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by Alex Eugenio @gamergriffson Hello everyone! My name is Alex, and I am so excited to share my Top 3 games with you! Bear in mind I just got into the hobby maybe two years ago? So, take my top three list with a grain of salt. I think the hardest thing about making a Top 3 list is that my favorites are always changing. It usually boils down to the current game I am playing but these three are games I will always come back to! Clank! I couldn’t not add a deck-builder to my list of top games. Dominion was my gateway game so naturally I gravitated to Clank! and I have a deep love for deck-builders. This game, to me, is just pure FUN. The theme alone just screams adventure, and you can’t help but get excited the moment you enter the dungeon. The way the cards integrate with the artifacts and movement on the board is just so well done. It perfectly combines strategy and heart-racing mechanics. Is that a real mechanic? It is now! And I appreciate a game that has me sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time. This is that game that I will always suggest bringing to the table whether you have experienced gamers around or not. To me, the fact that everyone at different gaming levels can enjoy this game speaks to how great it is. Inviting me over for a game night? I’m bringing my buddy, Clank! Terraforming Mars Terraforming Mars is the most played game in our household! I am a sucker for anything space-themed so that alone was a win for me already. In Terraforming Mars, you’re playing as a corporation that seeks to raise the global parameters on Mars so that it is habitable. You do so by drafting and playing cards that manipulate your personal tableau of abilities. This lets you place certain tiles that increase oxygen, raise the temperature or discover ocean areas. When I first played this game, I was impressed by how fun it turned out to be. Each global parameter you raise earns you a point and while it may not seem like a directly competitive game, the parameters max out at a certain point. So, basically, it’s a race to get those points first! Who doesn’t love a good ‘ol fashion race? I love how the cards and components integrate with each other wherein your components/tiles on the board are a physical depiction of the strategy behind the cards you play. You can see the effects of your cards in real time and to slowly watch Mars become terraformed is so enjoyable! This is a much longer gameplay than Clank! but I will never turn down a game. Lisboa I have no business liking this game. It involves every mechanic I am terrible at: economy, tile placement, city building, politics, etc. But, in fact, I LOVE IT! So much so that this is for sure my favorite game in our collection. It just hits all the marks for me- everything from the theme, gameplay, components to complexity. I love that the theme is so personal to Vital Lacerda deriving from an actual event in history in his hometown in the 1700s- destruction of a city after an 8.5-9.0 magnitude earthquake, tsunami and three days of fires. The artwork from Ian O’Toole is just top notch (as always) and the detail of each component is astounding. There was never a time during gameplay where I thought to myself, “I wish this did this,” “I wish you could do this,” or “I like this game BUT…” To me, that’s a sign of a- dare I say it- near perfect game. A bold statement, I know, but remember when I said take my opinions with a grain of salt? :) Nonetheless, even if this is not the perfect game for you, it is so worth giving a shot and strong consideration for a space in your collection.

Dive WBG Score: 7/10 Player Count: 1–4 You’ll like this if you like: Port Royal, Colt Express, Tiny Epic Mechs. Published by: Sit Down! Designed by: Romain Caterdjian, Anthony Perone Dive is a beautiful production. Let’s make this very clear from the off. It looks beautiful. The effort that has gone into the manufacturing of this game is stunning. Both in terms of originality and quality. It looks stunning set up, and all works very much within the theme of the game. This is not style over substance. Dive is set in the beautiful world of the Windbark. A beautiful remote island beyond the last continent, where diving is an ancestral tradition. During the summer solstice, divers compete to see who can navigate the shark infested waters and dive into the depths to retrieve the sacred stone of the village and become the town hero. Players will compete to analyse and in truth, guess what creatures will appear as they dive deeper in a mechanism new to me, but one that offered a lot of entertainment for my family. Simultaneous, Pre-Programmed, Push-Your-Luck! What would technically be described as simultaneous, pre-programed, push-your-luck movement, Dive employs clear plastic sheets that represent each layer of the ocean. Players look into the depths and try to assess where Sharks will or will not appear. Layered as they are, these sheets create a confusing cacophony of images. Making it very hard to predict what will appear where. Some of the sheets have holes cut in them, creating illusions of depth that can confuse players. With the thickness of the ocean cards, the slight blue hue, and the sheer number of them, making predictions can be somewhat haphazard. There are also many other creatures and plant life on the cards which have no affect on the game, other than creating more confusion. Mechanically this may not be new, but this is something I have not see on a gaming table before. And it’s barrels of fun! Each round, all players will place five tokens on their dive board. Simply trying to assess if a shark will or will not be present at each level of the dive. The tokens are numbered one to five. On the levels where there are no sharks present players can get bonuses if they predict correctly. If more than one player correctly guesses that no sharks will be there, and there are also one of the three helpful animals present, the player who played the highest number gains that animals assistance. The Red Sea Turtle will help you dive down two more spaces. The Green Sea Turtle will swoop you down one spot. And the Manta will help you catch up with the next player ahead of you, as in, you catch up to the next player deeper than you, if there is one. After each round, players move down the same number of spots on the score tracker for each correctly guessed level. If you guessed wrong on any level, that is your dive over! It is harder than it looks to guess where the sharks are. It feels like it should be easier. But it just isn’t. But it is certainly fun to try and guess. There are a lot of “Oh no!” and “Yeah” moments as each ocean card is lifted to reveal exactly what was on it after all. Race you to the bottom? This is a race game in truth. The first player to reach a 23 on the score tracker wins. This typically takes between 15-30 minutes, depending on how well each player assesses the ocean. As this is somewhat guesswork, the game could outstay its welcome if much longer. You may feel this game isn’t for you were it a 45 minute plus game. Getting your predictions wrong over-and-over can be frustrating. But in this light family game, played in under half an hour it works well. There are lighter rules for younger players where making a mistake in your predictions doesn’t stop your dive. And there are companions to add to the game if you want some diversity. The companions offer a lot of different options. Players can choose one of the seven extra animals to play with and they all feel quite different. From the Anglerfish who offers you the chance to dive down one further level on your turn, to the Giant Octopus which can be placed on the Ocean tiles obscuring the view of all players for what may be lurking underneath, each companion adds a nice subtle asymmetry to the game. A family favourite in this house was the Fugu which is available with all pre-orders from Sit Downs website as one of three bonus companions. When you play with the Fugu, all players are given the length of time that they can hold their breath to programme their tiles! This is a hilarious rule that has become a must have addition to every game we now play! Style and Substance If this game was set-up on your table at home, I would suggest it highly likely your kids would put down whatever they were doing and come and ask to play! Games like this serve a purpose. Their attraction comes less from their complex gameplay and strategies, and more from their unique visual appeal and table presence. This can be a good thing. More games should consider this for this age bracket. Games that are fun to play with your family are important. Once everyone has understood the rules and played a game few times, a good game should make people want to play it often. But to overcome that initial hesitation or intimidation of learning new rules, some games should be appealing right out the box. Having something as beautiful as Dive to draw your children in, cannot hurt. Many great games can discourage people from wanting to play them as they look complicated or dull. Conversely, many dull games can attract players to them as they look fun or original only to then disappoint. Dive has the best of both words. It is a Dolphin mixed with an Anglerfish. Sure, it looks light and fun to play with. But it also draws its prey close ready to pounce! Not letting go when it get a chance to play with it!

