Shelf Stable Podcast

Congrats! Super exciting.

Issue 19: Summer 2025 Issue 19 of Senet magazine: Jamey Stegmaier, Sandara Tang, Catan, push-your-luck games, holiday-themed games, previews, reviews and more!

@mattthr.bsky.social wrote a solid piece on Catan in the summer issue of @senetmagazine.bsky.social.

It really captures both Catan's inspirations as well as how it inspired others in the hobby.

senetmagazine.com/products/iss...

Big announcement!!!

I will be working with the folks at @unstablegames.bsky.social to set up a brand new sister studio as the lead game designer!

You may know them as the people behind Unstable Unicorns, Here to Slay, and more.

I’m so so excited for the future, and what we will create together!

Phone last night: look, I know you've declined the update every day for the last month but you really need this one so we'll do it at 2AM regardless

Phone this morning: hey your battery is kinda shit since we updated so... you need a new phone

Reminder to disclose whether they were purchased or review dinner items when posting pictures of your delicious dinner haul!

Innovation 4th Edition with a note inside: “Right after printing all the rulebooks, we noticed one tiny omission: We forgot to outright say that turn order is clockwise, we just reference it in a number of places throughout the rules. Sorry about that! *After your turn ends, play passes to the left.* Enjoy Innovation!”

This is the funniest and least necessary errata I’ve seen in a game! 🌟

Cheers @asmadigames.bsky.social !!

A Facebook marketplace listing for a fabric poster of shirtless Gibby from iCarly priced at $5

Never change FB marketplace...

With regards to learning on BGA: I totally agree. Sometimes it can be helpful because of the tutorials and because BGA automates and avoids rules errors. Other times it can be difficult because things are just harder to visualize on a screen than in person.

Just discovering your bluesky and youtube. Esme is absolutely adorable!

In light of CGE releasing that horrible collaboration, I'm going to try and offset it a little - I'll donate my next royalty check from Fox in the Forest to The Trevor Project. I think Q2 will be here soon.

For the past 6 months CGE has been a sponsor of The Cabal and it's been great. I love their games and the people I've worked with have been awesome but in light of their recent bullshit, I can't in good conscience continue our relationship and chose not to renew our contract.

A blue box to the left with four sillhouette-style humans, each notably wearing wizard-like robes from the Harry Potter universe. The box says Codenames and Back to Hogwarts on it, with Harry Potter in golden letters at the bottom. To the right, a cartoon astronaut head in a Harry Potter scarf winks, a variation of the logo of board game publisher Czech Games Edition.

Reviewers including No Pun Included and Shut Up & Sit Down are boycotting Codenames publisher CGE for releasing a new Harry Potter-themed game while ignoring JK Rowling’s anti-trans rhetoric:

boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...

Shelf Stable: A Board Gaming Podcast: #51 Board Game Black Mirror Do you ever get the feeling that we're just living in one big simulation? Like we might just be pawns in a big Game of Life, and we're just being played by hyper-dimensional beings who are complaining...

Ep 51 is up! shelfstablecast.com/51-board-gam...

Recorded prior to CGE's announcement (that will be in next week's). For now, enjoy a different flavor of suck.

Well Tom... Looks like we're going to have to break our "no new games" resolution once more. I call The Duchess.

Oh my goodness! ♥️♥️♥️
When you mentioned you were working on something for a book series, I sadly assumed my brain was too fried to have read or known about it. So excited to see this masterpiece of a series adapted!

@timclare.bsky.social, @ava.foxfort.net and I are embarking on a new audio endeavour. Send us all your tabletop gaming related questions. We want to hear about your dilemmas, historical mysteries, and anything else you can think of. I can be reached here or below

giantbrain.co.uk/our-work-rev...

Ours bsky.app/profile/shel...

We were planning to cover Galaxy Trucker in an upcoming episode's 100 games segment. In light of @czechgames.com's recent statement regarding the "vast world of magic", we'll be repurposing the time to discuss CGE's statment. Friendly reminder to all: trans rights are human rights.

Loved it!

Board game stock market today: anthro animals out, Japanese tourism in

However, Knizia wins if we are measuring by AAH (average annual hits)

@tombrewster.bsky.social ooh the take is burning hot, but I do ultimately agree that the win rate is higher for Kramer Kiesling

YouTube video by Shut Up & Sit Down Tom’s Top 150ish Board Games - 2025 Edition

Collection Update! This week, Tom is pointing at his shelves and saying what games are on it. There’s more than last time! Some of them are different! Don’t say that we don’t treat you 😘

youtu.be/4c094_na26g

Shelf Stable: A Board Gaming Podcast: #50 Burnout We've all been there. You want to show your cool high school teacher that Code Geass is a lot like an ancient philosopher's teachings. Then you show the clip for a bit too long and all of a sudden you...

Episode 50. The cool teacher says come on up and share your anime with the class.

shelfstablecast.com/50-burnout

Casual reminder if you are in a fraternity: preorder your Astronomer CEO Halloween costume now to avoid the stress of the holidays.

when people ask me how I lost that board game so badly despite listening to the entire rules explanation

"Everything human is pathetic. The secret source of humor itself is not joy, but sorrow." ~some dingus

+2 to @neilan.bsky.social: Disclosure ft Sam Smith, always.

The line I draw relates to access. Patreon gift or non-game goodies, even well-meaning, will only serve to motivate. Review copy might still motivate, but at least it enables access to the game. I don't consider access as advertising.

Some good writing from Dan as usual

Mentions:

5:03 Yellow & Yangtze @grailgames.bsky.social

14:53 Bohnanza @amigogames.bsky.social

19:22 Space Base @alderaceg.bsky.social