If I had to keep a single title in my collection, it would be Cosmic Encounter. No other game represents everything I love from our medium as well as it does. It’s fun, challenging, social. Whenever I play it, I laugh and, win or lose, I come out refreshed and enriched from the experience. Chaotic and irreverent, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s one of the greatest games ever designed.
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Food Chain Magnate is known for the importance placed on its openings. Following Splotter’s philosophy that the first turn is pointless if it can’t make us lose, no mistake goes unpunished. Thankfully, learning to avoid them is quite easy. All we need to know are the differences between three employees: Recruiting Girl, Trainer and Marketing Trainee.
Last week, I gave a talk on the history of Eurogames at the Ludo Ergo Sum convention. In it, I explained how they came to be, their influences and even how German culture is baked into their design. While it’s not as polished as my articles and my pronunciation is shaky, I’ve recorded a version of it in English so you can also listen to it. You can’t miss it!
Japan was unified by three feudal lords. The first, Oda Nobunaga, spent twenty years bringing the nation under his power. After being betrayed, Toyotomi Hideyoshi governed for a decade before his death. The last one, Tokugawa Ieyasu, would create a dynasty after a military campaign lasting seven weeks. Matt Calkin’s Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan tells that story, in one of wargaming’s best and most elegant designs.
Do you love video games? If that’s the case but you haven’t checked out board games as well, there’s a lot you’ve been missing. The analog side of the hobby is every bit as good as the digital one. In some ways, it may even be better! Hence, I’ve compiled a list of the eight games I recommend the most for video game fans who want to try the amazing world of board games.
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