Free Market NYC WBG Score: 6/10 Player Count: 2-5 players You’ll like this if you like: Clans of Caledonia, Stockpile, Century Spice Road Published by: Unique Board Games LTD (UBG) Designed by: Izik Nevo A Free Market in New York? Seems unlikely! But it does exist in Board game form at least. You may have missed this one from Unique Board Games. Released in 2020, this game has flown well under the radar for a few reasons I expect. But I am going to park all pre-conceptions and just talk about the game itself. Which is really rather good. At its core. Free Market NYC is worker placement game with an interesting commodity speculation and action queue mechanic. And also with auction style nodding and area control! But we will come to that! You are playing as a business leader in the middle of the American great depression. Doing all you can to bring in trade and commerce to your home city. Make the most bucks and win the game! The era and city does not really shine through in the game, but the sense of business does. You feel close to the prices of goods and the moving markets. The feeling of building your economy is strong throughout and keeps your focus and attention. Its fun to try and beat the system. Buy low. Sell high. And this is all done in a very familiar ‘gamer-friendly’ way. Imagine playing Century Spice Road but being able to buy and sell the cubes. And the prices fluctuate throughout the game. Step-by-Step! At first glance, this game does appear quite complicated. The rule book and board look busy and intimidating to new players. But it can be learnt relatively quickly, an hour I would say. And taught in twenties minutes or so. It feels a lot at first to learn as there are 17 steps in each round. But this isn’t really the case. The first four steps are quick and more mechanical; more set-up in truth. And two of which you miss in round one anyway. And then the 13 steps after, well you can only choose to do three of these. So, in round one there are only five steps. There are a lot of available phases sure, but not a lot of things to do. Just a lot of choice. The rule book does not convey this clearly so it may seem intimidating and laborious if you assume as I did you need to go through 17 phases each round, but you don’t. I thought it important to clarify this. Like any worker placement game, this is what makes the game fun. You want to have choices and feel your selections make a significant difference to your overall success in the game. The strategies you employ should genuinely influence your game. So, in most worker placements you have a lot of choices. Just like this game. But usually, it is a map with multiple locations and you place your worker based on what you want to do. In Free Market, it is a line of actions you go through from left to right in a linear manner. This makes it feel more mechanic and perhaps less appealing. But this is just a assumption, not an actual feeling when you play. It looks complicated. It is less visually appealing than what most are used too. But it’s essentially the same thing as many other work placement games, just with more structure. I mention this as I think this is one major reason the game may not have been seen by as many people yet. If this was a more attractive modern looking board, and perhaps from a larger more well known publisher, I am confident this game would have sold a lot of copies. It doesn’t do the game any favours selling itself in this way. But if you can look past that and judge this game by its workings and not its cover, you may find a diamond in the rough. Substance over style! I appreciate aesthetics are a core part of the modern board game industry. But I bet you have a few games in your collection you would rate higher in terms on looks that actual gameplay? I know I do. Well, this is one I would suggest is the opposite. And that is fine for me. Style over substance can be disappointing. Substance over style can be rather joyful! As you move through the 17 stages of each round, one player will place a large blue meeple on each space to signify which phase is active. Each payer in order then has to decide what they are doing on these phases for the first four spots, and then if they want to do this phase on the next 13. As you can only pick three of these in round one, and in later rounds, generally only up to five, you will be missing out more than you will be choosing. This creates genuine tension, and excitement to the game. Most phases only allow one player to take the action. So, the fear for the first player to turn something down in order to open it up to the next players is a fantastic part of this game. Equally, the apprehension as the other players wait to see if the first player is going to block them from doing what they want is great to watch! Control your F.O.M.O.! The game levels this out too. The very first choice in the 13 optional steps is to get the first player token. And the final action is the ability to re-do any action from the previous 12. There are ways to control this F.O.M.O.! But its is there throughout, and builds up fantastically throughout the game, and is the core reason why the game is fun. Your core focus will be acquiring commodities at the best prices possible. And then selling them for the most profit. But each part of this has its own mechanic to make it feel unique and important. This has caused some reviewers to suggest this game feels like a miss-mash of mini games. I disagree with this strongly, as each phase moves very quickly and feels intrinsically linked. And importantly, they all work for each phase they are employed. Buy! Sell! For example, in the third phase, each player will bid in an auction style for the available crates (commodities) available at the shipyard. The minimum bid must be the cost price, but with all the market fluctuations available in the game, this could be well under the current re-sale value. You also have the ability through various means to influence and directly affect the market price in each round, both in and out of turn. This makes this part of the game feel exciting and very much alive. Just pulling random cubes would be lazy. Taking turns to take one wouldn’t seem genuine. Buying them in turn order would be dull. The auction phase works. And importantly, I see this as being closer to how it works in real life. So why not employ this in the game? Its quick, fun and feels realistic. Later in the round, when it comes to selling your products, you need to make sure you have a shop that sells this particular type of product and a truck to get it there. A roadblock could stop this and other players involvement in the ownership of that shop would affect your profits. This all feels very much how it would be in real-life. You couldn’t make this an auction like the purchase phase. It needs to be more area control and worker placement, so it is. Yes, this is a series of different mechanics, but they are all chosen for a reason. And they link up and feel right to me. Take control! If you can see this game for what it is, I think you will really enjoy it. You are the boss, controlling your workers. Each worker has a different role. And you need to think about the right way for your truck drivers, buyers, sellers and political ‘pole-greasers’ to all behave! If you can think like that, and could imagine yourself enjoying that, then this well could be a game you will enjoy a lot. If you cannot see past the board then I would suggest this is not for you. It is busy, and that is a shame, I think the designer wanted to make the game easier to understand with all the iconography laid two times for each phase, so players could read it no matter where they are sat round the table. Personally, I think this is not needed. You quickly learn each phase anyway, so I would argue you could remove all the icons. But I get why they are there. In short. This game is an excellent idea, perhaps not brilliantly executed considering the current aesthetic demands in the board game industry. But I wanted to feature it here as I think it serves as an excellent example of a game that is a lot better than it looks and one worthy of your consideration. For people who enjoy a crunchy euro, this may not matter as much anyway. But if you want the next Everdell, this is not for you. However, if you are a fan of economic/commerce building games that build up tension and employ interesting and varied mechanics, and can look past the aesthetics, you will not be disappointed.

By Ben Herbert - @athroneofgames Crypt of Chaos WBG Score: 6/10 Player Count: 1-2 players You’ll like this if you like: Tiny Epic Dingeons Sub Terra Clank! Published by: Crystal Dagger Games Designed by: Steven Shields Alone in the dark dungeon, I’ve been going deeper into the darkest depths for some time now and been able to equip myself with new weapons and armour. The earlier spiders and crypt crawlers were no match for me, but the Goblin Guard protecting the sword I was here to find put up a fight. I will need to find a potion of healing soon if I have any chance of defeating the Dragon which guards the exit to the crypt. That is if I ever find the key I need to escape! Every chest I open risks triggering another trap. Crypt of Chaos from Crystal Dagger games is a light, thematic, tile laying, dungeon crawler for one or two players that plays in about 30 minutes. Players take on the roll of one of six classic fantasy archetypes and explore the crypt on a mission to discover the Lost sword, find the key, and make their way to the exit alive. Many traps, obstacles, and monsters lie in the way of our champion, including a Dragon which guards the exit to the crypt. Set up of Sorcery Set up of this small box game is easy and done in a couple of minutes. Start with getting yourself a fairly decent sized table so you have space to build the crypt out in any direction. Select a champion from the six options available: Barbarian, Forest Elf, Mage, Warrior, Orc or Dark Elf. Take the appropriate number of health tokens, and take note of their base attack and defence score, plus any special ability the character may have. Next, stack the three levels of the dungeon deck to form a draw pile. Separate out all the other components such as the treasure cards, attack cards, health tokens, monster markers and pawns. Place the conveniently titled “Start here” floor tile in the in front of you and place your pawn on it. You are ready for the adventuring! Rules of Reckoning Each action you can do one of four things. There are no between turn phases to slow things down so you just keep taking actions one after the other. Explore – Take the top tile from the dungeon deck, flip it over, and place it adjacent to an existing tile and add any monster of treasure chest tokens. Placing two tiles with their entrances touching means your champion will be able to pass between them. You cannot place a floor tile beyond a tile that contains a living monster. Thematically this is because the monster is stopping you form exploring in that direction, so you must kill the monster to progress. Move – You can move your champion’s pawn onto any connected floor tile. But if there is a monster in any tile you stop at or want to pass through then you must fight it. If there is an obstacle in the way you cannot pass that tile without the correct equipment. Again, this simple approach to movement is thematic and keeps the action moving. I can imagine peeking around a corner, seeing a monster and then quietly back tracking to try to find another route. Fight – Combat is a case of flip the top card of your champion attack deck and add that number to your base attack and any bonus from your weapon. This is the amount of damage you do to the monster you are attacking. If you kill the monster with your first strike they are gone! But leave with them at least one health and they always get at least one retaliation on you. Again, flip the monster attack card, add that number to its base attack and do that amount of damage to your champion minus any defence bonus you may have. If you kill a monster, then flip the monster token over rather than remove it as (spoiler alert) they can sometime come back to life! Search – Your last option is to search a treasure chest. You flip over the chest token to reveal the item and put it in front of you as a reminder (if it’s good). A chest may contain a new weapon, adding to you attack score. Or you may find armour, adding to your defence bonus. With all the armour equipped I did feel a little overpowered as some weaker monsters didn’t have much of a chance against me. Other chests contain potions to heal you, but others contain traps dealing instant damage or bringing dead monsters back to life! Searching chests is essential to your progress in the game. Some contain the equipment you need to get past obstacles and others contain the sword and key you must find to complete the game. Variations of Vanquishing Crypt of Chaos can be played as a two player cooperative game with players taking it in turns to take actions. I like how you don’t share items so you have to both find and fight you own path. Then there is Chaos mode, what the rule book describes as a “faster and more difficult challenge”. Faster yes, but more difficult? In chaos mode the main difference is you have no treasure chests to search. You instead start with the eight items marked on your player card. These include a weapon, armour, a potion, the equipment to get past obstacles, and the sword and key. What makes a standard game tricky is haveing to search chests what you need. This means fighting monster and triggering traps. In chaos mode, you have everything you need. Admittedly you only get limited items but that is outweighed by the benefit of being able to bypass almost all the monsters. In chaos mode I twice reached the dragon having only fought three spiders (the weakest monster), and once I reached the dragon with all my health intact. Game play of…Gateways? If you haven’t guessed it yet, this game is very straight forward, read the rules once and you are good to go. There’s only issue, apart from a couple of spelling mistakes in the otherwise very readable rule book. The rules fail to mention that the sword you need is in a yellow chest, the key you need is in a purple chest and equipment is in the green chests. A vital detail when playing for the first time and deciding if you need to keep searching a certain colour. Crypt of Chaos does an excellent job of making a straightforward tile laying dungeon crawler feel thematic. Shall I fight that monster or should I turn back, maybe there’s something I need in the treasure chest, but maybe it’s a trap! As you progress through the dungeon you enemies get tougher, the risk/reward of searching chests increases and you can get dangerously close to death by the time you have what you need. The dragon at the end hits hard and has a lot of health to burn through. You better be ready, or very lucky! With six champions to choose from and a different dungeon layout every time, Crypt of Chaos is never the same twice. Saying that, I felt after a few games, although the dungeon layout changed, how I approached the game was the same every time. Components of Composting Component quality is good for its price point and will absolutely stand up to repeated plays. Graphic design is good and clear, but text is small in places. The art on the tiles and tokens is decent enough. The art used for the champions on the box and character cards is sadly generic. Good, original art can be expensive, so small publishers can keep costs down by not commissioning an artist. But it is undeniable that box art sells games and poor art risks losing sales. Hopefully if you are at the reading a review stage then you can let this issue slide. Final Thoughts of Fantasy Retorts I enjoyed my plays of Crypt of Chaos. I liked its quick set up and play time and I am a fan of it’s thematic dungeon crawl feel. I felt like I was making the decisions I would make if I were a real life fantasy adventurer. Crypt of Chaos makes a good filler. I’ve played it a lot in the evening after work when I want to play a game but don’t want to think about what I’m doing or spend much time setting up. It fits that remit perfectly. You do need to approach Crypt of Chaos knowing that luck plays a huge roll. You are making choices in the game but it is clear that for the most part, the outcome of the game is controlled by the order of the card draw. For this reason, this will not be the right game for some gamers. Play as efficiently as possible to reduce your risk and hope you draw the cards you need in a good order to stay alive and reach get what you need. Whether you win on not is largely out of your hands, but you will have fun finding out. The feeling of tension when both you and the monster you are fighting are down to their last couple of health point and everything rests on the flip of a card is intense. Crypt of Chaos is a game I have genuinely enjoyed playing and will continue to play after this review if written.

