Shows / Pick Up and Deliver
Pick Up and Deliver
A brief podcast about hobby board games, recorded by English professor Brendan Riley on brief 15 minute walks around town. Join us for a stroll as we discuss mechanisms, gameplay, theory, and topics of the day.
Find show notes at RattleboxGames.com
Episodes
Pick Up and DeliverProject: ELITE; Molly House; Hollywood 1947; Above & Below (revisited)
Brendan shares his first impressions of three games he tried recently. Join us, won’t you? Project: ELITE (2020) Escape: The Curse of the Temple (2012) Molly…
Pick Up and DeliverLook Back at 2007 & 2008
Brendan looks back at the games that came out in 2007 and 2008 to see which games are the best games. Join us, won’t you?Top 5 from 2007-2008 A Touch of Evil…
Pick Up and DeliverUnderused Mechanisms I Love
Brendan talks about several underused mechanisms he loves. Join us, won’t you? Evenfall (2023) Upper Row / Bottom Row Elysium (2015) Valley of the Kings (2014)…
Pick Up and DeliverNefarious; Trickdraw; Savernake Forest; Crossfire (revisited)
Brendan shares his first impressions of three games he tried recently. Join us, won’t you? One Night Ultimate Alien (2017) Nefarious (2011) Trickdraw (2022)…
Pick Up and DeliverMarch/April ’25 Movie Roundup
Brendan shares his thoughts about the films he watched in March and April of 2025. Join us, won’t you? The Devil Wears Prada Prêt-à-Porter (2010) Fit to Print…
Pick Up and DeliverWhitehall Mystery; Time Bomb: Evolution; Madame Medora’s House of Curiosities; Cockroach Poker (revisited)
Brendan shares his first impressions of three games he tried out recently. Join us, won’t you? Whitehall Mystery (2017) Scotland Yard (1983) Time Bomb…
Pick Up and DeliverScripted Openings
Brendan shares his thoughts about games with scripted openings and their effect on gameplay. Join us, won’t you? Concordia (2013) Which games have the most…
Pick Up and DeliverReading Roundup, Q1 2025
Brendan talks about the books he read in Jan, Feb, and March of 2025. Join us, won’t you? The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a…
Pick Up and DeliverTop of the Stack, June 2025
Brendan shares his gameplay stats from May. Join us, won’t you? May 2025 Top of the Stack NEW GAME – Sorcerer City X SHELF CLEARER – Badass Zombie Killers X…
Pick Up and DeliverEthnos; Red Rising; 51st State: Master Set; Pulsar 2849
Brendan shares his first impressions of 3 games he tried for the first time recently. Join us, won’t you? Ethnos Paolo Mori Red Rising Fantasy Realms (2017)…
Pick Up and DeliverStories Adapted to Board Games
Brendan shares thoughts about Stories being adapted into board games, and what makes them work. Join us, won’t you? Capture the feeling of the source Jaws…
Pick Up and DeliverAsymmetric Games
Brendan shares his thoughts and experiences about asymmetric games. Join us, won’t you? Free Radicals (2022) Emergent Asymmetry Orléans (2014) Everdell (2018)…
Pick Up and DeliverPonzi Scheme, Free Radicals, Moon Colony Bloodbath
Brendan shares his first impressions of three games he tried recently. Join us, won’t you? Ponzi Scheme (2015) Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King (2015) Free…
Pick Up and DeliverPerils of Freeform Storytelling, a Frosthaven Lament
Brendan shares his experience with Frosthaven’s campaign storytelling, reflecting on how it works and where it comes up short. Join us, won’t you? Frosthaven…
Pick Up and DeliverAsynchronous Learning
Brendan shares his thinking about asynchronous learning and online learning. Join us, won’t you? How To Teach Board Games Like a Pro Games mentioned in the…
Pick Up and DeliverEmptying the Dust Bin (Jan & Feb 2025)
Brendan talks about the games he dusted off in January and February of 2025 but didn’t get a chance to talk about again. Join us, won’t you?JANUARY Dusty Games…
Pick Up and DeliverFebruary ’25 Movie Roundup
Brendan shares his thoughts on several films he watched in February. Join us, won't you? Saturday Night (2024) Roll Camera!: The Filmmaking Board Game (2021)…
Pick Up and DeliverTop of the Stack, May 2025
Brendan shares news of his game plays in April 2025. Join us, won’t you Top of the Stack, April 2025 NEW GAME – Hollywood 1947 X SHELF CLEARER – Space Freaks X…
Pick Up and DeliverTaurus Gamers (Astrology Files)
Brendan talks about what games Taurus gamers might like or be good at. Join us, won’t you? Previous Astrology Files episodes Allure.com’s “12 Zodiac Signs…
Pick Up and DeliverKnarr; Civolution; Blood on the Clocktower; Last Will revisited
