1 Player Podcast

1P 263 - Puzzles!

This week Julius and I, after taking a 1 week break from the podcast, take a 1 week break from talking about games. That's because this week we talk about puzzles in their various forms.  This is just a friendly chat about the types of puzzles we enjoy.  There are sooooo many types of puzzles it's not hard to find one that will suit you.

Here are some things we mentioned

• Math logic puzzles
  • Sudoku
  • Kakuro
  • KenKen
  • Nonograms
  • Bridges/Hashi
• Word puzzles
  • Wordle
  • Crosswords
• Think Fun
  • Rush Hour
  • Brick by Brick
  • Shape by Shape
• Logic puzzles
  • Pinochio "green hats" puzzle
  • LSAT
  • Montigue Island Mysteries
• Jigsaw puzzles
  • Heye Black or White
  • White puzzle

1P 262 - Kanban EV

This week I tell Julius about the rather large Kanban EV.  This game is a re-implementation of the original Kanban and designed by Vital Lacerda.  This quite complex and challenging game was rather fancily produced by Eagle-Gryphon Games.  We talk about the game play and mechanics of the game without getting too deep into the details of how to play.

 

• Kanban EV (BGG, Eagle-Gryphon)

1P 261 - Al Leduc interview

This episode is a bit different from the typical episode and that it doesn't really talk bout a game.  This week I have the pleasure of talking to Al Leduc, the designer of Yukon Airways.  Julius and I discussed this game two weeks ago.  I found the designer notes in the beginning of the rulebook really interested so I invited the designer to come talk about the back story of the game.  I found the conversation interesting because it gives some perspective to theme of the game and, hopefully, makes the game more interesting for those folks that are playing it.

 

• I think this is the Taco Bar at the confluence of the Wind River and the Peel River in the Yukon. (Google Maps)

1P 260 - Popular Mechanics: Drafting

This week Julius and I look at solo drafting games along with the helping, I'm sorry to say, of some barking dogs.  We talk a bit about what is or isn't a drafting game and briefly go over a half dozen or so games worth looking into.  While editing, I realized we completely overlooked a very obvious choice... Gates of Loyang. Darned, darned, darned.  It's an excellent example because the drafting mechanism in solo is much better than the multiplayer drafting.

• 03:45 - Clank! (BGG)
• 04:25 - Cascadia (BGG)
• 05:50 - Nations: The Dice Game (BGG)
• 07:30 - Hostage Negotiator (BGG)
• 12:55 - Canvas (BGG)
• 14:45 - Mechs vs Minions (BGG)
• 17:00 - PAX (BGG)
• 19:30 - Ilse of Cats (BGG)
• 21:50 - Imperial Settlers (BGG)
• 23:45 - Sylvion (BGG) & Aerion (BGG)
• 26:00 - Suburbia (BGG)
• 29:50 - Lux Aeterna (BGG)

1P 259 - Yukon Airways

This week Julius introduces us to a game called Yukon Airways by Al Leduc.  In this game, you play a pilot flying around the Yukon Territories and carrying passengers to various locations in a large and sparse region of Canada.  I believe the game is set in the mid-1900s but I'm not entirely sure about that.  Spin it!

1P 258 - Hoplomachus: Origins

This week we talk about a game I've had for years but only finally gotten around to playing it.  It's a game of gladiatorial arena combat for one or two players.  You compete in various arenas around the world in famous sites like El Dorado, Xanadu and Atlantis!  The game brings a large mix of gladiators to play with and is highly tactical.  It's a lot of fun but it's not a perfect game.  Check out what I think...

• Hoplomachus: Origins (BGG, Chip Theory Games)

1P 257 - Back to the Table: Sentinels of the Multiverse

This week Julius and I popped out an old favorite of ours.  It's Sentinels of the Multiverse, the original edition.  We talk about this unwieldy super-hero game and what we think of it.  How's it aged, considering there is now a second edition out that "fixes many of the problems" with the original. Neither of us have played the new one so we don't have that to taint our opinions!

• Sentinels of the Multiverse (BGG)
• Sentinels of Earth Prime (BGG)

1P 256 - Echoes: The Microchip

This week Julius brings us another episode with his son.  The talk about the escape room style game Echoes: The Microchip.  This game is part of the Echoes series which includes audio interactions in the game.

 

Echoes: The Microchip (BGG)

1P 255 - Popular Mechanics: Worker Placement

This week Julius and I discuss worker placement games.  Drat, I forgot to write down the games we talked about in order.  I'll have to do that later on when I listen to the episode once it comes out.  If you want an exact, clickable list and you don't see it in the notes in your podcast player, visit 1PlayerPodcast.com and view the episode notes there.

 

Drat.

