Our Contest is Up !!!

Hey all !

As mentioned a week back, our 1st Year Anniversary Contest is officially underway !

You can participate by following the link below:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/1090524/push-your-luck-podcast-1-year-anniversary-contest



All the best and a very merry Christmas to one and all !






Jonathan

DuckiCon Impressions - Coal Baron ( Game 6 of 6 )

The last game I played at DuckiCon was Coal Baron.
I had mistakenly thought that this was a train game of sorts ( I should try not to label games as train games just by how the cover looks ) and thus never bothered to give it a glance during my time at Essen.
We had 3 of us left by the time DuckiCon was coming to a close and decided that a quick short game was in order. Eric said that Coal Baron would be a quick yet somewhat satisfyingly good game, so we decided to jump right in.

Limited Edition Wooden Case

Push Your Luck Podcast Episode 28: My my look how we have GROWN!

Jonathan and Eric talks about their first year in podcasting, the lessons learnt, friends they have met and what they are looking forward to 2014!

Contest details are also inside so sign up if you want to win prizes!

Push Your Luck Podcast is very proud to welcome their first sponsor, Hobbygamesmart.com. For a wide variety of games and at affordable prices, do check out their site and let them know Push Your Luck sent you!

Push Your Luck Podcast is now an AWESOME member of The DiceTower Network :P Do check out the other amazing podcasts in the network.

Leave us comments and questions at our guild on Boardgamegeek and leave us a review on iTunes.
Do visit our website www.pushurluckpodcast.com where we will have video and written reviews, session reports and other nifty posts!

Subscribe to our podcast here:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/PushUrLuckPodcast/pulp_feed.xml

Push Your Luck Podcast Video Review #8 : Bruxelles 1893

A game with quite a lot of rules and can be a bear to teach. Now you can watch it all here as I teach you the game of Bruxelles and tell you what I feel about the game.

Enjoy!

DuckiCon - Keyflower & The Farmers Expansion ( Game 5 of 6 )

The only game I played at DuckiCon that didn't start with the letter C was Keyflower.
I have played Keyflower twice previously and its a game that I really really enjoy. This time round we managed to add in the farmer expansion as well to see how it changes things up compared to the base game.

A Contest Looms...

Hey All !

To celebrate Push Your Luck Podcast's 1st year anniversary, and also to thank all our faithful readers and listeners, we will be releasing a contest this Sunday - 22nd Dec - ( Singapore Local Time ) on our BGG Guild ! 

DuckiCon - Coconuts ( Game 4 of 6 )

I'm not sure if I need to say more about how awesome Coconuts is.
Everyone who has played it has loved it. Light and heavy gamers alike.
Well, I did meet one friend who dissed it without having played it, I'm sure a play would change his mind, but he's being stubborn. Luckily I'm stubborn too. We'll see who wins out.

Anyway, just a few pictures of our game at DuckiCon.
Jean finally won a game of this. She used to be so horrible at it. Times are a-changing.

How to Play: Take your Monkey Catapult, Shoot a Rubbery Coconut

DuckiCon Impressions - Concordia ( Game 3 of 6 )

Concordia had a big footprint at Essen this year and was one of the booths that was constantly flooded with people. I didn't manage to get a demo in then, but the feedback from others were mostly positive.
Eric managed to borrow a friend's copy and I gave it a go during DuckiCon.

DuckiCon - Castles of Burgundy ( Game 2 of 6 )

Yay! I finally got to play Castles again! It's been 5 months since my last play... zzz
If you have been listening to our podcasts ( which you better, *sharpens knife* ), you will know that I love Castles of Burgundy ( Castles ). It's probably my favorite game of all time and something I would never ever refuse a game of.

Push Your Luck Podcast Video Review #7 : Concordia

Concordia! Another deckbuilding incorporated euro game :)
Hope you enjoy it!

Push Your Luck Video Review #6: Coal Baron

Subscribe to the channel and leave me comments there! :D

Interviewing female gamers from my gaming group....

So I will be interviewing various female gamers from my gaming groups to ask what drew them into gaming, what is keeping them here, what games they like and any advise or tips to get more ladies into gaming.

if you have any questions you want me to ask, feel free to head on to this thread and post your questions there...
http://bgg.cc/thread/1085189/interview-with-women-gamers


Thanks!

