SVWAG Con Report

SVWAG Con Report

Author: Pickaxe July 29, 2025 Duration: 1:08:04
A chief misgiving Mark has about the con is that he is a terrible playtester. He was able to play two unpublished games, and while the designers were gracious he is seldom able to offer anything of much substance. "This game," he might say, "has cards. And other things." Past that, for some reason, when confronted with a prototype his faculties often fail him. 01:48 AYURIS: Arborea (Dani Garcia, Alley Cat Games, 2023) Games Played Last Week: 05:00 -Phantom Division (Pete Ruth & Mark Thomas, Phantom Horizon, 2026) 14:38 -Westphalia (Amabel Holland, Hollandspiele, 2019) 23:33 -Project: ELITE (Konstantinos Kokkinis, Marco Portugal, & Sotirios Tsantilas, CMON, 2020) 27:19 -Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2021) 33:25 -Rise & Fall (Christophe Boelinger, Ludically, 2024) 38:15 -Space Cadets: Dice Duel (Geoff Engelstein and Sydney Engelstein, Stronghold, 2013) 43:06 -Outlive (Gregory Iliver, La Boite de Jeu, 2017) News (and why it doesn't matter): N/A 45:22 Topic: SVWAG Con Report Chef Ashlee: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068315809451 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Mike Walker and Mark Bigney, So Very Wrong About Games digs into the world of hobby gaming with a blend of sharp critique and genuine enthusiasm. Each episode feels like pulling up a chair at a table where two knowledgeable friends are deep in conversation, dissecting everything from the latest releases to timeless classics. They believe that a bad game deserves a thorough examination just as much as a great one, applying that same level of detailed analysis to reviews, industry news, and broader gaming topics. This isn't about following trends or generating hype; it's about thoughtful discussion that respects both the listener's time and the context in which games are made and played. The dynamic between Walker and Bigney captures a fundamental truth about the hobby-that taking games seriously and having fun with them are not mutually exclusive. You'll find their approach both refreshing and deeply engaging, whether they're championing an overlooked gem or meticulously explaining why a popular title didn't work for them. Tune in to this Pickaxe-produced podcast for honest, substantive talk that treats the medium with the depth it often deserves, but rarely receives in casual conversation.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

So Very Wrong About Games
Podcast Episodes
The Hobbit: There and Back Again [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:14
Before Dr. Reiner Knizia invented areas, everyone and everything was simultaneously co-located and yet distant all at the same time. It was primordial chaos. Movement was effectively impossible, as Xeno demonstrated; the…
Omnibus Questions Epsilon Aleph [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:12
While Mark is perhaps disappointed at the typical tragic dearth of questions related to Macross and Terry Bogard, and Walker secretly yearns to be granted naming rights to a listener's offspring (protip: don't let him),…
Wonderland's War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:07
In our effort to answer all of your Omnibus Questions, sadly we cannot enlist the assistance of notable Canadian Keanu Reeves. In an interview with Stephen Colbert--as a joke after Keanu said something profound--he was a…
Listener Hot Takes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:15
We deliver this episode despite the officially mandated period of public mourning due to Toronto's setbacks in basesball. In Canada, public mourning is characterized by donning black jean jackets and swapping our Tragica…
Luthier [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:55
"'Frederick Chopin was a Polish composer in the Romantic style who wrote primarily for the piano.' I guess this is sort of interesting, as most facts are. But history has shown us that *facts are not what most humans bel…
Rulebooks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:48
As ever, we do not acknowledge one of the most pernicious false dichotomies in the rulebook space; whether rules should be strictly permissive (you can only do what the rules say you can) or strictly restrictive (you can…
Samurai [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:37
"Wiarton Willie is the name given to a Canadian groundhog who lives in the community of Wiarton in Bruce County, Ontario. Every February 2, on Groundhog Day, Willie takes part in the local Wiarton Willie Festival. His ro…
Tile-Laying Games [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:55
Rest assured that every topic we address here at SVWAG will be utterly comprehensive and final, unless and until we decide to address it again. Thus, when we discuss tile-laying games, we perforce will cover all of them,…
Ayar: Children of the Sun [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:19
"A quipu usually consists of cotton or camelid fiber cords, and contains categorized information based on dimensions like color, order and number. The Inca, in particular, used knots tied in a decimal positional system t…
Why Is This Game So Long? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:29
We are staunchly body positive here at SVWAG, but we do prefer our bears fat. "Let me have about me bears that are fat," said Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, or he would have, had he known about the glory that is Fat Bear W…