Author: Charlie Theel

Dominion Killed Replayability

Our hobby has conjured the niche word ‘replayability’ to describe how well a game cultivates a desire to return to it. A game that is highly replayable is one that players want to explore repeatedly. It’s something we value because every prospective purchase exists conceptually as our next favorite game. Every title is graded out…

Of Regal Lineage – A Robotech: Reconstruction Review

Robotech means nothing to me. Maybe less than nothing as the general anime aesthetic is not something I find appealing. Thus, I can’t speak to how well Robotech: Reconstruction captures its intellectual property or evokes themes therein, but I do know a little something about GMT’s COIN (COunter INsurgency) series, enough to identify the throughline…

The Not-So-Secret Society- A Blood on the Clocktower Review

There’s been a lot of fuss surrounding Blood on the Clocktower. Reviewer troupe Shut Up & Sit Down controversially exalted the game prior to its Kickstarter campaign. Backlash ensued. It didn’t hurt the crowdfunding effort, however, as it found success and resulted in a physically impressive product to pair with its equally impressive cult following.…

City of Bones – An Undaunted: Stalingrad Review

Undaunted: Stalingrad is a powerful experience. It takes Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson’s acclaimed system and marries it to a campaign format that is engrossing and transcendent. The battle of Stalingrad is captured with such purpose and intimacy that I felt as if I was wandering through an HBO miniseries immersed in dramatic action. I’ve…

DO A FRIEND A FAVOR – An Ambush! Review

Eight men, spread far enough apart to minimize casualties in the case of an explosion, yet close enough together to keep their fears in check. They snuck through the French countryside in search of danger. Sgt. Gillick wasn’t green, but he also wasn’t grizzled. Unfortunate circumstances led to his squad performing reconnaissance on the sector.…

Jank Mecha Battles – An Embryo Machine Review

Giant mechs beating the hell out of each other in verdant fields. Asymmetrical loadouts and special technology. Weapons expressed through custom decks. Action programming tickled with a dramatic damage system. Vibrant illustrations and inspired mecha designs. What’s not to like? Embryo Machine. This is not a terrible game. Rather, it’s disappointing. Embryo Machine is a…