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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

21:07

How One Piece On Netflix Turns Weird Into Heart

Operation Game Night ·

2026/03/26

A rubber pirate chasing the “One Piece” sounds like a premise that should collapse under its own weirdness, but we can’t stop smiling while we watch it. We talk through Netflix’s live action One Piece series from the perspective of viewers who didn’t grow up on the anime or manga, and why that outsider angle actually helps. The costumes are bold, the characters are unapologetically odd, and the show asks you to suspend disbelief early so it can hit you later with genuine heart, found-family f...

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22:04

Fives, Gachapon Trick, And Rebel Princess For Fans Of...

Operation Game Night ·

2026/03/24

A great trick-taking game doesn’t need a thousand rules, it needs one twist that rewires your instincts. Clay and I sit down to debrief three modern trick-taking card games and what they teach us about design, tension, and the weird joy of trying to lose on purpose. If you love classic card games but keep chasing that “one more hand” feeling, this is a tight grab bag of ideas you can steal for your next game night. We start with Fives, a clever must-follow trick taker from Taiki Shinza...

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21:38

Moon Colonization is not for the faint of heart

Operation Game Night ·

2026/03/19

A board game where everything you build comes crashing down in front of your eyes is our kind of problem. Jared jumps back on the mic to talk through Moon Colony Bloodbath, the new standalone design from Donald X. Vaccarino, and why our table couldn’t stop laughing even as robots, hunger, and “paperwork” turned the moon into a meat grinder. We also catch up on why Jared’s been away and what it meant to have support during a rough stretch. We walk through the mechanisms that make this game cl...

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11:59

A Quick State Of The Podcast OTF

Operation Game Night ·

2026/03/12

One host, one hotel room, and zero room for pretending everything is perfectly on schedule. Travis checks in solo to share a quick state of Operation Game Night Podcast, give a real update on where Jared’s been, and say thank you to everyone who’s still listening, commenting, and sending messages even when life slows our posting down. If you’ve wondered why the Instagram reels went quiet or whether the crew is still intact, Travis clears it up and keep it honest. After that, he pivots into p...

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36:01

Dungeon Crawler Board Game Draft!

Operation Game Night ·

2026/03/10

We build two complete dungeon crawlers through a 10-round draft, weighing combat feel, map design, AI, loot, campaign arcs, and components. One becomes a two-player ant colony crawl; the other a four-player zombie lab thriller with branching paths and giant bosses. • combat systems compared and chosen • dungeon layout tradeoffs and pacing • initiative options that shape tempo • enemy AI that stays fast and clear • loot philosophy from random decks to gear slots • campaign arcs with legacy vs...

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16:02

Playing Games to Strengthen Communities

Operation Game Night ·

2026/03/05

We share how a simple board game day for a good cause sparked joy, trust, and belonging, then map easy paths for giving back without making it a heavy lift. From libraries to café shelves, we outline practical ways to turn your hobby into community impact. • why showing up in their space matters • quick, social games that work across ages • easing nerves when gaming with strangers • partnering with libraries and local hubs • donation ideas for game backlogs • scaling complexity over repeat v...

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42:26

Our First D&D Campaign, Part 2

Operation Game Night ·

2026/03/03

We finish our first Dungeons and Dragons campaign and unpack how four players grew from hesitant dice rollers into a confident party with distinct voices. Fantasy terms, party synergy, and a villain’s escape shaped how we think about storytelling, systems, and next steps. • choosing a dragonborn druid and finding agency through description • easing new players with passive perception and theater of the mind • comparing D&D to other TTRPGs for better genre fit • party composition benefits...

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19:11

We Binge So You Don't Have To!

Operation Game Night ·

2026/02/26

We swap stories from the fence about parenting phases, shrinking free time, and how we still find room for TV, books, and games. From Stranger Things to a warmer Westeros and a clever mystery book, we share what sticks when life won’t slow down. • juggling kids’ sports with late evenings and less downtime • coping with pre‑toddler meltdowns and shifting expectations • micro‑bingeing Stranger Things and why characters keep us watching • franchise fatigue and losing momentum between long seaso...

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19:52

Cozy Stickerville by Unexpected Games

Operation Game Night ·

2026/02/24

What if the most satisfying legacy campaign isn’t about winning at all, but about watching a small town come to life one sticker at a time? We dive into Cozy Stickerville from Unexpected Games and explore why this 10-session, 30-minute-per-year story-builder is winning hearts at family tables and weeknight game nights alike. With designer Corey Konieczka pivoting from space operas to small comforts, the result is a gentle, branching experience where your choices shape a shared map, not your s...

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33:24

Twilight Imperium by Fantasy Flight Games (ft. Vic...

Operation Game Night ·

2026/02/12

Ten hours. Six players. One planet daring everyone to blink first. We sat down with our friend Vic Diaz from the Games EMoss podcast to unpack why Twilight Imperium turns a day-long session into a story you’ll retell for years—equal parts senate brawl, star-spanning war, and social chess. We start with the core loop that makes this galaxy tick: strategy cards that set initiative and shape your round, streamlined actions that keep turns moving, and a center gravity well—Mecatol Rex—that rewar...

