ice cool

#42: Herbaceous / Well Played

Draft Mechanic Episode #42: A Group Discussion of Games We Played at Well Played Board Game Cafe, Herbaceous On-Tap, and Craft Beer Information Resources

Well Played Board Game Cafe

Recent Plays:

Dream Home
2016, Rebel.pl
Designer: Klemens Kalicki

Celestia
2015, Quick Simple Fun Games/BLAM!
Designer: Aaron Weissblum

Fauna
2008, HUCH! & Friends/Foxmind
Designer:  Friedemann Friese

Ice Cool
2016, Brain Games
Designer: Brian Gomez

Lanterns: The Harvest Festival
2015, Renegade Game Studios
Designer:  Christopher Chung

No Thanks!
2004, Mayfair Games (Currently)
Designer:  Thorsten Gimmler

OutLawed!
2017, Green Couch Games
Designer: Ryan Cowler

Heroes & Tricks
2016, Pencil First Games, LLC
Designer:  Eduardo Baraf, Jonathan Gilmour 

Noch Mal!
2016, 999 Games/Schmidt Spiele
Designer:  Inka & Markus Brand

On Tap:

Herbaceous
2017,  Dr. Finn's Games, Pencil First Games, LLC
Designer: Eduardo Baraf, Steve Finn, Keith Matejka 

  • Sage: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project "Colorado Wild Sage", Denver, CO, USA
    7.2% ABV. 
    Brett Saison with fresh white sage and lemongrass
  • Rosemary: Boulevard Brewing Co. "Tasting Room - Rosemary IPA", St. Louis, MO, USA
    6% ABV, 59 IBU. 
    American IPA with rosemary, Chinook, Simcoe, Citra, & Cascade hops.
  • Dill: Steel String Brewery "Picklemania", Carrboro, NC, USA
    3.8% ABV, 7 IBU. 
    Dill gose brewed in collaboration with Haw River Farmhouse Ales.
  • Mint: Perennial Artisan Ales "17", St. Louis, MO, USA
    10% ABV.
    Imperial stout  aged on cacao nibs & dried peppermint leaves.
  • Lavender: No Label Brewing Co. "Forbidden Lavender", Katy, TX, USA
    5.3% ABV, 12 IBU. 
    Belgian witbier brewed with honey malt, lavender flowers, and vanilla.
  • Tarragon: Jester King Brewing "Equipoise", Austin, TX, USA
    4.2% ABV, 26 IBU. 
    Saison brewed with ginger salt, dried tarragon, and cantaloupe.
  • Bay: Against the Grain Brewery "Bay & Pepper Your Bretts", Louisville, KY, USA
    6.8% ABV, 27 IBU.
    Farmhouse saison brewed with bay & peppercorns and partially fermented with wild yeast.
  • Saffron: Mantra Artisan Ales "Saffron IPA", Franklin, TN, USA
    7.2% ABV, 55 IBU. 
    Unfiltered IPA with saffron, caradmom, and Citra hops.
  • Thyme: Birdsong Brewing Co "Doin' Thyme", Charlotte, NC, USA
    4.3% ABV, 15 IBU. 
    Witbier brewed with corriander, lemon peel, and fresh thyme.
  • Chive: Look for beers brewed with Summit hops.

Beer Information Resource Links:

Beeradvocate
RateBeer
Untappd

Section Timestamps:

Intro
01:00 Intro / Housekeeping
02:30 CMoN News: Eric Lang, Adrian Smith & CMoN Play
08:14 Upcoming: Flipships from Kane Klenko
09:34 Upcoming: Dice Forge from Regis Bonnessee
11:32 Well Played Board Game Cafe in Asheville, NC
18:00 Recent Plays: Dream Home
24:33 Recent Plays: Celestia
29:13 Recent Plays: Noch Mal!
34:16 Recent Plays: Lanterns, The Harvest Festival
40:28 Recent Plays: No Thanks!
44:30 Recent Plays: OutLawed!
50:10 Recent Plays: Heroes & Tricks
59:16 Recent Plays: Fauna
68:05 Recent Plays: Ice Cool
72:19 Reflections on the trip to Asheville
77:58 Recent Plays: Herbaceous
79:36 On Tap: Herbaceous
92:54 Beer Info Resources
96:40 Outro

#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