DuckiCon Impressions - Caverna ( Game 1 of 6 )

The first game I managed to play at DuckiCon was Caverna.
Eric commented: "You are actually playing Caverna !", when he saw me preparing to dive in.
The reason for this - in case you are not aware - is that I absolutely abhor Agricola. It's one of those games where I would rather search out something else to play or do than to sit through a session with that monstrosity.

DuckiCon is Ovar !!! A Grade Company, B Grade Food, and a whole bunch of games starting with C

Push Your Luck Podcast Episode 26: Mechanisms Shenanigans !

Episode 26 is out and Jonathan and Eric talk about their Top 7 game mechanisms.

Subscribe to our feed here to get the latest episodes!

http://s3.amazonaws.com/PushUrLuckPodcast/pulp_feed.xml

Push Your Luck Podcast will be LIVE on Radio!

We will be on a segment from 10AM-11AM (SGT or GMT+8) this Sunday 8th DEC where we will talk about boardgames, our interests and the scene in Singapore.

Our very first radio interview! LOL :P

If you want to listen to us live, click here
http://radio.mediacorp.sg/RadioLive/938Live.aspx

*nervous*

Push Your Luck Podcast Video Review #5: Russian Railroads

Leave me comments and suggestions and enjoy the review! Let me know what you may want me to review next.

Thanks!

Push Your Luck Podcast Video Review #4 - Northwest Passage

Leave me comments, suggestions and feedback! Also let me know what is the next boardgame you want me to review!

Thanks!

Euphoria - Finding Efficiency in a Dystopia

Euphoria is the 2nd release by Stonemaier Games; and if you have played their first release - Viticulture - you should know to expect that the production values for the game is going to be through the roof.
Well, Euphoria does not disappoint in this aspect.
In fact, the production values for Euphoria is practically out of this world ( forget about the stupid darn roof ). I have not seen any other game with production quality and bits this good. This will not seem like it was a Kickstarter game. The gold pieces feel and look like it could be real gold, and the clay bits have such great texture and detail to them that you would wish they had made it the same on all four sides so you could build houses with them. Everything production wise is simple top notch in Euphoria.
How about the gameplay you say ? Well, on to the juicy bits !

Bremerhaven - Almost there but not quite...

I want my AgriCOLA :P

Bremerhaven is a new release from Lookout games at Essen 2013. The box art immediately reminds me of Le Havre because they are from the same artist but the designer is new and this is his first game. In a nutshell, it is a light-medium weight euro style mostly card-based game. Players are bringing in ships which has cargo and trying to fulfill contracts to earn money. The game ends after a certain number of rounds, determined by "newspapers" which also depicts events and the player with the most points (multiply the money they have with the points they received from buildings and ships) will be the winner.
The core mechanism of the game is the bidding which involves 5 cards that each player has. Players will be using these cards to bid on a variety of items. There are 3 tracks, each consisting of a few items, that the players can bid on. Track 1 provides the most variety of items. Players can bid on buildings plans, ability to construct, upgrading their bidding cards, manipulating prices of goods and change player order. Track 2 provides access to the various ships that are available for that round. Track 3 provides access to the
contracts that are available.

New Sponsor! Hobby Games Mart!

We are proud to announce that Push Your Luck Podcast has a sponsor and its none other than our very friendly local online retailer Hobby Games Mart! With a HUGE selection of boardgames, friendly staff and prompt delivery, they strive to promote family time together through games and have been a great place to shop for our own needs.

So do visit their site at www.hobbygamesmart.com and let them know Push Your Luck Podcast sent you there!

Hobby Games Mart is also looking for foreign publishers who wish to reach out to Asian Markets. If you are interested, do contact them at: cust.serv@hobbygamesmart.com

Bruxelles 1893 - Too Much of Something is Bad Enough...

Over the recent weekend i managed to get in 2 games of Bruxelles 1893 - another Essen 2013 release.
I could sense from the way Eric talked about it that it was quickly becoming one of his favorite games. So, in order to hurt his feelings, i am going to purposely write a bad report about it. Haha.
No i kid, my genuine impressions of the game can be found below.

Nations : Through the Ages revised...?

My Egyptians won!

