Mark shares some sad news and explains what is ahead for Gameopolis.

Gameopolis Podcast

A Message from Mark

In this Session Report show, Mark and Jeff give the "point-5" treatment to GameWright's Forbidden Desert! We launch right into this session report with a description of which roles we each assume in this two-player game, and then right into some specific examples of play (which includes many notes of what things we find most forbidding about this particular desert). Our coverage includes some comparisons with the game's predecessor, Forbidden Island. After Mark and Jeff finish their coverage of this two-player example of play, Mark tells us a bit of his experience in a more recent, four-player example of play. We always love to hear from our listeners, so please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! Stay tuned for Show 29.0, coming at you faster than an Explorer wearing a Jetpack! NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.   

Show #28.5 Session Report: Forbidden Desert

In Show 28.0 of Gameopolis, Mark and Jeff inadvertently do a cooperative games extravaganza. But before any of that starts, observing tradition there is discussion of a Dusty Old Box…Actually it's a bag of Dusty Old Things (which sounds like an allergist's nightmare). Mark very enthusiastically describes the Dusty Old Things that Jeff presents him. After that it's a quick visit to our listener mailbag before we launch into the main show topics. Mark takes the first main segment of the show, with coverage of Forbidden Desert: long-awaited sequel to Forbidden Island. He covers the rules, the most obvious differences and similarities with Forbidden Island, and --of course-- talks about the quality of the game components. After Mark's main segment, Jeff dives into a second main segment on Valley Games' D-Day Dice, with focus on the rules of play, and the publisher's very clever use of game components. We'd love to hear from you, so if you get a moment, please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! 00:00:00 Prelude 00:01:35 Dusty Old Box 00:10:39 Listener Feedback 00:16:00 Happy 4th birthday, Gameopolis 00:17:34 Forbidden Desert, by Gamewright Games 00:40:10 D-Day Dice, by Valley Games 01:09:46 Signoff Stay tuned for Show 28.5 --our session report on one of these filler games-- coming at you faster than a raging sandstorm! NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.  

Show #28: Forbidden Desert, and D-Day Dice

Strap in for a multipart Session Report show where Mark and Jeff give the "point-5" treatment to an unprecedented three games! We start off with a quick session report of Babylon, then onto a slightly less-quick session report of the Carcassonne Dice Game. Finally, we do a more in-depth session report of Fast Flowing Forest Fellers -with a special guest-host, Mark's daughter! Just before we wrap this episode, we have a quick diversion with a return of our segment "As Far As Possible, Game Goes Kaupankaynti", in which Mark brings home a description of a great game store in Portsmouth, NH. We always love to hear from our listeners --it truly does make our day-- so please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! 00:00:00 Prelude 00:01:30 Session Report of Babylon 00:06:30 Session Report of Carcassonne Dice Game 00:14:53 Session Report of Fast Flowing Forest Fellers (FlussFeiber) 00:25:43 As Far As Possible, Game Goes Kaupankaynti: Diversions Puzzles & Games 00:30:40 Signoff Stay tuned for Show 28.0, coming at you faster than a lumberjack riding a log through the rapids! NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.  

Show #27.5 Session Report: Babylon, Carc Dice, and FFFF

Jeff shares some recent sad news, and gives an explanation of what's to come.

