Hidden movement and the horror genre are a sinister couple. In The Stifling Dark, one player is a psychotic killer, a monstrous beast, or even a throng of cultists intent on raising an otherworldly being. Everyone else at the table is a snooping investigator riding a high of curiosity into the devil’s mouth. These errant…
2023 hit like a truck. Another year where there are games that I fully expect to make the list, and then they’re ceremoniously jettisoned by late arrivals that are throwing bombs. It’s tough. I want to recognize more titles than this, but 10 is the number. 10. Sky Team I reviewed this one at Polygon.…
Part I: Huffing Lightning I never played Rogue Trader. I was three when Games Workshop published Rick Priestley’s defining work. This 1st edition of Warhammer 40,000 would go on to shape the future of not only the company, but the entire hobby. Despite never playing it, I owe much of my gaming ideology to this…
Senjutsu: Battle for Japan is a game mired in hardship. Its genesis as a Kickstarter project from Stone Sword Games has been given wider reach at retail by publisher Lucky Duck. This is how I have connected with the game, absent the crowdfunding trauma. Many of the game’s Kickstarter supporters have not received product. They…
Dan and Tristan Halstad’s new tile laying game is a visual treat. Illustrated by Vincent Dutrait, it comes alive on the tabletop. Each player constructs a luminous coral reef that branches off in a multitude of vectors. Sharply illustrated sea life swarm around the reef, giving life to the environment and supporting the game’s theme…
Many believe we are currently witnessing the “golden age” of board gaming. These people have it all wrong. Forget board games; this is the peak era of miniatures skirmish games. The genre of head-to-head plastic combat has exploded in the past several years. Omicron Protocol from Dead Alive Games is another such banger. This is…
Distant Skies is the sequel to Ryan Laukat’s finest work, Sleeping Gods. Both are narrative driven cooperative experiences that capture a similar feel to open world video games like Breath of the Wild. This is a standalone release that requires no contact with the prior title. It promises a more streamlined and refined system. The…
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…
Player Elimination 