1237 – Wandering Towers | Board Game Unboxing

Episode 1237 – Wandering Towers | Bored Game Unboxing

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for a podcaster who’s here to be here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff, to be your friend in the deep, dark night, your bore-bud. If you’re new, you never listened to this show before, welcome. This is a very different podcast. It’s a podcast that keeps you company so you could fall asleep. That’s like a friend in the deep, dark night. I’m here to be your bore-bud. I’ll explain more in a little bit, but yeah, this podcast does take a few tries to get used to 'cause it’s very different. So, give it a few tries. See how it goes. I’m only here to help. What I got coming up…we got support so you can listen for free if you want to the ad-supported feed, then we have a long, meandering intro, and that’s separate from the support.

 

The intro’s like, fifteen, twenty minutes long. It’s really like friendly chitchat from a goofball, but it’s there to ease you into bedtime. It does put a couple people to sleep, but for most people it’s a little bit of a wind down and a long, meandering, pointless explanation of what the podcast is. Then we’ll have some support and then we’ll be opening a board game that I got for the holidays from a coworker. So, that’s cool, and all told, we’ll be here just over an hour. So, I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for checking the show out, and I really hope I can help you fall asleep. Thanks for making it possible, my bore-friend patron peeps, whatever you prefer to be called. Let me know.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out…get in bed, turn off the lights…get in bed, turn off the lights, and press Play. I’m already mixed up. This is my first…I don't know when you’ll be hearing this. This is my first intro of 2024. So, welcome to my past. Get in bed, turn out the lights, press Play…I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake.

 

It could be thoughts on your mind, thoughts you’re thinking about, thoughts about the past, the present, the future, thinking thoughts, it could be feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally like feelings related to those thoughts, it could be feelings left over from the day or feelings that are just there or feelings that are making an appearance. My thoughts and my feelings and my physical sensations like to do an appearance at bedtime where they go, ta-da. But not…I guess that’s their…I don't see that, and I think that’s how they hope to be received, is like, ta-da, we’re here performing now or competing for your attention. I say, well, no…here’s the thing; unless you’re in a partner…life partnership or a part-time part…whatever.

 

Unless you’re sharing a bed with a magician or…like, Coles has a magician in the other room. No ta-das at bedtime, right? Keep ta-das…I can't say keep ta-das out of the bedroom, but keep the ta-das out of…let’s just keep the ta-da…no ta-das. Oh, I guess that’s…usually I’m fine with generalized statements about stuff, but I don't know if I can make this work. But let’s keep the ta-das to a minimum. Okay, here’s the thing; no impromptu…well, no, I can't do that, either; no impromptu ta-das. ‘Cause if you’re gonna kiss somebody on the cheek or…that would be a pretty good ta-da, a ta-da goodnight. Let’s keep the ta-das sleepy, right, if you’re gonna have them in the bedroom or the bed, but…or here’s the thing; my thoughts, my feelings, my physical sensations, could you save the ta-das for tomorrow when I need them?

 

How come you don’t do any ta-das in the morning? Oh no, to-dos; we got a lot of…also, to-dos. But you say, oh no, to-woes. That’s what my…instead of ta-da, you say, to-D-O-O-M, to-woe. I could use some ta-das when…right after the alarm. Instead of snooze, how about you give me some ta-das? I don't know. How did that even come up? Oh, feelings. Feelings, physical sensations, whatever’s keeping you awake. Ta-das, to-dos, or to-doze…to doze, to not to doze? I didn’t even realize — I’m not kidding — that T-O…I was just thinking of…I wasn’t thinking of to doze, D-O-Z-E. I was just thinking of the…of a nonsense word, to-does. Like, plural dos. But, to doze or not to doze? That’s not the question with Sleep…it is for new listeners, right?

 

So, whatever’s keeping you awake. It could be time, travel, routine, work schedule, a work shift, guests, anticipation, you could be going through something, you could have something coming up, it could be something else. There’s a lot of different things keeping people awake. But for most people that listen to this show, it contains a couple feelings, right, and they’re not easy feelings. We’d prefer to just get some sleep instead of having those feelings go, ta-da, great news; tomorrow is not look…let me give you the weather for tomorrow, and I’m not talking about the weather patterns. I’m talking about predicting the future. It doesn’t look good, right? Then you get those feelings.

 

Or just knowing it’s gonna be a struggle to fall asleep…and whether you’re in a house full of people or you’re single and maybe got a dog named Koa in your room…maybe Koa’s not there. Whatever it is, it could feel lonely, right, or other feelings. That’s kinda the spirit of the show, is that while I don't know what exactly you’re going through or what’s causing you…and maybe you don’t know, right? I do know how it feels for me, and I can probably relate to how it feels for you. But here’s the thing; even if you say, I don't think you can…what I’m experiencing is pretty unique…it probably is pretty unique, but there’s enough people listening that even if someone hasn’t experienced the same thing, someone has experienced something similar, and they do know how you feel.

 

They are leaning in right now, those regular listeners, people that have listened to hundreds of episodes or thousands of episodes, and they’re nodding their head right now because they know how you feel and they say, I’m glad you’re here. I hope this show can help you. Because that’s important and the other side of that is important; you deserve a good night's sleep. You deserve a bedtime where you don’t have this rigmarole, this anticipation that doesn't feel so great. You deserve a bedtime where you could get the rest you need so your life is more manageable and ideally you could be out there flourishing. That’s the fact of the…that’s true, and that’s important to me because I know how it feels and I know what it feels like, and I know when I do get the regular rest I need, my life improves. So, I want that for you.

 

So, that’s why I make the show. What I do is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents, which means I go off-topic, I get mixed up, I forget what I was saying, then I double back, then I get lost, then I wonder…then I wa-wa-wonder why my thoughts went away, and then…'cause I already forgot the other tangent I went…oh, ta-das. Then I say, to doze; oh, I didn’t even realize I could…I thought it was a word that sounds like ‘toes’. What do you call toes on a doe? Toe-does. Oh, that’s a hoof, actually, sir. Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize I was at the Institute of Doe Terminology. Sorry, I didn’t mean to troll you, imaginary part of my brain that corrects me when I call a doe’s hoof to-does.

 

What do you call a magician who only makes hooves appear from does? Obviously not real ones, but some sort of…that’s some sort of thing. What do they say instead of ta-da? They say, to-does. What do you call a sleep podcaster if what I used was magic but it’s really just pointless meanders and superfluous tangents? What would I say if I was doing it in person and I had some sort of magic way to make it happen? To-does. Or if I was being Shakespearean, I would still say, to doze or not to doze? That is not the question. It’s unquestionable. I could go on tangents like this for hours and hours if I needed to. So, those are pointless meanders and superfluous tangents. Creaky, dulcet tones…my voice is not traditionally soothing. It’s more to be a friend in the deep, dark night, because that’s kinda what this show does.

 

Now, this show does not work for most people on the first try. Most people loathe the podcast the first time they listen to it, and sometimes the second…sometimes it’s only the first time. Ideally if you totally…if you stronger than loathe me, I would still say give the show two or three tries and just see how it goes, 'cause then you can always stop listening. Also, when you do stop listening, I have a website set up; sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou, which has other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff on there you could check out. So, there’s that. But then…what was my other point in there? Oh, but for most people, that’s just what most reviewers say, is…these are people that became hardcore listeners that support the show. At first they couldn’t stand me, or they were just like, what is this show?

