Flip the Table (general)
Most board game shows focus on the latest-and-greatest, or time-tested classics. We have taken it upon ourselves to comb our local charity shops and salvage stores for the other stuff...join us as we review cheesy, weird, and obscure board games for your entertainment.

In a special one night only reunion episode, the Flip the Table crew with guest Gil Hova reunited at the Granite Game Summit in Nashua, New Hampshire to explore the (self-proclaimed) excellence of the Wayne’s World VCR Game! Players race to collect Party Makers, a date, and a backstage pass to Party Central, all while being heckled and hindered by Wayne and Garth themselves. Plus: Ben and Niki Turner join Professor Laserbooks for a few words from our “sponsors”. Was it worth coming out of retirement for one more job? Tune in to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable10001.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30pm EDT

With our reunion episode looming on the horizon, Professor Laserbooks, Ben Turner, and Niki Turner stopped by to record a couple of segments. While they were here, a Battle of Wits broke out! Please enjoy this bonus episode recorded in the living room of Flip the Table Tower as we play "Stupid Answers" for the first time since 2017!

Direct download: BenNikiAndProf2020.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Recorded in a secret location near PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, PA, Moderator Chris is joined by Flip Florey, Bruce Voge, Chaz Marler, and Crystal Pisano for the first ever 2 on 2 Wrong Scattergories Battle of Wits! Flip and Bruce represent the East, and Chaz and Crystal represent the west…which region will reign supreme? And does Moderator Chris still have what it takes to keep control of the Battle, or will the proceedings descend into chaos?

Direct download: PAX-Secret-Panel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

For the first time (at least without an unofficial leak), our secret Battle of Wits from GenCon 2015 is now widely available! When Flip Florey attended the convention a few years ago, he handed out cassettes of this episode to loyal listeners. Recorded in secret at Flip the Table tower, it has never before been released in our official feed…now, you can enjoy the high quality digital version without dragging your boom box out of the attic. You still have to rewind it with a pencil, though!

Direct download: 2015GenConReRelease.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

In this special bonus episode courtesy of This Game is Broken, Moderator Chris and Flip Florey unite with the entire TGiB cast for a special edition of The Battle of Wits! Can a bunch of idiots, known for doing idiotic things on their own board game panel game show, survive a harrowing Justins & Biebers adventure and defeat the mysterious final villain? Happy holidays!!!

Direct download: BONUSThisGameIsBroken2018.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:20pm EDT

Flip's got a brand new podcast coming out, and we're celebrating by revisiting some of his favorite Battles of Wits! In this compilation, we'll listen to the trilogy of adventures in the world of "Justins and Biebers", FTT's version of a tabletop role playing game. Listen as the panel faces off against devious challenges from listeners all over the world in their quest to gather loot, level up, and ultimately roll a "20" to defeat the final boss!

Aaaand once you're done reliving the magic of J&B, don't forget to subscribe to Flip Florey's Super Saturday Board Game Serial! It's a podcast that celebrates the FUN in board games featuring Flip and a slew of gaming notables!

Are you ready? Then heeeeeeeeeeeeere we go!

Direct download: JustinsAndBiebersSpecial.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:13pm EDT

This is it...our series finale! In this two hour extravaganza, We review the WWF VCR WrestleMania game, name our Best and Worst games of both 2017 and the entire series, and engage in an epic Battle of Wits to finally settle who is truly the Wittiest Battler! Nuff said!

Direct download: FlipTheTableFinale.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

In our penultimate episode, we travel back to the magical land of the 1990's to play Myst, a board game based on the classic CD-ROM adventure game! This title somehow wedges in real-time jigsaw puzzle building as two players or teams vie for control of key locations from the computer game. Does this one somehow find all the right switches? Tune in to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable110.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:30pm EDT

In our third-to-last show, we revisit the 90's "Dreamy dude" genre of games with Electronic Dream Phone! Using the iconic pink phone, players call all the boys at school and interrogate them to determine who the "secret admirer" is, all while using cards to extract additional clues from the other players. Does this game measure up to the standard of Heartthrob, or is it as obsolete as a land line? 

Direct download: FlipTheTable109.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:44pm EDT

In this super-sized episode, we revisit the Whoniverse by playing the most complex game ever reviewed on Flip the Table...Doctor Who: The Game of Time and Space from 1980! This Games Workshop pseudo-classic pits multiple incarnations of The Doctor against each other as they wrestle the Keys of Chronos from baddies like Daleks, Cybermen, and each-other! Is this game worth your TIME and the SPACE in your collection?

Direct download: FlipTheTable108.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:45pm EDT

We're in front of a LIVE audience at the Granite Game Summit in Nashua, New Hampshire to talk about the Harlem Globetrotters game from 1971! Bill Corey of The Cubist Podcast joins us as we discover if the fourth wall bending athletic shenanigans of the 70's Globetrotters can be properly expressed via set collection. Plus, a Battle of Wits spectacle you have to hear to believe!

Direct download: FlipTheTable107.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:47pm EDT

In our first and only venture into the world of role playing games, we cover Tales of the Crystals; a 1993 audio cassette game from Milton Bradley. Players assume the role of crystal-bearing adventurers guided through a mystical adventure through a combination of magnetic tape and randomly drawn cards. Will this game transport us to a "World of myth and magic," or did this game go the way of Crystal Pepsi for a reason?

Direct download: FlipTheTable106.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:09pm EDT

We begin our "Epic Final Season" of Flip the Table by playing "Rich Little's VCR Charades," a game where players watch famous celebrity impersonator Rich Little try to get concepts across without talking. VHS technology can improve a lot of things...but should the classic game of Charades remain unblemished by magnetic tape?

Direct download: FlipTheTable105.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:09pm EDT

In this bonus episode, I announce the beginning of Flip the Table's "Epic Final Season." I'll tell you how we'll celebrate the legacy of Flip the Table in the coming months, and how we'll bring our cheesy, weird, and obscure journey to a close.

Direct download: FinalSeasonAnnounce.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:33pm EDT

Also known as "The one that's not Law and Order," CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was a crime drama mainstay on the CBS network which spawned endless spinoffs and yet another vehicle for Ted Danson...not to mention a DVD game! We'll take a look at this police procedural romp as we attempt to solve a mystery with a tiny black light, a red lens, and a little bit of brute force. Will we crack the case, or will our patience crack first?

Direct download: FlipTheTable104.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:57pm EDT

In the 80's and 90's, John Moschitta Jr. held the Guinness World Record for being the fastest talking human being alive. And he turned it into a career as an actor and commercial pitchman, most famously starring in commercials for Federal Express and Micro Machines. And they made a board game about it. And we played it. 'Nuff said.