Through the Ages (TtA) has been THE civilization style game for me. Even though its mostly abstracted and played with cards and cubes, the clever streamline design and direct confrontation available in the advanced game makes it fun but not for the novice player. Indeed, while Through the Ages beats many others, it has some flaws which makes it daunting for new players to jump into it easily. Nations, an Essen 2013 release, seems to take most of the mechanisms and tries to take away the clunkiness while maintaining the essence of the game.

Untested Variant - Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy

I'm a little apprehensive about posting a variant in which i have yet the opportunity to try, but seeing that i won't have the chance to play the game anytime soon ( i don't own a copy ), i was wondering if others who own the game may have a chance to test the variant and see if it's any good ?

I had thought about it before falling asleep last night and decided to jot it down before the information gets lost along the way.

Push Your Luck Podcast Episode 25: Feld-stravaganza!!!

Joel Eddy joins Eric and Jonathan as they talk about Stefan Feld and his 4 releases for 2013. They chat about each of them and how they are ranked against each other. 3:34 - Bora Bora 21:43 - Rialto 34:34 - Bruges 47:18 - Amerigo Push Your Luck Podcast is now a proud member of The DiceTower Network. Do check out the other amazing podcasts in the network. Also check out the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund Auction on Boardgamegeek! Leave us comments and questions at our guild on Boardgamegeek and leave us a review on iTunes. Do visit our website www.pushurluckpodcast.com where we will have video and written reviews, session reports and other nifty posts! subscribe to it here http://feeds.feedburner.com/PushUrLuckPodcastpulp Thanks!

Suburbia Inc - Just Keep Building, Just Keep Building

Suburbia was released last year ( 2012 ) by Bezier Games, and after playing it at Eric's place, i was so blown away by how good the gameplay was that i immediately went out to get my own copy. It's quite possibly the best city building board game in the market right now ( or ever ).

Recently at Essen, they released their first expansion for Suburbia titled Suburbia Inc.

An unboxing video!

So I just received my copy of Russian Railroads and I could not wait to take it out so I decided to make an unboxing video. Not too sure the format and stuff though and whether its even constructive or helpful. So leave me feedback and let me know! Thanks! http://youtu.be/AS4iC-S4qkA

Push Your Luck Podcast Video Review #3 - Lewis and Clark

Check out the latest video review! You can click on the link below or the video link on the right of this blog. http://youtu.be/YU5GzBCGXTk

Japan Games Night - The Baker Life is the Life for Me ( Game 3 of 3 )

Well, the last Japan game for our game night was none other then Machi Koro !!

I've played this only once prior and though I enjoyed it, it didn't tickle my fancy as much as I had hoped it would. So I decided to break it out again and give it another twirl.

Japan Games Night - Couldn't Cheat to Save My Life... ( Game 2 of 3 )

The second game of the night was published by AEG recently but was originally a japan release and that is Cheaty Mages.

Cheaty Mages is a betting and bluffing game where players are trying to accumulate the most money after 3 rounds of play. Each round, 5 combatants and 1 judge are placed face up on the table. Players are then dealt a certain number of cards depending on the number of players. Before any action begins, each player must then place one to three bids on any of the 5 combatants. Each player may not place more than one bid per combatant. The catch for the bids is this, if you place only one bid, you will receive double the face value if you win, of you place two bids, you will win the face value, and if you place three bids, you will only win half the face value rounded up. So bidding on more combatants is not always the best way to go. 

Japan Games Night - Bye Bye Villains ! ( Game 1 of 3 )

Having recently had the chance to break out most of the Japan games i bought from Essen, i just thought i would share my group's experiences with the games we played.

The first on the list was Say Bye to the Villains
I had a strong feeling going in that my group will love this game. Eric was not impressed by it at all but i remain undeterred and decided that i would table this game to start the evening

Push Your Luck Video Review #2 - Rokoko

New video review and I talk about Rokoko! It was quite a fun game to play and though I haven't played any of the other fashion-related games like Pret A porter so I cannot give a comparison. I have played some of the designers' other games and I do like them. I feel that this is another hit they have on their hands. Can't say much about less than 4 player games though and hopefully I will be able to try it in the future! Check out the video on the right!

Small Boat & Good Hands lead the way - Lewis & Clark ( Initial Impressions )

Lewis & Clark is a game that I have been excited about since reading about it before Gencon 2013.

My trip to Essen was fruitless in the area that I was unable to get in a demo of the game. 

