#36: 2016, a Year in Review

We made it! Welcome to the new year, 2017! As is the tradition, for our first episode of the year we’re going to look back at the year that was with our superlative categories, favorite beers, and favorite games of 2016. Nope, that’s it - no more fluff in the intro paragraph. We’re really excited to do this one! Let’s get to the festivities!!!!

Upcoming: SuperHot Card Game [BGG] [Website]

2016 Superlatives:

Best Artwork:
Scythe (Stonemaier Games)
Paradox (Split Second Games)
Islebound (Red Raven Games)
The Blood of an Englishman (Renegade Game Studios)

Best Non-mini Components:
Santorini (Roxley Games)
Junk Art (Pretzel Games)

Biggest Disappointment:
Danielle: SeaFall (IronWall Games/Plaid Hat Games)
Jake: Knit Wit (Z-Man Games)

Game I Wish I'd Played from 2016:
Danielle: Roll Player (Thunderworks Games)
Jake: Millennium Blades (Level 99 Games)

Game I Wish I'd Played More from 2016:
Danielle: Star Trek Ascendancy (Gale Force Nine)
Jake: Star Trek Frontiers (WizKids)

Best Older Game I Played for the First Time in 2016:
Danielle: Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast)
Jake: Lost Cities (Kosmos)

Best Party Game:
Insider (Oink Games)
Brick Party (Renegade Games)
Fuji Flush (Stronghold Games)

Best Card Game:
51st State: Master Set (Portal Games)
Fabled Fruit (Stronghold Games)

Most Innovative Game:
Vast: The Crystal Caverns (Leder Games)
World of Yo-Ho (IELLO)
Captain Sonar (Matagot)

Best Dexterity Game:
Ice Cool (Brain Games)
Junk Art (Pretzel Games)
Brick Party (Renegade Games)

 

Favorite Beers of 2016 Six-Packs:

Jake:

Danielle:

 

Favorite Games of 2016 Six-Packs:

Jake's Picks:

Santorini
Roxley Games
Designer: Dr. Gordon Hamilton

Star Trek Ascendancy
Gale Force Nine
Designer: Aaron Dill, Sean Sweigart, John Kovaleski

Junk Art
Pretzel Games
Designer: Jay Cormier, Sen-Foong Lim

Danielle's Picks:

A Feast for Odin
Z-Man Games
Designer: Uwe Rosenberg

Insider
Oink Games
Designer: Jun Sasaki

The Networks
Formal Ferret Games
Designer: Gil Hova

We Both Picked:

Paradox
Split Second Games
Designer: Brian Suhre

Terraforming Mars
Stronghold Games/Fryxgames
Designer: Jacob Fryxelius

Scythe
Stonemaier Games
Designer: Jamey Stegmaier

Section Timestamps:

Intro
01:00 Show Housekeeping
02:28 Advance warning: SuperHot Card Game
05:10 2016 in review for Draft Mechanic
09:33 The 2016 Superlative Categories
10:09 Top News Stories
15:40 Best Artwork
18:51 Best Components
23:34 Biggest Disappointment
27:15 2016 Game I Wish I’d Played
29:12 Game I Wish I’d Played More in 2016
31:04 Best “New to Me in 2016” Older Game
33:36 Best Party Game
39:25 Best Card Game
41:58 Most Innovative
46:28 Best Dexterity Game
48:36 2016 Six-pack: Our Favorite Beer of 2016
68:00 2016 Six-pack: Our Favorite Games of 2016
101:35 Outro

#35: Fabled Fruit

Draft Mechanic Episode #35: A Six-pack of Games to Play with Family over the Holidays, Fabled Fruit On-Tap, Raiders of the North Sea, Imhotep, and proper beer serving temperatures (maybe even some served warm).

