Review • Roll to Review

The open game box for The Publish or Perish Game displaying its red plastic insert compartments. Stacks of Action cards, Trivia cards, and game rule summary sheets fit neatly inside, beneath a small card printed with "Congratulations on your publication!"

Publish or Perish Review – Reliving University Trauma at the Table

By David Norris / November 1, 2026

Essentially Exploding Kittens for academics. The pitch-perfect scholarly jokes far outweigh the simple take-that card play.

The compact box for My Gold Mine sits front and centre on a gray surface. Above it, a row of mine track cards displays dwarf character tokens fleeing from a fiery dragon breathing flames down the tunnel.

Review

My Gold Mine Review – Outrun a Dragon Without Getting Fried

By David Norris / October 18, 2026

Strike it rich or get turned extra crispy. A snappy, interactive push-your-luck gem that packs immense fun into a tiny box.

The white Dale of Merchants 10th Anniversary main collection box is angled on the left. Stacked beside it are six numbered tuck boxes featuring distinct animalfolk illustrations and colour schemes.

Review

Dale of Merchants 10th Anniversary Pre-Review – A Decade of Evolution

By David Norris / September 21, 2026

Draft wild new animalfolk, exploit fresh deck combos, and race to build market stalls. The top-tier deck builder returns rebalanced and refined.

The game box for Trials of Maya stands behind a fan of four character cards with red-and-gold character illustrations.

Review

Trials of Maya Pre-Review – League of Legends Meets Magic: The Gathering

By David Norris / September 10, 2026

Cycle cards, harvest minion health, and smash bases in an ambitious MOBA hybrid. Level up your hero and tweak your deck to secure victory.

A section of the main game board showing four distinct colour-coded factions: green Icarus, yellow Euphoria, orange Wastelands, and blue Subterra. Custom dice workers sit on action spaces next to stacked authority stars, track markers, and available construction sites.

Review

Euphoria Essential Edition Review – Clever Ideas Shackled by Time

By David Norris / August 29, 2026

Stonemaier’s overlooked dystopia still delivers clever bump mechanics, but modern worker-placement design leaves this artifact behind.

An angled shot of a Rebirth game in progress on a hex-grid map. Orange, blue, and pink plastic towers and castles are stacked and scattered across land tiles, surrounded by a sea of matching player tokens representing energy and food farms.

Review

Rebirth Review – Rebuilding Scotland in a Kennerspiel-Winning Masterpiece

By David Norris / August 6, 2026

Simple rules, gorgeous solarpunk art, and a constant stream of satisfying tile placements. This is Reiner Knizia at his absolute best.

A wide shot of How to Save a World set up and ready to play. Vibrant player boards with colourful tracking lanes sit beside sci-fi card markets and a central game board showing a comet hurtling toward a planet.

Review

How to Save a World Review – Worker Placement at the End of Days

By David Norris / July 22, 2026

Scramble between the planet and moon to build super-weapons before an asteroid strikes. A tight, escalating race where one bad bag-pull could ruin everything.

The open magnetic-clasp box of the card game I'm Out showcases its components. The inside reveals a vibrant pink "How to Play" rulebook on the left, alongside a single deck of cards featuring a psychedelic heat-map style pattern nested securely in the right insert.

Review

I’m Out Review – A Card Game That Feels Like a Backyard Bonfire

By David Norris / July 7, 2026

Effortlessly fun and built for casual game nights. A pleasant, low-demand shedding game that yields clever card choices without ever stressing the table.