Direct download: FlipTheTable103.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:02pm EDT

Prepare to be sucked into the deadly world of board games as we cover Jumanji and Zathura in a super-sized double-header! These based-on-the-movie, based-on-the-children's-book games both feature players racing to finish the game before they are consumed by deadly peril. But is jungle peril better than space peril? Who is better...Robin Williams or Dax Shepard? Plus, a fan-made Battle of Wits!

Direct download: FlipTheTable102.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:02pm EDT

Your Moderator Chris, here! On this quickfire bonus episode, I'll tell you about our upcoming appearances at SnowCon, TotalCon, and the Granite Game Summit, we'll tell you which other podcasts the FTT crew has been creeping up on lately, and I'll even do a quick legit review or two!

Direct download: FlipTheTableJanuary2017Bonus.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:20pm EDT

It's our two-hour end of year special, and we're closing out the year by once again skipping this whole "playing cheesy games" business and instead answering your questions! We'll also award the "BANCE Lombardi Trophy" to the best and worst games we played in 2016, and play a special listener-created Battle of Wits! So you know, the usual stuff.

Direct download: FlipTheTable101.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:50pm EDT

It's our 100th episode, and we're celebrating in style with Monopoly Tropical Tycoon! This version of Hasbro's classic real estate game brings DVD technology into the mix...but with a concept like "DVD Monopoly," is it a "wheelbarrow" full of fun, or should it get the "boot"? Plus, lots of surprises, twists, and turns in celebration of 100 episodes of FTT...don't miss it!

Direct download: FlipTheTable100.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:31pm EDT

We take a few minutes to talk about this year's Extra Life campaign...thanks so much to everyone who made it a phenomenal success!

Direct download: BonusEpisode-ExtraLife2016Wrapup.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:22pm EDT

We reject your reality and substitute our own as we play Mythbusters from 2012! Players answer trivia questions based on the tv show in order to manipulate a catapult into position to launch Buster the Crash Test Dummy toward victory. Is it "plausible" that science and dexterity can make a trivia game bearable, or is this one just "busted"? We experiment and find out...

Direct download: FlipTheTable099.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:04pm EDT

We're stranded on a mysterious island of cardboard as we take on Lost, a game based on the popular ABC television series! Players explore the island and uncover its mysteries while seeking to win the loyalty of the other castaways from Oceanic Airlines Flight 815. The characters are there, the smoke monster is there, but is the drama there? Flash back with us and find out...

Direct download: FlipTheTable098.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:15pm EDT

We're headed back to the 1960's to try on some new careers in "Barbie's Keys to Fame Game by Mattel"! Players take on the role of multidimensional Barbie clones, each with a secret career aspiration, who compete to collect the personality traits they need to be successful as a working woman of the 60's. Is this slice of retro kitsch cool like Mad Men, or hot like fondue?

Direct download: FlipTheTable097.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:32pm EDT

YOU SHALL NOT PASS up the opportunity to listen to the panel take on Lord of the Rings: Return of the King! This RoseArt title gives players a chance to take on all the major characters of the Peter Jackson movie as Frodo tries to destroy the One Ring while trembling under the gaze of Sauron. A roll and move game about a major movie license made by a crayon company? What could possibly go wrong?

Direct download: FlipTheTable096.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:13pm EDT

We engage in VCR espionage as we play SpyQuest from 1994! Players first watch one of three thrilling thirty-minute "spy movies," then race across the globe to collect clues, survive interrogation, and avoid sabotage in order to discover the secret location. Does this game make players feel like a secret agent, or does it make them feel like they need an aspirin? FTT investigates.

Direct download: FlipTheTable095.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:58pm EDT

We're busting ghosts in front of a LIVE audience at Dice Tower Con 2016 as we discuss The Real Ghostbusters from 1986! Our guests Suzanne Sheldon and Chaz Marler join us for this vintage 3D game of "Tricks and Traps" as the cartoonified versions of Venkman, Spengler, Stantz and Zeddemore race to get from the firehouse to the top of Baron Bones' mansion. Does this game of bouncing skulls and spinny spinners live up to the franchise's immense nostalgia? Plus: a 2 on 2 Battle of Wits pitting "Team LaserSuz" against "Team HunneChaz" that you absolutely cannot miss...

Direct download: FlipTheTable094.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

We're flying backwards around the earth's axis to travel back to the early 1980's to bring you Superman III: The Board Game! Based on the slapstick superhero film, players take on the role of Supes as battles an evil supercomputer...and himself. Does this game faithfully recreate the nuance of this cinematic classic? Is there enough Richard Pryor in the game? This looks like a job for Flip the Table!

Direct download: FlipTheTable093.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:17pm EDT

Who doesn't like a good leaderboard? On this episode, the panel plays the Guinness Game of World Records, based on the famous book that was wedged next to the encyclopedias in your third grade class. It's a little bit of trivia and a whole lot of dexterity as players try to beat each-other's records in a race to 100 points. Is this 70's classic as much fun as poring through a bunch of tiny black-and-white text?

Direct download: FlipTheTable092.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:59pm EDT

Before there was Shark Tank in the United States, there was (and is) Dragons' Den; a UK reality show where entrepeneurs pitch their grand schemes in hopes of getting a six-figure investment from some mean, rich people. This episode we join the excitement at home with the British version of the home game, where players hear off-the-wall pitches for real products and decide if they'll be a "Goldmine," "Hit," or "Flop." Is having the word "Dragon" in the title enough to make us want to invest in this one?

Direct download: FlipTheTable091.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:55pm EDT

Some games are less fun than watching paint dry...but are they less fun than watching ice melt? We'll finally be able to answer that question after playing  the 1972 oddity Ice Cube by Milton Bradley! Players torture each-other's ice pawns with salt, water, and pressure in a war of attrition to be the last cube standing. Will this rare title be a unique surprise, or will it leave us feeling cold?

Direct download: FlipTheTable090.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00pm EDT

By now you've discovered our April Fool's Day surprise, where The Party Gamecast (Featuring The Party Game Cast) took control of FTT for an episode! But what were we doing during that time? In case you haven't figured it out, we present to you our turn on The Party Gamecast. Did we manage to avoid playing bad games for once? Yeeeah, probably not.

HUGE thanks to our pals at The Party Gamecast for doing such a great job caring for FTT Tower while we were gone! Back to normal, such as it is, in three weeks.

