Origin stories are the worst. This is coming from a cretin who ingests superhero content via cinema as opposed to paper. I don’t want to see Thomas and Martha Wayne murdered by a low life, again. We’ve had 10 Spider-Mans in the past couple decades; I’ve already rode that ride. I would much rather watch…
My kid is all in on ducks. I don’t know why. I’m not sure she knows why. But a year or so ago, at the age of 10, she decided she was all about fowl. I will tell you, it’s difficult to find a board game about ducks that is not awful. Oussama Khelifati’s Duck…
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…
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…
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.…
Reiner Knizia’s Cat Blues was originally released way back in 1998. This unique card game blends elements of Rummy with a Knizian auction mechanism in a volatile encounter. Fortunately, it’s been resurrected and given new vigor under the guidance of Bitewing Games. Like other productions from this publisher, it’s a handsome artifact that manages to…
Jenna Felli has a fascination with frogs. These creatures sit in an awkward spot, adapting their profile depending on perspective and context. They can appear as cute little buggers full of character and personality, or they can be slimy and horrific monsters. Sometimes they’re helpful and wise, the kind of friend you’d want to stumble…
You know Trio, even if you don’t. It’s classic Memory, where you’re flipping cards and looking for three of a kind. The main wrinkle is that a majority of the cards are in player’s hands, which you can also flip. The second quirk is that when you ask a player to reveal a card, you…
If you’re not familiar with the U.S.S. Flagg, it’s the Joe’s aircraft carrier that temporarily served as their base during one of the show’s prominent storylines. Most would recognize it as one of the most iconic action figure playsets of all time. Debuting in 1985, this massive plastic toy cost a staggering $110, which would…
I’m not terribly familiar with Dan Hundycz’s body of work. While he’s designed several titles, the only release of his I’ve previously played is an odd one called AFFLICTION: Salem 1692. Unfortunately, that was not about the clothing brand of the same name, but instead focused on the hysteria of the Salem witch trials. It…
Player Elimination 