John Company Second Edition

First Impressions of John Company: Second Edition – A Story Worth to Be Told

Great riches can be found by leaving one’s own comfort zone. Sometimes they come in the form of new discoveries we love, other times in an affirmation that we were already where we wanted to be. John Company: Second Edition is pretty far outside my normal area of interest, in fact it might be in …

Woodcraft board game

First Impressions of Woodcraft – Who Knew Carpentry Would Be Such a Tight Business?

The first games of my virtual Essen haul have started arriving. Instead of going to the convention in person, I opted for watching from home and just ordering a couple of games that fancied my interest. It’s kind of a crapshoot to buy those games without any serious reviews already out but fun in its …

Carnegie Table Setup

First Impressions of Carnegie – A Perfected Euro Experience

One of my favourite experiences in board gaming is being unexpectedly blown away by a game. I realise I’m tipping my hand here as to what direction the conclusion of these first impressions will likely go, but let’s stick with it. I fondly remember the day when I picked up a second hand copy of Dune: …

Castles of Mad King Ludwig Collector's Edition

First Impressions of Castles of Mad King Ludwig Collector’s Edition – Lovely Game Gets Dreamy Production

Alright, let’s get this out of the way. These first impressions will likely be different for two reasons: one, this is the very first Kickstarter that I backed myself and has actually fulfilled. Up to now, I’ve typically just waited for games to actually ship, checked how they turned out and then grabbed a copy …

Stars of Akarios

First Impressions of Stars of Akarios – Which Way to The Battle, Kind Sir?

I was just thinking I might be the least qualified person on BGG to write about Stars of Akarios: I have played neither Gloomhaven, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, nor Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game, so a lot of comparisons others make I cannot draw from. I’m also not a miniature-driven purchaser of games. But for some …

Foundations of Rome

First Impressions of Foundations of Rome – I’ll Take Miniature City Builder for 200, Alex!

Alright, let’s admit it, I like a good city builder. It’s not the most exciting or innovative concept in board gaming but it is sure satisfying to build your own little empire, street by street, building by building. Where the idea of actually establishing a trade empire in the Mediterranean or exploring the depth of …

Celulose table setup

First Impressions of Cellulose – A Box of Delights

When was the last time you have been pleasantly surprised by a board game? In today’s world of board game collecting, with all the great YouTubers out there doing reviews, crowdfunding campaigns hitting home their message months/years before we get a game into our hands and of course BGG, the times where you go to …

Maglev Metro

First Impressions of Maglev Metro – A Beautiful Trojan Horse of a Game

Looks can be deceiving. We all know games that attracted us with great components and gorgeous artwork, only to realise they are not as deep as we hoped or the mechanisms are simply broken. And yet still, when we stand in front of a game shelf, browse kickstarter or click on a YouTube thumbnail, it …