The Playthrough King | A Conversation with Canje Studios | BGSS ep_010

0:00 The thing that got me in the board game was actually a tragedy. So when he died was the moment I realized that he was my hero. And so I ended up playing the game a lot to escape the sadness. Need needless to say, since then I've sought therapy and were, you know, worked through the stages and been able to come out on the other side. I was like, I'm so mad I didn't know about this stuff until I was older. Yeah.

0:23 And I found that with the community, I could be myself 100%. And I can take off the armor that I have to wear every time I go out this house. Right. Today my guest is Derek from Kangi Studios. And Derek I found a few years ago and really fell in love with his content specifically because he does long in-depth playthroughs and playthroughs on games that I really want to play and sometimes are just out of reach. So I live vicariously through Derek. In fact, so much so in this episode, I give my top 10 games that Dererick has covered on his channel that I wish I could play, and I let him make the case as to whether I should actually play them or not. On top of that, we go into personal loss and how board games can help and have helped heal that for Derek. In addition to meandering through so many other things, and if you've watched this show before, you know that I like my side quests, and this one is no different. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and if you have the guts to make it through the two hours, I think it might be well worth it.

1:33 I'm doing all right. How about you?

1:34 Pretty good. Pretty good. Just uh kicking back. Had some dinner. Uh where what t where are you at? What time zone are you in?

1:42 East coast.

1:43 East coast. Okay.

1:43 I'm in uh east coast time zone. So I assume you're you're in California. Yeah, I'm in um Seattle. I was born and raised in California. I live in Seattle now.

1:54 All right. How are you liking it?

1:56 Oh, it's too cold and rainy. I've complained about it way too much on this channel. But yeah, in fact, today my wife and I were really just like having like a a heart like what are we doing? Because it was a beautiful weekend. Gorgeous. And everyone and you basically live here

2:13 to be here three months out of the year that are just beautiful. And this weekend was one of those. And then today is just so gloomy and we were just kind of like

2:22 having a hard time getting going, you know, all of that fun stuff.

2:27 I'm a huge fan. I'm a huge fan of overcast. So I hear I should check out S.

2:31 Oh, I said that too. I said that too being from San Diego because I had too much sun and well so I moved to Oregon first and um we came up here in the summer to like check it out. It's like oh it was beautiful not too hot. We were coming probably from triple digits at the time. I don't know. It's been so long at this point. But then the moment we moved up here it was just like nothing but rain. But I did romanticize cloudy, rainy weather and and you know what, there is some still like some coziness related to it. Um

3:06 but it's just too much.

3:08 It's just too much.

3:09 Just too much.

3:12 Yeah.

3:13 I you know I just start recording. This is like a uh you know, it's cold open. We just go and um super casual. I have like things to talk about with you, but they often meander and we often just kind of like roam around. So, I don't have any any like core structure. My like main goal here is just to get to know you. I mean, I've watched you for I think two years now. So, I kind of I kind of know the the um

3:41 Derek from YouTube, but I want I want to get to know you and I want to get to know I want the the audience who's never kind of like watched any of your stuff, which first off, I'm going to say I'm a huge fan of all of your playthroughs. I think you do

3:54 Oh, thank you.

3:55 a really great job. I really enjoy your channel and basically I'm trying to get everyone on this show that I love. So, you know, you are you are high on the list of like if you've played the thing that I'm interested in, I'm going to watch your playthrough.

4:12 So, I I I really Well, I I I think you're you're obviously a specialist in the playthrough, and we'll get into kind of like your niche and games and all of that stuff. Um, but I'm actually mostly interested like in the beginning like how did you from a just board game, not YouTube, board game perspective, like how did you get from A to B? Like what was the what was the entry point for you?

4:37 Uh, yeah. In in terms of in terms of board gaming in of itself, it's one of those things where you have them in your house and you play them as kids monopoly and life and risk. But but you know when you talk but if you bring that up in terms of the community, they're like those aren't board games. So

4:54 yeah,

4:55 um the I I find that um the thing that got me in the board game was actually a tragedy. Um

5:02 Okay.

5:02 And I and I talked about that um on my channel before, but um when I lost my father, this was precoid.

5:09 Um

5:10 how how long ago was it?

5:12 Uh 2019.

5:14 Okay. I lost my mom in 2019.

5:17 I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. Sorry to hear you lost.

5:20 Yeah.

5:20 Yeah. And so when he died was the moment I realized that he was my hero. And so here here goes the uh you know the the things that came in with the I I became clinically depressed and it was just really hard. And I found that

5:36 when I played a specific game which was Gloom Mckillforth uh by um Tristan Hall I I could escape the sadness for that time that I played the game. And so I ended up playing the game a lot to escape the sadness. Need needless to say, since then I've sought therapy and were, you know, worked through the stages and been able to come out on the other side um a little bit more emotionally intelligent and and understanding of, you know, the things that that keep me from being a better person. So, uh, it's it's just more that tragedy got me into playing that game. And then from there, um, uh, I I found that a co-orker of mine, he, uh, he had a game called Corers. And so, um, I was just playing Killforth and and it was Corers. And, um, I played I remember after I played, I was like, "Okay, well, you know, we found two of these niche games that were there's no more like this. It's just Monopoly."

6:38 because I grew up as I was I was the sporty. I was the sporty, right? And I watched football and all this stuff. So, um but he was like, "No, shut up. Shut your face. You're wrong." And he introduced me to the rest of board gaming. And from then it was

6:54 you cut your teeth on two I mean what most would say are very just like edgecase games. You didn't come in like The Wingspan and Everddell and that was kind of my my path to it. So, how did you even find that first? Did you just have it when your father passed away?

7:13 Um, uh, no, I didn't have it. I I think I was watching Rolling Solo, um, preview. Well, well, he he pre at the time it's an older game, but at the time I caught a video on YouTube of him playing and I watched it and I was like, "Okay, I'm not as sad when I'm watching this.

7:33 Okay, let me buy that game." And then I bought it and um started playing it and now like I I think I've done like a I've played it so much I know the game plan backwards and forwards. So

7:45 are you the type of person that like will obsess over a specific game and like want to watch all the content and learn everything about it. And

7:53 uh that's kind of what I started to do with with Root early on was that's how I started on my YouTube journey.

7:59 Yeah. Not not really. I think it's more if if it if it resonates with me, I'll I'll grab it and then and then I'll learn it. I think the only game I did that on,

8:10 there was one game I did do that on and sadly what um the I think what happened was the excitement exceeded the delivery

8:20 and so therefore I I bounced off the game because I was like I was so excited for this and so ready for this. And when I played it, it didn't really stick. I I saw I saw the things that I saw the things that started making me be like, "Okay, I don't like this game as much as I thought I did." So, since then, I've just kind of been,

8:40 let me take a look at just a couple things uh different content creators around the space, and if I like what I see, then I'll give it a shot, but not going to obsess and dive into it.

8:51 Did board gaming in general help you get through kind of that grieving process with your dad?

8:57 Yes. Yes. Yes. And it wasn't board gaming. I'd say yes it but it was the community.

9:02 Okay.

9:03 Um the community that that I I came in on um this is even before I started content creation was like I I think what I ended up telling um my girlfriend was I was like I'm so mad I didn't know about this stuff until I was older because as a kid you're growing up it's awkward. um you know, you're you're figuring stuff out, but you don't know quite where you fit in. Even if you fit in groups, you kind of mask to become part of that group where you're not being your true self%.

9:37 Yeah.

9:38 And I found that with the community, I could be myself 100%.

9:42 And being myself 100% lit, laughing with them, hanging out with them, talking with them, and this is all just kind of on chats, on Discord, on all these other things. They they and I'm and there there's in no small part my girlfriend who helped me find my therapist. Um they helped me be able to realize I need help

10:08 if that makes sense. And so then I was able to seek seek the help I needed to to be able to work through the process of healing.

10:17 So it it kind of was a pro like a mechanism towards self-discovery losing your father a little bit, right?

10:24 Yeah. Yep. Pretty much. Pretty much a harsh one, but Yeah.

10:28 Oh. Oh, yeah. So, was that like the first uh big loss in your life?

10:33 Yeah.

10:33 Yeah. Same with me. It was so so hard.

10:38 Yeah. I understand. I I'm I I I fully feel you. It It's crazy how how much the impact is. And you don't you don't really really realize how deep the bottom is until you're in the bottom, right? Until you're in the pit. And so finding that

10:55 yeah finding that way out is is work and and it it's hard work but it it is it has a sense of you know able to breathe when you do so I highly recommend like anybody who's going through that struggle

11:15 and I'm not saying hey pick therapist X and say this person will solve your problems. I mean, it's everyone is different. Everyone is is, you know, you you can try four, five, seven times and bounce off of them, but you'll find when you find the right one, it does work.

11:33 Are you, if you don't mind me asking, are you still going today or was it just kind of like a process you work through?

11:38 Uh, no, it was a process I worked through. I haven't been going today but a after I completed that process I started doing a lot of research on um and no once again the no small part my girlfriend is a therapist but

11:54 okay

11:55 um

11:56 well she can't therapize me because there's there's kind of you know that whole lovate for going

12:02 help but but it's just more I started looking into kind of things like um how I grew grew up the situations I in and how that affected me and how I can be how I can break that cycle with my son and um you know he and I h have had some pretty deep conversations as as father and son about just kind of hey this is where I was I'm trying to make things better for you and and you know a lot of my parents didn't do the they were great parents for for what I where I was but they never did the I'm sorry right

12:36 right

12:36 if they were wrong they never did the I'm I'm a Gen X So it was do as I say and not as I do. Children are seen and not heard. That type of thing.

12:46 And so now I'm like I can't carry that on. So I know my father did better than his and so I need to do better than mine. And that the the research and the reading and the just kind of, you know, I guess more or less being an adult is just kind of a way to to move into that mode and and be a better person. Well, try, you know, it's always work.

13:10 Yeah. Oh, 100%. Like we I we are completely aligned in that kind of philosophy. I I as much as possible as and I make so many mistakes and I as much as possible try to apologize and also teach them from my experience and be as honest and open that, you know, I

13:30 I found out much later about my parents unfortunately when it was too late on a lot of stuff, right? And I wish they would have kind of been open and honest with me. Yeah. And that's that is definitely what I try to do now. And I also think, you know, losing my mom early is a blessing and

13:48 up to an extent in that it's taught me to cherish those relationships because mine was so sudden like it was

13:55 Yeah.

13:56 She died of lung cancer and it was like

13:59 oh

13:59 21 days from diagnosis.

14:01 Oh man, I'm so sorry. That's awful. I I was in Hawaii and I was like and she I I had known about it and we'd had this trip booked forever and I was just like I was like, "Oh my gosh, do I go?" And she's like, "Okay, she's she was just diagnosed. I'll go afterwards and we'll do all that stuff." And my brother called me in the middle of of the trip and said, "David, you have to come home." Like it's it's not going to last.

14:22 And thank God I made my way there and got to say bye and all of that stuff, but it was just like that was part of the trauma was that it was just like I was not prepared

14:31 for anything like that. Um

14:34 yeah. Yeah. Cancer got my dad as well. It was um different forms. Um he had prostate cancer, he had breast cancer. Um and it just

14:44 and so it just kept like at first it was breast cancer, he had he he went through the process and then he went into remission and then prostate cancer hit and then it it just you know it just it started coming back again and he went into queue and he just never came out of it. So, it's it's tough. Yeah. Dealing with losses is tough. And I think a lot of a lot of a lot of people, including myself,

15:15 um are never really taught how to process that stuff, right? Um you know,

15:22 uh the world teaches guys you got three you got three emotions, sad, glad, and mad. And so so you just have to so now I I recognize there's more to it than that. And um just trying to help my son be like you don't have you have more than three. Talk to me what's going on. Let let me explain things. Let me impart some knowledge. And um the interesting part of being a of course of being a parent as you as you know is that thing when they reach that certain age because my son's 14 now and he'll be 15 this year. And I found that I have to I have to do the thing of I'm moving from telling you what to do to giving you advice and you make that decision and deal with the consequences and the outcomes.

16:04 That's my kids are in the same area or era in their lives. And that's exactly it. You have to trust that you've given them the tools

16:13 to go into situations. And that is so hard as a parent because I feel, you know, in general I like control just over my life. I don't like I don't like the loss of control or not feeling like I don't know what I'm walking into. What I don't know there's there's an entire mental health episode we could probably do. Um

16:32 but that is like the toughest part about this time is say

16:35 I really hope I poured enough into them that they are equipped to go and deal with whatever

16:41 and deal with the stuff that I went through as a kid probably hopefully a little better, you know.

16:47 Yeah. Yeah. I agree. I agree.

16:49 Oh geez. Okay. Well, um I'm gonna probably time stamp this as like the sad part.

