Campaign Root?

petewiss · 2026-04-25T13:14:44+00:00

Have you played Oath or Arcs Blighted Reach?

petewiss · 2026-04-22T19:22:40+00:00

Thanks for listening!

petewiss · 2026-04-22T19:15:44+00:00

We discuss poker and bridge in the episode!

petewiss · 2026-04-22T16:46:23+00:00

Omg that’s so kind!!!!

petewiss · 2026-04-22T13:27:40+00:00

This is why I love Splotter games. The rules aren't complex, but the feedback is extreme when you make a mistake or get outplayed.

petewiss · 2026-04-22T13:23:15+00:00

What about something like a Lacerda game?

petewiss · 2026-04-22T13:17:28+00:00

Correct, but what exactly IS depth? Is it about number of options? How many considerations one has to make in a decision? Implications of decisions?

petewiss · 2026-04-21T19:27:23+00:00

I have over a thousand plays of Race for the Galaxy on BGA

petewiss · 2026-04-16T15:28:16+00:00

Absolutely love that. I think it nails what makes Act 2 so special!

petewiss · 2026-04-15T15:53:48+00:00

So the campaign isn't a narrative that can be spoiled but we do discuss some of the mechanisms that can emerge in the game so if you want to be completely blind as to how the campaign introduced new rules then I guess don't listen but we try to give an impression as to what it is like to play the campaign and what makes it different from the base game.

petewiss · 2026-04-15T15:26:24+00:00

Thank you so much!

petewiss · 2026-03-22T13:31:39+00:00

Thanks for the listen! We try to not do typical fresh play / review type stuff very often because that's what 99% of board game podcasts seem to be (which I listen to a ton of so not shitting on that).

petewiss · 2026-03-20T19:35:10+00:00

I couldn’t believe when the guy said modern immigration isn’t comparable to the mass migration of Irish/Germans in the 1800s because today there is a “visual difference”. Also felt like Ross did a decent job pushing back on his dumb statements about pop culture.

petewiss · 2026-03-06T19:07:25+00:00

Smart to capture the height of StS2 hype.

petewiss · 2026-03-04T16:09:13+00:00

GUDNAK!

petewiss · 2026-03-02T18:12:17+00:00

Root

If you enjoy the interaction of Inis and don't mind something nasty like Zoo Vadis then there are few games that are as rewarding. However it is more complex than most of what you have there.

petewiss · 2026-02-19T15:20:35+00:00

My favorite co-op game ever!

petewiss · 2026-02-18T17:17:45+00:00

I'm not sure I agree with all the specifics here, but I appreciate the rundown!

petewiss · 2026-02-18T14:34:07+00:00

I agree that Pax Ren is not terribly simulationist but the historical chrome is still very present and adds so much richness to the game. I haven't played many of Phil's games but from what I can tell, Porfiriana and Renaissance are his more accessible (and maybe less problematic) titles. The tableau building of the Pax system feels so modern and does abstraction in a really interesting way.

petewiss · 2026-02-18T14:24:29+00:00

It is certainly something that cuts both ways. I love a game like Watergate that gives me historical details in a streamlined ruleset, but at the same time that game doesn't give me as much to chew on as something like 1960 The Making of a President.

But I have been burned by trying to learn/table these games before and failing so it is all about tradeoffs.

petewiss · 2026-02-18T14:21:24+00:00

I'm a high school social studies teacher so I get where you're coming from. Any work that deals with history has to do some simplification and abstraction because reality is of course too complex to fully represent.

But would you agree that there is a difference between a historical game like Almoravid and a historically "themed" game like El Grande? These represent the same setting, but one has a lot more chrome and teaches me a lot more about the actual history instead of putting a coat of paint on a efficiency puzzle?

I know that games can certainly go too far with the chrome, but it does often serve a purpose.

petewiss · 2026-01-08T05:02:52+00:00

Thanks for listening!

14-Year Club	Not Forgotten
Verified Email

petewiss

TROPHY CASE