A short format podcast, running 30-45 minutes, where we discuss a single train game we played in the preceding fortnight. Rich descriptions, zen reflections and meandering musings often feature. Empirical ratings (mostly) do not.
Joe spent a delightful afternoon in 2014 visiting an ashram and Craig recently devoted a productive hour to digesting the canon of Western philosophy via Wikipedia. With their bona fides established, our hosts of the podcast present ruminations on 18 India, accompanied by suggestions for further thematic reading. 00:00:00 Being and Nothingness. 00:22:27 Simulacra and Simulation. 00:41:56 The Order of Things. 01:06:59 An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. 01:34:10 Critique of Practical Reason. 01:57:40 The Medium is the Message. 02:11:14 Beyond Good and Evil.
There's a world outside your window and it's a world of dread and fear. Joe and Craig delve into the archives of the Central Office of Information to unearth forgotten 20th Century media. Well, tonight thank God it's them instead of you. Mind How You Go (1973) 00:00 I Stopped, I Looked, and I Listened (1975) 09:53 Design - Waste of Materials (1979) 16:06 Rubbish Tips (1980) 27:49 Reaching the People (1981) 40:20 Double Take (1986) 51:43
A year ago, the mighty duo of Craig Taylor and Joe Reese were barely known outside of a small handful of enthusiasts for hard-to-acquire train games within the 18xx genre. Now, following a whirlwind tour of the Eastern United States that drew their loyal American fan to Pittsburgh, Craig and Joe are back to grow their reputation among a slightly larger handful of enthusiasts for hard-to-acquire train games from Winsome Games. In another installment of what some critics have hailed as "a [...] podcast", The Train Rush presents: 9 Lives
Following the most mundane of years, Craig and Joe sally forth from the Train Shed, seeking a new purpose in the harsh terrain of the Harz mountains... ...featuring FIRST IMPRESSIONS! A COMPETITION! CELEBRITY GUESTS! SOME SORT OF LIST! POPULAR CULTURAL REFERENCES! AND MORE! A year's worth of episodes in ONE EPISODE, (hence it's in three parts). Lubricate your ear holes and buckle up for the BIGGEST train game podcast experience of the year (if measured by compound file size). Highly recommended you don't attempt to ingest this in one sitting, hence the detailed show notes, available here: https://thetrainrush.com/2023/05/10/station-to-station-we-are-hungry-men/ Stereo version also hosted exclusively on the website, if you want to appreciate the full soundscape Joe has lovingly put together.
Following the most mundane of years, Craig and Joe sally forth from the Train Shed, seeking a new purpose in the harsh terrain of the Harz mountains... ...featuring FIRST IMPRESSIONS! A COMPETITION! CELEBRITY GUESTS! SOME SORT OF LIST! POPULAR CULTURAL REFERENCES! AND MORE! A year's worth of episodes in ONE EPISODE, (hence it's in three parts). Lubricate your ear holes and buckle up for the BIGGEST train game podcast experience of the year (if measured by compound file size). Highly recommended you don't attempt to ingest this in one sitting, hence the detailed show notes, available here: https://thetrainrush.com/2023/05/10/station-to-station-we-are-hungry-men/ Stereo version also hosted exclusively on the website, if you want to appreciate the full soundscape Joe has lovingly put together.
Following the most mundane of years, Craig and Joe sally forth from the Train Shed, seeking a new purpose in the harsh terrain of the Harz mountains... ...featuring FIRST IMPRESSIONS! A COMPETITION! CELEBRITY GUESTS! SOME SORT OF LIST! POPULAR CULTURAL REFERENCES! AND MORE! A year's worth of episodes in ONE EPISODE, (hence it's in three parts). Lubricate your ear holes and buckle up for the BIGGEST train game podcast experience of the year (if measured by compound file size). Highly recommended you don't attempt to ingest this in one sitting, hence the detailed show notes, available here: https://thetrainrush.com/2023/05/10/station-to-station-we-are-hungry-men/ Stereo version also hosted exclusively on the website, if you want to appreciate the full soundscape Joe has lovingly put together.
Craig and Joe exclusively cover the secret forthcoming 2023 game, 18 [space] Wheel [space] Tapping [period]
Two hard men forge a path together in the Colorado Rockies to leave a life they can't remember whilst playing a game they can't forget. 0:00:00 - Intro, or Welcome to the 'Regular Weekly Podcast' 0:04:06 - Game Overview, or How our Hosts Met Colorado Midland 0:08:54 - Design Distance, or Does Familiarity Breed Contempt? (Probably Not) 0:17:54 - Game History, or A Brief Genealogy of Colorado Midland 0:22:22 - Anxiety of Influence, or The Other Bloom's Taxonomy 0:34:30 - Rules of Play, or How to Claim Your Mines 0:48:00 - Analysis, or From Whence Do We Like Our Asymmetry? 1:01:51 - Game Balance, or Should Play Be Fair? 1:10:54 - House Rules, or How to Win Friends & Influence People 1:24:19 - The American Psyche, or Freud and Trains (Entering Tunnels?) 1:36:50 - A Lesser-Spotted Positive Review 1:58:11 - The End, or How Games Are Scored 02:03:40 - Holy Resurrection Ova, or Stuff and Nonsense
Once again, Joe finds himself in a pique of rage, having identified Craig's plagiarised contributions towards The Train Rush's topic-based episode on ‘the value of originality'? Why must his work follow him home? WHY can't his co-host be more mature than the juveniles under his charge? He slowly reaches into the West most drawer of his home-office desk for the familiar, dull weight of his blood-splattered souvenir railroad spike thinking, “this will be the last time…” Chicago Express/American Rails/Luzon Rails/A bloody murder may feature.
