Reef Encounter - Sample

0:03Speaker 1:Battle reports with Ben and Stay's It's been a long time to do you and here we are again. The people have been asking for it, they have, and they'll fucking get it.

0:14Speaker 2:They missed us, they did, they missed this, this thing that you and I have, that we do. It's kind of what is what is this thing?

0:21Speaker 1:You know? Past Present and future? The podcast? Yeah, yeah, David runs with a Viscount's Runciman of fucking He's running her a lot, except he couldn't be more unlike you than any other person. So this is like basically past, Present and future, but a bit more serious and a bit cleverer.

0:37Speaker 3:God when I when I said I wanted an English friend, yep, if only it.

0:42Speaker 2:Could have been something like him. I mean you you imagine?

0:45Speaker 1:Can you imagine being an invited rank for afternoon tea to Viscount Runsoman's fucking pile in the country.

0:52Speaker 3:Do you think he lives in one of those like fifteenth or sixteenth century manor houses.

0:56Speaker 1:He has one, he doesn't live in it. He has a very nicely apportioned apartment somewhere in the west of London, I'm sure.

1:04Speaker 2:But he has the house.

1:05Speaker 1:He has that, and he's got grounds right, undeniably, it has a park.

1:09Speaker 2:Yeah, I've always wanted grounds.

1:11Speaker 1:I've got fucking grounds to punch you in the fucking.

1:13Speaker 2:Nuts with, like hahas.

1:15Speaker 3:Yeah, and like the fake ruins, yeah, capability brown in there some follies.

1:21Speaker 1:You know.

1:22Speaker 3:They used to hire old men to just like live in the park as like a hermit, to add like ambiance.

1:29Speaker 1:I could do that.

1:30Speaker 3:I was gonna say, if I if I had one of these houses with the grounds, you fucking live out in the park, and like we'd have like a hut for you or a cottage or something, or a cottage.

1:39Speaker 1:I'm hot. I'm not gonna live in a hovel. No, no, I'm not gonna I'm gonna wear fucking potato sacks.

1:44Speaker 2:No no, no, I mean you know i'd be made of brick or whatever.

1:46Speaker 1:But do I get to walk around and know you fuckers a little fuckers over there, all the fucking foxes, you fuckers. I oh, my lord.

1:58Speaker 2:Old Ben, don't pay any him.

2:01Speaker 1:I give to fox in the fucking nuts this morning. My lord?

2:04Speaker 2:How are you taking care of the sheep and the sheep cost I'm.

2:06Speaker 1:Taking care of him, my lord, in more ways than one. I'm not fucking him. No, that's not what I mean.

2:11Speaker 2:I didn't ask that.

2:12Speaker 1:I mean, I'm fucking kicking him in the fucking bollocks. My lord Beard is looking great today. By the way, even the fucking females I kicks in the bollocks.

2:19Speaker 2:I want you to grow it a few inches longer. All right, it does not look authentic.

2:22Speaker 1:Enough, Okay, I told you right, Sorry, sorry.

2:25Speaker 2:All right, let's go have a look at the hedgerow now or aren't you fuckers?

2:28Speaker 1:I'll see you fucking later.

2:30Speaker 2:We could make it happen. What do I have to do?

2:32Speaker 1:You've got to start this company that you keep talking about.

2:35Speaker 2:If only I had bought the right stocks at the right time, you know what I mean? Yeah, millions.

2:39Speaker 3:Even even then, I was like, ah, you know, I don't have enough money to buy enough Amazon stock in two thousand and two.

2:45Speaker 1:But we looked at we looked into one share, we looked into this. If I have bought what stock will be talking about.

2:52Speaker 2:I mean practically any of them.

2:54Speaker 1:Oh in video, Oh yeah, if you'd bought in video in like two thousand and four.

2:58Speaker 3:Yeah, because you're you're saying about not having money and I pointed out, well, if you had only you had five thousand whatever is in two thousand and four, right, probably not, but one thousand, Yeah, you could have scraped together one random bought in video stuff.

