Between Turns

Alone in the surreal dusky twilight of a morning eclipse, Jeff discovered solo gaming. Not the typical time wasters, but full-blown 40-page rulebook, time-consuming event worthy games. John has been kicking around in this realm for years and as always, he's ready to ruminate with Jeff on everything from Choose Your Own Adventure books to GMT's Navajo Wars.

What makes a good review? Even more importantly, what makes a good reviewer? That of course, is a trick question. The answer is different, depending on who you ask. Or at least it should be. When it is not, the end result is often pitchforks and torches marching on the nearest dice tower. This episode we take a look at bias, disclaimers, trust, and full disclosure in board game reviews.

In this episode, Jeff finds the Battlestar Galactica reboot he didn't know he wanted in Fantasy Flight's New Angeles. Then we talk traitors, saboteurs, and diplomacy with belligerent states. Well, at least the ones found in competitive co-op games.

Jeff and John return from their summer hiatus to talk board game reboots, special editions, re-themes and designers going full George Lucas.

In this episode, Jeff takes his first steps into the world of rail games after acquiring Age of Steam. Having not even played his first game yet, he heads down the deep dark rabbit hole of expansion maps and handmade rail games. Will the specter of completionism raise its head and sink the experience? Will Jeff sell his entire game collection and take Between Turns to a full-time Age of Steam podcast? Grab your popcorn and settle in to find out. John will save a ringside seat for you.

John and Jeff explore the nature of digital implementations of board games. Does access to more in-game information for the players hurt or enhance the experience?

In this special episode, Brother Jeff brings John to the world of BattleCon. After coming down from the revelry, they were blessed with a true miracle, an answer for one of the oldest problems in game design. Behold... a three player game that works!   (00:00 - 37:40)  Book 1: Battlecon: Anime Fight Club (37:40-1:09:28) Book 2: A Game For Me, You, and Some Other Dude: Three Kingdoms Redux

In this episode, Jeff and John talk corn balls, gravy, and collection curation.

Jeff, your Between Turns man on the scene calls in live from the remote gaming paradise of Eklundia. Together with John, he explores the niche within a niche that is Sierra Madre Games. Are their titles strategy games or sandbox simulations? Why do Pax Porfiriana, Pax Pamir and Pax Renaissance all feel so different from one another when they share nearly all the same mechanics? Join them as they pull back the curtain on a few of these somewhat obscure treasures of gaming.

Jeff's approach to house rules roughly translates to "Be polite. Be courteous, show professionalism, and have a plan to kill everyone in the room." John is a little more flexible. Or is he?

Jeff and John have wanted to share their experiences with Millennium Blades for a long, long time. Ever since it was released back in fall of last year, it has had a grip on both their thoughts and their game nights. Rumor has it The Between Turns Podcast was actually supposed to launch with Millenium Blades as the first episode. Well, as it turns out someone...or something, didn't want that to happen. Nearly all audio from that recording was corrupted, never to be heard again So they recorded it a second time. Once more, some unspeakable menace wiped out the words before they could bring them to the masses. Now finally, with the release of the Millennium Blades: Set Rotation expansion, the tale can finally be told. Maybe.

This episode we talk VAST: The Crystal Caverns. Five players, five asymmetric roles playing five mechanically different games simultaneously, on the same board. Can that even work? More importantly, if it does work, is it any fun?

John and Jeff discuss the hottest trend in gaming, the Legacy game. Is it something truly special or is it just a cleverly disguised version of the house ruling and campaigning many folks have always done? What makes this a top 5 game over on BoardGameGeek and ultimately, does it deserve to stay there? Please note, this episode contains very minor spoilers about how a Legacy game is constructed - so no story details, jump scares or plot points are mentioned. Still, we thought we should give the purists a warning!

In this episode, Jeff and John talk through the social contracts of Game Night. Heavy games are hard and require a lot of prep work but sometimes all that prep work is for naught, usually when circumstances require a change in direction. It's quite a let down when that happens, but is it ok to actually feel let down about it?

In this episode, John and Jeff take a look at Vinhos Deluxe and more specifically, the Special Vintage 2016 rule set. We've got a lot to say about how it stacks up against the 2010 version of the game as well as how it relates to Vital Lacerda's other big deluxe edition game, The Gallerist. 

John and Jeff take a look at the rise of Darth Asmodée. As publisher after publisher is consumed by its explosive growth, what effect will it have on the board gaming industry? Will FFG's new policies on online sales help your FLGS or is it all just a Jedi mind trick? Most importantly, is this hobby bubble about to burst? We don't know for sure if the end is nigh, but we certainly don't mind making some predictions!

Hello and welcome to the pilot episode of Between Turns! This is a podcast about board games, current (and not so current) events and basically anything else we meander into during our weekly gaming sessions. In this episode, John and I talk about the separation of Games Workshop and Fantasy Flight Games, what that means for their fans and most importantly, what to track down and buy before it disappears forever!