15th Jul2022

Asmodee & Days of Wonder announce ‘Ticket to Ride: Ghost Train’

by Phil Wheat

Asmodee and Days of Wonder have announced the forthcoming release of Ticket to Ride: Ghost Train, a haunting addition to the series aimed at younger players. The game is easy to learn and quick to play for all the family. You’ll collect Parade Float cards to claim routes on the map whilst trying to visit […]

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18th Apr2022

‘Fjords’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Whilst many sports are considered to be a “game of two halves” I don’t find myself referring to board games in that way especially often. Where Fjords is concerned though, I need to make an exception. This 2022 reprint from Grail Games takes the original two-player game, extends it to three and four players, adds […]

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13th Apr2022

‘Pandemic: Iberia’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

The original Pandemic is one of the four pillars that support modern board gaming (alongside Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride) but for fans who have played the game over and over again, it can be a little bit easy and dare I say it, lacking in variety. There have been numerous spin-offs […]

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11th Apr2022

‘Star Realms’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Cards are perhaps the single most amazing and important component in board games. Yes, chess and checkers pieces have played their part, as do modern miniatures – but cards offer so much flexibility. A card can have an objective, a power, a monster or a treasure on it – it can have two or three […]

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04th Aug2021

‘Crisis Protocol: Ghost Spider & Spider-Man Expansion’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

I recently reviewed the Black Widow and Hawkeye pack for Atomic Mass Games’ Crisis Protocol, and I remarked at the time that it was the first expansion I had encountered that featured a re-release of a character that existed in the core box. Where Black Widow was concerned, the updated model and character card featured […]

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29th Jul2021

‘Crisis Protocol: Hawkeye & Black Widow Expansion’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

You’ll forgive me, I hope, for my lack of initial excitement at learning about the Hawkeye and Black Widow pack for Atomic Mass Games’ Crisis Protocol. Whilst I think Natasha Romanoff’s alter-ego is a fairly interesting character, I didn’t realise when this pack was first announced that this would be a very different Black Widow […]

27th Jul2021

‘Crisis Protocol: Rocket & Groot Expansion’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

With loners like Thanos and Hulk having recently joined my Crisis Protocol ranks, the popular combination of Rocket and Groot offers a welcome change. In keeping with their relationship in the movies, this interstellar duo work best when taken together – in particular, because of the Deadly Duo Team Tactics card bundled with them, and […]

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22nd Jul2021

‘Crisis Protocol: Thanos Expansion’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Thanos (much like the Incredible Hulk) is a Threat 6 character in Atomic Mass’s Crisis Protocol game. Unlike Hulk, however, Thanos is a newer release and comes with a variant designed for play in the “normal” game as well as offering players the first “Ultimate Encounter” variant, which is considerably tougher. Think of these two […]

20th Jul2021

‘Crisis Protocol: Incredible Hulk Expansion’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

It seems like an age since I last played Crisis Protocol, and what better way is there to celebrate the easing of restrictions across the UK than with a few friendly games using some new miniatures. The first in a series of these reviews is this one, for the iconic Incredible Hulk. This expansion was […]

18th Nov2020

‘Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Venom and Shuri & Okoye Expansion(s)’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Following on from the Black Panther and Killmonger review that we did for Atomic Mass’s Marvel: Crisis Protocol a few months ago, I’m delighted to have picked up the other two expansions that were released at the same time, namely, Venom and Shuri and Okoye. The addition of Shuri and Okoye to my roster enables […]

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20th Feb2020

‘Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Black Panther Expansion’ Review

by Matthew Smail

If you’re a regular reader of our board game coverage, you’ll struggle to miss the fact that I have a new favourite miniatures game in the form of Marvel’s Crisis Protocol, a game that delivers the perfect mechanical theme for a game about superheroes, whilst also keeping things fast paced and simple. We were a […]

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10th Feb2020

‘Marvel: Crisis Protocol’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

The idea of a miniatures game is so simple that you’d have thought it would have been done by now, wouldn’t you? Whilst there are numerous games that use Marvel characters in miniaturised form, and even some that have the kind of combat that characterises this genre, Crisis Protocol is the first “proper” miniatures game […]

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24th Jul2019

‘Century: A New World’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

After three years, Emerson Matsuuchi’s Century trilogy is finally complete. The latest and final edition, Century: A New World is now available and players of the previous games (Century: Spice Road and Century: Eastern Wonders) will be keen to see how the new game plays on its own, as well as when integrated with the […]

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22nd Oct2018

‘Smiles and Daggers’ Card Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Smiles and Daggers is a brief, multiplayer card game that features very unusual artwork and an unusual betting style of play that involves a lot of player interaction. Three to six players each take control of a unique looking faction that is presented in a deck of six cards: three knights, two lady’s and one […]

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15th Oct2018

‘Cosmic Encounter’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

If there was ever a list of board games that were most recognised as those capable of conjuring up incredible stories of near misses, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and getting one over on your friends, Cosmic Encounter would be on it. With Cosmic Encounter now over forty years old, the Fantasy Flight Games […]

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12th Sep2018

‘The Voyages of Marco Polo’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

When it comes to euro games, there are no shortage of options that focus on trading in a historic setting. Whether we’re talking about games focused on the Mediterranean during The Age of Antiquity, or later, perhaps during the Renaissance, with a setting in Asia or the far reaches of Europe. With a name like […]

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13th Aug2018

‘A Feast For Odin’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Certain things in popular culture – wether movies, games, records or even board games – come with an aura of expectation around them that can be a little unfair. In the board gaming world, products that fall into this category are often the massive Kickstarters from CMON or Restoration Games. For some board gamers (perhaps […]

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27th Jul2018

‘Century: Eastern Wonders’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

I have fond memories of Emerson Matsuuchi’s Century: Spice Road, because it was among the first batch of board games that I reviewed for Nerdly. I’m also a fan of the game play, which has proven to be hugely popular among my family and friends, regardless of age or experience with board games overall. A […]

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23rd Jul2018

‘Pot de Vin’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Trick taking Games come in a wide variety of forms, but relatively few manage to create a feeling of thematic relevance in the same way as Pot de Vin does. Set during the aftermath of a political coup, each player takes the role of a powerful figure vying for control of the most influential guilds […]

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18th Jun2018

‘History of the World’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Some board game designs prove to be just right first time, whilst others apparently fail so hard (either critically, or in terms of pure revenue) that the risk of re-implementing them just isn’t worthwhile. Others, however, are remade and revamped time and time again – either with completely new themes or mechanics by different designers, […]

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14th Jun2018

‘The Climbers’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that The Climbers was just an alternative, multicolored version of Jenga, but in actual fact it’s an abstract strategy game about climbing a mountain by any means possible – including by moving unoccupied blocks, adding miniature ladders and even blocking opponents progress either with specific tokens […]

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10th Apr2018

‘Indian Summer’ Board Game Review

by Matthew Smail

Walking through picturesque countryside and playing board games has always gone hand in hand for me. I’m not quite sure why that is, but it might well be because I link both activities to an idealistic daydream of sitting in a warm pub in front of an open fire. Another thought is that the link […]

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