Recent Plays:

Fabled Fruit
2016, Stronghold Games.
Designers: Friedemann Friese

Raiders of the North Sea
2015, Garphill Games.
Designers: Shem Phillips
   
Imhotep
2016, Kosmos.
Designers:  Phil Walker-Harding

Family Fun! A Six-Pack of Games to Play with your Family this Holiday:

Fuji Flush
2016, Stronghold Games.
Designers: Friedemann Friese

Wits & Wagers Party
2012, North Star Games.
Designers: Dominic Crapuchettes
   
Qwixx
2012, Gamewright.
Designers:  Steffen Benndorf

Bohnanza
1997, Rio Grande Games.
Designers: Uwe Rosenberg

Codenames: Pictures
2016, Czech Games Edition.
Designers: Vlaada Chvatil
   
Letter Tycoon
2015, Breaking Games.
Designers:  Brad Brooks

On-Tap:

Fabled Fruit
2016, Stronghold Games.
Designers: Friedemann Friese

  • Pineapple:
    Evil Genius Beer Company.     “I Love Lamp” Philadelphia, PA, USA
    5.5% ABV, 12 IBU.
    Hefeweisen brewed with pineapple.
  • Strawberry:
    Short's Brewing Company.     “Strawberry Short's Cake” Bellaire , MI , USA
    6.3% ABV, 10 IBU.
    Golden ale with strawberries and milk sugar.
  • Banana:
    Charles Wells Brewery.     “Wells Banana Bread Beer” Bedford, Bedfordshire, England
    5.2% ABV, 18 IBU.
    It says it's an amber ale but I think it's just a bottle full of banana bread.
  • Grape:
    Dogfish Head Brewing.     “Red & White” Milton, DE, USA
    10% ABV, 35 IBU.
    Belgian witbier with coriander, orange peel, and fermented with Pinot Noir juice.
  • Coconut:
    Oskar Blues Brewery.     “Death by Coconut” Longmont, CO, USA
    6.5% ABV, 45 IBU.
    Irish porter with chocolate and coconut.

Proper Serving Temperature:

-Aim for between 38°-55°F
-Lagers (including pilsners), lighter beers, creamy/blonde ales, and those lower in alcohol should be served towards the colder end of that range.
-Stonger, darker beers (including stouts, porters, bengian dubbles and strong ales) should be served towards the warmer end of that range.
-IPA should be served right in the middle of the range (45-50°).
-Is there such a thing as a hot beer? Well, sort of...check out these beer Flip Cocktails.

Section Timestamps:

Intro
01:00 Show Housekeeping
03:03 iOS Gaming update
05:55 Kickstarter: Quodd Heroes
10:40 Recent Plays: Fabled Fruit
20:00 Recent Plays: Raiders of the North Sea
26:23 Recent Plays: Imhotep
34:25 Six Pack: Games to play this holiday season
60:44 On Tap: Fabled Fruit
66:54 Proper beer serving temperatures
73:41 Outro

#34: Agamemenon / 7 Wonders Duel

Draft Mechanic Episode #34: Double six-pack reviews of Agamemnon & 7 Wonders Duel (plus the Pantheon expansion), 7 Wonders On-Tap, recent app releases of Qwixx, The Game, Paperback, & Lanterns: The Harvest Festival, and our 7 Wonders of the Craft Beer World

***Stonemaier Games Charity Auction***

Apps:

Qwixx
2016, Outline Development
iOS/Google Play

The Game
2016, Outline Development
iOS/Google Play
   
Paperback
2016, Tim Fowers & Mark Fassett
iOS/Google Play

Lanterns: The Harvest Festival
2016, Dire Wolf Digital
iOS/Google Play

Six-Packs:

Agamemnon
2016, Osprey Games.
Designers:  Gunter Cornett

7 Wonders Duel
2015, Repos Productions.
Designers:  Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala

7 Wonders Duel: Pantheon
2016, Repos Productions.
Designers:  Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala

On-Tap:

