The Ascent of Board Games

Episode 50 - Year-End Wrap-Up 2022

50 episodes? Who'da thunk it??? Regardless, thank you for your support, whether you've been with us since the beginning or are just joining us for the first time. We wouldn't keep doing this without you!
This month, we take a look back at our favorite gaming things from 2022 - mostly, but not exclusively, board games. Among them:
Jayson says, "I don't know anything about this game, but I'm gonna wait in this big line to get a copy!" (Turns out to have been a good decision.)
Many of the games on our individual lists are met with, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that one." So lots of good games and poor memories.
We admire the sheer breadth of T.C. Petty III's game design skills.
Check those eBay listings carefully before buying, kids! (Also, don't soak your board games in ouzo.)
Joe unwisely chooses to introduce a game designed by "a bunch of French people".
Can a Kickstarter stretch goal be too big? Oh, yes.
4 out of 5 Ascenters call this the best game of 2022! (Frank is, as usual, Frank.)
Join us next month for the start of our next 50-episode run!
As always, we'd love it if you took the time to write us an iTunes review, as it really helps us find new listeners We'd also love to have you visit our website and let us know what kinds of games we should discuss next. You're also more than welcome to comment on the episode page, or our Facebook page, or tag @ascentofgames on Twitter as long as Twitter still exists. Whatever way you prefer to share your opinions with us, we'd love to hear them.  As always, we appreciate your listening - stay safe out there!
Website: https://www.ascentofboardgames.com
Email: ascentofboardgames@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascentboardgames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascentofgames
Discord: http://discord.ascentofboardgames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ascentofboardgames/
And, occasionally, Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ascentofboardgames
Intro and outro music is "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
The Ascent of Board Games is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Some rights reserved.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 49.2 - Batteries Still Included, Part 2

Happy day-after-Halloween!
First off, next month will be EPISODE 50, and we'd love to hear about anything you'd like us to cover in that momentous episode. Whether it's a game or a topic you've always wanted us to cover, or something we're all terribly wrong about, email us and let us know! Or, if you like, record a question or comment, send it to us, and we may include it in the episode!
This month, we conclude our update to Episode 3 with a look at some more recent app-enabled board games. In this episode:
Mike and Frank exchange points.
Brian complains about his car troubles. (All better now, thanks!)
What game does Frank call his "Kingdom Death killer"?
A new game from...Restoration Hardware?!?
Mike brags about his big, imposing tower.
Frank gives us two last-minute additions, even more last-minuter than usual.
We discuss the merits of audio narration for story games (e.g., Forteller audio).
More to come next month! 
As always, we'd love it if you took the time to write us an iTunes review, as it really helps us find new listeners We'd also love to have you visit our website and let us know what kinds of games we should discuss next. You're also more than welcome to comment on the episode page, or our Facebook page, or tag @ascentofgames on Twitter - whatever way you prefer to share your opinions with us, we'd love to hear them.  As always, we appreciate your listening - stay safe out there!
Website: https://www.ascentofboardgames.com
Email: ascentofboardgames@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascentboardgames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascentofgames
Discord: http://discord.ascentofboardgames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ascentofboardgames/
And, occasionally, Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ascentofboardgames
Intro and outro music is "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
The Ascent of Board Games is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Some rights reserved.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 49 - Batteries Included Redux, Part 1

