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by Bret

They are coming.

We all know it. Eventually, zombies will invade and we must prepare now for the coming apocalypse. This is just another reason why boardgames like The Last Night On Earth are of such value. What better way to simulate the dire circumstances to come than by roleplaying the situation in Anytown, USA?

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by Bret

By the power of RA!

There are few celebrities in the board game industry and even less that can actually earn a living as a designer. Reiner Knizia tops both these categories with hundreds of published games (8 just this year!) spanning the gauntlet of mechanics and themes. Though highly regarded in general, he often also has the reputation (mostly undeserved, IMO) of making abstract number games with pasted on thematic elements. In any case, RA is one of my absolutely favorite board games!

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by Bret

Famous for it’s well preserved, unique Roman and Medieval fortifications, the southern French city of Carcassonne is the setting for one of the best introduction to euro games in all of geekdom!

There are perhaps two euro games generally known to the public, Settlers of Catan (and all its expansions) and Ticket to Ride (and all its variations). Carcassonne seems to be third in this area (and itself has multiple expansions and variants, but I’ve never played any of them yet). It’s the game of city, cloister, farm and road building and most people’s first acquaintance to this funny little wooden character: the meeple. Read the rest of this entry →

by Bret

One of the fascinating features of boardgames I continue to marvel at is the ability of designers like Uwe Rosenburg to turn the most mundane topics into interesting, entertaining play. Such is Bohnanza, the bean counting game. How boring is that?! As it turns out, not at all.

The goal is to make as much money as possible by planting, trading and selling fields of beans.  Each bean is illustrated as a goofy cartoon on standard euro cards (slightly smaller than American standard) and also gives information on the bean’s rarity and cash exchange rate. Read the rest of this entry →

by Bret

Yes.

And they’re more popular than ever.

That’s right, we’re talking about BOARD games here. Leave your fancy shmansy HD screens, hi-res graphics cards, anonymous teenage angst and ego, arbitrary ratings systems and all other techmology behind. Here we are into cardboard pieces of varying size and thickness, wooden bits, plastic baggies, plastic miniatures and these weird little objects called meeples.

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