
Hidden Gems: A Board Game Podcast
by Chris Alley, Cameron Lockey, Jason Yanchuleff, & Bill Arney
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Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
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Total monthly reach
Estimated from 5 chart positions in 5 markets.
By chart position
- 🇦🇺AU · Games#1705K to 30K
- 🇸🇪SE · Games#3730K to 100K
- 🇳🇱NL · Games#5810K to 30K
- 🇵🇹PT · Games#1930K to 100K
- 🇸🇬SG · Games#2110K to 30K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
43K to 145K🎙 Weekly cadence·77 episodes·Last published 5d ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
85K to 290K🇸🇪34%🇵🇹34%🇦🇺10%+2 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
26K to 87K
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
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From 1 epsHosts
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Recent episodes
76. Board Game Retreat 2026
May 15, 2026
2h 17m 35s
75. Let's Play Puerto ... Banana?
Feb 13, 2026
1h 28m 53s
74. Christmas Spectacular 2025: We're Back!
Dec 25, 2025
2h 15m 12s
73. Extended Banter: Board Game Retreat 2025, Part 2
Feb 27, 2025
2h 06m 00s
72. Extended Banter: Board Game Retreat 2025, Part 1
Jan 25, 2025
1h 43m 01s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/15/26 | ![]() 76. Board Game Retreat 2026 | Send us Fan Mail It's May and we're finally back to report on our 2026 Annual Board Game Retreat (from back in February)! We had a great time and played tons of games, so in this episode Chris, Jason, Bill and Cameron report on what they played - the good, the bad, and the crazy! FOLLOW US: Email: hiddengemsboardgamepodcast@gmail.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/hiddengemspodcast BGG Guild #: 3874 Discord: https://discord.gg/bakZ332pup Hidden Gems: A Board Game Podcast is produced and edited... | 2h 17m 35s | ||||||
| 2/13/26 | ![]() 75. Let's Play Puerto ... Banana?✨ | board gamesgame reviews+3 | — | Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking GameSeas of Strife+1 | — | board gamesPuerto Banana+3 | — | 1h 28m 53s | |
| 12/25/25 | ![]() 74. Christmas Spectacular 2025: We're Back! | Send us Fan Mail When, what to my wondering ears should appear, but another Christmas Spectacular with the Hidden Gems team is here! Wow, it's been a bit hasn't it? Well sit down with your warm milk and nutmeg and rejoin your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney, Cameron Lockey and Jason Yanchuleff as they reunite for another Christmas episode. We'll catch you up on where we've been and our thoughts for the future of the show. Merry Christmas! FOLLOW US: Email: hiddengemsboardgamepodcast@gmail... | 2h 15m 12s | ||||||
| 2/27/25 | ![]() 73. Extended Banter: Board Game Retreat 2025, Part 2 | Send us Fan Mail The banter continues! There are plenty of games left to cover from the fabled board game retreat weekend. Join your hosts Chris Alley, Ken Cantrell and Jason Yanchuleff as they dive into more of the titles we got to on the trip. FOLLOW US: Email: hiddengemsboardgamepodcast@gmail.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/hiddengemspodcast BGG Guild #: 3874 Discord: https://discord.gg/bakZ332pup Hidden Gems: A Board Game Podcast is produced and edited by Chris Alley, Cameron Lock... | 2h 06m 00s | ||||||
| 1/25/25 | ![]() 72. Extended Banter: Board Game Retreat 2025, Part 1 | Send us Fan Mail New year, new show format! Every so often, we'll take a break from reviewing games to just talk about more stuff we've been into lately. In this inaugural "Extended Banter" episode, your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney, and Cameron Lockey treat you with the usual personal updates and then spend some time reflecting on the games we got to play, both new and old, at our game group's annual Board Game Retreat earlier this month. FOLLOW US: Email: hiddengemsboardgamepodcast@gmail.c... | 1h 43m 01s | ||||||
