Board game reviews and previews
Board game reviews and previews
It's been a while since I posted anything non-review on here, so this is long overdue. We're decidedly in 2021 now, and I'm at a point where things are going well for Punchboard. So, here's a little about what's been going on with me, and what's coming next.
Way back in 2013, Stonemaier Games published a worker placement game called Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia. Fast-forward six years and they released an expansion called Ignorance is Bliss. Here's what happens when you put them together.
The third, and final, installment in Garphill Games' West Kingdom trilogy is here, picking up the baton from Paladins, and running in a different direction. Rondels and deck-building in the same game? Be still my beating heart!
Here we go, it's my top ten most-enjoyed games for 2020!
Merv: The Heart Of The Silk Road is a new game from the mind of Fabio Lopiano (Ragusa) and the design of Ian O'Toole (Nemo's War: 2nd Edition, Lisboa).
Vladimír Suchý is back with a lavish new Euro, moving back to terra firma after his most-recent outings to space (Pulsar 2849) and the bottom of the ocean (Underwater Cities). Do you have what it takes to develop medieval Prague?
Devir Games have come out relative obscurity here in the UK, and delivered a small box game that looks like a big box game. A collect-and-deliver Euro with a dicey rondel and a historical construction theme? Ticks all the boxes, let's have a look.
Update - Video review added.
Does the idea of gnomes, islands, guardians and bonfires get you excited? No? How about shells, fruit, roots and portals? Getting somewhere yet? Hmmm. Okay, how about a lavish new Stefan Feld game, full of mechanisms, strategy and gorgeous artwork? Ahhh, now I've got your attention! Let's have a look at Bonfire, his big new game for 2020.
Pingyao: The First Chinese Banks is getting a release in English through Kickstarter in January, and I joined the publisher for an online playthrough. Here's how it went.
If you've been visiting and reading lately, you might have noticed that I've updated a couple of reviews here. Those for PARKS and Nemo's War got republished, because I've added a video review to each of them. These have been my first, tentative steps into video and YouTube, so I thought I'd write a quick update to share my learning for anyone else thinking of doing the same.