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 …

Preview of Tranquility: The Ascent – The Things We Do for Board Games

What is the craziest thing you have done to get a board game? Stood way too early in front of the Essen convention halls, waiting for the gates to open? Check (cannot even remember the game I so desperately wanted at the time). Searched through a foreign land’s eBay to acquire that expansion you really …

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 …

Curious Cargo

Review of Curious Cargo – A (Solo) Knife Fight in a Phone Booth

I’ve been playing Curious Cargo a lot in the last two weeks. And I mean a lot a lot. There are some games that immediately trigger something in my brain to go “yeeees” and make it difficult to stop wanting to play it. I’m thinking of games like SET or Ricochet Robots, games that most of my friends …

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 …