Kitara: A View From Above Area Control

Kitara is a tight, fast, fairly abstract area control game in which the areas you control and your meeples form the core of an engine you build with a tablou of drafted cards. Fair warning; I know Eric Vogel, the designer, and did some playtesting. That's the only reason I could review a game this … Continue reading Kitara: A View From Above Area Control →

Let’s Have a Nuanced Discussion About The Implications of Insanity Mechanics in-

No.  Stop Playing Board Games With Insanity Mechanics- no, not even on Halloween I clearly don't- I've tried to get through some of the rulebooks. I'm looking for a card game I can play solo. I'm asking you not to. Or more realistically eviscerating you on the assumption you play them. Don't play Mansion of … Continue reading Let’s Have a Nuanced Discussion About The Implications of Insanity Mechanics in- →

I Am Never Going to Write 2019 Con Reports, Clearly, So Here Are Some Pictures

GenCon: Men ironing apparently requires a crowd. One-third done. My Haul. I bought the story games and Duet. Thanks to CGE, (Tyler), for all things Galaxy Trucker- I got the book autographed! Thanks to Michelle for TMB- a game I could never afford and which you managed to trade up from a $20 game. I … Continue reading I Am Never Going to Write 2019 Con Reports, Clearly, So Here Are Some Pictures →

Perspective is Our Problem: What Themes are Beyond your Pale?

We don't talk about much in this hobby. We often socialize without talking much at all, and we intentionally avoid any subject we care about. The only unwritten rule of board gaming I've seen broken less than 'don't say anything someone else might disagree with,' it's 'don't get up and walk away in the middle … Continue reading Perspective is Our Problem: What Themes are Beyond your Pale? →

Terraforming Mars: It’s fine- FINE!

Terraforming Mars is fine- but like the recent hype-machine Wingspan, for which it is often used as a point of comparison, I just can’t understand the enthusiasm. It has grown on me through a series of totally uncoerced plays. Who doesn't like building tableaus of cards? I think this game falls through the floor in … Continue reading Terraforming Mars: It’s fine- FINE! →

My Intro Games: Blood Rage and Roll for the Galaxy

This is an atypical introduction to intro games. Let’s take it a little sideways; the games I mentioned are usually considered terrible for intro games, and were the first two modern board games I played, and they obviously hooked me. So let’s talk about why games you might not think of as intro games, (as … Continue reading My Intro Games: Blood Rage and Roll for the Galaxy →