iSlaytheDragon

Tuesday, and the work week is underway. Mine's shaping up to be rather busy with various things going on. Hopefully, that'll make it go by quickly. Another thing that helps is listening to some gaming podcasts while I work.

Today on the dial we have: Geeks of the North Episode 51: Kickstarter; Chance of Gaming Episode 117; Breathing Flames Episode 13: Power to the Player; Anonymous Tabletop Episode 28: Do You Want to Play a Game?; and Epic Gaming Night Podcast Episode 175: Werewolf Legacy!

Geeks of the North Episode 51: Kickstarter

In this episode, we chat about our experiences with crowdfunding, most notably Kickstarter, and how we see it develop with time. Paul makes an impromptu audio unboxing (awkward...) of the first Guild Ball Blacksmiths box. Finally, we talk about the ongoing kickstarter for the super fun game Processing: A Game of Serving Humanity by Fight in a Box. So sit back, relax, grab a paintbrush and enjoy the show!

Chance of Gaming Episode 117

We talk about the GMT sale, store table space, gender identity in RPGs, what we played and news of the week

Breathing Flames Episode 13: Power to the Player

The iSlaytheDragon crew discuss variable player powers. What are they and do we like them? Which games employ them best and which games use them as a crutch.

Also, this is the conclusion to the first season of the Breathing Flames podcast. We will be back after examining what worked and what didn’t. We would appreciate any feed back you may have. Talk to you soon!

Anonymous Tabletop Episode 28: Do You Want to Play a Game?

Welcome to Anonymous Tabletop Episode 28.

In our 3rd Annual Halloween episode we find out what it’s like when Lathan records on painkillers, Katie and Jean discuss “that time of the month” and its effect on game nights, and we threaten Dev with an exceptionally long future episode.

And finally, Geeky Jean talks pumpkins, Katie’s Amazon Review takes one to the chin, and Celebrity Deathmatch turns into a chaotic Halloween themed Royal Rumble.

Oh, and we can’t forget Tim’s Sack. Even when he’s not here it still somehow manages to scare the Hell out of us..

Epic Gaming Night Podcast Episode 175: Werewolf Legacy!

What we have been playing!

• (Roy) 5 Minute Dungeon, Werewolf Legacy
• (Rob) Magic the Gathering, Werewolf Legacy
• (Matt) Werewolf Legacy

Topic: Werewolf Legacy

• Werewolf legacy!! (spoiler free)
• How does the game play (no spoilers!)
• What did we think about the game?
• Who do you think this game would be good for?

Saturday! Woo! My favorite day of the week. Today, I've got D&D (watch me here if you'd like to see me making a fool of myself :P ). And then, tomorrow, it's been a long time since I really did some baking. I'm thinking I'll make some cayenne pepper dark chocolate brownies and some chili powder chocolate chip cookies. Because that's the type of person I am. Whatever you're doing this weekend, I hope it's awesome. Though I know if you're here now, you're here to check out some reviews.

This week we have: The Bloody Inn: The Carnies Expansion, Processing: A Game of Serving Humanity, Senshi, Evil High Priest, Mesozooic, Volfirion, Countdown Action Edition, Reef, Tokyo Metro, and Codenames XXL.

One Board Family:

The Bloody Inn: The Carnies Expansion Review

The train has pulled into town bringing a load of new characters to your shady French inn. The traveling carnival workers need a place to sleep but they don’t know of the dark secrets that your establishment holds. The Bloody Inn: The Carnies is an expansion for one of our absolute favorite games, The Bloody Inn.

Undead Viking:

Processing: A Game of Serving Humanity Review

Learn to Play:

Senshi Video

In this video I will teach you how to play including: Components,setup, player turn and actions, and end game conditions with scoring. I also included a small game play video towards the end of the video. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours. 

Evil High Priest Video

In this video I will teach you how to play including: Components,setup, phases of a round, end game conditions, and scoring. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours.

theMCGuiRE review:

Mesozooic Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Mosozooic, a new card puzzle game from Z-Man Games. In this title you are building the best dinosaur zoo you can for the most points. If you are able to do that for 3 rounds within the time limit, you win! The game definitely plays out as a puzzle, where you will be moving cards around to form your zoo and in the order that provides the most points.

Volfyirion Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Volfyirion, a brand new card game from Tabula Games that is just hitting kickstarter. We wanted to get a preview of this new game that fits perfectly into their gaming universes (Mysthea - also another successful kickstarter). Wow - I was blown away on how fun this card game really is and all the cool mechanics and pacing of the game! It is going to offer more play modes as well and the base pledge is truly a no-brainer at $10US

Countdown - Action Edition Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Countdown - Action Edition from Dogmight Games and Lindsey Rode. In this title you are either the role of a hostage, villain or the action hero! You better get released or win due to your personal win condition before the bomb goes off! This group deception game offers a few awesome welcomed additions to the game type: up to 15 people are supported, each player has a personalized win condition and each player gets a one time game action.

Polyhedron Collider:

Spirits of the Forest Review

From the box to the insert, from the score pad to the tiles, Spirits of the Forest, is quite simply enchanting.  You’ll quickly read the rulebook – don’t be alarmed, it's multilingual, the rules just about cover two pages and are very, very simple.  You’ll set the game up and take a moment to just look at it, it is, as one has come to expect from Thundergryph Games, very pretty.

Your journey into this colourful and quaint bakerlite world is one of simple purpose, collect the most of each type of spirit that inhabits the forest.  That’s it, nice and simple.  There are 150 in total….no, hang on, that’s Pokemon.  There are nine different spirits to collect and 3 ‘elements’. If you have more than your opponent then you’ll score a point for each one.  If you have none you’ll suffer a 3 point penalty. 

iSlaytheDragon:

Reef Review

Reef is a lovely, although loosely themed, abstract game in which you are trying to build a reef to house marine life. Technically, you are the reef, trying to grow and be beautiful. To build your reef (yourself?), you’ll be playing cards and placing reef bits in order to score points for completed patterns. The goal is to have the most points at the end of the game, which means you are the most beautiful reef, beloved by fish everywhere.

Tokyo Metro Review

TOKYO METRO has you investing in the development of the public transit network of Tokyo with the goal of making the most money. There’s a central map of the Tokyo subway system and an accompanying income track to keep tabs on how much money each line makes.

Each round is divided into 5 phases. The first phase simply refreshes the action card grid, removing the lowermost cards and adding a new row to the top. The next phase is a blind bid to determine turn order for the rest of the round. All bids are paid to the bank and the player who paid most is goes first, the player who played the next highest goes second, and so on. In the movement phase players will move their meeple up to 2 spaces on the grid map. The majority of the action happens in the appropriately named action phase.

Codenames XXL Review

Little did I know that just three years later, Codenames has not only appeared on the shelf at Target, but it has had its own Target-exclusive edition; that Codenames would more-than-crack the top 100 on Board Game Geek (currently sitting at #48 after a fall from the teens); or that my family would become utterly obsessed with the game. Indeed, I have introduced a lot of games to my family over the years, and they’ve enthusiastically tried most of them, but I think they’d be content if all they had was Bohnanza and Codenames.

So releasing a new, giant, “deluxe” version just makes sense. But is bigger better?

 

Woo! Saturday! Woo!
I am taking it easy this weekend. No scheduled games. No places I have to be. Just chillin' in my den. I've got nachos. I've got miniatures to assemble. I've got Code Red Dew. I've got everything I need to just have a nice, relaxing weekend. Might pull out some spoopy movies, too.

But I know that you are here for the reviews. So let's not keep you waiting.

Today we have: Lovelace & Babbage, Cryptix, Macgyver: The Escape Room Game, Drink, Dice Sumoners, and Paper Tales.

Undead Viking:

Lovelace & Babbage Review

theMCGuiRE review:

Cryptid Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Cryptid a brand new one from Osprey Games. This game is for the analytic at heart as you review all the data reveled for each turn to guess where the Cryptid may or may not be! This is a great family and friends title that will be sure to gain interest and people wanting to play again! 

Macgyver: The Escape Room Game Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at MacGyver The Escape Room Game from Pressman! In this title you will be offered 5 full 1 hour missions to take on as MacGyver - trying to escape the impossible. Use your tools to your advantage, sharpen your wits and get ready for a heavy adventure as you become MAC!

in2thereview:

Drink Review

The aim of the game is collect a hand of cards with the same drink on them. It’s pretty much happy families for the party generation. If you look around online you will be inundated with hundreds of different games to play with your friends to get the ball rolling on a night out (or in), the beauty of this game it is quite literally a deck of cards which means it is very easily transported and a very fast set up and clear away time, this makes it perfect to play round a table either at home or in a pub.

Dice Summoners Review

The aim of the game is to reduce your opponent down from 30 life to Zero. You do this by summoning new creatures to you army as well as learning new spells to cast instant attacks. You can also cast Auras (buffs) and Curses (De-buffs) to help you win the battle.

The part I enjoyed about Dice Summoners is the fact both players start with the same cards & dice, but each turn you roll your starting dice and build your army from the card pool in the centre, that means both players have the same cards to play with therefor the game starts on an even playing field, how the game goes from there on in is completely up to you.

iSlaytheDragon:

Paper Tales Review

The goal in Paper Tales is to write your own kingdom’s legends by employing citizens, soldiers and fantastical creatures whenever you can find them.  These denizens will work hard for you to build and defend your kingdom…at least for a little while. You see age takes its toll on your loyal subjects, but not before they pave the way for new generations.  You know. The Circle of Life.

To achieve legendary status you will be drafting cards and managing them to acquire resources and build your domain’s tableau.  Paper Tales lasts four rounds, which are structured into six simultaneous stages.

 

Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!
Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!
Saturday night's alright for fightin'. Get a little action in.

Yes, it's Saturday, and while it's not night quite yet (at least, where I am at time of posting), that doesn't mean that it's not time for fighting. Though I'm not actually swinging my own fists around. It's my character in D&D. I hope you're out there swingin', too, be it with an RPG character or toy soldiers or on a video screen. Whatever your fight du-jour might be. I know you're here for some reviews, so let's dive into those.

Today we have: Tiny Epic Mechs, Creature Forge Overwhelming Swarm, Waterdeep Dragon Heist D&D Minis, Tyranny of Dragons D&D Minis, Ravage: Dungeons and Plunder, Minerva, and Cat Lady.

Undead Viking:

Tiny Epic Mechs Review

theMCGuiRE review:

Creature Forge Overwhelming Swarm Miniatures Unboxing and Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the BRAND NEW Creature Forge: Overwhelming Swarm from Wizkids/Neca! This just hit the stores and I will have to say - super impressed with the sculpts, paint quality and poses. They did an awesome job with these and I cant wait to see more releases! It also really excites me about the future with all their other lines in the D&D universe. We got an amazing random pull with 20 of the 28 available new miniatures in this inaugural release! So tune in for a full blind pack opening of the gravity well box (24 packs) and close up video of all 20 miniatures we got!

Waterdeep Dragon's Heist D&D Miniatures Unboxing and Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the New-ish Waterdeep Dragon Heist set and its awesome! I really love the sculpts in this one, quality is great, paint is vibrant and I can't wait to use these in my games.

Tyranny of Dragons D&D Miniatures Unboxing and Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Tyranny of Dragons an Icons of The Realms set from Dungeons and Dragons. This set is a little older but offers the best dragon sculpts I have seen in these sets. I got an awesome pull from this brick but definitely want more of the dragons.

Board to Death TV:

Ravage: Dungeons and Plunder Review

A dungeon-delving board game where you, the player, get to control a band of Orcs; ain’t no paladins or dwarfs here. Raid dungeons, slaughter monsters for their teef and complete objectives and level up along the way.

iSlaytheDragon:

Minerva Review

Minerva is a tile-laying resource-management game for one to four players. Players are Roman city planners trying to best develop their cities. The player with the most points wins.

Cat Lady Review

Cat lady is a simple set collection game which uses a card drafting variant as the way to obtain your cards.  At the beginning of the game, nine cards from the main deck are laid on the table in a 3×3 grid. (The cards that are used depend on the number of players, with some cards only included in 3 or 4 player games.) The rest of the cards form a draw pile. The Stray Cat cards are shuffled and the top three cards are turned face up next to the play area. The cat token is placed next to one of the rows or columns in the grid. (The person sitting next to the start player chooses where to place it.)

 

Saturday! Woo!

I know some of my friends are down at AWA downtown. I'm currently safely at home, grooving to some Sims 4 while I wait for this evening's D&D session. Gotta go take care of that Strahd murder house, y'all! But I know what you are here for are the reviews I know you so desperately desire. So let's get to it.

Today we have: Super Mario Bros. Party Card Game, Snow Time, D100 Dungeon, Tower of Madness, The Deck of Many Animated Spells, Kariba, Deities Domination, Seal Team Flix, Nanty Narking, Brass, Yellow & Yangtze, Menara, and Quests of Valeria.

theMCGuiRE review:

Super Mario Bros. Party Card Game Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Super Mario Bros. Party Card Game from USAopoly - this is exclusive to certain retailers if you want to pick it up or directly from USAopoly. The game is a fun group party style game and is a lot of fun - lose all your lives and your out!

