Engines and Monsters
I wanted to jot down some thoughts in a bit of a game journal because we’ve been trying out a bunch of different games, and I’m really enjoying them. Some take effort to get the hang of, while others are super easy to jump into. You still have to work through the manuals—case in point: 51st State (Ultimate Edition).
This one comes from the creator of the Neuroshima Hex universe, and it’s a real gem, especially with two players. In the “lookout” phase, you pass drafts back and forth, hunting for cards that can build up your engine early, generate multipliers mid-game, and help you cash out toward the end. One of the most straightforward strategies is upgrading buildings. It skips the distance cost, which you can trade for a brick and matching icon instead. While building your tableau, you need to think ahead about the icons you’re placing because they’ll come in handy for synergies later.
It’s easy to overlook some of the basic mechanics, like using two workers to trade for any resource or a card or razing cards from your hand. If you’ve got one you can’t play, razing it for spoils is a great option. Oh, and when you upgrade a building, you get a victory point, which is such a solid incentive that it almost feels too easy. But then again, every constructed building counts as a victory point at the end, so it balances out when you factor in the ones you’ve removed. The differences between factions are really well done, too—like generating double raze tokens or creating efficient deal-token engines.
There are tons of ways to play the game, and that’s without even touching the expansions, which switch up the gameplay completely. It’s only on the third or fourth playthrough that the details become fully clear (like most games), and then it starts to open up and reveal its intelligence. There is a reason Zee Garcia calls it his favorite board game of all time. It’s been an absolute blast.
Law and Disorder: A Miniature Revolution
We’ve also got Judge Dredd: Helter Skelter (Osprey Games) on lock now. Wow, this is a fantastic board game in PVP and solo. I bought it for the theme and beautiful minis, expecting it to be too light for repeat plays, but this one is a winner. Adapted from Wildlands, it adds a few new interesting changes that keep the game easy to pick up and put away but rich in experience. We also purchased additional maps from the Wildlands series—specifically the Haunted House with the additional hedge maze and crypt maps for even more variety. Highly recommend this one.
An older game I recently returned to is Horrified, with the classic Universal Monsters like Dracula, the Mummy, and Frankenstein’s Monster. In one way, it’s such a great, straightforward game. But you get to mix up the monsters each time you play and the hero each time, which changes the puzzles and strategies. You’re also escorting villagers to safety, which feels like the legendary solo board game Final Girl. The asymmetrical challenges that the monsters bring to the table keep things interesting, and there’s a lot of satisfaction in guiding villagers to their destinations and picking up perks along the way. Fans have even made custom monsters—like the Blob or Scooby-Doo villains—and someone created a whole story mode! Even with all these additions, the original game still holds up as perhaps the best in the series.
Racing Ahead: Cars, Climate, and Credits
I can’t wait to return to Gaslands (Refueled) from Osprey. I’ve got some cool new Hot Wheels to convert, and it’s such a flexible game you can play pretty much anywhere. I’ve started collecting 1:20th-scale miniature people for dioramas to surround the death races.
I got (another) little breakfast-in-bed table to use for solo games like 2D6 Dungeon, Four Against Darkness, Ker Nethalas, and other print-and-play roll-n-write solo dungeon crawlers. I remember five years ago, during a lonely Christmas, when I decided to make up my own solo game. That moment started me on an incredible journey that I haven’t stopped enjoying since.
I’m also excited about Daybreak, the latest game from the guy behind Pandemic. A climate scientist reviewed it on BGG and gave it two thumbs up for its thoughtful design—and for skipping plastic in its packaging, which is a nice touch. We need more games with protopian themes. That scientist also mentioned Evolution: Climate as their gold standard, and I realized I already owned it.
The first time I tried it, we bounced off it, but I think I’m ready to appreciate it more this time around. When I first tried it, I wasn’t as deep into all the game mechanisms as I am now. Replaying games multiple times is so rewarding because you pick up on rules and strategies you might’ve missed before and more quickly identify systems from other games and explore them in new combinations and approaches. So often, folks ask about a product’s replayability as if mere added content or stochastic approaches make a game fresh; games don’t get stale—they get deeper.
Rogues, Resistors, Outlaws
For co-op, Outer Rim from Fantasy Flight has been a massive hit. We’ve gone all out with custom components like mirror-backed laser-etched faction sliders, zinc alloy metal Imperial credit tokens, and 3D-printed organizers. It feels like a luxury experience now—more like a $600 game—and it’s fantastic, especially with the Unfinished Business and Hot Shots expansions.
Lastly, I’ve been trying out Resist!, a solo game set during the Spanish Revolution. It feels fitting for our times, with all the challenges in the world right now. Board games are a great way to unplug from the chaos and focus on creativity, strategy, and even crafting. They’re bringing me so much joy.