Best Board Game Hot Takes Podcasts (2025)

1
Confessions of a Casual Board Gamer 49:40

3d ago49:40

49:40

In Episode 259 our guest host, Danielle, answers our questions about her tastes, preferences, and feelings about the board gaming hobby as a casual board gamer. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Definition of a Casual Board Gamer 05:30 Thinking About Board Games 10:21 Buying/Looking For New Games 17:10 Learning New Games 32:45 Board Game Complex…

1
Express 110: The Endgame 1:00:49

1d ago1:00:49

1:00:49

In Express Episode 110, Don, Chris, and Jamie get together to talk about the end game - goals, objectives, and victory in board games. They discuss competitiveness, process-oriented players, winning and losing streaks, imperative and contingent goals, and what it really means to feel like you’ve won a game. Enjoy!…

1
10 Years of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, an interview with Dan Pinchbeck - Bonus Episode 48:10

6d ago48:10

48:10

On the anniversary year of The Chinese Room’s BAFTA-winning Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Kris sits down with creative visionary Dan Pinchbeck to talk about this ground-breaking walking sim. In an interview that covers a multitude of topics - full timecodes below - the two talk about the power of agency in games relating to character development…

1
Are AI Agents the Future of Business? Salesforce Is Betting $8 Billion on It 40:50

6d ago40:50

40:50

Informatica isn’t a household name, but it plays a crucial role in helping companies like Toyota and Unilever manage and organize vast amounts of data. As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful, that data is like a gold mine. Customer relationship software company Salesforce recently struck a multibillion-dollar deal to acquire Informatica. …

1
Express 109: Gen Con 2025 Froth List 1:13:23

8d ago1:13:23

1:13:23

Hey Now Cabalists! In episode 109 of The Secret Cabal Express Don and Jamie put together all of the games that they're frothing at the mouth and jumping outta their pants to get at from Gen Con 2025 coming up in a few weeks. Head over to TheSecretCabal.com and click on the link to this episode to get links to all the games we discussed on the show …

1
Episode 176 - Answering Extremely Important Questions 1:31:03

10d ago1:31:03

1:31:03

On this week’s episode, Brad and Eric take a break and sit down by the fire to answer a bunch of questions from you! It’s time to celebrate another season of Warhammer content before we finally get away from allergy season! You also get a bunch of footage from Berilio’s first painting session and a few clips that are usually patron-only content! PO…

1
Poorhammer E176 - Answering Extremely Important Questions 1:31:03

10d ago1:31:03

1:31:03

On this week’s episode, Brad and Eric take a break and sit down by the fire to answer a bunch of questions from you! It’s time to celebrate another season of Warhammer content before we finally get away from allergy season! You also get a bunch of footage from Berilio’s first painting session and a few clips that are usually patron-only content! PO…

1
Favorite Board Games of All Time 2025 Edition (11-20) 1:05:54

10d ago1:05:54

1:05:54

In Episode 258 we continue the 2025 countdown of our 40 favorite Board Games of all time with choices 11-20. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:10 Chris #20 Obsession 04:18 Adam #20 Stockpile 05:42 Tim #20 Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth 06:53 Chris #19 - La Granja 08:44 Adam #19 - Battle for Rokugan 09:58 Tim #19 - Fromage 12:20 Chris #18 …

1
Episode 73: Gen Con '25 Releases We're Most Excited to Play, with Shea from RTFM 1:46:26

13d ago1:46:26

1:46:26

Shea Parker from RTFM joins Candice to discuss a variety of enticing Gen Con 2025 releases. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:22 Frosthaven Digital 00:08:46 Fresh Plays 00:09:50 TI4 - Twilight Codex Volume IV: Liberation 00:20:46 The Defence of Procyon III 00:34:36 Vantage 00:45:36 Spooktacular 00:55:30 Gen Con '25 Releases We're Most Excited to Play 00:…

1
Encore: Could Amazon’s Zoox Beat Tesla and Waymo in the Robotaxi Race? 40:40

13d ago40:40

40:40

With Elon Musk’s Tesla piloting its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas and Waymo expanding, it’s the perfect time to revisit our interview with Zoox CEO Aicha Evans. She went deep with WSJ’s Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims on her decisions to sell the company to Amazon for over $1.2 billion and to keep Zoox’s radical design for a driverless car tha…