Dion did purchase the game sight unseen so that was still a relief in a way that I was sure one day I would get a chance to play it. And play it we did. :)

Push Your Luck Podcast Episode 24: Essen 2013 Impressions

Eric and Jonathan are joined with Michael Fox from Little Metal Dog show and talk about Essen 2013. Jonathan and Michael share what they have seen and share tips and what they felt was Game of the Con. Remember to check out KEEP RUNNING, Michael’s latest game now on Kickstarter Push Your Luck Podcast is now a proud member of The DiceTower Network. Do check out the other amazing podcasts in the network. Leave us comments and questions at our guild on Boardgamegeek and leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks! Subscribe here http://feeds.feedburner.com/PushUrLuckPodcastpulp

Quick Preview: Dead Man's Draw

This might be too late to help the Kickstarter campaign for the game but i gotta try !
Dead Man's Draw Kickstarter / ( ends in 56 hours ! )
I had only recently ( read: yesterday ) downloaded the app for my iPad, and i LOVE the gameplay !

Its really very simple but strangely addicting.

Each turn you get to flip as many cards ( one at a time ) from a face-down deck into the play area. You will choose/decide when to stop and bank all the cards. Should you draw a card of the same suit as one previously drawn, then you bust and all cards revealed are thrown into a discard pile.

Workers on a Train - Russian Railroads ( Initial Impressions )

Russian Railroads was recently released by Z-Man Games and Hans im Gluck at Essen 2013. It flew under my radar as I had assumed from its box art and stated category on BGG that it was a train game. Train Games = Major Dislike for me.

While at the fair, there was a lot of buzz for the game and we ran into a gamer – who demoed Yunnan with us – who kept declaring it the game of the fair ( for him of course )

Having eventually checked out all we wanted to do, Dion and myself decided to head on over to see how good this “Game of the Fair” was. Dion got a demo in while I watched from the sidelines. The result ? He loved it ! Game of the Fair for him.

Could it be that Russian Railroads is all its hyped up to be ?

I got a play in last Saturday at Eric’s place – a 4 player game involving Jillian, Eric, Dion and myself. Read on to see if its captured my attention as well !

We are now part of the Dicetower Network!

WOOT WOOT WOOT! :D

Check it out here
http://youtu.be/vo-rUqmgwHg

We are very happy and proud to join this growing network of awesome podcasts and family of podcasters. We hope to learn from everyone and bring our podcast to new heights!

Do check out the other amazing podcasts here
http://www.dicetowernetwork.com/

If you are a first time visitor to our site from the Dicetower network, WELCOME! Take a look at our blog for many many reviews and session impressions. Join our guild where we will always post the latest news with regards to our blog and podcast there.

Feel free to drop us comments on this post or at our guild and if you like what you hear, leave us reviews on iTunes and help others find out about us.

BIG THANK YOU! 

First impressions : Rokoko

Look at all the pretty pretty dresses!

Rokoko, one of the games that Jon and I were looking forward to, I think he more than me. Its a game about dress making and fashion and is an action selection game that combines deck building as well as resource gathering. Players try to manage obtaining resources to make dresses or buy decorations which will all lead to end game points. The deck building portion ties in with the action selection where each player will choose 3 cards to play for that round. Game lasts 6 rounds and there is a rather complicated end game scoring to be done and whomever has the most points will win the game. This is a 1 game impression and we had 5 players for this game. Lets take a look at what I have learnt.

First impressions : Caverna



Of course being a dog lover, I had to build the Dog trainer room :)


Caverna, another widely anticipated game from Uwe Rosenberg, is seen as a better version of Agricola and was released at Essen 2013. In essence this is quite true because it plays very similar to Agricola except for a few changes. Thematically we are all dwarves now (?!?) and we now have a mountain to dig into and build mines. Also that is where our rooms are now built. There is still a farming aspect where the normal Agricola features are available but with the new mountain area, it presents a new path to victory and that is expeditions. So did it work?

First Impressions: Russian Railroads

And round and round our scoring marker goes!

So if you have been following up on the releases at Essen 2013 and Fairplay list, you will know that Russian Railroads topped the Fairplay list and is one of our big surprises. I did not notice it because I had wrongly assumed that it was a game involving railroads (similar to 18xx) and thus all the preconceived notions about the game (takes very long, shares etc) did not appeal to me much and I gave it a miss.

