CARDBOARD! with Rich Sommer

Cardboard with Rich Sommer is a fantastic podcast about board games, and if you don't recognize the name, you may after you Google "Harry Krane on Mad Men", or GLOW, aka Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. What makes this podcast so different is that Rich has members of the community call in to chat about board games; anyone can phone in at (858) 26-GAMES, and the ensuing banter is delightful.

After listening to an episode, I realized that Rich the actor and movie star is also an ultra board game nerd! By any definition, Rich knows his stuff, and is informed on the designers, publishers, the latest on Kickstarter, and anticipated releases. There is one caveat though: in order to know when the podcast is happening, you have to follow his Twitter account, as the episodes are rather spur of the moment.

I should also mention in an episode from about a year ago, 9/18/17, he distinctly veers away from calling CARDBOARD! a podcast and describes it more as a radio show. The spontaneity is part of what makes the show so good. No one knows when the next show will be, and no one really knows what it will be as it's a live show where people call in and Rich picks up to chit chat about board games, and anything else that comes up in the moment.

The other part of the program that makes the show so special is that Rich has an INCREDIBLE ON-AIR VOICE. He's delightful to listen too, outside of the topic, and you can tell how smart he is from how he speaks and dare I say the quality of his voice. His time management skills must be pretty strong because between acting and all the accoutrements that go along with such an illustrious career, he somehow has the time to geek out and play a ton of board games?

Guests from the game industry often call in and appear on the show so be prepared for that. Apparently, he also goes to BGG, and is basically the MC for the convention, which is pretty cool. After you hear him on CARDBOARD! you will understand why Scott Alden from Board Game Geek nominated him for the job. The BGG CON, by the way, is happening as we speak in Dallas, TX. 

In any event, an incredibly fun discovery to find this podcast, I mean, show that I listen to on my iPhone when stuck in traffic. If you have a inclination towards board games or actors with great voices, I implore you to listen to Rich Sommer talk about the board gaming industry on CARDBOARD! with Rich Sommer! the next time you are bumper to bumper.