board game culture

Board Game Night Playlist: Games For Board Game Hipsters

JettLeave a comment

So you think Catan wore out its welcome years ago. You buy games off the strength of a designer’s name alone. You’re also constantly looking for the next big game or gems that other people have overlooked. If this sounds like you, you might be a board game hipster.

And there’s nothing wrong with that! You clearly have a passion for the hobby and a strong point of view on topics relating to the scene. For your next board game night, here’s a few under the radar gems you may have missed. Or, if you’re not a board game hipster, try these awesome games out while upping your board game street cred tenfold.

Continue reading →

Dreams of Designing My Own Board Game

JettLeave a comment

As my love for board games has grown, so too has my admiration for the work that’s put into making them. Early on, it completely mystified me how game designers jumped from Monopoly to Dominion in terms of game mechanics. Playing more games has opened my eyes to the different types of games, though it’s only impressed me more in regards to how board game designers are able to put cool twists on established mechanics or how they’re able to create something brand new.

Of late, it’s got me thinking about the possibility of designing my own game. I’ve read a little bit online about how to design a game, and the physical act of putting one together can be done with a few craft supplies or stuff around the house. That said, it’s not one’s ability to make a board or cards. The real magic comes from the ability to design a great game.

Continue reading →

Board Game Night Playlist: Tile Placement Games

Jett1 Comment

For most of my life, there was no tile placement sub-genre of board games. There was just Scrabble. This all-time great won me over at a young age and continues to be a favourite. Once I discovered the world of enthusiast board gaming, I discovered that there were many other games that use the concept of tile placement in very different ways. In this installment of the Board Game Night Playlist, we’re doing nothing but quality tile placement games. Let’s go!

Continue reading →

The Curious Case of the Out of Print Legendary: Fantastic 4 Expansion

Jett2 Comments

Legendary: Fantastic 4

[UPDATE: The Fantastic 4 expansion is coming back into print!]

Over the holidays, my friend and fellow Marvel Legendary fan Jamaal brought it to my attention that the Fantastic 4 expansion was no longer in print. Admittedly, I haven’t been keeping my fingers to the pulse of this game of late, but its been out of retail for over a year now. While I was lucky enough to get my copy for retail price, Jamaal isn’t as fortunate. When it appears on eBay, the asking price for this $20 expansion is usually in the hundreds.

Continue reading →

The Board Game Rotation

Jett2 Comments

Board Game Collection 2014When I first started buying board games, I had this noble thought in my head that I would keep every game I own in a rotation. Ideally, we’d cycle through the entire lineup so that none of the games get neglected. Instead, I’m in a situation where a handful of games get a ton of play while many others collect dust. Why did my dream of the perfect rotation fall apart? And is it even possible to maintain a rotation as one’s collection grows?

Continue reading →

Board Game Night Playlist: I, Spy

Jett1 Comment

Spies are a surprisingly common trope in board games. They usually aren’t of the James Bond variety, though they’re often used to represent someone who is hiding their true identity. All three of these games on tonight’s Board Game Night Playlist feature these undercover agents. Curiously, all three games are also designed to work as party games for large groups. Let’s blow the cover on these spy-themed board games!

Continue reading →

Board Game Night Playlist: Games for Couples

JettLeave a comment

Steff and I have been playing board games together for a very long time. We both fell in love with the hobby at the same Dominion game night. Flashing back to the very beginning of our relationship, we played Scrabble on our first date. Board gaming has been a part of our relationship since its inception and I don’t think that’s going away any time soon. This edition of the Board Game Night playlist is devised of games for couples to play together. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, now might be a better time than ever to be ready with a board game or two. Try these the next time you’re gaming with the one you love!

Continue reading →

Stuff vs. Space

Jett5 Comments

Growing up, the concept of space didn’t really factor into my way of living. With my parent’s house as a repository, I bought what I wanted and held onto things for way longer than I probably should have. For instance, I stored a collection of a few dozen basketball shoes in my closet, hundreds of video games in the basement, and virtually all of my school work dating back to grade 6 under my bed. You know, in case I needed to refer to my school work someday in the real world.

Today, I’m challenged with a very different dilemma. While I don’t collect sneakers or homework anymore, they’ve been replaced with a large stash of comic books, board games and Amiibo figures. The video games are still here, albeit split in half as part of the “Great Divorce” my brother and I had when I moved out. Finally, my parent’s house has been replaced with Steff and I’s small condo. The stuff I have versus the space I have are at odds with each other and something has to give.

Continue reading →

The Value of Consumable Board Games

Jett2 Comments

Pandemic Legacy

The vast majority of board games have been designed with infinite replayability in mind. Once the experience is over, simply reset the components and start again. However, Risk Legacy introduced a consumable element to the game, as it followed a story with a finite end. As you played, you wrote on the board, put stickers everywhere and tore up cards until the game you’re left with is one that’s very different from the one you started with.

The concept found new life in 2015 with games like T.I.M.E Stories and Pandemic Legacy. The first game is one that is stellar, though this full-priced game is over in about six hours with no further replay value. As for the latter, it’s a wildly popular successor to an already huge game. The love for it has been so great that it dethroned the five-year champ Twilight Struggle from the #1 slot on Board Game Geek’s list of best board games.

With consumable games on the rise, there’s been a growing debate on the merits of these styles of games. Would you buy a game knowing that it won’t last forever like the other games in your collection?

Continue reading →

T.I.M.E Stories Added to the List of Awesome Board Games You Should Play

JettLeave a comment

Days removed from playing and completing T.I.M.E Stories, my mind is still buzzing from what transpired. Essentially, it’s an adventure video game that’s been expertly translated to the tabletop. As a member of what is basically the time police, you travel to a 1920s asylum to foil someone’s plot of breaking the space time continuum.

Deeply engaging and exciting from end-to-end, my experience with this game is quite possibly the best I’ve ever had with a board game. With The Marcy Case expansion already out and more on the way, T.I.M.E Stories is bound to stay top of mind for quite a while. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Check out the full list of Awesome Board Games You Should Play!


Buy T.I.M.E Stories Now From Amazon.com

See More From The In Third Person Store