Category: Boardgame Reviews

Reviews of boardgames. Obviously.

(Single-Player)Arkham Horror: The Card Game Review – Collectible Lovecraft

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One of the earliest board games I reviewed when I started getting into the hobby was Arkham Horror, a gigantic, fiddly game of Lovecraftian horror and table devouring. I loved it then, and while I’d probably pick it apart much more now due to having a bit more experience I love it regardless because of its absurdity. Still, it’s a difficult game to actually play because it takes up the whole damn table, takes a while to finish and the myriad of cards, tokens and other assorted nonsense tend to put a lot of people off. On the other end of the scale lies Elder Sign, another I love that takes the Arkham theme and pummels it into some dice and cards. Now Fantasy Flight Games have decided to compress all that Lovecraft horror into another small game, a card game. A living card game. Whatever the hell that means.

Trickerion Review – One Hell Of A Magic Show

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One of the most famous stage illusions of all time is that of cutting a person in half, seemingly sawing or slicing straight through their body, only for them to survive the ordeal and then be put back together. The key, of course, is that the audience never gets to really take a good look at the trick because if they did it would so obviously be nothing more than a fallacy. Indeed, we know it is. We willingly suspend our own disbelief, such is the magic of magic. Trickerion puts you into the shoes of a stage magician hiring his crew, honing his craft, building his tricks and then performing them on stage in order to become famous. So let’s cut this sizable game in half, shall we, but unlike the real trick we’re going to take a long, hard look at exactly how it’s done.

Kanagawa Review – Meditation In Card Form

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Would you just look at that box art? Isn’t it just so damn pretty? In Kanagawa you’ll be taking on the role of a painter trying to make a name for himself/herself, studying under a master while working on your own ever-growing masterpiece and studio. I can’t say the game is dripping with theme, but that artwork and just the idea of it draws me in, so let’s take a look at Kanagawa, shall we?

Star Trek: Ascendancy Review – Resistance Is Futile

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I was practically raised on Star Trek. Not the original series where Shatner was so hammy you could have a lovely Sunday roast, but with the philosophical musings of The Next Generation, the tenacity of the Voyager crew and the wonderful characters of Deep Space Nine. What I’m attempting to say is that Star Trek is ingrained in my personality and it’s a franchise which I have quite the fondness for, so a boardgame that uses the famous Gene Roddenberry license is one that has my attention.

Final Touch Review – Mona Lissa

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Designed by: Mike Elliott Published by: Asmodee Players: 2-4 Playtime: 15-30 minutes Review copy provided free of charge by Esdevium Games. Ah, the sophisticated, wonderful world of art. On this very site I reviewed The Gallerist, a hefty, complex game which was based around running a successful gallery, […]

 Timeline: British History Review – Should Have Paid More Attention In History Class

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History can be a dull and difficult subject to become invested in. In many ways it serves little practical purpose on a day-to-day basis. It’s not often that you suddenly find yourself confronted with a pressing need to name the date of the Battle of Hastings or to tell someone when tophats became a thing in Britain. And yet history is important because it can teach us so many valuable lessons about life. If you can get past its initial dryness, history can be a fascinating subject full of breathtaking stories and weird facts. Timeline attempts to prove this with a simple but enjoyable family card game that requires very little learning and plays in about ten minutes. Plus it comes packaged in a nice little tin.I mean, just look at how cute it is.

Escape from Colditz 75th Anniversary Edition Review – The Great Escape

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Despite having reviewed a fair number of board games now on this site, I’ve not once reviewed a game where you roll dice to move. It wasn’t something I had thought about until I played Escape from Colditz. Even though my childhood was filled with games like Monopoly where you had to roll dice to move, that particular mechanic has been mostly fazed out of the modern board game industry. Turns out a lot of people don’t like having something as simple as moving dictated by fickle dice.