Contributor
WhiteColarGamer
Suave, flamboyant, and unrepentant about it. Drawn to deluxe editions, upgraded components and a table that looks as good as it plays.
217 reviews
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Star Realms: Deluxe Nova CollectionThe Deluxe Nova Collection is the lavish, finally delivered excuse to bring Star Realms back to the table. Its delay was unjustifiable, but as an object and as a light card game, it delivers a very good time.
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Mosaic: A Story of CivilizationMosaic: A Story of Civilization arrived as an impressive, carefully produced object, albeit with an infuriatingly needless excess of cardboard. On the table, it is a fair light-medium civilization game that demands attention to opponents, but it is not an essential purchase even for fans of the genre.
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Angel FuryAngel Fury ultimately won me over as a substantial, plastic-heavy battle game for a relaxed hour of slaughter. It is not a game to take too seriously, but it does make sure to work properly at every player count.
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SkyminesSkymines is a much better-presented and more readable return to Mombasa, with stronger visuals and enough material not to feel like a lazy retheme. Once you open up the second map, you effectively get a different strategic experience in the same box.
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Endless Winter: PaleoamericansEndless Winter: Paleoamericans is a striking, generous production with a friendly presentation and approachable gameplay, making it a very good gateway for newer players. For me, though, the bling does not conceal the tension or satisfying burn of a heavier euro.
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1861: Railways of the Russian Empire & 1867: Railways of Canada1861/1867 opened the year with choo-choos, sporting goodwill, and a table that preferred to keep everyone in the game. A very good session was ultimately decided by 98 dollars.
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AtiwaAtiwa is a fast, pleasant engine builder, but its production and overall sense of finish do not live up to either the Lookout/Uwe name or the “advanced” label.
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FindorffFindorff has solid foundations and moves briskly on the table, but ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. It is not a bad game; its problem is that the houses you build leave too little of a mark where they ought to matter.
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ResurgenceResurgence is a polished, thematic medium euro that wears its ruined-Moscow setting well without becoming either clumsy Ameritrash or a lifeless co-op. It has a tight economy, meaningful interaction, and a production that helps it stand apart.
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Marvel: Crisis Protocol Core SetMarvel: Crisis Protocol finally made it out of my display pile and onto the table, painted and ready for superhero brawling. It is a fast, honest skirmish full of Marvel fan service, and it makes a very credible play for the top of its genre.
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Minecraft: Heroes of the VillageMinecraft: Heroes of the Village gave me an easy way to get my son to the table by leaning on his love of Minecraft. As a children’s set-collection game it is perfectly decent, but it lacks a little tension to hold the attention of kids who are already a bit older.
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Dirty Money: The Money Laundering GameDirty Money grabs an excellent theme—money laundering through art and real estate—but does not quite build the game that theme deserves. It is pleasant enough for a while, yet the randomness and weak production send it toward the shelf.
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MaracaiboMaracaibo’s expansion finally pulled me out of my reluctance, but there are no earth-shaking surprises hiding in the box. Thankfully, the base game remains excellent — though it may breathe better with three players.
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Age of CivilizationA minimalist civilization filler that sets up quickly, stays brief, and still brings thought and noise to the table. For me, it shines most with 3–4 players.
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D.E.I.: Divide et ImperaD.E.I.: Divide et Impera looks like a carefully produced miniatures game, with rich material and enough content to keep returning to the table. It does not reinvent the wheel, but it promises straightforward conflict without dice.
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Front Line No KomradesFront Line No Komrades is a light party game with a pleasingly neurotic communist aesthetic, but it never becomes as funny or brisk as its fluff promises. We had a good time, but I would not buy it—only accept it as a gift.
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My Father's WorkMy Father's Work is an extravagantly ambitious, thematic title with a production that screams from the table—perhaps more than it needs to. Despite being substantial, my first play left me with more fatigue and disappointment than the feeling of a grand scientific creation.
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Kingdom BuilderAn old, slightly odd game that does not always seem certain of its identity, but ultimately delivers an honest, undemanding puzzle. Its Big Box gives it impressive longevity, even if I wish the expansions were organised more cleanly.
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La Belle ÉpoqueLa Belle Époque is an asymmetric area-control game about pre-war Europe, with simple rules and a smoother flow than its rather modest production suggests. It asks for time and some tolerance for dice, but it stays interesting on the table until the end.
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Car Wars (Sixth Edition)Car Wars Sixth Edition finally gave me the youthful obsession I used to read about in magazines and newsgroups, albeit two and a half years late from Kickstarter. It is not the old, intricate lifestyle game, though: it is a fast, polished celebration of vehicular violence with excellent miniatures.
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Foundations of RomeFoundations of Rome is a Kickstarter beast that was delayed as much as it possibly could be, yet it reaches the table with enough spectacle to justify every cubic centimetre of its enormous box. Beneath the impressive plastic buildings sits a friendly gateway game with a little more depth once the expansions enter the picture.
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Hellenica: Story of GreeceHellenica: Story of Greece is an overloaded, slightly awkward spectacle of Ancient Greece that nevertheless hides a surprisingly lively game for large groups. Don’t approach it for historical reverence; approach it for plastic, noise, and fighting over a map.
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LegaciesAn evening whose plans changed twice: from the grand Conquest & Consequence to something lighter and flashier for three. Legacies came to the table as the backup choice that better suited the mood of the moment.
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Rococo: Deluxe EditionRococo: Deluxe Edition is one of those lavish reprints that does more than look good on the shelf: it proves to be a pleasantly durable euro as well. With the jewellers expansion, its high-fashion proceedings become a little more forgiving while remaining substantial.