Welcome to 2024! We’re kicking off the year with a bit of a dreary video on a much-hyped legacy game that’s left Tom a little cold. Fitting for January, eh? Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West sure plays it safe, in a move that’s perhaps a little disappointing.

It’s finally here! After an embarrassing wait, we’re embarking on a ridiculous journey to meticulously document the 100 best board games of all time! This project involved us creating an entirely new workflow, a whole studio setup, and, of course, the most glorious prop ever seen on Shut Up & Sit Down. It’s quite something. Thank you so much for sticking around as we got this thing cooking. We’re so excited to expand the format, tweaking and changing as we go! We’re aware there’s a few technical scuffs on this one – but nothing that we can’t smooth out over a series of ever more silly episodes. Agricola, though, what a game! And what a fantastic way to start this series. We really hope you enjoy!

A BIG AND RICH video for you folks this week – a labour of love for a game that frankly blew us away. Earthborne Rangers might look familiar, but it is WEIRD. Cooperative adventure fans take note – this one is unmissable.

Sometimes, we get things wrong. Well, Tom does. In this absolutely massive video, Tom and Matt dive into the design of Dune: Imperium – and how it’s grown and evolved since we last covered it in 2021. We also review the latest (and perhaps greatest) version of the game to date; Dune: Imperium – Uprising.

Our adventure through the Top 100 Board Games of All Time continues, with The Quest for El Dorado! And unfortunately, these boys have been CURSED. Due to technical errors part of this video had to be re-recorded (technically, we didn’t record it). Also, the audio in certain sections is a little bit rough and weird – we did our best to recover what we could, and in the future we won’t get cursed by a board game.

In previous years, debate has raged over what size games should be. Quinns advocated for ‘too big, or too small’. Everyone else argued normal things. Today, though? The perfect size of game is the one that fits that little gap. That one, right there. You know the one. We’ve found the perfect solution to your problem. Why don’t you go ahead and shove it full of Spectral? Absolutely cram it with Sky Team? Fill it with Ito and Dro Polter and Big Top until the shelves creak and split. There. Perfect.

We’re back with yet another episode of Shut Up & Sit Down’s very own self-imposed sisyphean task: The Top 100! This time, Tom and Matt are chatting about Galaxy Trucker, gimmick games, and ‘having a bad time in space’. It’s been too long since we’ve sat down to this game, and we had a great time – so great, in fact, that we’ll likely make our very daft playthrough available to donors in the near future.

Slay the Spire has long been one of Shut Up & Sit Down’s very favourite deckbuilders, so we were immediately intrigued by its new cardboard iteration – Slay The Spire: The Board Game. Will it work? Will it be fun? Will it be as good as the video game? Tom’s got the answers. Well, he’s got his answers.

This week Matt is back to doing whatever it is that Matt seems to do best? Thunder Road: Vendetta is one of the more recent releases from Restoration Games, and we were honestly surprised by how much we liked it – packing chunky silly fun into a slim and lovely box, and with game design that actually makes the most out of its plastic components. Strap in, nitro up, and be aware that Matt won’t be partially naked for more than the first few seconds of the video. It’s an ancient SU&SD tradition, OK?

RA RA RASPUTIN, LOVER OF THE RUSSIAN QUEEN! This week’s video hopefully won’t feature *any* witchcraft from oversized gentlemen, as we’re returning for a look at the auction classic RA. It’s the only auction game that Matt likes – but where will it land on the Top 100 board?

Tom’s dipped his toes into the 18XX genre with Shikoku 1889 – a game about doing trains, making money, and… soft roleplaying? We tried a new approach with this one – a more quick and silly look at something that we might not usually play, and hopefully? It paid… dividends…

Arcs is really something special, and I hope this chunky ol’ review reflects that. This video is the first in a two-part review of Leder’s freak spin on the “Space Game” genre, and despite the extravagant length of this video, its conclusions are very simple; this kind of game is a rarity, and should be cherished. Rarely does something manage to be so boldly innovative as well as so sharply considered – a risky gambit of a game that pays off beautifully.

Arcs is really something special, and I hope this chunky ol’ review reflects that. This video is the first in a two-part review of Leder’s freak spin on the “Space Game” genre, and despite the extravagant length of this video, its conclusions are very simple; this kind of game is a rarity, and should be cherished. Rarely does something manage to be so boldly innovative as well as so sharply considered – a risky gambit of a game that pays off beautifully.

