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Help! I think I’m a gamesplainer! — The Treehouse
Dear Mortified,

Not everyone is as honest as you, so I don’t know for sure, but I have a suspicion that if I had a fiver for everyone who read my last column and developed that sinking feeling of recognition just like you did, I’d… be at least a little bit richer. I appreciate your candour but, for better or worse, you’re not alone. In other words, it might simply be vanity that made you think the post was about you. And… perhaps it was about you, but it was about quite a few other folks as well.

Identifying the problem is half the battle though, right? Which means the chances are, if you’ve got enough self awareness to be asking this question, you’ve got enough to keep any gamesplainer tendencies in check. So take my reply as both a reassurance and… also a bit of an intervention:

For the benefit of you and any other worried potential gamesplainers reading this, here are a few tips for all of those who found that last post hitting a little close to home:
1. When you’re choosing a new game to play, make sure everyone else in the group is also up for playing it and you are not pushing them to. Consent is important. They may say this out loud, or through body language, reluctance to play or a cancellation. But you know, as with all situations involving good consent, it’s great to just ask them.
2. If you get past that stage but your friends tell you they’re worried about not understanding a more complex game, or recoil as you reveal the fifty-six-page rulebook, it is great that you want to reassure them, and often a practice round or a first time play-through really does help. That’s more of a seasoned gamer strategy though, rather than some folks’ idea of a fun night. While we may be used to committing a whole evening to set up, or accepting that our first play through of a complex game may be a bit of a necessary evil, not everyone sees that as required training for the Olympic sport of board gaming (maybe Paris 2024?). In case your guests (or hosts) feel like memorising a rule book is a waste of time rather than a perfect evening, always have a backup game that has a familiar theme, brand, or mechanic in case they are really not up for the challenge.
3. To help with point 2, and also just in general, it may help to watch a quickstart video before teaching the game so that you can practice in advance and cut down your talking time to maximise playing time. Focus on making sure other players know the style of game and the object of the game – summarise what it takes to win, and then dive in. People can ask questions or consult the rules as they go (whch means you may need to let go of the rulebook for a little while…).
4. Mix it up a bit. Let someone else explain the game first as often as possible, and only take the reins on the ones no one else is familiar with. You may be assuming some folks are not seasoned gamers because they’re not in your usual gaming circle, but they may have a Kallax full of Catan expansions at home that you just don’t know about. And you never know – other friends may be newer to games, but have a hidden aptitude and the right introduction could mean their delighted entry into a fun and satisfying board game universe. If you’re having a long session of several games, try to ensure that some games are familiar to most of the players.
5. Finally, try to be aware of whether your voice, vocabulary, and posture change as you start explaining. Do you find yourself becoming louder, using extra-long words or leaning over other players? Are you imagining your Gold Play Button from YouTube hanging on the wall behind you, an array of ring lights in front of you, and about to ask people to like and subscribe right there at the table? This is a sure sign you are launching into a full-on gamesplainer performance. Remember that no matter how much you love games, your friends and family love you and love spending time with you. They will more likely develop enthusiasm for the games you love by watching you enjoy them while just being yourself.
And so, Mortified in Meersbrook, I wish I could conclude with ‘and there you have it’ but game explaining is an art form that we are all constantly improving at, even here at the Treehouse. Keep working at it and listening to your guests and your gut, and I’m sure you’ll soon settle into a new style that helps everyone to at least feel comfortable and, hopefully, excited to join you for the next game night.

Good luck,

Chella on behalf of Team Treehouse xx

So that’s our second advice column! If you have a burning board game-related question you want answering, please email The Treehouse at contact@treehousesheffield.com with the subject heading “Agony Aunt”. All letters will be anonymised.

