In this preview of Roll’n Bump Duel, I sit down with designer Louis-Nicolas Dozois to talk about a clever 2-player game where dice rolling, card collection, and tactical grid building all collide. Players roll up to five dice, claim cards from a shared river, and build a 4x4 grid to maximize scoring through rows, colors, and point values.  
What helps Roll’n Bump Duel stand out is the way it mixes efficiency and disruption. You are not only trying to make the right dice combinations to claim cards, but also bump your opponent off cards they were targeting. Claims can come from matching faces or building sequences, which gives the game a blend of tactical flexibility and direct interaction.  
The scoring system also looks surprisingly interesting for a compact duel. Each row scores based on the total points multiplied by the number of different colors present, while bonus cards can either be used for powers during the game or saved for endgame points. That gives the game some fun little “use it now or keep it later” tension, which is delicious cardboard mischief.  
Thanks again to the designer for joining me to talk about the game and the ideas behind it.
Note: Louis and I have known each other for years, so I can’t be unbiased about his games.
00:00 Intro
01:22 The Game
04:11 How It Plays
05:00 The Bonus Deck
10:45 The River& Strategic Choices
23:50 Contact & Socials
Can poker-style hand building become a clever prediction game? In this preview of All In: Predictions, I take a look at a fast card game that mixes familiar poker-style hands with table reading, timing, and smart predictions. If you enjoy accessible card games with a fun social layer, this one has a neat hook.
In this video, I talk about how All In: Predictions works, what makes it interesting, and why its mix of hand management, deduction, and predicting the winner helps it stand out.
Birds of Play Preview! Today I’m checking out Birds of Play, the new Perch expansion from Inside Up Games. This Kickstarter features a reprint plus 3 mix-and-match expansions for Perch, adding new ways for players to jump into this sharp, interactive bird battle game. 
In this video, I talk about why Perch is such a standout game and why Birds of Play looks like an exciting expansion for fans of tactical board games, interactive gameplay, and clever player conflict. The campaign runs through March 13, 2026. Find the campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/insideupgames/perch-birds-of-play
In this video, I talk about why Perch is such a standout game and why Birds of Play looks like an exciting expansion for fans of tactical board games, interactive gameplay, and clever player conflict. The campaign runs through March 13, 2026. 
00:00 Intro
00:53 Module 1 - Seeds The Day
01:40 Module 2 - Points In The Sky
02:21 Module 3 - Pondemonium
04:17 New Creatures!
04:53 Thoughts About the Additions
06:55 Contact & Socials
Burgle Bros 3 is a tense, strategic co-op board game that blends teamwork, planning, and a clever heist theme into one of the most exciting cooperative board game experiences I’ve played.
In this Burgle Bros 3 review, I break down the gameplay, complexity, strengths, and weaknesses of this sci-fi board game, and explain why the Burgle Bros series may be the best co-op board game series of all time. If you enjoy strategy board games, teamwork games, and high-tension tabletop games, this is one to watch.
This review covers:
- what’s new in Burgle Bros 3
- strengths and downsides
- why the Burgle Bros games stand out among the best cooperative board games
What’s your favourite co-op board game?
00:00 Intro
00:50 Complexity & Victory Conditions
01:36 How It Plays
06:03 Skills
07:46 Final Thoughts & Why This Is The Best
17:35 Contact & Socials
In this Tenby board game review, I take a look at Tenby, a cozy town-building board game with a brilliantly clever action selection system and a smart turn order mechanism. If you enjoy games with charming themes and meaningful decisions, Tenby has a lot to like.
What really stood out to me is how your action choices affect turn order. That means every round becomes a timing puzzle: you’re not just choosing the best action, you’re choosing when to act now and how that may affect your position next round.
00:00 Into
00:36 Complexity & Play Count
01:40 Victory Conditions & The Point Salad
05:47 The Turn-Order Puzzle
07:06 Skills
09:22 Final Thoughts
Tenby looks cozy on the table, but it has a surprisingly sharp strategic core. If you like board games with hidden depth, drafting decisions, and clever timing, this one is worth checking out.
Thanks for watching!
If you enjoyed the video, please like, subscribe, and let me know in the comments:
Do you prefer cozy board games with hidden depth, or heavier strategy games right from the start?
In today’s review, I’m talking about The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Trick-Taking Game (Office Dog). This trick-taker doesn’t just ask “can you win the hand?”… it asks “can you survive the chapter?”
This one blends classic trick-taking with a story-driven structure, where the rules and goals can shift as you play. If you like card games with tight decisions, teamwork (or at least table-read skills), and that “one more hand” momentum, this might be your next obsession.
