Since my May Combat Commander ladder game isn’t until later this month, I thought I would share a previous supplemental adventure that I had back in February with a member of the ladder. The March ladder scenario is always taken from the Sea Lion battle pack, and I thought it would be cool to try and guess what the next month’s scenario would be. I was wrong, but it was still a fun scenario! Eric and I finally hooked up for a game after numerous times of one of us not being available when the other posted in the Discord “Anybody up for a game?” It was a nice and peaceful Friday night, which is ..read more

After a March that was a literal cornucopia of new games (yes, literal, they were all about fruit and veggies!), April was a really hard month for new to me games (and games in general, but that’s tomorrow’s post). Until last Sunday, I only had one new to me game played in April, but that changed when Abi brought some of the new hotness to the day. The one new to me game I had played earlier in the month was from 2013! So the Cult of the New to Me was quite happy. But last Sunday’s game was a 2024 game that has just arrived, and that dampened the mood. I got a few stern looks, but overall the ..read more

It’s a Friday night and the rain has stopped! Until overnight, then it’s supposed to rain all weekend. Welcome to Vancouver! Thanks for coming into the bar, even with the Canucks game on. Sorry, I don’t have a TV. Just a jukebox that plays nothing but the greatest hits of Donny Osmond. You’ll notice there’s nobody else in here? Maybe I should get a TV. But you’re not here to listen to “music” or talk about hockey. You’re here to talk about board games! So let me grab you a beverage of your choice and let’s get started. Tonight, I’d like to talk about review posts and first impressions posts ..read more

I like card games a lot. Short, punchy 2-player card games are even better, as you don’t need a lot of time and they work in almost any circumstance. Even better is when they do some innovative things with the whole genre. Like Cain and Abel is an 18-card, 2-player trick-taking game designed by, with artwork by, and published by J.L. Reid. It’s going to Kickstarter on April 30 and the campaign is running until May 23. J.L. graciously offered me a prototype copy of the game in exchange for a fair an honest review, and I jumped at the chance. Keep in mind, though, that since this is a prototype ..read more

What’s this? Two months in a row where I actually do my Combat Commander ladder game report early? That’s unheard of! There must be something in the water. It’s time for another tale from the ladder! The ladder is a Combat Commander monthly tournament run by the unshakeable Patrick Pence, he of Patrick’s Tactics & Tutorials Youtube fame. You should really go and check that channel out! Especially if you like exciting VASSAL wargaming content. And tutorials! If you’re new to Combat Commander, definitely check out Patrick’s tutorials on it. Before I go any further, allow me to welcome Kai Je ..read more

Apologies for the bar being closed last night! It’s been a bit of a struggle the last couple of weeks getting stuff written as I’ve been suffering from a bit of imposter syndrome, wondering again what the heck I’m doing with this thing. I’m already sensing Grant giving me the side-eye. I’ve managed to not miss a complete week, though, which I’m happy with. So now the bar is open again (even though we have no customers) and I’d be happy to serve you up a drink while we chat about boardgames! I’ve made you this! I don’t know what it is, but I’ve heard it’s good. On the Internet, don’t you know ..read more

Aloha! (Saying this for my friend who’s out on a cruise, even though she’s not technically going to Hawaii but somewhere just as warm). You may be wondering. “Dave, why are you wearing socks with sandals?” I would say that you should just keep your damned opinions to yourself, you young whippersnapper. You may also be wondering why it’s been almost 2 months since a “New to Me Games” post. That’s because I played nothing new in February! I did note that…were you paying attention? Anyway, with a convention in March, I knew that things would take a drastic change for the better this month. Lots o ..read more

It’s a few days after another great convention experience, so let’s talk a little bit about Terminal City Tabletop Convention – 2024. This year, it was held at the Vancouver Convention Centre which is right on the water in downtown Vancouver. It’s a beautiful site, and also the same venue as SHUX was held in…I don’t remember the last one (hey, let’s link to a blog post that might refresh the memory). They didn’t reserve as much space as SHUX, obviously, but it was still much better than 2023 where space was so much at a premium that we went to get food in shifts because we couldn’t afford to g ..read more

It would be cool to live on the ocean. Beachfront property, your back door opening right onto the beach, listening from your balcony to the ocean waves crash on the shore, watching the lightning from a storm out over the water. That would be amazing! How about living under the ocean, though? That would be very wet and hard to breathe…unless you had domes! That’s kind of the premise of Underwater Cities. The game was designed by Vladimír Suchý with artwork by Uildrim and Milan Vavroň. It was published by Delicious Games and Rio Grande Games in 2018. With population booming on the surface, it’s ..read more

After a really bad (and late!) February episode of Tales from the Combat Commander ladder, we’re getting to March’s almost as soon as I’m done playing it! This was a much more satisfying game, and that’s whether or not I won (I’m not giving you any spoilers). The scenario was clean and it was just an amazingly fun time! What’s the ladder? It’s a tournament setting run by the beyond compare Patrick Pence, he of Patrick’s Tactics & Tutorials Youtube fame. Yes, I do mean fame. He’s got more followers than I do! (Editor: “That’s not saying much”) The March scenario is from the Sea Lion battle ..read more