3:12Speaker 2:And if you'd only done that, you'd be a multimillionaire today.

3:14Speaker 1:Because I definitely wouldn't have cashed it out. I mean, you just the next available fucking opportunity to buy and hold. You need discipline, right, you don't have discipline, you know, discipline is something that you practice and develop over time. But but you know, I am, I am really wedded to this stately home villagitia ideas retirement plan.

3:35Speaker 2:I'm really into it. I think it's great, my lord.

3:38Speaker 1:I fucking got the turnips out today. One of them was looking at me funny, so I could hit the.

3:42Speaker 2:Bollocks very good, old Ben.

3:44Speaker 1:Yes, So what are we playing? State?

3:46Speaker 3:We are playing a game that you and I played several years ago. I think here, yeah, while I was here Reef Encounter.

3:55Speaker 1:So do you with with the Reef Encounter of the of the Second Kind expansion?

4:00Speaker 3:And I just want to say in the acknowledgment section right, This game was published originally October two thousand and four, Okay, so we're playing a real classic game here, twenty two years old. Thanks also to I don't know any of these people, Peter Armstrong, Rutiger Bayer, Tony Boydell, who's that fucker? And you know other people I don't know there, but Tony Boydell. Thanks to Tony Boydell.

4:25Speaker 1:It wouldn't have happened with that Tony. I'm sure he sat there and went to fucking ows this fucking bullshit? The fucking ows this bullshit?

4:33Speaker 3:I mean, actually, there is an aspect of this game that's a bit fiddley, like the way you select actions. It's like probably not the easiest thing to explain. And I'm like picturing what he was like, you know what he's like?

4:44Speaker 2:Now?

4:44Speaker 1:Yeah, what is he not?

4:45Speaker 2:Is he like seventies?

4:46Speaker 1:I think I think he had a pony style by then? Like what was he like as a young man? He had a fucking properly pissed, He had a motibi, a pony style. He must have been intolerable, intolerable. So so him and Matt Green.

5:00Speaker 2:I've got to flip over the fucking cool toils what.

5:04Speaker 1:They just published, Jerusalem. Do you think that there has nothing to do with the Holy Land. Do you think we've got an acknowledgement to the rule book? I think it says thanks to Ben Steve we.

5:13Speaker 2:Helped play test it. I mean I did. Have you played it? And I played it? Yeah? I played it a So you're going to be the rule book and yah, I should be nonsense, Tony, Tony, Matt. Can I get in the rule book? Can I? Can I be in the rule book? At Ben?

5:27Speaker 1:So you can? You can, Actually, you can be in any rule book you want. I mean with a Byron I.

5:33Speaker 3:I actually had to engage Tony quite a few times during the playing of that.

5:38Speaker 4:Engaged to I had to engage him, engage him to do one on rules clarifications on Jerusalem, which I believe contributed to the development process.

5:48Speaker 1:Is so you're saying you designed Jerusalem.

5:51Speaker 3:I mean the game wouldn't be what it is today. And I think you know I'm not asking for a lot, right, They've already printed the rule books though, well I expect that I'm already you know, you know how when when there's like there's like a rata, he could publish an errata sheet add to acknowledgments.

6:10Speaker 2:Stephen J. Cyrek Or maybe like a sticker.

6:13Speaker 1:Yeah, it comes with every gang.

6:15Speaker 2:Yeah, like when you buy them.

6:16Speaker 1:He's already sold. He's already sold out.

6:18Speaker 2:Right, but then you have to you have to send the sticker. So what he should do.

6:22Speaker 1:What he should do is track down everybody, recall them, recall them, recall all, burn all the rule books, get them reprinted with my name in it and not yours.

6:33Speaker 2:Your name.

6:34Speaker 3:You didn't do anything, vibes, You didn't even like bother to try and play it.

6:39Speaker 1:I'm like, best, you were there when I played it, you know, best from Happy Mondays. I think so Happy Mondays wouldn't have been Happy Mondays without Bess.

6:47Speaker 2:What's your point?

6:48Speaker 1:Well, I'm like, vibes and vibes for the You think you should.

