One of the few board game podcasts about about games I love and the hosts completely ruin it by being insufferable jerks.

These guys are so down to earth and fun to listen to. I love the fact that they will be absolutely straight up about sucky games and speak honestly about them and just move on. Plus their taste in games is amazing. To address the weaklings that may be offended by some of their comments on games… if you DO find yourself offended by their comments on games you love, you might just like sucky games, and that’s okay. You’re allowed to buy sucky games, play sucky games, etc… but let’s not blame DOAM for that. You’re allowed to enjoy those crappy games as often as you want. On a side note… I was personally VERY offended at their comments on Castles of Burgundy, but… instead of leaving a crappy review on here and swearing the show off… I realized… Castles of Burgundy probably IS sucky, and I just happen to like it. So I used my life experience and adult mind set to just move on silently and continue to enjoy both THIS podcast, as well as the games they smash on occasionally. Turns out that’s possible! Tooooootttttt!!! 🚂 (shout it high pitch)

Very well thought out episodes with lots of fun bits. Definitely my favorite gaming podcast out there. Between the Choo Choo crew episodes, COIN collectors, and general episodes with lots of family games talk, there really is something for everyone here.

I have listened to three episodes and had to give up in the show. They embrace insulting and attacking in both the games that they play as well as the reviews they give games they don’t like. The last show I listened to, and I couldn’t finish, as the one where they re-ranked the BGG top 20 games. Every time they came across a game they didn’t like, it was described as though it was trash. The worst offenses, however, occurred when they reviewed a game they had never played. Any other podcast that ranks games at least comes to the review with an informed opinion. The very least they could have done was go to BGG and read the blurb about the games in question. Their opinions of the games made it obvious that they only knew the games by name and reputation alone. This was especially apparent when they reviewed Star Wars: Rebellion. They complained how many expansions it has as well as how the combat system is simply a tactical ships-on-a-table exercise. Rebellion only has one expansion, so I was confused until I realized that they were thinking of the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game. This lazy approach to the reviews occurred with almost every game that they had never played. The games were insulted, the designers insulted, and the games relegated to the bottom of the list since they had no interest in playing them and often had no knowledge of how the game played. The final critique of this show is the extraordinary inconsistency with one of their primary complaints about some of the games they didn’t think deserved to be on the list: play time. They devote entire segments of their show promoting 18xx games. I would think the length of a game would not be much of a factor, but it apparently is. I unfollowed the show after that episode. Their glee at tearing down games, designers, and, apparently, game opponents is simply too much a part of the show for me to enjoy it. The laziness and inconsistency of opinion when reviewing games is also a huge detriment. I hope they can do better in the future, but these attributes seem to be integral parts of themselves that they recognize and celebrate, so I don’t hold out much hope.

I found Dads on a Map when the podcast Cardboard Reality came to an end. Sanchez and James have a fun podcast going that focuses on a group that, while somewhat narrow focused, is one I belong to—dads who enjoy board gaming, specifically at the heavier end of the spectrum. The trials they experience in getting games to the table are similar to my own because balancing family responsibilities with hobbies isn’t easy, and it gets more challenging with the meatier offerings in the hobby—18xx, Pax games, etc. These guys tackle them and offer strong opinions. May not always agree, but at least they aren’t endorsing every new Kickstarter. If you’re looking to hear about the new hotness, DoaM may not be the podcast for you, but if you’re interested in learning about some of the more obscure niches in the board gaming hobby and those entry points (and warrens found much further down the rabbit hole), this is the one.