Welcome to the first episode of our new podcast, Wooden Cubes & Iron Soldiers!

In this inaugural episode, we get to know our hosts Marco Arnaudo, Lance Myxter, and Joel Eddy. They discuss a variety of games and topics. For the main portion of this episode we hear about their motivations for doing video reviews. aka: “What’s wrong with them??”

They also discuss a giant swathe of board games, new and old: Friday. Outpost, Ora et Labora, Drum Roll, Forgotten Heroes: Vietnam, 1812: The Invasion of Canada, Dragon Rampage, Pandemic, Phantom Leader, Viva Topo, Go Away Monster, Ascending Empires, Caveman Curling, Imperial Crusade Armada, Liberty Roads, The God Kings, Enemy Action: Ardennes, Coney Island, Ninja: Legend of the Scorpion Clan, Letters from Whitechapel, 1989: Dawn of Freedom, Free At Last, Wiz-War, Rex: The Final Days of an Empire, Bios: Megafauna, High Frontier, The New Era, Troyes, Village, Seikagahara, Strike of the Eagle, and Band of Brothers

Wow! That’s a lot of games!

~ Joel Eddy

So here is what you have to do to enter!

1. Go to Game Salute Facebook page and “like” it and comment on one of their posts.
2. Come back here and just mention in the forum connected to this post what you commented on and the date so we can find it!

That’s it and you will be registered for the contest! You can entry once a week for all six weeks of the contest from February 1^st to March 14^th. The winner will be announced on the 15^th of March before Midnight. Best of luck to everyone and in the meantime keep reading all the new reviews, and keep playing!

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Joel Eddy

Airlines Europe

I had many “favorite” games of 2011. My “Top 10 of 2011″ video highlighting most of these. But, I want to single out one game in particular for this article: Airlines Europe.
Airlines Europe is hands down the best Gateway Game on the market today. The design of this game is absolutely brilliant. If Stone Age should replace Catan (and it should), then Airlines Europe should replace Ticket to Ride as one of your “Go To” Gateway Games.

There are a large variety of strategies and tatical decsions available at every step, but all of the players’ options are refined into exquisite bite-sized pieces. New gamers can easily jump into a game and feel involved after a single round of play. And, it’s extremely easy to teach! On your turn, you have one of four possible actions you can take. Each action is extremely straight forward. You can either put money into an airline, play shares, trade for shares, or take money. That’s it. However, there are no meaningless decisions in this game. As players take their turns, even novice gamers will pick up on the possible strategies that are available to them.

This is a Gateway Game for adults who like to use their brain when they play. Leave Catan and Ticket to Ride as the Gateway Games for kids!

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Andrew Lloyd

Growing up I played all your typical mainstream games. Unfortunately, it was difficult to find others in my family that wanted to play. Most of my time was spent playing Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit or Risk. Then in college, my group of friends got into weekly party game nights, playing things like Scattergories, Taboo, and Cranium. But there was always a longing for something more. One day after graduating college, I was in the mood to play something so I went to the game shelf. After staring for a few moments at the stack of sheer boredom in front of me I decided that there had to be something better. I had heard of this crazy complicated game in college called Axis and Allies so I knew there was a gaming underground out there. After some internet research, I ordered Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride, and with that, the floodgates were opened.

2011 was a great year for gaming with many many new games in every genre and style you can think of. I have singled out 2 of my favorites published this year: The Castles of Burgundy and Eminent Domain.

The Castles of Burgundy

 The Castles of Burgundy is a great medium weight dice rolling euro with some neat mechanics in which you are building an estate in medieval France. In the vein of Troyes and Alien Frontiers, it mitigates the luck of the dice by providing a multitude of choices no matter what you roll. The addition of several different player boards as well as seemingly endless ways to score victory points helps keep things fresh and unique each time you play.

 Eminent Domain

Eminent Domain is a sci-fi themed galactic civilization building card game that draws heavily from 2 other fantastic games: Glory to Rome and Race for the Galaxy, and tosses in a deck building mechanic for good measure. The rules are easy to pick up, there is little downtime, and has great components and artwork. I highly recommend giving it a play.

