board games
The games I have played enough times to have an opinion about. Three plays minimum. Most of what is here is cooperative or heavy strategy. My apartment is small and my patience for a two-hour teach is limited, so anything that lives on my shelf earned its place.
Where I could source a box cover from a free image library I used it. A few of these are hand-typeset placeholders because the real box art is not available under a free license.
Wingspan
Spirit Island
Ark Nova
Brass: Birmingham
review coming soon
Terraforming Mars
review coming soon
Root
review coming soon
Everdell
review coming soon
Great Western Trail
review coming soon
Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
review coming soon
the shelf of shame
What is currently sealed, half-taught, or waiting for the right evening:
- Frosthaven. Bought two years ago. Still sealed. Please do not ask.
- Great Western Trail. Played once, badly. Needs a full re-teach.
- Pandemic Legacy: Season 2. Season 1 is on this list too. Working on it.
how I score things
I do not really score things. There is a number at the top of each review because search engines and card previews expect one, and because it is useful to know at a glance whether I liked something a little or a lot. But the number is doing much less work than the text.
For what it is worth, my rough scale:
- 3.5 or below: I would not recommend it. I usually just do not write.
- 4.0: worth playing, has real flaws.
- 4.5: I would hand this to a friend without hesitation.
- 4.8 and up: something rare. I will keep thinking about it for years.