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15:38

3 Witches from Allplay

Operation Game Night ·

2026/02/10

A three-player card game that dares to say “only three” and actually earns it. We sat down with Three Witches from Allplay and found a lean, tense trick taker that turns familiar rules into a focused 2v1 puzzle. One player steps into the role of lead witch, laying two cards each trick—one face up to set pressure, one face down to hold power—while the two lesser witches coordinate to beat the total with carefully timed responses. The twist? Matching rank or suit lets you add values for a bigge...

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23:32

Overplayed and Underplayed Board Game Themes

Operation Game Night ·

2026/02/05

Tired of yet another cozy mushroom harvest or another horde of shambling minis? We take a scalpel to today’s most overused board game themes—nature deluges, zombie burnout, Cthulhu overload, space saturation, and farm fatigue—and talk about why they once worked, why they’re stale now, and what could replace them without losing the fun. Along the way, we dig into how theme shapes mechanics, who feels welcome at the table, and which stories actually stick after the box closes. We make the case...

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19:18

Hercules The 12 Labors by Envy Born Games

Operation Game Night ·

2026/02/03

The moment the Hydra spawns a second die, you realize this isn’t just another solo dice chucker. We dive into Hercules and the 12 Labors, a compact, gold-trimmed card-and-dice battler that turns Greek myth into a tight sequence of allocation puzzles, track pressure, and mood-driven twists. We unpack how the design forces smart choices: spend a die permanently to power a life-saving boon, or keep your pool healthy to meet the labor’s exacting conditions next turn. Across the journey, we chart...

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37:37

It's a Quick Games Roundup! (Yeehaw)

Operation Game Night ·

2026/01/29

Eight games. One wild ride. We corral a posse of quick, high-impact titles you can teach in minutes and replay all night, from clever card shedders to a pocket-sized area control gem and a fresh twist on roll-and-writes. If your game night needs fast starts, tight decisions, and big table moments, this roundup delivers. We kick off with Trio, a compact deduction game that turns “show me your lowest or highest” into a satisfying hunt for perfect information. Then we slide into Wolf Days, a tw...

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22:15

Donuts & Downsizing

Operation Game Night ·

2026/01/27

A friendly debate about donut etiquette spirals into a funny, honest look at indulgence, shame, and small comforts. We pivot to downsizing a board game collection, handheld story games, coaching youth wrestling, and the media that keeps our spirits up. • donut orders and the unspoken dozen rule • cost, value, and the myth of donut shame • using background audio to calm pets • moving logistics and cutting 150 board games • criteria for keep, sell, or gift in collections • Dispatch on Switch a...

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22:33

Gazebo by Reiner Knizia & Bitewing Games

Operation Game Night ·

2026/01/22

A calm garden on the table, a knife fight under the hood. We’re diving into Gazebo, the newly tuned abstract from Reiner Knizia and Bitewing Games, to unpack how a simple one-tile turn creates tempo races, bold steals, and those delicious patio flips. We lay out the core loop—build nooks, deploy gazebos, protect with large nooks—and show how merges can rip control away in a single, perfectly timed placement. We also compare Gazebo to Qin, spotlighting the rebalance that trims luck without lo...

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21:56

Star Wars: Battle of Hoth from Days of Wonder

Operation Game Night ·

2026/01/20

We put Star Wars: Battle of Hoth on the table, compare it to Memoir ’44, and test how well the Hoth theme holds up under fast, card-driven tactics. Quick scenarios, clean rules, and cinematic moments make this a strong gateway war game with a few thematic misses. • how command cards drive three-lane tactics • why snowspeeders vs AT-ATs feel iconic • where leader cards underdeliver on theme • scenario length, pace, and teaching new players • campaign structure vs deeper narrative systems • te...

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21:13

Regicide Legacy by Badgers From Mars

Operation Game Night ·

2026/01/15

A classic card battler grows fangs when you turn it into a legacy campaign. We unpack how Regicide Legacy transforms a tight solo-friendly system into twelve tough chapters with mercenaries, sleeves, and exact-damage recruits that make every decision feel earned. The best part: you don’t need the original to jump in. The first chapter onboards fast, the mat and iconography remove bookkeeping, and the art swaps plain suits for readable fantasy symbols so tactics come first. We trade notes on ...

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31:02

Do Stats Make Games Better?

Operation Game Night ·

2026/01/13

We break down a year of board gaming through data, stories, and the people who make play matter. From family tables to BGA marathons, we share what 564 plays reveal about habits, favorites, and how tracking changes the way we choose games. • why logging plays reduces recency bias • BG Stats features, costs and BGA syncing • weekend bursts and Wine Wednesday rhythm • top playing partners led by family • most-played titles and what they teach • co-op trick-taking as a learning tool • digital d...

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22:27

We Bought Too Many Games & a Pizza Oven...No Regrets

Operation Game Night ·

2026/01/08

Holiday chaos meets game night comfort, and it turns out that’s the perfect combo. We swap stories from six Christmases, a last-minute MC gig, and a road trip wedding that turned into a used-game treasure hunt—then zero in on the party games and house rules that kept friends and family engaged without a heavy teach. If your living room is full and attention spans are short, this playbook is for you. Clay breaks down why Challengers shines with big groups and how a quick demo can transform fi...

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121 results

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