Cult of the Old - Tigris & Euphrates

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. Sometimes this cast paints us into a corner. There are games we would love to cover but we have to wait for the inexorable passage of time for those titles to become just that little bit older to fit into our self imposed limits of a ‘decade or more’. Our game this episode has just passed that venerable mark allowing for us to dive into it, especially given it has just had a bit of a refresh. Just over 10 years ago our game this episode, burst onto the scene bringing new life to the ‘party game’ genre. A simple seeming puzzle of word connections created by one of the most diverse designers ever, Vlaada Chvatil. See if you can work out what we mean as we make the connections between the past and the future with Codenames. Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Galaxy Trucker - Episode Link Through the Ages - Episode Link Codenames: Pictures Codenames: Duet Taboo Password - TV Show and game Captain Sonar Worldspanner Factions - The Giant Brain Hardback Paperback Apples to Apples Res Arcana Arcs Cards Against Humanity Just One Decrypto So Clover The Chameleon Whirly Derby Mage Knight Sebaton Tash Kalar Space Alert Alibis French Toast Fiction Dominion - Episode Link Blood on the Clocktower Dixit - Episode Link Other Mentions Guardian Interview https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/sep/26/vlaada-chvatil-codenames-board-game-market-czech-phone Tabletop Gaming Magazine Interview https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/features/the-making-of-codenames-with-designer-vlaada-chvatil/ 10000 dollar pyramid Jackbox party games Big Potato Games Czech Games Edition All Play Codenames App Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Join our Discord Email us at [email protected]

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. This Episode We all begin by just playing games, but then the thought grabs you ‘what if I can do better?” From scribbled notes in a dog eared notebook, to early prototypes with questionable art assets, these initial journeys into design can stop at the kitchen table. For the few that push through, the rewards of seeing your work finally in print can be the end of the story. For fewer still it is the spark of a career. In 1997 an unassuming box of cards became the megaphone announcement of a new designer on the scene. With odd art depicting anthropomorphised legumes, and cartoon pulses, this trading game spawned numerous expansions and is still widely available until this day. It led to a long career for its designer Uwe Rosenberg. Let’s dig up some opinions and plant our flags in the bean trading game that is Bohnanza. Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Catan - Episode Link Citadels - Episode Link Civilisation Freight Train Mega Civilisation Pit Mamma Mia Scout Agricola Patchwork Cosmic Encounter Trade on the Tigris Lords of Vegas Zoo Vadis I’m The Boss Other Mentions Airecon Uwe Rosenberg interview Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. What are we looking at this cast It is easy to forget that the board games world does not stop at the borders of board game geek. Since the dawn of the modern era, that arguably started with Catan, there has been an attitude amongst some that games in the mainstream like Monopoly and Cluedo are mere trifles. Games that are not worth considering when we have such highly crafted artisan experiences to nourish us. But games are old, much older than the modern expression of them. From the egyptian game of Senet to the scratched in the sand boards of Mancala and its many variants, simple but engaging games are woven into the fundamental DNA of the modern expression of tabletop gaming. Today we are covering one of those games, or at least it feels like one of those games. Arriving on the scene via a toy company in the early 80s, this game feels like something much older and elemental. A stacking game defined almost entirely by the imperfections in its production that has sold 95 million copies worldwide. We are going to take a block and put it on top, in Jenga. Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Carrom Crokinole Tak Pitchcar Draughts Hnefatafal Latrunucli Ker Plunk Pick up sticks Jacks Knucklebones Twister Junk Art Rhino Hero Nekojima Tetris Tumble Can’t Stop King of Tokyo Men At Work El Grande Villa Paletti Bandu Riff Raff Dread Star Crossed Icarus Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Join our Discord Email us at [email protected]

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. Let me take you back dear listeners. Way back. A time before gin joints, and speakeasies, when the saloon was king. The west keened a golden siren call to thousands of prospectors some struck it rich, others did not return, and America was forever changed. Although it was California that most flocked to, a little further east, and a century or two later, another place would become synonymous with the idea of striking it rich. Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas has become a mecca for those looking to make their fortune, but the house always wins. Although it would be interesting to go as far back as the Wild West to look at something like Poker, that is not the aim of my preamble today. Nor is it to look at any of the numerous parlour games become gamblers laments that have taken up residence in the glitzy casinos of Las Vegas. No today we look at a game that asks you to invest in Vegas before it was Vegas. To have the vision to construct strange churches to greed and avarice in the middle of the desert. To truly become Lords of Vegas. Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Camden Chinatown Waterfall Park Acquire Catan - Episode Link Monopoly - Episode Link Other Mentions Mike Selinker accusations Cheapass Gamestf Fortress Ameritrash Iain’s Lords of Vegas Americana Review Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Email us at [email protected]

Welcome to the latest episode of Cult of the Old! Each episode your hosts Iain McAllister, Matt Thrower, and Nate Owens are going to turn back the clock to look at games that are at least 10 years old. They’ll give their own critical impressions, tell you about the history of the game and its impact, and what relevance these games still have in the modern hobby landscape. Games can be many things. They can be journeys back in time, a window to nostalgia or a new and exciting arrangement of ideas. They can range in tone from light to dark. Climb in complexity from breezy to fiendishly complicated. They can be laden with components, stacked high with plastic, or they can be, like our next game, a deceptively simple set of cards. This game is, by most people’s measure, a bit of an ugly mess of graphic design, but that hasn’t stopped it getting a cult following. Like many games we have covered over our first 3 seasons, it stamped its designer's name on the history of the hobby. Join us as we look at a game where every card makes you do a second take. It’s time for Innovation. Show Links Below are links to the games and anything else that the team mention during the course of the cast. We will be linking to BGG for games, designers, artists, and publishers as that is a good place to start for raw information about the game in question. Games Mentioned Glory to Rome Mottainai Uchornia Impulse Sidereal Confluence Innovation Ultimate Doomtown 7th Sea Netrunner Magic the Gathering Team Links Iain The Giant Brain Bluesky Matt BlueSky Nate Bluesky Instagram Support us on Patreon Email us at [email protected]