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This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components will change in the final game. Proving Grounds is a new trick-taking game (with a twist) from the people that have brought us many other trick-taking games (with twists!) Such as Justice , which incorporates deduction, Tolerance , which uses a historical background to make every card played in a trick available to be used by the player who wins the trick; and my personal favourite, White Hat . A trick-taking game set in a hacking universe, which incorporates a board that you move along, alongside the usual trick-taking mechanic. So these peeps have pedigree! But what have they cooked up for us this time? Well, Proving Grounds is an intriguing trick-taker that incorporates a clever card playing mechanic that simulates a fight between rival clans. There are six suits in total, but across three colours. Two colours have two sub-suits you see. These six suits all linked in a circle, like the hexboard below. And when you lead with a suit, players can follow with the same suit, or either one of the suits that reside next to it on the hexboard. Twist number one. All the cards are multi-purpose too, and you can flip then round to any orientation, and use each card for either one of the two suits and value it shows on either end. Twist number two. As such, when players play a card, they must make it clear which side they are using, and then all other players must follow with either the same suit, or one that is adjacent to the lead suit on the Hexboard. If you do not want to do this, or cannot do this, you must pass. When play returns to the lead player, that does not end the trick. They can decide to play another card if they wish. Maybe they are no longer winning the trick and they want to change that! Play does not stop until two consecutive players pass. Twist number three. At the end of the trick, if any player has not played at card, they must then discard a card from their hand and take a penalty token. If ever any player has seven penalties, the game immediately ends. Penalties will score you minus one point at the end of the game. player that ended the game with seven penalties will come last no matter what the scores were. The winning player then places a white marker into a space within the hexboard either to their left or to their right. They must place this into a space matching the card they just won with. Then at the end of the round, when the first player runs out of cards, all players score both hexboard's to their left and right. This way, players share each board with one different player but score the cumulative score of both boards on either side of them. The way you score is by seeing which side, the red or blue, has the most white markers in it. Then you will place down a score marker on the centre of the hexboard with the plus two oriented towards the side with the most white markers. You then score two points for each marker on this side. The white markers on the other side lose you a point for each one. This way, as you play the tricks, you are not just thinking about how you may win, but how the card you are trying to win with may either help or hinder your scoring at the end of the round. Will it be placed on a side where you already have a majority and thus increase the chance that side gets the plus two over the minus one? Or could it do the opposite of that? You have two choices of hexboard to use each time you do this, and other players will, of course, affect them when they win tricks too. Twist number four! The game works like this, over three rounds. After each round, all white markers are replaced with orange ones, which block spaces but do not score for the next round. So, as you continue into later rounds, you need to find ways to manipulate the game and your two hexboard's so you can win tricks with new cards from new suits. All the while, tracking how your neighbours are scoring on their other hexboard that they don't share with you, so you can monitor who is ahead of you, which side hexboard you need to focus on, and how you can best put yourself into a position to win the game. All this combines to create a trick-taking game, where every hand matters. Every card is important. And every card can be one of two things, and you have so many options of how and when you should pay each card, and then how, if you win the trick, you score that card. It keeps your focused and in the game at all times. And considering this is just three rounds, this is a quick game. But you are fully engrossed at all points. It never fails to impress me when people come up with new ways to use old mechanics. And this is not just the fusion of a few mechanics into one new experience. It feels more like the development of a new mechanic. I am not sure what that would be called. I suppose it is the combination of multi-use cards in a trick-taking game, with multi-score zones, in a semi-cooperative, hand management card game? If that sounds like fun to you, then check out the upcoming crowdfunding for this game. I will add the link when it goes live. I believe it will be late 2025.

Cretaceous Rails WBG Score: 9 Player Count 1-4 You’ll like this if you like: Euros with a theme, it can be done! Published by:   Spielcraft Games Designed by:   Ann Journey This is a free review copy of the game. See our review policy here Make no mistake. Cretaceous Rails is a fantastic game. Every review I have seen, everyone I have played with, and every comment on BGG (well most) see people praising this brilliant game. Don't be fooled with how it looks. This is no toy. Cretaceous Rails combines elements of worker placement, contract fulfilment, route building, and pick-up-and-deliver to deliver a fully immersive, captivating and gorgeous looking experience. I am somewhat entranced by this game and I am going to tell you why. First, let's get it to the table and see how it plays. How To Set Up Cretaceous Rails First, lay out the board based on your player count. There are two starting map tiles; pick the one suitable for how many players you have. Then from this, build up two to four more map tiles, again based on your player count. You can copy the suggested setups in the rulebook, or let each player place one however they choose for a more varied game. The tiles are double-sided and can be placed however you wish. Now fill this map. Each hex will show a symbol on it, telling you which dinosaur to put on it. Each hex also holds a tree token, representing the jungle. Then, place all the tourist figures into the bag, and pull four at random for each cabin hex, as well as the home hexes. Just use the middle two for a two-player game. Next, shuffle the 16 action tiles and place them at random into a four-by-four grid in the centre of the table. Place the first player token onto the tile with the matching symbol. Then place the resort card board down, shuffle the resort cards, and place the top eight cards out, placing the remaining deck face down next to this. Then place the round tracker onto the first spot for this on this board. Finally, have each player choose a player mat, along with the four executives, 30 train minis, their train engine, and eight train car tiles in their colour. Set these up around your board, with the train engine and two train car tiles placed in a line above the top of the mat representing your starting train. Each player then takes a dinosaur and tourist from the supply that matches those on the picture on their board and places them onto their player mat. Each player takes one of the four star tokens and places it onto their starting spots on the four tracks on their board. Each player also take son resort card and adds it to their hand. Finally, all players then take turns placing two train minis onto the mat starting from the starting hex. You are now ready to begin. How To Play Cretaceous Rails The game is played over four rounds, with each player having four turns each round. Play runs in reverse order to how players placed their two starting trains onto the board during setup. Starting with the first player, on your turn, you will place one of your four executives onto the four-by-four grid of action tiles you placed during setup. You will place your executive between two tiles, meaning you can do both actions on your turn. The tiles show six different actions; here is what they all mean. Lay Rails - This is how you can extend you two train cars you build during set up. During the game you can only have one long continuous rail. They must all join up. You can have diverging paths, and you can relay previously built track if you run out. You can build where another player has already built but only once. There can only be two tracks per space. Clear Jungle - You can remove one Jungle token from the board on any hex that is adjacent to your rail network. Take the token and place it onto one of your empty rail tokens above your player board. If you have no empty train, you cannot do this. You want the Jungle tokens as they will be used to build cards later, and you also cannot capture dinosaurs if there are Jungle tokens present. You also cannot gain any benefits from the safari action if the Jungle tokens are present. Safari - Here, you can take one of the tourists on the board from any hex adjacent to your rail network, including your own home hex, and place it on one of your empty rail tokens, if you have one. As you do this, you will be able to move the corresponding star on your player board the same number of spaces as this tourist saw matching colour dinosaurs on this journey. What this means is that if you took a red tourist and it travelled down your rail network and passed two red dinosaurs that were in spaces with no jungle tokens there, you could move your red star on your player board two spaces forward. This will increase the points for red dinosaurs at the end of the game. You also now have a red tourist to use to fulfil resort cards. Each volcano you pass will count as one wild dinosaur, increasing the amount of spaces you move your star on the ratings tracker by one space. Capture Dinosaur - You can take a dinosaur on any space adjacent to your rail network as long as the jungle token has been removed. You will then add the dinosaur you took and place it onto an empty rail token above your player board. Again, you cannot do this if you don't have an empty train token. The dinosaurs are not refilled, so what you start with is what you all have to use in the game. Be careful with what other players may be after and make your plans accordingly. Draw Cards - You can take two resort cards from the face-up display with this action. Add them to your hand of cards when you do this. When you take a card, immediately refill it from the display. You can hold as many cards as you wish in your hand. You can spend one previously gained tourist from your board, move them to the left of your board where the focus group area is, and remove four cards and replace them with four new cards to choose from. Tourists moved this way count for nothing during the end game scoring. Build Cards - With this action, you can build as many cards as you wish and have the right resources for. You can use any resource on your player board, but not in your rail tokens. The cost of each card is shown at the top. The benefit is shown at the bottom. Some cards have immediate benefits, while others grant you additional powers when you take certain actions on later turns. When you build your cards, place them to the right of your player board in the spaces marked. Your first card must be built in level one. But after that, you can build in level two if you wish, and then after that, level three. Some cards have additional benefits if they are built at higher levels, but note, some also have higher costs. The cards, along with gaining you benefits and improving your later actions, also all show an end game score multiplier on the bottom. At any point, you can replace any action you pick with the unload train action. Here, you can take all the tourists, jungle tokens, and dinosaurs on your train cars and place them onto your player board. You can only use the items on your board to play cards, not the ones in your train cars. One of the action tiles has the first player token. If anyone chooses this tile on one of their four turns, they take the first player token and will be the first player for the subsequent round. At the end of the round, you can unload your trains for free. Then take back your four executives, discard and replenish the eight cards on the resort board. Then shuffle the 16 section tiles and lay them out into a new four-by-four grid ready for the next round. The game ends after the fourth round is over, at which point all players will score points for all their captured dinosaurs. This will be based upon the position of the stars on the ratings track. Any dinosaurs still on your player board score half their shown points. You will then score points for each resort card you have built based on the multipliers they have on them. This could be for your jungle tokens or tourists that you have gained and used to build cards during the game, for any adjacent cabin or volcano to your rail network, the number of rails you have built on the map, or the number of train tiles you were able to gain during the game. Is It Fun? Cretaceous Rails Board Game Review What makes Cretaceous Rails feel so fun is how it always leaves you wanting to do just a little bit more than you actually can. You have four turns in each round, but there is always a sense you could do twice as much if only you had one more executive to place. You want to lay rails, capture dinosaurs, run a safari and build cards all at once, but the game keeps you tight, forcing tough choices every single turn. That tension feels great, and you can see what everyone else is doing too, which adds an extra pinch of pressure when you know they might just grab the dinosaur or tourist you were counting on. Or maybe, you could open up a dinosaur for them, by taking that Jungle token you really need! Another thing that makes this game sing is how each action is linked to something else. Taking a tourist pushes your track on the scoring board, capturing a dinosaur helps score your cards, building rails opens up new spaces, and clearing jungle tokens makes everything else possible. Every move feels like it unlocks another small bonus, so each turn feels meaningful. But you never get it all. The clever part is you are always balancing what helps you now against what sets you up for later, and the board keeps changing as other players make their moves. Then there is the huge range of ways to score points at the end, which gives the game real depth. You can go heavy on resort cards, stack up on tourists, chase the biggest multipliers on dinosaurs, or build out a sprawling rail network to try and score a bit on everything. The best part is, the scoring is not obvious, and the multipliers from the cards can make late game turns swing wildly. That means everyone stays in the running right up to the last turn, and it makes the end game scoring a proper event where big jumps in points feel earned and dramatic. You wont know who has won until you actually work it out, and as you go through each part on the handy score pad, it feels like a satisfying conclusion to good times had by all at the table. The whole game just feels alive because of the shared board and all the gorgeous dino minis placed around it. Watching dinosaurs get scooped up, tourists pile onto your trains, and new rails snake across the map gives the game a real sense of momentum. It feels tight, colourful, and thematic without being fiddly. This is a euro with theme. With colour. With a personality. And even though it is a euro at heart, the dinosaur theme is never forgotten. You really do feel like you are running a slightly reckless prehistoric safari for profit, and that mix of strategy and fun is what makes it so special. There are many different ways to play this game, but they all interest me and they all bring me a lot of joy. What you do affects others. What others do affects you. You can take the spots others want on the action board, you can take the dinosaurs they need. Players can take the resort cards you had your eye on. This is an interactive, thematic euro that really is top of its class.

