Event calendar last updated: March 6, 2024

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The board gaming hobby can be quite overwhelming for a newly budding board game geek. With thousands of new games coming out each year, it can certainly be hard to jump in head first. Maybe you’ve started your own gaming community, but you want an opportunity to meet even more gamers? Maybe you’ve started to build up a collection, but you want to get to try some of the new hot games before they come out? Checking…

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Sometimes a game just catches your eye. Whether its big and flashy or subtle and beautiful, often that eye catching nature can manage to distract you just long enough to real you in before you realize that there's not much substance there.

But... that's not always the case.

Buy Unearth on Amazon.

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Do you remember where you were when it happened?

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You know when you find something and it just immediately replaces something else in your life that fills a similar role? I’m talking about something that you were happy with, but then you came across something else that just did the job better? Something that made you think, “there’s just no looking back now!”

In the board gaming community, many people can relate to this idea of games “firing” other games that feel or play similarly. (Just check out this Geek List on Board Game Geek if you don’t believe me!) I’ve always understood it to some extent, conceptually, but I just couldn’t relate. For me, finding a game that feels similar, whether thematically or mechanically, was an opportunity to celebrate the differences that made each game unique. Though I might prefer one over the other, you’d find me hard pressed to say that one makes the other “obsolete.”

Or at least I used to think that…

Enter Valeria: Card Kingdoms.

Card King(dom) of the Hill

You might be wondering, “What in the world does this game replace?!” Well, Valeria: Card Kingdoms literally replaced Machi Koro on my shelf. (If you’re not familiar with…

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The physical and the digital worlds couldn’t be more separate. Though many people would argue that in an age of cellphones and social media, we live more in the digital world than the physical, the second the power goes out or the batteries die, all doubt is rescinded. Still, the fantasy of mixing the digital and physical realms permeates our books, films, and televisions. Think about it; The Matrix, Ready Player One, and the ever poignant Black Mirror all encapsulate this melding of real and fantasy in a way that people connect with.

Board games have always been contrasted heavily with video games since they share so many commonalities. With so many digital versions of popular tabletop games being released and more apps being integrated within physical board games, it seems that our mixed reality fantasy has even begun to invade our beloved hobby. How this trend will grow, I’m not quite sure. What I do know is that this doesn’t seem to be a trend that is slowing down.

While there are no fancy apps or digital implementations in today’s review, we’re going to take a look at what it might look like to really embody the feel and spirit of a specific kind of video game into a physical presence.

Let’s…

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No matter what the medium, any long running series will have its ups and downs. Sometimes a franchise can start out strong and then fall short as it continues to iterate (The Matrix). Other times a series might start out weak, but really grow into it’s potential (Parks and Rec). Every now and then you have a franchise that seems to peak somewhere in the middle (The Dark Knight). When a series lasts long enough, it will eventually have to find some way to reinvent itself.

Star Wars is an infamous example in that it both failed and succeeded in this endeavor on two different occasions. I think most people understand why its first reinvention wasn’t viewed very highly, but its newest iteration is quite interesting. Instead of breaking outside the box, The Force Awakens drew people in by going back to the basics. The sets, props, and characters greatly mimicked those of the original trilogy. Sometimes it just feels right to go back to the basics and improve on a formula that is already successful.

Enter Ascension: Gift of the Elements

What is Ascension?

If you’re not familiar, Ascension is one of the veteran deck building franchises of the…

The post Ascension – Gift of the Elements Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.

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Dragons have always been a staple within the world of gaming. Some may remember the first time they gave Dungeons and Dragons a try, while others will be more likely to reminisce over their encounters with legendary dragons in Skyrim. Still, in the midst of this cultural permeation, we often approach the story of a dragon from the hero/dragon slayer’s perspective. Rarely do we solely approach something from the dragon's perspective. Luckily, there are a few gems out there that do just that.

Enter Dragoon.

A review copy of Dragoon was provided at no cost from Lay Waste Games.

