Charlie's Take - Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game When Fantasy Flight announced Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game, I was pretty jazzed. Warhammer Quest was a big part of my youth and connection to this hobby. The Sadler brothers are rock solid and have been involved in some great games. Most importantly, I trust Fantasy Flight Games. That's why it's so shocking how nonplussed I was. The design is certainly competent and has some clever mechanisms. You have asymmetrical characters, a solid array of scenarios, and many different types of 10/09/2016
When Fantasy Flight announced Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game, I was pretty jazzed. Warhammer Quest was a big part of my youth and connection to this hobby. The Sadler brothers are rock solid and have been involved in some great games. Most importantly, I trust Fantasy Flight Games. That's why it's so shocking how nonplussed I was. The design is certainly competent and has some clever mechanisms. You have asymmetrical characters, a solid array of scenarios, and many different types of
Charlie's Take - Quartermaster General: Victory or Death Quartermaster General was a game that caught my interest yet majorly underwhelmed. It took a long while after my first play to really articulate what bothered me about the game. Gathering my thoughts proved as aggravating as the card-driven invasion of Europe. After a single play I was content divining that this design was not for me and I'd avoid it in the future. Then I was hoodwinked. My buddy Aaron, a masochistic Quartermaster General fan, grabbed Victory or Death at Gen Con. He lured me in 10/04/2016
Quartermaster General was a game that caught my interest yet majorly underwhelmed. It took a long while after my first play to really articulate what bothered me about the game. Gathering my thoughts proved as aggravating as the card-driven invasion of Europe. After a single play I was content divining that this design was not for me and I'd avoid it in the future. Then I was hoodwinked. My buddy Aaron, a masochistic Quartermaster General fan, grabbed Victory or Death at Gen Con. He lured me in
Spotlight - Sydney Engelstein Welcome to Spotlight, a Ding & Dent interview series. We aim to spotlight minorities in games media and the gaming industry and talk to them about the things they are passionate about. On our first Spotlight is game designer and e-sports writer Sydney Engelstein, co-designer of Space Cadets, the follow up Space Cadets: Dice Duel, Survive: Space Attack! and most recently, The Dragon and Flagon. Say hello Sydney! Hello! I know who you are because I’m a gigantic nerd. For those who whose 10/03/2016
Welcome to Spotlight, a Ding & Dent interview series. We aim to spotlight minorities in games media and the gaming industry and talk to them about the things they are passionate about. On our first Spotlight is game designer and e-sports writer Sydney Engelstein, co-designer of Space Cadets, the follow up Space Cadets: Dice Duel, Survive: Space Attack! and most recently, The Dragon and Flagon. Say hello Sydney! Hello! I know who you are because I’m a gigantic nerd. For those who whose
Charlie's Take - Let Them Eat Cake Osprey games has seriously impressed me. Escape From The Aliens In Outer Space came in and killed it critically. The Ravens Of Thri Sahashri arrived and quickly became one of my favorite two player card games. Agamemnon was an abstract game that I actually enjoyed. So, does Let Them Eat Cake get the icing or the guillotine? The game starts off promising enough: "The glorious revolution has done away with tyranny! Now you and your friends make up the Committee of Public Safety, overseeing 09/30/2016
Osprey games has seriously impressed me. Escape From The Aliens In Outer Space came in and killed it critically. The Ravens Of Thri Sahashri arrived and quickly became one of my favorite two player card games. Agamemnon was an abstract game that I actually enjoyed. So, does Let Them Eat Cake get the icing or the guillotine? The game starts off promising enough: "The glorious revolution has done away with tyranny! Now you and your friends make up the Committee of Public Safety, overseeing
Raf Reviews - Morocco Boardgames are an amalgamation of things. Art, components, mechanics, and rules come together to provide some sort of experience at the table. The best weave these elements together into an experience that transcends the physical acts of moving plastic and wood across cardboard. My favorite games are the ones where people describe - not the mechanics or rules - but the story, the adventure, or the tension the game provides. Unfortunately, Morocco falls short of my expectations. The promised 09/25/2016
Boardgames are an amalgamation of things. Art, components, mechanics, and rules come together to provide some sort of experience at the table. The best weave these elements together into an experience that transcends the physical acts of moving plastic and wood across cardboard. My favorite games are the ones where people describe - not the mechanics or rules - but the story, the adventure, or the tension the game provides. Unfortunately, Morocco falls short of my expectations. The promised
Charlie's Take - Agamemnon Abstract strategy games are a genre I struggle with. I tend to prefer those that manage to espouse a sense of theme such as Neuroshima Hex and Dreamblade. At the other end of the spectrum, area control is one of my favorite core systems. Agamemnon manages to smash together both of these genres to produce an experience that is pretty unique. Let's hit the theme first. I'm a literature guy (dude? person?) and the Iliad is near and dear to my warm heart. While Agamemnon is not the most evocative 09/11/2016
Abstract strategy games are a genre I struggle with. I tend to prefer those that manage to espouse a sense of theme such as Neuroshima Hex and Dreamblade. At the other end of the spectrum, area control is one of my favorite core systems. Agamemnon manages to smash together both of these genres to produce an experience that is pretty unique. Let's hit the theme first. I'm a literature guy (dude? person?) and the Iliad is near and dear to my warm heart. While Agamemnon is not the most evocative
Raf Reviews - Secret Hitler Social deduction games are usually not my thing. I like Coup quite a bit because it’s more bluffing than deduction, but games like Werewolf, Mafia, or The Resistance are just OK in my book. In fact, The Resistance is one of the few games that I will politely decline. I was not excited for Secret Hitler; I agreed to play at GenCon mostly because a number of my friends wanted to try it. I assumed its success hinged on an edgy theme and that I’d find myself longing for Coup or Skull. I was wrong, 09/08/2016
Social deduction games are usually not my thing. I like Coup quite a bit because it’s more bluffing than deduction, but games like Werewolf, Mafia, or The Resistance are just OK in my book. In fact, The Resistance is one of the few games that I will politely decline. I was not excited for Secret Hitler; I agreed to play at GenCon mostly because a number of my friends wanted to try it. I assumed its success hinged on an edgy theme and that I’d find myself longing for Coup or Skull. I was wrong,
Raf Reviews - Dragoon Humans ruin everything. The land of Dragoon was a peaceful one. All the dragons had their own caves and they were all good friends, hanging out and doing whatever friendly dragons do. Campfires maybe. Then the humans showed up. They brought villages, cities, people, and – most importantly – gold. Beautiful gold. That ruined everything. Calling Dragoon an abstract game may be accurate, but it doesn’t really paint the whole picture. After my first game I sat looking at the gorgeous cloth board 09/05/2016
Humans ruin everything. The land of Dragoon was a peaceful one. All the dragons had their own caves and they were all good friends, hanging out and doing whatever friendly dragons do. Campfires maybe. Then the humans showed up. They brought villages, cities, people, and – most importantly – gold. Beautiful gold. That ruined everything. Calling Dragoon an abstract game may be accurate, but it doesn’t really paint the whole picture. After my first game I sat looking at the gorgeous cloth board