Direct download: BONUSFTTvsTPGC.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00pm EDT

In the late 1980's, MTV shocked the world by not playing music videos for 30 minutes, and instead brought us the cult classic game show "MTV Remote Control." Now, Flip the Table takes on the home version, complete with clicky little remotes and irreverent TV trivia from decades gone by. Does this "Worthless game of useless TV knowledge" live up to its own tagline? Tune in to find out if this game will stay in the collection, or get sent packing straight through the basement wall.

Direct download: FlipTheTable089.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am EDT

He's blue! He's spiky! He's Urkel-y! And he's fast! It's Sonic the Hedgehog, based on the original Sega Genesis game from the 1990's. Players control Sonic as he weaves his way through classic levels from the video game, collecting rings and freeing the occasional fuzzy animal from robot slavery. Can the power of "blast processing" be replicated in cardboard form, or will this one have us desperately searching for oxygen bubbles?

Direct download: FlipTheTable088.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:28pm EDT

In perhaps our most adorable episode yet, we're joined by Geoff Engelstein, co-designer of Space Cadets and co-host of Ludology to play the Hello Kitty Best Friends Game! Players race to Kitty's house for a fun slumber party while collecting stickers from their friends. Does togetherness truly bring happiness, or does this one belong in the litter box? Also: Geoff Engelstein! That's fun!

Direct download: FlipTheTable087.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:43pm EDT

Do you like game shows? How about brutal insults? This week's title might be a brutal insult to game shows...as we're playing The Weakest Link, based on the American version of the popular UK quiz show. Players answer rapid fire trivia questions to earn points as a team, then turn on each-other and eliminate each-other one by one until one winner remains. One player even gets to play Anne Robinson and unleash vicious jabs at poorly performing players! Will we be playing this one again, or will we say "Goodbye"?

Direct download: FlipTheTable086.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:58pm EDT

It's time for our special 2 HOUR year-end extravaganza! We skip the whole ironic board game discussion thing and spend most of this episode answering  your questions. Shocking secrets will be revealed, pending your relatively low tolerance for shock! Plus, we'll give out the "Bance Lombardi" award for the best and worst games of 2015, and roll out another fan-created Battle of Wits with tens of thousands of points on the line! Spend your New Year's Eve with us!!! Not literally, of course...that would be the worst.

Direct download: FlipTheTable085.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:55pm EDT

Straight from the CB Radio craze of the 1970's comes 10-Four, Good Buddy...the first, and probably only game, about truckers using CB Radios! Get in your big rig and hammer down as you flee from smokies while racing to be the first to complete  your route! Read fun and nigh-incomprehensible trucker speak with the help of the included dictionary of CB lingo! Does this game broadcast loud and proud, or is it all static? Hit the road with us to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable084.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:45pm EDT

Gather 'round the campfire with us as we tell you a spooooooky story in a special Halloween Friday the 13th episode! We're playing Are You Afraid of the Dark from 1995, based on the Nickelodeon horror anthology series for tweens. Players create a custom character and explore the "Are You Afraid of the Dark"-niverse, facing supernatural peril as they attempt to max out their stats and return to the campfire. Will the panel walk away safely, or will they be shocked by an ironic and terrifying (yet kid-safe) twist? Download now...IF YOU DARE.

Direct download: FlipTheTable083.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:51pm EDT

Float like a magnetic head and sting like a tracking error...this week we're playing VCR Top Rank Boxing! In this game of pausing and playing pugilism, players draw cards, roll dice, and watch exciting video clips in an attempt to last 13 rounds and win the judges' decision, or (allegedly) knock out their opponent. Can the makers of VCR College Bowl redeem themselves with this title? Will it be a KO, or merely be OK? Step into the ring with us to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable082.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:23pm EDT

He hates Mondays and loves lasagna...but can Garfield deliver a compelling gameplay experience? Ben and Niki Turner join Your Moderator Chris and Professor Laserbooks to play this Parker Brothers title from the early 80's. Players match wits against Garfield as they attempt to complete laps around the board while avoiding his various whims and mood swings. Do the players have what it takes to cope with this temperamental cat, or will this box mysteriously find its way to Abu Dhabi? Plus, an epic Battle of Wits hosted for the first time by Niki! It'll be more fun than kicking a helpless dog off the table!

Direct download: FlipTheTable081.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:41pm EDT

Heeeeeeeeelp meeeeeee! Heeeeeeelp meeeeeeeee! I've been taken over by an insane artificial intelligence, which can only be defeated if you download and listen to this episode of Flip the Table about the cult classic The Omega Virus! [TRYYYYYYY AND STOP ME, YOU, HUMAN, SCUM!!!]

Direct download: FlipTheTable080.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:02pm EDT

We don the cape and cowl once more and take up the role of Michael Keaton in the Batman Returns 3D Board Game! In this one, players punch as many bad guys as they can, hoping to find enough Batman logos to earn the right to battle The Penguin...but Catwoman is on the prowl, sending you back to your home space to contemplate your dark past. It's a board game so dramatic, even the board is in "tiers"! The board is in "tiers", you guys!

Direct download: FlipTheTable079.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:57pm EDT

In this special BONUS mini-episode, Chris debriefs Flip on his adventures at GenCon 2015! Find out what it was like for Our Favorite Party Clown to attend the big one for the first time! Did he make more friends than enemies? Did he remember to eat at some point? And just what did he ship home? The details are a click away!

Direct download: FTTGenCon2015BonusEp.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:14pm EDT

The following podcast takes place in real time...except for all the boring stuff we cut out. We're playing the 24: DVD Board Game, where players help Jack Bauer to thwart terrorist threats by using such controversial tactics as navigating through slow, clunky menus with a DVD remote. It's a series of mini-games that combine the action packed "Thrills" of Dragon's Lair with the gritty, rule-breaking realism of "24" (toned down for family play, of course). Does this title capture the intensity and drama of the fight against terror, or is it really a mole waiting patiently in our collection? Plus: a Battle of Wits where nobody can be trusted...

