Category: Boardgame Reviews

Reviews of boardgames. Obviously.

Hotshots Review – My Table Is On Fire

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I’ve had the misfortune to be involved in a few fires in my times, most of them started by me because of reasons, and during all of them I never once considered grabbing a handful of dice and hurling them at the flames to put them out. Not once. And yet here’s Hotshots clearly showing me that true firefighters use dice to combat the spreading flames. Man, firefighters are freaking hardcore, aren’t they?

Yup, you and up to three other folk (though the game lists a 2-player minimum you can easily play solo) take on the roles of firefighters attempting to combat a raging forest fire that is threatening to consume huge swaths of the land. It’s a theme I’ve never seen before, so Fireside Games have to be commended for coming up with something unique. Now just watch as someone in the comments proves me wrong.

Noria Review – You Spin Me Right Round, Baby, Right Round

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Noria is a deceptive game, its lovely artwork which features a massive floating mountain hanging high in the sky producing a myriad of thoughts about what its theme could be, but a wheel-building game of politics wasn’t quite what sprung to mind when I first saw it, I have to admit. But that’s what we’ve got.

So, the game’s big selling point is the sizable, plastic three-tiered wheel on which three cardboard rings sit and can be rotated. Into these rings, you’ll be inserting little cardboard discs that control the various actions you can take throughout the game, with each ring being spun around to the next segment at the end of your turn and thus changing what you’ll be able to do on the next turn.

Small Detectives – Good Things Come In Small Packages

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Ah, the detective, a classic figure from books and movies alike, the man or woman capable of solving the greatest of mysteries via a series of incredible deductions and, in the case of Benedict Cumberwhatshisnname’s Sherlock Holmes, plentiful insults because everyone else is stupid. Small Detective looks to take the basic premise of something like Cluedo and shoves it into a tiny box. Good things really do come in small packages

Vengeance Board Game Review – John Wick: The Board Game

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As a movie fan, I can’t how many times I’ve seen a man or woman wronged by the villain before setting out to gain vengeance against the perpetrator, their friends, their family, their dog and anyone within a several mile radius. It’s a simple plot device that has been the driving motivation behind some of the best action movies ever, with a prime recent example being the mighty John Wick who had a pure, direct reason to go on a rampage; some jerks killed the dog his dead wife gave to him, and also stole his beloved car. As reasons to go on a rampage go, it’s a pretty good one.

Explorers of the North Sea Review – Row, Row Your Boat, Gently Pillage The Village

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Having successfully pillaged everything surrounding their village in Raiders of the North Sea our happy band of blood-thirsty Vikings reckons it’s time to explore the larger world so that they can pillage it, too. At least they’re consistent, I suppose. Yes, this is the third game in the North Sea trilogy and going into it I was very curious as to whether designer would opt for a heavier, deeper experience for the last game in the series before all three get bound together by Runesaga, or would stick with the lighter feel.

Raiders of the North Sea Review – If It Ain’t Nailed Down, Steal It

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Ah, the Vikings. According to my beloved Champions of Midgard these infamous folk loved to fight trolls and slay various other beasts, but Raiders of the North Sea paints a slightly more realistic portrayal of them. Here they don’t fight monsters, they just raid presumably innocent monasteries and assault fortresses for fun. Yup, like any good Viking who has been raised properly your main task in life is to gather a crew and then raid the various outposts, villages, and monasteries at the top of the board, all in the name of glorious loot and glorious victory points.

Lisboa Board Game Review – Lacerda Does It Again

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Jesus Christ, I have absolutely no idea where to even start with Lisboa, the latest table-hogging, mind-destroying eurogame from the highly respected Vital Lacerda. I’ve reviewed one game from Vital previously and utterly adored its lavish production values and stellar gameplay, but damn was it hard to review simply due to the way every mechanic tied to everything else. To explain one thing meant having to digress into about a billion other things before stumbling back to the original topic like a drunk emerging from a pub lock-in. It was confusing. Lisboa is just as complex and tricky to discuss, so please forgive me as I muddle through talking about Lacerda’s latest attempt to turn my already worryingly overheating brain into a melting pot of pink goo.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle Review – You’re A Deck Of Cards, Harry

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The Harry Potter franchise holds a special place in the hearts of millions, especially my generation who grew up with both the books and the movies. I started reading the books as a child, and then the very first movie came out. As I moved through my teenage years the books and the movies grew darker, changing and evolving with my own personality and views. So in other words when a game comes out bearing the Harry Potter license I’m intrigued.

Quest for the Antidote Board Game Review – No Cure For This

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Slightly over two pages of comic make a good first impression for Quest for the Antidote, the short tale detailing the reign of King Mithradates of Greece who spent years making himself immune to deadly poisons after seeing his father die at the hands of an assassin and his poison. Upon coming to a new land to conquer Mithradates realized that he may not be protected against the new toxins they encountered, and thus began experimenting on prisoners. You’ll be playing as one such prisoner, now poisoned and on the run you must seek the antidote along with your fellow inmates. First one to not die horribly of poisoning wins!