It's a blast from the past with an eye towards the future, as we look back at the new developments in computer-assisted and app-enabled board games since way back in Episode 3. In this episode:
Frank risks death...possibly by crossbow.
Space.
What is the minimum that a board game needs to qualify as "app enabled"? (Joe says "a timer with music, but it gets FASTER.")
We posit the existence of mirror-universe Brian and Jayson
Jayson knows more about the future of a game than Frank!
More to come next month! Also, we're coming up on EPISODE 50, and we'd love to hear about anything you'd like us to cover in that momentous episode. Whether it's a game or a topic you've always wanted us to cover, or something we're all terribly wrong about, write in to let us know! Or, if you like, record a question or comment, send it to us, and we may include it in the episode!
In the meantime, if you'd be kind enough to write us an iTunes review it'd help us out a great deal. We'd also love to have you visit our website and let us know what kinds of games we should discuss next. You're also more than welcome to comment on the episode page, or our Facebook page, or tag @ascentofgames on Twitter - whatever way you prefer to share your opinions with us, we'd love to hear them.  As always, we appreciate your listening - stay safe out there!
Website: https://www.ascentofboardgames.com
Email: ascentofboardgames@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascentboardgames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascentofgames
Discord: http://discord.ascentofboardgames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ascentofboardgames/
And, occasionally, Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ascentofboardgames
Intro and outro music is "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
The Ascent of Board Games is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Some rights reserved.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 48 - Roll and Move Games, Part 2

More rolling! More moving! More Sandi! Less Careers! It's part two of Roll-and-Move Games, wherein you can hear about:
"Ice cream and pizza are OP, plz nerf."
Frank calls this the best roll-and-move ever made.
This picture may help you understand Nizza.
"German games have to be based on a city"
Spreadsheet wars!
Art books!
One of Mike's former favorites has not aged well...but Sandi still likes it
And stick around until the end for a chance to participate in an upcoming episode!
Next month, we'll be revisiting another older episode and talking about new developments in the genre. In the meantime, if you'd be kind enough to write us an iTunes review it'd help us out a great deal. We'd also love to have you visit our website and let us know what kinds of games we should discuss next. You're also more than welcome to comment on the episode page, or our Facebook page, or tag @ascentofgames on Twitter - whatever way you prefer to share your opinions with us, we'd love to hear them.  As always, we appreciate your listening - stay safe out there!
Website: https://www.ascentofboardgames.com
Email: ascentofboardgames@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascentboardgames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascentofgames
Discord: http://discord.ascentofboardgames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ascentofboardgames/
And, occasionally, Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ascentofboardgames
Intro and outro music is "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
The Ascent of Board Games is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Some rights reserved.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 47 - Roll and Move Games, Part 1

We've threatened it long enough, so we hope you're prepared for this - it's the Roll-and-Move episode! (Well, the first half of it, anyway...we have a lot to say.) Sandi fills in for the absent Joe as we discuss:
Careers
Careers for Girls ("Most Condescending Game Ever")
Careers for World War II British Military RPG Characters
Careers for Dinosaurs (in Cinemascope!)
Hexentanz - like Pachisi, but you don't know which pieces are yours
What IS the opposite of widdershins? (Turns out it's "sunwise" - thanks, Wikipedia!) 
Is there such a thing as "too many expansions"? Mike says "Yes."
The secret to good karma? Collecting (often horrific) treasures!
We'll be back next month with more roll-and-move games, but (probably) less Careers. In the meantime, if you'd be kind enough to write us an iTunes review it'd help us out a great deal. We'd also love to have you visit our website and let us know what kinds of games we should discuss next. You're also more than welcome to comment on the episode page, or our Facebook page, or tag @ascentofgames on Twitter - whatever way you prefer to share your opinions with us, we'd love to hear them. For example, are these two-part episodes working for you, or would you prefer a single longer episode on a single topic? As always, we appreciate your listening - stay safe out there!
Website: https://www.ascentofboardgames.com
Email: ascentofboardgames@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascentboardgames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascentofgames
Discord: http://discord.ascentofboardgames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ascentofboardgames/
And, occasionally, Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ascentofboardgames
Intro and outro music is "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
The Ascent of Board Games is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Some rights reserved.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 46 - Deck Builders Revisited, Part 2

