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
Fluxx divides opinion more sharply than almost any game I own. Half the people I have played it with love the controlled chaos. The other half find the constantly shifting rules actively aggravating. Both responses are completely valid, and knowing which camp your group falls into is the only real question before buying. What Is … Read more
Cyclades is an area control game for 2 to 5 players where bidding for divine favour replaces standard action selection. Each round, the five Greek gods go up for auction. Win Ares and you can fight. Win Poseidon and you can sail. Win neither and you spend a round generating income and hoping everyone else … Read more
A Classic of Strategy and Survival,The best worker placement game to play before you play Agricola What Is Stone Age? Stone Age board game is the worker placement game I recommend to everyone who wants to try the genre but is not sure they are ready for Agricola or Viticulture. It has the same satisfying … Read more
Tsuro is one of those games you can explain in thirty seconds and play for years. On your turn, you place a tile, follow the path it creates, and try not to fall off the edge of the board. That is genuinely it. And yet, at a table of six, it produces some of the … Read more
The Ultimate Game of Deception and Bluffing? Coup is a 10-minute bluffing card game for 2 to 6 players. You have two face-down character cards and three coins. You claim any character’s ability you want on your turn — whether or not you actually hold that character. Other players can challenge you. Lose both cards … Read more
The worker placement game about farming that somehow produces the most tension I have ever felt at a board game table What Is Agricola? Agricola is a game about farming. You build fences. You plant crops. You raise animals. You expand your house. You feed your family every few rounds or you take begging cards, … Read more
Terraforming Mars is the game I recommend to people who loved Wingspan and want to know what comes next. It is bigger, heavier, and asks more of you. The components are famously uninspiring compared to prettier games at similar prices. I’m known to be a sucker for a pretty game and even so, it is … Read more
A Stunning Sequel with a Strategic Twist Azul is one of my favourite games, so when Stained Glass of Sintra arrived I was both excited and slightly nervous. Sequels to beloved games have a habit of fixing things that did not need fixing, or adding complexity for its own sake. This one does neither. Azul: … Read more
The Area Control Game That Is Actually Fun. It’s The area control game that works for people who think they hate area control. Not to be confused with the ride at Disneyland. What Is Small World? Small World is the area control game I recommend to people who bounced off Risk or heard the words … Read more