Chella Quint is a Treehouse staffer, board gamer, and author of the books Be Period Positive and Own Your Period.
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06/05/2025
What do raiders attack if there are multiple targets in the same category?
The rules for activating raiders say:
When activated, each Cylon raider carries out only one of the
actions listed below, taking only the first action that it is able
to perform (in numerical priority, with “Attack a Viper” taking
the highest priority and “Attack Galactica” taking the lowest)
1. Attack a Viper:
  area. It attacks an unmanned viper if able; otherwise it attacks a piloted viper.
2. If there are no vipers in its area, the Destroy Civilian Ship:
  raider destroys one civilian ship in its area. The current
  player chooses a civilian ship in the area and flips it over.
  The resources listed on its face are lost, and the token is
  removed from the game.
  …
These rules leave ambiguous which ship is targeted within these categories. Which ship do raiders attack when there are multiple ships that can be targeted that are different? This can happen in two cases I’m aware of:
1. There are multiple piloted vipers in the same space area (which matters for who gets sent to sickbay if there is a hit)
2. There is an unpiloted viper and an unpiloted assault raptor in the same space area (the rules for assault raptors say they are treated as vipers, so these are both unpiloted vipers from a priority standpoint, and this matters in terms of difficulty to hit)
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06/05/2025
Complete Ghoul://RE Kagune Tier List and Guide [2 MYTHICAL QUINQUES]
In Ghoul://RE, Kagune serve as the defining trait of every ghoul, making a perfect mix of power and mobility. These deadly biological weapons allow players to unleash explosive attacks, adapt to different combat styles, and dominate the battlefield with unique abilities. To gain mastery over your Kagune, make sure to follow along with our Ghoul://RE Kagune tier list and guide.

Ghoul://RE Kagune Tier List

Image via Tiermaker.

There are a lot of good Kagune in Ghoul://RE, so the top tiers are quite packed. Any of these choices will be good enough to carry you for the entirety of the game. Ken, specifically, has multiple stages of evolution that get stronger as you level up, making it the best Kagune in the game. A good starting Kagune would be Yamori or Beaked, for their simplicity and decent damage output. Check out our ranking reasons for each one below.

Ghoul://RE Kagune List

Below is a complete and detailed overview of Kagune in Ghoul://RE, sorted by rarity and usefulness:

How to Unlock Kagune in Ghoul://RE

To unlock your Kagune, you’ll need to collect 5000 RC first. You can earn RC by eating Humans or Ghouls using Ctrl + B. Eating Ghouls gives you slightly more RC, so keep that in mind while farming.

To check how much RC you’ve gathered, head to the Hospital and speak to the NPC inside.

Instead of roaming the map and attacking anything you see, it’s much more efficient to farm RC while completing quests. Quests reward you with additional loot and EXP, and some of the loot can even be used to gain more RC.

The Mission board In Anteiku.

If you’re playing as a Ghoul, you can find Quest Boards at the following locations:
- In front of Anteiku
- First floor of Helter Skelter
Can’t find them? Just press P to open the map—it’ll show all important locations, including the Quest Board.

How to Reroll Kagune in Ghoul://RE

Steps to Reroll kagune in Ghoul://RE

To Reroll Kagune in Ghoul://RE, you first need to collect Ghoul Points. You get Ghoul Points by completing missions, doing quests for your faction, and defeating marked players. But luckily, everyone gets 500 Ghoul Points to start out with, so you can make a few Rerolls before going out to collect more points. To Reroll, click on the Shop icon on the top left of the screen, followed by clicking on the Ghoul Point Exchange, and finally, Kagune Type Reroll.

And that is all for our Ghoul://RE Kagune tier list and guide. Visit our Ghoul://RE Boss Guide to learn how to progress your Kagune even faster.

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05/05/2025
When does school start again? Games for keeping kids entertained through the ‘end of summer slump’ — The Treehouse

Animal Upon Animal is fun for all ages including adults but is particularly popular with the four- to six-year-old crowd. In this game from Haba for 2-4 players, you compete to see who can stack all of your animals first. The stack you are building is shared (the French name of this game, ‘Pyramids Des Animaux’ may offer a better visual of what happens as the game progresses), which means you don’t have the luxury of setting up sturdy balancing positions for yourself. Everyone is dealt a hand of adorable wooden animal-shaped blocks. A crocodile block is placed in the center of the table and players take turns rolling the die and following the instructions.

