Tag Archives: Abstract Strategy Games

Abstract Strategy games are often (but not always) theme-less (without storyline), built on simple and/or straightforward design and mechanics, perfect information games, promote one player overtaking their opponent(s), little to no elements of luck, chance, or random occurrence, and can be minimal in design. (source: BGG)

Spirits of the Wild: Awakening Game Review

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In every culture and from humanity’s earliest days, we have looked at the natural world around us and seen the supernatural. Even to this day, with all our modern technology, we feel the hairs in the back of our neck rise at the very thought of walking alone in a dark wood. In our collective myths, legends, theologies, and superstitions, the Spirit World has been said to live in our own, a parallel to our everyday reality, as an unseen force that influences us, for good or ill. Such places feel a bit too close in the deepest parts of nature. In this game, you’ll be tapping into the spirits of animals, focusing on their unique talents and abilities to meet your own goals. Continue reading →

STAK: The Sophisticated Simple Strategy Game Review

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Whether you know it as Tic-Tac-Toe, Noughts and Crosses, or X’s and O’s, you have played the game at least once in your life. Most likely, it left you feeling either deeply frustrated or arbitrarily awesome. This game has existed, with little change to its basic premise, since ancient Egypt (around 1300 BC). It continues to be played to this day in the sand with sticks, on notebooks, and pub tables around the world. Its basic premise is easy to understand, and the gameplay is fast enough to make it worthwhile, regardless of your personal tastes in gameplay. In this game, the primitive approach of matching rows, columns, and diagonal lines is enhanced by introducing another dimension to the game’s strategic and tactical thinking. Continue reading →

Foros Game Review

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Some of my earliest memories as a child include playing with blocks. I would build them into castles, forts, mountains, and walls, screaming with delight when they fell or yelling angrily if one of my little brothers knocked it over. I’m pretty sure I got in a fight in preschool over blocks, too. Even today, I still play with blocks through Legos and games where wooden cubes are used to build, record, and control. In this game, blocks return us to a simpler time of creative play and problem-solving. Continue reading →

KubeLord of Frogs Game Review

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The origins of the children’s game Leapfrog can be traced back to the late 16th century. It’s still played today and is an excellent example of a game that has withstood the waves of time and popularity. And yet, this game – while still played at its most basic and traditional level on playgrounds worldwide – is subject to updates and derivatives of its own. Case in point, this game takes the basics and adds a new twist that creates a game that is both familiar and challenging to play. What is old is new again, it would seem, as games hop through time and onto your gaming tables. Continue reading →

Shipping Showdown Game Review

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Jamaican-Canadian billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Michael Lee-Chin, said “My first playpen was a cardboard box.” I have many fond memories of playing in cardboard boxes myself. Making them into forts or using them to build a robot (that I might have also worn as a costume). But those boxes serve the initial purpose of holding things. In this game, you’ll be tasked to fill boxes full of items as quickly as you can. Fill it up and send it out! Just be careful that your fellow box-packers don’t upset your productivity! Continue reading →

Blue Lagoon Game Review

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American writer of weird, science, fantasy, and horror fiction, best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos (All hail the great Cthulhu!), H.P. Lovecraft, said, “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.” And yet, it’s in the very nature of humanity to gaze longingly at the horizon or attempt to glimpse other worlds in the stars above us. We are built to travel, explore, and seek out the mysteries of what we cannot see, for we are forever curious. Some of us even have the intestinal fortitude to act upon those urges and seek out the unknown. Brave souls. In this game, you will lead such a group as they explore the surrounding islands, making homes and discoveries along the way. Continue reading →

Downtown Farmers Market Game Review

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I love visiting farmers markets. They are full of fresh vegetables, beautiful flowers, artisan loaves of bread, and, if you’re fortunate, a vendor selling bacon on a stick smothered in chocolate. Farmers markets feel like an adventure each time I go, not having any idea what I’ll find but always leaving feeling satisfied with the experience. In this game, you’ll also have a chance to visit the farmers market, with a list of food ingredients you want to gather quickly. But like real-life farmers markets, availability and quantity is never a sure thing. Continue reading →

Mur Game Review

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Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator Max Euwe, said, “Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation.” It also takes patience. In this game, you build up your plays, taking the time to adjust according to future opportunities. It’s a game of small moves to big wins. It’s also a game that will make your head hurt and your brain simmer. Not for the faint of heart, but most certainly a game every strategist and tactician should play. Continue reading →

Flank!: Battle for Fairfield Game Review (prepublished version)

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The peaceful village of Fairfield lies in a lush valley surrounded by healthy farms and livestock. Those who live in the village are prosperous and happy. However, two armies hungrily eye the village, coveting it as their own. Now Fairfield has become the epicenter of chaos and violence where once only peace and tranquility were found. The two armies will fight to the end to possess the village, but which will win, and what will be the valley’s fate after the swords stop clashing? That is up to you, but only if you win the day. Continue reading →

Twinkle Game Review

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American actress, model, and singer, Marilyn Monroe, said: “We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle.” But not all stars can be the brightest. In this game, players will build constellations, using dice to represent stars. While one of the goals is to shine the brightest, it isn’t the only path to victory. Build your constellations with purpose, and you’ll end up owning the heavens. Continue reading →

Super Mega Lucky Box Game Review

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American astrophysicist, cosmologist, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics laureate John C. Mather said: “There is strength in numbers, but organizing those numbers is one of the great challenges.” In this game, players will be tasked to complete cards by crossing out random numbers. But look deeper, and you see that between the known and the unknown, the moment when there is limited and unlimited potential, there is a great deal of apprehension and excitement. It can be addictive. Randomness and luck might be everywhere, but we can infer a great deal by simply observing and making smart choices. And that’s the game. Continue reading →

The Whatnot Cabinet Game Review

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A curio cabinet is a display case or shelf that can hold just about anything. At a glance, it appears to be nothing more than a collection of random bits and pieces. A small drawing of a girl by a pond, an old brass key with no lock to work, a bit of sand in a glass jar from a distant shore, and an old watch that has long since stopped telling the hour correctly except for two times a day. Some might see this as junk, but take a closer look, and you’ll see treasures. In this game, players will take their own journey and collect items of personal value. Placing them on their shelves is only the beginning, as collecting and organizing intelligently is how you win the game. Continue reading →