Tabletop Reviews

Kevin Wilson has designed a lot of games over the years, but few feel as immediately confident and mechanically rich as Kinfire Council. This is a game that knows exactly what it is trying to be — an asymmetric, competitive worker placement…

When it comes to discussing games that can be played with the family, there's normally a hard-line between games for younger children and older children. Sandcastles of Burgundy, like many classics, cleverly bridges that gap with a fun,…

Everyone loves a game that stops passer-bys in their tracks, and Catch the Moon XXL is exactly that kind of game — a towering, whimsical spectacle that draws gasps from children and adults in equal measure. With oversized ladders, a giant…

When it comes to games about running businesses, there are a few that come to mind... and some of them end in big arguments and disappointment. I'm not saying that Big Boss fixes all of the issues of games about exponential, capitalist…

Playing The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship feels like much more than just a game — it’s the retelling of an epic story. Frodo is one step from despair, the Nazgûl are circling, and you’re desperately trying to recruit Rohirrim…

One thing that kids games do a lot better than most games aimed at adults is convincingly take over the table and, in the case of playing them out at gaming cafes or events, draw in a crowd. Stomp the Plank is an incredibly easy to…

The Lambada is a Brazilian dance where people bend their knees and make lots of small steps. Lambada is not about the dance, it's instead about matching colours, getting rid of all of your cards and avoiding forbidden colours. Bright…

Fish Fight is a team-based competitive physical game where two teams (of at least two people) compete to complete their trophy belts in up to nine challenges per game. These challenges? A number of hilarious tasks of skill, perseverance and…

Late Pledges for Era of Tribes are still open for a few more days here. If you’ve ever wanted to guide a civilization from its tribal roots to a sprawling empire, Era of Tribes might just be the game you’ve been waiting for. Designed by…

When I first opened up Parks (Second Edition), the first thing that struck me — as with the original — was the incredible presentation and build quality. This is still a small box with a beautiful cover, but once you lift the lid, Parks…

Horrified is back in its fifth iteration, this time taking on the long-running and increasing relevant TTRPG progenitor with Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons. Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons is arguably one of — if not the — best…

Rise & Fall, the latest design from Christophe Boelinger and published by Ludically, opens with the players building the board piece by piece — an act of divine collaboration that feels more like sculpting a landscape than setting up a…

I’m not a gardener in real life, but I still get immense satisfaction from watching things grow — not just in the botanical sense, but also in the way a game can evolve from a simple set of rules into a rich, multi-layered experience.…

Texas Hold It, from the creators of Cyanide and Happiness and similar card game Joking Hazard, have put together a compact card game about avoiding “piss” or holding it in to avoid being whizzed on by a varied group of cowboys and bandits.…

Fled, designed by Mark Swanson (of Feudum fame), is a game about escaping from an unjust regime — not just thematically, but mechanically. It’s a game of tight spaces, limited options, and constant pressure. Following on from our 2023…

There’s a particular kind of joy that comes from discovering a game that feels both familiar and fresh — a game that invites you in with a warm smile and then quietly reveals its cleverness over time. Come Sail Away!, designed by Daryl Chow…

Explore Brighthelm, defeat monsters and ascend to rule the land in Pauper's Ladder. There’s something quietly magical about a game that doesn’t try to be the biggest, boldest, or most complex thing on your shelf, but instead focuses on…

Explore the world and race to complete your jet-setting objectives in Atlas: Explore the World. There’s a quiet, enduring appeal to games that invite us to explore — not through conquest or competition, but through curiosity and connection.…

There’s a certain kind of game that doesn’t just ask you to play — it asks you to scheme. Black Metro, the debut title from Emesh De Zoysa and Absolute Ascendency, is one of those games. It’s a modern, asymmetric area control experience…

Total War is one of my favourite video game series. You can imagine my excitement when I saw that Total War: ROME - The Board Game was in development and immediately began to imagine how they might have captured some of the best mechanics…