Skip to content
Log in Join free
Simple, Yet Intriguing cover art

Simple, Yet Intriguing

Simple, Yet Intriguing

A Games and Leisure podcast

#190 in Games · 🇨🇦
Good podcast? Give it some love!

About the show

Simple, Yet Intriguing is a weekly podcast for board game lovers. Join hosts Luke, Chris and Sophie as they set out to play and review every single game designed by the legendary Reiner Knizia (with occasional detours into other designers). Whether you're a board game aficionado or just getting started, everyone is welcome to join in for the ride! New episodes every Monday.

Newest episodes

#75: Pumafiosi (Card Games 8)

33 min

We're climbing the animal mafia ranks in Reiner Knizia's 2022 trick-taking game Pumafiosi! Find out who will marry who to stay on top. Games Mentioned: Pumafiosi, Rooster Booster, Relationship Tightrope, Hot Lead, Soda Smugglers, Take 5, For Sale Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:35 - Pumafiosi Overview 09:50 - Pumafiosi History 12:54 - Item Variant Discussion 16:30 - Player Count Discussion 20:53 - Aha Moments 28:57 - Pumafiosi Final Thoughts 32:03 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#74: Foodie Forest (aka Too Many Cooks) (Card Games 7)

33 min

We're piling ingredients into a soup as we playanother trick-taking game but this time it's a Knizia game! What twists in the genre do we have in store? Will we make delicious soups? Games Mentioned: Foodie Forest, Masters of Maple Syrup, Puerto Rico, Race for the Galaxy, Tichu, Haggis, Ruins, Relationship Tightrope, Tarot, Poison, No Thanks!, Take 5 Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - What We Played This Week: Masters of Maple Syrup 04:15 - Foodie Forest Release History & How Does It Work? 11:45 - Foodie Forest: Our Thoughts 14:59 - Foodie Forest: Is it a Trick Taking Game? 21:30 - The Suits and the Special Cards 23:57 - Aha Moments 28:53 - Version History 31:33 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#73: LUZ (Taiki Shinzawa 7)

36 min

This week we take a look at your opponents cards but NOT our own in a newly uncovered Shinzawa trick taking feat: LUZ. Games Mentioned: LUZ, Hygge, Photograph, Coffee Roaster, Get On Board, Hanabi, Ghosts of Christmas, 9 Lives, No Loose Ends, Bomb Busters, Xylotar, Wizard, Skull King, Spades, Lost Cities, Beowulf: The Movie Board Game Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:54 - What We Played This Week: Hygge 07:00 - LUZ release history 08:24 - LUZ: How Does It Work? 13:30 - LUZ: Our Thoughts and Comparisons 17:10 - Luke’s Aha Moments 20:55 - Mechanism Discussion: Escalating Scoring 30:25 - Chris’ Aha Moment 32:58 - Final Thoughts 34:39 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

Similar podcasts

All episodes

#75: Pumafiosi (Card Games 8)

33 min

We're climbing the animal mafia ranks in Reiner Knizia's 2022 trick-taking game Pumafiosi! Find out who will marry who to stay on top. Games Mentioned: Pumafiosi, Rooster Booster, Relationship Tightrope, Hot Lead, Soda Smugglers, Take 5, For Sale Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:35 - Pumafiosi Overview 09:50 - Pumafiosi History 12:54 - Item Variant Discussion 16:30 - Player Count Discussion 20:53 - Aha Moments 28:57 - Pumafiosi Final Thoughts 32:03 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#74: Foodie Forest (aka Too Many Cooks) (Card Games 7)

33 min

We're piling ingredients into a soup as we playanother trick-taking game but this time it's a Knizia game! What twists in the genre do we have in store? Will we make delicious soups? Games Mentioned: Foodie Forest, Masters of Maple Syrup, Puerto Rico, Race for the Galaxy, Tichu, Haggis, Ruins, Relationship Tightrope, Tarot, Poison, No Thanks!, Take 5 Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - What We Played This Week: Masters of Maple Syrup 04:15 - Foodie Forest Release History & How Does It Work? 11:45 - Foodie Forest: Our Thoughts 14:59 - Foodie Forest: Is it a Trick Taking Game? 21:30 - The Suits and the Special Cards 23:57 - Aha Moments 28:53 - Version History 31:33 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#73: LUZ (Taiki Shinzawa 7)

