Gameology Blog - Gamer's Hub Online
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 - 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀
If you’ve ever come into our retail showrooms, you’ve definitely met some of our staff. For this *special edition* (ooh) blog post, we’ve asked five of them for two of their top board games. Let’s get to know some of the Gameology staff! Amanda Bargain Quest If you’ve ever met me in the showroom, chances are I’ve raved about Bargain Quest. In this game, players are shopkeepers trying to sell heroes the gear they need to defeat the monsters in town. The theme of this game is why I adore it so much. When you play a fantasy game, you generally don’t take notice of the shopkeepers. Getting to play as these overlooked characters is so unique and compelling to me. The theme is so well integrated into the mechanics, it creates moments of hilarity while playing that feel so natural and lived. It’s this cheeky light-heartedness melding so well with strategy that makes Bargain Quest one of my favourite board games of all time. Dominion Dominion was the game my older cousin left at my house one Christmas and, arguably, it is the reason I am interested in board games today. Players will try to improve their starting kingdom (deck) by purchasing better cards from a shared marketplace. Though the theme doesn’t quite carry through and it suffers at higher player counts, the mechanics more than make up for it. There’s nothing quite like whittling your deck down to a perfect engine and watching it rake in points every single turn. With all the expansions and different combinations of cards you can place in the marketplace, no two games of Dominion are ever alike. Eugene Scythe The first board game I was really excited to buy was Scythe and to this day, I’d still consider it an awesome game. Scythe has a dieselpunk/steampunk theme and is set in an alternate 1920s Europe with five different factions vying to build huge battle mechs to expand their control to the coveted Factory. I like this game because of its asymmetric war mechanics. Each faction has their own unique abilities so you can take on a different playstyle for each one. Plus, the expansions, ranging from new factions, to blimps, to a modular campaign, are great. Stockpile When I wanted to get into economic games, the first game I looked at was Stockpile. Players act as stock market investors hoping to make big money by bidding on ‘stockpiles’ comprised of shares from various companies. This game is buying and selling economics but dumbed down for quick fun. Games are fast—only about 45 minutes. Since each player gets hidden ‘insider tips’ on the market movement at the start of every round, there are even some social aspects in the background, creating tension and unease. This was my intro into stock market style economic games and I’d highly recommend it for anyone wanting a fast stocks game. Jon Welcome To This little roll and write game is simply brilliant. Welcome To places players as architects in the 1950s, tasked with building the best town. Where other roll and write games will use dice, Welcome To uses cards that players flip over each turn to reveal randomised results. For those who may not have much time for gaming because of kids and work and other commitments, this is a great option as it plays in only 25 minutes and is fast-paced and easy to set up. The Quacks of Quedlinburg The Quacks of Quedlinburg. Love the game, but geez, do I hate the name! In this game, players are ‘quack doctors’ making potions by adding ingredients to a pot and praying their whole potion won’t explode. Effectively, Quacks is a very simple and user-friendly deck builder—just without cards. Instead of a deck of cards, players will have a bag of ingredient chips which they pull from and add to each turn. The push-your-luck mechanic is great fun and the easy rules and catch-up mechanic keep everyone invested in the game, regardless of skill level. Jack War of the Ring War of the Ring is an in-depth, area control strategy game based on the Lord of the Rings universe. Lord of the Rings is one of my favourite books and playing War of the Ring throws you right into the thick of it. Playing as either the Free People or the minions of Sauron, you will be constantly making sacrifices and grabs for victory points. The level of depth and intricacy will mean that long after you’ve left the table you will still be thinking of what you could have done better. Brass: Birmingham Brass: Birmingham is heavy, economic euro-game, where you take on the role of an iconic entrepreneur during the Industrial Revolution. You will be vying to make the most money by selling coal and iron. My favourite aspect of this game is that you are able to use other people’s resources. This will give them benefits for “selling” their product but it can also be devastating if that was a resource that was critical for their plans. Constantly weighing the pros and cons leaves you in a position where succeeding in your plans can make you feel ingenious. Matt Aftermath Words cannot express my love for Aftermath. In this adventure book RPG, players are a misfit band of small critters, scavenging, surviving and trying to build their colony. What do I love about Aftermath? The minis in this game are the most detailed I’ve ever seen in a board game. The entire RPG is laid out in a storybook, meaning the book becomes your game board and you physically play on the surface of the pages. Not only does it make setup so quick and simple, it makes the whole campaign easy to pack away and pick up again later, much like saving a video game. Wingspan Birds are sick, yo. Like seriously, birds are cool. All the hype you’ve heard about Wingspan? It’s absolutely warranted. From a thematic standpoint, Wingspan places players as bird enthusiasts and researchers looking to attract the best birds into their wildlife preserves. From a mechanical standpoint however, it is an extremely well-designed engine-building game, where you are constantly trying to improve the efficiency of your actions. You’d think that birds and engine-building wouldn’t really go together but it manages to bridge this gap very well. And there we have it! Some of our staff members’ favourite board games! What do you think? Did we miss your favourites? Let us know in the comments below!