By @both_sides_of_my_table How is it at all possible to compile a top three? Ahhhhhh… so many games on my shelf. I could narrow it down to a top three per genre, perhaps. That would be an achievable task, for certain… well, a reasonably achievable task, at any rate. Maybe it is worth focusing on what most frequently hits my table, which, I must point out, does not necessarily reflect favour. It is more indicative of how my mood seems to change with the wind, and, when I having that gaming itch, that requirement of said itch getting a certain scratching. But so often my brain is on a go-slow, so my choice often turns out to be a less thinky game… but always with a soloish element. Ok… here goes. 1st choice: A Solo game - Gloom of Kilforth (Hall or Nothing Games) Gloom of Killforth regularly finds its way to the table, and is always in my ever changing top games list. I think that this is not only down to the great table presence, with its sumptuous art work, but also because it has so many throw-back elements to my late teen-hood with Fighting Fantasy books and D&D sessions with my old volleyball team mates. This high fantasy adventure/exploration game doesn’t really have much in the way of either within its gameplay, but has more of an essence of both. The imagination road trip that both FF and D&D created, can be unearthed once more with adventures in Kilforth Players may take on the role of a wide range of fantasy races, but each race is additionally paired with a trait/special characteristic lending the choice of character combinations not to be endless, but certainly hugely variable, pairing a multitude of interesting skill set and ability combinations. A personal favourite mechanic is the synergy between health and action points. Directly linked so that, let’s say, getting a black eye from an unruly Hobgoblin could impact on the number of actions for future turns and consequently forcing a well crafted strategy to be rapidly rethought. And thus we, the heroes, are forced to make difficult life choices. Jump into combat and run the risk of losing health and action points or bury one’s head in the sand and ignore everything…or even use the Hide ability to sneak upon or past risky situations. …did I Mention Gloom? …each turn a card is turned from the Night deck (and there is rarely anything nice to come out of it) rain, snow, gales, hail, more beasties and each card drawn from this night deck causes a location to fall into Gloom. So! I hear the cynics cry. So Gloom locations are so….Gloomy….they eat away at your health, making life that little bit more tricky to navigate through. It doesn’t stop there. Oh no! there are 25 locations and 25 Night cards. if, by the turn of the last night card (forcing the last location into gloom) Heroes have yet to dispatch the Ancient One, it’s good bye Kilforth. The land succumbs to the despicable influence of the Ancient being and Gloom doth spread all around. An excellent, and certainly during my games, a sphincter squeaking timer mechanic! There are so many nice little touches I’ve not even mentioned but I’m not about to do a How-to-play narrative, which is probably sensible considering the significant cock-ups I always seem to make…but that’s the beauty of solo play…there is only me, myself and I to witness such events. I, we, us…well, my whole collective found this thoroughly game entertaining with every play. It does look great, though A5 card size would be even better to see the art…mind you, that would need a football pitch to lay out the components, I’m guessing…but the gameplay is so engaging. It does take a little to get all the small rule details committed to memory, but to actually play, the brain isn’t forced into a melting cauldron of mechanics, modifiers, sodifiers and what ever elseifiers. It is straight forward, and in my case, leaves my brain to firstly enjoy the adventure, and secondly plan what needs to be done. It’s like living a Fighting Fantasy book or playing D&D but without the fuss. Now I’m a little more familiar with Kilforth and its inhabitants, I can make more informed choices about where I go to see a man about a dog…but, after an absolute shed load of plays, it has yet to become boring or predictable. In fact, I may move to Kilforth as some of the locations are much nicer to visit than my house. There is so much to do without being overwhelmed, but at the same time so little time to do it in. It’s such a fulfilling experience with so many varied encounters with all manner of local Kilforthian personalities and even after a crushing defeat against the Marquis just leaves me wanting a revisit. This is a perfect solution to my desire for solo adventuring. No DM required but all the thrills and spills I remember from my youth…playing D&D, that is, as my youth was pretty uneventful…except spilling things quite often. 2nd Choice: A Cooperative Game- Perdition’s Mouth (Dragon Dawn Productions) Some concise-ish scribblings about the game: Thematically this is undeniably immersive. There has been significant attention to detail in story line, scenarios, adventure background and makeup of each hero. But fancy pants graphics and dark brooding illustrations maketh not a game. Ah, but what does stamp its authoritative boot heavily upon the thematic immersion category is the way the game actually plays out. There is an interesting use of the rondel system to facilitate and dictate hero actions, there is a similar and equally clever rondel to govern movement/actions of all the Cultists and Insectoids (which really lends itself to a hassle free solo game where we can focus on our role whilst the game takes care of its own) The mechanics governing players boards, their actions and the way wounds are acquired….and stay with a character for the entirety of a campaign is another excellent touch, breathing a fresh breath of life into the game genre. I pick but just a small smattering of game elements, because there are so many subtle mechanics built into this game breeding a clever life-force into gameplay. There is a feel of old-school D&D rolplay but without the mither of character score sheets or tracking wounds (as each hero’s unique action deck quickly becomes cluttered with wound and ailment cards from something as trivial as a snuffly nose to, terminal piles, to broken legs and worse, a mild shaving rash…(*I made these up for humorous effect, I have to add, before some astute hardcore Perdition player points out I am a total buffoon) But I would imagine completing a level battered and bruised, that even if my broken leg healed, it would still hamper me in the future. There is such a need for all characters, whether played by a soloist or coop players, to constantly support and pool resources. These subtle touches of realism are qualities that pull together to make this an incredible, immersive game experience. It is so much more than merely scurrying from room to room, killing beasties and pinching all their hard-earned loot. I was supremely impressed with some of the many small mechanical elements of this game when I had it explained at UKGE 18, by designer, Timo. So many things that ought to but usually don’t appear in this nature of game, and I was also won over by Timo’s enthusiasm for his game. Asked to review it, I was supremely honoured and was excited all the way home after that eventful con. When it came down to playing the game, I felt a little unsure. Was it going to play as well as I hoped. Would I like the gameplay, would I understand what was trying to be achieved? During the first scenario (the easy introduction to the game) I felt there was a lot to remember and things were not as straight forward as I first imagined. I struggled on to the end and things did speed up a little but I started to doubt the game. …but after clarifying a couple of rules that I was unsure of, game two started much better. More game mechanics were introduced in this scenario, and then…all of a sudden things really started to click into place…it became apparent why teamwork was so important, why planning potential moves in advance was important (not just next move but where we would be on the rondel several turns ahead). The game, even on easy mode, is set to punish us dreadfully. However, looking at how we utilise our character’s best assets to their full potential, how we use aid and when we decide to tackle an enemy, or when we just lure an enemy in to block their line of sight to our other heroes, suddenly all those small elements fell nicely into place. This really is not about slash and bash dungeon crawling, as so many on the market are. It is more about thinking and planning. Working together (when playing with others, or, as my case proves, arguing with my self as I play solo with all three characters), planning, puzzle solving and drawing upon our heroes’ strengths all made perfect sense. This is what Perdition’s Mouth is actually about. Ok we can acquire some snazzy gear to help us and we do develop some nice action combinations, but it is still about teamwork. Injuries immediately cause us inconvenience. We become less strong, slower and, if poisoned by those blowpipe guards, we lose action points for being poisoned. A realism reflected in game play that is brilliant…but the brilliance doesn’t stop there….oh, no. As this is a campaign style of game, allowing us to navigate our heroes from one level to the next, it is amazing to discover our illness, wounds and ailments follow us from level to level. Each card drawn for wounding gets added to our hero action deck. This clutters up our hand (not unlike Mage Knight) but the cards have negative effects either in our hand or once played. I really like this element of the game. If we were at death’s door in an adventure, why would we make a miraculous recovery for our next adventure? We wouldn’t! And this is accurately reflected as we take our hero deck from game to game, slowly swelling with many a hurty hurty! This is not a quick dungeon crawl fix game. There will be no instant ratification. This is a long, extended affair (weather in one gigantic setting or over several saved sessions) which demands our full attention from start to finish. If we take our eye off the game for one minute a certain substance is likely to hit the fan! It is rather heavy as a game but my goodness its a bloody brilliant one. As we progress from level to level, it is at this point the game really start to shine. After game two…I just wanted to get on to game three (sadness filled the camp as Ollie died…it was expected as I had not performed well as her guardian…her wounds were two plentiful… curse you, you Gloom of Kilforth cross over wound card!) but it is possible to bring new heroes into the group between levels so all was not a total loss. All in all a gigantic game with so many scenarios (playable as a campaign or as stand alone). It’s always a thrill to get it to the table. 