16:59 Deep. We got deep. That's all. We got deep. We got deep for

17:02 No, that's cool. I I personally I like conversations that do meander. I I warned everyone before this

17:08 and I am a I am an open book. I I'm happy to talk about like, you know, any of my personal struggles. There's been plenty and and all that stuff. I think it's I think it's also good to hear other people talk about it, right? Like so hopefully someone's lost their parent. If you have and you're having a tough time, reach out to me. I'd love to chat with you because

17:26 um

17:27 there's a lot of stuff. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff I've learned. And does 2019 just to take it back to the sad, doesn't it feel like it was just yesterday? Like I still

17:36 I don't feel like the time has elapsed

17:39 like it should have, right? Like I it doesn't it it really when you have a point in time like that, it really tells you how time flies, right? Like when you look back it's like oh my gosh.

17:50 Like there's many times I would say if like they're like hey how long ago did your mom die? It's like a couple years ago. It's like no it's actually not been a couple years anymore. It's it's been a pretty pretty significant amount of time.

17:59 Yeah. Yeah.

18:00 All right. Board gaming.

18:04 Back to board gaming.

18:06 The food for the soul which is is truly therape therapeutic. It does

18:12 it does bring community together whether it be online or in person. It's one of the one of the few things I actually think that we have la left from a community perspective that's actually

18:23 hopefully brings people together in real life. I know we both um you know uh deal in the virtual kind of of of board gaming and all but and you talked a little bit about how much community has meant to you but you play a ton of solo and co-op games. explain to me like how did you get down the solo rabbit hole? It was an acquired taste for me in a really big way.

18:52 Yeah.

18:53 Um I found that um there so there's the community online and then there's the community in person.

19:02 And while both are fantastic, the community in person is inconsistently consistent.

19:09 You know what I mean? So I hear you. So, some someone will say, you know, if you start a campaign, it'll be, "Oh, I can't make it cuz and as as as we grow older and children enter the mix, it even does it more where it's, no, I can't make that Tuesday. Nope, can't make tonight." And so, it becomes very difficult to to keep a consistent group to play a game, especially a campaign game, because now now campaigns are like, "Oh, 500 plus hours of of random enjoyment." And so um you you I found that if I didn't do something if I didn't I wanted to play the games and waiting on people was making it that I couldn't play the games. So I was like you know what I'm just going to play them whatever and um just have some time playing games. And I and I've actually found when I first started and I was just playing by myself, I was like, h this is a little but then when I started content creation, a weird I I it I don't know what happened in my brain, but this weird thing happened in my brain where it was I felt that the people in the chat and I still do to this day

20:17 that they're sitting at the table with me talking to me. And so whenever I see someone in the com like in the comments uh you know as I'm doing a live stream and they're talking they're sitting right across from me and I I never I since since re since kind of coming to into whatever that is and embracing it I've never when when I say I play solo games I never feel like I'm playing solo like at all. And I I don't know what that is. I know people will be like, "Yeah, whatever. You're crazy." And it might be, but I think it's just more I enjoy I I that's how I feel when I play a solo game. I don't feel like I'm playing it by myself. Um

20:59 you you said a little bit like when I first started playing solo games, was it hard to make that for me at least that was kind of my

21:07 it was it was hard for me to imagine playing a solo game and not having an intelligent thing to go against. I very much came from video games before board games and they're all, you know, most of them are solo, right? Unless we were kids back in the day where we actually, you know, played with played with friends next to each other. I do miss those. I do miss those days.

21:27 Uh, but I had a hard time like uh I don't know, projecting that I was playing this thing. And it's like I'm I'm using my having to use my imagination. And if it's not a really good one, sometimes it's really a math problem and you're like two turns away from losing and you know you're going to uh to lose. Like did you find any of those problems and then it came alive later with live stream or or was it just something that worked for you?

21:53 No, I found I found exactly those problems. I think you you and I are aligned on that um a lot that it was it was hard to to well I won't say it's hard to to I it was a hard to imagine certain scenarios um as I was playing I I'm all the the other thing I found later on in life was was RPG games like Dn D and stuff like that. So

22:17 I I be I was forced to be the the game master for D and D for the first ever D and D that I ever dnded. Do you still play?

22:25 And um yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I have I have a group that we've been going for about eight years.

22:31 Oh, awesome.

22:33 Uh but I think that it's um that helped me be a made me into a world builder. So when I'm watching someone's that's when I play games, I'm like, "What's the narrative? What's the world I'm working in? Can I just walk your freaking world or are you gonna drag me through each node step by step? And those are things that come up for me as I watch games. But that's that helps a lot with it. Um but I still run into those things you talk about um about like yeah the math's not math and I'm I'm doing something isn't right and I don't have an intelligent person to bounce that against. So I'm like oh god this is bad.

23:13 It's funny you mentioned RPGs. I would have I don't know maybe even two years ago I would have if you asked me about playing D and D or RPG I'd be like oh my gosh that's so dorky I'm not

23:23 yes

23:24 ever

23:25 I'm telling you

23:26 going to do that like a game that like the the does the dungeon master just make up the rules like this is just crazy so stupid but like it's it's weird how this this hobby grows on you like a fungus and and you start to be like well I kind of I played this thing and it had some elements to that. It might be cool if I had others in the room and we started talking about this and and I started to really appreciate the above the table um yeah kind of stories that are created in games.

23:57 Uh I haven't played, you know, D and D or any sort of RPG. I would be open to it at this point now when two years ago, nope, that's for dorks. I'm not doing that. I just play board games. Well, remember remember coming from the sporty, right?

24:15 Yeah. Same here.

24:15 So, so when I was in when I was in uh high school and there were kids going into the library to play, I was like nerds and I'm going to go play basketball and football and and baseball and I'm going to do and go track and play soccer and do all these things. And to see these kids coming out and it's like, you know, you you just kind of you just kind of uh look at them and be like, man, life's going to be hard for them. It's like, no, it's going to be hard for you, not them.

24:41 They're going to be fine.

24:42 Yeah. They have a community. They have friends. They're actually talking to each other and not staring at their phone, actually. You know,

24:49 and and and the truth of it is that they they build the deepest bonds because they're talking to each other. They're they're doing something together that they each enjoy. And they are closer and real with each other than any of the the people that I played sports with. who who uh you know was kind of playing the role at the time, right? They're yes, I'm this and I'm this tough person and yeah, this stuff when actually no, you're kind of upset about something, but you don't want to talk about it because you don't think it'll be manly enough. And

25:23 uh while while these while these uh these other kids, these other uh are like, "Hey, I'm having a really hard time at home. Hey, tell me about that." they're talking about that stuff because they've opened up to each other about their their, you know, the things that they enjoy and become real people. So,

25:40 um I I I think like yeah, moving from that into board gaming, I was like, man, I I've wasted so much time,

25:50 right?

25:50 I should have been far I should have been doing what, you know, I I should have been trying it all out and not just being close-minded. And board games really opened me up to a lot of uh a lot of different avenues of trying different things and never say no until you try it once. And that's

26:05 Well, it's funny you say that. I just got back from Dice Tower West, which was my first convention ever. I've been an insane introvert, just racked with anxiety, panic attacks my entire life.

26:17 Um, and I finally just decided like, you know what, I'm going to go. And I did.

26:22 Okay.

26:22 And and I started to like say I actually Well, so this is it the full arc. There's a lot more to it in the back end, but I recently was laid off, so I'm like I have this full like

26:31 Sorry.

26:31 Yeah. You know, no, honestly, the literal best thing I've that's ever happened to me.

26:37 Yeah. I watched your video. I remember when you talked about and you started and you started the um uh cardboard cardboard.

26:43 Mhm.

26:44 Yeah.

26:45 Yeah. Well, so I thought it was coming back then and that's why I started it and it did event it did eventually get me. So, I've been laid off for a couple couple months now, but best thing that's ever happened to me. So, I started to say, you know what, David, it's time to stop. I don't know. You know, we you talked a little bit about the like pretending to be a different person and not really kind of like being your authentic self. That was that's been me for 23 years with the same company. And I finally said like, "No, I'm going to go be myself." And I and I went to the the convention.

27:14 And I the convention went nothing like I expected, which was beautiful. I met beautiful people. I let things just happen. I stopped trying to control things. and I met an incredible community and I was just like my eyes were opened. I was like, "Oh my gosh, like this is what happiness feels like." And I told this story. I was like,

27:33 I think it was Friday night. It was probably 9 or 10. The whole place was full. Tables are erupting everywhere. Ours is probably erupting. We're playing Lords of Vegas, an incredible game that I was um that I was introduced uh to. And I just like had this epiphany like, "Oh my gosh, like this is like happiness." like there's these all of these people together. We're all like-minded. Nobody's trying to pretend to be somebody they're not. This might be the very first time, Derek, that I've been in a room

28:02 where I had that feeling. I've always felt out of place. I've always felt like

28:06 I don't belong here at all.

28:09 And

28:09 yeah, I feel that too.

28:10 And and that was I don't even know why I went into that. And I probably tell that too often, but um

28:15 I think that's great. I think that's great.

28:17 Yeah. around being your authentic self and and um you know I've had that recent life-changing experience and I think it's it's changed me to start kind of saying yes to things and doing this show is one of them which I was scared to frankly I was scared to just kind of like talk to people and just see how it goes just for like you know fear of man fear of being judged all of that stuff and

28:38 I've had a blast I'm getting to talk to cool people like you so it's actually turning out pretty pretty good

28:43 thank you thank you no I think this is a really great conversation and I'm glad that you were able to find like have that have that feeling of that happiness wash over you as you're at the convention. My first convention was Gen Con

28:55 and so

28:57 that's a different one, right?

28:59 Well, well, the thing is, so I'm an extrovert. I'm I'm a huge I I think I was you gain energy from it. I do I do I do

29:11 Yeah. I've I work I'm an I'm a well I started off basically I'm a software engineer so I work with introverts constantly

29:18 right

29:19 and so I I know when the pushpull you know when it's like when it's like

29:24 when they glaze over and they start start to disassociate you're like okay time to lay off

29:30 joke one of the one of my friends one of my old co-workers told me he was like introverts don't have friends they just extroverts just kind of come over and pull them into the group

29:40 and that's how like get friends. And so

29:42 as an introvert, I actually hoped for that in Dice Tower, but I actually had to go and just like, you know, show up to somebody's table. So, which actually

29:49 well because because I've also found that the community is heavily introverted, right? So,

29:54 yeah. Right.

29:55 Um, so me sometimes I have to rein in the extrovert vomit that I do on people and I'm just like, "Okay,

30:02 all right, I want to scare you off, so let's talk." And it's been

30:06 it's been pretty good. Um, Gen Con was my fir my first convention was Gen Con and it was incredible. I mean,

30:12 was it LA recently or a few years ago?

30:15 Uh, it was it was the Gen Con that happened um after COVID like after the first booster shot like the first but I went

30:25 and I went I met up uh Rob from Rob's Gaming Table. He he and

30:30 I love Rob.

30:31 I don't know Rob, but I've watched his stuff too.

30:34 He's a good guy. Yeah. Um, so he came and a lot of the community was there. So I got to meet a lot of people that I chat with and whatnot. And it it was just incredible. It was everybody was chill. There wasn't any egos. Everybody just wanted to come and be their authentic self and just play games and have a good time. And it was incredible. And so I was just like, "Okay, yeah, this is this is where I'm supposed to be."

30:59 Like, "Oh, you found your tribe." I would imagine you and Rob have an insane crossover of uh viewers.

31:06 Um yeah. Yeah, we do. I I think I started because he was he was the only one at the time that I knew that was doing live. Uh because at the time um Meet Me at Table was recorded. Uh OneTop was all all the guys at OneTop were doing recorded. There wasn't any live. I know that. Um, so it was just more um I would just kind of go on there and just hang around in the background and then start uh hanging out and talking. And I think he he was the one that got me doing because I said, "I'm thinking about doing uh content creation." He was like, "Go for it, man. If you know, if you're feeling it, do it." And so I was like, "Screw it." So I did it.

31:43 So you were hanging out in his chat and essentially Oh, interesting. So you were in YouTube obviously before you went to Gen Con? Yeah.

31:53 Right.

31:54 Okay. Very cool. So it it watching him, was that just something you're like, "Oh, I could do that." Or I just like aspire to do that. Were you scared to do it? Like

32:03 um I think there was some fear and trepidation around that, but it was just more um I was in I was in the try new things mode. And so it was

32:12 it's it's co

32:14 I'm going crazy,

32:16 right?

32:16 I'm I'm even working from home. I have to do something. And so it was I'm thinking about doing it. I've seen all these other content creators do it. I'm a huge tech guy, so I was like, getting the setup is not going to be difficult. Um, I'll figure it out kind of as I go, right?

32:32 Um, little did I know, lighting and sound would be the bane of my existence. So,

32:39 and even when you think you have it figured out, it's still a pain in the

32:42 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You don't. Every update brings new challenges.

32:46 Oh, god.