Snow Time Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Snow Time - a brand new one from Asmodee and Lui-Meme, designed by Frank Meyer. the game offers a pretty smooth experience and a tight end game if all players are close - otherwise if you get your run away players it makes for a very strategic game for the players behind. Game offers awesome artwork and a very simple but elegant design.

D100 Dungeon Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the new version of D100 Dungeon - v. 3 in print! This is offered in three different formats (PDF, soft-back, and hard-back) and available from DriveThroughRPG.com D100 Dungeon is a D&D like experience that you can solo through and follows a rogue like approach. Once you die - its over, start over with a new character. However - play it smart and you will outlive the dungeon. Game offers, a town experience, questing, character building, and a small story line which you can piece together and get creative with. Very well done and simple solo dungeon crawl experience that I would recommend to anyone. It also has tons of room for expanded content!

Undead Viking:

Set a Watch Review

Board Game Quest:

Tower of Madness Review

One of the games I was really looking forward to at Gen Con this year was Tower of Madness. It combined some dice rolling with a really neat tower mechanic that is sure to bring back memories of playing Kerplunk. Comparisons aside, the game looked really fun with it’s massive tower full of plastic tentacles and of course, the Lovecraftian theme. So the question remains, does the gameplay hold up? Let’s find out.

Tower of Madness is a dice rolling game for 3-5 players that takes about 30 minutes to play. The game plays best with 3-4 players.

The Deck of Many Animated Spells: DnD 5E Spell Cards Review

Deck of Many Animated spell cards are a 5^th edition Dungeons and Dragons resource that is both a shorthand reference to spells and other in game effects, and an animation related to that effect.

Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition has streamlined the RPG for experienced dungeon crawlers and new players alike. But the cost of a highly immersive world with literally decades of backstory and fantastic creations is a compendium that no single player can keep straight in their head.

Kariba Review

In Kariba, eight types of animals are each assigned a rank numbered from 1 (the humble mouse) to 8 (the powerful elephant), with each animal assigned their own space around the watering hole in numerical order.

On a player’s turn, they will play 1 or more of a single type of animal from their hand to their position around the watering hole. Then, if there are at least three of those animals in play, they chase away the next weakest animal cards which the player picks up and adds to their scoring pile. The only exception to the rule of the stronger chasing weaker is the mouse, which has the ability to scare away the elephant only (and is the only way elephant cards can be scored). Finally, the player will draw up to refresh their hand and play proceeds. Play ends when the draw deck is empty and all player hands are empty.

At the end of the game, players count up the number of cards in their score pile. The player who scared away the most animals is declared the winner!

Deities Domination Preview

The object of Deities Domination is to increase your tribe’s glory and area until you’ve earned the target victory points. VPs are earned by building villages, shrines, and other buildings, defeating monsters, and gathering tribute from other players.

Each player starts by selecting a god or goddess. Each deity has a couple of special abilities that will effect game play and likely determine the strategy they use throughout the game. The board is randomly generated by placing grasslands hexes together. Players receive base action cards and god power cards, then place two starting villages on the board.

Set a Watch Preview

Today we are looking at Set A Watch, a cooperative game now in funding on Kickstarter. In Set A Watch, players will form a band of adventurers traveling throughout a fantasy kingdom. The game centers around the locations in which you set up camp throughout your journey and clearing out the forest creatures, undead, and evil acolytes that attempt to overwhelm you and your camp.

Set A Watch is a cooperative action selection game for 1-4 players. It plays similarly at all play counts and takes about 45 minutes.

Seal Team Flix Review

If there were a competition for the greatest name for a board game, Seal Team Flix would be a heavy contender for that title. I’m not sure I’ve seen a greater use of a pun in a board game name. But a title does not determine the games worth, so let’s dive into the gameplay and see if Seal Team Flix is worthy of a coveted spot in your game library.

Seal Team Flix is a cooperative, tactical dexterity game for 1-4 players that plays well at all player counts.

Polyhedron Collider:

Nanty Narking Kickstarter Review

In Nanty Narking you’ll be trying to complete your secret objective, which usually involves getting things onto the board, while preventing anyone else from completing there’s. It means that the correct way to play Nanty Narking is like a hawk and keeping a beady eye on every action of your opponents.

 

Being a Martin Wallace game, Nanty Narking is powered by a massive deck of cards and each card gives you a number of actions to play. Generally these cards will allow you to place your agents on the board, take money from the bank and buy buildings. There are also a plethora of other options including assassination, arson and theft, allowing you to further influence the state of the board and generally annoy your opponents.

Brass Review Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (02:47); final thoughts and review (18:06);

 

Yellow & Yangtze Review Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (02:44); final thoughts and review (17:18)

Menara is a cooperative stacking dexterity game for one to four players. Players must complete tasks to build the temple of Menara. If the temple has as many levels as it needs to when the game ends, the players win.

In Quests of Valeria players are guild masters looking to root out and destroy the evils that would peril the kingdom.  Just not personally. Instead, you’ll recruit heroes and champions with special skills worthy of undertaking these adventurous tasks.  Where do you look for them? Why, the local tavern, of course.

You’ll assemble your bold fellowship through a mixture of action selection, card drafting and tableau-building.  This compact design uses two decks of cards exclusively for all game purposes.  Well, there are also a handful of Guild Master cards which are shuffled and one dealt to each player to start the game.  These identify specific types of quests for which you’ll earn bonus points at the end. Players also begin with three Citizen cards in hand.

Monday is over. Tuesday is upon us. The work well is well underway. Let's help speed it along with some gaming podcasts so you don't have to listen to Nina in Corporate Accounts Reveivable answer the phone.

Today on the dial we have: Breathing Flames Episode 10: The Price of Pretty; Chance of Gaming Episode 114; Chance of Gaming Breachstorm Interview; Meeples & Miniatures Episode 251: What we did on our holidays, 2018; Epic Gaming Night Podcast Episode 171: Chat; Playin’ and Slayin’ Episode 23: My Little Zombicide; Lords of the Dungeon Episode 19: Our Dungeons and Dragons Campaign Update and Player Meta; The Rolistes Episode 29 (Bonus 1): UK Games Expo 2018, Brendan Lasalle’s Dungeon Crawl Classics “Symptom of the Universe” (featuring Brendan Lasalle); Episode 96 - Jerry Hawthorne & Colby Dauch talk Comanauts, Gen7, and Plaid Hats!; and Guild Ball Tonight Episode 84: The Blind Agoraphobic has Opinions.

Breathing Flames Episode 10: The Price of Pretty

What is pretty worth to you? Are you willing to spend more on a game if it looks nice? Join us as we discuss the lengths we are willing and not so willing to go for a pretty game.

Chance of Gaming Episode 114

In this episode we talk about Arkansas Comic Con, Root, Tortured Earth RPG, Star Wars Legion, Taiyo Dynasties plus news and other games we played

Chance of Gaming Breachstorm Interview

A supplemental episode featuring a interview with Trevor Attridge the creator of Breachstorm.

Meeples & Miniatures Episode 251: What we did on our holidays, 2018

Welcome to Episode 251 of the Meeples & Miniatures Podcast

The Meeples Crew return from their summer break with a show that looks back at what they have been doing over the summer.

Neil Shuck & Mike Hobbs are joined by guest presenter Dave Luff as they confess their hobby purchases, discuss what games they have been playing and talk about their latest hobby projects.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Epic Gaming Night Podcast Episode 171: Chat

Roy and Rob talk about some news and what games we have been playing!

The guys cover the usual of what they’ve been playing, building and buying including an epic Zombicide Black Plague game. My Little Scythe is the game in the “Play it or Slay it” review this time, and Ty and Josh go #BehindtheMic with hard-hitting questions for Troy “The BoD Father”

In Episode 19 the Lords give and update on their current Dungeons and Dragons campaign and all the stuff their characters are getting into. And then based on some things that happened in our most recent gaming session, discuss Player Meta and how we separate doing what's best from a game standpoint and doing whats best from a role playing standpoint.

After our almost traditional birthday interruption, we are back at UK Games Expo for a “Bonus” episode with the awesome Brendan Lasalle from Goodman Games.

Thanks Lee Neilson for getting me in touch with Brendan. this episode wouldn’t have happened without you.

Thanks also to the players who participated to this game session and accepted to be recorded. In the action, I completely forgot to take your names and contact details (please reach me if you read this).

We will be back in a couple week for more interviews recorded at UK Games Expo.

Again I recorded again way too much material there.

Saturday! Woo!

I hope everyone out there being affected by the hurrican is staying safe. A good way to do that is to stay inside and play some board games. And while it's a bit late to pick up a new one for the current storm, having some around for when the next shows up is a good idea. But what games should you get? Reviews can help sort that out.

Today we have articles on: Guild Master, Zero Gravity, Z War One: Exodus, Bad Maps, Draconis Invasion: Wrath, Prowler's Passage, GoTown, Blue Lagoon, Dragon Castle, and Spirits of the Wild.

Undead Viking:

Guild Master Review

Zero Gravity Review

Z War One: Exodus Review

Bad Maps Review

Draconis Invasion: Wrath Review

Board Game Quest:

Prowler's Passage Review

The city sleeps; its riches safely stored behind locked gates and barred doors. But no one watching what goes on beneath their feet, and tunnels under the city streets become a highway for the highway men. There’s no honor among thieves here.

Prowler’s Passage is a 2 player game of set collection and area control from Renegade Games that takes about 20 minutes to play.

GoTown Review

For reasons I cannot readily identify, I have found myself playing tower-building games over the years, from Maxis’s SimTower to mobile-based Tiny Tower and its multiple spin-offs. There is something appealing to me about focusing gameplay on construction of a single building, as opposed to city or country-level simulations.

GoTown, while not as complex as those two examples, hopes to squeeze the tower-building experience into a small package both in footprint and in depth. Today we will examine whether GoTown reaches its goal of towering over its competition.

GoTown is a set-collection card game for 2-4 players that plays in about 20 minutes. GoTown plays equally at all player counts.

Blue Lagoon Review

Reiner Knizia is one of the most prolific designers of modern board gaming and today we are looking at his newest release, Blue Lagoon. Somewhat of a reimagining of Through the Desert, players will place pieces in adjacent chains onto the map to try and score points in a number of ways. Blue Lagoon is a simple to learn abstract game, so let’s take a look at how it works.

Blue Lagoon is an abstract strategy game for 2-4 players. It plays in about 30 minutes and is best with 3 or 4 players.

iSlaytheDragon:

Dragon Castle Review

If there’s one thing we should learn from games like Azul or Santorini, it’s to never underestimate the power of chunky, colorful pieces to bring an abstract to life. Dragon Castle is no exception to this. With a pile of Mahjong-inspired tiles, Dragon Castle challenges players to build their own castle by tearing down a central castle. Why? I don’t know. Who cares! Let’s start building.

Spirits of the Wild Review

Spirits of the Wild is a set collection game at its heart, although instead of collecting cards you’re collecting sets of stones. In order to do this, you’ll be playing action cards to gain stones from the bowl, bring out new ones, or use the coyote to bother your opponent. The goal is to satisfy the “wants” of the animals on your player boards by giving them the stones they desire. The closer you get to matching those desires, the more points you earn.

 

Woo! Saturday! Woo! Even more woo than Friday! Woo! All the woo!

So, being Saturday, it means it's time for a Review Roundup. So, without further ado, let's get to those reviews I know you all so desperately desire.

Today we have: Machina Arcana, Dark Domains, Guild Master, Bad Maps, Root, Pyramid of Pengqueen, Simulation Theory, Maki Stack, Maiden's Quest, Hannibal & Hamilcar, Drop It, and Space Marine Adventures.

Undead Viking:

Machina Arcana Review

Dark Domains Review

Learn to Play:

Kickstarter Overview of Guild Master

In this video I will be showing you some of the features of Guild Master and giving you my thoughts and opinions on the game and if it is one you should have a look at.

Kickstarter Overview of Bad Maps

In this video I will show you some of the different features of Bad Maps and give you my thoughts and opinions on if this is a game you should check out.

iSlaytheDragon:

Root Review

Root has you controlling one of four different factions vying for some form of control of the woods. How Root plays is also one of its most highly publicized selling points. Every faction is driven by different motivations and functions in vastly different ways.

Every faction is racing to reach 30 points first but will employ their own unique methods to do so. The Marquise de Cats begin the game in power and are keen on turning the forest into an industrial powerhouse. On their turn they will generate resources and choose from a menu of actions that includes moving armies, recruiting soldiers, and constructing new buildings, which is their main avenue for generating points.

Pyramid of the Pengqueen Review

Pyramid of Pengqueen is a hidden movement and deduction game for two to five players. One player is the Pengqueen, trying to prevent the adventurers (other players) from stealing her treasures. The game ends when either one adventurer collects all five of their treasures or the Pengqueen catches the adventurers a certain number of times. That player wins.

Polyhedron Collider:

Simulation Theory Kickstarter Review

Simulation Theory is a board game that seems to think it’s cleverer than it actually is. An RPG inspired take on the matching pairs memory games, Simulation Theory attempts to blend adventure and exploration into a game of virtual realities, where anything is real, and whereas the final game is perfectly functional, the result simply isn’t very exciting.

