlantis II 25:14 - #21 - The Quest for El Dorado 26:49 - #20 - Hansa Teutonica 28:33 - #19 - Exit: The Game 31:23 - #18 - Taj Mahal 34:05 - #17 - Cthulhu Wars 35:24 - #16 - Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar 38:23 - #15 - The Resistance 41:28 - #14 - Patchwork 43:16 - #13 - Ra 44:58 - #12 - Stationfall 49:44 - #11 - Blue Lagoon Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

30 Jan 202553min

And back to Mark! It's the soggy middle of his top 50, or as he insists on calling it, his numbers 30 through 11. That is twenty more delicious games, and he's here to tell you all about them while we continue to berate and praise him for his choices. 01:20 - #30 - Anomia 05:12 - #29 - Sidereal Confluence 08:47 - #28 - Chicago Express 11:46 - #27 - Rise & Fall 16:34 - #26 - Tigris & Euphrates 19:14 - #25 - Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory 22:29 - #24 - Blue Lagoon 25:37 - #23 - Lancaster 28:07 - #22 - El Grande 30:57 - #21 - Modern Art 33:54 - #20 - Pictomania 36:58 - #19 - Ark Nova 40:19 - #18 - Stationfall 41:59 - #17 - Stephenson's Rocket 43:36 - #16 - Cascadero 45:19 - #15 - Ra 48:45 - #14 - Bus 50:49 - #13 - Tramways 52:40 - #12 - Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 57:05 - #11 - Caylus 1303 Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

23 Jan 20251h 2min

It's meeeeeeeeeee! So if you care to find my top 50 list, look right here. The first twenty incredible games on the list that early critics are calling "surprisingly tasteful" and "delightfully roomy" is finally yours to consume. It's the greatest board games of all-time, Neilan edition! 01:10 - #50 - Anachrony 03:56 - #49 - The Vale of Eternity 05:47 - #48 - Arcs 09:05 - #47 - Bus 11:26 - #46 - Wilmot's Warehouse 13:03 - #45 - Spectral 15:57 - #44 - Innovation 18:12 - #43 - Codenames 20:12 - #42 - In the Year of the Dragon 21:17 - #41 - Decrypto 23:50 - #40 - Werewords 27:27 - #39 - Challengers! 31:03 - #38 - Inis 33:39 - #37 - Watson & Holmes 35:17 - #36 - Twice as Clever! 36:17 - #35 - Scythe 39:45 - #34 - Iberian Gauge 41:47 - #33 - Cascadero 47:04 - #32 - Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy 49:19 - #31 - Dune: Imperium - Uprising Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

16 Jan 202553min

It's time! The grand spectacle that is our greatest games of all time is here at last! We're breaking things out a bit differently this year, so Mark's taking center stage while Kellen & Neilan mock his choices. It's the first twenty games from his list, so games 50 through 31. LET'S GOOOO! 01:53 - #50 - Cthulhu Wars 03:23 - #49 - Ricochet Robots 05:21 - #48 - The Voyages of Marco Polo 08:22 - #47 - Zoo Vadis 10:53 - #46 - Wilmot's Warehouse 12:45 - #45 - Tycoon: India 1981 15:17 - #44 - Dogs of War 17:30 - #43 - Dune: Imperium 20:42 - #42 - Decrypto 22:30 - #41 - Amalfi: Renaissance 25:33 - #40 - German Railways 28:44 - #39 - The Vale of Eternity 32:00 - #38 - Kutná Hora: The City of Silver 34:58 - #37 - Hansa Teutonica 37:12 - #36 - Cuba Libre 39:28 - #35 - 1830: Railways & Robber Barons 42:00 - #34 - La Granja 44:27 - #33 - Karvi 48:52 - #32 - Container 51:21 - #31 - Dungeon Fighter Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

9 Jan 202555min

As we approach the end of 2024, it's about time we stop, take stock, and dare I say look back at the year that's been. The highs, the lows, the mids - all the stars are here, and we're going to break them down for you with some of our favourite games, and biggest moments, and general assessment of the year that's been. Before we reflect, we talk about Let's Go! To Japan, Mombasa, and The Gang. 01:52 - Let's Go! To Japan 10:17 - Mombasa 15:05 - The Gang 21:00 - Looking back on 2024 22:01 - Arcs 27:54 - Cascadero 29:29 - Slay the Spire: The Board Game 31:17 - Wilmot's Warehouse Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

12 Des 202441min