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!

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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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This week on Shut Up & Sit Down…

The Lawyers Are Coming, There's Also An LCDSS Song That Works, Everything's Good In CarnegieTown

Tom:  Hello! HELLO?! Is this the games news? I think I might have gotten lost somewhere on the route from Videoville to Stream-On-Thames and ended up here, of all places. The void betwixt the content. The great unknown. The endless woods of anticipation. What’s to be found in this unhinged time-limbo? I’ve just caught a glimpse of the video  from Quinns that we’ll be publishing on Wednesday, a review of an excellent game whose title can be sung to the tune of the very best ‘Track 9’ on my 3rd favourite Parquet Courts record? Have fun decoding that one, SUCKERS. We’re not sharing our video secrets THAT easily. And what’s that? In the distance? A crowd of lost souls chanting ‘RAISE’? ‘YOUR’? ‘LAWYERS’? The people have demanded it, and we must provide it  – on Tuesday we’ll have a full-length technicolour stream of legal simulation Lawyer Up. It’ll be confusing and amusing! I’m excited to play it, and equally scared that I have to teach it. Last, but not least, please feel free to take a seat inside the Podcastle this Friday for an exhaustive (exhausting?) ramble about Carnegie – a game that contains nary a trace of Union-Busting. Just like the man himself would have wanted. Whew. That’s ‘this week’ over here sorted. I’m knackered already.

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Podcast #128 – In The Pocket Of Big Vampire

Is that twelve games in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?, Vitamin V, You Have Just Got Beansed

In the unbelievably 128th podcast we spend a surprisingly long time chatting about Vampire: The Masquerade – Vendetta, a game with as much blood as it’s got colons! This pink-hued game doesn’t take a rose-tinted view of the source material, which Quinns and Matt get deep into a big nostalgia blanket for. How sweet! Eventually we might even talk about the game. We wrap up with some racist beans, and a surprising experiment with Tom’s pockets!

Have a lovely weekend!

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Review: Oceans

The Big Blue Wet Thing, terror from the deep, poor little bobbit

Splish splosh, splish splish splosh. It’s time to get SALTY! This week’s review sees Matt diving into Oceans – sadly not in real life as he lives in central London. Wrong time of year, too – frankly. Enjoy!

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This week on Shut Up & Sit Down…

Life’s a vendetta, down where it’s wetter

Ava: Greetings humans and gentleworms! Welcome to a whole new week at Shut Up and Sit Down, the website where humans turn board games into thoughts that we blast directly into your ears and eyes. This week is the last week in January, objectively the worst month of the year, and we’re nearly through it! Well done folks, we did it together. Try not to look directly into the eyes of February, a month that would technically be worse if it wasn’t a whole three days shorter. How are we going to get you through the final Jan-stretch? Well, on Tuesday, we’re going to be streaming our porkiest stream yet, a game of City of the Big Shoulders, an economic cube pushing game with some of the stock market shenanigans of the baffling board game sub-genre known as 18xx. I have no idea how it works so I’m likely going to be thrashed by Matt and Tom, what a treat! Wednesday is review day, and I’m permitted to tell you that it’s likely to be the wettest review of the year so far. Matt will be serving up a platter of opinions that shouldn’t actually make you wet, but you do you. Finally, we’ll wrap up the week with our traditional podcast, our tentpole discussion this week is Vampire: The Masquerade – Vendetta, a game we tried on stream and I quite liked but was worried it might be a little unbalanced. What will Quinns, Matt and Tom think? I’ll find out when I start editing the podbeast, but you’ll have to wait until Friday. What lovely bit of anticipation for you. Aren’t you lucky! So everybody, tell me, what’s been getting you through the chilliest, toughest time of the year? Or if you’re in the southern hemisphere, what can you tell me about summer? Is it really real?

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Podcast #127 – Dune Imperium: Matt Lees vs. The People

Dune: The Desert Planet, Dune: The Dorito Planet, Dune: The Salt Planet

In this garishly 127th episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down Podcast, Matt, Tom and Ava have a meandering little chat-a-thon about Dune Imperium – a spicy hot game that at least two of the folks on the podcast… aren’t all that hot for. I bet you can’t guess who.

We’re trying a bunch of new formats to see what fits in our new world of weekly pods – so, as always, your thoughts and feelings are appreciated.

Have a lovely weekend!

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Review: 10* Button Shy* Games in 10* Minutes!

‘The Alligator’, A Crypt in Poor Taste, Villainous Plants, Animils, Red Red Wine

Initially the pitch for this video was 10 reviews overlapping one-another all at the same time, providing a sort of ‘dreamscape’ where the viewer doesn’t know exactly what they just watched; but instead have a strong sense-memory of really enjoying about half the games.

Instead, this. It’s probably more confusing, and it put me (Tom) into a slight frenzy. I’m now going to have a very long lie-down. Good luck!

Should you desire it, Button Shy’s games can be purchased through their website! Don’t pay them after dark though, or else something something gremlins reference.

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