We are over a quarter of the way through the year, so that means Rory and Steve, are a quarter of the way through their BGG Top 100 challenge, so we look back at the current highlights and lowlights and of course talk about some of the best board games currently playable. But its not all about looking back as we go into detail about card drafting game Vale of Eternity, a game that’s much deeper than it looks, and Apiary, a Euro-style game themed around bees in space. We then dip into the mailbag for chat about the themes we are fed up of. Read more ..read more

Join the PhC boys for Episode 145 as Andy discovers his lucky totem that allows him to make it to and from Airecon without his car breaking down. Steve accedentally creates what is sure to be the best fabric softener in the history of fabric softners. Sid invents a new word #Begrumble, and Rory awards himself the board game equivalent of the Victoria Cross for playing his least favourite game on the BGG Top 100. They also discuss the highlights and the further highlights of Airecon, which unsurprisingly consists of food, beer, and board games (in that order), including: a chaotic and hilar ..read more

Space.  The final frontier.  These are the voyages of the Queen Bee ship. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new sources of pollen and fibre, and to carve honey runes into the side of the vessel.  To find pollen where no bee has before. So, the themes (plural) are a bit of an odd mix in Apiary…and by odd obviously, I mean utterly bonkers, but once you just settle in and accept it, what lies beneath is an enjoyable, middleweight worker placement game which has a few interesting twists and turns and a pretty short and snappy playtime. Read more ..read more

This succinct little tableau-building, action programming game does something brilliant in its simplicity and simple in its brilliance. A game of Faraway will not take long, and it will not melt your brain, but each game will leave you feeling like you’ve just scratched a little bit more off it, that you understand the nuances just a fraction more, and that your next game will be that fabled, perfect game. Read more ..read more

Although Kutná Hora is an economic euro game, the game isn’t about money. It’s about working the market. It’s about reading your opponents, being ready to take advantage of an opportunity, and being clever. The real resources in this game are your actions, your timing, and your opponents. This game is both cleverly clever and subtly clever that at the end of the game will leave you feeling very satisfied with the experience (even if you didn’t win). Players are trying to develop the renaissance city of Kutná Hora, accomplished by digging mines, purchasing writs, plots of land, and construc ..read more

Scholars of the South Tigris has a lot going on.  It’s the most complicated game yet published by Garphil Games and in short, it’s bloody brilliant.   In a nutshell, the game is about translating documents; you are trying to run a path through various translators to end up with an Arabic version of your scroll.  Along the way you’ll hire translators to the library, you’ll add more, and a greater variety of dice to your bag, and you’ll do some action programming as well as doing some colour mixing. Read more ..read more

Not to be grandiose in the introduction to this review, but, can we start by agreeing that the point of board gaming is to have a fun and engaging interaction with others?  Good.  Now, as a parent*, if I can do this with my kids, well that is fantastic.  That is to say, I too can have fun.  And not ‘vicarious fun’ through my children’s enjoyment, but to have an actual fun and engaging interaction with them.  Well, if you are a parent reading this, I think we can agree that is priceless. Read more ..read more

The Polyhedron Collider Cast is back with another episode packed with tabletop gaming chatter.  In this episode, we tread the rain-soaked streets of the Blade Runner RPG, blow up dissident planets in Star Wars Rebellion, and explore the best Dungeons & Dragons adventures. But this is not before we take an in-depth look at the historical economic game Kutná Hora: The City of Silver from CGE and argue about zoo builder Ark Nova (aka Terraforming Zoos). Read more ..read more

The Polyhedron Collider Cast is back with another episode packed with tabletop gaming chatter.  In this episode, our hosts, Steve, Andy, Sid, and Rory, bring us breaking news that's set to change the game – literally. We're talking about a new sponsorship deal with Kienda that's as exciting for the listeners as it is for the podcast. With a special QR code discount for board game purchases, it's a win-win for everyone involved. But that's just the beginning. The episode takes a playful turn with discussions ranging from selling body parts for board games (yes, you read that right) to ..read more

Tiwanaku may look like a pretty Zen, meditative game.  It’s a game about striking a balance with Mother Earth as you explore the landscape and plant crops.  It has soft, pastel colours, and the simple “topography-line-art” puts me in mind of sand rake art.  Tiwanaku even sounds quiet not itself - but if you were to watch people play it, there would be lots of soft mutterings and long protracted moments of silence as players stare intently at the board.     In short, Tiwanaku is quite a deep, thinky game. Read more ..read more