7 Wonders
2010, Repos Productions.
Designers:  Antoine Bauza

  • Great Pyramid at Giza:
    Sun King Brewing.    “Osiris Pale Ale” Indianapolis, IN, USA
    5.6% ABV, 50 IBU.
    Assertive West Coast-Style Pale with a distinct citrus hop punch.
  • Hanging Gardens of Babylon:
    Stillwater Artisanal.    “Babylonian Style Ale” Baltimore , MD , USA
    6.0% ABV.
    Remix of Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar Double IPA w/ Farmhouse yeast, brettanomyces and a lighter profile.
  • Temple of Artemis at Ephesus:
    Conquest Brewing.    “Artemis Blonde” Columbia, SC, USA
    4.2% ABV, 25 IBU.
    Blonde ale with Centennial hops.
  • Statue of Zeus at Olympus:
    Short's Brewing.    “Beard of Zeus” Bellaire, MI, USA
    5.3% ABV, 82 IBU.
    American pale lager with Zeus hops and orange rind.
  • Mausoleum at Halicarnassus:
    Other Half Brewing.    “Diamond Mausoleum” Brooklyn, NY, USA
    7.5% ABV.
    Cascadian dark IPA brewed with Burial Beer Co.
  • Colossus at Rhodes:
    DuClaw Brewing Co.    “Colossus” Baltimore, MD, USA
    17.3% ABV, 70 IBU.
    Strong ale with apples.
  • The Lighthouse at Alexandria:
    Lighthouse Brewing.    “Shipwreck IPA” Victoria, BC, Canada
    6.5% ABV, 65 IBU.
    American IPA brewed with Centennial, Amarillo, Citra, Rakau, & Galaxy hops.

7 Wonders of the Craft Beer World:

  • 3 Floyds Brewing Co.“Dark Lord” Munster, IN, USA
    15% ABV, 50 IBU.
    Russian imperial stout brewed w/coffee, Mexican vanilla, & Indian Sugar.
  • Brouwerij Westvleteren.“Westvleteren Trappist 12” Westvleteren, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
    10.2% ABV, 38IBU.
    Belgian Trappist quad.
  • Russian River Brewing Company.“Pliny the Younger” Santa Rosa, CA, USA
    10.25% ABV.
    Triple IPA.
  • Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams).“Utopias” Boston, MA, USA
    28% ABV, 25 IBU.
    Bourbon-barrel aged strong ale.
  • The Bruery.“Black Tuesday” Placentia, CA, USA
    19.9% ABV, 40 IBU.
    Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout.
  • Founders Brewing.“CBS” Grand Rapids, MI, USA
    10.6% ABV.
    Maple bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout with chocolate and coffee.
  • 3 Floyds Brewing Co.“Zombie Dust” Munster, IN, USA
    6.2% ABV, 50 IBU.
    Intensely hopped pale ale.

Section Timestamps:

Intro
01:00 Show Housekeeping
02:20 FBGL Update
04:25 Stonemaier Games “Scythe” charity auction
06:52 Holiday Gaming with family
09:14 App gaming: Qwixx
13:57 App gaming: The Game
17:31 App gaming: Paperback
20:57 App gaming: Lanterns, the Harvest Festival
24:39 Six-Pack Review: Agamemnon
25:18 Agamemnon: Gameplay rundown
27:28 Agamemnon: Review discussion
39:41 Agamemnon: Final Thoughts
40:33 Six-Pack Review: 7 Wonders Duel
41:29 7 Wonders Duel: Gameplay rundown
44:25 7 Wonders Duel: Review discussion
64:11 7 Wonders Duel: Final Thoughts
65:31 On Tap: 7 Wonders
73:16 The Seven Wonders of the Beer World
82:50 Outro

#33: Captain Sonar

Draft Mechanic Episode #33: Extra Life and MACE 2016, Captain Sonar On Tap, & a glimpse into what it's like starting a craft brewery

 

Kickstarters:
Wordsy (give it a try with the Wordsybot)
5-Minute Dungeon

Extra Life Recent Plays:
A Feast for Odin
2016, Z-Man Games.
Designers: Uwe Rosenberg

Arcane Academy
2016, IDW Games.
Designers: Eric Lang, Kevin Wilson
   
Timeline Challenge
2016, Amodee.
Designers:  Cyril Demaegd, Frédéric Henry

MACE Recent Plays:
Everyone is John (All the Rules)
Designers: Michael B. Sullivan