The Brightview Haunting Player Count: 2-6 Published by: Typhon Games Designed by: Justin Gale This is a preview copy. See our review policy here By Steve Godfrey This is a prototype copy of the game and as such all components and rules have the potential to change through the campaign.  At the time this preview is going out the Kickstarter campaign has finished and is fully funded. However, it is / will be open for late pledges. You can find the campaign here Bert Hudson has gone and got himself ensnared in the Elder Tree by The Whisperer, a demon that Bert unwittingly awakened. It’s now down to his sister and her friends to stop the Whisperer and free Bert… Which is probably a source of frustration for them. How many times have they told Bert that he was expressly forbidden to go into the Forest and awaken ancient evils! It’s happened so often at this point that they almost never went after him this time……but that probably wouldn’t be much of a game though.  How to haunt the woods. In this one vs. many game, the goal of the Exorcists (the name given to the “many” players) is to reduce the power of the Elder Tree to zero by invoking rituals and eventually freeing Bert, and then presumably moving to somewhere much less creepy with zero forests around. However, only non-possessed players can win. The Whisperer player wins if they manage to possess all of the Exorcists, but only the Whisperer player wins.  As an Exorcist, you can perform two different actions. You can search an adjacent search tile, draw a utility card, and then flip the tile over to reveal a different symbol that relates to one of the other decks of cards. The next time you take a search action on this tile, you'll remove it and draw a card from the depicted deck. The cards in these decks do different things like throwing down salt to slow down the Whisperer and removing corruption from other players. The main ones you want to focus on to help win the game, though, are the ritual cards. With these, you can take an invoke action (this will cost you both your actions to do), and most of these cards will drop the power of the Elder Tree. You can also use items from cards in your hand, trade cards, and you can also take a Resonance action, which lets you take a token that you can spend in a later turn to repeat a move, use, or search action again in that turn. Each Exorcist will also have a passive ability that's unique to them. On their turn, the Whisperer player can, like the exorcists, take two different actions. They can move 7 spaces, or they can track, which is basically moving as many spaces in a straight line (obstacles will stop this), and disperse salt in an adjacent space. They can absorb an echo token adjacent to them. These will either move their control track up or put down a gateway token. As an action, you can teleport between gateways. Once you have absorbed echo tokens, they get placed on your board. When you have two, you can use the pulse action. This lets you either put all exorcists’ corruption up by one level or move two exorcists up to 6 spaces toward you. If you’re adjacent to an exorcist, then you can try to ensnare them. They roll the three dice and increase their corruption for every symbol they roll. If their corruption hits five because of this dice roll, they’re immediately possessed. If you hadn’t guessed by now, corruption is bad for the exorcists. Not only does it make it easy for the Whisperer to possess you, but it also hinders some of your actions as it increases. The last action is Possess. If you're adjacent to an exorcist whose corruption is at five, then you can possess them. I mentioned control earlier, and these are special abilities that the Whisperer unlocks as it increases to make it more powerful and terrifying. When players become possessed, they now take turns for the Whisperer. Their actions are limited, but they will essentially be trying to corrupt the others, flip echo tokens, and generally be a nuisance to their former fellow players. It's possible for the others to use cards that remove corruption. If a possessed exorcist's corruption drops below five, then they snap out of it and return to normal. The Exorcists . We’ve all seen those movies, horror or otherwise, where one of the gang of main characters gets themselves possessed or is put under the bad guy's spell, etc., because let’s face it, there’s always one. This might be the only time that I’ve personally seen it used so openly in a board game. Sure, I’ve seen it in hidden traitor games where the traitor can turn one of the other players to their side, but this is all done secretly, of course. Here, though, it’s done right in front of you. One minute you’re standing next to your friend and may even have given them a really handy item that you didn't think you’d need because, surely, there's no way they were going to get possessed, right? Then they go and get themselves possessed and are now chasing you, trying to corrupt you like one of those people in town centers trying to get you to take a survey. “Please, have you got five minutes to talk about the Whisperer? It’s not a pyramid scheme, I promise.” It’s an interesting feature that serves to ramp up some tension in the game, especially as more and more of your friends start to become possessed as well. Now your list of allies starts to grow thin, and you're now trying to juggle with keeping away from them, trying to search for a way to help them, and still trying to finish your objectives to win the thing. It all serves as the game's way of ramping up the danger and giving it that thematic edge, especially if one player starts to become the “final girl” of the piece. The overhanging threat of possession is the element that keeps you wanting to just run to avoid the Whisperer, but it's the idea that you need to discover those tiles to find the things you need that keeps you from running too far. You see, the limitations of only being able to perform an action once are pretty clever in a game like this. Yes, you want to run, but you also need to stay because you’ve just flipped over that search tile, and on the other side will give you a ritual card that you need to help win the game, and if that Whisperer is on your tail, then it can make for some tough and interesting decisions.  The Whisperer Of course, you can’t possess people without a demon (or so I’m told), and so we move on to the role of the Whisperer. Incidentally, a whisper is registered at around 20-30 decibels! So make sure that player is adhering to that; otherwise, you'll have to call them “the slightly louder than a Whisperer,” and that doesn't have quite the same ring to it. The Whisperer is, for my money, the more fun of the roles to play, but then I’ve always liked being the one that brings the chaos, and generally, I find being the bad guy in hidden traitor games a lot more fun, so take that opinion as you will. The game does a good job of making its villain feel like enough of a threat that you feel like anything could happen as it moves in on you. It moves faster than the players, so you know that at a certain point, there’s no escape; it's going to catch up with you, so you’d better keep your corruption in check; otherwise, possession may be in your immediate future. The control meter is a fun little device that helps the game ramp up as it goes on by making the Whisperer more powerful as the rounds tick by. Moving up that track makes it easier to get the echo tokens, ensnare players, and even gives them three actions and the ability to perform the same action twice. Now, that may not sound like much, but trust me, being able to move twice is great on its own, while still being able to do something else as well. It could be the key to possessing someone and letting them get away. Imagine all the times in Pandemic when you said, “Argh, if only I had one more action.” Yeah, now you get it. It’s a lovely touch that, like a movie, the villain powers up over time, but it also helps the game move along and stops the players from playing it casually because now the Whisperer is able to achieve their goal more easily.  Not so Brightview Personally, we found the board to be a touch too dark. Couple that with the shadows used and the fact that tokens cover a full square, and it leads to a bit of confusion, especially as a couple of sections were maze-like. Don't get me wrong, I’m not knocking the art; it's great, but if you don't have great lighting or are looking at the board from certain angles, you might find yourself backtracking now and then. I will say that the rulebook has a great picture of the map with all the borders outlined really clearly, which is something I wish more rulebooks would do, but I also don't want to have to reference the rulebook for things like that if I don't need to. As I said earlier, this is a prototype, so it's possible that this could change as the campaign goes on.   The Brightview Haunting is a new, interesting take on the one vs. many genre and does a good job of incorporating its horror inspirations into the game. If any of this sounds interesting, then check out the Kickstarter campaign (links above) and see if this is for you.

Fled WBG Score: 7.5 Player Count 1-4 (Solo with expansion) You’ll like this if you like: Tile laying games with a twist! Published by: Odd Bird Games Designed by:   Mark K. Swanson This is a free review copy of the game. Note, pictures in this review include a roll mat that is not included in the base game. See our review policy here At its core, Fled is all about trying to outsmart the system while racing to collect the most victory points before you finally break free from a prison that you are for some reason trapped in! You spend each turn adding new tiles to the prison, slowly building out a maze of cells, corridors and hidden rooms. Then you use the rest of your hand to sneak from place to place, picking up contraband along the way. Some rooms like the Warders Quarters give you a chance to trade your stash for the tools you will need to get past the outer wall and make your escape. But you have to be careful with your wandering. If you are not in the right spot when the Governor calls roll call, the nearest Warden could throw you in shackles or worse send you straight to solitary. Let's get it to the table and see how it plays. How To Set Up Fled Start by shuffling the room tiles and placing them skull side up in a few neat stacks off to one side of the table. If there are only two of you playing, take out the tiles that are marked for three or more players and set them aside. Next find the starting yard tile and put it right in the centre of the table. Place a warder meeple on top of it, making sure not to use the chaplain. The prison will eventually grow to as far as six squares out from the yard tile, so try to leave plenty of space around it so you do not run out of room. The game mat helps here! Next, each player chooses a prisoner tile and the matching bunk tile in their chosen colour. Place your prisoner tile next to a reference tile in front of you and put any prisoner tiles, bunk tiles or reference tiles you do not need back in the box. Now take the governor tile and place it on the table opposite the stacks of room tiles. Put the whistle charm on top of it. Then shuffle the roll call tiles and place them in a row to the left of the governor tile. Make sure all the windows are closed except for the tile that is next to the governor which should stay open. You do this simply by flipping the tiles. From the draw stacks, each player picks a hand of five room tiles and keeps them hidden from everyone else. Choose someone at random to go first. Taking turns, each player connects the corridor side of their bunk tile to the yard tile in any direction as long as it lines up properly. Place your meeple onto your bunk tile once it is in place. You are now ready to start playing. If you want, you can sound the whistle to let everyone know that the governor expects them to be in a bunk room, or simply just start! How To Play Fled The goal of Fled is to get the most victory points while planning your escape from prison. Each turn you add a tile to the prison. You then use other tiles to move around and collect contraband. Some rooms, like the Warders Quarters, let you swap contraband for tools you will need to get past the outer wall. Players take it in turns until either one player escapes, or all the tiles are used on up. On your turn you place a tile into the prison. One half of the tile must fully touch one other half of another tile. Windows must connect to windows. Doors to doors. Archways can connect to anything. If you have a tile with a Gold scroll in the top right corner you must place this tile if you can. If it shows a warder symbol, add a warder meeple. If it shows a moon, change the roll call tiles to show the passing of time. The edge of the prison must be made of forest tiles. The forest must be exactly six squares away from the starting yard tile and never closer. You cannot place any other room on the sixth square. You cannot build past the sixth square. If you cannot place any tile from your hand, place one tile face up next to the Governor tile. This becomes part of the Governors inventory. If your tile shows a warder and moon symbol, place a warder meeple on that tile. If the tile shows a cross, place the chaplain warder instead. Then flip the open roll call tile over so the window is closed. After that, flip the next roll call tile along further from the Governor so the next window is now open. This shows time passing. Do not move the whistle charm when you do this. After adding your tile, you must play two more tiles from your hand. You can use these tiles in different ways. You can repeat the same way twice or do two different ways. First, you can discard a tile to move your pawn or move a warder on the map of tiles you have started to build up. Tools shown on purple or gold scrolls let you do this. A tool on a gold scroll counts as two tools. A shamrock acts as a wild tool. It can be any single tool you wish. Each shamrock you keep in your inventory also lets you hold one extra tile. Discard a boot to move through rooms with an archway, a file to move through windows, a key to go through a door, and a spoon to climb into a tunnel on any tunnel you are on to pop up in any other tile with a tunnel icon within three rooms of where you started. Second, you can play a whistle tile to move a warder. If you move a warder into the same room as a fellow prisoner (or even yourself if you were so inclined!), and that room does not match the symbols on the current roll call posters, you can shackle that player. Take a random tile from their hand and place it face down next to their reference tile. That player now has