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Magic: The Gathering Gift Giving Guide
Have you got a friend, partner or family member who plays Magic: The Gathering? Do you have absolutely no clue what to get them because you can’t tell the difference between a planeswalker deck and a booster box? Never fear, because here is our Gameology Magic: The Gathering gift giving guide! For the beginner... Planeswalker Decks or Commander Decks If your recipient is still fairly new to Magic: The Gathering, the best choice is a planeswalker or commander deck. At Gameology, there are several different sets to choose from, all with two or more planeswalker or commander decks in each! These decks are ready to play straight out of the box and help new players get familiar with the different mechanics. Perfect for those looking to learn the game! We recommend: Innistrad Crimson Vow Commander Decks (Pair) D&D Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Commander Decks (Set of 4) For the intermediate... Bundles These bundles are packed with tons of stuff and are the perfect gift for intermediate Magic players. Not only do they contain several boosters, but also foil (shiny!) basic lands, regular lands, a promo card, a spindown life counter, and a reusable storage box! Though the regular bundles are great, if you want to go the extra mile, go with the Gift Edition bundles! We recommend: Innistrad Midnight Hunt Bundle Magic Modern Horizons II Bundle For the seasoned... Set Booster Boxes Perhaps your Magic player already has it all. Well, that’s not true because any Magic player knows you can never have enough booster packs. And a booster box, which can contain over 30 individual booster packs, would be a Christmas dream come true. Imagine the anticipation and mystery of opening a Christmas present, multiplied by 30. No matter how long you’ve played Magic, you still get that feeling, every time you open a pack. This new set booster box for Crimson Vow is designed specifically for those who love to open packs and see what’s inside. We recommend: Innistrad Crimson Vow Set Booster Box Collector Booster Boxes However...if you really want to go all out, there are the vastly more expensive but insanely more valuable Collector Booster Boxes. These glorious shiny boxes contain 12 collector boosters (different from draft or set boosters) which are basically shortcuts to the best cards in the series. Open hundreds of other boosters and you won’t even get close to the cards in this box. We recommend: Innistrad Crimson Vow Collector Booster Box For everyone... Draft Boosters and Single Boosters These little packs are the bread and butter of Magic: The Gathering. Priced from $6 and up, they’re perfect for small gifts or stocking stuffers. We recommend: Innistrad Midnight Hunt Draft Single Booster And Last but not least - specifically designed by Wizards Of The Coast for this holiday season is... D&D Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Gift Bundle With all the customary Bundle goodies, plus special packaging and a Collector Booster, the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Gift Bundle is the go-to choice for shoppers looking to purchase a gift for their favorite Magic fan. A note... Something to keep in mind for all Magic: The Gathering purchases are the current sets in the Standard mode of play. Certain sets will rotate out each year and if you’re not careful, you could end up giving your recipient cards they won’t be able to use! Since Standard is such a popular way to play Magic, it is always preferable to gift your friend/partner/relative products from the current Standard sets which are (as of writing this): Innistrad: Crimson Vow Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Strixhaven: School of Mages Kaldheim And there we have it! Our Magic: The Gathering gift giving guide! What do you think? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!
10 Great Games to Gift to Kids this Christmas
Christmas is just around the corner and with it, the stress of buying presents for the pickiest of present recipients—children and teenagers (and some adults!). Maybe they’re nieces, nephews, cousins, family friends, friends of family, many of whom you probably haven’t seen for the majority of this year. Or perhaps this picky child is your own child! Maybe you’re sick of playing the same old Monopoly or Jenga and you’re looking for a game to play together as a family, but you’re afraid of getting something too mature or too kiddish. Never fear, Gameology is here!!! Today, we will be doing a quick run-down of ten games that make great presents for kids and for those who love a great quick game. Keep in mind that while we have included the recommended ages for these board games as printed on the box, you know your child best! 1) Klask Recommended age: 8+ For those kids who love fast-paced competitive games, 2 player dexterity game, Klask, is a great choice. Similar to air hockey or soccer, you try to hit the ball into your opponent’s goal which is the hole in the table, but the cool trick is, you control your striker with a magnet held under the table! This dexterity game rewards quick reaction times as you try not to let your striker fall into your own goal or get stuck to the little magnetic ‘biscuits’ rolling around the field. A 4 player version of this game (Klask 4) is also available if you want to play as a bigger group! 2) Takenoko Recommended age: 8+ In this adorably colourful game, 2-4 players grow and harvest bamboo while feeding the Emperor’s panda. Though a little more strategic, kids will have no trouble picking up the mechanics of tile laying and action points, many of which lay the foundation for other board games you can play with them in the future! With its gorgeous stackable bamboo pieces and pre-painted panda and farmer pieces, Takenoko is both a treat to look at and a treat to play. 3) Kingdomino Recommended age: 8+ This bright little game is a perfect kids-friendly introduction to tile-placement mechanics. Starting from your castle, you will expand your kingdom by placing domino-esque lands, trying to match up terrain for the most points. After each player has completed a 5x5 grid, the game ends. Playing up to 4 players in only 15 minutes, Kingdomino is a fun, breezy tile-laying game that the whole family can enjoy. 