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Seikatsu Review

The name Seikatsu confuses me. The rulebook says that it is a Japanese word meaning “life”, but all of my life I have associated “katsu” with deliciously breaded and fried cutlets. I mean, if there’s...

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Friday Review

I just realized the main irony of Friday. It would be a great game to have with you if you were stuck on a desert island. It’s portable, a solo game, challenging, and replayable. Plus it’s about being...

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Outpost: Siberia Review

Co-op games have become very popular in the modern boardgaming hobby. Pandemic in particular was a huge success and has contributed to the growing popularity of boardgaming generally. The problem with...

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A Dog’s Life Review

Ben Franklin said, apocryphally, that “beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”. As much as I enjoy beer, I think dogs might be the ultimate proof. What other creature is so...

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Mysterium Review

The worst part of being a critic is reviewing derivative, mediocre works. It’s a strange problem that often causes division between the critic and their audience. Why? Well, audiences often like...

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Dominion Review

This week at The Thoughtful Gamer we’re celebrating what I would say is unequivocally a modern classic in board gaming–Dominion. Below is my review of the game. Tomorrow we’ll have mini-reviews of each...

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Dominion Expansion Mini-Reviews

Marc – Dominion is somewhat notorious for having a ton of expansions. There are a lot of them–no denying that. But they’re also quite fun and each one has its own theme and feeling. They can vary...

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Book Review: The Kobold Guide To Board Game Design

Prolific game designer Bruno Faidutti is quoted on the cover of The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design: “I wish I had a book like this twenty years ago.” That’s a great recommendation from one of the...

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Book Review: Boardgames That Tell Stories

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that Ignacy Trzewiczek is one of the most interesting characters in the modern board gaming world. He burst onto the scene about 10 years ago with games like...

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Star Wars: Imperial Assault Review

I think Matt (who you know from the podcast) put it best: Fantasy Fight’s Descent 2nd Edition is a fun game despite itself. Dungeon crawling is just a fun genre. I love having my own character with...

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Downforce Review

Is love at first sight possible with board games? I say yes, and I can prove it. It’s happened to me twice before. I open up a box, and the components and look of the game immediately attract me. I …...

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Forbidden Desert Review

It feels like games season, with all of the sales and PAX Unplugged literally overflowing my game room shelves (I’ve resorted to stacking games on the floor). There are so many exciting games I haven’t...

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Get Adler! Deduction Card Game Review

I’m writing this down here and now so you all can bother me in the future if I renege: I will never try to make a social deduction game. The Resistance was one of the first modern games I played …...

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Harvest Review

Once, in the Ancient Times of board games (about 10 years ago), from the exotic lands of Germany, a game called Agricola was made. It was about farming, and also about misery and existential dread....

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Captain Sonar Review

The sales pitch for Captain Sonar is ridiculously compelling. A real time game about battling submarine crews? Sold. Who doesn’t want to play that? Submarine battling is, as a game concept, inversely...

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Meeple Realty’s Gloomhaven Insert Review

I finally did it. I’d held out a long time, content with plastic baggies and ad hoc organization. But Gloomhaven was too much for me. There were too many cards, too many bits, and I could never get the...

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Hunt For The Ring Review

A few years ago a ridiculous joke-game showed up at Origins called “Win, Lose, Banana”. The name of the game, helpfully, also functions as a list of the components: three cards labeled win, lose, and...

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The Castles of Burgundy Review

I couldn’t quite believe it when I found out that I haven’t actually reviewed Castles of Burgundy before. I suppose I was remembering the strategy guide I wrote and assumed I had reviewed it also. But...

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10 Games That Deserve More Recognition

I recognize that I’m not the most prolific board game player out there. I try to limit my purchases to games I’m almost certain I’ll like, and I’ve become pretty good at doing that. I try to be careful...

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Spirit Island Review

There I was in my game room, at the table with three friends, furrowing my brow and trying to figure out how on earth we could pull this off. The invaders had thoroughly taken over the island. We had...

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