6:50Speaker 3:Get credit for vibes? Yeah, the fucker vibes worth fucking thanks Ben for.

6:55Speaker 1:The vibe the vibes.

6:58Speaker 3:Anyway, anyway, we're playing Reef Encounter with the Reef Encounter of the second kind.

7:05Speaker 2:Very clever pun there, I get.

7:07Speaker 1:But it's really interesting because so you've been beavering away busy like a bee. Yeah, because you suggested we play this yesterday. Yeah, But what I didn't realize is that a couple of weeks ago, in anticipation of this, you actually sat down with Richard Brees and if you wanted it to be a surprise, well, I mean I got an email from him. Yeah, so you went to my fucking interview coming up your fucking twat. That's that's abatim are you Are you not going to insert it into this episode? Yeah?

7:34Speaker 2:Right now, Oh, let's do it. Let's throw it to the interview.

7:37Speaker 3:So I am here with Richard Breese, one of the most storied game designers and in the entire hobby is certainly coming from the United Kingdom.

7:48Speaker 1:Let's not be formal. Call me Breezy, Easy Breezy. That was a nickname at school. People call you easy Breezy, Easy Breezy.

7:55Speaker 2:So so easy.

7:58Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, easy.

8:01Speaker 2:We're playing a Reef encounter later.

8:03Speaker 1:My name is Breezy. I'm really easy. I was on I was on the album.

8:07Speaker 2:So I understand this, inn w A.

8:09Speaker 3:I understand that this game was actually inspired by your by doctor Richard Attenborough and that's domentary.

8:16Speaker 1:Well, I mean sort of tendent and chili.

8:18Speaker 2:What do you mean. I assume that you watched him on the BBC and you said.

8:22Speaker 1:Well, I used to watch Dickie. That's what I call it. I don't know him, like, I just call it Dicky, Okay, because I'm a naturally informal guy. Because I'm fucking breezy, easy, breezy, I'm rich easy. Right.

8:35Speaker 3:So the the inspiration for the game literally came from you watching these documentaries on television, not from any other well nearly not from any other self.

8:45Speaker 1:Right, So I used to watch Dickie. Yeah, I used to watch Dicky out and then you know, as you know, Steven, Yeah, I'm I'm a lover of the outdoors.

8:56Speaker 3:Well, I mean I've read the rule book and it literally says that the only.

9:02Speaker 2:The game was the nature documentaries.

9:05Speaker 1:Of documentary, he's a national, he's an actual treasure, so I wanted to give him credit.

9:09Speaker 3:Yeah, so there's a direct link between those nature documentaries.

9:12Speaker 2:And the game.

9:13Speaker 1:Well it was a direct link, but there's a nodal point in between.

9:16Speaker 2:Okay, tell us that.

9:17Speaker 1:Well, as you know, Stephen, I am a lovely outdoors I didn't know that. And there's nothing I like more. I mean, look at the shoes, I mean, topally, have a look, yeah exactly, Yeah, you're wearing socks right now. Yeah, but imagine if I was wearing shoes. What kind of shoes would I be wearing?

9:34Speaker 2:I really don't know.

9:35Speaker 1:I mean, fucking I don't know you that well, Salomon's Salomon's that's right, I'll be wearing fucking Salomon's, mate. I don't fucking breezy. You don't fuck around, you know what I mean.

9:46Speaker 2:You refer to yourself as the third person.

9:49Speaker 1:Who does breezy. Yeah, he does.

9:51Speaker 2:I didn't realize that you were known for your tremendous ego.

9:54Speaker 1:Well it's not ego. Ego implies that there's no grinding for it. But I'm naturally I'm easy breezy, I'm lemon squeezy.

10:03Speaker 2:Okay, so easy Breezy, get on your easy you You enjoy Hiking is what you're trying to do.

10:08Speaker 1:I went out, was having a hike where way down south in England, South in England. Yeah, along dart More, Dartmoor, Dartmore.

10:16Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a nice place to go hiking in Lovely.

