Reviews

Paladins of the West Kingdom initially struck me as the heavier, but not necessarily more exciting, entry in the West Kingdom trilogy. Its latest play, though, raised it considerably in my estimation.

A remarkably thematic medium-weight euro, with a darkly entertaining premise that feels a little drier at the table than it promises. It is worth trying at least once for the fun of its theme—ideally with the Igor Rules.

Aeon's End is a cooperative deckbuilder that flowed wonderfully for me and, despite lacking direct player conflict, won me over more than Thunderstone did. It seems especially at home solo or with two players.

Clinic: Deluxe Edition initially looks like a rulebook labyrinth, but it quickly settles into a tight, unforgiving economic game at the table. It did not blow me away, yet its sweet burn and wealth of variants make it a game I would gladly play again.

Dominations: Road to Civilization looks lighter than it really is, then starts demanding serious thought. It is chaotic and not entirely polished, but its engine building won me over and I definitely want to play it again.

Card City XL fits into 20–30 minutes, but it is not remotely a “buddy game” after the first five minutes. It is simple to set up, yet it quickly fills both the table—and your head—with tough decisions.

Dark Venture tries to fit a large fantasy RPG adventure into a card-based package, but ends up demanding more bookkeeping than adventure. Its brutal PvP has some bite, yet chaotic scoring and management keep it far from an easy recommendation.

An overlooked Spielworxx hidden-bidding gem, far smoother and more approachable than its BGG complexity suggests. With the new Queen Edition on the horizon, this is the right time to give it the attention it deserves.

La Granja needed the right moment and, above all, the right group to show me why it is so well regarded. What began as a lukewarm first impression became a rare and very welcome upward revision.

Living Planet is that rare good Kickstarter game I had somehow managed to ignore completely. It is a polished production with a touch of overproduction, and stock-market funerals that end up being rather delightful.

Eclipse returned from the back of the shelf and, when setup and exploration cooperate, it immediately reminds me why it is considered so strong. Its shadow remains the harsh luck that can leave someone behind far too early.

Navegador is a dry, clever German euro with more than one path to victory. It did not win me over as much as Hamburgum, although that impression may also depend on which of the two you encounter first.

Brexit: The Real Deal has a box that promises a joke, but the joke runs out before you even open it. What remains is, without any sugar-coating, utter rubbish.

Radiant: Offline Battle Arena is a PvP card game with a MOBA feel that seems to reward serious commitment from two players. It is not, however, a game for groups that rotate opponents every session.

Era of Tribes is a hard-to-digest semi-civ game that left me with mixed feelings. I do not think it is a bad game, but it demands that you approach it the right way, or it becomes unforgiving.

With Dawn of Technology, Trickerion: Dahlgaard's Academy sheds much of the randomness and uneven feel of the variable player powers that had put me off at first. It remains a huge game I have no desire to teach from scratch, but with an experienced group it is one of the most satisfying euros I played this year.

Jagged Alliance: The Board Game is an honest, fairly streamlined cooperative adaptation of the computer game, retaining much of its feel without drowning in complexity. The rulebook and AI take patience, but liberating Arulco is still worth our weekly appointment.

Everdell is exactly the cheerful engine builder I want when I want some thought without making the evening feel heavy. With or without expansions, it consistently gave me a happy, satisfying experience at just the right length.

A bingo-based engine builder with almost no downtime and an opening dose of drafting, but one that ends up more uneven and repetitive than it is worth for me.

A cute dice-placement game with asymmetric powers and a small box that conceals a suspicious amount of material. Pleasant for a play, though it did not leave me eager to bring it back to the table soon.

Key Flow gave me the world of Keyflower in a much lighter, more compact game night. It may not necessarily replace its bigger sibling, but it reminds me exactly why I want to return to those rivers and roads.

By my fifth game, Aristeia! has already shown me that it has plenty of substance and depth. It delivers a complete skirmish experience straight out of the box, without demanding that you live in the metagame away from the table.

In a four-player game of Teotihuacan with expansion modules 1 and 3, I found more length and more gods than I needed. It is not a disaster, but neither is it the refresh that would make me love the game.

Hansa Teutonica has tightly connected systems and very little downtime, but my first play felt more like an assembly line than an open game. And when the leaders can conveniently help one another, balance appears to take the night off.