We're Not Wizards - Tabletop Board Game Reviews

This review is based on the final retail version of the game provided to us by the designer and publisher. We were not paid for this review. We give a general overview of the gameplay and so not all of the mechanical aspects of the game may be mentioned. I've been hearing about Point Salad for some time, which is mainly down to the prolific streaming shows from AEG over the last year. When faced with the loss of the face to face plays offered through game nights and conferences AEG took to Twitch with gusto and started to show off many games from its back catalogue. As streaming grew more popular, I saw others play together, and Point Salad came up again and again as something that encouraged conversation but wasn't too heavy on the admin that the players would become lost in the rounds themselves and forget the audience around them.  From the off, you can see why it would be billed as a crowd pleaser. It's bright and it creates a joy presence on the table, with garish colo

This review is based on the final retail version of the game provided to us by the designer and publisher. We were not paid for this review. We give a general overview of the gameplay and so not all of the mechanical aspects of the game may be mentioned.  Aye, a ken. its no like we huvny been playin game like this afore, but a 'hink you wid struggle wi tryin summit like this if yi were no a little bit more wi the imagination ye ken, like wi the skills tae look at summit and cry 'thas no a H like ya radge, thas wan o they Ts instead oan its side'.  Cuz yi see, tha's whur ye are when yi get Inkling fae Osprey Games an stick it oan the table, an yir aw like 'Braw, a card game, I like a card game' an I just chuckle cos I ken that this one iz no like the wan you like tae play a' the time. Like rummy, or sticky finghers or that wan aboot the old maid. A ken yiv no goat the patience fir playin patience.  So you have a gander at the cards fir a second and yir like,

This is the pre-production version of Dice of Dragons, 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. I have a confession to make.  As much as I would be the first to roll my eyes and raise my eyebrows at the thought of playing dice game where chance is the main staple of the game. I must admit that through the last ten years or so, I do like playing them. Give me some Destiny and Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn over Magic every single time. Dice Forge delighted me, Steampunk Rally is a blast. Coraquest and Cubitos produced wild moments and cheers when things rolled the right way. Did I mention King of Tokyo and those chunkiest of chunks clattering across a table? I'm slow

This review is based on the final retail version of the game provided to us by the designer and publisher. We were not paid for this review. We give a general overview of the gameplay and so not all of the mechanical aspects of the game may be mentioned. In fairness, I knew there was going to be a relatively big box, but I was not prepared for the sheer size of box that Farsight from Braincrack games contained itself within. Once you add on the secondary box for the miniatures then you have something that given the right amount of reinforcement could be used as a small table. Or even consider listing on AirBnB as something small and breezy in reasonable walking distance to the local shops and train station. Farsight gives the impression of something big and bold and brash and warlike and that is where the first rug is pulled out from under your feet, as it kind of is but in many ways, this is lighter than most of the miniature skirmish games I have graced my table with in recent memor

This review is based on the final retail version of the game provided to us by the designer and publisher. We were not paid for this review. We give a general overview of the gameplay and so not all of the mechanical aspects of the game may be mentioned.  I have a recipe for a Jalfrezi dish that I make, using pork belly and various vegetables. I cheat with the sauce, as I've never got the entire knack of mixing the correct level of spices and tomatoes in order to make something worthy. It usually ends up tasting like weak ketchup, or has the the power to clean the chrome from a kitchen appliance. I know my limitations and I also know my limits and so I don't bother trying to emulate something I can pour from a jar that is going to help me on my way. I've experimented in adding asparagus and mini corn for texture, but I generally like to stick with sweet peppers, spring onions and finely diced mushrooms. I'll fry the ingredients to prepare them and then stick everything

This is the pre-production version of Pilfering Pandas, 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 rain pours as you make your way around the animals, checking to make sure they're all safe and dry, while you realise the squelching feeling in your shoe is because that suspected worn sole has now upgraded itself to a full on hole. You keep reminding yourself that you're here because animals are your life, and what could be more nobler than looking after a collection of some of nature's finest? It makes putting up with the silly safari hat and knee high socks almost bearable, but in this current climate where you feel wetter than a sea lion's bathing suit

This review is based on the final retail version of the game provided to us by the designer and publisher. We were not paid for this review. We give a general overview of the gameplay and so not all of the mechanical aspects of the game may be mentioned.  There's a saying about managing expectations. When you're putting a creation out there to the masses and you're relying on the feedback of the bungled and the botched to measure if you got things right then be prepared for disappointment. Especially if that creation presses the nostalgia buttons for your audience. I see this more in videogames then I do in board games funnily enough, I've never seen a huge backlash for a board game that was similar to another game of the same mechanical genre even if they could almost be cardboard cousins. I don't know if it's because board gamers like more of the same, but are happy as long as the core similarities are represented well. In videogames, if you give the bold im

This is the pre-production version of Dice Hospital Emergency Roll, 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 Roll and Write genre has literally exploded over the last few years, and in particular in the last twelve months as face to face gaming has suffered at the hands of lockdowns and closed venues. Roll and writes are the darlings of twitch streams and zoomfests, where those taking part only need the maximum of a printed gaming grid and pencil, and the willingness to engage in the shenanigans of online chat and fun. I've personally witnessed Roll and Writes at both ends of the mechanical spectrum, from the simplicity of Kingdomino Duel to the mind bending beh

Warning - This article contains major spoilers for the story of The Last of Us Series The First part of The Last of Us played a faithful tune on the standard good guy/bad guy guitar. The runners and clickers were obviously bad, as they wanted to kill you on sight. David the cannibal was also a "very bad man" who wanted to chomp down on you. Even by the end of the game, when you realised the possible fate of Ellie, the Fireflies became the bad guys, heavily armoured characters with big guns and masks who were shameless cannon fodder as you charged through as Joel, trying to save your surrogate daughter. What could justify a bloodbath more than saving a helpless individual you cared about. Even at the cost of the survival of humanity itself.  Some of us didn't want a sequel, as for many, where exactly could you go with the story that ends on a betrayal of trust for selfish reasons? It can only really go south from here. Or northwest in the case of Ellie and Joel. I knew the

 This review is based on the final retail version of the game provided to us by the designer and publisher. We were not paid for this review. We give a general overview of the gameplay and so not all of the mechanical aspects of the game may be mentioned.  Hey, do you remember HeroQuest? A game so wrapped up and covered in nostalgia that you can only look on an original physical copy of the box by wearing rose tinted spectacles? Do you remember running around dungeons trying to succeed in the various quests? Do you remember playing as a Barbarian who basically ran around in a set of furry knickers with a decent sized chopper, collecting treasure unless they drew my favourite treasure card and found nothing? Do you remember that as a game it was actually fairly tricky to beat and relied on so much randomness as you played? Me too, me too.. Would you like to play a game like that again? Like now? After all the iterations of games that have been out? From Super Dungeon Explore to Dungeon