Tag: couples board games

105 Featured
Pattern-Building Perfection: Why Blood of an Englishman Shines for Two

Pattern-Building Perfection: Why Blood of an Englishman Shines for Two

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Meeples & Wine Episode 105: Climbing Beanstalks with The Confidence Man Mead & Blood of an Englishman

Hey board game couples and podcast fans! Welcome back to another cozy episode of Meeples & Wine, your go-to board game podcast for couples who love reviewing games with a drink in hand. We’re Michael and Suzy, and today we’re pairing a bold Illinois mead with a clever two-player card game that brings the classic Jack and the Beanstalk tale to the table. Grab your glasses and settle in—this one’s perfect for date night board gaming.

What Wine (or Mead) Are We Tasting Today?

We’re sipping The Confidence Man from Honey Heist Mead Co. in Cobden, Illinois (Shawnee Hills AVA). This Old Fashioned-inspired mead is aged on American oak with cherries, a hint of orange zest, cinnamon, bitters, and sweetened with bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup. Smooth, complex, and a little dangerous—exactly the vibe for a game about facing a giant. Perfect for couples looking for unique mead pairings with board games or podcast listeners hunting for craft beverage recommendations alongside tabletop reviews.

What Game Are We Playing?

Blood of an Englishman (2016) is a pure two-player, open-information card game designed by Dan Cassar (of Arboretum fame), with art by Chris Ostrowski and published by Minion Games. On BoardGameGeek it sits at a solid 6.5/10 with a light complexity of 1.85/5—ideal for couples who want a quick, tense evening without a huge rules dump.

One player is Jack, trying to grow three beanstalks and claim the Bag of Gold, Golden Goose, and Singing Harp. The other is the Giant, maneuvering Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum cards to trap Jack or starve him of the cards he needs. Setup is simple: shuffle the 50-card deck into five face-up Castle Stacks. Jack gets a free “Giantess’ Protection” move, then players alternate. Jack gets three moves per turn to rearrange cards and build ascending beanstalks (six cards + treasure). The Giant gets one powerful action—discard a beanstalk card, shift groups of four cards, or reposition a single card. Win conditions check constantly, so every play feels sharp.

No expansions needed. It’s pure asymmetric pattern-building and variable player powers in about 30 minutes. Great for fans of two-player board games, light strategy card games, and fairy-tale themed tabletop experiences.

Last Call

And for our Last Call Kickstarter spotlight: check out Viva La Dungeon! Rise of the Neckromancer—one book, three heroes, a dungeon you explore with choices, dice, and a story that changes every run. Cool solo/coop storytelling for board game podcast fans who love narrative adventures.

That’s it from us! If you enjoyed this board game and mead pairing podcast episode, share it with a fellow gaming couple. Reach us anytime at meeplesandwine@gmail.com, on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/LinkedIn, or leave a voicemail at (707) 572-5282.

See you next time on Meeples and Wine! Buh-Bye!

All URLs mentioned in this episode notes:

102 Featured
Arkham Horror Lovecraft Letter and Cult Cabernet Sauvignon

Arkham Horror Lovecraft Letter and Cult Cabernet Sauvignon

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We’re Michael and Suzy, your hosts dishing out honest board game reviews for couples, blending wine (or in this case, beer) tastings with gameplay breakdowns. Got feedback? Hit us up at meeplesandwine@gmail.com, or connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. And hey, leave a voicemail at (707) 572-5282 – we love hearing from you!

We’re heading to the Midwest Gaming Classic next week outside Tabletop Village. Come say hi!

Today we’re tasting the Cult Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 from Cult Vines in Lodi, California. It’s a medium-bodied, easy-drinking Cab with notes of black cherry, raspberry, chocolate, oak, tobacco, and light spice. Smooth and silky with powdery tannins—fruity, lightly spicy, and great for casual sipping. Vivino rating ~3.8–3.9. Pairs beautifully with grilled steak, burgers, lamb, tomato-based pastas, mushroom risotto, eggplant Parmesan, or bold cheeses.

The game we’re playing is Arkham Horror: Lovecraft Letter (2025). It’s a super quick push-your-luck deduction card game that re-themes the classic Love Letter system with the madness and monsters of the Arkham Horror universe. Draw, discard, and try to survive Cthulhu-flavored chaos—multiple winners possible. Very light, plays 2–6, BGG ~7.5.

We review Batman: Love Letter at episode 29, you can find that HERE!

How does it play with two players? Was it fun?
Fun Score 1–10: Michael – 8, Suzy – 8.