Direct download: FlipTheTable078.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:21pm EDT

Like so much Steppenwolf, we're taking a "Magic Carpet Ride" in this episode of Flip the Table! We're playing Aladdin: The Magic Carpet Game...a dexterity/pick-up-and-deliver hybrid in the land of Disney's Agrabah. Players glide from zone to zone, trying to empty their hand of adventure cards and gain control of the Genie to win. Will our band of scoundrels and street rats "wish" to play this one again? Enter our itty bitty living space and find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable077.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:07pm EDT

This time, we take a big old bite out of the  yellow bell pepper that is the Iron Chef Board Game! In this title based on the original Japanese series, players take the role of one of the four Iron Chefs in a free-for-all battle in Kitchen Stadium. Chefs jockey to present a three course meal, scoring bonus points for making dishes in their own specialty style and for actually remembering to include the Secret Ingredient. But be careful! At any time another Iron Chef could sabotage your dish...if you don't burn your own vegetables first! Will this game earn the favor of our panel of judges? Plus: We plagiarize pay tribute to the venerable Shut Up and Sit Down for our Battle of Wits!

Direct download: FlipTheTable076.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:44am EDT

No windmills or pirates here; we're playing the purest form of golf...VCR Golf! In this late 80's title, players must choose between using sure-thing club cards in their hand, or testing their VCR pausing skills with the video tape in order to shave the most strokes off their game. Is this version of the ancient game as exciting as playing real golf, or is it as exciting as watching real golf? Plus: in the Battle of Wits, we peer into the future...

Direct download: FlipTheTable075.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:57pm EDT

Prop your ladder against our window and climb into our game room as we take on Clarissa Explains it All from 1994! In this notably slimeless entry from Nickelodeon, Clarissa Darling guides up to 6 players on their journey to finally get the car they've always wanted. Players earn car keys by getting into each-others' heads and answering Clarissa's well-explained questions, all while avoiding the dangers of parents and little brothers and predicting the answers to survey questions posed to kids who may or may not exist. Does this game earn its license, or will it be stuck at home with Fergwad forever?

Direct download: FlipTheTable074.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:40pm EDT

Before there was a YouTube, and we had ready access to people injuring themselves from all over the world 24 hours a day, America relied upon network television to deliver a weekly dose of poorly shot fail videos. This week we're playing the America's Funniest Home Videos VCR game, where players test their memory, creativity, and social savvy while watching hundreds of the "funniest" video clips the 1990s had to offer. Can the panel successfully remember minute details of blurry, VHS quality clips? Will Bob Saget's running commentary provide any assistance? Plus, we go shopping in this week's Battle of Wits...

Direct download: FlipTheTable073.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:01pm EDT

It's a special two-game episode filled with longing stares and fingers bent into the shapes of hearts! First, the panel takes on Justin Bieber: Always Be Mine...where players must be willing to do anything to earn the attention of the pop idol! Does anyone in the panel have what it takes to turn Justin's finely coiffed head? Then, it's Justin Bieber: Backstage Pass...a trivia game where players must prove their mastery of Justin Bieber minutiae in order to claw their way to a backstage meet-and-greet with "The Bieb" himself! All that, plus a cameo from Chaz Marler and a special fan-created Battle of Wits! #SQUEEE!!!! 

Direct download: FlipTheTable072.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:20pm EDT

Hoist your sails and brush up on your Portu-Greek, because Flip the Table is about to take you to Waterworld! This board game, based on the 90's Kevin Costner spectacle of the same name, has players sailing their Trimarans around the endless sea of a post-apocalyptic future as they search for the mythic "Dryland"...all while escaping the infamous Smokers, who try to run them down aboard the Exxon Valdez. Can a board game based on one of the biggest box office bombs of all time somehow transcend its license and deliver a compelling experience? It won't cost you 40 quarters to find out...

Direct download: FlipTheTable071.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:08pm EDT

Are you feeling ambitious? Perhaps..."Enterprise"-ing? Then you'll want to download this episode as the panel returns to the Final Frontier for the Star Trek Game from 1979! We fire up our warp engines (with entirely randomized controls) and race each-other to be the best space diplomats/Gorn punchers by completing secret missions. Do we have the guts, nay, the "Bones" to rise to the top of the Federation ranks? Plus, in the Battle of Wits, we make up a bunch of stuff. 

Direct download: FlipTheTable070.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:24pm EDT

What's red, fuzzy, and started a lot of fights in the 90's? Why Elmo, of course! We take a trip to Sesame Street for Elmo's Birthday Game, a Candy Land-esque affair where players race to get all their gifts to Elmo's party before he arrives to speak in the third person about his cake and stuff. Does this title contain sufficient levels of Oscar the Grouch to be an acceptable game for your family? Plus, in the Battle of Wits, we play a classic Sesame Street game...

Direct download: FlipTheTable069.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:05pm EDT

Flip the Table has returned...with a bad case of Pac-Man Fever! We're joined by Bangor City Councilor Gibran Graham as we revisit the Pac-Man board game universe with this Milton Bradley classic. Players take on one of four colored Pac-Men (Pac-Mans? Pac-Mani?) as they race to munch marbles and earn points. Using a special brand of roll-and-move necromancy, players also send ghosts to gobble opponents and steal their marbles away from them. Does this game faithfully recreate the arcade phenomenon, or does playing it feel like swallowing a key? Kick off the new year with us as we find out! 

Direct download: FlipTheTable068.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:34pm EDT

It's time once again for our super-sized, super-spectacular, super-bedazzled End of Year Special! We stop rolling and moving for once so we can take some time to answer a bunch of your questions and mispronounce all of your names. Then, we'll give our annual awards for the best and worst games we've covered in 2014. And it wouldn't be a special episode without another fan-created Battle of Wits, where the panel will fight for tens of thousands of VALUABLE POINTS! FTT will return in January...but for now, enjoy this special double-episode!

Direct download: FlipTheTable067.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:12pm EDT

This week's game is a certified cult classic...a Milton Bradley title that makes even hardened hobby gamers want to play "Once More, with Feeling!" In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, players roll and move their way through Sunnyvale, fighting ancient vampires and searching for mystical artifacts...all while experiencing their own brand of teen drama (presumably). The panel searches for weapons, researches magic spells, and calls for help from the denizens of the Whedonverse while trying to prevent Buffy from being destroyed or turned into a vampire. Does Buffy deserve its cult classic status, or does it feel seven times longer than Firefly? Download now to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable066.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:51pm EDT

Just in time for the much too early start of the Christmas season, we're playing the Home Alone board game! This spin and move memorization game, based on the massive 90's blockbuster, has players controlling both a particularly independent 8 year old and the infamous "Wet Bandits" as they try to protect the family's valuables while springing the most lethal traps on the crooks. Has the panel had enough of this one, or are they thirsty for more? Plus, Flip gets the fans involved in a very special (too early for the) holiday edition of the Battle of Wits!