 

How is this supposed to put me to sleep? That’s not bragging, obviously. It’s not something you would brag about; be like, yeah, most people…I mean, it’s just the truth. Most people, they have a slight aversion to me at first. You say, I don't know about this. That’s normal and it comes with a heppy…help…healthy dose of skepticism, right? Because if you’ve tried a bunch of sleep stuff, if you’re tired, you’re frustrated, why wouldn’t you be skeptical about a sleep podcast? I’ve been making the show for ten years, but…or whatever. This is the eleventh calendar year we’re making the show, I think? Or we’re passed the eleventh…we’re in the eleventh year of…I don't know. But it…yeah, why wouldn’t you be skeptical? I’m supposed to put you to sleep. Shouldn’t I be humming or doing some sort of soothing sounds or…?

 

I’m droning, but not the kind of droning you were expecting. So, give it a few tries. See how it goes. A couple of things that throw people off is that this is a podcast you just barely listen to. It’s just barely supposed to engage you. It does engage you just enough to take your mind off whatever’s keeping you awake, to bring your brain and your thoughts over here where I am going on my pointless meanders, spinning my wheels looking at that, as the text-based adventures would say. So, it’s just something that’s just outside of yourself that you don’t have to listen to. You could listen or you could just barely listen. It’s okay in this context for you to just dial it in and say, uh-huh, okay, great, spinning your…text adventures; don’t know what that…great. Don’t know what that is. Don’t care. Great, though. Uh-huh.

 

Tell me more. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. You could do that with Sleep With Me and you don’t even have to even do it that much…you don’t even have to be that active. You could just passively…there’s some people that listen to me at a mumble and then there’s some people that mostly listen ‘til they stop listening. Or there’s people who can't sleep who are listening, 'cause this podcast, believe it or not…even though when I started this show it was kind of a new idea, a sleep podcast, bedtime stories for grownups, this podcast isn’t really meant or designed to put you to sleep. It’s here to keep you company while you fall asleep, to take your mind off of stuff so you can fall asleep, because thinking about falling asleep and trying to make it work never worked for me.

 

Forgetting about the fact I was trying to fall asleep was the only thing that ever worked. So, I don't know. In that sense, it is a little bit like the one part of magic where it’s misdirection. I’m trying to misdirect you or direct your attention over here, and that’s my job. I’m here to…'cause I’m here to the very end. Part of it is that the show is complete, the stories are complete. They’re full of meanders, tangents, fluff, you may say, but they go…they reach some kind of…barely reach some kind of conclusion. They’re barely entertaining, because there’s people who are listening who can't sleep at all or who need a break during the day, and because they listen, it’s some sort of…I don't know what the right word is.

 

It’s not irony or whatever, but the fact that there are people listening means that you don’t have to listen, and that maybe part of your brain says, oh, because I know I could listen, I don't need to. I don't know, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me even though I’ve been doing it for a long time, but it does in a sense, right? I’m here for you. I’m here to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your bore-bestie, your neigh-bore, your bore-bud, your bores, your Borbie, your bore-bruh. If you’re in any county named Orange County, I’m your bore-bruh, and…or you’re Orange County-adjacent, right? That’s part of the spirit of the show. You say, oh, okay, you’re just a friend I call who has no expectation of me listening to them, but they’ll talk to me while I fall asleep. I say, that’s…you got it now.

 

Holy cow. This is a podcast that’s never going anywhere. So, that could throw people off. The other thing that throws people off is the structure of the show, and we’ve been doing this show a long time, and there’s a lot of ways to adjust the podcast as you become a regular listener, but the structure’s based on the way most people experience the podcast. But then you can adjust it. So, let me lay it out for you, right? It’s intentional. So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, then I say something…an attempt at being somewhat humorous or goofy. That way you say, okay, I feel seen and welcomed in. I get the show is a little bit different. Maybe I’ll check it out. Or for regular listeners, they say, oh, there’s my bore-bud not making very much sense again.

 

He’s glad I’m here and I’m glad I’m here. I’m in the right spot. That’s a regular listener. For a new listener, you say, I don't know, is this the right spot for me? Maybe I’ll…let me check it out for a little bit. Then there’s support so the show could be free, and that’s just how most people consume it, is they prefer the ad-supported version of the show. If you prefer a ad-free version, you could support the show at Sleep With Me+ and pay for a ad-free experience, or you could refer people to the show and join our referral program. Really, either one works. Then after the support is a long, meandering intro. Some people, when they don’t like the fact that this…they get…they dismiss the intro strongly. But the intro is not some sort of self-congratulations. It’s not part of the support.

 

It’s about a fifteen-minute show within a show where I talk about the podcast in a very inefficient way that’s different every single time but follows a familiar structure every single time so you have some sort of reassurance…oh, okay…but it’s different so your brain or whatever’s keeping you awake can't quite adjust or predict what I’m gonna say, so it stays barely engaging. I don't know, that’s important to me. Otherwise I could just make a two-second intro or repeat the intros, but the intros are an important part of the show, not just for that part…you say, okay, I get it. But the intro is not so much meant to put you to sleep. There’s 2% of people that skip the intro, probably about 2% of people that fall asleep during the intro, but for most people, the intro is part of the process of getting to sleep.

 

So, people are getting ready for bed or winding down or getting comfortable. While the intro could put you to sleep, it’s meant to ease you into bedtime, and that’s what’s worked for me personally and what most fact-based stuff shows; having a wind-down routine works. So, that’s what the intro is. Then there’s support after the intro and then there will be a story. Tonight we’ll be unboxing a board game. It’ll be fun; a lot of tangents, a lot of wa-wa-wondering, 'cause it’s about Wandering Towers. So, it’ll be fun, or barely fun. Then the show ends with thank-yous and goodnights. So, that’s the structure of the show. That’s why I make the show. I’m really glad you’re here. I work really hard on this podcast. So do a bunch of other people. We all yearn and strive to help you fall asleep. So, thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple ways I’m able to do it for you for free twice a week.

 

Alright everybody, this is Scoots here. This is a board game unboxing. This board game is big. I mean, it’s a bigger box. It’s not a card game, and it’s…I’ve not opened the box yet. I took off the wrapping. It seems really cool. It’s also a gift from somebody that works on the show, Rusty Biscuit, Russell, and Russell’s worked on the show for a few years now. More than a few years, I guess. Time flies. He was generous enough to send me this game. I don't even know with the intention of getting it on the show, but surprise, Russell. Also, not to plug Russell, but I will put Russell’s info in this episode, 'cause if you’re looking for a wonderful actor, I would…I mean, talk about bad ideas. I consider Russell to be my boss.

 

I’m not kidding, 'cause Russell’s really good at managing everything behind the scenes of the show and it’s something I had missed for years and years and years. So, I hate to do this, but Russell’s an amazing actor. So, if you are a casting something, directing something, thinking about directing something, use the…I know there’s people out there listening who are. Cast Russell or check…see if Russell fits one of your casting needs. Shakespearean chops; Russell’s got them. So, I don't know of anybody…I mean, I do know we did possibly get a shout-out in the Mandalorian, but I’m not positive about that 'cause no one at the Mandalorian’s ever confirmed that, but listeners have.

 

The great Baby Oso, oh-so sleepy scene…for me it’s a little bit…but so…'cause I know a lot of Star Wars casting in the past has been Shakespearean, but it doesn’t need…but any project…just make sure to give Russell a trailer where Russell could continue working on the podcast, ideally, and be in both worlds. But if it’s a regular…if Russell has to move on from the show to be a regular on a series or something, that’s awesome, or becomes a blockbuster star. Then Russell could take…I wouldn’t want to do this either, but Russell could take over for Antonio Banderas. No, I’m just kidding, Antonio, even though he’s not listening. I mean, he is later. Okay, so, thanks, Russell, for this gift. Thanks for all the hard work you do on the show.

