Author: Charlie Theel

The Billy o’ Tea – A Deep Regrets Review

“Deep Regrets is an unfortunate fishing game about pulling progressively more horrifying things out of the ocean. Decide what to eat, what to sell, what to mount, and how many regrets you’re willing to carry, as you push yourself too far and spiral towards a conclusion in this strategic horror fishing game.” Sometimes you can’t outdo…

There’s No Happiness in Death – A Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game Review

Emerson Matsuuchi’s been through the ringer. Whispers of his Metal Gear Solid adaptation first arose in 2018. The game was commissioned by IDW’s board game imprint which resulted in cautious optimism due to their success with the TMNT and Batman Animated Series adventure system games. This was also shortly after the release of Matsuuchi’s Specter…

Bury Me in a Coffin Box – An Aldarra Review

I’m all about high falutin experiences that treat games as Art, but sometimes I just want to punch a cretin in the mouth and send chiclets flying. This is the hard knock life that Aldarra comes from. You might not know it by the Elvish sounding name or the pastoral cover, but this honkin’ beast…

Burning Down the House – A Molly House Review

I was nervous. I shouldn’t have been. I should have trusted Wehrlegig. Jo Kelly and Cole Wehrle’s Molly House is something different. It’s a historical game about 18th century British Mollies; a topic I knew nothing about. These gender-defying non-conformists met in private to celebrate their lifestyle and escape the persecution of society. They lived…

DK64 – A Dungeon Kart Review

Everyone loves Mario Kart. Daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, even grandmas. Everyone. It’s arguably the most beloved Nintendo property, and it’s certainly the most popular racing video game with cumulative sales of 152 million dollars. I don’t want to pay $80 for the shiny new version either, but that doesn’t change the fact that this sucker…

Wargames – A Purple Haze Review

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.” It’s the early 90s. With utmost care, I slowly creep around the rotting shed that dominates the far side of the yard. The tiny fuzz on the back of my neck bristles. I approach the corner of the structure and press myself against the wall. The…

The Greatest Review of All Time! – A Flip 7 Review

I’m not much of a gambler, but Blackjack has always been the game I’ve cottoned to. The ratio of skill and strategy to luck feels right, it’s a dramatic game with explosive reveals, and it offers a relatively low house advantage. Flip 7 holds many of these same qualities, minus the house consideration of course…

The Din of War – A Chu Han Review

Chu Han is unusual in that it’s a card shedding/ladder climbing game for exactly two players. This is a format best defined by multi-player stalwarts such as Tichu, Haggis, and a recent favorite of mine, SCOUT. But Chu Han is also unusual in that it combines trick-taking with its card shedding. And then it’s even…

Fives and Duos – The CMYK Magenta Line, Part 1

The Magenta line feels like the right thing at the right time. One of the big recent trends in tabletop gaming has been the popularization of small footprint card games. The Crew really shook the earth and sparked a wave of creative trick-takers whose impact spilled over into other similar games of historically traditional style.…