1
Episode 325: Galileo Galilei and Cabalist Spicy Hot Takes 3:13:32

15d ago3:13:32

3:13:32

Tony's back from Ireland and Steve's shot out of a cannon! Get ready for a wild ride. Today the gang runs down a bunch of games they've been playing including Transgalactica, Sekigahara The Unification of Japan, The White Castle, Steam Power, Shackleton Base, and a feature review of Galileo Galilei by new designer Tomas Holek. Then after Tony T wre…

1
Galileo Galilei, Hot Streak, and Judgment - Ep227 1:02:46

16d ago1:02:46

1:02:46

We start the episode off with a Summer tradition, and - in a somewhat similar vein - we talk Hot Streak from CMYK. And we get all starry-eyed for Galileo Galilei from Capstone Games, plus take a walk through Kamurochō with SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Judgment. All that, and a strawberry sandwich, on Ep227. 00:00 - It's hot hot hot 10:17 - Judgm…

1
Poorhammer E175 - The Warhammer Trivia Board Game Returns! 1:33:11

17d ago1:33:11

1:33:11

On this week’s episode, Brad, Eric and Jenny are joined by @billiondollarclownfarm, @Adeptusridiculous, @NUMBSKULLS and @onelastblade3913 for some Warhammer Board Gaming! Grab a seat and tune in for some trivia questions, poem challenges and painful events. POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreo…

1
Episode 175 - The Warhammer Trivia Board Game Returns! 1:33:11

17d ago1:33:11

1:33:11

Episode 175 - The Warhammer Trivia Board Game Returns! On this week’s episode, Brad, Eric and Jenny are joined by @billiondollarclownfarm, @Adeptusridiculous, @NUMBSKULLS and @onelastblade3913 for some Warhammer Board Gaming! Grab a seat and tune in for some trivia questions, poem challenges and painful events. POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight…

1
Tigris & Euphrates 1:01:15

17d ago1:01:15

1:01:15

In Episode 257 Mark Johnson from the Boardgames To Go podcast joins us to discuss Tigris & Euphrates covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We discuss a poll on which modern era our favorite games were from and then talk about some games that have been on our tables including Tycoon: India 1981 and Castles of…

1
Tariffs, EVs and China: A CEO Insider’s View of the Car Business 41:29

20d ago41:29

41:29

For months, the complex global auto industry has grappled with the added challenge of navigating the Trump administration’s trade war. That gives Swamy Kotagiri, the CEO of Magna International, a first-hand perspective of how tariffs, trade negotiations and shifting supply chains are reshaping the future of the business, today. How is the largest a…

1
Why José Andrés Says We Need Leaders Who Believe in ‘Longer Tables’ 35:12

22d ago35:12

35:12

José Andrés knows what it’s like to work under pressure. From managing the chaos of restaurant kitchens, to running a global business empire, to helping feed people in disaster zones, the celebrity chef doesn’t like to sit still, especially when it comes to food. On a special bonus episode of the Bold Names podcast, Andrés speaks to WSJ’s Christoph…

1
Lords of the Dungeon 87: Listener Inquiry Gallimaufry 1:01:44

22d ago1:01:44

1:01:44

Hark, noble Cabalists, and well met! Gather ye ‘round, for thou art most welcome to yet another enchanted convening of the Lords of the Dungeon! This day, our bold and steadfast adventurers doth recount the wondrous tales of their voyage through the strange and many-layer’d realms of Planescape, with the wise and venerable Archmage AC guiding their…

1
Episode 174 - Elemental Council Book Club 1:51:57

24d ago1:51:57

1:51:57

On this week’s episode, Brad, Eric and Jen talk about the blue guys most beloved by Warhammer 40K players. No, not space marines. The T’au Empire. Why would they do that you ask? This is a patron-decided episode! Our patrons voted for a Book Club about the newest Elemental Council book, by Noah Van Nguyen and they nailed it! The book is very well w…

1
Poorhammer E174 - Elemental Council Book Club 1:51:57

24d ago1:51:57

1:51:57

On this week’s episode, Brad, Eric and Jen talk about the blue guys most beloved by Warhammer 40K players. No, not space marines. The T’au Empire. Why would they do that you ask? This is a patron-decided episode! Our patrons voted for a Book Club about the newest Elemental Council book, by Noah Van Nguyen and they nailed it! The book is very well w…

