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In Episode 169 of the Polyhedron Collider Cast, we’re back to the normal format with a jam-packed episode full of cardboard strategy, wooden meeples, and the occasional alcahol related tangent. We’ve got three fresh games on the table—each offering a different flavour of thinky goodness—and we’re ready to break them down.
Sankoré: The Pride of Mansa Musa
We dive into this beautiful and brain-burning game of knowledge, trade, and influence. Set in medieval Timbuktu, Sankoré blends economic planning with cultural prestige—so naturally, we try to out-teach each other.
Civolution
What happens when you blend civilisation building with a modular tech tree and evolving asymmetry? Civolution aims to answer that. We dig into the mechanisms, the innovation, and whether it actually feels like building a civilisation.
Timber Town
Time to grab your axe and get to work! This charming, engine-building game about lumberjacks and town planning took us by surprise. It's a lot deeper than it looks—and yes, we make at least three wood-related puns.
So grab a brew, get comfy, and join us for another episode of tabletop talk and trite tangents.
🎧 Don’t forget to join our community on [Discord] and let us know what you think of the games—or tell us what we missed! https://discord.gg/RtC25Vf2qA
Podcast Contents
00:02:11 Sankoré: The Pride of Mansa Musa
00:24:50 Civolution
00:45:27 Timber Town
00:54:47 Questions for the mailbag
⭐Show Sponsor: Kienda
When you sign up to an account with Kienda use this link to bag yourself a wee discount and help support the show. Let's face it, you were going to buy a board game anyway 😉
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Intro and Outro Music: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Why not buy a board game from our sponsors Kienda: kienda.co.uk/polyhedroncollider
In this special post-convention episode of the Polyhedron Collider Cast, we unpack all the chaos and cardboard from UK Games Expo 2025!
We hit the NEC halls hard, so hard in fact that our feet are still hurting and Steve caught con-crud, but now we’re back behind the mics with our favourite board games, standout surprises, and best moments from the UK's biggest tabletop gaming event. From epic Euros and frantic family games to unexpected indie darlings and jaw-dropping miniatures and prototypes. We cover a host of new games and present the prestigious Polyhedron Collider awards.
Whether you joined us at the Expo or are living vicariously through our ramblings, this episode is your all-access pass to the best of UKGE 2025.
🎧 Tune in, geek out, and let us know what your highlights were over on our Discord server!
Podcast Contents
00:09:05 The Shelf Dodger: Under the Mango Tree, Elder Scrolls, Rival Cities, Terrorscape, Tacta
00:18:55 Orbital Blues, Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, Rivers of London: The Roleplaying Game, Sentai & Sensibility RPG
00:26:05 Fighting Fantasy Adventures, Luthier, Stupor Mundi
00:28:25 Best Bling: AK Playmarkers, Tabletop Dominion
00:34:16 Best Kickstarter: Celestial Affinity, Echoes of Legend, Cubyria: Architects of a Lost City, Kalypso
00:40:46 The Game we are Itching to Play Again: Miskatonic Tales: Journey to Innsmouth, Star Wars: Battle of Hoth, INK, Altay: Dawn of Civilization
00:52:43 Best Miniature: Sir Coates Painting Masters, Two Thin Coats Dark Arts, Infinity, Mammoth Factory, Malediction
01:04:57 Definitely Not Sh!t Award: Revenant
For a 10% discount at Tabletop Dominion, go to tabletopdominion.com/POLYHEDRONCOLLIDER or use the code POLYHEDRONCOLLIDER at checkout
⭐Show Sponsor: Kienda
When you sign up to an account with Kienda use this link to bag yourself a wee discount and help support the show. Let's face it, you were going to buy a board game anyway 😉
👥Follow Us on Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PolyhedronCollider
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polyhedroncollider
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@polyhedroncollider
🎧The latest episode is available to listen on the following pod-cast services:
iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-polyhedron-collider-cast/id1087398150
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1rAPFNc5rE6JURNYakNzA3
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@polyhedroncollider
Player FM - https://player.fm/series/the-polyhedron-collider-cast
Podbay - http://podbay.fm/show/1087398150
Or you can add the http://polyhedroncollider.libsyn.com/rss Polyhedron Collider Cast RSS feed to your favourite podcast player
Intro and Outro Music: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Recorded live at UK Games Expo 2025, the boys are excited to talk about the board games, RPGs and everything else that got opur attention during the press preview, as well as, well the usual nonsense you can expect from PhC!
Games Mentioned
02:22 Cubyria - Eccentric Design
05:14 Fathom - Paper Fort Games
07:21 Revelation Games - Prowl
10:10 Altay - Ares Games
11:15 Sentai and Sensibility - 9th Level Games
14:49 Abberation & Companion Quest - Ghostfire Gaming
17:04 Celestial Affinity - Cerberus Studios
18:14 Stupor Mundi - Pegasus Spiel
19:52 Luthier - Paverson Games
20:19 Flow - Brain Games & Hachette
21:56 Tacta - The Op Games
21:38 Flippers - Molinarius Games
23:30 Orbital Blues - Soulmuppet Publishing
28:07 The Thinning Veil - Triskelion Games Ltd
27:46 Beyond the Veil - Wrengade Studios
29:00 Aster - Midnight Trading Co.
30:44 SETI: Space Agencies - CGE
32:43 Console Wars: The Card Game - Booth Babe Games
35:31 Locke Battle Mats 37:06 Questions
👥Follow Us on Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PolyhedronCollider
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polyhedroncollider
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@polyhedroncollider
🎧The latest episode is available to listen on the following pod-cast services:
iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-polyhedron-collider-cast/id1087398150
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1rAPFNc5rE6JURNYakNzA3
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@polyhedroncollider
Player FM - https://player.fm/series/the-polyhedron-collider-cast
Podbay - http://podbay.fm/show/1087398150
Or you can add the http://polyhedroncollider.libsyn.com/rss Polyhedron Collider Cast RSS feed to your favourite podcast player
Intro and Outro Music: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/