Splendor, by Marc André

Do you like shiny things? Is your gem collection missing that one beautiful stone to pull it all together? In Splendor, you lead a Merchant Guild competing to produce gems and win the attention of Nobles in your town. Show them you’ve got the most beautiful – and valuable – collection of gems in the province, and you’ll win their hearts – and purses!

This recent release from Space Cowboys combines resource-management and set-collection in a Renaissance-themed game for 2-4 players. Splendor provides a pleasant number of tough choices, particularly for a game purposely designed to be easy to learn and with only a few available actions each turn. If the Merchant in you is already counting coins, read on! 

Gloom, by Keith Baker

“And while the tiny opera singer strolled through the swamp lands in an attempt to shake the sorrow of her recent divorce, she strayed too close to the water, and got Mauled by Manatees!”

While a sentence like that may not seem out of the ordinary to a player of games like Munchkin, Gloom diverges in that you are inflicting such cards upon your own characters!

Perchance, good sir, what is Gloom?

Gloom is a tabletop 2-4 player card game published by Atlas games in which players try to inflict the most woe upon their chosen gothic Victorian family before ending their misery with the sweet release of death.   It lasts between 45 and 75 minutes depending on your group, and can weave elements of storytelling into the competitive card game components.  It is immediately recognizable due to it’s transparent plastic cards, allowing modifiers to interact in a novel way by ‘blocking’ what can be seen from cards played earlier.

The Perfect Game #1: Intro and Interesting Choices for Failure.

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In celebration of the upcoming 46th annual "Best-Four-Days-of-Gaming" Gencon, I wanted to do something a little special. It's been awhile since I've gotten to flex my RPG chops, and I intend on spending at least 24 solid hours doing just that at the event that has become tabletop gaming's Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Mōdraniht, and Saturnalia all rolled into one.

With that in mind, I'd like to do a couple of articles for the fine patrons of The Nerd's Table, getting into some gritty design concepts that make good games. As a forewarning, I will be naming some games that may or may not be the best at some of these design philosophies, That doesn't mean that they aren't excellent games, it just means that they are lacking in some areas that would make them My Perfect Game.

Most importantly, though, I want you, dear reader, to get in on the conversation. If this series gets talked about enough in the comments, I'll continue to talk your ear off about the hobby I love the most.

With that out of the way, let's get started!

Under Two Reviews #12 Fortune and Glory: The Cliffhanger Game By Jason C Hill

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

Fortune and Glory: The Cliffhanger Game comes in a huge box. But what is the game about? It's about being a respectable adventurer. Watch and learn how to be a respectable adventurer. (And steal artifacts.) It'll be quick, I promise.

Enjoy the video after the jump!

Under Two Reviews #11 Pandemic: In the Lab by Matt Leacock and Tom Lehmann

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

Pandemic: In the Lab from Z-Man games is an expansion. It doesn't include the H1N1 virus, but you can go ahead and say those are the purple cubes. What it does include is an imaginary centrifuge. Watch the video and learn all about curing disease with an imaginary centrifuge.
It'll be quick, I promise.
Enjoy the video after the jump!

Under Two Reviews #10 Ginkopolis by Xavier Georges

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

Ginkopolis from Z-Man games is all about building the best city. The best cities don't have to worry about zoning, crime, or taxes. The best cities just are concerned about height, width, area control, and pretty colors.

Watch the video and learn how to draft cards and build a lovely city. It'll be quick, I promise.

Enjoy the video after the jump!

Under Two Reviews #9: Mystery of The Abbey by Bruno Faidutti and Serge Laget

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

Mystery of The Abbey is a reminder that honesty is the best policy. Well, at least when it comes to murder, and you're the one asking all of the questions. So find out the answers to your questions in our little video. It'll be quick. I promise.

Enjoy the video after the jump!