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Lance “UndeadViking” Myxter

I don’t have many “favorite” games, as I am willing to pretty much play anything with anyone at any time. My tastes are as varied as the number of gray hairs in my beard – but every once in awhile a game or two will come around and knock me on my butt and make me take note of its awesomeness. One such game is Dominant Species.

Dominant Species

Dominant Species is not a game for the light hearted, or for someone who has somewhere they need to be in the next 3 hours. It is engrossing, challenging, and a test of your mind at every turn. At the end of a session you will think back on each and every turn and wonder where you went wrong, and you will already be planning on how you are going to get your revenge on your friends the next time you sit at the table. I often hear that this game is “not for everyone”, and maybe they are right, but if this game isn’t right for you, then you are REALLY missing out.

The best game to come out in years. Period!

Defenders of the Realm

So pick something lighter for my second game? OK fine. I hate most co-ops. Hate them. Something about sitting down to a game of Pandemic makes my skin crawl, so when someone suggested that I give Defenders of the Realm a chance, I scoffed and waved away their pitiable request. They countered with the “what happened to you playing any game with anyone at any time?” comment I have made several times, and so I ate my humble pie and sat down to play.

I don’t know what it is about this game that intrigues me. I don’t see it as being anything new. Move around the board, control the chaos as best as you can, hope for some good cards, and try to avoid being destroyed – simple…but oh so much fun. I think this game works best when you are getting 6 different kinds of dog crap being kicked out of you, and the fate of the world comes down to a single die roll, and whether you win or lose, the story about how you got there is so, so epic.

If you are a fan of co-ops or fantasy themed games, this has to be in your collection.

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 Stephen Keller 

Quarriors

My tastes are pretty deep rooted in the euro-space. Low luck, no dice, and excruciating decisions are what makes Mr. Keller happiest at the table. Fantasy/D&D themes are virtual poison to me. Amazingly Quarriors, which represents almost all of my gaming dislikes, instantly became one of my favorite games of 2011. I’m not sure what exactly it is but the zesty combination of dice building (deck building with dice) with all these other unsatiable elements frothed into my first major hit of 2011.

Amazingly this even appealed to my girlfriend who is far less forgiving of the fantasy genre. She usually doesn’t have specific leanings for which games we play in a particular night but Quarriors was requested numerous times. Quarriors is just fun, fast, and always begging for an immediate second play.

 Dungeon Petz

This falls squarely in the category of “last but not least”. This is the last new game that I played in 2011. Dungeon Petz just completely blew me away by it’s amazingly engaging theme and really streamlined play. Yes, the rules are a hurdle to get past but once the game was unlocked it was pure bliss for me. Worker Placement combined with some really difficult puzzly decisions combined with incredible art and story made this my favorite game of 2011 without question. Because general retail availability didn’t occur until the final days of December I may be able to cheat and save this for my 2012 list as well. Regardless, Dungeon Petz hit a spectacular high bar in gaming for me because of it’s imagery and finely implemented theme – and poo.

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 George Birthisel

 I’ve burned more than my fair share of the proverbial midnight oil playing Twilight Imperium into the wee hours. The group that I play most with tends to use lots of house rules, developed over time with great care to make a great game all the more replayable. I bring this up because this ia group that takes it’s galactic domination very seriously – and we’ve now become obsessed with Eclipse. If you are a fan of grand galactic conquest and you haven’t already given it a try then do so now!

Eclipse

The system is very slick with good mix of interesting and yet not overly flashy mechanics. Two of the high points for me are the variable tech tree (fixed techs but randomness in their availability) and great action/passing system that is tied into the overall economy. Every turn you have interesting choices to make and – perhaps best of all – you might be able to get in two games in a night if everyone knows what they are doing!

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Marco Arnaudo

  A Few Acres of Snow

Is a great introductory war game for people that want to experience a gateway into wargaming.

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Kevin Wenzel                                                        Disc World

There have been a lot of great games last year, but out of all the games I played I most happily recommend Disc World: Ankh Morpork.  I have been playing it a lot and been working on the review.

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Number 10          Mansions of Madness:

I have never actually played this game, but for a while it was constantly set up at my FLGS. I  haven’t seen a game cause so much frustration and angst in a long time. I won’t go into all the issues as I’ve read a little up on them, and talked to some of my gaming group about it, but I don’t have first hand experience.