 

I know a lot of people think I just sit down and record these episodes and we put them out, but it takes tons and tons and tons of labor, and it really is labor, a labor of love, but a lot of hard work not just with Russell but with Carl and Chris and Tatiana and everyone else. There’s Charlotte, Leah, Anna, everybody at PRX that works on the show and helps out on the show. Lashante comes to mind as our primary person. Everybody that works on the podcast, though, we couldn’t do it without everybody, and everybody that’s worked with the show in the past. But this one goes out to Russell for this gift. It’s called…the name of the game is Wandering Towers, and the box is a rectangle. It is…the long size of the rectangle is as long as my fingers and forearm. So, what is that?

 

Definitely two feet…one-and-a-half to two feet, and then probably twelve inches, maybe nine. Huh, that’s probably twelve inches. Holy cow, maybe not; maybe sixteen. So, maybe two feet by sixteen inches? I don't know…is the rectangle. I would say it’s three or four inches thick. The name of the game is Wandering Towers. It’s by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling, and CG is the…we’ll find out more about the company that runs it, but it just says CG. The artwork on the top is…we have Wandering Towers at the top written in cool font, and then a blue, cloudy sky. Then mountain…a mountainous backdrop, and then as we pan below, before we get to the main things, there’s also a forest, a couple of rolling hills, clouds or fog, there’s a antlered…what do they call those?

 

Not an antelope, but a moose or a antelope or something, a fox, and a owl. Howl? No, a owl. They’re moving away. There’s also three pigeons in the sky, and then a rabbit. Next to the rabbit is a wizard. This is a Middle Ages, DnD’s-type wizard in a crimson, maroon, ruby-style robe with a hat. He also has a…what are those things called? Not a staff. What’s it…? A magic wand. It’s casting something that’s also reddish and ruby. They have a flask at their hip, probably with some sort of potion. The wizard’s back to us…and he’s casting a spell on a tower which seems to be…maybe it’s wandering. Then there’s another tower behind the forest at a distance. There’s two wizards on that tower casting stuff. They’re casting something in lime green, one of them. The other one seems to be preparing something.

 

The tower is teetering. It has three stories to it. The tower in the distance probably has three stories, too, and that’s it. Now, on the bottom short…or, no, on the sides; let’s go to the sides next. So, the short side, the rear-end of the short side…I don't know what you call that. Is that the back of the bottom of the inside…the back of the bottom of the bottom…the top of the bottom of the drawer? It says ‘Wandering Towers’ and there’s a frog drinking a potion that a wizard has left behind. Its tongue is out and it looks like a…not a strawberry potion, but it’s a little bit…it looks like my…I don't know. It looks good. It’s kind of a milky…reddish, milky color. So, that’s that side. Then the next side…okay, we’re getting some instructions here…is Wandering Towers. It shows the two towers from the cover.

 

Oh no, only one pigeon or dove is flying, and…but there’s still two wizards. So, there’s two towers, a cloudy blue sky, Wandering Towers, CG, then it has the ages; 10+. So, ten…ages ten and up. Number of players; one to six. So, I could play this solo, but I’ll probably play it with my daughter. It’s a thirty-minute game. Then, again, the top short side is the same as the side…Wandering Towers. It just shows one tower, blue sky, CG. Oh boy, and then this one on the long other side, it has Wandering Towers. It has a tower and mist and a forest and a rolling hill, but also some sparkling magic is happening on the wandering tower. So, a lot of cool stuff. We haven’t even got to the back of the box yet, huh? Okay, on the back of the box we have Wandering Towers on the top left.

 

It looks like it’s written…it’s…looks like kind of a scroll set against the blue sky. It’s got…or a treasure-map-style piece of paper. Okay, it has three pictures and then some other stuff, and it’s laid out to be pleasing to the eye, which I don't know how to describe. There’s three circles with gameplay happening. We have meeples, wizard meeples, by the way, but I don't know if they’re meeple…is is a meep if it’s more…? If it’s just a meeple…a person. A merson? Isn’t a meeple a group of people? I don't know. Is a meeple a actual term or is that just something from one game that I started applying? But it says, okay, number one; get your wizards to Ravenskeep. We see a red meeple, a wizard meeple, going…with a red arrow going to the top of Ravenskeep. Ravenskeep is the keep. It’s…looks like it’s nighttime.

 

There’s a raven…maybe a raven statue above the door, windows, and…are those called parapets or whatever? What’s the other word that I actually know how to pronounce that…? Not bastions. I don't know. You know those things on the top of towers and castles, none of which I know how to say. Oh, I almost…‘vestiges’ was the next word that popped in my head. I know that one’s not correct. Parapets? I don't think that’s correct. There’s a podcaster’s name I mispronounced last week and everybody laughed at me. Not on the show; just in real life. Okay, so, then two…and it’s in a green circle, which really helps your tracking. I don't know, it just makes it look good. Then, two; ride flying towers. There’s a red meeple. It’s riding a flying tower which is moving. It’s a two-story tower, but its tower is moving.

 

We also see octagon board pieces that are interlinked. Three; catch…wizards; gotta…can't say ‘gotta catch them all’ because that’s probably owned by somebody else, but you can catch your wizards to fill up your potion bottles with their essence, of course. So, then we have the red wizard flying…wait a second, is this one? So, you start off getting your wizards to Ravenkeep's…not…I don't know. I don't know. That’s why we do a board game unboxing. Do we need to get our wizards to Ravenskeep, one, or is the number-one goal…number-two goal ride flying towers? What if you rode the…what if there was…was there ever a Faulty Towers board game? I don't know. But number three; catch…gotta catch…catch your wizards’ essences to fill your potion bottles.

 

So, this one has the tower landing on another tower with a green wizard, a purple wizard, and a rust-colored wizard meeple, and there’s magic happening. We also see some of the octagons. They’re interconnected. There’s one…there’s a dock, there’s a road, there’s one with stones, there’s one with trees, there’s one with…was that a fountain or something? Okay, before we get to the copy, though, or the further copy, we gotta…by the way, this is…no three-and-under, man. There’s meeples in this, so no three-and-under, please. The color and content is subject to change without notice. You got your UCP…UPC code. Illustrator; Michael Menzel. Designer is Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling. All rights reserved by Abacusspiele. It’s something about the…it was a German company, made in Germany.

 

Capstone Games; that’s the CG. Cincinnati, Ohio…so, I guess…I don't know. Does it sell under AS, Abacusspiele in Germany and Europe and then Capstone Games in the US? I don't know. Let’s hop over contents and then we’ll go to the copy. We got…oh, maybe we shouldn’t. Well, yeah, 'cause I don't know if there’s…holy cow, there’s twenty-four wizard meeples. So, I was…meeples is not cap…nothing’s capitalized except for Ravenskeep. There’s towers, landscape tiles, spells, movement cards, twenty-four wizard meeples. Holy cow. I could play all day. Thirty-six potion bottles, player token, rule book, and a dice, a single dice, which is big-farmed. One big-farmed. What’s the singular of dice in Sleep With Me podcast that we just discovered for the first time, whatever we’re on, Episode 12? I don't know.

 

Almost…1250 or something? Yeah, what’s…so, dice is plural for one big-farmed. It doesn’t make any sense to me at all. Well, if you listen to Sleep With Me, it might. Yeah, you have dice and then we have a single big-farmed. I love it. Still discovering new things that only make sense on the show and are barely hilarious. One big-farmed. Have I noticed that before? I just never…or did I just call it what it was? Okay, so, let’s see. I’ll do a paraphrase of the copy. Every year, graduating classes of Ravensrealm Magic School, they get to demonstrate their…okay, so, this is a safe space. It’s just a school. Final exam…everybody’s procrastinated. They’re distracted and they’re trying to learn new stuff. They’ve used up all their potions, but they can't show up unprepared with empty potion bottles.

