So, a while ago, I wrote an article titled How to Review a Board Game, which has been really well received. Teachers, new board game reviewers, and a few designers have reached out to me, thanking me for creating that resource. But I’ve been thinking about my favorite reviews that I’ve read lately, and I […]
When people talk about video games, one of the biggest buzz words seems to be “immersive.” Webster defines it as “the sensation of being surrounded by a completely other reality.” everyone knows that video games are unrivaled in their ability to create immersive worlds, and their ability to engulf a player in that world. Video […]
One of my favorite parts of Gloomhaven wasn’t even originally a part the game: enhancements. Isaac came up with the idea as a stretch goal during the initial kickstarter, a goal that funded just a few days before the campaign ended. Oddly enough, the commenters on that post were largely against the idea: the “destruction” […]
An update on the state of the site. Cardboard Moutain is just over a year and a half old now, and I wanted to mention to my viewers what I’ve been working on for the site. I love the strategy content I’ve put up so far, and I hope you do too, but going forward, […]
Cartographers is a fairly straightforward game. However, Cartographers strategy isn’t straight forward at all. While making a map, you’ll be presented with many ways to score, and you must puzzle out the best way to do so by drawing shapes on your map in this Roll and Write game.
Res Arcana is one of my favorite games. I reviewed Res Arcana quite positively a while back, and after the game was released on Board Game Arena, I figured it was time to write a little bit more about the game. Res Arcana strategy is like an onion, and after getting to play it online […]
In 2013, Sushi Go was released, a charming card drafting game that’s simple enough to teach in a few minutes, yet compelling enough to bring out on game night. For me, that’s made it the perfect gateway game to carry around and teach to non-gamers. But last year, a new super light drafting game came […]
Sometimes, a character in your campaign is unforgettable. You and your friends talk about them forever. You might forget everything else about the campaign, but that one character was so interesting or funny, that it becomes what everyone in your group thinks about when they think about that campaign. They become the most memorable character […]
The age of Covid has been weird. People have more time than ever, and increasingly fewer things to spend that time on. It almost seems trite to say “a global pandemic that has killed nearly one million people has ruined my game night,” but right now interpersonal connections are a commodity that many of us […]
A new edition of 7 Wonders was announced today, with new art and design, and lots of metallic finish. Honestly, it looks like a much needed visual overhaul for the game. You can check out the announcement trailer below. However, the trailer doesn’t mention the most important thing: the game was rebalanced in edition. The […]
A card drafting, engine building game has been my holy grail game. I’ve tried for years to find it, I’ve even tried to design it myself. Is this it? Let’s evaluate Res Arcana in this review. When Res Arcana hit the scene last year, it perfectly fit the description. So, when it was announced, I […]
Go is a game with more history and depth than any other, but does that make it fun to start playing today? In this go review, I answer that and more.
The other day, I saw a facebook post about playing the game Cartographers with the solo rules. The poster hated it. People were agreeing with her. People who otherwise loved this game felt so bad about the solo rules, they vowed never to play it again. Why? Read on to find out.
While I’ve been writing a lot of board game reviews lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what goes into a good review. What questions must be answered? What do players ultimately want to know about a game? To figure it out, I watched and took notes on a bunch of reviews. I wanted to […]
Perhaps the single biggest influence on modern board gaming was the Franco-Prussian War. Watch the video to find out why.