3rd Choice: Death on The Rails (2d6EE games) A rather understated wargame set in a turbulent part of Estonia’s history…the time independence was fought for in 1918 against an oppressive Russian rule. This is a block and hex wargame for two players…so why on earth feature it on BSoMT? Well, designer Aigar is currently battling his way through the complexities of developing a set of solo rules for a game of hidden objectives, hidden placement and area control. The progress will, of course, be brought to you as it develops. In the meantime I shall endeavour to share how this plays for two players… and if it is, in fact, worth developing into a solo war game at all. It has to be said that a wargame, even one with beautiful sculptured miniatures, will have an element of abstraction about it. As such, it could be argued that any war game could not be a truly immersive experience… however, I feel I must counter argue that point with DoTR. There are a significant number of small elements/mechanics that come together to recreate a combat simulation with a surprising degree of realism to support my case. I will touch on some of these below including movement, combat and the use of block counters, all representing but a smattering of the various complexities facing forces in both this game and on the real field of conflict. This is a surprisingly simple game but hidden beneath the facade are some rather appealing mechanics that make this a pleasure to play. I don’t wish to bore anyone with the entire where’s and why-for’s so I shall, instead, pick the elements I find most appealing to share with you…mind you, the list is still quite extensive • Movement: Movement is simple. A unit can move from one area to another during each move action… but as the board is divided into hexes, how does that work, I hear you asking in an unceremoniously disgruntled fashion. Areas are actually single or multiple hexes. Usually thick vegetation, trees and the like are represented by a single hex where as clear open ground could be three hexes linked with a common border. So movement on terrain needs no further modifiers…if in wooded areas, a unit is limited to the wooded hex it stumbles into, where as a unit sprinting across open ground may pass from a three-hex area to another three-hex area, realistically covering more ground…but obviously leaving said unit open to be fired upon from opponents. The hexes are also large…very large, so there is not the sorts of complication found in other titles where stacking units has to be a huge tower of tokens or square tokens that overlap the hex making adjacent units misalign with each other. Simple, straight forward and also indicative of a more skirmish-sized conflict (but a unit block is not a single troop so this is by no means a one for one skirmish game) • Line of sight: A node system has been used to aid line of sight. A dot located in the centre of each hex is used to establish line of sight. A straight line from point to point accurately established contact and does away with any ambiguity. It is also important to note that these nodes are also indicators used when establishing stacking of units. As mentioned in movement, areas can be from one to three hexes in size. Counting the dots within an area quickly indicates the stacking limits imposed for that area. • Combat System: Possibly the simplest but most realistic mechanic in the game, from my perspective, is the way in which combat has been handled. The number upmost on a Units face is the number of dice to be rolled both for offensive and defensive operations… both sides roll their respective dice and sort them into ascending numerical order. Then both sides compare their results. Highest pip count from each side compares to highest pip count. If, for example, we have a (5) and our opponent’s highest die is a (4) then there is one win to us. We work our way down the descending value die until all are compared (no dice present equates to a zero score) and so which ever side finishes with the highest number of victories becomes the combat winner. The loser then takes a step loss to their participating block unit. Support units can help alter the value of low pipped die but the nice feature is that all the dice are like a series of fire exchanges and during a single battle the end result is just a single step loss to the wooden block. In reality many men may have been injured or killed but a unit would remain intact, just being less effective or strong for future engagements. And so it is with the block units in the game. Unlike some wargames where tokens are very quickly diminished and removed, there is a greater longevity to troops and their engagement. For me this gives a great scale to conflict. A big dice-fest battle but the end result is just a weakening of opposition’s units and truly creates a wonderful feeling of engagement without fear of “the luck of the roll” overly affecting the outcome. • Hidden Objectives: A card is drawn and, dependant on the scenario, numbers are allocated in secret to each side referencing the Objective tokens on the board ( be it a building to occupy or wood to chop down or latrine hole to dig and fill up…or any manner of made up reasons to get to the specified token) • Hidden Action Points: Planning our actions is all well and good when we know just how many we have during a turn to achieve a certain goal but when we don’t know how many we have at our disposal, life becomes a little more complex. The opponent turns over the top action card and keeps the action (red) number secret. The active player, us in this case, will carry out an action (be it a move or shoot or what ever) then our opponent will indicate if we have another action point available…and so we continue using action points until the number on the card is reached. At this point we end our turn but may, at this point, have failed to achieve as much as we really wanted to achieve. as in real conflict situations, we can plan in advance but unforeseen circumstances can hinder our progress and this is nicely replicated by hidden action points. • Initiative & Action points: leading on from the action points, the Initiative track plays a significant role in the to-and-fro of war. let’s say we start a turn on the (2) initiative square. if we use (3) Action points, this will move from (2) initiative on our side to the (1) initiative space on the opponent’s side and the Active player role is swapped. However, if we were, say, on initiative space (3) and were unfortunate enough to only have (2) action points…well the Initiative would move towards the opponent but still be on our side (n the (1) space. As we end our turn with the Initiative still in our favour, joy of all joys, we get to have a second Action card drawn for us..which is not to shabby at all. GREAT for us as we could end up with (5) or more actions and the need to think quickly to wisely utilise the extra actions. In a similar fashion, there is a Reactive Fire that can be taken by an opponent at our moving troops. why do they get a fee shoot?…hah, well, it is not so simple. If the opponent does use Reactive Fire, the initiative track is moved in our favour thus adding to the potential of us being able to draw a second Action card I’m not a really big wargamer, as such, but I do like the history and the simplicity of this game, and despite its simplicity, it still provides an arena for highly strategic warfare… and I now have in my possession, an early draft of the solo rules with a first solo scenario…(writted with words and such, on authentic 1918 replica paper). So, testing of the solitary rules began…and, if my first couple of games were anything to go by, they will soon become a reality for the production copy, opening up the Estonian War of Independence to soloists everywhere…I hope. Exciting times ahead, me thinks. Giles Pound

By Morgan Coulter @coffeeandcooperation Once upon a time, gaming in public was something you could do without thinking twice about it. But after a year of a global pandemic, we’re all missing our favorite local game spots. Whether it’s a game cafe, a coffee shop or a brewery, we all have somewhere we like to hang out and “waste” an afternoon. While there’s still so much that’s closed, my favorite local brewery is now open (with plenty of guidelines in place to keep you safe!) and it’s been such a joy to escape my house for an afternoon, drink a Cherry Cobbler Sour, and GAME. Here’s a few tried and true games that have become staples for us while at the brewery. These are games that are compact, don’t have a lot of components, and are easy to learn but a blast to play. Let’s check them out! 1. Love Letter by Z-Man Games. This game has become a favorite of ours. It consists of only a small deck and a few tokens that help you keep track of the winner each round. In Love Letter, you’re attempting to win the heart of the princess by having the highest value card at the end of the round, or by simply being the last person left in the game. It’s incredibly simple; draw a card, play a card. But it’s a good amount of luck and guess work, and is always a blast. We’ve found that this works really well at two-player (although it goes up to 6 player!) And if you’re with a group of friends, check out Marvel Infinity Gauntlet. It’s the same concept, but is set in the Marvel World. We enjoy that one with a higher player count though, so we tend to pick Love Letter when there’s just two of us. 2. The