Category Archives: First Impressions

Dale Yu: First Impressions of Dabba Walla

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Dale Yu

Dabba Walla Designers: Patricia Limberger and Felix Leder Publisher: Queen Games Players: 2-4 Age: 8+ Time: 45 minutes Played with preview copy (in German) provided by publisher Dabba Walla is one of the upcoming releases from Queen Games; putting the … Continue reading →

Posted in First Impressions, Kickstarter | 1 Comment

Dale Yu: First Impressions of The Glade

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Dale Yu

The Glade Designer: Richard Breese Publisher: R&D Games Players: 1-4 Age: 14+ Time: 60 minutes Played with copy purchased at Spiel 2023 from the publisher It’s summer time, and amid the forest lies the glade.  In The Glade, you fill … Continue reading →

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The Gates of Valhalla Swing Open… Again: The Return of Heroscape

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Mark "Fluff Daddy" Jackson

Simply put, a game system that has been dead for fourteen years is back from the dead… and this time, it looks like the publisher understands what made Heroscape so special. When I last wrote about Renegade Game Studios beginning … Continue reading →

Posted in First Impressions, Preview | Tagged , | 15 Comments

The Ascending Empire(s) Strike Back: A Preview of Ascending Empires Zenith Edition

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Mark "Fluff Daddy" Jackson

Back in the summer of 2011 – which, for those of you who don’t like to do math, was nearly thirteen years ago – I reviewed Z-Man Games’ “weird & wonderful cross between a dexterity game like Carabande or Catacombs … Continue reading →

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Opinionated Gamers First Takes on SPIEL 2023 Games (Part 4 of 4)

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Dale Yu

While we normally contribute more to full reviews, in the heady weeks just after SPIEL, everyone is playing as many games as possible – and frankly, spending more time playing games than writing!  Our writers have been contributing to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Essen 2023, First Impressions | 1 Comment

Mark’s Bundle of 2023 Essen Game Thoughts

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Mark "Fluff Daddy" Jackson

Five days. Seventy-one plays. Sixty-two games that were new to me. Yeah, that’s a lot of games. But thanks to our fearless leader (Dale Yu) and BasementCon, I had a wonderful time playing many of them. (Well, a number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Convention Report, Essen 2023, First Impressions | Tagged | 2 Comments