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What are some of the best two player board games for date night? – Ask The Bellhop

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One of the first questions I answered here on the Tabletop Bellhop blog was "What are some good two player games?" This is, by far, the most popular post I've written. It's also one that I still get a lot of comments on. Many of those comments are asking me for more specific two player game recommendations. People want to know what are the best board games for couples, or games to play on date night.

Playing games is something my wife and I do together often. When we do have a night out without the kids it often involves a nice meal, some craft beer, and some gaming. Over the years we've found quite a few games that work great for when it's just the two of us. [ READ MORE ]

The Mixer – Games for a Game Night with a Mix of Gamers and Non-gamers – Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast

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 This is the 63rd episode of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, an edited version of our live show recorded on October 16th, 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to individual segments from this show on YouTube.

The Mixer - Great games for when your table is a mix of gamers and non-gamers. Extra Life Board Game Blitz wrap up. Endeavor, Anachrony and The Duke in our week in review. [ READ MORE ]

Great Board Games For When You Have a Mix of Gamers and Non-Gamers – Ask the Bellhop

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What do you play when your board game table is a mix of experienced board game players and people new to hobby board games? That's what I will be discussing today based on this question:

Samantha Bryant asks:
What are some of your favorite games for when you've got a mixed crowd of mundanes and gamers? I'm looking for things that are simple enough that they won't overwhelm nubes, but interesting enough to engage gamers in the same group. [ READ MORE ]

Actual Play of Eminent Domain the Deck-Building Game with the Escalation Expansion. Bonus Kingdomino AP

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A live play of the board game Eminent Domain using Escalation, the first expansion for Eminent Domain.

This is our latest Actual Play video where we play a three-player game of the deck-builder Eminent Domain along with its first expansion: Escalation, both published by Tasty Minstrel Games. At the end, there's a bonus play and teach of Kingdomino from Blue Orange Games.
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Start of Fall Answer All, AMA or rather Ask Us Anything – Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast

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 This is the 60th episode of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, an edited version of our live show recorded on September 25th, 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to individual segments from this show on YouTube.

Start of Fall Answer All, AMA - Our first monthly AMA or rather Ask Us Anything episode. Also a review of FunkoVerse Harry Potter, Windsor ComiCon game demos, EZY mode game night and three home games in our Bellhop’s Tabletop segment. [ READ MORE ]

The Great Outdoors – Discussing Great Games to Bring Camping – Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast

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 This is the 57th episode of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, an edited version of our live show recorded on September 4th, 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm. Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to individual segments from this show on YouTube.

The Great Outdoors. We talk about what makes for a good game to bring on a camping trip and offer up 22 camping game recommendations. Also, two-player Sorcerer, Raiders of the North Sea with a new player and streaming online board game plays with Board Game Arena. [ READ MORE ]

Raiders of the North Sea, Sorcerer and Some Digital Board Game Arena Streaming – Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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I only got a couple of physical games to the tablet this week. The first was the fantastic Raiders of the North Sea from Renegade games and the second was a two-player game of Sorcerer from White Wizard Games.

I noted physical games because the other thing we did this past week is start something new. Thursday nights we're planning on live streaming some digital board game plays. This past Thursday Deanna, Sean and I played and live streamed a few rounds of Carcassonne played over Board Game Arena.
Besides streaming Carcassonne the three of us have also been trying out Through the Ages (the new edition) on BGA and enjoying it quite a bit. I also gave Kingdomino a try. Read on to see my thoughts on all of these games. [ READ MORE ]

Gateway Games – The Next Generation – Episode 54 Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast

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 This is the 54th episode of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, an edited version of our live show recorded on August 14th, 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:30 Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to an unedited version of the show over on YouTube.

Ep 54 - Gateway Games - The Next Generation. The top gateway games of the last three years. Zenteeko review and giveaway. Dead Man’s Cabal and Sorcerer at new player counts. A return to DC Deck-Building for Sean and more! [ READ MORE ]

The Top Gateway Board Games of the Last Three Years – Ask The Bellhop

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When people mention gateway games everyone thinks of Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and maybe Ticket To Ride. The thing is, these games are all over 15 years old! Surely there must be some gateway games that are more modern, games that have come out recently that make for great introductions to the world of hobby board games.

This post is inspired by a question by MrUncleAwesome, who contacted me on Twitch, to write:
What is your favorite newish game to play with people just getting into the hobby, after games like catan, and ticket to ride? [ READ MORE ]