Brendan talks about three games he tried for the first time recently. Join us, won’t you? Knarr (2023) Civolution (2024) Blood on the Clocktower (2022) Last…
Pick Up and DeliverStorytelling Games
Brendan shares a bit about his history with storytelling games and role-playing games. Join us, won’t you?Role-playing Games Dungeons & Dragons Continuum…
Pick Up and DeliverMath Trade Offerings
Brendan shares the list of games he’s offering up in the Chicagoland No Ship Math Trade. Join us, won’t you? Link to the Math Trade Start of Brendan’s listings…
Pick Up and DeliverThings I Like About Res Arcana
Brendan talks about what he likes about Res Arcana. Join us, won’t you? Pick Up & Deliver 439: Res Arcana vs. Mottainai (DUEL) Pick Up & Deliver 194: Roam and…
Pick Up and DeliverTribond; Buildzi; Rolemodels; The Gang; Thunderbirds (revisited)
Brendan talks about three games he tried for the first time recently. Join us, won’t you? Tribond (1989) BUILDZI (2020) Rolemodels: The Battle for Vyk’…
Pick Up and DeliverHome Field Advantage
Brendan talks about games where experience and depth of knowledge gives players a dramatic advantage in play. Join us, won’t you? Fantasy Realms (2017) Knowing…
Pick Up and DeliverAndroid: Infiltration; Minotaur Lords; Sherlock Holmes Baker Street Irregulars; Sidereal Confluence (revisited)
Brendan talks about three games he played recently for the first time, and one he dusted off. Join us, won’t you? Android: Infiltration (2012) Clank!: A…
Pick Up and DeliverNever Tell Me the Odds
Brendan shares his innumeracy regarding the chances of succeeding with random success. Join us, won’t you? Han Solo’s famous quote Bad odds with cards…
Pick Up and DeliverThings I Like About Real-Time Games
Brendan shares his thoughts on real-time games… in real time! Join us for this unedited episode of Pick Up & Deliver, won’t you?Quick Reaction Games Anomia…
Pick Up and DeliverClue: The Office; Resafa; Galactic Renaissance; Cryptid (revisited)
Brendan talks about three games he played for the first time recently and one game he dusted off. Join us, won’t you? Clue: The Office (2009) Resafa (2024)…
Pick Up and DeliverFantasy Flight Games Catalog, Spring 2004
Brendan shares his observations about the Fantasy Flight 2004 Spring Catalog. Join us, won’t you? Minotaur Lords (2004) Blue Moon (2004) War of the Ring (2004)…
Pick Up and DeliverTop of the Stack, April 2025
Brendan shares some insights about his game plays in March 2025. Join us, won’t you? Top of the Stack list, March 2025 NEW GAME – Resafa ✓ SHELF CLEARER –…
Pick Up and DeliverKemet; Hunted: Wode Ridge; Apothecary: Plague Doctors; Elder Sign (revisited)
Brendan shares his first impressions of three games he tried recently. Join us, won’t you? Kemet (2012) Kemet: Blood and Sand (2021) Hunted: Wode Ridge (2023)…
Pick Up and DeliverThe ‘Geek Asks 13
Brendan examines the recent posts on boardgamegeek as though the threads are there as questions for him. Join us, won’t you? Gamifying Candy Land – A Thought…
Pick Up and DeliverJanuary 2025 Movie Roundup
Brendan shares his movie views from January 2025 and some games that go with them. Join us, won’t you? Nosferatu (2024) Fury of Dracula (Third/Fourth Edition)…
Pick Up and DeliverDracula’s Feast, Glyphics, A Gest of Robin Hood, Heat (revisited)
Brendan shares his first impressions of three games he played for the first time recently. Join us, won’t you? Dracula’s Feast: New Blood (2020) Glyphics…
Pick Up and DeliverØstby & Svensson (Great Designers)
Brendan returns to the “Great Designers” series to talk about two clever Norweigians: Kristian Amundsen Østby and Eilif Svensson. Join us, won’t you? Escape…
Pick Up and DeliverReading Roundup, Q4 2024
Brendan talks about the books he read in the last three months of 2024. Join us, won’t you? The Penguin Pool Murder Awkward Guests: The Walton Case (2016)…
Pick Up and DeliverEmptying the Dust Bin Q4 ’24
Brendan shares a little bit about each of several games he dusted off in the last three months of 2024 about which he never had a chance to chat. Join us…
Pick Up and DeliverThe ‘Havenverse (Message from the Deep)
Brendan does a deep-dive review of the ‘Haven games. Join us, won’t you? Pick Up & Deliver 84: Gloomhaven (Message from the Deep) ‘Haven games I talk about…
Pick Up and DeliverPisces Gamers (Astrology files)
Brendan talks about what games Pisces gamers might like or be good at. Join us, won’t you? Allure.com’s “12 Zodiac Signs: Dates and Personality Traits”…
