Punched and Played Podcast

We review the CCG simulator Millennium Blades. Thanks to the kindness of Brad Talton from Level 99 Games for providing us a review copy of the game, we discuss the components, gameplay, theme, and replayability of Millennium Blades. While Clint is on vacation, Jonathan and Shawn are joined by their friend, Joel. We wrap up […]

Game mechanisms are the heart of a game. We jump into a discussion of our favorite game mechanisms, what these types of games offer, and multiple examples of board games that exemplify these mechanisms. Jonathan takes charge of the Punch List where he flips the script and has us pick a game that we should […]

How do we spread the love of gaming? Introducing new people to the world of hobby board games can be a challenging and intimidating task for everyone involved. This week we explore non-gamer perceptions on board gaming in general and tips for how to best introduce new players to designer/modern/hobby board games (or however you […]

We chat with the co-designer of Storm Hollow. Angie shares how the game Storm Hollow came to be, the ridiculous amount of content in the game, the game’s Kickstarter and delay, and insights into the gameplay mechanics. Plenty of surprises are in store for those who have backed or preordered the game. Plus Jonathan asks […]

What do we hope to do in 2016?  We sat down right before the new year to discuss our gaming related resolutions for 2016; more specifically, what games do we want to play in 2016 as well as the broader things that we hope to do in the world of hobby board gaming. For the […]

The second half of our BGGCON recap. The 2015 BoardGameGeek Convention may have ended over a month ago, but we’re still living the dream. We discuss the high and low points of BGGCON, interesting trends in Clint’s gaming prowess, and the reign of the supposed grumpy gamers continues. We wrap up our recap with our […]

So much happened at BGGCON 2015… that we decided to split our recap into two episodes. Shawn, Jonathan, and Clint reflect on how this year’s BoardGameGeek Convention compared to last year, the people we got to meet, and some of our early convention gaming experiences. Botched rules, grumpy gamers (a.k.a. us), and a game of […]

BGGCON 2015 is here! We dive into our most anticipated games to play at the 2015 BoardGameGeek Convention in Dallas, Texas. We’ll be joining festivities on Thursday, but we wanted to figure out what we really wanted to accomplish during our time at the convention. As you might have guessed, T.I.M.E Stories makes the cut […]

We plan out a game night perfect for Halloween. Highlighting spooky and atmospheric games, we give our take on a board game menu for putting on a Halloween themed board game night broken down by appetizers, main courses, and desserts. The Punch List is presented by Jonathan who flips the script and has us pick […]

This week we’re joined by Jerry Hawthorne. The designer of Mice & Mystics and the upcoming Tail Feathers sits down to discuss his gaming background, the evolution of the Mice & Mystics universe, as well as detailing the wonderfully impressive Tail Feathers coming from Plaid Hat Games. Clint is in control of the Punch List […]

The gang explores the issue of stress in games. We talk about the board games that help us unwind after a stressful day, but we also dive into games that utilize stress as a function within the game. Of course no discussion on stress would be complete without a visit to good ole “misery farm” […]

Expansions have become the norm, but are they needed? After a bit of a hiatus due to summer schedules, the guys are back together for the podcast. This week we hit up the topic of expansions for board games. We discuss the different functions expansions may serve, whether board game expansions are really all that […]

This week Jonathan takes control of the whole podcast… alone. While Shawn and Clint are on vacation, Jonathan takes the reins and records a solo podcast, fittingly enough, about solo gaming. Jonathan recorded and edited everything for the first time, so big kudos to him. This one’s much shorter than our usual podcast, but it […]

This week we compare RPG experiences to board games. Anthony Valentine, as our resident RPG expert, fills in for Clint this episode. Having a troubled past with competitive board games, Anthony suggested that he might be willing to try out some cooperative board games, such as Mice & Mystics and the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. […]

It’s all about gaming with kids this week. The wonderful Rich Sommer, actor and board game enthusiast extraordinaire, joins us on the podcast to discuss some of our experiences in regard to gaming with our kids. In the process we discuss some of our kid game recommendations, advice, dilemmas, and stories of gaming with kids. […]

We interview David Sanhueza, founder of Game-O-Gami. We open the podcast with a brief discussion about digital board games, spurred by Shawn’s obsession with the card game Gwent in The Witcher 3. We talk about some of our favorite digitally implemented board games on iOS and online before transitioning to our interview with David Sanhueza. […]

We present our suggestions for an Archaeology game night. Board game night is always fun, but we wanted to explore the concept of themed board game nights. First up is a game night featuring our “menu” recommendations for an archaeology theme. We also wrap up May’s Board Game Book Club for Pandemic and announce the […]

The strangest podcast we’ve done… so far. A last minute change in the podcast schedule results in Shawn asking Jonathan and Clint random questions about board gaming. Clint presents a punch list that has us putting ourselves into the games we love. We also chat about how our month long commitment to playing Pandemic has […]

Not everything can make the cut… We try to keep our podcasts around an hour whenever possible so we can attempt to maintain a good pacing for each episode. Yet sometimes we dwell too much on a topic that just throws the flow of the episode off kilter, and as a result, we end up […]

The Cult of the New is everywhere and they’ve infiltrated the ranks of Punched and Played. We discuss how we conceptualize the Cult of the New in the domain of board games, the impact this has had on our own gaming, and how we plan to distance ourselves from its clutches. We also introduce the […]

Shawn and Jonathan sit down to chat with Emerson Matsuuchi, the designer of Specter Ops. We briefly discuss International TableTop Day experiences and dive into Emerson’s experiences in game design, the origins of Specter Ops, and a Metal Gear inspired promo card that could have been. Jonathan presents this week’s Punch List where he asks […]

We explore what makes a good game for us. We all have biases when it comes to games.  So to give our listeners a better idea of our own unique perspectives and preferences, we dive into the aspects of games that either draw us in or push us away. We also spend some time discussing […]

We explore Kickstarter games with special guest Jon Gilmour. Love them or hate them, Kickstarter games have had an impact on the world of board games. In this super-sized episode, Shawn, Jonathan, and Clint talk about noteworthy Kickstarter games currently (at the time) running campaigns and look at some of our favorite past Kickstarters and […]

Some games from our past stick with us. Good or bad, these are some of the games from our childhood. We also reflect upon why these games are memorable after all these years. Plus Jonathan presents this week’s Punch List by putting us in the hot seat and asking us about our favorite games that […]

Some games just can’t make it to the table. Shawn, Jonathan, and Clint explore the games they desperately want to play and the reasons they can’t or don’t. Plus this week’s Punch List looks at our favorite deduction games.  

The very first Punched and Played Podcast. Shawn, Jonathan, and Clint take a look back at another big first, their first big online game purchase. We also introduce the Punch List, a segment that puts the guys on the spot for their favorite game from a surprise category.