32:48 So, then I was just like, okay, I'm just going to do it. And I created my first one which was um Ascension and it was for the video game Ascension. And then from there I think my first board game I did was Unbroken I believe. Um where and I enjoy I I said this felt good and then I just kept doing it.

33:09 And did you start with live or did you start with recorded videos?

33:13 Recorded. I started with recorded. I did

33:16 Yeah. Unbroken and Ascension Chronicles it looks like.

33:19 Yeah. Yeah. And then I just and then I went live from there like um after Ascension you'll see live.

33:27 Are you uh excited about Ascension Lord of the Rings?

33:32 See that?

33:33 I love I love Lord of the Rings. Um but I'm not a huge I I love Lord of the Rings, but I'm not a huge I need to get the game because it's Lord of the Rings thing.

33:45 Are you a fan of Ascension? I I like Ascension, but I pro I I'll say yes, I'm a fan of Ascension, but I think like I've called all my Ascension stuff thus far because it it it I couldn't find anything enjoyable about it after a time. It had a shelf life. I guess that's a way to put it. It had a shelf life and

34:05 you needed more complexity or or more levers to pull,

34:09 so on so forth.

34:10 Yeah. Yeah. And once I once I called it, it was then, all right, no, I'm done with Ascension.

34:18 So you you only do live now?

34:21 Yes.

34:22 So you just I'll say no. Let me take that back because that's a lie. I just lied to you. Um I I started recording with Mark. Um I there was a

34:32 And we've been playing Aon Trespass Odyssey. That's

34:35 and you don't ever play them live

34:38 only because

34:39 trespass would be so hard to play live.

34:41 They That's why it's it would be very difficult to play live. Uh and so um now we're about to move. We're going to take a little break from Trespass Odyssey and we're going to start playing Isoparian Guard and

34:56 okay

34:56 um we'll record it and I got to work at his pace and I want to respect his pace cuz he's an introvert. So, I can't be like, "Hey, day one. Camera's on. You talk." All right. So, I just kind of got to work with his pace. And if Mark's like, "Okay, I'm ready for this stuff to start going live." Then we'll be

35:13 He's off camera now, right?

35:15 Yeah.

35:16 Yeah. I make sure my camera and his camera are off. So, it's not even You don't even see me on there. You just see my hands.

35:21 Got it.

35:22 So, you do you prefer live?

35:25 Yes.

35:26 Yeah. So if you sell me live because I'm deathly afraid of going live. I Okay, so I have like one live I think and I was playing Dune Imperium. I remember shaking

35:37 going live. I don't know. I don't know why. But you're you're the extrovert. I'm the introvert. I'm like so deathly afraid of being judged. I get one bad comment and it just crushes my day and I go,

35:49 "Oh man,

35:50 now the [ __ ] are all going to go and put bad comments out there because they want to crush my day." But uh

35:55 I will I think I think what I found is I prefer live because it feels like I'm not playing a game by myself

36:02 when I'm live. Also,

36:05 also I I love to have I I I love to have the community with me on the journey uh on on the quest or journey or mission that I'm on. When they're on there and they're talking, even if they're not even talking about the game, they're just talking between each other. Um or what's better yet is that as a solo gamer I'm not going to get every rule right and sometime and they're there to help and so therefore it's

36:32 they do help don't they?

36:33 Oh cool.

36:33 Yeah. Yeah. Very much so. Very much so. And and it's not and it's such a great feedback of help where it's just like oh you forgot to do Oh yeah I did forget to do that. So I so I I'm able to

36:45 Does it ever get annoying? This was one of the topics I had a little later on, but let's just jump into it because I think I found you with Seven Citadel

36:52 and I can't remember what it was. There was something that happened with rules. I remember I got pissed

36:57 about the way somebody did something to you. I can't remember if I mentioned it on a video or whatever, but um and I think you've talked about a learning disability possibly as well.

37:08 Oh, the way I learn games. Yeah, I learn disability is not the right I learn things. Well, well, I the way that I the way that I learn things is different than the way what you would call an average person learns things, right? Someone could grab a book, read the book, and say, "Boom, I'm ready to go,

37:28 right?

37:28 I can if if you give me a if you give me a rule book,

37:34 and and I've and I've timed myself. I It was I was reading the rule book to explore it. Mhm.

37:42 It took me It took me seven hours to read that rule book. I watched a video and I knew how to play the game.

37:50 And so it was the written the written text and it's not, oh, he can't read because that's haha. No, it's it's more, no, I can read. I just don't I don't keep information the way that that people normally do. I I'm a I I think what if if I'm if I'm shown how to do something, if I see how to do it and then I do it, I got it. But if someone says, "Read this

38:17 read this 79page rule book and you will know how to play the game." No, I won't. I'm You're You're setting me up. You're not setting me up for success.

38:26 It's funny. I I don't even know if that's not normal. You I don't I don't know what the numbers are, but I'm exactly like you. I could I could speedwatch like put it on 1.5

38:35 all all the way through and I can go play it

38:38 because I see it. The only way I can use a rule book. So if I have I was just trying to play uh voyage puzzle and there's no really good uh Paul does a little bit of a teach but it's not a full teach and I'm trying to figure it out and I'm like okay the only way I'm going to get this actually played is I have to set it up and then I have to read it so then I can actually look at the pieces. Yeah. and and I have to have that visual connection or like you, I'm gonna have to sit there for like seven hours. I can't just read through a rule book and figure it out.

39:07 And I had this guy like lay into me when I think I I criticized Elder Scrolls

39:12 um rules a little bit. I just felt like it was a little um you know, a little finicky rule book. No, it wasn't. And uh I can't even remember specifically what it was. Oh, it's because I literally created a um a flowchart. Uh and since then I put flowcharts in in cardboard because that's the way I I learn. So I I can actually visually see what the turn looks like. And someone some some [ __ ] put up on the on the comments about like are you an idiot? Can you not read? It's like the most simple thing ever. It's like I dude, we're all different. Like like how could you sit there and say that? Like maybe I am an idiot. Like but does that make you feel better? I I usually I usually for for people who there's there's different types of feedback. Constructive feedback is great because that's something I can learn from,

40:00 right?

40:00 Unconstructive feedback is where you just kind of say, "Hey, man. I'm sorry you didn't like the g the the the playthrough. There are other channels out there that do a way better job than I do. Maybe you might find enjoyment in doing that. Have a great day." Right? It's feeding feeding that kind of stuff back to the person who did it. I started uh like my my brain goes to that person must have had a really hard day. They Yes.

40:29 They probably they probably like

40:32 lost a job, got got in a car accident, ran out of gas on the road, got yelled at by by their spouse or manager or something. and I'm just the face that that they can let that out on. And so

40:47 answering that back with, well, you know, forget you is not going to it's not helpful because it's just going to spiral. It's not what that person needs. So, it's just more you hit them with I just come back with, man, I'm sorry that this didn't work out for you. I hope you you know, there are other content creators, name off a couple who are doing playthroughs like this. they'll probably get the rules right and play it to the way that you enjoy,

41:11 you know. Yeah, thanks for the feedback and and

41:14 I like that perspective. I do think that's the way I think about it and and just recently we had an arcs play through and and we had a guy go through and and and I um if you're listening by any chance I really appreciate all the rules connect corrections but I'm playing with some new people um to the to to just playing stuff and they're they're actually I think their feelings are a little bit hurt and I just wanted to tell them like hey you know you just don't know the situation or even the tone that's the tricky part with text

41:42 and I probably I read in the worst tone just because I'm just like like I literally get this like awful feeling like oh what do I do? What did I do? I actually stopped doing playthroughs for a really long time because I had a hard time

41:57 dealing with that because I felt like I was letting people down. I played a lot of Too Many Bones playthroughs early on and

42:05 dude I make so many mistakes. I just make mistakes all the time. Like I don't I don't know if I've ever played a game, especially a complex game, perfect all the way all the way through and I just started to feel really bad or it just made me feel bad getting corrected all the time on that stuff.

42:20 Well, you you'll you'll never play a game perfectly. Never. No, I I I I've played Gloom and Kill forever and I still get stuff wrong. You you won't play it perfectly. I think

42:29 one of and I and I'll give a shout out to Steve over at at Co-op Guild was one of the things he asked me. He was like, "Why are you doing this?" like in terms of why are you playing this game? Why are you running your channel? Why are you doing this? Some people do it to chase the numbers, right? They're on the grind. It's their job. That's what they're trying to do. And I respect the grind, right? Um, some people do it as a hobby and and go and just kind of say this is a thing I'm doing on the side and I'll have and then some people do it for uh kind of what I started doing what what I initially started doing for which was to meet community and stretch out because you know they're they're they may be introverted and it might drive a lot of anxiety for them to go out of their comfort zone. this is the next thing to that comfort zone where hey I can talk to more people without having to look someone in the face as they judge me right so

43:22 it's I I think the question we always have to ask is why do we do the thing why are we doing why am I making content I'm making content because I enjoy playing video games with my community and I say video games I mean board games sorry I enjoy playing board games with my community and so

43:42 um if that is why why I'm doing it. The other stuff kind of just falls away and it just turns into angry person. You must have had rough day. Hey man, you want to come play some games with me and and we'll just kind of talk about it, you know. Um person who comes in with some really constructive feedback. Thank you so much. this is really going to be helpful for other people coming to the video

44:07 that that might that I might miss something and they're trying to learn from me and I'm teaching it wrong that you're helping me help them and in turn I'm grateful for that. So, thank you. So, I don't I I've gotten I've gotten I've gotten terrible feedback in terms of like racist comments and stuff like that, but that's the nature of the beast. I've been dealing with that my whole life. So, it's it's what it is, man. So, it's just more you you delete those. You don't you only let in the stuff you want to let in. And you learn to kind of just do that. It's not about having tough skin. It's about it's about being able to say anyone can say anything to me. What I do with it is within my control.

44:53 Right? That isn't about having tough skin. That's about that's about having boundaries. That's all that stuff is. It's just you can someone could yell at me all day long. If I react to them, they have taken control away from me.

45:08 And as you said, you like to be in control. You like to understand how stuff works. So you can't. So don't give up that control. Just be like, "Hey, I'm sorry, man." And move on with it. has racism through the comments been it's even a little in my my from my perspective is too much and a lot but has it been a big problem for you

45:30 uh in this community? No, because the comm community because funny enough the community protects it their own.

45:36 Um, so you'll find that people who are kind of the insiders because they they can hide behind a screen, right, and say these awful things in anonymity. Um, you you find that um when they do it,

45:53 the community like lays into them. I think one time it it did happen during a stream and the community was like right there laying into it and then I just blocked them and moved on because it's just more I have to deal with that. That's the re and that's the reason why I'm very protective of the g the board gaming community. I don't mean like I mean like I will defend it if someone's coming in and being like community is stupid. I'll be like well why do you think it's stupid? Let's talk about it and let's let's let let me break this down because I if if if this community says let me be my authentic self and I can take off the armor that I have to wear every time I go out this house, right? Um then I'm going to be protective of it because they are providing me a space where I can breathe. And you have no idea.

46:51 I won't say you have no idea. I'll say it's for me it it's it's beyond explanation of words to be able to take off the armor of all the nasty things that are flying around here today. And a lot of people don't believe you. I mean, that's the other hard part is that I'll say, "Hey, this thing happened." And they'll try to explain it away or they don't believe that it happened. And I'm like, "It it happened? It happened to me quite a bit of times." And so, um, it it's happened in in spaces where I should have been safe. It happened in spaces where I knew it wasn't going to be safe. And, um, but in this community, I found they they live up to their word and they are protective of the space that they won't let this foolishness continue. And so therefore showing me that I've been able to dearmor, take off the armors of I gota I got to be ready for battle everywhere I go every single day and just breathe.

47:55 And so I I cherish that space and I I protect that space very wholeheartedly.

48:02 I'm glad you can feel that way even in the midst of still experiencing some of it, right? Like

48:09 yeah,

48:09 the the internet should unfortunately is not

48:13 the space that a lot of people feel safe because that anonymity

48:16 emboldens such idiocy

48:20 and they will say things that they will never say to your face. And um I just I

48:25 being a white male the the worst I've gotten or actually was recently was basically I'm getting fat and I was like I I do know that but it did hurt pretty bad. I was like okay I better I better I better I better get back on the on the diet. Yeah, I I lost my job and some shit's been going on. But yeah, uh but

48:40 yeah, I Yeah, don't let that I I I can tell you don't let that stuff get to you and be like, "Dude, you're you're fine. I I I don't see that. I see somebody when I watch your content. I subscribe to your channel. I see someone who cares about what they're doing. I see somebody who puts out really good content, really meaningful content, and that's all I see." Right? If someone's coming up and looking at that, it's something going on with them that they feel, oh, it needs to be something I need to point out because I need to feel better about something that's happening with me, right? And and so that's where you're and then you know there's there there are things that that we and and even me still today that where I I deal with a lot of stuff that I have to own and do the work on to make sure that you know I'm not projecting that on someone else or internalizing that stuff. So to me I'm grateful for you. I'm grateful for the space. I'm grateful that I mean when you announced Cardboard I signed up for it. I'm on there. Um, and so I'm grateful

49:47 that you connected your channel as well, and I appreciate that also.