 

Okay, so, yeah, they are trying to get to Ravenskeep as quickly as possible using magic. They could even move the very towers on top of which they stand to get there more easily, but how can they refill their bottles along the way? Here’s a secret; we took it from…basically Pokemon but not totally, because it’s more of a essence. Essence in a bottle, man. Or if you’re listening to that song by The Authority…another one; The Authority Figures. What band was Sting in? The Authority Figures. They had a song, Magic in a Bottle, and Christina Aguilera had a song, Genie in a Bottle. It’s an essence in a bottle, baby. I think I’d rather…yeah, I think I’d go with Christina versus The Authority Figures. I thought it was shorter than…I don't remember Sting being in a band with multiple words.

 

The…yeah, it was The Authority Figures. You just say it fast; TheAuthorityFigures. No, it doesn't sound right. Didn’t they…? Yeah, they had a song, Synchronicity, right? Or a album. But yeah, Christina Aguilera, essence in a bottle, baby. Okay, time to open the box. You won't hear me, but I’ll be back 'cause I gotta open the box and then see what other kinda stuff I gotta do. Also, you know what I just realized? ‘Cause we’ve been opening a lot of tins…this box is…blox…this box will make…have you ever opened a box and it makes box gas? Like, your box passes gas? This one will do that. I can sense it 'cause of the…I don't know, the actions of the gas on the inside…something vacuum. Your game box passes…makes a passing gas sound. It does. How come people don’t do any more…?

 

This is…again, we’re really digging into Sleep With Me stuff here. Only on Sleep With Me would you realize…what do you need a whoopee-cushion for? We got a ton of board games. Just find a board game that makes a gas sound. Okay, so, I’m gonna open it and I’ll probably edit out the gas sound. Okay, it didn’t make the gas sound because of course I put it on…but I was a little shy, you know. The box said, oh boy, I’m shy now even though you’re not…you’re gonna edit it. Okay, so, one thing I like right off the top…I’m assuming this is the rule book. It is very thin; that means it’s concise. We’ll get back to it, I’m hoping. Okay, another thing I really like. This is some assembly required, but it is on…printed on cardboard and oh boy, it’s got that cardboard, new-game smell. Yeah, let’s go through the card…you’re right.

 

Let’s go through the cardboard. My cardboard’s upside-down, so I’m gonna flip it over here. How many cardboard sheets do we have? Five. Cardboard sheet one; we’ve got the emblem for Ravenswoods or whatever, we’ve got the tower topper base, the tower sides, and then we have a tower that looks like…a tan tower. Oh yeah, they’re different…this one’s a tannish…a dark-tan tower, and then we have some potion bottles. These are green wizard potions. One, two, three, four, five, six…so, the green essence in a bottle, baby. Then we have yellow or…yeah, yellow…not that kind of yellow; more of a bright yellow. Not lemonade…well, I guess it could be considered that essence. But yeah, it’s one, two, three, four, five, six, then a blue essence for the blue wizards, and that’s it for that one.

 

Number two…coming in at number two, two more towers or maybe…yeah, one…no, two more towers. These are sand-colored, and then tower base is…one of the bases or tops has…I guess they’re the tops of the tower. This tower has Ravenscraft’s emblem on the roof. Then we have one section of the map with one, two…four…is it a octagon? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…except it’s interconnected. But one, two, three, four, five, six, seven…oh no, eight…is that right? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, but they’re interconnected. It’s 'cause it has a tab on either…on the ends so you can connect them. This is the one with the Ravenscraft’s…Ravenswood’s base, then a stone area. There’s a path…this is the one from the cover. It has a dock into a lake or a river and then another one.

 

Oh, and then three silver wizards’ potions. I don't know if those are more rare or we’ll get more later. Next up — upside-down but we’ll make it work — two more towers. These are even…an even darker brown color, burnt…not burnt toast, but almost burnt-toast color. Well-done-toast color, two of those along with their tops, but they don’t have any symbols on them, and then another piece of the board. Only four octagons…this one is kind of a fall feel, even though the trees are green. I don't know, it’s kinda got a sepia tone to it, green…it’s going through the farmlands or something, or there’s two…there’s a little farm or whatever, field section. It could be wild-growing grass and rose. Then we have three amber…orangeish-amber-hued wizard potions on that one. Okay, this is confusing. I’ll tell you why in a minute.

 

Okay, we have two more towers, one with a raven’s symbol. Nevermore? No, no, just a raven symbol. Not nevermore. But so, these ones are the back to the mid…or, no, the lighter sandy color, I guess. That one has the Ravenscraft symbol. Did I say that? Then three more silver potions. Then this is why it’s confusing; there’s another…at the foot of the mountains is another place with a Ravenscraft shield or whatever you want to call it, a tree stripped of its leaves…because we’re at the base of the mountains, and then a path going through the mountains. So, four octagons; one in the mountain foothills and then three in the mountains…the last one coming out of the mountains. Alright, number…whatever. I think we…is this our last…?

 

No, no, we got one more after this. Okay, so, then we have two more towers. These are the burnt-toast-color towers. We got three more amber potions, orangeish-amber, and then we have another sepia one, but this path goes through the forest, clearly. It’s got pine…evergreen trees. One has another tree as you exit the forest, like a more bushy tree, deciduous, possibly, but I can't guarantee that. Okay, then we have…I don't know why this…curious poses just popped in my mind, but…okay, so, we have six more silver potions. I don't know. What do we got, twelve silver potions or something? Then we have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight circles, larger than a coin, though. They have wizards doing stuff. I don't know. So, these are awards or action things, buffs, or you could cash them in.

 

So, the first one is…it has a cost; one silver potion or a gift that it comes with, and the wizard is lifting a tower above them or onto themselves. Then the next one has a wizard in the wind, and its cost is 2…it’s a -1. Like, wind for the wizard for two. Then you have one that costs or…whatever, is only one silver potion, but it’s a -2, and it shows a leaning tower in the wind. Then after that is two…it doesn’t have a plus or a minus, but it shows one wizard carrying another wizard on their back. So, friendship-type stuff. Then we have a +2, which is one silver potion. It shows the tower floating along. That’s +2, a three-story tower. Okay, the next one is two potions. It shows the actual Ravenskeep moving, so that…flying on the back of a stone raven, almost. So, I don't know. That must…I mean…I don't know.

 

Maybe you can move it from one place to another, which would make sense even in Dragonlance. So, in Dragonlance, there was three wizards’ towers depending on which school of magic you went to. There’s more than three though, I think, 'cause…I can't remember. But one of them could move. Then there’s another one that costs two potions. It’s a +1. It shows a wizard running. So, presumably, yeah, these are buffs or help you with motion. Then there’s another one with two, and it shows I think two towers switching their tops, maybe? I don't know. Okay, so, that’s it for that. Then I have two things that are meant to hold stuff, maybe? I don't know. Okay, then we have our big farm or our singular dice. It’s made of wood or…yeah, and it’s…so, that’s nice. That’s a nice little feature.

