#55: Gen Con 50 Wrapup!

#55: Gen Con 50 Wrap-up!

Hey all! Episode 55 is going to be a little different! Each day during Gen Con 50, we sat down with our buds (Shane, Tamara, Steven, Dan) and talked about what we saw at the biggest con of the year (and the biggest Gen Con in history). I’ve assembled those recordings chronologically just like last year for over an hour of extra content! We really hope you enjoy our wrap-ups, and we’ll be back next Monday for another episode and a more in-depth look at some of the hottest games of the year, fresh from Gen Con 50!

#54: The Hype List 2017

Draft Mechanic Episode #54: The Hype List 2017: Gen Con 50; Vegas Wits & Wagers preview & on-tap

The Hype List is here! The Summer of Hot Games wouldn’t be complete without our exhaustive look at a big pile of games we’re excited to learn more about at Gen Con 50 this week in Indianapolis. In addition to that big feature, we’re also busting out our Kickstarter preview of the upcoming Vegas Wits & Wagers from North Star Games! But one feature isn’t enough for an episode this big - we’re also putting Vegas Wits & Wagers on tap, we’ve got a special guest popping in to talk about Fantasy Flight Games’ big announcement, and we’ve got a discussion with two of our game group about their plans for their first trip to Gen Con. I hope you’ve got a long drive, because this super-stuffed episode is just brimming with HYPE!

Vegas Wits & Wagers
North Star Games, 2017. 5-21 players. Hits Kickstarter on August 19th, 2017!

On Tap:

• Pipeworks Brewing Co., Chicago, IL.
  "Sure Bet" Imperial IPA. 9.5% ABV, and some IBUs.
  Imperial IPA with Mango and honey.
• Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Co., Cherry Hill, NJ. 
  "What the Butler Saw." Undressed Wit. 5% ABV, 18 IBU.
  Witbier with ginger, chamomile, coriander, lemon & orange peels
• Grain Station Brew Works, McMinnville, OR.
  "Bet the Farm" IPA. 6.5% ABV, 65 IBU.
  Dry hopped IPA available year round in bottles and draft (the big cans).
• Marble Brewery, Aaaaaaaaaaaaaalbuquerque, NM.
  "Double White" Witbier. 7.0% ABV, 8 IBU.
  Coriander & grains of paradise. 2 GABF medals: 2012 Bronze, 2014 Gold.

Gen Con Events

Sun King Brewing Kickoff Party (Facebook Event Page)
Wednesday, 5pm, Georgia Street Beer Garden

Punchboard Media meet & greet event with prizes! (Facebook Event Page)
Friday, 5-7pm, Georgia Street Beer Garden

Games Announcements & Hype

Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition - Fantasy Flight Games

Renegade Games teases... something?

And of course, here's the complete Hype List that we worked off for this show. Using the Gen Con 50 Geek Preview on Board Game Geek, we ranked all items as Must Have / Interested / Undecided / Not Interested and then ranked it accordingly. Enjoy!

Section Timestamps:

00:00 Show Housekeeping
03:20 Corrections from Episode 53
05:19 Kickstarter Preview: Vegas Wits & Wagers!
16:48 Gen Con events roundup! Punchboard Media meet up!
18:47 Sun King Brewery events at Gen Con
20:09 The mystery of HYPE
21:12 Twilight Imperiul, 4th Ed. (special guest Chris Kirkman)
37:48 Getting into the hype list!
1:00:54 Checking in with Tamara and Steven
1:23:32 Back to the hype list!
2:13:22 On Tap: Vegas Wits & Wagers
2:17:37 Wrap-up

#53: Dice Forge / Pit Crew

Draft Mechanic Episode #53: Dice Forge review, Pit Crew on tap, Terraforming Mars: Hellas, Wordsy, Word Domination, MegaMooseCon con report, what is a Foeder?

CORRECTION: Jake and I for some reason both thought the Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium map was $30 MSRP and we made a big deal of the fact that that was a lot. WELL turns out it's $20 MSRP which feels much more reasonable, especially when you look at that possibly being reduced if you buy it online (although Amazon does have it up at $26 plus $11 shipping so maybe don't preorder it there.)