49:50 Yeah. Yeah. I'm grateful for for just kind of the space and the things that you the what you you know, we w I watch like I said, I watch a lot of your videos. How I I did not know about the channel until when I saw I got pinged by YouTube when you were talking about Seventh Continent

50:08 and and and that's that's how I found your channel. So I was like

50:14 and so I was like I was like man oh this guy I like what this guy's doing and so I subscribed and and yep you're on you're on my you're you're right up almost at the top of subscribe list so when you drop new stuff I'm watching it.

50:26 Cool. I appreciate that. I was I wasn't saying the fat thing to say like oh this is what's happened to me. I was actually just saying like hardly anything's happened to me. But I recently had Alex from Board Game Co. on and um I got on that anti-semitic comments and I was just like, "Oh my gosh." Like I I it was a really weird, oh, I'm walking in somebody else's shoes all of a sudden that I'm having to go and police these comments that I've never even

50:54 thought of having to do. I thought people were mean before

50:57 and I was just like, "Wow, that's terrible.

50:59 That's so sad." Like, so when you say that you've you've had I had that happen, but you have such a positive outlook around it,

51:10 it's inspiring because I have nothing to be angry or mad about or or whatever it might be relative to you or Alex or or whatever. Um, but I guess it's I just want to say like it's it's I I think you have the right perspective and you have the right,

51:28 you know, and I'm glad that the the community that we're in comes to your aid in those situations as well because

51:35 yeah,

51:36 like the video game space for example, no, it's so toxic.

51:40 So awful to Yeah. Right. Like like you would not you would not be able to to live in there and probably feel the same way. and it's an adjacent space.

51:51 Um, and I think that's that, you know, that says a lot about kind of like what we're in, what we're doing, you know.

51:59 Yeah, I agree. I agree.

52:01 You mentioned your why is the community. Um, you have to have some sort of why. You put in a ton of work, a ton of hours. You make really long playthroughs, which I know it. I'm just gonna say it. Those are not conducive to getting subscribers. Subscribers need top 10 lists. They need shorts. They need the hotness right then and there. You've had some huge hitters like you're like your first Elder Scrolls video as an example. You I couldn't believe you know how many people went and watched that. Um so but how much does the stats the gamification of YouTube actually matter to you?

52:43 Zero.

52:45 I'm not doing it for that. Yeah. your subscribers

52:48 like do you you okay so that's not even a

52:52 it's I I think I think what I like I celebrate the subscriber number saying I don't look at them I don't want it to sound like oh I just bypass it whatever

53:02 you don't look at them every day

53:04 right no

53:05 yeah okay I do

53:06 no I I I glance at them from time to time to say hey if I cross this threshold it's time to do a milestone video like the to that extent um when I first when I first started, I think I fell into that trap of wanting to get bigger, but and and doing these, you know, trying to reach out and do all this different stuff. And I found that I wasn't enjoying it.

53:32 It became a grind. And I was like, as soon as I as soon as board gaming turns into work, I was like already I'm already I already work. I don't want to come I don't want to come home and do more work. I want to come home and relax. And so I found that when I stopped caring about numbers, when I stopped caring about, okay, you need to make sure your channel's growing. When I stopped caring about that stuff, I actually enjoyed what I was doing. And so therefore, you, as you said, two to four hours. I think my longest video I did was Stars of Aarios. I played it for six hours straight.

54:08 Didn't care. Didn't care. Didn't care. Uh because I was having fun. I was I was enjoying what I was doing. And when I find myself enjoying what I'm doing, I don't want to stop. I just keep going, right?

54:19 And so I would I love to have uh more more subscribers. Sure. If it doesn't happen, will I be busted up about it? No.

54:30 Um I I've

54:32 You had a steadfast vision on all of your videos. I mean, you have not wavered at all. Like if you look at my channel, it's all over the place. I've tried tit lists and this and that and all kinds of different stuff to see if it lands. You to your credit you play games.

54:48 Yeah.

54:48 Which which which is awesome but a lot of content creators I would surmise don't play enough games and probably spend too much time you know including my I'll speak for myself you know. So

55:01 yeah, but they I mean they you know you there there are people who do that and they generate they get the there's there's a um a proponent of them who get the outcomes they want, right? They get

55:12 they get into the 20,000 viewer counts. They're the cult of I think it's called the cult of the new where they're playing the latest prototype or as soon as the game drops they do it and then you never hear from it again. And and I think what I found was when I saw there was one channel a while back where I saw them do a like, hey, this is the this is the preview prototype of this game that that's coming to coming to Kickstarter at this time and they played through it and I wanted to know more about the game and it was well we get so much games we just we we don't like they don't care. It's just a churn, right? and and I found that I don't like that. Um I I I want to love your channel, by the way.

55:59 That's exactly why I love it.

56:01 And that's what that's why that's what frustrates me so much is the content that I like to watch are incredible deep dives so we can get into the meta of the game, the the the the different levers that are there,

56:15 what the Easter eggs that you might find, whatever it is. or I like to see somebody literally go through and and and play it all and be a part of that journey and all of that stuff. I I find it odd that channels like yourself aren't the ones that are the biggest because to me that's like the that's where I feel I feel the most connected to people like you rather than you know um whoever's kind of turnurning out the videos like you know like I've done in the past. And that's to your point, I pivoted to this, which is what I actually love to do is just to talk to people about games.

56:50 Um, I'm not editing anymore. This is just like I throw it out there. I'll put together a little clip in the beginning to kind of a little hook or whatever. But, um,

56:58 but I I am getting more time to actually play games instead of editing and and doing all this the this extra stuff. Like, I like these deep dives that you do. So, I'm super appreciative that people like you are are here

57:11 um that aren't doing top 10 lists or you know, I do them. So, no judgment. Um but in fact, I have a top I have a top 10 list for you right after this, ironically.

57:21 Okay. I want to hear I want to hear the top 10. I'm in it. I'm in it. I want to hear the top 10.

57:26 You're right. It's actually this might be a really good uh segue. So, um I I watch your stuff and you play a lot of stuff I want to play. Um, we have some we have some crossover, but not as much as I'd like. And as I started to go through, like preparing for this, I I kind I want to find like, oh, where what are these kind of common areas we have? And I found that the biggest commonality we have is you play the games I want to play that I don't play. So, what I've done is I've made a top 10 list of games you've played on your channel that I want to play. And your job is to tell me, should I waste my time

58:02 or should I should I invest my time or save my time and not play it?

58:07 Okay,

58:08 does that sound fair? Let's do it. Let's go through. I actually planned this to be like the beginning icebreaker, but you know, it's I not one of these things has gone planned. Like I I I interviewed Cole Worly. I swear to you, I had 80% of my questions left by the end of that thing. And I was like, "Oh, I'm not a very good interviewer."

58:26 Conversation. It was a good conversation. We had a great conversation.

58:30 It was It was a good conversation. Uh but I did not like if I went in there with a goal, it's like uh and it's part of like my anxiety like, "Oh, I've got to overprepare for stuff." Anyways, okay. People don't want want to hear that. Number 10. And these actually these first few games that I have and I've had for a really long time and I've never played.

58:48 Robinson Cruso,

58:50 tell me, do I need to invest time? And keep in mind, I do enjoy some punishment. I do play too many bones. So,

58:57 well, this is a different level of punishment.

59:00 So, that's why I was like, do you do you like when you don't win, does it sour you to the game?

59:06 So, no. No, it doesn't at all. In fact, I've the more I've been in this hobby, the more I like the stories that are told if there's dramatic endings, especially like Too Many Bones I lose more often than not. Uh, but if I if it comes down to like a big dice roll at the end or something that some sort of drama that happens, I can really enjoy a three-hour play.

59:27 But if it the ones I don't like is when it comes down to a math problem and I like I look three turns ahead and it's like there's no way I'm winning this. I might as well quit. Those are the ones I don't like.

59:36 That's Robinson Cruso.

59:39 Uh, yeah, it it's behind me. I've got the map. I've got everything. It it doesn't have it doesn't have the deep dive story that you like. Uh you have a mission. They're all just they're one shots. You have a mission to solve a problem. The the design layout of the board and the turn structure is incredible. It's really good. You just go from top left to right, bottom left to right. That's that's the round,

1:00:06 right?

1:00:07 And so it's really fun to try to beat the game. Um, but if you're looking for a story aspect with the same type of harshness, I would recommend This War of Mine.

1:00:19 That one's been re recommended to me a lot. Um,

1:00:22 I would say I would recommend that over Robinson Cruso. If you're saying like the narrative,

1:00:28 no, because it's real.

1:00:30 I think that's the thing. I think a lot a lot of people who who've bounced off that game have been like

1:00:36 the the the subject matter is too depressing. And I think what that stems from is they feel uncomfortable with it.

1:00:43 And I embrace the discomfort of that. So I'm like, I know this is a thing that can happen. I know this is a this is a thing. This is a horrible thing. I want to know their story. And so I don't get I don't get I I'll say it saddens me with some of the outcomes, but I don't get the press about it. I'm just like I want to know more about their story. I want to know what happened. someone. It's kind of like that brain of saying someone has to tell your story.

1:01:09 And so that's why I enjoy it. If it's a game that that will that you that I said that you can handle where where the subject matter is not too heavy or or not too uncomfortable for you to move away from it. I would recommend that over Robinson Crusoe. Um I know there are a lot of Robinson Crusoe fans. The game is brutally punishing, but uh I think I won once and I was shocked.

1:01:34 Ask if you've ever won

1:01:36 once and I was like, "Oh my god, did I just win?"

1:01:39 Did it feel Did it feel good though? Like was it worth is it was it like me being in Seattle waiting nine months for Sun and you finally get it and you're like,

1:01:47 "Oh, that's so worth it."

1:01:50 Um I I think it feels good when you win, but it it feels good when you lose because you're trying to push through it. Mhm.

1:01:57 I think I think you'll play it, you'll say, "Hey, this is kind of fun." And after about the fourth, you'll probably start to bounce off of it slowly.

1:02:04 Okay. I felt like Seventh Citadel was pretty uh punishing, at least for me. Maybe I was playing it completely wrong.

1:02:10 Then Robinson Cruso will crush you.

1:02:14 That one was just like, "No checkpoint. Throw me back to the beginning. You start over." You know, that that perma death was not uh not my favorite thing. I suppose I could have house ruled. Okay. Okay, good. Um, I'll go ahead and sell that. Do you still own it?

1:02:30 No, I I um I donated mine. Um, usually when I when I'm I will call games,

1:02:37 I split them into I split the ones that are going to feed the crowdfunding fund, right?

1:02:44 And then the other one, there's a um there's actually a a a group called Potions and Pixels that's in Charlotte that deal that basically deals with helping atrisisk youth. and I donate board games to them.

1:02:57 Awesome. Okay, cool. So then that might be a good barometer to see if So do you do you keep any like they're they're they're forever games that you Okay.

1:03:07 Oh. Oh, I h I have forever games for sure.

1:03:09 Okay, cool. All right. So So it is a good barometer if any of these games on the list you don't have anymore. So we'll want to we'll want to talk about that as well. So number two I have and I've played the intro and I think I'm gonna love it.

1:03:21 Uh but I've been sidetracked. I just got into um Arkham Horror card game. Uh this is Earthborne Rangers.

1:03:29 Do I need to play this?

1:03:31 So good.

1:03:32 Fantastic.

1:03:33 Better than Arkham Horror. Should I Should I stop my Arkham Horror right now and go now? Keep in mind, I just have I only have the all the new stuff. So, I'm like starting this this is my starting point and I'm moving forward with it. So, I could take a break.

1:03:47 I wouldn't I wouldn't compare the two. They're two different games. The only thing they have in common is that they're card games. Um

1:03:55 100% but it and they take time. That's the commonality right now.

1:04:01 Um Andrew Navaro did a fanta him and team and now you know MJ uh Newman has joined that group as well. Have done a fantastic job with um with Earthorn Rangers. It's one of my forever games. I I am looking forward to the next biome. Um, I love I love playing through the the first Earthborn Rangers game. That was an exciting adventure. The second one where it went underground was okay.

1:04:29 And now they've released now they've released another ver another kind of small expansion that takes you back above ground. So, I'm excited to play that. Um, and then I they've announced uh that they're releasing an Earthborn Rages like game. Like it it's in the same Earthborne Rangers world and everything, but they're doing it a little different. Maybe to, you know, win over a different crowd. Yeah.

1:04:54 Spirit Island uh target like Yeah,

1:04:58 potentially. Potentially. They haven't released anything about what it's like. They just said it's coming.

1:05:03 Okay. So,

1:05:04 has your favorite experience been the first experience?