 

In Simulation Theory you have been thrust into another reality and your goal is simple, get out. To do this you will have to navigate three themed existences; a fantasy world, the sci-fi universe of the arc and a prison. The goal is simple, find one of the two exits from your current reality, either hidden in the treasure deck or guarded by a boss on the main board.

Play with your food! In Maki Stack you’ll race the clock and your opponents to balance plates, bottles, and sushi. Only those with the best balance and correct combination of items will be the sushi master.

Maki Stack is a Dexterity game for 2, 4 or 6 players that plays best with 4.

It's not just Saturday... It's long-weekend Saturday. Short of full-on "Vacation Saturday," this is the best kind of Saturday. Just time to do aaaaall the things. What, exactly?... I've not relaly figured that out yet. But I'm sure it'll end up being something... or it'll be nothing, and that's just fine, too. But, before I get to maybe doing something or nothing, I need to get you your reviews I know you so desperately desire.

Today we have: Machina Arcana 2nd Edition, Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Carthago, Dungeon Draft, Ticket to Ride: First Journey, Agra, Ruthless, Blitz Bowl, Lost Cities: Rivals, Root, Clank! The Mummy's Curse, Thieves Den, and The Edge: Downfall.

Board Game Quest:

Machina Arcana ~ From Beyond: Second Edition Preview

The Machina Arcana ~ From Beyond base game mechanics mirror the 1st Edition. There are still four phases that drive the gameplay: Explorer, Spawn, Horror, and Monster Phases (two are retitled from the 1st Edition but still primarily the same actions occur). Instead of going into full detail of the gameplay it would be best to highlight the changes for From Beyond and give the link for those who want a full reference to the official page for draft rules: Machina Arcana ~ From Beyond rules.

Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig Review

Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig (Between Two Castles going forward) is a collaboration between Stonemaier Games and Bezier Games that blends two of their games: Between Two Cities and Castles of Mad King Ludwig.

Between Two Castles is a semi-cooperative tile drafting, castle building game for 3-7 players (with a 2 player variant) that takes about an hour to play.

Carthago Review

In Carthago: Merchants and Guilds players will attempt to become the most influential trader in the Phoenician city of Carthage. Players use multi-use cards to perform actions, trade goods, and spend money in the guilds to increase both their trading and prestige.

Carthago is an action selection game for 2-4 players. It scales for player count well and feels very similar with any number of players. Carthago typically lasts from 45-60 minutes.

iSlaytheDragon:

Dungeon Draft Review

Two overarching philosophies drive role-playing designs.  There are hard hitting, fast paced, stats reliant, dice rolling adventures with lots of action, fights and big results.  Or the more narrative driven, cinematic churn in which imaginations and complex scenarios rely on stats only to support the players as they tell the story.  While providing completely different tastes, both are enjoyable and have their place. Sometimes you want to steep yourselves in a commonly crafted tale and explore rich character development.  Other times you just want to bash heads, bulk up and collect loot.

Enter Upper Deck’s Dungeon Draft.  The design from Justin Gary, of Ascension fame, delivers a flash fire burn by streamlining both its theme – dungeon crawl – and its core mechanism – card drafting.  The goal? Hire heroes and equip them to the max in order to complete quests and take down baddies…all for XP – aka victory points.

The design wants so badly for you to jump into action that it completely eschews back story and the tavern setting prologue, stalwart mainstays of the role-playing genre.  Yet this is a card game, after all, so the omissions are refreshing. The former is often so much pointless fluff that insults a gamer’s intelligence. The latter is just simply trite.

Ticket to Ride: First Journey (Europe) Review

Ticket to Ride: First Journey is a set collection/network building game for two to four players. Players are trying to connect cities on the board with their trains to claim destination tickets. The first player to complete six destination tickets wins.

Polyhedron Collider:

Agra Review

Agra is a heavy euro in the purest and most literal sense of the word. It’s a sort-of worker placement game and is so big and expansive, it makes Jupiter’s Great Red Spot seem more like a pimple on a teenager’s face. Opening the box for the first time, I was genuinely impressed with the sheer amount of stuff in there; I nearly put my back out when I picked up the box, which, as regular readers will know, is a positive test result for a game. Physical injury is a basic requirement for any decent board game. What you’ll also know being the loyal and faithful subjects that you are, is that I also love heavy euros and buying Agra was only a matter of time. That and it was recommended to me by Paul Grogan and to say our tastes align is like saying that Steve likes a bit of Lovecraft.

Ruthless Review

Ruthless, from Alley Cat Games is very much like a firework.  Not the type of firework that goes off randomly at 11:36pm on a Thursday night in March, waking the dog up, and thus you.  No, Ruthless is like a firework in that despite the fact you’ve played many other deck builders, this one will make you go “Ooohhh”, like you do when watching fireworks, despite having seen many fireworks go off before.

Drive Thru Review:

Blitz Bowl Review

Blitz Bowl Review Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (01:15); final thoughts and review (11:38);

Lost Cities: Rivals Review

Lost Cities: Rivals Review Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (01:08); final thoughts and review (07:36)

Root Review

Root Review Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (01:57); final thoughts and review (12:48)

One Board Family:

Clank! The Mummy's Curse Review

Clank! The Mummy’s Curse is the second expansion for the base game and it introduces some fun additions that fit the Egyptian theme. In this expansion, players are given access to two different locations to explore. One is a pyramid board that has a unique feel due to the diagonal orientation of the board. On the other side you have the Sphinx which is slightly more difficult but has the same set of rules.

Undead Viking:

Thieves Den Review

theMCGuiRE Review:

The Edge: Dawnfall Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the brand new The Edge: Dawnfall board game and this thing is MASSIVE! It offers 3 modes of play: a competitive miniatures game, a fully cooperative multi-player campaign game and a solo campaign experience. Each game mode is an awesome and well executed experience and yet again adds to Awaken Realms stock of excellent games!

 

Woooooo! Saturdaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I started my weekend off with some D&D, and that's actually what I'm doing again now (through the miracle of future-scheduling posts). But no matter what you're doing, I know you're here to check out some reviews. So, while my Bard is hopefully not getting stabbed to death, let's see what we've got this week.

We have: Starship Samurai, Tofu Kingdom, Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game, My First Stone Age, Fae, Duhr: The Lesser Houses, HOPE, Dwarves with Swords, and Hero Master.

Board Game Quest:

Starship Samurai Review

On paper, Starship Samurai seems like a game I’m just going to love. It combines a great sci-fi theme (who doesn’t love sci-fi) and mashes it up with a Japanese theme (which I always enjoy). In Starship Samurai, you control a space faring clan warring for honor and the support of lesser clans. Awesome right? Especially because you get giant samurai mechs!

The theme is there, but is it fun? Time to find out! Starship Samurai is an area control war game for 2-4 players that takes about 60 minutes to play. Starship Samurai plays best at 3-4 players.

Tofu Kingdom Review

Prince Mochi has traveled from Mochi Kingdom to propose to his beloved Princess Tofu. But the evil Queen Tofu has disguised Princess Tofu in an effort to thwart their alliance. The Prince may ask questions of the castle’s denizens to find his true love’s identity, but many are not there to help him! Will the Prince find his true love and return to Mochi Kingdom? Will he be forced to marry Queen Tofu? Who is Pudding Spy? And what does the Tofu Cook actually cook? High drama and intrigue await in Tofu Kingdom.

Tofu Kingdom is a bluffing and deduction game for three to eight players that takes about 20 minutes to play. Tofu Kingdom plays best with 7-8 people.

Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game Review

Detective comes with 5 cases in the box, each of which is linked together over the course of a campaign (note: this is not a legacy game). Learning to play is fairly straightforward. Each player controls a character with a skill token and a special ability. For lower player counts, consultants are used that only provide 2 skill tokens.

My First Stone Age: The Card Game Review

My First Stone Age: The Card Game relies only on a deck of resource cards, hut cards, and a giant wooden mammoth named Martin. To begin the game, 9 resource cards are placed face down in a circle, and Martin starts on a random card. Players will receive a hut card that requires three of the five different resources to build.

Each turn, a player can move Martin up to four spaces clockwise. Whenever they choose the end Martin’s movement, they reveal that resource card to all players. They keep that good if it is one that is required to finish the hut card they have and replace it with the resource that is currently displayed face up on the resource draw stack—otherwise they flip it back face down.

iSlaytheDragon:

Fae Review

In Fae, players are the eponymous mystical spirits collectively toying with and moving druids to various gatherings of ritualistic worship.  Identified by color, your goal is to score more points by luring corresponding druids of your identity to the most worthy congregations.  But mischievous as you are, everyone’s true nature is a secret!

Duhr: The Lesser Houses Review

The city of Dȗhr is a happening place. It’s the center of culture, commerce, and politics. It’s the place where dreams come true. It’s also the place where dreams get crushed. As the leader of a one the lesser houses, your ears perk up when the king has announced that there is now room for a lesser house to be elevated to a great house. Good news! If you are chosen. But you are not alone in coveting the honor. It will take cunning and intrigue to prove your house worthy of this great privilege.

HOPE Review

HOPE is a semi-cooperative game in which players are tasked with terraforming enough planets before Regression eats up too much of the universe. Whoever saves the most planets is the ultimate winner, but if Regression reaches the end of the track before players fill it with pioneers, everyone loses.

Each player controls a single starship, and the board is made up of hexagonal tiles divided into 3 dimensions. The trick is, you can only move through and effect one dimension at a time.

Dwarves with Swords Preview

So, yes, it’s exactly as it sounds.  You are dwarves.  With swords. Specifically, you lead cohorts of dwarves (who have swords) in a knock-down, drag-out brawl against other vertically-challenged legions (who have swords of their own) to claim your place as King under the mountain.

The design is an interesting one in that the real game begins before the game starts – that is, in building your armies.  You form two such formations to direct on the battlefield, placing all of your hopes and fortunes, as well as tactics, upon them.  Each of your two armies move and fight separately as one entity.

Polyhedron Collider:

Hero Master: An Epic Game of Epic Fails Kickstarter Review

Jamie Noble Frier, designer of Hero Master: An Epic Game of Epic Fails, has specifically asked me to avoid referencing Munchkin in my review of his game. And who can blame him? Munchkin is a stodgy mess that takes far too long and is far too chaotic, its no surprise that our resident fan of all things bad, Mr Jon Cage, rather likes it. But its difficult to talk about Hero Master without mentioning Munchkin, as on the surface the games are so very much alike.

 

Both games involve a party of bumbling heroes going on adventures, both games put their humour front and centre-with humorous card names and silly flavour text-and both games teach us that victory is best achieved by playing the most erect of dick-moves. I could go on, but while Hero Master may cover the same broad strokes of theme and style, it is a vastly superior game as it provides a tight and strategic experience that still manages to be chaotic and downright silly.

Mmmmm, Saturday. It's so loving and comfortable and squishable. I just wanna hug it all day. In fact, I think I will. *warmfuzzyhugs for Saturday*
Yes, things have gotten weird already. That's how it goes sometimes. But let's get you those reviews I know you all so desperately desire.

Today we have: Bob Ross: The Art of Chill, Tradewarz, Super Camelot, Kilt Castle, Grackles, Exodus, Darkest Night 2nd Edition, Dresden Files Dead Ends and Winter Schemes Expansion, Roar: King of the Pride, House of Danger, and Imperial Settlers: We Didn’t Start The Fire Expansion.

One Board Family:

Bob Ross: The Art of Chill Review

Do you have the skill, technique and supplies to out paint Bob Ross and your opponents? Don't get too stressed, this game can only be won by the most chill person at the table.

Undead Viking:

Tradewarz Overview

Learn to Play:

Super Camelot Overview

In this video I will show you what Super Camelot is all about including player turns, game elements, and some game play at the end of the video. I will also give you some of my thoughts on the game and would love to hear from you as well on yours.

iSlaytheDragon:

Kilt Castle Review

Kilt Castle is a perfect information abstract strategy game for two to four players. Players are rival Scottish family members striving to have the most influence in the castle. The player with the most coins at the end of the game wins.

Grackles Review

Grackles are known to congregate on telephone wires and sing their noisy, tone-deaf songs (and poop on cars below). While you won’t be singing in this game (although you can, I suppose), you will be placing your birds on telephone wires and attempting to crowd out the other birds so you can achieve telephone wire dominance. Let’s flock to the gaming table and see if this one flies!

in2thereview:

Exodus Review

Exodus is brought to you from the same great minds as Z War One Damnation (Dicesports). The Exodus story is set as a prequel to Damnation, the only difference being is that Exodus is a 2 player experience rather than 4 player. Personally I think this is a great choice as there are not enough 2 player games of this kind on the market and not everyone who enjoys the horror survival genre has a large gaming group to play them with, so kudos to the guys at Dicesports for looking out for the 2 player fans!

Board Game Quest:

Darkest Night (Second Edition) Review

Darkest Night is a cooperative fantasy experience for one to four players. Games last between two to three hours. The objective of the game is to defeat the Necromancer who has destroyed your unnamed kingdom.

Each round of the game consists of the four heroes taking their turns in an order determined by the group, followed by the board controlled Necromancer’s turn. Note that the game was designed to utilize four heroes regardless of player count.

