❌

Normale Ansicht

Published — 04. September 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Every day, rulebooks destroy my soul a bit more

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
04. September 2026 um 16:30

💾

We have to rant about rulebooks again, this is not a joke. After decades of board gaming, rulebooks continue to be the #1 enemy of enjoyment, and haven’t gotten better. So what are some very common structural issues? We don’t want to talk about translation issues or writing styles, even though flavor text usage is both a structural and writing style issue. Even big publisher games like Stardew Valley are victim to problems! It’s good to have a separate reference that can be a glossary and/or index like mansions of madness and Eldritch Horror! After all, the rulebook should help you learn the game not just reference rules.

BGG Article: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/13453/every-board-game-rulebook-is-awful

Games mentioned: Brass Birmingham, Radlands, War of the Ring, Star Wars Rebellion, Mammothodus, Grimcoven, Last Word, The Resistance: Avalon, The Elder Scrolls Betrayal of the Second Era, Scythe, Coup

Table of Contents:
Overview - (0:00)
Structural Issue #1 - (1:16)
Structural Issue #2 - (2:13)
Structural Issue #3 - (3:44)
Structural Issue #4 - (4:45)
Structural Issue #5 - (6:27)
Final Thoughts - (8:16)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
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https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

Stuff Used:
lukrembo - biscuit
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=EtZ2m2Zm3vY

Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors - Track 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=3Ed1G4I_UpE

Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors - Track 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JUdalWK-vI
Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors - Track 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jDWRC9_Gk0


#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 01. September 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

We played a gangster board game

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
01. September 2026 um 18:56

💾

We played a game of stealing/splitting each other's loot, in New York, New York! This prototype has some AI art, as disclosed in the video.

Play Prohibition Heist 1929: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/winter-studio/prohibition-heist-1929

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
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Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames

Cola Wars Prototype Review — Best Business Board Game I’ve Played

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
01. September 2026 um 18:00

💾

This is the most fun I’ve had running a business in a board game! Cola Wars is a cola company simulator in the American 80s, to get the most market share by competing over head space and shelf space via placing bottles or caps. Throughout the game, you’ll hire (and fire) differing employees with their own abilities, even using interns that might fail! This Ameritrash game has a tense die roll at the end of a year to see how the American public responds to all of the cola marketing, and some marketing will even decay over time. Don’t worry, you can use the excellent mechanic of the jingle cap to ensure that your caps will stay a round! You can also upgrade your company HQ, including your vice president asymmetric card. Though there is some incomplete art and maybe some weirdness with the projects… is this game an appropriate substitute to the popular Food Chain Magnate, or something else entirely?

Play Cola Wars: https://gamefound.com/projects/onemoreturngames/cola-wars-relaunch?refcode=UCHx4B23nEyAIlsPTWEOtQ

Other games mentioned: Lords of Waterdeep, Dune Imperium, Drillers, Dune Imperium Immortality, Ticket to Ride, Skyrise

Table of Contents:
Overview - (0:00)
How to Play - (1:29)
Pros - (3:33)
Cons - (19:11)
Tentative Score - (24:11)
Ashton's Personal Score - (28:52)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #review
Published — 21. August 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Cyberpunk TCG Impressions!

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
21. August 2026 um 16:30

💾

We demo’d the most funded TCG of all time at GenCon, took some decks with us, and now want to share all of our thoughts! From our experience with other TCGs like MTG and Star Wars Unlimited, how does this game fare? Does it handle randomness well, especially with some of the cards being usable as essentially lands? Also, how this WeirdoCo design do randomness if there is dice rolling with 7 different dice, that also double as a win condition? We played with one criminal and one corporation deck, but you can deck build in the future! Also it’s an interesting approach to deckbuilding with 3 facedown legend cards, that you will flip over randomly if you choose!