Bears and the Bees by Grandpa Becks Games. This is a beautiful card game in which you’re building a hive with cards from your hand. You can match your cards by color or by using a wild (honey!) But be careful, bees can produce extra cards for you and bears can tend to mess up the whole hive. First one to get rid of all their cards wins! This game is incredibly simple to learn; you can dive in within minutes of hearing the rules. There is advanced game play for those looking for a challenge, and it plays with up to 5 players so it’s another great option if you’re out with friends. Since it only consists of the deck of hexagon shaped cards, there’s hardly any set up at all. 3. Trash Pandas by Gamewright. This is a hysterically fun game in which you and your opponents are collecting trash and stashing away food (and shiny objects!) It’s a push your luck game based on a single die. Each round you roll the die, trying to get different actions. Once you get the same action twice you’ve busted and lose your turn. (Unless you have a card to help out!) The game consists of a deck of cards, one die, and 6 tokens so it’s perfect for a table crowded with food and drinks. And we all know that push your luck games are even more fun when you’ve had a beer! 4. Railroad Ink by Horrible Guild. This game has been a new obsession in our house after meeting with friends via Zoom to play this every Saturday. In Railroad Ink, you’re rolling dice with railroad tracks, roads and stations on them, and attempting to connect them all together! This is a brilliant game. Each game feels unique, and it’s all because of what comes up on the dice. This is a great game at any number. It’s one of my favorites to play solo, and as long as everyone’s got a board there’s no limit to the number of people that can join in! And with only boards, pens and dice it’s another great compact game for when you’re out and about. 5. Metro X by Gamewright. Another favorite roll and write, in Metro X you’re attempting to visit as many stations as you can on a subway map. But watch out! Tracks cross and every station has to be visited. You’ll soon find yourself with gaps in the line that need to be filled, but will you get the card you need to fill it? Metro X is for 1-6 players, and only consists of boards, markers and a deck of cards. Everyone that I have played this game with absolutely loves it, whether or not they’re gamers. It’s addicting and after every game you want to start again because you’re convinced you can do better! As the world begins to re-open, head back out to your favorite gaming location and enjoy your afternoon! Test out one of these games, and make sure to let me know what games you love to play when you’re out and about!

by @favouritefoe Interview with Andreas Steiger With the world marking the first anniversary of Lockdown, board game designer, Andreas Steiger, has noted the occasion in his own way by releasing a free print and play addition to his two-player worker placement game, Targi (2012, published by Kosmos Games UK). Hi Andy! Thanks for chatting with me today. Having done a little research, our board gaming backstories have something rather unusual in common – childbirth! I used a board game to help me with anxiety during pregnancy, and you jumped into board gaming proper when your wife was finding your usual hobbies too exhausting when carrying your first child (which I understand completely!). Had it not been for your wife, do you think you would have discovered your passion for playing and designing board games? If it was not for my wife’s pregnancy, I don’t think I would have discovered board games in the same way. Even though I played as a child with my mother on Sunday afternoons, and later as a teenager playing Uno and Settlers of Catan with friends, these experiences did not turn me into a hobby gamer. I even worked in a shop which also sold some board games but still I didn’t jump in! The main driving force was the desire to spend quality time with my wife, and it has stuck. Great to hear that you are still enjoying board games together. So, for those who aren’t familiar with Targi, how would you describe it? On Boardgamegeek, a member once wrote that Targi is a game that feels like dancing tango.... in a phone booth! 😊 To me, that describes the feel of the gameplay perfectly. It is a very tight worker placement game for two players, where every move has a huge impact on the round. Haha! That is exactly how it feels to me when I play with my husband – exquisitely, sand-in-your-pants uncomfortable haha! I will say right here that I am a huge Targi fan. It is practically everything I want in a tense, tight, two player game, and the worker placement model is very unique. Even now, nothing seems to come close in terms of the way in which players’ pieces intersect. Did you come up with the placement formula first and then design a game around it, or was the way in which the workers intersect a means of making the other elements work together? I am very happy that you like Targi! The worker placement formula came first. I like board games which offer players a lot of decisions within a simple rule set. Also, as a big fan of worker placement (WP) games generally, I definitely wanted to use that mechanism in my own design. In a classic WP game, the placement of one worker normally gives the players one action or resource. The decision/action is therefore resolved the moment you choose and take that one spot. My design goal was to add another layer of decision making, so that one choice would not only effect that action but two or more at the same time. My first idea in Targi was to work with just rows of cards, so that if you placed a worker somewhere on a given row, you could claim those cards for yourself. Going further with this idea, I decided it would be even better if you could claim a row and a column to the exclusion of your opponent. But the moment I saw how the grid could actually work using my intersection mechanism, the game really started to shine. Suddenly, you could potentially claim cards within a row or column for yourself. But then only one or two cards at most, and only if able to place your second and third workers in the precise spots you needed. Not knowing whether you have secured the cards you want until all 6 workers are down is intense! Added to that desire to pick spots in order to secure the best goods and tribe cards in the middle, players must also work out which bonuses/actions they actually want or need through their choice of border cards, adding another tense, sometimes contradictory, decision! Ooft - tangoing in a phone booth indeed! 😊 Targi could be considered quite a “mean” game by some gamers, though, in terms of the restrictions placed upon each player by not only their opponent but also the game itself via raids and the Robber. Where did the desire for that double layered challenge come from? I like to face challenges in games and work out how to overcome them. People tend to add in extra obstacles and target into the things they do for fun. Bowling is a great example. There, the basic goal of the game is to knock down all the pins. But if that was all there was to it, the best way to do it would be to walk over and kick them down with your feet. BY requiring the use of the bowling ball, there is suddenly an obstacle for the player to overcome and that is the fun part. Same with golf. The fun comes in trying to hit the ball into the hole using the club, not just getting the ball in the hole by any means. It is the obstacles which make things interesting and the same principle works for board games. It feels satisfying if you are able to pull off a great move in a tricky game. And in Targi, it feels great when you secure the spots and the resources you need to get what you want, because it is so challenging. I’m not sure I would find golf as much fun as board gaming (haha!) but that makes sense! You have previously said that Kosmos Games were excited about Targi from the beginning, presumably in part, because of how well balanced the game is. What inspired you to design the expansion in 2016 which introduced new elements? Since I still liked to play Targi with my wife more than our other games, I was constantly thinking about new tribe cards for the game. For the two of us really – to keep the game fresh. Did you worry that it might dilute the tension which makes Targi stand out as such a tight, crunchy game? Over time I had lots of new ideas which started to go further than just designing new tribe cards, so I went with it. Balancing those new elements in the expansion with the existing gameplay was quite challenging, because, as you kindly mentioned, the base game is very balanced. Knowing that it was essential to keep that tension, I tried to maintain balance by making some parts harder, like the new raids. But at the same time, making other things a little easier, like the Targia who gives you an extra bonus when you visit her space. The new sand dune cards also balance themselves by being very strong but then also removing one intersection point on the main board. Speaking of new cards, in response to the stress brought about by the imposition of lockdown during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, you kindly designed an alternative free set of edge cards. One year later, with the world still facing serious social restrictions, you have generously provided a further set with yet more tweaks to the original game play (both available here). Do you think the way we currently play games will influence designers like you with solo play, lower player counts, and zoom friendly game play being prioritised over other more traditional considerations? Yes, I think the pandemic has changed the board game world and many designers have already started implementing those features in response. I think it is good that designers and publishers are keeping games accessible to play in changing times. But I also really hope that the traditional ways of playing will still be also available again in the future. Given the choice, I think still the best way to play a board game is to come together around a table and spent time with