👩🏻‍🎨 Designer: Roberta Taylor | 🎨 Artist: Shawna J.C. Tenney | 📦 Publisher: KTBG ⚙️ Worker Placement. Dice Placement. Resource Management ♟️ 1-5 players | ⏳ ~45-60 minutes The second I saw the cover art, I was sold. This was my first-ever Kickstarter pledge. I waited over a year to finally dive into Maple Valley and start prepping my burrow for winter. The game’s art looks like a warm hug. It is nice that it also has a clever puzzle of planning and probability hiding und

👩🏻‍🎨 Designer: Mark Gerrits | 🎨 Artist: Nick Liefhebber | 📦 Publisher: CMYK ⚙️ Abstract strategy. Spatial reasoning. Quiet chaos ♟️ 2 players  | ⏳ ~10-15 minutes   My local store rotates their displayed games, and the second I saw the cloth mat and the colorful flower-like components, I was sold. I had no idea what this game was, but I just wanted it. Plus, it comes in a cylindrical box. Does the box feel bigger than it should be? YES, but it fits in a backpack, so why n

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Trick-Taking Game is a 1 to four player game that takes about 10 to 20 minutes per round. It is published by Office Dog and designed by Bryan Bornmueller. The beautiful art was made by Elaine Ryan and Samuel Shimota and if you told me that I’d be writing about a Lord of the Rings game, I would have laughed. I used to be the person who said "eh, hard no" to anything LotR. But after falling for Duel for Middle-earth  (read tha

I love board gaming. For me, it’s the ultimate way to disconnect from the world and plug into a great experience with friends. But let’s be real: nothing ruins that vibe faster than someone who treats the table like a waiting room. After thinking about what drives me bananas during game night , I wanted to put together a no-nonsense guide to being a respectful player. If you want to keep getting invited back, here’s the deal: 1. No Phubbing - if you're here, BE HERE! If your

Yesterday we tried something new. Two very different indie games. One table. Maximum chaos. I honestly thought it was going to flop; it did not 🥳 🎯 The Main Event: Space Gits What It Is Space Gits is a wild, almost RPG style war game where each player controls three minis. It feels part skirmish, part party game, part what just happened. It is miniature agnostic, so you bring your own everything. Minis. Dice. Tokens. Creativity. Vibes. It is also a beautiful book. The kind

I stopped counting after I killed my seventh succulent. My thumb isn't just "not green" it’s a danger to plant life. Then, I rediscovered LEGO. I’ve really been enjoying building these as an adult; it’s like 3D puzzling that results in a permanent piece of decor. I’m bringing those desert vibes to my desk with 482 pieces of pure serotonin. Best part? No watering required and the cactus will always bloom The Basics Set:  11509 LEGO Botanical Collection Name : Flowering Cactus

Introduction There hasn't been a game by Phil Walker-Harding I haven't liked (yet). I learned his name when we purchased Silver & Gold . The game is great and the markers are everything. When we learned that there was a sequel even though a standalone, we had to get it. Silver & Gold: Pyramids . It takes the core flip-and-write mechanics we loved from the original and moves the action from tropical islands to ancient tombs. It remains fast-paced and language-independent, but

I believe board games do not have to be new to be legendary. I feel sort of hypocritical saying this because I don’t thrift anything else in my life but when it comes to tabletop gaming? Buying second-hand is a definitive YES for me It’s no secret that Millennium Games is my favorite local spot. In fact, it’s rare that a week goes by where I’m not wandering the aisles. I love the new releases section in the middle of the store as much as the next gamer, but my absolute favori

From Carcassonne to Paris Three years ago, we were gifted two meeples that had finally had enough of the tabletop. Coincidentally, one was yellow and the other purple. They were leftovers from an incomplete Carcassonne game that was headed for the bin. We decided to give them a better ending, a reincarnation of sorts 🥰 Yellow is my go-to color in board gaming, and purple is my wife’s favorite. A match made in heaven. Since we take board games wherever we go anyway, we figure

When we think back on board games, people usually jump to the big names: Monopoly, Checkers, Chess. The classics with boxes and boards and pieces you can lose under the couch I’d beg to differ. I think the first board game most of us ever played didn’t even have a board. It was tic tac toe! It's a weird one. It’s considered a board game, but also not. It doesn’t have a board. Sometimes it’s a napkin. Sometimes it’s a chalkboard. Sometimes it’s lines scratched into sand or sno

