Terra Mystica, by Z-Man Games

Terra Mystica has one of the more fantastical titles in board gaming. The name promises passage fair to a far off land of mystery and adventure, and for the most part, it delivers on its grandiose promise. Terra Mystica is a very intricate game, no doubt intimidating many first time players with its expanse of tokens, charts, and colors. 

This is definitely not something I would drop onto a newer player, but anyone with a basic knowledge of German-style board games will immediately recognize the familiar elements for success.

Review: Cards Against Humanity

TL;DR: Cards Against Humanity is a party game in the same manner as Apples To Apples, but for people who spend too much time on the Internet. Though a "winner" can be crowned, "winning" is not the point of CAH; having fun (and coming up with the worst things imaginable) is. Though entirely dependent on having the right group of people, CAH can be a hoot and a half if you have the right mindset.

Shadows Over the Empire, by Babis Giannio

"Shadows Over the Empire" the latest from Artipia Games, recently landed on doorsteps across the United States. With amazing artwork, a politically intriguing storyline, and a varying use of the modular area control / area influence card mechanic, I fell in love with the project via its Kickstarter campaign and found that I had to pledge.

After about a month delay, it finally landed on my doorstep around the new year and I cracked it open to play with friends within a week thereafter. This is a collection of our first impressions of the game.

Trains, A Deckbuiding Game By AEG

A review by Andrew Christopher Enriquez

I just got a game of Trains in with my wife for the first time. She’s a big fan of deck building games, while I enjoy a more tactical board game. This is a perfect marriage. Total success! To be honest with only 2 players I want smaller boards. The game pieces are so small though, so I can totally custom make a 2 player board on a single 8.5 by 11.

For those of you who haven’t played trains yet, I’ll give you a quick run down. Trains is a deck building game in a similar vein of Dominion, but without the single buy/single action restrictions.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: By Mike Selinker

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords (the base set) is a game for 1-4 players, expandable to 6 with a character add on pack. 

Paizo Publishing is a company that many may know for their excellent Dungeons and Dragons alternative, Pathfinder.

So when they announced a card game, my initial reaction was skepticism. But upon opening up the game and getting a few play throughs in I quickly become a huge fan. This game attempts to recreate some of the core concepts of a pen and paper RPG. Perfect for new players or people who find themselves playing alone. 

Hanabi, A Card Game By Antoine Bauza

As I’ve journeyed through the world of board games and tasted the flavors and smelled the smells and seen the sights that everyone is familiar with (Settlers, Ascension, Ticket to Ride, Lords of Waterdeep, etc.) I’ve developed a sense for what to expect from a game. It’s not that I judge a book by its cover, but more like I know how a jacket would feel on my shoulders before putting it on – or how a pair of shoes will fit by looking at them on the rack. It’s not often that a game surprises me.

Hanabi is a game that surprised me.

Out of the Box: Solo-Role Pandemic

Ah yes, Pandemic, arguably the ultimate in co-op games against a really difficult game board. An insane amount of fun and strategy involved with other players, but what happens when attempted solo?

And I don't mean "solo" as in one person plays multiple roles. I mean solo as in just one role against the board.

Ballsy? Of course.

Crazy? You bet.

Challenging? You have no idea.