10:18Speaker 1:You got ponies there, Okay, you can nature camp, you can wild camp on Dartmore, one of the few places in the UK where you can sometimes yeah, with the orses.

10:27Speaker 2:So you were doing that back in two thousand and four, you must have been a young man.

10:31Speaker 1:And three, it takes time to design a game, Labis.

10:34Speaker 2:Now were you were you alone or were with you?

10:36Speaker 3:Were you with one of your frequent collaborators and game designed Tony Boydell.

10:40Speaker 1:No, I don't fucking take him. Why would I take in? He's in the old town running his fingers through his luxuriant ponytail on that.

10:50Speaker 2:Well you you actually thank him in the rule book?

10:52Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, because if I don't, I'll just get fucking endless text messages. Eh, breezy, easy breezy. Why am I not in ruble braezy?

11:01Speaker 2:Sorry?

11:02Speaker 1:Sorry, that's not how Tony speaks, bloody rubbook like cowpats. I'm gonna throw a cowpat at the bloody house.

11:13Speaker 3:That's amazing how all British people can do like spot on imitations of all British accents.

11:17Speaker 1:Well, that's right. Well, I mean we're talented, unlike the Americans. Two hundred and fifty years of fucking embarrassment.

11:24Speaker 3:Yeah, and today happens to be the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary, that's right, the founding of my country, my first.

11:30Speaker 1:Country, Your second country as well in Germany. Oh fucking fucking.

11:35Speaker 2:More recently founded in its current form. Mistakes were made anyway, So.

11:40Speaker 1:You were on the high I was undert More. I don't, I don't.

11:43Speaker 3:I don't quite see how hiking in the UK can lead you to design a game about corel.

11:49Speaker 1:You know that song? You know that song back rolling stones? Yeah? Wild horses, Yeah, couldn't drag me away?

11:56Speaker 2:Sure?

11:56Speaker 1:That was written about the wild horses on Dartmore was a famous wild horse off Fionnardo.

12:02Speaker 2:What does this have to do with reef and count?

12:04Speaker 1:Well, I was king, I'm fucking I was I kid right, Yeah, and you know Britain bit rainy. Yeah, and I got caught a downpole. Has that reputation caught a downpole? Yeah? And then I went in like a hollow and it filled up with water.

12:21Speaker 3:Hollow, hollow. That's right, You're you're escaping the rain in a hollow. That doesn't immediately make a lot of sense.

12:28Speaker 1:Well, I'm not going to go under tree? Was I? I only get struck by that? I have a branch fall on the end. So there was a thunderstorm, well, I mean might.

12:34Speaker 3:Have been okay, the thunder I mean, there's always thunder with breezy around.

12:41Speaker 1:I bring the thunder and lightning, and it's it's very frightening if you're a fucking American. Any road, Freddie Mercury's American, right, I don't think.

12:50Speaker 2:So, any road.

12:51Speaker 1:So I was in this hollow and it flooded, It got really deep in water, and I heard this voice in my head.

12:59Speaker 5:It was his voice, and we see the Dartmore hors wading through water.

13:09Speaker 3:So you you were so accustomed to watching these documentaries.

13:13Speaker 1:I heard him like so frequently?

13:15Speaker 2:Did you have recourse to the DBC?

13:17Speaker 1:And so do you know what I was doing? Because I've fallen asleep? Do you know what I was doing?

13:21Speaker 2:You fell asleep in the hollow?

13:23Speaker 1:Yeah?

13:23Speaker 2:While I was filling with waters?

13:25Speaker 1:Right, Okay, do you know what I fell asleep? Do you know what I was doing?

13:28Speaker 2:Beggars belief? But all right, I was doing what I was dreaming about Dickie.

13:34Speaker 1:Yeah, And I thought, all right, Dickie, I'm dreaming of you.

13:38Speaker 3:He's not why he did a lot of nature documentaries, Yeah, why a game about marine life?

13:45Speaker 1:Well, because that's the case, I thought, I'm dreaming of you. Yeah, And so I had to make a game about the coral.

13:50Speaker 2:Dream of me.