 

Okay, I guess this is for keeping stuff organized. So, this box, you can…it comes with its own organizational thing. That’s nice. So, that’s pretty cool that you could keep it organized, right? Okay, 'cause…okay…oh, how do…why…I gotta explain what I mean. So, I have the empty box but it’s not empty; it has one, two, three, four lanes in it and then those pieces I just went…so that means you can separate it into nine things, then it has symbols. There’s one for the red meeples and potions, and some tower for the orange, for the yellow…so, there’s a place for everything. So, this is just like how Russell helps me run the podcast, keeping things organized. I’m not joking. Okay, then we have the bag of meeples, which of course I have to take out. So, there’s purple meeples; I got three of…actually, oh boy.

 

Okay, so I just took a second to organize things and put…install the…it’s got its own cubbies, I guess, basically. The way I have it turned, it’s a cubby. Oh, 'cause there’s three purple meeples, there’s four red meeples, three orange meeples, four green meeples, five blue meeples, and five yellow meeples. Next up are the cards. Okay, all the backs of the cards look like a spellbook with a raven on it. Okay, the…oh, I see; this is like…so, there’s one, two, three, four with a running wizard. It has the number 1 on it, which we saw earlier. So, maybe you draw a card and then you get that buff? Oh, but no, then there’s one, two, three, four with a running wizard with a 2 on it. It’s like the spellbook is open.

 

On another side of the page is stuff written in wizard language, which obviously if I tried to read it, that could…if you’ve ever seen any movies, that would be…That Friday That Was So Strange with…The Multiple Versions of the Friday That Was So Strange. Or there was the one with Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron, where you say, hey, this is…let’s switch it up. I wonder if we could get Lindsay Lohan and Kirk Cameron in a switcheroo…probably not. But Lindsay Lohan was in that, That Super Strange Friday Where We Did the Swap. Okay, so the next one is number 3, the same wizard running. There’s four of those, then number 4, the wizard running, then number 5, the wizard running…is there more than…? Is there…? One, two, three…okay, four. So, there’s four of all of those.

 

Okay, but those also have a gray number and it’s gray where the wizard’s running, and the wizard’s writing is gray, just in case we have to do this…if I have to undo any of this. They say, what happened to the time-space continuum economy? Some dude with a sleep podcast tried to read wizards’ writing. It turned out it was real, and of course he can't even read his own…he read it as his own handwriting. Hints; once again, we had to go back in time. So, okay, so these next ones have a number, but it’s the…a three tower and the wizards’ writing, which I obviously won't read, and it goes up ‘til number 5. Oh boy, and then we get a double. Okay, so then the next card has a running wizard and the towers with numbers…no wizard writing, so these are safe 'cause…I mean, unless I read it as a pictogram.

 

Then there’s those, and those have different numbers. Oh, each one has a different number. So, there’s 1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 2-2, 2-2, 2-2…what does a wizard in a wizard’s tower wear when they do ballet? Tutu tutus. Okay, then 3-3, 3-3, 4-4, 4-4…what does a wizard and a tower say when they play golf and they hit the ball at the same time and then they say, look…fore, fore, fore, fore. Then it switches up to 5-1, five with the tower, one with the wizard. 5-1, 5-1, 5-1…how tall was that tower? It was 5-1. 5-1…4-2 with the tower, 4-2 with the tower, 4-2 with the tower…4-2, 4-2…then 2-4 with the tower and the wizard. 2-4, 2-4, 2-4. You know, what was…when you tried to…when I try to write something Shakespearean…one line using numbers for Russell to say was what 2-4 are on ye cards? Okay, then 1-5, 1-5 with the tower.

 

Oh boy, then…okay, then we got…oh boy, so these are…a little variety here. Then there’s dice. So, you roll your own, man. Dice symbols on each one…so, that one…and then a double dice. So, two rolls for the tower. What was that song, the folk song Scooter tried to write about the game he was unboxing? Two Rolls For the Tower, Two Rolls For the Wizard. Actually, it was another reboot of Seven Brides and Seven Wizards or whatever. Seven Towers for Seven Wizards. It was a rom-com, actually. Oh, there’s a triple roll for each one, too. How many rolls are there? Oh, there’s only one triple-roll, though, so that’s really good to get. Alright, so, I have everything unboxed. I’ll be honest; I have no idea of the gameplay at this point. So, we’re gonna have to dig into the rules here.

 

Okay, it starts off with the contents of the box. First you assemble Ravenskeep. It’s three steps. It’s actually four steps; take it out…first…before you play your game, remove all components from the punch-boards. What’s your favorite drink? What’s your favorite punch? Punch-board punch. Okay, then assemble Ravenskeep and the nine towers as depicted below. Don't worry; you’ll be able to store them in the box without disassembling them. Thank you, game. This is great. Alright, so we got Ravenskeep. Three…after you take it out of the thing, it’s three steps. One; fold it together. Two; put the top on. Three; push the top down. You’re good. Then there’s five raven towers and four normal towers. Oh, the ravens towers obviously are the ones that can fly, maybe.

 

Okay, and that’s…careful…insert the bat…oh, they’re called battlements. Dance-off-ments. Battlements changes to dance-off-ments in Sleep…a little behind-the-scenes. Do that carefully with these towers. Not with the raven’s tower, for some reason, but…just so you don’t fold them down. Plus, you gotta…the tower’s gotta land on each other. So, that’s only two steps. I don't under…oh, 'cause you don’t have to…oh no, I guess it just kind of…they wanted to put that ‘careful’ in, so they dropped it to two steps. Okay, then you got landscape tiles. They’re arranged in a circular path. Sixteen spaces…some spaces have blue fairy lights. In clockwise order, place the three light spaces, the two light spaces, and the one light spaces, and then the others. I don't understand that, but I will.

 

Ravenskeep starts at 1 and can end at 4. Okay, then those other circular ones, the coins are magic spells. Then we have ninety movement cards. Okay, so that’s how you move, obviously. Then we have the meeples, the starting player token in the form of a raven shield, potion bottles, and one singular dice. Okay, goal of the game is to fill your potion bottles, all of them, and get all of your wizards to Ravenskeep. It doesn’t matter which you do first, though. Move your wizards into Ravenskeep with good timing. Fill up your potions by landing…picking other wizards up, and their essences. But if your own wizards are stuck, you gotta free them. Okay, so it’s like you’re taking the essence, but you’re not taking the wizard. Okay, set up the landscape tiles. Place Ravenskeep on the starting spot.

 

Going clockwise, place a tower centered on each of the nine spaces as followed. Start with a ravens tower, then alternate normal and ravens’ towers. I.e., go Ravenskeep, then a tower, then a raven, then normal. Who am I to call any towers normal or regular? But I’m not. I’m just paraphrasing. Then you set up the spells. For your first game, there’s only two spells; advance a wizard and advance a tower. Face up near the circular path…return the other six spells to the box. For more excitement, randomly select a number of spells. The more spells, the more tactical the game becomes. Place them near the circular path. Return the rest to the box. Shuffle the movement cards. Deal each player three cards for their hand.

 

Return the rest to the infield of the circular path with a discard pile. Place the single big farm or the big farmed in the center…in the infield of the circular path. I’d like to be…I feel like I am on the circular path. I said, I’d like to be on the circular path, but I actually am. I’m trying to get off it. I’m on the ovular path, obviously. Okay, then you pick a starting player, starting player token…turn order is clockwise starting with this player. Okay, so, choose a starting player, the starting player token, and then turn order is clockwise. Okay, it took me twice to realize that. Okay, each player chooses a player color. Different colors are available at different player counts. See table below. Then take the number of wizards and potion bottles for your player count. Oh wow, so if you only have two players, you can only play blue and yellow, five wizards.

