It’s another episode where we can’t shut up! Joel and Chris talk theme parks and tv before we jump into a new segment with Board Games 101, where Joel convinces Chris it’s okay to talk about hard things. Then Chris gets his revenge with a game of Pass the Test (spoiler alert: Joel can not) before we hit some exciting and disappointing things on the board game horizon as we take another look at the Highlight Reel. Stick with us to the end for a moment of zen when one of us writes two haiku to pay homage to the winner of our Golden Geek competition. We’re high brow now!

Segments:

• 00:00:00—Intro
• 00:00:49—What We’ve Been Up To
• 00:10:56—What We’ve Been Reading & Watching
• 00:28:51—What We’ve Been Playing
• 01:00:14—Board Games 101: Euro vs. Ameritrash
• 01:39:27—Can Joel Pass the Test?
• 01:59:08—Highlight Reel
• 02:14:43—Golden Geek Winners
• 02:23:06—Closing and Sign Off

Tune in for an epic episode where Joel and Chris are joined by Mat Cousineau of the Dice, Camera, Action podcast to talk all things Star Wars. After learning about three games that define Mat as a gamer, Joel will put Mat and Chris head-to-head in a brand new game called Settling Scores. Then we’ll talk about some of our favorite Star Wars media in a segment called 3-2-1 Star Wars. And finally we’ll share listener feedback and our own picks for Star Wars games or rethemes we wish existed. All that plus a secret segment from Chris! The Force will need to be with you to get through this extra long episode, but maybe, just maybe we’ll answer the biggest Star Wars question of all: just how did Palpatine return? (Spoiler alert: we won’t.)

Segments:

• 00:00:00—Intro

• 00:00:54—Meet our Guest: Mat Cousineau

• 00:05:23—What We’ve Been Watching

• 00:22:46—What We’ve Been Playing

• 00:40:52—Mad Lib: Word Choices

• 00:47:00—Mat’s 3 Games that Define Him as a Gamer

• 01:11:43—Settling Scores: Star Wars Edition

• 01:36:49—3-2-1 Star Wars!

• 02:41:11—QOTE: What Star Wars Game is Missing?

• 03:07:39—Mad Lib: Star Wars

• 03:11:36—Closing and Sign Off

In this bonus episode Joel and Chris look at the nominees for BGG’s 2025 Golden Geek awards by choosing what they would like to see win and comparing it to what they think will actually win. They ask where Toy Battle fits in the gaming scheme, contemplate how many times Galactic Cruise and Fate of the Fellowship can be nominated for awards, and try to determine what weight of games they play the most of (answer: lighter than 25 lbs). It’s a very special short episode, where short means under 90 minutes!

Segments:

• 00:00:00—Welcome and Introduction
• 00:00:33—What we've been up to
• 00:10:18—Golden Geek Awards Overview
• 00:11:45—2p Game
• 00:21:39—Artwork & Presentation
• 00:29:32—Cooperative Game
• 00:34:06—Expansion
• 00:41:10—Innovative
• 00:46:29—Party Game
• 00:49:55—Solo Game
• 00:53:13—Wargame
• 00:56:13—Best Board Game Podcast
• 00:59:57—Best Board Game App
• 01:01:35—Thematic Game
• 01:05:36—Heavy Game of the Year
• 01:10:45—Light Game of the Year
• 01:13:53—Medium Game of the Year
• 01:19:21—Closing & Sign Off

Joel and Chris celebrate tax day by talking about exercise and birthdays, woodworking and pirates, and whether or not Joel’s only defining quality is being bald. Chris becomes a bit of an auspicious beast himself when he puts Azure from Bitewing Games on the Chopping Block. Then the guys discuss taxes in games by identifying three games that feature a tax mechanism, two games that feel like paying taxes, and one game worth spending your tax return on. Finally we check back in with the highlight reel for another look at what has our attention on the crowdfunding front. All that and more, like Joel offering to provide marriage counseling for Chris, on this episode of the Oak and Onion podcast!

Segments:

• 00:00:00—Welcome and Introduction
• 00:00:37—What we've been up to
• 00:14:11—What we've been playing
• 00:53:55—Chopping Block: Azure
• 01:20:04—3-2-1 Taxes!
• 01:49:42—Highlight Reel
• 02:03:58—Closing and Sign Off

It’s an episode of excess for Joel and Chris, where Chris watches the entire Marvel franchise, Joel plays games with his college friends for three days straight, and we tackle one of the questions at the heart of our consumerist hobby: how much is too much when it comes to board games? We’re not done there, either: Joel puts Perch on the Chopping Block to see whether cute stacking birds justify mean gameplay, and then Joel challenges Chris to a game of Two Truths and a Lie to see whether Chris can determine which 2026 releases are real and which are fake. Doing all that while we’re both still sleep deprived means we never know what we’ll say on this episode of Oak and Onion!

Segments:

• 00:00:00—Welcome and Introduction
• 00:00:33—What we've been up to
• 00:22:00—What we've been playing
• 00:43:31—Chopping Block: Perch
• 01:05:36—Game: Two Truths and a Lie
• 01:17:23—QOTE: How Much is Too Much?
• 01:45:46—Closing and Sign Off

Chris spent the weekend at his local convention, TokenCon, in Oklahoma City. He, and his wife Kaitlin, recap their experience at the convention, including their favorite moments, favorite games, and more. You’ll also hear interviews from Scott Brady, designer of boop., Hues and Cues, and Caution Signs, as well as Paula Deming, a few Oklahoma game publishers and designers, the TokenCon founder, and several con goers throughout the episode. Segments:

• 00:00:00—Welcome and Introduction
• 00:00:51—Meet our guest host: Kaitlin
• 00:02:17—Interview: Mike, Co-Director of TokenCon
• 00:08:05—Interview: Brandon, Art Director of TokenCon
• 00:11:04—Overall Thoughts on the Con
• 00:13:52—Interview: Cassie Sikes, Designer of Jibber Jabble
• 00:20:32—Favorite Moments of the Weekend
• 00:23:41—Interview: Paula Deming, Things Get Dicey
• 00:32:38—Interview: Scott Brady, Game Designer
• 00:44:24—#3 Game of the Weekend
• 00:49:19—Interview: Baron's Game Room
• 00:53:30—Interview: Scrapper Games
• 00:56:24—Interview: Absurdist Productions
• 01:00:45—#2 Game of the Weekend
• 01:05:38—Interview: The Guilded Grayland Game Store
• 01:10:12—Interview: Bearded Rat Mysteries
• 01:12:56—Honorable Mentions
• 01:16:59—Attendee Favorites of the Weekend
• 01:21:01—#1 Game of the Weekend
• 01:27:30—Closing and Sign Off

Joel and Chris can’t stop talking about crowdfunding in part one of a two part episode. In this episode we do a quick check-in on what we’ve been watching, as well as games on BGA and in person, and then Chris cleans off the Chopping Block for the new Stonemaier expansions Wingspan Americas and Viticulture Bordeaux. We wrap up with all the crowdfunding games on our radar, from the recently closed to the still in-progress, as well as several that have yet to launch. We react to the new Awaken Realms Concordia Special Announcement that has the game-o-sphere aflutter, and then decide we better cut out some segments if we want to keep it under two hours. Spoiler alert: we don’t keep it under two hours. But just barely! Segments:00:00:00—Welcome and Introduction00:00:36—What we've been up to00:09:06—What we've been playing00:28:48—What we've been watching00:46:40—Review Disclaimer00:47:17—Chopping Block: Wingspan Americas01:01:23—Chopping Block: Viticulture Bordeaux01:17:28—Highlight Reel02:03:37—Closing and Sign Off