Dale Yu: Review of Map Masters 

 

 

Map Masters

  • Designers: Ian Sebastian Bach, Cédrick Caumont 
  • Publisher: Captain Games
  • Players: 1-5
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 30-60 minutes
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

Map Masters is a dungeon-crawling card game in which you must create your path, card by card, through the dark rooms of your dungeon in search of legendary treasures. Dive into Map Masters, a thrilling adventure in Solo, Cooperative, or Competitive mode.

In Map Masters Versus Mode, each player builds their own Dungeon using 5 cards. Once their Dungeon is created, each player draws their Path to collect as many Discoveries as possible that match the round’s Objective. Next, players count the points of Discoveries along their Path that match the Primary and Secondary Objectives in order to earn Victory Points (VP). Along the way, players also collect Coins, which they can use to purchase new Cards or Tokens from the Market. Each turn player will also chose to use the Optimizers they encountered and improve their deck.

In Map Masters Co-op Mode, Players will jointly manage groups of adventurers. In order to accomplish a mission, players should discuss strategy both before and during the game. After the setup and the market phase, players will explore the dungeon.Clockwise, each player will place a card on an empty space of the tableau and draw a new card. Once a group mini can be connected to an objective, players should trace its path. When the mission requirements have been fulfilled, the game is won!

Every game is a new challenge to overcome, every card a crucial decision.

 

  Continue reading

Posted in Essen 2025, Reviews | 1 Comment

Alison Brennan: Game Snapshots – 2026 (Part 8)

 

 

New-to-me games played recently include …

12 RIVERS (2025): Rank 6164, Rating 7.2

12 marbles of different values drop down 12 chutes which gradually coalesce until there’s only 1 channel left. You need specific marbles to fulfil contracts so the gamble you face each round is whether to spend a lot and place your dam high up (and hopefully acquire exactly the high valued marble you need) or spend low and place your dam low down and get whatever’s left – the gamble being if you don’t spend max, will someone spend even more, steal the marble you want, and leave you paying lots for a dam now worth closer to nothing. Repeat for 5 rounds. There are some special effects to mix things up and increase your gambling risk. It’s playable, it’s pretty, but it didn’t make me give a damn.

Rating: 6

  Continue reading

Posted in Sessions | Leave a comment

Dale Yu: Four recent Expansions – Heat Rocky Roads, Luna (Galileo Galelei), Terra Mystica Fan Factions, Cities: Achievement Boards and Theaters

 

So, just got a chance to play through a number of recent expansions, and I thought it would be nice to package up the previews/reviews in one piece.   I’ll include the link to our review of each base game – if you’re unfamiliar with the base games, go read that first and then come back to learn of the additions included in each of these expansions!

 

 

Review of Heat

Review of Galileo Galilei

Review of Terra Mystica

Review of Cities

 

Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Dale Yu: Review of Behind

 

 

Behind

  • Designer: Cedric Millet
  • Publisher: KYF edition
  • Players: 1+
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 45-90 minutes
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

 Analyze, assemble, admire — in Behind, you’ll find three scenes to solve, each with its own unique mechanisms and reflection. You want to observe the tiles laid out in front of you, then assemble them logically and turn them over to admire the result on the reverse! Six clue cards are available for each scene and should be turned over in numerical order. The scenes in the box are:

  • The Theft: A theft has taken place in a city museum. The investigation is moving fast! (Illustrated by Pierô – 56 tiles)
    • The Professor: Two scientists experiment with an incredible machine. (Scripted and illustrated by Martin Vidberg – 54 tiles)
    • Imhotep: A bas-relief of strange hieroglyphs is said to open a door to the cosmos. (Illustrated by Maud Chalmel – 70 tiles)

Once you’ve reconstructed the picture, you can read all of the clues at your disposal, even if none of them were turned over while you were solving the picture. They’ll help you validate your thinking and confirm your thoughts! Finally, flip each tile to reveal the final image…

Continue reading

Posted in Essen 2025, Reviews | Leave a comment

Dale Yu: Review of Pinched!

 

 

Pinched!

  • Designers: David Gordon, Jonathan Gilmour-Long
  • Publisher: Mighty Boards
  • Players: 2-5
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 60 minutes
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3ZcfNzP
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

As the wealthy flaunt their valuables, with their infinite money and privilege, the less fortunate of us are left to scheme on how to skim a bit off the top. You are not wealthy. You call your esteemed profession: “Wealth Redistribution” or, in layperson’s terms – burglary, ah – but burglary is such a harsh word – pinching, merely, and you’re darn good at it. Unfortunately, so are your “friends”.  Each turn, one player (burglar) becomes “The Mastermind”, planning their perfect, infallible Heist. In the meantime, the other burglars in town have been busy trying to guess where the break-in will be. If The Mastermind manages to go alone, they will take all valuables in that location for themselves, but if the other burglars guess correctly, and show up in the right place, they will be able to pinch some Valuables from The Mastermind’s Heist! The player who steals and sells the most Valuables, and hence “Redistributes” the most wealth is the winner.

 

 

Continue reading

Posted in Essen 2025, Reviews | Leave a comment

Dale Yu: Review of 7 Wonders Dice

 

 

7 Wonders Dice

  • Designer: Antoine Bauza
  • Publisher: Repos
  • Players: 2-7
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 25 minutes 
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/480ZMlC
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

Guide one of the seven largest cities of antiquity to prosperity in 7 Wonders Dice. During the game, you will construct a wonder that defies time, make scientific advances, develop commerce, manage your resources, and handle your gold reserve prudently — all while keeping an eye on neighboring cities since ignoring them has a heavy price!  A game plays over a series of turns during which you will use dice to construct your city. At the end of the game, count up all of your points to see who has the highest score.

 

  Continue reading

Posted in Essen 2025, Reviews | Leave a comment