Shows / Operation Game Night
Operation Game Night
Travis Smith, Jared Erickson, and Clayton Gable get together to discuss the latest and greatest in board games in this weekly podcast. What's hot, what's hitting the table, featured discussions about board games and the board gaming culture, and the primary mission objective- to play more board games!
Episodes
- Operation Game Night
Put Your Board Games On A Diet
Heavy board games are awesome. They’re also the easiest games to love in theory and never actually play. So we try something different: we put our biggest…
- Operation Game Night
A Local Game Store Gets A Second Life
We go from cooperative poker boss fights to instant-teach party games, then zoom out to the real work of keeping a friendly local game store alive. CJ joins to…
- Operation Game Night
The Benevolent Board Game Dictator Method
Twenty people show up for game night, dinner ends, and everyone looks at the game shelf like it’s a bomb that might go off. We’ve lived that nightmare, so we…
- Operation Game Night
Barn Boy Games Turns Family Play Into A Business
How do you turn a goofy argument like “Is a stop sign taller than an emu?” into a party game people can learn in seconds and replay for years? We sit down with…
- Operation Game Night
An OGN Reunion Debrief!
A board game weekend can go one of two ways: the table clicks and everyone rides the momentum, or you bog down in rules, downtime, and “maybe next time.” We…
- Operation Game Night
We Stress-Test Game Night Scenarios (ft. Tim from Board Game Hot Takes)
A Golden Geek Award winner joins us, and we do what any responsible board game podcast would do: we immediately test whether he can actually host a great game…
- Operation Game Night
Betting On Betting Games
We had a question stuck in our heads: can you make a board game betting episode that actually feels like a bet? So we built a weird little experiment where we…
- Operation Game Night
The Great Board Game Cull
Your board game shelf can either fuel game night or quietly smother it. We sit down to talk about the messy, satisfying work of board game culling: how we…
- Operation Game Night
Grab Bag: Testing The 8 Kinds Of Fun Against Board Games
A single game store run turns into the most relatable tabletop gaming story possible: we drive out for one small box, get hit by the shopping bug, and walk out…
- Operation Game Night
Our Current Top 10 Board Games
We celebrate two years of Operation Game Night by ranking our current top 10 board games and owning the messy reality behind how those lists actually get made…
- Operation Game Night
2 Years of Operation Game Night: Our Favorite Episodes & What We're Playing Now
Two years, 130+ episodes, and more games than we can count — and we're celebrating with a full roundtable. Amanda Lee (emptynestboardmama) and Mike…
- Operation Game Night
Peter C. Hayward & Baba Is You Board Game Design
We trade stories about the small games that save a night, from bluffing chaos at a wrestling convention to real-time trading frenzies that only work with the…
- Operation Game Night
Clearing The Shelf Of Opportunity (ft. Games Y Mas & Peter C. Hayward)
You know that moment when you look at your shelf and realize you’re collecting faster than you’re playing? We start there with Vic from the Games Y Mas…
- Operation Game Night
GameHead Games Wave 2 Sneak Peek
We catch up with Paul Solomon from GameHead Games, trade notes on recent plays, then dig deep into what Wave 1 taught him about selling small box board games…
- Operation Game Night
The Definitive Trick-Taking Game Ranking
Trick-taking games are everywhere right now, but not all of them earn a permanent spot on the shelf. We put Clay’s full taste on the record with a ranked list…
- Operation Game Night
OGN's Game of the Year Watch
A lot of games feel fun for one night and then vanish into the shelf. We wanted to figure out the opposite: the board games that keep tugging at your brain…
- Operation Game Night
Travis is Back and Clay Has Opinions About 38 Games | June Deployment Report
They're back. Travis survived the move. Clay survived a month without his leader. The long form format is officially back by popular demand — and to celebrate…
- Operation Game Night
Bärenpark In 30 Minutes
New Zealand has no wild bears, which is exactly why we end up talking about building the best bear zoo we can. Clay and Sam dig into Baron Park, the Phil…
- Operation Game Night
Convince me Catan is a Good Game
Catan has a weird superpower: it’s one of the most loved gateway board games and one of the most mocked “I’m too serious for this” targets. We lean into that…
- Operation Game Night
A 40th Birthday Becomes A 20-Game Challenge
We trade the usual birthday expectations for a weeklong board game celebration as Mike turns 40 and brings a list of 20 games he wants on the table. We break…
- Operation Game Night
Speakeasy
A five-hour learning game sounds like a warning label, but Speakeasy has the rare kind of weight that makes us lean in instead of bounce. I’m Clay, and I’m…
- Operation Game Night
A Whimsical Pirate Tea Game That Teaches Modern Board Game Basics
Pirates who serve tea instead of plundering feel like a joke until you see how well the idea works on the table. Clay sits down with Mike from Meeple That…
- Operation Game Night
Coming of Age with Tiff!