| 12/24/24 | ![]() 71. Christmas Spectacular: Stocking Stuffers for 2024 | Send us Fan Mail Twas the day before Christmas, and all round the world, the gamers awaited, the adults, boys, and girls. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, but no brief, tiny games have yet been stuffed there. When what to my wondering ears should appear, came a new Christmas episode full of gems, joy, and cheer! FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:30:52 Christmas Trivia 00:47:25 Tetrix (Mosaics) 01:07:42 R. Eco. 01:34:27 Roll Through the Ages MUSIC (courtesy of ht... | 2h 12m 34s | ||||||
| 12/10/24 | ![]() 70. "A" is for Alchemist | Send us Fan Mail "A" is for... alchemist? Another series begins! Will we ever finish it? Who knows! but this episode we start our alphabetically-themed episodes with the letter "A". Join your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney and Jason Yanchuleff as they dig for more gems. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:22:46 Abandon Ship 00:45:00 Alchemist 01:09:39 Age of Comics MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Abandon Ship: “Little Sailor”, Leimoti Alchemist: “With Every Note”, E... | 1h 51m 18s | ||||||
| 10/31/24 | ![]() 69. Halloween Spectacular: 2024 | Send us Fan Mail It's time for another cheesy skit, more Halloween trivia from Chris and a bunch of horrifying takes on a bunch of dusty, spooky games. What could be scarier?! Join the full crew: Chris Alley, Jason Yanchuleff, Bill Arney and Cameron Lockey as they bring you three ghoulish reviews of unusual, forgotten, and under-appreciated Halloween-themed games in this 2024 episode of Hidden Gems! FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Sketch: Chapter I 00:05:52 Intro & Banter 00:26:05 Halloween Tri... | 3h 02m 15s | ||||||
| 10/18/24 | ![]() 68: Stefan Dorra - Part 3 | Send us Fan Mail In this episode, your hosts Chris Alley, Jason Yanchuleff, and Bill Arney jump back into the delightful world of Dorra, exploring three more games by this esteemed designer. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:31:32 Amazona 01:00:17 Pergamon 01:36:21 Salamanca MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Amazona: “Jungle Awakening”, Rune Dale Pergamon: “A King's Ransom”, Bonnie Grace Salamanca: “Imber”, Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen FOLLOW US: Email: hiddengemsbo... | 2h 11m 37s | ||||||
| 9/23/24 | ![]() 67. 30 Minutes or Less? | Send us Fan Mail Are the claims on the game box about playtime length accurate? In this episode, your hosts Chris Alley and Cameron Lockey hold things down while Bill and Jason are away on vacation as they put three games claiming to take 30 minutes or less to the test and share their thoughts on these unusual, forgotten, and underappreciated games. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:35:09 Cities 01:01:59 Great Wall of China 01:35:07 Nyet! MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsoun... | 2h 07m 38s | ||||||
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| 8/27/24 | ![]() 66. Spiel des Jahres Losers: 2011 Edition | Send us Fan Mail The Spiel series continues with a new installment of nominees from 2011! Dig in with you hosts Chris Alley, Cameron Lockey and Jason Yanchuleff as they take a look at another bunch of award-nominated, yet strangely overlooked games -- listen in to hear our thoughts on the Spiel judges' decisions! FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:37:42 Mondo 01:06:18 Uluru 01:27:57 Sun, Sea & Sand MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Mondo: “The Call of the Wild”,... | 2h 19m 54s | ||||||
| 7/26/24 | ![]() 65. Designer Spotlight: Kramer & Kiesling | Send us Fan Mail It's summer in NC and that means sweltering heat, sweet tea and lots of travel. The guys have been all over the place, but have finally returned to the table for more gaming. Join your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney and Jason Yanchuleff as they take on a trio of gem candidates from revered duo of designers Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00 Intro & Banter 00:31:10 Einauge sei Wachsam! 00:56:33 Asara 01:24:54 Maharaja MUSIC (courtesy of https://ep... | 2h 09m 36s | ||||||