each other. Gamers are definitely missing that physical interaction, and it is a blessing that some of us have another willing player or two at home. Now that your children are older, do you enjoy more family based board gaming or do you still prefer competitive two player games? My wife and I still play board games regularly as a couple at least two or three times a week. This remains very precious quality time for us and I believe it always will be. We also play a lot with our kids as family but with them we play a lot of cooperative games, since my youngest son likes those the most. In the almost decade since Targi was published, have you ever been tempted to design another game? I am first and foremost a board gamer and only secondly a game designer. I had the time and urge to design Targi mainly because my wife, who was my inspiration for the game and my main gaming partner, was too exhausted to play after the birth of our first son. But I have worked on other designs here and there. Other brutally clever 2 player games or, now that you have a family, ones for a higher player count? With Targi everything just fell in place perfectly. I often joke that we need to have another child, so that I will be more focused on designing games instead of playing them! Most of my prototypes are two player games, since this is such an important player count for me. Wow! Having another child would be true commitment to the board gaming hobby! Haha Will you be marking the 10 year anniversary of Targi’s publication in any way? A sequel, perhaps? 😊 Haha well I will be very pleased to see Targi being enjoyed by new and existing board gamers after all these years! I did have an idea for a special ten year special edition for Targi, adding in the new border cards, tokens and other bits, and maybe the promo tokens of the 2015 board game advent calendar too, but I will have to have a chat with my editor about that! If we do it though, I’ll let you know! Would you ever consider collaborating on a design, or would that require giving up too much control in the creative process? I would love to try teaming up with other designers although my computer skills are not the best. I would definitely be interested if another designer lived close enough such that we could meet regularly in person and flesh out some ideas though. Maybe I should get my sons onboard. :-) Well that is a tempting offer to all designers based in Southern Germany, I am sure! If you could have designed any other game apart from Targi, which game would it be and why? Monopoly, so I could have made a better version of it 😉 Joking aside, I am a very big fan of the game Orleans and the bag building mechanic. It is so clever how, if I decide to take another knight now, that decision will change many future turns as well. I love it. So definitely Orleans (although Castles of Burgundy would be a close contender as that is another of my favourite games). One last question just for fun, if I may; if you could play a board game with anybody (real or fictional), who would it be, what game would you play, and (perhaps most important of all!) what snacks would you choose? 😊 This is such a hard question to answer! Since I want to spread the love of boardgames to as many people as possible, I feel like I should pick a very influential person in the hope that I can convert them and then they can then help grow the hobby. Hmmmm..... I am going to I choose Walt Disney because then many board games could then be featured in his books and films! Game wise, I think I would play Patchwork with Walt because it is easy to teach but is such a big design in a small box, and it is, of course, a two player game. As for snacks, I would have to choose something that Walt would not confuse with the buttons of the game, so I would go with popcorn. You can´t go wrong with popcorn. Plus, it has a little cinematic touch, which can never be a bad idea when you play with a film maker. :-) Safety first. I like that! Andy, thank you so much for letting me get to know more about the talent behind Targi. It has been really interesting to find out about the inspiration behind one of my own personal favourite board games, and I am really looking forwards to seeing what the future has in store for you (new baby included! Haha)

Rajas of the Ganges: The Dice Charmers WBG Score: 8.3/10 Player Count: 2-5 players You’ll like this if you like: Rajas of the Ganges Thats Pretty Clever Published by: HUCH! Designed by: Inka Brand, Markus Brand Roll and write games have taken the modern hobbyist board game industry by storm. This type of game has erupted in popularity and now there are roll and write or flip and fill versions of bigger heavier games as well as games designed that way from the off. The appeal of the roll and write is obvious, it is a quick fix game which satisfies the need to play a game when time and space is tight. Although originally light, quick roll the dice and scribble on your paper affairs, this genre has like the rest of the industry evolved in complexity. Now you can have three sheets and each die does ten different things, with rulebooks as long as many “board” games. These are less component heavy than their big sister board games, but they certainly aren’t lacking in the thinking department. Gameplay The original Rajas of the Ganges is a big box medium weight Euro game in which you place workers to gain resources and develop your kingdom to maximise your riches and fame and win. The Dice Charmers uses a colourful sheet and eight custom dice to recreate the atmosphere and theme of the big box game but in a small box with a low price tag and in about 20 minutes. This game is all about managing your gap. Which sounds like an innuendo but I promise it is not! The sheet has two tracks that run round the edge, one is the money track, and the other is the fame track. The aim of the game is to move along these tracks and the winner is the first to get them to overlap. It is easier to ramp up collecting silver coins and progressing along the money track, but the jumps on the fame track are larger. You can collect only one of two fame in a turn but close your gap more than if you got 4 or 5 money. And herein lies the major gameplay feature of The Dice Charmers, which is increasingly agonisingly difficult decisions. Want to Feel Clever? I Do! Anyone who has read my reviews knows I love a combo move, mostly because I like to feel clever. It was what initially hooked me on Rummikub, the ability to think of how to get all your tiles out by dismantling and reordering the board. Rajas of the Ganges The Dice Charmers tickles that same fancy. During The Dice Charmers, you will be drafting a die from the pool and carrying out the action associated with that icon. This might be as simple as collecting some resources, it might be building a road out from your palace to collect fame, sell goods and perhaps even progress on the river. Taking a pink die will allow you to collect the depicted resources and circle them for later sale. The pink die is one of the least powerful, but without resources to trade, your money gaining ability is seriously hampered. So the pink dice are still important. Taking a blue die as your draft will let you progress to the next icon that is shown from the furthest point travelled so far. This may be a long way further down the river, or could be the next available spot. Progressing on the river gives you a smorgasbord of opportunities. The rewards are high on the river, trouble is you can only go forwards, so leaping to the end of the river early may well come with some issues later as you find your options closed off. Green dice let you build bits of road, these will gain you fame, and sometimes extra juicy benefits too. These cause my brain to hurt a touch as you want to ensure you get as many benefits with every turn which can cause a little of the AP devil to rear its ugly head. Each of your turns feels so important and choosing a die and carrying out the best possible action every time can be quite the mind bending exercise. You can take aid by selecting one of the orange dice and taking a Palace Action. These are my favourite actions because they have the capacity to be so powerful. Each of the palace people allows you to do a different thing, and the Great Mogul lets you choose what to go for. I can never resist his face when it appears in the dice tray. Who Doesn’t Love Pointless Extra Cool Components? Like in most games where you are drafting from a central pool, there is an advantage to having first pick. You are able to select from all those rolled. There is an additional advantage bestowed upon the first player in this game though, when you pick your die, the die of the same colour is placed upon the elephant and cannot be chosen by your opponent. The elephant is a hark back to the original big box game, totally superfluous and beautiful and I am totally here for it. Like the evertree in Everdell, you must build it as part of setup and dismantle as part or tear down. But do I care? Nope, because that thing is cute and completely unnecessary and yet I won’t play without it! But Saggyhead, Where is the Balance? What is not to like? Just like in the big box game, the Dice Charmers is bright and colourful, and the score sheet is pretty complex for a roll and write. The sheet is yes colourful, but it is also pretty cramped. There are a lot of rules to take on initially in order to start your first game. This is more a “learning game teach” than it is a “teach first in five mins and then play competitively” game. Initially for the first couple of games, you will likely feel quite out of your depth as you watch your opponent pull a sweet combo move where they cross off five things, and you manage a paltry collect two resources with your turn. For me though, this is part of the charm. The chase to try and pull the most outstanding move. Round-Up The Dice Charmers is freely available presently on yucate for you to try out. This implementation is well executed and will let you see what I mean about the 'combo-tastic-ness' of this thinky roll and write. If you like it, then perhaps like me you will add it to your wishlist.