36 min

This week we take a look at your opponents cards but NOT our own in a newly uncovered Shinzawa trick taking feat: LUZ. Games Mentioned: LUZ, Hygge, Photograph, Coffee Roaster, Get On Board, Hanabi, Ghosts of Christmas, 9 Lives, No Loose Ends, Bomb Busters, Xylotar, Wizard, Skull King, Spades, Lost Cities, Beowulf: The Movie Board Game Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:54 - What We Played This Week: Hygge 07:00 - LUZ release history 08:24 - LUZ: How Does It Work? 13:30 - LUZ: Our Thoughts and Comparisons 17:10 - Luke’s Aha Moments 20:55 - Mechanism Discussion: Escalating Scoring 30:25 - Chris’ Aha Moment 32:58 - Final Thoughts 34:39 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#72: No Loose Ends (Taiki Shinzawa 6)

39 min

We've uncovered another Taiki Shinzawa gem! This time we're planning and pulling off a heist and then hiding the evidence through trick taking! Surprise! Games Mentioned: No Loose Ends, Shut the Books, Spades, Wizard, Skull King, Sluff Off!, Skat, Bridge, The Crew, Euchre, Hearts, dnup, Scout, 9 Lives, Ghosts of Christmas, Fives, Cat in the Box, Jekyll vs. Hyde, The Fox in the Forest, Sail Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:21 - No Loose Ends: How Does it Work? 09:29 - General Discussion and Trick Taking Game Comparisons 13:35 - Variants 15:57 - Theme 20:22 - Aha Moments 24:50 - Shinzawa Trick Takers 32:52 - The Two Player Game 36:53 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#71: Risk Express (aka Age of War, Camarades) (Dice Games 7)

41 min

This week we are entering an Age of War and talking Risk Express and its various incarnations as well as its link to the Cthulhu co-op dice game Elder Sign. Games Mentioned: Risk Express, Camarades: La Bombe ext., Elder Sign, Hasbro Express Games, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Pick-omino, Farkle, Gang of Dice, Official Risk Games Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 05:36 - Risk Express: Versions and History 07:00 - Risk Express: How Does it Work? 12:24 - Risk Express: Our Thoughts 18:14 - Risk Express: Comparisons and Aha Moments 24:47 - Risk Express: Variants & Expansion 27:53 - Elder Sign Discussion and Comparison 34:21 - Official Risk Games & Camarades Release Discussion 40:18 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#70: The Hobbit: There and Back Again (The Hobbit 3)

48 min

It's the last episode in our The Hobbit series (for now...) as we discuss the new-ish roll & write-ish path building-ish game: The Hobbit: There and Back Again! We also wrap-up the series and discuss the games with our beloved Win, Lose, or Banana segment. Games Mentioned: The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Monopoly, Clue, The Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation, LOTR: The Card Game, LOTR: Trick Takers, Duel for Middle-earth, LOTR: Fate of the Fellowship, The Hobbit: The Defeat of Smaug, The Hobbit Card Game, Beast, The Hobbit Adventure Boardgame, The Hobbit Deck-Building Game, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Das Kartenspiel, Railroad Ink, Welcome To, My City, Hanami, Rebirth, Welcome to the Moon, My City: Roll & Build Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:34 - The Hobbit & IP Games Discussion 07:00 - The Hobbit: There and Back Again - How Does it Work? 17:35 - Solo Mode 19:57 - The Different Maps and the Draft 24:01 - Aha Moments 28:28 - Reception 31:41 - Comparisons 33:57 - The Hobbit Series Wrap-up & Our Win Lose Bananas 45:53 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#69: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey & The Desolation of Smaug (The Hobbit 2)

