Ambie, Cassadi, and Crystal go off-format in this special episode and discuss their favorite games of 2016, as well as what they're looking forward to in 2017.

Ambie, Cassadi, and Crystal discuss some games they've played recently, including 1860, Clank!, and Order of the Gilded Compass. We then have a special guest to talk with us about board games that are great for families. In this week's "Board Game Etymology" segment, Crystal discusses the origins of the word "game."

by Ambie Valdés

This year was my husband (Toby) and my first year at BGG.CON, and it was amazing. I tried out 53 distinct games, 49 of which were new to me (some were really quick dexterity games). I'm obviously not going to go over every game I played (you can see what I played here, but here are some highlights of the convention for me.

One of the best things at BGG.CON is the library. The library is HUGE. A whole conference room is filled with board games on all the walls, a lot of which are brand new games from Essen! There was also a section in the main hall with a lot of the hot games set up so that people could play them. Because BGG.CON is right after Essen, it was great for trying out all those games I've been hearing about the past month.

Ambie, Cassadi, and Crystal discuss some games they've played recently, including Chicago & Northwestern, German Rails, Onami, and Legendary Encounters: A Firefly Deckbuilding Game. The "Accessory of the Week" segment is about school supplies that can help with gaming. We then discuss games that have to do with school. In this week's "Board Game Etymology" segment, Crystal discusses the origins of the word "rule." We also announce our contest winner!

by GenCanterpillar

When I was born a couple days ago, I learned that there was a board game convention made just for me! I guess it's more of a can'tvention though. For those of you who don't know, Gen Con is a huge board gaming convention held every year. But there's also GenCant (named after me, of course), which is for all those people and animals who can't attend Gen Con in person.

The first thing I did was get my badge. Apparently I'm a Very Important Guest! I must be, because I'm pictured on the badge!

Ambie, Cassadi, and Crystal discuss some games they've played recently, including 18xx games, Seasons, and Awesome Kingdom. The "Accessory of the Week" segment is about accessories that help out with your drinks when you're gaming. We then discuss games that are "hot." In this week's "Board Game Etymology" segment, Crystal discusses the origins of the word "shelfie."

by Ambie Valdés

As you may have heard in the podcast, I went to Dice Tower Con in Orlando this year (my third year at Dice Tower Con). Out of the two different board gaming conventions I've been to, Dice Tower Con is by far my favorite, just because of the awesome open gaming experience - both in available space and in the amazing library.

This year I didn't go to any of the events (I didn't want to wait in line for an hour), so I spent almost all my time doing open gaming. I also wandered around the vendor area (some demo gaming, some buying games), went to the flea market, and visited the world's largest McDonald's with Flip the Table!

My 'vacation' was exhausting. Over the course of the 5 day convention, I played 56 unique games, 49 of which were new to me (a lot of learning!). Each day I played 10 or more different games. I also got to cross a bunch of games off of my list of 'games I want to play.' Obviously, I can't go over all the games in this blog (well I can, but I don't want to), so I'll just go over some highlights.