Eminent Domain, By Seth Jaffee

So tall. So commanding.

Eminent Domain is absolutely one of my favorite deckbuilding games, and I've played a TON of them.  Just look at that box - it's gorgeous, and the inside looks even better. The cards are glossy, the tokens are round as an apple and smooth as a baby's bottom. Even the cardboard pieces are thick and heavy in a way that reminds you of a nice walking stick on a long hike.

This one's got everything I love about deckbuilding games, and very little of the things I don't like, and for that reason it wins the "favorite game I discovered in 2013" award that I definitely didn't just make up.

Review: Betrayal at House on the Hill

Avalon Hill Games

by Brian Judkins

If there is one game that has more power than any other to seduce people into the world of tabletop gaming, it must be Betrayal at House on the Hill. I no longer have fingers and toes enough to count the number of players who have been drawn in and possessed by the absolute, unapologetic fun of this game. My friends beg me to break this out, promising dates in advance. They just want to play it again and again and again.

Review: Forbidden Desert by Matt Leacock

TLDR: Would you rather play with your friends than against them?  Do you have a masochistic streak, and wouldn't mind losing TO the game?  Does the concept of being a thrill-seeking archaeologist lost in the desert in a race against time for survival appeal to you?  Do you have an irrational hatred of dice?  Did you once play Forbidden Island, and liked it?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, Forbidden Desert is the game for you!

Divinare, By Brett J. Gilbert

I'm just back from Chicago and a work trip, which tends to double as a chance to see my friends and swing by my favorite game shops.  The Windy City is where I discovered board games as an adult, and heading back is a big deal for me. I've always got an eye out for games I haven't heard of, so I can try new things and bring them back to my friends at home. 

Sure enough, Divinare hit the table Saturday night (thanks to Aileen at Wanderer's Refuge for teaching it!) and after a little initial hesitance, I was spellbound. 

Tokaido, By Antoine Bauza

Join your friends and travel the legendary and beautiful East Sea Road in Japan. Along the way, check in for hot baths, majestic landscapes, and brilliant food. If you don’t have the scratch to schedule the trip with your travel agent, fear not! Tokaido will get you closer to your dream vacation than you’d have imagined a box full of cardboard could.

I’ll admit to trying this game out only because AntoineBauza designed it. I’m glad I did, as it’s a marvelously-produced game, with attractive bits, bright colors, quality card stock, and a beautiful board. Tokaido sets up a world in which I feel less compelled to compete with my neighbors, and more compelled to spend a few days pondering the beauty found in a Pacific sunrise.

Preview: Sails of Glory ship packs

So a kickstarter reward landed on my porch recently.  My Marine level backing of Sails of Glory arrived, right ahead of the game landing in stores. This game takes the miniatures combat they refined with Wings of Glory and applies it to Napoleonic era ship combat.  I received four (currently Kickstarter only) ships, two frigates and two Ships of the Line.  I wanted to let people get a feel for the contents of these ship boxes here.  (Note, while I talk about four ships being received, at the time of writing this article I discovered one of my cats had hidden the second frigate.)

Each pack, for roughly sixteen US dollars, contains one ship, a base, a double sided ship card to go in the base, the control panel piece, and the maneuver deck.  Be gentle opening the boxes as the box does double as excellent storage for your ships.  These ships are currently listed as Kickstarter only... for now.  They may be for sale later but Ares Games has not yet decided.  To use the ships in full proper play, at least one player needs to have the Sails of Glory starter box. More images below the break...

Review: Rivals for Catan

Settlers of Catan has become a mainstay of the board gaming community in its many years of publication.   Its creator, Klaus Teuber, has published many variations of the game over the years. My favoriate variations on the basic Settlers theme has been his two player games, Rivals for Catan, and Starfarers of Catan.  Today we are going to take a look at Rivals for Catan in depth.