If you want some takes on what's new in the board gaming hobby, this is not the episode you're looking for. However, if you want to hear some tales of adventure in the gloaming of the pandemic, and a discussion about the state of the hobby as we see it (Told through Arkwright eyes), then come on in. YARNS: 00:11:50 -- A Brave New Musical Journey (Live at the Pat Metheny Show) 00:37:22 -- 40 Minutes of Joy: The Horses and the Hounds, by James McMurtry 00:45:25 -- The Last Great TV Show: Mr. In-Between 00:52:07 -- School's In? And Rocking? 01:12:37 -- Arkwright Revisited and a Hobby Gone Wrong 01:47:40 -- Peak Gaming with a Controller 02:19:36 -- A Door Cracked and Unlocked?

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Episode 202 -- And Other Things

The rock came rolling back down and crushed us for a good part of the Summer. We got some levers and some rails and we've managed to push it back up the hill far enough to breathe a little. So, here we be, talking about life and games again.  LIBATIONS: 00:00:23 -- Last Call 00:34:14 -- Coffee Traders (quick take) 00:45:37 -- Great Conversations and Good Buzzes 01:03:34 -- Oath (in-depth session) 01:35:19 -- The King's Dilemma (in-depth session)

Episode 201 -- Sisyphus Strikes Again

We call this one "The Epic." Press play and enjoy the ride. HEROIC TALES: 00:04:22 -- Cloudspire (in depth session) 01:03:27 -- BenRiach 21yo Single Malt 01:07:11 -- SpaceCorp: Ventures (sessions) 01:31:10 -- Tawantinsuyu: The Incan Empire (preview) 01:34:52 -- Revisiting, and purchasing, Le Havre 01:40:19 -- When Things Went Well: Lorenzo Il Magnifico 01:49:06 -- 2021 in Music so far.

Episode 200 -- Once More, With Feeling

Maladies, Mortgages and other assorted obstacles successfully conquered, we finally present to you episode 199 of the 'cast. Chock-full of stories about games and games about travel and travelling stories. It's all in there. And the book club returns. Enjoy. TALES OF WOE: 00:21:02 -- Apex Legends 00:34:06 -- Another Trip, Another Story, or Three 00:59:56 -- Da Games 01:01:25 -- Are You Dexterous? (Cubiko, Carreau, Bamboleo, Hamsterrolle) 01:20:55 -- Knife Tank: Why??? 01:28:15 -- Praga Capvt Regni (revisited) 01:41:16 -- Two-Player Showdown (BH: 2045, Wir Sind Das Volk, Space Corp) 01:53:30 -- Die Handler, a Year Later 01:56:34 -- Kaivai 02:03:36 -- Wizard 02:08:00 --The Dwellings of Everdale 02:23:08 -- The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene

Episode 199 -- Matching Our Ambition

Chirping birds. Barking Dogs. Screaming Children. Yes, we're back outside to record this episode. The pops and clicks of the previous effort replaced by the flora and fauna of mid-Spring. We weave in and out of various topics, creating some loose connections and trying to show that nothing occurs in a vacuum.  MELODIES: 00:10:20 -- Libation Time 00:13:40 -- Technical Issues and Memory Loss, and Some Stuff In-between 00:33:25 -- Kicking and Screaming: Getting People to Play Games, Food Chain Magnate Edition 00:46:58 -- A Few Words on Board Game Aesthetics 00:49:53 -- The Journey of 1822 00:57:10 -- Stickering Games 00:59:12 -- Detour: Music on Our Minds 01:27:30 -- Commands & Colors: Samurai Battles 01:35:30 -- Brotherhood & Untiy 01:47:09 -- Better than Board Games: Trials of Fire, Monster Train, Nowhere Prophet 02:19:13 -- 18XX Online and Other Infractions.

Episode 198 -- There is No Crime in Melody

Sometimes you just can't get things right. You find a ghost in the signal chain and try to fix it only to find you've made things worse. Apologies in advance for all the pops and clicks. Among the noisy abberations you will find a fair amount of game discussion and enough salt and vinegar to properly dress your chips. POPS & CLICKS: 00:09:49 -- Drinkin' and Vaxxin' 00:20:06 -- The Long and Winding Railroad 00:35:05 -- Kickstarting, Streaming, and Video Gaming 00:52:13 -- Freedom: The Underground Railroad 01:00:07 -- Last Will 01:04:03 -- The Sands of Time (Joe's visit) 01:22:15 -- Apocalypse Road 01:42:55 -- The Red Cathedral 01:57:36 -- Nidavellir 02:27:53 -- Of Golden Eagles and T-Shirts

Episode 197 -- Rumors and Intrigue

This is us, as you might find us should you wander into a watering hole where we might be holding court at the bar. This could very well be a prime example of the conversation you might stumble upon. The nature of this conversation spirals around, over and through the games and topics, so timestamps have been kept to a minimum. ROUNDS: 00:00:25 -- Baseball, Disease Maintenance and a Word About Home Improvement 00:31:29 -- Rampant Game Talk and Misdemeanors  01:35:29 -- Random Game Talk (Q&A) 02:25:09 -- That Old Country Music, by Kevin Barry

