Review: City of the Big Shoulders

Strings and Brooms, lovely shoes, pork wars 2021

This week on the website Matt discovers that you *can’t* just stuff things inside of a jacket in order to recreate David Byrne’s signature look. We also made two new friends, one of whom is most definitely not alive – the other one? We’ll leave you to decide. Find out why City of the Big Shoulders, this caramel rainbow of brown and beige pieces, has captured a tiny piece of our heart..

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This week on Shut Up & Sit Down…

oh boy i can't wait for the new and almost totally dead member of team SUSD

Ava: Hey there peoplefolks, welcome to another bright, shining week on Shut Up & Sit Down. We’re nearly at the end of the wintery void, and right now there’s sun falling on me and it feels like hope. Wahey! What are we hoping for this week? We’re hoping for a stream, a review and a podcast, and you know what, it’s all actually going to happen. (Terms and conditions may apply) On Tuesday we’re streaming the potion-popping extravaganza that is Quacks of Quedlinberg, and we’re even going to chuck in the currently German-only Alchemists expansion. We promise it won’t be as chaotic as when we tried to do this with Excalibohn. We’ll be slightly more prepared for those explosive potion notions. Wednesday is review day, and all I am permitted to say is that Matt will be talking about a game that got him so excited he dressed up all fancy, and may have an appearance from the newest, least-living member of the team. Finally, on Friday we’ve got a lovely little podcast special, with Tom, Quinns and myself having a chat about what we’re planning and dreaming of for our first, perfect game night once all this *gestures vaguely* is a bit less diseasey. Without wanting to get too serious, what hopes are you hoping right now, folks?

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Podcast #131 – A Petulant Pharaoh

Thrown Under The Funbus, Pals with Crocs, Beige Week’s Weird Cousin

In what is clearly the 131st episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down podcast, Matt, Tom and Ava are going to continue recent pod-tradition and natter about just the one game, thanks. That’s right, it’s Faiyum! A game about being both (a) in Egypt and (b) confused! Happens to the best of us. We’re going to be chatting about how it really works, how it sort of works and how it doesn’t work in a hodgepodge chat about one of the stranger board game offerings of 2020. We had some technical difficulties with this one, so apologies if things feel a bit bumpy. It suits the game in question!

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Review – Hansa Teutonica: Big Box

mister rules, flinging sugar, the super accountant, england: it's difficult

What’s historical, great fun, set in medieval Germany and has two thumbs? THIS GUY! Wait, that can’t be right

Look, the point is we’ve done a review of a marvellous new edition of perhaps the greatest eurogame ever made. The new Hansa Teutonica Big Box isn’t actually any bigger than the old edition, but it’s not any more expensive, either, which is a truly fantastic thing. We implore you to take a look.

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This week on Shut Up & Sit Down…

Needle in a Needlestack, Croc Smashing Sim 2020, I used all my beige jokes in the body text oops

Tom: It’s beige week, baby! This week on the site, we’re rattling through the Taupe of the Pops, journeying down umber, and a third beige-based joke. Hold onto your trousers, because each and every game featured this week will have some element that’s distinctly beige – be it colour, theme, or feeling.

Take this week’s Tuesday stream, for example. Red Cathedral isn’t a beige game, in many ways – just look at that lovely cover! Feast your peepers on that sweet, segmented season board! You’re practically drowning in colour! And yet, your eyes must only drift a little to spy the distinctly sepia edges of the board and stunning tagline; ‘Lead a construction team to build Saint Basil’s Cathedral under the Tsar’s reign’. Now THAT’s what I call Beige Week.

What about this week’s video review? Well, my clues so far have led you people to guess the game with worrying accuracy – so I’ll let this week’s theme do all the talking. How’s that for a clue!? It’ll be like finding hay in a haystack.

Finally, in podtown; a sienna subversion to our tripartite of tan. On Friday, we’re going to have ourselves a lovely chat about Faiyum – the most technicolour beige game ever to exist – not just in its actual colour (it’s actually quite colourful!) but also in mechanics. So it’s not really beige at all; and maybe that’s what’s so thrilling about beige week.