If you’ve spent any time with The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine ( read my review ), you already know the magic of "silent" trick-taking. It’s that unique brand of cooperative tension where a single card played can feel like a triumph or a total catastrophe. It’s the same player cooperative experience (play it at 3+), but it swaps the vacuum of space for the crushing depths of the ocean. More importantly, it swaps a rigid mission structure for something much more clever The

🚀 The Crew: the Quest for Planet Nine 👩🏻‍🎨 Designer: Thomas Sing | 📦 Publisher: Kosmos ♟️ 3-5 players (the box says 2 players, but I’d skip it at that count) ⏳ ~15 minutes per round (with the tendency to hook you for hours)  ⚙️ Cooperative trick taking. Zero table talk. Maximum feelings Another Game that Changed My Mind For the longest time, if you said, “trick taking”, I suddenly remembered I had somewhere else to be. I did not grow up on Spades, and the competitive, ma

Jump Drive is one of my favorite games. I play it as often as I can, I teach it to anyone that shows remote interest to board games beyond five-minute palette cleansers, and I gift it regularly. The rulebook is great if you're familiar with the hobby or Race for the Galaxy universe. For those that aren't, this is how I introduce this gem to my friends What is Jump Drive? 15 minute game that plays simultaneously. It takes about 7 turns, and it is a race to build the most power

I’m not really a space fan. I’ve enjoyed space themed games, but it’s never what I gravitate toward. Maybe it’s because I struggled learning the planets growing up. I gave Race for the Galaxy a shot but never really clicked with it. Then I tried Jump Drive, and everything changed. I AM HOOKED! It’s fast, fun, and surprisingly addictive. My wife was hesitant at first, but now she’s just as into it. It’s become our “We have 15 minutes, quick!” go-to game In fact, I could use s

Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, or just want to enjoy the gift of giving this holiday season, these are the games that never fail me. If you’re heading to a gathering, looking for a stocking stuffer, or just want something easy to learn, teach, and enjoy, these small-box gems are the answer. They fit in a coat pocket, play with anyone, and are fast, fun, and infinitely replayable. You may even consider getting yourself a copy!  🧠 The Silent Strategists: Coop

For the first time ever, we actually played a Hanukkah themed board game on Hanukkah. We broke from our usual holiday game night routine and gave Gelt Galore a spin at the table 🚨 Spoiler alert: Gelt Galore is surprisingly educational Trivia games aren’t usually my thing, but this one mixes holiday cheer with learning. The game comes with four types of trivia cards covering a wide range of topics about Hanukkah. If you’re playing with people new to the holiday or with kids,

When you think of Van Gogh, you probably picture swirling skies, bursts of color, and brushstrokes so thick you can almost feel them. Now imagine that but as a still life in LEGO form. The LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers takes one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings and rebuilds it brick by brick. It becomes a 3D masterpiece that looks like it leapt straight out of a museum frame. The set even comes with a sticker so you can sign the vase Does that mean you end up with

Some people book spa weekends. We booked a getaway to play board games and relive our childhood. Three of us returned to the wizarding world they grew up with. I, the latecomer, had recently finished the books. Our destination? An area big enough for four adults, loads of LEGO bags, and one very long Diagon Alley There were enough instruction manuals to keep us from hexing each other. This was not just a build. It was a full-on weekend at Ollivanders, a trip to the Weasleys’

Every October, Spiel Essen lights up with the hottest board games, indie gems, and clever reprints you might otherwise miss. One publisher that has been catching my eye is Playte. Over the last few years, I’ve played a bunch of their titles, and I love their clever design, compact boxes, and thoughtful use of every component, sometimes even the box itself. Whether you’re at the convention or following from afar, these are the kinds of games that sneak into your bag and onto y

Hundreds of new games are debuting at Essen this year. Some are brand new, some are returning favorites, and a handful are already working their way onto wishlists everywhere. Here are a few I’ve played and thoroughly enjoyed 🍖 Barbecubes This is like an appetizer filled with chaos. You are trying to grill tiny pixelated proteins with a pair of tongs while everyone watches and silently judges you and prays that your hand-eye coordination fails you. If you drop a cube, you ta