Table of Contents:
Intro - (0:00)
Brief Rules Explanation - (1:29)
Things we Like - (4:35)
Our Concerns & Rebuttals - (10:29)
Final Thoughts - (14:32)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 16. August 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

We played a Blade Runner themed CYOA! (The Altered)

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
16. August 2026 um 00:56

💾

We completed a couple of chapters of this Blade Runner meets Fight-club story- driven game by a Chinese studio of Tin Universe! In the Altered: Anomaly Containment Archives, you enter a dystopian universe as a claims adjuster, trying to follow up a lead of 7 deaths, aka accidents. However along the way there is some stuff that doesn’t seem quite right with the world, including supernatural happenings and class
struggles. There is even a simple rock-paper-scissors plus dice rolling game mechanic! As a claims adjuster equipped with machinery, you go to different districts of the world. With multiple endings decided upon your story choices, the Altered has a lot of gameplay for your game group. If you enjoyed the predecessor of Abyss Echo this game might just be for you!

Play the Altered: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/the-altered/the-altered-anomaly-containment-archives

Table of Contents:
Overview - (0:00)
Combat, Simple Mechanics - (2:40)
Everything else the Altered - (8:18)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 13. August 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Grimcoven Review — Roguelite Bloodborne Boss Battler!

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
13. August 2026 um 22:12

💾

We review the first boss battler from Awaken Realms! After previously covering the prototype, we have our hands on the Hunter’s pledge, talking about multiple bosses and most of the asymmetric hunters. Grimcoven features Roguelike hunter customization with dice rolling to assign to varied action slots. This dice assignment with the assist action proves to be very crunchy, and Grimcoven wants to push players to plan carefully, lest they get slammed hard by the boss, inflicting terrible conditions like curse. Though the hunters must cooperatively also worry about the minions and elite who can hit really hard too if not kited properly! Does this non-campaign game stick the landing after the Gamefound campaign and so
is worth playing again and again? Or perhaps there are too many component hurdles, like the infamous setup and takedown of this massive game? What are ways it could feel more Roguelike?

Play Aldarra: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sordane-publishing/aldarra-new-empire

Other games mentioned: Nemesis: Retaliation, Bloodborne (Chalice Dungeons), Lands of Evershade, Gloomhaven, Slay the Spire

Table of Contents:
Overview - (0:00)
How to Play - (2:03)
Pros - (4:47)
Cons - (29:47)
Recommender Score - (54:48)
Ashton's Personal Score - (1:01:39)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #review
Published — 09. August 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

We went to GenCon 2026

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
09. August 2026 um 01:26

💾

Hello to the biggest board game convention in America! We vlog for 3 days around GenCon, a massive convention in Indianapolis that features all sorts of gaming, from board gaming to tabletop RPGs. There was no shortage of events and people to meet! We went around with our vlog and interview setup to grab audio snippets from content creators and publishers! Cosplayers also get featured! This is our first board game convention ever, so we were taking in the exhibit hall and even buying some of the hottest new games. Perhaps that will be great fuel for a review! We got to meet Tom Vasel and the Dragon’s Tomb again!

Play Aldarra: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sordane-publishing/aldarra-new-empire

Other games mentioned: Cyberpunk TCG, Lairs, Drillers, Galaxy Trucker, Robo Rally, Queen’s Gambit, War of the Ring, The Gang, Brave & Bold, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Crits & Tricks, Fate of the Fellowship, Warhammer, Dice Throne, Slam Throne, Suburbia, Tanto Cuore, Zombicide, Re;ACT, Pond, Old Ones Origins, Forbidden Stars, Undaunted 2200 Revolution

Table of Contents:
Intro - (0:00)
Day 1 - (1:16)
Day 2 - (12:48)
Day 3 - (16:25)
Outro - (32:40)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

Stuff Used:
Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings Track 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDcZXEMF84k&list=RDNDcZXEMF84k

Upbeat Funk Retro Vlog 5 tracks by Infraction [Copyright Free Music] / Radio Feelings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUvrssIlVZs&list=RDqUvrssIlVZs

