I picked up Fetching Feathers at UK Games Expo, played it in the open gaming hall the same day, Several games later, here we are. The short version: In My opinion Fetching Feathers is the best thing Chris Priscott has designed. Given that I already love Zuuli and Molehill Meadows, that is saying something. What … Read more
The gloriously daft party game where you steal pigeons, flick dice, and lose all dignity in about twelve minutes. It’s super quick and easy to teach too. First Impressions I am not going to pretend this is a game for serious gamers. It is not. Oh My Pigeons! is a brightly illustrated box of chaos … Read more
The roll-and-move game that should not work, the one designed by the creator of Magic: The Gathering, and the one you will genuinely want to play again immediately. First Impressions Let me be upfront: I am not naturally a roll-and-move person. The genre peaked about the same time as the Betamax, and most people moved … Read more
The push-your-luck bag-building game where exploding is part of the experience, not a failure of it The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a push-your-luck bag-building game for 2 to 4 players in 45 to 75 minutes. Each round you draw ingredient chips blindly from a bag and place them along a spiral cauldron track. Draw too … Read more
Zuuli is one of those games that looks like it should be very simple and then quietly makes you second-guess every decision. It is a card-drafting, sanctuary-building game with adorable animal artwork, a solo mode, and a knack for producing moments where you realise three turns too late that you grabbed the wrong enclosure. Designed … 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
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
Takenoko is the game I pull out when I want something with a strong table presence that I can explain in ten minutes. It is genuinely beautiful, the panda miniature makes everyone smile, and the bamboo stacking mechanic is one of those small physical pleasures that makes people want to play again just to do … Read more
The Game That Started the Modern Board Game Revolution Catan is the board game that introduced millions of people to modern gaming. It is the game that proved to the world that board games could be genuinely interesting, social, and worth playing again and again. I was one of those people. My first game of … Read more
A Fresh Take on a Modern Classic Azul: Summer Pavilion is the third standalone game in the Azul series, and the one I would call the most forgiving. That is not a criticism. Sometimes forgiving is exactly what you want. The original Azul can be ruthless. Take too many tiles you cannot place and the … Read more
