Osprey Games is back with another Fabio Lopiano and Mandela Fernández-Grandon collaboration. Last year brought us Sankoré, which made my top ten of the year. Adding to the team, yet again, is Ian O’Toole with the illustration work. This release follows the tradition of capturing a moment in history and allowing players to dabble in […]
We’ve got a special shipping opportunity for you. See this crate? Yeah, the one wrapped in tin foil, well, I need you to get this to Star Base 12 by Saturday night without anything exploding. Why would it explode? Erm… no particular reason. Just, uh, don’t bump it, okay? And I wouldn’t store anything too […]
There I was, enjoying my retirement, sipping on ice water, watching some Star Trek, when our fearless leader dropped a cryptic note in our Discord: “Any Wingspan fans?” Here’s a transcript of our conversation that followed. Me: “I am a Wingspan fan.” Tony: “You are also retired, no? ☺️” Me: “I am retired, but you […]
Vineyard has maybe the most bizarre thematic dissonance of any game I’ve played in 2025. On the surface, it’s a game about rival winemakers competing to export the best merlot or whatever. However, further inspection reveals that players actually own the same vineyard but are still competing to have the best wine. But actually, players […]
We talk casually about genetics and inherited traits. Literal physical traits like the color of mom’s eyes, and intangibles like dad’s love of gaming. Genetics as a whole isn’t something that is confined to discussions by white coated scientists anymore. It’s in our everyday vocabulary. We ask doctors to look for inherited disease markers, and […]
Baseball fans are sickos. If you know a baseball fan, you know this. If you are a baseball fan, you have elaborate rituals you perform in private to help Jhonkensy Noel out of a slump. You know, sicko stuff. Baseball fans are the reason there are hordes of nerds with spreadsheets running actual sports teams […]
I requested this game because I’m such a big Witcher fan. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve never played a Witcher video game. But I liked the concept of the card game, and my sister is a Witcher fan, so I thought it would be fun to play together and discuss, thus allowing for an evaluation […]
When you hear the word Viking, what comes to mind? Did it invoke images and thoughts of Norse gods, two-handed axes, berserkers, or some thorn-head team out of Minnesota? I’m not going to lie that those are some of the first things that came into my mind. Did explorers or Lief Erikson come to mind? […]
There’s a real romanticism to pirates and piracy. The freedom of the open seas. Fighting back against authority. Chests full of money and jewels are pretty cool too. It’s easy to see why pirates and piracy are practically a genre all their own. The actual life of piracy was probably less glorious. Illness, constant threats […]
In the great debate of Ameri-trash vs Euro-games, Millennia: Tracks of Time falls decidedly in the Euro-game camp. I mean, it has “tracks” in its title, and its main board is a paean to tracks with seven large, colorful ones proudly on display. This game knows its audience and unabashedly lays out its minimal luck, […]
You can usually count on sci-fi shows to do at least one crash episode. This usually involves allied crewmen or crewmen with enemy crash survivors working together toward common goals on a planet with a hostile environment or critters. These episodes usually have the survivors Macgyvering equipment or their ships (possibly combining ships) to signal […]
My first experience with Nazi zombies was in a Call of Duty video game, but that broad concept is actually a well-established niche of the horror genre, dating all the way back to World War II. That won’t be a surprise to many–the allegory of a military superpower treating humans as puppets for the purpose […]
Partnering with the right IP can make a huge difference in finding an audience in the crowded space of modern board games; Star Wars: Battle of Hoth, Dune Imperium/Uprising, and Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship are prime recent examples. The Voynich Manuscript, dating to medieval times, is an illustrated codex written in […]
I’m always ready and willing to play trick-taking games. I’ve played those since I was a child, and I think it was due to my grandparents teaching me Pinochle and Bridge at an early age. Fast-forward to high school and college, and my friends and I were constantly playing like spades or hearts to pass […]
Me: Man, I love Vantage. If it were not for The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, it would be my runaway winner for game of the year. I wish I could express to the world why I like this game so much. Unfortunately, you already covered Vantage. If only there were some way […]
I love a good whodunit movie or book. I also like deductive board games with that whodunit element because those really help scratch that itch, like Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective series, Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game, and Mr. Jack. These games work because you’re working through clues to find the guilty party. I enjoy […]
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