Mechanics are the engine of board game design. While many are straightforward and use limited or similar ideas to support the gameplay, more and more modern games are fusing together seemingly disparate mechanics in an attempt to create something fresh. In some instances, these mechanics wind up fitting together perfectly (the good), in others, the concept looks interesting but the execution just falls flat (the bad), and sometimes, it can feel like jamming two incorrect puzzle pieces into each other (the ugly). Today, K. David Ladage and Joseph Buszek each look at three games trying to mix it up, with varying results.

K. David Ladage

The Good—7 Wonders Duel (with both expansions)

Set Collection + Tug of War + Sudden Death + Once-per-game Powers + etc. = Awesome!

The first article in this series was The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Two Player Adaptations. I said that a good example of such an adaptation was 7 Wonders Duel. I was confident in my choice as I am in good company: my colleague, Justin Bell, agrees. I pointed out that one of the things that makes this game so amazing is the understanding that, with the shift from three plus players to just two, the game…

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[caption id="attachment_328393" align="alignright" width="263"] Mr. Jackson[/caption]

The Inner Monologue of a Super-Fan

Steve Jackson. {deep breath} This is an interview with Steve Jackson. {fidgets nervously} I am kinda geeking out right now. Collect yourself, David. You can do this. Start by introducing the man. {deep breath}

Wait… Does Steve Jackson need an introduction? I mean, if you speak to the people from my generation of gaming, most assuredly not. But new gamers are discovering these hobbies every day (which means there are 10,000 or so people just discovering him today). Sure, there are going to be those new gamers who started with the insanity that is Munchkin, or who cut their teeth on GURPS—one of the most successful lines of role-playing material ever published—but what about those who do not know Mr. Jackson and his company? I know… I will start by providing two Wikipedia articles: one about the man, and one about his company.

I have gotten to meet Mr. Jackson in person once, at GenCon (he signed my copies of Wizard and Melee). I have had multiple conversations with him online (not that he likely remembers me in any way).…

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[caption id="attachment_328066" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Good for home, as a filler, or for a game on the go.[/caption]

Cards and Points

If you have read my interview with Earl Patterson, you know how we met. Congress of Gamers has been a fount of good times, good games, and good connections for me ever since I moved to the DMV (the D.C., Maryland, Virginia area). Meeting Mr. Patterson was a joy. The first game we discussed was Make Your Words Count! and it takes very little time to discover that this is his baby.

The game is relatively simple. From a deck of letter cards, players are dealt 5 or 7 cards (decided at the start of the game). They also determine the score goal; recommended is 100 points, but players can decide on a shorter or much longer game if they wish. In the center of the table are Community Vowels, one each of “A”, “E”, ‘I”, “O”, and “U”—these are each worth 0 points and are usable by everyone every round to ensure that there is always something the player can do. Note that there are standard vowel cards in the main deck that are worth 1 point each.

On each player’s turn, they take the letter cards from…

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Once Upon a Time…

Since August of 2023, I would say that an almost disturbing number of my gaming stories have started with the phrase “I was at Congress of Gamers, and…”

This is not a bad thing! From the time my family and I moved from Iowa to Maryland, the three or four sessions of Congress of Gamers each year have been a regular part of our calendar. This is a truly wonderful, small gaming convention.

Well… I was at Congress of Gamers, and relatively early on the first day, I spotted a gentleman setting up his vendor area and the first thing I saw was a vast field of Hot Wheels cars. I figured this could not possibly be what he was here for, so I went closer. Looking over the material he had for sale, I could see he was into Word Games.

[caption id="attachment_328057" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Make Your Words Count is a great idea and an interesting implementation of the word game.[/caption]

I am no stranger to Word Games, be they on a board (Scrabble, with or without the Monopoly elements), with dice (Boggle), or with Cards (Quiddler). Still, when I looked at this table, it felt like something was different. So, I spoke…

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Todd Sanders’ latest work in the Pulp series (Pulp Detective, Pulp Invasion) is Pulp Romance. This is a game that simulates the sort of old-style romance novels and movies that seem (from a literary standpoint) quaint or dated by modern standards. That is in no way an insult! Some of those stories are simply the best examples of storytelling that exists—one need look no further than such classics as Casablanca to understand what I am saying here.

From a base game and core mechanics standpoint, this is the strongest game Mr. Sanders has produced in the series. As with the previous games, you can almost hear the narrator in your head as they describe the conflicts in the mind of the protagonist as they navigate the stormy waters of the heart. It is a beautiful game.

This game uses the same source of original pulp-era artwork used in the previous Pulp games, giving a feeling of authenticity that can come from nowhere else. Yes, this remains the real deal! And they remain a beautiful element in the series!

[caption id="attachment_326894" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] A look at the basic…

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Todd Sanders is a game designer that has been in my collection for some time. I have written reviews of his previous pulpy work: Pulp Detective, Pulp Invasion. I will soon have his latest title reviewed as well: Pulp Romance. Mr. Sanders is not just a designer of the Pulp series of games, he also has eclectic designs such as Mr. Cabbagehead’s Garden; he has done a lot of graphic design and other work for Alban Viard and his various games, not just limited to the Clinic Deluxe series.

Mr. Sanders is a bit of a board game design specialist—his designs are almost entirely single player affairs. He does a lot of print-n-play designs, game aids, and other helpful items. He is also an editor and publisher of some of the most interesting and original takes on poetry, classic fairy tales, and science fiction I have ever encountered. He does woodworking and furniture design in his spare time. He is a multi-talented and personable man.

With Pulp Romance out, I wanted to sit down and ask him a few questions…

Q1: I remember when I first saw Pulp Invasion. I fell in love instantly! It is my understanding that you…

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