Shut Up & Sit Down

Review: 1812: The Invasion of Canada

bourbon-basted, boke, skit scoodily cisnormative, ok I eat the tissue

Last year we reviewed a very special game called A Few Acres of Snow. Now, it’s hard to say what’s weirder. That we’ve reviewed YET ANOTHER simulation of a Canadian war, or that a game called 1812: The Invasion of Canada is secretly great fun.

But that’s not all! This video comes packed with a tiny little Let’s Play of Jazz: The Singing Card Game, as well as the second ever instalment of Board Games With Brendan and a tiny cameo from Guts of Glory. Hot beans.

How’s everyone finding the videos-every-Friday thing? We’re having fun with it. It just feels correct, somehow.

Oh, and for everyone who misses our full episodes, you’ll have something to be very happy about at the end of the month. …What could it be, do you think?

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Games News! 10/06/13

lethal dribbles, Paul and the Trollfens

Quinns: Cripes! Have you seen the news?! The government’s using the internet to spy on our most secret Facemails and Googlings. Don’t worry, though. SU&SD’s weekly games news is only ever good news, covering the hottest new inanimate objects that will never violate your trust.

They might violate everything else, mind you. Cthulhu Wars is a new Kickstarter that’s shattered its funding goal faster than any other board game I’ve ever seen. “The marketplace today has many boardgames featuring the Cthulhu Mythos,” the page starts. “In these games you strive to avert the impending catastrophe. But in Cthulhu Wars you ARE the catastrophe!”

CRIPES!

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SU&SD Play… Galaxy Trucker: Anniversary Edition

the worst miss world victory in history, is that voyager, bowie, picard, riker

Oh my goodness! The Anniversary Edition of Galaxy Trucker is here! It’s huge! And it weighs in at 8.82lbs, which is MORE THAN MOST BABIES.

Galaxy Trucker has been one of SU&SD’s favourite babies since we reviewed it in our sixth ever episode, the Vlaada Chvátil Special. It’s a game of building spaceships out of sewage pipes, launching them on “profitable” adventures, then crying as they fall apart like lego in a tumble drier. It’s just so inventive, and so, so funny.

If you haven’t got it yet, the Anniversary Edition is an absurd quantity of game. You get Galaxy Trucker itself, BOTH expansions (“The Big Expansion” and “Another Big Expansion”), AND some extra bits.

Just watch. Watch, and see how much you need this box in your life.

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Review: Netrunner

trenchcoats, rain-slick, spinal modems, hostile takeovers, Bickleshire

Quinns: Finally, after six months of waiting and countless allusions on the podcast,
Android: Netrunner is back in stock and OUR REVIEW IS HERE. Click here to head over to the mighty Eurogamer.

Oh, and what a surprise! It’s the best collectible card game we’ve ever played.

“Here’s a game defined by inescapable tension. Playing as either side, you’re always able to make grim estimates of how far you are from victory, while the other player could win at any point. Worse, even the most lovingly crafted deck will often feel like a second antagonist. Both sides need programs, yes, and events and resources, but you’ll need money for all of those, and so sitting down to play Netrunner absolutely feels like you’ve taken a seat under a sword of Damocles that you’ve fastened there yourself.”

Oooh, yes. We like this one. Go read!

I’m actually playing in a Netrunner tournament with some friends this Sunday. We’ve all agreed not to look online for tips, but I wonder if we had anyone keen to give me NBN tips in the audience… ?

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RPG Review: Shooting the Moon

creepy orbits, jefferies tube makeouts, the boogermobile, true love

Leigh: When you first asked me to do pen and paper roleplaying with you, my first thought was of mans sitting around the table doing spreadsheets about their spaceships. Even though you told me Shooting the Moon was about falling in love, I have to admit I was a little skeptical, you know? Like, “okay, rolling for my stats now, Strength, Intelligence and Hotness”.

When we talked about Tease, we both seemed to feel that that systems, stats, and — all right, I’ll say it, nerdery — bear the odour of un-romance. Yet this isn’t like that.

Quinns: No. Who knew? Shooting the Moon is a game that lets 2 or 3 players coax an honest-to-god love story out of the ether. But then, it’s not really a game about falling in love, is it? It’s a game about falling through the cracks of love. A game of struggle, of heartbreak, and – as the front of the book teases – finding out what you’ll do for love.

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SU&SD Will Now Cover Indie RPGs!

slow jams, spooky hexagon, porcelain unicorns, we have to save the zoo

[Today is a momentous day in SU&SD history! We’ve fixed the toilets on level eleven. But also we’re expanding our remit from board and card games, to add just a little coverage of something else you can buy in a game shop: small, or “indie” roleplaying games. Anyone remember our review of Fiasco last year? Yes! Just like that.]

To help us out, we’d like to welcome back irregular SU&SD contributor Leigh Alexander. But who is she? Why is she here? And what is an indie RPG?]

Quinns: Who are you? Why are you here? And what is an indie RPG?

Leigh: Hi! I’m a gaming and culture writer who writes primarily about videogames, boardgames are finally getting under my skin thanks to SU&SD, and you KNOW what an indie RPG is, punk.

Quinns: It’s true. Indie RPGs take the format of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and their ilk, with players sat around a table, rolling dice, pretending to be half-elves and what have you, but with a focus on story instead of simulation. Suddenly, these books offer low-maintenance games that you and your friends can finish in a single evening.

And oh my GOD! They’re all so fascinating!

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Games News! 03/06/13

Quinns: Morning, peaches! How are you doing? Summer’s arrived here in SU&SD’s sacred city of London, and that means… something, to some people, probably. Not to us, though! We’re still indoors, searching for the world’s best board games. Just a little sweatier.

Game Bugle bring us our first story, an official design diary of the gang-tastic City of Remnants, which we reviewed just last month. Some really neat stuff in there from new designer Isaac Vega, including the pearl of wisdom that the hardest part of any board game design is the very final round of playtesting, where the bones of many an unpublished game can be found.

That’s not my favourite story this week, though. I just needed something pretty for the header image. Get ready for THIS:

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Review: Tzolk’in

Here’s something to keep you guys hungry. Quinns has just posted his review of Tzolkin: The Mayan Calendar on Eurogamer, and it’s ONLY the most impressive game we’ve played this year. “Getting worked up about mundane themes is a bit of a theme in itself in contemporary board gaming. Dyspeptic classic Thurn and Taxis is … Read more

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Review: Spartacus

glistening nipples, teensy meeples, death stuff, spurt stuff

This time around, we look at the sexy, sweaty, sword-wielding game of gladiatorial combat that is Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery! Last year, Spartacus’ gory magnetism earned it a huge following. Designers Gale Force Nine thought they’d slipped SU&SD by, but this was NOT THE CASE.

We’re here now, and we’re finally answering all the important questions. Is it as good as the TV series? Have any of us actually seen the TV series? And who is Spartacus?

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Review: El Grande

Quinns: Hey! You’re up late. Come here, I want to show you something. Isn’t she becautiful? She’s called… “El Grande.”

What? She looks old?! Could you have some respect? Yes, she’s old. She was released in 1995, but she’s still for sale today because she’s a classic. She’s also one of my favourite games, and you’re going to listen as I tell you why. No, you can’t go to bed. Sit down. You might learn a thing or two. No you can’t have a glass of water. You screwed that up.

The thing is, we’re covering a lot of flashy games these days. Games of neon dice, plastic warriors, of mechanics so thick and layered as to resemble some glutinous design lasagne.

I like El Grande because it knows you don’t need any of that to be grand. It has almost royal quality you won’t find in any of this cardboard pomp.

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