"Late Night Radio" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"Past Sadness" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Mighty Rio Grande - This Will Destroy You (Cover)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRD2ma5stkI&list=RDxRD2ma5stkI

"Vibing Over Venus" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 29. Juli 2026 ⏭ Shelfside
Published — 25. Juli 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Wingspan Pocket QUICK Review

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
25. Juli 2026 um 02:55

💾

The most popular bird game now has a smaller version! This pocket version of Wingspan, the low conflict Euro from 2019, takes a lot of the engine/tableau building and bird interactions and crunches it down to 25-35 minutes. It still has the same great components and theming, although can it keep the same crunch and replayability? Will bird fans like this game, or maybe Wingspan haters (like Ashton) will come around to it now? Stonemaier games has gotten better at packaging and symbolology, so that is coming into play with the Elizabeth Hargrave design! And yes, you can fit the cards and eggs into your literal pocket!

Table of Contents:
Intro/Overview - (0:00)
How to Play - (0:47)
Pros - (1:34)
Cons - (6:38)
Recommender Score - (6:54)
Ashton's Personal Score - (8:44)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings - Track 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkOC5BnnXwU
Age of Conquerors Track 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRWpooKRLwg
Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors - Track 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jDWRC9_Gk0
Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors - Track 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ed1G4I_UpE

#boardgames #tabletop #review
Published — 18. Juli 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Our Ti4 Faction Tier List | With Prophecy of Kings + Thunder's Edge

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
18. Juli 2026 um 03:31

💾

We discuss every single faction in our favorite game! We’ve played this area control a combined over 100 times, and we’re here to explain strategy and overall strength for these asymmetric sci-fi alien races. From how their opening fleet is, to how their tech is like we try to cover every facet. The Thunder’s Edge breakthrough is also an important update to mention for every single faction. How are factions with trading, and movement? What are some key strategies to keep in mind for Twilight Imperium? If you play any of the S factions, you will probably be doing a fine job in pursuing winning. But the F tier factions are on a whole ‘nother planet…

Play Aldarra: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sordane-publishing/aldarra-new-empire

Table of Contents:
Overview -(0:00)
Arborec - (1:26)
Barony of Letnev - (3:44)
Clan of Saar - (6:22)
Embers of Muaat - (7:24)
Emirates of Hacan - (10:09)
Federation of Sol - (11:18)
Ghosts of Creuss - (12:46)
L1Z1X Mindnet - (14:03)
Mentak Coalition - (15:26)
Naalu Collective - (17:57)
Nekro Virus - (20:42)
Sardakk N'orr - (24:57)
Universities of Jol-Nar - (27:03)
Winnu - (28:46)
Xxcha Kingdom - (32:46)
Yin Brotherhood - (38:12)
Yssaril Tribes - (40:44)
Argent Flight - (42:46)
Empyrean - (45:43)
Mahact Gene-Sorcerers - (47:13)
Naaz-Rokha Alliance - (52:49)
The Nomad - (54:01)
Titans of Ul - (57:57)
Vuil'Raith Cabal - (1:00:59)
Council Keleres - (1:03:30)
Crimson Rebellion - (1:06:52)
Deepwrought Scholarate - (1:09:52)
Firmament/Obsidian - (1:13:16)
Last Bastion - (1:17:39)
Ral Nel Consortium - (1:20:05)
Tier List Review and Closing Thoughts - (1:22:34)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

Stuff Used:
Age of Empires 2 The Age of Kings + The Conquerors Expansion Full Original Soundtrack OST. Composers: Stephen Rippy, Kevin McMullan.
Shamburger; I Will Beat On Your Behind; Drizzle (Firelight Smoove Mix); Machina del Diablo; T Station; Bass Bag; Ride, Lawrence, Ride!; Smells Like Crickets, Tastes Like Chicken; Operation Monkey; Tazer; Pork Parts; Pudding Pie; Tide Me Over Warm 'em Ups; Voodoodoodoo; The Bovinian Derivative; Case in Point Paste; Mountain Lie On, Seamus and Chamois; Subotai Defeats the Knights Templar; Roi-r!, Basura! Basura!; Neep Ninny-Bod


