Meeple, Myself, and I (Meeple, Myself, and I)

Hi there!

Regular episodes of the show are fully scripted and might use review copies of games, but I'm not officially affiliated with those games in any way. That's not the case for this review/preview episode - in this super-short, unscripted episode, I'll be talking about Lands of Galzyr, an adventure game on Gamefound taking late pledges at the time of this posting.

If you check out the rulebook to Lands of Galzyr, you'll see that I'm actually credited/thanked for offering advice on the rulebook. Since this is a game that I'm personally involved in, I wanted to make a shorter, preview-style episode and also use this as an opportunity to play around with a different type of episode. I don't read off of a script for this episode - I have some notes, but there is no music, a lot more Ums and Ahs, and it probably feels a bit more organic than my normal episodes do.

I'd love feedback on whether you think this structure might work for one-shot reviews/previews in the future that, for whatever reason, don't fit into the regular format of my show!

Back to our regularly-scheduled episode format soon, too!

We take a short break from the Top 100 solo games I've reviewed for something a bit different.

In honor of a weekend full of board games with friends, I'm taking a quick break from exclusively looking at solo games and talk about some great multiplayer competitive games. I do spend some time thinking about the settings of multiplayer and solo games and how they fit into my life, but... it's a bit of a change for this week! Let me know what you think!

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Giveaway

I am doing a giveaway on my Patreon! All Patrons, at any level, will be eligible for a drawing at the end of March 2022, and the winner will get either 3 games from my collection or a game purchased for them (up to $50, purchased from Stone Valley Games' website).

I'm a big, dumb idiot who can't post podcasts correctly. Pushing this through the feed one more time so people can see that it came out TODAY and not a month ago! Sorry for the extra traffic, y'all, and sorry if this showed up twice for you!

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I got back to my written review roots recently (try saying that five times fast!), reviewing the blazing-hot Kickstarter game Endless Winter.

This bonus episode is a reading of that review! We'll be back to the Top 100 in a few weeks!

With the Clockwork Expansion 2 coming out, I thought that it'd be a great time to take a look at my old review of Root (and the first Clockwork Expansion). With both of these expansions out, solo players can now go against EIGHT automated factions in Root, making for a truly delightful experience.

We'll hear more about Root later on in my Top 10 solo games (spoilers? SPOILERS!), but this is a game worth getting its own full episode, no doubt.

Let me know what you think of Root and if there's anything else you want me to get into the review docket anytime soon!

A quick review of a quick game. It's REALLY good. (The game. The review... eh.)

This episode is a bit late, and that's because I went on vacation without bringing my computer! I'm very dumb, and I'm very sorry for that.

Tune in to hear me think about solo board games in the context of one particular video game: Tears of the Kingdom. How do size, scope, and sandbox-iness all fit into the experience of playing an "epic" game -- analog or digital?

(Please forgive the audio quality on this one.)

Things are getting weird in this episode, folks. Buckle up, and my apologies.

I spend the first half of the episode talking about the radically asymmetric economic game Merchants Cove, and I "talk" to the concept of Roll and Writes through a series of letters in the second half of the episode. Hadrian's Wall and Cartographers anchor that second-half discussion.

Oh! Also! I have a Patreon now! Please check out that link for more information - I've tried to make plenty of support options for a wide range of listeners.

Intro: 0:00

Thanks, Stone Valley Games!: 2:41

Merchants Cove: 3:27

Letters with the Concept of Roll and Write: 17:30

Three games this week - all solo, all in the same publishing "series": Proving Grounds, Warp's Edge, and Wreckland Run.

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Please, oh please, check out the Patreon if you have a moment. Or leave a review on iTunes. Both of those things help grow the show!

Is this... anything?

Should I do more of this?

Do let me know!

GREAT EPISODE NAME, right?!

Season 2 comes to an end, almost exactly a year after it started. I do apologize that I haven't been more consistent with these episodes, but I'm not sorry for the reasons behind those delays. (Does that... even make sense?) Please join me in this episode to learn more.

Thanks for joining me for this happiest episode I've ever made.

Also, a huge thanks to Nelson from Nelson All Over Cards for joining in the episode, too. Sorry for the time(s) I say "Nelson Over Cards" instead of "Nelson All Over Cards" - I'm in marketing, and I should know better! Nelson - you're the best!

Season 3 will be here someday. Just give me some time to settle into this new way of being. :-)

I think this is the antepenultimate episode of the Top 100!

I have spent all of my efforts making sure that I used antepenultimate correctly, so that's all I have to say here.

Happy 2022!

In this shorter, unscripted episode, I talk about the fascinating cooperative/solo game called Regicide. It uses just a 52-card deck and builds up a really solid filler cooperative game, building up a whole lot out of not very much at all.

The best thing about this game: you can find the rules here, so if you have a standard deck of cards, you can go try the game out for yourself to see if it's for you!

First things first: if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you should call this number if you're in the US:

It's been a bit since I've put an episode out. This episode isn't really about board games; it's more about me, the reviewer, and a significant (and painful) event in my life.

So this really just serves as an apology for a lack of recent content, an attempt at catharsis, and a personal exploration of the space (or lack thereof) in between "reviewer" and "person."

