Pathfinder: Level 20 is the first design collaboration between Lynnvander Studios and Gale Force Nine. This small-box game is many things, but it definitely ain’t honest. Its first fib is the tall tale concept – anyone who has played the tabletop RPGs Pathfinder or Dungeons & Dragons knows that level 20 is a myth. It’s…
What a stupid card game. You’re dealt some numbers between one and six, and possibly one or more bright absurdist rainbow llamas. You want to get rid of these silly digits because any you’re left with at the end of the round are points. L.L.A.M.A, like golf, is a dignified pastime. It’s also scored in…
It’s the summer solstice and our rite of passage, so we compete. The sacred stone is tossed from a towering cliff overlooking the sea. Into the depths the artifact plunges. We follow. Dive is surreal. Originally published by Sit Down! and distributed in North America by Lumas games, this is an experience that asks players…
Asymmetry in the board game space has existed since Eon Games’ 1977 and ’79 releases of Cosmic Encounter and Dune. It continued being a thing through Chaos in the Old World, Space Cadets, and Vast, among many others. Root really changed everything. Root traversed traditional boundaries, slyly pulling a new segment of players into a…
The PG series is a collection of articles incorporating the perspective of my eight-year-old daughter, Lila. She’s looking over the shelves, her eyes the usual mix of indecisiveness and enthusiasm. I speak up, “how ’bout What Next?” “That’s what I’m deciding”, she gives me a quick jab with those brown eyes. “No, I mean…
The best quality of this Wizkids release is that it’s educational. Admit it, you’re unfamiliar with Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev and his model of measuring a civilization’s technology level. His hypothetical scale is bracketed around how much energy a society is able to use, and it extends to a cosmic level. Nifty. And there’s half…
Yes, that’s correct, GoCaine. This indie design from Richard Nguyen-Marshall and Kharitago Games combines cocaine trafficking with the ancient Japanese game of Go. Peanut butter and jelly. GoCaine. Sure, it’s a little nutty. That’s what drew me to it. The systems employed are simple. Up to six players take turns performing a single action followed…
It’s 2014. Jimmy Falon takes over The Tonight Show, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge dominates social media, and John Travolta introduces Adele Dazeem. But you know what I remember from that year? Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem. As the follow-up to Gale Force Nine’s killer debut, it established a streak. A series of releases…
The PG series is a collection of articles incorporating the perspective of my eight-year-old daughter, Lila. Sometimes the game does the work for you. When Lila saw Animal Adventures spread out on the table – an evocative paper mat, bright character sheets, and several well-detailed miniatures – she went gaga. I had a difficult…
Another top 10 list? Absolutely. People love this stuff. I’m not feeling a lengthy introduction, though. I’ve played almost everything I wanted to that was released over the past 12 months. The gaming year has been kind. There are outliers like Final Girl or Summoner Wars 2nd Edition, titles I’ve been unable to track down,…
Player Elimination 