Number 9 Yomi

It could be that I don’t understand this game. I’ve tried it a few times now, and it’s just random rock/paper/guessing, with tons and tons of overwrought special abilities. Also, the full game is $100 for like 500 cards. Weak.

Number 8 Kingdom Builder

Wanted to like this. Thought I liked it about half way through my second game. Then I ended up not liking it at all after my third game. Basically, it boils down to, “Which scoring card is the best? OK, do that.” And then I play on auto-pilot.

Number 7 JAB: Realtime Boxing

This game isn’t really that “bad”. It’s just not fun after two or three plays. After that, it’s basically “been there done that”.

Number 5 Barons

I think the main let down for me here, was that Glory to Rome is so good, and this one is just very very very average. It is VERY luck dependent, but so is any card game right? Well not quite. This one seemed to be entirely driven by card draw, leaving me wanting for anything meaningful to do on my turn.

Number 6 NightFall

Very overrated in my opinion. The mechanisms feel clunky to me, and the sink the leader, gang up on player XYZ element ruins it. It’s not good at all with two players either. You can instantly get so far behind in a two player game, that there is no coming back.

Number 4 Cargo Noir

Horrifying. This game is so un-fun. It’s a very very basic auction mechanism that takes way too long to play.

Go play The Boss instead.

Number 3 Letters from Whitechapel

Go play Scotland Yard instead. This is almost the exact same, but takes way too much time. It’s just covered up with a bunch of chrome. This game is “fair” with two. But really, you could just gussy up Scotland Yard and keep the same the good mechanisms from Scotland Yard without all the fiddly rules of Whitechapel.

Number 2 Star Trek: Expeditions

Wow. This game is so anti-theme. Stay away from this one. You basically run around a planet trying to get a “number”. Ugh.

Number 1 Quarriors!

By far the most disappointing game of the year for me. I think if this game wasn’t being touted as “Possibly Game of the Year” when it first came out, I wouldn’t have been as disappointed. I gave this game an honest shot.

However, a game (even a filler) that has zero meaningful decisions is not a gateway game, is not a light game, and is not a filler. It’s just a bad game. There is good filler out there. To me this game was all about two words “Dice Building”. So it was a marketing stunt, in my opinion. A very well produced marketing stunt, but one none the less.

~ Joel Eddy

It has been a great year and Marco has put together a best of the year review! Stay tuned for another exciting year here at 2D6.org.

Art by AlectorFencer

It is a small world after all. Did you know that people all around the world read and enjoy 2D6.org? Our top three countries that view 2D6.org besides North Americans (Yes, Canadians I consider you North American) are: United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The countries that tie for the least number of people who actually view are Turkey and Hungary. Speaking of which, all of our contests are open to everyone who is a member of our site, and we have made arrangements to ship our game giveaways worldwide!

Well it is near the Holidays! We have almost been working for a whole year and we want to celebrate. Now it wouldn’t be a good Holiday if you got a present you didn’t want so we are giving away a $50.00 Gift Certificate from GameSalute.com. This means you can apply it to any game you want. Just in case you didn’t the game that you’re hoping for this Holiday Season!

Why wouldn’t you enter?

All you have to do is tell us what makes your country a great place to play games, or be a gamer. This is in the spirit of togetherness and peace so keep it positive! Post one response to the connecting forum per member. (All duplicate or negative entries will be disqualified.) You have till Christmas Eve December 24^th to enter this contest because by Christmas morning Santa will have come and we will be drinking hot chocolate and picking the winner!

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Arkham Horror has been the standard of frightening cooperative gameplay for a fortnight. The Season of the dark has just begun, and as you hunker down to survive the coming months of cold nights you have something else to worry about. As the nocturnal chill invades your bones and freezes your breath in the night’s air you can’t stay sitting in your comfy chair by a warm fire. You know deep down that you must venture forth or something evil will happen to all of us. Are you strong enough to put a stop to what might be out there?

If you want to toss your hat in for a chance to win this classic scary game here is what you have to do!

First, you can enter the contest with this onetime entry after this article post.  If you’re wise enough you can get three more chances to win by answering mysterious clues that will appear in the forum section, but you must act fast for they will only be good for a short time before they vanish. You will have 24 hours to answer each clue before the forum will be locked forever.