| 6/14/24 | ![]() 64. Super Knizia IV | Send us Fan Mail Will the supply of game designs from Reiner Knizia ever run out? It's doubtful, so the guys have much more exploring to do of the designer's epic catalog. We bring you part IV of that exploration. Will we find more gems? Or are these games lesser-known for a reason? They can't all be good... right? Find out on this episode with your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney and Jason Yanchuleff. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00 Intro & Banter 00:33:17 F.I.T.S. 00:57:49 Zombiegeddon 01:27:13 Qi... | 1h 57m 48s | ||||||
| 5/24/24 | ![]() 63. Spotlight on Asian Designers | Send us Fan Mail Chris is back from Asia, so what better way to welcome him back to the crew than covering 3 possible gems from Asian designers? Find out how they fare along with the latest banter topics on this episode with your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney and Jason Yanchuleff. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00 Intro & Banter 00:37:13 Chronicle 01:00:55 Dadaocheng (2nd Edition) 01:28:58 Airship City MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Chronicle: “We Are Giants”, Silver Maple Dadaochen... | 2h 03m 56s | ||||||
| 4/26/24 | ![]() 62. Jason's Shelf of Shame | Send us Fan Mail While the cat's away... Chris is traveling the globe this episode, so Jason has free reign over the game selections. Will his recent streak of mediocre contributions to the gem lineup continue? Or will digging deep into the library produce some new favorites? Join Jason Yanchuleff, Bill Arney and newcomer Ken Cantrell as they investigate 3 more possible gems. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00 Intro & Banter 00:25:11 Feudality 00:57:03 Campanile 01:20:50 Quebec MUSIC (courtesy of ht... | 1h 59m 19s | ||||||
| 3/29/24 | ![]() 61. Amazing Fantasy | Send us Fan Mail Fantasy is a theme that has exploded into popularity in the past 30 years or so. It has had an impact on books, movies, TV, video games, and not least, board games. In this episode of Hidden Gems, your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney, and Cameron Lockey celebrate their enjoyment of the genre and review three fantasy-themed games. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00 Intro & Banter 00:46:38 Gargon 01:13:52 Lost Legends 01:53:55 Dragonstrike MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): ... | 2h 44m 46s | ||||||
| 3/9/24 | ![]() 60. More Stefan Feld Games with Daniel Wahlen of The Game Table | Send us Fan Mail What is it about Stefan Feld that keeps us coming back for more? In this latest episode pulled from some lesser known titles of his vast catalog, join your regular hosts Chris Alley and Jason Yanchuleff as they welcome guest host Daniel Wahlen of The Game Table to chat about a new crop of 3 potential gems. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00 Intro & Banter 00:33:02 Roma 00:59:01 Pillars of the Earth: Builder's Duel 01:32:33 Forum Trajanum MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com)... | 2h 12m 46s | ||||||
| 2/9/24 | ![]() 59. Taking Flight with Two and a New | Send us Fan Mail Make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their upright positions before you fly the friendly skies with the Hidden Gems crew of Chris Alley, Bill Arney and Jason Yanchuleff as they soar through a new trio of games. Will the guys first attempt at the "two-and-a-new" format fly or end up grounded? Find out if any new gems are to be had on this latest, airline-themed episode. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00 Intro & Banter 00:41:45 Blue Skies 01:13:14 Jet Set 01:40:29 Sky Team... | 2h 15m 17s | ||||||