We'll keep this nice and short: I'm back from my lil' breaky, with aspirations for a more consistent output through the rest of this year!

For this short first episode back, I give my thoughts on a new game - Race to the Raft - by the designer of City of Kings and Isle of Cats.

I actually live with two cats now, and I've never had cats before this year! I'm a new man.

Not really. I just can't think of anything else to say here BYE

A short review of a short game! In this episode, I give some thoughts on the roguelike solo card/dice game Mini Rogue, a game that has gotten quite a bit of buzz in the solo community.

The most obvious comparison, to me, is between it and One Deck Dungeon. And hey! I've done a written review of ODD! See my review of that excellent little game here!

(Here's to hoping I don't sound too funky in the episode! I was sick when I recorded it, and it doesn't seem like my voice will be any less stuffy for a while. But this game deserves to be talked about, so let's hope those Adobe Audition sliders can work their magic and make me sound intelligible!)

Five more games!

Five really good games!

Does anyone read these!

Is this an exercise in futility!

Someone help me!

The ostensible purpose of this episode is to discuss the latest South Tigris game - namely, Scholars of the South Tigris. What ends up happening is a retrospective on ALL of the North Sea, West Kingdom, and South Tigris games, which I'm sure is shocking to anyone who knows how LASER FOCUSED and ON TASK I usually am.

The three games: Ginkgopolis, Gugong, and Coffee Roaster

Keepin this description short because I feel self-conscious about the episode soooooo

Introducing a new kind of episode to the podcast!

"Call and Response" episodes will feature essays by content creators, publishers, designers, and others around the industry, and then I'll intrude and offer my unsolicited thoughts about their carefully crafted thoughts!

This episode features Nick Murray of Bitewing Games. What does a traditionally social gamer do when confronted with the prospect of solo gaming?

Learn more about their upcoming solo-capable game on Kickstarter, Trailblazers, here.

I LOVE THESE GAMES

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Oh! Please make sure to sign up for Stone Valley Games' giveaway of SIX ONIVERSE GAMES. Free shipping for US residents - all you have to do is sign up below:

https://www.stonevalleygames.com/oniverse/

Please sign up! You have nothing to lose! Tell your friends! 

A look at...

• 1862, a solo-capable 18xx game
• 1837, a multiplayer-only 18xx game
• me, on trains in London

My Patrons keep the show going. Thanks to them, and thanks to you for considering any support that might work for you.

Just a short announcement that Season 2 is on a bit of a pause through August 2023. I'll be back with better content when life has calmed down a bit, and look for extra stuff on the Patreon in the meantime!

Over the last five years, I've reviewed 100 games. This episode kicks off a big ol' series/retrospective on all of the games I've ever reviewed.

And... you have to start somewhere, so we'll go through the bottom of that list in this episode!

The 15 games discussed in this episode are listed alphabetically and are all listed as "Tied, #86" - there are good lessons from these Swings and Misses, but the ranked preference will begin in the next Top 100 episode.

You can find all my written reviews on BGG here!

NOTE: There are a few audio artifacts that I couldn't quite fix for this episode, largely because I'm recording in a new spot now. Sorry for any clicks or humming noises!

A move, a new job, and paying tribute to what's left behind. Welcome to Season 2 of Meeple, Myself, and I.

Games: Resist! and Legacy of Yu.

Episode 4 is here! And guess what? There are EVEN MORE VOCAL EFFECTS!

The first half of the episode is a review of the solo-friendly, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic wargame For What Remains. In the second half of the episode, I continue my epistolic series with The Concept of Roll and Writes as we consider Troyes Dice, Super Skill Pinball: 4-Cade, and Rome and Roll.

Timestamps below!

Intro: 0:00

Thanks, Stone Valley Games!: 2:06

For What Remains Review: 3:00

Letters with The Concept of Roll and Writes, Part 2: 13:20

Well, we're back to an old saw here: a few more Roll and Writes, because I just can't stay away from these ding dang games.

Should I have made it more clear that I'm eschewing an old format from episodes two years ago? Does the beginning of this episode even make sense? Is the description section of a file that I'm uploading the appropriate place to sort all these things out?

TUNE IN TO GET NONE OF THESE ANSWERS AND MORE

A love letter for games and the family that taught me to love them.

I mean... the title pretty much says it all.

See you all next year!

We're back on track with the next 14 games in my top 100 solo games that I've reviewed! We are getting into some really solid games here, folks. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

It's been a hot minute since the last full episode -- thanks to y'all for your patience. I'm excited to be back in the saddle.

For this episode, I compare one new-to-me game (The Isle of Cats) to #s 49-41 on my Top 100 Solo Reviewed Games. We are getting into some REALLY good games now, everyone!

Maybe not a good podcast, maybe not good reviews... but... the GAMES. THEY ARE GOOD!

Onto the next batch of games in my Top 100! These games are... uh... y'know... they're... they're fine.

In this episode, I look at another 20-ish games and spend some time thinking about what makes them Just Fine. I also reflect on some personal struggles I've had while reviewing games over the last five years - I hope you like auditory interpretations of what anxiety feels like to me, because there is a LOT of that in this episode!