Dresden Files Dead Ends and Winter Schemes Expansion Review

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is one of my favorite book series. I just can’t get enough of the adventures of Harry Dresden and his colorful cast of allies and opponents. Last year, Evil Hat published a card game based on the book series (review here) that I found to be challenging, unique, and a lot of fun to play.

Today we are going to take a look at the two newest expansions for the card game, Dead Ends and Winter Schemes. As they both add a very similar amount and type of content, I’m going to combine both into one review.

Roar: King of the Pride Review

Roar: King of the Pride almost feels like a war game. You will control your pride of lions, moving them throughout Africa, attacking other lions and avoiding the invading human tribes. The game is played over a fixed number of rounds, based on player count, and then majorities are scored for various categories.

There are six asymmetric lion breeds available in the game, giving each player a unique ability, starting location, and food reserve. After initial setup, each player will take 2 actions on their turn. Once the round ends some clean up happens, and then a new round begins. The game moves along quite quickly and downtime is almost nonexistent.

Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger Review

Today we are looking at a board game implementation of the CYOA license. Based on the book House of Danger, one or more players can take on the role of the private detective protagonist as they search through a local house that is haunting their dreams.

Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger takes about 2-3 hours to complete. In theory it can be played by any number of people, but is best as a solo experience.

Imperial Settlers: We Didn’t Start The Fire Expansion Review

It is established fact that we here at BGQ enjoy ourselves a game of Imperial Settlers every now and again. Between the elegance of gameplay, the depth of strategies available, and the great theme, it is a game we find ourselves returning to with pleasure. Since its premiere, Imperial Settlers has seen three faction expansions and a number of small-box “Empire Packs.” Today, we will be delving into We Didn’t Start The Fire, the latest of the Empire Packs, to determine if this expansion expands the borders of the Imperial Settlers empire for better or for worse.

Note: Our discussion below assumes you are familiar with the basics of the Imperial Settlers rules. You can read our review of Imperial Settlers if you want the run down on the base game. 

Expansion Overview:

 

Woo! Saturday! Boxing Friday... kinda... Ok, that's maybe a bit of a stretch, but waddyagonnado? Seeing as it is Saturday, that means you want to see some reviews. Well, that's what I'm here to give you.

Today we have: Remnants, After the Virus, Missile Command, My Little Scythe, and Endogenesis (can you tell a lot of reviewers were out of town last week?).

iSlaytheDragon:

Remnants Review

The world as we know has been shattered. Bands of roving marauders litter the landscape as the scattered remains of civilization eke out a meager existence in harsh land. But enough about the current world events. Let’s take a closer look at Remnants.

After the Virus Review

It’s 2018 and there is no shortage of deck building games in the tabletop hobby.  There also exists little scarcity of zombie-themed games. So new titles wading into the shambling masses of either category risk derivative styling unless they bring something new to the table.  In regards to the former, can the design rise above the monotony of “play cards, pick a card, shuffle?” And with respect to the latter, will its mechanics capture the narrative struggle of heroic sacrifice and survival amidst inexorable hopelessness…yet still prove playable?  It’s a tall order.

Board Game Quest:

Missile Command Review

In Missile Command, the latest entry into IDW’s series based on classic Atari games, each player controls six cities. From there they build and deploy missiles, nukes, or countermeasures, hoping to protect their own city while destroying their opponents. Players can negotiate temporary alliances and plot secret attacks before destruction rains down from above.

Missile Command is a deployment and negotiation game for 3 to 6 players that lasts about 30-40 mins. It plays best with 5-6 players.

My Little Scythe Review

Turns in My Little Scythe proceed around the table from the start with each player taking a single action. The only catch is that the action cannot be the exact same action as their previous turn. Turns go by fast as players utilize very compartmentalized moves, attacks, and builds.

Endogenesis Preview

Players in Endogenesis are cosmic beings who have traveled across an “infant realm” searching for “answers to questions still unknown”. When these beings encounter each other, it appears there is conflict and the stage for a magical battle game is set. The players are competing with one another for “prisms”, tokens which act as a victory point. A player who earns 3 of these wins the game. Along the way, players can focus on powering up abilities and dealing doom to other players as follows.

Undead Viking:

Endogenesis Review

Well, it's now the Tuesday after Gen Con. Pretty much everyone is back home and probably back to the office. I know I'm back behind the desk. And I'm sure many of you want the week to go by quickly so you can either just rest this weekend, or bust out all those new games you got at the show. Either way, it's good to have some gaming podcasts to listen to.

Today on the dial we have: Breathing Flames Episode 7: The Midway; The Secret Cabal Episode 164: Thunderstone Quest, Nemo’s War and a Short Topic Extravaganza; The D6 Generation Episode 241: Networking in Gaming Biz & Star Wars Legion Review; and Singled Out Episode 72: Winning the British Nationals With Daniel Harwood.

Breathing Flames Episode 7: The Midway

GenCon looms in the near future. Join us as we reflect on the games of 2018 so far and discuss some of the games we’re looking forward to in the future.

The Secret Cabal Episode 164: Thunderstone Quest, Nemo’s War and a Short Topic Extravaganza

Jamie and Tony are on the way to Gen Con but the show must go on! Today the gang gives the feature review treatment to Thunderstone Quest and looks back at Nemo's War one year later. then Tony T gives us a rousing news segment in which we talk about the Overturn Kickstarter mess. Then in our Short Topic Extravaganza we talk about Kickstarters that go bad, Anime movies and Uwe Rosenberg games and how they've changed over the years.

The Cardboard Herald Episode 91 - Isaac Vega & Callin Flores wear many plaid hats

I'm joined by two of the incredible Plaid Hat Crew. We talk about all sorts of new projects including Isaac's upcoming Neon Gods and Callin's Guardians. We talk about everything from butterflies to finding a way to use one's art to communicate feelings.

The D6 Generation Episode 241: Networking in Gaming Biz & Star Wars Legion Review

Stephen Buonocore, the man behind Stronghold Games, is back in the 3rd chair!

 

Up first we chat with Stephen about the importance of Networking and building relationships in the gaming industry. And he shares some of his own tips and tricks.

 

Later we dive into an in depth discussion around Star Wars Legion. We thought we were going to avoid this game...what the heck happened?

Quite a lot of you are at Gen Con this weekend. But I know that you still want those reviews you so desperately desire. So let's not waste any words.

Today we have: MegaLand, Magic Maze, Vengeance, Mountains of Madness, Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters, Dark Souls, The Edge: Dawnfall, The Artemis Project, The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31, Neuroshima Hex, Senshi, Warhammer Champions, and Thunderstone Quest.



One Board Family:

MegaLand Review

We were beyond excited when we first learned that Red Raven Games had a video game inspired board game coming to Target stores nationwide. I’m a big fan of Ryan Laukat’s games and the worlds he creates are so much fun. So does this new world of MegaLand deserve a space on your game shelf? Let’s find out.

MegaLand is a pretty generic video game world that’s beautifully illustrated in the same style as Laukat’s other games like Above and Below or Near and Far. The goal is to be the first to reach 20 coins over the course of the game. Players will press their luck as they adventure to find treasure in the world. This treasure can be traded for buildings or health upgrades for your character.

Learn to Play:

Magic Maze Review

In this video I will teach you how to play including: components,Setup, player actions, and playing the game. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours.

Vengeance Review

In this video I will teach you how to play including: Components,setup, wronging phase, montage phase, combat phase, enemy activation, den clearing, and end game conditions. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours.

Mountains of Madness Review

In this video I will teach you how to play including: components,setup, player turn sequence, end game conditions. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours.

Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters Review

In this video I will teach you how to play including: components,setup, player turns, end game conditions, and the rogue ghost expansion. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours.

Dark Souls Card Game Review

In this video I will teach you how to play including: components, setup, enemy activation, player turn, and boss battle. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours.

theMCGuiRE review:

The Edge: Downfall Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the brand new The Edge: Dawnfall board game and this thing is MASSIVE! It offers 3 modes of play: a competitive miniatures game, a fully cooperative multi-player campaign game and a solo campaign experience.

The Artemis Project Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at a preview of the brand new Grand Gamers Guild title: The Artemis Project. Here we are are colonizing one of Jupiter's moon's Europa. Love the theme on this one and the game play is smooth and strategic. You really get the feel of building out a colony on the planets moon and trying to survive its harsh conditions. The title offers dice, worker placement, and programming mechanics. Coming to kickstarter on Sept 12th 2018 - you don't want to miss out on this one!

Board Game Quest:

The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 Review

In The Thing, most players will play a human who want to clear all three sectors of the outpost and then get on the helicopter to escape. Some player(s) will play an Imitation who want to move the Contagion Level up, destroy the outpost before it’s cleared, or to stow away on the helicopter. All roles are kept hidden until the end of the game.

Neuroshima Hex: Iron Gang Hexpuzzles Review

Neuroshima Hex is one of my favorite 2 player games. Although it has rules for 3 and 4 player battles, it really shines as a you-versus-me experience.

Today we are taking a look at the Neuroshima Hex Iron Gang Hexpuzzles. This expansion gives you solo puzzles to recreate the Neuroshima Hex magic even if there is no one else around to play with.

iSlaytheDragon:

Senshi Review

The ailing master is finally dying, and it’s up to his students to prove their worth in order to succeed him. But success isn’t easy. It’s not enough to develop one trait in isolation; you must achieve balance in the four great characteristics of Senshi:

Blue.

Yellow.

Red.

Green.

Can you dominate one trait while not neglecting the others?

Drive Thru Review:

Warhammer Champions Review

Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (01:28); final thoughts and review (14:14);

Board to Death TV:

Thunderstone Quest Board Game Video Review

Thunderstone returns with Thunderstone Quest. Recruit your heroes, arm your party, then visit the dungeon — and the dungeon has new perils not seen in prior Thunderstone releases. All-new dungeon tiles create new challenges and rewards as you explore deeper and deeper in the dungeon. Each quest brings new dungeons as well as new side adventures!

Thunderstone is a fantasy deck-building game. Each player starts with a basic deck of cards that they can use to purchase, or upgrade to, other, more powerful cards. Thunderstone Quest brings new play modes to the table. The game will tell a specific story with a series of pre-set dungeon tiles, monsters, heroes and support cards. Each will come with a series of mini-adventures and a story booklet that tells players what happens as they progress through the scenarios.

Saturdaaaaaaaaaay! Woo! All the woo! Continuous woo!
And, as I'm sure many of you are well-aware, it's the last Saturday before Gen Con. So get in all the prep you can now before heading out for the show this week.
Me? I'm playing some D&D. But I've planned ahead and scheduled these reviews for you that I know you so desperately desire.

Today we have: The Edge: Downfall, Rise of Tribes: Deluxe Edition, Expancity, War of the Cross, Moonshiners of the Apocalypse, But Wait There's Even More, Valhal, Dino Party, Scythe: The Rise of Fenris, TopSpin, Rival Realms, Carthago, Ninja Taisen, Battlegroup Torch, The Edge: Downfall, Everdell, Sunset Over Water, Dale of Merchants, and Pulsar 2849.



theMCGuiRE review:

The Edge: Downfall Review Part 1

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the brand new The Edge: Dawnfall board game and this thing is MASSIVE! It offers 3 modes of play: a competitive miniatures game, a fully cooperative multi-player campaign game and a solo campaign experience. Each game mode is an awesome and well executed experience and yet again adds to Awaken Realms stock of excellent games!

Rise of Tribes: Deluxe Edition Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the brand new Rise Of Tribes from Breaking Games and Team this is a winner in my book! It's a solid buy recommendation. You are getting a great worker placement and area control game here and it drips with theme. the game is simple, clean and offers a lot of different ways to be the first tribe to 15 points - winning the game. As you start the game you truly feel like a small tribe growing in power round to round. The dice mechanic offers a good way to create some choice on which actions you decide to take, although they do not dictate with actions you take - I like this. It give the player the choice to still take the actions they want even if the dice do not provide a bonus. So check this one out when it releases in Aug and get in on the giveaway, as its an EPIC LEVEL one.

Expancity Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Breaking Games brand new Expancity. Here you will be building a downtown landscape with both commercial and residential buildings. Then scoring points once you cap them off with a roof - but be careful not to violate the building codes, as city council will be watching! So get your contracts and start designing your very own downtown!

Undead Viking:

War of the Cross Review



Moonshiners of the Apocalypse Review



But Wait There's Even More Review



Board Game Quest:

Valhal Review

A game of Valhal proceeds round by round through three stages, where each stage represents a season of the year. With winter and spring, players are planning their voyages and constructing buildings to help them train warriors faster and build new ships. During the summer, in addition to normal activities, the Vikingfahrt occurs and players roll dice to see what spoils and glory their adventures have yielded.

Dino Party Review

If I had to choose the favorite game type my kids prefer, then it would be dexterity games. From Terror in Meeple City, Ice Cool, Riff Raff, or PitchCar to name a few, they love playing these games that challenge their reflexes and coordination. What keeps my kids coming back to dexterity games is that they have more success than other game types. And the victory is so much sweeter when it’s over mom and dad.