#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 07. Juli 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

I don’t understand my favorite Stonemaier Game

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
07. Juli 2026 um 16:30

💾

We examine Duel of Meloch, a combo of Scythe and Expeditions! This standalone 1-2 player game has many Euro and area control features, like variable player powers and even combat. With a new character and mech for new factions to play with, Stonemaier fans will have a lot to play with here! However we’re really not sure about balance because of how the scoring works with the race track (Jamey Stegmaier’s favorite mechanic). Is the expedition side just weaker, or is it just this box, since we haven’t played with the base Expeditions components nor the expansion content. Just need more time and energy to play Grimcoven!

Duel of Meloch Impressions - (0:00)
Ashton’s Quick Personal Score - (10:15)
Alexander’s Additional Thoughts - (11:50)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 01. Juli 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

How Dungeon Crawling became a vibe

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
01. Juli 2026 um 16:30

💾

The genre of dungeon crawling has transformed immensely throughout the years! From being a simple dungeons and dragons + HeroQuest type of board gaming, it now has crossover with Euros in Gloomhaven but has historically been overtaken by the Ameritrash players. Now, with Awaken Realms games like ISS Vanguard and Lands of Evershade, the genre is transforming yet again. How does dice rolling and flavor text with asymmetric characters fit into all of this? Are there any new BGG games that are actually Dungeon crawlers, even though they don’t seem like so?

Wondrous Creatures Winterfall Expansion: https://badcomet.co/products/wondrous-creatures-winterfall-expansion

Other games featured: Zeroday.exe, Arkham Horror LCG, Cthulhu Death May Die, Pandemic legacy Season 1, Spirit Island, Eldritch Horror, Tainted Grail Kings of Ruin, Mansions of Madness, Gloomhaven, Jaws of the Lion, Descent: Journeys into the Dark, Munchkin, Cutthroat Caverns, Shadows of Brimstone, Legend of Drizzt, Wrath of Ashardalon, World of Warcraft, Fate, Diablo, The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth, Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, Euthia, Last Night on Earth, Zombicide, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Descent: Legends, Imperial Assault, Oathsworn, Nemesis: Retaliation, Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunners, Arcadia Quest, Zombicide

Table of Contents:
Intro - (0:00)
Dungeon Crawling Definitions - (2:06)
How did we get here?- (7:18)
So what finally is dungeon crawling -(15:08)
Final Thoughts - (19:31)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

Stuff used:
Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors - Track 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jDWRC9_Gk0
Lukrembo - Biscuit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtZ2m2Zm3vY

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 26. Juni 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Hot Streak QUICK Review

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
26. Juni 2026 um 16:30

💾

We quickly review this extremely popular party game! #4 in the party category on BGG, Hot Streak is for those lucky feeling gamblers who want to draft their bets and on the symmetrical racers, of which you all contribute cards to their deck. Most of the decisionmaking from this racing game comes from what bet to take, then seeing if you want to make a bet risky by flipping it over. How does this compare to Magical Athlete, which is also by the same publisher CMYK? Perhaps the randomness elements are wonky, but perhaps that’s exactly what you’re looking for to play with family!

Other games featured: Camel Up

Table of Contents:
Overview - (0:00)
How to Play - (0:33)
Pros - (1:36)
Cons - (4:28)
Recommender Score - (9:36)
Ashton's Personal Score - (11:19)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #review
Published — 19. Juni 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

I completed ALL of Lands of Evershade - Final Thoughts (No Spoilers!)