minus one victory point. Unlucky! If the player was already shackled, do not take a tile. Instead send their pawn back to their bunk and remove the shackle. Put the shackle tile face up in the Governors inventory. If the solitary confinement room is built and you target an already shackled player, place their pawn in the solitary hole. On their next turn they lose that turn and move back to their bunk. Again, the shackle tile goes to the Governor. You can also play a whistle tile to move the chaplain. Move the whistle one spot along on the roll call tiles when you do this. If the chaplain is in the same room as a prisoner, that player can be freed from shackles. Give the shackle tile to the Governor face up. The chaplain can also trade contraband for tools and shamrocks. If your pawn is next to a forest tile and you have the tools shown on the folded parchment on this forest tile, then you can escape the prison. Discard the shown tools and jump the wall If it is night-time, shown by the moon on the roll call tile under the whistle charm, you need only one tool, shown on the right of the parchment. Don't forget, a gold scroll counts as two tools. and a shamrock can be any tool. Once you escape your turn ends, and you gain five bonus points, as shown by flipping your prisoner tile to show the escaped side. Everyone else has one final turn, then the game is over. You can also surrender a tile you cannot use to the Governor by putting it face up next to his tile. You might draw this tile later from his inventory. You can also add tiles to your inventory. Contraband items are shown on teal scrolls. If your pawn is in a room that matches the posters on the roll call tile with the whistle charm, you may put a matching contraband tile from your hand face up into your inventory for free. If your pawn is in the warders quarters or in the same room as the chaplain, you can trade contraband to add tools or shamrocks to your inventory. Tools on purple scrolls cost one contraband. Shamrocks or tools on gold scrolls cost two contraband. When you do this, simply remove the spent contraband tiles to the discard pile. Your inventory sits next to your prisoner tile. You can hold up to three tiles in it. If you have any shamrocks in your inventory, you can hold four. At the end of your turn draw tiles to refill your hand back to to five. You can draw from the draw stack or the Governors inventory if there are tiles there. If there are no tiles left to draw, reshuffle the discard pile to make a new draw stack. If a player cannot refill their hand to five tiles at the end of their turn, the game ends at once. In this case no one escapes. But there will still be a winner. Count victory points shown on the scrolls in your inventory. The starting yard tile shows how many points each scroll colour is worth. Add five points if you escaped. Lose one point if you are shackled. Tiles left in your hand do not score anything. The player with the most victory points wins. If players tie, the one with the highest value scroll in their inventory wins. If still tied, they share the victory. The Spector Expansion This is a solo or multiplayer expansion. But mainly seems to be about allowing the game to now work in solo mode. The multiplayer mode simple works by adding in the new tile and ghost meeple to the game. When you activate the whistle to move the Warder, you can now move the Ghost one room as you wish. Any ghost encountering a prisoner sends the Prisoner running scared back to their bunk. No shackles are added, it just slows you down. In solo mode, simply add in the ghost reference tile to the left of the main reference tile. Then replace the chaplain tile and meeple with the ghost ones. Then, play as usual, but after each of your turns, the Ghost has its own turn! On the Ghosts turn, flip three tiles from the the main stacks and choose one to add to the prison. If one of the tiles is a gold scroll you must pick this one if you can. If any of the tiles have a Shamrock or Whistle you must pick one to set aside, it cannot be added to the prison. When you add the tile that summons a Warder or ghost, you must add it to the prison in a way that is most dangerous to you. Come on, don't be scared! If you cannot add a tile to the prison simple add it to the governors inventory like normal. If any of the remaining two tiles has a Shamrock or whistle then the Whistle effect is triggered. The nearest Warder and Ghost must move towards you. The ghost can move without any restriction. Is is a Ghost after all. The final tile is surrender to the Governor. If the whistle makes its way back to the Governors roll call tole before you escape you lose the game. If you cannot replenish your hand like in the normal game, you also lose. And if the Ghost meeple ever reaches you you also lose! You win only by escaping. There is a score system to see how well you did. Oh, and a cute Ghost Meeple to play with! The Governor's Hound Expansions Talking of cute meeples, this expansion brings in a little doggy meeple! Need any more info? Fine... Begin the game with the dog on the starting yard tile. Add in the six new tiles that introduce a three new bone symbol and three more wild Shamrocks. When you discard a bone tile you can move the dog up to three rooms. The dog cannot move through windows, but anything else is fair game. Including tunnels, where the dog can pop up in any tunnel when it uses them. The room where the dog is will work just like the charms location, and will allow you to add matching contraband to your inventory to that rooms symbol. Adding bones tiles to your inventory adds two points to your final score. Is It Fun? Fled Board Game Review (With The Spector & The Governor's Hound Expansions) There’s something very satisfying about slowly building the prison around you, tile by tile, never quite sure if you’re helping yourself, helping another player, or making life harder later on. Each turn feels like adding another piece to a living, breathing maze, as corridors stretch away, new rooms appear and warders start to patrol. It turns the table into a story that changes every game, and that sense of watching the prison take shape in front of you is half the fun. I also love how every move forces you to make choices that feel sneaky but clever. Do you spend your turn darting into the Warders Quarters to swap contraband for tools and gain points along the way? Or do you take the risk and stray further out in the open to grab something better next time? The roll call adds real tension to this decision. You never quite know when the Governor will summon everyone, and if you’re caught in the wrong place you could find yourself in shackles or sent to solitary. It keeps you thinking, trying to plan a couple of steps ahead; but without decisions ever feeling too heavy. Then there’s the thrill of actually trying to actually escape. You have to collect just the right mix of tools or shamrocks, watch for nightfall when it gets easier, and hope no one else beats you to it. The moment you finally leap over the wall, flip your prisoner tile and know you’ve made it out is brilliant. Even then the game isn’t quite over, because everyone else gets one last turn to catch up or spoil your lead. But you know you will have given yourself a very good chance. But if you don’t win, it will still feel like you’ve taken part in a story right there on the table in front of you. You might have dodged warders, and ghosts, hidden in chapels, made deals, or sent someone else running back to their bunk. It’s messy and a bit unpredictable, but that’s what makes it great. At the end of it all you sit back, look at the prison you built together and the chaos that happened inside, and you can’t help but smile as you tell the stories of the game you just played.

This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components will change in the final game. This is the words at the start of the rule book. I will leave this here for you to read, word for word. Quantum Tricks supports 3-5 players and plays similarly to many other Trick taking games, making it simple to learn. But there area few twists which make it very difficult to master. Instead of just one Trick, you will be playing to up to three Tricks at any one time, requiring considerable hand strategy. And, oh yes, you’re not actually trying to win the most Tricks. Intrigued? Well, yes! I am intrigued in fact! What a brilliant opening. This game is coming to Kickstarter in the Autumn of 2025. I will add a link when I have one. How To Set Up Quantum Tricks Card Game To set up, place the three Trick markers on the table, spaced out so there’s plenty of room to lay cards around each one. I don't have these with the preview copy but its essentially like a four sided dice, with four colours either side to signify the different players. These are used to identify who owns each card placed on the table in three separate areas. You'll find out why soon! Build the deck based on how many are playing. If there are three players, take out all cards ranked four, five, six and seven. If there are four players, just remove cards ranked four and five. If there are five of you, keep the whole deck as it is. Each player picks one of the coloured edges or numbered sides on the Trick markers to use as their player identifier. This helps everyone see whose cards belong to whom. And then simply, you are left with the task of picking first player. The game very helpfully suggests you do this by picking the last person who has been into space which my buddy Buzz loves. How To Play Quantum Tricks The dealer shuffles the whole deck and deals everyone the same number of cards. If there are any leftover cards, put them aside unseen. They will not be used this round. On your turn, play a single card next to your player marker on one of the trick slots. You can either add your card to an existing trick, (if you do this, you must follow the suit that has already been led in that trick) or, you can start a new trick in an empty slot. There can be three tricks running at once you see! Three trick markers, three tricks at once! Cool huh! When you start a new trick, you must choose a suit that is not already in use in any current trick. If you cannot follow suit in any trick and cannot legally start a new trick, then you must play a card face down as space debris. When you do, you can place your debris in any trick. The debris still counts as a card towards finishing that trick. As soon as a fourth card is played into a trick, that trick is resolved. Space debris cards count towards the four. The player who played the most powerful card wins that trick. Remember to check for special effects from the lowest cards when you decide who wins. The are called Spacial anomalies. More on that soon! When you win a trick, take all the face-up cards and keep them in a single pile in front of you. This pile shows you have won one trick. Keep each trick you win in its own separate pile. Any space debris cards from that trick go back, still face down, to the players who played them. Those players keep them as penalties. Tricks will finish at different times, so new empty slots will open up and close as the round goes on. The round ends when all cards have been played. If there are unfinished tricks left, give them to the player who has the strongest card in each trick at that moment. Then it is time to score. When you score, first look at how many tricks everyone won. The player who won the most tricks went over budget and gets zero points. If there is a tie for the most tricks, all those players get zero. Everyone else scores one point for every trick they won. Then take off one point for each piece of space debris you played. There is a special rule too. If you win exactly five tricks, you make a historic discovery. In that round only, players who also have exactly five tricks get to score their points and avoid space debris penalties. It is possible to have a negative score in a round, but your total score for the whole game cannot go below zero. At the end of each round, the next player clockwise becomes the new dealer. You will play as many rounds as there are players. At the end, the player with the most points is the winner. Now for the anomalies! When working out who played the most powerful card, the three lowest cards in each suit have special effects. You can see these on the cards. If you play a zero, you must remove the highest printed face value card currently in that trick. This happens straight away as you play the zero, so the trick still keeps the same number of cards. If you play a one, it normally counts as one. But if there is an eleven in the same trick, your one beats the eleven. If you play a two, it normally counts as two. But if there is a ten in the same trick, your two beats the ten. These again are shown on the card in what I believe, is a soon to be updated icon as the rules develop. Is It Fun? Quantum Tricks Card Game Preview What makes this game feel different and fun is how it runs several tricks at the same time. Instead of waiting around for one trick to finish before starting the next, you are juggling up to three at once. It keeps everyone involved every turn because the shape of the game changes so quickly. One trick might be almost done while another has just started, so you are always rethinking where to put your cards and what might happen next. Another clever touch is the idea of space debris. You cannot always play what you want, so sometimes you are forced to dump a card face down as rubbish. It feels a bit like a last resort, but even that has weight because it still helps push a trick towards finishing and ends up costing you points. Or maybe winning you a trick if you had the best card there already. It is a simple rule, and a clever way to keep the tricks moving even when you cannot follow suit, but it creates tension in ways throwing a dead card away in other trick-taking games does not do. But we haven't even mentioned the special low cards that can flip everything yet! Playing a zero and wiping out the highest card in the trick feels cheeky and clever, and everyone can see it coming but can rarely stop it. What really brings it all together is the scoring twist. The fact that winning too many tricks can be bad forces you to hold back. You cannot just throw your best cards out every time. And the historic discovery rule where getting exactly five tricks wipes your penalties and scores points adds another layer. It becomes a real push and pull, trying to win but not win too much, and timing when to play those powerful cards. It feels quick, sharp and just messy enough to be fun. How people keep reinvented trick-taking I do not know! But they have and they continue to do so, and I am here for it.

