“Terraforming Mars” seemed to take the world by storm. I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to jump on the hype train until much later when I bought the digital version via Steam and eventually, iOS. I liked the game so much that I invested in both the card game version and the dice version when they released years later. Still, “TM” has quite a few expansions…one of which is “Automa”, a recently released solo experience against Marsbot. Special thanks to Jondi over at OffDutyNinja for providing a press copy for review purposes. I’ll be breaking with my usual review format, so strap yourselves in!
Board Games
Have you ever seen the movie, “Cube”? Prisoners awakening to find themselves trapped in some sort of strange environment, only to realize later how deadly it is? “The Night Cage” gave me those vibes, but only if it were Cthulhu running things instead of a high-level secret organization. In this (literally) dark cooperative game, 1-5 players will attempt to each get a key and converge on the same gate before their finite stack of room tiles expire. Essentially, you’ll be crawling through the darkness armed only with a candle…what could go wrong? Special thanks to Kurt over at Smirk & Dagger Games for providing me with the base copy of the game for review purposes, as well as Jondi over at OffDutyNinja, LLC for providing the Shrieking Hollow Expansion. I’ll opt to cover the latter towards the end of the article.
While I’ve played my fair share of “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” in my day, I don’t think I’ve ever played a tabletop game devoted to the management of bands. In “Rock & Roll Brouhaha” (available via The Game Crafter), players will become band managers and manage musicians, buy gear, look for gigs, and schedule venues. It’s expandable to boot; I’m told that an expansion is already in the works. Before we get started, I’m required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions remain my own. The only thing paid for here was my time and expertise.
So what if Pluto isn’t labeled as a planet anymore? That doesn’t mean we can’t eventually plop diners onto it and serve all sorts of rowdy customers coming and going through the solar system. Realistically, such a entrepreneurial endeavor is a ways off but that’s okay…board games exist for a reason! In “Pluto Dinerama”, an upcoming crowdfunding project, players will be working both cooperatively and competitively to serve customers and earn victory points. The copy I received was a prototype, so everything you see and read about here is subject to change. I’m also required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions remain my own. The only thing paid for here was my time and expertise.
“Fuse” is a fun, hectic, and light cooperative game that I prefer to play with modified rules (to accommodate certain medical conditions). Enter “Flatline”, another chaotic cooperative game by the same developer (Renegade) that picks up where “Fuse” leaves off. Here, players serve as medics treating the injured from the catastrophic events of “Fuse”. Primarily, this game involves rolling dice and assigning them to various board spots all the while on a round timer. Like I said, chaotic.
I was a late-comer to “Game of Thrones” as I typically don’t watch shows that try too hard to be adult-themed. Even when I did finally buckle down to watch it, it took me a few months of binging to get through it. Luckily, I won’t need a few months to play “Dragon Soul”, a game that you can currently buy over on the official website. Here, players will be tasked with holding a certain number of uncontested castles by doing battle with battalions and quite possibly, a dragon! Special thanks to Sebastian Baverstam, an independent board game designer, for sending a copy. I’m required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions remain my own. As always, the only thing paid for here was my time and expertise.
I have a feeling that “Wingspan” will persist as a great board game for many years to come. While I do own the “Oceania” and “European” expansions, I sometimes feel that the wild nectar tokens introduced in the former were a bit too powerful and tainted the original game a little bit. Luckily, “Asia” can be played as a standalone experience. It’s primarily a two player game, but can be played solo or used to expand the base game up to six or seven players. Special thanks to Stonemaier Games for sending a copy for review purposes.
“The bees have discovered economics!” is probably my favorite line from any rulebook I’ve seen as of late, although I love the term “beeples”. While the tabletop game “Apiary” features space bees, “Honey Buzz” has bees of the more regular sort and tasks players with competing for the Queen’s favor by earning the most victory points…as Earth bees tend to do. Special thanks to Elf Creek Games & their PR company for sending a copy.
Criminals are running rampant and only you and your team can infiltrate the ranks and break up the syndicate. In this 2-4 player experience, each player will be tasked with sending agents to gather intel, infiltrate mobs, and arrest criminals. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. Special thanks to Doctor Finn’s Games for sending out a copy for coverage purposes.
I can’t help but draw some parallels between “Atlantis Rising” (the board game) and the “Stargate: Atlantis” (the television series). I mean, you’ve got a massive city with branches protruding from a central hub and Ancients / Atheniens who run the place. It certainly helped to attract me to this title, in addition to the fact that it’s a co-op experience like “Pandemic” and more on-point, “Forbidden Island” (where tiles sink into the depths). At its heart however, this is a worker placement game. Special thanks to Elf Creek Games & their PR company for sending a copy. Continue Reading
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What do you think would happen if you gave a chicken a beehive launcher? Or how about a rabbit armed with a wagon wheel shield? These are just some of the crazy combinations you’ll find in “Barn Brawl”, a game that’ll be seeking funding on Kickstarter in April, 2024. It supports 2-6 players and is appropriate for ages 14+. Games typically take around an hour. Before we slap on our “horsuriken” (you’ll see) and dive into the game, I’m required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game. As always, any and all opinions are my own.
We absolutely loved the original “Awkward Guests”, which is like “Clue” but on steroids. It can be played competitively or cooperatively/solo, though we prefer the latter. In “Awkward Guests”, players had to figure out who killed Mr. Walton, with what weapon, and with what motive. If you played on a higher difficulty, you also had to figure out a possible accomplice. “Awkward Guests 2: The Berwick Cases”, coming to Kickstarter in April 2024, has two players going head to head to figure out who killed the Berwick Sisters (suspects in the original game). Before we begin I am required by FTC regulations that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions therein are my own. As this is a prototype (which was also in Spanish but playable), rules and components discussed here are subject to change.
There are times where I enjoy a strategic, engine builder of sort and then there are times where I am in the mood for something a bit more casual. While I don’t have a ton of experience with narrative games, I have played and enjoyed “Destinies” and “Legacy of Dragonholt”. Similar to “Dungeons & Dragons”, the story in games like these usually leads the characters through some kind of peril accompanied by skill checks. I would say that “Lands of Galzyr” falls into this category as players will be leading characters from one adventure to another trying to earn prestige as they go. It’s also on the cuter side to boot…you’ll see what I mean. Special thanks to Ville over at Snowdale Design for providing a press copy for review purposes.
I’m a huge Star Wars fan, let’s just get that out of the way now. I grew up playing “X-Wing” on the PC. In those days, you installed games via 3 1/2 disks and created a boot disk so you could boot the PC to DOS in order to have enough memory to run your games. This was “before the dark times, before the Empire.” Still, it was light-years ahead of DOS Text Adventures. Anywho, fast-forward through about two-dozen “Star Wars” games later and we come to “Star Wars: Outer Rim” and later its expansion, “Unfinished Business”. This game focuses more on the scum and villainy as opposed to plight of the Rebel Alliance against the Empire. Kind of like Mos Eisley Spaceport, because you’ll never find a more wretched hive…I’ll stop now.
Sadly, my “X-Wing Miniatures” and “Star Wars Armada” phase is on hiatus, as Aidalee doesn’t really care for miniature games with tactical planning. With Vinnie having spread his wings and moved several months ago, I relied on Tabletop Simulator for my “X-Wing” fix. When I got my copy of “Snap Ship Tactics” I was really excited as it boasted a solo mode with AI programming. I’d finally be able to use my laser tool and 3×3 rubber mat again. In the end, I wasn’t disappointed. Special thanks to Scott over at Snap Ships Tactics for sending the core / starter game over for review purposes. As always, press copies or not, paid coverage or not, my opinions remain my own.