50 min

It's a two game doozy this week as we discuss the board game adaptations of the film adaptations of The Hobbit. How does it compare to Knizia's other co-operative Tolkien adaptation? And why is there no third game? Listen and find out! Games Mentioned: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Beyond the Sun, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Gang of Dice, Excape, Risk Express, Elder Sign Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Box Damage Discussion 06:42 - The Hobbit: AUJ&TDoS: How Does it Work? 13:14 - Victory Points, Quarterbacking and Dice Mechanisms 24:07 - Production, Art and Iconography 27:41 - Stand-alone Sequels and the Cancelled Third Game 33:51 - Comparisons 37:58 - Aha Moments 47:47 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#68: The Hobbit (The Hobbit 1)

40 min

We're returning to Middle-Earth! This time we're playing Knizia's 2010 competitive-ish game: The Hobbit! Games Mentioned: The Hobbit, Take 5, Candy Land, Relationship Tightrope, Dark Moon, Quacks, Pandemic, The Lord of the Rings Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:29 - The Hobbit: How Does it Work? 07:00 - The Hobbit Discussion: Variants, Our Play and Game Comparisons 17:05 - Aha Moments 22:47 - The Hobbit Discussion: Mechanisms and Further Comparisons 31:01 - Guess the Games: John Howe Art 38:24 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#67: Fuji (Wolfgang Warsch 6)

48 min

On the final episode of our Wolfgang Warsch in 2018 series we discuss the oft-forgotten dice comparison cooperative game about escaping lava: Fuji! Games Mentioned: Fuji, Tatsu, Forbidden Island, Gang of Dice, Sky Team, The Gang, Pandemic, The Crew, Family - Country: Japan, Win, Lose, or Banana, That’s Pretty Clever, Illusion, The Mind, Brikks, Quacks Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:49 - What We Played This Week: Tatsu 05:40 - Fuji: How Does it Work? 08:26 - Fuji: Discussion, Variants and Our Play 26:07 - Aha Moments, Variants and Difficulty Scaling 33:15 - Guess the Games Game: Japan Games 39:34 - Fuji Final Thoughts and Wolfgang Warsch 2018 Series Debrief 45:53 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#66: That's Pretty Clever! (Wolfgang Warsch 5)

43 min

Luke and Chris are feeling pretty clever this week as they discuss another dice drafting roll & write masterpiece(??) in the penultimate Wolfgang-Warsch-2018-designed-game episode. Games mentioned: That’s Pretty Clever!, Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends, Codenames, Galaxy Trucker, Mage Knight Board Game, Star Trek: Frontiers, That’s a Question!, Through the Ages, Roll Through the Ages, Brikks, The Castles of Burgundy, Wingspan Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - What We Played This Week - Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends 12:24 - That’s Pretty Clever: How Does it Work? 18:20 - That’s Pretty Clever Discussion and Comparisons 31:35 - Aha Moments 36:56 - Expansions and Sequels 42:10 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#65: Illusion (Wolfgang Warsch 4)

35 min

Test your eyes with us this week as we play another 2018 Warsch game: Illusion! What will we see and will we like it? Games Mentioned: Illusion, Take Five, El Grande, Tikal, Mexica, Java, The Princes of Florence, Timeline, SET, MicroMacro: Crime City, Cockroach Poker, Liar’s Dice, Figment, The Fox in the Forest, The Fox in the Forest Duet, Jekyll vs. Hyde, Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard, Pandemic, Pandemic: On the Brink, Coloretto, Red7, Qwirkle, Quacks, Ganz Schön Clever, The Taverns of Tiefenthal, A Feast for Odin, Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - What We Played This Week: The Princes of Florence 08:32 - Illusion: How It Works 12:36 - Illusion: Discussion 20:44 - Illusion Reimplementation: Figment 26:01 - Aha Moments 28:25 - BGG Top 100 Percentages Game 34:08 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#64: Deck, Bag, and Pool Avoidance Game (Bonus)

12 min

In an attempt at redemption, we play a game this week! This cut-for-time segment features us attempting to name games in the BGG Top 100 without the Deck, Bag, and Pool Building mechanism. SPOILERS AHEAD Games Mentioned: Anachrony, El Grande, Welcome To..., Puerto Rico, Isle of Skye, Cascadia, Clans of Caledonia, Harmonies, Trickerion // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#63: The Mind (Wolfgang Warsch 3)