A Message From Jeff

In Show 27.0 of Gameopolis, Mark and Jeff revisit a topic not discussed since way-back in Show 6.0: Filler Games! Before launching into tho second installment of our Fillers discussion, Jeff opens up a Dusty Old Box that he describes as a familiar game in an unfamiliar box. Confused? Intrigued? Then this show will set your mind at ease! Our discussion of this Dusty Old Box reminds Mark of another tidbit of Mark's Personal Gaming Trivia --a very humorous incident from his past gaming group-of-old. After the Dusty Old Box and Mark's Personal Gaming Trivia segments, Mark and Jeff discuss eight Filler Games, that we hope you'll enjoy. Lastly, at NO ADDITIONAL COST to you, we throw in a bonus segment on Gamewick Games' zombie-themed semi-cooperative card game, Pittsburgh 68. Jeff describes the things he loves about this old-style zombie movie experience. We'd love to hear from you, so if you get a moment, please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! 00:00:00 Prelude 00:03:00 Dusty Old Box 00:10:35 Mark's Personal Gaming Trivia 00:13:58 Carcassonne Dice Game 00:19:30 Babylon 00:26:28 Quoridor 00:33:04 Fast Flowing Forest Fellers (FlussFeiber) 00:39:57 Wits & Wagers 00:49:56 Safari Jack 00:58:03 The Very Clever Pipe Game 01:03:13 Guillotine 01:11:25 Pittsburgh 68 01:32:50 Signoff Related links: 1 Carcassonne Dice Game on Boardgamegeek 2 Babylon on Boardgamegeek 3 Quoridor on Boardgamegeek 4 Fast Flowing Forest Fellers on Boardgamegeek 5 Wits & Wagers on Boardgamegeek 6 Safari Jack on Boardgamegeek 7 The Very Clever Pipe Game on Boardgamegeek 8 Guillotine on Boardgamegeek 9 Pittsburgh 68 on Boardgamegeek Stay tuned for Show 27.5 --our session report on one or more of these filler games-- coming at you faster than a game of Babylon! NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy. 

Show #27: Fillers, part 2

Grab your parachute, put on your jump boots, and get ready to follow along as we "Point-5" Axis & Allies: D-Day on Show 26.5! This was a three-player game that we played with our good friend Bill. Mark talks about the strategic discussions he had with Bill, as the two of them teamed-up as US and UK forces. We also talk about how the unique play elements in the D-Day sequel impact game play and tactics, relative to standard Axis & Allies. We always love to hear from our listeners --it truly does make our day-- so please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! Stay tuned for Show 27.0, coming at you faster than strafing P-38 Lightning! NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.  

Show #26.5 Session Report: Axis & Allies D-Day

Show 26.0 of Gameopolis sees Mark and Jeff hosting a franchise-specific celebration that can ONLY be termed a "Spectacular". In this Spectacular, Mark and Jeff take a deep dive into the Axis & Allies board game series, with special focus on the boardgames in the series of more limited historical scope. Before launching the Spectacular, however, Mark and Jeff open up a Dusty Old Box that might teach you something if you're not careful! After the Dusty Old Box segment, Mark and Jeff launch into a walkthrough of five different Axis & Allies board game titles, with emphasis on the new wrinkles introduced into the A&A game system by each game. We'd love to hear from you, so if you get a moment, please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! 00:00:00 Prelude 00:02:21 Dusty Old Box 00:15:11 Jeff talks about Mark W. Allen's "Midway Submerged" eBook/book 00:16:44 Axis & Allies background and memories 00:19:30 Axis & Allies Europe 00:30:54 Axis & Allies Pacific 00:34:35 Axis & Allies D-Day 00:46:55 Axis & Allies Battle of the Bulge 00:57:55 Axis & Allies Guadalcanal 01:19:31 Signoff Related links: Midway Submerged by Mark W. Allen can be found on http://www.ussbatfish.com Stay tuned for Show 26.5 --our session report on one of these Axis & Allies games-- coming at you faster than a screaming dive-bomber! NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy. 

Show #26: Axis & Allies Spectacular

Get ready for the Rootinest, Tootinest, Shootinest Session Report we've ever done on Gameopolis, as we "Point-5" Twilight Creations' Deadlands: Battle for Slaughter Gulch. Yeehaw!!!! This episode is also our 50th regular episode of Gameopolis, so get ready to hear the clinking of a few toasting champagne glasses throughout the episode! This was a three-player game that we played with our good friend Bill. We cover this play session at a high level, sticking to our overall strategies, and the game elements that we felt impacted the play experience the most.  We also discuss some potential house rules that we would consider trying out. We always love to hear from our Podcast Nation, so please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! Stay tuned for Show 26.0, coming at you faster than Mad Scientist flying an autogyro! NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.  

