Biblios Review

Biblios, designed by Steve Finn (presumably the mild-mannered alter-ego of the intriguing Dr. Finn)  and published by IELLO Games (Welcome To Dungeon), is a very cool card drafting, set collection, auction-based hand management game…but nowhere near as complicated as I make it sound, just now.  It combines these game types into a unique whole, as players-

Jess:  Wait, why does the box look sort of like a book?

Andrew:  Oh, because we are playing as the heads of medieval monasteries, each competing to have the most desirable library.

Jess:  THIS IS A GAME ABOUT BEING A LIBRARIAN?!?

Andrew:  Whoa, geez, calm down!  It’s not about being a librarian!  The game itself is actually pretty abstract, but really, because the theme is about preserving ancient tomes, it’s really more about being a chief archivist rather than a-

Jess:  EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

This game may be hitting a *little* close to home for our own archivist…

Secret Directive Kickstarter Preview

Secret Directive is a pretty unique deckbuilding/worker placement hybrid game up on Kickstarter right now.  Designed by Mike Lee, Secret Directive puts 2-4 players into the roles of national spy agencies, each trying to use their intelligence to guide their country in the right direction by developing along 4 different progression tracks.  Working with a small team of spies, you will make sure that your government keeps improving itself, all the while keeping tabs on your competitors, using covert influence to lead them astray.

So, how successfully does this game pack spy-vs-spy antics into a tight 45 minute runtime?  Let’s investigate…

The true spymaster can do more harm with a whisper than a gun…of course, no reason not to carry both…

Conquest of Speros Review

Today we review Conquest of Speros, a small-box area control game from Grey Fox Games.  Does this little package indeed contain good things (as is tradition), or is it just another collection of tiny meeples with nothing better to do than loiter around on objective cards?  Let’s find out!

Territory to claim, artifacts to unearth, minions to command…everything an aspiring general needs

Morocco Kickstarter Prototype Preview

Matt Riddle and Ben Pinchback (Fleet, Wharfside) are at it again!  Up on Kickstarter right now, Morocco is a tile-laying, area control Euro for 2-5 players that has been brewing for some time (though the dearth of crab meeples is…troubling).  How do our favorite fishing designers do when they venture away from the familiar embrace of the docks?  Watch our video to find out!

Got all that?  Good!  Now you can head on over to the Morocco Kickstarter and grab a copy for yourself!

(Obvious Kickstarter Prototype heads-up.  This was sent to us for preview, and the finished game may look quite different)

Chopstick Dexterity MegaChallenge 3000 Review

Today, Mayday Games (Viceroy) serves up Chopstick Dexterity MegaChallenge 3000 and with it a healthy dose of real-time chopstick-clicking fun!  Do you have what it takes to snatch all the best bits from the bowl before your opponents do?  Will we manage to get through this game without poking ourselves in the eye?  Read on to find out!

Jess:  A game about grabbing things with chopsticks?  Really?  So I guess all those nights of ordering Chinese takeout are about to pay off for you, eh?

Andrew:  You might say I have been training for this moment my whole life.

Let the MegaChallenge….BEGIN!

Viceroy Review

In Viceroy from Mayday Games (Get Bit!, Meteor, Dead Man’s Draw), players will vie for influence over various characters of the realms, enact sweeping legal reform, and build their own Pyramid of Power as they compete to gain the most Power Points to crush their opponents and become the victor!

Jess:  Pyramid of Power?  Sweeping reform?  Crushing opponents?  I like the sound of all that, but is this game really take-thatish?

Andrew:  It’s a set-collection game with auction mechanics and almost no direct player contention.

Jess:  Oh!  Awesome!

From these meager (but very nicely made) components shall your Pyramid of Power be built! (you have to do a super-dramatic voice when you read ‘Pyramid of Power’)

Jump Gate Review – Deep Space In A Small Box

Andrew:  The last time we reviewed a game by Matt Worden, he was accomplishing the impossible – making car-racing a viable, enjoyable bit of dice-rolling excitement in Dicey Curves Deluxe.  This time he takes on the far friendlier challenge of making spaceships fun with Jump Gate.  But can a set-collection game in a tiny box actually deliver a fully-fledged, satisfying experience?  Let’s find out together as we explore Jump Gate!

Small box, big galaxy

Eminent Domain: Microcosm Review

Andrew:  Yesterday, we posted our review of Eminent Domain, from Tasty Minstrel Games.  We lauded this unique, extremely playable sci-fi deck-builder for some innovative mechanics and extremely engaging gameplay, and how it brought galactic conquest to your fingertips in under 45 minutes.  But what if you only had a quarter of that time?  What if you wanted to, say, decide who controls the galaxy over appetizers?

Jess:  45 whole minutes?  But I want to conquer the galaxy now!

Andrew:  Well, thanks to a recent Kickstarter, Eminent Domain: Microcosm has you covered!

All the tools you need to forge a tiny empire!

Eminent Domain Review

It is the dawn of a new era.  Unexplored worlds, ripe for the claiming, hang among the stars.  You and your fellow leaders share a single trait – ambition – and it calls you to action.  Gather your fleets, master your technologies, and be the first to claim the ultimate influence of Eminent Domain!

Jess: So…Sci-fi deckbuilder?

Andrew: Sci-fi deckbuilder.

Jess:  WOOHOO!

Unique in many great ways, Eminent Domain really stands out…also, *literally* stands out, because it’s in front of the oh never mind.

Hogger Logger Review

Today, we are going to be taking a look at Hogger Logger from (appropriately enough) Hogger Logger LLC.

Jess:  Is that a pig who is also a lumberjack?

Andrew:  Yes it is.

Jess:  That’s awesome!

Andrew:  Well, I’m glad you think so, because that’s kinda the best thing about this game.

For a game with a lumberjack pig on the cover, it just isn’t…*meaty* enough.