This brings us to today’s review, Dino Party from Ankama. In this game, players throw dino meeples onto the board to make pairs and increase their number of dinos to their hand. Dino Party is a family friendly dexterity game that plays best with 4 and plays in about 20 minutes.

Scythe: The Rise of Fenris Expansion Review

Here is a quick recap of my Scythe history:

Kickstarted Scythe Collector’s Edition. It arrived and I loved it.
Picked up Scythe: Invaders from Afar. It added two new factions to the game and two new player mats. While not revolutionary, I liked the variability this expansion added.
Reviewed Scythe: The Wind Gambit. I also liked this expansion, especially the new Resolution Tiles.

Ok, now that my Scythe history is out of the way, let’s get to why you are here – to learn more about Scythe: The Rise of Fenris (simply Fenris going forward).

I was stoked (I loved Point Break!) to be given the opportunity to review Rise of Fenris. I was looking forward to experiencing the re-settable and replayable campaign that is the meat of Fenris. At the same time, I was saddened because explicitly stated on the box was “the conclusion of the Scythe expansion trilogy.” I truly love the Scythe universe, from the art to—most importantly—the gameplay. Is Rise of Fenris the swan song Scythe deserves or will it go out with a whimper?

TopSpin Review

Dexterity board games come in all shapes and sizes. Some will have you tossing plastic coconuts across the table (Coconuts), while others might have you balancing wooden pieces on a swaying ship (Riff Raff). And that’s the great thing about the genre, you can be as creative as you want to be with the components.

Today we are going to be looking at TopSpin, a newcomer to the genre that, unsurprisingly, uses a spinning top as the core mechanic. The rules are fairly simple, but winning can be anything but. Let’s take this game for a spin and see if it’s worth bringing to you tabletop.

iSlaytheDragon:

Rival Realms Review

Imagine a world where a little boo-boo happened with a card trick and two magicians find themselves standing in the empty land of Fantastiqa before it was formed. First thought: That was one heck of a card trick. Second thought: And one heck of a boo-boo. Anyway, the world is now a blank canvas for them to shape however they want.

Fantastiqa: Rival Realms (known hereafter as FRR) has you placing cards in order to create your magical realm, and then exploring that realm by moving your standee over the “board” you have created. In order to build and move, you’ll have to carefully manage your card resources, gather artifacts, and recruit mythical beasts to assist you. The player who creates the “best” realm (scores the most points) is the winner.

Carthago Review

Carthago is a hand management card game for two to four players. Players are merchant families in Carthage trying to gain the most wealth and prestige by improving their standing in the merchant guild. The player with the most points wins.

Ninja Taisen Review

Ninja Taisen is a two-player game in which you control one village’s ninja clan. To win, you must reach your opponent’s village or eliminate all of their ninjas.

There are 11 tiles placed between players: two village tiles are at opposite ends of the nine path tiles. Players begin in their left-side home village and advance to their opponent’s right-side village.

Each player gets an identical set of 10 ninja cards with one designated as the shogun. The shogun is placed on their home village, then the ninjas are shuffled and placed randomly on predetermined tiles.

Meeples & Miniatures:

Battlegroup Torch Review

Battlegroup Torch is the latest supplement to the Battlegroup World War II rules, written by Warwick Kinrade and published by Iron Fist Publishing and the Plastic Soldier Company.

This book is hardcover with 230 full colour pages, and is of similar format to previous books.

Torch is a direct sequel to Battlegroup Tobruk, and covers the second half of the desert war, starting with the Battle of Gazala and finishing with the final defeat of the Axis forces following the fall of Tunis.

Following the introduction, the next 50 pages of the book provides an overview of 1942 and 1943. Interspersed with black-and-white period photos is a description of all the major operations and battles which took place across Egypt, Libya and Tunisa.

Drive Thru Review

The Edge: Downfall Review

The Edge: Dawnfall Review Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (02:28); final thoughts and review (19:24);

Everdell Review

Everdell Review Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (01:31); final thoughts and review (14:26)

Polyhedron Collider:

Sunset Over Water Review

Those of us who lack the always enviable skill of artistry, especially that skill of painting can rejoice, finally, that there is now an alternative to colour-by-numbers and those adult colouring books (which failed my expectation on the adult front) with Sunset Over Water, a lightweight, quick game of painting landscape masterpieces and selling them off.

Warning: This review was written with a thesaurus close at hand, primarily used for synonyms of charming and delightful, because, well, Sunset Over Water is both charming and delightful. Indeed, you will be enchanted by the simplicity of the rules, and you’ll find the artwork presented on the landscape cards to be quite enchanting, but there is more to this game than meets the eye, in fact, you’ll have a very jolly, if not somewhat twee and bohemian time playing this little gem.

Meeple Mountain:

Dale of Merchants Review

Players are competing to become members of the Extraordinary Guild of Traders by being the first to arrange their stall according to the Guild’s specifications. This makes Dale of Merchants a race: the first player to set out 8 stacks of goods (cards) in front of them wins. Each stack must be built of cards from your hand worth an increasing amount and from the same animal set. The first stack must be worth 1, the second 2 and so on until the final stack needs to be made up of cards worth a whopping 8.

Once you’ve used a card to build a stack you can’t reuse it, meaning that the entire game revolves around deciding when to hang on to your cards for their effects and spending power, and when to sacrifice them to create the stacks you need to win. It’s as much deck-dismantling as it is deck-building.

Pulsar 2849 Review

The game of Pulsar 2849 is a dice drafting game where players use their dice to explore the galaxy, establish and activate pulsars, and harness new technologies in an effort to score the most points by the game’s end. The game is broken into several rounds consisting of the dice drafting phase, followed by the actions phase where the players utilize their dice, and then the cleanup phase where end of round points are scored. At the end of the game, a final scoring is performed and the person who is highest on the victory track is the victor.

Monday's gone. I'm certainly happy about that. Not to say it was a tragedy of a day, but it means we're closer to the weekend, and I've got some cool stuff coming up. So, to help speed time along, let's listen in on some gaming podcasts.

This week on the dial we've got: Man Battlestations Episode 32; 40K Radio Episode 30: Dave Taylor & CK Studio Interviews; Masters of the Forge: Altar of War Episode 10: Harlequins & Orks 3-Game Kill Team Preview; Breathing Flames Episode 6: New Edition; Epic Gaming Night Podcast Episode 163: Samurai Starships and Guardians with Isaac and Callin; Epic Gaming Night Episode 164: Dice Tower Con Stories!!; Cardboard Herald Episode 89: Chuck Pint of SFR is kickstarting Dragon Dice with new 4.0 Rules!; Guild Ball Tonight Episode 82: He is Fixed Bonesaw; The Rolistes Episode 29 (Part 2): UK Games Expo 2018, featuring Modiphius, Burning Games, Lamentations of the Flame Princess & the UK Indie RPG League; Blue Peg, Pink Peg Episode 127: Thunderstone Quest; and The Secret Cabal Episode 163: Gaia Project, Near and Far and The State of Board Gaming Today.



Man Battlestations Episode 32

Better late than never, it’s Episode 32 of the MBS podcast! In this episode, Greg and Andy sit down with Derek, the creator of Sky Relics. Derek provides some insights into the full story on the game’s creation, some background on its setting, and the pros and cons of running a successful gaming Kickstarter. Later, Greg and Andy discuss the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of their own experiences as Kickstarter backers

40K Radio Episode 30: Dave Taylor & CK Studio Interviews

In this Episode we are joined by Dave Taylor to talk about all the awesome charity items up for auction at this years NOVA Open. We also discuss his recently completed Kickstarter for Armies & Legions & Hordes. We are then joined by Caleb Wissenback of CK Studios to talk about his airbrushing classes and The Hobby Hangout Facebook group. Tune in for these great interviews and hear us talk about Ashley’s painting struggles. how we buy to much stuff, and our plans for Kill Team!

Masters of the Forge: Altar of War Episode 10: Harlequins & Orks 3-Game Kill Team Preview

Josh and Adam are excited to try out the new Kill Team rules by playing an accellerated 3-game campaign. Josh is using the Harlequins he’s been building since the new Codex was released while Adam uses one of his favorite squads of Ork Kommandos.

Breathing Flames Episode 6: New Edition

The age of Board Game 2.0 is upon us. Whether it’s a popular game getting a fresh coat of paint or an old classic coming back into print, board games are reinventing themselves at breakneck speeds. Rules changes, new art, new components. It’s a whole ball game! Join us as we discuss how new editions of board games make us feel and what makes a new edition successful.

Epic Gaming Night Podcast Episode 163: Samurai Starships and Guardians with Isaac and Callin

Topic: Plaid Hat Games

Tell us a little bit about samurai starships!
What are some of the mechanics of the game?
Tell us a little bit about the setting and the theme behind the game?
What would you say was your biggest influence designing the game?
What was the most difficult thing about designing samurai starships!
What anime would you love to design a game around?
Callin tell us all about guardians!
Tell us about the mechanics of guardians!
Like most Plaid Hat Games is there a rich theme and story to the background of the game?
What was it like being a first-time game designer?
What were some of your biggest influences designing the game?
Is this a standalone game or should we expect to see more?
Specter Ops: Broken Covenant is out!
Is there anything else you want to talk about from Plaid Hat Games?
Ashes Expansions soon
Clans Clans decks (Feather, Leaf, Shadow, Fang, Light, Fire)
July is going to be crazy for announcements
Issac got an exciting next week
Guardians preview out in September

Epic Gaming Night Episode 164: Dice Tower Con Stories!!

Topic: Dice Tower Con

Scavenger hunt!
What did we play at dice tower con?
Strike
TI4
POG’s
Isle of Skye
9 player Game of Thrones
Blood Rage
Starship Samurai
Specter Ops: Broken Covenant
Rising 5
Heroes of Land, Air, and Sea
Deception
The Mind
Pioneer Days
Tiefe Taschen
Wits & Wagers
Crazy stories?
Why do you like Dice Tower Con?
What was your favorite part?

Cardboard Herald Episode 89: Chuck Pint of SFR is kickstarting Dragon Dice with new 4.0 Rules!

Chuck Pint, president of SFR, inc, comes back on the show to talk about the new kickstarter to reprint Swamp Stalkers, which also kicks off the release of the much anticipated 4.0 rules. FULL DISCLOSURE - TCbH did the official "How to Play Dragon Dice 4.0 Rules" video for the campaign, which was sponsored by SFR, Inc. I have no official affiliation with SFR or Dragon Dice, other than being a long time fan, and I happily asked Chuck to come back on the show to talk about Dragon Dice with me.

Guild Ball Tonight Episode 82: He is Fixed Bonesaw

Yes, it's been a while. The move was crazy and then we lost a show, but through thick and thin we have returned! Hear us spill the tea on season 4 previews and Horizon. Phil evangelizes the Combo Key, and bill talks about new players. Bonus chat with Jamie P about gaming in general as opposed to Guild Ball in particular. Best of all, garageband didn't crash.

The Rolistes Episode 29 (Part 2): UK Games Expo 2018, featuring Modiphius, Burning Games, Lamentations of the Flame Princess & the UK Indie RPG League

Here’s the second part of our series dedicated to the 2018 edition of UK Games Expo.

First me meet again with Chris Birch from Modiphius following the recommendation of both Jason Bulmahn (Paizo Publishing) and Jon Lunn (Elite Dangerous RPG) in Part 1. There is much at foot at the London-based publisher/distributor with Star Trek Adventures, “Fallout: Wasteland Warfare“, “Kung Fu Panda The Board Game“, their contribution to the distribution White Wolf‘s new edition of “Vampire The Masquerade” alongside Fria Ligan, their Kickstarter campaign for “John Carter of Mars” and more;
Next, I paid a visit to Burning Games and congratulated Carlos GQ for the recent success of their crowdfunding campaign for “Dragons Conquer America“. The game is still to be delivered by the end of 2018, but the team has already several other projects in store with the “Corball – The Zero Gravity Sport” boardgame, the hope to see “Dragons Conquer Europe” as well as (EXCLUSIVE SCOOP by The Rolistes Podcast ) an ambitious miniature game / board game set in pre-colonial Mesoamerica;
Then, I nearly suffocated James Edward Raggi IV as he quickly gulped his iced drink to tell me about the latest publications for Lamentations of the Flame Princess, such as “Fish Fish F***ers“, and advised me on my next purchase (I opted for “Broodmother SkyFortress“);
Finally, I met Grant Howitt & Mary Hamilton (sadly briefly as friendly customers needed her for their purchase) from the UK Indie RPG League and Rowan, Rook & Decard. They recommended a pleathora of indie games including “Spire“, “Jason Statham’s Big Vacation“, “Legacy: Life Among the Ruins 2nd Edition“, “Pigsmoke: A Roleplaying Game of Sorcerous Academia” and “Lovecraftesque“.

Blue Peg, Pink Peg Episode 127: Thunderstone Quest

During this weeks episode:

1) The Pegs discuss some of their recent game plays including Lowlands, Shogunate, Minerva, and many more;

2) All the Pegs review the deck building adventure game Thunderstone Quest; and

3) Revisit Lorenzo il Magnifico.

