From its insanely long title to its artwork that is equal parts cartoony and metal, Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre needs no help in the style department. Heck, the game even comes with a cardboard standee of the mountain just for the added ambiance. But does this wizard battle royale have the substance to keep you coming back for more?
Exploding Kittens blew up last year on Kickstarter (pun intended), raising over $8 million dollars during its campaign. While that mark makes it easily the biggest board gaming Kickstarter campaign of all-time, it’s heavily presumed that the game itself wasn’t the biggest driver of dollars. Instead, the key selling point appears to be the creators of the Oatmeal web comic, who co-created the game and provide its humour. Because of this, it’s unfair to expect Exploding Kittens to be the best board game of all-time based on its Kickstarter money. Instead, let’s judge it on its own merits.
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.
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!
More Cash ‘N More Guns is the aptly named expansion for Cash ‘N Guns. No one will claim false advertising on this one, as it certainly contains more cash and more guns. Is this expansion just more of the same? Or does it add to the base game in meaningful ways?
Tsuro is one of the latest physical board games to make the jump to mobile. In it, players place tiles on the board to create a path for their piece to move along. Be careful though, as moving off of the board or crashing into another player will eliminate you from the game. While the board game might be a popular one, is it something you should also pick up for your phone?
Penny Press puts players at the head of rival New York newspapers as they battle for the highest circulation for their daily publication. This is done sending reporters out in the field to cover hot stories and publishing the best newspaper you can in a timely manner. While the theme isn’t wholly unique, it is one that’s rarely used and full of potential. Does this game deliver the quality newspaper experience that we didn’t know we wanted?
[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.
When 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?
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!
In Third Person 