Skirmish games between exactly two players make for some of the most exciting encounters in board gaming. Whether you’re playing as the heroes and villains of the Marvel universe in Marvel: Crisis Protocol, or recreating iconic dogfights from the Star Wars universe in X-Wing 2.0, this is a genre that offers both strategic depth and […]
As I drag the latest massive box (or boxes) of Zombicide through my door, I often wonder whether it will simply be more or the same. The last time out, when I reviewed Zombicide: Undead or Alive, I was pleasantly surprised by new mechanics and features. However, the newest Zombicide game – Marvel Zombies: X-Men […]
If I were into board games twenty or thirty years ago, I reckon my shelves would have more games like Damnation: The Gothic Game on them. As it stands today, Damnation: The Gothic Game stands alone as just about the only game here that relies on mechanisms that are no longer popular with modern gamers […]
When I reviewed the original Marvel: Crisis Protocol back at the start of 2020, I had no idea what would be coming later that year – several lockdowns later and I’d had so much time at home playing Marvel: Crisis Protocol either on my own or with my wife and eldest child that I truly […]
Since Gloomhaven came along, with its ridiculous depth, 100+ missions and near-to-zero-luck gameplay, it’s been tough for other dungeon crawlers to make an impact. With most games in this genre relying on dice-rolling, random encounters and a load of other random factors, it’s tough to be taken seriously. However, when Eric Lang and Rob Daviau […]
Things move slowly in the world of board games, and the rumour mill is often turning long before anything actually materializes. This is often true when it comes to remaking older games – and in the case of 2017’s Ethnos, there seem to have been rumours about a new design with better components and brighter […]
Long terms readers of Nerdly will know a couple of things – firstly, that we love Star Wars, and secondly, that we’re big fans of miniatures combat games. Among the very best examples of modern skirmish games that we’ve experienced is undoubtedly Marvel: Crisis Protocol from Atomic Mass Games, and you can read our reviews […]
There are already many games based on the Star Wars universe – featuring everything from galactic-scale strategic simulations like Star Wars: Rebellion down to filler games like Love Letter: Jabba’s Palace. There are certainly a few card games based on George Lucas’ epic out there – but I can’t think of one that is quite […]
Regular readers of Nerdly might recall that back in January we revealed that Steamforged Games – creators of Dark Souls: The Board Game and Resident Evil 3: The Board Game were about to release another videogame tie-in – this time based on Gears of War. This took me by surprise to be honest, since it’s […]
The end result of yet another gigantic CMON Kickstarter, Zombicide: Undead or Alive represents something like the tenth variant/setting that the game has taken place in, and critically, this is the first spin-off to be based on the updated Zombicide: Second Edition ruleset. Many people are now familiar with the Zombicide formula, and for them […]
When I wrote about a game called KeyForge a few years ago, I remember using words like “innovative” and “groundbreaking” and I also had to mention that games legendary designer; Richard Garfield. With credit for Magic: The Gathering (perhaps the most important collectible card game (CCG) of all time) Garfield is a designer of true […]
Sometimes when a game is conceived via Kickstarter, it can be mired in controversy that’s linked more to the publisher than the designer or the game itself. Sub Terra II: Inferno’s Edge is one such game, with the issue here coming from the fact that Sub Terra II: Inferno’s Edge actually made it to retail […]
In our house, there is one core gamer (me), a casual gamer (my wife) and two aspiring gamers (the eldest two kids) – and that’s before we consider visits from friends and family. With this in mind, we have to maintain an eclectic collection of board games, and space is at a constant premium. Whilst […]
I recently read that legendary game designer Reiner Knizia is now credited with over 700 titles – which is an unbelievable achievement. Among these, I’ve played probably thirty or maybe forty of them, and to be honest I often find Knizia titles a little too straightforward. They are always easy to pick up and play, […]
Rolling dice has been a fundamental part of gaming culture for hundreds of years. From simple bluffing and betting games to modern games that use dice as workers to drive powerful effects, there’s something about throwing a handful of die onto the table that can evoke excitement in almost anyone. This is especially true of […]
I don’t think anyone would deny that Ticket to Ride sits easily among the top three of what the board game world calls “Gateway Games” – meaning any game which allows players to make the step from classic games like Chess, Scrabble or even Monopoly to the more innovative world of modern games. That said, […]
Sometimes you play a game and you realise how much care and attention to detail has gone into it. Carnival Zombie: Second Edition is most definitely one such game, and whilst there is no doubt that the fact it is effectively the second bite at the cherry for designer Matteo Santus gives it a bit […]
Among all of the themes that could be applied to a board game – or indeed any game or interactive subject – I think that Ancient Greek Mythology might well be my favourite. Everything about this setting fascinates me, from the Gods and monsters to the heroes and their fantastic stories. Cyclades is a relatively […]
When a game wins the Kennerspiel Des Jahres award, it has to be taken seriously. This prestigious prize has been awarded annually for eleven years now, but it was spawned from the original Spiel Des Jahre award which has now ran for more than forty years. The purpose of the Kennerspiel award is to identify […]
I might be wrong, but I bet that when Dominion was released in 2008, designer Donald X. Vaccarino would have no idea that his creation would still be as popular as it is in 2022. Whilst not usually regarded as a gateway game in any sense of the word, there’s no doubt that Dominion remains […]
Abstract Academy is a small (or very small really) box experience which caters for two or four players, but is best played as a two-person, head-to-head duel. The players each fill the role of students at the titular academy, which specialises in helping its pupils reach their artistic potential using minimalist colours and abstract shapes […]
The original Azul has to be one of the most popular board games of the last five years – having sold over a million copies. Despite this success, the first pair of Azul sequels (Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra and Azul: Summer Pavillion) haven’t been quite as successful. Undeterred, publisher Plan B Games has still […]
