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…
Cthulhu: Death May Die is a fascinating story. It originated as a combined effort between Eric Lang and Rob Daviau under the auspices of CMON Games. Elements are clearly carried forward from Lang’s previous effort, The Others. That game was a one versus many affair that didn’t quite deliver despite several inspired details. The Others…
On June 12th, 2019, I was sitting in an end seat on the third row of a high school auditorium. It was incredibly dark and eerily quiet as a group of toddlers shuffled out onto the stage and prepared to begin their ballet performance. Just as the lights fired up and the first notes began…
In a sea of overproduced and excessive board games, NEXUS: Arena Combat System manages to stand out. The box is large and attractive. Emblazoned on the front is a giant crab-arm mutant battling in an arena with a sarlaac in the foreground. It punches you in the face with cool. When you open the box…
There is no “you”. You don’t exist. It seems as though we have an autonomous identity within. We feel as though we are a central being that is inhabiting our bodies. From this focal point we exist in a state of selfhood, an experiencer of experience. We can reflect on our past, present, and future…
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…
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…
Borderlands: Mister Torgue’s Arena of Badassery is a long and absurd title. It’s not snappy or easy to remember. By all accounts, it fits the content. This is a cooperative skirmish game that is absolutely over-the-top. It features a somewhat complex ruleset that will furnish some first-time jitters and take effort to get right. The…
This is a thing of foolishness. Marcin Welnicki’s boss battler is an absurd 300 hours of content. It’s hundreds of dollars. The box is unreasonably large, oblong, and shining white. It’s like prying open the Ark of the Covenant. And Aeon Trespass: Odyssey will melt your face, whether you’re a Nazi or not. Once you’ve…
Apologies to the faithful, but I don’t hold the Zombicide series in high regard. I’ve played several iterations on this system, and it’s never done much beyond stir the bacteria in my gut. Despite my adoration for several of their titles, including the exceptional Ankh, I am also critical of publisher CMON Games. Specifically, I’m…
Player Elimination 