Tabletop Reviews

Almost everyone thinks they can write — but very few can do so in a way that truly captivates the reader. Many board games create a narrative through their artwork and even their mechanics, but typically I find that the more words a game…

The Traitors TV show was a bit of a phenomenon over here in the UK; combining Mafia/Werewolf mechanics with reality TV-like social gameplay. The Traitors Card Game doesn't quite capture the scale of the 22-contestant, 12-episode-long series…

Can you be the first to snap a photo of the Yeti and become the most celebrated photographer in the world? Find out in a race-to-the-finish with Yes, Yes, Yeti! Yes, Yes, Yeti! is an easy-to-learn family game for 2-6 players. Each player…

During Winter, parents need every tool in their arsenal to keep kids entertained — and sometimes a few short hours makes all the difference, especially if it doesn’t involve screens. Unlock! Kids: Stories from the Past may be relatively…

2016’s Scythe from Jamey Stegmaier and Stonemaier Games remains in the BoardGameGeek top 20, having already had a profound effect on the course of modern board gaming. Any potential sequel would be met with high expectations, and…

In an ever more crowded market place it’s always a treat to see a new game with a fresh theme. Die Of The Dead certainly stands out in terms of theme. Die Of The Dead supports two to five players and is designed by James Allen and Mark…

Cat in the Box is one of those games that as you're explaining how to play it's incredibly confusing,  but the moment you actually start playing, it's really simple and easy to understand. It just takes a single round of playing to really…

Maths is hard, it's one of the few things in life where there are no real shortcuts to learning, you just simply need to acquire that knowledge through repetition and rationalising. Blobby's Pizza is aimed at making learning fractions fun…

If Caverna (which are yet to review) is known as one of Uwe Rosenberg’s most complex and expansive board games, then it’s exclusively two-player sibling Caverna - Cave vs Cave must be one his cleanest and most straightforward designs. This…

Block Party is a really fun, two-to-six player game that is all about creating pictures using little blocks! We played the game as a group of more than two, using the various cards to pick what we made, but there is a board for two players…

In Apiary, the brand new worker placement game from Stonemaier Games and first-time designer Connie Vogelmann, up to five players take on the role of space bees as they explore and expand through the galaxy. These bees will carve lasting…

Imagine picking up a bright yellow bag that weighs a lot more than it should. Now picture yourself putting your hand into the bag and finding it full of thick, smooth-edged hexagonal tiles that have considerable weight and character to…

We have played a few of these murder mystery tabletop games over the last while — they seem to have boomed in popularity. The Vanishing Gambler was more challenging than previous games in the same category, with more reliance on the players…

Original Review: December 4th, 2023, post updated with Giveaway (at foot of article) November 21st, 2023. About five years ago, it was hard to tell which “gamer's game” was top of the tree. Lords of Waterdeep, Five Tribes, Viticulture and…

Master Dater is the latest board game to come from the Cyanide and Happiness team, and this one's quite different than their previous games. This one — Master Dater – is a dating-themed, card-matching game. I played this on a Friday evening…

The genre of true crime and solving mysteries has become quite popular in recent years, so it’s no surprise that there are board games that put you as a lead detective! True Crime Stories is a little unexpected, however, as you aren’t…

In Dog Park, players take on the thematic role of a professional dog-walker, and must build out their collection of customers (dogs) and focus on specific collections to score loads of points. With bidding, set collection, variable…

Snap Ship Tactics is perhaps both the most obvious and yet unexpected idea that I’ve seen in board gaming. It takes a simple, snap-together construction toy and turns it into a head-to-head tabletop duel reminiscent of Fantasy Flight Games’…

The Emperor can be tricky to please. Eternal Palace from Alley Cat Games is designed by Steve Aramini with art by Quentin Regnes. This dice placement game sees players take on the role of Chinese nobles seeking to earn the most imperial…

Herd dragons and complete magical amulets and gems in order to win in short and approachable Dragonkeepers. There aren't too many games that come in A4-sized boxes and promise a humble playtime of 20 minutes, especially not ones that scale…