Boardgames, anyone?

In no particular order and off the top of my head, my picks of 2022 releases

Dead Reckoning
Weather Machine
Skyrim
Ark Nova
Wandersong
Perseverance
ISS Vanguard
Batman: Dark Knight Returns
Batman: TAS (two whole Batman games!)
Final Girl
Frostpunk
Endless Winter:Paleoamericans
Merchants of the Dark Road

This year's christmas board game is going to be Haunted House - the original 1972 one by Deny's fisher. We've just gotta be careful after a few beers with it being close by to an open fire!!

Me: I’m done with Zombicide. Fun game but between 2E, Invader and Black Plague I have enough.

Also me: oh look my local store got the full KS of Undead or Alive in, where’s my credit card

Got a game called Bag of Dungeon for the kids. It's probably shite but they are just getting into D&D (we play The Adventure Begins frequently) and it seems like it goes slightly further down that rabbit hole.

It'll be too basic for most of you but I'll report back in case you're looking for something that gets the kids into games.

I picked up Sniper Elite yesterday. I hadn't paid much attention to it, assuming it would be a cheap cash-in (unfairly as it turns out); but the glowing Tom Vasel review led me down a review rabbit hole and made me feel pretty confident it was worth a (testicle) shot.

It's good.

It's first of all a masterclass in damn elegant design regarding the tangible stuff: very clear rulebook, beautiful art design (minis, cards, board, general artwork). And it's so easy to set up with relatively few components and crucially a great insert to sort stuff for next time. You can genuinely have it up and running in minutes. The sniper board with erasable ink is really lovely; I don't know if this is the hidden movement game to do this but it beats bits of paper.

Hidden movement isn't my favourite type of game but this was really enjoyable - at least for me as the sniper trying to achieve my two objectives before time was up and / or I was wounded twice. They seem to have got the balance right, at least based on a single play: I won despite coming close to death at the end, and I'm keen to play it again, this time as a defender.

The main issue was I was playing against both my sons who just quarterbacked and bickered as they tried to take me down. They were driving me nuts but that's as much about them as the game. There are also a couple things that are there to make the game work rather than making thematic sense (why is it harder for a sniper to shoot at long distances than close range?).

Overall, though, they've done a pretty good job here and I'm really looking forward to trying it out again.

Yeah, agreed, it's very odd. It has its own rulebook, set of cards, its own die (the main game has none); a fair bit of effort has been put into it. I guess if you just think of it as a different kind of SE experience utilising the board, minis and some of the same mechanics...it makes more sense. I'll likely delve in at some point.

I've yet to play it whilst drinking which should be even more interesting, but played with the family and it was good.

It was left on the table and the next day my 5year old daughter wanted to play...turns out she is VERY good at bluffing (even though we always know when she is lying usually). I thought she would be so easy to read, but in a bluffing game she is a devious monster. Slightly concerned with what we've created...

Not sure if ebook P&P rpgs count as boardgames, but since I know a couple of other people were looking for things to play with kids:

www.drivethrurpg.com/product/256555/The-Magical-Land-of-Yeld is currently pay-what-you-want. Not sure if that's temporary. $1 recommended, but I think you can get it for free.

Not tried it yet, but I've been looking for something to move up from Hero Kids.

Just ordered ISS Vanguard now it's on general sale (gone halves with a mate).

Really can't wait to play it - need to finish our Sleeping Gods campaign asap!

Still waiting for Heat: Pedal to the Metal to come back in stock too but demand is far outstripping supply it seems.

Oh my god, it's so good and we had so much fun - ended up playing 8 hours Saturday and then a further 4 hours Sunday (ended up failing the second mission/planet but all good experience).

Other half wasn't happy I was basically MIA all weekend, got some grovelling to do tonight but totally worth it.

I got two pirate things through this week. Blood and Plunder, skirmish minis. It’s the largest box for a starter set I think I’ve ever seen.



For reference it’s a little longer and twice as deep as a big box Warhammer starter.

Then there was Captain’s Log, which after a handful of training games is shaping up to be an early contender for my GotY. It’s basically Sid Meier’s Pirates: The Game, just this open sandbox of “do whatever you like and deal with the challenges”. Go off and hunt for treasure, go do some legitimate trading, go pirating and raiding, go conquer everything by force, go and interfere with the Napoleonic Wars and tip the favor for the Brits so you can manipulate their stock market, it’s just super super deep and fun.

I’ve only skimmed the rules and watched a few video playthroughs but it looks like an excellent, simple system that has a very short learning curve. Also has a solo mode that’s apparently well regarded and isn’t just “two handed with random actions”

I’m very intrigued by Mosaic, has anyone tried it?

(I know fine well I’ll only ever play it two player these days, but worth a look nonetheless)

Adam looks pretty happy there, too.