What if I told you that Agricola was not originally designed to be about peaceful 17th century farmers? In fact, Uwe Rosenberg originally intended the game to be his first foray into heavily thematic Ameritrash games. He only decided to change the theme to farming at the last minute, under pressure from the publisher that… Read More Fan Theory: Agricola as an Ameritrash Game
Time travel is a concept that is both fascinating and frustrating. It has inspired countless works of film and literature, with its enticing potential for intrigue and imagination. Yet attempting to manipulate the rules of time is often fraught with unforeseen consequences for the protagonists — and gaping plot holes for the writers. Few have… Read More Review: Anachrony
Concordia harkens back to the beginning of board gaming’s golden age. A time before the terms ‘Kickstarter’ and ‘stretch goal’ were part of the lexicon. Back when most of the hottest titles among board game connoisseurs were about producing and trading little wooden resources. Although Concordia feels like it is from 2003, it was actually… Read More Review: Concordia
How many thousands of words have I written about worker placement games so far this year? I’ve lost count. It’s a great mechanic which many of the best games are built upon — but it feels like there are just SO MANY of them in the BGG Top 100. So, at this point, I think… Read More Review: The Gallerist
Today we’re going to take a look at A Feast for Odin, one of Uwe Rosenberg’s latest worker placement classics. While upon first glance this may appear to be a game about Vikings, I’m here to posit an alternative ‘fan theory’. In A Feast for Odin, you’re not playing the role of a Nordic jarl… Read More Fan Theory: A Feast for Odin is Actually a Commentary on Hoarding
I’ve got to tell you about this game I tried recently. It appears to be set in the 19th century and it’s about capitalists seeking to make it rich. You move your playing piece around a board, and can pay money to claim spaces. Those spaces can make you money and help you win the… Read More Review: Great Western Trail
In today’s review, we take a journey to a time far in the past. A simpler time, when every game did not need to be defined as “a mix of ____ and ____”. Way back when today’s “gateway games” were considered groundbreaking. Join me as we visit the era of Stone Age — the year… Read More Review: Stone Age
A slight tangent before I get into this week’s review– Last week, popular reviewers Shut Up and Sit Down released a six-part special feature in which they took on the BoardGameGeek Top 100 in a single week, providing brief thoughts on each game and linking to many past reviews. It goes without saying that this was right… Read More Review: Puerto Rico
BGG Rank #34 – 5/11/2017 If you like Euro games, then you’ve probably played a few games about agriculture. Farming and worker placement mechanics are just a natural fit, like ketchup and french fries, or peanut butter and jelly. But if you’re like me, you might occasionally appreciate a fresh take on the genre. That’s why I… Read More Review: Viticulture (Essential Edition)
BGG Rank #10 – 4/23/2017 Terraforming Mars was among 2016’s hottest releases, and it’s been high up in my watch list ever since I first heard about it on BoardGameGeek. So when I finally got a hold of it earlier this month, it was an exciting day. I’ve played it three times so far– once… Read More Review: Terraforming Mars
The Top of the Table 