A crafty salesperson would push Snake Charmers as a cross between Cockroach Poker and The Resistance. This allusion is a strong sell, as it ties this new release to two of the best bluffing and deduction games ever designed. Fortunately, it is a reasonably accurate comparison, even if Snake Charmers can’t quite deliver the impact…
The opening sequence of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver depicts a New York with enough grit that you can feel it on your teeth. It’s a feral hour of the night. DeNiro’s sedan is cruising down a street awash in the radiant soul of the city. There’s a shot of the vehicle’s quarter panel. Beads of…
There’s this thing that people say which rips my skin like 60 grit sandpaper. “That was fun, but it’s not much of a game.” Games require decisions. Meaningful ones. At least, that’s what a portion of the hobby community believes. Candy Land isn’t a game they say, it’s an activity. There’s an obvious implication that…
Vantage has been cooking in my mental oven for half the year. I first wrote about this open world sci-fi adventure game in July, with my review appearing at entertainment site IGN. If you haven’t read that or don’t know much about this peculiar design, my apologies, but the rest of this piece may befuddle…
Origin stories are the worst. This is coming from a cretin who ingests superhero content via cinema as opposed to paper. I don’t want to see Thomas and Martha Wayne murdered by a low life, again. We’ve had 10 Spider-Mans in the past couple decades; I’ve already rode that ride. I would much rather watch…
There are two ways to look at Kingdoms Forlorn: Dragons, Devils and Kings. You can either view this unbelievably massive box as a vast world waiting to be explored and conquered, one of untold treasures and tragic stories. Or it can be seen as a crushing boulder whose massive weight embodies headache, labor, and anxiety.…
In another life, I was infatuated with Neuroshima Hex. Almost exactly 10 years ago, I wrote this soliloquy at Fortress Ameritrash extolling the virtues of Michal Oracz’s design. The game was already nearly a decade old at that time. This thing is grizzled as hell. The truth is I no longer play Neuroshima Hex. While…
I’m a child of the 90s, so when I hear the words tag team, I think of the Bushwhackers, Harlem Heat, and the Outsiders. Gricha German and Corentin Labrat’s Tag Team isn’t that. Well, maybe it sort of is. Instead of prescribed duos, each player slams together two distinct fighters to form an impromptu team…
Philosopher Mara van der Lugt’s 2025 book Hopeful Pessimism challenges ideas of motivation and the role of despondency. It’s a revelation of sorts, especially for those plagued with eternal pessimism. That’s me. A relentless worrywart, down to my bones. Van der Lugt argues that it’s possible, nay encouraged, for those suffering from pessimism in a…
Jeffrey CCH, founder of Hong Kong publisher ICE Makes, has produced some wonky designs. Eila and Something Shiny is a narrative-driven card game that is emotionally poignant, Inheritors remains one of my favorite offbeat small box designs, and Terrorscape looks menacing and sharp, although I haven’t had the opportunity to play it. Age of Galaxy…
Player Elimination 