Category: Reviews

Forges of Ravenshire combines familiar Euro-game mechanics with fresh innovations in dice placement. Players manage their forges through clever resource conversion and guild recruitment. While the mystic token system adds strategic depth, the core gameplay remains accessible. It’s a solid medium-weight game that rewards planning without overwhelming complexity.

In Monster Rock, players lead rock bands through a fantasy city, building their following while avoiding robot police. This 1-5 player game combines area movement with resource management as you write songs, perform gigs, and spark a revolution. The unique stamina system and thematic blend of fantasy/rock elements create engaging gameplay decisions. Works equally well solo or competitively.

The Red Cathedral brings 15th-century Moscow to life as players construct St. Basil’s Cathedral. This euro-style game shines with its innovative dice-driven market system and strategic resource management. While setup can be lengthy, the blend of competitive tower building and tactical planning creates an engaging 80-minute experience that scales well at all player counts.

Black Forest is a 2024 Euro board game for 1-4 players designed by Uwe Rosenberg and Tido Lorenz. Through worker placement and resource management, players build glassmaking empires in 13th-century Germany. The game features innovative production wheels and a modular board, emphasizing strategic depth and replayability while showcasing stunning artwork.

Brass: Birmingham is a strategic economic board game set during the Industrial Revolution, and it may be one of the players’ all-time favorites. It’s a sequel to the original Brass, designed by Martin Wallace and Gavan Brown. Players act as entrepreneurs in 19th-century Birmingham, developing industries like coal, iron, cotton, and beer. This fantastic board game is ideal for 2-4 players and typically lasts 2-3 hours.

Onitama is a two-player abstract strategy game inspired by martial arts. This board game features a 5×5 grid, five pawns per player, and 16 move cards. Players use cards to move pawns, aiming to capture the opponent’s master or reach their temple. The rotating card mechanic of this terrific board game ensures unique gameplay each time, offering both simplicity and depth.

Agricola Family Edition is a streamlined version of Uwe Rosenberg’s classic farming strategy game. It features worker placement mechanics, resource management, and farm development over 14 rounds. Players build rooms, plow fields, raise animals, and grow their families. The game balances accessibility for beginners and younger players and offers strategic depth for experienced gamers.

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a push-your-luck board game in which players play as quack doctors brewing potions. They draw ingredient chips from their bags to fill cauldrons, aiming to score points while avoiding explosions. The game features various colored chips with unique abilities, a catch-up mechanism, and fortune-teller cards that add random events. It balances luck and strategy.

We recently dove into Blue Lagoon, a strategic gem by Reiner Knizia, and we couldn’t stop playing. With its simple rules but deep, tactical gameplay, it’s the perfect mix of strategy and fun. We’ll tell you why the vibrant archipelago, resource management, and fierce competition kept us hooked – but also why it left us craving more. Curious? Let’s explore.

We explored Apiary from Stonemaier Games, and it’s unlike any worker placement game we’ve encountered. Leading hyper-intelligent bees across space is both thematic and strategic, offering a fresh take on resource management. But there’s one unique mechanic that sets it apart—curious to know what it is? Let’s uncover why Apiary stands out as a must-play for board game enthusiasts.

Wingspan is a strategic board game published by Stonemaier Games in 2019. Players act as bird enthusiasts building wildlife preserves. The game features 170 unique bird illustration cards. Gameplay involves four main actions: playing birds, gaining food, laying eggs, and drawing cards. The game has received praise for its beautiful components, engaging mechanics, and educational value.