Publisher Shadowborne Games burst onto the scene in 2022 with their debut hit Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood. The sheer enormity of Oathsworn is impressive to say the least, from both a first-time publisher and first-time head designer Jamie Jolly, although the staff is composed of some industry veterans in both the board game and screenwriting industries,  Behemoth in both size and scope, this game comes complete with optional high-quality miniatures, terrain, and even an ‘armory’ of various weapons that can be physically equipped to the character miniatures via a removable push-fit system. Want your hero to swashbuckle two swords at a time? Just pop out their current arms and replace them with the new blades you picked up last session. The armory system and larger-than-life terrain, while completely superfluous, adds to the experience in a fun way. It’s a “they didn’t have to do that” kind of sentiment that you’ll end up seeing throughout the entirety of the game.

[caption id="attachment_310504" align="alignnone" width="1500"] To flail or chop? Decisions, decisions.[/caption]

Into the Woods

Oathsworn is a large campaign game that effectively boils down to two phases: exploration and combat. In a given ‘chapter,’ the formula is the same. Players start with a narrative-driven exploration, making choices throughout, until finally reaching a…

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Slay the Spire is a rogue-like deck-building video game that burst onto the scene in 2019 to great acclaim. Initially launched on Steam, it was an instant critical darling that soon expanded to both console and mobile platforms. While it wasn’t the first deck-building rogue-like game—Dream Quest and Hand of Fate come to mind—it still stands as the pinnacle of the genre that it helped to take mainstream, spawning many imitators but no true challengers to the throne. I’ve personally sunk at least 500 hours across multiple platforms, enthralled by its difficult but addictive gameplay. 

When I heard that a board game version of Slay the Spire was being made, I was a little surprised. Not surprised that people were cashing in on the popularity of a mega-hit and the growing board game hobby. I was surprised because Slay the Spire already feels like a board game in digital form. It has a pretty standard deck-building format. Start with a 10-card deck of basic cards, draw five cards, take actions, repeat and reshuffle as necessary. Throughout the course of the game, you’ll be adding cards to the deck, perhaps removing some of the weaker starting cards, trying to optimize that card deck engine to engineer powerful turns that hopefully translate to winning.

Granted, Slay the Spire super-sizes the format…

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Saddle up your horses, grab your guns, and play your poker hands as we review Western Legends

Western Legends is a 2-6 player sandbox game set in the American West with a variable length set in advance by the players. For those not familiar with the term “sandbox,” it’s all about freedom and variety. Imagine all the things you could do in a sandbox: Build a sand castle, bury your feet in the sand, throw some sand in your older brother’s face while he shoves your head into a plastic bucket, etc. 

In Western Legends players have the freedom to head out into the wild, dusty yonder to do pretty much whatever they want to do. Want to be an outlaw? Well then, Annie, get your gun and go rob somebody. Want to be on the side of the law instead and go catch them varmints? Saddle up, sheriff. Maybe you want to live your inner cowboy and herd cattle down the great western trail, or be your best prospector, panning for gold in them thar’ hills. Gamble away your hard-earned bucks at the saloon or entertain yourself at the cabaret. Western Legends lets you do every one of those things and more, all in the pursuit of the all-important Legendary Points.

Once upon a Game in the…

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Does the third game in the Horrified series, set in ancient Greek mythology live up to the standards set by its older siblings? Check out our review of Horrified: Greek Monsters.

Horrified is a family-weight cooperative game that burst onto the scene back in 2019 to much acclaim, both cementing its place in my collection and establishing design group Prospero Hall as the go-to producers of IP-based games that hold up to gamer scrutiny. In Horrified, players work together to defeat a varied number of movie monsters intent on terrorizing the most unlucky town ever. Horrified: American Monsters, the standalone sequel, swaps out Universal movie monsters for American cryptids. Horrified: Greek Monsters (HGM for short) takes the monster-hunting, town-defending romp to the world of ancient Greek mythology, with such villains as Medusa, Cerberus, the Minotaur, and other mythological entities.

[caption id="attachment_307843" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] What's in the box?[/caption]

Let’s Do That Again

Gameplay for the previous two Horrified games features a pickup and deliver mechanic with the primary variance being the specific conditions required for each monster. (For more on general gameplay, see our review of the original game.)  HGM takes the same approach. If you’ve ever played either the original or American-cryptid based sequel, you will…

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Pampero - Justin Bell

Pampero is the new heavy Euro designed by Julián Pombo, who served as the co-designer of Mercado de Lisboa along with Vital Lacerda (Kanban EV, Inventions: Evolution of Ideas, Vinhos: Deluxe Edition). While Pampero is interesting, it plays like a game just shy of something that would hit my table repeatedly.

