Rian Johnson has named the three Knives Out movies after songs by Radiohead, The Beatles, and U2. I appreciate him single-handedly affirming my normie taste in music.

Just found out that Elvis was my age when he died. So that's a pleasant thought for the day.

Hey look, another big reprint! This is one that I like but don't love. I'm not a huge worker placement fan (they often end up devolving into turn order battles I think) but this is a great first step into that genre.

I'm not the main audience for this particular campaign, so grain of salt, etc. But I do most of my gaming (especially big Terra Mystica-style games) outside of my house, and any giant "deluxe" edition is functionally useless to me. I need something that can actually be brought to game nights.

ok this is what a bunch of sesame street characters would look like without their fur

This whole thread is worth reading. I've been rewatching P&R, and I gotta say...that "aged like milk" assessment of that show is just so off-base. What exactly has aged like milk? The idea that government can actually help people?

I generally don't back new editions of games I already own, and this is probably going to be no different. HOWEVER, T&E is one of my favorite games, and it's shameful how long it has been unavailable in the US. And 25th Century did good work on Ra, so I'm excited to see this in action.

I have played about 20 games of Ark Nova this year, mostly through BGA. If you had told me a year ago that it would become one of my favorite games I would have thought you were kidding.

This joke is a shameless rip-off of one from @daveexmachina.bsky.social. Just credit where it's due.

I read a lot of classic lit, which when you are young, is something you believe will make you sound erudite and intelligent. But middle age is realizing that it just makes you sound like the kind of person who regularly uses words like "erudite."

Let's take a minute to talk about Rivals for Catan, the 2010 remake of the classic Catan Card Game. It might be...the best Catan game?

I barely ever do crowdfunding, so I have no idea how people discern which board game campaigns to back. A play example does next to nothing for me until I've actually experienced the game. Are people just okay with rolling the dice on that many games, or is there some other criteria that eludes me?

GUARDIANS ARE 2025 AL CENTRAL CHAMPS!

Sometimes as a thought exercise I consider what games would make the cut if I suddenly had to reduce my collection down to some arbitrary number, usually 20. I like revisiting the thought exercise every few years just to see what new games would make it. So here's #just20games in no order.

This picture is, just for today, justified.

Not used to the Browns not crushing my hopes and dreams, but it’s nice to have a reprieve this week

I have been a Magical Athlete believer since the English edition came out in 2010, and it has been really gratifying to see everyone come around on the game now. It's always fun to see a game that simmered at "cult" status for a long time finally have its moment.

As a side-note to this, I have attempted a couple times to try and wrap my brain around Vassal. A couple people insist that it isn't very hard, but I am not buying it. I frankly find it impenetrable. On a related note, someone make a Rally The Troops implementation of Hannibal: Rome Vs. Carthage.

I really like the board game friends I have, but one thing I lack is a regular opponent for historical gaming/wargames. Online is all well and good, but in-person would really be fun, because I would love to spend more time in that wing of the hobby.

Last night I played In The Year Of The Dragon, and I had a wonderful time. And it took me back to a magical time when eurogames were reliably 60-90 minutes long.

Wow, Silksong AND Hades 2 in the same month.

At the insistence of a friend of mine I have (perhaps inadvisedly) started getting into Magic: The Gathering Arena. I've only been at it a few days, but I've had fun!

Lately I've been bonding with my kids over Radiohead, which has been an absolute joy. I know these are just a few live shows. Then again they are the first live shows in seven years, and it has renewed my hope that my kids might get to enjoy a new album cycle and potentially even a tour.

Played a family game of Cosmic Encounter tonight. My younger son (the Calculator) and my wife (the Perfectionist) shared the win. It was our first time playing with moons, having been added in the most Odyssey expansion from a couple years ago.

I watched the original version of The Producers this weekend for the first time in probably 10-15 years. I'm not sure 2010 Nate would have believed how appropriate a movie about someone cozying up to Nazis to commit massive fraud would be in 2025.

It's been pointed out to me elsewhere that dead turns might be a result of playing at the lower difficulty. Bumping it up gives the game more problem spaces and keeps people active the whole time. I can totally see that being the case.

I've been thinking lately about where Fate of the Fellowship lies in the pantheon of Tolkien board games, especially compared to the 2000 Knizia game. I THINK it's right up there, but it has a weird tendency to create situations where a player doesn't have all that much to do on their turn.

Pretty fun being a #jackwhite fan these days...

Every game that advertises metal coins as an upgrade is, to me, saying "your hands will smell weird every game!"

The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost...for none now live who remember it.

Does anyone else put together game nights revolving around a single game played multiple times? I used to do this with Cosmic Encounter, playing 2-3 games in a single evening. I stopped because I don't think anyone enjoyed it as much as me. But I've also done it with Spirit Island, which was great.

I'm right there with Charlie on this, but I also noticed that I am at my cynical about the hobby when I've not been able to engage in person for a long time.

I solemnly swear that I actually did play all of these games a fair bit. Except Contraption Maker, I wonder why I bought that. Actually ended up rebuying Jedi Knight on GOG, because their version actually, you know, works.

I have family who lives in the Pittsburgh area, and I'm already someone who really likes the original Brass. So color me interested!

I have been reading Bleak House for the first time. I have read and a lot of other Dickens novels, but this one has been my Everest. (1/7)

"Videos that suck are the future. If I could make a video that sucks this much in one hour, imagine how hard I could make something suck in two hours, or even three."

Every time I walk into Half-Price Books I look to see if there are any good board game finds. And today they happened to have a copy of the currently-hard-to-find Bomb Busters. At $30 it's more than the average HPB game, but much cheaper than it is on, say, Amazon.

Nothing throws off a week quite like having a loved one make an unexpected hospital stay. Thankfully everyone is home now and things are good for the time being.

Fired up the smoker for the first time in four years, and it was (I assume) well worth the weight. I assume, because shhh, it's resting.

Watching all the Star Wars with my kids, and I think my favorite character arc is Yoda's transformation from dignified Jedi master to insane hermit goober.

Helping the Hidden Beks defeat the Vulkars on Taris.

I'm sure @seanfranco.bsky.social will be thrilled to know that I tried Dungeon Twister yesterday, after getting it in a trade. I had a lot of fun, partially because I won. (My opponent was by his own admission not really trying, but I will take it.)

I'm participating in a math trade for the first time in several years, and we are down to the last 24 hours to add things, which is when all the good stuff appears. Math trades are just about my favorite thing in this hobby.

I'm not sure this is actually that minor, but I once had my picture taken with two cast members of Star Trek Voyager, and the current king of Jordan.

I have long been a defender of Doctor Who at its most woo-woo and nonsensical, but even for me the most recent finale was a bit much.

Last night I played The Pillars of the Earth for the first time since...I had kids? That was in 2010! Anyway, it was a lot of fun to revisit. I feel like this is a weight class that is somewhat neglected now. It's a bit complex for casual gamers, but not a brain-burner and is over in 90 minutes.

Last time I played Decrypto for the first time. It was only with four players, but I really enjoyed it. But then I'm a fan of both Codenames and So Clover, so I'm an easy mark for word games like that I guess.

BREAKING: Sauron and Saruman's former alliance in ruins following Saruman's attempts to find the Ring for himself. The two are currently engaged in a Palantír feud.

this is like drake and kendrick lamar but they're both drake

I have been playing Fate of the Fellowship on BGA, and I am shocked at how good it is. "LotR Pandemic" is a terrible elevator pitch for me, but color me impressed. It forces the player to make very thematic choices, namely "how can I distract Sauron to help Frodo?"