A board game about growing up sounds like pure theme, until you see Coming of Age’s head-shaped player board packed with mood tracks, goals, and friendships…
- Operation Game Night
Lairs with Tiff! Are the expansions actually essentials?
A two-player board game that feels like Battleship grew up, learned dungeon design, and decided to mess with your head. Clay Gable is joined by Tiff from…
- Operation Game Night
Crying in the Theater Seeing Sheep Detectives
A move will humble any gamer, especially when you’re staring at a wall of boxes that all say “games.” While I’m packing up and Clay’s dialing in a newly…
- Operation Game Night
Rolling for Recovery: Operation Tabletop's Fight Against Veteran Isolation
Seth Ewing lost his brother to suicide in 2017. The guilt nearly broke him. What pulled him back? A Dungeons & Dragons group that refused to let him isolate…
- Operation Game Night
Clay's New Favorite Game!
The moment that Ra statue gets grabbed, the whole table tightens up, because you don’t get to ease into an auction in this game. Clayton Gable and I, Travis…
- Operation Game Night
Through The Desert by Reiner Knizia
Two camels per turn shouldn’t be enough to create real tension, but Through The Desert keeps proving otherwise. We’re back on Operation Game Night with Travis…
- Operation Game Night
Draughtnauts by LazArt Studios
We sit down with John Lazaration, creator of Draughtnauts, to talk about turning checkers-style strategy into a customizable sci-fi tabletop game that welcomes…
- Operation Game Night
Foreplay On The Game Shelf
Fence-sitting is underrated. Sometimes you’re not ready to deliver a polished verdict, you just want to talk about what you played, what worked, and what…
- Operation Game Night
Drop Drive by Phase Shift Games
You ever see a board game and immediately think, “Wait, you do what to start the game?” Drop Drive opens with a literal physics event: you drop asteroids…
- Operation Game Night
Mother-Approved Board Games
Mother’s Day has us asking a question that cuts through all the hot takes and hobby hype: what board games do moms actually want to play? We trade stories…
- Operation Game Night
Board Game Besties And Unexpected Dragon Smut
We go over the fence to trade life updates that explain why game nights slow down and why the stories around the hobby still matter. Promotions, move-ins…
- Operation Game Night
Board Game 20 Questions!
Twenty yes-or-no questions sounds like a lot until you start spending them on the wrong things. We put that to the test with a full round of board game 20…
- Operation Game Night
Take Time Turns Planning Into A Mind-Reading Challenge
Your group makes a solid plan, everyone nods, and then the table goes completely silent. A minute later you flip the cards and realize somebody quietly dropped…
- Operation Game Night
The Lord of the Rings: Fate Of The Fellowship by Z-Man Games
The fastest way to learn what Fate of the Fellowship is really doing is to watch your Hope evaporate. We sit down with Lord of the Rings: Fate of the…
- Operation Game Night
Frozen Toes And Amish Marathon Runners
A broken AC on the first hot day, a sudden cold snap, and two dads trying to keep up with life’s pace sets the vibe for a wide ranging “over the fence” catch…
- Operation Game Night
Coping With Board Game Burnout (or, Board Game Viagra)
Your board game shelf is packed, your wishlist is growing, and somehow you feel less excited to play than ever. We’re right there with you. Clayton and Travis…
- Operation Game Night
Star Wars: Super Teams - A Racing Game for All Ages
A Star Wars board game with a clear plastic window and chibi ships should not be this interesting, and yet here we are. We grabbed Star Wars: Super Teams as an…
- Operation Game Night
Crits & Tricks: A Dice-Powered Trick-Taking Game With D&D Classes
A trick-taking game where your card is the suit but your die is the number sounds like a gimmick until you feel the decisions stack up fast. We’re talking…
- Operation Game Night
Project Hail Mary And Pokopia
A house where “no smells” are allowed sounds like a joke until you’re living it, and that’s exactly where we start. Travis is back with Clayton Gable for a…
- Operation Game Night
How to Spend Your Tax Refund...On Board Games!