The Secret Cabal Episode 163: Gaia Project, Near and Far and The State of Board Gaming Today

Jamie and Chris are back from Dice Tower Con and have a bunch of new experiences and games to talk about. Then the gang presents their brand new segment called "Games of Yester-year" in which they talk about and review older titles from years past. Then of course, the Founders give you another feature review, this time Gaia Project and look back at Near and Far one year later. Tony T gives you the best damned tabletop gaming new segment in the history of gaming and then the guys have a short discussion about the state of tabletop gaming and how they've seen things change over the years.

Saturdaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Woo!
My favorite day of the week, as I can just sit back, relax, and do some gaming.
Nevermind that this week I'm vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning countertops in the den. That's important, too.
So, while I try and figure out just how much dust a single lamp can acquire, let's get you those reviews you so desperately desire.

Today we have: Atlantis: Island of the Gods, Build It with Bryan, Sea of Plunder, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tiny Epic Quest, Way of the Panda, Dogmight Games Sentinel Board Game Box, Anatomy Fluxx, Head of Mousehold, Robinson Crusoe 2nd Edition, Who Should We Eat?, Among the Stars iOS, Thunderstone Quest, Ticket to Ride: New York, Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg, Junk Orbit, Nine Worlds, Nimble, For King & Parliament, and Warhammer 40k: Kill Team.



Undead Viking:

Atlantis: Island of the Gods Review



Build It with Bryan Review



Sea of Plunder Review



Learn to Play:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

In this video I will teach you how to play including: Components, Setup, players turns, monsters activation, boss effects, and end game conditions. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours.

Tiny Epic Quest

In this video I will teach you how to play Tiny Epic Quest including: Components, setup, the four phases of a round, and scoring. I will also give you my thoughts and opinions on the game, and would love to hear yours.

theMCGuiRE review:

Way of the Panda Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Way of The Panda - a new board game from Pendragon and CMON. In this title you are fighting off ninjas and empire building! this game offers flavors of worker placement and area control - with a very nice balance of both working together. If you are into those gaming styles and Panda's - you have found your game!

Dogmight Games Sentinel Board Gaming Chest Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Dogmight Games brand new SENTINEL - a board gamer's chest delight! Team, this is an awesome product and I highly recommend it. It's built to last and comes in a variety of options, woods and customization's! You can change the top, bottom, wood, and even have an engraving put on top. Both the quality and functionality is there with this product and every gamer deserves to have one of these!

Board Game Quest:

Anatomy Fluxx Review

Head, Shoulders knees, and toes… Anatomy Fluxx gets a LEG up on other editions by adding a few new rules, making the game a little less cutTHROAT by putting a priority on BRAIN power! Fast paced and every changing, gameschoolers, budding biologists, and Fluxx fans will enjoy this new twist on the classic game.

Anatomy Fluxx is a hand management and set collection game for 2-6 players. Games can last from 10-30 minutes. Anatomy Fluxx is best at 4-5 players.

Head of Mousehold Review

In Head of Mousehold, players will play cards to the mouse traps laid out in the center of the table. Each trap has one or more cheese tokens worth anywhere from 2-4 points.

At the beginning of each round, the relative speed of each mouse is determined randomly. A column will be created next to the traps showing how the various colored mice stack up speed-wise. Each player receives a deck of cards depicting 5 different colored mice and selects three cards to play each round.

Robinson Crusoe 2nd Edition Review

This second edition of Robinson Crusoe’s rulebook was overhauled by Gaming Rule’s Paul Grogan. He went through years of rules questions to compile a 40 page rulebook that should guide players through the gameplay. I’ll be giving you a brief overview of how the game is played here, but I’d recommend downloading a PDF of the rules should you want the full details.

Who Should We Eat? Review

The concept in Who Should We Eat? revolves around the players acting as the remaining people on a deserted island after some catastrophe. The group has decided to build a raft and the pressure is on because there’s not enough food. The players need to finish the raft to escape the island before enough players die, become ghosts, and spoil the plans of the survivors.

Among the Stars iOS Review

The gameplay in Among the Stars is fairly easy to learn. Each player is building out their own space station over the course of 4 rounds. Each turn, players will choose a card from their hand to either play (costing you credits), discard for 3 credits, or turn into a reactor (some cards require energy as a second form of currency). The cards come in 5 different categories and each have a special ability. Cards will also earn you victory points, either scoring immediately or at the end of the game.

Meeple Mountain:

Thunderstone Quest Review

Thunderstone Quest is a deck-building game of fantasy adventure published by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG). This is the latest in the line of Thunderstone deck-building games originally created by Mike Elliott in 2009. Whereas older Thunderstone games served as standalone sets with a loose story, Thunderstone Quest adds a campaign mode. Stalwart adventurers progressively unlock new cards, dungeon setups, items, spells, and heroes as they unravel the story of the Stormlands.

In this review, I’ll be delving into the the “Champion” edition of the game, which comes with a premium box, and two more quests than the regular edition.

Ticket to Ride: New York Review

Days of Wonder have ripped out the lengthy routes and longest train bonuses. They’ve trimmed down the footprint by providing fewer taxis, removing the scoring track from around the edge of the board, and reducing the board size dramatically. They’ve even excised an entire player (lowering the max player count from 5 to 4). All of this results in a game which fits in a box smaller than a sheet of paper.

iSlaytheDragon:

Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg Review

The quacks are getting ready for the local festival, which means they are brewing their best potions. But the people of Quedlinburg aren’t the most discerning, and they care more about quantity than quality–as long as a potion fills the bottle, there’s less concern about whether it works. They like the appearance of a bargain, and you like the relief of not having to worry about effectiveness.

Put on your apothecary’s cap, drag out your best ingredients (and even some rat’s tails, if you need them), and strive to be the wealthiest quack in all of Quedlinburg.

Junk Orbit Review

Junk Orbit is a pick up and deliver game with a thematic twist: Every time you fling junk in one direction, your spaceship moves an equal amount in the opposite direction. If you remember your physics from school, Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So if your spaceship exerts energy to fling junk in one direction, energy is also exerted to fling your spaceship an equal distance in the opposite direction. This turns pick up and deliver into a bigger challenge as you have to plan your movements both “forward” and “backward.”

Polyhedron Collider:

Nine Worlds Review

In Nine Worlds you will be battling against the other denizens of Norse mythology's multiverse, sending your troops between worlds in an attempt to control as many of the realms as possible. You will achieve this by spending a number of action points to move your troops, and your avatar, around the board. It's all very abstract, as in reality you are shuffling coloured beads around a board.

Nimble Review

Nimble is a game that will present you with neither interesting nor agonising choices. It will not test your resolve, or your ability to read a bluff in a friend's face. It will—as the name may hint at—test your reactions, your nimbleness if you will.

The rules and gameplay are very simple; all you have to do is draw a card from the top of your player deck, briefly place it on your discard pile and then place it on one of the central piles, where you will match the frame of your card to the circle of one of the central cards.

Meeples & Miniatures:

For King & Parliament Review

Being a British wargamer, I have often thought that I should take more interest in the wars that have shaped the island on which I live – let’s face it, there are numerous ones to choose from.

The English Civil War has always seemed a challenging period of warfare – tactics were evolving with the introduction of large numbers of troops armed with firearms. However, it’s not a period of history I really studied very deeply, so in gaming terms I am really after a set of rules that captures the essence of warfare in the period, without becoming bogged down in the detail.

For King And Parliament seem to be that set of rules.

Warhammer 40k: Kill Team Review

Intro (00:00); component overview (02:09); building a Kill Team and campaign overview (09:47); gameplay overview (25:21); final thoughts and review (36:37);

It's Saturday once more. I just knew it would show back up eventually.
I'm currently playing D&D, and you can watch if you want.
But I know what you all really are here for are those reviews I know you so desperately desire.
So let's not keep you waiting any longer.

Today we have: Potion Explosion: The Fifth Ingredient, Miremarsh, Ambar, Shaky Manor, Nut So Fast, Jetpack Joyride, Tiny Trees, Azul, and Rise to Nobility.



theMCGuiRE review:

Potion Explosion: The Fifth Ingredient Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Potion Explosion's brand new expansion, The Fifth Ingredient! Its out at retail and you can already pick this one up. Its a definite buy, if you are a fan of Potion Explosion. This expansion adds a few more mechanics to the base game and a brand new ghostly white marble that can take the color of any other marble in the game! Pair that with new professor abilities and you have tons of possibilities now to make the most potions for the win!

Undead Viking:

Miremarsh Review



Ambar Review



Board Game Quest:

Shaky Manor Review

Next to card drafting games, one of my favorite genres has to be dexterity games. I think I love not only the skill involved, but how unique the game play is. Even ones that share mechanics can stand out on their own and providing a completely new and entertaining experience.

Shaky Manor (formally known as the KDJ nominated Panic Mansion) is a dexterity game that will have you shaking a board to try and move random pieces around. Sounds easy enough right? Let’s find out.

Nut So Fast Review

You’ll need fast reactions and quick counting skills to play this nutty reaction game from Smirk & Laughter Games. Nut So Fast will test your pattern recognition skills as well as your dexterity. Grab the matching wooden nut tokens or be the first to strike a nutty pose to be crowned the Nut So Fast Champion.

Nut So Fast is a dexterity game for 3-6 players that lasts about 20 minutes. It plays best with 4 players.

Ambar Preview

There are a lot of things that can attract someone to a certain board game. Theme, artwork, mechanics, or any combination of those things. Many games boil down to gathering resources and fulfilling orders to score points. Ambar uses a lot of familiar formulas, but each with a bit of a unique spin, on top of a medieval-fantasy theme that is brought to life with wonderful artwork.

Players compete to collect precious amber from dangerous forests and use it to create attractive jewelry for the nearby towns. The gameplay uses a press your luck mechanism along with card play and engine building. Ambar plays 2-4 players in about an hour.

Meeple Mountain:

Jetpack Joyride Review

Jetpack Joyride was first released as an iOS video game in 2011 by Halfbrick Studios following their hit game, Fruit Ninja. Jetpack Joyride is a side-scrolling, endless runner game in which you are traveling through a laboratory using a stolen bullet-powered jetpack. In this fast-paced video game, you are trying to travel as far as possible through the lab, collect coins, avoid obstacles and hazards, and complete missions. Lucky Duck Games is attempting to capture the same energy and tension of the award-winning digital game and transform it into a tabletop experience with the Jetpack Joyride board game. Have they succeeded in capturing the original spirit? Continue reading to find out.

Tiny Trees Review

The Demigod of Trees has fallen. Seduced by Maion, the God of Decay, and his promises of power, he has been cast out in disgrace. Now Fisaven, the God of Growth, is looking to fill in the recently vacated position. And he thinks that YOU could be the one. Now it’s time to prove you’re worthy.

iSlaytheDragon:

Azul Review

Azul is an abstract game for two to four players. Players are trying to collect sets of tiles to fill in empty spots in their mosaics without collecting too much waste. The player with the most points is the winner.

Polyhedron Collider:

Rise to Nobility Review

There are things in life that are perfectly understandable. Things like buying German cars because they’re well made and can go round corners; wearing a crash helmet when riding a motorbike; sacking work off to go to the pub and drink in the beer garden because it’s a nice day or avoiding old people on the pavement as they dawdle and you’ve got places to be. There are also things that make less sense. Like Brexit or Donald Trump.

I feel that the subject of this review falls into the latter category, although purely in name alone. Rise to Nobility for me conjures images in my mind of a pleb trying to become more than they are. Earning money, working hard and gaining a title. A bit like Heath Ledger in A Knight’s Tale. What doesn’t spring to mind on hearing the title, is the strife involved to become the next Town Clerk to manage the organisation of inhabitants in a new city in the Five Realms and succeed a particularly bungling, but delightful old chap called Berk. Perhaps “Rise to Administration” would be more appropriate.

But, like a drunk trying remain focussed on explaining the finer points of Quantum Theory, I digress.

Hey everyone,
Sorry about the posts the other day. As I'd mentioned previously, I wasn't at the office the last couple days. And, well, you know the old saying, "if it isn't one thing, it's another"? That kinda sums up my last 2 days. Not anything godawful, but just... "well... ok, then."
So, you kinda got a quick bit of stories this morning, and with the Review Roundup, hopefully we'll be back on track here.

Anyway, today we have: Ganz Schon Clever, Getaway Driver, Onitama: Sensei’s Path Expansion, Impulse, Alien Artifacts, and Tadmor.



Meeple Mountain:

Ganz Schon Clever Review

If you follow along with board gaming news, you might have been scratching your head at the announcement of the “roll and write” game Ganz schön clever being nominated for the “gamers game” award, the Kennerspiel des Jahres. “They nominated a game like Yahtzee?” you might ask. But you’d be selling this game short.

Getaway Driver Review

Much like the popular Bruno Cathala game Mr. Jack, Getaway Driver is an asymmetric two-player game where one player is trying to catch the other. But that’s where the similarities end. In Getaway Driver, The Police chase The Driver through an ever-evolving map, trying to corner them before they can escape.

Board Game Quest:

Onitama: Sensei’s Path Expansion Review

Ontitama: Sensei’s Path comes in an adorable little mini box that mirrors the larger one of the base game. It contains 16 new movement cards that will fit into the original box. Four symmetrical (green) actions are added, and 6 each opposing asymmetrical (red and blue) movements. These are shuffled together with the original cards during set up, adding additional movement types to the game. No rules changes or additional components are added, just more movement abilities.