Overview

In Dragoon, 2-4 players take the role of a dragon who is bent on damage, destruction, and (of course) collecting gold. Each player will be taking turns venturing out across the board in hopes of claiming cities and villages that will slowly gain them gold, destroying cities and villages that will give them an immediate boost of gold, or seeking out the thief in order to reclaim stolen gold. The game plays out one round at a time (with each player taking one turn each round). In between rounds, players populate the board with new/upgraded cities and villages. This cycle continues until one player gains 50 gold to…

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Like many people in the board game hobby, I had a humble start as a Magic: The Gathering player. On any given Friday night all through college, you could find me at our local game store participating in a Friday Night Magic tournament. Granted, I was never very good at the game, but my upbringing in many other collectible card games at least made me somewhat proficient at slinging cardboard.

At some point I hit a dilemma all too common to Magic players; life got in the way and I didn’t have the time to keep up with a “lifestyle game.” When you no longer have the time, it’s even harder to justify spending the money that it takes to stay relevant.

Here we are, years later, and I’m so glad that I set aside Magic to discover the joy of modern board games. Still, I would be lying to say that I’m not tempted by every flashy new collectible game that catches my eye. I’ve longed for a game that fills this void without eating up both my wallet and schedule.

Enter Codex: Card Time Strategy

A Quick Note

I suppose I should preface this review by letting you know that I’m writing from the perspective of someone with a history of competitive card…

The post Codex Card-Time Strategy Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.

Ah… Valentine’s day. Love is in the air, chocolate is in our tummies, and romantic nights of board games are taking place all across the country. Well, at least we hope they are! If you still haven’t decided on what to do with your special someone, maybe you should see if a little bit of cardboard might strike up some budding flames of romance! (but please keep any open flames away from said cardboard! ;) )

If you need some ideas, we’re here to help! We’ve brought together a collection of some of our favorite articles and reviews of two player games from the past year!

First, take a journey down lovers lane with this quaint story of an innocent first date, turned game exploration evening. This was one a big one for us last year! It showcases six two player games, that are perfect for dates, in a new and creative way.

Top 6 Date Night Games - A Narrative Experiment

Next up, Andy’s got his top 6 two player games! While this wasn’t necessarily a “date” themed article, the games still fit the bill perfectly!

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Pieces from Go Cuckoo!, Animal Upon Animal, Ice Cool, and Flick 'Em Up

A Sight for Sore Eyes

The single biggest advantage that dexterity games have over more traditional board games is that they are incredibly visually stimulating. I have never played a game of Go Cuckoo! or Ice Cool where people didn’t flock to it to find out what in the world we were playing. These games just *look* so foreign that they demand attention. With 4-5 people standing around a table, yelling and cheering every couple minutes, it is impossible to not draw a crowd.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="700"] Go Cuckoo! from HABA USA[/caption]

Don’t get me wrong, there are other kinds of games that can get people laughing and yelling in excitement, but when the crowed comes to see what happens,…

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• Best Stocking Stuffers
• Best Gifts for the Board Game Geek
• Best Gifts for the First Time Gamer
• Best Gifts for the Video Gamer
• Best Gifts on a Budget
• Best Gifts for the Young Gamer

Best Stocking Stuffers

Over the past few years there have been a wave of fantastic “micro-games” that have been released. These are perfect for stocking stuffers since they are so small!

Love Letter

Love Letter is a tiny deduction game for 2-4 players that packs a huge punch! In it’s small velvet bag (or box depending on the version) you’ll receive 17 cards and a…

The post 2016 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide appeared first on Meeple Mountain.

Hopefully our list of the Top 6 Big Group Games to for the Holidays will give you some new ideas or at least help you reconnect with some old favorites!

Our criteria for this list:

• Portable
• Teaches quickly
• Light subject matter
• Plays relatively fast
• Allows for high player count

Codenames

Player count: (2 - 8 players)

Codenames is a team based word guessing game with a light spy vs spy theme. In Codenames, two teams of players are each led by a spymaster. Each Spymaster offers clues to their team that help them to guess which cards from a central shared playing area might be theirs. The spymasters share a "key" which tells each spymaster which cards belong to their team.

Spymasters provide clues consisting of a single word and a number indicating how many of the cards on the table match that word. For example, Japan 2 might match Godzilla and ninja. That team then has the chance to…

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