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
19. Juni 2026 um 16:30

💾

I finished Lands of Evershade after completing The Song of Luada! Three 18 hour adventures have been complete, so what are my final thoughts on this Hybrid RPG campaign game from Awaken Realms? Can the game stick the story-driven, CYOA high fantasy ending? Especially since you are rolling the D12’s constantly throughout the game, but now there is more usage of the other dice, like D20s! How does your character’s variable progression fare, now that you have plenty of new actions and items? Is there end game balance, or did the game decide to favor story instead? Is the MSRP of $80 without minis still worth it? How will dnD players fare after playing adventure 1?

Table of Contents:
I beat Lands of Evershade! - (0:00)
TLDW and more Overview - (2:00)
Song of Luada Cool -(3:00)
Song of Luada Observations - (10:29)
Song of Luada Bad - (15:01)
Adventure Breakdown & Final Thoughts - (36:16)

Other games mentioned: ISS Vanguard, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy 12, Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #review
Published — 12. Juni 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Burning Banners QUICK Review

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
12. Juni 2026 um 16:30

💾

We speedily review this fantasy war game made by an old MTG artist! Christopher Moeller’s Burning Banners has 2-6 players playing one of 6 asymmetric fantasy factions like orcs or dwarves, mostly to try to conquer each other. It has 4 included maps for variable scenarios, and has plenty of ameritrash ideas like dice rolling and critical hits off of rolling black dice. There’s a great amount of decision making with building and deciding how to use your many unit’s 1 actions, but that may cause problems in multiplayer…

Games mentioned: Twilight Struggle, Root, Pandemic Legacy Season 1, Tiny Epic Kingdoms, Sol: Last Days of a Star, War of the Ring 2nd Edition, Crusader of the Rex, Hammer of the Scots, Bloodstones

Table of Contents:
Overview - (0:00)
QUICK How to Play - (0:55)
QUICK Pros - (2:01)
QUICK Cons - (8:06)
Recommender Score - (10:29)
Alexander''s Personal Score - (12:25)
Ashton's Personal Score - (15:06)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
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Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
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Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #review
Published — 05. Juni 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Friend who finished a Legacy game

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
05. Juni 2026 um 16:30

💾

After finishing Pandemic Legacy Season 1, a certain friend starts acting a bit differently.They just can't see normal board games the same way again! Perhaps it has to do with the emergent narrative and overall campaign structure of legacy games. But when talking about them, one must be careful to avoid spoilers...

Other games mentioned: Seafall, Pandemic Legacy Season 2, Twilight Imperium 4, Arkham Horror LCG, HeroQuest, Marvel Dice Throne

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
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Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
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Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

Stuff used:
Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 02. Juni 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

I finally finished Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 (No Spoilers!)

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
02. Juni 2026 um 16:30

💾

We delve into the entire campaign of what used to be the BGG #1 game of all time! This legacy game which is full of unlockables to manipulate the map over the course of 12 scenarios was extremely novel in the late 2010s. But how does it hold up in 2026? It still has the Pandemic core of cooperatively saving the world through manipulating the disease cubes while trying to set collect the right colors of hands by positioning accordingly. Pandemic Legacy has more variable player powers and multi-use cards as you open boxes depending on how the scenarios go! Can this Rob Daviau and Matt Leacock game about saving the world over dozens of hours of gameplay? Or maybe we were better off playing Fate of the Fellowship? This is not a review, and anyone who comments claiming this is a review should pay the consequences!

Table of Contents:
Pandemic Legacy Season 1 Thoughts - (0:00)
SPOILER Thoughts - (12:56)
Non-spoiler Additional Thoughts - (17:07)

Other Games Mentioned:
Pandemic Legacy Season 0 & Season 2, Brass Birmingham

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
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Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

Stuff Used:
"Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 23. Mai 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Lands of Evershade Review — Awaken Realms’ Insane Efforts Paid Off (No Spoilers!)

