Wholly Knizia

Dr. Reiner Knizia is a name synonymous with board games. Even if you haven’t heard of him, you’ve likely played one of his designs; according to Gemini, he has created more than 800 games. Whether it’s Ra, The Quest for El Dorado, Samurai, or Huang, he’s everywhere.    We even had a lovely sit-down with him recently to discuss his highly successful career.

Whale Riders excited me because it comes from a power duo: Knizia on design and Vincent Dutrait on art. Dutrait’s work has become increasingly easy to spot as I’ve gone deeper into the hobby, and here his contribution is excellent. The thematic art is rich, depicting Indigenous Arctic tribes using handsome whales and other massive sea creatures as mounts. But despite that pedigree, this is not one for the Knizia hall of fame.

Ice Race

In Whale Riders, players take two of five possible actions each turn, moving between ports, buying goods, and completing contracts for money and pearls. Play continues until all the pearls have been purchased from the home area, giving the game a race-like structure from start to finish.

Goods in the market are replenished as they are bought, but new tiles can introduce storms that…

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You Know the Name

Flip 7 took the world by storm in 2023, touting itself as the “World’s Greatest Card Game.” It backed up that claim in 2024, taking home a slew of awards, including Origins Best Party Game, Golden Geek Best Party Game, and even a nomination for the 2025 Spiel des Jahres award.

It’s also gaining recognition outside the gaming bubble. I recently had an interaction with coworkers in my office who wanted to play Uno, and I asked if they’d heard of Flip 7. To my surprise, more than one of them said yes with immediate excitement. Whether you love it or hate it, Flip 7 is almost a household name now.

It’s only natural that a game in this format would spawn variations to keep the cash coming. Last year, we saw the Dr. Seuss’s Grinch variant, and I have an inside scoop that more reskins are on the way.

Following on the heels of the Uno: No Mercy madness from a few years back, Flip 7 now has its own “mean” version, packed with ruthless cards and more stabbing. But how does it hold up against the original? Let’s flip the next card and find out.

Same Flips, New Cards

…

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Wonder Boy, Hercules

I’m a fan of mythology in general. There’s a childlike wonder that comes from reading stories of epic heroism, self-sacrifice, memorable characters wrapped up in the hero’s journey formula. I remember when Disney’s Hercules came out in 1997, I was engrossed in the mania of toys, picture books, and even the promotional plates in partnership with McDonald’s (yes, back then McDonald’s had tableware!).

Fast forward to today, and while I don’t have kids of my own, the inner kid is always drawn to mythological stories. Though the actual story of Hercules and the 12 Labors is vastly different from the children’s cartoon, complete with graphic violence and other adult themes.

I was excited to link up with Mathue Ryann from Envy Born games last year, both over our mutual Friendsgiving of bourbon and board games, and at PAX U, where Hercules and the 12 Labors debuted. This title, with all the gold foiling and pizzazz, follows a format of grinding through a deck of cards in the similar vein of Kinfire Delve, One Deck Dungeon, and Witchcraft!

On a nice Sunday afternoon, I find myself playing solo games with a cuppa tea, and this…

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Layeth the Smackdown

Synthezoid Smackdown is the latest scenario pack building on the hero-vs-hero gameplay introduced in the Civil War big box expansion of the larger Marvel Champions: The Card Game system. Aside from having a name that could double as a WWE pay-per-view, it pushes the Superhuman Registration Act schism forward by pitting players against two “villains”: She-Hulk and Vision. They’re on opposite sides of the Civil War divide, and each comes with a customizable scenario plus eight new modular encounters you can mix into the larger Civil War ecosystem. More cards are also added for the PvP (Player vs. Player) mode which Civil War introduced.

Lore

During the Civil War storyline, She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) and Vision (Jonas) were not spotlight characters in the conflict, but both occupied interesting spaces adjacent to it.

As a lawyer, Jennifer’s support of the Superhuman Registration Act was a natural extension of her faith in due process and the legal system, even if that system often lives in gray areas. Most notably, she represented Speedball in court following the Stamford Disaster, the event that led to the creation of the Registration Act. She was also hired by her father-in-law, J. Jonah Jameson, to sue Peter Parker for fraud after he unmasked himself.…

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All Aboard!

Trains are a core pillar of the board gaming world. It'd be hard to find a gamer who hasn't played a train game of some sort, whether that's the gateway-friendly Ticket to Ride, a crunchy 18XX title, or the industrial majesty of Brass: Birmingham. It's one of the hobby's most enduring themes, equally at home in the classic era and the modern renaissance. Something about locomotives just clicks with gamers: the routes, the networks, the satisfying logic of getting from here to there.

