Podcast #39: Classic games, culling games, and conventions (guests: Board Game Spotlight)

Over 4,000 unique board games were released in 2019 alone -- how does any one game stand out? What makes a game become "classic" or "evergreen"?

Lizzy Funkhouser from the Facebook group Board Game Spotlight and Derek Funkhouser from  Skybound Games join us to separate the quality games from the background components as we discuss how they're preparing for their big cross-country move (sob!). Which games deserve to go with them, and which games will get cut? Can Shoe resist offering to buy all of their games? Can Lizzy secretly hand them off to Shoe, or will Christina notice? We also learn about how military service affects Derek and Lizzy's board gaming life as they prepare for Derek's upcoming deployment.

Note about COVID-19: We also discussed what our ideal board game convention experiences would be, but we recorded this episode before the full impact of COVID-19 was known. Many upcoming board game conventions have been postponed or cancelled, and we hope everyone practices social distancing when possible. Please stay safe and healthy!The full topics list for this episode:

  1. Derek (guest): Which games are considered classic or evergreen?
  2. Christina (host): What would be your ideal convention experience?
  3. Lizzy (guest): How do you decide which games to cull?
  4. Shoe (producer): How does military life affect board gaming?

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Here's a full list of games discussed on the show:

Intro

Derek's topic: What makes an evergreen or classic board game?

Christina's topic: What's your ideal convention experience?

Lizzy's topic: How do you decide which games to cull or keep?

Shoe's topic: What is board gaming like while deployed or in the armed forces?

Final thoughts