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
Solo Sci-Fi Strategy in a Small Box Under Falling Skies is the solo game I reach for when I want something tense, quick, and mentally satisfying without a huge setup overhead. It is a roll-and-write game about defending Earth from alien invasion, and it manages to create genuine strategic decisions from a handful of dice … Read more
When Finspan was announced I was not sure the world needed another Span game. Wingspan has been one of my most-played games for years. Wyrmspan added dragons and a more complex engine layer. Where does a fish game fit? Having played Finspan a reasonable number of times, my answer is: it fits well, but for … Read more
Is it Spicy enough for you? Dune: Imperium is the game that convinced several people in my regular group that deck-building was actually interesting. It does something clever: it takes the card-acquisition loop of a deckbuilder and fuses it with a worker placement layer, so the cards you buy determine what your workers can do. … Read more
Everdell is the game that gets commented on before anyone has taken a turn. The Ever Tree centrepiece dominates the table. The resource tokens are smooth, chunky, and satisfying to handle. Andrew Bosley’s artwork on every card is detailed and warm and feels genuinely hand-crafted. And then, once you start playing, you discover the game … Read more
Parks is a route-building, resource-collection game for 1 to 5 players in 40 to 70 minutes. Two hikers travel along a seasonal trail of action spaces, collecting resources and spending them to visit US National Parks. Each hiker blocks an action space, so the order you move in and where your opponent is constantly shapes … Read more
Wyrmspan is an engine-building game for 1 to 5 players in around 90 minutes. You are an amateur dracologist excavating underground caverns and attracting dragons to fill them. Three cavern rows form your sanctuary. Each dragon card has an ability that chains to others, building a more efficient engine as the game progresses. It plays … Read more
Which One Should You Buy? & Which Ones Are Worth Your Time? There are now four Wingspan expansions, one more than existed when I last looked at this properly. If you love the base game and you are wondering where to go next, the options are genuinely good. But they are not all the same, … Read more
A Stunning Tile-Laying Adventure in the Pacific Northwest Cascadia is one of the most consistently recommended games on this site and for good reason. It is accessible, beautiful, well-produced, and produces genuinely interesting decisions across every player count. It won the Spiel des Jahres in 2022 and it earns that award every time it hits … 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
