Best Tabletop Games Blog Podcasts (2025)

1
Horrified (Saturday Review) 7:28

Play Pause

1d ago7:28

7:28

Night had fallen over the village of Bodega Bay. Most people were at home, because they knew there were terrible creatures roaming the streets. Only a few brave heroes had ventured out into the cold, dimly lit streets to protect the inhabitants from the horrors that were lurking in the shadows. It didn't take them long to come across the first fien…

1
Tranquility: The Descent (Saturday Review) 10:29

5d ago10:29

10:29

It all began with a voyage across calm seas, as we boarded the ship and searched for a paradise of our own. From there, the path rose skyward, climbing a mountain one careful step at a time until the summit finally revealed itself above the clouds. Now the journey turns in a different direction, leaving sunlight behind and slipping beneath the surf…

1
Brainwaves Episode 169 - Kaiju HQ 27:40

11d ago27:40

27:40

Jamie and Iain bring you the choicest cuts from the worldwide tabletop news beast. Seasoned with the usual amount of controversy, nonsense, and awards. Dig in on episode 169 of Brainwaves. Headlines Kickstarter workers go on strike https://boardgamewire.com/index.php/2025/10/01/kickstarter-workers-set-to-strike-tomorrow-over-minimum-salary-proposal…

1
Escape the Dark Castle (Saturday Review) 7:52

12d ago7:52

7:52

The candlelight flickers across the damp stone walls, casting long shadows that stretch and twist. You huddle closer to the table, scanning the cards laid out like pages from a forbidden story, the musky scent of ink and paper mixing with the chill in the air. Every dice roll echoes forebodingly in the quiet room, a tiny heartbeat of suspense. Each…

1
Keeping the Fun - a reply to Dan Thurot's "Anti-Fun" article (Topic Discussion) 11:22

16d ago11:22

11:22

1
Episode 121 - Essen Preview 2025 1:43:24

18d ago1:43:24

1:43:24

Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 121 - Essen Preview 2025 & RegretsAs well as some games I've played lately, a long loyal Patreon has asked me what other video game IP's would I like to see as tabletop form especially given the recent trend of such releases. Well let's put some thoughts out there!***************************************SUBSCRIBE ► ww…

1
The Night Cage (Saturday Review) 9:02

19d ago9:02

9:02

Your skin is cold as you awaken in the dark. You have nothing but a flickering candle. A terrifying foreboding is constricting your throat, just like the narrow passageway is squashing your body. You know you are trapped in the tightest, most claustrophobic tunnel labyrinth imaginable. Yet, you must find keys and gates that may vanish at any moment…

1
Size Matters - board games' table space requirements (Topic Discussion) 9:31

25d ago9:31

9:31

As board gamers, we are obsessed with size. We love sharing shelfies to show off the size of our giant board game collection. Board games that come in a giant box that could double up as a garage for a small car are appealing to us. We love giant miniatures that we could use for weight training. War games that come with thousands of chits and other…

1
Fetching Feathers (Saturday Review) 9:30

28d ago9:30

9:30

The wind rustled gently through the trees. Dappled sunshine bathed the garden in a warm yellow tint, catching on the edges of the leaves and shimmering on the glass of a small bird bath. A hummingbird flitted from branch to branch, pausing briefly to inspect a cluster of flowers. Further away, a woodpecker drilled purposefully into the thick trunk …

1
To the Bitter End - board games don't have to finish (Topic Discussion) 10:55

1M ago10:55

10:55

We are all so very conditioned to play board games to the end. Most games have some sort of end game trigger and a form of end game scoring. They want us to play them all the way through. Yet, when a player’s win is all but guaranteed, continuing to the end seems pointless. The enjoyment of a game often matters more than strictly following the rule…

1
Brainwaves Episode 168 - Hel Bound 1:01:15

1M ago1:01:15

1:01:15

The team are back in full force to bring you the latest news from across the tabletop gaming world. From CMON escaping Hel, to the gender split in designers, and an interview with two of the team behind Tabletop Scotland, we work hard to bring you the news that really matters. Headlines Cmon escapes Hel https://boardgamewire.com/index.php/2025/09/1…

1
Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 120 - Other Game IP's As Tabletop 1:04:09