Thanos Rising: Avengers Infinity War Review

Each player in Thanos Rising will control their own team of Marvel superheroes and starts with one character: Captain America, Gamora, Dr. Strange, or Black Panther. At the beginning of the game, you will roll four dice each turn, but as you recruit additional heroes you will gain additional dice and abilities.

iSlaytheDragon:

Impulse Review

Impulse is a space game that has you exploring planets, researching technologies, blasting enemies, and mining for resources. To understand the game is to understand the impulse. The impulse is central a row of up to 4 cards that dictate the actions of every player’s turn. You will activate the cards in the impulse one at a time in the order in which they were added to the impulse. Nearly every action you do in the game revolves around the cards in the impulse.

Alien Artifacts Review

The goal of Alien Artifacts is to create the greatest most powerful space empire. Earn points by building ships, developing technology, and settling planets. Also by attacking other players and alien civilizations, and by scoring operational technology cards which require specific arrangements of elements within your empire. Each player’s civilization also has a unique way of scoring points.

Board to Death TV:

Tadmor Review

Tadmor is an intense worker placement game about epic journeys, trading and personal prestige across the dangerous and endless caravan routes of the Syrian Desert.

Players take the role of rich merchants based in Tadmor (also known as Palmyra). They will increase in power and prestige by expanding their trading routes and by contributing to the political and religious life of the city. In the game, a merchant’s success is measured in Prestige Points. The winning merchant is the one who scores the most Prestige at the end of the game.

Hooray for Saturday!
What can't be accomplished on a day like today?
Well, I can accomplish some RPG-ing. You can even watch if you want.
But what I know you're actually here for: Reviews! So let's get to it.

Today we have: Outpost: Amazon, Gloomhaven, Clank! The Mummy's Curse, Covalence, Ganz Schon Clever, Helionox, The Mind, Wreck Raiders, Getaway Driver, and Boss Monster: Rise of The Minibosses.



Board Game Quest:

Outpost: Amazon Review

The goal in Outpost: Amazon is to not only endure every card of the expedition deck, but to also capture wild monsters in cages. In this cooperative game, each player controls a unique explorer with their own special powers and hit points. The actual game is played over a series of rounds in which each player takes a turn.

Quick Hits: Gloomhaven Review

Gloomhaven is a legacy style, dungeon crawler board game that will have you controlling a fantasy character throughout their career. The goal of the game, other than to beat the scenarios and advance the overall campaign, is to get your character to finish their personal quest, thus retiring them and unlocking new characters for you to play next. The main part of the game is handled in a dice-less dungeon crawl that uses cards for combat abilities and also as a randomizer. There is a wealth of content in Gloomhaven and you can expect to put in 100+ hours if you intend to finish everything.

Clank! The Mummy’s Curse Expansion Review

The title for Clank!: The Mummy’s Curse basically explains everything gamers want to know. There’s a mummy wandering around the dungeon, moving between 4 different dungeon sections. There are also curses. Each curse acquired by a player yields -2 victory points. Sometimes these curses are acquired from just moving, but also attacking the mummy grants a curse.

Covalence Review

One player takes on the role of the Knower, who looks at the hidden structure of the compounds that the rest of the players, known as Builders, need to construct. Each Builder gets a set of atoms tiles (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen) each double-sided to provide various options for bonding. Clue and guess tokens are then assigned to the builders based on player count and desired game difficulty, with less tokens for a harder game. Three unknown compounds are then dealt out to each player, with difficulty of the compounds adjustable based, the level of challenge.

iSlaytheDragon:

Ganz Schon Clever Review

Ganz Schön Clever is a roll-and-write game for one to four players. Each round, each player will be the active player once and the passive player on each other player’s turn. Players will complete their personal sheets using the different dice that are rolled. The player with the most points wins.

Board to Death TV:

Helionox Video Review

Helionox is a movement based deck building board game where great leaders vie for control in a shattered solar system. One to four players can attempt mastery over competitive, cooperative, and solo modes. Designed to play fast with a quick setup and an imminent ending, Helionox has tension to spare from the first turn to the last.
The Deluxe Edition of Helionox brings together the original core set of Helionox: The Last Sunset and incorporates it with a brand new expansion called Mercury Protocol. The Kickstarter will offer a full sized box and game board along with the expansion and can be purchased via Kickstarter with or without the original core set.

Meeple Mountain:

The Mind Review

From time to time there is a discussion around whether or not something is a game or an activity – Apples to Apples comes to mind. These are games which have minimal depth of strategy and derive their enjoyment more from the social interaction than the rules and gameplay. Recently, Spiel de Jahres nominee The Mind has renewed this debate amongst board gamers. Read on to find out if it might be a game for you.

Undead Viking:

Wreck Raiders Review



Getaway Driver Review



theMCGuiRE review:

Boss Monster: Rise of The Minibosses Review

theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the brand new installment of Boss Monster - Boss Monster: Rise of The Minibosses. Oh ya baby, its Boss Monster 3 in all its glory! This version is great and offers two main new mechanics: coins and minibosses. Both are implemented very well and it adds even more robust customization of your deadly dungeon. Bring on the epic heroes, for they have no choice but to give you their soul for the win!

Welcome to Tuesday. I hope your week is going by nicely. I got some exciting e-mails in my inbox this morning, so that was good. Can't quite let you know what they're all about just yet, but you'll find out soon. Needless to say, I'm thrilled with what's coming up. But, in the meantime, it's some gaming podcasts for you.

This week on the dial we've got: Breathing Flames Episode 4: Award Season; Blue Peg, Pink Peg Episode 125: Two Player Games, Second Edition; Cardboard Herald Episode 85: Rob "Kronos" Daviau; The Man, The Myth, The Legacy; The Secret Cabal Episode 161: A Feast for Odin, Railroad Revolution and The Fear of Missing Out; and News of the North - 2018-06-26.



Breathing Flames Episode 4: Award Season

Spiel des Jahres , MENSA Select, Golden Geeks, Dice Tower Awards, Golden Elephants. Shake a tree and surely another board game award will drop out of it. What do we make of them and how to we make use of them?

Blue Peg, Pink Peg Episode 125: Two Player Games, Second Edition

During this weeks episode:

1) The Pegs discuss Origins 2018 and some of their recent game plays including Escape Plan, Visitor in Blackwood Grove, and Coimbra;

2) All the Pegs review three two player games including: Crystal Clans, The Fox in the Forest, and Santorini; and

3) Revisit Wasteland Express: Delivery Service.

Cardboard Herald Episode 85: Rob "Kronos" Daviau; The Man, The Myth, The Legacy

Rob Daviau has had a decades long career in the tabletop gaming industry, yet it seems like his capacity for innovation just continues to accelerate. We talk about everything how legacy has developed, to how his passion for cooking has impacted his game design career, to what makes a good resurrection game, to reflecting on the legacy of Seafall. This dude is awesome.

The Secret Cabal Episode 161: A Feast for Odin, Railroad Revolution and The Fear of Missing Out

Tony T is back from Europe and talks about some of the crazy things he's gotten into, the gang talks about a bunch of older games they've been getting into lately. Then the Founders review A Feast for Odin and look back at Railroad Revolution. The Tony T is back in the new anchor chair and the gang chatters in the background. The finally, the guys discuss FOMO, The Fear of Missing Out.

News of the North - 2018-06-26

The June 26th, 2018 edition of News of the North is now live. Here's our weekly selection of interesting news items in the miniature wargaming world.

We talk about Freebooter Miniatures, Privateer Press, Nutsplanet, Artel "W" miniatures, Steamforged Games, Guild Ball, Infinity, Plast Craft Games, Cigar Box Battle, Cerberus-studios and Foxtales Studios.

Saturdaaaaaaaaaay! Woo!
My favorite day of the week, as you all know. And while I'm not probably going to be doing much gaming, by the time you read this, I should be stuffed full of tacos and empanadas and churros. So I'm still having a pretty spectacular day.

But while I take a siesta, let's get you those gaming reviews I know you so desperately desire.

Today we have: Gunfights and Gambling, Vikingjarl, Evil Corp, Raccoon Tycoon, Rising Sun Broken Token Insert, Neuroshima Hex: Iron Gang, Ticket to Ride: France and Old West, Vanguard of War, Feudum, Street Masters, The Mind, and The Tea Dragon Society.



Undead Viking:

Gunfights and Gambling Review



Vikingjarl Review



Evil Corp Review



Raccoon Tycoon Review



Board Game Quest:

Rising Sun Broken Token Insert Review

For those inexperienced with game inserts, they’re basically third-party provided box organizers which allow owners of a game to fit as much as possible into the original game box. They can also make it so that pieces are easier to deploy and put away. Some of these are premade from foam core or plastic. Others, like the one to be discussed here, are wood but require self-assembly. Broken Token provided their Rising Sun Daimyo Collection Organizer for yours truly to try out in this edition of Level Up My Game.

As of this article, the Daimyo Collection Organizer costs $120 (Core Box Organizer – $70), so fans are going to really want to know if they’re getting their money’s worth when it comes to this insert. In the following article, we’ll take a look at build process, build quality, organization, and fit in the box.

Neuroshima Hex: Iron Gang Review

Neuroshima Hex is far and away my favorite game to play with 2 players. In fact, it was recently number 7 on my Top 10 games ever! Portal Games continues to expand the world of Neuroshima Hex with additional armies, each with unique abilities and units.

Today we are taking a look at Neuroshima’s resident bikers—the Iron Gang. They are a heavily armored group of ruffians that will try to surround your units and hunt them down.

Ticket to Ride: France and Old West Expansion Review

Ticket to Ride is perhaps the most popular modern board game outside of Catan. For almost 15 years now, it has been a gateway game that introduces new players into the ever-expanding board game hobby. The franchise continues to expand with new map packs and today, we are looking at the most recent, France and Old West. How does it change things up from the tried-and-true Ticket To Ride experience? Let’s take a look…

Raccoon Tycoon Preview

If Wind in the Willows met the board game renaissance, their baby would be Raccoon Tycoon. This game combines set collection, commodity exchange, engine building, and bidding into a terrific intro game for new players or gamers looking for a something longer and more in-depth that you could still have a conversation over. A light euro for two to five players, Raccoon Tycoon takes about an hour to play. Its sweet spot is 3-4 players.

Board to Death TV:

Vanguard of War Video Review

Vanguard of War (VoW) is a 1-4 player game focused on the defense of a small church deep inside the decaying ruins of a once great city now known only as “the Whispers.” Players will use their heroes to hold the line against seemingly endless waves of demons while their allies inside the church desperately attempt to learn how to use the fel army’s own doomsday weapon against them.

Feudum Board Game Video Review

Feudum (latin for fiefdom) is an economic medieval game of hand and resource management for 2-5 players. With many strategies at their disposal, players optimize four actions per turn in attempt to score the most victory points over five epochs.

Street Masters Board Game Video Review

Street Masters is a 1-4 player cooperative miniatures board game inspired by classic fighting video games. Featuring over 65 highly detailed miniatures, unique decks for fighters & enemies, custom dice, and lightning-fast gameplay, Street Masters lets players match up powerful fighters against villainous organizations in a wide array of exciting scenarios. Designed by Adam Sadler and Brady Sadler, the game offers modular and elegant gameplay set in a unique and exciting world of brutal combat.

iSlaytheDragon:

The Mind Review

There are some people that I just share a bond with. My wife and I are often thinking the same things independently when one of us will blurt it out. My older sister and I are sometimes accused of sharing a brain.

The Mind asks the question: can you share a brain with a friend, or with a complete stranger? Can you become so in sync with the other players at the table that you can play numbered cards in order, even without communicating?

Does this sound weird? Intriguing? Vaguely paranormal? The Mind is all of these things.

The Tea Dragon Society Review

I really enjoy light, quick card games that offer a bit of strategy, but not too much brain burn. Bonus points if they have an accessible theme that most people will like. These are the games that I can get anyone to play, they’re perfect for weeknights, and they see the most play of anything I have in my collection. Jaipur, Port Royal, Biblios, Cat Lady, and Sushi Go are just a few examples of games that meet these criteria.

So when I saw The Tea Dragon Society on the horizon, I thought it would tick all of those boxes for me. I hoped it would fit into my collection alongside my trusted favorites. So the question is: Will I be having tea with these dragons forever, or was this a one time tea party?

It's very early on Saturday morning. Well, not as early as it was when I first got up (Now: 6am. Woke up: 3am). I'd love to know why, on weekdays, my brain is all, "man, I dun wanna get up!" while on the weekend it's like, "3am, homebear. Be awake now!" Maybe I'm just so excited about D&D today. I guess we can go with that. But while I get ready for all the things I'm gonna do today, I also need to get you your reviews I know you so desperately desire.

Today we have: Go Nuts for Doughnuts, Sushi Go!, Bamboleo, Cry Havoc: Aftermath, Down in Flames: WWII-Guns Blazing, Gaslands, Dinosaur Island, Dr. Beaker, and Crusader Kings.