Kickstarter:
Watch It Played Season 7

Recent Plays: 

Terraforming Mars: Hellas Map
2017, Stronghold Games/Fryxgames
Designer:  Jacob Fryxelius
Artist:  Isaac Fryxelius

Word Domination   
2017, Uproarious Games
Designer: Jeff Beck
Artist: Ryan Goldsberry

Wordsy
2017, Formal Ferret Games
Designers:  Gil Hova
Artist: Scott Hartman

Review:

Dice Forge
2017, Linellud/Asmodee
Designer:  Regis Bonnessée  
Artist:  Biboun 

On Tap:

Pit Crew
2017, Stronghold Games
Designer:  Geoff Engelstein
Artist:  William Bricker

• Rubber Soul Brewing Co. “Garage Racer IPA”; Salisbury, MD, USA
  7% ABV, 70 IBU.
  Mosaic & Citra hopped American IPA.
• Uinta Brewing Co. “Pit Stop”; Salt Lake City, UT, USA
  6.3% ABV, 45 IBU.
  Kettle-soured apricot IPA.
• Bear Republic Brewing Co. “Racer 5”; Healdsburg, CA, USA
  7.5% ABV, 75 IBU.
  Columbus & Cascade hopped American IPA.
• Oskar Blues Brewery “Ten FIDY”; Longmont, CO, USA
  10.5% ABV, 65 IBU.
  HUGE Imperial stout.
• Redline Brewhouse “Peel Out”; Barrie, ON, Canada
  8.8% ABV, 72 IBU.
  Imperial IPA w/ Azacca, El Dorado, Idaho 7, Equinox, & Cascade hops.

Foeders:
Foeder Crafters of America FAQ
The Challenges of Building and Finding Foeders
Good Wood (Generally about wood aging)

Section Timestamps:

Intro
01:00 Show Housekeeping
02:46 Looking forward to Gen Con 50
04:54 IndieGoGo: Watch it Played Season 7 Fundraiser
08:07 Con Report: MegaMooseCon
12:46 Recent Plays: Terraforming Mars “Hellas” map
21:20 Recent Plays: Word Domination
27:59 Recent Plays: Wordsy
35:21 Review Feature: Dice Forge
35:54 Dice Forge: Gameplay Overview
39:34 Dice Forge: Discussion
58:51 Dice Forge: Final Thoughts
59:45 On Tap: Pit Crew
70:00 The Beer Segment: What is a Foeder?
78:31 Outro

#52: RAXXON / Century

Draft Mechanic Episode #52: Reviews of Century: Spice Road, RAXXON, Century: Spice Road On Tap, Before the Earth Explodes, Spires, NMBR 9, Unearth, and Infected Beers

News:
Mega MooseCon

Kickstarter:
Before the Earth Explodes (Kickstarter)

Recent Plays:
Spires
2017, Nevermore Games
Designer:  T.C. Petty III
Artist:  Bryan Fischer

NMBR 9   
2017, Abacusspiele
Designer: Peter Wichmann
Artist:  Fiore GmbH 

Unearth
2017, Brotherwise Games
Designers:  Jason Harner & Matthew Ransom
Artist: Jesse Riggle

Double Feature Reviews:
Century: Spice Road
2017, Plan B Games
Designer:  Emerson Matsuuchi
Artist: Fernanda Suarez

Raxxon
2017, Plaid Hat Games
Designer:  J. Arthur Ellis  
Artist:  Fernanda Suarez

On Tap:
Century: Spice Road
2017, Plan B Games
Designer:  Emerson Matsuuchi
Artist: Fernanda Suarez

• Noble Cider“Spice Merchant”; Asheville,  NC, USA
  6% ABV.
  Semi-sweet cider brewed with cinnamon, cardamom, tea, and cloves.
• 4th Tap Brewing Co-op “+2 Vitality”; Austin, TX, USA
  5% ABV.
  Blonde ale with cardamom.
• Pipeworks Brewing Company “Cinnamon Abduction”; Chicago, IL, USA
  10.5% ABV.
  Imperial stout with vanilla, cacao nibs, and cinnamon.
• Finnriver Farm & Cidery “Solstice Saffron”; Chimacum, WA, USA
  6.5% ABV.
  Cider brewed with local saffron, anise, and fennel.
• Burial Beer Co. “Garden of Earthly Delights II”; Asheville, NC, USA
  5% ABV.
  Brett saison brewed with white peppercorn, aged on cucumber, turmeric, and tangerine peels.
• Mantra Artisan Ales “Saffron IPA”; Franklin, TN, USA
  7.2% ABV, 55 IBU.
  Unfiltered IPA brewed with saffron, cardamom, and citra hop.