The instructions on the die are really quite ingenious for moving the game along in clever ways. You may be instructed to place one animal on top of the crocodile’s back, or you might see two animals on the die, meaning you have to place one after another. You can also be asked to give one of your pieces to someone else to place or have the other players choose which of your animals to place next (and they will invariably select one that is harder to balance). The final option is a picture of a crocodile, which means you can extend the base block to have a larger area to balance animals upon.

The reason I think this game is particularly enjoyable for younger children starting school especially is because even if you make the tower fall, you don’t lose and the game doesn’t end. The maximum penalty if more than two fall off the pile is that you take two animals back into your hand and continue playing. This keeps the focus on dexterity, strategy, and making stacks of cute animals, and nicely swerves siblings blaming each other for quote ‘ruining the game’ or a fear of failure at a time when there are a lot of new expectations. (OK, I clearly have some some childhood Jenga tower collapse issues to explore but never mind that now). Haba games are great generally for this age group. Dragon’s Breath is another lovely Haba game that fans of Animal Upon Animal may enjoy.

Games for very little ones

And finally, even if they’re not ready for big school yet, that doesn’t mean they aren’t ready for gaming (some of my friends’ toddlers have attempted to prove this by taking out every game on the lowest shelf ready to play…).

At this age, the focus for parents choosing games is about two things, really – replayability, and doing something that looks like what the big kids are doing, so the big kids’ game doesn’t get wrecked (for example, my three-year-old niece recently ripped the Candyland board clean in half, in the most impressive WWE style rage quit I’ve heard about in years. It would have been more impressive, I suppose, if I hadn’t been the one who bought it for her and if it hadn’t been my favourite game when I was her age. I hope she is not still doing that when she’s 30, but it was epic nonetheless).

I know, you wouldn’t think there could be a game that would keep a two-and-a-half-year-old entertained, but there is actually an entire series of them by a lovely French toy and game company called Djeco. They have a whole host of adorable games that are both beautifully designed and suitable for toddlers, which is incredibly rare in the world of board games. These games look like a game and feel like a game, but are more about gamifying toddler skills like matching and sequencing and recognising colours. It’s really very clever and the history of this company originally had a child development focus. Add in materials and designs that appeal to a grown up aesthetic and these games are pretty great for everyone. We have several of their games in the shop and our games library but I will focus on Little Collect (in the first of the photos below).

Little Collect is for ages 2.5 to 5. It’s a cooperative game for two players and takes about ten minutes… or as long as attention spans allow. The object of the game ostensibly is to follow picture instructions on the cards you draw until you have completed a scene on the game board. But beware! There is mild peril! The pastoral tableau of adorable bunnies eating peas and carrots can be disrupted. If you are unlucky enough to draw a fox card, one bunny must be ominously removed from your board. It can be returned on a later turn to complete the game, but still. Hey ho, circle of life. Sun rise, sun set. As sure as autumn follows summer, soon enough, even your littlest Little Connect player will be starting school too.

And you know what that means: more time for gaming for you.

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05/05/2025
Brutal Escape from Tarkov rival Road to Vostok reveals major improvements

Road to Vostok, a punishing FPS coming to Steam Early Access, has received some major improvements. These range from dynamic seasons to a new game mode that’s only for the most hardcore of players, in case you thought the likes of Stalker 2 and Escape from Tarkov weren’t challenging enough.

It’s going to be a while before Road to Vostok hits Steam Early Access, but the developer of this brutal survival game has revealed just what’s in store for future players. They’ve spent the last few months making some major, major updates to this game and punishing doesn’t begin to describe it.

That’s not to say that Road to Vostok has to be complete hell. Its solo developer, Antti, makes it clear that you can tweak this post-apocalyptic experience as you see fit. But their development update video has me grinning at the prospect of diving into it at maximum difficulty, if only once. Unlike Escape from Tarkov, this is a single-player title so there’s no-one coming to your rescue.