The winner will be picked in the evening before the witching hour on November 30^th. All additional entries not related to the clues will be terminated. Make sure you notify 2D6 within 48 hours of winning or your chances will be sacrificed and a new winner will be chosen for the season.

Here is what you have to do:

1. Post on this article what scares you the most, and why you wouldn’t be afraid to play Arkham Horror!
2. Register at Gamesalute.com and while you’re there check out the great game selections they have (Remember they are responsible for the giveaway).
3. Remember to check back for three more chances in the forum (Knock on wood) to win if you can answer the Cryptic clues.
4. Store lots of food and supplies and get ready for the adventure.

http://niinalaaksonen.deviantart.com/

Well we are less than a week away from Halloween or Samhain as the early Irish used to call it. I sit here in the darkness the sound of cold rain falling outside my window, and this is a sure warning that cold weather is coming around the corner. I begin to wonder am I safe? I mean really safe from the things that are scary, cold, and indifferent.  I know there are all kinds of scary.  Like the medical scare I had the last few weeks, but I want to know a real kind of scary; the mental kind of scary. The kind of scary that sets you huddled in the corner with your teeth a chattering.   To be more specific: the kind of scary in the board gaming world the supernatural, arcane, and mysterious. What best terrifying game grabs you by your collar and drags you into that world of the undead.

It is almost the witching hour as I write and if you want to stay alive you have till November 2^nd the end of Día de los Muertos to figure out what the best game is out there. Post your ideas and arguments to this article. Explain in your opinion what game is the scariest or could be the scariest. Will you make out of this contest alive?

Starting November 2^nd 2D6.org and Myriad Games will start “The best Scary Game Contest”! We will pick one or two games that best capture the true meaning of the word frightening and give this game away at the end of November! Stay tuned for highlights of Scary games we have reviewed this year to play for your Halloween weekend!

In the far distance you can hear a faint drum beat. Bum, Bum it is getting ever so slightly louder. You wait cold and wet in the night, and you stand with a long line of men leaning against the dark earth in a trench along an edge of the  ancient forest. Your breath shows in the wisps of moonlight. The Orcish army is coming and you lie in wait for the battle that is about to take place. The drum beats again and it is considerably louder, and coming closer. The war drums are clearly pounding and bloodshed of your fellow man is eminent.  The wait is over and 2D6.org and Myriad Games is bringing you “Conquest of Nerath” as the next Game giveaway. You may enter everyday of the beginning of the conquest till September 30 at 11:pm.  All you have to do is post a comments in the forums about how you think you can make 2D6 better. Also, it is really important that you go look at Game Salute.com and Myriad game’s websites and let them know in advance that you are supporting them because they are supporting board game websites, and in-particular 2D6.org’s Game giveaway. Keep an eye open for other fun Wizard if the Coast games are offering this fall with the Never Winter theme coming soon!

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Wow it is the end of summer already and we here at 2D6 are in a mad rush getting ready for our day jobs. We are taking a small hiatus for GenCon, but soon after we will start the contest anew!

All we know so far is the contest will begin sometime in Mid-August and run till the end of September. You will be able to enter every day, and that means people who check the site frequently will have a huge advantage!  No matter how many times you enter; everyone will have a chance to win! Are you getting excited!  I can feel the tension myself.  Will you be ready for it the next 2D6.org Game giveaway? It will be one of our bigger prizes to date so get eager to participate!

Go ahead and fire up the grill and start making those Brats and Burgers! Here in the United States we are getting ready for one of our most patriotic holidays. But deep beneath us seething at the earth’s core is another battle brewing. Are you ready to take up arms in the Underworld and fight for the cause! 2D6 & Myriad Games are proud to announce Small World Underground from Days of Wonder as the July Giveaway! Follow the links below to our sponsors and afterwards sign up on the forum post that is connected to this article. We look forward to hearing what is something in your life your willing to fight for this independence season. Even though we like talking a mean war game here at 2D6 we really do so for peace and acceptance!  While you’re feeling the love please stop at one of the sponsors below and let them know you want to support them for they are supporting us with this wonderful give away here at 2D6.

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