Direct download: FlipTheTable065.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:01pm EDT

Take a little Mr. Wizard, a little Ren and Stimpy, and blend in a heaping helping of roll and move, and you get the Beakman's World: Beakmania Game! In this trivia/dexterity hybrid based on the 1990's-era educational science show for kids, players battle for beakers at Beakman's lab...using such varied props as dominoes, magnetic marbles, plastic discs, wadded up paper, rulers, and balloons. Does this nineties-tastic edutainment title manage to work in a little actual entertainment on the side? Plus: Professor Laserbooks tries to make a subjective Battle of Wits a little more scientific...

Direct download: FlipTheTable064.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:04pm EDT

A board game about the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant? That's unpossible! This week we're diving into The Simpsons: Don't Panic...a game of spinning donuts and silly mayhem based on one of the longest running animated series of all time. Players compete in a series of crazy stunts in 60 second bursts as they race to collect enough pieces of junk to stop the reactor from melting down and, presumably, ending civilization. Does this game contain enough zany fun to make us say "Ay caramba," or will we be left eating our shorts? Plus, in this week's Battle of Wits, we'll find out who is the S-M-R-T-est about Simpson's merchandise...

Direct download: FlipTheTable063.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:55pm EDT

We demand you stop, collaborate, and listen to this episode of Flip the Table, where we dive into the endless complexity of the Vanilla Ice Electronic Rap Game! Featuring the "Electronic Beat Box Microphone," players cover up pictures of Vanilla Ice using harshly colored rhyming words while jockeying for position on a thin piece of 1990's-era cardboard. Complete a stanza, and not only do you score big points, you get the pleasure of rapping your frankenrhyme for everyone at the table! Does the panel have what it takes to spit hot fire and rap like ninjas, or will we simply fade into obscurity? To the extreme!

Direct download: FlipTheTable062.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:31pm EDT

Once again, we attempt to lift up some rocks while we stand on our heads as we return to the Star Wars universe! In Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game, you and up to 5 other rebels invade a partially constructed Death Star, using a combination of plucky astromech droids and the awesome power of The Force to plant enough heavy explosives to blow it to kingdom come. But be careful! A VHS-based Darth Vader and a single wandering Stormtrooper seek to thwart your efforts (because good is dumb)...and the Dark Side of The Force may prove too seductive for one of your well-intentioned friends. Is a 3D board and a blurry Darth Vader enough to set this apart from other VHS games? Plus, we ask a Very Important Question about scenes from Star Wars too awesome for theaters. Download now!

Direct download: FlipTheTable061.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:03pm EDT

In an instance of obvious pandering to Internet cat worship, this week we're covering the Thundercats board game from 1985! We take on the roles of anthropomorphic feline space travelers who brave mutant attacks and library-like forests in a race to finish the final battle by ourselves and snatch the glory from our fellow travelers. Is there fun to be had in this game, or are we chasing a mysterious red dot that was never really there? Download, HO!

Direct download: FlipTheTable060.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:48pm EDT

Though some of this week's panel are teetotalers, that will not stop us from reviewing this 1987 classic about everyone's favorite Boston bar! The Cheers board game, based on the situation comedy of the same name, pits the patrons and staff against each-other in a hybrid trivia/dexterity game. Is the brutal "Normie's Olympics" too much of a challenge for even the most sober of panelists? Will this TSR-produced classic deliver on the implied promise of dungeons and/or dragons in a Boston pub? Pull up a stool and join us, won't you?

Direct download: FlipTheTable059.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:39pm EDT

It's another sportsball-themed episode as we take on two games featuring America's Non-MMA Pastime, the historic game of Baseball. First, we attempt to screen out the shouts of angry parents as we play The Approved Little League Game from the 1960's...a chart-based simulator featuring all the high-octane thrills of choosing how many pitches not to swing at. Then, it's The Baseball Card Game, a team-branded rummy style game which has the guts to implicitly claim its own definitiveness by having a starkly-worded title. Just how much pine tar and cork is needed to fix these games? Download now to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable058.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:19pm EDT

Let the wondrous, futuristic technology of magnetic tape transmitting images into a cathode ray tube transport you into the world of Isaac Asimov's Robots! In this deduction game, players take the role of futuristic gumshoes solving an attempted murder. Pay close attention to the VHS tape as well as randomly drawn clues to figure out whotriedtodunit. Was it a filthy "Earther," filled with discontent about their living conditions and a hatred of the sun, or was it a smug "Spacer," living in their ivory tower in the stars with their better robots and their extreme germophobia? Plus, in the Battle of Wits, we try to figure out which Asimov plotline is real, and which is a futuristic fantasy.

Direct download: FlipTheTable057.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:24am EDT

Hi, therrre! Even a note from Epstein's Mother won't excuse you from listening to this week's Flip the Table, as we explore the extended canon of the Welcome Back, Kotter board game. Ben and Niki join us as we roll and move our way through a dirty Brooklyn classroom, trying to string together a single sentence while under the watchful eye of a loveable, mustachioed mentor/poker player. Will this title inspire us to achieve greater things and transcend our sweathog status, or will we be children left behind?

Direct download: FlipTheTable056.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:37pm EDT

Happy 2nd BANCE-iversary to Flip the Table! We're kicking off our 3rd year with one of the biggest IPs in the world of gaming as we take on Pokemon...but not the good kind like you want. In Pokemon Master Trainer, players race to accumulate tiny, adorable monsters as they build up power for the final battle at Indigo Plateau. Collect all 3 of a Pokemon's evolutionary levels and enjoy a massive bonus. But is it enough to take down Team Rocket in the end, or will you be left crying like a kid with a prematurely unplugged link cable? Plus, in the Battle of Wits, the panel struggles to name a single Pokemon correctly. 

Direct download: FlipTheTable055.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:19pm EDT

In the early eighties, Steven Spielberg brought to life a pop culture phenomenon with a few simple ingredients...namely, a Speak & Spell, a saw blade, some Reese's Pieces, and a yearning for home. However, if you blend a bit of Roll & Move into the mix, you get the E.T. board game by Parker Brothers. This blockbuster tie-in pits players against each-other in an epic duel of helpfulness as they compete to assist E.T. in building his communicator device and fleeing Earth's horrible, smog-filled atmosphere. It's a co-petitive title which requires significant blind-luck skills, and a dash of ESP...but does the experience take us to the sky on its magic bike, or does it deserve to be buried in the desert?