In a potential historical future-past time-stripe that certainly might definitely happen maybe, Craig and Joe will discussed their experiences with the PnP edition of the soon-to-be published Union Station. Will you have been tired of the episode before I tire of this conceit? Yes, you did.
In a true act of heroism, Craig & Joe play a game few enough times to not suck all the joy out of it. Truly, a wide-eyed and naive Golden Age special. Topics covered include 18MAN. Well, actually it's exclusively 18MAN. I don't know what to say. If you want variety, try some other podcasts? Maybe spend some time researching shares shaped like digestive biscuits?
Christmas Movie Pitch Meeting--- An empath and a psychopath discuss their experience of a recent murder on a westbound train from Moscow to Siberia. The question on their minds: Do the dead forget? (Trans Siberian Railroad. Mostly. Mild swears happen.) 00:00 - 1:34:50 - All TSR, all the time, baby! Well, except for the Ponzi Scheme chat. And the Irish Gauge chat. Probably other stuff too.
Craig and Joe provide CRUDE ANALYSIS containing CRUDE WORDS from a CRUDE COUNTRY. 1836 ANYTHING BUT SUITABLE FOR JUNIORS Seriously… You have been warned. I am NOT paying for the counselling for your kids if you choose to play this as ‘easy listening’ for the family road trip. P.S. 'Swears' warning aside, thank you to those who contributed towards this episode, specifically: Ambie Valdés , Christopher Giroir, Dan Domme and Phil Campbeau.
Welcome to the House of Fun Now Steam’s Come of Age Welcome to the House of Fun Bankruptcy’s on his way Welcome to the House of Fun I’m sorry son But we don’t stock Original analysis In this shop But we do have a line of conceited podcast episodes where we have imaginary conversations with other podcast episodes Ahhh… a modern classic. Craig & Joe discuss Game Brain’s Dmitry’s argument for/against the existence of ‘fun’ in 18xx & Age of Steam. NOTE: If the ambient track is too loud, delete your cached episode and re-download. It's been fixed. Game Brain podcast episode in question: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brain-game/game-brain-a-board-game-podcast-with-matthew-robinson-and-his/e/76841883
This is your last chance. A one way ticket. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue share—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red share— Craig and Joe discuss Ride the Rails for longer than it takes to play the game itself, thoroughly examining the figurative viscera of the game, with the acuity of a pair of sausage-fingered forensic pathologists. Or maybe you'll regret it all and wished you had taken the orange share after all. Only one way to find out... 00:00 – Show Intro 00:33 to 98:03 - CONTENT! SO MUCH CONTENT IT HURTS! (Ride The Rails) 98:03 - Contacting 'The Train Rush'
Awakening from hibernation, with the physique of a slumbering Kraken and the intellect of a dozing minnow, Craig surfaces some loosely organised thoughts about art in 18xx. Featuring a special guest host sporting a face-mask made for radio, 'Locomotive' Joe Reese. Joe can spell the word 'hexagon', so he knows his onions or more specifically, his polygons. 00:00 – Show Intro 01:13 – Introducing Joe Reese (‘express’ version!) 01:43 – Art in 18xx (ramble, ramble, ramble) 71:29 – Contacting ‘The Train Rush’
In a country ridden by unrelenting political chaos, Dave and Craig attempt to escape to Scott Petersen’s England. A brave ‘New’ England… Featuring Jake Klopfenstein of the Gaming Moguls as a guest third wheel. More wheels is better, right? 00:00 – Intro & show update 02:42 – Introducing Jake Klofpenstein 05:00 – Games last week, including 1828 and StationedOut 07:17 – 18NewEngland 71:42 – Contacting The Train Rush
Dave & Craig describe and discuss the 2018 Winsome 18xx, 1834 designed by , set in the chocolatier nation state of Europe, Belgium. Should you seek this rarity out, like a fine Trappist beer, or is it merely a commodity item, like as much batter-based breakfast food? Listen on to find out. Sort of... 00:00 – Intro 00:23 - This week I've been mostly... WITH ADDED PATREON 03:10 – 1834 41:58 – Contact The Train Rush
As the next part of our entirely orchestrated and ‘not at all coincidental or fortuitous’ interview series, Craig Taylor interviews Gavan Brown, Director of Calgary-based Roxley Games Laboratory. Topics discussed include the history and ethos of his company, personal gaming background and his on-going Iron Clays Kickstarter. Whilst we're here, just hanging out, I should probably casually mention that one lucky patron will win a FULL SET! Warning: Playing cards may feature in this podcast. Listener discretion is advised.
