#78: Best of 2017 Redux

Draft Mechanic Episode #78: Best Games of 2017 Redux, Circle the Wagons On Tap, Carcassonne: Amazonas, Tokyo Highway, and What the British CO2 Shortage Means for the Beer Industry

Kickstarter: 
So Long, My World (BGG) (Kickstarter)
Wreck Raiders (BGG) (Kickstarter)

Recent Plays:
Carcassonne: Amazonas
2016, Z-Man Games
Designer: Klaus-Jürgen Wrede
Artist:  Vicki Dalton

Tokyo Highway
2016, itten
Designer: Naotaka Shimamoto, Yoshiaki Tomioka
Artist: Yoshiaki Tomioka 

Circle the Wagons
2017, Button Shy
Designer:  Steven Aramini, Danny Devine, Paul Kluka
Artist:  Bryan Fischer, Beth Sobel 

On Tap:
Circle the Wagons
2017, Button Shy
Designer:  Steven Aramini, Danny Devine, Paul Kluka
Artist:  Bryan Fischer, Beth Sobel
    •Bauhaus Brew Labs "Wagon Party"; Minneapolis, MN, USA
    5.4% ABV, 55 IBU.
    California Common.

    •BNS Brewing & Distilling Co. "Revolver"; Santee, CA, USA
    6.5% ABV, 62 IBU.
    IPA brewed with revolving hop profile.

    •D9 Brewing Company "Brown Sugar Brown Cow"; Cornelius, NC, USA
    6.9% ABV, 15IBU.
    Mocha brown ale.

    •Brouwerji De Ranke "XXX-Bitter"; Dottignies, Hainaut, Belgium
    6% ABV, 70 IBU.
    Belgian IPA.

    •Silver Gulch Brewing Company "Pick Axe Porter"; Fox, AK, USA
    4.8% ABV, 25 IBU.
    Sweet porter brewed with Cascade hops.

    •Dogfish Head Craft Brewery "Fort"; Milton, DE, USA
    18% ABV, 49 IBU.
    Strong ale brewed with raspberry puree.
    Fruit-Full Fort

British CO2 Shortage:
This is the video I was talking about.

Best Games of 2017 Redux:
Here is our original lists from back in January

Changes/Additions:
Best Artwork:
Danielle: Pot de Vin (ThunderGryph Games)
Jake: Charterstone (Stonemaier Games) - Honorable Mention

Game I Wish I'd Played More from 2017:
Jake: The 7th Continent (Serious Poulp)

Best Party Game:
Danielle: Pitch Deck (Palm Court) - Honorable Mention

Best Card Game:
Danielle: Illimat (Twogether Studios)

New Top 10 Lists:
Jake:
1. Near and Far
2. Sagrada
3. Matryoshka
4. Azul
5. Agra
6. The 7th Continent
7. Charterstone
8. Coldwater Crown
9. Downforce
10. Vegas Wits & Wagers

Danielle:
1. Near and Far
2. Sagrada
3. The 7th Continent
4. Azul
5. Harvest Dice
6. Illimat
7. Charterstone
8. Agra
9. Seikatsu
10. Altiplano

01:00 Show Intro, News & Updates

02:20 Draft Mechanic BGG microbadge!

04:45 Games News: Terraforming Mars’ 4th Expansion

07:52 Games News: BGG Gen Con GeekPreview

09:34 Kickstarter Updates

11:11 Kickstarter: So Long, My World

15:41 Kickstarter: Wreck Raiders

18:27 Recent Plays: Carcassonne Amazonas

38:17 Recent Plays: Tokyo Highway

47:37 Recent Plays: Circle the Wagons

55:28 On Tap: Circle the Wagons

61:45 No CO2? Yes Problem!

68:14 Grey Fox Games Sponsorship Spot

69:24 2017 Superlatives Redux

78:36 2017 Top 10 Games Redux

105:13 Final Round: New Favorites from 2017

110:00 Outro

Section Timestamps:

#65: 2017 In Review

Happy New Year! We’re back once again with our first episode of the year and our customary recap of the year that was. We take a look back at the biggest news stories in gaming and beer in 2017, share our favorites in a pile of categories, discuss our six favorite beers of 2017, and of course our top six games of last year as well. We’re tying this episode up with responses from our new DM Slack channel’s “Final Round” topic: What was the biggest surprise in gaming for you in 2017? Enjoy!

2017 Superlatives:
Best Artwork:
Danielle: Near and Far (Red Raven Games)
Jake: Flipships (Renegade Game Studios)

Best Non-mini Components:
Jake: Dice Forge (Libellud)
Danielle: Photosynthesis (Blue Orange Games)

Biggest Disappointment:
Danielle: Photosynthesis (Blue Orange Games)
Jake: Yamatai (Days of Wonder)

Game I Wish I'd Played More from 2017:
Danielle: The 7th Continent (Serious Poulp)
Jake: Dojo Kun (CMON)

Best Older Game I Played for the First Time in 2017:
Danielle: Bora Bora (Ravensburger)
Jake: Rococo (Eagle-Gryphon Games)

Best Party Game:
Vegas Wits & Wagers (North Star Games)

Best Card Game:
Danielle: Herbaceous (Pencil First Games/Dr. Finn Games)
Jake: Matryoshka (White Goblin Games/Terra Nova Games)

Most Innovative Game:
Danielle: The 7th Continent (Serious Poulp)
Jake: Magic Maze (Sit Down!)

