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PODCAST

Operation Game Night

Travis, Clay, & Jared

Travis Smith, Jared Erickson, and Clay Gable get together to discuss the latest and greatest in board games in this weekly podcast. What"s hot, what"s hitting the table, featured discussions about board games and the board gaming culture, and the primary mission objective- to play more board games!

leisure games

All Episodes

30:29

OTF: Talkin' Turkey and Texts to the Void

Operation Game Night ·

2025/12/02

We roast the perfect smoked turkey, rescue a podcast from broken texts, and marathon board games until the table begs for mercy. Retro hardware meets Switch advice, while a koi dilemma becomes a quiet lesson in stewardship and starting fresh. • Brining, drying, buttering and aromatics for smoked turkey • MLEM highlights and Pinatas’ second-to-last trick strategy • Magical Athlete chaos and playful stakes with a pickle bet • Flip Seven’s quick teach and score-tracking tips • Analog Pocket nos...

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35:30

Joint Ops: OGN Takes Over Games Y Mas for Thanksgiving

Operation Game Night ·

2025/11/27

A podcast takeover with heart, dice, and a little chaos: we hijacked Games Y Mas to say thanks and to build your holiday game bag with confidence. We start by unpacking the three mechanics that made our year brighter—deck building for agency and momentum, push your luck for laughs and energy, and RPG-style progression for that sweet feeling of earned growth—then connect them to real games that work at actual tables with actual families. Jared makes a spirited case for deck building, from Arn...

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25:30

Debrief: We Played Dungeons and Dragons!

Operation Game Night ·

2025/11/25

The road was quiet, the horses were not, and our dice had other plans. We jumped into Dungeons & Dragons 5e with a veteran DM guiding us through a one-shot that quickly became a masterclass in what makes tabletop role-playing so compelling: real choices, shared imagination, and the wild variance of a d20. From a dwarf fighter built to tank to a half-orc monk chasing precision, our party learned how character ideas collide with probability—and why that tension is half the fun. We break do...

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22:26

Special Ops: Jerry’s Board Game Comeback

Operation Game Night ·

2025/11/20

Jerry returns with stories of a surprise Azul date night, a rediscovered $100 Vegas mini-game, and fresh takes on gateway games that can coax non-gamers into regular play. We swap strategies for The Quest for El Dorado, pitch Redwood for photographers, and plot the path to Arnak. • Azul wins as a fast, colorful date night gateway • Travel-sized components and the power of quick replays • Ruins and trick-taking nostalgia with upgrades • The $100 World Series mini-game and what to do with it •...

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30:40

Special Ops: Civilization Board Game Draft...Ants Are...

Operation Game Night ·

2025/11/18

We draft two original civilization board games with only $30 and 10 rounds, forcing bold choices on theme, mechanics, designer, art, publisher, box size, player count, and length. One becomes an insect super-civ of tech and diplomacy, the other a two-player city builder about climate resilience. • rules of the $30, 10-round Civ game draft • insect colony vs environmental adaptation sub-themes • tech trees and diplomacy vs resource management and city building • designer picks and why reputat...

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19:36

OTF: Game Night Off The Rails

Operation Game Night ·

2025/11/13

We pivot from a planned board game origin to a candid catch-up on leadership growth, masculine archetypes, stadium joy, and sobering screen stories. Between a Steelers defensive explosion and a YMCA Wi-Fi meltdown, we land on what helps friendships and teams thrive. • origin story mix-up and light chaos • leader development course insights and self-awareness • archetypes of mature masculinity and practical feedback • Steelers defensive resurgence and stadium renaming • Halloween hot dogs, fa...

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24:33

Debrief: The Hobbit: There And Back Again, A...

Operation Game Night ·

2025/11/11

We share first impressions of The Hobbit: There and Back Again, a roll-and-write that blends dice drafting with a story you can feel across eight evolving chapters. From dwarf paths to riddles in the dark, we highlight why the theme lands, where solo stumbles, and how table tempo creates tension. • components, setup, and how drafting works • chapter variety and how goals change • path drawing, bread, swords, and first‑to bonuses • gollum puzzle chapter and ring scoring • storm pass risk and ...

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22:10

Debrief: Falcons- the US Air Force Academy Board Game

Operation Game Night ·

2025/11/06

We debrief Falcons, the U.S. Air Force Academy board game, walking through how it plays, where it shines, and who will love it most. Theme and art carry a brisk time-track system, with competitions and events adding light strategy and table banter. • time-track movement around the Terrazzo • academics, training, action cards and how they interact • competitions with simultaneous reveals and odd second-place wins • character tokens as hidden points and tie-breaks • milestone challenges of Rec...

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20:54

Debrief: Origin Story by Stonemaier Games

Operation Game Night ·

2025/11/04

We unpack how Origin Story fuses classic trick-taking with character-building powers, letting you charge abilities with stamina and choose between hero or villain scoring for sharp, thematic pivots. We weigh the balance of chaos and control across player counts, praise the production, and flag who will love this design. • core must-follow trick-taking with love as trump • story cards that grant powers and reshape hands • stamina as a pre-round budget to charge abilities • hero or villain ide...

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21:20

Special Ops: We Pitch Netflix's Catan Adaptations...

