We're Not Wizards - Tabletop Board Game Reviews

It is a difficult thing to prepare for meeting people that so far, you have only really interacted with online. I'm happier to share a direct message, or Facebook chat, because you can't really see that what I've done is deleted the sentence some seven times before I sent it. It's allows me to self edit in so many ways on the fly. Even in the realms of the podcast, while I give the impression that the conversation is free flowing and goes anywhere, I don't necessarily have to worry about people experiencing what I'm actually like in real life. Every time I cringe at something I've said, every point where I want to beat myself up for being stupid, I can simply highlight the guilty sound wave and delete with the press of a button. The final version, a trimming down of potential embarrassment. The only person who knows at the time is the guest and so I pray for short term memory loss and forgiveness. Even if they do remember, it can later on be a little

Where do I start with Teotihuacan: City of Gods? Getting it on the table it looks equal parts complex and beautiful. Essentially a Euro, with elements of set collection, some tile laying and board which is a giant rondel the game offers a myriad of strategies to pursue in your bid to outscore your opponents. The game is based on the Aztec city of the same name (pronounced Tee-oh-tay-wah-Kan, I am reliably informed by a Mexican colleague), and in it players take on the role of families vying for favour by helping to build the pyramid in the city, whilst worshipping at various temples to gain the favour of the gods. The board itself has a scoring track on the outer edge, with the rondel inside that comprising 8 different areas where players can take actions. Moving in towards the centre there are also the three temple tracks, the Avenue of the Dead and the eclipse track, before slap bang in the centre is the pyramid. Gameplay The ultimate aim of the game is to outscore

The Legends of Novus from FunDaMental Games is one of those strange games where the theme, the promise of adventure, and the components make you fear that you’re about to be embroiled in a quest with the complexity of Mage Knight proportions. It talks a big game here, there are counters and decks of cards, a map with various locations to visit, and actions that will take you exploring or battling or finding equipment to help level up your character and complete your quest. It all looks like there’s going to be a need to watch playthrough videos. You’re going to have to bring in the Rodney or the Rahdo to help you figure things out. You might possibly end up putting it to one side and playing Scythe instead. It’s potentially that kind of a game, where you feel like the brain is going to be burning after 10 minutes of decisions. There will be analysis paralysis and tears. Swearing at your own ineptitude and all to the sound of a constant flickering rule book. But. It’s not

Flip & Find's Diner takes a game anyone with children will know - tile matching - and puts a little extra ingredient into the mix. Does this elevate it beyond that basic premise of finding matching tiles though and is it worth a mention in the crowded world of board games? Read on to find out. I first heard about Flip & Find's Diner on none other than We're Not Wizards back in March 2018. Gerald King III of Spontaneously Combustible Games was a guest talking about the forthcoming Kickstarter campaign for the game and I was impressed enough to back the campaign. The game duly arrived around the turn of the year and here are my thoughts. Game Setup & Gameplay As I said previously, at it's heart this is a tile matching game. 25 ingredient tiles are laid out face down in a 5 x 5 grid. Then the extra element comes in. 5 order cards are laid out at the bottom of the tile grid, face up. Alongside this a tip deck is placed face down. A player&#

When Loke BattleMats were kind enough to reach out and offer me a chance to try out their Giant Book of BattleMats, I had to concede it would be unfair for me to even attempt to look over their fantastic offering without coming across as some kind of ignorant buffoon. Luckily for me, all round good egg and excellent DM,  Neil Alexander, who runs RPG campaigns regularly in Dunfermline and Edinburgh was happy to take a look on my behalf.  So I took the chance to outsource this review to him so he could try the Battle Mats out on some active campaigns.    The Giant Book of BattleMats certainly live up to their name, coming in a ring binding of A3 size  and 62 pages of various style maps and possible scenarios for you to live out your campaign. You can either use the pages separately or open them up so that you can create an entire A2 scene which will allow you to easily place additional items on the map to enhance the experience.  The Laminated pages serve two purposes i

