Operation Game Night
Travis Smith, Jared Erickson, and Clay Gable get together to discuss the latest and greatest in board games in this weekly podcast. What's hot, what's hitting the table, featured discussions about board games and the board gaming culture, and the primary mission objective- to play more board games!
Episodes
102 episodes
We Bought Too Many Games & a Pizza Oven...No Regrets
Holiday chaos meets game night comfort, and it turns out that’s the perfect combo. We swap stories from six Christmases, a last-minute MC gig, and a road trip wedding that turned into a used-game treasure hunt—then zero in on the party games an...
•
22:27
Why We Keep Playing Board Games
Ever wonder why some hobbies fade while others become part of your identity? We open the door to our game closets and our calendars to unpack why board gaming keeps its grip—through job changes, parenting, and a hundred other distractions—when ...
•
27:02
The Best Reiner Knizia Game for Every Table (Chosen by Knizia)
What if you could choose the perfect board game for any table, every time? We sit down with Dr. Reiner Knizia and put his legendary catalog to the test—throwing real game-night scenarios at him and asking for exact recommendatio...
•
32:49
.png)
OTF: Holiday Fun with Mike & Tiff
The plan was simple: hop the fence and talk about life beyond the table. What followed was a tour of real projects, real rest, and the stories that keep us curious. Mike is in the final stretch of transforming a 1950s metal trailer into a cozy ...
•
26:58
Special Ops: Holiday Grab Bag of Games!
Looking for fresh games that actually hit the table? We dig into a stack of recent plays that span fast fillers, tight two-player duels, a chewy co-op, a welcoming auction classic, and even a solo RPG you can toss in your bag. The throughline i...
•
48:54
Debrief: Tag Team from Scorpion Masqué
A duel that teaches itself, bites fast, and still makes you sweat—Tag Team brings auto-battler energy to the tabletop without the bloat. We break down how two fighters per side, a locked deck order, and a single placement choice each round can ...
•
16:52
Special Ops: Publishers On A Hot Streak
What makes a board game leap off the shelf and onto the table, again and again? We dig into the publishers whose choices—production quality, component feel, rule clarity, art direction, and smart release strategies—turned solid designs into go-...
•
26:58
Special Ops: 2025's Noteworthy "New-to-Us" Games (ft. Tiff from @Tiffs.Board.Games)
We swap stories with Tiffany from Tiffs Board Games and share the best “new to us” plays that defined our year, from gentle family co-ops to solo epics and evergreen euros. The thread that ties them together is clean design, strong arc, and tab...
•
53:57
Special Ops: The Knizia Mount Rushmore (ft. Nick Murray from Bitewing Games)
What if you had to carve Reiner Knizia’s legacy into stone—just four games to represent a career that spans genres, decades, and thousands of tables? We are pumped to be joined by Bitewing Games’ Nick Murray to help us do exactly that, starting...
•
1:19:27
Special Ops: A Rookie’s Ride Through PAX Unplugged
A first-timer’s crash course at PAX Unplugged turns from chaos to clarity after a late badge pickup, an impulse buying spree, and an anchor meetup with designer Paul Solomon at the Game Head booth. We share hard-won tips on planning, scheduling...
•
22:15
OTF: Talkin' Turkey and Texts to the Void
We roast the perfect smoked turkey, rescue a podcast from broken texts, and marathon board games until the table begs for mercy. Retro hardware meets Switch advice, while a koi dilemma becomes a quiet lesson in stewardship and starting fresh.
•
30:29
Joint Ops: OGN Takes Over Games Y Mas for Thanksgiving
A podcast takeover with heart, dice, and a little chaos: we hijacked Games Y Mas to say thanks and to build your holiday game bag with confidence. We start by unpacking the three mechanics that made our year brighter—deck building for agency an...
•
35:30
Debrief: We Played Dungeons and Dragons!
The road was quiet, the horses were not, and our dice had other plans. We jumped into Dungeons & Dragons 5e with a veteran DM guiding us through a one-shot that quickly became a masterclass in what makes tabletop role-playing so compelling:...
•
25:30
Special Ops: Jerry’s Board Game Comeback
Jerry returns with stories of a surprise Azul date night, a rediscovered $100 Vegas mini-game, and fresh takes on gateway games that can coax non-gamers into regular play. We swap strategies for The Quest for El Dorado, pitch Redwood for photog...
•
22:26
Special Ops: Civilization Board Game Draft...Ants Are Cool!
We draft two original civilization board games with only $30 and 10 rounds, forcing bold choices on theme, mechanics, designer, art, publisher, box size, player count, and length. One becomes an insect super-civ of tech and diplomacy, the other...
•
30:40
OTF: Game Night Off The Rails
We pivot from a planned board game origin to a candid catch-up on leadership growth, masculine archetypes, stadium joy, and sobering screen stories. Between a Steelers defensive explosion and a YMCA Wi-Fi meltdown, we land on what helps friends...
•
19:36
Debrief: The Hobbit: There And Back Again, A Roll-And-Write By Reiner Knizia
We share first impressions of The Hobbit: There and Back Again, a roll-and-write that blends dice drafting with a story you can feel across eight evolving chapters. From dwarf paths to riddles in the dark, we highlight why the theme lands, wher...
•
24:33
Debrief: Falcons- the US Air Force Academy Board Game
We debrief Falcons, the U.S. Air Force Academy board game, walking through how it plays, where it shines, and who will love it most. Theme and art carry a brisk time-track system, with competitions and events adding light strategy and table ban...
•
22:10
Debrief: Origin Story by Stonemaier Games
We unpack how Origin Story fuses classic trick-taking with character-building powers, letting you charge abilities with stamina and choose between hero or villain scoring for sharp, thematic pivots. We weigh the balance of chaos and control acr...
•
20:54
Special Ops: We Pitch Netflix's Catan Adaptations (ft. Vic from Games Y Más)
A streaming giant just picked up one of the most beloved board games on Earth, and our imaginations ran wild. We set out to answer a big question: how do you turn Catan’s trade, tension, and that pesky robber into stories worth binging? With fr...
•
21:20
OTF: Jared Returns From The Crypt!
A foggy graveyard, rattling dice, and a familiar voice rising from the crypt—Jared’s back, and we’re cracking open a night of stories that blend family life, hobby joy, and the kind of plans that keep a gaming calendar buzzing. We kick off with...
•
22:40
Debrief: EGO by Reiner Knizia and Bitewing Games
Bidding in space shouldn’t feel this tense, but Ego makes every card you play—or don’t—matter. We explore why this Bitewing Games re-imagining of Reiner Knizia’s Beowulf clicks: a modular journey across alien worlds, a smooth checklist of actio...
•
20:57
Debrief: Money! by Reiner Knizia
We break down Money! by Reiner Knizia, a quick blind-bidding card game where scoring thresholds and trio bonuses create sharp, swingy decisions. We compare it to High Society and other Knizia auctions, talk player counts, and share who should c...
•
16:32
Debrief: Madcala- A Wonderland's War Game by Druid City Games
A duel at a Wonderland tea table shouldn’t feel this sharp—but Madcala turns classic Mancala into a fast, tactical fight that rewards nerve and clean planning. We sit down with this two-player brawler from Druid City Games and unpack why the li...
•
19:02
Debrief: The Old King's Crown by Eerie Idol Games
A fading crown. A table full of secrets. We’re diving into The Old King’s Crown—a heavy, heady blend of bluffing, bidding, and brutal clashes—where every season reshapes the map and every decision echoes across years. We unpack how the game’s s...
•
29:00