Direct download: FlipTheTable054.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:41pm EDT

The game show boom of the early-to-mid 2000's featured lots of push-your-luck, big money shows...but only one was hosted by Danny Tanner. Contributing Flipsters Ben and Niki join us for a look at the 1 vs. 100 DVD game, a party game where one lucky player competes for huge stacks of DVD cash while everyone else tries to spoil it for them. Answering questions keeps you in the game while you try to outlast "The Mob" on your way up the ladder. Is it fun enough to keep playing until your inevitable defeat, or should you just take your pretend money and run? Much like any prime time game show, we'll drag the answer out over two commercial breaks...

Direct download: FlipTheTable053.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:15pm EDT

For the first time since our very fourth episode, it's a Chuck Woolery themed Flip the Table as we take on the game you've played all your life...but never quite like this! TV Scrabble is the 1987 board game based on the TV game show, which itself was based on the 1948 board game (give yourself a minute to parse that sentence). This game brings the rotating sets and Woolerific game show action home as players solve crossword-style clues to score points, while avoiding the dreaded "Stopper." But can a game two generations removed from its source material manage to please board game fans and game show fans alike? Woolery!

Direct download: FlipTheTable052.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:39pm EDT

Take a trip with us to the 90's, where the world's most dangerous criminals were often pursued and captured  by young children. In "Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego?" players travel the US searching for stolen national landmarks, obtaining a warrant, and arresting criminals with extremely punny names. This board game version swaps the cumbersome nature of reading an encyclopedia for the streamlined simplicity of multiple choice questions...but can our panel of gumshoes stop VILE with their knowledge of elementary-level geography, or will Carmen Sandiego escape yet again? Plus, in this week's battle of wits, Professor Laserbooks presents an old favorite with a new twist...

Direct download: FlipTheTable051.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:22pm EDT

In this special double-episode, we're replacing all our limbs and taking on two games of Bionic proportions! First, we step into the track suit of Steve Austin (The other one) in The Six Million Dollar Man game, where we'll spin and move our way into brick walls until we prove which OSI agent is the real deal. Then, in The Bionic Woman, we'll travel around a sort of 70's fantasy landscape rescuing children for big points! Does this Bionic hardware stand the test of time, or has it become obsolete government property?

Direct download: FlipTheTable050.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:42pm EDT

Enjoy this special edition gold-colored mp3 as we pick up our wooden swords and embark upon The Legend of Zelda! This board game features multiple players controlling a single Link as he travels the vast overworld of Hyrule and flips over random enemy tiles until he defeats Ganon or someone dies. Does the panel have sufficient hearts to survive this journey, or will they be left with a dead battery and a corrupt save file?

Direct download: FlipTheTable049.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:06pm EDT

We're taking off our shoes and ascending the twisty pipe-slide as we prepare to descend into The McDonald's Game from 1975! This super-rare, super-retro title pits Ronald, Grimace, Hamburglar, and Birdie against each-other in a hamburger-slinging game of listening, memorization, and quick-thinking. We race to complete each-other's orders to score points...and strategically decide when to intentionally mess them up. This game will definitely make you hungry, but will it make you happy? Flip the Table investigates.

Direct download: FlipTheTable048.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:24pm EDT

Bullwhips! Stubble! Mine carts! Choosing things! All the most famous hallmarks of the Indiana Jones franchise...upon which the Indiana Jones DVD Adventure Game is based. We choose a Harrison Ford pawn and work our way through a modular dungeon as we fight exotic thugs and avoid dangerous traps in search of ancient artifacts. Once the temple is thoroughly looted, players race to the exit to avoid being crushed by stuff in the name of archaeology. Does this game deliver a thrilling adventure to fortune and glory, or will it melt our faces off when we open the box? 

Direct download: FlipTheTable047.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:13pm EDT

It's game night on the gridiron as Flip the Table meets VCR College Bowl! This VHS title from the early 80's simulates college football as players draw cards and watch exciting clips to inch forward slowly in this high stakes game of VIDEO ACTION! It's bone-crushing tackles combined with soul-crushing gameplay...will the panel's limited football experience be enough to get them to the end zone? Ready! Download! HUT-HUT-HUT! 

Direct download: FlipTheTable046.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:28pm EDT

Vampires! Witches! Monsters! All sorts of ghoulish terrors await you behind the Doorways to Horror! Featuring COLORSCAN(TM) technology, this 1986 VHS bidding game advertises "over 8 million different encounters" where players watch clips of (probably public domain) horror films while casting magic spells on various creatures to earn gold certificates. In this video adventure of menacing monsters and punishing puns, will the panel have the nerve to survive? Plus: in our Battle of Wits, the panel is forced to make a horrible choice...

Direct download: FlipTheTable045.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:49am EDT

The bedazzled trophy is back! It's our super-sized 2013 End of Year Special, where we answer questions from Flipsters all over the globe, and give our awards for the best and worst games we played all year! Plus, our special Season Finale Battle of Wits features our first ever fan-created battle! Who will become the 2013 BoW champion? Will it be decided with anything remotely resembling game balance? And...we have a special gift for all our listeners! This episode is HUGE! Like, literally larger than most of our episodes! Enjoy!

Direct download: FlipTheTable044.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:52am EDT

From the mind of Flipster and graphic artist Jason Benningfield comes Gone Flippin'...the Flip the Table board game!

In this FREE print & play, you can live the dream of being a Flip the Table panelist and play cheesy, weird, and obscure board games in your quest to be the first to score 10,000 POINTS!!! Buy cheesy games at Flip's Thrift shop! Risk all your hard-earned quarters at The Professor's Lazer Arcade! Go to Jared's Wrestling Academy and fight for the world title! Use Chris's Editing Bay to manipulate time and space! But beware of Soviet Russia...because in Soviet Russia, TABLE FLIPS YOU!

And did we mention it's a roll-and-move game? SURPRISE!!!

Gone Flippin' - Designed by Jason Benningfield

Art, Writing, Graphic Design: Jason (CupidsArt) Benningfield

Editor & Creative Consultant: Chris Michaud

Playtesters: 

Sam Curl, Chad Carr, John Raypole, Chris Lucas, Nicholas Stahl, Jenny Stahl, Maria Noyes, Tim, Jared Hunnefeld, Emily Hunnefeld, Chris Michaud, Melanie Michaud, Flip Florey, Chris Barter, Heather Barter

FTT Logo designed by Flip Florey

Flip the Table Created by Chris Michaud, used with permission

Special Thanks to the Flip The Table Crew and all of those cheesy and obscure board games that we love and have yet to play.

