If you can choose to be the regular version or the spicy version, you obviously choose the spicy version. I mean, sure, the capsaicin may sting, but one assumes that the canonical version is caliente. Put another way, would you prefer "SVWAG" or "SVWAG en fuego?" The choice is clear. It is a corollary of sorts to Winston Zeddemore axiom that when someone asks you if you are a god, you say yes.

Games Played Last Week:

01:33 -Under Our Sun (Maximilian Lichtner and David Poluda, tabletopper games, 2024)

06:05 -Cosmic Frog (Jenna Felli, Devious Weasel Games, 2020)

09:34 -Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Eric M. Lang, CMON, 2021)

14:20 -Trio (Kaya Miyano, Cocktail Games, 2021)

17:17 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021)

18:58 -Slay the Spire: The Board Game (Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, and Casey Yano, Contention Games, 2024)

21:02 -The Vale of Eternity: Artifacts (Eric Hong and Mathieu Rivero, Mandoo Games, 2024)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

25:06 If you know of games lost in the L.A. fires, let us know!

26:28 Topic: Year in Review 2024

27:43 Walker and Mark's Personal Top 10s

48:50 2024 SVWAG Game of the Year

52:24 Special Categories

"Robert! This here is velvet--not velveteen. A gentleman must learn the difference."

-Gilbert Fontaine de la Tour D'Haute Rive

Games Played Last Week:

01:53 -Fishing (Friedemann Friese, 2F-Spiele, 2024)

08:04 -Revive (Helge Meissner, Eilif Svensson, Anna Wermlund, and Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2022)

10:46 -SCOUT (Kei Kajino, Oink Games, 2019)

14:33 -MLEM: Space Agency (Reiner Knizia, Rebel Studio, 2024)

16:53 -Unconscious Mind (Laskas, Jonny Pac, Yoma, and Antonio Zax, Fantasia Games, 2024)

20:10 -SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Laskas, Jonny Pac, Yoma, and Antonio Zax, Czech Games Edition, 2024)

28:27 -Kollide (Uncredited, Relatable, 2024)

31:12 -Gun It (Randy O'Connor, Randy O Games, 2024)

35:14 -Harmonies (Johan Benvenuto, Libellud, 2024)

38:08 -Gudnak (Timothy S. O'Brien and Ian Oliver, Chaotic Great, 2024)

42:19 -Good Puppers (Chris Cieslik, Asmadi Games, 2021)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

44:20 The System Works: BGG improved plague counters, Rise & Fall replacement part

45:50 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag

46:05 If you or someone you know has lost games in the West Coast fires, please reach out

47:05 Feature Game: Thunder Road: Vendetta--Maximum Chrome (Dave Chalker, Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, Brett Myers, and Brian Neff, Restoration Games, 2023)

Thunder Road: Vendetta--Carnival of Chaos (Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, and Brian Neff, Restoration Games, 2024)

The editorial department of So Very Wrong About Games has several sub-divisions, and admittedly the orgchart gets a bit baroque at this point. The rules errors office is technically a sub-branch of the fact checking desk, but it is funded out of the game design sub-budget. This muddies the line of accountability, and as anyone who works with gibbons can tell you, this is not ideal.

03:53 AYURIS: Lacrimosa (Gerard Ascendi and Ferran Renalias, Devir, 2022)

Games Played Last Week:

05:20 -Endeavor: Deep Sea (Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2024)

08:30 -Hanabi (Antoine Bauza, ABACUSSPIELE, 2010)

13:55 -Thor (Reiner Knizia, Heidelberger Spieleverlag, 2002)

16:39 -Quin (Brian Rooney and Taeleen Woodard, Arch & Gravity Publishing, 2024)

21:12 -Hamster Roll (Jacques Zeimet, Zoch Verlag, 2000)

24:33 -Gun It (Randy O'Connor, Randy O Games, 2024)

30:20 -Spirits of the Forest (Michael Schacht, ThunderGryph Games, 2018)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

33:44 Project K: The League of Legends Trading Card Game

35:42 Dragons Down: Natives and Legends on Kickstarter

36:26 Assault on Doomrock: Party Hard expansion soon on crowdfunding

37:11 Gamers in need after Los Angeles fires: https://www.gofundme.com/f/our-home-is-gone-we-need-your-help

38:11 Topic: Only at Certain Player Counts

It has come to our attention that there has been a great deficiency in SVWAG through the years, namely our shameful neglect of the French language. The sheer Gaul!

Games Played Last Week:

01:34 -The Isle of Cats Duel (Frank West, The City of Games, 2024)

04:28 -Res Arcana: Lux et Tenebrae (Thomas Lehman, Sand Castle Games, 2019)

08:00 -Worldspanner Factions (Brett G. Murrell, Worldspanner, 2024)

17:44 -The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (Thomas Sing, KOSMOS, 2021)

20:30 -Atiwa (Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2022)

23:33 -My Favorite Things (Daiki [Nilgiri] Aoyama and Pepe_R, Play for Keeps, 2015)

31:03 Endeavor: Deep Sea (Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2024)

37:35 -Through the Desert (Reiner Knizia, Allplay, 2024)

39:39 -Dro Polter (Paul Schulz, Oink Games, 2023)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

41:34 Fort Circle Games' First Monday in October by Talia Rosen available for pre-order

42:28 Stranger Things Risk...?

43:10 APE Games to reprint Whale Riders

43:38 Kasper Lapp's Our Secret Society

44:04 Formaggio, expandalone to...

44:18 Feature Game: Fromage (Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset, Road to Infamy Games, 2024)

Trust the launcher.