1:05:07 Yes. Yeah. the first full game. Full game. And I played through that entire game. Um and I I love it. I have fond memories of that game.

1:05:15 Will you play replay that again? Does it have replay-ability for you?

1:05:19 Yes, it does. It does cuz I there there are things in the valley. There are many many things in the valley I didn't do on my first.

1:05:27 Yeah. So many cards.

1:05:30 Do you like the the story it tells?

1:05:33 Yep. It's a it's a fantastic sandbox game. Are you a narrative guy or a mechanics guy or a blend of both?

1:05:40 I'm a a little bit of Well, narrative wins. Narrative gets me in. Mechanics keep me. Mechanisms keep me.

1:05:48 Um, and so the narrative of Earthborne Rangers is phenomenal.

1:05:53 The mechanisms within it, the mechanisms within it are really good.

1:05:58 There are things that I like and things I don't like. Um, but it's but it it's good to the really good section to where Yeah. I'm as if they keep spitting out content, I'm going to keep buying it.

1:06:10 So, that's something you'll kind of just keep keep dipping into uh forever

1:06:16 as far as you know. Okay. All right.

1:06:18 As far as I know.

1:06:18 All right. Well, then I I probably might move it to the top of my list. However, there's one other Actually, there's two others I own that are on this list here. And actually, I'm gonna swap one because

1:06:30 this one probably should have been number 10, but Mr. President, it's it's uh I saw you did I saw which didn't seem like a type of game that you play relative to the other things I saw other than it's solo.

1:06:44 Um, but it scared me a bit. I love the idea of it.

1:06:48 Um, I I like the weird and I guess making a a game about a presidency is is awfully weird. So tell me, should I actually play it and dig it out of my garage or just let it let it go?

1:07:01 M Mr. President is I I would say Okay, so let me give you Let me give you some insight in Mr. President takes an actual hour to set up the play.

1:07:14 Yeah.

1:07:14 And it takes an actual hour to tear down and it takes four actual hours to play one year and you have to play.

1:07:20 How many hours if you just read the rule book and don't watch a video for you and me? We're It's gonna be a while. It's gonna be It's gonna be It's gonna be a while. It's gonna be a while. So,

1:07:32 it it is a really really cool concept. Um I enjoyed the playthrough that I did. I genuinely enjoyed playing through it. The problem I had with that game is the game board. It is

1:07:46 It is a clutter of madness. It is a clutter of madness. It's like, well, the the military the mil the nuclear arms of the of this of all countries are over here, but then the Middle East and all the maps of the worlds are over here. The presidents in the White House are in the center, but then your stuff's at the bottom, but then oh yeah, you got to look down here at this other side to do other things. It doesn't flow. And in that lies the problem with that game and why I bounced off it because I'm like I can't bring the I can't play this game with this much chaos happening on the game board itself.

1:08:27 And it's also so different than everything that I've see on your channel. Like there's not I can't I'm looking down the list. I don't see anything else. nothing political or I mean most of it is you know fiction fighting something I guess as a president you know you're fighting somebody unfortunately but uh

1:08:44 well that that this one is more this game is not it's like you're trying to deescalate conflict

1:08:50 right okay

1:08:50 and but on but you the stuff the events and things that you deal with are kind of domestic things like your your vice president got caught in a sex scandal and all this other stuff so so you you have to deal with all those situations or the the Senate doesn't approve your funding bill or stuff like that. So, it's it tries to play itself as a as kind of close to close to try to be as close to realism as possible, but it will it will constantly in my opinion it will constantly defeat itself because the board is a chaotic mess. Everything else about the game I think if it wasn't that game would be really fun. The mechanisms are really fun.

1:09:34 It might be better as a digital game.

1:09:37 It It would be fantastic as a digital game. Um the amount of book reading you have to do is outlandish. Every turn

1:09:45 every turn you're grabbing a book for China. You're grabbing a book for Russia. You're grabbing a book for um for for the entire continent because they've kind of scoped all of Africa in the one. You know, people say, "Oh, it's Africa's like Africa is a continent, not a country."

1:09:59 Yeah. And so they kind of scoped it in there and you just have to, you know, the NATO and all the everything has a book and you have to go through

1:10:08 and when you and when it's that country's turn, you open the book and you have to go down like three pages of read this, roll dice, read outcome, read this, roll dice, read outcome, read this, roll dice, read outcome that it would be a fantastic video game.

1:10:24 How did you get through it? Um, I think

1:10:31 it kind of seems awful when you said it like that.

1:10:35 I I think I think the mechanisms got me through it because the mechanisms are fun um of the game. Everything else of it was was difficult, but the mechanisms that the de the designer and the developer put into it made it like, okay, I got to see what happens next. and

1:10:54 it helped move things along.

1:10:57 The last one on my list that is a game I own is Aridia. I've done I basically built my character

1:11:07 and there was definitely some things that were intriguing. Some other stuff happened. I actually think I started playing um Elder Scrolls instead of it and and I I did a ton of videos ton of videos on that. So, it's sitting next to me now. Do I need to pay the $75 in shipping and sell it or or do I need to actually play through this thing which is about to win probably a bunch of of awards this year?

1:11:31 Are you Are you playing a radio with anyone else?

1:11:34 No.

1:11:36 Okay.

1:11:36 I'll never play it with anyone else.

1:11:39 Aridia is a you'll start playing it and then maybe the same thing will happen to you that happened to me. Aridia is a great game for people to play together. If you are going to play that game with someone,

1:11:52 do it. It's fantastic. It's great. You're gonna have a good time.

1:11:56 Playing that game solo, I I found that I enjoyed it way less than the people who were raving about it. Um,

1:12:05 did you play true solo or two-handed?

1:12:07 Yes, I play I played true solo.

1:12:09 Should I play two-handed if I play it solo?

1:12:11 Um, you can, but it's a lot of maintenance. It doesn't really add to it.

1:12:17 Yeah, it's just more maintenance for you. Um

1:12:20 I I'm I'm not And also I'm not a fan of kind of okay, this enemy hits me. Where does he hit me? Oh, he hit me in the chest. Oh, he hit me in the hand. Oh, he hit me in the leg. It's like no, he just hits me, right?

1:12:30 Okay.

1:12:31 Um so it it's a lot of maintenance. Not say the game is really welldesigned and I think I gave my review of that when I decided when I said I'm kind of done. The game is really welldesigned. It's well polished. It is It is a beautiful creation. It is not meant for solo gamers. Even though there's a solo mode,

1:12:54 he made that game with saying that you and your friends are going to go on an adventure together.

1:13:00 That's too bad.

1:13:01 I would love to do that. I just don't have friends to go on an adventure.

1:13:05 Yeah. Yeah. Same. Same. So, so it's more So, it's more I I was like, I see the beauty of this game and I'm sad that I can't enjoy it to what the creator wanted it to be because I play solo games. So, I bounced off. I sold it.

1:13:24 Another game.

1:13:27 No. Okay.

1:13:27 No, no, no. I didn't even leave the continent.

1:13:30 Okay.

1:13:31 Yeah. The another game that that I feel falls into that purview is Agamonia. Um,

1:13:37 okay.

1:13:37 Agram is a beautifully created game. It the mechanisms in this game is fantastic. How this game plays is so smooth. It's not meant for solo players. It has a solo mode. It has a solo mode, but and and they've they've worked it to where you can play true solo, but the enjoyment of Agamonia comes from multiple people playing with you and you enjoying that narrative together. So it's not necess not necessarily interactions. It's just about creating the narrative together and needing a second person.

1:14:11 Right. Right. Because you'll you'll play

1:14:15 when you when I played Agamon, I was like, "This game is beautiful and it looks fantastic and it's vibrant and it's fun and I had to control two characters and I Yeah, I had to control two characters. I couldn't play true solo. That's right. And as I played it, I was like, I'm not enjoying myself. And I found that I wasn't enjoying myself. The world is great. I want to know more about the world. But then I taught Steve to play and he and I played together and I was like, "This is a much better experience." And I was like, "Boom. It's not meant for solo gamers."

1:14:48 Yeah. I personally I don't like playing two-handed. I like when a game I like to imagine myself as the person. It's hard for me to get into a game that I'm already having to use my imagination to get into the world as two people. I want my character to be built. I want to feel like I'm that person and I want to play with that person's uh perspective in mind, not like, oh, how do I keep these two people alive? Which I will foreshadow. There's there's another uh game on here that you very recently have played and it's a little lower or higher on the list. So, uh we might get to get to something you've had to play two-handed recently. Um all right, that's it. That's it for everything that I own. The next one, uh, I just recently played my first Kinfire game, but it's the Euro version. You played Kinfire Chronicles Nightfall, I believe it was.

1:15:38 Yes.

1:15:38 Tell me about it.

1:15:40 Do I need to play games?

1:15:42 Uh, you do crawler. No, I don't own this.

1:15:46 Yes.

1:15:47 Uh, I could send you my copy cuz I'm that

1:15:51 um, but you're I it's it's a it's a it's an incredible game. It is really fun. It is really good. Um, it you can you will have to two-hand it if you play it solo.

1:16:04 You have to. Um,

1:16:06 but the card play of it is super simple that it's not a pain.

1:16:12 Um,

1:16:14 playing it that game is meant to be played with four players. Bottom line. Is it right? But it's still But it's still fun. Um, I enjoyed playing it for what it was. I just hit a point. I'd gotten pretty far, too. Um, and I hit a point where I was just like, "Okay, I'm done."

1:16:34 Odd that design designers even design games like this with four players in mind. I just don't know people like that. I'm sure there are groups out there, but it seems like it would narrow the customer base so much because this game games like this uh you know, legacy campaign, dungeon crawlers, I want to sit down, take my time, think through my decisions, not worry about am I taking too long for the next person. That's why I'll play probably never play Elder Scrolls or Too Many Bones with anyone else. I think they're great solo games. Um even though I have to play two-handed with Too Many Bones. Uh uh anyways, I forgot where I was going with that, but uh

1:17:17 yeah, I I'd probably say I'd probably say Kinfire. Um if you want my copy, you can have it. I can send it to you.

1:17:23 Well, if you say it's meant to play with four players, probably no. It's probably no.

1:17:27 It Yeah, it it is it is meant to play a four player. But I will say Incredible Dream did a good job with the game. Um

1:17:35 um so but yeah I'm

1:17:37 I can get four players at a competitive game more often at a medium medium to light range but anything like that it's like I got to play online TTS or uh it's better have a good solo setup for me.

1:17:54 Okay

1:17:55 next up a lot of people say that this game is better off should have been a video game. Um, I selfishly want to play this because I want to really interview the designer about this design even though I've never played it. It's Vantage. You played Vantage. Should this have been a video game?

1:18:11 Yes.

1:18:14 Uh, but it's a good but it's a good solo game. It's a really great solo game. Okay. Um, I I it it has it it it's meant it's not there's no there's no player level that it's meant to be. You play it either one or you play it full. I think characters again.

1:18:32 Yeah, it's a full-on game.

1:18:33 Even though it doesn't have like a an actual like you don't have can't you just quit when you want.

1:18:41 Um you can end the story after a certain point if you want.

1:18:45 Okay.

1:18:46 Um but it's emergent narrative. It's it's emergent narrative story. Um so you're you fly off your ship. You cr you crash land on a planet that you don't know what it is and you have to figure out where you are and what you can do. And so it's sandbox emergent narrative. You get to a point where

1:19:05 it get it's like okay a rescue ship is in orbit and you can call them down to leave if you want. Um but you can say no bump that I'm just going to keep walking around and play until you're done. Um there is more than one ending too. Um, you can say you can complete your objectives and then say you're done or you can just keep walking around the planet and seeing how things go. It's a really I enjoyed I played through every character in that game. Uh, one of them I'm like I'm not sure how they thought this character would play solo, but right

1:19:38 uh the rest of them but the rest of them were a lot of fun and I enjoy that was a good game. That was a good game. I think you would like that. I think you would like

1:19:45 you think it would be better with two Because I thought like one of the gimmicks was being able to like look at the thing from different perspectives and that's like one of the the hooks.

1:19:56 Not really. No. No. Because you're you're separated. You're on different sides of the planet. So, you have to describe what you see without talking about what's on your card.

1:20:06 Um the cool thing is that you're with two players, they can help you in some tests. So, I'd say I I'd say yes, it's better with two-player because one player you're on your own. You don't have any help. Where two players, someone on the other side of planet say, "Hey, I'll give you this symbol to help you get that other thing."

1:20:25 How do they give it to you from the other side of the planet?

1:20:27 That's a there radio communication or something. I don't freaking know.

1:20:31 Teleport.

1:20:32 Teleport. But um no, that's a that was a fun if you like emergent narrative and you're into true sandbox style games that doesn't have a lot of overhead. Um you will like that game. Like there's no crunch to it. There's no crunch to that game. It's

1:20:50 it's walk, move, move a tile,

1:20:54 do a test, move on, rinse and repeat.