Disclaimer: No gamers were harmed during the writing of this blog post. So, you’ve designed a game, you spent many hours, days, weeks even designing and/or finalising the artwork and writing the rule book, you successfully fund on Kickstarter and your game goes out into the wilds. You start to see photos of people not only playing, but enjoying your game on social media and you feel great. Those hours, days, weeks were worth it. Your creation is bringing joy to other people’s lives. And then you see a photo where someone isn’t playing your game quite right.   I mean, it’s not like I’ve played this game hundreds and hundreds of times and the gameplay is now muscle memory and ingrained into me on how it should, MUST be played. But you look at the photo and all you can see is THEY ARE PLAYING IT WRONG! You want to reach into the photo and correct it. But they are having fun. What they are doing wrong doesn’t actually affect gameplay. In fact, it has exactly zero impact

It's been an interesting year for the crowdfunding platform, with its share of multi-million dollar successes, controversies surrounding outright potential fraud and plagiarism, and continuing dramas centering around project fulfillment or lack there of. We have our first taste of Kickstarter as an actual pre-order store and our stalwart Big Name behemoths seeing push backs against some of their expected successes. At the centre of it all, the old debates surface and swirl and disappear only to surface again. For those jumping on the platform for their first time, with their game clutched tightly to their chest, they'll often hear the echoes of previous creators ringing in their ears. 'Kickstarter isn't fair' 'Kickstarter has raised the bar for everyone' 'Kickstarter makes it impossible for those without a budget' 'Kickstarter isn't for those who aren't prepared to make an effort' 'Kickstarter won't help those who don't do

With the blood pounding through my ears and my vision dazed and confused, I check my bearings once again, ready to strike my hands down and make my mark. With one question burning in my head, I look towards the sun, sweat dripping slightly from my brow. And that question is a simple one.. When you are asked to give your first thoughts on a game about Gladiatorial combat, is it against the law to not start the piece without some kind of combat reference? Should I be asking if you are entertained? Should you clap after reading this? Should I be getting on with piece? Probably yes.   So let’s start with something that might get a thumbs down and the crowd baying. The combat mechanics in most of the games I’ve played are rather slow and long. This is down to you normally having to deal with the consequences of that one attack and that one attack only. Tension gives way to rounds and everyone being polite and taking their turn. It’s almost civilised in its nature. You backup your char

Friendly, Busy, But Never Overcrowded.. I’m in the unusual position that I first heard about Tabletop Scotland long before the Media Coverage and press releases hit, as I’ve known David, Simon and John for the last three years, as they are regular attendees at the local gaming club I go to in Dunfermline (DWARF). We’ve played some games together and in fact both Dave and John were guests on the podcast in the past. It was really interesting to hear the snippets of information as the planning progressed. The excitement of reaching 250 ticket sales and the nervousness of how far it would climb before the big day. How much of the Dewar Centre was going to be taken up by cardboard? and the proud moments when the partnerships were announced tentatively. In the background was always whispers of ‘this is going to happen isn’t it?’ As the days rolled ever onwards and the ticket sales increased, the next question that arose was ‘I hope this is good’. And not meant in a way to be cruel but more

So with the combination of several melee and magical attacks that were achieved on the back of a rather lucky dice roll I removed the last of Ciara’s Hit Points. I raised my arms in a V and cheered out loud, so those gathered around in the hall would have no doubt that I achieved a fantastic victory. I’m a hell of a sore winner, gloater and the type of person who believes that there is nothing better in victory than reminding your opponent that you did indeed win. Especially when it is one of the architects of the game itself. And where better than in front of a crowd? That however is not the reason that I like Dice Summoners. One of the things that struck me was the simplicity and purity of the core mechanics, so that when Simon from Tabletop Scotland asked me what I thought of the game, I wasn’t only able to give him a grin and exclaim once again I had won, but I was able to in a period of less than five minutes explain to them how to play the game. That to me is a GOOD THING.