Deck-Building (and Deck-Wrecking) in ‘Abandon All Artichokes’
Collect carrots and corn, pick up some peppers and potatoes, and bite some beets and broccoli—but above all, ‘Abandon All Artichokes’!
Continue ReadingCollect carrots and corn, pick up some peppers and potatoes, and bite some beets and broccoli—but above all, ‘Abandon All Artichokes’!
Continue Reading‘Hardback’ is the “pre-quill” to ‘Paperback,’ a word-making, deck-building game from Tim Fowers.
Continue ReadingAfter plundering the depths for valuable artifacts and surviving the dragon’s wrath in ‘Clank!’, what’s next? How about checking out those ‘Sunken Treasures’? Just remember: there’s a dragon down in these depths, too.
Continue ReadingThe 2nd edition of ‘Shadowrift’ is bigger and better than ever.
Continue ReadingTake on the forces of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in this cooperative deck-building game, working your way through 7 “years” of Harry’s life at Hogwarts.
Continue ReadingThe game is fun until you die a horrible, painful, frustrating death. Since that’s pretty much the defining characteristic of being in the Survey Corps, it gives a realistic experience without getting swallowed whole.
Continue ReadingThe ‘Cartoon Network Crossover Crisis Deck-Building Game’ from Cryptozoic Entertainment is the perfect title for clever kids and drunk adults! That’s… that’s never gonna end up as a pull quote on the front of the box, is it?
Continue ReadingIt is 1882, and the world is at war: a growing band of rebels, calling themselves the Restorationists, wants to free humanity from the centuries-long rule of the Old Ones. Inspired by Neil Gaiman’s short story of the same title, ‘A Study in Emerald’ is a fascinating tabletop game that puts Sherlock Holmes into the world of H.P. Lovecraft.
Continue ReadingIn ‘Palaces,’ you and your opponents compete to build the most luxurious palaces. Bid on precious materials to build up your towers–but you’ll have to make them match!
Continue ReadingIn Reaping the Rewards, I take a closer look at the finished product from a crowdfunding campaign. Today’s title is ‘Web of Spies,’ which funded in November 2014 and was shipped to backers at the end of September.
Continue Reading‘Eaten by Zombies,’ a deck-building game by Max Holliday, is finally back with a new expansion, bringing some new zombies and some new heat for the players: fire! Whether you survive or turn into a zombie, it’s time to ‘Burn It Down.’
Continue ReadingCryptozoic hops in the T-Jet and storms Titans Tower in their latest standalone game ‘DC Comics Deck-Building Game: Teen Titans.’
Continue ReadingLast year one of my favorite games was Tom Cleaver’s ‘Valley of the Kings,’ a deck-building game that required you to weed things out of your deck in order to score points. This year, AEG published a stand-alone sequel to the game, ‘Valley of the Kings: Afterlife.’
Continue ReadingTable for One is a series focusing on solo tabletop gaming. Today’s game is ‘Agent Decker’ by Manuel Correia, a competitor in the 2015 Solitaire Print and Play Contest.
Continue ReadingWelcome to ‘Flip City.’ It’s a small town: a convenience store, a hospital, a factory, a central park, and a few residents. But you’ve got big plans. Raise money to expand and improve your city, but watch out that you don’t make your residents too unhappy!
Continue ReadingArmed with nothing but some boots, an awkward sword, and several crappy swords, you set off into the dungeon in hopes of slaying monsters, finding better equipment, and—just maybe—defeating the dungeon boss. Grab a friend (or an enemy) for a quick two-player session of ‘100 Swords.’
Continue ReadingIf you like deck building, bidding, dungeon building, and competitive strategy game elements like I do, then you’ll love ‘Dark Dealings.’ The game combines all of these mechanics with fun, beautiful artwork as you take on the role of an evil overlord trying to defend your home from the heroes of the realm.
Continue ReadingCollect key assets. Eliminate enemy agents. See the world. Web of Spies mashes up deck-building with a high-stakes chase all over the globe.
Continue ReadingHockey season started last night and there’s no better way to get pumped up about the season than the great new deck builder game, NHL Power Play Team-Building Card Game.
Continue ReadingIn space, nobody can hear you shuffle.
This year, Upper Deck expanded its Legendary line of semi-cooperative deck-building games into the Alien universe. Legendary Encounters lets you experience the first four movies as a game, or you can mix and match characters, locations, and objectives for customized scenarios.
Continue ReadingI love the deck-building mechanic. I know some people have gotten tired of it, but I really enjoy seeing the variations on the theme that people have come up with. Tom Cleaver’s Valley of the Kings is a particularly fascinating example of the genre—it involves the least building that I’ve seen in a deck-builder.
Continue ReadingTrains was one of AEG’s big releases this year, and I’ve finally gotten a chance to sit down and play it a few times. It’s a great blend of deck-building (like Dominion) and track-laying (not quite like Ticket to Ride), and I have a feeling I’ll be playing this a bit more in the near future.
Continue ReadingAs you know, the Mayan apocalypse is fast approaching. What you may not know, however is what the world will be like in a thousand years, when the few humans that survive have organized into clans, ruled by animalistic warriors. …
Continue ReadingTake a look at what’s inside Puzzle Strike 3rd Edition and the Shadows Expansion.
Continue ReadingAlf Seegert’s latest game involves deck-building, but it’s unlike any other deck-building games you’ve played before. In Fantastiqa, players discover themselves in a “land of fabled beasts and fantastical quests,” subduing creatures and recruiting them as allies to fulfill quests.
Continue ReadingShadowrift is a cooperative deck-builder where the monsters don’t wait for you to come out and fight.
Continue ReadingThe Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters Core Set doesn’t launch unti September 7th, but GeekMom has this exclusive first look at the King Coral card!
Continue ReadingJohn Wilkes Booth has stolen Abe Lincoln’s hat and disrupted the time-space continuum. It’s up to you to defeat Booth and his minions (laser sharks, puking turtles, and luchadors) with your trusty Beardarang and meat-based weaponry. Pixel Lincoln is a …
Continue ReadingOn my list of Best Board Games of 2011, I gave Eaten by Zombies an honorable mention, for combining two of my favorite flavors: deck-building and zombies. The original game looks great and does a great job of making you …
Continue ReadingJust a reminder: Thunderstone Advance hits shelves today! If you read my review and pre-ordered the game at a Level Up preview event last week, you’ll be getting the Avatars mini-expansion. If not, it’ll be available for about $10. So …
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