Author: Charlie Theel

An Interactive Memoir – A Lanzerath Ridge Review

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…

Lose Yourself – A Gemini Gauntlet Review

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…

Robot Fight Club – Atlantic Robot League in Review

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…

In the Wake of a Giant – Ahoy in Review

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.…

(PG-8) A Warhammer Quest: Lost Relics Review

The PG series is a collection of articles incorporating the perspective of my eight-year-old daughter, Lila.   “Ooh, what’s that?” “It’s, uh, Warhammer.” “What’s Warhammer?” “Oh dear. Well, you remember that Space Marine game you loved? That’s Warhammer.” She cocks her head, instantly suspicious. “I didn’t even like that game. And that was in space,…