Reviews

Winner’s Circle may not look like much at first, but at the table it proves to be a rare kind of great party game: loud, funny, and completely carried by the atmosphere of the racetrack.

The Estates has the tense foundation of a proper pure auction game, but at five players its balance felt badly compromised to me. I would play it again—just not with that player count.

1066: Tears to Many Mothers is a light, enjoyable, and rather luck-driven take on the Battle of Hastings. It does not ask to be treated as a strict historical simulation, but it can produce some fine games—especially once everyone knows what is in the decks.

18Lilliput is one of those honest, light yet brain-burning games that immediately makes you want another play. My first two-player game left me cautious about the green start, but the later session confirmed it: it is HIGHLY desirable for your collection to include it.

Cataclysm’s full scenario begins as a tense market of flags and neutrals, where Germany’s diplomatic edge sets the pace. Germany’s refusal to enter the expected cycle of provocations may cost industrially, but it materially changes America’s problem.

Symphony No.9 felt to me like the logical, more euro-style evolution of Tulip Bubble: a complete bidding eurogame in a box so compact and elegant that it won me over before I had even started counting points.

Master of the Galaxy has a clever idea and makes sure nobody can just quietly play in their own corner. Before you get there, though, the manual has already decided to spar with you.

Blackout: Hong Kong gave me that dry, German-style sandbox euro feeling at first glance. And the rulebook, apparently, does not waste time on introductions: straight into the deep end.

Pocket Imperium is an interesting filler for 3–5 players, with a king-of-the-hill feel and a cleverly mischievous action-selection system. At two players, however, it loses precisely the interaction that makes it stand out.

Stellar Leap is a light and very interesting space game, with lovely production and a flow that rewards repeat plays. For an impulse buy, it definitely left me happy.

Brass: Birmingham is finally the Brass I want to see on the table: a production masterpiece that does not force me to stare at a map that hurts my eyes. Roxley’s new edition makes this beloved experience shine the way it deserves to.

After two honest plays in one week, Lisboa finally showed me that beneath its initial appearance of a point-salad there is a real flow and real strategy. It demands familiarity, but I can see why many consider it Lacerda’s best.

I played two more games of Lowlands, this time with different groups, on an evening when the table had already seen plenty of brawling. I did not have a bad time, but after four games in total, fatigue and boredom were already beginning to show.

A light, thematic mini 4X from GMT that gets to the table without any drama. Its looseness, however, asks the players to police the leader themselves.

After several attempts to get it to the table, I finally played Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain, right at the last minute. It is as heavy as the rumours say, but I found the experience enjoyable and genuinely interesting.

Concordia has become our game of the year, somewhat belatedly but deservedly. Gallia delivers a tight, strong game that works wonderfully as a warm-up too.

Imperial 2030 gave us another epic, merciless, nail-biting game, with enough backstabbing for me to still be carrying a grudge from the previous Friday. And, as it turned out, the night had stamina far beyond the game itself.

Empires: Age of Discovery remains a solid game for six, especially when everyone around the table already knows it. This time, with clearer heads, the session was noticeably more competitive and once again came down to the details.

On my sixth play, Arkwright remains perhaps the best economic game I own, even if it leaves me exhausted. This one was decided by a single point and kept us under constant pressure well past midnight.

Power Struggle is a pleasantly chaotic game of corporate intrigue that reminded me, in the best possible way, of everyday life in a public utility company. Its mechanisms fit together nicely, but the scoring keeps it from becoming something truly great.

Petrichor has interesting, innovative ideas, but for me it collapses under flawed design and aggressive interaction. It is one of those rare games whose tension spilled far beyond the table.

A quick card-based civilization game with a clever economy and virtually no downtime, but one that ultimately did not excite me as much as I expected.

Railways of Nippon is, for me, a more manageable four-player entry in the Railways/Railroad Tycoon series, but not a particularly fresh addition.

Fleet still makes it back onto my table now and then, although I probably ought to have that checked. My recent return to 40K, by contrast, reminded me how much I need there to be substance beneath the spectacle.