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A Tile-Laying Board Game for All Ages – The Perfect Gateway Game? Kingdomino is one of those games that earns its place on the shelf by doing one thing brilliantly: getting people playing within five minutes. It is fast, approachable, and more tactical than it first appears. Designed by Bruno Cathala and published by Blue … Read more
A few years ago, if you wanted to play a board game with friends, you had two choices: dust off the ones in your cupboard or on your shelf or convince someone to host a game night. Now? You can just walk into a board game café, grab a table, and pick from a massive … Read more
This year i’ve challenged myself to reduce my shelf of shame. For those that don’t know a shelf of shame is all the board games i own and haven’t got to the table. My challenge is to try and play everything that’s currently on the list on New years day in the next 12 months … Read more
Let’s be honest, Monopoly is a dreadful game. And yet, for reasons beyond comprehension, it continues to be dragged out at family gatherings, causing arguments, frustration, and that one smug player who somehow ends up with all the properties. Thankfully we’ve not played it in years but it’s still eponymous when someone asks “What, LIke … Read more
A Guide for Bird-Loving Board Gamers Right, let’s talk Wingspan. It’s the engine-building bird game that took over the world, and probably a shelf near you. I first played Wingspan at a Sheffield Libraries board game night. I had no idea what it was, and I came away wanting to own it by the end … Read more
The tile-laying classic where the landscape is different every single game Carcassonne is a tile-laying game for 2 to 5 players in 35 to 45 minutes. Each turn you draw a tile and place it to extend the medieval landscape, then optionally place a meeple on a road, city, monastery, or farm to claim it. … Read more
The most strategic game in the Azul serie, and the one that needs the most explanation before you can enjoy it What Is Azul: Queen’s Garden? Azul: Queen’s Garden is the Azul series at its most complex. If the original Azul is a satisfying afternoon puzzle, Queen’s Garden is what happens when designer Michael Kiesling … Read more
The Fast-Paced Trading Game You’ll Love Jaipur is the game I reach for when there are two of us and we want something sharp and fast. It plays in around 30 minutes, teaches in five, and produces the kind of tense moments where you watch your opponent carefully and still cannot tell if they are … Read more
Harmonies is a game I was introduced to at UK Games Expo last year and I have been a big fan ever since. It is the kind of game that looks like a gentle puzzle and turns out to have more interesting decisions than you expected. The kind of game you finish and immediately want … Read more
Pandemic is the game that introduced many people, including me, to cooperative board games. The premise is simple: you and your team are disease control specialists trying to stop four contagions from spreading across the world before you can find cures. Everything is working against you. Most games end in defeat. It is absolutely wonderful. … Read more