 

• 04:20 Agricola (BGG)
• 05:15 Feast for Odin (BGG)
• 05:55 Nusfjord (BGG)
• 07:10 Parks (BGG)
• 09:20 Caverna Cave vs. Cave (BGG)
• 10:00 Coldwater Crown (BGG)
• 12:40 Paladins of the West Kingdom (BGG)
• 16:40 Steam (BGG)
• 23:10 Kitchen Rush (BGG)
• A few games where mentioned in passing
  • Harbour (BGG)
  • Kanban EV (BGG)
  • Lost Ruins of Arnak (BGG)
  • Maquis (BGG)
  • Robinson Crusoe (BGG)
  • Manhattan Project: Energy Empire (BGG)
• 27:40 Far Space Foundry (BGG)

1P 254 -Smartphone, Inc.

This week Julius tells us about his smartphone or, really, about his smartphone empire.  Smartphone, Inc. is a game in which you build a multinational smartphone company to rival any Android or iPhone!  Julius tells us all about interesting looking game with so-so art.  At least I think the art is so-so.

 

Note: This week we suffered some audio issues.  The quality is up to our normal standard but occaisonally the software we use, Zencastr.com, froze and we would have to restart.  I cut out some of that nonsense but you'll still come across some weird cuts.  I used dice rolls to mark those spots.

1P 253 -Back to the Future: Dice Through Time

Unexpectedly, this week Julius tells us about this co-operative Back to the Future game.  Just in case you lived under a rock in the 80s, Back to the Future is the classic sci-fi movie featuring Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd and a Delorian.  Actually, it's based on all three movies in the Franchise.  It being that this is a movie tie-in game, you (or at least I) would expect to be pretty poor.  However, it was published by Ravensburger and they make pretty decent games.  This one sounds pretty darned cool!

• Back to the Future: Dice Through Time (BGG)
• Back to the Future (iMDb)
• Back to the Future Part II (iMDb)
• Back to the Future Part III (iMDb)

I actually only ever saw the first one.  Should I go watch the other two?

1P 252 - Arkham Horror: Final Hour

Don't be alarmed - this is not the final hour of this podcast!  Actually, we are talking about a game called Arkham Horror: Final Hour from Fantasy Flight Games.  It being an Arkham Horror game, you can pretty much guess what this game is about and like.  If you do, you'll be half right and half wrong.  Thematically, this is pretty much the same game as Arkham Horror or Arkham Horror: The Card Game.  You are running around fighting monsters and cultists while trying to stop some GOO from showing up.  Mechanically speaking, however, you will be surprised.  This game feels and plays very differently from other Arkham Horror games.

• Arkham Horror: Final Hour (BGG, FFG)

1P 251 - Artremis Project

This week Julius tells us about a dice placement game called Artemis Project by Grand Gamers Guild.  This is a really nice looking game with some fantastic artwork and great components.  You are trying to colonize one of the moons of Jupiter, Europa, by mining and sailing the seas for stuff.  Check out what we (especially Julius who has played it) think about this game.

Incidentally, there is a real Artemis project by NASA.  It's stated goal is "With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before".  It looks like the goal is to have this done by 2024 with the first unmaned mission in the project landing on the Moon 2022.

 

• Artemis Project (BGG, Grand Gamers Guild)
• Artemis Program (NASA)

1P 250 - Popular Mechanics: Multi-Use Cards

This week Julius and I embark on a new journey of exploring interesting game mechanics.  We start off with multi-use cards.  It's more than which card should I play play.  It's which card should I play and how should I play it?  That mechanic, when done well, adds for interesting choices.

 

• 03:33 Bruge (BGG)
• 04:00 La Granja (BGG)
• 07:00 Oh My Goods! (BGG)
• 09:00 Lewis and Clark (BGG)
• 11:30 The Bloody Inn (BGG)
• 14:50 Imperial Settlers (BGG)
• 17:20 Gloomhaven (BGG)
• 18:00 Newton (BGG)
• 19:00 Race for the Galaxy (BGG)
• 19:30 Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition (BGG)
• 22:30 Batman: The Dark Night Returns (BGG)
• 24:20 Rove (BGG)
• 25:25 Spaceshipped (BGG)

1P 249 - Final Girl

This week we talk about the slasher film game Final Girl by A.J. Porfirio of Van Ryder Games.  This game is built on the foundation of Hostage Negotiator and expands on that system to make a fun but creepy game about trying to survive in a horror movie while a killer is after you.

 

This is a modular game series in which you need to buy at least two boxes to play, the core box with rules and a Feature Film box with a killer and location to play in.  With multiple Feature Films, you can mix and match killers for more variety in your games.

 

• Final Girl (BGG, VRG)
• Kickstarter Season 2 late pledge (Gamefound)