This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components will change in the final game. You can follow the Kickstarter page here. Take the Throne is a dynamic and strategic card game where each turn involves clever thinking and anticipating your opponents' moves. The challenge is in reading your opponents and determining which card will give you the edge and bring you closer to ruling the realm. As you play you will embody rival houses, all vying for the same objective: to capture the throne and make your mark on the realm. Players compete to be the first to achieve eight victory points. The most effective way to gain these points is by being on the throne at the end of each round, King Of Tokyo style, but only one Monarch can reign at a time. At the beginning of each turn, every player selects a single card to play. The Monarch aims to maintain power, while the house players seek opportunities to claim the throne for themselves, disrupt other players plans, or work in some sneaky points of their own. Since every card in the game can influence the outcome, choosing the right card at the right moment is essential. How To Set Up Take the Throne Start by deciding who will be the Monarch. This player will use the Monarch deck of six cards, Abdicate, Authority, Command, Consolidate, Defend, and Raid. The other players become House players and will use five House cards each, Attack, Charge, Feint, Infiltrate, and Sabotage. Next, place the Victory Point tokens in the centre of the table so everyone can reach them easily. Each player begins the game with one Victory Point. Once this is set up, you are ready to begin. How To Play Take the Throne Each round, the House players will try to take the throne from the Monarch, while the Monarch’s goal is to keep control of the throne. At the start of every round, each player chooses one card from their hand and places it face down in front of them. All players do this at the same time. Cards will either have an immediate effect as indicated by a lightning bolt symbol, or end of round effect as indicated by a hour glass icon. Some cards have both icons and effects. When everyone has placed their card, the Monarch reveals their card first. If their revealed card shows a lightning bolt icon, then the Monarch player immediately performs the action text written on the card. If there is no lightning bolt icon, play simply passes to the next player without taking any action. Play continues to the left in a clockwise order, with each player revealing their card in turn, and playing out any immediate actions. When this is done and all players have carried out any immediate cation cards they played, all players check their cards for any end of turn effects shown with an hourglass icon and carry out those effects. After this, everyone checks to see who holds the throne. If the Monarch keeps the throne, they gain two Victory Points. If a House player takes the throne, that player gains one Victory Point. They will also swap their discard pile and hand of cards, with that of the previous Monarch player, and both players will form a new hand of cards with their new decks. This is one way to get your cards back, there are others! The game continues in this way with new rounds until one player reaches eight Victory Points while sitting on the throne. You do not take back the cards you have played, they stay on the table for all to see, so people will know what you have left in your hand. If you have eight or more points at the end of the round but do not sit on the throne, you cannot win. But if you have eight points or more and sit on the throne at the end of the round, you win, game over. You could have more points than another player who has eight or more and sits on the throne, but they will still win, as they are on the throne, and you are not. Its not about most points, its about gaining eight or more points, and ending a round on the throne. This is Take The Throne, not gain the victory points! During the game, you can lie and say whatever you feel is right when playing a card. Deceiving other players about your plans is a huge part of this game. Bluff, double bluff, whatever you feel will get inside your opponents' heads and give you the advantage as you play your cards. But what do all these cards do? Let's take a look. First at the Monarch cards. Abdicate This card has an instant and end of round effect. The instant effects forces you to give up the throne, but you gain a point. Then at the end of the round, if no house player has taken the throne, you can take it back yourself! Authority This card has an immediate effect that lets you take a point from another player if they have more points than you. Command This card has an immediate effect that lets you look at any other players unrevealed card. You can then choose any house player and force them to replace their card with another unplayed card from their hand. Consolidate This card has an end of round effect that means you will gain an additional point if you retain the throne at the end of this round. Defend This card has an end of round effect that lets you discard any attack cards played by House players this round. Raid This card has an immediate effect that lets you choose any House player and force them to discard their played card for this round. And here are the House cards: Attack This card has an end of round effect that lets you contend the throne to the strength of one. Other cards also allow you to do this. Each card that has this power has a number on it with a different strength. If more than one card with this power was played, the card with the highest number wins and takes the throne. Although, of course, by the time you come to the end of the round and this effect comes into play, not all cards that had this power that were played will still be there! If there is a tie, the current Monarch chooses between the players with the active played 'take the throne' cards, as to who becomes the new Monarch. Charge This card has an end of round effect to contend the throne at a strength of three. If there are more than one Charge card sin play though, they are all discarded. Feint This card has an immediate and end of round effect. The immediate effect lets you spend a point to play any card from your hand or discard pile! The end of round effect lets you gain an additional point if the additional card you played from your immediate effect lets you take the throne. Trickery! Infiltrate This card has an end of round effect to contest the throne at the strength of two, but if no one else played an Attack card, this card is then discarded. Sabotage This card has an immediate end of round effect. The immediate effects lets you force another player to replace their played card. The end of round effect gives you an additional point so long as the current Monarch retains their status this round. Once you have played a few times, you can if you wish swap out some cards for a few new ones. The House player must always have the Attack and Charge cards and the Monarch player must retain the Raid and Defend cards, but you can then shuffle the rest up and take whatever you end up with. Other players can then either match your hand exactly in a mirror variant, or take their own random hand in a more random asymmetric game. Here are the other cards you can use. Dominate This card has an end of round effect where you can contend the throne, however, you must discard the card unless exactly one Charge card is also in play. Ally This card has an instant and end of round effect. The instant effect means the Monarch must discard their card. The end of round effect means that if another player takes the throne this round, then they can decide if you will then gain zero, one, or two points! Time to make some deals! Reinforce This card has an end of round effect that lets you put all your previously played cards back into your hand to be played again, and then if you are not the Monarch, gain a point. Is It Fun? Take The Throne Party Game Preview This is a brilliantly simple card game that is full of twists and turns, captivating players from the very first deal. The game is designed to engage participants through its cleverly constructed mechanics and simple rules and turn structure from the very off. But the game, despite its simplicity, still incorporates a variety of elements essential for having fun at the gaming table. At its core, the game revolves around themes of sabotage, deceit, trickery, and bluffing, making it a perfect choice for those who enjoy strategic thinking and psychological warfare with their friends. Players are encouraged to adopt different plans, crafting elaborate strategies while simultaneously attempting to outsmart their opponents. Remember, its not just about what card you play, but what card you tell everyone you pan to play. What deals you cut. What lies you tell! Each round presents new opportunities for cunning manoeuvres, where a well-timed bluff can turn the tide of the game in an instant. The beauty of this card game lies in its simplicity. The rules are easy to grasp, allowing newcomers to join in without feeling overwhelmed. Yet, beneath this surface simplicity lies a depth that rewards those who take the time to study their opponents and anticipate their moves. The game encourages players to think several steps ahead, creating a dynamic atmosphere filled with tension and excitement. As the game progresses, players must navigate a landscape of shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals. The twists and turns keep everyone on their toes, as one moment a player may seem to be an ally, and the next, they could be plotting your downfall. This unpredictability is what makes the game so utterly absorbing; as only one player can win after all! Managing your hand of cards is crucial. Knowing when to play each one, and planning when to strike. When to hold back, and when to make your move for victory. The design of the cards themselves adds to the overall experience. Each card is thoughtfully illustrated, enhancing the thematic elements of deception and strategy. The artwork not only captivates the eye but also serves as a visual cue that helps players immerse themselves in the game’s narrative. I am not saying you really do feel like you are attacking when you play the attack card, but at least you can see a huge knight with a giant sword about to attack another person! You can pretend a little! I feel the other thing that holds this game back, and suggests why it has not picked up more following in its crowdfunding attempts, is the box art. It is a little dreary and generic, which is a huge shame, as what lies inside is a box of tricks ready to delight you and your friends. It feels like Coup on steroids. And I love Coup.

We previously reviewed the fantastic little card game Odin, from Helvetiq Games. You can read t hat here . It's a brilliant small box card game that fuses way more than you first see. It's really quite clever. From this genius design, the game has won lots of fans, accolades, and even prizes. So, we set about to talk to Mr. Helvetiq himself, Hadi Barket, founder and chief publisher at Helvetiq. WBG - Hey Heidi! So, we love Odin, but tell us a little but more about the game. How did it come to be part of the Helvetiq line-up? It all started with a meeting in Paris with Bruno Faidutti, the French designer of Citadels. He showed us a co-design he had created with Yohan Goh — a name we hadn’t heard before. While we liked the game, it wasn’t quite the right fit for Helvetiq. We later reached out to Yohan directly to introduce ourselves and set up a meeting at one of the major game fairs. There, he showed us several eclectic and fun prototypes, including a card game called Valhalla. It was perfect for our pocket line — we almost signed it on the spot. In late June, I met with the trio of designers in Seoul. Gary, Hope and Yohan. Great creative minds, choosing to work together. They meet every Monday [to] bounce ideas [off each other, and Odin was born]. WBG - Amazing. Odin recently won the prestigious As d'Or at the Cannes International Games Festival. What does this recognition mean to you personally, and what does it mean for Helvetiq as a company? It’s huge! Anyone working quietly in their corner dreams of a moment like this — recognition in front of thousands of people. That’s exactly what happened, and we felt so much joy. Seeing our love for Odin translate into thousands of people playing it is incredibly fulfilling. WBG - Do awards like this typically lead to a noticeable boost in sales? Absolutely. The As d'Or is nearly as impactful as the Spiel des Jahres. Sales are often multiplied by ten. WBG - Wow! By ten. That's incredible! Congratulations. Can you share some insight into the application process for entering a game into an award like the As d'Or? I'm sure many aspiring designers and publishers would be curious to know how it works. There is no formal application process. We didn’t submit anything — our only “merit” was to publish the game. That may not be the answer people expect, but it’s the truth. From what we’ve heard, the jury — made up of media professionals, show hosts, and even a film actor — played over 500 games. They narrowed that list down to 40, then to 12. Odin was played more than 50 times by the jury, and they decided it would be a great ambassador for the hobby to a wide audience. WBG - What an intriguing process. I wonder who the actor was! So, in your opinion, what makes Odin special or stand out from other games? There are so many great games out there, but Odin evokes a very specific set of emotions. It converges beautifully — you’re never stuck in a game that drags on. You always feel like you’re doing well… until suddenly you lose. Then, of course, you want to play again to prove yourself — haha! (Very true! - WBG) When playing to 15 points over several rounds, the game becomes increasingly tactical and long-sighted. It also plays well from 2 to 6 players — not that common — and it’s ultra-portable. I’m literally writing these answers on a plane with the game on the tray table. Plus, it’s affordable enough that you can buy a few copies to share with friends. WBG - Well safe flight and amazing you have signal up there! Tell us, what’s next in the pipeline for Helvetiq? Any exciting projects you can tease? We’ve signed some amazing designers for upcoming releases: Antoine Bauza (7 Wonders), Théo Rivière (Tucano), and Kaya Miyano (Trio). If that’s not a tease, I don’t know what is. WBG - What I need to know more! ! Lastly, what are your thoughts on the current tariffs imposed by the American government, and how might Helvetiq respond or adapt to these challenges? Business and uncertainty don’t go well together. Game publishing already runs on tight margins, and I’m genuinely concerned about the impact these tariffs will have. But the magic of play remains. Gamers will still be here. I just hope they continue to support their local stores, their publishers, and their designers. WBG - Agreed. I think you need to be open and honest. Show the implications on your business, and then offer buyers the chance to help cover some of the costs at the point of purchase. In my experience, most will. But of course, that is when they buy direct. When you are dealing with resellers and other companies who sell for you, well gosh, good luck! Thanks! Last but not least, thanks for the opportunity to share our story. And if you haven’t played Odin yet… you’re missing out on something small but mighty!

