Reviews of boardgames. Obviously.
Sometimes when you’re writing your mind simply switches off, like someone pulled the power cord out of the socket. This is exactly what happened when I was writing this opening paragraph, therefore allow me to just spout out some words; flibble. Codswallop. Bamboozled. Now let us get on with this review, eh?
Designed by: Alan R. Moore Published by: Days of Wonder Players: 2-5 Review copy provided free of charge. Ticket to Ride may be the best gateway game I’ve yet played. In it you attempt to build railway lines connecting various locations, spending cards to do so and plonking […]
While everyone awaits a new Halo sequel from 343, why not pass the time with Spartan Games Halo: Fleet Battles, a tabletop miniatures game about UNSC and Covenant ships colliding? Let’s see if it’s worth picking up in this review.
Designed by: Chuck D. Yager Published by: Z-Man Games Players: 2-4 (Solo possible) Playtime: 45+ Review copy supplied free of charge by Esdevium Games. Now that it is freely available to use Lovecraft’s unique brand of horror is turning up absolutely everywhere, especially in the boardgame industry who […]
Designed by:Â Oleksandr Nevskiy, Oleg Sidorenko Published by: Asmodee Players: 2-7 Review copy supplied free of charge by Esdevium Games. In a feverish dream a ghost comes to you. It gestures toward a small table bearing Cluedo. With a shake of its head the ghost waves its hands and […]
Designed by:Â Ben Cichoski, Daniel Mandel Published by: Upperdeck Players: 1-5 Review copy supplied free of charge by Esdevium Games. My love of Firefly is a very known thing. Somehow I’ve managed to stick various references to it into my work on this site, and I pepper conversations with […]
If reviewing videogames has taught me anything it’s that violence is absolutely a requirement in all forms of entertainment. If there isn’t blood, sex, swearing or the words “dark, gritty and mature” then it’s clearly worthless. That was sarcasm, by the way. Ah, but then boardgames entered my life and proved me wrong with its much more peaceful themes, such as running a gallery or smuggling contraband into the market, or in the case of Mystic Vale quietly tending to what will hopefully be a verdant valley of serenity. Which also houses suspiciously angry-looking giant snake-things, wolves and other probably violent stuff. Right then. You take on the role of a clan of druids coming to heal the Valley of Life which has been cursed somehow. Healing, however, actually means trying to score more points than the other players. So much for being peaceful, huh?
I don’t think H.P. Lovecraft could have predictated that his beloved short-stories would become entrenched in the world of boardgames, acting as the inspiration for countless hundreds of titles that purport to be inspired by the works of someone with an intense imagination and propensity for horror. It seems like every other day a new videogame, boardgames or book arrives, taking its theme and story ideas from Lovecraft and bending them to their own will. Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition is one such game, residing in FFG’s Arkham Horror lineup of games where the emphasis is on supernatural monsters, investigators and pulp fiction. But this one….this one is special.
King of Tokyo might just be one of the very best games I’ve ever played for showing non-gamers just how much fun games can be. In it you’ll take control of one of six awesome monsters in a bid to score 20 points before your friends by rolling dice and wrecking Tokyo city in a pleasing homage to the Kaiju genre of movies. It’s fast, easy to play and hugely entertaining. Plus, space penguin. Yup.
Who doesn’t like putting together a troupe of talking animals to enact dramatic or comedic plays for a moody King who is constantly changing his mind like an excitable child that has been told he can only buy one toy in the entire store? It’s a pretty neat concept that Histrio has going for it, although the theme takes a backseat to travelling to various cities in order to snatch up actors to put on your show. You won’t really feel like somebody managing a troupe and putting on lavish stage shows by the end. You’ve got just two seasons to earn as much cash (Ecus) as you possibly can, with the end of each season being when you’ll put on your show and hopefully please the King.
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