We're Not Wizards - Tabletop Board Game Reviews

I've always fancied myself as a bit of a property magnate. I rented out my house in Burntisland for a bit, but got fleeced by the last tenant I had and he ended up owing me about £2,000 by the time he was turfed out. That's a pittance compared to the eye-watering sums of money I managed to lose playing Magnate: The First City from Naylor Games. The game sees you take on the role of a budding property developer in Humbleburg. A location where the council have seen fit to get rid of zoning laws and open things up for the budding Donald Trump's of the world (not the current version, but the previous version that kept going bankrupt on bum deals). Before I really knew what I was doing, and with little planning (not entirely down to relaxed zoning laws either) I had bought my first retail unit and was feeling good. The land had come up for sale at a good price so I thought "what the hell" and went for it. What's 300k after all. That would be coming

If Vector Wars demonstrates anything about the nature of Kickstarter, it is that a strong marketing campaign is almost as important as making sure the game itself works. As the platform continues to grow and change, Vector Wars joins the list of games that we might simply never see climb back on the kickstarter bandwagon, due to the huge task that getting the word out involves. Vector Wars has been on Kickstarter previously, and failed to reach its funding goal. So why even bother telling you about it now, when you can't jump on and back it? Well, I'm hoping you're reading this because Eli Mamane has made the bold move of starting to produce the copies through his own source of funding, or it has managed to find a safe port in the arms of a careful and interested publisher. I hoping that you are  reading this  because you've heard about it and you want to find out more. Vector Wars isn't the big game that "should have been", and this is not goin

One of my major bugbears for any game that comes from the Kickstarter platform, is that of one that is simply too over-produced. Bling for bling sake, additional pointless tokens and miniatures that serve no purpose than as an impolite marker as to how much money a campaign made. The creator didn't have the good grace to pull back the reins, and say WHOA, THAT'S ENOUGH. It's like a fear that creeps in, that every part of the funding needs to be used, and unfortunately the original vision can get lost in all that 'extra' nonsense.  I don't mean to be skeptical, because after all, who am I to punch down on someone's success? So I'll say this. I'm impressed by someone who goes into a campaign knowing they have a finish line, a final vision, and they can't make their game any better no matter how much money they gather in over the course of thirty days, especially when they have far exceeded the fundng target. Skulk Hollow from Pencil Fi

The entire structure moves at a slow pace, like an iceberg, but the ice is replaced with glass and concrete pieces. Unlike an iceberg, there is nothing underneath to catch an unexpected ship, except a cardboard tile and beneath that, the warm brown varnish of a dining room table. The finger controlling the move stutters slightly, as if the varnish underneath has an imperfection which is stopping the traversal to the final destination. Some things should be wiped up after dinner.. There is a slight wobble, as one of the asymmetrical pieces is no longer sure if it wants to be part of this tabletop journey. Doubt turns to fear, and the piece commits to leaving in a cascade, taking other pieces in the structure with it. A curse word sits on the lips of the owner of the finger, but the company across the table is likely to take uttered bad words to the person in the next room, and we do not want that happening. We do not want that happening. Even early doors.. Look At It. Megacity

Editors Note: It's unfortunate that this turned into the huge shit show it became. It also wasn't that big of a surprise considering how long it took to get a simple prototype copy to us.  The Sub Terra II campaign finished almost a month ago, and garnered almost £300k in funding, we unfortunately received our copy of the prototype far too late to have the time to give it a decent run through, and to therefore give it our final thoughts. We do however like to make an entrance, and we like the way we write good, and we think you might like to look at our good writing too. So here it is. For those unfamiliar with the campaign, Sub Terra 2 took the mechanics of the original highly successful but troubled Sub Terra cave exploration KickStarter game and has pretty much given it a taste for treasure and high adventure and set it on its way. Inferno's edge is about exploring, and finding keys, and reaching the inner Sanctum to grasp your own slice of fortune and glor

This may become something of a confessional. I hope none of my other games read this, as they might end up getting jealous. How do I put this? I've fallen head over heels for another game, and that game is Magic: The Gathering. Its been a bit of a strange path that has led me here to be honest. I became interested in game design the more I played card and board games, which led me to various podcasts on the subject. One theme that cropped up a lot was the need for anyone interested in designing games, to experience lots of games and mechanisms by simply playing  as many key games as possible. One name cropped up time and time again - Magic: The Gathering. Now, I don't live under a rock. I was well aware of the game and its significance, but I had (up until that point) had no desire to play it due to the perceived financial implications of "buying into" the game. I had played and enjoyed Star Wars: Destiny by Fantasy Flight Games, but the whole reason I stop

London. City of Londoners. City of buildings that belong in a city so big they named it once, because naming a city twice is something only the crassest of people do. I joined the police because I wanted to make my mark. I wanted to make a difference to the lives of the people I walked past on a day to day basis. I want to right wrongs, and be dependable and create order out of this chaos. I also wanted to learn how to play guitar. But that.. is another story. All in all, I wanted to uphold the law and protect those who needed protecting and make life difficult for those who didn't. I also want to protect people from spoilers, so the pictures you'll see will be mostly from the tutorial included in the game and nothing more. And so when the dark underbelly of the city looks up at me, I'd be staring right back at it, mobile phone in hand and QR code at the ready, to send it back to where it came from.. It's a strange opening to a review, but then Chronicles

Isn't fun a funny concept? The act of fun and the impact of fun itself, could be said to have at it's base level, very little practical use. It won't keep you warm on a cold winter's night nor put food in your hungry belly. Fun isn't always something that will have a lasting emotional impact, in fact, the crescendo of fun can last seconds as you slide down a snowy hill on a sledge, or witness a punchline of a joke slapping you hard in the face. So while it can make you happy for a while, you could argue that it is something that needs topped up on a regular basis. Fun reminds us that it's okay to stop and allow the ridiculous and entertaining to creep into our lives. Gene Wilder in Charlie and the Chocolate Factor states importantly that "A little nonsense now and then, is treasured by the wisest man." I've often tied in fun and nonsense together, as I've always tied in laughing, grinning and noise with fun. Board games are a dual faced f

It's the year 2348, and rather than leaving Europe, we find ourselves going to Europa. The Artemis Project sees players take on the role of Stabilizers, attempting to create the most successful colony on the barely-habitable moon, Europa. Players will look to build structures both on land and in the ocean, recruit skilled colonists and send them out on expeditions and have them staff the buildings. Players will also gather resources which are used to pay for colonists, buildings and shelter, as well as potentially scoring victory points at the end of the game. Before the box is even open there's a level of anticipation based purely on the box art. It's very nice and nails the theme perfectly. Inside and it's not too shabby either. The 4 classes of colonists all have a unique meeple shape and colour, making it easy to identify them. The minerals, energy and toolkit components are good, if not spectacular. There are also building tiles, coming in two flav

I was in the process of checking some emails on my phone, when a plate was gently placed in front of me. I looked at it in a moment of complete shock and surprise as the person serving my food leaned over towards me, and gently lit the small wire poking out the top of the gluten free sandwich. At the same time, they thrust a set of sunglasses onto to my slightly panicked face, they exclaimed that they were 'delighted to present me with the middle meal of my day' and 'hoped it sated my appetite'. I ushered them away angrily before they started to sing their celebration song only because I would join in. I don't need music at 11.47am on a Tuesday morning, unless the car roof is down, and I'm wailing some horrific pop tune from the 90's at the top of my voice. Not even my fellow diners with their cups of earl grey tea, and ten inch high gateaux, deserved such a horrific audio death. I sat in silence and waited for the sandwich to extinguish itself in a tired