So Very Wrong About Games

With Walker imminently about to move (to Kingston from Kingston) and Mark still storing his games from the previous move, the overwhelming preponderance of the SVWAG collection(s) is currently shackled by packing tape. So much good design and fun toys yearning to get out! Alas, physical instantiation is a curse, the material world is a prison, and entropy always wins. Find me one realtor sympathetic to the specific needs of a boardgame collector, and that'd be something, at least. 01:12 AYURIS: The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game (Bryan Bormueller, Office Dog, 2025) Games Played Last Week: 04:04 -The Crew: Journey to the Ends of the Earth (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2026) 06:32 -Avalon: The Riven Veil (Jamie Jolly, Shadowborne Games, 2026) 18:14 -Got Five! (Yoann Levet, Blue Orange, 2026) 22:06 -Tiefe Taschen (Fabian Zimmermann, Fobs Games, 2016) 28:14 -Keltis: Dad Orakel (Reiner Knizia, KOSMOS, 2010) 32:16 -Regicide (Paul Abrahams, Luke Badger, & Andy Richdale, Badgers from Mars, 2020) 34:04 -Starts With / Ends With (Jason Tagmire, Championland, 2008) 36:58 -Pacts (Ben Brin, DVC Games, 2025) 39:39 -Cyclades: Legendary Edition (Bruno Cathala & Ludovic Maublanc, Open Sesame Games, 2024) 47:24 -Race for the Galaxy: Xeno Counterstrike (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2026) 53:53 -Railway Boom (Hisashi Hayashi & Simone Luciani, Arclight Games, 2025) 57:08 -Reef Gardens (Jeffrey D. Allers, dlp games, 2025) firgon, nalka News (and why it doesn't matter): 1:00:44 Too Many Bones -> Too Little Time from Chip Theory 1:01:27 Cola Wars pulled from crowdfunding over AI generated art, will retool and relaunch 1:03:19 Antlanteum from Bad Comet 1:03:52 New expansion for Dwellings of Eldervale 1:04:39 New Deception in Hong Kong! No Murder, Heist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The SVWAG Canon (https://www.sowronggames.com/svwag-canon) is an elite list of games that Walker and Mark both very much enjoy. Walker is nervous around recommendations, per se, and the imitations on an ideal game library or somesuch is subject to many practical constraints--so instead SVWAG has an unruly list of games that are greatly enjoyed by both the hosts. And it is time for that list to be updated! 02:08 AYURIS: EGO (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2025) Games Played Last Week: 04:52 -Dwellings of Eldervale (Luke Laurie, Breaking Games, 2020) 09:10 -Brumble Quest (J. Arthur Ellis, Plaid Hat Games, 2026) 13:53 -Endless Winter: Paleoamericans (Stan Kordonskiy, Fantasia Games, 2022) 16:31 -Banana Governance (Mukai, Mukai, 2025) 23:06 -Avalon: The Riven Veil (Jamie Jolly, Shadowborne Games, 2026) 30:26 -Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges (David Killing & Sen Foong-Lim, The Op games, 2026) 35:37 -The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers--Trick-Taking Game (Bryan Bornmueller, Office Dog, 2026) 38:06 -World Championship Russian Roulette (Anthony Burch, Tuesday Knight Games, 2017) News (and why it doesn't matter): 43:57 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag 49:17 Glorious Listener Survey over 46:07 Concept Kids to Concept: Stories 47:00 Mass market, big box store versions of Scout and now Dro Polter 47:54 Wizards of the Grimoire (aka Bookie Bookie, Pew Pew) 3 48:24 Topic: Canon Update Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's hard to go wrong with cats. Even most people who don't like cats are wise enough to keep relatively quiet about it, lest they suffer the consequences. What consequences? Oh, I don't know, maybe the fury of needle-armed psychopaths who watch things die for fun! And that's just the cat owners. ZING I kid, I kid. We here at SVWAG have considerable enthusiasm for Official SVWAG cat, Chandler, aka Chan-Chan aka Chan Man aka Potato. Games Played Last Week: 00:54 -Movie Tricks (Vegard Eliassen Stillerud, Eilif Svensson, and Åsmund Svensson, Chilifox Games, 2025) 06:49 -Avalon: The Riven Veil (Jamie Jolly, Shadowborne