4) Dominion Recommended age: 13+ If you've ever heard of "Deck Builders", it's normally followed up by "Dominion". Now this classic strategy deck-builder might seem like an odd choice for this list. When I was about 10, my 15-year-old cousin brought this game over to play on Christmas. However after Christmas, he accidentally left the game at our house and just forgot about it. Years later, as a teenager, I returned to this game and, to this day, it is probably my favourite board game ever. Without Dominion, I probably would not be into the board gaming hobby (and I also would not be here, working at Gameology, writing this post you’re reading right now). Though I would recommend this for teenagers as opposed to children, I have played it recently with my 10-year-old cousin and she found it easy to pick up. Dominion is a solid introduction to the deck-building genre and a game that could stay with your kids well into adulthood. 5) Princess Jing Recommended age: 8+ Described as ‘hide-and-seek as a board game’, Princess Jing is a 2 player hidden movement game where you must help a princess escape from the city! Players will sit opposite each other, and the gorgeous 3D pillars will totally conceal the positions of your pieces from your opponent. Kids will appreciate the fun novelty of using characters holding actual mirrors (!) to reveal their opponent’s pieces, and adults will appreciate the unique concept for a board game. 6) Minecraft: Builders & Biomes Recommended age: 10+ If your kid is uninterested in anything except video games, try this 2-4 player game based on Minecraft. Kids that are a fan of the original game will adore the familiar actions of mining resources and exploring the Overworld, and delight in the recognisable mobs like Endermen and Creepers. To be honest, as a Minecraft fan myself, I kind of want this game. For those stubborn kids who shun your attempts at introducing them to board games, bring their favourite video game to the table with Minecraft: Builders & Biomes. 7) My Little Scythe Recommended age: 8+ Everyone who knows board games knows the dieselpunk/steampunk legend, Scythe. With its giant mechs and strategic gameplay, it’s an iconic board game. Perhaps you dream of one day playing Scythe with your kids when they’re a bit older. In the meantime however, try the cute kid-friendly My Little Scythe. This sweet game maintains the essence of some of Scythe mechanics, like ‘powering up’ your player board, using dials and cards to determine combat, and moving across the hexes to gain resources, but keeps them light and easy to understand. With the theme of friendship ingrained into the mechanics and 3D animal mascots, My Little Scythe brings the classic revered board game to the kids. 8) Loopin' Louie Recommended age: 4+ I’ve covered a lot of strategy games so far on this list, but what about something simpler? Loopin' Louie has the lowest recommended age so far on this list, perfect for kids who aren’t ready to learn or play other games. In this 2-4 player game, players will try to defend their barn from Louie who is in a plane, looping and diving, trying to hit their barn! Each barn is equipped with a lever that pushes Louie back into the sky. Each player has 3 tokens of each colour (with chickens on them). The player who has any chickens tokens remaining at the end of the game is the winner! Loopin' Louie is a really silly and highly addictive game, it's definitely a favourite of mine! 9) Sushi Go Recommended age: 8+ In this adorable little tin, kids can pretend they are at a sushi train restaurant while also learning the basics of pick-and-pass card drafting. In the spirit of the primary school strategy for passing out worksheets, players will, each turn, keep one card from their hand and pass the rest along. Each different type of sushi has its own scoring criteria. For tofu, you want some tofu, but more than three? That’s just too much! Dip your nigiri into wasabi? That’s triple points! Though a bit of math is needed to calculate scoring, the little sushi are so cute, your kids won’t even realise they’re doing math. If you want even more sushi options to play with, a bigger version of this game (Sushi Go Party) is also available! 10) Exploding Kittens Recommended age: 7+ For a card game that’s got more of the toothy meanness of a typical Mario Party or Mario Kart session, try the 2-5 player card game Exploding Kittens. Loved by the whole family whenever someone brings it to our family lunches (pre-COVID), this is a game where you are, quite simply, just trying not to explode. Every turn, you must draw the top card of the deck. If it’s an exploding kitten, you explode and you are out of the game. However, certain card abilities will let you peek at the top few cards of the deck, shuffle the deck, skip your turn, even specifically place where you want the exploding kitten to go. Though it’s a bit of a mean game, it’s no meaner than shooting a green shell backwards in Mario Kart, so if your kids love that, they’ll love Exploding Kittens. If you really liked Exploding Kittens and you have more people that want to play, the Exploding Kittens Party Pack which can add up to 10 players (and it plays music when you open the box!). The creators have also made the same game but with a different theme to "Exploding Kittens", they also have Exploding Minions (Made famous from the movie Despicable Me). Buying Guide In summary, here’s a quick list of the games we covered, sorted by recommended ages: 4+: Loopin' Louie 7+: Exploding Kittens 8+: Klask, Takenoko, Kingdomino, Princess Jing, My Little Scythe, Sushi Go 10+: Minecraft: Builders & Biomes 13+: Dominion Please remember though that these ages are just recommendations! If you think your 5-year-old would love Sushi Go, by all means, go right ahead! (I myself first played Dominion at the age of 10.) And there we have it! Our top picks for the best board games to gift to your kids/nieces/nephews/cousins! What do you think? Did we miss any of your childhood favourites? Let us know in the comments below!
