Episode 122

Length: 1:00:12

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Welcome back to Vox Republica, the Cardboard Republic Podcast!

We post new episodes every other Thursday, with each episode being about 45 minutes long.

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DESCRIPTION: It’s been an eventful few weeks, both within – and especially outside of – the gaming world. And that has an impact. So, in this episode the Vox is all about self-care. We ponder the question “What games do you play to make yourself feel better when the world gets you down?” We then round out the week on a more upbeat tone by talking about The Castle, a new gaming cafe in our region and then review the crazy and chaotic dice fight for the West known as Boomtown Bandits.

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES – (01:15):

• Arkwright by Capstone Games / Spielworkxx
• Avalanche at Yeti Mountain by Green Couch Games
• Escape the Room: Mystery at the Stargazer’s Manor by ThinkFun
• Kodama: The Tree Spirits by Action Phase Games
• Sushi Go Party by Gamewright

QUICK TOPICS – (25:50):

• It’s no huge secret that the real world has been hard for many of us lately, and it’s important to take time to breathe. This isn’t to say that you should disengage or bury your head in the sand, but self-care is important. We address how games factor into that process.
• Ryan ventured to The Castle in Beverly, MA, a new gaming cafe in the region. We touch briefly on his reaction to the latest gaming cafe in our area.

REVIEW – (40:54):

• Boomtown Bandits is a 2015/2016 release from Breaking Games for 2-5 players of chaotic dice-chucking entertainment. In this 30 minute game, players have stumbled into a boom town in the Old West, and everyone is trying to ransack the town for the most loot. Through a series of short rounds, each player allocates their three gunslingers to different town locations, and then each of those places is resolved via real-time dice rolling. You want to be the first to land a successful hit result – and the the first to call it out loud – in order to secure that location’s card. These cards both grant one-time effects as well as count as your money for the end of the game. It’s quick, energetic, and though it certainly functions best at higher numbers, the game works well for 3-5. Today we strap on our six-shooters and visit the dusty town to see why that is. We investigate which aspects make this rowdy casual game so enticing, and which could use a little polish.

(Note: if you don’t see pictures below, you can view them via the RSS feed or clicking this link.)

A Boomtown setup for four players

After all shooters have been placed, they are revealed. Here, Blue and Green each have one gunslinger. Red has two.

Red and Green rolled dice until Green called out a hit. They may remove either Red token, and then another shootout occurs

Light strategy or abuse of power? Either way, the Train is off limits this round

Boomtown Bandit cards, both with an single-use ability and a dollar value

Some of Boomtown Bandit’s sturdy components

PLUGS – (59:19):

• We reviewed Millennium Blades, the CCG simulator in a box.
• We’re continuing the Gen Con Indie Cavalcade effort – a list of all the indie games available at Gen Con. Check it out, and share it around!
• As always, Cardboard Republic YouTube videos and the BGG Guild are still ongoing. Subscribe to either – or both if you really love us. You do really love us, right?

We’d love to hear from you! You can send questions or feedback via email at podcast@cardboardrepublic.com. You can also reach us social media, including Twitter and BoardGameGeek.

Audio Credits: Intro music track is “Swing!” by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.