Will it wreck the relationship?
Couch Score 1–5: Michael – 2, Suzy – 2.

Time Sink – How long does it take to learn the rules?
1–5. 1 – Super easy to grasp.

Final Sip – How has the wine changed since opening?

Last Call –
We hit Kickstarter/Gamefound for cool upcoming games. This time: Flockers – navigate your flock of geese south for the winter!

If you like the show, share it with a friend!

See you next time on Meeples and Wine! Buh-Bye!

URLs:
https://gamefound.com/en/projects/odd-bird/flockers

101 Featured
Noxford and Clad & Cordon Cab Sauv

Noxford and Clad & Cordon Cab Sauv

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We’re Michael and Suzy, your hosts dishing out honest board game reviews for couples, blending wine (or in this case, beer) tastings with gameplay breakdowns. Got feedback? Hit us up at meeplesandwine@gmail.com, or connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. And hey, leave a voicemail at (707) 572-5282 – we love hearing from you!

This time around, we’re tasting the Clad & Cordon Cab Sauv from Clad & Cordon Winery (check them out at https://www.cladandcordon.com/). It’s a bold Cabernet Sauvignon hailing from Creal Springs, IL, near Marion and the Shawnee area. Expect flavors like blackcurrant, black cherry, plum, and cassis, with maybe some green bell pepper or mint vibes, plus oak notes of vanilla, cedar, or tobacco. Illinois’ cooler climate gives it brighter acidity and less ripe fruit than your typical California Cab. Fun fact: We tried their Blueberry wine back in the Hive episode—peep that at https://www.meeplesandwine.fun/hive.

Now, onto the game: Noxford (2016), a sneaky little title you can scope out on BoardGameGeek at https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206448/noxford. It’s all about leading a crime syndicate in a steampunk city that’s always building itself up. You place cards to control rich districts using area majority, hand management, and tile placement mechanics. Designed by Henri Kermarrec (known for stuff like Ekö and Penny Papers Adventures—his BGG page is https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/10777/henri-kermarrec), with art by Maud Chalmel (she did Take Time too, check https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/83279/maud-chalmel). Published by Capsicum Games and Quick Simple Fun Games, it plays 2-4 people, rates a 6.1/10 on BGG with low complexity (1.77/5).

Setup’s straightforward: Each player gets 10 Syndicate cards (Master at rank 4, Lieutenants at 3, etc.), lay your Master face-up, shuffle and draw 3. Neutral deck has Rich Districts and Barracks. Start with two cards in the center, L-shaped. On your turn, either place a card adjacent to at least two others (corners aligned, no overhangs) or cover a lower-rank Syndicate with a higher one. Masters count double for control, and gear icons let you relocate cards. Game ends when the last Syndicate’s played—Barracks flip touching Syndicates, then score districts based on majority (1 VP per symbol +2 bonus for your fave). Ties? Nobody wins that district. Most VPs takes it, or most districts in a tie. It’s simple, spatial, and a bit cutthroat—perfect for a quick session!

No expansions for this one. Playing with two? We both gave it a fun score of 6/10—solid but not mind-blowing. On the relationship wrecker scale (couch score 1-5), Michael says 1 (chill), Suzy says 2 (a tad sneaky). Learning curve? Time sink 1—easy, just one or two games to get it, no need for endless YouTube tutorials.

Wrapping up with our Last Call, we spotlight cool Kickstarter games! This episode, it’s Botany: Floral Dragons at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/duxsomnium/botany-floral-dragons. Learn how to play via https://youtu.be/N0uncjp38Dc. Shoutout to artist Kin Wald for those awesome illustrations and linocuts—visit https://www.kintheartist.com/ and https://www.kintheartist.com/character-design.

Tiers include:

  • Botany Floral Dragons at $49: Standard Edition + Bountiful Blossoms Mini Expansion
  • Botany Floral Dragons & Expansions at $85: Standard + Fantastic Festival Exp + Furious Fungus Exp + Bountiful Blossoms Mini
  • Botany Floral Dragons Jewelry Box at $199: Jewelry Box Edition + Bountiful Blossoms Gilded Mini
  • Botany Floral Dragons Devotee at $329: Jewelry Box + Gilded Exps/Mini + Little Botany + Puzzles
  • Botany Floral Dragons Grand Expedition at $599: All the above + full original Botany ecosystem

If you dig the show, share it with a friend! Next up: Print & Play games. Catch you next time on Meeples and Wine—buh-bye!