Pick Up and DeliverTicket to Ride Legacy; Bomb Busters; Histrio; Flash Point: Fire Rescue (revisited)
Brendan shares his first impressions of three games and one expansion he played for the first time recently. Join us, won’t you? Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends…
Pick Up and DeliverLook Back at 2009
Brendan looks back at a year of gaming from before he was doing the podcast, and chooses his superlative games and his top 5. Join us, won’t you?Top 5 games…
Pick Up and DeliverTop of the Stack, March ’25
Brendan talks about the games he played in February and the games he wants to play in March. Join us, won’t you? February Top of the Stack NEW GAME – Capital…
Pick Up and DeliverHomeworlds; Mistborn: the deck-building game; Alien: Fate of the Nostromo; Revive: Call of the Abyss
Brendan talks about three games he played for the first time recently. Join us, won’t you? Homeworlds (2020) Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game (2024) Revive…
Pick Up and DeliverMy Most-Played Games of 2024
Brendan shares his “most-played games” list and talks a bit about memorable plays from last year. Join us, won’t you?Most-played games, online only 33 plays –…
Pick Up and DeliverSlide 5; Dream Crush; Capital Lux; High Society (revisited)
Brendan talks about three games he tried recently for the first time. Join us, won’t you? Slide 5 (1980) Connect Four (1974) Slide 5 (2007) Dream Crush (2021)…
Pick Up and DeliverPraga Caput Regni & Underwater Cities (Sibling Rivalry)
Brendan puts two games from the same designer next to one another and looks for similarities and differences. Join us, won’t you? Praga Caput Regni (2020) (#23…
Pick Up and DeliverRisk & Roll 2000; Drones vs. Seagulls; Survive (revisited); Castle Combo
Brendan talks about three games he tried recently for the first time, and one game he revisited. Join us, won’t you? Drones vs Seagulls (2022) Schotten Totten…
Pick Up and DeliverNovember/December ’24 Movie Roundup
Brendan shares his thoughts on several films he watched in November and December of 2024. Join us, won’t you? Penguin Pool Murder 1932 Awkward Guests: The…
Pick Up and DeliverInk & Clues; Skyjo; Discworld: Ankh-Morpork; Obsession: Characters Expansion
Brendan talks about three games he tried for the first time recently, and an expansion too! Join us, won’t you? Ink & Clues: Secrets of the Holloway Manor…
Pick Up and DeliverBest Games of 2023
Brendan looks back at 2023 and reflects on which games are his favorite and which games deserve special recognition. Join us, won’t you?Exempted from…
Pick Up and DeliverTop of the Stack, Feb 2025
Brendan shares his gaming stats from January of ’25 in this premiere episode of Season 8. Join us, won’t you? Top of the Stack, January 2025 NEW GAME – Earth ✓…
Pick Up and DeliverSeason 7 Finale
Brendan looks back at Season 7 as the year draws to a close. Join us, won’t you?Seven favorite episodes of season seven 636: Why Keep a Game? 617: Weird…
Pick Up and DeliverMy Top 50 … by Art (part 10)
Brendan presents his updated Top 50 games, but in order of how good their art is. Join us, won’t you? - 5. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/245638/coimbra…
Pick Up and DeliverMy Top 50 … by Art (part 9)
Brendan presents his updated Top 50 games, but in order of how good their art is. Join us, won’t you? 10. Nanty Narking (2019) #48 (down 18 from 30 in ’22)…
Pick Up and DeliverMy Top 50 … by Art (part 8)
Brendan presents his updated Top 50 games, but in order of how good their art is. Join us, won’t you? 15. Lost Ruins of Arnak (2020) #34 (new to the list) 14…
Pick Up and DeliverMy Top 50 … by Art (part 7)
Brendan presents his updated Top 50 games, but in order of how good their art is. Join us, won’t you? 20. Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game (2007) #39 (up 3…
Pick Up and DeliverMy Top 50 … by Art (part 6)
Brendan presents his updated Top 50 games, but in order of how good their art is. Join us, won’t you? 25. Revive (2022) (#16, new to list) 24. Orléans (2014)…
Pick Up and DeliverMy Top 50 … by Art (part 5)
Brendan presents his updated Top 50 games, but in order of how good their art is. Join us, won’t you? 30. Star Wars: Rebellion (2016) (#15, up 8 from 23 in…
Pick Up and DeliverMy Top 50 ... by Art (part 4)
Brendan presents his updated Top 50 games, but in order of how good their art is. Join us, won’t you? 31. Sidereal Confluence (2017) (#50, down 21 from 29 in…