Hellas & Elisium is the most important expansion for Terraforming Mars. However, it’s not because it introduces any new elements to the franchise or because the shape of its two maps has an important effect on how you play. Rather, it’s the most important because it does away with the tutorial aspects that define the base game and allows players to more fully express themselves.
What a year! In the last twelve months I may have written some of my best articles yet. More people than ever read my blog and I’ve met many of you, who are as excited to talk about games as I am. Today I look back at all the articles I’ve written last year, what I think about them and what I’m planning for the future.
This has been a very special year. Today I wanted to thank everyone who makes this blog possible. To those who read me, those who follow me on social media and those who debate with me about games. To Debbie, my editor, Yariknight, my Spanish proof-reader, and all my supporters on Patreon. To everyone who has been part of this project, thank you!
As a gift, we made a small escape room for you. Hope you have fun with it!
“It’s not that I’m overly influenced by conflict games. It’s that they have a seat at my table and, for other designers, they don’t”. Across the screen with a sly smile, sits Cole Wehrle, designer of Root. As we talk about his passion for wargames, the influence of Dune and the obscure Early Railways Series one thought crosses my mind: How do his habits as a player shape him as a designer?
In the 13 years since its release, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game has become a cult classic. Its fate, however, was tied to that of the TV show. After the license ran out, it became increasingly expensive and hard to find. Now it returns as Unfathomable, with slightly different mechanics and set in a Lovecraftian world. Which one is better, and why?
