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Imperium Horizons Board Game Review - Osprey Games

Imperium Horizons is almost like a director's cut of a popular film. You are pleased that you are getting more of what you like, but are sometimes left wondering why certain bits that could have been tidied up were left as they were. For those not familiar, the Imperium games are a deck builder based around the development and evolution of your own civilisation as you move it from being a barbaric nation to being one who merely scream and shout at the television. The original Classics version was daunting in terms of its ambition and offered an experience that far extended over a normal expected deck-builder. Its small failings were mostly down to a rulebook that was as much of a puzzle as playing the game, and unfortunately left it having a short shelf life in many collections. For me, who has both Classics and Legends, it falls into that genre standard of being a set of games that I like enough to keep in my collection, but never play it enough to fully appreciate what it has to

Umbra Via - Pandasaurus Games - Tabletop Simulator Retail Preview - First Impressions

We played this version using Tabletop Simulator on Steam, so the art, rules and mechanics may possibly be subject to change. Therefore please treat this as a first thoughts piece, based on version of the game that we play with. We played the session with a representative from Pandasaurus Games. We have not been paid for the preview. We also do not provide a full play by play explanation of the game, so not all mechanics may be mentioned in the Review. "We can do an online demo if you want."  Ah, the irony of joining an analogue hobby to escape the screens, only to find that more and more in this day and age that the screen is becoming the only way to get access to some games.   But this time, I grin at the screen because this time my lovelies, I'm no longer unfamiliar with how Tabletop Simulator works, and this time, I know that you can used WASD to move round the table and flip cards and take things out of bags and OH FOR GOODNESS SAKE WHY CAN'T THEY HEAR ME..  So a

Alice in Wordland - Drawlab Entertainment - Game Review

  This review is based on the final retail version of Alice in Worldland. We were provided a copy of this game from Tradequest who are distributing the game. We were not paid for this review.  Your worst nightmare. The unwelcome and unwanted invitation that sits on top of a rose bush, speckled with traces of scarlet from the still slightly drying red roses that are actually definitely not white. You reach into you pocket for the pocket watch you try to keep on hand at all times. Because you never want to be the one who is late. No, people who are late here often end up with shorter sized necks than what they were born with on account of having their heads offed from their shoulders. Such is the delight of entertainment when she demands it, and she demands it so often that you often wish you were the dormouse, fast asleep at the table while the madness goes on around you.  Yet no amount of thinking is going to to make that invitation disappear like a Cheshire cat, for this time the Quee

Aroma - A Game of Essence - Odd Hackwelder and Organic Aromas - First Thoughts & Review

  This review is based on the final retail version of Aroma - A Game of Essence, provided to us from Organic Aromas. We were not paid for this review. We were provided a copy of the game for evaluation purposes. Ritual smelling. Or things that you would normally take in deep breaths of at the first given opportunity. The smell of fresh sheets when you climb into bed, the blast of escaping coffee gas when you first break the seal on a new jar. The smell of their hair when you are snuggling. The printed centre of a new rulebook. Scents are something that can take us places to the point where they can elicit an emotional reaction. Whether that be pleasant or unpleasant, smells have a way of coding themselves into our very memories to leave a lasting impression.  Interestingly enough, apart from the chemical joy of a freshly printed rulebook, I've never really played a game based around the sense of smell, and so when it came to being offered a chance to look at Aroma - A Game of Essen

Chronicles of Crime 1400 - Lucky Duck Games - Review

This review is based on the final retail version of The Chronicles of Crime 1400. We were provided a copy of the game by Lucky Duck Games for the purpose of this review. We have not been paid for the review. Chronicles of Crime 1400 1-4 players Age 14+ Designed by David Cicurel and Wojciech Grajkowski Published by Lucky Duck Games It’s an exaggeration to say that digital content and apps are controversial in boardgames, but it is fair to say that they’re crowd splitters.   Between fears of not being able to play a game when digital support is removed and having to hand over part of your device to a company, however trusted, there is some degree of resistance from even those willing to accept the concept.   Added to that the fact that many app integrations boil down to glorified timers and a lot of gamers only play games to get devices off the table, games with integrated apps will have some people giving a game the side eye.   The Chronicles of Crime series has arguably been