1
Favorite Board Games of All Time 2025 Edition (21-30) 1:42:23

24d ago1:42:23

1:42:23

In Episode 256 we continue the 2025 countdown of our 40 favorite Board Games of all time with choices 21-30. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:54 Chris #30 Outlive 05:09 Adam #30 Brian Boru: High King of Ireland 08:22 Tim #30 Cyclades: Legendary Edition 12:58 Chris #29 - The Guild of Merchant Explorers 16:17 Adam #29 - SpaceCorp: 2025-2300AD 18:29 …

1
Episode 72: Wacky & Wonderful Board Games, with Matthew from Room 51 1:03:57

27d ago1:03:57

1:03:57

Matthew Makak from Room 51 joins Candice to discuss board games with wacky themes. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:28 Fresh Plays 00:04:41 Escape Tales: The Awakening 00:08:52 Primal: The Awakening 00:19:15 Monster Hunter 00:21:29 Distilled 00:27:34 Star Trek: Captain's Chair 00:33:40 2-Player Abstract Strategy Games w/ a Hint of Theme 00:35:35 Kabuto …

1
How Microsoft’s AI Chief Defines ‘Humanist Super Intelligence’ 43:00

29d ago43:00

43:00

Few people developing artificial intelligence have as much experience in the field as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. He co-founded DeepMind, helped Google develop its large language models and designed AI chatbots with personality at his former startup, Inflection AI. Now, he’s tasked with leading Microsoft’s efforts on its consumer AI products…

1
Episode 324: Stupor Mundi and A Short Short Topic Extravaganza 3:13:32

29d ago3:13:32

3:13:32

We're back from Origins, and we've got stories to tell! AC from Lords of the Dungeon joins us to spin some yarns from our trip to Columbus, Ohio. Then we dive into the games we've been playing, including Friedrich, Euphoria, Coffee Traders, Wroth, Mystery of the Abbey, The Quest for El Dorado, and a featured review of Stupor Mundi by Nestore Mangon…

1
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, The Sandcastles of Burgundy, and the Nintendo Switch 2 - Ep226 1:11:57

1M ago1:11:57

1:11:57

Tom Cruise and co are back for another unlikely operation in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and we, of course, have opinions. Over on the tablecloth, we’re letting The Sandcastles of Burgundy from Ravensburger wash over us, “enabling” others with Kinfire Delve from Incredible Dream Studios, and all the lovely stuff we got up to and saw a…

1
Poorhammer E173 - Finding Every Faction's Biggest Glow-Up 1:00:34

1M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

On this week’s episode, Brad and Eric try to find out that model that was shunned in highschool but grew to be the most attractive grown up in town. Every Warhammer faction has that model that went through some transformation over the years. Did the model get a facelift? Did it start working out? Or maybe… it just got a better pose and it's now sta…

1
Episode 173 - Finding Every Faction’s Biggest Glow Up 1:00:34

1M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

On this week’s episode, Brad and Eric try to find out that model that was shunned in highschool but grew to be the most attractive grown up in town. Every Warhammer faction has that model that went through some transformation over the years. Did the model get a facelift? Did it start working out? Or maybe… it just got a better pose and it's now sta…

1
Favorite Board Games of All Time 2025 Edition (31-40) 1:12:08

1M ago1:12:08

1:12:08

In Episode 255 we start the 2025 countdown of our top 40 Board Games of all time with choices 31-40. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Favorite Games of All Time - How we made our lists 07:25 Chris #40 Rats of Wistar 11:01 Adam #40 Mosaic: A Story of Civilization 13:16 Tim #40 The Castles of Tuscany 14:49 Chris #39 - Wingspan 16:44 Adam #39 - Re…

1
Booz Allen CEO on Silicon Valley’s Turn to Defense Tech: ‘We Need Everybody.’ 38:04

1M ago38:04

38:04

Horacio Rozanski says he is obsessed with speed. As the CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton, a company that helps government agencies leverage the latest advances in technology used by the private sector, he has insight into the global race to develop artificial intelligence, especially in the realm of warfare. How does Rozanski see the relationship between…

1
Express 108: Masterpieces 2 1:25:50

1M ago1:25:50

1:25:50

In our previous episode, we explored what makes a board game a true masterpiece—a creation that showcases a designer’s greatest achievement, marked by exceptional craftsmanship, originality, and lasting impact. This time, we’re taking the conversation even deeper. In Masterpieces 2, the Founders shift the spotlight to the brilliant minds behind the…

