Andrew Lowen’s Deliverance is a poetic game. It begins with an equivocal foreword reflecting on the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, Christ’s crucifixion, and the utter despair at Gethsemane. It weaves that background into a parallel sense of dread focused on the modern town of Fallbrook. You arise, an angel of heaven wielding sword and faith,…
Tales to Amaze is a substantive shift in perspective. It’s difficult to overstate just how influential this standalone set will be on the Unmatched product line. This release functionally converts everything Unmatched from a head-to-head skirmish conflict into a replete cooperative boss battler. It boasts more character and stronger ambience than anything thus far released…
Deckbuilding is such a natural pairing with a civilization game. Over time, each player’s deck evolves, incorporating new concepts such as metal casting, fortress building, and irrigation. Old technology and resources are culled, and the progress of each civilization is continually recorded in a collection of cards. This deck constitutes the power and potential of…
F28: War Always Changes has been around since 2018. The revised edition since 2021. This self-published ruleset from Karl Bergström, Thor Forsell, and Axel Klingberg has a fanatical yet modest following. Unfortunately, it’s popularity hasn’t quite exploded as perhaps the game deserves. It’s difficult to stand out in the choked bog of figure agnostic miniatures games. This…
The oddest thing about Zoo Vadis, and perhaps the largest compliment I can give, is that it doesn’t feel like a remake. It’s physically chiseled and clean as can be. The light rules scaffolding supports a smooth experience that comes across as fresh and revitalizing. There is a clear vision to this product, and it…
‘Expected’. This is the word that continually flitters across my mind when I’m thinking about Apiary. It’s a very conventional Stonemaier Games title. It integrates the trend of a nature setting (bees) with a slight twist of a popular but divergent genre (science fiction). It’s an interesting concept that will raise your eyebrows upon first…
Every night, a collection of villains awakes in a mysterious castle. This dwelling sits on the border of hell and unreality. It hosts various implements to serve as weaponry, concealed traps to claim flesh, and a slumbering vampire that seeks blood. You are one of the forsaken doomed to wander the halls and fight to…
This is Prospero Hall realizing their full potential. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse is better than the previous echelon of Jaws, Rear Window, and Horrified. It’s the studio coming together to produce a relatively accessible mainstream board game with engrossing, clever, and intense design finishes. This is white hot and blood red. As an adaptation of…
GMT’s 2023 solitaire epic Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 has my soul vibrating. I put off playing this thing for months as its complexity is wearying, even when just fumbling through the stacks of counter sheets and half dozen printed booklets. My first session took over an hour to setup. My first play nearly…
This game is just silly. You got two drivers competing for speed in a beguiling race. But they’re not actually driving cars, instead they’re tracing a route along a racetrack with a dry erase marker. They can’t lift up the pen and must keep it pressed to the surface so that the path is continuous.…
Player Elimination 