 

Are you calling my wizards yellow? No, your wizards are…your meeples…your wizard meeples are yellow. Yelluh, you mean? Okay, there’s six potions. Then if you go to three players, there’s only four wizards and five potions, and you can be blue, yellow, red, or green. If you move to four players, it’s still four and five. Five players; three and four. So, you could be any; blue, yellow, red, green, orange, purple. That goes for six as well. Your potions go in front of you empty-side up. I never looked on the back of the things. I just realized that. Oh, so the silver is just that it’s empty. Oh. Scoots, learning something new. I didn’t realize everything was two-sided. That’s just…I’m shortsighted, man. Short-sided, too. Alright, let’s get into the gameplay already. Okay, then potions go in front of you…okay.

 

Each tower’s space depicts a tiny number of blue…oh, they changed it to Casper lights here. It was fairy lights before. The first three spaces have three fairy lights. The next three have two and the final three have one. These lights indicate the number of wizards that start atop each tower. Fill each tower to its number as follows; starting with the first…this is complicated. I mean, for me, reading it. Okay, for the first tower, you do the following; one wizard…in turn order, place one of your wizards in this tower. If the number of tow…wizards in that tower matches the number of blue lights in the space, skip to the next tower. Continue like this ‘til everyone has all their wizards on towers. Okay, so, Tower 1 I can't see, but it looks like it has three or four wizards on there.

 

Right now in the example, they’re playing a one, two, three, four-player game. Okay, playing the game. Clockwise…starting player; on your turn, you must play two cards from your hand face-up on the discard pile. One at a time, people. For each card you play, you could perform its move if at all possible. Alternatively, you may forego both actions and discard your entire hand and advance any tower one space clockwise, but you gotta see cards that move a tower below. In either case, at any time during your turn, you may spend full potion bottles to cast one spell. See casting a spell. Finally, draw to refill your hand to three cards. Each time the deck is depleted, reshuffle with the discards. Movement cards; there’s three cards…movement cards. Cards that move a wizard? Those have a wizard on the right side of the page-book.

 

Cards that move a tower; those have a tower on the left side. Cards that move either a wizard or a tower; these cards depict a tower on the left and a wizard on the right. Cards that move a wizard; you move one of your visible wizards. If the card depicts a number, advance the wizard exactly that number of spaces. If the card depicts a single big…a big-farmed, roll the big-farmed to determine exactly how far the wizard will advance. Each additional big-farmed…so, if it’s dice instead of big-farmed…well, it’s still…each roll, you roll your big-farmed once. You may re-roll your big-farmed once. However, if you do, you forfeit the previous roll. Okay, so, for the one with multiple ones, you just get to pick your highest roll. Only after your final roll, you have to move that number. Okay, so that’s…you just re-roll.

 

So, that’s a little risk-taking there. Whenever a wizard’s move ends in a space with a tower in it, the wizard goes atop the tower rather than in the space. Cards that move a tower; you can move any tower. Ravenskeep’s not a tower, by the way, along with everything stacked atop it, yes. If Ravenskeep is atop the stack, it goes along, too. Once you have lifted a tower, you cannot change your mind. That has a star, which I’ll look up here. I don't see it. I don't know. The star…now I lost my spot. I don't…you cannot change your mind. There’s a star; we’ll find out what that means. No tears, or probably…something. Save your tears for another day, or a rainy day. Okay, if a card depicts that number, advance the tower exactly that number of spaces. If the card depicts a big farm…so, it’s the same.

 

Whenever a tower’s move ends in a space with towers in it, the tower goes on top, and those wizards, you catch them all. Note; all nine towers and Ravenskeep could end up in the same space. Oh, there’s a continuation to the next page. Okay, so, this goes to the continued for wizards…each tower…not very good layout here. No offense, but you want to keep it all on one page, 'cause this is confusing for a sleep podcast. Okay, cards that move a tow…wizard; each tower and empty space that can hold up to six wizards…if a move would exceed that limit, you can't move it. So, no more than six wizards. Whenever a wizard’s move ends in the space with Ravenskeep, perform the following steps; put the wizard in Ravenskeep where the wizard will remain ‘til the end of the game.

 

Advance Ravenkeep clockwise to the next space or tower top depicting a raven’s shield with no wizards in it. If there are no spaces, Ravenskeep stays where it is. Your turn ends immediately if you put a wizard in there or fill your cards. Note; you must always use the full movement. If the movement number would take the wizard past Ravenskeep, you can't do that. You can't stop short. Okay, cards that move a tower; if a tower move ends in a space with wizards in it, the tower covers the wizards. If your move would put a tower on Ravenskeep, you can't make that move. Note; if you accidentally lift a tower whose move would place it atop Ravenskeep, your turn ends immediately. Wow. So, if you’re bad at counting like me…your turn ends immediately without moving the tower you lifted. Okay.

 

Catching the wizards; if you move a tower in such a way that it catches wizards, they’re caught until it’s uncovered and they’re visible again. When you catch a wizard, even your own, you may fill one potion bottle, no matter how many wizards, by flipping it over. If you have no empty potion bottles, you can still catch the wizards but you can't fill your potions. Because you’re catching wizards covers…are covered, you can't…you gotta remember where they are. Wow. You can't peek. Wow. I like…this game’s getting interesting. It’s much easier to fill potion bottles earlier in the game when fewer wizards are caught. Noted, noted. Cards that can move a wizard or a tower; move one of your visible wizards or move any tower.

 

If a card depicts a number, announce whether you’re moving a wizard or a tower, then advance exactly that number. If the card depicts the dice, roll the dice to determine exactly how…which…how far a wizard or tower will advance. Did I say big-farm dice or whatever? If it has additional…the big farm down there, you can re-roll, but you can't keep your old roll. Then you must announce whether you’re moving a wizard or a tower. Casting a spell; at any time you may cast one spell for your own benefit. The spell is cast…the spells available for casting are placed faced-up during setup. To cast the spell, you must spend those potions, then apply the effects of the spell. If your spell causes a wizard to enter Ravenskeep, your turn ends immediately and then you draw. Spent potion bottles are returned to the game box.

 

So, what if…? Okay, so…end of the game; if you have no more empty potion bottles and all of your wizards are in Ravenskeep, you end the game. Finish the round so everyone has the same number of turns. If only one player has all their wizards in Ravenskeep and no potion bottles, they win. If several players…the player with…among them with the most full potion bottles wins. If there’s a tie, you share victory. Note; you are always allowed to peek into Ravenskeep to see how many wizards are in there, and it doesn’t matter which goal you fill first. Alright, then they also have instructions for solo-mode, solo with spells…so, that…they have cooperative mode, they have other variants; team variant, not-so-nice variant, and then the…just finishing up with these spells, the description of the spells; advance wizard +1.

 

Move any wizard…vizard…wizard one space. Advance a tower; move any tower two spaces. That’s a +2. You can't move…you can't use this to move a tower onto Ravenskeep. Swap a tower; swap the top-most tower and the wizards atop them in two spaces. Headwind for a wizard; move any wizard one space counterclockwise. Oh, so it is good. Headwind tower; move any tower two spaces counterclockwise. Nudge Ravenskeep; move Ravenskeep clockwise or counterclockwise to the next empty space or tower top, whichever it encounters in that direction. It does not have to move to a space tower top depicting a raven shield. Piggyback; you can cast a spell only when the current player is moving a wizard from a space to where you also have a wizard…from a space. They must move your wizard along with theirs.