In this video, I cover:
• What the gameplay feels like (and how the story element works)
• Who this game is best for
• The upsides, downsides, and whether it’s worth adding to your shelf
If you’ve played it, drop a comment: did it feel more like a clever trick-taker, or more like a proper Middle-Earth adventure?
Subscribe for more board game reviews and the cognitive skills practiced through play.
Dewan is one of those rare strategy games that plays fast but still feels genuinely clever. On your turn you’re drafting terrain cards or spending them to move across a shared map, place Camps, grab Berries, and complete Story objectives for points. It’s simple to teach, quick to play, and surprisingly deep once you start planning routes, timing your objectives, and deciding when (or whether) to cross other players’ paths.
In this review, I’ll cover how Dewan plays, what makes it so satisfying, who it’s best for, and the biggest pros and cons after multiple plays.
If you like quick strategy games with meaningful decisions, route planning, hand management, and tactical interaction, this one is worth a look.
00:00 Intro
00:27 Complexity & Play Count
01:16 Victory Conditions & How It Plays
07:56 Skills
10:25 Final Thoughts
17:42 Contact & Socials
Would adults enjoy a quick strategy game that looks like it’s for kids?
In this video, we answer that exact question. While Toy Battle (by legendary designers Paolo Mori and Alessandro Zucchini) might look like a childhood fever dream, underneath the fire-breathing T-Rexes lies a surprisingly cutthroat tactical experience. We dive into whether this 15-minute clash has enough "crunch" for the hobbyist table.
Paolo also designed Ethnos , Libertalia , and Fall of Rome!
THE ADULT PERSPECTIVE:
Don't let the 8+ age rating fool you. We break down why the mechanics are more "Chess" than "Candy Land":
• The Connection Rule: Why your entire strategy can collapse if you don't maintain a path from your H.Q.
• Tactical Overtaking: Using Troop Strength (1–7 and Jokers) to bury your opponent's units.
• Region Control: The spatial puzzle of surrounding closed zones to snatch Medals.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:23 Complexity & Play Count
01:04 Victory Conditions & How It Plays
02:46 Skills
04:00 Final Thoughts: Does it belong on an adult's shelf?
07:38 Contact & Socials
JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
Do you think a "kid-friendly" aesthetic keeps you away from great games, or do you love the contrast? Let’s discuss in the comments!
Hot Streak is the kind of party game where you place a couple of bets… and then immediately start yelling like you’re courtside at the Mascot Olympics. It’s fast, chaotic, and dangerously good at creating that “OK, one more race” feeling.
In this review, I cover:
• How the betting works (safe vs risky picks)
• How the race plays out (movement, collisions, wipeouts, surprises)
• What makes it so funny at the table
• Who it’s best for (and who should skip)
• Final thoughts: biggest upsides + downsides
If you’ve played Hot Streak, tell me: do you play it safe, or do you risk it all?
00:00 Intro
00:37 Play Count & Complexity
01:03 Victory Conditions & How it Plays
07:35 Skills
08:57 Final Thoughts & Who It’s For
14:10 Contact & Socials
Formaggio is the standalone expansion to Fromage, my 2024 Game of the Year. In this review I break down what it adds, how it changes the experience, and the big question: is it worth it?
In this video, I cover:
• What’s new in Formaggio (modules, components, and how it integrates with Fromage)
• How it affects strategy and replayability
• Whether it smooths out the base game or makes it more complicated
• Final verdict: Essential upgrade or optional add-on?
If you love Fromage, or you’re curious whether Formaggio is the “more cheese!” you’ve been craving (or a topping you don’t actually need), this review will help you decide.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:29 What changes vs Fromage
05:51 How it plays + rules overview
13:41 Final thoughts
16:49 Contact & Socials
It’s time: my Top 5 board games of 2025, counted down and ranked from #5 to my Game of the Year, with some honourable mentions for good measure. These are the games that hit my table the most, lived rent-free in my brain, and kept me thinking about better plays long after the box closed.
In this video, I’ll cover:
• What each game is about
• Why it made my list
• What makes my #1 pick my Game of the Year
👇 Drop your list in the comments:
What were your top games of 2025… and what should I play next?
Things In Rings turns a Venn diagram into a surprisingly spicy deduction party game. One player knows the secret rules for each ring, everyone else tests ideas by placing “things” into the diagram, and the table slowly reverse-engineers what’s really going on. It’s quick to teach, easy to scale in difficulty, and it delivers that “I am a genius (briefly)” feeling when your hypothesis finally clicks.
In this review, I cover:
• How it plays (Knower vs Finders + the Venn diagram puzzle)
• How difficulty scales (1 ring vs 2 vs 3)
• Who it’s best for (families, casual gamers, logic-lovers)
• Upsides & downsides
If you’ve played Things In Rings, drop your favorite ring or tell me what difficulty you prefer.