Strike
2012, Ravensburger.
Designers:  Dieter Nüßle
   
5-Minute Dungeon
2017, Wiggles 3D.
Designers:  Connor Reid
(Kickstarter again, in case you missed it in the Kickstarter section)

Mansions of Madness, 2nd Edition
2016, Fantasy Flight Games.
Designers:  Nikki Valens, Corey Konieczka

On Tap Beer Pairings:
Captain Sonar
2016, Asmodee.
Designer: Roberto Fraga, Yohan Lemonnier

  • Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.“Torpedo” Chico, CA/Mills River, NC, USA
    7.2% ABV, 65 IBU.
    Extra IPA brewed with their "torpedo" dry hopping technique.
  • Halo Brewery “Radio Silence” Toronto, ON, Canada
    7.0% ABV, 60 IBU.
    IPA brewed with wild yeast, tart pineapple, and grapefruit pith.
  • Nogne Ø “Two Captains” Grimstad, Norway
    8.5% ABV, 100 IBU.
    American-inspired double IPA.
  • Dois Corvos/Passarola Brewing “Periscope” Lisbon, Portugal
    8.0% ABV.
    Baltic Porter aged in red wine barrels.

Halo Brewery "Starting a Brewery" Feature Series:
Part 1: Taking the Leap
Part 2: Is There Room for Another Craft Brewery?
Part 3: Money, Real Estate, and Freaking Out
Part 4: Announcing Halo Brewery's Location
Part 5: Heads Above Water
Part 6: We Did It!
About the Toronto "Cask Force"

Section Timestamps:

Intro
01:00 Show Housekeeping
02:40 FBGL Update
06:18 Kickstarter: Wordsy
10:17 Extra Life charity gaming marathon
11:50 Recent Plays: A Feast for Odin
24:31 Recent Plays: Arcane Academy
29:13 Recent Plays: Timeline Challenge
36:51 MACE 2016
39:22 Recent Plays: “Everyone is John” one-shot RPG
43:38 Recent Plays: Strike
46:36 Recent Plays: Mansions of Madness, Second Edition
55:27 Recent Plays / Kickstarter: 5-Minute Dungeon
63:56 Recent Plays: Captain Sonar
70:37 On Tap: Captain Sonar
80:35 Outro

 

#32: Windup War / Puerto Rico

Draft Mechanic Episode #32: An interview with Windup War designers Jess Chu and Katie Khao, Puerto Rico on tap, SeaFall first impressions, 51st State Master Set, Betrayal at House on the Hill: Widow's Walk, and Night Shift Distribution.

Upcoming:
Unlock! An Escape Room Adventure
2017, Space Cowboys

Kickstarters:
Windup War

Recent Plays:
SeaFall
2016, Plaid Hat Games.
Designers: Rob Daviau

51st State (Master Set)
2016, Portal Games.
Designers: Ignacy Trzewik
   
Betrayal at House on the Hill: Widow’s Walk
2016, Avalon Hill.
Designers: Bruce Glassco, Mike Selinker, Rob Daviau, Bill McQuillan

Designer Interview:
Windup War (Kickstarter)
2017, Bellwether Games.
Designers: Jessica Chu, Katie Khao

On Tap Beer Pairings:
Puerto Rico
2002, Ravensburger/Rio Grande Games
Designer:  Andreas Seyfarth

Night Shift Distributing:
Boston Globe: Night Shift was fed up with distributorships. So they started their own.
Night Shift Brewing

Section Timestamps:

Intro
01:00 Show Housekeeping
01:50 Local events (Extra Life / MACE)
04:30 FBGL Update
05:31 Upcoming: UNLOCK!
10:31 First Impressions: SeaFall
16:49 Recent Plays: 51st State Master Set
20:38 Recent Plays: Betrayal at House on the Hill: Widow’s Walk
26:27 Kickstarter Preview: Windup War
31:05 Interview with Jess Chu & Katie Khau, cow&duck Studios
43:48 On Tap: Puerto Rico
52:47 Night Shift Brewing launches distribution company
60:11 Outro

Powered by Squarespace

Cart (0)