Tabletop Reviews

Valkyrie: A Black Orchestra Game, designed by Philip DuBarry and published by Tabletop Tycoon, is a fascinating return to one of the most thematically charged cooperative games of the last ten years — but this version has a sharper focus, a…

Our group does well at trivia style games, as that’s something that can hold our focus during our frequent, but busy, tabletop meet-ups. As we are more casual in what we play, games like this always fit in well. Casual, trivia-based games…

When Defenders of the Wild first hit my table, it brought claws, teeth and a fierce identity to the co-operative space. Now, with Critter Moon, the forest fights back with added variety and a small new twist. But is this a howling success,…

Combining both push your luck and hidden role mechanics, Traitor's Tide is a great warm-up game for three to six players. Traitor's Tide is a quickfire hidden role board game that puts you and your friends as the crew on a ship, however, at…

Defenders of the Wild 2.0 is charging toward Kickstarter, and it is not here to ask politely. From Outlandish Games and designed by T.L. Simons and Henry Audubon, Defenders of the Wild 2.0 this is a fierce, uncompromising cooperative…

Company of Heroes: 2nd Edition is one of the most ambitious real‑time‑strategy‑to‑tabletop adaptations that I’ve ever come across, and the latest (second) edition shows just how far Bad Crow Games has gone to refine, rebalance, and expand…

I appreciate that that’s a question of taste more than anything else. Don’t Press That Mine Turtle Uncensored doesn’t care about taste at all, and you’d better be comfortable with the other players if you’re going to wheel this one out.

The new cards are really more of the same, so don’t expect a seismic shift in the gameplay. Things like identifying which player most recently pooped, or delivering wedding vows to another player are pretty funny in most situations.

Don’t Press That Mine Turtle is essentially truth or dare. Each player has three cards that have challenges on them that they then set for another player to complete. If the recipient can’t or won’t complete that challenge, they have to…

Coffee Rush, published by Korea Board Games, is a title that looks deceptively light at first glance — bright colours, cheerful artwork, amazingly overproduced components and a theme built around brewing drinks and serving customers — but…

Yogi is a physical (and occasionally hilarious) party game by Bez Shahriari that has most recently been published by Hachette. It challenges players to twist, contort, and balance their way to victory — a bit like a spiritual successor to…

21X comes to us from designer Leo Samson and published by Naylor Games, who gave us Sub Terra and Snowdonia: Grand Tour. Now comes their newest project to grant new life to the classic game of blackjack.  Like blackjack, the goal of the…

Diver Go! from Itten and designer Mashiu is a light, family-friendly memory and dexterity game where players dive for treasure coins on the ocean floor — balancing quick observation, recall, and a touch of luck against the mischievous curse…

Endangered, designed by Joe Hopkins and published by Grand Gamers Guild, is a cooperative game that wears its heart entirely and unapologetically on its sleeve. It is about saving animals, yes, but not in a vague, feel-good kind of way.…

Escape from Projekt Riese is a tense, narrative-driven solo/co-op campaign game from Raybox Games that blends tactical combat, horror, and historical fiction into a modular, campaign driven experience that builds on its predecessor, Escape…

“Greetings Lord Vader, the shield will be down in moments, you may start your landing.” With that line, Battle of Hoth hits the table, giving players the chance to relive one of Star Wars’ most iconic battles. Published by Days of Wonder…

Moon Colony Bloodbath, designed by Donald X. Vaccharino and published by Rio Grande Games, is a tableau-building and deck-destruction game that thrives on its clever arc of play, tongue-in-cheek retro-futuristic art style, and the way it…

SCOPE: Panzer is a fast-playing, two-player World War II tank combat game from Draco Ideas and designer Juan A. Nácher that distills the tension of battlefield ambushes into a tight, 10–15 minute card game of memory, deduction, and…

From Stonemeier Games, the company that brought us familiar game shelf favourites such as Wingspan, Scythe and Tapestry; Origin Story is the newest member of their gaming pantheon. Designed by Jamey Stegmaier, one of the world's most easily…

Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia and Bitewing Games is a sharp, negotiation-driven strategy game that reimagines Knizia’s classic Quo Vadis with a rather nice animal theme, streamlined rules, and incredible modern production values. We’re…