Strengthen Bonds: an async Twilight Imperium podcast

Episode 32 - The Glorious Status Phase

BLT and Bluebird tell you all the stuff you're missing out on in the status phase, plus we're celebrating the finals of pbd2000 and BLT's first ever wekkerdraft game!
1:20 Productive things to do in the status phase
7:57 Best things I saw this week
14:32 Weird game mode of the week
19:54 Tech of the week
23:00 Weird rules thing of the week
25:20 Various updates

Episode 31 - To Custodians, or Not to Custodians?

BLT and Bluebird talk about how BLT is too wimpy to go for the Custodians point, Dane's new homebrew, and automated ground combats.
1:35 When to go for the Custodians point?
6:50 Opportunity cost and benefits, and whether it matters if you can hold on to Rex
9:50 On sniping undefended planets, and whether it matters if they are neutral, equidistants, or in their slice
12:00 On BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) in negotiations, including letting people score the imperial point
15:08 Best thing I saw this week (https://discord.com/channels/943410040369479690/972540551096320030/1241125290248376410) and also OfficialDaveAcct's legendary retreat
17:50 Tech of the week
19:50 Async tip of the week
22:10 Weird rules thing of the week (or, Dane's new stuff he shared after we won the Geek Madness Tournament)
26:55 Various updates
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Map website: https://ti4.westaddisonheavyindustries.com/
Package to show map/stats side-by-side: https://github.com/aogden/TI4LandscapeMap
Dane’s announcement: https://x.com/CreussEmissary/status/1792421868885959064

Episode 30 - BLT gets a Co-host, Maybe?

Bluebird joins BLT as a co-host this week to talk about the best strategy cards, enjoying the lore of the game, and why the Argent Flight is the best faction. 
 
1:25 Strategy card discussion
3:30 Tech of the week
7:10 Weird game mode of the week - Bluebird's version
12:00 Async tips of the week
14:24 Weird rules thing of the week
17:15 Various updates

Episode 29 - Do You Know Your Flavor Text?

BLT reads a bunch of action card flavor text and asks you to guess which action card it comes from! Anyone know who Connor is? Oh, and he took Mecatol Rex while on an airplane. 
Check out the flavor text quiz here: https://forms.gle/p72GzRumyxDtLjYF6
1:12 On explaining to "normal" people that I have a weird podcast
2:50 Intro to flavor text quiz
4:40 Flavor text time!
9:45 Tech of the week (Assault Cannon) (and… Production Biomes is good?)
13:50 Various updates
 
 
 
 

Episode 28 - Let’s Help Dane Accidentally Something

BLT talks about playing, fast and slow — plus, let's win a silly popularity contest on BGG! 
0:35 - Root for Fin in the SCPT Finals!1:35 - On playing fast and floating windows7:55 - Vote for TI4 in the BGG Geek Madness tournament! (and like a lawnmower or something?)10:28 Weird game mode of the week11:33 Tech of the week (Psychoarchaeology)14:42 Async tips of the week17:00 Various updatesBGG Geek Madness: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/335702/2024-geek-madness-tournament-quarterfinals-elite-e?itemid=10706244#10706244

Episode 27 - Rand is an Async Junkie

Rand joins the show to talk about the origin of TI Junkies, the importance of emojis, the joy of playing Nekro, and an idea for building up a TI Junkies-esque story for every async game! (warning: I think I actually got the volume louder finally!)
1:28 Why play async when you get to play TI synchronously so often?
4:07 Why async is better than IRL! 
6:25 The origin of TI Junkies
9:45 Can we record micro-summaries from each player at the end of each round, and then reveal them at the end?
14:45 Rand's infinite money printing scheme
21:35 Do you derp more in async or in live games?
24:30 Shoutout to Zulu's tournament in Seattle
27:20 Tech of the week (Plasma Scoring)
31:04 Various updatesTI Junkies YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TIJunkies

Episode 26 - Tournament 2 Finalists

BLT introduces the Tournament 2 finalists and shares some info about each of them, so we know who we're watching! Also a final update on Sigma's leaders  tournament, the first all-Commander game, and BLT hits 100 PoK games played.
1:41 - Intro to Tournament 2 finalists
9:44 - Best thing I saw this week
10:57 - Stats thing of the week (Sigma's leaders tournament: https://challonge.com/ti4lead/standings )
15:40 - Tech of the week (Infantry II)
21:30 - Weird rules thing of the week
23:03 - Various updates
 

Episode 25 - That Lovely Speaker Token

BLT discusses the practice of selling the speaker token to the person on your right, with input from pally and OldTom'sBootsandHat. Also, this was recorded before the  last Tournament 2 finalist was determined — more on that next week!
1:45 Selling the speaker token
13:55 Best thing I saw this week (infinite Nekro/Letnev money)
15:58 Random stats thing of the week (randomkiblitzer’s Tech tournament: https://swissonlinetournament.com/Tournament/Rating/2342875ccec149ed849dcf1edc38793f )
19:00 Tech of the week (Dread 2)
21:25 Async tip of the week (bot thread buttons)
24:58 Weird rules thing of the week (Creuss IFF)
26:26 Various updates

Episode 24 - Ghosts are Fun

BLT shares a few fun game anecdotes, including the Hil Colish being… good? Plus, a 4v4 alliance fog game variant, and Milty draft coming into the bot itself. 
2:33 Random personal thing of the week
4:35 Best thing(s) I saw this week, from pally and sarbor (and BLT)
11:05 Stats thing of the week (Ghosts winning tech paths)
12:50 Weird game mode of the week (4v4 alliance fog mode from Fin)
16:20 Tech of the week (Sling Relay)
20:35 Async tip of the week
22:15 Various updates
 

Episode 23 - The Friends You Eliminate Along the Way, with susan

susan joins the show to talk about playing TI with a more aggressive playstyle, the power of whispers, and Embers of the Imperium. 
 
1:33 - Best thing I saw this week
2:50 - susan joins the show!
3:40 - Why are you aggressive, and how do people tend to respond?
7:25 - Aggression can be fun; going counter to the meta can be especially fun
10:38 - A conversation about whispers in async games
13:48 - Aggression in async games (vs synchronous games) and ghosting/ragequitting
17:10 - Creative writing, TTRPGs, susan's TI4 murder mystery, and async Embers of the Imperium
20:30 - susan's favorite faction
24:42 - Being aggressive but still being chill above the table
25:53 - Tech of the week: Space Dock II
28:20 - Async tip(s) of the week
31:36 - Weird rules thing of the week - Mahact Commander
33:00 - Various updates
 
Susan’s guide to Being a Pleasant Habitual Murderer https://docs.google.com/document/d/144B9ikAVa6s2_NxzT5eQSlBSiThbYN85fhJSmtYz7nM/edit