Release Date: Feb. 18, 2013 Running Time:  144 min. Listen Now: Download: Enhanced Version  MP3 Version Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options

Fun for all. From sausage dice to treasure on the high seas, we review four games you could teach/play/enjoy with almost any group of players: Wordaround, Wurfelwurst, Tokaido and Pirate Dice.

News & Notes:  Influence, Stefan Feld, Hasbro cuts 10% of workforce
Game Reviews:  Wordaround, Wurfel Wurst, Tokaido, Pirate Dice
Truckloads of Goober:  Diavolo
Back Shelf Spotlight: Circus Maximus
Favorites:  Roma, Blackjack 
The Game Sommelier:  Games to pair with 5 Belgian cities
Mail Bag: More listener Sommeliers, Cafe Taktik in Sweden

Complete Show Notes continue after the break.

Release Date: Feb. 4, 2013 Running Time:  215 min. Listen Now: Download: Enhanced Version  MP3 Version Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options

Northern Exposure. Join us for a live recording at Spielfest, a two-day gaming event hosted by Snakes & Lattes, a board game cafe in the heart of Toronto. We talk to designers, publishers, and people in the gaming community. We also get to know the folks behind Snakes & Lattes and let them take over each segment of the show.

Guest Host:  Jon-Paul DeCosse, Manager - Snakes & Lattes
Interviews:  Pete Lipson (TABS), Tanya Thompson (Think Fun), Ben Castanie (Snakes & Lattes), Francois Valentine (designer), Tim W.K. Brown (designer)
Game Sommelier:  Live challenges from Game Gurus and Spielers
Back Shelf Spotlight:  St. Petersburg
Truckloads of Goober: Ugg-Tect
Contests: 30 second game title tests!

Complete Show Notes continue after the break.

Release Date: Jan. 21, 2012 Running Time:  162 min. Listen Now: Download: Enhanced Version  MP3 Version Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options

Welcome to Tempest. This fictional city-state is the setting for a new series of games from publisher AEG. Play for power at royal court. Duel with merchants in back alleys. Orchestrate a grand conspiracy. Deliver a secret note to the Princess. Each game tells a story and gives players a new way to explore the world. We review the first four Tempest games: Courtier, Mercante, Dominare, and Love Letter.

News & Notes:  Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls, Just In Time, Monopoly pawns
Tempest Games:  Courtier, Mercante, Dominare, Love Letter
Game Sommelier:  5 games to play with a non-gamer recovering from illness.
Mail Bag: Spiel Scopa cards, DVDs, business manager 

Complete Show Notes continue after the break.

Release Date: Jan. 7, 2013 Word Block Puzzle Print, Play Along, Win a Prize! Download: Scribbler #10   Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options

Ten little words.. OK, ten little game titles, how hard could this be?

Your job is to assemble all the word blocks provided to create ten game titles. Don't worry; there's a clue for each one included. Once you have all the game titles, you can solve the second puzzle.

Good luck!

Send your solution to dave@thespiel.net.  

Download the puzzle using the links above.

Release Date: Dec. 24, 2012 Running Time:  196 min. Listen Now: Download: Enhanced Version  MP3 Version Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options

Honor, glory and geishas. Feudal Japan is our destination. We review Yedo, an auction based worker placement game where noble houses compete for the Shogun's favor by completing secret missions.

News & Notes:  12 Realms, Pirates vs Dinosaurs, Rialto, Spielfest
The List:  Yedo
Playbill: Clocks
Truckloads of Goober: Dragi Drache
Game Sommelier:  5 musical selections to play along with 5 games
Mail Bag: Amazon.de, the truth about Czech pubs, Tricky Dice

Complete Show Notes continue after the break.

Release Date: Dec. 10, 2011 Running Time: 180 min. Listen Now: Download: Enhanced Version MP3 Version Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options

Give the gift of play. With over 40 game suggestions in 10 categories, you're sure to find a great game for someone this holiday season.

Complete Show Notes continue after the break.

Release Date: Nov. 26, 2012 Running Time:  138 min. Listen Now: Download: Enhanced Version  MP3 Version Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options

Fill your plates. We serve up a nice slice of our interview coverage from the largest game fair in the world, the Essen International Spieltag.

Interviews include:

Game Designers: Martin Wallace, Friedemann Friese, Andreas Steiger

Game Publishers: Czech Games Edition, AEG, Plato Magazine

Artist: Antonis Papantoniou

TableTop Producer: Boyan Radakovich

Complete Show Notes continue after the break.

Release Date: Nov. 12, 2012 Running Time:  121 min. Listen Now: Download: Enhanced Version  MP3 Version Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options

Games around the globe. We report back from our latest adventure in Europe, covering the International Spieltag in Essen, Germany and filming a travelogue in Belgium.

Part 1: Essen
Part 2: Belgium

Complete Show Notes continue after the break.