 

You can cast a spell on yourself when you’re moving a wizard to a tower top where you have at least two wizards. Free…lift any one tower to free one of your wizards from beneath it, placing the wizard on top. If the top of the stack is Ravenskeep, the wizard enters Ravenskeep. Clever you. If none of your wizards were under the tower you lifted, you wasted a turn. On the team variant, you can use this on your teammates, too. That’s it for Ravenskeep. Well, what is it? Wandering Towers. Ravenskeep: Wandering Towers. Cannot wait to play this now that I’ve read the instructions. Don’t really know any strategy yet, but it’ll be fun, and I love these tactile games. So, thanks, Rusty Biscuit, and don’t forget; if you’re working on any projects, stage, audio, screen, or whatever size screen, Rusty Biscuit…Russell’s info will be in the show notes. Thanks and goodnight, everybody.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)

Bored Game Unboxing

 

Hoof Facts

https://thehorse.com/194132/how-the-horses-hoof-functions/

https://www.horsehealthproducts.com/horsemans-report/hoof-leg-care/hoof-anatomy

https://www.animalrescueprofessionals.org/animal-facts/animal-fact-horse-hooves/

 

Wandering Towers Board Game

https://capstone-games.com/board-games/wandering-towers/

https://gamingtrend.com/feature/reviews/wandering-towers-review-a-wizardly-fun-time/

https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/board-games/wandering-towers-is-the-best-family-board-game-of-2023

 

Castle Design

https://www.exploring-castles.com/castle_designs/

https://www.revisitinghistory.com/medieval/castles-design-and-architecture/

https://www.thecollector.com/castles-in-europe-how-were-they-built/

 

Russell Sperberg (aka Rusty Biscuit)

Russellsperberg.com (website)

@BabyTeethLA (IG for his new LA theater company)

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Opening a board game from a co-worker

 

Deep Dark Night United

Sharon (SWM+ Testimonial)

 

PLUGS

Hand in Hand; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

AquaTru; Helix Sleep; Wild Health; Polyslee; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive

 

INTRO

This is my first intro of 2024

Welcome to my past

My thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations like to do an appearance at bedtime

Tadaa, we’re here performing for you now

Unless you share a bed with a magician

No TaDa’s at bedtime

Let’s keep the tadaa’s to a minimum

It’s only To-do’s in the morning

I feel to-woe in the morning

To doze or not to doze

Tada, the weather tomorrow will be bad!

I wa wa wonder why my thoughts went away

What do you call a doe’s toes? To-Does!

Well technically hooves

I don’t mean to besmirch the Institute of Doe Terminology

If I could have a magic word, it would probably be To-Doze

Most people loathe the podcast the first few times they hear me

People understandably have a healthy dose of skepticism about this show

We’ve entered calendar year 11 of making this show

This droning isn’t the kind of droning you were expecting

Hopefully other people listening will help you know you don’t need to listen

I’m your bore bruh if you’re Orange County adjacent

The intro is not some kind of self-congratulations

Thanks for being here

 

STORY

This board game box is big

This was a gift from Russy Biscuit

I consider Russell to be my boss

If you’re looking for a good actor, hire Russell

Giving Russell a trailer

Thank you, Russell

Shoutout to everyone that works on this show

Wandering Towers

The box is a rectangle

We’ll go into the publisher later

A blue cloudy sky and a mountainous backdrop

Clouds or Fog

An Antlered Creature

A wizard

A middle ages style wizard in a crimson robe with a hat

He has a magic wand

A flask at their hip

They’re using magic to move these teetering towers

Box Side Report

The Rear End of the Short Side

A frog is drinking some leftover wizard potion

That potion looks yummy

Ages 10+

1 to 6 players

I’ll probably play this with my daughter

We haven’t even got to the back of the box yet

A scroll set against the blue sky

Oh, there’s wizard meeples

Is Meeple just a term for a Merson?

Get your wizard to Ravenskeep

Are those parapets?

Ride flying towers

Catch wizards to fill up potion bottles

Was there ever a Fawlty Towers board game?

There’s also interconnected octacgons

There’s meeples, so no 3 and unders

Capstone Games (CG)

Is Capstone the US distributor?

Holy cow, there’s 24 wizard meeples!

36 potion bottles

One Dice (aka One Big Farmed)

How can I say the singular dice in SWM form?

Oh okay, this is a safe space

This is a wizard school final exam

Was Sting in that band The Authority Figures?

Essence in a Bottle

This game box is so tight it will pass gas when opened

Okay, this one didn’t make the gas sound

I love how thin this rule book is

Some assembly required

Cardboard New Game Smell

Tower Topper Base and Tower Sides

A Dark Tan Tower

This yellow essence looks like lemonade

Two more towers and some colorful essences

These towers are the color of well done toast

This one has a sepia fall feel to it

3 Amber Hued Wizard potions on that one

Okay, 2 more towers

Okay, I’m confused by the layout of this octagon

2 more towers, more amber potions, and a sepia path through the forest

6 more silver potions

8 circles, larger than a coin

Are these awards or buffs?

A wizard in the wind – cost is -1?

A leaning tower in the wind

One wizard carries another on their back

+2 a floating tower moving along

Or Ravenskeep can move

So there were 3 Wizard towers in Dragonlance

2 towers switching their tops

Then we have our one big farm, made of wood

Oh cool, this box comes with its own organizational thing

Man, it’s nice I can keep this organized

This is just how Russell helps me keep things organized

A bag of meeples

All the backs of the cards look like a spellbook

4 with a running wizard with a 1

4 of a running wizard with a 2

Multiple versions of the Friday that was strange

Could we do a body swap movie with Lindsay Lohan and Kirk Cameron?

What happened to the Time Space Continuum Economy?

Let me make sure I can undo this in case this wizard writing is actually magical

A series of 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and 4’s

What 2 4? / What to fore?

Oh man, a roll your own dice symbol

“Two Rolls for the Tower”, a folk song I wrote

Seven Towers for Seven Wizards

I’ll be honest, I have no idea of how to play this

Punchboard Punch

Ooh, I can store the cardboard pieces in the box without disassembly

Oh, those are battlements, not parapets

Dance-Off-Ments

Arrange the tiles in a circle

The coins are magical spells

90 movement cards

Fill your potion bottles AND get all of your wizards to Ravenskeep

If your wizards get stuck, you have to free them

Trap wizards to get their essence

Alternate Raven towers with normal towers

Who am I to call any towers normal?

The more spells, the more tactical the game becomes

Place the single Big Farmed in the circular

I’m stuck on the Ovular Path

Choose the starting player

Each player chooses a player color

Are you calling my wizards yella? No just your yellow meeples

Oh, the silver potions are just empty!

