Raf Reviews - Arkham Horror: The Card Game What a year for Lovecraft stuff. First Mythos Tales, now Arkham Horror: The Card Game. I’m going to have to stop saying that the Mythos doesn’t do anything for me because all of a sudden it does. I get now why Great Cthulhu holds a place in so many people’s hearts. I get why I should fear The Yellow Sign or signs of the Black Goat Cult. I get it because the AH:LCG is the best card game I’ve played since Netrunner. Arkham Horror is a story game at its heart. As you play you’ll advance through 12/19/2016
What a year for Lovecraft stuff. First Mythos Tales, now Arkham Horror: The Card Game. I’m going to have to stop saying that the Mythos doesn’t do anything for me because all of a sudden it does. I get now why Great Cthulhu holds a place in so many people’s hearts. I get why I should fear The Yellow Sign or signs of the Black Goat Cult. I get it because the AH:LCG is the best card game I’ve played since Netrunner. Arkham Horror is a story game at its heart. As you play you’ll advance through
Calvin's Corner - Vast: The Crystal Caverns Interview One of the year’s most innovative and charming games, Vast: The Crystal Caverns is doing its second print run on Kickstarter. Amidst the chaos of the campaign running up to its final 48 hours, I talked to the team behind Vast to learn more about their inspirations, foibles, and what they’d do differently if they did it all over again. Disclosure: The author is a backer of the first printing of Vast. He also provided a quote for the campaign page of the second printing. Hello Patrick, Kyle, 12/16/2016
One of the year’s most innovative and charming games, Vast: The Crystal Caverns is doing its second print run on Kickstarter. Amidst the chaos of the campaign running up to its final 48 hours, I talked to the team behind Vast to learn more about their inspirations, foibles, and what they’d do differently if they did it all over again. Disclosure: The author is a backer of the first printing of Vast. He also provided a quote for the campaign page of the second printing. Hello Patrick, Kyle,
Spotlight - Board Game Blitz It’s time to add some ritz, so welcome to the Blitz! On this edition of Spotlight, we welcome Ambie Valdés, Cassadi Thomas, and Crystal Pisano of the Board Game Blitz podcast! Please tell us about yourselves. Ambie: Hi! I'm Ambie, and I like board games. You can read all our bios on the About Us section of our site, but basically I've been playing games all my life, and currently I like strategic games with mechanics that work well with the theme. I'm part of Board Game Blitz (obviously), a ~30 12/10/2016
It’s time to add some ritz, so welcome to the Blitz! On this edition of Spotlight, we welcome Ambie Valdés, Cassadi Thomas, and Crystal Pisano of the Board Game Blitz podcast! Please tell us about yourselves. Ambie: Hi! I'm Ambie, and I like board games. You can read all our bios on the About Us section of our site, but basically I've been playing games all my life, and currently I like strategic games with mechanics that work well with the theme. I'm part of Board Game Blitz (obviously), a ~30
Charlie's Take - Haze Islands Experiencing adventure, yelling "scallywag!", and tasting the saltwater in your beard are all main attractions of the all-too-rare pirate board game. Even when a fantastic release like Merchants and Marauders sails along they tend to drag out to two or three hour grandiose affairs that can leave you exhausted and pining for shore leave. Designer Charles Ward decided to change up the ingredients for the grog with his print 'n play title Haze Islands. This is a 1-3 player small footprint 12/08/2016
Experiencing adventure, yelling "scallywag!", and tasting the saltwater in your beard are all main attractions of the all-too-rare pirate board game. Even when a fantastic release like Merchants and Marauders sails along they tend to drag out to two or three hour grandiose affairs that can leave you exhausted and pining for shore leave. Designer Charles Ward decided to change up the ingredients for the grog with his print 'n play title Haze Islands. This is a 1-3 player small footprint
Charlie's Take - Airborne Commander The crashing waves on Omaha Beach. The grinding rhythmic pulse of an MG42 cutting through bocage. A knocking engine whining under stress as the Panzer IV claws up the mud. World War II is perhaps the most lyrical and poetic war in the annals of history. There were thousands of gallons of spilled blood and many brave men and women gave their lives from countless countries. Yet that enduring sense of glorification and respect surrounding this global conflict is awe inspiring. It’s a time period 12/04/2016
The crashing waves on Omaha Beach. The grinding rhythmic pulse of an MG42 cutting through bocage. A knocking engine whining under stress as the Panzer IV claws up the mud. World War II is perhaps the most lyrical and poetic war in the annals of history. There were thousands of gallons of spilled blood and many brave men and women gave their lives from countless countries. Yet that enduring sense of glorification and respect surrounding this global conflict is awe inspiring. It’s a time period
Calvin's Corner - Ted Alspach Interview At Essen, Bezier Games, purveyors of such fine games as Suburbia and One Night Ultimate Werewolf, were exhibiting their newest game, science fiction dice drafting engine builder Colony, adapted from a Japanese game called Age of Craft. Busy as it was, Bezier did have a tiny square room for people to sit down and have a quick chat. I managed to talk to Colony designer Ted Alspach about the game and how it came to be. Hi Ted! Hello! So I see you've got a lot of Colony at your booth. Yes! 11/28/2016
At Essen, Bezier Games, purveyors of such fine games as Suburbia and One Night Ultimate Werewolf, were exhibiting their newest game, science fiction dice drafting engine builder Colony, adapted from a Japanese game called Age of Craft. Busy as it was, Bezier did have a tiny square room for people to sit down and have a quick chat. I managed to talk to Colony designer Ted Alspach about the game and how it came to be. Hi Ted! Hello! So I see you've got a lot of Colony at your booth. Yes!
Charlie's Take - Conan I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs—I was a man before I was a king. Conan is testosterone, ferocity, and rage. Bursting forth from the pages of Robert E. Howard, his raucous and violent adventures are poetic yet barbaric. They speak to the soul and seize emotions. In short, they’re perfect for gaming. This is a one vs. many design that could roughly be compared to Descent in 11/22/2016
I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs—I was a man before I was a king. Conan is testosterone, ferocity, and rage. Bursting forth from the pages of Robert E. Howard, his raucous and violent adventures are poetic yet barbaric. They speak to the soul and seize emotions. In short, they’re perfect for gaming. This is a one vs. many design that could roughly be compared to Descent in
Calvin's Corner - Adrenaline A thinker in thematic clothing; Adrenaline is one of the best euros I’ve ever played Adrenaline is one of the biggest releases of the year but the key question is: Will Colin like it? Stop me if you’ve heard this one: euro style games don’t pull you in. You open the box to feel like a 14th century architect, but end up pushing cubes and grappling with systems and the storytelling is sprinkled on - like that layer of powdered icing sugar they always put on pastries but you can never taste. 11/15/2016
A thinker in thematic clothing; Adrenaline is one of the best euros I’ve ever played Adrenaline is one of the biggest releases of the year but the key question is: Will Colin like it? Stop me if you’ve heard this one: euro style games don’t pull you in. You open the box to feel like a 14th century architect, but end up pushing cubes and grappling with systems and the storytelling is sprinkled on - like that layer of powdered icing sugar they always put on pastries but you can never taste.