However judging from the responses I did take a look while Essen was going on and lo and behold, its a euro worker placement game with a railroad theme AND there is no laying of tracks involved! Quite a twist don't you think? I wonder if this is the first of its kind.
So Dion came on by after dinner and we just HAD to give this a try and see what all the hype is about.

ImprEssens - Shephy

To be frank, there were not many real surprises for me at Essen this year. This is mainly due to the flood of information that is readily available on the internet ( and largely due to Eric Martin's awesome Essen updates and preview ).

Russian Railroads did surprise me but only for the fact that it wasn't a train game but a train themed worker placement game. I completely blocked it out of sight once i saw it resembled a train game. A mistake on my part. So for the fact it was a great game, that was a major surprise.

But one big surprise of Essen is finding a small booth that was demoing a game called Shephy.

ImprEssens - Coconuts

Coconuts was a game I had highlighted previously on our Essen Podcast episode ( Episode 22: Essen Wishlist ).
I said it looked like a silly and stupid dexterity game. ( Whether that sounds like a positive or a negative, i leave it entirely up to you :P )
Well, did it live up to what i had expected of it ? Let's find out !

ImprEssens - Cappuccino

I walked by Pegasus Spiele's booth many times but had never the intention to try their new release - Cappuccino. It wasn't until I saw the lovely prints on the cups that my attention was captured.

I love great art in games so I stopped to admire the roses so to speak.

It so happened that a couple came along and wanted to play so we started a really quick game.

ImprEssens - Amerigo

Amerigo was big at Essen 2013. 

Not just for its box size but also for the sheer difficulty in getting a table for a demo. 

We tried many times to find a place but was unable to even get a whiff of it. This happened for all 4 days. Fortunately for me, when I was running about on my own I saw three gentlemen preparing for a game so I swooped in and requested if I could join them. Thankfully they agreed and so I can bring you an impression report. :)

Essen: Final Day... :(

Essen is over !!!!!! D:

That's all folks. Done and dusted.

It's been a great experience and I'm glad & extremely fortunate to have been able to take in all this gaming goodness with a great friend for company. 

4 full days with people who share the same passion for the hobby is nothing short of exciting and liberating. Being able to geek out without any judging looks is indeed a blessed thing.

Well, as I sit alone in my hotel room finishing this post, it's kind of sad that things must come to a close. I may never attend Essen again due to cost restrictions but I think you can never say never. ;)

Push Your Luck Podcast now does Video Reviews!

So we have ventured into the youtube realm and its a quick review of one of Uwe's recent releases, Glass Road!

Do give us your reviews and comments so we can improve upon and see how we can continue our video reviews.

Here's the link for youtube:

http://youtu.be/A5lRa3rrMBE

Essen: Day 3 ( and remnants of Day 2 )

We're almost at the finish ! :(

Unfortunately there's gonna be another :( face cos I don't have much to update for today. I left my ipad mini with a lady for a project and so I don't have much photos for everyone to ogle at.

Today was JAM packed. I mean CRAZY packed. Possibly cos it's the weekend crowd mingling around with the regular crowd. 

We were literally rubbing shoulder to shoulder with not much space to really get around. And I would say it was mostly this way till near closing time.

Push Your Luck Podcast: Episode 23 -- How Games can change the world!

In this episode, Eric is joined by his wife Serene and Scott Nicholson, to discuss on how Games can indeed change the world. This podcast was inspired from the TED talk where renown game designer Jane Mcgonigal (http://janemcgonigal.com/) gave a talk called "Gaming can make a better world."

This has been quite an enlightening episode for me to record and I hope it will give our listeners a broader view of the world of games (boardgames, video games etc) and what people are doing to help change the world through change their perspectives on games.

Click on the feed below for more information:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/PushUrLuckPodcastpulp

on iTunes you can find it here (give it a little bit to update :) )
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/push-ur-luck-podcast/id595424362?mt=2

Essen: Day 2

Day 2 has come and gone and we're still alive. :)

I slept a total of 5 hours after all the blog posts yesterday so I will probably call it an early night for today. :l

My roommate is saying I am keeping him from his sleep. Zzz...

Anyway, its amazing how even though you are roaming the same halls, you just feel like there's always something new and exciting you want to do. 

ImprEssens - Rokoko

Rokoko was one of the top games that I was eagerly looking forward to at Essen.

