Coop board games refer to games where you’re playing as a team against a system.
Have you seen the Tuxedo Mask meme? The one where he says to Sailor Moon: “My work here is done.” Sailor Moon replies, “But you didn’t do anything.” And then he waves his cloak, saying, “Didn’t I?”
That’s the perfect embodiment of this game.
You do nothing, and yet at the same time, you do everything.
Continue reading “Dawn of Peacemakers is the campaign game for board gamers looking for something different”
What does it mean to be alive?
Specifically, in terms of board games. And I want you to really think about it. Which board games that you’ve played felt alive? Which ones didn’t? What’s the difference?
These are the questions I knew I had to answer with this review.
Name: Forbidden Sky
Players: 2-5
Publisher: Gamewright
Designer: Matt Leacock
Artists: C. B. Canga
Continue reading “Forbidden Sky Laid Bare”
Over 41,000 Aboriginals were killed in the colonization of Australia.
A sobering thought.
Spirit Island is a cooperative reverse colonisation game. You play spirits protecting or using the indigenous population to stop colonists from destroying the land. It’s a heavy subject. And while this review won’t hold this tone throughout, as that’s not what this site is about. It’s important to acknowledge what came before us. And understand that people today are still suffering from the actions of our forefathers. With that in mind:
I acknowledge and pay my respects, to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people past, present and emerging, whose land I stand upon today.
Alright. Let’s talk Spirit Island.
Continue reading “Why is Spirit Island the best board game ever?”
We all have our comfort food. That cheeseburger, or tub of ice-cream after a tiring day of work where nothing went right. The same idea applies to board game designers. People who develop games so in tune with your very being that they feel intimate. Like putting on a comfy robe or sliding into a warm bath. For me, my warm bath designer is Tim Fowers.
Name: Now Boarding
Players: 2-5
Publisher: Fowers Games
Designer: Tim Fowers
Artists: Ryan Goldsberry
Continue reading “Fasten your Seatbelts! A Now Boarding Review.”
Real-time games come with an allure. No matter the gameplay or theme they always come with the potential to be amazing once the timer starts. Often though, they fall short on reaching this promise because in order to have a real-time element, designers need to sacrifice a lot of complexity as the onus of the rules are placed on everyone. This makes me incredibly cautious when considering real-time games, but sometimes it’s worth the risk. Isn’t it?
Name: 5-Minute Dungeon
Continue reading “5-Minute Dungeon: Start the Clock!”
When I first heard about Mad Love, I thought Harley Quinn. Then I had awful flashbacks to watching Suicide Squad; already, this game put me in a bad mood. To regain my trust, it offered artwork that reminded me of another Batman comic – one of my favourites – The Doom That Came to Gotham by Mike Mignola. Now that it brought be back to being even keeled, it was time to review Mad Love. A two-player memory game designed by Darth Rimmer (actual name, not a Sith lord), and produced by Imp House Game Company.
This Kickstarter preview was given to me for review, some details will change but the mechanics will not.
I don’t remember the time I went spelunking very well, but the wet walls and unrelenting darkness still stick with me. I remember the times I fell behind, not able to see anyone but hear their voices echoing through small limestone gaps. As a thirty-year-old man, this terrifies me. However, I was at the age where the novelty of exploring outweighed the danger. What if I got lost? Would I die of starvation or thirst? Or worse still, what if I wasn’t alone?
Sub Terra is a 2-6 player cooperative tile laying and exploration game, designed by Tim Pinder and published by Inside the Box Board Games. It is a cautionary tale about what happens when occupational health and safety is ignored. You and your friends are spelunkers, who failed to perform the necessary safety checks before abseiling into a cave. During the decent the ropes snapped, and you are now trapped in its murky depths. Will you make it out and claim that juicy workers compensation? Or will you be the latest victim of The Descent?
Continue reading “Sub Terra Review”
Otters can go to hell. These little bastards ruined not one, but two games of Robinson Crusoe for me. That sentence, and the knowledge that this board game comes with a forty page plus manual, should be enough to determine whether you want to continue reading this review.
Continue reading “Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island Review”
There’s an allure to what we can’t have. My wife tells me not to buy board games, I double down and buy twice as much and start a review site. I tell you this, so you’ll believe me when I say that while I don’t understand why six people ventured into the forbidden desert without a pilot, engineer, or any sort of backup plan; I sure as hell empathize with them.
