Author Archives: Cyrus

About Cyrus

Editor in Chief, Owner/Operator, Board Game Fanatic, Father of Three, and Nice Guy, Cyrus has always enjoyed board, card, miniature, role playing, and video games, but didn't get back into the hobby seriously until early 2000. Once he did, however, he was hooked. He now plays board games with anyone and everyone he can, but enjoys playing with his children the most. Video games continue to be of real interest, but not as much as dice and little miniatures. As he carefully navigates the ins and outs of parenting, he does his very best to bestow what wisdom he has and help nurture his children's young minds. It is his hope and ambition to raise three strong, honorable men who will one day go on to do great things and buy their Mom and Dad a lobster dinner. Cyrus goes by the handle fathergeek on Board Game Geek. You can also check him out on CyrusKirby.com. Yes, he has a URL that is his name. His ego knows no bounds, apparently....

Obligatory Gen Con 2013 Summary

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Let me first preface this summary by stating how incredibly tired I am. Gen Con is not so much an event as it is a trial of the mind and body. A geek is constantly bombarded by sounds, sights, and odors. Very little sleep is had, bad (but tasty) food is eaten in terribly unhealthy portions, and the smells from the Indianapolis sewer system hit you like a pissed off boxer every time you walk outside. Regardless of the mental and physical onslaught, I keep coming back as do the thousands I had the pleasure to mingle with at Gen Con this year. Continue reading →

Botchee Deluxe Game Review

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Puzzle solving is a great way to exercise the left and right side of the human brain. A puzzle solver must be analytical and creative at the same time, especially when the puzzle being solved is a race. Flex your mental muscle and find or create patterns in this puzzle game where rolling the dice is optional! With five different ways to play and room to create your own puzzlers, this small pocket game could be a big hit for puzzle game lovers. Continue reading →

Mad Rush Rally Game Review

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You’ve built your car and are ready to race! Pulling your vehicle up to the starting line, you size up the competition. Pfff! Amateurs! You don’t see any car packing a bomb thrower or a mounted extendable arm. This is going to be easy! Then you notice that the next car over has a caged squirrel in the front passenger seat. The squirrel turns, locks eyes with you, and frowns menacingly. Hmm, you think, this might be an interesting race after all. Continue reading →

Noble Blood Game Review (prepublished version)

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The great City by the river sleeps as the stars above it twinkle like a thousand torches. But all is not quiet. Moving from shadow to shadow are the undead and they are hungry. These vampires search for blood to feed upon to sustain their existence. The humans are powerless to fight off the hungry vampires, but the great City only has so many necks to bite. The Vampire Lords must fiercely compete for the one resource that matters most: noble blood. Continue reading →

Tessen Game Review (prepublished version)

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For generations, the great clans have fought. Unrest and lawlessness soon followed in the wake of the constant violence. The Shogun was furious and called the leaders of the clans to attend him. He proposed a trial of wits and skill that would pit the clans’ best against each other. To the victor would go the Shogun’s favor. Honor bound, the clans sheathed their swords, but their ancient feud was far from over. Continue reading →

Fastrack: NHL Edition Game Review

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Hockey is one of those games that you don’t need to know how to play to enjoy. A typical hockey game is a blur of ice and flying sticks. Keeping an eye on the puck proves to be very difficult at times as it whizzes back and forth between players. Sometimes the game is a ballet of synchronized procession and sometimes a brutal brawl of punches. The ice rink might be cold, but the games are always hot. Now you can put the heat on your coffee table, too. Continue reading →

Wizard Dodgeball Game Review

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Once a year, wizards and witches gather to witness one of the most popular sports found in multiple interplanar dimensions. Throughout the season, Wizard Dodgeball teams have been competing in the rankings. At the end of the year, the top 2 teams face each other. While the game is non-lethal, it’s nonetheless intense. Fireballs and rubber balls fly from one end of the field to the other constantly. Grab your wand and lace up your sneakers! It’s game time! Continue reading →

Bocce Dice Game Review (prepublished version)

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Sophocles once said, “The dice of Zeus always fall luckily.” That might very well be true for the Greek god of the sky and thunder, but hardly a common occurrence for us earthbound mortals. Luck is an invisible but ever-present force that gamers know all too well. One moment you’ll be the lead dog and the next moment you’ll be behind the pack. In this game of fickle dice and dexterity, you can make your own luck…and bitter rivalries! But it’s all in fun. Continue reading →

Slapshot Game Review

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The air is cool and the ice is smooth. All around you scream the fans and before you sits your team. They look up to you, their Team Manager, and wait for your words of wisdom before taking the ice. You have worked hard to create the best team possible, trading players and drafting new ones. A quick look at the opposite team tells you they think they have the advantage, but a game is not won until it’s played. And, baby, you can play a mean game of ice hockey. Continue reading →

The Agents Game Review (prepublished version)

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They trained you, used you, and left you for dead. When you came crawling back to the Safehouse, full of bullet holes, they turned you away. You are no longer protected and your enemies are getting closer. You decided not to go gently into that good night and contacted those whom you still trust. You have your mission and you know your chances aren’t good, but you’ve been living on borrowed time anyway. You are driven by vengeance and survival. A dangerous combo… Continue reading →

Fire and Flora Game Review (prepublished version)

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If you walk outside your house, you’ll see plants in abundance. Most people just see a “tree” or a “flower”, but someone who is active in the ecological management of the land sees more. They see a thriving population of native plants or a land being invaded by an enemy. In this game, you take on the role of an ecologist who’s in charge of tending to the natural landscape and helping it thrive, while at the same time protecting it from damgers both foreign and natural. Continue reading →