So I went to the booth shortly after visiting Eagle Games, but to my own surprise, I struggled to pull the trigger. I hesitated and eventually Dion bought it instead so that we can try and whoever likes it will keep it. Traveling with friends is indeed a blessed thing.

Well, played it we did. 

We had a 4 player game that lasted almost 2 hours including rules explanation. I read the rules before so that went pretty quick.

ImprEssens - Om Nom Nom

Om Nom Nom is such a delightful name for a game that it was inevitable that I had to give it a go.

It's basically a quick push your luck and deduction game where you try to outthink your opponents and grab a whole bunch of munchies for yourself

Playmats = Bacon

Today I reckoned

That Playmats are like Bacon

You should always get one

Because they make everything awesome

ImprEssens - World of Tanks: Rush

The first demo we managed to get into was for World of Tanks: Rush.

A friend wanted to pick this up so we heading there after dumping our buys at the hotel.

Essen: Opening Day Loot

Forgot to add this in in the previous post, and too lazy too get it amended, hence a new post. :)

Well, our day 1 loot !

( might also be the loot for the rest of the convention... Running out of baggage space )

Essen: Opening Day

Well, we're here !! and we ( barely ) made it past day 1 of Essen.

Dion is about all ready to pass out. Haha.

The picture above is the queue to get into hall 3. Wasn't as long as I expected so that was great. 

This is my first con experience so I can't compare it to others but I will say its a big enough scale IMO and after day 1 we went through halls 1 & 3 pretty much just glancing at most on offer and buying what we decided were "hot" and might not last till tomorrow. 

This post will only be some very simple pictures of what I took ( which wasn't much since I had games to lug along with me ).

If possible I will do separate posts on my imprEssens of games. Hur hur.

Maximum Throwdown - Tossing Time Away

Maximum Throwdown is a simple and silly dexterity game where players each control a faction represented by cards and are trying to toss these cards onto the playing area so that the card touches a pre-existing card and that most of their faction symbols are showing; while at the same time covering those of their opponents. 

Mascarade : every face a different shade



wait who were you again..?

 A lot of micro games have been released in 2013 and it does seem as if everyone is jumping on the band wagon. In this post, we will look at Mascarade which is in the same vein as Coup and see how this compares with the other micro games of similar nature.
If you have played Coup or to a lesser extent Love Letter, Masacarde will be familar to you. Each player will be dealt a character card which is open information to everyone at the start of the game. Then all cards are turned faced down and the game will begin. Each player will take a turn until a player has accumulated 13 coins (or 10 if you have a specific character) and is immediately declared the winner.

Castaways : Will we get off this island?



We almost made it!


I have had very good experiences with Robinson Crusoe (even though I haven't reviewed it yet, sorry about that!) so when I heard about another game that involves survival and preparing and escaping from an island, I was intrigued. Besides the theme and one or two mechanisms, Castaways is quite different from Robinson Crusoe.
Castaways is a semi-cooperative game where players have to survive long enough to be able to prepare for the eventual rescue off the island. Players will need to provide for the group on a daily basis (i.e. food and shelter) as well as explore the island and to build / forage for equipment which will allow them to get off the island. Mechanisms wise, its an action selection with a choose-your-adventure element that ties it all together.

Episode 22: Our essen wish list

Jonathan and Eric talks about what they are looking forward to at Essen 2013 where Jonathan will be heading off to soon! Lets see what excites the boys...

0:00 - Start
03:36 - Rokoko
08:33 - Keyflower: The Farmers
11:43 - Francis Drake
18:02 - Glass Road
23:30 - Lewis and Clark
26:00 - Legacy: The Testament of Duke De Crecy
31:02 - S-Evolution
35:32 - Bruxelles 1893
41:11 - Coconuts
44:50 - Caverna: The Cave Farmers
49:10 - CV
52:23 - Bremerhaven
55:20 - Yunnan
58:32 - Dungeon Petz: Dark Alleys
01:00:40 - Craftsmen
01:04:54 - Heart of Crown
01:06:40 - Pentos
01:09:40 - Suburbia Inc
01:10:43 - Agricola: Even more buildings big and small
01:11:40 - Cappuccino

Leave us comments and questions at our guild on Boardgamegeek and rank us on iTunes.
Point your feed readers here to get the episode

http://feeds.feedburner.com/PushUrLuckPodcastpulp

Essen '13 - On the Radar - Suburbia Inc.