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
23. Mai 2026 um 04:19

💾

We review the final release of Lands of Evershade, as we finished the first 2 campaigns (aka Adventures)! This Awaken Realms Gamefound game is a RPG + Board game hybrid, as it takes a lot of elements from games like Dungeons and Dragons, like character creation and emphasis on story, and puts it into a single box. Does the campaign over dozens of hours work with the narrative choices your party is constantly faced with? How does the D12 dice rolling system work with the fate system, as its for every single check? Do the miniatures plus storybook help immerse you properly into this world that is being destroyed by its sun? How does this compare to other dungeon crawlers, especially for the price point?

Other games mentioned: Twilight Imperium 4, Baldur’s Gate, Final Fantasy 15, Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, Pandemic Legacy Season 1, Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon, Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin, Dragon Eclipse, Nemesis Retaliation, ISS Vanguard, Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, HeroQuest, Elden Ring, This War of Mine, Imperial Assault, Mansions of Madness 2nd EditionLast Arc: Tactics Analogue

Table of Contents:
Intro - (0:00)
Overview - (2:17)
Component Pros - (5:58)
Writing Pros - (17:09)
Gameplay Pros - (25:56)
Component Cons - (52:20)
Gameplay Cons - (1:01:07)
Campaign Cons - (1:07:28)
SPOILER Cons - (1:10:52)
Recommender Score - (1:18:05)
Ashton's Personal Score - (1:27:16)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
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Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #review
Published — 15. Mai 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

We finished our 1st Mega Game — Touched by Darkness

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
15. Mai 2026 um 16:30

💾

We got around to the 15+ player mega game, Touched by Darkness! It only took about 8 hours and to rent an entire event space. This mega game has teams of up to 4 players cooperating to survive while trying to do their team’s specific goals. However, everything is wrapped within the lightheartedness of roleplaying, or even LARPing! We didn’t see so much war gaming in our session, but there was the shadow attack that I did not participate in. There’s plenty of negotiation and worker placement to do, as you try to feed your people and also participate in the ritual. If you’re the servant of the dark one (traitor), you want to be part of the ritual and sabotage it!

Touched by Darkness assets: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/touched-by-darkness

Games mentioned: Twilight Imperium 4, Unfathomable, Lords of Waterdeep, Battlestar Galactica

Table of Contents:
Overview - (0:00)
What is a Mega Game? - (1:17)
Cool Stuff & Moments - (6:00)
Concerns & Improvements - (17:48)
Ashton’s Final Thoughts - (24:42)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
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Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames
Published — 05. Mai 2026 ⏭ Shelfside

Imperial Assault Review — Our Favorite Dungeon Crawler!

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
05. Mai 2026 um 16:30

💾

We completed the campaign twice for this Star Wars big box, and are here to review all of that experience! Imperial Assault is a dungeon crawler with this sci-fi theme, where you still draw line of sight and chuck die, just with a lot of nice mechanical tweaks from the Descent 2nd edition system, like movement capabilities! On your turn, either rebel or empire player will go, and perform 2 actions with their miniatures. There’s even a skirmish mode to draft your armies to fight over objectives, if you don’t care about the ongoing campaign, or finished it! With a ton of modular board to to make the maps, and even Jedi to play, this box evokes a lot of strong story moments. Is this fight between the galactic empire and rebel alliance still worth it over a decade after release?

Play Uprising Curse of the Last Emperor: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/nemesisgames/uprising-big-box-true-solo

Other games mentioned: HeroQuest, Gloomhaven, Zombicide, Arkham Horror LCG, Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, Arcadia Quest, Frosthaven, Jaws of the Lion, Project Elite, Mansions of Madness, Buttons and Bugs, Dungeons and Dragons

Table of Contents:
Intro - (0:00)
Previous Dungeon Crawler Experience - (1:47)
Overview - (3:18)
Component Pros - (8:35)
Gameplay Pros - (12:46)
SPOILER Pros - (42:33)
Cons - (47:09)
Recommender Score -(54:50)
Alexander''s Personal Score - (58:01)
Ashton’s Personal Score - (1:03:34)

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
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https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #review
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