Ok, I had a lot of issues with this podcast and I apologize for its lateness.

1) I don't know where episode 14 is. I think Don is planning on putting it out after the New Year. I, of course, did not realize this until after everything was finished and uploaded

2) So I planned on getting this out a couple of weeks before Christmas but then Oklahoma was hit with this massive ice storm that killed the power in over 250,000 homes, including mine. We went four days without power. Major suckage.

3) So that put us a week behind in everything. Imagine my surprise when the power does come back on but my PC just chirps. Apparenlty all the power off and power ons fried my motherboard. So I buy a new PC which takes about a week to configure and get all of my files on.

I blame Don for all this, since he made a grand announcement about us being able to deliver 2 episodes per month (although I did make it with a day to spare).

So I apologize on the file size, I'm still trying to configure my PC for the best results, but enjoy the podcast anyway.

This is episode 14! I don't know how I'm going to rationalize the mis-numbering, but we'll figure it out.
I think I said "next year" we'll do two episodes a month. So even though there is no blame to load on my back, I'll take it anyway.

Thanks for all the hard work Erik, I'll try to get the other episode ready for pushing out by the 7th or so.

Here it is so you can listen to it right through BGG.

A few questions about this episode.

Have you played North Star Games Wits & Wagers or Cluzzle? If so, what did you think of them? How about Out of the Box's Snorta! or Cineplexity? Were the reviews accurate?

Are there any party games you like?

Were there any classifications of party games that we missed?

What did you think of Scott's Drunken Rant? and do you have any game rants of your own that might need some exposure on the podcast?

This was one of my favorite episodes. I love Wits & Wagers, and now really want to get Cluzzle. I really thought your interview with Dominic was great. I love his enthusiasm, and really want to see this 'werewolf' style game he's talking about...

That said, I've been playing Incan Gold with my wife's family over the holidays and it has really been a big hit...probably the biggest hit party game (even though it's not really sold as such) that I've played over the last few weeks.

My wife's family likes Boulderdash and Wise and Unwise, but I have to admit that they are getting remarkably stale.

As for Scott's rant...I nearly wet myself. Damn that was funny, and I've never even played Puerto Rico!

Dave

Yes, I love Wits & Wagers. It does such an excellent job of giving trivia without the intimidation factor. I just got Cluzzle for my wife as a Christmas gift. Unfortunately, the clay inside was all dried out, so I'm in communication with Northstar to get new clay.



That Snorta! review was superb. I totally agreed with that one. I just received Cineplexity as a Christmas gift. It seems to fall a bit flat with our group. I guess I don't have enough movie lovers in my family. I'll save it for another time if I have a group of more experienced movie goers.



I love most of them. My favorites are those that inspire large amounts of laughter. My number one favorite party game is Time's Up!



It seemed like you covered all the bases. I enjoyed the conversation, and like hearing what party games you guys actually like playing. I would add that most dexterity games have a party feel to them. So it all depends on one's definition of a party game (because most dexterity games don't handle large numbers of players.)



Scott's drunk voice seemed a little silly, but he had a very valid point. I can't think of a rant at the moment, but I'll let you know if something comes to me.

Wits & Wagers : The game fell totally flat for me.

Cluzzle : Best of the clay games out there.

Snorta : Haven't played yet, but I got it in a trade recently. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to get a group together to play the actual game, but the parts are just so great that I know I can whip up a variety of games to play with my little girl as she gets older.



In the trivia category, I really enjoy Smarty Party. For those unfamiliar with it, there's a question and an answer list similar to Outburst. Players in turn try to guess an answer on the list or they lose points (although you can gain points, this game is more about not losing as many points as the other players). The reader bets ahead of time on whether nor not the other players will guess all of the answers or not and can score in that way. I like how you might know a few answers on the list and you have to decide which answer is least likely for anyone else to try so you hold off using that answer thinking you'll have one in the bag for you next turn.



Dexterity games? Not easy to review such games but... there ya go.



Wow. Scott hit two of my peeves with one rant. I like Puerto Rico but I hate playing with people who've analyzed it like a game of chess. "I'm going for the Indigo/University gambit which requires me to choose Settler on turn one, Craftsman on turn two, blah blah blah." Having a sense of strategy is great, but that level of play just saps all of the fun out of a game for me. AND these are always the ones who tell you when you didn't make the "right" move. In a game of Power Grid once, one player who fancied himself quite a good player was constantly telling others what they were doing wrong. HE ended the game in dead last.

The other peeve is the rules lawyering. If that guy was sitting with me at a agame of PR and tried that nonsense about the colonists, I'd be very displeased and I'd let him know. I doubt there's a person I normally game with who wouldn't do likewise.

Any rants of my own? Sheesh, where do I start?

Clumsy players who can't roll dice without clobbering the game board or throwing dice off of the table (only a peeve if they don't try to handle the problem by rolling in a box top or something).

People who put game components in their mouths, etc. You know the guy who rubs his hand of cards on his lower lip while studying the board or uses a meeple to scratch himself?

People who play games with total blinders, focussing only on what they're doing and leaving it to everyone else to thwart the plans of the other players (only a problem with certain games, for example, with Attika where you need to be ready to build to block the winning move of someone else).

People who won't shut up when rules are taught. Rules teaching should be like Highlander... There Can Be Only One (gyah! now I have images of Scott performing this rant in his kilt and a bad accent!). It is so irritating for me to teach a game and have someone else keep butting in to teach some other part when I'm doing just fine. When I'm done, everyone is more than welcome to bring up anything I might have missed, but can you give me a chance to cover all of the rules first?

People who aren't enjoying a game and are thus determined to make sure everyone else has no fun either.

Whew! Let me catch my breath and I'll do more ranting later.

Their older box sets had some dry clay issues. If it is versions they boxed within the past six months to a year, you won't have that problem.

Ahem.

Cineplexity didn't go over as well with my home (OKC group this past weekend, and that's part of why we try to say what audiences would find a given game a green/red/yellow light. I think a great second level to Cineplexity might be the Say Anything mechanic Dominic was talking about.



That's the one I was thinking of as well. It'd be interesting to do a dexterity style party game. Maybe I'll work on one.

Heck, get us anything! Thanks for your review.

You could start by recording them, and send them to us! We prefer wave or MP3s.

Great interview. North Star Games has some very intriguing upcoming games- Dominic mentioned Say Anything that is a cross between Apples and Wits & Wagers, a sort of Werewolf hybrid game, and a Settlers/negotiation type game.

Any ETA on when we will be abl