“At a certain point, we will build machines that are smarter than we are. And once we have machines that are smarter than we are, they will begin to improve themselves. And then we risk what the mathematician I. J. Good called an intelligence explosion – that the process could get away from us.” –…
Trials of Tempus is such a magnetic design. It’s also a game hindered by the circumstances of its release. I saw the announcement and it took some effort to overcome the malaise associated with the Dungeons & Dragons license. It required even more work to move past my confusion on why Wizkids would release another…
There is a sound of winding. Out there at the edge of the light where everything is blurred and consciousness falls away. A toy made by crooked hands and born under the shade of the devil. A winding. Billowing clouds of black unfurl towards the sky like decrepit beings breaking apart as they escape. Trees…
Shem Phillips’ Legacy of Yu has captured my attention. I’ve been playing a lot of it lately. It’s a stylish board game from Renegade that is unique in the designer’s oeuvre in that it’s only playable solitaire. It bears Sam Phillips handsome illustrations, and it looks like it’d fit right in with all of Shem’s…
Disney Animated portends magic. It’s the upcoming title from the design studio of Prospero Hall, a mercurial group of individuals that smuggle hobby board games and their broader philosophies into the mass market. This one has the players cooperating to illustrate, compose, and produce classic Disney films. You’re animators, pressured by a deadline to complete…
Philosopher David Chalmers describes the hard problem of consciousness as the problem of explaining the relationship between physical phenomena and experience. Physical phenomena encompass brain activity such as the firing of neurons and electric signals. Experience here is referring to phenomenal consciousness or awareness, something all of you reading this possess. No method has been…
Battlestations is one of my favorite games. It’s the title Jeff Siadek and Gorilla Games have become known for, currently ripping it up in a glorious second edition that makes the modest original release a distant memory. Dirtside is the long-teased standalone expansion that pushes the experience to the surface. Just like its predecessor, this…
Hal always carried it with him. On game nights, it was always nearby, quietly dozing in his car until the time came. He’d pull it out with a smile, knowing it vexed me. The Terrifying Girl Disorder is a peculiar thing. It’s a small box import from Japan and it’s as quirky as they come.…
“The young women of today, free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation, should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price. It is for them to show their gratitude by helping onward the reforms of their own times, by spreading the light of freedom and…
There’s a lot of noise surrounding Dungeons & Dragons right now. There’s a new film, a new edition of the RPG, and a new controversy. Amid this bedlam, there’s also a new skirmish game. This is a board game with grid movement, dice-based combat, and asymmetrical warbands. It has an attractive surface with pre-painted miniatures…
Player Elimination 