Favorite Beers of 2017 Six-Packs:
Jake:

• Burial Beer Co. “Houtenhamer” Double-Barrel Imperial Stout. Asheville, NC. 10% ABV, 60 IBU.
• Perennial Artisan Ales “Maman” Barrel-aged Imperial Stout. St. Louis, MO. 11.5% ABV.
• Side Project Brewing “Saison du Blé” Imperial Stout. St. Louis, MO. 6% ABV.
• Bearded Iris Brewing “Chasing Rainbows Three” New England IPA. Nashville, TN. 5.8% ABV.
• B. Nektar Meadery “#DragonsAreReal” Cherry chipotle mead aged in New Holland Brewing - Dragon's Milk barrels with cacao nibs. Ferndale, MI. 14.0% ABV.
• Burial & Interboro & Run the Jewels “Stay G-O-L-D” IPA. Asheville, NC. 6.0% ABV, 50 IBU.

Danielle:

• Boiler Brewing “Quintuple Dog Dare” Imperial IPA. Lincoln, NE. 18.4% ABV.
• Good Road Cider Works “Avogadro's Trail” Semi-sweet Mead. Charlotte, NC. 7.8% ABV.
• Epic Brewing Company “Big Bad Baptista” Mexican Coffee inspired Imperial Stout. Salt Lake City, UT. 12% ABV, 65 IBU.
• B. Nektar Meadery “#DragonsAreReal” Cherry chipotle mead aged in New Holland Brewing - Dragon's Milk barrels with cacao nibs. Ferndale, MI. 14.0% ABV.
• Edmund's Oast “Kvass” Kvass. Charlotte, NC. 2.6% ABV.
• Founders Brewing “Frootwood” Barrel-aged cherry ale. Grand Rapids, MI. 8.0% ABV.

Favorite Games of 2017 Six-Packs:

Jake's Picks:

Downforce
Restoration Games
Designer:  Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, Wolfgang Kramer

Matryoshka
Terra Nova Games/White Goblin Games
Designer: Aaron Dill, Sean Sweigart, John Kovaleski

Flipships
Renegade Game Studios
Designer: Kane Klenko

Danielle's Picks:

5-Minute Dungeon
Wiggles 3D
Designer: Connor Reid

Azul
Plan B Games
Designer: Jun Sasaki

Seikatsu
IDW Games
Designer:  Matt Loomis, Isaac Shalev

We Both Picked:

The 7th Continent
Serious Poulp
Designer:  Ludovic Roudy, Bruno Sautter

Sagrada
Floodgate Games
Designer:  Adrian Adamescu, Daryl Andrews

Near and Far
Red Raven Games
Designer:  Ryan Laukat

Section Timestamps:

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:32 Announcing the Draft Mechanic Slack Channel!

05:27 Meta Mechanic, 2017 by the numbers

08:27 Preface to the Superlatives

11:43 Biggest News Stories of 2017

25:10 Superlative Categories

55:34 Our Top Six Beers of 2017

71:20 Grey Fox Games sponsorship spot

72:08 Our Top Six Games of 2017

96:48 Final Round: Biggest game surprises

103:41 Outro

#59: Spooky Games

Draft Mechanic Episode #59: 6(ish) Spooky Games for the Halloween Season , Summit: The Board Game On Tap, Blood Bowl: Team Manager, Flamme Rouge, Insider, and the 2017 Great American Beer Festival

Kickstarters:
Near and Far: Amber Mines (BGG Page)
Zero Hour (BGG Page)
7th Continent: What Goes Up, Must Come Down (Base Game BGG Page)

Recent Plays:
Blood Bowl: Team Manager - The Card Game
2011, Fantasy Flight Games
Designer: Jason Little
Artist: 31 listed

Flamme Rouge
2016, Lautapelit/2017, Stronghold Games
Designer: Asger Harding Granerud
Artists: Ossi Hiekkala, Jere Kasanen

Insider
2016, Oink Games
Designer: Akihiro Itoh, Kwaji, Daichi Okano, Kito Shinma
Artist: Jun Sasaki

6 Spooky Games for the Halloween Season:
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game
2014, Plaid Hat Games
Designer: Jonathan Gilmour, Isaac Vega
Artists: David Richards, Fernanda Suárez, Peter Wocken

Gloom (second edition)
2014, Atlas Games
Designer: Keith Baker
Artist: Michelle Nephew, J. Scott Reeves

Mysterium
2015, Libellud
Designer: Oleksandr Nevskiy, Oleg Sidorenko
Artists: Igor Burlakov, Xavier Collette, Oleksandr Nevskiy, Oleg Sidorenko

Betrayal at House on the Hill
2004, Avalon Hill Games, Inc.
Designer: Rob Daviau, Bruce Glassco, Bill McQuillan, Mike Selinker, Teeuwynn Woodruff
Artist: Dennis Crabapple McClain, Christopher Moeller, Peter Whitley