1:20:57 Yeah. narrative focused games have not been like my first love at all. And I it's it's been it's it's they've grown on me over time. I think the big one that stands out is uh Sleeping Gods. Um

1:21:14 uh

1:21:14 The Distance Skies.

1:21:16 Yes, Distance Skies. It's like right behind me. Um, that one I absolutely loved because it wasn't so overwhelmingly narrative and there were there was a really fun mechanic that felt pretty puzzly around fighting. I enjoyed getting the weapons and the cards and and there were it was just a really well put together rounded experience. I don't know that I've played a game that is, you know, overwhelmingly narrative focused that I've come away with like going, "Oh my gosh, this thing is incredible."

1:21:44 Then skip Vantage. Skip Vantage.

1:21:46 Well, it might be. See, I'm open-minded. I might play D and D someday without feeling like a dork. I don't know. We'll see.

1:21:56 Yeah, it's it it's I'd probably say you might you might want to pass that one by then.

1:22:01 Okay, cool. Uh the next one I just uh watched a review on another channel called The Grove. I don't know if you've seen The Grove or not. Really cool channel. It's a group of friends that I think there's like six or eight of them essentially. I can't even tell who owns the channel and I don't think that anyone does. In fact, I'm going to learn about that. I'm interviewing them Wednesday. Um, but they just did a stone saga uh review and it just like the idea of crafting and like putting things together and you didn't know what it was going to make and go and have to like read the codeex and like hey maybe you did you found this like incredible like um rare item and you put it together and it created this really cool thing or I created an arrow but I have no idea how to create a bow like that that that like spoke to me and I saw that you played it. So, tell me, should I play Stone Saga?

1:22:53 Um, you will have to play two-handed.

1:22:55 Okay.

1:22:55 Um, but

1:22:59 no.

1:23:00 Okay.

1:23:00 Um, the the cra it it has the best crafting system I've ever seen in a board game.

1:23:06 It seems so cool.

1:23:08 It It is amazing. It has um the there are things about it that I that initially with me playing that I'm not a big fan of. I hate fishing. I don't like how it works. Um,

1:23:20 what do you mean? Oh, you just don't like the way they do fishing. I thought you maybe you didn't like fishing in general.

1:23:24 Oh, no, no, not not in general. The in the game. In the game. In the game.

1:23:28 Like, I just hate fishing. It's in there.

1:23:30 I just hate it. No,

1:23:32 no. I I I don't like how they did fishing. I don't enjoy it. Um, a lot of people will try to defend it to be like, well, you got to blah, and it's hard for this because of this narrative feel, but I'm like, when I play it, I don't have fun. So,

1:23:44 okay,

1:23:45 foraging foraging is fun. Um, mining is fun. All the other mini games cuz it's a it's a it's a game of you learning and centered around mini games,

1:23:56 right? And it's kind of like a sandbox where you can go and do what you want to do and send people in different directions and

1:24:02 like they had mentioned like, oh, somebody was in the caves forever and they didn't see him, but they came back and they found this really cool thing.

1:24:08 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You Yeah. Which is really cool. It's a fun game. I like it. Um, just the fishing part I don't like. And the other part I don't like is the wall drawing thing.

1:24:19 Uh, and I t and I and I spoke to this with one of my friends where I was just like, just give me some stickers. I don't want to draw. I don't want to draw when I'm playing board game. I I just just want to freaking play the game. I I don't want to draw. I don't Well, drawing will be fun. Yes. When I was six, I don't want to draw right now. Just give me some stickers and I'll slap it on there.

1:24:35 Is it because you didn't want to get criticized for your lack of artistic ability on stream?

1:24:39 No. I I have I have zero artistic ability. I'm more than happy to admit that. I think it's just more it became something I didn't want to do.

1:24:48 Like I I actually felt I think when I played it, you watching it where it's like, "Hey, draw on the cave wall." And I was like, "Nope,

1:24:56 I'm going to do something else."

1:24:57 What is the Is it just a piece of paper that they give you?

1:25:00 It's just a piece of paper. Yeah. Yeah. It's a piece of paper and you just draw on it and it tells the story of your people. Basically, you're doing caveman paintings. Is it kind of like a journal activity that you have to do

1:25:10 or it's a mini game?

1:25:12 No, it's a journal activity you have to do.

1:25:13 Oh, okay.

1:25:14 And so I I'm I didn't enjoy I don't enjoy that. I wish they would have been like you could draw or here here's some stickers that you can use and be done with it. Um

1:25:24 uh but those two things aside, the rest of the game is incredible. I I would be surprised if that game doesn't get close or win game of the year. Really? Does it Does the crafting feel rewarding other than like, "Oh crap, I made this really cool thing." Like when you make it, is it like a big boon to you?

1:25:43 Yes, it is very rewarding. How you place the pieces even matter? Like the orientation of the piece? If you have if you have a stick uh like um a piece of flint and the stick,

1:25:56 right? If you place it on top, it makes something different than if you put, you know, if you turn it to its side, it it'll make something. It could potentially make something completely surpris. Okay.

1:26:10 Yeah. Some of the things uh the the chat helped me to to I was like, "Oh, that makes sense. It's obvious."

1:26:17 I see how it is.

1:26:18 Well, thanks.

1:26:20 They're like, "Try putting it uh 10° to the north." Usually they usually they try to let me figure it out, but if when I get to a certain point and I'm like, "Okay, just tell me. I don't the right elemental surprise thing.

1:26:33 Do that before where you're like, "No, no, no. Don't tell me. I'm trying to figure this out on my own, you know, uh, but I can't remember if it was you or not." I would be the I would be the same way.

1:26:42 I've done that. And then when I get to a certain point, I'm like, I'm wasting too much time on this. All right, just go ahead and tell me. And and they would say, "Well, turn this." They'll say something like, "You've got one of them facing the wrong way." And then my brain goes back into into fugue. And I I like, "Okay, I can fix that."

1:26:59 Are there hints otherwise on like throughout the game on how to craft anything or it's just kind of dumb luck and you just use your brain?

1:27:06 You figure it out. You figure it out. Yeah. You're you're caveman figuring it out.

1:27:10 Are there a lot of different materials other than a stick and a stone?

1:27:14 Yes.

1:27:14 Yeah. There's a lot. You start off with what's in your area, but as you move out, you find new materials. You find materials that can that can be used to make new materials. You you get a workbench that can craft new materials into bigger things. So the the pool the car there's an immense amount of cards for crafting. So you can make a lot of things.

1:27:36 Does the all the mini games add to a bunch of rules overhead?

1:27:39 No. Um no. Forging forging is pretty straightforward and it's fun. I think it's fun

1:27:45 really.

1:27:46 Um yeah. It's just you draw you draw two cards, look at them. They're pictures of an environment. You choose one, discard the other, draw another two cards, and you and you build up like and you're only a you're able to take one main thing and anything connected to that one main thing from those pictures. And it's hard to describe that way, but it's done. Foraging has done like a really fun miniame.

1:28:16 Okay. Well, I'm gonna have to take your word for it because like you know, we have already established words and like in making pictures in my head doesn't work. I need to set it up and see.

1:28:25 Yeah. Yeah. I I like I I do still have Stone Saga and I plan to bring it back to the channel. Um I do I I do enjoy that game a lot.

1:28:33 Cool. I I actually haven't watched your playthrough, but after watching the review, I am going to go watch your playthrough and get excited about Is it even available or I'm sure it's sold out everywhere?

1:28:42 Uh you should be able to find it. I think Oo games has um or no it's open not open games has um has copies that can be purchased.

1:28:51 I probably shouldn't be buying games though. I am I need to

1:28:53 That's crazy talk. I don't know what you're talking about.

1:28:55 Even I have been buying games but uh

1:29:02 that's why that's why I have the crowd that's why I have the crowdfunding fund because I'm like

1:29:06 I know I need to start selling some stuff off for sure.

1:29:10 Yeah. I made myself a promise. If it can't fit on the Kaik shelves, I can't. I I have to call. So,

1:29:16 that's easy. Just buy more shelves. Come on.

1:29:20 Go crafty. Go forage for some shelves.

1:29:27 What an easy rule to break there, Derek.

1:29:32 How How many games are in your collection now?

1:29:35 Um, I think I did a tally and I'm at about 64, I believe.

1:29:38 Oh. Oh, you have so much room. You have so much room. We gota we gota get you

1:29:43 behind me.

1:29:45 I think Alex at Board Game Co is is Although he gets tons and tons of games for free. I don't get I think he c he's trying to cap himself at 200 right now.

1:29:53 Oh, it's too much. It's too much.

1:29:55 Yeah, it's that it is ridiculous. I I need like a

1:29:57 what I think about when I think about board gaming is if I have to move.

1:30:03 It's so sad. Yeah. Oh, yeah. how much damage they're all going to take if you have to move them.

1:30:10 All that investment and imagine opening all those boxes for the first time just to see everything.

1:30:15 Oh man,

1:30:16 you probably moving you probably give yourself like 10 hours worth of organizing work uh by the time you move back in.

1:30:23 Yeah. Yep. Yeah. I I prepped for it when Yeah. Go ahead.

1:30:27 Number three, um we've been getting into dice a lot. me being my wife and and I've been trying to like expand her horizons to different games a little bit and so I'm thinking Dice Throne Adventures will you play this? I think it looks really cool. I think the idea of of adventures is cool. I've actually never even played Dice Throne. So, do I need to play Dice Throne? No,

1:30:52 you don't need to play Dice Throne to play Dice Throne Adventures. I would prefer you play Dice Throne Adventures over Dice Throne. But

1:31:00 expansion to everything else

1:31:02 or basically

1:31:04 Dice Throne was a PvP game. That's how it started

1:31:07 and Dice Throne Adventures turns it into a co-op game.

1:31:11 Got it.

1:31:12 Um so I would say get Dice Throne. Um I forgot I forgot the Dice Run Adventures. You do need that. But they they recently within the last year or two released I forgot what it's called, but basically what they did is instead of laying tiles out and playing on tiles, they give you a map and it's a very short map. It has a oneshot. That is what that game needed. Um and it's um it is in Unchained. That's what it's called. Unchained. And so yes, that's what you've played, right? Dice Throne Adventures on your channel.

1:31:56 I've played Marvel. I've played all that stuff. And and I still I have everything Dice Throne. I will constantly collect everything Dice Throne. Um I love Dice Throne. I

1:32:05 I had the Marvel box. I backed it, but then it was going for such a ridiculous amount of money, I actually sold it to buy more games. I should have

1:32:13 Hey, I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad at you.

1:32:16 Like I got a stupid amount. This was like early on in the channel. I was like, "Oh, I need to have more games to to cover on the channel, you know, chasing chasing those subscribers, those hundreds of subscribers."

1:32:28 I know the feeling. I know the feeling. But, um, Marvel Dice Throne, I love Dice Throne, I think, is a lot of fun. Dice Throne Adventures is great. If you get the Unchained with the one shots,

1:32:41 that's where I would start you. I would say the oneshot um the oneshot dungeons to run through and just get two uh you'll need dice throne adventures to play it which but just get

1:32:52 so unchain only like 25 bucks and then grab a couple of

1:32:56 uh I'd probably grab the model.

1:32:59 Yeah. And you'll you'll like it. You'll like it a lot.

1:33:02 Okay, cool. Well, that's that's an easy one.

1:33:05 Um All right, so number one, it's your most recent game. I have this has been like a a game that I have aspired to play. I'll probably never have the time nor the patience nor the group to play it because you need to play it multi-handed. Kingdom for Lauren is probably closer to a game that I will play. But Aon's Trespass has captivated me. I am not rich so I can't afford it either. And it's an insanely expensive game. The art is so beautiful yet the overhead is just insane. Stop me from buying the used copy I just found at my FLGS. Um, please.

1:33:43 I would say you Okay, let me give you Let me You would have to play all four characters.

1:33:49 Oh, that's so gross. Really? All four? I thought I only had to play two. So, you have to play all four characters. Are there mini versions of them? Is that the way they do it? No. So, it's full-fledged. It's not like Kingdom's Flororn where they have like the what the squires or whatever.

1:34:05 Yes.

1:34:05 Or the Yeah. Oh,

1:34:07 yeah. You will have to play all four characters. It is there are nuances within nuances within nuances for everything that you do.

1:34:17 Teach sort of of the opening thing and just like you describing the bosses and all the decks and the more cards that have to come out. I was going

1:34:27 Yeah. Yeah. It is not solo friendly.

1:34:30 It is not solo friendly. Um, okay. That's the Mark and I play it together because if he didn't, I probably would sell what I got. Like, it is not solo friendly at all. Um, it is meant for to be played for player fully every time. No. No.

1:34:46 Did you recently buy it?

