All Mana of Things is a podcast about board games, card games, dice games… pretty much all forms of tabletop games. We review one game per episode to keep our podcast succinct, hopefully giving you an idea if the game would suit you. We also post 'ramble' episodes where we answer the important quest…
Aliens are coming. They creep stealthily down the complex getting closer and closer; the hive seemingly endless; the objectives almost impossible as wave after wave of xenomorph horrors claw their way to the combat zone. Can you and your team achieve the objectives without dying? Does it sound like a stand up fight or a bug hunt? In this game you will relive the first four movies of the Alien franchise with solid integration of each underlying theme. If you loved this franchise, once you play the game, you will want to revisit the movies which will make you want to play the game again. Tune in to hear us review the game in more detail- in this space everyone can hear you scream (sorry poor joke) Board Game Geek – Legendary Encounters An Alien Deck Building Game Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as… Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Intrigue is a great word isn’t it? It has so many connotations, like making secret plans to take down the government or simply you are interested in whats behind the door. Either way Dominion Intrigue was the first expansion to Dominion which took it to another level and really gave the original more interaction. Join us as we discuss the merits of this classic game. Board Game Geek – Dominion Intrigue Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
They say you should never give a pet as a present, you just never know if the person you are giving it to has enough time to care for it well. That is unless you are the Chinese Emperor and you are giving the pet to the Japanese Emperor, he has plenty of people to help him out. And that is where you – the player – comes in. It is your job to care for the animal by growing food and a safe environment for it to live in. And did I mention that this pet is a panda? Now you are all working on the same bamboo garden, looking after the same panda, only Joe might want to grow only his favourtie type of bamboo, while Mary thinks the garden will look great with a variety of bamboo, and Derek thinks the bamboo should be trimmed like a… Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Azul is just one of those games. It’s a game about laying tiles but not a tile laying game. It’s abstract and yet the there is a theme. It’s simple yet strategically there is a lot going on with every move. This is one of those games that you start out talking rationally to your friends about how to play and next thing you know you’re waving your hands madly about and cursing that time you had to smash tiles and missed out on completing a row. Meanwhile they are looking back at you and thinking, “It’s just a game about laying tiles”. “But, Oh No!” you say reading their thoughts, “That was not just a game!” spittle flying from your mouth as you throttle them to the ground in primal rage. “That was warrrr!” you whisper. I tried to google “tile laying quotes” to leave you with some meaningful… Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
We’ve seen all shapes and sizes of instruction manuals in our time of playing tabletop games and have been itching to discuss this topic for ages now. But where do you start? What are commonalities regardless of game type? Does it complement the game or work against it? What do we expect to see in a good instruction and what irritates us the most? Will you agree with us? Join us as we discuss something every card game, dice game and board game NEEDS to get right. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
A look back on the month that was discussing all mana of board game news. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Tiny Epic Defenders another game in the very enjoyable, very portable Tiny Epic range. Although it was released in 2015 it has had the luxury of a re-release in 2018. So what do we think of the second edition of this game? Join us as we literally discuss figurative fires while loudly sipping our cups of tea in this episode of All Mana of Things. Board Game Geek – Tiny Epic Defenders (Second Edition) Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
You have the afternoon free; a couple of mates swing by looking bored and you are all looking to waste an evening, kicking back playing board games. Sure you could play three or four games back to back, but you could also dust off a long play game and emerse yourself in a world that takes hours to get through. Join us as we talk about our collection of games that proudly advertise a game play of over 150 minutes. These bad boys are pure escapism and the hours will melt away. We also talk about the long play games we’d like to play and the games that feel like they are unnecessarily long play games. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
In this podcast we turn a review about our favorite party game into a challenge to see who can do on the fly mental math! If you want to see how listen into this lighthearted review as we have a bit of fun to end the year. Board Game Geek – Times Up! Title Recall! Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Step 1: Put a worker down (which gives you an ability to do something). Step 2: Pick a worker up. Step 3. Repeat. Sounds pretty easy right? But worker placement games have evolved into something exciting over the last few years. With board games more popular than ever, this basic mechanic has been the cornerstone for some of our all time favourite games to play. Join us we talk worker placement games; what is it? What are some amazing games out there? Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Jaipur is one of those games that sits on the shelf and you look over to it and there’s the guy on the cover with a glorious beard and a genuine smile inviting you to take part in trading with him. How can you say no to that? Listen in as we let you know the reasons you wouldn’t want to. Board Game Geek – Jaipur Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
How can we talk about DC characters and their favourite games without a followup episode on Marvel characters? Simple answer is we can’t. This time we pick on the likes of Thanos, Wolverine, Deadpool and more with some very varied game choices of what we think their favourite board game will be. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