Episode 196 -- A Caution of Overabundance

Winter is gone. The Sky is clearing. Birds are singing. Bees are buzzing. Temperatures are warming. Discussions are getting heated. Welcome to the latest installment of As the Cardboard Turns. JABS: 00:29:36 -- Lots: A Game of Weights and Measures (friendly game announcement) 00:33:45 -- Little Bits: Dominant Species Marine (initial take) 00:42:58 -- Merv (Joe's take) 00:50:40 -- Blackout: Hong Kong (Joe again) 00:58:15 -- The Magnificent (forgotten short take) 01:11:30 -- Maharaja: The Game of Palace Building in India (no take) 01:16:38 -- It's a Wonderful World : Corruption and Ascension (in-depth) 01:20:38 -- Stellar Horizons (in-depth session) 01:59:15 -- Rusty Brown, by Chris Ware 02:08:22 -- Pagan Virtues, by Stephen Dunn

Episode 195 -- Infinitely Acceptable

Another show emerges from the stasis. We cover several games, new and old. We discuss some vital music and a page-turner of a book. We carry on as that's really all there is to do. CARNAGE: 00:14:28 -- Newton (finally) 00:34:33 -- Lorenzo Il Magnifico (revisited) 00:52:59 -- Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road (in-depth) 01:42:28 -- Tunes (Nick Cave, The The) 02:03:35 -- Blacktop Wasteland, by S.A. Cosby

Episode 194 -- Four Chords, Rearranged

Hey kids, it's No-fun February, 2021 edition. And this February has been the most No-fun in years. We've got your ice storms and power outages and never-ending pandemics and Criminal Orange-men still on the loose. All that and so much more. However, rebels that we are, we try and make something out of this mess and talk some games, both video and board. We discuss some music and get back on track with the books. And yeah, yeah, we also gripe about and question everything else under the pandemic soaked sun. We are who we are after all. Welcome to the fun-house! Enjoy all the mirrors. ATTRACTIONS: 00:31:15 -- A Destiny 2 Session to Die for (over and over and over again) 00:52:23 -- Antike II 01:00:20 -- Race for the Chinese Zodiac 01:22:05 -- Slay the Spire 01:26:37 -- Some Renewed Energy, Baseball Draft Style 01:40:33 -- Not Too Long for Whatever it is 01:53:59 -- Tunes: Shame, The Besnard Lakes and Transatlantic Revisited 02:17:12 -- Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by Olga Tokarczuk

Episode 193 -- Cramps and Calluses

Three games and four albums discussed. This should be easier. SELECTIONS: 00:14:05 -- The Online Boardgaming Space and Acquiescence 00:19:01 -- Res Arcana (revisited -- Joe's thoughts) 00:39:34 -- Praga Capvt Regni (in-depth) 01:23:28 -- Carnegie (first take, session) 02:20:02 -- Tunes: Goat Girl, Arlo Parks, Transatlantic, The Notwist

Episode 192 -- Wax On

As 2021 seems an awful lot like 2020 we are still finding the time and energy to get some games to tables, both virtual and physical. And these games are surprising, entertaining and frustrating us in the ways they always do. Here are some stories about those games. Some things change (someday) and the rest stays the same. CHAPTERS: 00:29:07 -- Wir Sind das Volk: 2+2 (in-depth session) 01:01:41 -- Res Arcana and Res Arcana: Lux et Tenebrae (in-depth) 01:31:32 -- Dos Rios (in-depth) 01:47:10 -- Those Golden Moments 01:49:39 -- Tunes: Old School and New 02:10:16 -- Still-life Talking 02:37:24 -- Book Selections for January and February

Episode 191 -- The Brilliant Broken

This is a pretty rough and raw episode. We're fighting off the depths of despair, the height of a Pandemic, and an attack on our way of life from the people who are sworn to protect it. Can a two-mile high frog be the hero we need to get us through this episode. Tune in and find out. DESPERATE MEASURES: 00:03:02 -- Polis, Fight for the Hegemony, 2nd edition 00:10:26 -- Siena 00:25:05 -- Angola (session report) 01:00:15 -- Cosmic Frog (in-depth) 02:07:25 -- Resolutions 02:09:05 -- Call to Post is a Dead Parrot 02:27:48 -- No More Windmills

Episode 190 -- All Our Windmills are Tilted

It's almost over. This . . . year. Nothing much to do other than gather up some lists of the things that got us through. We hope you dig it. COUNTDOWN: 00:05:14 -- Best Games we played for the first time. 01:48:20 -- Whiskies of the Year 01:58:32 -- Best of the Book Club 02:06:37 -- Cat Intermission 02:08:15 -- The Music That Got Us Through the Year  

Episode 189 -- Good Things in a Very Bad Year

It took us two tries to get this one right. Well, right might be too strong of a word. Lets swap that for recorded. Yeah, we finally got the episode recorded. I mean, right, ha, probably more like wrong, but you know how it is. Anyway, on with the show. ATTEMPTS: 00:15:35 -- The Listening Rooom (The Jesse Green Test) 01:12:10 -- Joe's Magical Gaming Experience (Abandon Ship!) 01:59:56 -- Destiny 2, The Ghost of Tsushima and many violent ends.

Episode 188 -- Oops! We Did it Again!

A lively discussion of modern board games. Strategies and reviews included free of charge.

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