Suburbia, which was released at Essen 2012, is ( in my opinion ) probably the best city building board game out there at the moment.

One year later, we have its first expansion set titled Suburbia Inc.

The Duke - abstract game that is chess-like

The Duke is an abstract game that pits 2 players against one another in a chess-like manner. Players control a variety of tiles and throughout the game may bring them into play in order to capture an opponent's duke and thus win the game.

Essen '13 - On the Radar - Ticket to Ride: Nederland

Nederland is the new expansion map for Ticket to Ride.

In keeping up with their money grabbing, space wasting ways, Days of Wonder is yet again releasing a one sided map expansion pack. Bleh. Sigh.

Episode 21: We are BACKKKKKKK!!!!

Eric and Jon are joined by a special guest, Eric's Wife and we talk about the games they have played since Eric returned back from GENCON with his luggages of goodies!

0:00 - Start
02:02 - Brugge
06:00 - Lords of Waterdeep and Scoundrels of Skullport
13:28 - The Duke
20:37 - Little Prince Make me a planet
24:32 - Dread Curse
33:23 - Mascarade
39:55 - Nothing Personal
44:53 - Spyrium
55:24 - Fish Cook
01:02:10 - Via Appia

Leave us comments and questions at our guild on Boardgamegeek and rank us on iTunes.
Do visit our website www.pushurluckpodcast.com where we will have reviews, session reports and other nifty items!

Click here to listen to it
http://s3.amazonaws.com/PushUrLuckPodcast/PULP+Ep+21.mp3

Lords of Waterdeep: Scoundrels of Skullport Review

 

Designer: Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee & Chris Dupuis

No. of Players: 2-6

Playing Time: 75-100mins

Mechanics: Worker Placement / Set Collection

Essen '13 - On the Radar - Rokoko

In Rokoko, the players are all running a dressmaking business whereby they have been commissioned to make dresses for the prestigious guests that are attending a very lavish ball. Along the way you are also trying to donate money towards the ball so that you may be known far and wide as not only an excellent dressmaker but a very generous one as well.

Essen '13 - On the Radar - Lewis & Clark

Lewis & Clark has been on my radar since way before GenCon.

I was hoping to get more info about the game through Eric and through others who have managed to get a demo in during the convention. Unfortunately it seems that not a lot of people – Eric included – were able to try this ( or if they have then they didn’t share much info about it on BGG ). But for those who did share, they all seemed to have enjoyed it quite a bit and that has given me positive vibes for the game.

Fix'it for Dummies - Sushi Go!

The fourth entry for Fix'it for Dummies is...

Essen '13 - On the Radar - Say Bye to the Villains

I’ve always told myself that if I ever went to a convention, I must drop by the Japon Brand booth ( and the booths of the other Japanese Publishers as well of course ).

Reason being, I find that the Japanese style games are by and large very different from the games we are normally used to.

I love the art style and presentation of their games.

The gameplay also differs from the norm; they tend to put a twist to their games either components wise or how tried and true mechanics are used in a new game.

It’s no surprise then that they started the trend of small card games with their surprise hit – Love Letter.

Well, one of their upcoming releases for Essen that has caught my eye is “Say Bye to the Villains”.

Essen '13 - On the Radar - Legacy: the testament of Duke de Crecy

Games that tell stories are a favorite of mine as the experience is usually different from that of "regular" games. It's difficult to create an experience that sticks with you in a story form and is playable in 60-90 mins.

A few games seem to do it well but require a lengthy investment of time on the players' part.

Legacy: the testament of Duke de Crecy (Legacy) tries to do the same but in a much shorter span of time, 60 mins (or so it says on the box)

Essen '13 - On the Radar - Amerigo

If you listen to our podcast you will know that I very much enjoy a lot of Stefan Feld’s game designs. I find that his games are pretty tight and often involve difficult decisions about what you want to achieve in-game. And not to forget, the oft “I want to do everything” feeling while playing his games.

Well, Essen marks the release of his fourth and final game of 2013 – Amerigo.