Players are investors working to build out the energy network of Uruguay by building wind farms and electrical towers across a massive, beautiful playspace graphically designed by Ian O’Toole. Across a short series of turns (18, give or take), players manage a hand of cards to take actions while doing a bunch of Eurogame-y things like boost income tracks, fulfill public contracts, and race other players to have the most of certain icons before each of the game’s three scoring rounds. Pampero looks great, has a ridiculous number of high-end components, provides a fantastic player aid that answered all of my in-game questions, and plays much faster than I would have guessed (an hour and 45 minutes with four players).

But some of the upgraded action cards are strictly better than other cards in the same market, and some of the basic action cards were not used at all during my game, including…

The post Quick Peaks – Pampero, Joan of Arc: Orléans Draw & Write, Trash Talk, Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood, Tangram City appeared first on Meeple Mountain.

Over the 10-ish years that I’ve been in the hobby, I’ve purchased a lot of games. Starting out as a new gamer, I bought games almost indiscriminately. As the years have passed though, I’ve become a lot more selective. Here are some often-heard selling points that may appeal to others, but don’t really stick for me.

Board Game Designer

One mistake that I have made in the past is assuming that if I like one game by a particular game designer, I will like all of their games. Sadly, I have found that this is not the case. Even though many designers tend to stick to a recognizable design ethos—Stefan Feld and Uwe Rosenberg come to mind—I’ve found that even the designers of my favorite Top 10 level games don’t have a consistent hit rate with me. I absolutely adore Corey Koniezcka’s Star Wars: Rebellion, but neither 3000 Scoundrels nor The Initiative really hit for me. Sleeping Gods is an absolute masterpiece, but Ryan Laukat’s Above and Below just didn’t land. While there are designers that I own multiple of their designs, like Matt Leacock’s Pandemic and Daybreak, my ears no longer perk up and take notice of an upcoming game simply because a designer’s name is attached to it.

[mm-productlinking…

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I’ve played a lot of games in the 10 or so years that I’ve been in the hobby, and have a pretty good read on what I like and don’t like. Here are six games that I shouldn’t like, but I do.  

One of the best things I’ve discovered about the modern board game hobby is its sheer variety. I believe that there is a game for everyone, no matter your preferred tastes, interests, or desired complexity. Over the years, I’ve found some elements that I just do not like…except for these six games. Here are my Top 6 Games I Shouldn’t Like

Power Grid – Math

I’ve never been a big math guy. Sure, I did okay in high school algebra and for some reason still remember the quadratic equation, but math—particularly mental math—has never been a strength. That proves to be a liability in a lot of modern hobby games where the difference between winning and losing may come down to my ability to determine which move gets me six points versus five.

[caption id="attachment_301014" align="alignnone" width="681"] Between Two Cities + Five Tribes = 7 Wonders?[/caption]

Power Grid is a medium-heavy economic game about paying money for power plants via auction, paying money…

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Monikers: Monikers-er - Andrew Lynch

Monikers is a great party game if you’ve got a group that isn’t afraid of getting silly. Monikers-er cranks things up, with a collection of obscure, seemingly impossible cards. All your new favorites are here: Mukbong, Washington Crossing the Delaware, Reiner Knizia. It’s the Monikers set for those who like their word selections eclectic, which I certainly do. The final endorsement: I’d rather play Monikers with just these cards than mix in the base set.

Ease of entry?:
★★★★★ - No sweat
Would I play it again?:
★★★★★ - Will definitely play it again

Read more articles from Andrew Lynch.

Faraway - Andy Matthews

Faraway is a game about journeys—traveling through a magical land called Alula. Over the course of 8 rounds players will play cards in front of themselves in order to arrange resources and scoring conditions for end of game scoring. The catch is that you lay down cards from left to right, but score from right to left after first flipping all the cards face down. This means you have to constantly be thinking in two directions—setting yourself up with difficult scoring cards on the left side, while giving yourself things TO…

The post Quick Peaks – Monikers: Monikers-er, Faraway, Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West, Wyrmspan, Western Legends: Showdown appeared first on Meeple Mountain.

Explore, adventure, and boss battle your way through the fantasy world of Atios through a robust but accessible campaign.

Kinfire 101

Kinfire Chronicles: Night’s Fall is a campaign game set in the fictional world of Atios. This fantasy world is unique to the game, though both the subtitle and the use of the plural ‘chronicles’ leads me to believe that future games set in this universe may yet be on the horizon. Kinfire Chronicles accommodates 1-4 players. (I will note that all of my plays were solo.) The basic storyline is that you are Seekers, heroes recruited to go on various quests, wielding a special lantern filled with a magical substance known as ‘kinfire.’ Throughout the game you’ll be exploring towns and countryside, adventuring through various encounters, and fighting baddies in “boss battler” style, divided into distinct scenarios which each take a manageable 45-60 minutes.