Just in time to help you decide whether or not to convert that Kickstarter 'watch' into a pledge, Dave and Craig chat to Scott Petersen, the man behind All Aboard Games about his gaming life, 18Chesapeake and the future direction of his publishing house. Warning: Our audio is a bit 'rougher' than usual due to limitations in our remote recording suite. We believe the content still shines, but we are investigating solutions.
Having forgotten how long it takes to prepare for, record and produce longer form episodes, Craig and Dave lengthily discuss their reaction to Dave Berry's 18GB, set in their LITERAL homeland. Unlike the local weather, the takes are 'hawt' and the humour dry. P.S. Apologies for the delay folks. It transpires low-mileage babies are SUPREMELY labour intensive. Even more so than podcasts. Special thanks to Jonathan Wells for stepping in to perform the final passes of editing (once again). This episode wouldn't have been possible without his assistance. 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Spreadsheet Calculators for live play 01:55 - T-shirt poll 03:16 - 18GB discussion 48:31 - Analysis & closing thoughts 73:24 - Contact The Train Rush
After the world's longest arm wrestle to decide the topic of their next podcast, Craig and Dave emerge, sweaty but united in their resolve to hunt for gaming treasure in Hollandspiele's 'The Soo Line'. 18GB, Norgebanen and Northern Pacific may also feature briefly. Near the start, next to the bushes. You can't miss it. No, not there. Left a bit. Now you've gone too far. Like this joke. 00:00 Show Intro 00:29 Off The Rails - Unstructured chat covering 18GB, Northern Pacific and Norgebanen 04:45 The Soo Line 37:53 Contacting The Train Rush
A recently widowed man's son calls a radio talk-show in an attempt to find his father a partner. After ending that *awkward* conversation, Dave and Craig continue their search for the perfect 'games night' 18xx. Forget Meg Ryan. Is AAG's 1879, 'the one'? (Warning: Craig may have had a festive drink prior to recording, so this one has the odd soft curse word. It's okay. We're British...)
After playing it a handful of times, Dave and Craig are motivated to share their first impressions of Leonhard Orgler's most recently published title, 18Lilliput, a brave foray into fitting 18xx scale fun into a Lilliputian box. Does it fulfil the brief? Listen on...
After discussing some (literally) old news, Craig & Dave discuss a worker placement classic from the revered British Designer Tony Boydell, Snowdonia. [Episode released out of sequence, as the sterling editing efforts of one of our fans was able to recover it to a state fit for public consumption] 00:00 - Intro and show chat 03:57 - Snowdonia discussion 28:31 - Close out and contact details
Craig and David put their money where their mouth is and visit the nascent 18xx Belgium conference for their second crack of the whip. Live/rough content, featuring conference discussion, first impressions of 1840, superficial reflections on 1880 & rapid chat around 1849/89.
En route to making their next 18xx connecting train, Craig & Dave brave the sounds of smells of the underground to discuss their latest new Japanese import, Tokyo Metro. Review copy courtesy of Jordan Draper games.
With Craig's handler away in sunnier climes, the roguish devil opines endlessly on the subject of teaching 18xx, under the supervision of guest host, Jon Cant. The presenters discuss their observations on what makes teaching 18xx challenging, approaches that they’ve observed work and of course, those that don't. 1836jr and 1846 are discussed as case studies, highlighting attributes which make them interesting candidates for teaching titles. This is an EXTREMELY long episode, running to nearly two hours. We'll forgive you if you chose not to suffer for that long.
Warning: Skip this one if you just want game chat! Admin stuff contained herein... In this episode Craig and Dave discuss the future direction of the podcast and its content, giving ardent listeners an insight as to what's down the tracks for the show. P.S. Please forgive any 'Rice Crispies' that have invaded this episode (Snap, Crackle & Pop) - the death throes of a dying and soon to be replaced microphone.
Following the outcome of the listeners poll, grateful that the winning entry wasn't 'Trainy McTrain-Face', Dave and Craig figuratively travel to the land of Guinness, unspellable names and catastrophic housing bubbles to review the people's choice, 18Ireland. (Apologies but literal travel would have broken the budget)
After covering what passes for 'hawt news' in the world of train games, Dave and Craig discuss their impressions of Peer Sylvester's North American Railways, a train game you could actually play in the pub, albeit whilst attracting quizzical looks. Warning: Neue Heimat, a game in which no trains feature, may make a cameo appearance {GASP} 0:00 - Intro 1:28 - News 12:12 - North American Railways 32:28 - Contacting The Train Rush
Encouraged by the feedback to their pilot episode, after a brief flirtation with a news segment, Dave Moss and Craig Taylor explore their thoughts on the Winsome Games title '1857', set in the land of tango, gauchos and Maradona. Production values, as ever, remain a developing world prospect.
After the briefest of introductions, your hosts, Craig Taylor and Dave Moss, discuss the Heavy Cardboard Golden Elephant award winning game '1822' and its progeny, sharing their reflections and analysis over the course of 45 minutes(ish). Further game details available on Board Game Geek at: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/193867/1822-railways-great-britain
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