Squarriors: The Card Game and Curious Beasts Red Blend

Squarriors: The Card Game and Curious Beasts Red Blend

Author: Michael & Suzanne Teske December 7, 2024 Duration: 42:44

Meeples & Wine Episode Recap: Curious Beasts and Squarriors

In this week’s episode, Michael and Suzy dove into the darkly whimsical pairing of the Curious Beasts Red Blend 2021 wine and the post-apocalyptic card game Squarriors. While both offerings boast intriguing packaging, they revealed some challenges beneath the surface.

Wine Highlights:
The duo sampled Curious Beasts, a gothic-themed red blend with bold flavors of cherry, plum, and a hint of oak and pepper. Its standout feature? A dramatic bottle design featuring skeletons in festive hats and violins. However, the wine’s origin remains as mysterious as its label; with the winery appearing inactive since 2018. While Michael described it as a great “burger and pizza wine,” the couple agreed its sweeter notes wouldn’t pair well with richer meals like lamb chops. If you’re drawn to eye-catching bottles, this one’s for you—but don’t expect to find it easily.

Game Review: Squarriors
The episode also explored the card game Squarriors, a mashup of Magic: The Gathering mechanics with a dystopian squirrel-filled universe. Set in a world where animals have gained sentience after humanity’s fall, the game combines deck-building, dice rolling, and tactical combat.

Michael picked this up at a bargain from Half Price Books but discovered it’s an abandoned project, with little online support or updates since its 2017 release. While Suzy admired the stunning card art, the couple found the rules incomplete and gameplay overly complex for newcomers. With no expansions or active fan base, Squarriors remains a niche curiosity for collectors rather than a game-night staple.

Final Thoughts:
Michael and Suzy ended the show by reflecting on the eerie parallel between the wine and game: both are visually captivating but haunted by the specter of abandonment. While they enjoyed the experience, these might not be first picks for your next gathering.

Check out the links below for more details:

  • Learn about Squarriors on its BoardGameGeek page.
  • Discover the (brief) history of Curious Beasts Wine on wine directory sites.
  • And don’t miss Michael’s GameFound highlight: Christmas Rolls, a festive roll-and-write game launching soon!

Tune in next week as they sip, strategize, and share more gaming and wine adventures! 🍷🐿️

Welcome to Meeples and Wine Na Pod Pomo 2023, hosted by Michael and Suzy, where they review board and tabletop games for couples. They explore how well games play with two players, their fun factor, complexity, and whether they might “destroy the marriage.” Each episode also includes a thematic wine, beer, or drink tasting to accompany the game.


Every week, Michael and Suzanne Teske turn their dining table into a testing ground for connection and cardboard. Meeples And Wine-Tabletop Games for Couples is their ongoing experiment in pairing a great game with a great drink, all while navigating the unique dynamics of playing as a pair. You’ll hear their real-time reactions as they learn new rules, their strategic banter during play, and their honest post-game debriefs about what worked, what caused hilarious friction, and what truly brought them together. It’s less a formal review and more a live-play session with friends, where the conversation flows as freely as the wine, beer, or spirit they’re sampling that episode. They focus on games that are ideal for two players or work well in a couple’s setting, always with an eye toward shared enjoyment over cutthroat competition. The result is a warm, relatable podcast that feels like an invitation to their table, offering genuine recommendations for your next game night and a companionable audio experience that celebrates leisure, strategy, and partnership. You get a sense of the game’s mechanics, the drink’s profile, and the unscripted laughter that happens when two people prioritize fun. It’s about finding those perfect combinations that make an evening memorable, ensuring the only thing left on the couch at the end of the night is the game box.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Meeples And Wine - Tabletop Games for Couples
Podcast Episodes
Doomtown Reloaded & TX Blended Whiskey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:35
Howdy pardners! Welcome to the Weird West, where the Reckoners are comin’, that there mad scientist down the street has some real odd noises comin’ from his barn, and tumbleweeds can actually kill ya! Sorry, tumblebleed’…
Foxes & Riesling! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:38
Suzanne and Michael are back from attending Polar Vortex! We had a great conversation on two player games with Graham from Fair Game and picked up The Fox in the Forest from Renegade Game Studios and Cat in the Box from…
Dice Throne & 19 Crimes Uprising Red [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:02
This week we finally picked up a copy of Dice Throne, the Cursed Pirate vs Artificer box! We played a few games we realized that a level 4 and level 6 heroes were probably not the best ones to learn with, but we persever…
So, You’ve Been Eaten & Riesling Kabinett [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:45
So, You’ve Been Eaten a game with rules written like stereo instructions (callback for those who remember stereos and Beetlejuice), and finds you as either the giant space slug, or the miner trying to escape said slug wi…
Letterflip & Quarter Cut Bourbon Chard! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
Welcome to Meeples & Wine! This week we’re taking our spelling skills to task with the game Letterflip from (the now defunct) Out of the Box Publishing! They’re the team that introduced us to Apples 2 Apples, among other…
The Phantom Society & La Cornada [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:05
This week Michael and Suzy talk about the Iello game “The Phantom Society” where you either play as the ghost hunters or the specters themselves, all the while tearing through a hotel. Other discoveries include the tasti…
Purple Dogs & BETRAYAL! We review Betrayal at House on the Hill. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:30
Welcome to Meeples & Wine where BETRAYAL hangs in the air with…purple dogs and French wine? Did we mention the BETRAYAL?! This week we have our first guest couple, Tim & Erin, to play Betrayal at House on the Hill, where…
Happy Little Dinosaurs & FRE Wine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:21
Welcome to the new year and we are back, as refreshed as we’re going to get, and ready to taste a new bottle of wine and play a game that won’t end up with you and yours in marriage counselling! We recap our month off de…
Meeples & Wine 30 – Its Over [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:00
Well, it is and it isn’t. #NaPodPomo is done, we have completed 30 shows in 30 days with two hours to go, and Michael & Suzy are done. With posting daily that is, we’re moving to a weekly show, with more time to prepare,…
Meeples & Wine 29 – Tuaca & Batman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:47
It’s episode 29, almost to the end of #NaPodPoMo, and we’re sending Love Letters to Batman! This show we’re talking about “Papa’s Game”, the trick taking game that Suz’s dad loves and loves to change the rules on. Also,…