Show #25.5 Session Report: Battle for Slaughter Gulch

Show 25.0 of Gameopolis is a knock-down, drag-out episode that will have you reaching for your break-away prop furniture. But first, Mark and Jeff keep to Gameopolis tradition and cover a very old Dusty Old Box -a game with a colorful box and a colorful game board. After the Dusty Old Box Mark and Jeff dig into the show's first main segment by covering Merchant of Venus one last time, but they take a slightly different tact this time, by focusing on the differences --the deltas, if you will-- between the Avalon Hill version and the new Fantasy Flight Games' version. Mark finishes this segment by stating he will never mention Merchant of Venus again --for at least a half-hour! After their discussion of Merchant of Venus deltas, Mark and Jeff move onto the show's second main segment, which gives this episode its knock-down, drag-out flavor: a discussion of Twilight Creations' Deadlands: The Battle for Slaughter Gulch. Jeff discusses the game elements and mechanics of this old west-meets-horror-meets-steampunk boardgame, as well as its production values. We end the episode by signing-off just before Mark's hungry dogs overrun the studio and take over the microphones. We'd love to hear from you, so if you get a second, please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! 00:00:00 Prelude 00:01:25 Dusty Old Box 00:11:24 MoV: Avalon Hill to Fantasy Flight deltas 00:41:45 Deadlands: Battle for Slaughter Gulch 01:05:08 Signoff, and siege of Studio B by hungry hounds Stay tuned for Show 25.5 --our 50th Episode, and Session Report on Battle for Slaughter Gulch-- coming at you faster than a hipshot from a six-shooter. NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.   

Show #25: MoV AH to FFG Deltas, and Deadlands Battle for Slaughter Gulch

In this Session Report show, we "Point-5" Fantasy Flight Games' Merchant of Venus. Due to a tear in the space-time continuum, Mark and Jeff end up recording an after-action report BEFORE the action! This show covers our first play-through of FFG's new version of MoV. Our discussion focuses on the strategies each of the three players tried, and some of the revelations we experienced during this first play-through. We always love to hear from our Podcast Nation, so please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! Stay tuned for Show 25.0, coming at you faster than a space freighter with a combo drive!   NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.  

Show #24.5 Session Report: Merchant of Venus

In Show 24.0, Mark and Jeff revisit the show topic of the Premier Episode of Gameopolis: our Top Ten Games lists. After 3-and-a-half years of podcasting, it was apparent that these lists needed to be revisited. Before going into our Top Ten lists, however, we satisfy tradition by opening up a Dusty Old Box. Mark presents Jeff with a Dusty Old Box from his past, and we discuss an overview of the rules, and the things Mark finds most memorable about the game. After the Dusty Old Box segment, Mark and Jeff do a coin toss (specifically, a dubloon toss) to determine who kicks-off the Top Ten lists. For each game, we give a brief description and then chat about the elements of the game that landed it on the Top Ten List. In our Sign-off, we briefly discuss the role IOS games have played in our recent gaming lives, and we extend the invite to our listeners to join us for some virtual gaming. You can find us on Game Center as "stinkytom" and "Funky-Bass-Jeff". We'd love to hear from you, so if you get a second, please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! 00:00:00 Prelude 00:05:08 Dusty Old Box 00:18:44 The Dubloon Toss... 00:19:35 Mark's #10: Warhammer 40K 00:22:41 Jeff's #10: Commands & Colors Ancients 00:26:54 Jeff's #9: Gamma World 00:35:39 Mark's #9: Battletech 00:41:09 Mark's #8: Blackbeard 00:43:54 Jeff's #8: Pandemic 00:47:42 Jeff's #7: Battlefront WW2 00:55:02 Mark's #7: Stone Age 00:59:43 Jeff's #6: Car Wars 01:02:51 Mark's #6: DragonStar 01:06:18 Mark's #5: Dungeons & Dragons 01:10:35 Jeff's #5: Magic: the Gathering 01:17:38 Mark's #4: Pandemic 01:18:21 Jeff's #4: Axis & Allies 01:23:45 Mark's #3: Awful Green Things 01:26:51 Jeff's #3: War of the Ring 01:31:42 Mark's #2: Arkham Horror 01:33:45 Jeff's #2: Dungeons & Dragons 01:34:33 Mark's #1: Merchant of Venus 01:38:37 Jeff's #1: Battletech 01:39:58 Summary, reflections on IOS Games, and Signoff Stay tuned for Show 24.5 --our session report on one of our Top Ten games-- coming soon. NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.   

