Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game looks awesome. Based on the video tutorials and reviews I’ve seen, it appears to do an amazing job of translating the Star Wars brand of space battles to the tabletop. In particular, I think that the mechanics that dictates movement is genius and a perfect fit for the types of ships you’re commanding. I really would like to pick this one up, but the value proposition of the base set makes it hard to pull the trigger.
How many is too many? It depends on your definition of too many. With video games, I’m very particular about what that exactly means. At this point, I’ll make shelf space for any great ones I’m currently playing or have played before, but my tolerance for keeping mediocre titles or ones that I’ll realistically never play has dropped dramatically. Since October, I’ve traded in about 40 games that I felt were worth more as trade bait than as artifacts in my collection. As I continue to invest into my new board game hobby, this question is beginning to become a factor in my buying process.
Ever since I caught a serious case of board game fever, I’ve scoured high and low for board game information and recommendations. Just to name a few, I’ve taken recommendations from the game gurus at Snakes and Lattes, caught up on many back episodes of the Dice Tower podcast and have scoured through the pages of Board Game Geek. These have all been great, though one particular show really stands out as a valuable resource.
Originally released in 2012, Legendary: A Marvel Deck-Building Game is one that I fell in love with during the summer of 2013. By then, Upper Deck had already announced its plans to support the game through “Big Box” and “Small Box” expansions. Big Box expansions, such as Dark City, contain upwards of 350 cards that will release every August. Small Box expansions, such as the Fantastic 4 expansion, have up to 100 cards that will release every 3-4 months. It’s exciting to know that Upper Deck and Marvel plan to support this game with a steady flow of content, though I do have concerns about how things are priced.
The act of car racing is defined by speed. Video games have almost always done a great job of capturing that sensation as well as the act of racers jockeying for position thanks to their ability to simulate racing in real time. But how do you translate that experience into a turn-based tabletop game? Formula D has the answer. With 2-10 players, you can partake in a thrilling tabletop experience that amazingly simulates the magic of car racing. Continue reading
Who would have thought that a game about disease control could turn out to be so awesome? It just so happens that Pandemic is that game. In this cooperative board game, you and your friends must work together to contain and hopefully eradicate four deadly diseases before it’s too late. This game made a wonderful first impression on us and it’s quickly become a favourite. Not all games are easy to recommend, but this one is a shoo-in for the list of Awesome Board Games You Should Play. If you like board games, go get this one! Or, check out the full list for other board games you should get while picking up Pandemic!
I really appreciate board games that do a great job of marrying their mechanics and theme together into one cohesive experience. Some of my favourite games that deliver on this include Formula D and Legendary: A Marvel Deck-Building Game. The former provides players with a cool sensation of racing through dice, while the latter creates a dramatic battle of good versus evil through the now-ubiquitous deck building mechanic. Originally designed as an officially licensed Street Fighter card game, Yomi aims to do something similar by translating the fighting game experience through cards. Does it deliver on that promise?
As a tabletop newbie with a lifetime of video game experience, I’ve noticed that shopping for tabletop games is very different from what I’m used to. With video games, they’re widely available at many different stores. Pricing for new titles is the same across all stores. Also, after a certain period of time, prices on games drop dramatically. Over time, I’ve come to learn that shopping for board games is not like that at all.
Within the last 2 years, board games have impacted my life in a very positive way. I’ve discovered how fun they are to play and rediscovered how great it is to share this social experience with friends and family. With so many games on the market, it can be hard to find the ones that are worth your time. So far, I’ve been fortunate to have discovered many great games thanks to the recommendations of others. Though my quest won’t end anytime soon, I hope that I can pay it forward here.
With that in mind, I’ve created a permanent page on the site that will archive all of my game recommendations. You can access it at any time from the main navigation under Board Games. As I find more cool stuff, I’ll add it to the list and make posts to spread the word each time I add to it. Click on the link below to check out my picks!
Awesome Board Games You Should Play
This is a two-way street, so I’m really hoping you recommend some hot tabletop games that I should try out too!
Legendary: Dark City is the first major expansion to Marvel’s deck-building game. With 17 heroes, 5 masterminds, 8 new schemes and more, owning this would basically double the size of the experience. There’s definitely a surface-level appeal to having more of a good thing, but do the cards in the expansion improve on the core experience?
In Third Person 