By @favouritefoe Jim.Gamer: “What are your top 3 games of all time?” Favouritefoe: “3? Of all time? Eh?” 1.2.3 No. No. No. Every synapse is firing. Every chemical is rushing. Every heartbeat is thudding. Jim’s question overwhelms me. Suffocates me. Like drowning in warm yogurt, the sharp tang of inquisition is hidden beneath layers of sweet, enticing temptation. You see, anxiety is a sticky, tricky beast on the best of days. Faced with alienating 99% of the cardboard inhabitants on my Kallax in a single feature, the doubt dragon is licking my face and clicking its claws along to King Midas in Reverse, anticipating my abject failure. Can I wriggle free or should I just sink under the weight of responsibility? Can I lawyer this situation and find a loop-hole or, and just for the sake of playing Devil’s advocate, can I give an answer? Now, Jim is a kind man but one not to be crossed when it comes to rules. As such, I am gearing up for fight rather than flight. Favouritefoe v decision. Excuses locked away for another day, Queensbury rules be damned. Getting three games locked down is going to be a dirty, street brawl but I will take the hits. I will succeed. And if I don’t. I’ll try again. #3: Targi Thames & Kosmos (2012) Targi has affectionately been described to me as a “marriage tester”. Having revealed my own sandy shenanigans here on WBG when playing it with my husband, I can see their point! This game is a crushingly competitive duel in the desert. It is everything I want in a two player tussle. It also has one of the most unique euro, worker placement mechanisms I have come across in my board gaming journey. For anybody who hasn’t played, armed with only three meeples each, the race is on for players to trade goods and build 4 x3 tableaus of tribe cards which reward victory points as well as in-game and end-game bonuses. But Targi is an exercise in latex-pants-level tightness when it comes to game play. Choices are not only restricted by your opponent, but also by the game itself; the “robber” and the circumscribed moves working together to force difficult, determinative decisions and trade-offs from the very first move. This game is so exquisitely tense that it makes my analysis paralysis slap me up sideways. It is a boa-constrictor in cardboard box form. But I love it. I love the way my husband’s eyebrow arches when he places his meeples, take-that style. I love the way I ball my fists when he takes the one tribe card he knows I want – looking casual but as a consequence of cold, hard calculation. And, whilst I may not be able to look at him as the dust settles over our final scores, once the box has been packed away, we are laughing and plotting our next Saharan showdown on the ceiling, Queen’s Gambit style! Ultimately, Andreas Steiger has designed a game which is sand-in-your-sandwiches crunchy, and I have never been happier to have my brain exfoliated from the inside out. Chatting with him on Instagram recently, I unashamedly pleaded with him to bring out a sequel to this Tuareg tour de force. On that basis, if you see Targi Two appearing on Thames & Kosmos’ release sheet any time soon, you’re welcome 😉 #2 Calico Flatout Games and AEG Cats, quilts, claws! Calico is a game of purrrrfect proportions which captivated me from the moment I pulled the beautiful, chunky components from their box. Having waxed lyrically about this game before, it encapsulates so many of my favourite board game elements; tile laying, abstract strategy, personal objectives, hate drafting, and, ultimately, a puzzle to be solved. Denied the honour of giving dominion over our humble abode to a superior, feline auto-cat, I indulge my own predilection for pussy cats through Calico. A task made magnificently simple thanks to beautiful artwork by the talented illustrator, Beth Sobel. But whilst this game may look cute and cuddly, underneath that cosy quilt lies a sharp puzzle which is as adaptable as the mood of the player(s) in front of it. If I am feeling like an all-out cat fight, this game allows me to hate-draft my opponents into oblivion. But on days when I want company without interference, it works almost like a multiplayer solitaire, each of us focusing on the process of picking and placing tiles in a shared meditation. The attention to detail in the design follows through into its comprehensive solo campaign. Here, I lose myself as often and for as long as I need in order to find myself again. Practising my own skills in balancing options and decision making without time pressure. Reaping the rewards of placement commitment through myriad buttons, kittens, as well as achieving an overall sense of calm. Although it was a close call between Azul Summer Pavilion and Calico for a place in my top 3, the ability to set the cat amongst my anxiety disorder pigeons solo style means that this game will always hold a podium position. #1 Welcome To Railroad Ink Metro X No??? Oh ok, it was worth a try. No.1. Numero uno. First place. Top dog. Eep. Alright. Here goes. #1 Railroad Ink Confession time: board gaming is my hard-core addiction. Although I am only a year into the hobby proper, I am an all-in, badge wearing, super fan and I have no intention of going clean. I need a hit every few hours or I start to get the shakes. In another lifetime, I might have space and time to set out large sprawling immersive games, dipping in and out whenever the itch starts. For now, however, that sweet gaming serving has got to be fast and it’s got to be satisfying. Hit me hard. Hit me now! A phone app is ok as a snack. Likewise, an online battle can be a bigger bite. But they’re no cardboard candy. What really gets my board game pulse quickening and my palms itching for a fix is a good roll and write. And this new generation are a breed apart. Fleet the Dice Game, Cartographers, Rajas The Dice Charmers, Troyes Dice……even On Tour. These aren’t fluff pieces. These are big games parading in portable, colourful, versatile form. They have strategy, they have crunch, and they can stand on their own merits. No longer mere flip and fill-ers between more meaty mouthfuls. But, having established my lust for all things laminated, deciding which one would I play over and above all others and other games generally was an excruciating exercise. For example, Metro X, a game where you have to cross off stations on subway lines, has a special place in my collection. It has been the beginning of beautiful gaming friendships; the recommendation, the anticipation, the playing, and the reflection all forming the basis of enduring human connections. Likewise, Welcome To Your Dream Home, where you take on the role of architects building out a fantasy town, was an exercise in trust between myself and a friend, and has proven to be the best shelf-of shame surprise ever. The variety, accessibility, and replayability of that flipping brilliant game (not to mention the numerous expansions) makes it one I can see me keeping forever. Notwithstanding these worthy contenders, however, one game in particular rose to the top. Because of its place as the first game in my hobby collection. Because of its versatility and accessibility. Because of the special, magical moments shared between us on loud days and lighter nights, my heart will always beat faster for Railroad Ink. This unsuspecting little puzzle about making roads and railways has captivated me and, as my love letter to it reveals, this is an affair without end.

For our full review head here. Or carry on to the preview and interviews with Jamey and Alex. After Jamey Stegmaier announced Red Rising, the latest release from Stonemaier Games, I was instantly fascinated in this project. The world of Red Rising is new to me but seems very appealing. I ordered the books the game is based on instantly and am currently enjoying book two. Jamey read the books when they first came out back when he was making Scythe. He quickly decided he wanted to bring the dystopian world created by author Pierce Brown to life. With the IP rights secured, and Scythe on the shelves, Jamey set to work. After four failed prototypes, Jamey reached out to the community via this video. Several people sent ideas to Jamey, but none of them suited the game Jamey wanted to publish. But later, after a game of Fantasy Realms with friend Alex Schmidt, Jamey finally found the mechanic he wanted to base the game on. And the two set apart to finish what Jamey had previously started. And now, the game is done and only weeks away from being available via the Stonemaier webstore. And look at it! It's beatiful! Jamey has been releasing new information about the game daily on the Facebook group for Red Rising, but I was left with a of questions. First, I spoke with Jamey about the history behind this project, why he decided to make two versions of this, and his thoughts on his translation of the book into a game. Jamey has such a humble approach to the industry and I enjoy delving into his thoughts behind his work. Having published one of the most important games of the last decade, Wingspan; a lot of expectation comes with every Stonemaier release. I feel that ways heavy on Jamey, especially after Tapestry and Pendulum. Two games we love here at WBG. But games that received mixed reactions from the community due in part, to the commercial success of Wingspan. People thought Tapestry was somewhat overproduced with the beautiful pre-painted miniatures included in the game making the price point too high. And in reaction to this, Pendulum was then seen as under produced, the plastic meeples receiving most negative attention. It is hard to please everyone! But in truth, there is no need, simply as it cannot be done. But I sense Jamey was hurt by some of the comments around Tapestry and Pendulum. The bigger names receive higher levels of criticism. They certainly get more coverage, so more people share their opinions. Success brings levels of expectation. But crucially as Stonemaier only release one to two games a year, it is more of an event and seems to attract more extreme opinions. There are a few duds from the genius that is Knizia (Clickbait? Really Doc?) But as he makes so many games, people seem to give him a free pass. (And rightly so by the way!) But true to form, Jamey has come back smiling with Red Rising; offering a solution to previous complaints. A collector’s edition for those who liked Tapestry’s beautiful production and a regular version, offering all the same game play, but with a lower price point. It is a delicate dance this, but one I hope receives praise from the community as the game sounds great. Jamey does not ignore fans and refuse to change policy. There is no “get your missing parts from where you bought them” stance here. In Jamey, the community has someone who is clearly very passionate, talented, humble and eager to develop his own skills. I for one cannot wait to play Red Rising and see what else Jamey develops over his career. But enough from me, let’s hear what Jamey has to say… We then spoke with Alex, Director of Sales at Stonemaier Games, and co-designer with Jamey on Red Rising. This was Alex second ever interview and first on video. But it was amazing to see his passion and honesty behind the project. Alex clearly has a huge enthusiasm for games and a bright future as designer. I was instantly at ease talking with Alex. A person I had never spoken with before, but our shared loved of games and Alex’s unpretentious modesty made me feel I could talk with him for hours. What must it be like to have your first game published by Stonemaier, and to work with someone with such a pedigree in the industry? What must it be like to be weeks away from seeing a project you have worked on for so long, about to be exposed to this huge expectant world we live in? What must it be like to have played games all your life in relative obscurity but become known within the community as a designer overnight? Let’s find out! Head here for the full review!