Interested in some of the other works that Jason has been a part of? Check out:

www.smallboxgames.com  (Cover and coin art for "Omen: A Reign of War", "Hemloch: Vault of Darkness")

www.plaidhatgames.com (Second Summoners: Farthen and 4 other titles yet to be released)

www.teevillain.com (Regular T-Shirt Artist)

cupidsart.deviantart.com

facebook.com/Cupidsart

Direct download: Gone_Flippin_2013.pdf
Category:general -- posted at: 5:04pm EDT

Say "Hasta la vista" to boredom and get ready to join us for a rousing game of "Terminator 2: Judgement Day"...a board game based on the blockbuster film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. This game sees players racing to collect floppy diskettes and Terminator parts while fleeing the dreaded T-1000 as they prepare for the deadly final battle at the local steel mill. Will this game get a "Thumbs-up," or will it become self-aware and destroy us all? Plus; we dig into Arnold's back catalog in the Battle of Wits. Download now!

Direct download: FlipTheTable043.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:35pm EDT

It's our first ever LIVE podcast, recorded at BGG.con 2013! Our guest Eric Summerer from The Dice Tower joins us as we play Saved By the Bell from 1992, a pick-up-and-deliver game where players earn points by hanging out with the gang from Bayside and going on a date with both Zack AND Slater! Race around the school while avoiding detention and asking your friends uncomfortable questions about their classmates. Enjoy 54 unique(ish) images of the Bayside gang and collect your favorite ones to score valuable points. Over 2 decades later, did this game hold up as well as its namesake television program? Plus, a Battle of Wits you won't want to miss!

Direct download: FlipTheTable042.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:05pm EDT

They had faces of foam rubber and hearts of gold...but do they have what it takes to make a great board game? Flip the Table investigates as we play The Muppet Show! This late 70's title features the wacky Muppetational stylings of Kermit, Fozzy, Miss Piggy, and the whole gang, and thrusts them into a madcap world of clinical, tactical movement. Which Muppets will reach the footlights and take their place on the big stage? How in the world does the mysterious Double Spinner factor in? What do Statler and Waldorf have to say about all this? Download now to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable041.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:38pm EDT

In this special episode, we play 3 generations of games about the FABULOUS, SIXTY-MINUTE Price is Right! First, we go all the way back to the sixties and enjoy the trick-taking madness of Bid it Right: The Price is Right...where we fight over bowling balls and jigsaws to see who can earn the most cash. Then, it's a trip to 1986 where we play The Price is Right Board Game...a game which blends basic appraisal skills with a little Dungeons & Dragons. Finally, we play the 2008 Price is Right DVD Game, and see if modern technology can improve upon the formula. Which TPIR game is the superior experience? Come on down and find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable040.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:05pm EDT

This week, Flip the Table returns to the wacky world of Mad Magazine for a trip back in time to the Cold War...where the White Spy and Black Spy eternally engage in an epic duel on behalf of vague (but menacing) government agencies. Welcome to Spy Vs. Spy: The Board Game, where you and up to 3 others can build tunnels in search of deadly bombs and inexplicably bring them back to your home base, presumably while lit. Use tiles from your hand to build routes, and play your sabotage tiles to block in rival spies and force them to juggle hissing explosives turn after turn in hopes they somehow make it back home before their inevitable destruction. The question: does this game feel like the bleakness of the Cold War, or the fun, youthful spirit of the Cola Wars? Plus: Wrong Scattergories!

Direct download: FlipTheTable039.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:18pm EDT

Way back in 2001, when the dot-com bubble was bursting and the Internet was crumbling to dust in front of our eyes, one company had the foresight to create a time capsule of what would most assuredly be a distant memory 12 years later...a way to teach generation after generation about the thrill and excitement of online auctions. Now, in 2013, contributing Flipsters Ben and Niki Turner stop by to play the eBay Electronic Talking Auction Game! We let the soothing voice of the electronic squawk box guide us through 30 auctions of indeterminate length. Who will bid their way to victory and get the best assortment of random junk? And can we find the off switch? Find out now!

Direct download: FlipTheTable038.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:10pm EDT

What problem has ever been solved by "Less power"? No important one, that's for sure. This week, we play the Home Improvement board game, where players roll, move, and grunt their way through the magical world of drywall, circuit testers, and subjective answers to trivia questions. It's a game that combines a little bit of Talisman, a little bit of Monopoly, and a whole lot of home improvement (the activity, not the sitcom). Who will be the first to capture the crown of command complete their jobs in the project house? Plus: which panelist is dreamier than Jonathan Taylor Thomas? (Spoiler: Nobody. Don't be stupid.)

Direct download: FlipTheTable037.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:55pm EDT

What do you get when you combine rubber bands, six sided dice, and The Prisoner's Dilemma? The Olympics, of course! This week, we're playing the Bruce Jenner Decathlon game from 1979! This vintage Parker Brothers title features Olympic Gold Medalist turned Kardashian stepfather Bruce Jenner guiding you through a magical journey through 10 track and field events which play out suspiciously like the same 3 mini-games repeated over and over again. Flick plastic discs at rubber bands and exercise your basic arithmetic skills on your way to the Gold! The question is, did this game eat its Wheaties for breakfast, or is it really full of Little Chocolate Donuts? Download now to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable036.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:01pm EDT

This week, it's the Doctor Who Time Travelling Action Game!!! Oooh-WHEEE-Oooooooooh!!! WHEEEEE-oooh-WHOOOOOOOO!!!! Woooooo-OOOOOOh-oooooooh, Doooooo, d-doooooo... (Dum-da-da-dum, da-dum-da-da-dum, da-dum-da-dum) WHEEEOOOOOOOO, woooooo-OOOOOOOH!!!! Plus: Wrong Scattergories.

Direct download: FlipTheTable035.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:53pm EDT

We hope you've brought your Cliff's Notes, because this week's episode is about Pride and Prejudice: The Board Game! Based on the timeless Jane Austen novel which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, this roll and mover pits players against each-other in a 19th century smackdown to find out who is the king and queen of regency life. Listen as the Flip the Table panel fails miserably to understand anything about Pride and Prejudice, guessing blindly at trivia questions about the novel as we flail our way to the church by exact count to win the game. Does this title adequately prepare us for life in 19th century British high society? Plus: we play Apples Against Prejudice in the Battle of Wits! Join us, won't you?

Direct download: FlipTheTable034.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:58pm EDT

Come join us in a world where stone warriors protect the city by night...and everyone kinda sounds like they belong on the Enterprise. We're playing Gargoyles: The VCR Board Game; a VHS pack-in with the Disney movie which was a special bonus feature long before DVDs brought us hours of deleted scenes. Spin and move your way to the Xanatos building within 20 minutes to defeat Jonathan Frakes before he unleashes horrible robot doppelgangers on the city of New York. If nobody makes it to the finish, the city is destroyed. OR IS IT?!?!?! Download now and join the adventure!

