Episode 286 - Kingmaking, Strategy Games, and Goldilocks!

This week on Board Game Radio, Doug and Michael tackle some surprisingly tricky questions: Do we need a new term for strategy games, and how do you feel about kingmaking?

In This Week in Gaming, we take a look at Pet Quartet and share our thoughts on the game. Plus, Magical Athlete is showing up at Walmart! What does that mean for the hobby?

Then it's time for Redacted Reviews! We've pulled glowing reviews from BoardGameGeek, but there's a catch—the names of the games have been removed! Can we figure out which games are getting all that praise based on the reviews alone?

Finally, we introduce Goldilocks: Overrated, Underrated, or Perfectly Rated? We're putting BoardGameGeek's ratings, complexity scores, and player counts under the microscope. Do we agree with the gaming community, or have they gotten it completely wrong? This week's games include:

- First-Class Letters

- Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure

- Venture Angels

- Splendor

- Wild Magic

- Just One

Plus, we talk about why our Discord community is such a great place to discover new games and get recommendations! Join the conversation at BoardGameRadio.com/discord.

Subscribe to Board Game Radio on your podcast platform of choice, and if you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a 5-star review.

If it's about games, it's on the table!

00:00:00 Introduction to Board Game Radio

00:01:23 Follow-Up on Campaign Games

00:12:49 What's Awesome in Tabletop Gaming

00:17:44 Review of Pet Quartet

00:26:19 Discussion on Strategy Games

00:34:42 Exploring Kingmaking in Board Games

00:42:12 Redacted Reviews

00:55:26 Goldilocks: Evaluating Game Ratings

00:56:52 Exploring Word Games: First Class Letters

01:01:24 Diving into Clank: A Deck-Building Adventure

01:06:52 Venture Angels: The Art of Secret Bidding

01:11:30 The Charm of Splendor: A Gem-Collecting Race

01:15:05 Wild Magic: A Hidden Gem in Card Games

01:19:44 Just One: The Ultimate Party Game