Dr. Esker’s Notebook Review
In my review of Exit: The Pharaoh’s Tomb I speculated about the naming ritual of calling such a puzzle game an “escape room”, it lacking what would seem to be the key criterion of escaping a room. Sure, there’s some … Continued
Podcast Episode 49: PAX East 2019
We played a whole bunch of new games at PAX East and you’re going to hear about them! Marc, Matt, and a SECOND Marc bring you the lowdown on every single one of them. This is a mega episode with … Continued
Crusaders Review
How can I talk about Crusaders without discussing the theme? The Crusades are a deeply uncomfortable part of western history and while I’m fairly ignorant about much of that period, the combination of religious zealotry and state power seen there … Continued
Adventure Games Are Best As Puzzles
A common refrain in my game group is that Descent is fun despite itself. I think this is accurate. We certainly had a blast playing the game, but that was mostly because our experience combined the right people at the … Continued
Podcast Episode 48: Small-ish 2 Player Games
Orion and Marc talk about some of the 2 player games they’ve been playing recently. There’s a good mix of popular and obscure, good and bad here. What makes a great 2 player experience, and what are some of the … Continued
Innovation Review
I don’t know what Carl Chudyk looks like, but I picture him in mad scientist garb, cackling over card templates as he conjures up his latest game. He’s a designer who definitely has a style, and that style is dense … Continued
Big Dig Review
Just look at the box cover of Big Dig and you’ll see why I jumped on a chance to review it. That woman is so excited she’s running recklessly with a pickax. No one’s ever been that happy in a … Continued
EXIT: The Pharaoh’s Tomb Review
Escape rooms are a humorous signal of prosperity. Who knew that a fad would emerge where people pay $30 each to voluntarily trap themselves in a room for an hour, simulating some kind of fantasy escape scenario? Ignoring the simulated … Continued
Podcast: A Conversation With Adam Rehberg About “Thrive”
NOTE: The Kickstarter date for Thrive has been pushed back to March 5th instead of February 26th as mentioned in the audio. I sit down with Adam Rehberg to discuss the upcoming abstract game Thrive where the pieces adapt and … Continued
Antinomy Review
Antinomy is on Kickstarter for just a couple more days! It’s fitting that Antinomy grants first player privileges to the person who has most recently experienced Deja Vu, because I feel like I just played this game. Button Shy kickstarted … Continued