We’ve been hiding, taking stock of our place in this wild, wild year, and taking care of each other. Hopefully you and your loved ones are doing all right. We may be holed up, but we’re still playing games and pushin’ those cubes. Again, hopefully you are, too.Rather than focus on one game, this episode is a bit of a mixed bag/State of the Board. We’ll touch on a few games we’ve been playing, like Lorenzo il Magnifico (2016), Unmatched (2019), and Rune Stones (2019), and come clean about how tough a year it’s been for us.Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)  http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog!  http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Player One | Player Two: The Board Gaming Duo

Episode 29: The Longest Year

Deep in the abyss of the quarantine, Kathleen and I recorded a searching and subdued episode about what is certainly considered a classic: Combat Commander. Yes, it's a war game, but essentially this is an Ameritrash skirmish game with a heavier euro points-scoring skeleton beneath those dice chuckin' trappings. Don't let a theme scare you, some classics are classics for a reason. That being said, we'll dovetail off of our last episode (Pax Porfiriana) and talk about why people may not want to play a war game. Is it the theme? Wait, it's just the theme? If so, why? Does a war game trivialize war? Does it glorify it? Finally, is it actually a classic? And is it worth checking it out? Combat Commander: Europe (2006) on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21050/combat-commander-europe Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog! http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Episode 28: In the Army Now!

Pax games are a sort of micro-genre of their own. Medium to heavy-ish opaque games that smash up euro mechanics with some borderline aggressive player interactive. Oh, and they are [nearly] all historically based. I can tell you where I fall, but Kathleen has more complicated feelings. You may have heard about last year's Pax Pamir 2nd edition. We'll discuss–probably not for the last time–the question that keeps coming up here on ye ol' podcast: Does playing a board game recreationally about difficult, tumultuous, or violent periods in history inherently trivialize them? I bet you have an opinion, because we sure do. Oh, and by the way, this game is fan-friggin-tastic. *** NOTE: As of the publication of this episode, Pax Renaissance is currently on Kickstarter. Like, right now! ***Finally, apologies for any slight anachronisms (for example: the Oscars). We recorded this episode about three months ago. Pax Porfiriana (2012) on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128780/pax-porfiriana Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog! http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Episode 27: Don't Know Much About History

There are two kinds of gamers around here: those who like Stefan Feld and those who do not. I would say "and those who are wrong," but I'm furloughed and I'm trying to be nicer to people–hey, we all should do it! Anyway, if you're listening to this in realtime, we're in the middle of a global pandemic, and most of us are experiencing social distancing. Our lives as we know them are very shaken up. In times like this, it's important to take care of ourselves, and with that in mind, on Episode 26, Kathleen and I spend a little time talking about comfort gaming. There's comfort food, so why not comfort gaming? In this house, comfort gaming equates to Stefan Feld, master of the puzzly euro design. We'll discuss what we like, what you may like, and common complaints leveed against his designs. Take care of yourselves out there. We are living through tough times. Stefan Feld on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/4958/stefan-feld Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog! http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Episode 26: More Than a Feld[ing]

All right, so this may be the Player One | Player Two Podcast, but that doesn’t mean we’re happy being locked out of 3+ player games. With that in mind, we realize that some “Two Player Variants” are messier than others.Dummy players, AI decks, or even Bot Systems are all versions of variants that allow a 3+ player game to be played by two players. In addition to the main course game here, we’ll also spend a few minutes discussing two other games’ variants we’ve experienced recently that have gotten a 3+ player game onto our exclusively two player table–with varying results.Escape Plan (2019) on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142379/escape-plan Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog! http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Episode 25: Should I Stay or Should I Go

We wrap up our inaugural year of the Player One | Player Two podcast a little late (hey, at least it's still January!), and talk about the 2019 games we played. Some hot hot heat, some IPs, and at least one game about trains. We also manage to squeeze in a pair of tangents on area control and Stefan Feld.What were our favorite games of 2019? Odds are we may have already spent some time talking about them. And what were yours? Maybe we've got some overlap. Well, perhaps...Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog! http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Episode 24: 2019 in Review

Hobby gaming is, at its heart, a social hobby. We have lamented before that playing as two players makes it seem like you are living in a bubble–which is why we started this podcast, after all. That being said, we were very excited to get out of our little bubble by finally partaking in our first convention experience when we visited the locally hosted PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia. We demoed games, we learned the importance of reading schedules, we ate delicious Indian food, and we left with a hot dice drafting game in our complimentary reusable Cool Stuff Inc tote. So how was it? How was PAX as a convention? Perhaps more importantly for us: How was PAX as a first convention? https://unplugged.paxsite.com/ Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog! http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Episode 23: PAX Unplugged 2019