13:51Speaker 1:I had to make a game about the coral. You ruined my coral job. We hadn't met yet, I was saying to Dickie, Yeah, dreaming of you. You. Yeah, so I had to do a game about the coral.

14:04Speaker 2:I don't get it.

14:05Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, you fucking know you've got a fucking culture anyway, Peace out, easy, breezy lemon squeezeers. I'm getting out of there because you're a lama.

14:16Speaker 2:It was a very it was a.

14:18Speaker 3:Very strange interview. I mean I didn't even get to ask him very many questions.

14:21Speaker 1:Well, I just inserted I haven't listened back to it yet.

14:24Speaker 2:I didn't. Yeah, I mean, you know, I do my best. I'm not you. I'm not the professional. That's true, you know, quote unquote main show interviewer.

14:32Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I mean I wouldn't let you on that because you'd ask them questions. You'd be like, oh, so what do you think about vibe coding?

14:38Speaker 5:Oh? Do you think vibe coding is viable in today's world?

14:43Speaker 1:Oh?

14:43Speaker 5:I was vibe coding the other day and my pants fell off. Do you think do you think that's permissible? In today's world?

14:50Speaker 2:Is that how I talk? So?

14:52Speaker 1:I think?

14:53Speaker 5:So I was vibe coding the other day and my toenails turned into monkeys?

14:58Speaker 1:Do you think that's permissible into his world?

15:00Speaker 2:I mean, for sure, the entire interview would be about AI.

15:03Speaker 3:I mean, I don't know how many hot takes are there in the board gaming world about AI?

15:06Speaker 2:Is anyone? Is anyone going to say anything positive about it? How do you feel about AI? Oh? I hate it every single time.

15:13Speaker 5:So I was fine coding the other day and my legs turned into snakes? Do you think that's viable into day's world?

15:19Speaker 3:So, Ben, you played this before and you probably don't remember it.

15:22Speaker 2:It's it's in my top one, it right, But you don't remember how I played it at all? So what what do you remember feeling about it that makes you put it in the top one?

15:29Speaker 1:But it was super lean and mean and super attacky and Richard Easybreeze's designs always inevitably belie his calm English manner, and so.

15:43Speaker 3:He is a very understated gentleman. But his game, by what you may evince from the interview.

15:49Speaker 1:And his games are always really attacking, really nasty, loads of fun and beautifully designed. There's no there's no crinolation. It's all pure fucking diamond like.

16:02Speaker 2:It's the word, isn't it.

16:04Speaker 1:I love the wordlation.

16:05Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm hoping that adding.

16:07Speaker 1:How many times you think Isaac's edited credelation out of my text for the book at least once per page?

16:12Speaker 3:I mean definitely, I mean you should have a limit no more than three times.

16:16Speaker 1:In three separate chapters I was doing to editing last week, and three separate chapters I write the sentence vats of Digital inc Have been spilled over.

16:26Speaker 2:So Isaac's terrible, Isaac.

16:28Speaker 3:What I would like to see is a word distribution for all of the texts that Ben has generated, and what like I want on the I guess I want like the word frequency against like number of syllables per word.

16:41Speaker 2:Right, I'm assuming it's highly right words viewed like you.

16:46Speaker 3:Anyway, What I'm hoping is that the edition of the expansion doesn't ruin it for you or me or anyone.

16:52Speaker 2:Well, let's see four player game today.

16:54Speaker 1:Let's see all right, Wow, we'll get to it.

16:56Speaker 2:Who's going to win playing? It's the two of us. It's a mean and Samantha.

17:01Speaker 1:Samantha Grenell, britt Zadam, and ponsibly Smithed. I've missed out twenty seven of her surnames.

17:06Speaker 3:Exactly exactly, And I think it could be anybody's game because this game is so attacky, it's gonna be unpredictable.

17:13Speaker 1:What do you think I'm gonna win?

17:15Speaker 2:Let's find out.

17:19Speaker 1:You can listen to the rest of this show and hundreds of hours of bonus content, including convention reports, in game bickering, and loads more at patreon dot com. Forward Slash five g f D