𝟭𝟬 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 2022! 🎁
It’s nearing the middle of November (how, we don’t know either) so it’s about that time to start thinking about the Christmas craziness! While Christmas this year might look a little different, the silly season certainly will not! In fact, thinking about your Christmas gifts earlier this year will absolutely help ensure that your giftees (yes, that is word, we will fight you on this) will get exactly what they want under the tree, despite longer shipping times and lower stock levels everywhere. Here at Gameology we’ve thought of everything, so in addition to ordering a BUTT-LOAD more games for you guys to enjoy between now and Christmas, we’ve also compiled a list of the 10 best games that make great Christmas gifts for any age and ability! Check them out below: 1) Azul A fantastic 2-4 player abstract game, Azul is one of the best ways to introduce new players to the weird and wonderful world of board games! Tasked with searching Portuguese factories and their leftovers for beautiful tiles, players compete to build the most beautiful wall possible and gain the most victory points at the end of the game. End game is triggered when a player constructs a full horizontal row of tiles, but fear not, as this rarely means said player will win! Points are gathered during and after play based on a number of different rules, easily turning this seemingly innocuous beginner game into a tense war of strategy with each play. 2) Betrayal at the House on the Hill An excellent immersive experience for 3-6 players, Betrayal is an acclaimed thematic game for good reason. Horror surely awaits as suspense looms over the creepy House on the Hill where the layout and scenarios change every play! In this constantly evolving game, players will work together to build a haunted mansion - or will they? Suddenly, you feel a waft of a misty air breeze against your skin and hear the faint desperate scream of a long-gone fair maiden carried on it… The Haunt has begun and someone isn’t at all who they seem. Survivors must now work together to uncover the Betrayer and escape the confines of the House before they become the next ghost of the manor! Arguably one of the best value-for-money board games currently on offer as no two plays are ever the same, Betrayal and its expansion - Widow’s Walk - that introduces an entirely new House level to build and explore, are the perfect addition to any board gamer's collection. 3) Sushi Go! Party A great game of family fun, Sushi Go! Party is the ultimate game for foodies of all ages! The fast-paced 2-8 player game builds on the wild success of its predecessor, Sushi Go!, where players dine at a sushi train, trying to grab the best combo of dishes as they whirl past. Players score points for collecting the most sushi rolls or for crafting a full set of sashimi. Players score extra points by dipping their favourite nigiri into wasabi as well. Sushi Go! Party builds on this, allowing players to customise each game by choosing “a la carte” from a menu of more than 20 dishes. But, beware the sushi you allow others to take - it might be exactly what they need to win! 4) Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion One of our pre-order must-haves out now and a perfect gift for board game fanatics, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is a 1-4 player strategy game drawing on all the epic best-bits of the Gloomhaven realm and condensing them down to an easy-to-digest version for casual gameplay. Playing directly on a scenario book featuring new artwork and 25 new and unique adventures, Jaws of the Lion builds on the combat-centric mechanics of its predecessor, while also inviting heroes to explore more of their worlds and investigate a series of mysterious disappearances across their cities. One of the best ways to slowly and almost inconceivably transition friends and loved one’s alike to the universally praised Gloomhaven big box, you’ll need to get in quick, as release day will surely see a sell-out! 5) Pandemic A classic 2-4 player cooperative saga perfect for the current circumstances, Pandemic sees players work together to fight off four deadly diseases that are rapidly spreading across the world. As players move across the globe setting up research stations, using their unique character advantages and gathering city cards to eradicate the virus at those locations, the game has other ideas. Each turn, the game and its viruses try to thwart these noble efforts, raising the infection level and causing outbreaks in neighbouring cities and countries. Can you and your team of doctors and scientists rise to the occasion and help find the cures? 6) 7 Wonders: Duel A compact 2-player version of its parent game of the same name, 7 Wonders: Duel is the perfect gift for twosomes stuck in #iso who want all the fun of playing a big group game, but lack the big group to play it with! Like the original 7 Wonders game, players draft cards over three Ages to acquire resources or develop their military/scientific knowledge to advance their civilization and build their respective Wonders. Duel sees players draft cards from a tabled display instead of simultaneously, meaning that timing and gaining bonus moves will be the overarching mechanics that govern play. The player with the most points at the end of the game, wins, unless of course you’re cunning enough to develop your military or scientific knowledge beyond your civilisations capability... 7) Wingspan A wonderful strategy game for 1-5 players, this fast-paced engine builder will not only see players fawn over the excellent game mechanics, but the beautiful artwork and componentry as well! Players are bird-enthusiasts seeking to attract only the best birds to their wildlife reserves. Taking turns to draft bird cards on their player boards that will extend a chain of powerful combinations within each habitat, players will focus on gaining the most points to win by game end by meeting bonus round criteria, laying eggs on nests, cacheing food on birds and tucking birds underneath other birds. But beware, the amount of turns available after each round is drastically reduced as players move through the game. An addictive, visually appealing game, Wingspan and its Euro Expansion are guaranteed to delight whomever is lucky to receive them! 8) Obscurio From the publishers of Dixit, Dice Forge, Mysterium and the soon-to-be-released Athenuem: Mystic Library, Obscurio is the must-have 2-8 player semi-cooperative game that delights and astounds with its visual mastery! Combining image-based communication and secret role playing, players are encouraged to work together to collectively guide the team towards the exit of the immense library. But players be warned, the Sorcerer is out to mislead and keep you from ever escaping, unless you can uncover their identity before it’s too late! Supported by rich contents and a fantastic gaming pedigree, Obscurio is a fantastic family and party game alike, designed to be enjoyed by the masses but varied enough to play over and over again! 9) Nemesis Nemesis is the ideal space-themed survival adventure gift for the hard-core board gamer in your life. A 1-5 player semi-cooperative sci-fi horror game, Nemesis is certainly not for the faint of heart. Navigating their way across a decimated spaceship filled with hostile organisms, players must complete a set of objectives and board an escape pod back to Earth in one piece. But all is not as it seems. Player objectives are both cooperative and individual in nature; so who do you follow? Who can you trust? Players won’t know, right until the very end! A fantastic game that builds and settles climactic moments across play, Nemesis is an immersive experience that is both enjoyable and enjoyably frustrating at times. 10) Oceans: Deluxe Edition A visually stunning stand-alone game in the award-winning Evolution series, Oceans is a 2-4 player interactive engine-builder, based upon, you guessed it - the ocean! Players aim to cultivate the most productive ecosystem by building and evolving the various species they draw, keep or discard from their hand each round. By using Surface and Deep card abilities to their advantage, aiming to feed their organisms or risk them going extinct, players must also navigate between two unique scenarios that activate and deactivate at certain points. Experiencing a varied, challenging and constantly-changing game play that sees them adjusting their strategy to win, this game is the ideal gift for experienced board gamer's seeing their newest challenge. Why the Deluxe Edition you ask? The upgrade is well worth it as in addition to receiving all base game components, owners also receive the 5-6 player expansion, upgraded acrylic components (*drools*), printed card sleeves (*double drools*) and silky drawstring bags adorned with beautiful and vibrant artwork in which to hide your fishy-loot. The Deluxe Edition just adds that little something special to the gaming experience - and extra expense that will seldom go underappreciated by the recipient. Aaaaaand there you have it, our definitive list of the best Christmas gifts to satisfy every level of board gamer this silly season! Think we missed a game? Let us know! Comment below what board games you’re planning to nestle under someone’s tree this year or tell us what you’re adding to your Xmas wish list!
𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻! 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝟱 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀🎉
After what feels like years holed up in a cave, finally, we emerge to sunshine, socialising and, at long last, social board games. If that copy of Cards Against Humanity is getting a little tattered, here’s some new party games to ease the initial awkwardness of learning how to be around people again. 1) One Night Ultimate Werewolf If you’ve ever played Mafia in high school drama classes, you probably know the feeling of getting killed by the mafia in the first round and having to sit there, bored, watching everyone else have fun for the next twenty minutes. With its accompanying app and fast playtime, One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a modern version of the old classic that spans—as the name suggests—only one night. Everyone gets one of a dozen different secret roles—from the Seer, to the Troublemaker, to the Werewolf—each with its own unique ability. Maybe you get to peek at another player’s card. Maybe you get to switch your card with another player’s. In the morning, all players wake up and try to deduce who can be trusted. Since you cannot recheck your cards, there’s no guaranteeing you’re the same innocent villager you started as. Watch in horror as you figure out you’re actually now a Werewolf and must shift the blame away from yourself if you want to win the game. Playing anywhere from 3 to 10 people, One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a fast and fresh hidden role game for parties of all sizes. If you’ve been playing lots of the videogame Among Us in lockdown, One Night Ultimate Werewolf is the party game for you. Check out One Night Ultimate Werewolf Here 2) Anomia Maybe you like party games where you get to flex your brain. You’re quick-witted, intelligent, sharp as a dagger—and you need to prove it. Like a trivia night but better, Anomia is a party game that asks to recall random mundane knowledge you have accumulated over your lifetime. A one-hit wonder. A frozen food. A brand of toothpaste. And sure, I bet you named some in your head right now. But can you do it under pressure? The game is a breeze to set up and even breezier to play. Going around the table, each person draws a card off the top of the deck and immediately places it face up in front of them. There’ll be one of those random categories—dessert, for instance—plus a weird symbol. But no time to investigate your own card—watch the cards other players flip. If any of their symbols match yours, you must shout out the answer to their card before they shout out yours! You’ll surprise yourself when even your quick wits fail to think of a dog breed (despite the fact you have three dogs) when someone else is yelling “APPLE PIE!” in your face. Check out Anomia Here! 3) Wavelength So everyone knows you love blueberries. You order a blueberry muffin on your way to work every day, you put it in pancakes, in smoothies, on ice cream. But if you had to put it on a scale, where would your love fall? With its stunning box and gameshow-esque glittering pop-up dial, Wavelength is definitely the flashiest of all the party games on this list. To play, players split into two teams. One person from one team spins a panel behind the dial and peeks at where the bullseye falls, whether it’s all the way left or two-thirds right or slightly left of centre. They need to get their team to spin their needle onto the bullseye. But the clue they give must fall within a binary. Perhaps they draw the card ‘believable vs unbelievable’ and they say the clue, ‘astrology’. Some people might fall way over to the ‘unbelievable’ side. But what about the clue-giver? What does she think about astrology? And here lies the magic of Wavelength. This rainbow box and glittery dial is a board game, yes, but it’s also a device to help you get to know people—perfect for post-lockdown catch-ups. Check out Wavelength Here! 4) A Fake Artist Goes to New York Bundled in this adorable pocket-sized pink box, A Fake Artist Goes to New York is a game where players are artists working on a collaborative picture. However, like in many of the horror games discussed in a previous post, one of you is an imposter! A fake! A fraud! The Question Master will set a category for the image—job, food, country, etc—and then write a word from that category on dry-erase cards passed out to each player. However, one player will just get a big fat ‘X’. The fake artist. Each turn, you can only draw one line on the page. The beauty of this game is figuring out how much to draw on your turn to prove to everyone else that you’re not the fake, while also not giving enough away that the actual fake artist will be able to catch onto the word. So cute and small you can literally fit it in your pocket, A Fake Artist Goes to New York is a party game you can take anywhere. Check out A Fake Artist Goes To New York Here! 5) Don’t Get Got Unlike all the other games on this list—and many games not on this list—Don’t Get Got is a game played in the background of life. Imagine this: you’re talking to your friend—let’s call him Gene. He’s got a pretty cool hat. It looks like an octopus sitting on his head. A friend from the other side of the room calls him over so he takes off the hat, leaves it unattended on the table, and walks away. You stare at the hat like a ticking bomb. It’s a cool hat. It’s crocheted and looks like a freaking octopus. You have to put it on. As soon as the crocheted tentacles settle against the sides of your face, you feel something itching at the top of your head. You remove the hat and reach inside. A card—one that feels scarily similar to the six cards you currently have in your secret wallet. You turn to see Gene maniacally grinning. And you hear the dreaded words: You. Got. Got. If that little scene (inspired by the scene in Shut Up and Sit Down’s video review) made your fingers itch to play, here’s a rundown. Give each player a wallet filled with six secret missions. Be the first to complete three and you win. But beware. If, in the process of trying to complete a mission, someone asks the dreaded question, “Is this from the game?”, you immediately fail that mission. It’s soul-crushing, believe me. If you’re looking to gamify your next party and feel like an undercover spy, Don’t Get Got is your perfect post-lockdown party game. Check out Don't Get Got Here! Buying Guide In summary, if you want to... Lie to your friends? One Night Ultimate Werewolf. Yell mundane trivia? Anomia. Learn new things about your friends and family? Wavelength. Make terrible drawings together? A Fake Artist Goes to New York. Gamify your party and feel like a spy? Don’t Get Got. And there we have it! Our 5 best party games now that we’re out of lockdown! What do you think? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!
𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝘂𝗻! 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟱 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀
I don’t know about you, but I always found history classes so boring. But perhaps that was just the way they were taught. You know what makes everything more fun to learn? Board games. Take a look back at pivotal moments in human history with our top 5 historical games to bring the past into the present. 1) Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 Building off the backs of both a wildly successful legacy game and an all-round great strategy board game, Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 places players as medical graduates recruited by the CIA. Taking place in 1962—the midst of the Cold War—this legacy game tasks them with battling both the Soviets’ new bioweapon and the agents themselves. In legacy games, each play session acts as a chapter in a larger narrative. However, as you play the game, you will leave lasting changes to both the physical components of the game and the rules themselves as you play through the campaign. You’ll place stickers, open sealed-up packages, even tear up cards (?!). Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 combines the global political games of the Cold War with the legacy mechanic to give you a sense of progression and permanence fitting to the historical setting. Your choices feel like they matter. Though this title is still on preorder, it’s expected to arrive in December. If you’re looking for a rich legacy Cold War experience, Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 is one to watch. 2) Watergate Perhaps you’re interested in the Cold War, but the grand scope of Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 intimidates you. Or perhaps you only have one friend willing to play board games with you but you still want a rich historical experience. Look no further than Watergate—a tense 2-player board game based off the Nixon scandal of the same name. Highly competitive and head-to-head, one player acts as the Nixon administration, trying desperately not to resign, and the other plays as The Washington Post trying to expose the links between Nixon and his informers. Playing in just 30-60 minutes, Watergate offers historical gravity and a tense tug-of-war, without the lengthy playtime. 3) Memoir ‘44 Let’s go a little further back in time. World War II. If you want to feel like a war general, hunching over a map and plotting battle strategies, you’ve got to try Memoir ‘44—a wargame where you can reenact some of the most famous battles from WWII, from Omaha Beach to the Ardennes. Contained in the box are over 15 different scenarios, each striving for accuracy in terrain, placement of soldiers and objectives of each side, but still allowing for players to strategise. Don’t be put off by the gritty illustrations on the box—this 2-player game is relatively easy to teach and play and plays in anywhere from 30-60 minutes. 4) Paths of Glory To cap off the wars of the 20th century, here’s a board game about the First World War, or as they viewed it then—the Great War. With a board spanning all of Europe and the Middle East, Paths of Glory places you as either the Allies or the Central Powers fighting the bloody battles that shaped the modern world. Will you triumph or will you fall? The power is in your hand. Quite literally actually since this game is mostly centred around card-play and making tough decisions. Like Memoir ‘44, Paths of Glory will make you feel like a war general hunched over a sprawling map. Except, in this case, perhaps more realistically, as this game can take up to 8 hours to play. Don’t expect to whip this game out for a random weekday board game night. You’ll have to set aside the majority, if not all of your day, but for the depth of strategy that feels so right for a Great War game, it’s worth it. 5) Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization Maybe you don’t want to just relive history. Maybe you’re not particularly attached to any one point of history, let alone the 20th century. Maybe you want to rewrite history from the ground up. Ranked among the top ten board games on BoardGameGeek, Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization will be familiar to anyone who has played any of Sid Meier’s Civilization videogames. Like in said games, players will each have a civilization and have to build up their resources, military, and technology from the humble beginnings of agriculture to the internet, all while balancing citizen happiness and food requirements. Though it is lighter on the historical depth than all the other games on this list, Through the Ages still manages to capture the immense scale and strategy involved in building a civilization. Sure, your civilization might have leaders that wildly conflict with your government and natural wonders, but hey--this is rewriting not reenacting. Why buy a game about one specific period of history when you can get one that spans all of it? Buying Guide In summary, if you’re looking for... A Cold War legacy game where choices feel important? Pandemic Legacy: Season 0. A 2-player tug-of-war based on the Nixon scandal? Watergate. Quick-to-play reenactments of famous WWII battles? Memoir ‘44. An 8 hour WWI experience with unparalleled depth? Paths of Glory. Scale and strategy across all of history? Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization. Now check your player count... Only got 2 players? Watergate or Memoir ‘44 for a short game. Paths of Glory for an all-day experience. Have a bigger gaming group? Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization for a regular board game experience. Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 for a multi-session legacy game. And there we have it! Our top 5 historical board games! What do you think? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below! If you are interested in more great games check out our our blog on 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑻𝒐𝒑 5 𝑩𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑶𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 here
Don't Get Got! How to Spice Up Any Games Night.
