Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 28^th October 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is now doing food again, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor which is a new Essen release (rules, review, video review and tutorial, auto translated tutorial).  Coupled with the Hound of the Baskerville promo card, this is also suitably spooky to mark the run up to Halloween, while leaving scope for other suitably-themed games like Ghostel and Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of spooky…

Jeff had just moved house and was talking to his new housemate.

“It’s a really old house,” said Jeff, “And sometimes I find it rather spooky.  In fact, the other day I thought I saw a ghost.”

“Really?” came the reply.  “I’ve never seen one and I’ve lived here for three hundred and forty-five years…”

Happy Birthday to Us!

Our next meeting will be Tuesday 14^th October 2025, when we will be celebrating our thirteenth birthday.  We will be eating together to celebrate at 7pm, with cake and games afterwards.

As is now traditional on our birthday, the “Feature Game” will be Crappy Birthday.  This is a party game where players give each other comedy birthday presents and the recipient has to decide who gave the best and worst gifts.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of birthdays…

Jeff was at the surgery.  “Doctor, I get heartburn every time I eat birthday cake,” he explained.

The doctor asked him to open his mouth and say “Ahhh.”

After a few moments’ examination, the doctor said, “Next time, take the candles off.”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 30^th September 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is now doing food again, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be The Traveler expansion to Altiplano (base game rules, base game review, base game instructional video, expansion rules, expansion review, expansion overview and instructional video).  Altiplano is a “bag building” game where players develop their alpaca farms in the highlands of Peru and was the first game to receive the coveted Golden GOAT Award in 2018.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of alpacas…

Jeff was at Millets Farm with his wife and, after visiting the Falconry, they were admiring the animals.  They were looking at the alpacas, when Jeff commented, “They look a bit scary, do you think they might bite?”

His wife replied, “Oh no, they are quite friendly, there’s no cause for a llama…!”

Our next meeting will be Tuesday 9^th December 2025 at the Horse and Jockey pub in Stanford-in-the-Vale.

As this is our Christmas party, we will be meeting early from 6.30pm
with food at around 7pm followed by Christmas festivities.

After eating, we will be playing a range of Christmas and winter themed games like Jokkmokk: The Winter Market, Santa’s Workshop, Christmas Tree, Snow Tails, Carcassonne: Winter Edition, Gingerbread House and Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries, or any party games we have time for after eating and voting on the annual GOAT Awards.

– Image by boardGOATS

Speaking of Christmas…

Jeff had just bought himself a Christmas jumper (so he could get an extra vote for the Golden GOAT), but it kept picking up static electricity.  In the end, he took it back and exchanged it for another one – free of charge…

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 16^th September 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is now doing food again, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be First Empires (rules, review and instructional video).  This is a dice-driven, area movement and control game that we played a few weeks ago and found we really enjoyed.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of empires…

Jeff was visiting the bar at the top of the Empire State Building. He was standing at the bar when a guy in a suit approached him and said, “Did you know that one of the reasons this building has such interesting design is that they made it so that when people jump out of the window, the wind stops them from falling too fast, and they just float to the ground, unhurt?”

Jeff was astonished, “No way,” he said, “Prove it!”

So, the man in the suit climbed onto the window sill and jumped out the window. A few minutes later the lift arrived and out he walked.

“See! It works!” the man in the suit said. Jeff was really impressed and before anyone could stop him, he jumped onto the window sill and lept out of the window and, after what seemed like an age to him as he accelerated rapidly, landed with a jolt in an anti-suicide net.

Back in the bar, the bartender sighed, “Superman, you really can be an idiot when you’ve been drinking!”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 2^nd September 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  Following a recent change of hands, the pub is now doing food again, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Parachute Panda (one review and another review).  This is a light, fun little filler game with a bit of take that, cute artwork and, of course, lots of pandas…

– Image by BGG Contributor W. Eric Martin, adapted by boardGOATS

And speaking of pandas…

Jeff walked into a bar with his pet panda. It was about 5pm, but they were ready for a good night of drinking. They started slowly, watching the Magpies play on the TV, drinking beer and eating peanuts. As the night went on, they moved to mixed drinks, and then shots, necking one after another. Finally, the barman called, “Last orders,” so, Jeff went to the bar one last time.

“One more for me… and one more for my panda,” he asked. The barman set them up and Jeff and the Panda knocked them back. Suddenly, after one drink too many, the panda collapsed in a heap on the floor. Jeff left some cash on the bar, put his coat on and headed for the door.

The barman called after him, “Hey you can’t just leave that lyin’ there…”

To which Jeff replied, “Don’t be daft—that’s not a lion, it’s a panda…!”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 19^th August 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  Following a recent change of hands, the pub is now doing “basket meals”, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Critter Kitchen (rules, review and tutorial video).  This is a worker placement and programming game where players take on the role of restaurateurs competing in food challenges, and planning an epic meal to impress a celebrity food critic.

– Image from facebook.com, adapted by boardGOATS

And speaking of restaurants…

Jeff and Joe were having a chat over a pint, when out of the blue, Jeff suddenly said, “I really love meatballs, in fact, I love them so much that I’m planning to open a Swedish restaurant.”

Joe, was a little taken aback, but after a moment or two considering, replied, “I like them too, but it’s a bit of a stretch to open a restaurant to get them.  In any case, where are you going to find a Swedish chef?”

“Oh,” replied Jeff, “My chef won’t actually be Swedish—do you think anyone will notice I’m using an artificial Swedener on my food?”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 5^th August 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  Following a recent change of hands, the pub has now started doing “basket meals”, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Cubed (rules, review and how-to-play video).  This is a very simple, sort of 3D, hexagonal/triominoes domino game which plays relatively quickly and, at least in theory, with a lot of players.

– Image from cubedthegame.com, adapted by boardGOATS

And speaking of Dominoes…

Jeff had been having a drink in Faringdon after work.  As he left the Old Crown in the Marketplace, a sign caught his eye and he went into the shop to find out more.

“Your sign outside says three strippers for £4.99,” said Jeff. “Are we talking topless or fully nude here please?”

“Sir,” replied the guy behind the counter, “This is Domino’s Pizza—they’re chicken strippers.”

“Ahhh…” Jeff responded.  “OK, now the pricing makes sense… How long is each dance please?”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 22^nd July 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  Following a recent change of hands, the pub has just started doing “basket meals”, so those that will be eating will be arriving from around 6.30pm.

This week, to mark the announcement of the Spiel des Jahres winners, the “Feature Game” will be Looot (rules, review, how-to-play video).  This is a resource collection and management game where players take on the role of Vikings conquering new territory and building their village.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of Vikings…

Jeff was working in a fancy-dress shop, so when he and his mates decided to form a disco pop band they each chose a costume. Jeff dressed up as Viking, Joe as a Caribbean pirate, Jim as a Mongol, Jon as a Bedouin raider, Jack as a Spanish conquistador.

The called themselves The Pillage People…