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Giveaways

I am partnering with Stone Valley Games to give away a copy of Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition. Enter to win one of the two copies we're giving away here!

I am also doing a giveaway on my Patreon. All Patrons, at any level, will be eligible for a drawing at the end of March 2022, and the winner will get either 3 games from my collection or a game purchased for them (up to $50, purchased from Stone Valley Games' website). If you have the means to support the show, it really would mean more than I could say.

It's been a bit since I've done an episode! But I don't want that time to keep stretching out, even when I'm out of town. So I put together a short little episode here on the 2022 horror film "Smile" - a movie that, I think, wants to say lots about mental health and trauma.

SPOILERS AHOY for "Smile"

Like the whole plot!

(Also, a reference to one specific event in "Hereditary" as well.)

We'll get back to normal episodes soon enough. I hope this gets you by in the meantime, and please do let me know if you love/hate this kind of diversion in the meantime! They're incredibly fun for me to make, but... who knows if people want this. 

A quick review of a quick game from a fascinating series - this week, I'm looking at the newest Oniverse game, Stellarion.

Also! I'm doing a giveaway with Stone Valley Games to celebrate the completion of my Top 100 list at the end of the year! You can enter to win a copy of Onirim, Sylvion, Nautillon, Aerion, Castellion, and Stellarion here. We'll pay for the shipping, so please spread the word about this giveaway! We're very excited about it. :-)

Today, I'm taking a look at two solo-able card-driven games by a very interesting publisher (Fort Circle Games): Votes for Women and The Shores of Tripoli.

I feel like I should have explained that I play The Marines' Hymn because it says "The Shores of Tripoli" in that song. I... didn't say that, because I'm not a smart person.

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Check out The Halls of Montezuma Kickstarter here!

Anyone who's read any of my reviews will know that brevity is not my strong suit. So let's see if we can keep it short here, somehow.

In this inaugural episode of Meeple, Myself, and I, I quickly introduce myself and the general aim of the podcast, explain how the structure of the show will go, and then talk about some solo board games!

Weird Intro: 0:01

Actual, Proper Intro: 0:53

Thanks, Stone Valley Games!: 3:17

The Sound of One Meeple Clapping - A Review of Under Falling Skies: 4:03

One's Company and Two's a Crowd - The Competing Sensibilities of Hallertau and Tidal Blades: 12:28

Conclusion and Thanks: 26:11

As everyone expected, I'm back covering another... 8 games on the list. Definitely, all I talk about in this episode is games, and not deeply personal stuff like depression and anxiety.

Getting back in that every-other-week-posting groove! In this episode, I slow down and just look at five in this episode: #s 40-36. I don't own most of these games any more, sadly, but I do playthroughs of almost all of them and reflect on what makes these five games great for me (and why they might/might not be a good fit for you!).

This episode review features a giveaway! I'm partnering with Stone Valley Games to give a copy of Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition to one listener of this podcast. Check out this link to enter to win!

(NOTE: I'm a big dummy and this giveaway has already concluded. The Patreon giveaway will still take place at the end of this month, though!)

There are three colons in the name of this episode! That is probably too many.

...

Uh. So.

Twilight Struggle is one of my very favorite all-time competitive games. It will never leave my collection, ever.

So how does a shorter version of Twilight Struggle, WITH A SOLO MODE, stack up?

I mean... I'm not gonna tell you here. You gotta listen to me ramble for 20 minutes to find out!

I'm selling things from my house, which means selling LOTS of things on Facebook. It sucks.

This episode is some musings (ramblings?) about "trust" in online communities that buy and sell things from strangers, and it offers some context for why I suck at putting out consistent content right now. I've got feelings about selling the house, and feelings of gratitude (mostly!) for you gamers out there.

(Sorry for the poor audio quality! I'm talking into a speakerphone in my car for this episode. Maybe hearing my voice less clearly is a... good thing?)

Back for another episode! The audio quality is a bit low on this one, and I do apologize for that - I wanted to get this one HOT OFF THE PRESSES before I get a puppy in my house shortly.

IT'S FINE I AM NOT STRESSING ABOUT IT AT ALL

This is a hectic one, folks: I take exactly ten minutes to play and review (at the same time) the new game Fuse: Countdown, which is a real-time game that you play in exactly ten minutes!

If you want to know what I sound like stressed and unscripted, this is the episode for you!

Finally! A second episode!

I focus on two games in this episode: Oath and Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. Particularly, I talk about Oath's quirkiness and Jaws of the Lion's appeal to me as a solo gamer (and how that appeal gives and takes).

Oh! Also! I'm giving away a free Kickstarter copy of Oath! Check out the end of the episode to get more info on that.

Intro: 0:00

Thanks, Stone Valley Games!: 2:25

Oath: 3:12

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, and the demands epic games place upon players: 14:30

Outro and giveaway info: 26:28

We get ever-closer to the Top 15, and then... the Top 10! 

eeeeeeeep

I adore these games. Sure, they have their warts, but they're... they're my warts?

I don't know what I'm saying here, thank you for downloading the episode anyway

please download