1:34:48 No. I I backed the Kickstarter when it first. Another one I had I backed and then I sold because it was so insanely well I also heard like didn't know what I was getting myself into and like the very first thing was just like

1:35:00 oh gosh you have to

1:35:02 play with four and you have to yeah you know you have to basically um you know spit put yourself in a cave for a few weeks to learn it and and all of that stuff.

1:35:11 Yeah overhead.

1:35:14 Have you found the joy in that?

1:35:16 I I did until recent. I don't like fighting fights that you are meant to lose.

1:35:22 Um sucks. It takes it takes the fun out of it. And we ran into a fight that it was you're supposed to lose this fight

1:35:30 and it was just crushing. Like not crushing that I lost. The fight was just it's like why am I doing this?

1:35:37 Like it put you so far back.

1:35:40 It it it didn't put us back. You're supposed to lose and the and the narrative continues because you're supposed to lose.

1:35:46 Mhm. Uh, it's just more it was, okay, here's a good example. Um, the monster when it when if if you accumulate four of these specific type of tokens, your character dies. The end. Game over. When the when the monster starts, it gives you a token. Then it plays a card, it gives you another token. Oh, look. It after it does that, it's supposed to do its signature attack, which gives you another token. So very early on you have three and when you're at three everything you do is minus three on anything you do. So it hindered you and it punished you. And a lot of people are like well when you get stronger you'll be able like but this doesn't seem this isn't fun. This isn't fun to me. Like it's not fun to go up against something and get curb stomped in a game, right? I like games that put me in there, let me duke it out, and let it come down to the dice. Y

1:36:48 and let it feel rewarding.

1:36:51 Um, a game that does a great job of that is Primal the Awakening.

1:36:55 Every fight,

1:36:57 every fight comes down to the wire and it feels

1:37:00 it does feel like it's so well

1:37:03 it's like eerily balanced because it does definitely do that. You're like, "How is it doing this like without programming in the back end that's scaling something as I go?" But yeah.

1:37:13 Yeah. And and when this game started, it did that with the Hecaton, which was the first boss that you fought when the game started.

1:37:20 It it was it it they nerfed it so that you can survive it.

1:37:25 And here's this thing that's like, "Nope, we're not going to nerf it. You're going to get it at its worst state and it's going to curve stomp you. Stomp you." And then laugh.

1:37:33 What do you think's behind that perspect? cuz it's clearly a conscious decision. It's not like they misbalanced it, right? Like they're meaning for that to happen. What where do you think the when they're when they're engineering, do you think they're engineering for like um a masochist or uh

1:37:49 I think I think there's I think there's a vision from from the designer and some designers or or there's a vision from the designer and you find that that vision could get in the way of what you're trying to do. No, let it be crushing to them. so that they know they'll want to come back and fight it, but they don't I don't know if they test it globally enough to say how many people wanted to come back and fight it and how people were like, "Man, that's a slog."

1:38:16 And I fall into that's a slog category. like you've you're you're turning me off to your game by making it brutally like games that punish you for the sake of punishing you like Robinson Crusoe will will bounce me off a game easy.

1:38:34 Especially when there's I I think there's a balance, right? Like if there's a ton of time investment leading up to that point that is really tough to take. If it's a game where at least for me where it's like, you know, it's short. There wasn't a ton of rules overhead and investment in it and I just get smacked. Too Many Bones is a perfect example of that. Yes, it is rulesheavy, but I can I can just start over really easy. It's a one shot anyways unless I'm playing the campaign mode and I can just keep going. A bad a bad dice roll might have, you know, killed me, but I just, you know, get up and go again. But I think it we run into issues when there is a ton of time invested prior to that bad beat.

1:39:11 Yeah. Yeah, there was a lot there was a lot of time invested where where we fought where we fought some pretty cool three cool monsters

1:39:20 and we were like, "Okay, let's see where the story is going because we're happy to advance,

1:39:24 right?"

1:39:24 And then we run into this fight that's just kind of like I I think when when I got done with that, I I looked at Mark and I was like, I we need to play something else for a little while because this deflated me. Do you feel like time will heal your wounds with it?

1:39:42 I don't know. I'll have to see because I I don't know if I

1:39:47 I don't know if I um going back to it will be will bring that enjoyment. I'm excited for 12 Sins of Heracles and I'm really excited for Enormity. And so I I in that in that same video I mentioned I was like if you're making these two games,

1:40:03 please hear me, right? Uh don't do this. This this will I'm sure that there's a prepoundonderance of people who enjoy the pain. I'm not one of I'm not one of those people.

1:40:14 Well, looking at the numbers that they achieved in Kingdoms for Lauren and enormity, even presumably off of people that have played

1:40:23 uh Trespass before, you know, I guess I guess something's working. Or is it just aesthetic? Like it's so beautiful. Like the products they make is just so cool.

1:40:32 It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous. The products they make are gorgeous. and and and they do have a fan base that I mean I think a few people who give me comments in the chat said they've played through the entire game. Um I think they say it took them a year an actual year to play through the entire game.

1:40:48 All the time, right?

1:40:48 And like all the time, but they're playing it all the time, right? And so

1:40:52 that's a lifestyle game for sure.

1:40:54 Yeah. And so it's it's more that's cool. You know, I'm really happy they found that their their segments on them doing that to play it. I just hope that, you know, I haven't played Kingdoms for Lauren. Um, and I'm waiting on that.

1:41:08 No, I didn't back that one. Um, I'm Enormy is my thing because I I really wanted a sci-fi space-based um game, and they they're they're giving me what I, you know, they're they're making what I'm what I'm envisioning I'd love to see. Um, I just

1:41:25 You played that on TTS, right? The intro.

1:41:27 Um, I had a prototype copy.

1:41:29 Oh, you had a prototype. So, did you like it when you played it?

1:41:32 Yeah. Yeah, I liked it. There was there's some stuff I'd like to see them do a little different, but they're still making changes. Uh the the turn order is pretty simple. Three cards. Choose what you're choose two. What you're going to do at the end, right? Um I I And then you can upgrade those cards. I'm just hoping that they find a way to keep people engaged in it, not feel sy

1:41:52 because I think after a while it started feeling sy. But that was prototype and they're going to change that. I'm sure they're going to change that up. Uh, but overall it I it was cool. It was it was a cool experience of kind of it's a cross between um Event Horizon that is an older movie

1:42:13 and um uh I'd probably say like 2001 Space Odyssey where it's

1:42:21 Oh, really? a a a a generation ship that vanished just appeared in space and you have to go check it out and you found that when you get on the solar array some something you know there's a lot of solar flares that are happening so you have to get into the ship and just playing that segment was a lot it was pretty cool it was a lot of fun

1:42:44 do you feel like uh in an trespass it was telling a compelling a compelling story.

1:42:52 You're I'm still trying to figure it out, right? You get the you get the sense of well, you know, the overall thing is that something happened, the escaton which destroyed all the Greek gods. They're all dead.

1:43:05 And you wake up out of some vat that that you were frozen in on top of your the Argo and now you're trying to figure out what's going on. And I've been we've been playing for a while now and all I know is we're looking for King Binos, but we haven't touched on the escaton or anything that's happened. Why is this monster chasing us? We don't know. It just is. So, we haven't really gotten into and we've played

1:43:32 we've played a lot.

1:43:34 Yeah. I was I was just gonna say you've put in a good amount of hours to have that perspective on the story.

1:43:40 Yeah. But we haven't gotten to anything of why we're doing what we're doing as yet.

1:43:49 Six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11. Yeah. 12 hours or so that you've put on tape at least.

1:43:55 Probably another 24 learning it

1:43:59 and and whatever comes out of editing, right?

1:44:02 Yeah, I know. So, are you cutting a lot?

1:44:05 Uh, I Yeah, I'm not cutting anything from the play. What I'm cutting is the down time.

1:44:12 Do you literally go through or do you auto cut blank space?

1:44:15 Uh I use a I use a program that captures silences.

1:44:20 Yeah.

1:44:20 And so when I want to when I'm making a transition every point, I just mute the mic

1:44:25 and uh when I'm back, I unmute the mic. So when I put it through the program, it's like this is a blank space, this is a blank space, this is a blank space. Yeah.

1:44:32 And it just cuts those out and compresses it all together.

1:44:35 Yeah, I do that. That was like the biggest boon for me in Premiere Pro uh when they came out with that be the with the text editing. But I do find sometimes it auto cuts

1:44:45 areas where I am being quiet that I probably should have been I have to be cognizant of talking as action's happening and narration which in general you do when you're filming but um you know there's been a couple where people be like hey there's just all of a sudden there you know they're rule checking me on stuff like hey you had that card and you rolled the three how did you do that? I was like, "Well, I just accidentally cut it out." You just have to believe. I'm sorry.

1:45:11 Yeah. I I have the program cut it, then I go back and review it and to make sure that it didn't cut anything out that I needed and that's when I posted. But there's no like, oh, during play, let's cut that. It It's you you're seeing the full play. It's just cutting out the silences.

1:45:29 Yeah.

1:45:29 And that's it.

1:45:30 Cool. Okay. So, that's the top 10 of games I want to play. Um, it looks like I still have a pretty decent amount to play, but you have I think you've saved me a lot of time. You saved me time. You know, probably 100 hours on Ann's Trespass. Oh, no. I totally forgot one. Holy crap. That's not it. I just jumped jumped ahead. Pass number two. A game that you've been playing a ton or throughout your channel. It might be your number one play game. Marvel United Multiverse. You play a ton, haven't you? You have everything, don't you?

1:46:04 Yeah, I do. I do. Um, we did a we did crossover campaigns. Uh, I did a crossover campaign with the co-op guild with Stephen Kim.

1:46:13 The we've played through Dom. Um, he he was the artist uh on the game Bomb Busters, which is a great family game.

1:46:20 Awesome. Bomb Busters is so good.

1:46:23 Yeah. Uh, but he was the all the art he did, but he created he created this megaver. He created first he did the the multi the massive campaign that had everything from season one and season two in it.

1:46:36 And we played through all of that, which is like 110 episodes, I think, that we did. And then this one, he created the Megaverse campaign with season 3. And um we we played we're atund 146 episodes so far.

1:46:53 Holy crap. Is that what you've played more than anything? I'm looking at this. It's like you can't go that long without you playing this game.

1:47:00 Yes. Um it's it's what I've played the most of, but because it's short and so it's very easy to bring to the table. I

1:47:08 not a lot of overhead, you know.

1:47:10 Not a lot of overhead. It's

1:47:12 less corrections. I play it during my lunchtime at work and for the lunchtime stream

1:47:18 which I'll be doing tomorrow, it takes 30 minutes, done and done

1:47:23 and and I

1:47:24 and I I love how simplistic but fun and thematic it is.

1:47:28 So I I thought this whole time it said multiverse. So multi megaverse is a campaign mode is that that's

1:47:35 Yes.

1:47:36 made by the artist of bomb busters you're saying?

1:47:38 Yeah. Yes. He

1:47:40 So this is like a fan mode that's been created. He created he created a map of all the characters in season 1, season 2, and season 3. And he interconnected them through these through these means that he has. And basically, you have to fight all the villains and walk through the map to the end, right? And the end is fighting Galactis. And it was fun.

1:48:05 Very fun.

1:48:07 One of the reasons Go ahead. Go ahead. Uh uh we beat Galactis this past weekend and so

1:48:13 is it hard meaning like is there is there pretty good difficulty to succeed?

1:48:18 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Many of the villains are very thematic and very difficult.

1:48:23 Do you feel like you have enough uh obviously you're probably going to say yes, but enough agency and choice to make it interesting?

1:48:30 To me it's always felt like it's a lighter

1:48:33 game. it,

1:48:34 but it's still But a lot of people that like heavier games actually like this.

1:48:39 And I was wondering, is it because the IP? But then a lot say it's the cool uh characters that you have to spend a lot of money on to get. It's not the base box stuff that's as interesting. Is that true?

1:48:51 Uh only for I'd probably say only for season one. Um if someone starts off with Corebox season 2 and just has that, they can play it and have fun against those villains. I think it's for villains for a very long time. Um the the really cool stuff comes with the SG, the stretch goal stuff, right? Um

1:49:10 you you get some pretty nice villains, a thick set of villains for free if you back the game. Well, don't say free. It's not free, but

1:49:18 Well, it feels like free compared to someone like me if I go try to buy it now. An insane amount of money.

1:49:24 Yeah. But um if you're like, "Hey, I want to try Marvel United." I'd say either get the Spidergdon core box or get the season two core box and you you will determine whether you like it very quickly. They don't cut you can find those for some pretty good price on Amazon still like they're not ridiculously priced and you'll see if you like it or not and go from there.

1:49:51 But yeah, I love I love this is my second favorite game of uh that I would say. What's your first

1:49:58 glue and kill for?

1:49:59 Oh, okay. Well, there you go.

1:50:01 It It will It will never fall out the number one spot because it was there for me when I needed it.

1:50:06 How much money have you spent on Marvel United?