A game you set-and-forget like an easy-bake dessert, in the hopes that during play, people relax enough so you can get one over on them. What?! It’s a simple enough concept with dramatic and enjoyable consequences that’ll leave you and your friends paying out that one person in your gaming group FOR. YEARS. Played almost innocuously in the background of your small gathering (of less than 10 people, excuse us), your routine board games night or even during your family dinner, Don’t Get Got is the perfect way to quell the monotony of pandemic life. Players are given their own wallet with six of unique objectives ranging from the mundane to the ridiculous. It is then that players mission – should they choose to accept it – to be the first to complete three of their tasks and be crowned the Don’t Get Got victor, which includes exclusive bragging rights for the rest of eternity. But beware, everyone will be on high alert and suspicious of every seemingly harmless request. Any utterance of the dreaded phrase, “is this from the game?” is the only thing that can foil your plans – you then fail that task and won’t be able to try it again on anyone else. Work together at your own peril, as divulging your plans opens you up to potential treachery at the hands of whom you once called allies, friends even. A simple, yet effective and immensely satisfying game, Don’t Get Got is the perfect party and family game that’ll spice up any situation! Don’t believe us? Check out the brilliant review from the renowned team at Shut Up & Sit Down below. It’ll be in your cart faster than you can say, “Is that from the game?!”
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟱 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
So you’ve bought a new game and played it to death already. You’re love it, but you’re looking for that new spark just to re-ignite the same old mechanics. Well, look no further as we’ve compiled a list of the best board game expansions that are definitely worth adding to some already excellent base games. Check them out below! 1) Betrayal at the House on the Hill: Widow’s Walk The first expansion for the acclaimed Betrayal at the House on the Hill base game, Widow’s Walk expands the capabilities of the ominous House by including 20 new rooms to explore – and an entirely new floor. Additionally, the expansion comes with new monsters, omens and events to tackle and critically, 50 new haunts! Absolutely one to add to the shelf as the value is insane! 2) Everdell: Pearlbrook So you’ve done it. You forked out for Everdell and you’ve been furiously playing through it with anyone that blinks in your direction. Don’t worry, we get it. It’s an amazing game and a side-effect of owning such a beautiful work of art. However, with each play the initial sheen of joy is chipped away as you delve deeper into the strategy and decipher the game’s idiosyncrasies. Well that’s where Everdell: Pearlbrook comes in. The first expansion it adds a ridiculous amount of extra play to the base game and is well worth your money. In addition to a new resource (pearls), Pearlbrook adds a new part of the game board, new deck cards for each category, new destinations, new abilities, new overlays for constructions during the game that will earn you extra VPs and some suuuuper useful Open/Close signs for spots in your cities, reminding players of the often forgotten base game rule that you may play into an opponent’s city if there is an open destination. 3) Dominion: Seaside Building on the eternally popular card game where players are required to build their own civilisations from the ground up – no matter the cost, Dominion: Seaside adds in an entire extra fundamental element that changes everything. Water. This expansion requires players to account for rivers, ports and pirates as they expand their territory and attempt to dominate their opponents. By far the most popular of all the Dominion expansions, it’s a great addition to the base game that’ll keep you occupied for hours. 4) Wingspan: The European Expansion Like birds? Well how would you feel about European ones? That’s exactly what the new Wingspan: European Expansion offers. The primary addition is of course more bird cards with differing abilities that keep the game varied and interesting while building your engine. The prime mechanic these cards increase is player interaction, making play a lot more involved and shall we say, higher-stakes among a group? [read: people will scoff at and yell at you over the advantages you pull]. The expansion also includes an extra scorecard, storage (you’ll need it), another egg colour and extra food tokens to keep everyone well-stocked and ready to compete for the title of best wildlife reserve. 5) 7-Wonders: Cities & Leaders Okay so this is technically two expansions but we would argue that once you out-play the base game, you’ll want both. 7-Wonders: Leaders is the first expansion for the 7-Wonders base game, and introduces 42 new cards to the deck, a new wonder and Leader cards. These cards cost money – not resources – and are played at the start of each Age to gain special abilities for that round. 7-Wonders: Cities is the game’s second expansion, and critically adds an 8th player – perfect for this style of game that really shines when you hit those bigger group numbers. In addition, the expansion also includes optional team rules, new Wonder, Guild and Leader cards and a new type of card – City Remains – that give you even more advantages with each passing Age. This expansion adds a more aggressive play-style to the game as it increases player interaction. So here are our Top 5 Board Game Expansions. What do you think? Were we right on the money? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!
𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑻𝒐𝒑 5 𝑩𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑶𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌
One of the most important aspects of board games is arguably its theming. The artwork plays a huge role in immersing and intriguing players and we think that should be celebrated! So without further ado, here are our Top 5 board games with the best artwork: 1) Everdell This goes without saying, which is why it’s in our top spot. A truly fantastic worker-placement, resource-management, strategy game in and of itself, Everdell is compounded by beautiful artwork and componentry. The Ever Tree sits tall above the game board, nestling the draw deck exactly in it’s trunk. The cards are linen-finish and depict intricate and detailed illustrations of the woodland creatures that occupy the forest. Your resource tokens are a satisfying acrylic and made in the likeness of each resource you are vying for. What’s not to love?! 2) Tokaido You’ve probably seen it on every other list of “the prettiest board games ever” but look, it makes these lists for a reason! A relatively quick-play, Tokaido follows the journey of travellers along the Japanese “East Sea Road” where they use their unique powers and selected placement on the track to work towards achieving various end of game bonuses. The game board is a minimalist’s dream in technicolour and the artwork to accompany – just wow. Generally, board games of Japanese theming have stellar artwork but this is next level gorgeous. 3) Petrichor A lesser-known board game but definitely not one to pass over, Petrichor by definition, is the pleasant Earthly smell produced when rain hits dry soil. In the case of the beautiful board game however, you are a cloud seeking to expand and water as many crops as possible compared to your opponents by manipulating the weather to your advantage. Truly stunning components made from high-quality punch-outs, beautiful watercolour artwork on both crop tiles and clouds and the ever-satisfying coloured glass water droplet tokens make this game an absolute pleasure to learn, play and teach! 4) Scythe A cult-classic, Scythe is not only a fantastic area control game itself, but also incorporates beautiful artwork and componentry. Set in an alternative 1920’s steampunk universe, the game board is a vivid blend of natural colours whose theme flows seamlessly into other illustrated components including individual player boards and coin tokens. In keeping with the context of the war-torn universe in which the game takes place, the detailed artwork also depicts the striking landscapes of pre-industrial Europe overlain with modern (and terrifying) human-controlled robots. A captivating and immersive campaign experience, Scythe is definitely a game worth adding to the shelf! 5) Obscurio For a game based solely on analysing illustrations, you’d better hope they’d be good! Luckily, Obscurio certainly doesn’t disappoint. A detailed and vibrant depiction of a never-ending, Harry Potter-esque library from which you must escape, this game of deception and bluffing is best played in groups of 4-8. The game board itself full of intricate detail and so too are the components –particularly the image cards and the important Grimoire. You’ll see. And that’s our list! Let us know if the comments below if we missed any games!
Dungeon Master or Player Character, which is a better fit? Chapter 2 Being a Player
If Dungeon Master is like the architect, the Player Characters are the actors. Though it may seem at first that the DM has all the creative power in D&D, don’t underestimate the little world that is your character. Your character can be exactly like you, or they can be everything you’ve ever (or never) dreamed of being. Create your little forest gnome sorcerer with a talent for circus acrobatics and cartwheel into combat casting Chaos Bolt. Make your sexy Tabaxi monk who defeats the evil harpies with equal parts partying and punching. The job of the Player Character is in the name—play. Thanks to the DM, for a few hours in your friend’s living room, with just a couple dice and some miniatures, you get to go to another world. You get to be someone else. The feeling of levelling up and accessing new abilities, specialisations or spells is just as satisfying as any RPG video game. One of the best parts about being a Player Character is the element of surprise. You get to be surprised by the DM’s plot twists or funny voices. You get to surprise the DM by doing the unexpected like hitting the puzzle with your shortsword and somehow solving it. You even get to surprise yourself with your godlike (or utterly trash) dice rolls. There’s always more than one correct answer to any social interaction, combat scenario, or puzzle and thinking up a creative solution never gets old. But what’s even better, is that you get to do all this with your friends—or soon-to-be friends! Where the DM has the powerful but solitary position of knowing and controlling everything, you and the other Player Characters (depending on their character’s alignments) are on a team. Maybe your rogue fails to be stealthy and gets one-shot trying to sneak, so the rest of you launch a rescue mission, with the wizard teleporting to the top of the tower and putting all the guards to sleep. Maybe you’re a bard and you distract the enemies with your Dancing Lights so your beefy barbarian friends can ‘sneak’ up behind the goblins and pummel them. Maybe you roll a natural 1 on your Witch Bolt and accidentally kill your friend (true story). In D&D, you can make memories together. My friends and I will still reflect on moments from old campaigns as if they were moments from real life. One of the best things about D&D, and what makes me hesitate before jumping onto any other RPG campaign tabletop games, is that, in D&D, you can basically do whatever you want. There’s a lot of rules to learn from the start, so I’ll admit, being a Player Character in D&D does have a fairly high upfront effort cost, but it is by learning these rules that you realise the true extent of your creativity. In combat, for example, you can do way more than simply smack the enemy with your scimitar. The ‘Help’ action lets you assist an ally. How? In any way you like! What does the spell Prestidigitation do? More than you’d think (including making a fake bag of gold to trick the greedy gnome selling you potions). As an English tutor, I often say that in writing, you learn the rules just so you know how to break them. It’s similar in D&D. If you know the rules, you know the extent to which you can take them. But seriously, if you’re a Player Character, don’t complain about how much work you have to do. The DM has way more. All you need to do is make a character, show up, and be engaged. And sometimes, that last one is difficult. Perhaps your DM is having an off day (because we’re all human—IRL that is). Perhaps you’re just losing interest in the campaign. But if you decide to be a Player, you need to be engaged. Look for clues, use your abilities, think outside the box. It’s very easy, especially in larger groups, to simply tag along—“Uhh…I follow everyone to the blacksmith.” But the truth is, you get as much as you give to the game. If you actively look for clues, the DM will open up the story to you. If you use your abilities, you really feel like you’re playing your class. If you think creatively, you get the surprise and the satisfaction of seeing your ideas actually work. So here’s the thing—without the DM, you wouldn’t have your D&D sessions. You would just have a character, with no world to exist in, no other player’s to interact with, no monsters to beat up. If you’re only going to take one thing from this article, take this: Respect your DM. They stayed up late learning rules, devising puzzles, calculating enemy difficulties. You don’t see a lot of what they do. The least you can do is show them and their story respect by creating a character you care about (not one you’re going to throw into a 1v20 because why not), learning your rules and limits, and engaging with the story they tell you.
