A Forest at War with Itself The Short Version – Tl;Dr Root is the most ambitious board game on my shelf, and also the one most likely to cause someone to quietly fold their arms and say ‘actually, I don’t think this is for me.’ It puts 2–4 players in control of rival factions fighting … Read more
At our table, we own a cat. Her name is not relevant to this post but she has sat on Wingspan cards, knocked over a Catan water hex, and once ate a Codenames word card so thoroughly we had to write the replacement in biro. So when someone brings a cat-themed game to the table, … Read more
The industrial revolution, reconstructed in card and wooden disc form. The Short Version – TL;DR Brass: Birmingham is the kind of game that takes about ninety minutes to teach someone properly and then about three years to fully understand. It is a two-phase economic network builder set in 18th and 19th century Birmingham, where you … Read more
If you live in a flat (or Apartment), you already know how the square footage maths works. The average one-bedroom flat in Britain is around 46 square metres. Every bookcase, every ottoman, every sideboard is already doing two jobs. And yet the hobby board game market in this country has never been bigger or more … Read more
Not every game night calls for intensity. Some evenings, the game is the frame rather than the point. There is food on the table, someone is mid-story, drinks are being refreshed, and the room has a particular relaxed energy that you want to keep rather than interrupt. Bringing out a game that punishes distraction or … Read more
You’ve been excited about this all week. There’s a new game, a fresh box, and a table full of friends ready to play. But as soon as you start reading the rulebook out loud, everyone’s eyes start to glaze over before you’re even halfway through. If you teach a board game poorly it’s a sure … Read more
Some games arrive quietly, sit on a shelf for a while, then suddenly reappear with confidence. Tacta is one of those. Originally designed by Jason Tremblay and first published by The Op Games, it drifted past a lot of players the first time around. Then a fresh edition landed via Osprey Games, backed by a … Read more
Campaigns rarely collapse in flames. They fade. A missed week becomes two. Energy dips. Someone forgets what happened last session. Then the group quietly pivots to a board game night, or just drifts away and never returns. It feels dramatic when it ends. The reasons are not. Most campaigns fail for mundane causes. Scheduling drift … Read more
Choosing the right game for your table matters more than buying the best game. I have seen brilliant games fall flat and more modest ones shine, simply because the table fit was wrong. Games never exists in isolation. It sits inside a group, a room, an evening, and a shared mood. Player count shapes pace. … Read more
Player count shapes a game more than most rule tweaks ever will. I have seen the same design feel sharp, loose, slow, or lively without a single rule changing. The number of people at the table alters pacing, length of play attention, tension, and mood. Three players often feels balanced and focused. Five can feel … Read more