When I was younger I watched ‘Dawn of the Dead’ and thought it would be sort of fun to barricade oneself in an abandoned shopping mall; playing with all the fun stuff, trying on all the clothes and generally running wild; while a band of flesh eating zombies lurks outside. Of course ‘I am Legend’ ruined that fantasy with zombies that could run and all of a sudden I was off the zombie band wagon. Tiny Epic Zombies is a game that puts the fun back into the undead wanting to eat your brains. Join us as we review the game that proves even my mum is more likely to survive a zombie apocalypse than I am. Board Game Geek – Tiny Epic Zombies Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
In our minds, when they are not busy saving the world, Superheros are sitting around playing board games like the rest of us. But what game would you recommend to Batman or Arrow? Listen in as we have a bit of fun choosing games for a random selection of DC characters. (Be sure to listen to the end to find out what we recommend for Aquaman… poor Aquaman). Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
It’s not easy being green and even less so when you are part of an orc zombie horde. The same could be said for the new band of survivors who need to face down these gruesome foes. Listen in as we analyse this sequel to Zombicide Black Plague (one of our favorite games) and discuss the differences, similarities and challenges within this game. Board Game Geek – Zombicide: Green Horde Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
While we all wait for our owls to come home with a letter from Hogwarts we take a moment to work out what board games our fellow houses would love to play. As a bit of a reminder… You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you’ve a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind; Or perhaps in Slytherin You’ll make your real friends, Those cunning folks use any means To achieve their ends. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
If we had to name the two coolest worlds for a kid to grow up in we’d pick the Harry Potter-verse and Avatar The Last Air Bender. Now picture a game that combines both of those worlds without infringing any copyright laws and you get The Big Book of Madness. Harness the power of wind, water, fire and earth; learning spells to defeat creatures that lurk within the Grimoire before you reach the final page. Board Game Geek – The Big Book of Madness Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Dear Abstract Games, We would like to apologise for all the bad things we said about you in the past. We once believed games could only be truly engaging with a fun theme that would assist in the game play. We were misguided. We did not yet understand the intricacies of games that are simple to explain and play yet involve many crunchy decisions that make them so soo good. We have come to value your style and look forward to may more gaming encounters with you. Your sincerely, Shondelle and Peter P.S. If it helps, I think we may have mentioned more different games in this podcast than any others in the past. Because it was so difficult to decide which to talk about we went to the extreme of just listing some! Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for… Continue reading
Becoming a thief and stealing some loot sounds like a bit of harmless fun right? Wrong! Not when it’s a dragon your stealing it from. This is an action packed nerve rattling deck building crazy adrenaline rush with a big decision to make; do you boldly (and quietly) creep your way down to the depths to get the more valuable items or madly rush in, stumble over everything, swoop to the first shiny thing you find and hightail it out of there leaving everyone chasing after you? Find out what we think in the latest episode of All Mana of Things. Board Game Geek – Clank! A Deck Building Adventure Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
In our latest podcast episode, where we have had zero time to prepare, we ramble about gaming within the chaos of bringing home a baby. Listen in if you want to hear some of the aspects we think you need to consider as well as a few game recommendations. And please, if you have any tips feel free to get in contact with us to let us know! Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Becoming a knight is not as easy as you might think. You have to practise your swordsmanship sure, but you also need to study hard, to work in the kings court, to woo the princess, to prove yourself on heroic quests and show that you are charitable by giving to the poor. And most importantly you have to be the best at all of this, better than the others training to be knights alongside you. With so much to do and not enough time what type of knight will you become? Will you be… Sir Maximus the greedy, who ignores the poor… Sir Nigel the not so brave, who refuses to go out and slay the dragon… Sir Darren the dunce, who really should spend more time hitting the books… or Sir Bruce the mediocre, who has a go at everything but never really excels at anything. Find out what… Continue reading
When it comes to writing blurbs for our podcast episodes sometimes the muse graces us with whimsical descriptive powers and other times… well… Today I thought I would get a little more technical. Some clever person over on Board Game Geek created a poll on how much expansions improve or harm the base game and ‘abracadabra’ (that felt appropriate seeing as how we are taking about wizards) the 50 best game expansions of all time were identified. The Wizards Tower is the most popular expansion for Castle Panic and is also ranked 12 on the list of best game expansions with 80% of voters considering it an excellent expansion. Listen in to hear how it changes the base game and what we think of this expansion in the latest episode of All Mana of Things. Board Game Geek – Castle Panic – The Wizard’s Tower Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email… Continue reading
BANG! SMASH! KIDDLEY POW! King of Tokyo is staring now. Gang up on the leader then jump into Tokyo to become the punching bag. This Game is nothing but fun and our podcast delves into what makes it so darn awesome. Will you be the rightful King of Tokyo? Board Game Geek – King of Tokyo Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
We’ve talked about board games we would like turned into movies, now lets discuss movies we would like to turn into board games. Put on your game designer hats as we brainstorm some ideas and pitch movies we could see being the next big thing on your shelf. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Pretty. Pretty. Pretty Preeeeeeeettty should be the name of this Game. But it’s not. It’s called Photosynthesis. And the aim of the game is light points. Sounds dull? It’s anything but. This game will have your brain more twisted than the gnarled roots of a mangrove tree. Enjoy one of my favorite podcasts to date. Board Game Geek – Photosynthesis Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Happy News! Please check out our announcement and find out why we’ve missed our regular release schedule. We appreciate you understanding and hope you will stay tune until May for more podcasts coming your way. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
