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Aaron Bradley
Aaron Bradley has hosted 45 episodes.
Aaron lives in the DMV-area with this family. His affinity for hobbyist board games is only about 4-5 years old but it's undeniable. While he has been a video game content creator for 10+ years he now "struggles" with only having 24 hours in a day to enjoy analog and digital games. Aaron really enjoys games - so much that he runs a site called GameEnthus.com where he posts content of him playing, reviewing and podcasting about games.
First Appearance: Episode 127
Top 5 Games (that first came to mind):
Next Station London
Mystic Vale
Delicious
Three Sisters
AZUL Queen's Garden -
Amanda Panda
Amanda Panda has hosted 15 episodes.
Amanda Panda is an omni-gamer who loves to play and teach a variety of analog and digital board games and their creators with a diverse group of people. She really got into the hobby after the Game Haus opened in Glendale and went every Saturday with her friend Ruby. She loves having guests on her stream and interviewing the people behind your favorite games. I am also part of OFPG voices, Tabletop Live Network, and Tabletop After Dark. When she's not streaming, she turns into a panda, reads urban fiction, and does lots of different crafts.
First Appearance: Episode 163
Top 5 Games:
Takenoko
Lords of Waterdeep
Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure
Potion Explosion
Pandemic -
John Gonzalez
John Gonzalez has hosted 70 episodes.
John Gonzalez once took a train from Los Angeles to Seattle with a hundred or so video game fans for a video game convention. The experience disturbed him to the core. One good thing that came out of the trip was that he learned how to play Dominion and Munchkin, kick starting his obsession with table top games. John loves hanging out with Lorena, writing, spending time with the cats, and playing games.
First Appearance: Episode 70
Top 5 Games:
Twilight Imperium (Fourth Edition)
War of the Ring (Second Edition)
Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure
The Gallerist -
Jose Chavez
Jose Chavez has hosted 49 episodes.
Jose initially stumbled into board games in the late 00's while looking for activities to engage with teens while working as a Youth Minister. Trying out board game night for the youth sent him down a path where his board game library consisted of Zombies!!! and Ticket to Ride the card game to now hundreds of games. Jose enjoys playing games of all types, from quick simple to pick up games to long complex games. He appreciates that this hobby can provide such a wide array of experiences and hopes to share many of them with others.
First Appearance: Episode 118
Top 5 Games:
(this list is constantly shifting but as of typing this...here is are my top 5 in no particular order)
Cosmic Encounter
BattleCon: Devastation of Indines
Dominant Species
KeyFlower
Legendary Encounters: Aliens -
Meeple Lady
Meeple Lady has hosted 114 episodes.
Meeple Lady is a Phoenix-based board gamer, writer and rulebook editor. She loves playing heavy euros and wargames, writing about games and conventions, and meeting fellow gamers. When she's not playing board games, she's usually in LA visiting family and/or tap dancing.
First Appearance: Episode 44
Top 5 Games:
Battlestar Galactica
Le Havre
Terra Mystica
Nations
Lisboa -
Sarah Ovenall
Sarah Ovenall has hosted 134 episodes.
Sarah is a board gamer, swing DJ, and classic movie buff. Her first experience with board games was obsessively playing Cosmic Encounter in the 1980s, and she rediscovered the hobby a few years ago when friends invited her to a game of Betrayal at the House on the Hill. Sarah's favorite games are often those that create a strong narrative.
First Appearance: Episode 10
Top 5 Games:
Gloomhaven
Sleeping Gods
Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
Paperback
Concordia
Retired Hosts
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Justin Bell
Justin Bell has hosted 34 episodes.
Justin (he/him/his) is a contributor at Meeple Mountain, where he writes about the hobby he has loved since he played a game called Mertwig's Maze decades ago. A resident of the Chicagoland area, Justin loves to spend time with his wife and two kids, eat out when he can, and watch NBA basketball when he's not rolling dice.
First appearance: Episode 130
Top 5 Games:
City of the Big Shoulders
Covert
Stockpile
The Red Cathedral
Vinhos: Deluxe Edition -
Ruel Gaviola
Ruel Gaviola has hosted 91 episodes.
Ruel Gaviola loves board games, books, cooking, traveling, Star Wars, and date nights with his wife. He is a contributor to Geek & Sundry, iSlaytheDragon, and Tabletop-Test. His name rhymes with Superman’s Kryptonian name.
First Appearance: Episode 31
Top 5 Games:
Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition
Viticulture w/Tuscany Essential Edition
Blood Rage
Terraforming Mars w/Prelude
Brass: Birmingham -
Christy Keele
Christy Keele has hosted 29 episodes.
Christy has been gaming as a hobbyist since 2011. She loves light- and medium-weight games that are rich in theme, and is easily distracted by shiny components. Throughout the year, you can find her attending and volunteering at conventions near Indianapolis, participating in game groups (but also being an introverted hermit), listening to podcasts, and posting geeklists and the occasional blog posts on BGG. Christy's favorite ways of connecting online are Twitter, Instagram, and Slack. Her other interests include fountain pens, crafting her own board game pieces, playing the piano, and being a long-distance cat mom.
First Appearance: Episode 53
Top 5 Games:
Yokohama
Summoner Wars
Magic Maze
Fury of Dracula 3rd Ed
Concordia -
Lydia-Rae Wehmeyer
Lydia-Rae Wehmeyer has hosted 9 episodes.