Isla WBG Score: 8.5 (Solo) 6.5 (Multiplayer) /10 Player Count 1-5 You’ll like this if you like: Exploring islands based on dice rolls! Published by: Ocean City Games Ltd Designed by:   Oleta Forde , Aaron Grove , Alexander Lucas This is a free review copy of the game. See our review policy here . I originally previewed this game in its prototype form and was a big fan, particularly of the solo mode. You can read that here . I now have the final version and have been eagerly exploring the Island once again. The game works quite different in multiplayer to solo, and I have tried both again. Both will be covered here, but I will focus more on the solo game, as that is where I feel this game excels. So, with that said, let's get it to the table and see how this game plays. How To Set Up Isla Board Game Give each player a map sheet. There are two sides, so be sure that each player is using the same side. For your first few games, it is recommended to use the front side. Then give each player a pen or pencil, and the tokens required per player (four Flora, three Fauna, two Fossil, one rest, one Boulder, and five Exhaustion tokens), and give one player the first player card. Each player then places their tokens face down onto the map sheet. Then, flip them all over. Each player then has the choice to swap over two tokens, but that's it, and never again in the game! Then place the five Exhaustion tokens that represent the five dice in the spaces provided at the bottom of the map. Place out all the dice by them. Then, take the research cards, shuffle them, and deal out four cards into a line. Place the rest in a face-down pile next to these. Each player will now place their meeple on the start spot on the bottom left of the map, or next to the port on the other side. Then, for a solo game, take one of the Keeper cards, and place this face up in front of you. Place the corresponding Keeper meeple on the starting spot shown for this Keeper on its card. Place your own meeple on the start spot on the bottom left of the map, or next to the port on the other side. For a multiplayer game, take the threat cards, shuffle them up and place them face down in a pile. You are now ready to play! How To Play Isla Board Game Players will now run through six steps, seven for the solo mode. Let's go through them one-by-one. Planning phase. Here each player must declare if they choose to Rest, Explore, or Research this phase. More on what they all mean shortly. Dice Roll Phase. Here, the first player will roll the five dice. In a multiplayer game, if you roll any ones, then you must resolve a Threat card. If you roll more than one die that shows a single pip, you still only resolve a single Threat card. This is a nice development from the early prototype! To resolve a Threat card, draw the top card from the Threat pile and follow the effect shown. If you cannot carry out the instruction, simply discard it. If you draw a card with the same name as a Threat card already in your possession, discard it. Otherwise, do what it says and keep it by you. Only the first person this round resolves the Threat card. Rest Phase. Here, if anyone chooses to rest, they will mark off the Rest box on their player sheet, and then their turn this round ends. But they can now refresh the leftmost exhausted dice token, ready to be used again the next round. You can normally only rest once per game, but you can gain one more Rest token as you play if you move over the space the rest token is randomly placed during set up. Explore Phase. This is the main action in the game. If you choose to Explore, you will pick one of the dice rolled this round by the first player and move that many spaces on the board. At the start, you can choose any die you like from the five rolled. But as you use each die, you must move the exhausted token for the die you used. You cannot use this colour die again until that particular exhausted token becomes unexhausted. This is done mainly by moving over the symbol that represents this die's colour on the board. As you move on the board, you will start at the bottom left space and move your meeple the shown number of spaces on your chosen die. You can move orthogonally in any direction. The idea of the game is to cover as many spaces on the map as possible, reach the exit first, and collect as many Flora and Fauna tokens as possible in order to complete your research goals. You cannot go back over any space you have already visited, and if you ever block yourself in, your game is over. As you move, un-exhaust any die for die symbols that you move over, and claim any tokens you pass over. Moving them into your play area. If you move over a symbol to un-exhaust a die that is not ye t exhausted, you simply waste that power. So don't do it! Research phase. If you choose to research, you can now discard previously obtained research tokens that match any of the current four face-up research cards. You can now take that card, and this will score you the shown points on the card at the end of the game. In solo mode, you will now carry out the Keeper phase. Flip over the top card from the research deck and check the symbol shown on the bottom left of the card. This will show a one, two, or three. Then check the Keeper card you have in play this game, and carry out the action as represented by the one, two, three or blank symbol revealed this turn. This will mostly move the Keeper token from its starting position closer to you. If the Keeper ever reaches your space, it's game over. Finally, prepare for the final round. This will be the sixth phase in multiplayer mode. Discard the rightmost Research card, draw a new one, and place it into the leftmost space. Then move the first player card to the next player if you have more than one player playing. Continue with rounds like this until all players have either exited the island or become lost on the island. This can happen by trapping yourself with no path to explore due to turning in on yourself, running out of available dice to use by not un-exhausting the dice, or, in the solo player mode, by being caught by the Keeper. In multiplayer mode, note that players can end their game in different rounds, but the first to exit will gain a bonus of five, and the second, a bonus of three. In the solo game, you simply gain the five points. Then work out the bonus points gained from the completed research cards you have in front of you. Add these to the points gained or lost from the Threat cards you faced. You then gain one point for each Threat card you faced in the game. Remember, there are no Threat cards in the solo game. Then you gain points for any exhausted dice token that is currently not exhausted. You will gain the points as shown on the tile itself. You will then gain points for the space you reached on the final exit track. The further down you go, the more points you will get. So you will want to end your final turn with a big number. Finally, you will lose one point for any space not covered on the main map. Most points wins! In the solo game, there is a point target to reach. Is It Fun? Isla Board Game Review The multiplayer game of Isla lacks a little something for me. If all players play the game similarly, then you will all mostly cover every space and exit at similar times. The exit first bonus is not enough for me to chase that down and race to the end. There will be some frustration when someone else takes a research card you wanted, but more come so frequently that you can just save your tokens and use them later. They are not different enough from each other to matter too much. So, it becomes a simple game of working out which is the best dice to use, efficiently make your way around the map, cover as many spaces as possible, and collect all the points you can. I find most games are pretty close, and the winner is never left with a feeling they did anything that clever compared to the loser. The threat cards offer some variety, but of course, it is completely random, and one player could be way more affected than another, and there is nothing they can do about it. It just doesn't work for me. BUT! In solo mode, I adore this game. The tension created by the Keeper slowly making their way to you is wonderful. Made by the fact that their movement towards you is never as slow as you think! As they start quite a way from you, depending on which Keeper you choose to face, and they sometimes do not move at all or great distances, you may start the game thinking you have all the time in the world. But then, as you move north and they move south, your paths will quickly come a lot closer than you ever thought! And as you do not always get to control how far you move, and sometimes your choice of die can be quite restricted, getting away from them quickly when you need to can be tough. I have had multiple solo games of Isla where I have been caught, due to my hubris telling me I had all the time in the world. Until BOOM! They got me. Or, I may get close to the Keeper and risk claiming just one more token by taking a path that goes way too close to the Keeper, knowing that only one of the four symbols drawn this round will let them catch you. And of course, that's the symbol you draw. But then plenty of solo games where things have worked out in my favour. It's a wonderfully tight, balanced, and enjoyable experience. The different Keepers all offer a different level of challenge too. So, as I become a little better with the game, I can change which Keeper I am up against, to still keep this balanced game. The setup for this game takes a minute, tops. And the upkeep for the Keeper is seconds per round. As a solo experience, it is close to perfect. All the tension of the main game is there. The frustration and random nature of the Threat cards is removed. And the added pressure of the Keeper brings a lot more of an enjoyable and "I want to beat this game" mechanic to the table. In multiplayer, I want to try and beat my friends. And sometimes do. But I rarely feel I earned that. In the solo game, when I beat the Keeper and get a good score, I feel good about myself. As I face tougher Keepers, I am excited about the challenge. It is a near-perfect solo experience. This is the reverse side of the map to use for a more challenging experience. It is a nice addition, and I enjoy using it. It does make the multiplayer experience a little better as the layout of this is a little more challenging. You can play the multiplayer mode without the Threat cards, which is how I do it. Simply remove them from setup and final scoring. It takes away a lot of the randomness and frustration for me. You still have all the tension from choosing which die to pick, how far to move this time, and what route to take. But without the annoyance of being penalised for things out of your control, that may not happen to other players down to the luck of a roll. And it is in those choices of which dice to pick where this game really excels. You still have this in the multiplier mode, but I find it comes alive in the solo experience. This is because in the solo game, not only are you trying to make your way around the map as efficiently as possible, but you are also trying to avoid capture from the Keeper. As the dice are all different, the choices are deliciously tight. You only want to take the dice when they are at the higher ends. Why take a D12 when it rolls a three? But what if that is all you have left? If the D12 rolls a ten, that is now more tempting. But what if the D6 finally rolled its first six of the day? Should you take the six from the D6 now, knowing that it is at full efficiency? But what if the D12 doesn't roll that high again for a while. I will risk it... Roll again next turn - a 12 on the D12! It paid off. These emotions pop in and out in the multiplayer mode, but will be with you throughout the solo mode. And I love it! Finally, I want to make a note of the rule book. It is excellent. Clearly laid out. Great examples, images, and wording. And I really enjoy the little bits of lore created from the flavor text, dotted around the pages. It's one of the best I have seen in a while. Congratulations to all involved there. So, if you are looking for a new solo game that plays quickly, sets up and packs away in minutes, but offers you some tension and satisfaction, this could well be the one for you.