1M ago1:04:09

1:04:09

Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 120 - Other Game IP's As TabletopAs well as some games I've played lately, a long loyal Patreon has asked me what other video game IP's would I like to see as tabletop form especially given the recent trend of such releases. Well let's put some thoughts out there!***************************************SUBSCRIBE ► www…

1
D.O.T (Saturday Review) 7:20

1M ago7:20

7:20

It was like there were pixels: red ones, blue ones and black ones. There was one, two, three or four for each, sometimes none, in all sorts of combinations. You could combine them to give you five, six, seven or eight in the different colours. It was a real puzzle. You wanted to create the lowest or highest difference between the numbers in the cen…

1
Abstract Imagination - thematic and abstract games (Topic Discussion) 10:32

1M ago10:32

10:32

Sometimes I want to become the character on my player board, living out their adventure and experiencing a dramatic story filled with excitement and suspense. Other times, I just want to move some wooden pieces across a plain board, while I am deep in thought, and a giant decision tree that’s unfolding further with every turn fills my mind. Sometim…

1
Boitas (Saturday Review) 8:23

1M ago8:23

8:23

The sun had just begun its slow climb over the horizon, casting molten gold across the waves. In the harbour of Puri, the scent of salt and spices mingled as the Sadhabas prepared for the season’s voyage. Families murmured blessings, drums echoed from the shore, and the rhythm of the sea promised both peril and fortune. Odisha’s maritime heritage w…

1
Episode 119 - BOARDGAMEGEEK TOP 100 (25-1) 1:07:10

2M ago1:07:10

1:07:10

Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 119 - BOARDGAMEGEEK TOP 100 (25-1)We continue the BGG Top 100 breakdown and finally get this over with!!- updates- BGG Top 100 (25-1)***************************************SUBSCRIBE ► www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjyHBcq…ub_confirmation=1KIENDA SPONSOR REFERRAL LINKThe Broken Meeple is happy to be sponsored by Kienda.co…

1
Loose in the Library (Saturday Review) 7:46

2M ago7:46

7:46

Working by candlelight, we carefully stepped between endless shelves of books, books whose vivid imagination and terrible thoughts had become real and had entered our world. There were giant kraken, the frightful Fenrir and other monsters, as well as infamous characters, such as Count Dracula or Grendel’s Mother, prowling in the shadows. However, l…

1
Doomlings: Imaginary Ends (Saturday Review) 9:07

2M ago9:07

9:07

There is something fascinating about making things up that could never exist. The mind wanders. Ideas that go against all logic are conjured up. Taken to the edge of existence, to a time when everything ceases to exist, it creates a sense of weird foreboding. Ultimately, we all know that there is no escaping the grand finale. All we can do is watch…

1
Blue Prince: puzzles, puns, and politics 1:09:43

2M ago1:09:43

1:09:43

In this episode we discuss the puzzle adventure game Blue Prince by Dogubomb. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: The game's world & lore Word play in puzzles, as clues, & for fun Colour semiotics Sign versus noise ratio The (un)translatability of the game Songs that are low-key about playing Blue Prince: https://open.spotify.com/play…

1
Ethics and Reviews Revisited - my personal stance (Topic Discussion) 11:47

2M ago11:47

11:47

Most of us have heard of situations in our hobby where someone has behaved in a toxic way. Some of us have even experienced this directly. We can often name at least one bad actor who is still around in our community. We may have also seen publishers releasing games with an IP that is linked to a person whose behaviour has been widely condemned. As…

1
Brainwaves Episode 167 - Shrinking Minis 44:25

2M ago44:25

44:25

Iain and Oliver bring you a bumper packed episode of Brainwaves with all the latest news, controversies, and occurrences from across the tabletop gaming world in episode 167 of Brainwaves. Headlines Devir… damn guys that’s racist as hell https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3555308/just-some-ole-racist-history-crap/page/1 https://boardgamegeek.com/thre…

1
Episode 118 - BOARDGAMEGEEK TOP 100 (50-26) 1:09:37

2M ago1:09:37

1:09:37

Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 118 - BOARDGAMEGEEK TOP 100 (50-26)We continue the BGG Top 100 breakdown with the next 25 games in the sequence. I know I say I'm going to do 50-1 but my throat just couldn't keep up the talking! So 25 today, 25 on the next episode!- updates- initial thoughts on Ark Nova 3Dition- BGG Top 100 (50-26)******************…

