Specials 8 - Shut Up & Sit Down

Some Tips for Rules Explanations!

What’s the ultimate test of any board game night? No, it’s not your friend getting their arm trapped down the back of a radiator while recovering a lost meeple. That had us scared, but a little olive oil sorted Brendan right out. We’re talking about rules explanations.

We get a ton of questions about the best way to teach rules, so we’ve put together the above video. Teaching rules is going to be most people’s first ever exposure to this hobby. And exposing your friends is, of course, serious business.

What are your best tips to teach games, readers?

Last year we posted a video of us playing co-op board game Space Cadets, and it was an amazing disaster. But what happens when team SU&SD pretend to go into space… for real?

The L.H.S. Bikeshed is a roleplaying game, in a spaceship, in a caravan, built by a team of industrious men working out of the London Hackspace. Naturally, it was our duty to show these guys what their ship could do in the hands of a real crew.

As you might guess, the above video contains a lot of swearing, comprehensively beeped.

SHOUTING! It’s one of the best things in life. Imagine! you, some friends, a few drinks and SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER FOR HOURS.

iF YOU’RE LIKE– oops, excuse me. If you’re like Paul and didn’t get your fix of shouting from Escape The Curse of the Temple, we’ve got you covered! This mini-special reviews not only the mighty, shouty Space Cadets: Dice Duel, but the still-shoutier Panic on Wall Street!.

What are your favourite shouty games, viewers?

Failing that, what are your favourite shouts?

After approximately ONE HUNDRED videos, reviews and podcasts, it’s time for us to say goodbye to 2013 the only way we know how. With EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Enclicken yonder video to learn how we’ve decided to grow next year, what your stretch goal episodes will be and to hear what will be in season 1’s Gold Club bags!

NOTE: Our first pledge season ends in just 10 days. If you haven’t contributed and don’t want the first Gold Club bag to slip you by, definitely head over to the donations annex now!

Everybody else? We’re indescribably grateful to you, and will be collecting your shipping addresses shortly.

Have a happy New Year, everybody.

— Team SU&SD

It’s that most wonderful time of the year! The holiday when families come together and induldge in colourful capitalism. That’s right, I’m talking about Economic Hex-Based Tile Laying Game Fest: 2013.

In this year’s hex fest we review the moreish Suburbia, the quaint Keyflower, remember the daring Archipelago, and in doing so unearth our Game of the Year.

Pour yourself a glass of hexnog, dear viewer. Tis’ the season!

When you think SU&SD, we know you think “co-ordinated,” “graceful,” probably even “lithe.” So this was a long time coming- a video featuring three of our favourite dexterity games on the market today. The noble Oss, the exotic Toc Toc Woodman and the farcical Cube Quest, all showcased lovingly by us in time for Christmas!

One more word, from Brendan: “I’ve put an end to all this sodding continuity, too.” What on earth is he talking about?

Look what we found! The unaired SU&SD pilot from 1974! And reviewing such contemporary board games! Crazy.

Watch as the boys take their first halting steps through the gorgeous Legends of Andor, and stick it to the man with a look at two titles from Victory Point Games’ catalogue: Darkest Night and Moonbase Alpha. You might remember VPG as the small publisher Quinns talked about earlier in the year, whose games come with a complimentary napkin.

Keep on rocking, guys.

Halloween is close, now. Can you feel it? The sticky breath on the back of your neck? The bony hand on your thigh when all the lights are out? Getting higher… and higher…

Following on from Matt’s suggestion of Werewolf last week, Paul and Quinns are offering a couple more creepy gaming suggestions. Including one board game of a real life monster.

Happy Halloween, everybody. Stay safe.

Paul: Did you know that Shut Up & Sit Down is now two years old? This month is our anniversary month and, to celebrate that, we thought we’d give you something very special. It’s something you’ve all been asking for since we started and it’s our way of thanking you for your terrific support.

You, our viewers, our readers, our commenters, have been a brilliant audience. You’ve been friendly and patient and kind and insightful and generally excellent, so we really hope you enjoy fourteen minutes of Shut Up & Sit Down outtakes, fourteen minutes that pull back the curtain and expose the ramshackle workings behind this show.

We should warn you that there’s liberal use of cursing and swears and also bad language and even some rude words. There’s a fair amount of embarrassment. There’s a lot of silliness.

Oh, and this is only a compilation that spans our first series. It takes a little while to edit a collection like this together and we need to rummage through our rushes to see what we can serve up next. There’ll be more to come.

A review special! Not just one game review, but a hatful!

Now this is something a bit different. Fueled entirely by sugar and caffeine, we typed and shot this review in just half a day. Our mission? To review half a dozen games with two minutes allotted to each. Approximately. Thereabouts. Oh God.

But we met with a success of sorts and here, for your viewing pleasure, is the result. We look at games old and new, including D-Day Dice, Ingenious, Samurai Sword, Goblins, Inc., Shadow Hunters and Betrayal at the House on the Hill, but NOT IN THAT ORDER.

Several days after filming, the sugar may not have entirely worn off. Still, this was a good experience for us and training of sorts. Preparation for… something greater.

Some Tips for Rules Explanations!

SU&SD Play… L.H.S. Bikeshed

The Shouting Game Special

…And that’s it for 2013!

Hexagonal Tile-Laying Game Fest, 2013

The Dexterity Games Special

The Unaired SU&SD Pilot

The Halloween Special, 2013

The SU&SD Incredible Outtakes Project, Pt. 1

Introducing… SU&SD’s Rapid Reviews

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