Infected Beer Symptoms:
Common Problems from How to Brew by John J. Palmer
Common Off-Flavors from How to Brew by John J. Palmer
Beer Microbiology - What is a Pellicle
Beer Flavors - Diacetyl

Section Timestamps:

Intro
01:00 Show Housekeeping
02:37 Con Watch: MegaMooseCon August 4th-6th!
03:51 Gen Con 50 Preview Tool on BGG
06:14 Best Treehouse Ever Contest Results
07:54 Preview: Before the Earth Explodes
13:49 Recent Plays: Spires
22:43 Recent Plays: NMBR 9
27:00 Recent Plays: Unearth
36:57 Review: Century: Spice Road
48:10 On Tap: Century: Spice Road
54:40 Review: RAXXON
77:51 Is my beer infected?
86:36 Outro

#51: Sentient / Bärenpark

Draft mechanic Episode #51: Double Feature Review of Sentient and Bärenpark, Bärenpark On Tap, Medina, Fields of Arle, Stockpile, and Can Beer Really Quench Your Thirst?

News:
Mega Moose Con
BEST TREEHOUSE EVER GIVEAWAY!
Friedemann Friese's Fast Forward Series

Kickstarter:
Star Scrappers: CAVE-IN
Star Realms Frontiers

Recent Plays: 

Medina (Second Edition)
2014, Stronghold Games
Designer:  Stefan Dorra
Artist:  Eduardo Bera, Hans-Georg Schneider  

Fields of Arle   
2014, Z-Man Games
Designer: Uwe Rosenberg
Artist: Dennis Lohausen

Stockpile
2015, Nauvoo Games
Designers:  Brett Sobol, Seth Van Orden
Artist: Jacqui Davis, Ian O'Toole 

Double Feature Review:

Sentient
2017, Renegade Game Studios
Designer:  J. Alex Kevern
Artist: Chris Ostrowski 

Bärenpark
2013, Mayfair Games/Lookout Spiele
Designer:  Phil Walker-Harding  
Artist:  Klemens Franz 

On Tap:

Bärenpark
2013, Mayfair Games/Lookout Spiele
Designer:  Phil Walker-Harding  
Artist:  Klemens Franz 

• Catawba Brewing Company “Brown Bear Ale”; Morganton, NC, USA
  5.2% ABV, 30 IBU.
  Brown English ale.
• Off Color Brewing “Bare Bear”; Chicago, IL, USA
  7% ABV, 20 IBU.
  Finnish  style sahti brewed with rye malts and juniper berries.
• Horse & Dragon Brewing Company “Sad Panda”; Fort Collins, CO, USA
  6.8% ABV.
  Coffee Stout.
• Rhinegeist Brewery “Koala”; Cincinnati, OH, USA
  6% ABV, 50 IBU.
  Red Ale with Ella, Kohatu, and Vic Secret hops.
• Creston Brewery; Grand Rapids, MI, England
  “Polar Bear”
  4.2% ABV.
  Multigrain golden ale brewed with W. Michigan hops.
  
  “Koala Bear”
  4.2% ABV.
  Golden ale brewed with Rowster Italian coffee.
  
  “Panda Bear”
  4.9% ABV.
  American pale ale brewed with local raw honey, whole chai spices, and rooibus tea.
  
  “Pooh Bear”
  4.6% ABV.
  Pale wheat ale brewed with local raw honey and lavender.

Quenching Thirst:
Public Library of Sciences: Oral Cooling and Carbonation Increase the Perception of Drinking and Thirst Quenching in Thirsty Adults
USA Today: This beer hydrates you. No, really, it does

Goses:
-SeaQuench Ale; Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, 4.9% ABV.
-Jammer; Sixpoint Brewery, 4.0% ABV
-Key Lime Pie Gose; Westbrook Brewing Co., 4.0% ABV
-Blood Orange Gose; Anderson Valley Brewing Co., 4.2% ABV

Pilsners/Kolsches:
-Episode 46: Beer Primer - Pilsners
-Billows; Burial Beer Co., 4.9% ABV, Kolsch
-Kolsch; Schlafly, 4.8% ABV, Kolsch
-Summerfest; Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, 5.0% ABV, Pilsner
-The Crisp; Sixpoint Brewing, 5.4% ABV, Pilsner

Section Timestamps:

<p>Intro
01:00 Show Housekeeping
02:42 Con Watch: MegaMooseCon August 4th-6th!
04:04 Contest: Best Treehouse Ever!
05:42 Kickstarter: Star Scrappers Cave-In update
06:20 Kickstarter: Star Realms Frontiers
10:58 Upcoming: Fast Forward - Fear, Fortress & Flee
16:28 Recent Plays: Medina
23:15 Recent Plays: Fields of Arle
36:01 Recent Plays: Stockpile
45:01 Review: Sentient
57:41 Review: Barenpark
75:42 On Tap: Barenpark
83:27 Can beer quench your thirst?
92:08 Outro