Board Games

  • Review: Finspan

    You are a marine researcher whose purpose is to find and observe the variety of aquatic life across the colorful photic zone, the ghostly twilight zone, and the dark midnight zone of the world’s seas and oceans.

    This is how Finspan is presented to us, designed by David Gordon (Monkey Palace, Create the Cosmos) and Michael O’Connell (his debut design). It was first published in 2025 by Stonemaier Games in an English edition. The artwork is illustrated by Ana María Martínez Jaramillo (Wingspan) and Mesa Schumacher (Ecosystem).

  • Review: Cities

    The City Council has commissioned you with the urban development plan to renovate an entire neighborhood in the city. You will have the opportunity to build new housing, office blocks, parks, and leisure areas along the waterfront. If you manage to meet the City Council’s requirements and expectations, you stand a great chance of taking the lead!

    This is the premise behind Cities, designed by Phil Walker-Harding (Sushi Go!, Bärenpark) and Steve Finn (Nanga Parbat, Floriferous). It was first published in 2024 by Devir in several languages (including Spanish). The artwork is illustrated by Jorge Tabanera Redondo (Barrio).

  • Review: Ahoy

    You are smugglers and soldiers on the high seas. Each round, you will roll and place dice to perform actions unique to your faction. Control Regions and deliver Cargo to gain Fame and win the game!

    This is the premise of Ahoy, designed by Greg Loring-Albright (Leviathan, Bloc by Bloc: Uprising). It was first published in 2022 by Leder Games in an English edition following a successful crowdfunding campaign. The artwork was handled by Kyle Ferrin (Root, Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile, Vast: The Crystal Caverns).

  • Review: Wandering Towers

    Year after year, the graduating classes of the Ravenland Magic School compete in their magical arts. Each class strives to be the first to reach the goal of the grand final exam: the legendary Raven Castle. But the path to the Raven Castle is full of traps and challenges. Only the class that uses its magical abilities correctly and masters the art of the wandering towers will graduate from the school as master wizards.

    This is how Wandering Towers is presented, a design by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling (Tikal, Torres, Coal Baron). First published in 2022 by ABACUSSPIELE in a bilingual English and German edition. Michael Menzel (Rokoko, Titania, Stone Age) is in charge of the illustrations.

  • Review: After Us

    2083. Humanity has been extinct for several decades. As the world returns to its origins, primates continue to evolve. They form tribes and learn to use the objects humans left behind. As the leader of one of these tribes, it is your responsibility to guide the primates on the path to collective wisdom.

    This is the premise of After Us, a design by Florian Sirieix (Imaginarium, The A.R.T. Project). First published in 2023 by Catch Up Games in an English edition. Vincent Dutrait (Lewis & Clark, Jaipur, The Quest for El Dorado) is in charge of the artwork.

  • Review: Nucleum

    When Elsa von Frühlingfeld used recently isolated uranium to heat a pitcher of water and then used the resulting steam to power an engine in a process she called “atomization,” a new era of energy dawned. Her device, called “Nucleum,” made Saxony the center of European science and engineering. Now, a generation later, inventors, engineers, and industrialists flock to the Saxon court to become the leader of this new industrial revolution.

    This is how we are presented with Nucleum, a design by Simone Luciani (Grand Austria Hotel, Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar) and Dávid Turczi (Imperium, Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire). First published in 2023 in an English version by Board&Dice. The artwork is handled by Andreas Resch (Istanbul, Il Vecchio, Great Western Trail) and Piotr Sokołowski (Loot, Merchants).