Five years is quite the gap between debut and expansion, particularly for a game that’s grown such a cult following. Part of it is that Sidereal Confluence took some time to really find its audience. Part of it is that as a design, it’s a very tightly woven and intricately balanced machine. The math behind…
My interest in Critical: Foundation is rooted in nostalgia and curiosity. This is an RPG beginner box with its reticule zeroed in on board gamers. That’s not to say it wouldn’t appeal to someone with no interest in Catan or Arkham Horror or whatever, because it could suit that sort of newcomer as well, but…
I consider myself an informed and well-rounded board gamer. I have to be in order to fulfill my role as a critic. Here’s me coming clean: I’ve never played a David Thompson release. That’s more difficult than you may think. He’s become one of the most prolific designers in recent years. I never had interest…
Billing yourself as another game but faster, better, lighter is perhaps the bedrock of board game marketing. As Jim Jarmusch said in his famous quote on filmmaking, “nothing is original.” So, Gemini Gauntlet is Robo Rally but quicker. Maybe even better. This is a Lynnvander release designed by Josh Derksen. I think Derksen is somewhat…
Atlantic Robot League offers inspiration. You inhabit the role of a savvy gambler, placing indiscriminate bets on mile high robots slugging away at each other. It’s the kind of dramatic far-future concept I’d liken to Robot Jocks meets The Cincinatti Kid. Plus, it’s a Wizkids game. I don’t embrace all of their releases, but Zev…
I’ve banged the drum for Godtear. It remains a top tier skirmisher and I’m still clapping that snare. Winter’s Reckoning is the first organized play kit for the game. It’s a response to the community’s desire for support beyond the regular champion boxes Steamforged Games has released. It’s an solid offering and a worthy inaugural…
I began my Cosmic Frog review by pointing out how weird of a board game it was. This has always been true of Jim Felli’s designs, even in the beginning with Shadows of Malice. The Mirroring of Mary King fits right in by once again establishing that it doesn’t. The Mirroring of Mary King is…
I wonder how the crew at Leder Games feel about every asymmetric post-2018 game being directly compared to Root. Cole Wehrle’s bellwether design has become the genre reference point, for better or for worse. Here though, it’s totally appropriate. A competitive bout between anthropomorphs. Check. Asymmetric factions with unique player boards and distinct mechanisms. Check.…
John Carpenter’s classic horror film has a troubled history. It took nearly a decade to get made, going from initial concept of adapting the 1951 film “The Thing from Another World” to a theatrical release that is best described as utterly disappointing. It ultimately found its identity as a cult classic by making its way…
I’m a huge fan of Blitz Bowl. I found the Second Season Edition to be a worthy successor to the original Barnes & Noble exclusive. I still believe it to be a stronger more succinct version of Blood Bowl. In fact, the only tabletop sports title I’d put ahead of it is the splendid Techno…
Player Elimination 