Tag: Board Games

Close-up of the cover for Scooby-Doo The Board Game with the whole gang sitting in the front of the Mystery Machine van. From left to right we have beatnik poet, anxious dog, rational map-reader, equally smart friend, and ascot driver

Wacky Hijinks: Similarities and Differences in Scooby-Doo: The Board Game

By Orrin Grey • July 6th, 2023

It is also ironic that, in many ways, Scooby-Doo: The Board Game feels less like Scooby-Doo and more like a board game than Betrayal at Mystery Mansion, which was already repurposing the mechanics of another game and yet managed, in so doing, to create an almost perfect evocation of a Scooby-Doo episode.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

The cover of the rules PDF for World of Warcraft: The Board Game, featuring the sharp and stylized text of the title over a small portion of an old map

A Whole New World of Warcraft: The Board Game

By Orrin Grey • February 14th, 2023

Innumerable brightly-colored miniatures and a cartographic board making it all seem reminiscent of a fantasy game of Risk.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

A shot of two mini figures from Warhammer: Lost Relics, a robed warrior brandishing a lamp and a hammer-wielding cleric prepaing to strike, both standing on a sample of the various ground textures available to dungeon crawl through

Unexpected Joys in Small Packages in Warhammer Quest: Lost Relics

By Orrin Grey • January 23rd, 2023

Lost Relics feels a bit more like a game of chess (albeit played against the board) than a standard dungeon crawl.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

Crop of the cover of Monster Mayhem, a painting featuring your classic mosters like Sexy Ghost, Necktie Werewolf, Dog Collar Dracula, Too Many Teeth Mummy, and Jock Zombie

Offensive Stereotypes: Monster Mayhem Rises from the Crypt… But Maybe Shouldn’t

By Orrin Grey • September 30th, 2022

Despite its cartoony demeanor, Monster Mayhem is no different from White Wolf’s RPGs, and its approach is… not exactly sensitive, even for 2007.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

A cropped selection of the box art for Horrified: American Monsters, featuring the head of a Sasquatch and a spectral figure.

We Did Warn You: Playing Horrified 2 During [checks notes] Still a Pandemic

By Orrin Grey • May 5th, 2022

The good news is, most of the winning formula that made its predecessor tick is reproduced nicely here.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

Versus Mode: Batman: The Animated Series – Rogues Gallery x Sinister Six

By Orrin Grey • April 5th, 2022

To be honest, at the time I played Rogues Gallery, I had never so much as heard of Sinister Six. Once I had played them both, though, the startling similarity of their concepts was enough to make me briefly wonder if they shared a designer.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

figures from the game Space Hulk, blue and red, moving across a tabletop.

They’re Coming Out of the Goddamn Walls: Reliving a Moment with Space Hulk

By Orrin Grey • February 28th, 2022

It is difficult, for me at least, to separate the game itself from that dream, solidified by glossy magazine photos of massive Space Hulk boards set up.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

The board game Marvel United showing a chibi Captain America.

Heroic Action: Defeating Evil with a Little Help from Your Friends in Marvel United

By Orrin Grey • December 16th, 2021

The feeling of teamwork is what really makes Marvel United special.

I Played It Like Twice...

A series of cards from the deck building game Ascension laid out on a deck mat.

For Honor and Small Plastic Rocks: Ascension’s Place in the Pantheon of Deck-Building Games

By Orrin Grey • November 18th, 2021

With so many deck-building games on the market, the aesthetic is going to be a big part of what draws a player to one over another.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

two character pieces with colored based standing on a board game surface.

Candles Against the Dark: Surviving the Night (and Each Other) in Deranged

By Orrin Grey • August 26th, 2021

A character who is Deranged is normal by day but becomes a monster by night.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

On top of a board game (Ex Libris) lays an orange cat.

Shelf Stability: Good Design Gets Out of the Way in Ex Libris

By Orrin Grey • July 29th, 2021

Ex Libris looks complicated, but all the moving parts click together pretty seamlessly, and there are rarely any of those awkward moments where you’re left scratching your head over how one card mechanic interacts with another.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

Versus Mode – Arcadia Quest x Super Dungeon Explore

By Orrin Grey • March 2nd, 2021

For the first installment of this periodic feature, we’ll be looking at Arcadia Quest and Super Dungeon Explore.

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Go to Jail: The Complicated World of Pirated Board Games

By Ryan Cooper • January 7th, 2019

Tabletop Simulator lets board game fans recreate their favorite games and craft a globalized shared space. . . even if that means breaking a few laws to do so.

Escape from the Sweet Board Game Bubble

By Levi Rubeck • December 20th, 2018

There’s a bubble brewing around board games.