The ongoing narrative in Kinfire Chronicles is handled primarily through various decks of cards, specific to the scenario. While the adventure and exploration provides a rich backstory and narrative, the primary focus of a scenario is the boss battle. Players will play cards on their turn from their own personal deck to deal either melee or ranged damage, as well as potentially helping other players on their turn by playing a 'boost' card that…

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Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done - Bob Pazehoski, Jr.

I’ve had my eye on Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done for a long time, so I was pretty excited to get it to the table. The game mechanism of a rondel governed by mancala-style movement is swift and responsive: take an action according to the number of tokens, then redistribute the tokens. The available action points are always in flux, creating tension between preparation and execution in the face of shifting opportunities.

There seem to be two ways to play Crusaders: with kindness and not. It’s easy enough to mind your business and chase your goals with minimal intrusion by others at the table. But it’s also easy to wait in the wings to snipe what another player has started, thwarting their hopes and dashing their dreams. The ideal is probably somewhere between. The colors pop, the components are exceedingly sturdy, the gameplay is quick, and the bit of engine-building can be quite satisfying. I won’t call it the most exciting game ever, but I would say it’s very good and definitely begs further play. 

Ease of entry?:
★★★★☆ - The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?:
★★★★★ - Will definitely play it again

Watch our review of Crusaders:…

The post First Take Friday – Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done, Targi, Kinfire Chronicles: Night’s Fall, Tribes of the Wind appeared first on Meeple Mountain.

Join me as I look at some premium gaming upgrades that can take your table from basic to breathtaking.

War of the Ring is one of my all-time favorite games. Set in the massive world of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, its scale is as grand as its gameplay. Between the map that spans two standard sized game-boards and the slew of plastic miniatures of various characters and factions, War of the Ring is the epitome of table presence. But what if you could amplify that aesthetic appeal even higher, and turn that visual dial up to eleven?

[caption id="attachment_283768" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Gondor's Fabled White Tree[/caption]

Evil Toymaker Studio aims to do just that. They graciously offered for review a full set of their available line of War of the Ring component upgrades. Well, upgrades is a loose term here, as I would consider these particular offerings straight add-ons. Instead of replacing existing components, they provide new 3D elements that exist primarily to enhance the gameplay experience.

[caption id="attachment_283770" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Mountains, Both the Snowy and the Scary Kind.[/caption]

The full set of War of the Ring upgrades include mountainous terrain that fits perfectly atop the printed landscape, stronghold pieces that sit majestically in their…

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Frosthaven is one of the most anticipated games of 2023, sequel to the absurdly successful Gloomhaven and its little sibling Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. With over 100 scenarios in the Frosthaven campaign, branching pathways and hundreds of secrets to discover, reviewing this iceberg of a game requires more than just a single person.

Happily, Meeple Mountain is up to the task and today David McMillan, Jesse Fletcher, Will Hare and Andrew Holmes discuss their separate and combined experiences venturing to the frozen outpost of Frosthaven. Before we get onto discussing the game itself though, we’ll just introduce our previous experiences with the series and how we’re each playing through Frosthaven.

David: My first experience with a Gloomhaven was a brief, single excursion on my back porch one warm spring evening a few years back with Jesse, our friend Andrew Plassard (who’d brought along the first edition of the game), and my wife. If I recall correctly, the campaign for the game’s second printing was ongoing on Kickstarter at the time.

While that experience didn’t convince me to pull the trigger on it, it certainly put the thought into my head that, someday, I wanted to…

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Wayfarers of the South Tigris - David McMillan

I always get excited when I see a new Shem Phillips game appear. And I especially get excited when that game is one of his <name> of the <compass direction><modifier> series. So, I was ultra-excited to finally get to sit down and play Wayfarers of the South Tigris this past weekend. And, let me tell you, it’s everything I’d hoped it would be and more.

Wayfarers is a tableau builder featuring a smattering of worker placement, a pinch of set collection, and a whole heap of card comboing. With artwork by The Mico, Wayfarers wasn’t just a feast for this gamer’s soul, but a feast for the eyes as well. I can’t wait to get it to the table again… and again… and again…

Ease of entry?:
★★★★☆ - The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?:
★★★★★ - Will definitely play it again

Read more articles from David McMillan.

Moesteiro - Bob Pazehoski, Jr.

In Moesteiro, players take up the task of building a Renaissance-era monastery in Portugal. The primary mechanism is a dice queue of sorts. Players draft from their own pool of dice to place them as workers for each of the game’s…

The post First Take Friday – Wayfarers of the South Tigris, Moesteiro, Hoplomachus: Remastered, Isle of Cats, Frosthaven appeared first on Meeple Mountain.