In the kingdom of Pilipalod, a wild, evil magic had erased the royal castle, leaving only the foundations visible. Queen Blodwen, King Llew, and Princess Dillie surveyed the empty hill where their home once was with some despair, but mostly patient resolve. Word of the disaster spread, and soon magical creatures gathered to offer their help, and the finest designers of the Magical Architect Alliance arrived, promising that a new home would rise again. Their first task was to rebuild the Flip Pick Towers by Rob Fisher and Adam Porter from Osprey Games with art by Beatrix Papp. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/03/14/flip-pick-towers-saturday-review/ Useful Links Flip Pick Towers: https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/flip-pick-towers-9781472869883/ Rulebook: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/317970/flip-pick-towers-rulebook Osprey Games: https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/osprey-games/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/453283/flip-pick-towers Something-and-Write game reviews: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/tag/roll-and-write-games/
Music Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Music: Alone at home Produced by Sascha Ende Link: https://ende.app/en/song/152-alone-at-home Music: 5. Fairytale (Delicate Wonder) [Cinematic Underscore Loops - The Core Collection] Produced by Sascha Ende Link: https://ende.app/en/song/13555-5-fairytale-delicate-wonder-cinematic-underscore-loops-the-core-collection Music: 10. Waltz (Light Sway) [Cinematic Underscore Loops - The Core Collection] Produced by Sascha Ende Link: https://ende.app/en/song/13594-10-waltz-light-sway-cinematic-underscore-loops-the-core-collection Support If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/ (Photo courtesy of Osprey Games)
Killing Me Softly - a look at player elimination (Topic Discussion)
10/03/2026 | 9 mins.
The last time I played 1860: Railways on the Isle of Wight, I found myself in the lead from fairly early on. As the game progressed, that lead only kept growing. Each round, the gap widened until it was clear that nobody had a realistic way to catch up with me. The game carried on, turns were taken, but the excitement and tension had gone. The game had become a fight for second place. I call this soft elimination, and it is especially common in longer games, when you are technically still playing, but no longer really competing. In this article, I want to talk about this a bit more. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/03/10/killing-me-softly-a-look-at-player-elimination-topic-discussion/ Useful Links 1860: Railways on the Isle of Wight review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2025/06/28/1860-railways-on-the-isle-of-wight-digital-eyes/ Love Letter review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/01/23/love-letter-saturday-review/ King of New York review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/04/25/king-of-new-york-saturday-review/ Nemesis review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/18/nemesis-saturday-review/ Splotter Spellen: https://www.splottershop.com/ Wingspan review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/03/16/wingspan/ The Quacks of Quedlinburg review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/06/06/the-quacks-of-quedlinburg-saturday-review/ Survive: Escape from Atlantis review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2021/04/17/survive-escape-from-atlantis-digital-eyes/ Betrayal at the House on the Hill review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/01/14/betrayal-at-house-on-the-hill-3rd-edition-saturday-review/
Music Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Main music: Vital Whales by Unicorn Heads (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Support If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/ (Photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash)
Big Wave (Saturday Review)
07/03/2026 | 6 mins.
Surf was up. We had already checked out Mavericks, Praia do Norte and Mullaghmore Head. All that was left was to ride the big breakers at Pipeline. We couldn't wait to show off our best tricks and compete with each other to score the most admiration. It was time to swim out and get on the next Big Wave by Daniel Kenel from Little Dog Games with art by Justin Santora. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/03/07/big-wave-saturday-review/ Useful Links Big Wave: https://www.newmillindustries.com/store/p/big-wave Little Dog Games: https://www.newmillindustries.com/store/little-dog-games BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/438623/big-wave Tricky Landing review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/02/28/tricky-landing-saturday-review/ Trick-taking reviews: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/category/reviews/?tag=trick-taking-games
Music Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Sound Effects: ZapSplat (https://www.zapsplat.com/) Music: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music License code: 2TLUFRA22W8GNJPA Artist: : Benjamin Tissot Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music License code: UQYL5OD3WLL6JR5J Artist: : Marcus P. Support If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/
ChatGPT as a board game designer? (Topic Discussion)
03/03/2026 | 11 mins.
The following is an English translation of board game designer Peer Sylvester's German article "Chat GPT als Brettspielautor?", which was originally published 22 February 2026 on the Spielbar website, here: https://www.spielbar.com/wordpress/2026/02/22/26916/ Ryan Dancey was, until last Wednesday, the Chief Operating Officer at Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG). On LinkedIn, the self-help site for managers who want to tell each other how great they are and how little their subordinates/customers appreciate them, Dancey published a post (link to a photo of the post, because I do not link to LinkedIn) in which he explained that he is firmly convinced that AI (or rather the LLMs that are usually labelled as AIs) will, in just a few years, be as useful as any employee. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/03/03/chatgpt-as-a-board-game-designer-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Peer Sylvester's German article "Chat GPT als Brettspielautor?" on the Spielbar website: https://www.spielbar.com/wordpress/2026/02/22/26916/ Ryan Dancey's post: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamefeast.bsky.social/post/3mf3p2kv4a22l Make My Game Travel: https://makemygametravel.com/
Music Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Music: bensound.com License code: SABGE2PPI2ABAS06 Artist: : Nick Petrov Support If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/
Tricky Landing (Saturday Review)
28/02/2026 | 7 mins.
Cards were wildly flying through the air. People were taking turns aiming their cards at the target in the middle of the table. It all looked frightfully confusing, but everyone was happy. Choosing the best card was hard enough as it was, but flicking it correctly seemed impossible. For the cards, it was certainly a Tricky Landing by Mike Petchey from Huff No More with illustrations by Edie Petchey. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/02/28/tricky-landing-saturday-review/ Useful Links Tricky Landing: https://travel-games.co.uk/shop/p/trickylanding Huff No More: https://www.huffnomore.co.uk/ BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/456152/tricky-landing New Mill Industries: https://www.newmillindustries.com/ Trick-taking reviews: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/category/reviews/?tag=trick-taking-games
Music Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/) Sound Effects: ZapSplat (https://www.zapsplat.com/) Music I Use: https://www.bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: EX0VDDYHJTWLXV3T Artist: : Benjamin Tissot Support If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/
About Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and discussions with a personal touch
Tabletop Games Blog podcast explores board games, card games, dexterity games, and modern hobby games, delivering in-depth reviews, thought pieces, and audio articles for all types of players. Since 2018 it has covered strategy games, family favourites, party games, and indie gems, focusing on gameplay, design, table presence, and player experience. Originally on a strict weekly schedule, from 2025 episodes now release when ready, prioritising quality. Tune in for engaging board game reviews, tabletop gaming discussions, tips, and commentary on the ever-growing world of modern board games.
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