| 12/24/23 | ![]() 58. Christmas Special 2023 | Send us Fan Mail We're approaching the end of another year, and that means it's time for a little Christmas cheer! Have a holly jolly, merry little Christmas with the whole Hidden Gems crew of Chris Alley, Bill Arney, Cameron Lockey and Jason Yanchuleff as they check out 3 stocking stuffer-sized games. Will they be gems or lumps of coal? Find out on this, our final episode of 2023! FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:43:36 Kryptos 01:09:50 Fzzzt! 01:37:42 T... | 2h 16m 03s | ||||||
| 12/1/23 | ![]() 57. Spiel des Jahres Losers: 2012 Edition | Send us Fan Mail The Spiel series continues with a new installment of nominees from 2012! Dig in with you hosts Chris Alley, Cameron Lockey and Jason Yanchuleff as they take a look at another crop of prestigiously nominated, yet strangely overlooked games -- listen in to hear our thoughts on the Spiel judges' decisions! FEATURED GAMES: 00:00 Intro & Banter 00:27:19 Kulami 00:50:21 Miss Lupun 01:14:56 Kingdom Builder MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Kulami: “T Minus 5”, Far... | 2h 10m 13s | ||||||
| 10/31/23 | ![]() 56. Halloween Spectacular: 2023 | Send us Fan Mail Scares are aplenty in this year's special Halloween edition of Hidden Gems! Will poor Dean survive a night at the Kurtz's? Will Jason and Cameron do better on Chris' torturous Halloween-themed trivia game show? And, most importantly, will we find any more gems? Join your hosts Chris Alley, Jason Yanchuleff, Bill Arney and Cameron Lockey as they bring you three fresh reviews of unusual, forgotten, and under-appreciated Halloween-themed games in this 2023 episode of Hidden Gems... | 2h 33m 41s | ||||||
| 10/14/23 | ![]() 55. Publisher Spotlight: Zoch Verlag | Send us Fan Mail Castle building in the Scottish highlands, spicy peppers and a game about, well... Watch out for the smelly stuff on this episode with your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney and Jason Yanchuleff as they step around three poo-tential gems from publisher Zoch Verlag. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:30:03 Kalimambo 00:49:04 Scharfe Schoten 01:17:48 Kilt Castle MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Kalimambo: "Bwamu", Balafola Suedi Scharfe Schot... | 1h 49m 08s | ||||||
| 9/15/23 | ![]() 54. Designer Spotlight: Marcel-André Casasola Merkle | Send us Fan Mail Words with sheep, network building in the islands (also with sheep) and a vicious abstract (not so much about sheep). This week, your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney and Jason Yanchuleff take on the good and the baa-aa-ahd of three titles by designer Marcel-André Casasola Merkle. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:29:51 Attribute 00:48:55 Santa Cruz 01:16:56 Attika MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Attribute: "Cows on the Loose (60s Pop Version)... | 1h 58m 41s | ||||||
| 8/18/23 | ![]() 53. In Honor of Klaus Teuber | Send us Fan Mail We all know and love this prolific designer of the Catan series, but what lesser known (or just less talked about) gems might be hiding in his repertoire? This week, join your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney and Jason Yanchuleff as they take a look at three games by the late Klaus Teuber. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:39:29 Wacky Wacky West 01:06:56 Tumult Royale 01:36:22 Domaine MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Wacky Wacky West: "Full Moo... | 2h 04m 11s | ||||||
| 7/21/23 | ![]() 52. Ave Caesar! | Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of Hidden Gems, your hosts Chris Alley, Bill Arney, and Cameron Lockey review three Roman-themed games including one requested by one of our Patreon Gem Miners. FEATURED GAMES: 00:00:00 Intro & Banter 00:22:35 Sylla 00:51:31 Ave Caesar 01:21:39 Constantinopolis MUSIC (courtesy of https://epidemicsound.com): Sylla: "Conspiracy, Inc", Alec Slayne Ave Caesar: “Bring on the Adventure”, Raymond Grouse Constantinopolis: "Dance of the Wildcats", ... | 1h 56m 26s | ||||||
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Chart Positions
7 placements across 5 markets.
Chart Positions
7 placements across 5 markets.