But one question remains. What have you been up to, everybody? 

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Podcast #130 – The Big Reiner Lovecast

One Man Solitary... In My City, SU&SD Recommends Reiner Knizia, Thank you thank me for listen your pleasure please today!, Podcasting Troubles

In this freshly-pressed 130th episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down podcast, we’re making amends. “The Beefcast” left the team torn in two, sundered, ruined… borked beyond repair. Now? It’s time to rekindle the fire, and what better way to do so than talk about the man that broke us? That’s right, it’s time to talk ‘Kniz.

Take a seat as Quinns and Tom natter about recent video review stars My City and Modern Art, with a little wiggly chat about The Quest For El Dorado smashed in the middle. We also take the time to make plenty of great behind-the-scenes podcasting errors, for your pleasure!

Tap below for full timestamps and more info!

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Review: Modern Art

The Economy Zone, Steady Manuel, Sweet Sweet Profits, A Scripting Surprise

For this hot HOT review, Tom went back in time to 1992 and stole the design documents for a game that he’s sure will one day be a classic. Who did he steal them from? What was the game? One can only dream.

In the second of a double-Reiner-february-feature; a review of Modern Art, just for you. It’s an absolute classic in the auction game genre, and maybe one of Tom’s favourite games of all time? Watch him squirm as he grapples with the burden of encompassing that which cannot be encompassed.

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This week on Shut Up & Sit Down…

don't eat yellow board games, they're probably old, and not food

Quinns: Greetings from frosty Brighton, everybody! I wish I could say “snowy Brighton”, but alas, today the sky produced about three sneezes’ worth of snow and then gave up. But while I can’t offer you snow, this week I can offer you a pile of fresh, cool, crunchy board games. On Tuesday Matt and Tom will be streaming what at least some people are calling the game of 2020, Beyond the Sun. Would you like to see what the fuss is about? Was the discussion on podcast #124 not enough for you? Or are you just monstrously impatient for our video review, which will only be published when the game is back in stock? If you answered “Yes”, “No,” and “That’s right”, you won’t want to miss this one. On Wednesday Tom will be publishing a video review of one of board gaming’s stone cold classics, a game that is, in fact, older than he is. But not much older. I can say no more. And then Friday will see the emergence of the very 130th Shut Up & Sit Down podcast. Remember how episode #119 was called “The Big Reiner Beefcast”, in which we all argued about legendary designer Reiner Knizia? We’re tentatively calling episode #130 “The Big Reiner Lovecast”. Look forward to further chat about My City, The Quest for El Dorado, and more besides.

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Podcast #129 – Mr Carnegie’s Fun Emporium!

My Tired And Dusty Workers, Ridin' The Business Waves, Absolute Carnage, Bezos; The Board Game

In this juicy 129th episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down podcast, it’s time for business, baby! Join Matt and Tom for a conversation about Carnegie, where our thoughts doth runneth over. Literally. We aimed to keep this one short and sweet but then Matt got ever so excited about history – something that we like to call ‘a nerd move’, in the biz.

Think of this one as the ‘one-two-punch’ of board game podcasts, if you will. A first half that basks in the utter joy of the thing, and a second where reality rears its ugly head at our barred doors. We just wanted to enjoy a game about a hard day’s work, reality! Why do you always spoil our fun?! I JUST WANTED TO CRUSH A WHOLE UNION IN PEACE!!!

Have a lovely weekend!

Tap below for full timestamps and more info!

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Review: My City

raunchy purples, real housewives, quinns sings a song

Drop everything (unless you’re holding a baby)!

My City doesn’t look like much. It also doesn’t sound< like much. But what we've got here is master board game designer Reiner Knizia's take on the genre of legacy games. Remember how The Quest for El Dorado saw Reiner Knizia quietly mastering the genre of deckbuilding games? Well, without wanting to spoil this review entirely, he’s basically done it again. What an absolute legend.

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