1
Cat in the Box (Digital Eyes) 7:52

2M ago7:52

7:52

It started as a thought experiment, sealed away from the certainty of observation. We sat at the table, hands of cards like particles suspended in probability. No suit existed until declared, collapsing the wave of potential into a single, immutable state. Every choice rewrote the shape of the universe we shared, while paradoxes loomed like black h…

1
Episode 205 - Updates on Projects Old and New 11:19

2M ago11:19

11:19

December, 2022 was my last episode #204 here on the podcast called "What I Did This Summer" where I talked about my adventures in the Western USA in the slid-in truck camper I built. Between work and personal issues, I sort of lost my motivation to be creative in the RPG and gaming space. Well, I'm back to announce that I've hit the ground running …

1
Historical Hubris – the draw of history, politics, and purpose (Topic Discussion) 7:11

2M ago7:11

7:11

I think board games aren't just entertainment. They're not just a way to spend time with friends or family, or even alone. I think board games can be thought-provoking. They can tease our interest in a topic that we want to investigate further. Some board games can even carry an important message that is shared as we play them. These are games that…

1
The Bears and the Bees (Saturday Review) 7:45

2M ago7:45

7:45

A great, furry creature once stumbled upon a golden treasure hidden within an old, hollowed-out tree trunk. Tempted by its sweetness, its giant paws struck without thought, only to be driven back by the stinging guardians, who fought to their deaths to protect their home. So goes the story of The Bears and the Bees by Jeffery Beck from Grandpa Beck…

1
Critical Products - product reviews vs critical reviews (Topic Discussion) 10:12

2M ago10:12

10:12

I love Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory. It's an amazing economic simulation with huge ambitions. And yet, it rarely comes to the table. The reason is simple. It takes about half an hour to set up. You have to separate card decks, shuffle them, put a number of different components into different locations and do various other things before you …

1
Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 117 - BOARDGAMEGEEK TOP 100 (100-51) 1:25:05

2M ago1:25:05

1:25:05

Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 117 - BOARDGAMEGEEK TOP 100 (100-51)It's been a while but we're back on normal service. I've spent 4 days at Manorcon and can give my full thoughts on how it went. And we now have an Essen Preview list of games coming out - now it's early days, but I'm going to have a look at some of the hottest "thumbed" games and s…

1
Godzilla: Tokyo Clash (Saturday Review) 7:01

3M ago7:01

7:01

The skyline cracked open in a bright flash. Buildings around us collapsed into dust. There was no way out. Sirens wailed, the air stank of ozone, and there was a huge, deep roar that shook the ground around us. Then came another roar and another. Suddenly, we saw Mothra through the smoke. There was also King Ghidorah looming over the skyline. Then …

1
Shelf to Soil - how board games are getting greener (Topic Discussion) 8:19

3M ago8:19

8:19

Seeing a paper belly band, instead of plastic shrink wrap, around the decks of cards in Isle of Night from Red Raven Games made me realise that now might be the time to write again about sustainability and eco-friendliness in the board game hobby. Thinking back over the last few months, it feels as if publishers and players alike have started think…

1
Brainwaves Episode 166 - Itchy Conjurations 42:17

3M ago42:17

42:17

Jamie and Oliver bring you the latest news from around the tabletop gaming world. From CGE failing to conjure a decent response, to Gamefound acquiring a rival they cover the stories that really matter in episode 166 of Brainwaves. Headlines Czech Games Edition announces new Harry Potter Codenames https://bsky.app/profile/codenamesgame.bsky.social/…

1
Club of Cthulhu (Saturday Review) 7:59

3M ago7:59

7:59

As the green candlelight flickered lower and lower, a group of tireless paranormal researchers who had gathered around a reconstructed ritual circle were casting ancient manuscripts into the flames. Whispers rose with the smoke, and strange omens shimmered where the veil between reality and the land of the Ancient Ones had thinned. They knew the ri…

1
Atmospheric Anxiety - how board games create tense emotions (Topic Discussion) 8:31

3M ago8:31

8:31

Atmosphere in board games is one of those things that is felt. It is not just about how a game looks or sounds, nor simply the story it tells. Instead, atmosphere is the subtle, almost elusive quality that emerges from the right mixture of art and illustrations, sound, gameplay and a player's imagination. It is what remains with us when all the noi…