Corps of Discovery WBG Score: 8/10 Player Count 1-4 You’ll like this if you like: Figuring out intricate puzzles with big time pressures! Published by: Off the Page Games Designed by: Jay Cormier , Sen-Foong Lim This is a free review copy of the Deluxe version of the game. See our review policy here . I originally previewed this game in its prototype form and was a huge fan. You can read that here . I now have my hands on a final production copy, and it is a thing of beauty. While the game mechanics remain unchanged, the components, trays, box layout, and game boards have received a beautiful update. Note that this is the Deluxe edition with wooden components and boards. The game is based on the comic book series Manifest Destiny , which tells a revised history of the Lewis and Clark story, but with Minotaur's! This follows publisher Off The Page's style of converting modern graphic novels into master pieces on the table. Such as Harrow County and MGMT . They have all been fantastic so far, does this new game live up to the hype? Let's get it to the table and find out. How to Set Up Corps of Discovery Board Game First, you need to select which chapter of the game you wish to play. There are a number in the box; it's best to start with the training mission, but then, you can go with whichever level wherever you like. Each chapter offers different components, rules, and challenges. I will cover the base rules here. Once chosen, take the map from the selected chapter and slide it into the map board, using the blank white paper to conceal the images on the front of the map from you as you do this. Then cover each of the circular holes with path tokens, so all spaces are covered. You can then slide out the concealer paper and put it back into the box. Check the side of the map to see where the peak of this map is, and place a rock token onto this spot. The map you chose will have am associated Reference board, place this next to the map board. Each player will now choose their character. Note that not all characters are eligible for the starting missions. If in doubt, pick Lewis and Clark. But in the later chapters, you will have access to more choices. Each character has their own unique power, so this does make a difference. Now, take gear cards based on the number of players: three gear cards for a solo game, two each for two players, and one gear card each for any player count above this. For an easier game, or the first training mission, you can also take the Training gear card. Now, set up the Supply board. First, shuffle the Destiny cards with the cards specific to your chosen chapter. There are matching symbols on all cards, linked to each chapter. Add these to the base Destiny cards, shuffle them up, and draw two cards. These are placed in the spaces available on the right of the Supply board. Next, find the Approach the Arch Challenge card. You always start with this. Add this to the space on the left of the Supply board. Now shuffle the remaining Challenge cards, again with the chapter-specific cards, and deal two more into the remaining two positions. Place the rest into a face-down deck to the side. Now add eight Water tokens into the Water supply along with the Shelter token. Place all the other tokens in the token container to the side of this. Finally, create your Threat deck for this chapter. Take the chapter-specific Threat cards. Shuffle them randomly along with two random misfortune Threat cards to form a face-down Threat pile. There may be additional setup for later chapters, but otherwise, you will now be ready to play. How to Play Corps of Discovery Board Game Choose a starting player, and now take it in turns, or do it all yourself in solo, to remove one of the path tokens, to reveal and action the symbol below. You will start with one of the spaces to the right of the board, next to the river. Thematically, you are coming off a boat from the river, and exploring into the land. You can pick any space you want from the right most column to start, but then for subsequent turns, you need to build orthogonally from this first space, to form a path. Then, you can build off any other space you have opened. If you come across a rock, then you must go another way. Rocks represent impassable mountains. When you take the path token, add it to the space on the Supply board above the first Challenge card. Each card will have a number within a sun icon on the top right. This will represent the time you have to complete this challenge. For example, for the first 'Approach the Arch' card, you have five turns to complete this card. This is represented by the path tokens. So, when you remove one, flip it over to show the sun side, and add it to the space above the card. When you add the fifth token, this card must now be finished. The card will show what is needed to complete it successfully, generally a mix of resources. On the bottom of the card, it will show the consequences of passing or failing the card. Even if you have the right resources, you can choose to fail if you want the resources for other things. If you pass, put the required resources back into the supply and claim the success from passing the card. If you fail, then fulfil the consequences of failing. Generally losing water! But sometimes you have to take a Sample token, which will clog up your backpack. When a challenge card is concluded, remove it from the board and check to see if you have items in your backpack beyond your limit. If so, you will lose one water a resolve any Monsters that have consequences, if you have any in play at this point. Your limit starts with four items, but you can expand this to six if you have built a shelter. If you have a shelter, you cannot ever become fatigued. Then, move on to the next card. When you finish the third card, that is the end of your day. There are then some end-of-day processes to run through, namely spending food, if you have one, to feed your troops. If you don't, you lose. That's it. Game over! If you do have food, congratulations, you live to fight another day. Now, check to see if you have a Monster in play. If you do, do nothing. If you don't, reveal one Threat card. Then, refresh any gear or characters you may have used their powers for, and reveal three new challenge cards and move on to the next day. What you are looking to do each game is fulfil the chosen chapter's missions. This could be to simply fulfil six challenge cards, as in the training mission. Or for later chapters, you may need to find ways to kill monsters, locate giant plants, or other adventures that I won't spoil here. The way you do this is by exploring the map and finding the right resources to complete each chapter's missions, all the while remembering to get food for each day and completing enough challenge cards so you don't run out of water. This is a mix of resource management, pattern recognition, and cooperative/solo deduction. And what I mean by that is, this adventure is not about luck. You will have clues given to you each game as to where certain things lie. And its your job to work out each maps puzzle. You will be given a mini map in the extra rules section of each map to help with this. This will show you the layout of certain items on the board. These are items that are always next to each other in a specific formation. Orientated in any way, but always in this manner. You will also have clues on the reference board. These will be in the form of rules, such as Water and Wood are always orthogonally next to each other. So, if you reveal one of those, you will get an idea as to where the other will be. You will also be told how many Wood resources can be found on each row and column, and other clues about various other resources in that chapter. You can use multiple clues, pieced together to form more solid information. Some spaces will even be clues, such as Hills that will tell you how many of a specific thing will be in a row. When you reveal these, they do not count as an action, so you can discard the path token you removed to reveal this and have another turn. And this is the meat of the game. Working out from the clues you have and the spaces you have revealed so far, where the thing you desperately need may be. And making educated guesses on your subsequent turns. Each turn will be important. You will not have many free goes in this game. You always need one more thing to avoid disaster, or to avoid death in various ways. Do not fail the mission or you will run out of water. Do not forget food, otherwise you will starve at the end of the day. But do not forget the main goal in the chapter, otherwise you will be running around for days without achieving your quest. There are multiple free actions you can do in and around exploring the map, such as using your gear or characters' power, or the Destiny cards available to you. These will all be pretty much self-explanatory, but ultimately will help you in your quest, giving you the chance to gain extra resources, challenge cards to prepare yourself, or even gain new Destiny cards such as the Gear cards below. You can also build fires using various resources. Two fires allow you to backtrack. As in, if you see something under a path token you don't like the look of, discard your fire token, put the path token back, and go again! So, good luck! And make every step count! Is it Fun? Corps of Discovery Board Game Review The sense of adventure in this game is off the scale! As will the sense of tension and enjoyable discussion. As a two-player cooperative experience, I adore this game. Everything feels important. From turn one, you feel a sense of urgency to get exactly what you need. But you start with minimal information. Where the peak is. That's it. But you will quickly form a picture in your mind of where certain things are, and the discussion to get there is what makes this game special. As such, as a solo adventure, which is how BGG suggests this game should be played, this game does not work for me. I enjoy it, and I can see some sense to it. I also understand why others would really enjoy it. But the game is elevated so much by the decisions of working out where things are, I miss that too much in solo mode to have fun. There are a lot of maps in the box, so you won't be in a situation where you start to learn the board. That isn't really possible. And the setup is so well thought out, you won't see anything before you are ready to play. The game has gone to extreme measures to create a strong aesthetic and also functional experience. With the expansion included in this game, there are also a lot more maps and variations of types of games. New challenges will be set. New goals are required to fulfil the requirements of the later maps. And if you do complete them all, start to learn the layout of the aps, well you can access you maps from games website. You can check that out here . Seemingly, the fun in this game will never end! After I finished with the prototype, I said this: I cannot wait to see what other people think of this game. But I also want it back on my shelves to play again and again. I want to try the other chapter. [That I did not have with the prototype]. I want to try this with other people. It is a fantastic game and one that will live long in my memory, until I can get my hands on it again! And now I have it back, I feel exactly the same way. This game feels unique in my collection. It offers things other games come close to, but do not bring to the table in such a clever and well-integrated way at this. The art and theme work perfectly with the original comics, as is always the way with games from this publisher. And as always, I am blown away by the high level of development quality of everything in this box. This is a top notch production. (Again, please note this is the deluxe version!) There is a huge sense of discovery, both in terms of the game itself and all the new maps to play. The different expansions to try out and the new ways to play this game keep me coming back for more. Each Chapter feels quite different, and each map for each level offers its own new set of challenges. I can see this being a real mainstay in my collection, being played more often than others due to its accessibility, game length, ease of getting to the table, but also, and mainly, due to the fun it delivers when I play. It is the sort of game I think about a lot after completing it and then want to play again and again, no matter how many times I play. My thirst for this game only increases with more games. I cannot seem to stop thinking about this game or stop wanting to play. Some games can be a little disappointing. If you lose, you can sometimes lose quickly, and then you think, oh, that's a shame. I may never play that map again, and it only lasted for 20 minutes or so. But then you see all the other maps and quickly move on. I may well play them all again. I doubt I will remember the location of everything on every one. So this thought is not true, but ending a game like this quickly with a loss can be disappointing. Not frustrating or annoying. Disappointing. But that is only because you wanted to keep exploring and get a sense of completion from winning. And as I move through the various chapters, the sense that the game is ramping up with me works so well, in that I feel that every game is incredibly close. When I win, I win narrowly. It ends in a sudden death way where it feels like one wrong turn - and it's game over. But one correct deduction and the right choice, and victory could be ours. The difficulty ramps up perfectly across the maps and chapters with my learning and understanding of the game. So as new challenges are put before me, I seem to be able to stand up to them, but only narrowly. And not all the time. Victories always feel hard-fought and celebrated as a group with great excitement. Just when you think all is lost, you will see a power on a character, gear, or destiny card that you realise can buy you one more turn. Will that be enough to find the thing you need? ' Well, maybe if I use our two fires, we can actually have two more turns. And if we find this specific resources, we can do that, to do this, and win the game! ' Moments like this will be commonplace, and oh so joyous. I will cherish this game for years to come. Like the other games from Jay and the team at Off the Page Games, it makes me want to read the comics that inspired this. I did that with Harrow County and loved it. It also made the experience of playing the game better as I understood the characters, story, and lore a little better. Here, with the story of Lewis and Clark being more well-known, I can piece together the extra components added by the comics, but I still want to read them all and fully immerse myself into this theme. As that is what this game does to you. It picks you up and draws you in. It says come on an adventure with me, and then play again-and-again. Win or lose, you will have fun. Oh, and check out this new way to play, and have you tried this map? Oh, and did you know you could get even more!? OK! Enough already, I'm sold.

