I look up from the notepad in front of me, catching the eyes of my partner across the room. They have a slightly furrowed brow and a look of confusion on their face. "That's like the third time you've made a strange noise while you've been looking through those cards, what are you doing?" they say. "I'm up to my eyes in Egypt just now, important things going on" I reply, smiling.  "You're an arse. I want you to know this," they respond, before shaking their head and turning back to the television.  This hasn't been the first time this exchange has happened you understand, because since I delved into the envelope that Inside The Box Board Games sent me, I've been making a mixture of noises between frustration and jubilation as I've gone through the preview sample puzzles for Crypt X.  Earlier, I was sitting on the floor, with a collection of playing card size illustrations spread in front of me, a finest

You've escaped the space station, dodging killer viruses and a computer system intent on your death. You're on you way home to Earth, but there's a catch (well, more than one to be honest, none of which is good for your situation). Home doesn't want you back given the scary space virus that wiped out all your crew mates from the station. The only way you can get back is to negotiate an asteroid field, grab a sample of the virus and get it back to earth without getting vapourised in the process. Easier said than done given your scanner is on the blink thanks to the malevolent computer which is intent on killing you. The game itself is a puzzle game. The route back to Earth is littered with danger. Some sectors of space may contain asteroids or other obstructions. You might get lucky and the sector is clear of anything nasty or you may reach a boost, which gives you an extra push along your current path (sounds good, but it can be fatal). As you traverse

I used to own a small book of constellations when I was a younger trainee, because alignment with the stars and planets often helped with power of magic and spells. One of my old lecturers would speak of using the inner mind to connect fully with power of the universe. Most of us however knew that the only power that old fool possessed was the amount of dried dragon breath that was swilling round in their veins. It was one of the many things that drove me from magic and into the path I occupy now. I've always had a funny relationship with learning and being taught since that time, preferring to find things out myself, instead of relying on the wisdom of others without understanding the topic in hand, hence the book on constellations.  The stars, and the planets that surround them are a fascinating playground with no age restrictions on the the audience, and while sci-fi fiction would add on numerous threats to make space interesting, usually space is interesting enough with

How do you make money in an industry where the media coverage has grown from bedrooms and garages and dining tables to recognised names and logos and brands. From passionate individuals starting with a hope and a cheery tone and a 'Hey Everyone', to trying to make their way in the cardboard world financially viable? Where access to creating content has never really been easier, where everyone is making something, whether it be a public thought on Social Media or a video of their dog doing a cat impression. We are at the peak of free content, the height of unsolicited opinion, and yet these people who have a decent following, are asking for us to continue to help them. How dare they, and yet why not? It helps to look at our video game cousins, where early coverage in the mid 80's consisted of absolutely no internet, but monthly magazines, filled with adverts for games and services, which helped to supplement the income of the sales of the publication itself. It was run by

In an age of gaming where some games not only rely on one, but multiple rule books, all with fiddly explanations and play through examples, it's always refreshing to see a game that shouts and claims complexity, and at the same time condenses it into a ten page rule book that fits comfortably into the palm of our hand. This is what people like me like to see when they have been asked to write a few lines on our first thoughts of a game. That the first barrier to entry is potentially a very small one, which means getting to the table doesn't involve a huge amount of careful planning. Which takes us to Bellum of Mutants and Men, where the Sapient Kingdom face off against the Gobalos in a naming convention I can only guess is to avoid some kind of potential copyright claim against Van Hammock Games. A monochromatic tale of protecting your keep from the opposing forces, where resources are quite literally your hand of cards and you play out the tale on a cloth board which