Essen '13 - On the Radar - Packet Row

Lords of Waterdeep Review

Designer: Rodney Thompson & Peter Lee

No. of Players: 2-5

Playing Time: 60-75mins

Mechanics: Worker Placement / Set Collection

Fix'it for Dummies - Kobayakawa

The third entry for Fix'it for Dummies is...

PULP Episode 20: GENCON 2013 LAST DAY!

Eric talks about his Day 4 meeting various publishers and designers as well as brief summary of his thoughts about GENCON 2013. Highlights include interviews with Catalyst Game Labs, Smirk and Dagger, Bezier Games, Greater than Games and Minion Games.

0:00 - Start!
02:36 - Interview about a game called The Spoils
09:29 - Interview with Baksha Games
14:34 - Interview with Cryptozoic
22:23 - Interview with Wyrd Miniatures
27:22 - Interview with Blank Wall Games
36:58 - Interview with Golden Egg
44:41 - Interview with Iello
01:01:17 - Interview with Tasty Minstrel Games
01:12:00 - Interview with Wizkids
01:18:47 - Interview with Eric Lang
01:39:12 - Interview with Stronghold Games
01:49:25 - Final Thoughts about GENCON 2013

You can listen to the episode here:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/PushUrLuckPodcast/PULP+Ep+20.mp3

PULP Episode 19: GENCON 2013 Day 3

Eric talks about his Day 3 meeting various publishers and playing games. Highlights include interviews with Catalyst Game Labs, Smirk and Dagger, Bezier Games, Greater than Games and Minion Games. Eric also reviews Francis Drake and The Duke.

0:00 - Start!
12:02 - Interview with Bezier Games
20:15 - Interview with Smirk and Dagger Games
29:22 - Interview with Cataylst Game Labs
37:26 - Interview with Greater than Games
41:00 - Interview with Minion Games

Click here to listen to the episode:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/PushUrLuckPodcast/PULP+Ep+19.mp3

Follow Eric on twitter 'duckizz' so that you can enjoy the videos and pictures of GENCON 2013

PULP Episode 18 - GENCON 2013 Day 2

I talk about the things I have seen, heard and the people whom I have met for interviews. Included are the various recordings I have made during the day. I also include 4 short reviews in the podcast.

Breakdown as follows:
14:59 - Interview with Geoff Engelstein
19:46 - Rules explanation for Freedom the Underground Railroad
29:32 - Fantasy Flight Games In-flight Report
1:53:48 - Game Salute State of the Union
2:57:48 - Interview with Todd from AEG

Please click here to listen to it!

http://s3.amazonaws.com/PushUrLuckPodcast/PULP+Ep+18.mp3

Push Ur Luck Podcast Episode 17: GENCON 2013 Day 1

In this episode, I talk briefly about my day and review 2 games which I manage to play.
I also include interviews with Zee Garcia from The Dicetower, Queen Games, Privateer Press, Wizkids' Dungeons and Dragons Press release and Playdek.

Check out the link here for the episode
http://s3.amazonaws.com/PushUrLuckPodcast/PULP+Ep+17.mp3


As usual, I have posted a lot of pictures and even videos via my Twitter feed so if you haven't followed me yet, do follow me at @duckizz.


Thanks!

PULP Episode 16: Day 0 of GENCON 2013

I talk about Day 0 of my 2013 GENCON Experience! 

Games played:

1) Kobayakawa

2) Pinguin Party

3) Maximum Takedown

4) Circus Train

5) Hegemonic

Listen to it here

http://s3.amazonaws.com/PushUrLuckPodcast/PULP+Ep+16.mp3

remember to follow me on twitter @duckizz for all the latest pictures and videos from GENCON 2013!

A Purchase Decision - Sushi Go!

The game in question for this week’s entry is…

Sushi Go!

Sushi Go! is designed by Phil Walker-Harding.

Some of his other designs include Cannonball Colony & Archaeology.

Sushi Go! is a simple card drafting and set collection game for families.

Game Info

Sushi Go! plays 2-5 players

Published playing time is 20mins
Mechanics – Card Drafting / Set Collection / Simultaneous Action Selection

Dominant Species : It's a BLOODBATH!

Last weekend, I played my most cut throat and bloody game of 6 player Dominant Species ever! It was after dinner, we had 2 new players and I think relations were strained after.

Dion explained the rules to our new players with the main rule being to attack me whenever there was a chance. Of all the rules to remember and follow feverishly, this was the one which the players took to at heart.