This is a prototype version of the game and does not represent the final quality or look of the game. Corps of Discovery Board Game Preview - More info here Mind MGMT is a fantastic game. One of my favourites from 2023 in fact. It was published by Off the Page Games who specialise in developing ideas inspired by graphic novels. Bringing the ideas off the page, into games. Get it? Their second game Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict recently fulfilled after a successful Kickstarter, and is gaining favourable reviews. The third game from these fans of comic/game fusions is Corps of Discovery. A game based on the Manifest Destiny comics . It has the same look and feel as the comics, as is the style with this publisher, but how does it play? Mechanically speaking, the game is a delightful puzzle of deduction and contract fulfilment. Thematically, it is about exploration. Playing the game, you will get a sense of all of this. A classic mix of mechanics and themes. And yet, the game feels fresh and unique - albeit in a familiar way. The game plays out in an ingenious way. There are multiple maps for each chapter, and a number of chapters available in the base game along with a few expansions in the pipeline. Each one follows the same basic core mechanics but introduces new ways to win the game. Defeating monsters, finding hidden objects, defeating giant killer plants! It's all here. The setup: first, you must choose which map you want to play. Slide it into the game board with the cover sheet protecting you from seeing the layout. This would spoil the game. There is then a bit of setup admin, where you need to fill each hole with a face-down sun token. I find it is best to just chuck them all onto the board and then rearrange them into the slots. When this is done, you can slide out the cover sheet, and the board is ready. Smart, right? The game plays by you working your way around the game board, removing sun tokens one at a time, trying to uncover specific terrain and items. You start at a different point for each map and have a different goal each time. But in Chapter 1 - Fauna; that I will focus on here, the goal is to find and defeat three Minotaur's . But first, you must find the Settler's Forts, so you can learn the techniques needed to slay the beasts. But, you can't just walk around, uncovering every space at random times. As you play, each token you uncover is placed onto the current challenge, which will have between two to five spaces until it is full. At this point, if you cannot meet that card's specific requirements of items, you will suffer the consequences of a failed challenge. Generally losing resources and water. Run out of water, and you will lose the game. So, for example, in the below challenges, for the Rainstorm card, you need to have a Shelter built after three turns, otherwise, you will lose two fires, one water, and be forced to add a Sample token to your backpack. Filling an otherwise useful space with a redundant object. More typically, as you can see in Strong Wind and School of Fish, you need to discard items that hopefully you have found and stored in your backpack, in order to gain benefits, and avoid losing water. But try not to become too distracted with fulfilling just these challenge cards. Your challenge in this chapter is to find the Forts, learn the skills required to defeat the minotaur's , then find the beasts' lair, and kill them. Only then can you win this chapter. Each minotaur needs a different methodology of termination. Making spears, ammos, and traps can only be done once each time. And each action needs specific items, things you have found along your path. So, just walk around and gather things to complete challenges and kill monsters. Easy right? Wrong. You can only hold six things in your bag, total. Only four before you get exhausted and start losing water for each completed challenge card. You need to plot your route carefully. But how do you go about finding each thing you need? This is a 7x7 grid. There are 49 spaces to visit. And time is of the essence. You cannot simply run around hoping to find what you need. This is a game of deduction. Well, this is where this game moves from pretty and interesting to genius. Each chapter has an associated reference board that offers you clues as to where everything may be. At first, you will be going in a little blind, but as you start to see the lay of the land, a picture will form in your head. Puzzling this part of the game out will be make or break. This determines how much fun you will have. And I found it to be quite the split experience. In solo, I was left adrift. Unsure where to go and often making quick guesses based on limited thinking time. It was luck-based, lacking in any kind of satisfaction, and causing me some frustration. In two-player, where I think this game shines, I was awash with joy. Puzzling this sort of thing out in my head is not for me. But debating it out loud with another person is thrilling. Genuinely. We played a game where we were down to the final move. We knew the next turn would either take our final water with a failed challenge or deliver the final resource we needed to win. We had a one in six chance of getting the thing we needed. But we used the available clues to deduce exactly where we should go. We got it right and cheered like our team had just won the World Cup. It was amazing. In that regard, it's sort of like a deeply thematic Sudoku. And I am all in for that! As you can see above, we know in this map, there is only one wood per column and row. Wood will be orthogonal to water. As is water and rock to mud. It's sort of like algebra too, in that way. If A is B, but only when B is C, etc. I don't fully understand algebra. It just sounded smart. But playing this game sure does make you feel clever as you play. Getting those big decisions right, finding what you need just when you need it by noodling out the available clues - it's a great feeling. The other chapters all offer clever twists on the base game's mechanics such as in Chapter 2, where the hunt for the minotaur's is replaced by a clever pathway goal. Here, you need to find specific land types in a set order to gather crew and resources to fight a giant mutated flower! It adds another level of suspense to the timing of the game that elevates it to another dimension. There still may be some monsters to fight along the way, but the challenge now is about tracking the "end-of-level" boss, getting the tools you need to defeat it, and taking it down before all is lost. It feels more like a linear progressive ramp-up in tension compared to the ups and downs of Chapter 1, which suits my style a little more. And it's incredible how different each chapter feels from this small change. Corps of Discovery is a game that appears to embody discovery and adventure. And it does. But the heart of this game resides in the deduction and overall efficiency puzzle. This is why I describe it at the start as feeling unique but in a familiar way. It does not necessarily do anything new. But the entire production is impressive, the execution of each composite part so seamless, that as you play Corps of Discovery, you will feel like you are discovering a new game each time. Which leads me to my only concern with this game. Knowing where things are on each map is a problem. This is why the game goes to such effort to stop you from seeing the map during setup. But after a few plays, could you not memorize the location of the key items and areas? Well, no. I don't think you could. First, there will be plenty of maps to play, learning them all will be tough. Each map is double-sided, and there are multiple chapters, and expansion maps are also planned. To simply play the same map over and over just to learn it, well, sure. It's possible. But would anyone really do that? I don't think so. And if they do, that's their choice, and a different way to play the game I suppose. But the game as is, provides enough variation, enough maps, and enough prevention of seeing the maps before you play to make this problem irrelevant. Designer Jay Cormier commented on this point, "We'll be offering new maps to download and print at home - so we'll have unlimited maps!!" I don't think learning the maps will be an issue! "Corps of Discovery" is a brilliant board game. I usually fall for games on the first play as the new and exciting is overpowering me. I often cool a little in games 2-4 as I try to learn the strategy, and then settle on my final thoughts around game 5 onwards, as I can then play the game without the new game excitement or the early game confusion. "Corps of Discovery" was very different. I really did not enjoy my first few games, not because I struggled to learn the strategy or rules. No, it was simply because I chose to play it solo. I am happy playing games solo, but not this. This is a shared experience game. Like "The Mind," the joy in "Corps of Discovery" comes when you make a bold but correct decision and the team benefits from this. As a group, this feels wonderful. In solo, this fell flat for me. When I then moved on to playing this game with a second player, the curve of excitement and enjoyment leapt up unexpectedly to a ten right from the off and has not gone away yet. I now must pass this game on to another person to preview, and I do so with mixed emotions. I cannot wait to see what other people think of this game. But I also want it back on my shelves to play again and again. I want to try the other chapter. I want to try this with other people. It is a fantastic game and one that will live long in my memory, until I can get my hands on it again! Until then, you can find more info on the game here . It is also worth noting that as part of the Kickstarter, they will also be offering deluxe editions of MIND MGMT and Harrow County during the Corps of Discovery campaign. The publisher offers those games via their website, but can only ship within North America. So now, European fans can easily get hold of these games too.

Captain Flip WBG Score: 8 Player Count: 2-4 You’ll like this if y ou like: Lost Seas Published by : PlayPunk Designed by: Remo Conzadori , Paolo Mori This is the reviewer’s copy. See our review policy here By Steve Godfrey There have been many famous pirate captains throughout history, to name but a few: Blackbeard, Sparrow, Silver, Hook, Crunch, Birdseye. All of these, however, pale in comparison to the fearsomeness of Captain Flip and his nature that can flip with the snap of a finger. Gracious one minute and hate-fuelled the next, his rage knows no bounds... what’s that?... it's just a game about flipping tiles? So he’s not angry at all?... donated to many charities, you say? Well, it doesn’t make as exciting of an intro, but it’s nice to know he runs a good ship, I suppose. How to Flip If it’s your first game then give each player the sheet with the A on it, you’ll be using that side. For subsequent games you can all decide which of the four possible boards you're all using, making sure that you're all playing the same one and that’s it. On your turn you’ll take a tile from the bag making sure that you only see one side of it. Each tile is double sided with a different character and ability on the other side. You can then choose to either play the current tile as it is or choose to flip it. If you keep the side that you pulled then you place that tile on one of the columns on your board in the bottom most space. You'll then collect coins from any immediate scoring if that tile has it. If you choose to flip the tile then you must keep that side and place it on the board in the same way. Some tiles will have immediate scoring while others will score end game points. Completing some columns will net you completion bonuses and once one player has finished 4 columns the game will end. Score any end game points and the player with the most coins wins. Here’s a quick rundown of what each character does. Cartographer - (Immediate) Take the treasure map token. You get 1 point at the end of every turn you have it. Navigator - (Immediate) Gain 2 points per cartographer on your board. Cook- (immediate) Gain 1 point per character in their row (including them) Gunner - (immediate) Take 5 coins. If you have 3 gunners on your board at the end of the game you lose! Monkey- (immediate) Gain 1 coin, plus flip an adjacent character tile and apply the revealed effects.  Parrott - (Immediate/ Endgame) Draw and play another tile gaining the effects. Lose 1 coin at the end of the game. Swabby - (endgame) , Score increasing points for each swabby in different columns. Carpenter - ( endgame) , Gain 3 points if there are no gunners in their row or column. Lookout - (endgame) Gain 4 coins if there is no character above them in that column. More flippin than a pinball table If you’ve read the overview then there's a good chance that you’re thinking, “Well this is just a pure luck fest right?” and for the most part yeah, I can’t argue with that. You pull a tile from the bag and whether you choose to flip or not you pretty much take what you're given. But there’s actually more strategy here than I originally gave it credit for. So many of the tiles rely on particular positioning or would benefit with more of something on the board before playing it. In fact if you want to maximise your score on this game you certainly need to do a bit of planning. For example, the Gunners are great! 5 coins immediately? Yeah I’ll take some of that! Especially if you get a couple of them out it’s a decent chunk of points. But when you factor in the negative aspects of it, like potentially losing the game and blocking any carpenters, well then, that’s when you need to have a plan. Like placing them in a position where they can still get flipped if you manage to pull a monkey out of the bag (this was a weird sentence to write). It’s a weirdly strategic game for something so light and quick. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t going to have you pacing up and down on your turn trying to math out all the possible variants, but it does offer enough that you will have moments when you're genuinely fraught with answering the question, to flip, or not to flip. It’s a genuine gamble at any point in the game. There are extra boards and each gives you enough flavour to keep the game from getting too repetitive. One adds a race element to the columns. One board has the column bonuses being rewarded for the first person to reach it. This is one of the reasons you all play with the same boards each time rather than mixing them up. Whereas another has you getting the bonus if all the characters in a column are identical.  Don’t flip the table Captain Flip was nominated for a spiel des jahres in 2024 and it lost out to the also excellent Sky Team. Sky Team is excellent and a worthy winner but, I’ll be honest, now that I’ve played this, if it had ended up winning, I wouldn’t have been mad. That award is all about family gaming and I think this is a game that encapsulates that completely. It’s simple, light, fun and lucky but having that luck fail you never feels offensive enough to put you in a bad mood. Everything about the game gives you that light fun feel so that if you do happen to have a bad game of it (score and luck wise) you’re more than likely to just say ‘meh, never mind’ and carry on with your day un-phased. Captain Flip was all over Instagram when it was released and I’ve learned the hard way not to just buy everything that I see on social media no matter how good it looks. However, a couple of plays on Board Game Arena and I was sold. This is one that I can easily see me pulling out as a quick starter game, a “between the big games” game or an end of the night game. Most importantly though I can see this being played with whoever I’ve got round the table, be they seasoned gamers or just familiar with the old classics.  Right, I’m off to get out of this pirate costume and flip my table back over. It’s possible I may have assumed something before I read the rules.