Most train games revolve around route building, delivering cargo, or some variation of the two. The formula is well-worn, and for good reason. It works. But it's rare to see a "train" game genuinely spin the genre into something truly different. Usually, the chrome changes; the bones stay the same.

Enter Whistlewood Express, a two-player game that uses only cards and a single, handsome wooden locomotive. To my surprise, it plays more like hand management than a traditional train game, and it comes with a mysterious spiral notebook tucked in the box: the Freightmaster's Logbook. That notebook turns out to be more important than it first appears.

2P Train

The base game is played over a series of turns in which…

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Glimmering

I have a soft spot for “flip-and-writes” (and X-and-writes in general). They’re quick, snappy, and they fit perfectly into those “we’ve got an hour (or less) and a cozy table” game nights with my wife. Give me something that sets up fast, plays clean, and still leaves room for a little cleverness, and I’m in. The Hobbit: There and Back Again and Welcome to… are two of my go-tos for exactly that reason.

And yet, I’m a heavy Euro gamer at heart. Engine building is my comfort food. There’s no greater feeling than building efficiency and reaping the rewards. The twist with Glimmerdeep is that it looks like it’s going to live firmly in that lighter flip-and-write lane, but hits you with “What if we hid a whole resource conversion machine down here in the dark?”

Glimmerdeep isn’t the kind of flip-and-write where you’re simply coloring in shapes, adding up points, and calling it a night. As I read through the rules, I was delighted to see that this is, in fact, an engine builder. This is another testament to the old saying, “you don’t judge a book by its cover.”

I Dig It

Glimmerdeep plays over five rounds, following a steady rhythm of digging, building,…

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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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What’s Cooler Than Being Cool?

When I first saw this game on a table, I assumed it was a kids’/family title—something akin to ICECOOL or Santorini. But on closer inspection, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Nunatak: Temple of Ice comes to us from Kane Klenko, who, aside from having a catchy name, has plenty of titles on the market, including FUSE, Dead Men Tell No Tales, Pandemic: Rapid Response, and Covert. I can’t say I’ve played any of his other games, but his designs seem to have a unique flair, and Nunatak: Temple of Ice is no exception.

Dumping out the box, I found some cards, a ton of tiles, and—most interestingly—a TON of brightly colored plastic, cube-ish shapes. I was hoping this wouldn’t be a dexterity game, because I’m not keen on those (shaky hands and all). Luckily, it ain’t. But does this ice pyramid have a strong foundation, or will it easily crumble?

There’s only one way to find out!

Draft, Stack, Score

Nunatak: Temple of Ice is played in turns until the semi-communal pyramid has been fully built (complete with a topper!). On a player’s turn, they draft a card from the market and place one of their sturdy…

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Peel Appeal

Weast Coast Games has quickly become one of my favorite publishers. Their catalog may not be huge, but their unique styling and approach to game mechanics makes every release feel worth a look. If you haven’t checked out their early games, hop on over to our reviews of  Desperate Oasis and Snakes of Wrath.

At PAX Unplugged, Dan Cassaro and the Weast Coast team shared a booth with Chris Couch Games, which definitely upped their presence on the floor. You could hardly walk by without noticing it—one side was fully Christmas-themed, and there was even a little photo booth with Dani Strandring drawing caricatures.

While both previous Weast Coast titles were strictly two-player, Fruit Boss expands the range to four. That’s a great move, because the mid-century Americana ad style from the earlier games is enough to pull people in, but the head-to-head format can be a turn-off for some groups.

But don’t worry—Fruit Boss keeps all the artistic charm, just with an ’80s minimalism flavor. It looks like something I’d find on a blank VHS tape cover from my childhood (and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then I feel old).

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Training Montage

I struggle to get excited when someone says “train game.” The moment “18XX” hits the table, my brain checks out. I’ve enjoyed a few—Chicago Express, Age of Rail: South Africa, Iberian Gauge, and currently Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West (okay, not really 18XX but still a train game!)—but my bias remains: they all feel the same. Learn one, learn them all, right?

And while that may be true, it takes more than a new map to get me on board. I’m not great at market speculation or company valuation, which already puts me behind. But dress the system up with a new flavor, and I can be coaxed to the table. Dinosaurs in Cretaceous Rails? Bag-building in Lightning Train? A fresh spin goes a long way for non-train gamers like me.

Space Rails

Enter Stellar Ventures, a spacefaring economic game from newcomer designer Pontus Nilsson. At a glance, you might think you’ve sat down at Gaia Project, but look closer: this is an investment-and-network puzzle that tests your galactic bookkeeping.

[caption id="attachment_327002" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Stellar Ventures at PAX Unplugged.[/caption]

Crack open the Corporate Handbook and you’re greeted with midcentury-style product ads hyping expansion, investment, and tech development. Then comes the twist—aliens.…

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