A tax refund hits different when you’ve got a board game wishlist the size of a Kallax. We set a simple (and slightly irresponsible) challenge: spend an…
- Operation Game Night
Have Word Party Games Reached Saturation?
A good word game doesn’t need a complicated ruleset, it needs that moment where someone explains their clue and the whole table says, “Wait, your brain went…
- Operation Game Night
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - The Board Game
Gotham does not care that you’re Batman. The city keeps boiling over, the press keeps watching, mutants keep swarming, and the clock keeps moving while you try…
- Operation Game Night
How One Piece On Netflix Turns Weird Into Heart
A rubber pirate chasing the “One Piece” sounds like a premise that should collapse under its own weirdness, but we can’t stop smiling while we watch it. We…
- Operation Game Night
Fives, Gachapon Trick, And Rebel Princess For Fans Of Clever Card Play
A great trick-taking game doesn’t need a thousand rules, it needs one twist that rewires your instincts. Clay and I sit down to debrief three modern…
- Operation Game Night
Moon Colonization is not for the faint of heart
A board game where everything you build comes crashing down in front of your eyes is our kind of problem. Jared jumps back on the mic to talk through Moon…
- Operation Game Night
A Quick State Of The Podcast OTF
One host, one hotel room, and zero room for pretending everything is perfectly on schedule. Travis checks in solo to share a quick state of Operation Game…
- Operation Game Night
Dungeon Crawler Board Game Draft!
We build two complete dungeon crawlers through a 10-round draft, weighing combat feel, map design, AI, loot, campaign arcs, and components. One becomes a…
- Operation Game Night
Playing Games to Strengthen Communities
We share how a simple board game day for a good cause sparked joy, trust, and belonging, then map easy paths for giving back without making it a heavy lift…
- Operation Game Night
Our First D&D Campaign, Part 2
We finish our first Dungeons and Dragons campaign and unpack how four players grew from hesitant dice rollers into a confident party with distinct voices…
- Operation Game Night
We Binge So You Don't Have To!
We swap stories from the fence about parenting phases, shrinking free time, and how we still find room for TV, books, and games. From Stranger Things to a…
- Operation Game Night
Cozy Stickerville by Unexpected Games
What if the most satisfying legacy campaign isn’t about winning at all, but about watching a small town come to life one sticker at a time? We dive into Cozy…
- Operation Game Night
Twilight Imperium by Fantasy Flight Games (ft. Vic from Games Y Más)
Ten hours. Six players. One planet daring everyone to blink first. We sat down with our friend Vic Diaz from the Games EMoss podcast to unpack why Twilight…
- Operation Game Night
3 Witches from Allplay
A three-player card game that dares to say “only three” and actually earns it. We sat down with Three Witches from Allplay and found a lean, tense trick taker…
- Operation Game Night
Overplayed and Underplayed Board Game Themes
Tired of yet another cozy mushroom harvest or another horde of shambling minis? We take a scalpel to today’s most overused board game themes—nature deluges…
- Operation Game Night
Hercules The 12 Labors by Envy Born Games
The moment the Hydra spawns a second die, you realize this isn’t just another solo dice chucker. We dive into Hercules and the 12 Labors, a compact…
- Operation Game Night
It's a Quick Games Roundup! (Yeehaw)
Eight games. One wild ride. We corral a posse of quick, high-impact titles you can teach in minutes and replay all night, from clever card shedders to a…
- Operation Game Night
Donuts & Downsizing
A friendly debate about donut etiquette spirals into a funny, honest look at indulgence, shame, and small comforts. We pivot to downsizing a board game…
- Operation Game Night
Gazebo by Reiner Knizia & Bitewing Games
A calm garden on the table, a knife fight under the hood. We’re diving into Gazebo, the newly tuned abstract from Reiner Knizia and Bitewing Games, to unpack…