Show #24: Redux of our Top Ten Games Lists

In this Session Report show, we "Point-5" Looney Labs' Star Fluxx.  We talk about some of the pivotal turns and plays of a two-person example of gameplay, as well as some of our overall impressions of the play experience…things we really liked, and some things we weren't so fond of. We also reflect on how much the game reminds us of a cross between Star Trek and E.T. --no actually it's more like Dr. Who mixed with Firefly --or really more like an Ed Wood version of Predator. We hope you enjoy our attempt to synthesize this entertainingly random scifi game. We always love to hear from our Podcast Nation, so please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! Stay tuned for Show 24.0, coming at you faster than a Jedi-piloted Viper  ...or was that a wave-motion torpedo...? NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.  

Show #23.5 Session Report: Star Fluxx

In Show 23.0, Mark and Jeff discuss two Cheesy Sci-Fi games -one that is a bit meaty, and one that is very light and fast. But first, it's a Dusty Old Box! Mark describes a Dusty Old Box presented to him by Jeff, all the while trying to avoid an allergic attack. After the Dusty Old Box segment, Jeff launches us into the show's first main topic: Gorilla Games' super-light sci-fi RPG/boardgame Battlestations. Jeff covers the main game elements and play mechanisms, and Mark and Jeff both discuss the things they love about this game (and a couple of its shortcomings). After Jeff's main segment, Mark covers a late addition to the Fluxx game family: Star Fluxx. Mark covers what few rules there are in this game, and what he finds most amusing about it. We'd love to hear from you, so if you get a second, please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! 00:00:00 Prelude 00:04:43 Dusty Old Box 00:19:35 Battlestations by Gorilla Games 00:59:45 Star Fluxx by Looney Labs 01:16:32 Signoff Related links: 1 Battlestations on Boardgamegeek 2 Star Fluxx on Boardgamegeek Stay tuned for Show 23.5 --our session report on one of these super cheesy sci-fi games-- coming soon. NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy.   

Show #23: Battlestations, and Star Fluxx

In this Session Report show, we "Point-5" Fireside Games' Castle Panic including the Wizard's Tower Expansion set. The monsters are back, and they've brought along some of their big friends! In this session report, we talk about some of the pivotal turns and plays of our game, and comment on some of our impressions of the play experience. We try to focus on how the Wizard's Tower expansion changes up game play compared to the 'base' Castle Panic game. After we finish with Castle Panic, but before signing-off, we go through our mail bag for a little Listener Feedback. 00:00:00 Session Report 00:18:55 Listener Feedback 00:24:39 Sign-off We always love to hear from our Podcast Nation, so please post a comment to this blog entry (at www.gameopolis.org or gameopolis.libsyn.com), or send us an email at info@gameopolis.org! Stay tuned for Show 23.0, coming at you faster than a flying Phoenix! NOTE: To download, right-click on the "POD" icon above, and choose "Save Target As..." Select a download location on your computer, and save. After saving, play the file from your downloaded copy. 

Show #22.5 Session Report: Castle Panic, Wizard's Tower Expansion

Mark and Jeff talk about all kinds of games, including boardgames, card games, roleplaying games, miniatures games, and the very occasional computer game.