Board Game Quest:

Go Nuts for Doughnuts, Sushi Go!, and Bamboleo Review

We are back with another edition of Parental Guidance. The article series where I pull games off the shelf and play them with my parents in the hopes of helping you find new and diverse gateway games to play with your family. As always, I’ll start with a quick summary of what the game is, why I chose it, and then my mother will chime in with her thoughts on the game. So let’s get to it.

Cry Havoc: Aftermath Review

I remember Cry Havoc being one of the hot games releasing at Gencon 2016. This asymmetric, area control game did not disappoint me or many others. Unfortunately, my Cry Havoc stayed on my shelf through most of 2017 because of new games releasing and any game, even the great ones, can get lost in this gaming renaissance we’re currently in. It was not until Essen 2017 that Portal Games released Cry Havoc: Aftermath, the first expansion.

Let’s take a look at what Aftermath adds to the base game and if it’s worth adding to your gaming collection.

Down in Flames: WWII-Guns Blazing Review

The latest iteration, originally published in 2010 and still printed, is Down in Flames: WWII-Guns Blazing. It’s a tabletop card game for 2-6 players with about a 30 minute playtime. For a simple dogfight, 2 players is fine, but for a grand aerial battle, an even number of players up to 6 (or 12 with additional decks!) is really the heart of the experience.

Petrichor Review

Publisher Mighty Boards has really been coming out with a unique lineup of board games. First was Posthuman, their post apocalyptic survival game. Then came Vengeance, the action movie revenge game. And now we have Petrichor, a game about controlling clouds over fields of crops. I’ll say this about Might Boards, they know how to take a underused theme and run with it.

Petrichor is an area control game for 2-4 players that takes about 30-60 minutes to play. The game plays best with 3 players.

Drive Thru Review:

Gaslands Review

Intro (00:00); general overview (01:56); final thoughts and review (22:31)

iSlaytheDragon:

Dinosaur Island Review

The goal of Dinosaur Island is to build the most exciting dinosaur park you can and pack in more visitors than fire regulations allow. The game is played over a variable number of rounds dependent on how quickly players achieve objectives. You can also vary the length of the game by choosing from short, medium, or long game objects at setup. Regardless of the objectives, the rounds themselves will play out the same way.

Dr. Beaker Review

Two years ago Dr. Eureka was a surprise hit with my gaming group. We were like mad scientists trying to mix the correct molecules into test tubes. It was a straightforward and fun real-time puzzle featuring top-notch components.

Its sequel, Dr. Beaker, once again is impeccably produced: the beakers and stirrers look like they’re straight from a laboratory. Would Dr. Beaker be a game-changing sequel like The Godfather II? Or would it be a huge dud like The Sting II? And will I ever be able to reference a movie from this century?

Undead Viking:

Crusader Kings Review

Monday has come and gone. Tuesday is here for a while longer. The Work Week does its thing as we make our way back to the weekend, where I'll be celebrating Free RPG Day by playing RPGs and streaming it for everyone to point and laugh at. :P
But before I get to my streaming, it's time to listen in on some gaming podcasts.

This week on the dial we've got: Guilds of the North Episode 6: East National Championship; Man Battlestations Podcast Episode 31; Exploding Dice Radio Episode 10; 40K Radio Episode 29; Breathing Flames Episode 3: Bias-Hazard; News of the North - 2018-06-12; Epic Gaming Night Episode 157: board game popularity; Drive Thru FM Episode 15: Boardgame Community (NSFW); Blight and Boon Episode 9: Grimshalla and Galana Mashup; Cardboard Herald Episode 83: Scott Almes is Rescued From Neverland; The Secret Cabal Episode 160: Big Trouble in Little China, Watson and Holmes and Our Favorite Gaming Memories; The Offline Gamer Episode 30: UKGE 2018!; Chance of Gaming Episode 108; and The Polyhedron Collider Cast Episode 43: The Great UK Game Expo Caper 2018.



Guilds of the North Episode 6: East National Championship

Hello geeks,

The sixth episode of Guilds of the North, our Guild Ball spin-off, is now available! In this show, we talk about the recent new releases, the East National Championship, and we interview Sam Doiron, winner of said event. So sit back, relax, grab a paintbrush and enjoy the show!

Man Battlestations Podcast Episode 31

Episode 31 of the MBS podcast has arrived! This episode, Greg and Andy discuss the pros and cons of "defined" movement systems (i.e. using a grid of hexes or other shapes) in naval games. Later, they talk about some of the amazing miniatures that are being produced that are not tied to a specific game or rules system.

Exploding Dice Radio Episode 10

For Episode 10 of the EDR Podcast, Andy is joined by a very special guest; Phil Johnson, of Firebase Delta and old-school 40k Radio fame! Andy and Phil dig into a breakdown and discussion of the recent Warcradle Q&A that featured lots of new information for Dystopian Wars, Armored Clash, Uncharted Seas, and Firestorm Armada. Later, they discuss some of the things they would like to see in the next edition of Firestorm Armada, which is likely due to hit sometime in late 2019 or early 2020.

40K Radio Episode 29

In this Episode we discuss the announcements from Warhammer Fest and then take a look at both the Harlequins and Imperial Knights Codex. We also learn how Ashley really feels about a certain Black Library Novel along with all the usual hobby discussion.

Breathing Flames Episode 3: Bias-Hazard

There’s nothing more glamorous than being a board game reviewer. Throngs of adoring fans, mountains of games, and piles of publisher cash. Join us as we discuss how we balance the rock and roll lifestyle with the desire of providing honest feedback of the games we cover.

News of the North - 2018-06-12

The June 12th, 2018 edition of News of the North is now live. Here's our weekly selection of interesting news items in the miniature wargaming world.

We talk about BrokenToad, Guild Ball, Spira mirabilis, RobotRocket Miniatures, Abyssoul, Artel "W" miniatures, Puppets War, Punga Miniatures, Happy Games Factory, Willy Miniatures and Lovecraft.

Epic Gaming Night Episode 157: board game popularity

Roy and Rob talk about board games that are popular and maybe why some games don't get the hype.

Drive Thru FM Episode 15: Boardgame Community (NSFW)

Drive Thru FM #15 - Boardgame Community (NSFW) Intro (00:00) Chicago Express (01:42) Numeri (02:53) Castles of Burgundy (03:55) Monopoly Gamer: Mario Kart (05:43) Deckscape (07:28) Santa Maria (11:23) Dragon Castle (14:15) Decrypto (18:09) The Mind (22:21) Necromunda: Underhive (28:59) Gaslands (37:55) Boardgame Community (NSFW) (42:25)

Blight and Boon Episode 9: Grimshalla and Galana Mashup

In this episode Andrew and Dan try out Grimshalla and Galana, and discuss the how the current champions have changed.

Cardboard Herald Episode 83: Scott Almes is Rescued From Neverland

Scott Almes comes back on the show to talk about everything from his collaborations with Gamelyn Games, to his current kickstarter Neverland Rescue. I love talking with Scott because he's humble, appreciative, thoughtful, and hardworking.

The Secret Cabal Episode 160: Big Trouble in Little China, Watson and Holmes and Our Favorite Gaming Memories

So Tony T is marauding around Europe so we have a guest sitting in, Aaron from Lords of the Dungeon! First Chris and Jamie review the Dungeons and Dragons themed movie Mazes and Monsters starring Tom Hanks. Then after the Founders run down all the games they've been playing they talk a little but about Origins and give some details about their event. Then the gang takes a look at the new Big Trouble in Little China board game and give you their review and a look back at Watson and Holmes one year later. Steve takes the reigns for the news segment today and we crack wise while learning about what's going on in the gaming world. Then finally the guys talk about some of their favorite memories of gaming past.

The Offline Gamer Episode 30: UKGE 2018!

It's that time of the year again! We chat about our experiences at UKGE 2018, along with games we played and some interviews from designers and publishers.

Chance of Gaming Episode 108

We talk about News, Vassal, Gamersgate and Command Colors just to name a few things.

The Polyhedron Collider Cast Episode 43: The Great UK Game Expo Caper 2018

We have returned from three days at the biggest tabletop gaming convention in the UK. The UK Games Expo was yet again another amazing and exciting event so we talk about all the board games, card games, tabletop roleplaying games and miniatures games we saw that got us all excited.

We would like to thank everyone who made it an awesome convention.

In which I totally mess up the date for when this was supposed to post and then go back and fix it. :P
Look, these things happen sometime!
Anyway, here's the regular grouping of review articles I know you all so desperately desire.

This week we have: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, Rush in the Forest: Three Little Pigs, Torres, Exoudus Fleet, Steepseers, Super Hack Override, This War of Mine, Assembly, Noria, Get Off My Land, and Monster Card BLVD.



Through Gamer Goggles:

Flip Through: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

In this Flip Through join Matt as he becomes one of Bigby’s students as we study Mordenkainen’s view on different rivalries over the years and the monsters involved in those campaigns.

Undead Viking:

Rush in the Forest: Three Little Pigs Review



Board Game Quest:

Torres Review

Torres takes place over 3 phases (known as years), with each year divided into a number of rounds. At the beginning of each year, players are given tower pieces in stacks, with the number of stacks equal to the number of rounds during that year.

Exodus Fleet Review

Each player in Exodus Fleet is allied with a certain Faction at the beginning of the game. This gives the player a starting command ship and a starting exploration card. This also determines the player’s starting income of money.

Rounds of play in Exodus Fleet give each player a chance to choose an action. Once chosen, all players will get to bid money on turn order for taking the action. Usually this results in a more advantageous action result, but in all cases, the player choosing the action, the “Admiral”, gets a bonus.

Steepseers Preview

To Teenaged Alex, a ‘cup of tea’ meant a Lipton or Bigelow bag dunked in some hot water for an indeterminate amount of time, with a healthy dose of sweetener. As I grew older, a little more well-rounded, and married, I realized that teas came in a wide variety of flavors, varieties, and colors. Walking with my wife into the tea store (yes, tea store!), I was shocked at just how many different varieties were available, with combinations I would not even dream of. Jasmine pearls, red teas, white teas, all with different herb and fruit varieties – positively overwhelming. I’ll just take a nice cup of tea, Earl Grey, hot, thank you very much.

Steepseers, the upcoming title from KinSoul Studios, puts you in the role of an oracle who can use various brews of tea to trigger visions of the future. By collecting different combinations of ingredients and allying with various mystical spirits, you can make the population believe in the power of foresight through the haze of brewing tea.

Steepseers is a set collection and memory game for 2-4 players. Steepseers plays well at any player count.

Super Hack Override Review

Super Hack Override is a quick filler game where players will attempt to earn the respect and adoration of their fellow hackers without drawing too much attention to themselves. Take down too many government systems and you’ll be put in hacker jail for sure.

It’s designed to be played with just a deck of cards and plays 2-6 players in about 15 minutes.

This War of Mine: The Board Game Review

In November 2014, This War of Mine (TWoM) was released on PC, Mac and Linux. The game focused on the survival of citizens during the siege of a fictional city, although the creators of TWoM cited the Siege of Sarajevo as the influence of their setting.

The game was well received, spawned ports to multiple console and Android/iOS and was eventually licensed as a board game that successfully funded on Kickstarter in May 2016.

I really looked forward to playing This War of Mine because of its unique theme of being focused on the survivors instead of the soldiers during wartime.

Having neither played the computer game nor backed the board game, my review will focus on the retail board game only. In addition, my review will contain no spoilers outside of referencing general gameplay mechanics and the phases of the game.

Polyhedron Collider:

Assembly Kickstarter Review

Personal log: “I don’t know for certain what happened. there was a meteor shower; fiercer than we anticipated. It was carrying some kind of virus that somehow breached the station and killed the crew. Well, almost. There’s just two of us left. We have to get off, the computer is shutting everything down, including life support, we don’t have much time to do what this station was designed for; build a ship and then get back to Earth.”

Part of me is tempted to write this entire review for Assembly in the style of the game, mainly because the setting for this little 2 player game is both wonderfully simple and rich. But, I fear that would get old very fast, so I shall just wax lyrical in my typical rambling fashion.

iSlaytheDragon:

Noria Review

Noria is a “wheel-building” action selection and stock manipulation game for two to four players. Players are industrialists in the booming fantasy world of Noria competing for prestige by contributing to the four great projects of Norian society. The player with the most points wins.

Get Off My Land Review

Get Off My Land is a game of building and expanding your farm, sometimes legally, but sometimes in ever so slightly illegal ways. Like “accidentally” breaking a fence so your neighbor’s pigs eat all their corn, or “appropriating” your neighbor’s property to expand your own farm. The goal is to have the most money at the end of the game.

There are a lot of nit-picky rules to the game, but in keeping with the theme here, we don’t need no stinkin’ rules. Or at least not all of them. So I’m just going to give you a high level overview of the game.

Board To Death TV:

Monster Card BLVD. Preview

Monster Card Blvd. is an epic 90 card, illustrated strategic card game. No two cards are alike. It is easy to learn, but hard to master. Each card is unique, featuring a silly, seductive or scary monster with a clever name to go with that specific monster’s theme. The game has been completed (aside from the two backer reward cards) and tested, and is extremely addicting!