The half-hour video, which you can watch below, highlights a host of improvements Antii has implemented. Dynamic seasons is one stand-out, with each season lasting a set number of days. You can opt to stay in one season, or progress through the full gamut, it’s up to you.

If you’re a fan of grenades, you’ll be happy to hear you can now choose the hand position you use to hurl them. Another welcome tweak lets you prioritize magazines with the most bullets; based on what we’ve seen, every bullet counts in Road to Vostok.

There are plenty of visual upgrades, too, from grass to trees and beyond, something to look up at when you’re bleeding out. But it’s Road to Vostok’s Ironman mode that really has our attention. This mode will throw you into a map without a single item. Combine this with the seasonal options, and you can start the game in the freezing cold, with absolutely nothing to your name.

Antti has yet to give a date when Road to Vostok will enter Steam Early Access, but they estimate they’re about halfway there. If you’re a fan of Escape from Tarkov, Stalker or anything with a gloomy Eastern European flavour, this is one to watch.

In the meantime, you can play Road to Vostok’s Steam demo. And for more in the same vein, we’ve rounded up the best apocalypse games and the best FPS games.

You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.

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05/05/2025
How does the interaction between Thalia, Heretic Cathar and Castle Embereth resolve?

I am interested in the interaction between Thalia, Heretic Cathar which is already on the battlefield and Castle Embereth, a non-basic land that is being played by an opponent and now enters the battlefield.

The two cards conflict with each other on what will happen. There is a ruling from 2016 which states that the effect of Thalia "wins", so that Castle Embereth enters the battlefield tapped.

I would like to know which rules in the Comprehensive Rules explain this result. Both cards create continuous effects that are also replacement effects. If one applies rule 613.9, the timestamp criterion determines that Castle Embereth would "win", which is obviously not the case.

Does it perhaps have something to do with the fact Castle Embereth says: "This land enters tapped unless you control a mountain." The word "unless" is perhaps less specific in its consequences then if it had said "except if" or "but not if".

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05/05/2025
Meet the GMs!

With our roleplaying programme getting fully back up to speed later this month (more details here), we thought we would take the opportunity to introduce you to our team of professional Game Moderators. The brave souls you see below will be running various Seasons and one-shots for you over this year. If you’ve ever been involved with roleplaying sessions at the Treehouse, there’s a good chance you’ll recognise at least one of these faces, but consider this an opportunity to properly get acquainted. We’ve asked each of them to describe themselves in their own words – enjoy!

Riley

Riley (they/them) is one of the original GMs here at the Treehouse, co-creating the Solken project that kicked off our RPG work back in 2017. Since then they’ve run games in a huge variety of systems, including Apocalypse World, Lady Blackbird, Call of Cthulhu and Cortex Prime. They are always looking for a new challenge and love learning new systems. As well as running games, Riley is responsible for organising the motley crew below into something resembling a coherent schedule of games. Right now, they’re kicking off a home game of Pathfinder 2nd Edition and cooking up a hell of an apocalypse…

Ashley

Ashley (she/her) is another of our 2017 veteran GMs, having helped to run our Solkien project when it first launched, as well as a number of subsequent games using D&D 5e, Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood. As our resident teenage mystery adventure pro, Ashley is always looking to dive into new short-form and one-shot adventures, particularly in Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood. Right now, Ashley is cooking up some new mysteries for you to solve, whenever she’s not too busy dishing up food in the kitchen.

James

James (he/him) has been part of the roleplaying team since 2019. He joined us to close out the final Season of Solken in style, jumping into the part of Lord Torgan with about thirty minutes of prep! He’s since run several one-shots and CSI-style D&D game called On The Case. His planned follow-up, a Monster Hunter riff called Into the Reach, was cruelly cancelled by the first lockdown last year – at least, for now. Recently James has had his head buried in the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying 4th Edition book, though the sheer number of tables involved means he’s unlikely to get it to the Treehouse without some serious persuading!

