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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Dinosaur IslandDinosaur Island is simple, cute, and pleasantly chunky: a good gateway to medium-weight production-based euros, though it does not yet give me the burn I want.
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AgraAgra is an unequivocal ten for me and, by only my second play, it had dethroned The Gallerist as my favourite heavy euro. Keller surpasses his already likeable La Granja and Solarius Mission by a wide margin here.
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HamburgumHamburgum entered my collection almost by accident, as the only English-language copy I found in Rome. Thankfully, it turned out to be a tightly designed rondel-based euro that still deserves to return to the table.
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Grand PrixAlmost a year and a half after my first play, Grand Prix leaves me with exactly the same impression: it is great fun with a big crowd around the table. I am already tempted to bring it to the club for a little tournament.
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Days of Ire: Budapest 1956I already liked Days of Ire: Budapest 1956 as a two-player game, but with a third player I found the setup that brings it out best. An evening that began with one unfortunate absence ended up flowing much better than we expected.
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Peak OilPeak Oil is a light, quick economic game with a few interesting ideas and a pleasant table presence. It loses momentum, however, once the likely winner becomes clear too early.
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Mare Nostrum: EmpiresWith its high BGG rating, friends who play it regularly, and a theme that sounded right up our alley, Mare Nostrum: Empires delivered one of my biggest disappointments of the year. It may need the right group and a particular way of playing; I still want to give it one more chance before writing it off for good.
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GentesGentes did not disappoint me at all, even though my first game ended in a rather worrying score-line collapse. I definitely want to give it another shot—this time without 34 straight hours on my feet behind me.
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Heart of CrownHeart of Crown does not try to reinvent deckbuilding; it is an honest, manga-dressed Dominion clone with a little extra complexity. It is not essential for anyone with a full shelf already, but genre fans can have a good time with it.
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Hull Breach: In Defiance of DictatorsA long-sought game that, despite a rough first teach, immediately rewarded me with interesting ideas and the feeling that the Kickstarter package was worth every penny. It is not perfect, but for me it comes dangerously close to perfection.
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Global MogulGlobal Mogul is a light area-control game with a touch of economics and production, and it is more misunderstood than it deserves to be. It will not become a permanent fixture on my table, but it has a place as a short accompaniment.
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CopycatCopycat is one of those games that seems to have been unfairly lost on the shelf. For anyone who enjoys deck and engine builders, it remains a very pleasant—and often inexpensive—find.
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1870: Railroading Across the Trans Mississippi from 1870With the fresh China game committed elsewhere, the group turned to the simple, classic charm of 1870. And what would a train-game night be without hatred, yelling, and a photo finish?
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Urban SprawlUrban Sprawl may have a reputation for AP, but at our table it delivered another full, enjoyable two-and-a-half-hour game decided by the smallest margins.
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IndonesiaIndonesia gave me two big, bloody evenings: a clean, almost exemplary economic game that nevertheless grows more tiring for me over time, both as an object and as a table experience.
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The GalleristIt feels good to be back with The Gallerist, which remains, for me, Vital’s most cohesive game. And no, you do not need to set aside four hours of your life for it.
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Saloon TycoonSaloon Tycoon is a pleasant, light hour-long game that works perfectly as an appetizer. Beneath its eye-catching three-dimensional table presence lies more strategy and replayability than I expected.
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Ponzi SchemeThe TMG reprint was one we had been eagerly awaiting after narrowly missing it last year. Ponzi Scheme remains a beautiful game: simple-looking and devilish in practice, even if I ultimately enjoy explaining it a little more than playing it.
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Star Wars: RebellionWith hida and kets playing the Empire and me as the poor Rebel, Star Wars: Rebellion delivered another epic, razor-close game. Its only serious drawback is the time it demands.
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Kansas PacificKansas Pacific is a simple, roughly hour-long Cube Rail: neither particularly good nor bad, but pleasant enough to make you want another play. Unfortunately, its map and colour choices take a lot of the enjoyment away.
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The Manhattan Project: Energy EmpireThe Manhattan Project: Energy Empire made a very good first impression on me: quick, interesting, and free of the dead moments that pull you out of the group. At around 1 hour and 10 minutes, it felt like money well spent.
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Terraforming MarsTerraforming Mars remains one of my favourites: even when I mostly leave the board aside, it finds a way to reward me. And the Big Box with its plastic pieces makes it look as impressive as it deserves to, even at a steep price.
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Tesla vs. Edison: Powering Up!Tesla vs. Edison: Powering Up! remains, for me, one of the most underrated euro-economic games of recent years. With the expansion on the table, it reminded me how solid and beautifully produced it is—and how ready it is to punish you when you misread the market.
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ScovilleScoville left us with my wife utterly dominating the table. Thankfully, Wongamania: Banana Economy provided the right release, complete with diseases, divorces, and Debtzilla.