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Zenteeko, a Great Board Game for Gaming Outdoors – Review and Giveaway

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Zenteeko is an abstract strategy that, to me, is a cross between Nine Man Morris and Connect Four, that just happens to be made in a durable water resistant manner that I think makes it a great game for outdoor gaming.

My family likes to spend time outside. We take the kids to the beach, to splash pads, to local parks and we love having a picnic lunch or dinner. Due to this, I'm always really happy when I can find a board game that I can bring along to those outdoor events.  Zenteeko is one of those games. [ READ MORE ]

Trying Sorcerer with Four Players and Playing Dead Man’s Cabal with Three – Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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Today I'm returning to two of the hot board games I got at Origins 2019.  First I've got a look at Dead Man's Cabal from Pandasaurus Games. Then I return to the hybrid board game/card game Sorcerer from White Wizard Games.

What I think will be of interest with these new plays of these games is that I tried each of them at new player counts. So read on to check out my evolving thoughts on these hot new games. [ READ MORE ]

Why I’m Loving Raiders of the North Sea by Renegade Game Studios – Board Game Review

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Let me tell you about the best new game of 2019, so far: Raiders of the North Sea.

Yeah I know, I should say the best new to me game of 2019. I also know I'm really late to the party on this one. This great game from Renegade Game Studios came out way back in 2015, and somehow I'm only getting into it now. That doesn't diminish how much fun I've been having with Raiders of the North Sea, and in this review, I hope to tell you why. [ READ MORE ]

First plays of Chocolatiers and Bastille, Comparing The Duke and Jarl, and more! – Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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Two brand new games hit my tabletop this week. Here I'm going to share my initial thoughts on Chocolatiers from Daily Magic Games and Bastille from Queen Games.

In addition to those two new-to-me games, I also played Raiders of the North Sea and Go Cuckoo at the Quodd Heroes launch party at the CG Realm.
Finally, I'm going to take a look at Jarl and compare it to The Duke. [ READ MORE ]

Queen City Conquest 2019, Our Thoughts on this Buffalo, NY Game Convention – Episode 50 Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast

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 This is the 50th episode of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, an edited version of our live show recorded on July 17th, 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:30 Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to an unedited version of the show over on YouTube.

Ep 50 - QCC Wrap Up. A look back at Queen City Conquest 2019. We discuss the con and all of the games Deanna and I played. [ READ MORE ]

Initial Impressions of Zenteeko, Horizons, King of the Dice, Raiders of the North Sea, and Sorcerer – Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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This past week I found a great board game to play outdoors. During our Canada Day celebrations, Deanna and I tried Zenteeko while the kids were playing at the splash pad.

After we got home on Canada Day, Deanna and I tried out Horizons from Daily Magic Games. Later in the week Deanna, Big G and I played King of the Dice from Haba for the first time, and later that day Deanna and I were both really impressed by Raiders of the North Sea.
Yesterday Deanna and I got in one more two-player game. This time we played Sorcerer from White Wizard Games. Read on to find out my thoughts on all of these games. [ READ MORE ]

The Games of Origins 2019 (and Some Other Highlights)

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This past week was the Origins Game Fair in Columbus Ohio. This is one of the biggest gaming conventions in North America and one of my favourite cons to attend every year.

This year was my first year attending Origins as press and that really changed the vibe for me. It was still a great time and I got to meet some great people and play some great games.
In this post, I'm going to try to recap some of the highlights of my week away at Origins. [ READ MORE ]

Additional Thoughts on Gentes, The Deluxified Edition – Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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This week I got in another play of Gentes: Deluxified Edition, this time with my home group.

Of course, the big thing that happened this past week was the Origins Game Fair down in Columbus Ohio, but I'm going to talk about that in a completely separate post. Here I'm talking about the Monday before I left for Origins.
You have also probably noticed this is a day late. Sorry about that, we decided at the last minute to stay an extra day in Columbus. [ READ MORE ]

A Not So Epic Experience With Twilight Imperium 4th Edition – Tabletop Gaming Weekly

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Twilight Imperium is a legendary board game. There are urban legends about how long this game takes to play. It's considered one of the biggest, best and longest Sci-Fi 4x games on the market.

In 2017 Fantasy Flight Games released a new fourth edition of this classic game. This new edition promised streamlined rules, upgraded components and most importantly to some; a much shorter playtime.
This past Saturday I got to put this new edition of Twilight Imperium to the test. [ READ MORE ]

Alhambra Review, a Return to the Classic Tile-Laying Board Game

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Last night on the podcast we were talking about Euro games. One of the true classic examples of a Eurogame is Alhambra. I've personally owned Alhambra since 2007 and recently got a chance to play it again.

Today for #ThrowBackThursday I'm going to resurrect a review of Alhambra I wrote back in March 2007.
Below you will find that original review,  with only very minor editing. I'm trying to keep the feel and tone of the original post. I will, at times, insert comments or corrections, and you will find these in [square brackets]. After the original post, you can find my current thoughts on the game.
Did Alhambra stand the test of time? [ READ MORE ]