Review: Pulsar 2849
Pulsar 2849 is a game all about technology, pulsars, gyrodynes (gigantic generators that spin around pulsars to generate power) and traveling through space. If you’re not a sci-fi loving geek this might sound pretty boring, but you’re in luck because behind this setting stands a solid game with some very interesting mechanisms. So, let’s draft some dice and get those gyrodynes spinning, as I tell you what I think about Pulsar 2849.
Review: Rescue Polar Bears: Data & Temperature
In my 4 years as an avid board gamer I’ve been all kind of heroes. I’ve protected medieval towns from invaders, I’ve cured humanity from plaguing diseases, I’ve prevented the world from destruction by the Ancient Ones… But never before had I saved a bunch of polar bears from drowning. Rescue Polar Bears: Data & Temperature published by Taiwan Boardgame Design lets players be heroic scientists in the fight against global warming. Read on to find out if this game left me hot or cold.
Top 6 Games of 2017
2017 was a great board game year for me. So many very good titles came out and I can honestly say this is the hardest Top 6 list I’ve had to make so far. But you would get bored reading about all the games I loved, so here you have my Top 6 Games of 2017.
Review: Nyet!
I love the classic card games like Euchre, Hearts and Spades, but after playing them for years they got a little stale. In comes Nyet!, attempting to shake things up a bit and take a normal trick-taking game and make it more exciting. Does Nyet! do enough to re-energize the trick-taking genre?
SPIEL ’17
The board game highlight of my year is without a doubt SPIEL. It always takes place in October, in Essen Germany. This year was my 4th time there, and I was just as excited (if not even more) than first 3 times I went there. So sit back and let me tell you how SPIEL ‘17 was for me.
Review: Sagrada
In the midst of Barcelona, already 5 generations of citizens bore witness to the rising beauty of the Sagrada Familia. The construction of “The Church of the Holy Family” – brainchild of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi in 1883 – will be completed in 2026.
In 2017 the unmatched beauty of the church’s stained glass windows served as a source of inspiration for Sagrada (The Board Game). Read on and find out whether this game is worth a visit too!
Review: Round House
Round Houses, or Fujian Tulou, are essentially walled villages in rural China. In the game Round House, each player represents one of the families within the Fujian Tulou. As the head of the family the players try to achieve more glory than any other family in the Round House!
Review: Concordia
It’s no secret that deck-building is a favorite game mechanic of mine. Especially when it is done in a unique way. Judging by its cover Concordia could easily be passed as just another “trading in the mediterranean” game. It is not. Mac Gerdts, who is well-known for the rondel mechanism, has managed to combine deck-building, and hand and resource management into a unique streamlined game. He even switched from his trademark rondel to a card version of the rondel.
Top 6 Most Anticipated Games at SPIEL ’17
The closer SPIEL gets, the more excited I get. It’s without a doubt the board game highlight of the year for me. It’s like Christmas for the little kid inside me, except it’s 4 days and I get to choose my own gifts. Like earlier years, there are so many great game releasing there, but with the help of my tool (Tabletop Together Tool) I managed to narrow down the list of hundreds and hundreds of releases to my personal Top 6 Most Anticipated Games at SPIEL ’17.
Review: Planet Defenders
In Planet Defenders you are controlling 3 robots trying to defend 9 planets from malfunctioning robots. As the theme might lead you to believe, this isn’t a very serious game. But does it have enough interesting decisions to warrant a recommendation?
Review: Codenames: Pictures
Team against team. Spymaster against spymaster. Codenames: Pictures is an easy game to get into, but both challenging and fun to play. Like it’s older (less visual) sibling Codenames: Pictures is a great game to bring to parties and works well with larger groups.
Designer Spotlight: Ignacy Trzewiczek
Ignacy Trzewiczek is the cookie loving mastermind behind Portal Games. He has designed several great games, including one of my favourites: Imperial Settlers. He’s a guy full of energy (probably because of all the cookies he eats) and he’s very active on social media. So let’s learn a bit more about him shall we.