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2025 was a strange year for the hobby. Tariff disruptions, delayed releases, and a handful of games that never made it to retail shelves at all. And yet, despite all of that, I played some genuinely brilliant games this year. I’ve cross-referenced my own favourites with what other reviewers were saying across ten major board … Read more
Pandemic turns up on a lot of beginner lists, and I think that’s mostly right. But it comes with a couple of caveats that those lists don’t always mention, and they’re worth knowing about before you buy. The short answer is yes, Pandemic is a good game for beginners. The slightly longer answer is: it … Read more
Windmill Valley is the game I reach for when I want something thoughtful without wanting to feel like I am studying for an exam. It sits in that comfortable space where turns feel calm and tidy, but the decisions underneath are consistently interesting. You produce resources, upgrade buildings, and try to squeeze the most value … Read more
Every good holiday has a moment where the day’s activities are done, the evening is open, and someone says “so what do we do now?” The best travel games turn that into the best memory of the trip. The wrong ones turn it into a passive-aggressive debate about whose idea it was to bring Monopoly. … Read more
Worker placement is the mechanic that unlocked hobby gaming for me and i love playing them so Teaching worker placement games effectively means i have more people to play with. The first time someone explained that we would be placing a wooden person on an action space to claim it, and that the person sitting … Read more
Onitama is the game I describe as chess for people who find chess intimidating, and chess players usually agree it holds up. It is a two-player abstract played on a five-by-five grid, where both players move their pieces using a rotating set of movement cards. No memorising piece types. No decades-long theory to study. Just … Read more
Everything that changed between editions and whether any of it matters If you are trying to decide between the two editions of Parks, or wondering whether to upgrade from your existing copy, this post covers every difference we are aware of. We own the second edition and have played extensively. Where we reference first edition … Read more
Blood on the Clocktower Review: The Social Deduction Game That Changes Everything If you love social deduction games but want something with more depth, drama, and intrigue than Werewolf or The Resistance, then Blood on the Clocktower is an absolute must. Blood on the Clocktower is the best social deduction game I have played. It … Read more
Saturday was the first Sheffield Day of Games as i’m calling it. It was more of an afternoon of games for a few reasons but hopefully it will expand for the Next Edition. What is Sheffield Day of Games? Sheffield Day of Games is an amalgamation of a few different groups of gamers i am … Read more
If you’re a fan of tile-laying games, chances are you’ve come across Kingdomino at some point. Kingdomino Duel takes the tile-laying puzzle of the original Kingdomino and strips it down into a two-player roll-and-write that plays in about twenty minutes. It is a leaner, faster, more portable game that sacrifices some of the original charm … Read more