Photosynthesis - Under The Moonlight WBG Score: 8/10 Player Count: 2-4 players You’ll like this if you like: Azul. Blue Lagoon. Bosk. Published by: Blue Orange Games Designed by: Hjalmar Hach If you have played Photosynthesis, you will know how interesting a game this is. On face value, it looks very calming and relaxing. Beautiful cardboard tree miniatures all gathered around a board basking in the sun. It’s a walk in the woods isn’t it? Well, the game is relaxing, and very good. But it is also a bit of a head scratcher. To be successful in this game, you need to plan ahead. I am not talking two or three steps, more like eight to ten to maximise your scoring opportunities. The game works very simply and it develops very quickly. You plant a seed. That seed becomes a small tree. This small tree grows into a medium sized tree then a large tree. You can then collect that large tree for points. But as more trees appear and the sun rotates, you need to think about how you can score something you lay now, in ten turns time. It’s a simple idea but with some complex decisions. In Photosynthesis, you play three to four rounds. Each round consists of one full rotation of the Sun around the board. This takes six turns. Each movement creates a new direction that the Sun shines in. Each tree hit by the Sun gets a light point to be spent on upgrading your trees. But be aware that each tree casts a shadow, and no tree in shadow can gain light points. You may only plant a seed within range of each tree, and there are more points to be won from the centre of the board. So, you need to move your trees closer to the centre. This makes this in part, a race game with area control elements too. Yes, this is a light abstract strategy game. But there are some complex decisions to be made if you want to score well. Questions of a Forest As you place your trees you need to be thinking about how they will get points for each rotation of the Sun? What shadows will they cast? What shadows may be cast upon them? How will you use them to grow into other areas on the board? Will this ever become a tree you will collect and score points from, and if so, should I place it here? That is a lot to think about and can make some turns difficult to decide. As such, I was very interested to see how this game would be expanded. Seeing as it has this strange position of looking simple and light but being full of interesting and complex decisions. I know some cried out for more complexity, but this is one of the games that works well as is. Its beauty is in its simplicity for me. I was concerned it could be ruined by unnecessary additions. In the first expansion for this game, Under the Moonlight, this was my initial fear. There are three mini expansions in this small box, and I was worried the designers were throwing too much at this. As such, I did the only sensible thing and played with all three expansions at once on my first game! Ok, maybe not sensible! But I did want to see if it was easy to learn all the new expansions if played like this, and how it affected the experience. I was very pleasantly surprised. They all worked brilliantly. It was a smooth addition into the game and enhanced the experience in many new ways. This was a two-player experience initially, and later at a three count. Each time, with other players who had played the base game a lot, so that certainly helped. But the introduction of three expansions at once in this way worked. I have since tried with just soe of them on their own, and it is a nice way to learn for sure. But the way I will always play this game now is always with the expansions added. And always with all three modes at once. This is a good reflection of how this expansion adds to the game as I am not usually like this with expansions. The Moon and the Forest Animals. The first mode is the largest and the most interesting change. In addition to the Sun rotating around the board, you will now have a Moon token moving around in the opposite direction. This will cast moonlight onto the board in two diagonal lines, providing lunar points to all animals it touches. There is also a Moon phase tracker token which shows players where the Moon will be next time. Always five spaces counter-clockwise. This helps you plan where to move your animals each turn to try and maximise the lunar points available. Your animals can use these lunar points to activate specific powers. The animals all have completely different powers and offer a lot of replayability and fun into the games. The Boar can collect large trees for points as usual but without spending light points to do so. It can also plant a seed in the space it took the tree from. The Hedgehog can plant seeds for free. The seeds do not need to be bought or available to player at the time and can be taken directly from their player board. The Squirrel is a cheeky rascal that my wife loved that can eat other players seeds! The player who loses the seed gets it back on the board and a light point in compensation, but this new addition of take-that is an interesting decision. Take-that exists a little in the game with the placement of your trees that can block other people’s trees. And taking spots first in the battle for the centre spot. But that was more area control. This is out right take-that and I am unsure how I feel about it in this game. Especially as there is no way to get back from this. There are no counter moves. But as I say, my wife loved it! The Fox has some similar powers though, so perhaps works well with the Squirrel. The Fox can move other people’s seeds and animals if they are next to them. They don’t come off the board though, they just move a space or two. The Owl has the interesting ability of being able to convert lunar points into light points. A precious commodity in this game. The Badger can make seeds grow into small trees. This can be from available trees to that player or ones from their player board depending on the lunar points spent. The Beaver has its own little Dam board that is added onto the main board when they have collected 6 lunar points. It must be placed on the edge of the board by the river. When the dam is built, all trees or seeds on the spaces taken up by it grow one size. The Beaver on later turns can make the trees continue to grow by spending more lunar points. The Turtle has some pre-game set-up. The player using the Turtle must chose six of the eight tiles at random and place them on the outer edge spaces of the board. For four lunar points, that player can then flip one of these tiles and “hatch” the baby Turtle that is there. Later, for one lunar point, the Turtle can activate each tiles’ unique power one time before turning the tile to the box. These powers can help grow trees, collect them, score points or light points, and even have two actions on the same space on their turn. Something otherwise forbidden. The variation from these eight animals is great. I enjoyed experimenting with each one and seeing which ones worked best together. The Turtle and Beaver were my favourite as they changed the game the most. Interesting to me, as this was my fear coming into this expansion. The Great Elder Tree. This is the simplest of the three modes. There is a large tree in the box that you can add to the board at the start of the game. This tree casts huge shadows over the board from both the Sun and the Moon. It is not owned by either player and cannot be moved during the game. This is a simple addition that works well in lower player counts. Perhaps not needed and cumbersome in higher player counts when the board gets very busy anyway. But this depends on how tactical a battle you want. It is a nice simple easy addition that I think has been included to help with two-player games when the board is less busy. Moonstones. The Moonstones are the only mode that cannot be used on their own and need to be included with the Moon and Forest Animals. When hit by the Moonlight, the Moonstones radiate the light onto all surrounding spaces. This benefits all animals on any neighbouring spaces and provides Luna points to them. Like the Elder Tree, this is a simple addition to the game and makes the Moon and Forest Animals mode work a little better. I see no reason to use this every time you are using the first mode. Unless you are playing in a four and are concerned about the space they will take up. But the rules account for this and only one Moonstone is used in a four. I would say this is a very good expansion. It enhances the game and makes it feel like quite a different experience. I would suggest to anyone familiar with the base game to use all three modes. But I would not teach the game to a new player with it included from game one, but I would from game two. And as someone who has played the base game many times I think this breathes new life into the game. The animals are the highlight for sure. They have some interesting powers that work well together and make the game look and feel quite different. I will enjoy playing with these little critters for many years to come I am sure. Photosynthesis - Under The Moonlight expansion is out now and available at all good retailers.

by @cindypastorius I’ve been playing hobby games regularly since 2014 and my top 3 games have definitely changed over the past 7 years. It’s an always evolving scale of what I like best, and yes, some of it is certainly subjective to the time in my life. But ultimately my favorite games are ones that I always enjoy playing and they offer a great amount of variability (this is so important to me!) with their game play. So without further ado, here are my current top 3 favorite games! 3. Wingspan Wingspan was a game that I knew in my heart I would enjoy before I played it. I LOVE birds a lot so the theme really spoke to me! Then of course, when I finally played Wingspan, I was enamored. I love the engine building, the card drafting, and that there is so much variability between each play. The numerous bird cards that are in just the base game, plus the variety of end of round and end of game goals make each game so different. And I LOVE that. I love creating a special bird habitat and seeing all the different types of birds that come out each game. The two expansions (European and Oceania) certainly add even more options and variability! Plus, all the fun facts about the birds on the cards and in the rule book add an element of learning that I like! This game is also so beautiful and that certainly enhances my enjoyment of it. Wingspan is definitely a game I want to play over and over and I think it’s going to remain that way for a long time! 2. Western Legends If you know me, you’ll know that I thoroughly enjoy the American West theme in board games. I’m not even necessarily sure why it’s such a captivating theme for me, I just find it so enjoyable. So it’s no surprise that Western Legends, a game that oozes with the American West theme would be my number two favorite game. This game has an open world/sandbox mechanism to it and you can basically choose what you want to do throughout the game. Again, there is SO much variability in this game because there’s SO many characters that you can play and the story cards that you are fulfilling throughout the game offer up interesting twists to the “plot”. Plus, the variety of actions you can take in a game are so vast that you will have a completely different experience each time you play it! I’ve found that every time I play this game I get so engrossed in riding around the Wild West, whether I’m mining for gold, wrangling/rustling cattle, fighting off bandits, robbing the train, playing poker, etc. it’s just such a fun time! I love that every game I play of Western Legends is so unique and that makes it such an amazing game in my mind! 1. Carson City So, following me liking the American West theme, Carson City is another game that feels like you’re in the American West. This one is much less in your face about it than Western Legends, but the theme is DEFINITELY there. Since in the game Carson City you are literally building up the town of Carson City, it’s a fun experience of being a settler back in the 1800’s. Yet again, this game offers variability in it’s game play through the variety of roles that are offered and the random building tiles that are put out each game. One of the things I love about Carson City are the different modules you can use in your games. The two that I like to play with most are the Horses and the Outlaws. Each adds a new element of strategy for getting points and increasing your options for actions in the game. Another thing I really like about Carson City is it’s a worker placement game where you are not guaranteed to take the action you put your worker on. Other players can also place a worker on that action space and when it comes time to resolve that action, players duel to find out who will actually be the one to take the action. The dueling happens with a die roll, but if you don’t like that kind of luck in your games, there’s a module that removes the luck where players select a card value instead. I think the dueling definitely adds to the theme of living in the American West! Carson City has been my favorite game for quite some time now and I think it will stay there for a long time because it’s just so full of variability, exciting options, and is always a really fun experience no matter who I’m playing it with!