Direct download: FlipTheTable033.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:45pm EDT

The Flip the Table gang didn't get invited to too many parties in our formative years...but now, we can see what that would have been like thanks to the early 90's celebration preparation simulator Party Mania! This Nightmare-style VHS game is a race against the clock as you and your friends busily attempt to complete your chores and perfect your hair and outfit in time for the Keller Twins' huge bash. If you're lucky, one or more players will be ready in time for the party...too slow, and you'll be at home with your lame family and the nerdiest kids in school. Earn Mom's approval and manipulate your friends as you roll, move, and charade your way to victory. Does Party Mania flow through our veins? Download now to find out! 

Direct download: FlipTheTable032.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:49pm EDT

Some would say that, prior to the 2000's, "Mashups" were an imperfect art form. Case in point: the 1996 hoops drama Space Jam, in which basketball megastar/baseball notsomuch Michael Jordan teams up with the Looney Tunes gang for an interstellar basketball throwdown. This week, the Flip the Table panel immerses themselves in the Space Jam experience by suiting up and taking it to the hole in Space Jam: Michael Jordan's Cosmic Court. In this Plinko-based basketball simulator, four competing Michael Jordans race to be the first to hit the ultimate SLAM DUNK to defeat the Monstars and rescue Bugs and the gang from the horrific Monstars. Without Bill Murray around to pick up the slack, can anybody save this game? Plus: DOUBLE SHAWARMA! Don't miss it!

Direct download: FlipTheTable031.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:32pm EDT

Set condition one throughout the ship! It's time to play Battlestar Galactica...but not the good kind like you want. We're covering the Parker Brothers edition of BSG from 1978, where four alert Viper pilots engage in an exciting, tense, and dramatic training mission to drag the husk of a crippled Cylon raider back to the Galactica for inspection or something. Spin and move your way through space as you attempt to use your awesomely destructive laser weapons in a non-lethal manner to keep your fellow pilots from bringing home a busted toaster. How does this compare to the modern edition? You'll have to listen to find out. Though you've probably already cracked that case.

Direct download: FlipTheTable030.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:28pm EDT

Take a little bit of 90210, add a splash of Voltron, and sprinkle in a little kaiju mayhem, and you get the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; the early 90's phenomenon which taught us that all problems can be solved with multicolored spandex and increasingly larger robots. This episode, Flip the Table plays the eponymous board game by Milton Bradley from 1994, where players mow through an army of Putty Patrollers to earn the right to form the Megazord and take on King Sphinx. Only the ranger who strikes the final blow can win the game. It's got dice chucking, memory elements, bluffing, and resource management...but does the game feel like an epic battle, or recycled, poorly dubbed stock footage? Only one way to find out...

Direct download: FlipTheTable029.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:09pm EDT

One cannot master the art of Ninjitsu without the most important maneuver in the martial artist's arsenal...what the masters call, loosely translated, "Roll and Move." That's why we're playing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Power game from 1987! In this game, players pick their Turtle of choice and battle an endless army of punks, Shredders and Krangs until they earn the right to enter the Technodrome and defeat the Bad Guys once and for all. However, mere basic arithmetic skills are not sufficient to take down the Foot Clan...you'll need to use the Battle Flipper to land a die in the right plastic compartment to collect your trophy and prevent your Good Guys from fleeing to the discard pile. Does a board game with roll and move combined with dexterity elements work as well as a pizza with peanut butter and sauerkraut? Then, will our newly developed Ninja skills with the Battle Flipper be enough to prevent us from losing all our points in the Battle of Wits? Get in the Turtle Van...and set a course for fun! Just watch out for the electric seaweed.

Direct download: FlipTheTable028.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:44pm EDT

This episode, we play perhaps the most popular and well-known game we've ever reviewed on Flip the Table...it's Mall Madness! In the electronic version of this game, players take the role of shopping-obsessed teenagers racing to buy arbitrarily priced retail goods, such as sunglasses, t-shirts, and pets (on clearance, if possible). Need energy? Stop at the movie theater for a quick meal. Then, send your friend to the rest room to delay their progress. Has this electronic monument to mall culture stood the test of time, or is this just another roll-and-mover with fancy window dressing? Plus; Professor Laserbooks guides us through a Battle of Wits where we plumb the depths of consumer fads. Check it out! Seriously!!!

Direct download: FlipTheTable027.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:42pm EDT

Say your prayers and eat your vitamins! It's time to play the WWF Wrestling Superstars board game...with our special guests from Chikara pro wrestling, Billy Kumohara and Ophidian! Join us as the host of Chikara's Quiz Present Crisis Battle and the Venomous and Vile Master of Snake Style wax nostalgic about the golden age of wrestling, and find out what happens when 80's pro wrestlers escape their reality and take up fighting monsters in Tokyo. Then, we check our boots for foreign objects and ring the bell for a special squared-circle themed Battle of Wits! Can Team Chikara steal enough energy from the crowd to defeat the villainous Team Flip the Table, or will they pull hair and bite their way to victory? Download now to find out!

Direct download: FlipTheTable026.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:28pm EDT

Leave your razors at home and get ready to scheme...this week's game is Survivor: The Australian Outback! In this game based on one of the earlier seasons of the popular reality show, we collect survival items and engage in intense table politics, sort of, as we attempt to earn immunity and avoid being eliminated at Tribal Council. Secrets will be revealed, and rice will be eaten. Find out who survived the final vote, and whether or not we're still friends after (SPOILER: No.) Plus, it's our most devious, maddening, diabolical Battle of Wits yet!

Direct download: FlipTheTable025.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:11pm EDT

It's animated anarchy at Flip the Table Headquarters as we take on two games in our first ever cartoon special! First, we play 1983's Masters of the Universe 3-D Action Game, a spin-and-mover which seeks to improve the Snakes and Ladders formula by injecting a healthy dose of Beast Man. Then we travel from Eternia to Townsville and take on Lenny Baxter and Mojo Jojo in The Powerpuff Girls: Saving the World Before Bedtime...a program movement game all the way from the futuristic utopia of The Year 2000. Is Chemical X enough to overcome The Power of Grayskull? Will He-Man ever figure out how to take the Wind Raider out of reverse? Listen now!

Direct download: FlipTheTable024.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:57am EDT