01:28 AYURIS: Darwin’s Journey (Simone Luciani and Nestore Mangone, ThunderGryph Games, 2023)

Games Played Last Week:

03:49 -Iron Forest (Brian Gomez, Brain Games, 2024)

10:22 -Slide Quest (Nicolas Bourgoin & Jean-François Rochas, Blue Orange, 2019)

14:00 -The Gang (John Cooper and Kory Heath, KOSMOS, 2024)

17:08 -Harmonies (Johan Benvenuto, Libellud, 2024)

19:23 -Set a Watch (Mike Gnade and Todd Walsh, Rock Manor Games, 2019)

23:12 -Endeavor: Age of Expansion (Jarratt Gray, Burnt Island Games, 2020)

28:05 -Windmill Valley (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2024)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

32:35 It's already Lunar New Year

33:33 From Fortress America to 2045, Walker makes associations

37:21 Second Zenobia Award winner: The Porters, by Lucas Cockburn, Neco Cockburn, and Alex Goss about unionization of black Canadian rail workers

38:57 Topic: Sheep in Wolves' Clothing

Walker's glorious return portends a bumper crop of games to discuss, so we will forego a feature game or topic this week in favour of a deluge.

02:11 AYURIS: Stationfall (Matt Eklund, Ion Game Design, 2023)

Games Played Last Week:

07:08 -Tiny Mini Golf (Kamis Kamiński, Self-published, 2023)

12:46 -Green Team Wins (Nathan Thornton, 25th Century Games, 2022)

15:33 -Flip 7 (Eric Olsen, The Op Games, 2024)

18:08 -The LOOP (Maxime Rambourg and Théo Rivière, Pandasaurus Games, 2020)

20:20 -Civolution (Stefan Feld, Deep Print Games, 2024)

24:26 -Iron Forest (Brian Gomez, Brain Games, 2024)

27:20 -Windmill Valley (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2024)

28:44 -Dragons Down (Scott DeMers, Mr. B Games, 2024)

36:05 -The White Castle: Matcha (Israel Cendrero & Sheila Santos, Devir Games, 2024)

37:43 -Black Forest (Tido Lorenz and Uwe Rosenberg, Feuerland Spiele, 2024)

40:26 -Dead Cells: The Rogue-Lite Board Game (Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, and Théo Rivière, Scorpion Masqué, 2024)

47:44 -Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders (Tim Eisner and Ben Eisner, Druid City Games, 2024)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

51:48 Red Tank media literacy: ask what elements of con hauls were purchased

53:43 Green Team Wins Holiday Party Pack

In addition to having to struggle with new hardware on account of gravity murdering his tablet of 10+ years, we now must try to adjust to capturing the sweet, sonorous tones of the elusive Jimbo. It's hard to get audio levels right when the mic's compressor itself swoons from sheer bliss.

02:43 AYURIS: Revive (Helge Meissner, Eilif Svensson, Anna Wermlund, and Kristian Amundsen Østby, Aporta Games, 2022)

Games Played Last Week:

06:28 -Civolution (Stefan Feld, Deep Print Games, 2024)

19:45 -Race for the Galaxy (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2007)

25:22 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021)

27:56 -Windmill Valley (Dani Garcia, Board&Dice, 2024)

30:32 -The Isle of Cats Duel (Frank West, The City of Games, 2024)

34:22 -The White Castle: Matcha (Israel Cendrero & Sheila Santos, Devir Games, 2024)

37:01 -Battalion: War of the Ancients (Paolo Mori and Francesco Sirocchi, Osprey, 2024)

43:11 -Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2017)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

45:31 Please support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/svwag

46:00 New content for Snap Ships Tactics!

46:52 Behold: Rome is on The Game Crafter

47:15 Persuasion by Xoe Allred Hollandspiele (PAX Unplugged)

48:11 Topic: Frustration with Randomness

We're trying this YouTube thing in earnest, now, doing the video podcasting thing. This is our inaugural attempt at plastering our mugs on the internet in a podcast form. You have to be where your audience is, and also, Mark hopes that a link to a video can serve in lieu of his having to travel to see anyone ever again.

https://www.youtube.com/@SoVeryWrongAboutGames

Games Played Last Week:

01:08 -This Is Not a Test: Post-Apocalyptic Skirmish Rules (Joseph McGuire, Worlds End Publishing, 2013)

05:17 -The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth (Antoine Bauza & Bruno Cathala, Repos Production, 2024)

11:13 -Iron Forest (Brian Gomez, Brain Games, 2024)

16:55 -Trudvang Legends (Jordy Adan, Fel Barros, Guilherme Goulart, Eric M. Lang, Marco Maggi, Francesco Nepitello, Umberto Pignatelli, & Fabio Tola, 2022)

20:38 -The Gang (John Cooper and Kory Heath, KOSMOS, 2024)

23:31 -Wonderland's War (Tim Eisner, Ben Eisner, & Ian Moss, Druid City Games, 2022)

26:33 -SCOUT (Kei Kajino, Oink Games, 2019)

28:49 -Fromage (Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset, Road to Infamy Games, 2024)

News (and why it doesn't matter):

33:05 Witcher 3's card game Gwent getting a physical version from No Loading Games

34:57 Hachette distributing MicroMacro Crime City in North America

35:19 Reiner Knizia's Ape Town from Piatnik

36:22 Shut Up & Sit Down form "Strategic Partnership" with Play to Z Games

37:35 Feature Game: D.E.I.: Divide et Impera (Tommaso Battista, Ludus Magnus Studio, 2022)