1
Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 116 - MANORCON & ESSEN PREVIEW LIST 1:20:00

3M ago1:20:00

1:20:00

Broken Meeple Podcast - Episode 116 - MANORCON & ESSEN PREVIEW LISTIt's been a while but we're back on normal service. I've spent 4 days at Manorcon and can give my full thoughts on how it went. And we now have an Essen Preview list of games coming out - now it's early days, but I'm going to have a look at some of the hottest "thumbed" games and se…

1
Fled (Saturday Review) 8:44

3M ago8:44

8:44

There was no way out. The cell door was locked, the corridor quiet, and the warders had already done their rounds. A smuggled spoon pressed cold against the palm of my hand, a comb tucked into a loose floorboard, a stamp in my sock and a muffin hidden in the mess. None of it made sense yet, but I would figure it out. I had to. I was going to escape…

1
Brainwaves Episode 165 - Diamond Heist 41:19

3M ago41:19

41:19

Jamie’s off boating around, no really, so it’s just Oliver and Iain in the studio this week. On episode 165 of Brainwaves they cover Diamond Heists, Spiel Des Jahres, more trouble for CMON and D&D moving to a franchise model, whatever that means. Headlines Diamond Distribution go on a heist https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-green-ronin-in-critical…

1
Isle of Night (Saturday Review) 8:08

3M ago8:08

8:08

When the locals told you the ancient tales of a mysterious island that was said to be strewn with gold, gems and many other treasures, you knew you had to go and discover the island's secrets for yourself. Even when they warned you that it was home to countless ferocious dragons and that the waters around it were infested with dangerous serpents, y…

1
Mars Expedition: Sol 43 (Saturday Review) 8:25

4M ago8:25

8:25

It was the first day of our project. It was also the first day on Mars. There were another forty-two days ahead of us, and every day, including today, we were faced with a different mission. These missions were going to get more challenging as we progressed. Our team consisted of a cryptographer, a navigator, a geologist, a mineralogist, a geochemi…

1
Hate at First Sight - the trap of first impressions (Topic Discussion) 8:38

4M ago8:38

8:38

I am sure many of us have been there. I know I certainly have. There are some games you simply overlook and don't give a fair chance. Maybe it’s the box art that doesn’t speak to you, or the components that look dull or too childish. Whatever it is, you just don't give it another thought. You have already formed an opinion of what the game is in yo…

1
A Gentle Rain (Saturday Review) 6:34

4M ago6:34

6:34

The lake was very peaceful and still. Its surface was covered by countless lily pads from eight different varieties. These lilies were extremely rare. Seeing all of them bloom at once was a very special moment. It only ever happened when there was A Gentle Rain by Kevin Wilson from Incredible Dream Studios with art by Chris Bilheimer and Wiktor Koz…

1
Semiotics and (video) games 57:27

4M ago57:27

57:27

In this episode we discuss a concept which has been important – but implicit – in many previous episodes: semiotics, or meaning-making through signs. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: The linguistic foundations and broad applications of semiotics; Definitions and different types of signs; Multi-modal semiotics in (video) games; Genr…

1
Brainwaves Episode 164 - Zombie Dragons 24:05

4M ago24:05

24:05

It’s the latest episode of Brainwaves! Join Iain and Jamie as they dive into the world of tabletop industry news to bring you the glistening pearls and dank seaweed from across the globe. Headlines Hasbro cuts 3% of workforce https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/hasbro-cuts-3-its-total-workforce-wsj-reports-2025-06-17/ Dungeons and Drag…

1
1860: Railways on the Isle of Wight (Digital Eyes) 9:31

4M ago9:31

9:31

In response to Queen Victoria's love of Osborne House, railways were built that ran from Cowes to Newport and from Ryde to Ventnor. As if to underline the significance of the project, two rival companies, the LSWR and LBSC, collaborated to create a train network that was soon hailed as a triumph of public service over profitability and that ran fro…

1
Duck & Cover (Saturday Review) 6:35

4M ago6:35

6:35

You just wanted to take a quiet and relaxing bath, but your plastic companions had other ideas. Instead of peacefully bobbing on the water, they turned into mad mallards. Water started to splash everywhere. Argh! You had only one choice. You had to Duck & Cover by Oussama Khelifati from Captain Games with art by Adrien Journel. Read the full review…