Hello again! A lot of what's going on in the world right now is Not Fun, but we're going to soldier on and return to our our look at deck-building games and what's happened in the genre since our first episode ever. This one may, at times, sound like the Renegade Games episode, but we promise we're not sponsored by them. (Not that we'd turn down some money from them, mind you...)
In this episode, we discuss:
The Cubitos Llama, distant relative of the Altiplano Llama from last month
A game that Frank thinks is even better than the beloved Legacy of Dragonholt
A tie-in with our sister Twitch RPG channel, Feats & Fables
Frank tells us about more great games we can't buy
A cross between Edge of Darkness, Seafall, and Scythe???
We coin the term "Quacks battle"
And we plan a heist of Frank's house
Stay tuned for a brand new topic next month! Will it be the long-dreaded Roll and Move episode? Tune in to find out! In the meantime, if you'd be kind enough to write us an iTunes review it'd help us out a great deal. We'd also love to have you visit our website and let us know what kinds of games we should discuss next. You're also more than welcome to comment on the episode page, or our Facebook page, or tag @ascentofgames on Twitter - whatever way you prefer to share your opinions with us, we'd love to hear them. As always, we appreciate your listening - stay safe out there!
Website: https://www.ascentofboardgames.com
Email: ascentofboardgames@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascentboardgames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascentofgames
Discord: http://discord.ascentofboardgames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ascentofboardgames/
And, occasionally, Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ascentofboardgames
Intro and outro music is "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
The Ascent of Board Games is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Some rights reserved.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 45 - Deck Builders Revisited, Part 1

Hi folks! It's time to jump in the Wayback Machine, revisit our very first episode, and see what's changed in the world of deckbuilders since 2018! Don't worry, we still have plenty of ideas for new episodes, but we're going to look back at older episodes occasionally to see what we missed the first time around and what new hotness has been released in the interim.
And, as seems to be usual lately, we've cut this episode in two because we don't know how to shut up. As a consolation prize, here's a picture of the adorable Altiplano llama, which SOME people just don't know how to appreciate.
Stay tuned for the back half of this episode next month! If you miss us before then, writing an iTunes review will help keep us fresh in your memory. We'd also love to have you visit our website and let us know what kinds of games we should discuss next. You're also more than welcome to comment on the episode page, or our Facebook page, or tag @ascentofgames on Twitter - whatever way you prefer to share your opinions with us, we'd love to hear them. As always, we appreciate your listening - stay safe out there!
Website: https://www.ascentofboardgames.com
Email: ascentofboardgames@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascentboardgames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascentofgames
Discord: http://discord.ascentofboardgames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ascentofboardgames/
And, occasionally, Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ascentofboardgames
Intro and outro music is "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
The Ascent of Board Games is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Some rights reserved.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 44B - Boss Battlers, Part 2

And now, the thrilling conclusion of our Boss Battlers episode. Featuring:
Even more games that we've talked about a lot before...but also some new ones!
What dramatic moment did The Little Mermaid (the Disney movie) borrow from "The Call of Cthulhu" (the Lovecraft story)?
A not-Diablo, a not-Shadow of the Colossus, a not-Zelda, and a game that's ACTUALLY based on a video game.
What game was received by Frank's game group like "a five-day-old haddock"?
And what may be our most divisive difference of opinion yet, leading to a 20-minute discussion about what each of us really wants out of our story games.
Disagreements aside, we'll be back again next month to talk about even more games - and I promise there won't be nearly as many repeat visitors! In the meantime, maybe you could leave us an iTunes review? We'd also love to have you visit our website and let us know what kinds of games we should discuss next. You're also more than welcome to comment on the episode page, or our Facebook page, or tag @ascentofgames on Twitter - whatever way you prefer to share your opinions with us, we'd love to hear them. As always, we appreciate your listening - stay safe out there!
Website: https://www.ascentofboardgames.com
Email: ascentofboardgames@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascentboardgames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascentofgames
Discord: http://discord.ascentofboardgames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ascentofboardgames/
And, occasionally, Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ascentofboardgames
Intro and outro music is "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
The Ascent of Board Games is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Some rights reserved.
Thank you for listening!