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Meeples & Wine Episode Show Notes: Madcala Board Game Review with Love Potion #Wine

Welcome back to Meeples & Wine, the podcast where couples dive into board game reviews with a glass of something delicious in hand. Hosted by Michael and Suzy, this episode pairs a fun two-player strategy game with a unique Wisconsin wine. Whether you are searching for the best couple board games, mancala-style games, or wine pairings for game night, you are in the right place.

What wine are we tasting today?
Today we are pouring Love Potion #Wine from Harbor Ridge Winery in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. This aromatic blend of Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc with tart cherries delivers spicy, floral notes balanced by bright citrus acidity and herbaceous freshness. It is versatile and refreshing, perfect for a game night pour. Serve it well chilled. It pairs especially well with spicy or aromatic Asian dishes, citrus- or herb-seasoned seafood and shrimp, herb-roasted chicken or pork, goat cheese, and fresh salads or vegetables with citrus and herbs. Match the intensity of your food to the wine’s style for the best experience.

What game are we playing?
We are diving into Madcala 2025, a two-player asymmetric board game with a Wonderland theme published by Druid City Games. Designed by Aaron Hein and Manny Trembley (who also provided the art), Madcala takes the classic mancala mechanism and adds take-that elements, unique guest abilities, and plenty of player interaction.

Madcala was once the Mad Hatter’s favorite tea party tradition… until the Cheshire Cat took over as host. In this edition, characters from Wonderland’s War join the zany Cheshire Cat’s tournament of champions. Players battle to reduce their opponent’s health to zero through smart shard movement, powerful Plus-One abilities, and Commoner card plays. Outthinking and outmaneuvering your opponent is easier said than done in this battle of wits and luck.

On BoardGameGeek it currently sits at a 7.4 rating with a complexity weight of 2.13 out of 5. It is strictly a two-player game built around mancala and take-that mechanisms.

How to play Madcala
Madcala is a two-player Wonderland-themed strategy game where you move Shards around a shared circular Playmat, activate space effects, and use Guest, Plus-One, and Commoner cards to reduce your opponent’s health to zero.

Setup is straightforward. Players sit at opposite ends of the Playmat, each claim a color of Shards, place their Doubler on their Home Space and two normal Shards on each of their other five Spaces, set Health Dials to 25, shuffle the Commoner deck, determine first player with the Madcala token, choose Guests (second player picks first), and set up matching Plus-One and Guide cards.

On your turn you may take actions in any order, but you must perform the Move Shards action. Plus-One and Commoner actions are optional. At the end of your turn, discard down to a maximum of two Commoners in hand. The first player cannot use a Plus-One on the opening turn.

• Move Shards (mandatory): Take all Shards from one of your Spaces and distribute them one-by-one clockwise starting from the next Space. The Doubler must land last and doubles the final Space’s effect. Skip the opponent’s Home Space when crossing sides. Activate the effect of the Space where the last Shard lands.
• Plus-One (optional): Refreshable ones cost normal Shards paid from the board then flip face-down. Corrupted ones spend a Shard or token from the card itself and are limited-use.
• Commoner (optional): Play any number from hand to resolve their effects such as Gather Shards, Damage, or Extra Turn.
• You may also spend three Shards once per turn to draw a Commoner.

Space effects include adding a Shard, healing, drawing cards, dealing damage, refreshing a Plus-One, or (on Home) choosing any of your Spaces to activate. Landing the Doubler on Home grants an extra turn instead. The first player to reduce their opponent’s health to zero wins.

An expansion is already available: Madcala: Tweedles & Caterpillar (2025).

How does it play with two players? Was it fun?
Fun Score (1-10)
Michael – 9
Suzy – 8

Will it wreck the relationship?
Couch score (1-5)
Michael – 4
Suzy – 4

How long to learn the rules?
Time Sink scale runs from 1 (no problem after one or two games) to 5 (YouTube tutorials and lots of reading needed).

Final Sip
How has the wine changed since opening?

Last Call
We head to Kickstarter to spotlight cool new games on the horizon. This episode features Dark Tomb: Lost Temple of Zor. Zor has seized control of southeastern Alathia. Inspired by the dark legacy of Orom, he has silenced the ruins and is slowly draining the land of life beneath the scorching desert sun. Players must venture across the unforgiving Alcian Desert, seek out the ancient hidden temple, and confront Zor before all is lost to the sands.

That wraps up this episode of Meeples & Wine. If you enjoyed the board game review and wine pairing, share it with a friend who loves couple game nights or mancala-style strategy games. Reach out anytime at meeplesandwine@gmail.com, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn, or leave a voicemail at (707) 572-5282. See you next time on Meeples and Wine! Buh-bye!

List of URLs with Titles

• Harbor Ridge Winery – https://www.harborridgewinery.com/
• Madcala on BoardGameGeek – https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/414764/madcala
• Aaron Hein BoardGameGeek Designer Page – https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/160194/aaron-hein
• Manny Trembley BoardGameGeek Designer/Artist Page – https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/63023/manny-trembley
• Druid City Games Publisher Page – https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/32841/druid-city-games
• Madcala: Tweedles & Caterpillar Expansion – https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/438361/madcala-tweedles-and-caterpillar
• Dark Tomb: Lost Temple of Zor Kickstarter – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kozz/dark-tomb-lost-temple