The days reach out. Birds chatter and sing. Gentle rains linger.

The Spring thaw has come.

And from the ground, tiny hopes awaken, three seeds, Three Sisters, wearing green.

Three Sisters is a roll and write dice game where you plan, plant, nurture, and harvest a small farm over a single growing season.

Using techniques practiced by indigenous peoples for centuries, you grow corn, beans, and pumpkins, each one supporting the other. Will you start an orchard? Or tend a hive of bees? Perhaps a glorious stand of wildflowers? Each die you choose will shape your garden and the goods you can bring to market.

Listen in to explore the game and learn why we think Three Sisters is a game with soul.

Pocket Paragons is a what-beats-what card dueling game. Select a card; play it’s ability and try to anticipate your opponent’s next move. Duel one on one or in teams of three characters.

From Mata the Paladin to Sadoh the Ocean Queen, this is a world of high fantasy and high stakes. Seven cards separate you from glory or defeat.

Pocket Paragons is a duel distilled down to its very essence. A long game might take ten minutes! But don't be fooled into thinking speed means lack of strategy. There are fun and challenging decisions at the heart of every turn.

Listen in to explore the game and learn how the game earns BOTH our awards.

Alarms blare!  All systems are failing. Your ship is critically wounded. And it is steadily drifting toward that Black Hole. You have ten minutes to stabilize the ship and hope for rescue.

Lux Aeterna is a real-time solo card game.  Every choice in each round is a balancing act. For each card you select to repair your ship, you must choose another that brings it closer to destruction.

Tune in to explore the game and learn why it earns our Spiel of Approval.

Four clue words on four leaves. Can your teammates use these clues to select and arrange four square donut-shaped cards so their keywords line up?

So Clover is a cooperative word association game. Talk it through and look for a common thread. It will take more than luck to make the right connections.

Tune in to explore the game and learn why we think it is chock full of Major Fun!

Join our party of misfit nerds for fun, games, and freewheeling conversations spanning the wide world of geekdom.

We hope you'll be in a festive mood for the season after being part of some Grade A goofing around.

Guests: Francie Broadie (Indianapolis, IN) Erik Bussé (Hasselt, Belgium) Ezra Denney (Alameda, CA) Alex Despres (Arlington, TX) Suzie Despres (Arlington, TX), Dave Eckard (Lebanon, IN) James Engelhardt (Greenville, SC) Gubbins (Indianapolis, IN) Max Michael (Indianapolis, IN) Darrell Ottery (Reading, UK) Mark Reed (Atlanta, GA) Mark Rickards (Hobart, Tasmania) Katherine Rosland (Stavanger, Norway) Mark Smalley (Indianapolis, IN) Erwin Susara (Indianapolis, IN) Bruce Voge (Baltimore, MD)

Complete Show Notes continue after the break.

It’s a hectic night at the Hibachi restaurant. So many hungry people to feed. And so many different dishes! The spatulas are ting -ting-tinging against the hot cooktop and the onion volcanoes are erupting, as shrimp and steak, broccoli and mushrooms and rice fly from plate to bowl. No one leaves here hungry!

Hibachi is a charming dexterity driven set collecting game. Players throw their chef's coins (hefty poker chips) to gather ingredients and special actions to fill recipes.

Give a listen to learn how Hibachi puts a fresh face on elements of chance and skill. And be ready for a heaping helping of Major Fun!

Ten is a press your luck card game with a twist. The goal is simple: assemble the longest runs of consecutive cards in four colors. How many cards are you willing to draw as you push two different totals closer and closer to ten? Use currency cards to buy from the market or win auctions for wild cards. Be careful, though! If you bust, everyone else may cash in.

Engaging, interactive, and filled with tough decisions, Ten is great for all ages. Listen in to explore the game and discover how Ten delivers on its promise of Major Fun.

ALSO in this episode... a Game Night Grab Bag segment featuring Brenna Noonan and Doug! The challenge: games where you build the board as you play.

Sparkle mountain stands before you, its caverns filled with glittering gems. You and your crew of gnomes are ready to fill your wagons with riches, tapping rubies, diamonds, and emeralds loose from the walls with your trusty hammer. There’s just one problem. Dragomir the Dragon sleeps under the mountain. Make too much noise and he will chase you away!

Hammer Time is a game about knocking gems off a box with a hammer. Can you tap just hard enough to knock the right combination of gems into your wagon? Master the basics and you might have to hammer with your eyes shut... or with your head on the table.

Read on to explore the game and learn why the simplest forms of Major Fun are often the most lasting.

Written review continues after the break.

At first it looked like a third rate burglary. Five men were caught in the early hours of June 18 1972 breaking into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters, situated in the Watergate Building. The botched crime and successive cover-up lead reporters Woodward and Bernstein to discover a conspiracy directed by then President Richard Nixon.

Watergate is a tense card-driven tug-of-war. One player is the Editor of the Washington Post - trying to piece together a chain of evidence to tie the President to the crime and a corrupt plot to undermine democracy. The other player is the Nixon Administration whose goal is to preserve just enough momentum for the campaign to survive until the end of the President’s term.

Will your efforts help usher a corrupt President from office or protect him from prosecution and preserve his legacy?

Listen in to explore the game and take a deep dive into the history behind Watergate.

PLUS... a Meal segment featuring recipe and game recommendations for a cool Fall night.

Cherry blossom season is about to blanket Zen gardens with their resplendent wonder. Water, vegetation, stones, and sakura trees must be placed in perfect harmony in order to become a Master Gardener.

Over three rounds you will carefully select or reject the elements for your next garden creation. Do you have the skills to craft the best Zen garden?

Ohanami is filled with humble beauty and quiet playful pleasure. Read on to explore the game and learn why it earns both our awards!

Written review continues after the break.