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/30

A streaming giant just picked up one of the most beloved board games on Earth, and our imaginations ran wild. We set out to answer a big question: how do you turn Catan’s trade, tension, and that pesky robber into stories worth binging? With friend of the show Vic from Games Y Más, we pitch three directions that could each anchor a different corner of Netflix’s slate. First up, an animated family adventure in the spirit of Toy Story and Wreck-It Ralph, where forgotten classics like Chess, Mo...

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22:40

OTF: Jared Returns From The Crypt!

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/28

A foggy graveyard, rattling dice, and a familiar voice rising from the crypt—Jared’s back, and we’re cracking open a night of stories that blend family life, hobby joy, and the kind of plans that keep a gaming calendar buzzing. We kick off with life updates, a very sweaty “fall” in Alabama, and a detour into adaptive spooky video games that learn your habits and dial up the tension. From there, we trade kitchen war stories about a pizza stone gone rogue and the humble fixes that turn hosting ...

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16:32

Debrief: Money! by Reiner Knizia

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/23

We break down Money! by Reiner Knizia, a quick blind-bidding card game where scoring thresholds and trio bonuses create sharp, swingy decisions. We compare it to High Society and other Knizia auctions, talk player counts, and share who should consider adding it to a shelf. • core rules overview and scoring thresholds • trio bonuses and their swing potential • blind bidding and market swap decisions • reading opponents and timing value shifts • three player flow versus larger groups • compari...

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20:57

Debrief: EGO by Reiner Knizia and Bitewing Games

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/21

Bidding in space shouldn’t feel this tense, but Ego makes every card you play—or don’t—matter. We explore why this Bitewing Games re-imagining of Reiner Knizia’s Beowulf clicks: a modular journey across alien worlds, a smooth checklist of actions, and auctions that crescendo at just the right moments. The premise is charmingly sharp: act as ambassadors, manage offense tokens, and convert small advantages into a final scoring burst without tipping into disaster. We unpack the core escalating ...

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19:02

Debrief: Madcala- A Wonderland's War Game by Druid...

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/16

A duel at a Wonderland tea table shouldn’t feel this sharp—but Madcala turns classic Mancala into a fast, tactical fight that rewards nerve and clean planning. We sit down with this two-player brawler from Druid City Games and unpack why the lighter weight, tight turns, and gorgeous production make it so easy to teach yet surprisingly tense to master. From stitched neoprene to plastic shards and a chunky doubler, the table presence invites you in; the shard economy and plate effects keep you ...

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29:00

Debrief: The Old King's Crown by Eerie Idol Games

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/14

A fading crown. A table full of secrets. We’re diving into The Old King’s Crown—a heavy, heady blend of bluffing, bidding, and brutal clashes—where every season reshapes the map and every decision echoes across years. We unpack how the game’s sketchbook-fantasy art direction and sharper final production help a complex ruleset breathe, why the seasonal flow is the quiet teacher that keeps turns focused, and how a single overbid in spring can save (or sink) your endgame in year five. We map th...

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21:02

Debrief: Solo TTRPGs for the RPG-Curious

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/09

Ever wished you could role‑play on your own terms—no scheduling headaches, no thick rulebooks, just a notebook, a deck of cards, and your imagination? We dive into the art of solo tabletop RPGs and how a few elegant systems can turn small moments into big stories. From late‑night radio confessionals to crumbling castles and whispered hallways, we share the titles that pulled us in and the tricks that kept us playing. We start with Void 1680 AM, a music lover’s dream that turns card draws int...

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18:33

Debrief: Magical Athlete by CMYK Games

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/07

A single die, 30 weird racers, and more table noise than most epic euros—that’s the promise we chased and found in Magical Athlete. We open the box to screen-printed meeples that feel like pocket totems, talk through why the reprint’s art taps straight into Saturday-morning nostalgia, and explain how a clean draft plus four escalating races turns simple rules into shareable stories. If you’ve ever wanted a game that your non-gamer friends, your kids, and your strategy group can all love for d...

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22:19

Special Ops: From Heat to Acquire - Our WSBG Power...

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/02

We want to hear from our listeners! Send us a text with recommendations, weigh in on discussions, or just say hi! Support the show As always, come interact with us online, let us know if you have any feedback, and leave us a review/comment anywhere you get your favorite podcasts! https://www.instagram.com/operation_game_night_podcast/ Show your support for the OGN Crew by contributing to the OGN War Chest: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2396881/support

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17:36

Debrief: Ruins by John D. Clair

Operation Game Night ·

2025/10/01

We break down Ruins by John D. Clair—how card crafting, day/night flips, and a live upgrade market twist a classic shedding game into a tempo puzzle with real stakes. We share what worked, what dragged, and why the match-to-skip rule has us debating house tweaks. • first impressions from World Series of Board Gaming pickup • core shedding structure and exact-size matching • mid-hand upgrades using torches and transparent sleeves • day versus night flips and torch relights • claiming tricked-...

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18:27

Debrief: Sid Sackson's Acquire

Operation Game Night ·

2025/09/30

Sid Sackson's 1963 classic board game Acquire completely surprised us as our favorite game from the World Series of Board Gaming, offering deep economic strategy that outshines Monopoly through elegant stock market manipulation and hotel chain development. • Simple yet strategic tile placement game about building and merging hotel chains • Developed in 1963 but still feels modern and engaging in its latest 2023 edition • Players place tiles representing city blocks to create and expand hotel...

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112 results

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