Games, 2026) 15:04 -D.E.I.: Divide et Impera (Tommaso Battista, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2022) 17:27 -Barrage: The Colorado Connection (Tommaso Battista & Simone Luciani, Cranio Creations, 2024) 25:06 -Alibis (Yusuke Sato, Allplay, 2025) 27:36 -Landmarks (Rodrigo Rego & Danilo Valente, Floodgate Games, 2024) 28:22 -dnup (Kei Kajino, asmodee, 2025) 31:11 -Bookshelf (Caezar Al-Jassar, Alley Cat Games, 2026) 33:19 -Realm of Reckoning (Max Anderson, Zac Dixon, and Austin Harrison, IV Studio, 2026) 39:37 -Totally Human (Kasper Lapp, Bitewing Games, 2026) 45:52 -Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges (David Killing & Sen Foong-Lim, The Op games, 2026) News (and why it doesn't matter): 49:17 Glorious Listener Survey! https://forms.gle/ghqMH9cuiRWCVyZn9 49:46 Valuable creator, JonGetsGames, on hiatus 51:38 Dinosaurs, everybody! Dino Racer from Underdog and Marceline Leiman 53:08 Rebels Against Rebellion by Trevor Benjamin, David Thompson, and art by Kwanchai Moriya 54:32 Feature Game: Robo Rally Dice (Kane Klenko, Renegade Game Studios, 2026) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

[EDIT] In this episode, Mark falsely attributes the co-authorship of Ayar to Nestore Mangone, when in fact it was designed by Mandela Fernandez-Grandon and Fabio Lopiano. We regret the error. Have you heard of the Walker Quint? This patent-pending, uncopyrightable system is more than just a game organizational schema--it is a multipurpose framework that will REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR LIFE in every way! It's more like a cult, really. Join us in following the Eternal Path of the Walker Quint. 01:43 AYURIS: Undaunted 2200: Callisto (Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, Osprey, 2024) Games Played Last Week: 05:53 -Gold Country (Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, 2026) 09:45 -Bottle Imp (Günter Cornett, Grail Games, 2024) 15:27 -Las Vegas (Rüdiger Dorn, alea, 2012) 18:44 -Avalon: The Riven Veil (Jamie Jolly, Shadowborne Games, 2026) 28:06 -Tiletum (Simone Luciani and Daniele Tascini, Board&Dice, 2022) 32:53 -Baghdad: The City of Peace (Fabio Lopiano & Nestore Mangone, Alley Cat Games, 2025) 40:03 -Into the Machine (Kasper Lapp, AEG, 2026) 46:22 -Sentinels of the Multiverse: Definitive Edition (Christopher Badell & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2022) News (and why it doesn't matter): 54:19 Calactic Cruise rakes in the Dice Tower ards at Gen Con 54:36 Glorious Listener Survey! https://forms.gle/ghqMH9cuiRWCVyZn9 55:05 Nidavellir re-developed into Dwarves of Aquilon 56:20 One Page Rules is crowdfunding starter boxes 57:39 Blind buy for Games Workshop minis 1:00:35 Topic: Games that Build Cred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world is changing, what with everything being cozy and (some) crowdfunding projects fulfilling in weeks rather than years. This dizzying pace of evolution can be disorienting, which is why Notebook Nations seeks to comfort and console you by having throwbacks to the design decisions of years past. Games Played Last Week: 01:55 -Wonderland's War (Tim Eisner, Ben Eisner, and Ian Moss, Druid City Games, 2022) 06:48 -The Quest for El Dorado: Expansion Collection (Reiner Knizia, Lautapelit.fi, 2025) 13:54 -Star Wars: Rebellion (Corey Konieczka, Fantasy Flight, 2016) 23:34 -Container (Franz-Benno Delonge, Thomas Ewert, and Kevin Nesbitt, Allplay, 2026) 30:06 -Tag Team (Gricha German & Corentin Lebrat, Scorpion Masqué, 2025) 35:38 -Chang'an (Carlo Camarotto & Nestore Mangone, Arcane Wonders, 2026) 37:57 -Nokosu Dice (Yusuke Matsumoto, Engames, 2016) 44:12 -Kabuto Sumo: Sakura Slam (John Brieger, Michael Dunsmore, & Tony Miller, Allplay, 2024) News (and why it doesn't matter): 47:26 Glorious Listener Survey! https://forms.gle/ghqMH9cuiRWCVyZn9 48:26 The Lord of the Rings: King's Gambit price speculation and lamentation 52:21 Feature Game: Notebook Nations (Amy Droz & Dusty Droz, Dux Somnium Games, 2026) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices