This week, Doug and Michael recap their experiences at ACD Expo 2026, one of the tabletop gaming industry’s premier retailer trade shows held in Madison, Wisconsin.

The hosts discuss the biggest trends from the show floor, including the growing popularity of trading card games and trick-taking games, along with standout titles from publishers across the industry. Highlights include upcoming releases such as Fox Grove, Frosted Blooms, For All Mankind, One Round?, Thunder Road: Ignition, Trickarus, and many more.

Join us as we share our favorite discoveries, discuss emerging trends, and take a look at what’s coming next in tabletop gaming.

In this episode Doug and Michael follow-up on some Spiel des Jahres News and Speculate on Bluey Catan. They also discuss games ending in ties and the allure of weird games. Then, they play a game of Troll er No about Return to Dark Tower and Marvel United. Lastly, the finish with a monthly game roundup including titles such as Lost Cities, Cozy Stickerville, Lone Wolves, Catan: On the Road, and Cloudspire.

00:00:00 - Introduction and Follow-Up

00:10:13 - This Week In Gaming

00:22:45 - What's On Your Mind: Ties in Gaming

00:29:03 - The Allure of Weird Games

00:35:43 - Troll or No: A Game of Reviews

00:55:24 - Monthly Game Roundup

00:56:33 - Lost Cities

00:59:11 - Cozy Stickerville

01:05:49 - Lone Wolves

01:10:19 - Catan: On the Road

01:16:25 - Cloudspire

In this episode Doug and Michael discuss the latest news in gaming, including the Spiel Des Jahres nominees. We also discuss gamer's and their obsession with box sizes. We play a round of game night hypotheticals that delves into collection size, game costs, and personal or family gaming. We finish the episode some older titles we've played recently including New York 1901, Steam Time, and Legendary: James Bond.

00:00:00 - Introduction and Follow-Up Discussions

00:05:52 - This Week In Gaming

00:31:36 - What's On Your Mind?

00:42:50 - Game Night Hypotheticals

01:01:28 - Retro Retread: New York 1901

01:07:55 - Steam Time

01:13:47 - Legendary: James Bond