40 min

It's time to telepathically communicate in Wolfgang Warsch's award winning card game. We break down how we feel about this game emotionally and philosophically. Games Mentioned: The Mind, Azul, Quacks, That’s Pretty Clever!, The Gang, Hanabi, Bridge, The Game, Take Time, Bomb Busters, The Mind Extreme, The Mind Soulmates Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:56 - The Mind: How It Works 04:16 - 2018 Spiel des Jahres awards 05:35 - The Mind Discussion: Is it a Game? 24:29 - Aha Moments 33:20 - The Mind Spin-offs 38:22 - Next Week Teaser // // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#62: Brikks (Wolfgang Warsch 2)

42 min

This week we are using paper, pencil and dice to drop non-branded tetrominoes in the digital space of Wolfgang Warsch's Brikks! (I'll be honest, it's basically a Tetris roll-and-write game). Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Wolfgang Warsch Biography 06:06 - Brikks: Overview and How it Works 12:13 - Roll and Write Discussion 24:53 - Aha Moments 37:26 - Brikks: Duel Mode 39:30 - Brikks: Final Thoughts 42:21 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#61: [The] Quacks [of Quedlinburg] (Wolfgang Warsch 1)

37 min

It's a bag-building-push-your-luck-try-not-to-explode fiasco this week in our new series! We discuss the games that Wolfgang Warsch made in the year 2018 starting with The Quacks of Quedlinburg. It's a real place! Games Mentioned: Orleans, Automobiles, Coffee Roaster, Clank!, Mystic Vale, Dominion, Ascension, Star Realms, Cubitos, The Quest for El Dorado, Legendary Encounters: Alien, Wingspan Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - A New Quest! Intro to Wolfgang Warsch 01:40 - Corrections, Clarifications and Apologies 03:43 - Quacks: Overview and How it Works 05:08 - Bag Building and Push Your Luck Game Comparisons 18:23 - Version and Expansion Discussion 31:31 - “Fun” Facts: Quedlinburg 32:41 - Aha Moments 36:55 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#60: High Society (Modern Classic 12)

56 min

We're elevating the podcast to a higher echelon with special guest Graeme Goldthorpe! We ask him about his favourite Knizia games and we dig deep on the pure auction game High Society. Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:51 - Guest Introduction 08:25 - High Society: How Does it Work? 13:05 - High Society Discussion: Extra Cards 16:35 - Aha Moments 23:04 - High Society: Release and Art Comparison 35:23 - Art Nouveau Board Game Auction Game 48:02 - High Society: Final Thoughts and Comparison to For Sale 53:52 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#59: Schotten Totten / Battle Line (Modern Classics 11)

49 min

This week we are discussing the 1999 two-player bona fide classic Schotten Totten and its sibling Battle Line. How does it compare to other two-player Knizia titles? What does the title mean?? Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:00 - Schotten Totten: How Does it Work? 04:51 - Battle Line & Schotten Totten: Release Difference 10:18 - Game Discussion 18:40 - Schotten Totten Predecessors and Reimplementations 29:40 - Aha Moments 41:59 - BGG Family Games Game 48:23 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#58: The Lord of the Rings (Modern Classics 10)

46 min

We're back in Middle-Earth for the early cooperative game The Lord of the Rings! No confrontation this time. Does it stand the test of time? Can the Doctor make thematic games?? Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:16 - What We Played This Week: Trajan 09:37 - The Lord of the Rings: How Does it Work? 13:27 - The Lord of the Rings: Discussion 14:31 - Luke’s Aha Moment 34:28 - Chris’ Aha Moment 37:42 - Dice Tower Hall of Fame Guessing Game 41:28 - The Lord of the Rings: Release and Art Discussion 45:13 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#57: The Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation (Modern Classics 9)

38 min

We're journeying to Middle-Earth to talk about Chess, Stratego, tables and The Confrontation between Good and Evil! Who will prevail?? Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:20 - Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation: How Does it Work? 05:31 - Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation Discussion 15:54 - Aha Moments 24:52 - The Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation Ultimate Edition Preview 29:39 - Guess the LOTR Games Game 37:23 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#56: The Quest for El Dorado (Modern Classics 8)

1 hr 0 min

This week we're returning to our Modern Classics series to deck build AND race to find a lost city in The Quest for El Dorado. Does our newest game in the series live up to the hype? Episode Chapters 0:00 - Intro 00:45 - What We Played This Week: Ghosts Galore 08:31 - Intro to Modern Classics Part 2 10:33 - The Quest for El Dorado: How Does it Work? 15:04 - The Quest for El Dorado Game Discussion 24:55 - Aha Moments 35:46 - “Fun” Facts 42:01 - Deck-building deck-building games game 57:44 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#55: 2026 Challenges - Q1 Check-in

49 min

Luke, Chris and Mechanic Mechanic Matt report their progress on their 2026 challenges. Plus they play a fun game! Games discussed: Flip 7, Charioteer, Set Dice, Inis, Spellbound (1981), Here Lies, Regicide, Ribbit. Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:30 - Sophie’s Challenge Check-in 04:32 - Mechanic Mechanic Matt’s Challenge Check-in 21:43 - Luke & Chris’ Challenge Check-in 31:57 - Race Mechanism Discussion 38:56 - Luke Cuts, You Choose Game 46:16 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#54: Wingspan: Americas Expansion (Elizabeth Hargrave 8)

57 min

We're joined by Mechanic Mechanic Matt to round out our Hargrave series by talking about all of the Wingspansions including the new Americas expansion! Hummingbirds are birds! Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:11 - Matt's Hot Takes & Wyrmspan Discussion 06:26 - Oceania Board Comparison and Nectar 10:30 - European Expansion Discussion 13:20 - Oceania Expansion Discussion 15:42 - Wingspan Asia Discussion 21:06 - European Expansion Backtrack 23:49 - Fan-Designed Bird Promo Packs 28:26 - Americas Expansion Discussion 46:31 - Stonemaier Top Games Pinpoint Challenge 56:52 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#53: Tussie Mussie Complete Collection (Elizabeth Hargrave 7)

41 min

We're back to flower gifting and passive-aggressive communication with the BIG BOX version of wallet game Tussie Mussie! Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:32 - What We Played This Week: Vegas Showdown 07:36 - Tussie Mussie Complete Collection Overview 09:51 - Orange Flowers Expansion 13:55 - Greenery Expansion 15:38 - Ribbons Expansion 19:28 - Flower Shoppe Solo Expansion 22:34 - Aha! Moments and Overall Thoughts 28:34 - Keep 3 Cut 3 Game: Big Box Games 40:21 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#52: Sanibel (Elizabeth Hargrave 6)

41 min

We're walking on the beach! Conceptually! This week we're talking Elizabeth Hargrave's 2026 tile-laying, shell-bagging game: Sanibel! -- 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Hargrave Game Banter 08:33 - Sanibel Discussion 19:45 - Aha! Moments 31:27 - Gamer Recognize Game? 39:12 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#51: Rheinländer (Tile Laying 10)

57 min

In anticipation of the reprint, the boys (of tile laying with fame) are playing the 1999 hidden gem Rheinländer! Mechanic Mechanic Matt also helps them to dissect the history of pre-Reiner Knizia tile layers. -- 00:00 Intro 1:36 Gaming History: Tile Laying Games 16:58 World Series of Board Gaming Trivia Game 23:04 Rheinländer Discussion 26:00 Matt’s aha Moment 35:39 Chris and Luke’s aha Moments 46:06 Rerelease Discussion 46:57 BGG Germany Trivia Game 52:52 Rheinländer Final Thoughts 55:34 Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#50: Spectaculum (Tile Laying 9)

35 min

Chris and Luke gloriously return to the circus to talk about Spectaculum and how circuses are the same as trains! -- 00:00 - Intro 01:17 - What We Played This Week - Unmatched Adventures TMNT 08:34 - Spectaculum Discussion 17:20 - aha! (and Oh My!) Moments 21:52 - BGG Trivia Game 29:31 - Gold Country Discussion and Spectaculum Final Thoughts 34:05 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#49: Gazebo, with guest Alisha Giroux (Tile Laying 8)

1 hr 3 min

Chris and Luke are joined by special guest Alisha Giroux, artist and graphic designer of Gazebo, to chat about the game and the work that goes into board game art. Later, they dig deep about nooks, patios, gazebos and dominos and how they all work within the world of Gazebo. Alisha can be found at https://www.instagram.com/_asmeesh -- 00:00 Intro 01:03 Interview and discussion with Alisha Giroux 18:43 Alisha's Upcoming projects 21:20 Tile Placement guessing game 33:01 Gazebo rules overview 46:00 aha! moments 01:02:00 Next week teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#48: BGA Awards 2026

1 hr 8 min

Chris, Luke and Mechanic Mechanic Matt look at and place their votes for the 5 awards and twenty nominated games for the upcoming boardgamearena.com awards! Check it out and vote here: https://bga.li/awards2026 -- 0:00 - Intro 7:15 - Best Casual Game 17:20 - Best Regular Game 27:57 - Best Expert Game 41:28 - Best 2-Player Game 54:00 - Best Brain Teaser 1:03:45 - Overall Favourite 1:08:00 - Next Week Teaser // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#47: Khan of Khans (Anniversaries)

45 min

Wrapping up our Anniversaries trilogy (until our first 2026 play!), we talk Khan of Khans - a very light card game set in the world of Glorantha. Luke also waxes loquacious about a trilogy of games - Nova Luna, Sanagi, and Framework. -- 00:00 - Intro 00:52 - What We (Luke) Played This Week (Nova Luna, Sanagi, Framework) 13:39 - Khan of Khans discussion 25:31 - aha! moments 36:13 - How Has it Aged? 39:41 - Minigame (Top 5 Crowdfunded games on BGG) // Hosted & Edited by Chris Lemieux & Luke O'Grady Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matt Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#46: Royal Visit (aka Times Square) (Anniversaries)

43 min

Whose chateau will the king visit? Which nightclub will attract the most famous guests?? How are these connected??? All of your most burning questions answered on this week's episode. Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#45: Classic Art (Anniversaries)

30 min

Debuting a concise new series to kick off our 2026 run, the lads are covering Classic Art to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its original 1996 release. We also chat French Toast, a recent release by AllPlay and the ever-magnanimous Peter C. Hayward. -- 01:01 - French Toast discussion (What We Played This Week) 06:56 - Classic Art Discussion 17:26 - Aha! Moments -- Hosted & Edited by Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matthew Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#44: 2025 Year in Review!

48 min

Happy new year! 🎉Another year around the sun, another retrospective episode where we get the whole crew together to discuss the games we played, the challenges most of us catastrophically failed, and what we're looking forward to in 2026. --- Hosted & Edited by Luke O'Grady, Chris Lemieux, Sophie Shin, & Matthew Winquist Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matthew Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#43: ORBIT (Cosmic Silos Trilogy)

34 min

🚀Our final lap around the SILOS system takes the lads through a high-stakes galactic race that's fun for the whole family! Includes amicable chatting about 12 Chip Trick, as well as comparisons of ORBIT to other race & racing games. --- 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - 12 Chip Trick discussion (What We Played This Week) 07:43 - ORBIT discussion 22:29 - aha! moments 29:31 - Game of Games: top 5 SciFi boardgames Hosted & Edited by Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by Sophie Shin Socials by Matthew Winquist Art by Samm Ruppersberger

#42: EGO (Cosmic Silos Trilogy)

44 min

👽 The lads wax enthusiastically about EGO, the exciting, interactive, and tough-to-categorize 2nd entry in the Cosmic Silos Trilogy from Bitewing Games about being better at making friends than your friends. Featuring banter about 'Waddle', a clever little penguin posturing game from Allplay & Corné van Moorsel. -- 00:00 - Intro 00:36 - Waddle Discussion 05:37 - EGO Rules & Discussion 21:08 - Aha! Moments 40:08 - Game of games

#41: SILOS (Cosmic Silos Trilogy)

42 min

👾 Our latest 100% human-created episode covers the 2025 Reiner Knizia release SILOS from Bitewing Games, wherein skinsuits abound and cows are finally given their due. Featuring banter about recent Pandemic system game 'Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship', Star Wars games, and IP games in general. -- Chapters: 00:00 - Standard Earth Greetings 03:00 - Fate of the Fellowship discussion 12:08 - (segue into) SILOS Discussion 28:08 - Aha! Moment [Sophie 28:08 | Chris 30:52 | Luke 35:17] 40:39 - Outro -- Hosted & Edited by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials by: Matt Winquist Art by: Sam Ruppersberger

#40: Tower Chess & Fives (Taiki Shinzawa)

31 min

Feast your ears on todays' double-feature-episode, where the lads reveal how little they know about Chess as well as their inability to distinguish the color green from the color magenta. Also featuring a quick discussion of CMYK's Magenta series! Chapters: 00:57 - Tower Chess Discussion 10:38 - Fives Discussion 23:33 - CMYK Magenta collection -- Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials by: Matt Winquist Art by: Samm Ruppersberger

#39: Big Top (Taiki Shinzawa)

34 min

🎪 The usual circus that is this podcast continues with our penultimate Taiki Shinzawa episode! We speak briefly on the 2025 game Tag Team (from Scorpion Masqué, by Gricha German & Corentin Lebrat) before introducing the main act: Big Top (from Allplay, by Taiki Shinzawa), a fantastically clever auction game. Ta-da! 🎉🐘🎩 Hosted & Edited by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials by: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Sam Ruppersberger

#38: Planet etuC / Pin Combi Trio (Taiki Shinzawa)

33 min

This week, Luke and Chris continue on their Taiki Shinzawa journey with two trick-taking games: 2020 Planet etuC and 2022 Pin Combi Trio. Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#37: Maskmen / Cowardly Bat (Taiki Shinzawa)

29 min

Luke and Chris continue their journey through the games of Taiki Shinzawa. This week, join them as they chat through two unique card games: Cowardly Bat and Maskmen! Chapters: 01:23 - Cowardly Bat discussion 09:44 - Maskmen discussion 19:45 - Aha! moments 23:53 - BGG Trivia! Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#36: Nine Lives / Ghosts of Christmas (Taiki Shinzawa)

53 min

It's a trick-taking double feature extravaganza as Chris and Luke kick-off the new Taiki Shinzawa miniseries with Nine Lives and Ghosts of Christmas! Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#35: Beowulf: The Movie Board Game Special (Chris's Challenge Bonus)

45 min

I! AM!! BEOWULF!!! Join the crew as they check in on Chris’s 2025 board game challenge—playing games based on movies! This week, we’re diving into a reimplementation of Reiner Knizia's Kingdoms: Beowulf: The Movie Board Game. Chapters 00:00 - Spoiler warning 00:46 - Introduction 03:01 - Beowulf (movie) recap 13:27 - Beowulf: The Movie Board Game discussion 31:56 - Aha! moments Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#34: Dragon Master (Tile Laying 7)

31 min

In today's episode (alt title 'How to Master your Dragon') Chris & Luke bandy words about the notoriously rules-light yet compelling game, Dragon Master. 🐉 We also debate whether this is a tile laying game at all! 🤷 Tally ho! Chapters: 00:00 - Hello 00:47 - Intro & what we played this week (Halo Flashpoint) 05:20 - Dragon Master Rules & Basics 11:52 - Game Discussion 27:08 - Aha! Moments

#33: Genesis (Tile Laying 6)

29 min

This week, Pangea is splitting and the crew fight for world dominance as they chat through Knizia's pre-historic dice rolling/tile laying classic: Genesis (2006). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:38 - What did we play this week? 09:06 - Genesis discussion 16:50 - Aha! moments Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#32: Orongo (Nyakuza) (Tile Laying 5)

34 min

This week, Chris and Luke are praying to the gods of Easter Island as they chat through Knizia's blind auction / tile laying (maybe?) game: Orongo (recently re-released as Nyakuza). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - What did we play this week? 09:03 - Nyakuza discussion 21:44 - Aha! moments Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#31: Cosmolancer (aka Kingdoms) (Tile Laying 4)

33 min

What do freelance fantasy space-whale photography and the establishment of profitable medieval realms have in common? That the boys talk about both of those themes in this episode! Chris and Luke bandy words about the classic tile-laying game Cosmolancer (originally released as Kingdoms), as well as the 2025 Spiel des Jahres awards (a very timely discussion), and the warm feeling of harming your friends* without facing any consequences. *in the game Tally ho! 🐳💫 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - Banter: on the 2025 Spiel des Jahres 09:53 - Cosmolancer background info 13:33 - Rules summary 16:49 - Game discussion 25:21 - Aha! moments 29:40 - 'I could harm you and then have no retribution personally!' 32:45 - Outro Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin & Chris Lemieux Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#30: Butterfly Garden (aka Indigo) (Tile Laying 3)

35 min

In this ✨premier episode✨, the lads continue laying tiles in order to collect gems and/or guide butterflies. Join Chris and Luke as they highlight the classic Knizia game Indigo (re-released & re-themed as Butterfly Garden)! Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:49 - Banter: On Rulebooks 08:46 - Butterfly Garden explanation 13:42 - Butterfly Garden discussion 18:08 - Theme & Production 21:49 - Aha! moments 31:42 - Fun Fact! Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced By: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#29: Mille Fiori (Tile Laying 2)

32 min

We continue our adventures in Tile Laying with The Boys as Luke & Chris chat Mille Fiori - on glassblowing, card drafting, and pattern building in beautiful Venice. Featuring surprise banter topic - going to Deep Space! Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Going to Deep Space (MLEM Banter) 04:48 - Mille Fiori explanation 09:01 - Mille Fiori (boardgame) discussion 19:16 - Theme discussion 22:22 - Mille Fiori (real life art form) discussion 26:25 - Aha! moments Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced By: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#28: Rebirth (Tile Laying 1)

48 min

The crew is back with a shiny new Knizia series: Tile Laying with the Boys! Luke & Chris welcome our very own Mechanic Mechanic Matt to chat about the first game in the series: Rebirth. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:02 - Get to know Mechanic Mechanic Matt! 12:50 - How to play Rebirth 19:09 - Rebirth Discussion 36:56 - Aha! moments Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Guest: Matt Winquist Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#27: Sid Sackson Special - Sleuth & BuyWord (Sophie's Challenge Bonus)

36 min

It’s time for a challenge check-in! The crew returns to see how Sophie’s board game resolution is going, diving into the depths of deduction in Sleuth and the wordy wheeling and dealing of BuyWord—both from the prolific designer Sid Sackson. Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

#26: Gang of Dice (Dice Games 6)

37 min

This week, the crew present you an offer you can't refuse: Gang of Dice! Plus, they rank all the games of their Cubes So Nice They Named it Dice: Dice Guys Finish Last series. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:33 - What did we play this week?  08:28 - How to play Gang of Dice 12:00 - Gang of Dice Discussion 17:45 - Aha! moments 27: 02 - Series rankings Hosted by: Luke O'Grady & Chris Lemieux Produced by: Sophie Shin Socials: Matt Winquist Artwork by: Samm Ruppersberger

See all 76 episodes

–

0 ratings from members

5
4
3
2
1

Rate this podcast

Log in to rate and review the shows you listen to.

No reviews yet — be the first member to rate "Simple, Yet Intriguing".

This podcast, its content and its artwork are not owned by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Castquire.

Keep listening

Discover more podcasts like this.

Browse podcasts See the charts

Up next

  1. Nothing queued. Use + Queue on any episode to line it up.

0:00 0:00

Cookies

We set only what the site needs to sign you in and remember your theme. No advertising, no analytics. Read more.