Board Game Club

**Board Game Club** is one of the main series on the No Rolls Barred YouTube channel, in which the cast play various board games as a group. The series was originally hosted via Zoom, then in person at Draughts London, then finally in Trident's studio space.

"*What is Board Game Club if not a significantly longer and growing series of required reading for every single episode?*"
―Jon, *Let's Play COLT EXPRESS*
Board Game Club is the longest running series on the channel, with the most episodes by far. Notable events during the series include its ten-hour livestreams and the spawning of what went onto be the No Rolls Barred Plays Blood On The Clocktower series. The No Rolls Barred Patreon features uncut versions of most public episodes, and extra episodes filmed over Zoom.

## Episode structure

While the show's presentation has changed over time, its general structure is still very similar to its first iteration. Episodes have generally increased in duration over the years, beginning at around 45 minutes to an hour in 2020 and increasing to around 50 minutes to 2 and a half hours for some episodes.

Typically, each BGC episode begins with an intro that has changed in style several times. Adam, or later other cast members, then gives a full introduction featuring a "first rule of Board Game Club" that ranges from the silly to the ridiculous to the profound, and a demonstration of the key game elements and rules. Then, the cast members are introduced in the hellos and the game begins.

Until June 2023, public (non Patreon-exclusive) in-person episodes usually included talking heads intercut into gameplay, picking up on the running jokes for the session, speaking in character, discussing tactics and so on. These have been expanded to the uncut Patreon-specific versions following the channel's departure from Draughts. Sometimes, episodes include one or more Jokes of the Day, a title strongly fought for.

Episodes usually end with a declaration of the winner, formerly paired with a passing of the Board Game Club Champion title or marking of Adam's chalkboard. The game for the next episode is then announced.

## History

The first episode of the series was *Let's Play CODENAMES*, released on 20 November 2020 and featuring the core members of No Rolls Barred. It was filmed over Zoom as a result of the pandemic; episodes would continue to be recorded in this way for just under a year. February 2021 saw the release of *Let's Play BLOOD ON THE CLOCKTOWER*, an episode that would later be renamed as *A Stud In Scarlet* when the spin-off series No Rolls Barred Plays Blood On The Clocktower became a popular mainstay on the channel. In May 2021, No Rolls Barred hit fifty thousand subscribers and a *10 Hour Board Game Club Marathon For 50K Subs!!!* was livestreamed - still via Zoom.

From September 2021, with the release of *Let's Play COSMIC ENCOUNTER*, a new era of the series began in person at Draughts London on a set designed by Rosie Nicholls. This was accompanied by the start of release of new uncut versions of the in person episodes through the newly-launched Patreon. During 2022, Adam's chalkboard was updated at the end of each episode, noting his win/loss record in accordance with his resolution for the year to win 22 games of Board Game Club, or play *Monopoly* five times in a row as forfeit. The channel hit 100 thousand subscribers in September 2022, prompting another ten-hour livestream, this time in person and for the charity Mind. Adam achieved his resolution by the end of 2022, and a further charity livestream event took place in February 2023 to celebrate the end of the challenge.

In June 2023, as part of NRB moving to a new studio away from Draughts, BGC episodes were given a new CGI introduction and were now filmed in a slightly more spacious room with lovely curtains. This began with *Let's Play PICTURES*. A further update to the opening titles appeared in August 2023 and another in September 2023 after the departure of Adam from the channel.

## Episodes

A playlist of all free episodes can be found here.

*Please note that many episode titles have been standardised for better wiki navigation. Roman numerals denote repeated plays - not necessarily different game versions.*

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* Livestreams
* Patreon Exclusive
### 2020

There were 6 episodes of Board Game Club in 2020.

*To see this year as its own page, click here.*
### 2021

There were 52 episodes of Board Game Club in 2021.

*To see this year as its own page, click here.*
### 2022

There were 55 episodes of Board Game Club in 2022.

*To see this year as its own page, click here.*
### 2023

There were 52 episodes of Board Game Club in 2023.

*To see this year as its own page, click here.*
### 2024

There have been 3 episodes of Board Game Club in 2024, up to 16 January.

*To see this year as its own page, click here.*
### Livestreams

There have been 3 livestreams up to 6 February 2023.

*To see this as its own page, click here.*
### Patreon Exclusive

Patreon contentThis content can only be found on the No Rolls Barred Patreon (patreon.com/NoRollsBarred). Please don't expand this page with critical information that hasn't been released to the wider public. When editing, describe content in broad strokes, short bullet points, or lists. See more guidance in the paid content policy.
There have been 20 Patreon exclusive episodes of Board Game Club up to 31 October 2023.

*To see this as its own page, click here.*

## Soundtrack

* AGST - "Reality" (intro, 2020 - 2021)
* Jules Gaia - "Life O' The Lavish" (intro, 2021 - present)

1. ↑ As of 16 January 2024