1
Episode 172 - Grading Every AoS Faction’s Musician 39:57

1M ago39:57

39:57

On this week’s episode, Brad and Eric try to find out the best musician in every faction in Warhammer Age of Sigmar! Find out which models have cool instruments to hype you for battle or make your death on the battlefield more groovy. POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton Y…

1
Poorhammer E172 - Grading Every AoS Faction’s Musician 39:57

1M ago39:57

39:57

On this week’s episode, Brad and Eric try to find out the best musician in every faction in Warhammer Age of Sigmar! Find out which models have cool instruments to hype you for battle or make your death on the battlefield more groovy. POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton Y…

1
Top 5 Games That End Too Soon 1:07:54

1M ago1:07:54

1:07:54

In Episode 254 we discuss games that end a little too quickly. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:14 Race for the Galaxy 07:23 Newton 09:57 Pirates of Maracaibo 14:10 Mycelia 19:14 Fantasy Realms / Marvel Remix 22:11 Biohack 24:36 Smartphone, Inc. 27:46 Near and Far 37:17 Distilled 42:01 Robot Quest Arena 44:12 Woodcraft / Pulsar 2849 47:13 Thunder …

1
Episode 71: "Thematic" Abstract Strategy Games for 2 Players, with Ruel Gaviola 1:26:10

1M ago1:26:10

1:26:10

Ruel Gaviola joins Candice to discuss abstract strategy board games with a hint of theme, that play well with 2 players. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:51 LFG Con 00:07:03 Ticket to Ride 20th Anniversary video 00:09:42 Fresh Plays 00:09:59 Conservas 00:13:16 Hot Streak 00:20:15 Hits & Outs (Baseball Highlights: 2045, Kaosball) 00:25:44 Typeset 00:30:0…

1
Episode 323: The Dark Quarter and A Short Topic Extravaganza 2:53:57

1M ago2:53:57

2:53:57

Hey now, and welcome to a special early release of The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast! The gang is on their way to Origins Game Fair, and we figured it’d be nice to give everyone something to listen to if you're driving to Columbus, Ohio today. In this episode, the Founders talk about the games they've been playing, including The Quest for El Dorado, …

1
Poorhammer E171 - Predicting Everything About 11th Edition 2:30:28

1M ago2:30:28

2:30:28

On this week’s episode, Brad, Eric and Bricky decide to punish Berilio with a four hour recording about game rules that do not exist. Bear witness to cold takes that won’t change anything on the broad scale but will certainly be implemented, and bold predictions and wild ideas that would vastly improve gameplay but will never make it into the game.…

1
Episode 171 - Predicting EVERYTHING about 11th Edition 2:30:28

1M ago2:30:28

2:30:28

On this week’s episode, Brad, Eric and Bricky decide to punish Berilio with a four hour recording about game rules that do not exist. Bear witness to cold takes that won’t change anything on the broad scale but will certainly be implemented, and bold predictions and wild ideas that would vastly improve gameplay but will never make into the game. PO…

1
Inis 1:12:15

2M ago1:12:15

1:12:15

In Episode 253 we give our hot take review on Inis covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game. We discuss a poll on gamer types and then talk about some games that have been on our tables including Modern Art, Cribbage, and Bomb Busters. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:25 Poll Time: What type of board gamer do y…

1
Harmonies, The Drops of God, and The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game - Ep225 1:01:04

2M ago1:01:04

1:01:04

Thousands and thousands (and thousands) of pages later, we’re ready to share thoughts on Kodansha’s wine and food manga The Drops of God. Over on the tabletop, we take a deep look at The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game from Office Dog Games, which effortlessly captures the spirit of The Lord of the Rings. Plus the only review you need of …

1
Lords of the Dungeon 86: Sandbox vs On-Rails 57:56

2M ago57:56

57:56

Hark and hearken, good folk, to a tale most joyous! Lo, after many a season spent in patient longing, bold AC doth at last return to the noble realm of tabletop role-playing! With great fanfare and mirth, he unveil’th his much-anticipated Planescapes campaign, and his fellowship of players taketh up the dice once more. As the Lords do revel and wax…

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