Arcadia is a game where each player builds their own amusement park. You’ll be in charge of hiring staff and building attractions in an effort to have the best park at the table. Are you ready to build the next Disney World?
card games
Council of Verona Review
Council of Verona is a card game set in the Romeo and Juliet universe. Featuring the legendary star-crossed lovers as well as their supporting cast, this is a card game revolving around your actions as citizens in Verona trying to influence the events between the Montague and Capulet families. This may not be the most obvious focus for a Romeo and Juliet game, but does that make for a game that could catch you by surprise? Continue reading
Lost Cities Review
From the Himilayan mountains to to the bottom of the sea, the world is yours for you and a friend to explore in Lost Cities. Designed by the legendary Reiner Knizia and published by Kosmos, this is a competitive two-player card game where players create expedition routes that will hopefully generate more discovery points than their opposition. Should you find a partner and head off on this card game adventure?
Too Many Cinderellas Review
In a story almost as old as stories themselves, Prince Charming has fallen in love with Cinderella. Unfortunately for him, she ran away as the clock struck midnight, and she’s probably not coming back. This is the setup for Too Many Cinderellas, a card game for two-to-four players. Looking to you and your friends for help, what you’re actually going to do is try to convince the heartbroken and confused prince that the woman, man, or cat in your entourage is actually the maiden he met on that fateful night.
Good Cop Bad Cop Review
In Good Cop Bad Cop, the police are trying to shake out the crooked cops from their ranks. What starts out as an investigation will escalate to a full-blown gunfight until one of the leaders of each side is dead. Do you want to step inside the police precinct and get entangled with a messy war on corruption?
Board Game Spots in Toronto
As someone who lives on the outskirts of the Greater Toronto Area and works in the downtown core, I can comfortably say that the board game fans in the city are spoiled relative to those everyone else outside. Board games are booming in Toronto, with stores and cafes popping up everywhere to support a rabid fan base. Meanwhile, just outside of the city limits, your options for buying games or playing games in public venues is far more sparse, albeit growing.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I wanted to highlight a few places that are notable to me. Here’s a few places that I think are worth talking about!
Paperback Review
Paperback by Tim Fowler puts players in the shoes of aspiring writers. Pouring over each word, players compete to become the most famous writer of the bunch by completing work on paperback novels. No, you won’t actually have to write novels to win the game, but your vocabulary will be put to the test in a game that is equal parts Scrabble and Dominion. Are you ready to become the next J.K. Rowling, Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks?
Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre Review
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 Review
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.
Dreams of Designing My Own Board Game
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.
In Third Person 