The anxiety I’m describing is a perfect example of what Splendor Duel is all about. It’s a two-player game where every decision feels less like a casual “pick up and play” experience, and more like making a chess move across the table from a person who appears calm but holds enough gems in their hand … Read more

In Point City, all your strategy come down to math in the last few minutes of the game. For seventeen turns youve been building, bartering, grabbing civic tokens, and betting on some crazy strategy to pay out in the endgame. It’s time. The cards flip over, the clock stops, and now you has to see … Read more

That is why an auditing calculator is so important. You might play a game of Trekking Through History, reach the end, and discover that you haven’t got a clue whether you’ve lost or won. There’s a certain type of terror that set in. I mean, sure, you put down some tokens. And yeah, you moved … Read more

In PARKS, however, we count points, and there’s something satisfying about that. You know you’re right about your strategy. Now, by adding up numbers, you can see who’s good at playing their own game and who lucked out on the draw. It’s a little thing, but it’s what keeps tension alive, were they lucky? Or … Read more

Board games reach their crunch moment late in the game, when there’s a pile of completed paintings before you, a few ribbons clenched in your fist, and gamers staring at you demanding that you crunch some digits. “Oh yeah,” they say, “and make it fast.” Each painting is a masterpiece of layered artwork. Now you … Read more

You don’t realize it… but the game is almost done. It’s close. Are you winning? Is your opponent? In Isle of Skye, points is hidden in plain sight and scored in layers, including immediate round scoring. By the time you think you’re up 3 points going into round six, your opponent has racked up a … Read more

When the Sheriff has a bow out hunting you down, there’s a constant tug-of-war: looting for the poor versus staying alive. That’s at the heart of any Robin Hood campaign. And most gamers is all about the gold. Each pouch found are a win. But at the end of each chapter, it doesn’t matter what … Read more