Matthew Smail 290 posts 39 comments

When it comes to six player games, you’ll usually need to invest in an expansion (or two) — or look to your collection of party games — in order to satisfy your guests. Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates is that rare and special gem that…

People love rituals. Most of us have several — whether we know it or not. One of mine happens annually, when the release date for the new Football Manager game is announced and I feverishly prepare myself for what will be at least a…

At the outer reaches of board gaming is a dark place frequented mostly by the drunk and the curious. It's a place where few dare to tread, yet those who do will often swear by the invigorating ambrosia that they find there. What am I…

  IELLO are known for their beautifully crafted, straightforward games, often focussing on lighter mechanics and gameplay with a family-friendly feel. Whilst Ishtar: Gardens of Babylon shares IELLO’s usual exceptional production qualities…

Somewhere between MOBA, Real Time Strategy, Tower Defense and action RPG lives a game called Lornsword Winter Chronicle. It’s a strange game that tries to answer the age old question of how to make a compelling strategy game specifically…

The relationship between board games and video games is a strange one. Obviously board games came first, and have inspired many a digital conversion — yet sometimes, the opposite is true. Taking the immediacy of video games and…

When I think back to my review for Chronicles of Crime, it was obvious at the time that the game was designed with expansion content in mind. After all, several add-on scenarios were available on day one, and, most tellingly, the box…

The world has fallen into a new ice age and only you can lead the remains of humanity into a new age of survival in Frostpunk. With more and more strategy and management simulation games making their way onto consoles these days, you might…

When it comes to management simulations, the strength of the area of focus is often the deciding factor between whether a game succeeds or not. Theme Park, for example, excited millions of fans with its theme, despite some relatively…

If you’ve never heard of Pax Pamir, then you’re probably not a fan of war games or political simulations — and you know what, that’s totally fine. For those who are fans however, the return of Pax Pamir is something that has been long…