Scaling is so important in regard to the two-player subset of board gaming. Excellent three or four player games are sometimes incomplete or unsatisfying two-player experiences. But what happens when a game does take scaling into account, but the scaling alters the fundamental nature of the game? Maybe a game becomes more cutthroat, or demands players be more aggressive to match the same feel carried by a true multi-player game. A well-scaled game is good, but what if the game you find on the other side isn't quite the same game that went in?Point Salad (2019) on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/274960/point-salad Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog! http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Episode 22: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

Kathleen and I are both very happy to go to bat for escape room games. The idea of one-off games rubs some people the wrong way. Is it a good value? Is it a good way to spend an evening? Is it a good analogue for the actual social experience? Well, we’re actually not going to discuss the merits of an escape room game on this episode–we already know it’s good for us. Instead we talk about what the eventizing of a game ultimately means. And even though we are ride or die fans of escape room games, it doesn’t mean we can’t be let down by a design, even if it’s by some of our favorite designers out there. *PLEASE NOTE: IN THIS EPISODE THERE BE SPOILERS!* Exit: The Catacombs of Horror (2018) on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/255675/exit-game-catacombs-horror Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ Check out our blog! http://playeroneplayertwo.tumblr.com 

Episode 21: Don't Go Breaking My Heart

In this episode, we’ll dig into a big, heavy, and very well-regarded euro. As we go, we’ll discuss a designer known exclusively for his heavy, thematic, and puzzly games, and how his theming is able to instruct the mechanics of this design specifically. After that, we’ll be forced to come to terms with how we may have been doing ourselves, and by proxy the game, a bit of a disservice by catering to our own existing predilections of keeping to ourselves and not wandering into another player’s proverbial backyard. The Gallerist (2015) on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125153/gallerist Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ 

Episode 20: Picture in a Frame

Expectations can get you in some trouble, even if a game seems to give fair warning that it’s not necessarily related to its predecessor. People understandably--and that includes us--will come into a game wanting what they (or we) want. It’s normal. But what do you get when you expect a dungeon crawler and you find a heavy euro? And there’s sure a lot of brown on that game board! But, once you get past your expectations, are you left with a good game? Founders of Gloomhaven (2018) on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/214032/founders-gloomhaven Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ 

Episode 19: Build Me Up Buttercup

So Player Two and I finally played our first Roll and Write game, curious to learn what all the hubbub's about. Just rolling some dice and writing stuff down, no? Well, inside of this small, affordable, and delightfully designed box, there lies an excellent game that has straightened out my misconception that only strategically heavy games can be truly satisfying.   Welcome To... (2018) on Board Game Geek:  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/233867/welcome   Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar)  http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ 

Episode 18: Little Pink Houses

We’ve evolved a lot as gamers over the past few years, moving decisively away from games with heavily random elements and towards games that are more straight-forwardly strategic or puzzly. But what happens when random elements meet a puzzly, strategic game head on? Can a reasonably light game manage to balance randomness and crunchy strategy in a small, satisfying package? Watergate (2019) on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/274364/watergate Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ 

Episode 17: Know Your Enemy

As you'll hear, this episode needs no introduction (literally). Listen as we dip our toes into the fickle and ever-changing pool of ranking games, as we each discuss our top 10 favorite games. No spoilers, but maybe you'll hear mention of some of your favorites... The Pub Meeple Ranking Machine: https://rankingengine.pubmeeple.com/ 

Episode 16: Still the One (A Top 10 List!)

Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game is a new take on the idea of an escape room game. Puzzles + campaign? We're not always great about actually finishing campaigns, but what about Detective? Is Detective strong enough as a narrative to carry us through the campaign? We (and be we, I mean Player One only) aren't always keen on campaigns. So how does Detective fare? And what about its brother from another mother, Chronicles of Crime?Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/223321/detective-modern-crime-board-game Chronicles of Crime on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/239188/chronicles-crime Theme & End Credit Music by Javier Suárez (Jahzzar) http://www.betterwithmusic.com/ 

Episode 15: I Fought the Law

When you exclusively play board games with two players, the hobby can feel a bit like a solitary experience. The purpose of this podcast is to open our door to you, and welcome you into our gaming world, as well as hopefully help introduce other people to the hobby.

hubhopper

Player One | Player Two: The Board Gaming Duo

hubhopper