Lost Ones - Greenbrier Games - TTS Play Session Preview

We played this version using Tabletop Simulator on Steam, so the art, rules and mechanics may be subject to change over the next couple of months. Therefore please treat this as a first thoughts piece, based on version of the game that we play with. We have not been paid for the preview. We also do not provide a full play by play explanation of the game, so not all mechanics may be mentioned in the preview. I was around nine years old, in primary school, and we were having our normal one hour reading time in the morning. Reading time was a strange type of affair, because you either brought in books that you owned yourself or had chosen something from 'the classroom bookcase'. If you had the pleasure of picking something from 'the classroom bookcase', then you had to be quick and crafty to make sure you bagged a book like Lion Adventure or The Secret Garden. If you were too slow, you might end up with some random book that you were stuck with until you were finished it

Mini Memory Mischief Kickstarter Preview

  2 players Age 14+ Designed by Nikita Sullivan Published by Atikin Games This is the pre/review for Mini Memory Mischief which should be launching on Kickstarter in the very near future. I haven’t been paid for my preview but did receive a free prototype copy of the game. Atikin Games is a UK based independent games designer/publisher, who successfully Kickstarted Tri To Win in January 2020. Mini Memory Mischief is a mint tin game where you attempt to put letters in alphabetical order on a computer chip board. You have one action which is determined by the roll of a die which you can either bank in the “Buffer” section or play, and one action of your own choosing. However, you can’t place the same action twice in a row, or elect the action that’s on the dice as your chosen action, or pass on your chosen action. The actions are to Push, putting a letter on your board, Pop, remove the top letter on your board from the game, Peek, look at your opponent’s letters which are hidde

Merchants of Infinity - Rogue Artist Creations Ltd - Kickstarter Preview

This is the pre-production version of Merchants of Infinity, so the art, rules and mechanics may be subject to change over the next couple of months. Therefore please treat this as a first thoughts piece, based on version of the game that we were provided with. We have not been paid for the preview. We also do not provide a full play by play explanation of the game, so not all mechanics may be mentioned in the preview. Of all the genres of games that are available, worker placement remains one of my favourites. Whether it be growing the vine in Viticulture, creating Jurassic chaos in Dinogenics or even completing quests in Waterdeep, placing meeples for actions has always scratched that tactical itch for me. I like the pace it creates, I also like that you can plan ahead and have those blessed moments where three turns of planning comes together like a dream and you're knocking points and opponents out of the park and into victory. Andrew Prowse is attempting to draw you into the d

Die Of The Dead - Radical 8 Games - Kickstarter Preview

This is the pre-production version of Die of the Dead, so the art, rules and mechanics may be subject to change over the next couple of months. Therefore please treat this as a first thoughts piece, based on version of the game that we were provided with. We have not been paid for the preview. We also do not provide a full play by play explanation of the game, so not all mechanics may be mentioned in the preview. The argument and potential fear(?) of style over substance rears its precious little head as soon as you open the box for Die of the Dead. Now if the box art wasn't enough to make you wonder if this was going to be an exercise on how to eat a box of crayons and then projectile the contents over some pressed trees, then doubters will have their last shreds torn away as they gaze in awe at the technicolor rainbow in front of them as they delve deeper. I defy anyone not to just spend five minutes staring in abject wonder at strength of presentation here. However, (and it'

Dark Imp Cracker Games - The Imp Box - The Dark Imp - Kickstarter Preview

This is the pre-production version of Dark Imp Cracker Games, so the art, rules and mechanics may be subject to change over the next couple of months. Therefore please treat this as a first thoughts piece, based on version of the game that we were provided with. We have not been paid for the preview. We also do not provide a full play by play explanation of the game, so not all mechanics may be mentioned in the preview. Tradition is a funny thing. Nothing highlights this more than one of the biggest festivals in the Christian calendar, Christmas time. Most of us realise as we get older, that it was probably placed around about the time of the Winter Solstice in order to take the wind out of the sails of that Pagan tradition. In order to drive people away from the natural and towards the 'spiritual'. Yet as time goes on, and we recognise the growing multiculturalism within our own societies, it becomes clearer that claiming the beginning of winter isn't very welcoming to an

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