The Bloody Inn
2015, Pearl Games
Designer: Nicolas Robert
Artists: Luis Francisco, Weberson Santiago

T.I.M.E. Stories: Asylum
2015, Space Cowboys
Designer: Peggy Chassenet, Manuel Rozoy
Artist: Ben Carre, Vincent Dutrait, David Lecossu, Pascal Quidault
Afterward check out our SPOILER FILLED DISCUSSION

On Tap:
Summit: The Board Game
2017, Inside Up Games
Designer: Conor McGoey
Artist: Jordan Danielsson

• Base Camp Brewing Company "In-Tents IPL"; Portland, OR, USA
  6.8% ABV, 55 IBU
  Lager dry hopped and aged on oak.
• Alaskan Brewing Co. "Big Mountain Pale Ale"; Juneau, AK, USA
  5.7% ABV, 45 IBU.
  Pale ale dry hopped with Simcoe, Mosaic, and Calypso.
• Living the Dream Brewing Company "Ice Climber"; Littleton, CO, USA
  8.0% ABV, 100 IBU
  West coast style Imperial IPA.
• Forager Brewery "Sherpa's Survival Kit"; Rochester, MN, USA
  8.5% ABV, 68 IBU
  American double stout.
• Fremont Brewing "Instant Karma"; Seattle, WA, USA
  6.5% ABV, 50 IBU.
  New England-style IPA.
• Denver Beer Co. "Summit Sunrise"; Denver, CO, USA
  6.3% ABV, 65 IBU
  Red rye IPA.

2017 Great American Beer Festival:
GABF Site
2017 Winners List

Section Timestamps:

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:18 FBGL Week 4 Recap

05:30 [Essen Intensifies]

07:03 Kickstarter: Near & Far: Amber Mines

09:15 Kickstarter: Zero Hour

11:16 Kickstarter: The 7th Continent follow-up

15:29 Recent Plays: Blood Bowl: Team Manager

21:43 Recent Plays: Flamme Rouge

33:03 Recent Plays: Insider

41:03 Grey Fox Games sponsorship spot

42:12 Six Spooky Games for the Season

66:28 On Tap: Summit, The Board Game

75:57 Quick notes on Summit hops

78:19 2017 Great American Beer Festival

86:48 Outro

#58: The 7th Continent

Draft Mechanic Episode #58: The 7th Continent Review & On Tap, Photosynthesis, Lazer Ryderz, Raiders of the North Sea, and how we came to understand yeast in brewing

Kickstarter:
Stellar Leap! from Weird Giraffe Games

Recent Plays:
Photosynthesis
2017, Blue Orange Games
Designer: Hjalmar Hach
Artist: Sabrina Miramon

Lazer Ryderz
2017, Greater Than Games/Fabled Nexus
Designer: Nicole Kline, Anthony Amato
Artists: Blood & Chrome

Raiders of the North Sea
2015/2017, Garp Hill/Renegade Games
Designer: Shem Phillips
Artist: Mihajlo Dimitrievski

Review:
The 7th Continent
2017, Serious Poulp
Designer: Ludovic Roudy, Bruno Sautter
Artist: Ludovic Roudy

On Tap:
The 7th Continent
2017, Serious Poulp
Designer: Ludovic Roudy, Bruno Sautter
Artist: Ludovic Roudy

• Grand Teton Brewing Company "Lost Continent"; Victor, ID, USA
  8.0% ABV, 117 IBU
  Imperial IPA with Bravo, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, & Columbus hops.
• TRVE Brewing Co. "Cursed"; Denver, CO, USA
  4.5% ABV.
  Mixed culture sour pale ale.
• The Orkney Brewery "Dark Island"; Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland
  4.6% ABV
  Scottish ale with flavors of dark chocolate, dried fruits, figs and nuts.
• Bell's Brewery "Expedition Stout"; Kalamazoo, MI, USA
  10.5% ABV, 78 IBU
  Russian Imperial Stout brewed with aging in mind.
• Brew Gentlemen "Exploration & Discovery Series"; Braddock, PA, USA
  "Exploration & Discovery No. 1"
  6.9% ABV
  Saison aged in white wine barrels with Brettanomyces & Lactobacillus.
  
  "Exploration & Discovery No. 2"
  7.3% ABV
  American wild ale aged in red wine barrels.

Yeast:
Article: A Short History of Yeast
Article: Louis Pasteur Did Not Discover Yeast

Section Timestamps:

Intro

01:00 Show Housekeeping

02:57 Kickstarter: Stellar Leap

05:43 Fantasy Board Game League Update

12:40 Recent Plays: Photosynthesis

23:12 Recent Plays: Lazer Ryder

29:13 Recent Plays: Raiders of the North Sea

38:59 Review: The 7th Continent (Part 1)

40:05 The 7th Continent: Gameplay Run-through

44:29 The 7th Continent: Discussion

84:46 The 7th Continent: Final Thoughts… for now

85:55 On Tap: The 7th Continent

91:49 Understanding Yeast in Beer

96:31 Outro