Now Boarding

I’m no stranger to airports and planes. Coming from a family that traveled often, I’ve seen it all—delays, cancellations, crying babies, medical emergencies, and I even remember when planes still had ashtrays in the armrest (there was a time when you could smoke cigarettes on airplanes, people!!). Planes change constantly with technology, but airports? Big gates and bigger aircraft. Same routine, different day.

PDX brings the charm and excitement of air travel without the baggage fees and bland in-flight meals. Named after Portland’s airport code, players manage rival airline companies, building the most profitable routes and running their business like a well-oiled jet engine.

Designed by Sean Wittmeyer and featuring gorgeous art from Skinny Ships, PDX is the second game from Waterworks Games, hailing from the game’s namesake of Portland, Oregon.

But does PDX land on time and intact? Grab your boarding pass, and we’ll find out together, friends!

[caption id="attachment_328228" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] From FlyPDX[/caption]

Flying the Friendly Skies

PDX plays over a variable number of turns until three stacks of gate tiles have been depleted. Players compete to score points from destination values, advertising campaigns, and multipliers based on private offices (more on those later).

Turns are fairly straightforward:

1. Land planes. Planes move along established routes at…

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Do You Like YROs?

Off the bat, the title of the game is, to me, funny. YRO…as in Euro? Why yes, yes it is. But it’s not a euro…? Also, yes.

I stumbled upon YRO at Origins in 2025. Though I’m a casual anime fan (stuff like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, DanDaDan, and Cowboy Bebop), I’m not really drawn to anime-style aesthetics outside the medium. But my interest came from the promise of a fun, quick tableau builder—and if you follow my writing, you’ll know that mechanic is one of my absolute favorites.

Designer Masato Uesugi has a bit of a following from previous titles like Paper Tales and Welcome to the Dungeon (and even a small Oink Games box: Durian). I’m always praising designs that come from Asia because they often bring a different approach to gaming—and as an Asian myself, it’s great to see that kind of representation getting a warm reception.

[caption id="attachment_327608" align="aligncenter" width="894"] Photo from Play to Z Games[/caption]

The 3x3 Road to 40

YRO is played over turns until one player has completed their 3x3 tableau or scored 40 victory points or more. Gameplay is relatively simple and straightforward, and it’s conveniently printed on everyone’s player board, which also includes a tracker for Magic and Technology.

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