In the past board games that have been transformed into movies haven't quite worked out so well. But don't worry, we have put our heads together to work out what we think would turn that trend around. So listen up Hollywood and check out our latest podcast about board games that we would like to see on the silver screen. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Mel Brooks once said, ‘It’s good to be the king’. He wasn’t wrong. In the game Kingdomino, you get to play a kingdom builder, expanding your lands and reaping the victory point benefits. This simple game combines domino like pieces with clever tile laying statgey. So listen in as we review the game with the best pun name in recent years, Kingdomino. Board Game Geek – Kingdomino Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
You’ve bought the game √ You know some friends √ You own a table big enough for everyone √ But how do you bring it all together into an epic tabletop event? Lets us guide you through our experiences on what we think makes a games night a great night, and will keep your friends coming back for more tabletop gaming into the future! Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Every wanted to fly around space stopping in at cool orbital facilities? How about competing for territories on a new planet whilst discovering alien tech? Throw in a bit of space piracy for some nasty fun and you have Alien Frontiers. Alien Frontiers takes you into a retro sci-fi world that eloquently combines luck and strategy. Join us to hear our thoughts on this clever gem of a game. Board Game Geek – Alien Frontiers Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
This is it! The list of the year. Our top 3 games we’ve played in 2017 and what an amazing year it has been for All Mana of Things. 29 New Games Played 72 Unique Games Played 161 Plays in Total of Games And that was just the ones we have played together. Tune in to find out if you agree with our list or give us feedback on what your top 3 would be. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me… Five golden dice Four filler games Three meeples Two expansion packs And a Board Game with a Christmas Theme Okay, thankfully we don’t actually sing in this episode but we are getting into the spirit with potential Christmas themed expansions. Well, sort of. Our spirit takes a weird turn in this special Christmas episode of All Mana of Things. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
At the start of this year we launched this podcast as a bit of fun for ourselves. We love board games and we love talking about board games so it made sense. We wanted to create a podcast that would be useful to others, with methodical reviews, as well as entertaining, with ridiculous rambles. Earlier this month we reached over 2000 downloads for the year, far surpassing our simple expectations. We don’t know what counts as a successful podcast, but we know that for us, this was a hugely satisfying moment. Reflecting on that, we have created an episode of satisfying moments in board games for this ramble. While it is generally satisfying to win there are often moments within games that are also quite satisfying. Find out what we think these are in this celebratory ramble edition of All Mana of Things. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us… Continue reading
IMPORTANT: You can write on, fold, or tear the materials… say what?!? Although it goes against everything we believe in we decided it was time to delve into the destructive single play world of Exit: The Game games. Having enjoyed a few escape rooms around the world we thought we could take on one in our own home and we are glad we did. Find out how much we enjoyed this game as we SPOILER FREE review the Exit: The Game – The Pharaoh’s Tomb. Board Game Geek – Exit: The Game – The Pharaoh’s Tomb Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Losing at tabletop games isn’t always the best… but does it mean that we don’t like a game if we keep losing? Do we only like games we are good at or do we want a challenge in the game and that’s what keeps us coming back? Here’s our thoughts on always losing. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
There is no night without a dawning, no winter without a spring and no review of Lords of Waterdeep without the follow-up review of the expansion Scoundrels of Skullport. So sit back, take a sigh of relief and enjoy; we didn’t forget about it. Here it is at last- the accompanying expansion review. Board Game Geek – Lords of Waterdeep – Scoundrels of Skullport Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
“Hold your ground knights!” you bellow as you look upon the onslaught of trolls, goblins and orcs charging your way. Walls crumble around you and the hordes of monsters seem unrelenting, barrelling in a chaotic charge to penetrate the castle. Do you have what it takes to hold them back in this cooperative defend the castle gateway game? Included is an audio grab from the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008) in case you want to end your board game night with a show. Board Game Geek – Castle Panic Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Occasionally when we play a game we wonder what life would be like to be them. Sometimes that’s a fun experience, sometimes not so much. Have a listen to characters we would want to be and characters we definitely don’t want to be in this episode of All Mana of Things. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
Even now and then you come across a game that can bridge the gap between an expert board gamer to a first time novice wanting to break into this exciting scene. We call these rare titles ‘gateway games’- offering strategic depth yet easy to teach mechanics and surface level entertainment. Ticket to ride was my gateway game and made me the board game fanatic I am today (thank you Days of Wonder!). Board Game Geek – Ticket to Ride Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
When you consider listing your board game collection as a seperate ‘special item’ on your insurance I think it is fair to say that you have moved from the realm of a casual gamer to a board game fanatic. But what is it about board games that we love so much? Have a listen to hear what we think in this episode of All Mana of Things. Our Website: allmanaofthings.com Our Email Address: podcast@allmanaofthings.com Find us on Twitter or Instagram as @allmanaofthings Thanks for listening! Continue reading
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
