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The Ascent of Board Games

by The Ascent of Board Games

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Latest episodes

Episode 83 - Reiner Knizia Deep Dive

October 1, 2026 · 1 hr 17 min

Hi, folks! It's time for another designer deep dive, and this month we're looking at a designer who probably deserves the attention more than anyone else - the prolific, the legendary, the first-man-to-win-all-three-Spie…
Episode 82.2 - Imaginary Games, Part 2

September 1, 2026 · 52 min

Hi folks! This month we conclude our review of our favorite games that don't exist. Or at least didn't used to. Look, it makes more sense if you just listen to the episode. And don't worry - whatever you thought you heard at the end of…
Episode 82, Part 1 - Imaginary Games, Part 1

August 2, 2026 · 53 min

Hello everyone! We've spent lo these many months talking about real games - now it's time for us to talk about games that DON'T exist. Although some of them actually do exist now, but didn't originally. Come on along with us - maybe it…
Episode 81, Part 2 - Fantasy Flight Games: The Fall

July 1, 2026 · 43 min

Hi folks! If you listened to last month's episode (or have been following the board game industry for the last decade or so), you probably have a pretty good idea about what's going to happen in this month's episode - the Fall of Fantasy…
Episode 81, Part 1 - Fantasy Flight Games: The Rise

June 1, 2026 · 45 min

Hi folks! We're back (yes, even including Jayson!) with an episode that's a little different than our usual - do let us know what you think! This month and next month, we're doing a different kind of deep dive. Rather than specifically…

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Episode 80 - Antoine Bauza Deep Dive

May 1, 2026 · 59 min

Episode 80 - who'da thunk it? Thank you so much for sticking with us over (gulp) almost eight years of our nonsense. (Don't do the math - lots of two-part episodes have ruined that.) This month, we take a deep dive into the game designs…
Episode 79.2 - Sandbox Games, Part 2

April 1, 2026 · 53 min

We're back to wrap up our discussion on "sandbox games," and this part stretches the definition a bit; there's at least one game here where it's not the map that's bigger than you can explore in one game, but the rule set itself. (Yes…
Episode 79 - Sandbox Games, Part 1

March 2, 2026 · 50 min

This month, we're here to talk about what we're calling "sandbox games" - games that have bigger maps and/or more content than you can possibly explore in a single game, but which aren't built as long campaign or legacy games. Thus, you…
Episode 78 - Alternate Victory Conditions

February 1, 2026 · 1 hr 10 min

HOO boy, this one has been an odyssey. Between computer hardware failures, file corruption, ice storms, and assorted other real-world chaos, it's a bit of a surprise that this episode made it out at all, much less on time. But it's here!…
Episode 77 - Looking Ahead to 2026

January 2, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min

Well, now that THAT's over with (THAT being the year 2025), it's time to see what we're looking forward to in 2026. A list made of our hopes and dreams for the new year, shared with all of our beloved listeners. We've discovered Frank's…
Episode 76 - 2025 Year in Review

December 2, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min

As we head into the last days of 2025, it's time for our traditional look back at our favorite games and game-related events of the last 12 months. Discussions include: The best game shipping wrapper we've ever seen. A really impressive…
Episode 75 Part 2 - Computer Games to Board Games

November 1, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min

More opinions on computer games that have been converted into board games! Among our conversations: Which of us played a demo of Civilization: A New Dawn and didn't like it? The answer may shock you! We disagree on many things, but we…