Podcast #17: Are You Even On My Team?

Join us for a Corax & Coffeecast, Season 2 Episode 7, where Pete and Rick talk about team-based tabletop games. Whether they grew up being captains of their dodgeball teams or chronically picked last, it seems they certainly do have a lot of opinions about team games. But they never mention dodgeball, and they keep those cards (uh…balls?) pretty close to their chests.

But they do talk about team games such as Codenames, 878 Vikings, and Axis & Allies (not all of them—not ALL of the Axis & Allies). They discuss the need for the industry to put more R&D into better team-based games—and making more of them!. They also take time to define what they mean by “team games” and how they are distinct from one-versus-all games, semi-cooperative games, and even cooperative games.

Pete and Rick also spend some time talking  (okay, it’s Pete. Let’s be honest. Pete gets on the soapbox) about the problematic nature of having so many iterations of gateway games like Catan, Codenames, and Ticket to Ride—and how this can derail new gamers from branching out into other games they might like and keep them in the station of familiar designs within the gateway game line.

They do try to keep the soapboxing to a minimum. Be kind to them. Maybe they really never did get picked for dodgeball. Anyway. We’d love for you to join us and have a listen, with or without your favorite caffeinated beverage. That part is up to you. We just offer, not enable.