Chapters (optional)
0:00 Intro
01:19 Complexity & Play Count
02:25 Victory Conditions & How It Plays
07:20 Cognitive Skills Practiced
09:50 Final Thoughts
Build your row. Guard your pond. Politely ruin everyone else’s plans. 🦆💥
Ducks in a Row is a clever card game where you’re balancing ducks between your personal row and a shared pond, trying to score big while other players keep sticking their beaks into your business. It’s fast, interactive, and just the right amount of “I can’t believe you did that” for game night.
In this review, I’ll cover:
• How the row + shared pond scoring tension works
• The kind of player interaction (read: sabotage) you should expect
• Who this game is best for (and who might waddle away mad)
Game Info
2–6 players | ~40 minutes | Ages 14+
👍 If you enjoyed the review, please like, subscribe, and tell me: what’s your favourite “cute game with mean decisions” ?
00:00 Intro
00:44 Play Count & Complexity
01:06 Victory Conditions & How It Plays
05:42 Skills
07:56 Final Thoughts
12:20 Contact & Socials
In Take Time, you and your team are placing numbered cards around a six-segment clock, trying to keep the totals climbing without going over 24—all while obeying weird scenario rules and not talking during the crucial placement phase. You’ll discuss a plan, go silent, place cards, then reveal everything and see whether your beautiful strategy survived contact with reality.
In this review, I walk through how Take Time works, what makes the 40-scenario campaign feel so compelling, and why the “talk, then silence, then reveal” structure creates some of the most tense cooperative moments I’ve had in a puzzle game.
If you enjoy cooperative puzzles, quiet tension, and those “we were SO CLOSE!” table groans, Take Time might be one to add to your list.
00:00 Intro
00:24 Complexity & Play Count
01:20 How It Plays
07:26 Skills
10:09 Final Thoughts
17:15 contact & Socials
Can you build a mystery shape out of LEGO bricks… using only your teammate’s words? In Brick Like This!, one player describes, one player builds, and everyone races to shout “DONE!” before their opponents.
In this short, you’ll see how fast this game turns from “easy party game” into pure real-time LEGO panic, with teams scrambling to stack bricks, follow the rules, and actually recognize what they just built.
I’ve been chasing Nokosu Dice for years—and it finally hit the table. This clever trick-taking game blends cards and dice in a way that feels instantly familiar, then hits you with a delicious twist: you’re not just trying to win tricks… you’re trying to win the right number of tricks, but your bid might change as the round progresses. In this review, I’ll explain how it plays, what makes it special, and whether this long-time grail game was actually worth the hype.
If you love trick-taking games, quirky Japanese designs, and tense “just one more point” decisions, Nokosu Dice is a fascinating little gem.
00:00 Intro
00:28 Play Count & Complexity
00:43 Victory Conditions & How It Plays
05:20 Skills
07:27 Final Thoughts
13:07 Contact & Socials
Tag Team is a fast, feisty 2-player dueling game from Le Scorpion Masqué that mashes up deckbuilding with an auto-battler twist: you never shuffle your Fight Deck. Instead, you draft cards and slot them into exact positions, trying to engineer the perfect sequence while your tag-team fighters trade blows automatically. In this review, I’ll cover how it plays, what makes the no-shuffle system so clever, who it’s best for, and the skills it flexes at the table.
If you’ve been looking for a quick head-to-head game with big “Aha!” moments, sneaky timing, and satisfying counterplay, Tag Team brings the chaos in about 15 minutes.
00:00 Intro
00:23 Play Count & Complexity
00:38 Victory Conditions & How It’s Played
05:10 Skills
06:45 Final Thoughts
13:32 Contact & Socials
In this video, I review Saltfjord, a medium-heavy Euro from Aporta Games where you’re running a Norwegian fishing village in the late 19th century. You’ll be drafting dice to fire off powerful row/column actions on your player board, upgrading resources, completing crate orders, investing in technology tracks, and pushing your fishing boat deeper into the fjord for big points.
I’ll walk through how Saltfjord plays, what the dice-driven grid system feels like at the table. I’ll also talk about complexity, who this game is best for, and the kinds of cognitive skills it can help players practice.
In this video:
• Overview of the theme
• How the dice drafting and grid activation work
• Crates, tech tracks, fishing, and retiring to taverns
• Final thoughts: who will love Saltfjord and who might bounce off it
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:30 Complexity & Victory Conditions
00:50 Play Count
01:33 How It’s Played
05:55 Cognitive Skills Practiced
08:11 Final Thoughts
14:09 Contact & Socials
If you enjoy board game reviews that focus on both gameplay and the skills practiced through play, consider subscribing and checking out the other videos on the channel.