Sometimes a great game knocks us off our feet and has us scrambling to immediately script & film a video – other times it’s a slow burn, with our love for a box growing a little more slowly! Forest Shuffle is a game that we just kept coming back to, and it’s about time we gave it the time – and the spotlight – it deserves!

I’ve been on a bit of a co-operative kick recently, and Leviathan Wilds stood head-and-shoulders above the competition by virtue of its unending charm and bounty of ideas. It’s a really simple, slick little design that gets people into the fray immediately, but messes around with its own systems with the glee of a child cramming their mouth with pick-n-mix. To put it simply… it slaps.

Ahhh! Nothing beats the simple delights of a nippy card game that features DRAGONS and GOBLINS. The Vale of Eternity isn’t an all-timer, and it might not even sit in your collection forever – but it’s one of the most solidly entertaining games we’ve played in ages, a real crowd-pleaser; a fast and fun delight. Smart design and constant fun choices elevate this box in ways we weren’t expecting – check it out.

We’re joined once again by the inimitable Philippa Warr for an extra large edition of The Top 100, and this time we’ve got two different board games being potentially added onto the list: Race for the Galaxy AND Roll for the Galaxy. Cups VS Cards? It’s a tale as old as time!

Weird video this week! Defenders of the Wild is a really solid co-operative game, but its compelling narrative implications are what makes it a cut above the rest. It’s time for a quick critical detour in this first foray into ‘reviews-that-aren’t’!

Sometimes it’s really nice to chat about something that’s simple, that’s peppy, that’s just nice. Today on Shut Up & Sit Down, we’re chatting about a breezy game in a mildly loopy video; the tried and tested formula we all know and love. Let’s Courtisans, baby!

Tapping into our deeply and unashamedly adolescent image of what we think is aesthetically COOL, COMPILE is black and purple box of cyberpunk wonders took us by surprise and heck, we LIKED it. With one mini expansion already available and room for more, we think this is absolutely worth grabbing.

After playing shedloads of Anachrony on Board Game Arena, severely under-rating Septima, and having a wobbly old time with Cerebria: The Inside World… Shut Up & Sit Down is having a MIND CLASH once again! With Mindclash games. They published. This. Ok. Glad we understand. Ironwood is a sharp and tense head-to-head battler set in a lovingly illustrated woodland – but does it hold up to scrutiny? Find out more in this video review…

I’m sure there’s an analogy here about the way that Matt keeps being mystically drawn towards these games over and over, but we can’t seem to put our finger on it. Having said that, after THREE big Lord of the Rings games, it’s getting to the point where we might not necessarily need another one? Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth is an unexpected treat that dispels that idea – a reimplementation of 7 Wonders Duel that adds new mechanics and ideas, as well as LOADS more Orcs. An absolute essential for anyone with nerdy bones in their body.

It’s November! You know what that means! It’s the time of year to finally get into the spooky spirit! What better way than to take a quick peek at a lovely little spooky hidden information game about hunting witches. Curses & Covens is dramatic and unruly, providing your table with all manner of highs and lows – but is there such a thing as too much chaos? Watch the video to find out…

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was a game that really wowed both Matt and Tom back when they covered it in Episode 261 of the podcast – but since then, we’ve played it a good chunk more and developed a couple extra thoughts! So many thoughts that we put them into a whole video that you can watch on You Tube Dot Com. In this week’s video review, Tom is taking another look at the big eurogame of finding aliens. Is it as good as the hype suggests? Find out right here…

A special and juicy treat for you this week – it’s MATTHEW LEES IN A ROOM THAT’S SLIGHTLY PINK. Also: a review of The Gang, a co-operative poker game that’s simultaneously essential AND something you really might not need? Get watchin’!

We’ve covered a lot of cars on Shut Up & Sit Down – but two stick out in recent memory. Tom reviewed Heat: Pedal to the Metal back in 2022 and Matt took a peek at Thunder Road: Vendetta earlier this year and both lads came away thrilled with their silly little vehicles. But now, it’s 2024. Joyride is here. And it’s ready to race.Is this the best of both worlds? Does it screech round the corners of hearts and turbo-boost to the loftiest honours of the kallax? Find out right here.