1:50:09 Um,

1:50:11 have you you've gotten you've backed everything?

1:50:14 Yes, I have everything.

1:50:15 So, you haven't had to go uh on the black market to to get any of this stuff? Almost. I almost did because I didn't get into Marvel United until season 2 started delivering from Come on. Because I was like, "It looks cheap. It looks dumb. I don't I don't want it." Right.

1:50:31 But um but uh my friend was always saying, "You need to try this game.

1:50:36 You're going to tried it and I was like, "Oh man, that's awesome." So I started looking and I saw the insane pricing for for the stretch goal stuff. When I went to my first Gen Con, there was a shop that was there that was that had everything. And so I bought everything from the shop.

1:50:54 Oh, did you really?

1:50:55 And that's and that's how I got that's how I got everything. Yeah.

1:50:59 Ah, what's the what's your favorite character that you own?

1:51:03 H man, that's a hard one. Um Huh.

1:51:08 Doesn't have to be the best. Just the one you just like enjoy owning.

1:51:13 I That's a tough one. I'd have to I'd really have to think that. That's a tough There's a lot of them.

1:51:20 15 minutes. So,

1:51:23 I I'd have to I'd have to think about that. Like, I probably would know more about the I I like all of them. I think it's a I know it's a kind of like a cheap copout answer, but

1:51:34 I do like all of them. I think the the best fight, the best villain that I fought um has been Galactis was fun, but in terms of just kind of raw like frustrating is Legion. I think that is the best villain I've I've fought. Um that one's just he's he's a fun fight.

1:51:57 Can you play as the villains as well? Like uh like Marvel Zombies and stuff that they do? Not Not all of them. Not yet.

1:52:04 Some of them. Some of them are anti-heroes. So like Legion, you could play him as a villain or you could play him as as a hero. Um there are some that are just villains and then there's some that are um in between that you

1:52:18 are you a Marvel guy? Is this your the your IP?

1:52:22 Um yes, I'll say yes. I'm a Marvel guy. Um old school comic reader in terms. But um I also back DC United and I like the only DC thing I like is Batman.

1:52:37 Really? DC has some pretty cool like um deep cut uh characters. There's they they have some of the most wacky ones if you start to go down go down the the rabbit hole. I actually started to dig into DC a little bit after the most recent Superman movie. I really really liked it for whatever reason.

1:52:56 Watch that. I haven't watched it yet.

1:52:57 Oh my god. I came away with that going like that is such a cool movie. So I was like I was like all excited to see like what's coming up in the DC universe like um Clayface is coming out pretty soon. Uh

1:53:09 and before seeing that the Superman movie if you said oh Supergirl I was like I don't care. But after seeing I was like oh yeah Supergirl girl is going to be awesome. So

1:53:18 it's gonna be good.

1:53:19 Yeah I'm all in on that. Um have you seen the recent uh Avengers Doom Day uh Doomsday trailer?

1:53:25 Yes I have. Is that exciting for you?

1:53:29 It is only because Avengers movies are action movies. So, I'll enjoy a good action movie. Um I I've haven't had any issue with with the D with the Marvel movies or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I've enjoyed what I've seen. Um Fantastic 4 I enjoyed um a lot. The latest one I really enjoyed.

1:53:50 The style that they shot that in was really really cool. I had watched it though right after Superman and I love Superman so much it was actually sort of a let down but my wife and daughter came out of that going like that was incredible. I was like yeah it was it was pretty darn good just not Superman.

1:54:06 I need to watch I need to watch the Superman movie and see how it is. Usually usually Superman is tough for me only because I don't like people who are invincible. like

1:54:15 he's not

1:54:16 well he's got he's got uh the you know the kryptonite that makes him makes him weaker but it's just more

1:54:23 it it it makes it very this is the reason the reason why I like Marvel over DC is because

1:54:29 the one thing that Marvel did with the X-Men was they they they took they took all these things like anti-semitism, racism,

1:54:40 hate, all that and they bundled it all into this thing called a mute. and they let the world they they showed how people act when it comes to stuff they don't understand how terrible people are and it it had it had a lot of minorities relate to it and so therefore a lot of minorities like the X-Men um and because of those those things they're always pushing back against this this racial hatred and things like that

1:55:07 with with DC I like Batman because I like

1:55:11 Gotham's just so gritty you know what I the realism. Batman is you and I. It's just a normal guy. There's nothing special about Batman. He's rich.

1:55:19 Yeah.

1:55:20 You know.

1:55:21 Yeah. And so when it comes to Superman, it's just like it's very it to me I I view him like I view the Hulk. It's just

1:55:31 you're too powerful.

1:55:32 Like what what story can I put against you? What villain can I put against you that isn't in god mode already? Like with Batman, it's, you know, you've got Joker, you've got the Riddler, you've got Clayface, you've got all these different

1:55:46 people with powers or non-powers that's that that he needs to sort out so it becomes more realistic. But with

1:55:54 with Superman, it's just, okay, let's throw a guy who is a planet crusher at you, and that's your problem for the entire movie, you know. Um,

1:56:06 yeah.

1:56:06 So, so I'm I want to see the movie because I know they try to play more into the mental aspects of things of

1:56:14 having great power and and what that means and what people count on and things like that, but uh when when we go to like those comic based things, it's also unless it's unless it's a a comic that's meant to be cerebral, it it's more you're looking for the action in it, and

1:56:33 there's not a lot you can do with him that that is

1:56:37 go watch I want to say so much right now I felt the same way

1:56:42 and often I was watching that movie going why is he so weak

1:56:48 because of that same thing where I'm like it's Superman it's just Superman it does whatever you want but from the very very beginning he clearly

1:56:57 can be beat and he is not a god so watch that movie um

1:57:04 that's That's all I say. I do I do agree with that perspective. I am an X-Men guy. I grew up with the X-Men cartoon. All the X-Men movies were that was a thing. Nobody cared about the Avengers. It was all about X-Men. Wolverine, Cyclops, Cyclops, Storm, Gan Gray. All of those were were my people. Um I think they're redoing the X-Men movies, aren't they?

1:57:26 Yes. Yeah. They're gonna they're going to they're going to move into that genre soon enough after Doomsday.

1:57:32 Yeah. So, I'm excited about that. Yeah, there's the the series that I was hoping that that they would revisit in in movies. They they tried to do it once and the movie was a little campy, but um Todd, I think his name is Todd McFarland

1:57:47 created a character called Spawn.

1:57:49 Oh yeah.

1:57:50 And I love Spawn.

1:57:52 Spawn so cool.

1:57:55 I love Spawn. They HBO actually did a animated series on Spawn that was really good um years ago. I I remember watching an animated series, but it was as a Maybe it's not. Maybe I was just reading the comics.

1:58:07 No, it was probably as a kid because they it released around that time, but it it's really good. But I I love Spawn because it was like, hey, here's this here's this guy with with a condition

1:58:20 and and and it was but it wasn't about that. It was about everything else that that went that that was happening. Like the storytelling in Spawn, I'll say the early days of when it was out was so so good. Um

1:58:38 there was nothing like it. Spawn the the the visuals of just opening that comic and and looking at it, it's like this is incredible. Like that long flowing cape that just would like, you know, go through everything. It was just, you know, a really beautiful art as much as you can call it beautiful

1:58:56 and it and it was and it was very very relatable because it was just more who the character was. Um, you know, when I I remember he, you know, who the things that they went through because it wasn't, hey, I'm sitting in this tower or working with this team of people. He was a bum in an alley, right? Um, well, his character is hiding with bums in an alley because he's trying to reconcile with who he is,

1:59:24 but there was this really good stint of times where something happened and he got shot across the country

1:59:30 and he landed in the south. Um um and it was basically this one story about this wellrespected cop who the town loved and he was this personable person, but he was physically abusive to his children.

1:59:45 And it it how that entire story played out was so well written and gritty that I was like I I I I like

1:59:56 I like the real of it. Like how they try to to make it the real. And as he's making his way back to New York, he runs into these different instances of things um to help. He uh it was I I highly recommend if anybody wants they read the old stuff. It's good writing.

2:00:16 Yeah, I think I still have a bunch of the earies. I don't have number one. I think I started with number three and I never never went back one. Didn't care to as a as a young kid. I was just kind of just

2:00:28 Yeah. just keep going through it. Yeah,

2:00:30 on my algorithm every once in a while there's like, oh, who would win in these heroes? And there's these guys that really just like know the lore and the power of like all of the I don't know. They're probably bullshitting. Um, but Spawn gets really high. Apparently, Spawn is incredibly powerful relative to other superheroes. Not something I ever ever knew. So, um, that's probably BSawn.

2:00:51 Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's it. I mean, when you have the power of hell behind you, um, yeah,

2:00:56 you know, like Lobo as well. Apparently, Lobo is is is uh incredibly powerful also.

2:01:02 Yeah.

2:01:03 So, I don't know. I don't I'm not that deep into it. Um so, we're going to wrap this up, but before we do, the last thing I wanted to talk about is like what's to come on your channel? Like what what should we be We're moving off of Aon's Trespass. What should we be excited for on uh Kangi Studios?

2:01:19 Yeah, I'll be um I'll be moving off of Aon Trespass and we'll be uh Mark and I will be playing Isafarian Guard. Um, so we'll be playing through that. Um, there's still more Marvel United to play. Um, lots of characters to still cover always. And, um,

2:01:38 I' I've been playing Sentinels of the Multiverse and enjoying it.

2:01:41 Yes, I've seen that a lot.

2:01:43 So, I'm I'm liking I'm playing that. Um, one of the viewers actually found the box that I was missing and was able to send it to me via Amazon. And so, I'm very thankful that I was able to get that. So, I'll be playing Sentinels of Multiverse. And once I finish with that, um, it'll be I'll find another game to play. Um, one of my friends who I played Aon's End with, he'll be back soon to play that. And I'm still playing through on Sundays. I've been playing through Zombide, um, second edition. So, I've been playing some games there for fun. Um, I'm waiting on Lands of Evershade. When that comes in, that's hitting the table. Uh, so

2:02:23 that that's the game that I'll be looking forward to.

2:02:26 If you have anything coming up or anything you want to play on TTS that you can uh you use another person, I have a ton of time open. So, um I I would love to to play some games with you sometime and maybe we'll meet up.

2:02:39 At a um at at a convention. I don't know if you're going to anything this summer.

2:02:43 I'm going to Gen Con this year as well. You should try it. It's it's not what you expect, but it's Oh, then I'll meet you there.

2:02:49 I'm I'm for sure. I'm probably going to Origins as well.

2:02:53 Okay. Yeah. Um, in terms of in terms of playing on TTS, um, I'm trying to find my way back to it. The reason why I say that, um, I before it was three of us that played every Sunday like clockwork. It was, and we played on TTS because one of them lived in Canada, one in the UK, and then there's me. And so, uh, me and me and my two very close dear friends, we played Arkham Horror, the card game. every Sunday, right? We've played through every cycle except for what was just recently released. And we were on

2:03:27 fan-made content. Well, um around March, uh one of them died.

2:03:33 Oh, man.

2:03:33 And and she and she she was she was a dear friend, and it it doesn't feel right at this time to play Arkham Horror without her. Like, she was the one who

2:03:46 she was the one who got me into Arkham Horror. She was the one who did all the player deck building and everything. And we uh Cynthia and I, we both were just like, "Yeah, it doesn't feel right to play this game with her right now. The womb's too fresh." So, we'll get back to it. But we're trying to find our way back to playing games. But yeah, we'll be more once we once we get going or if a game comes up, I'll I'll reach out to you and see if you want to join.

2:04:11 Yeah. If you want to get through a campaign together, whatever it is, I'm down for multiple sessions. I can grind.

2:04:16 Sure. all the time right now. So, um, you know, and probably in the foreseeable future. So, uh, yeah, I'd be I'd be honored to be able to play with you with something.

2:04:26 Yeah. No, thank Yeah, I I' I'd welcome it. I always welcome it.

2:04:30 Awesome. Well, thanks for being on here. This has been We're perfect. 8:30, perfect. Two hours. It just just flew right by. It's awesome to talk to you. I hope others got to know you like I got to know you here. And u I think so much of this world is in short clips. And I will be clipping this up to hopefully get more people to watch it. But, uh, I really I really hope to have, you know, people find this video and and find you. Um, because you're awesome and I love what you're doing in the hobby.

2:04:59 Thank you for having me. It has been an absolute pleasure. Um, I I had a great time chatting with you. As you said, time flew by. So, it's been great.

2:05:06 Cool. And we'll have to do this again. Maybe more topic based, talk about some games we've played, all that stuff. If I um uh if you'll ever come back, I would love to have you.

2:05:17 Yeah. What are you talking about? Just let me know when and I'll be and I'll I'll come to hang out. Of course. Thanks, Derek. I appreciate it.

2:05:24 Have a good night.

2:05:25 All right. Have a good night.

2:05:26 Bye.

2:05:27 Bye.