Harrow County WBG Score: 8/10 Player Count: 1-3 (4 with expansion) You’ll like this if you like: Smallworld , Mountains out of Molehills , The comic . Published by: Off the Page Games Designed by: Jay Cormier , Shad This is a free review copy. See our review policy here . Harrow County is the latest graphic novel to be adapted from the pages to the table by publisher Off the Page, who specialise in finding intriguing stories within the wonderful world of comics and turning them into captivating board games. They did a wonderful job with Mind MGMT, which you can read more about here . I described it as "genre-defining moment in the board game hobby," due to its clever fusion of mechanics. Harrow County has similar ambitions, bringing together route building, king of the hill, and wonderfully thematic chit-pull system within a deeply absorbing and asymmetric world. Especially if you are a fan of the boos. But, does this make for a fun game? Let's get it to the table and find out. How To Set Up Harrow County There are two ways to play this game: the full game or a reduced rules version. The rulebook previously split the game into chapters and taught players across five separate versions, but this has since been updated to just two, making it a lot easier to digest. The lite version is fine, but it is a little simple and can be over pretty quickly. The full game is what I will explain here and can be used from game one if you choose. I really see no reason why you cannot just go straight into the full version from your first game. I would say it is mid-weight at most. I feel the split rule book now is only there as they used to have the five-chapter system. Going from five to one maybe felt too extreme. And the five-chapter system was there initially to link to the fact this originated from a graphic novel. And Off The Page as a publisher wants to make the process of learning their games easy. All of this makes sense. But ultimately, this is not a hard game to learn or teach, so perhaps just one version is all you need? Anyway... Place the main board in the centre of the table. You can play on either side; it is just some minor variation. Ideally, place it so that the hexes with the home bases are close to the two players. Although, of course, you can play this with three or four players. I will focus on the two-player rules here. The three player version is excellent though, and the expansion offers the chance for four. Each player then takes one of the two main boards for either the Family or the Protectors. Although one can play as Kammi instead. Place this in front of you along with the Haints (little plastic ghoulie things). Now, each player pick as a character to play as there. There are a number of choices for each, that affect your legendary power. Make your choice and take the player board and standee associated with this. Now take the Legend ability track associated with your chosen player colour, pick a side (your choice) and place this underneath your player character. The players using the Family or Protectors, now place their standee on their chosen start hex on the main board along with three of their Haints. If you have chosen to play as Kammi, place the Goblin Legend Token matching your Character Board and the Kammi Legend Token onto two separate hexes behind your Home Hex. then add three Haints onto either your home Hex, the hex occupied by Kammi, or the Hex occupied by your Goblin. Each player now takes their deck of cards for their faction. The Tactics cards for the Protectors, the Upgrade cards for the Family, and the Goblin cards for Kammi. Shuffle the decks, draw three for your hand, and leave the rest in your play area. Each player will have small coloured cubes, their strength cubes. Take three of each colour (for the players in the game) and place these in the battleground tray. Place this next to the box, which will sit upright as part of the game's components. On the top and front of the box, there are two holes. On the top hole, place the funnel, and on the front hole, this is where the battleground tray needs to be placed, facing outwards from the box. This is now your cube tower! Cool, huh! Now place the scoreboard onto the table, fixing it to the Mason jar board. Place the scoreboard with the main side facing up. Each player now adds their Mason jars onto the board. It doesn't matter where you place them, but make sure both players align their jars to match each other's placement. Each player takes one wild token, leaving the rest in a central reserve. The Family will also take the storm tokens adding to their personal reserve. The family will take the blue bag and add four advance tokens, two spawn, and two strengthen tokens into this bag. They will also take the upgrade tokens and add them to their player area. Anyone playing as Kammi will now take the Action Grid and place it face up in front of them. Take two advance, spawn, and strengthen tokens and place them randomly onto this grid. Then take one Advance token and place it to the left of the Action Grid on the table. Then, (and again, only if Kammi is in the game) the other player will take three Doll tokens and secretly place one face down on each of the hexes behind your Home Hex. One token is a Doll, the other two are decoy skulls. The player playing as Kammi can now move their Haints and Legend standee to be on their home space or the hexes containing a Doll token. Now, the Protectors place one Townsfolk meeple on each of the four Terrain spaces on their side of the Scoreboard, and the Family does the same with the buildings on their side. Then finally, shuffle the nine bonus tiles and each player in turn flips one over, placing it into the leftmost empty space on the Mason jar board. If the first player token comes up, that player will be the first player. If not, once the four spaces are full, keep drawing in turn until one player claims the first player token for that round. Keep the remaining tiles face down next to the Mason jar board to use later. You are now ready to play! How To Play Harrow County Playing the game is a lot simpler than setting it up! The game runs in three main phases, but only really one has any meat. Let's get into it. First, players playing against the Family or Protectors will place their Townsfolk meeples or Buildings onto the map. One piece each round. And they must be placed onto a terrain matching the terrain they were originally on, on the Mason jar board. Ideally, you want to put this as far away from your opponent as possible to make it hard for them to get to it. If you are up against Kammi, do nothing! That's phase one done. When all pieces are on the board this phase is skipped. Phase two is where the real strategy of the game exists. Players will now take turns, starting with the first player, to pick one of the four available Mason jars on their side of the Mason board. The first time each player picks one of the four unique actions, they can also take the bonus action in the middle. This bonus action can be carried out before or after the main one, but not during. The four main actions allow you to move your character on the board, spawn new Haints to your home space or the hex where your leader is, take a wild action, or fight. Moving is simple. You can move any number of units from one hex to another for one movement. You can drop units off as you go, move just one, or all of them. Your choice. Movement onto mountains costs one extra hex. Movement onto storm spaces also has an increased cost. The Family can place paths to reduce movement costs. The Protectors can place storms to increase their opponents' movement costs. Adding Haunts can be done either on the home hex or on the space where your Leader is currently present. You cannot have more than four units on one hex at a time, and units from opposing sides cannot share the same hex. The wild action means you take a wild token and add it to your collection, and then carry out one action of any type, based on the number of wild tokens you have. You don’t discard them when you use them. As such, your wild actions will increase in power by one each time you take this action. The more you do it, the more powerful it becomes. Fighting is a little more complicated, but in short, you can target any enemy unit one or two spaces away, three when on the mountain space. This is done by adding all cubes currently in the battleground tray into the top of the box and dropping them into the cube tower. The player with the most units in battle gets to add one extra cube before this happens. You also get one bonus action to move, spawn, or add an extra cube before or after you start a fight. When the cubes are dropped, not all come out. Some will get stuck, some will knock loose cubes previously caught up. The outcome is never certain. The player with the most cubes wins the fight. If you have more cubes and at least two in total, you can discard these cubes to remove a Haint from the board and gain a point. It only takes one cube if your enemy is in the Brambles. If you have cubes remaining after this and there are still Haints in the target hex, you can do this for a second time. If an enemy has a leader and a hint, you must target the hint first. If there are no hints, you can move the leader to another space and attack a hint on another. Removing a Haint will score you one point. When you fight for a second time in the game, you need two Haints for a point, then three. Move the slider on your score tracker to keep a record of this. You can move this marker back with one of the bonus tiles though, a very powerful action to have, considering the game ends when you gain seven or more points! So, on occasions, you can gain one point for killing a single Haint two times in consecutive turns! The other way to score points is based on which character you are playing. The Family is looking to connect their home hex with the blue buildings using their storm tokens. At the end of each round or using their Legendary power, they can place one more storm token onto the board. Creating continuous paths of storm tokens not only slows down the movement of the other players but also gains them two points at the end of each round for each destroyed building. The protectors do the same, but with the Townspeople meeple placed on the board. They can create a path using the path tokens, Haints, or Leader. The path tokens are gained when they pick up the Legendary tokens on the board and can be placed near the Leader to help reduce the requirement for movement to get around the board, whilst being a part of their safe paths for the Townspeople. Any connected path leading a Towns person back to the Protectors home Hex scores them two points at the end of the round. Kammi and Hester work a little differently but I wont fully go into that here. Kammi is best used once you have played the game a few times with the Family and the Protectors. Hester is the third player, and again, best used once two players understand the way the main two factions work. Each faction has access to the same actions as detailed above, but utilises them in a very different way. The Family will pull tokens out of the bag, based on the number shown on their player board. At the end of the round, all units on spaces with tokens can take those tokens and add them to their play area. Players can then choose to add them onto their player board or place them in the bag. You want them in the bag so you have the chance of pulling them out next round and doing them. But you want to add them to your board so that you can increase your player powers, and pull more tokens. The Protectors work differently. All tokens they can are added to their board to build up the strength of the three main actions. They can build up the number of actions they do this way quicker, but they can only ever carry out one action in this way each round. All players have cards dealt to them at the start of the game. The Protectors' cards allow them to take powerful additional actions such as spawning additional Haints, claiming extra tokens, or moving their Legend. The Family has upgrade cards that they can use to switch out previously gained tokens with upgraded versions that offer improved actions. At the end of each round, any player holding the central bramble location will gain one point. All units on spaces with tokens can now take those tokens into their possession. All bonus tiles on the Mason board are replenished, the Mason jars themselves are flipped back over, the first player token is switched, and a new round begins. Unless any player has scored seven or more points at this stage, in which case the game ends. Is It Fun? Harrow County: The Game Of Gothic Conflict Board Game Review The lite version is too simple and too quick. But I can see why it was included to help with the learning process. However, it does seem more of a legacy effect from the original rule book being laid out in a chapter system. With that now gone, I think it would have been fine to just teach the full game and leave it at that. It is not that complicated, and the lite version is nowhere near as good an experience. I would give the lite version a 6.5 at best. I fear for some people who may play this version and then move on. Games need to grab people from the start. There is a lot of competition for people's attention out there. I would encourage any new players to Harrow County to start with the full game. The full game is deeply thematic. It links beautifully to the core text, conveys a real sense of struggle between two battling communities, and ultimately offers a rewarding and entertaining experience. If you are a fan of the comics (as I am), you will adore this! I cannot see why this is not a must-buy for you! If you have not read the core text and are unsure, then read on. This game does not feel as polished as Mind MGMT. The system of that game, serving you new content in between each game, felt epic. The game evolved over multiple games, and you never felt like you had covered it all. There was always more to learn, more to explore, much like reading a graphic novel over various chapters. With the initial chapter system in Harrow County, I think the designers wanted to create a similar experience with this game, but it just wasn't needed. Now they have moved to a lite and full game (which is a better decision), the sense of exploration is somewhat nullified. There still is some, of course. Multiple characters can be used, adding in Hester as a third player, using the expansion to add in a fourth, trying out different sides. There are lots of ways to play this game, but each game does generally feel 80% the same as the last. It won't have those big swings each game like Mind MGMT. But that is fine. As this game is good. If you enjoy path building and asymmetry, buy this game. This game does these two mechanics in a fresh, engaging, and thoroughly strategic way. My only personal complaint is the game is fast. It can be over in 30 minutes. I feel the seven-point scoring target is too low. I wonder where that came from? I have played a few games with a higher ten-point target, and it felt right to me. The game lasted closer to 45 minutes, and I got more out of it. The theme of this game is what stands out the most for me, though. As a fan of the comics, I have been enthralled by the entire experience. From the art, the characters, and the box being used as the tree; I have been entirely captivated by this wonderful adaptation. And then when I spotted the art on the bottom of the box, showing the Witch buried under the tree, oh my! As such, I am trying to think what this game would feel like for someone not as enthralled by the theme. How would someone who has not read the comics feel about this? Well, everyone I played this game with fell into that category, and they seemed a lot less enthusiastic about the game than I did. They liked the tight mechanics, fast gameplay, and interesting asymmetry, but did not feel it captivated them just as it had done for me. As such, I would strongly recommend this to anyone who read and enjoyed the books. For anyone else, perhaps buy the comic first and see if you like that! Then buy this game. If the comics are not for you, maybe this game is not for you. And have I mentioned the box is used as a cube tower?!