Fairy lights will indicate how many wizards go on each tower

This is complicated for me

Let’s get onto game play

Play 2 cards face up, one at a time

Or forego both actions, replenish your hand, and move any one tower clockwise one space

Cards that move a wizard

Cards that move a tower

Cards that move either

Ooh, there’s some risk taking of rolling this dice

Oh no, I’ve lost my place

Towers can stack on top and you catch all those wizards

The layout of these instructions are not super clear

You must always do the full movement

Oof, if you make a mistake your turn is over immediately

If you catch a wizard, you can fill a potion bottle

You have to remember where your wizards are

Fill your potion bottles early

You can cast spells for your own benefit

Instructions for Solo Mode and Cooperative Mode

Headwind allows you to move stuff counterclockwise

Piggyback – you move your wizard with someone else’s

That’s it for Wandering Towers

Can’t wait to play this, though I don’t know strategy yet 

 

SUPPORTER THANKS

Elena, Steven, Tyler, Cameron, Katherine, Ruth, Benjamin, Miss S, S, Jasper, Georgia, Emily, Matt, Catherine, Courtney, Kate, Stephen, Valerie, Sandy, Tim, Emily, Natalie, Ryan, Bethany, Nedra, Laura, Tiffany, Lori, Adam

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1,237

Title: Wandering Towers | Bored Game Unboxing

Deep Dark Night United: Sharon (SWM+ Testimonial)

Plugs: Hand in Hand; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline

Sponsors: AquaTru; Helix Sleep; Wild Health; Polyslee; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive

Supporter Thanks: Elena, Steven, Tyler, Cameron, Katherine, Ruth, Benjamin, Miss S, S, Jasper, Georgia, Emily, Matt, Catherine, Courtney, Kate, Stephen, Valerie, Sandy, Tim, Emily, Natalie, Ryan, Bethany, Nedra, Laura, Tiffany, Lori, Adam

Notable Language:

• Minimal Tadas
• To-woe’s
• To-Does / To-Doze
• Orange County-Adjacent (OCA)
• Parapets
• One Big Farmed
• Cardboard New Game Smell
• Punchboard Punch
• Dance-Off-Ments
• Stuck on the Ovular Path

 

Notable Culture:

• • Wandering Towers Board Game

• Hamlet

• • The Institute of Doe Terminology
  • Orange County

• The Mandalorian

• • Meeple

• Pokemon

• Fawlty Towers

• • Sting / The Police – “Message in a Bottle”
  • Christina Aguilera – “Genie in a Bottle”
  • “The Raven” – Edgar Allan Poe

• Dragonlance

• Freaky Friday

• Lindsay Lohan
• Kirk Cameron
• “Two Rolls for the Tower”, a folk song I wrote
• Seven Towers for Seven Wizards

 

Notable Talking Points:

• This is my first intro of 2024
• Welcome to my past
• My thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations like to do an appearance at bedtime
• Tadaa, we’re here performing for you now
• Unless you share a bed with a magician
• No TaDa’s at bedtime
• Let’s keep the tadaa’s to a minimum
• It’s only To-do’s in the morning
• I feel to-woe in the morning
• To doze or not to doze
• Tada, the weather tomorrow will be bad!
• I wa wa wonder why my thoughts went away
• What do you call a doe’s toes? To-Does!
• Well technically hooves
• I don’t mean to besmirch the Institute of Doe Terminology
• If I could have a magic word, it would probably be To-Doze
• Most people loathe the podcast the first few times they hear me
• People understandably have a healthy dose of skepticism about this show
• We’ve entered calendar year 11 of making this show
• This droning isn’t the kind of droning you were expecting
• Hopefully other people listening will help you know you don’t need to listen
• I’m your bore bruh if you’re Orange County adjacent
• The intro is not some kind of self-congratulations
• Thanks for being here
• This board game box is big
• This was a gift from Russy Biscuit
• I consider Russell to be my boss
• If you’re looking for a good actor, hire Russell
• Giving Russell a trailer
• Thank you, Russell
• Shoutout to everyone that works on this show
• Wandering Towers
• The box is a rectangle
• We’ll go into the publisher later
• A blue cloudy sky and a mountainous backdrop
• Clouds or Fog
• An Antlered Creature
• A wizard
• A middle ages style wizard in a crimson robe with a hat
• He has a magic wand
• A flask at their hip
• They’re using magic to move these teetering towers
• Box Side Report
• The Rear End of the Short Side
• A frog is drinking some leftover wizard potion
• That potion looks yummy
• Ages 10+
• 1 to 6 players
• I’ll probably play this with my daughter
• We haven’t even got to the back of the box yet
• A scroll set against the blue sky
• Oh, there’s wizard meeples
• Is Meeple just a term for a Merson?
• Get your wizard to Ravenskeep
• Are those parapets?
• Ride flying towers
• Catch wizards to fill up potion bottles
• Was there ever a Fawlty Towers board game?
• There’s also interconnected octacgons
• There’s meeples, so no 3 and unders
• Capstone Games (CG)
• Is Capstone the US distributor?
• Holy cow, there’s 24 wizard meeples!
• 36 potion bottles
• One Dice (aka One Big Farmed)
• How can I say the singular dice in SWM form?
• Oh okay, this is a safe space
• This is a wizard school final exam
• Was Sting in that band The Authority Figures?
• Essence in a Bottle
• This game box is so tight it will pass gas when opened
• Okay, this one didn’t make the gas sound
• I love how thin this rule book is
• Some assembly required
• Cardboard New Game Smell
• Tower Topper Base and Tower Sides
• A Dark Tan Tower
• This yellow essence looks like lemonade
• Two more towers and some colorful essences
• These towers are the color of well done toast
• This one has a sepia fall feel to it
• 3 Amber Hued Wizard potions on that one
• Okay, 2 more towers
• Okay, I’m confused by the layout of this octagon
• 2 more towers, more amber potions, and a sepia path through the forest
• 6 more silver potions
• 8 circles, larger than a coin
• Are these awards or buffs?
• A wizard in the wind – cost is -1?
• A leaning tower in the wind
• One wizard carries another on their back
• +2 a floating tower moving along
• Or Ravenskeep can move
• So there were 3 Wizard towers in Dragonlance
• 2 towers switching their tops
• Then we have our one big farm, made of wood
• Oh cool, this box comes with its own organizational thing
• Man, it’s nice I can keep this organized
• This is just how Russell helps me keep things organized
• A bag of meeples
• All the backs of the cards look like a spellbook
• 4 with a running wizard with a 1
• 4 of a running wizard with a 2
• Multiple versions of the Friday that was strange
• Could we do a body swap movie with Lindsay Lohan and Kirk Cameron?
• What happened to the Time Space Continuum Economy?
• Let me make sure I can undo this in case this wizard writing is actually magical
• A series of 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and 4’s
• What 2 4? / What to fore?
• Oh man, a roll your own dice symbol
• “Two Rolls for the Tower”, a folk song I wrote
• Seven Towers for Seven Wizards
• I’ll be honest, I have no idea of how to play this
• Punchboard Punch
• Ooh, I can store the cardboard pieces in the box without disassembly
• Oh, those are battlements, not parapets
• Dance-Off-Ments
• Arrange the tiles in a circle
• The coins are magical spells
• 90 movement cards
• Fill your potion bottles AND get all of your wizards to Ravenskeep
• If your wizards get stuck, you have to free them
• Trap wizards to get their essence
• Alternate Raven towers with normal towers
• Who am I to call any towers normal?
• The more spells, the more tactical the game becomes
• Place the single Big Farmed in the circular
• I’m stuck on the Ovular Path
• Choose the starting player
• Each player chooses a player color
• Are you calling my wizards yella? No just your yellow meeples
• Oh, the silver potions are just empty!
• Fairy lights will indicate how many wizards go on each tower
• This is complicated for me
• Let’s get onto game play
• Play 2 cards face up, one at a time
• Or forego both actions, replenish your hand, and move any one tower clockwise one space
• Cards that move a wizard
• Cards that move a tower
• Cards that move either
• Ooh, there’s some risk taking of rolling this dice
• Oh no, I’ve lost my place
• Towers can stack on top and you catch all those wizards
• The layout of these instructions are not super clear
• You must always do the full movement
• Oof, if you make a mistake your turn is over immediately
• If you catch a wizard, you can fill a potion bottle
• You have to remember where your wizards are
• Fill your potion bottles early
• You can cast spells for your own benefit
• Instructions for Solo Mode and Cooperative Mode
• Headwind allows you to move stuff counterclockwise
• Piggyback – you move your wizard with someone else’s
• That’s it for Wandering Towers
• Can’t wait to play this, though I don’t know strategy yet