#345: Essen SPIEL 2025 Hype List

#345: Essen SPIEL 2025 Hype List

Author: Board Game Barrage October 16, 2025 Duration: 58:41

Not perturbed by Kellen's trip to Germany, we're all daydreaming about the motherlode of board game conventions, Essen SPIEL. There's a lot of games coming to the show, and because we're not going, and presumably you aren't either, we'll just tell you what's going to be there instead! The good stuff, anyway. Before we Germinate, we talk about Calimala, Tír na nÓg, and Typewriter.

02:42 - Calimala
09:42 - Tír na nÓg
16:15 - Typewriter
26:15 - Essen SPIEL 2025 Preview
28:49 - Mission: Red Planet (Third Edition)
31:18 - The Other Side of the Hill
33:29 - Severton
36:12 - Harvest Valley
38:11 - Pulitzer
39:26 - Echoes of Time
41:14 - Oopsie
42:55 - Feya's Swamp
43:46 - Baghdad: The City of Peace
45:25 - Ghost Lift
48:07 - Coming of Age
49:33 - The Presence
51:50 - Carnival of Sins
53:37 - The Republic of Rome: Remastered
55:22 - Theocratia

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Board Game Barrage is a weekly conversation with Kellen, Neilan, Mark, and Christina that feels like pulling up a chair at a lively game night. The discussion centers on the board games they’ve actually been playing, from the newest releases causing a stir to older titles that deserve another look. You’ll hear their distinct personalities and opinions clash and align as they debate strategies, dissect mechanics, and share those memorable, often hilarious moments that happen around the table. This isn’t a formal review show, but a genuine chronicle of their hobby. The heart of the podcast lies in its focus on the social experience of gaming-how to navigate different player styles, keep the atmosphere positive, and ultimately enjoy the company and the competition, regardless of who comes out on top. It’s about the shared stories that emerge from a box of cardboard and wood. Each episode is a deep dive into what makes games fun, frustrating, and fascinating, delivered with a blend of enthusiasm and friendly critique. Tune in to Board Game Barrage for an authentic, unscripted look at the modern board gaming landscape through the eyes of four dedicated friends who love to talk about what they play.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Board Game Barrage
Podcast Episodes
#338: Gen Con 2025 Preview [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:22
Gen Con! Where all the cool games are, before you even know they're cool. Or hot! We've got you covered, if you want to know what all the best stuff coming out of Indianapolis is going to before before anyone else, then…
#337: Our Listeners' Top 20 Board Games of All-Time 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:49
It's time again to turn the tables and get your take, to feel out the collective tastes of you, the listeners of the show. It's the annual Listener Top 20! You've been sending in all of your lists (thank you!), I've been…
#336: Happy Little Accidents [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:25
When playing games it's easy to fall into the trap of over-anaylsing turns, or questioning whether the move we made was the right one, or even allowing people to roll back whole turns - so we're asking if maybe we've bee…
#335: A Cole New Wehrle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:13
A dazzling place you never knew ... until now that is! We're diving deep on beloved designer Cole Wehrle in another designer spotlight. We dig back into his Roots, and explore the many Arcs that led to his Oath to revolu…
#334: Nothing's Done It Better [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:32
Well, we finally did it. We played CATAN, and it was ... good! And then we started wondering, is there anything that's done quite the same thing that that game is doing? And then that got us wondering how many games ther…
#333: Gold3n G33ks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:00
Happy 333! In honour of our three hundred and thirty third episode, BoardGameGeek has decided to host an emergency session of the Golden Geek Awards, and we're here to tell you about all the nominees that satisfy the cru…
#332: Hard Pass! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:27
I would say that, for the most part, there's very little we won't play - but we also know what we like, and especially what we don't like. Every so often a game gets suggested that we have to say "literally anything but"…
#331: One Thing I Hate About You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:27
We've spent a lot of time over the years singing the praises of the games we love, but they can't be perfect right? Surely there's something, one little thing, that bugs us - a small blemish in our otherwise most beloved…
#330: We Played a Load of Games! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:05
We just got back from Dice Tower West, so you know what that means ... bunches and bunches of games! Between the convention, and the meetup, and just hanging out at Mark's place, we got a lot of great stuff played, and w…
#329: All the Stars Are Here! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:22
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 c…