Matt

Matt (they/he) was a big part of establishing the Treehouse tabletop roleplaying initiative, and was responsible for keeping track of the extensive and constantly expanding lore of our Solken multi-table D&D world. With an eye for worldbuilding and detail, they take pride in trying to adapt every campaign to the individual players’ characters. As such they can be usually found staring into the middle distance in a futile attempt to anticipate every unlikely and chaotic decision the players will take. Matt’s next project is the highly anticipated Summits of Steam and Steel Season 2, a game whose players enjoyed it so much, they petitioned for a sequel!

Henry

Henry is the Treehouse’s self-proclaimed bad boy of roleplaying. If you’re not happy with your character having a fluctuating number of limbs/tentacles then maybe don’t let them wander into one of Henry’s games! Venturing forth from the sleepy town of Ashbourne in search of new players to torment, he’s perched and nestled at The Treehouse. The first delve into Henry’s imagination, the Level One Encounters one-shot, twisted players’ happy fairy tale memories into a Cronenbergian nightmare. The coming-soon sequel promises to be a walk into some very old, very dark woods. And then, just when you begin to feel safe again… the monsters appear!

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05/05/2025
A Universal Time Trello and Discord Links – Roblox [4.7]
A Universal Time (AUT) is an action/adventure game that blends elements from various popular shows, games, and anime, with strong inspiration from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The game offers a deep and evolving combat system that rewards exploration and mastery. Follow along with our A Universal Time Trello and Discord guide to explore guides, item locations, and stand information.

A Universal Time Trello and Discord Guide

Run for your life.

Here are all the A Universal Time links you need to start fighting in the big leagues:

I’d recommend starting with the A Universal Time Trello since it works like a wiki filled with helpful content. There you can find details on:
- All Game Mechanics
- All Economy Guides
- All Stands
- All Abilities
- All NPCs
- All Quests
- All Bosses
- All Updates
- All Skins
- All Upcoming Updates
- All Original/Universal Powers and Abilities
- All Sub-Powers
The A Universal Time Discord server is a great place to begin if you’re looking for more direct help. You can ask specific questions in the Questions channel and hear from Testers and experienced players. It’s also a good spot to share fun moments in the Media channel and chat with the community. Here’s what you can find on the Discord:
- General Game Information
- Popular Builds
- Gameplay Guides
- Community Insights
- All Event NPC Locations
- Community Rankings
- Developer Notes
- Direct Assistance
The A Universal Time Discord is also a good place to stay updated on the game’s development. The announcements channel shares news about updates, and the sneak peeks offer a look at upcoming content. You’ll also see occasional updates directly from Universe Time Studio. Plus, it’s the easiest way to find the latest codes.

That is all for our A Universal Time Trello and Discord guide. Check out our Roblox-related articles on our Roblox Page.

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05/05/2025
No video review this week!

March 18, 2021Quintin Smith News

Tom: Good morning everybody, and a happy… THURSDAY? Oh no. I have overslept terribly.

Listen, I can explain my tardiness. Each limb of Shut Up & Sit Down digitally assembled earlier in the week to chat about what exciting content we’re putting out, and all we had to show for it was a big collective moan. Well, that and the productive decision to not put out a video this week; sliding our schedule back a notch to make sure everything’s looking less exhausted. It’s ‘the year’, what else can we say?

You can still expect a podcast on Friday – Quinns and I are going to have a little ramble about a smattering of solo RPGs that I’ve been playing over the past couple days and weeks. I think it’ll be a lot of fun, so keep your ears open so that one can crawl in and have itself a home.

Normal video service will resume next week – and until then, stay hydrated! xx

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05/05/2025
Can I use Brokers Hideout with a Simic Commander?

Can I include the card Brokers Hideout in a commander deck, where the commander does not have a white color identity? For example Zimone, Mystery Unraveler

I know that I cannot include Plains cards in the deck, but as Plains have color identity white, does that word appearing the card text prevent me from including Brokers Hideout in my deck?

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04/05/2025