The Cabal Dossier

In episode #12, the gang gives you a walkthrough and review of the new Fantasy Flight re-imagining of the Tom Jolly Ameri-Trash classic, Wiz-War. Then they have a round table discussion of the pros and cons of per-fabricated and homebrew campaign settings in role playing games. And finally the founders wrap up the show with a discussion about what makes board games fun.

Episode Timeline:
Wiz War Walkthrough: 00:32
Wiz War Review: 00:42
Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:03
Prefab vs. Homebrew: 01:20
What Makes Board Games Fun: 01:58

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In episode #11, Jamie explains what a euro and ameri-trash games are and then the founders bring you a walkthrough and review of the new fantasy euro classic, Dungeon Lords designed by Vlaada Chvátil. Then as usual, Tony breaks out his news and gives some a glimpse into whats happening in the gaming world. Lastly, the founders introduce a new segment called The Secret Cabal Playlists in which they discuss their favorite games right now or the ones they want to play most.

Episode Timeline:
And Now You Know: Euro and Amer-Trash Games: 00:19
Dungeon Lords Walkthrough: 00:30
Dungeon Lords Review: 00:40
Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:05
The Secret Cabal Playlists: 01:29

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In episode #10, the founders bust out the new Donald X Vaccarino game, Kingdom Builder and give you their thoughts.  Then Tony T brings you all the hot and juicy news items that he’s collected for the last two weeks ending with the biggest news, Wizards of the Coast announced development of the next edition of Dungeons and Dragons and we have a round table discussion about the announcement and what we might like to see in the new ruleset.  Then the founders shift gears and discuss randomness versus skill in board games (Tony would prefer “Randomness versus No Randomness).

Episode Timeline:
Kingdom Builder Walkthrough: 00:32
Kingdom Builder Review: 00:39
Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:00
The Next Edition of D&D: 01:18
Randomness Versus Skill in Board Games: 02:00

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In episode #9, the first episode of the new year, the founders go into the Secret Cabal library and break out Elder Sign and Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt. In Elder Sign players cooperatively explore a museum and try to stop the return of an Ancient One, an old god. In The Legend of Drizzt, players play varying scenarios in a dungeon crawl style board game. The adventures can be cooperative or competitive, with players taking the role of characters specific to the stories. Following the review Tony brings us the gaming news from the past two weeks. Then the founders have a round table discussion about Analysis Paralysis in board games and follow it up with a round table on Management of Minutiae in tabletop role playing games.

Episode Timeline:
Elder Sign Walkthrough: 00:26
Elder Sign Review: 00:33
Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt Brief: 00:50
Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt Review: 00:52
Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:18
Analysis Paralysis Discussion: 01:36
Management of Minutiae in tabletop Discussion: 02:00

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In today’s episode we’re full of joy and goodwill as we review the Stronghold Game’s release “Panic Station.  Panic Station is the perfect Christmas game as players cooperate to eradicate a pesky alien species from a dark and creepy sci-fi installation – but look out, the players are quickly becoming infected and are turning on each other.  Then Tony rounds up a mess of news stories from the gaming industry and we give our two cents.  We polish off this holiday special with a round table discussion about our Christmas wishlists!

Episode Timeline:
Panic Station Walkthrough: 00:54
Panic Station Review: 01:02
Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:25
Our Christmas Wishlists: 01:47
The Secret Cabal Secret Santa! 02:28

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In episode #7, the founders go into the Secret Cabal library and break out At the Gates of Loyang to give you a walkthrough and a review. In At the Gates of Loyang players compete as farmers, growing goods to meet their customers demands. Players utilize helpers, extra fields, markets, and create contracts with customers to try to generate the most wealth. At the end of each round players can invest their revenue in the scoring track, with the winner of the game being the one with the most points at the end! Following the review Tony brings us the gaming news from the past two weeks. Then the founders have a round table discussion about role playing game mechanics.

Episode Timeline:
At the Gates of Loyang Walkthrough: 00:49
At the Gates of Loyang Review: 00:57
Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:18
Role Playing Game Mechanics Discussion: 01:30

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