Lydia-Rae Wehmeyer is the public speaking and drama director at Brittany Woods Middle School in University City, Missouri. She uses board games and RPG's with her students as a more inclusive way to build community, promote diversity of all abilities, strengthen communication and lastly as an additional source to help inviduals with trauma to find alternative ways to self care. When Lydia isn't teaching, she loves to paint, play board games (of course) and sit in a coffee shop drinking her favorite latte "Espresso Patronum"
First Appearance: Episode 92
Top 5 Games:
Lords of Waterdeep
Terraforming Mars
Epic Spell Wars
Clank Series
Dead of Winter -
Luke Matthews
Luke Matthews has hosted 39 episodes.
Luke is a writer, living in the Pacific Northwest with his two dogs, two cats, and a wife who loves board games almost as much as he does. When he’s not writing he’s customizing board games, when he’s not customizing he’s recording video tutorials and podcasts. The other 80% of the time he tries to squeeze some board gaming in around wasting time on social media.
First Appearance: Episode 50
Top 5 Games:
Coimbra
Ginkgopolis
Council of 4
Pulsar 2849
Grand Austria Hotel -
Kathryn Harmon
Kathryn Harmon has hosted 25 episodes.
Kathryn started gaming at 6 when her mother decided she was old enough to learn Bridge. Modern boardgames slowly filtered into her life but became an obsession over a memorable 15th wedding anniversary trip with Tzol'kin, Race for the Galaxy, and Pret-a-Porter. Kathryn admins the Couple of Gamer's Guild on BGG, for significant others who game together. In her other life she matches young readers with their perfect book, and runs a STEM program teaching 3D modelling, Lego Robotics, and Electronics.
First Appearance: Episode 17
Top 5 Games:
Grand Austria Hotel
Great Western Trail
The Gates of Loyang
Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
Factory Funner -
Laura Donovan Bannister
Laura Donovan Bannister has hosted 16 episodes.
Laura lives in New England with her husband and future pets. She grew up playing board games and card games, and after discovering modern board games five-ish years ago, she’s become a semi-professional shelf reorganizer. In her free time Laura enjoys writing fiction, finding hidden gems at estate sales, and introducing people to the hobby. She’s worked in the tech industry for over two decades but doesn’t know how to fix your computer.
First Appearance: Episode 53
Top 5 Games:
Laura doesn’t know what her top 5 games are because her brain doesn’t work that way. She doesn’t have favorite movies, bands, or even a favorite color. But the types of games she enjoys most are highly thematic games, hybrid ameri-euro games, social deduction games, and fillers. She promises to put together a Top 5 list someday but we’re not sure we believe her. -
Lindsay Miller
Lindsay Miller has hosted 39 episodes.
Lindsay is a self confessed tabletop game addict from the UK. Since discovering the exciting world of modern board gaming she has been sharing her love for the hobby through her blog, YouTube channel and Instagram page. Her favourite thing has got to be sitting down with a cup of tea to pop some cardboard and delve into a rulebook. Lindsay is a fan of many genres, but big heavy euros and sci-fi themes are always top choices.
First Appearance: Episode 1
Top 5 Games:
Terraforming Mars
Arkwright
The Gallerist
Food Chain Magnate
Shakespeare -
Mason Weaver
Mason Weaver has hosted 104 episodes.
Mason Weaver is a non-profit program manager and food justice advocate, board gamer, thrift store shopper, record collector, and Star Trek fan. He lives in Oklahoma City with a wall full of games, two dogs, two cats, and his partner Megan, who has long since tuned out 90% of what he says.
First Appearance: Episode 1
Top 5 Games:
Carcassonne
Race for the Galaxy
Castles of Burgundy
YINSH
Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper -
Mike Risley
Mike Risley has hosted 84 episodes.
Mike has been board gaming since childhood, but found modern board games over a decade ago when a friend recommended Munchkin to him but the game store staff wisely recommended Carcassonne instead. Mike's favorite games types are Euros where you are building something tangible for the end of the game.
First Appearance: Episode 1
Top 5 Games:
Vinhos Deluxe Edition
Concordia
Brass: Lancashire or Birmingham
Search for Planet X
Pandemic: Iberia -
Ruth Boyack
Ruth Boyack has hosted 104 episodes.
While browsing the internet to avoid pharmacy school coursework back in 2010, Ruth stumbled across the world of hobby boardgaming and headed to Amazon.com out of curiosity. Years later, she’s a licensed pharmacist, the owner of far too many games, an active member of the lively Durham-area gaming community, and the organizer of a small Summer convention appropriately titled RUTHCon. When not recording for TheFiveBy, she shares her gaming & comics-related thoughts in a curated fashion on her blog at Sequential Gamer and in a completely uncurated fashion on Twitter.
First Appearance: Episode 1
Top 5 Games:
In the Year of the Dragon
Madeira
Coimbra
Concordia
Thebes -
Stephanie Stone-Robb
Stephanie Stone-Robb has hosted 34 episodes.
Stephanie Stone-Robb’s earliest game memory is watching her parents and grandparents play Yahtzee when she was 4 years old. They yelled. And drank. A lot. Which probably explains so much. Stephanie first got into the newest generation of board games in 2012 when a friend invited her to play a little game called Arkham Horror, and she wasn’t scared away by the idea of a 4 hour board game.
Steph’s board game tastes now leans to the quirky game and she’s a sucker for adorable components. When she’s not gaming, Stephanie hosts two other mildly successful podcasts and works full time for Geeks Who Drink. She lives in Texas with her husband and most favorite gaming partner, Dave, and a slightly neurotic dog named Kubrick and an overly affectionate cat named Dewey who wakes her up every morning at 5:18.
First Appearance: Episode 1Top 5 Games:
World's Fair 1893
7 Wonders Duel
Dead of Winter
Kanagawa
Stone Age