برچسب: game

Confessions of a Board Game B***h — The Treehouse

Hello and welcome to another instalment of the Treehouse’s agony aunt column! This one is slightly unusual because instead of a ‘Dear Auntie Chella’ letter, today I have a conversation for you which I had with a friend who approached me about her issue in person.

I will now relay this conversation to you, dear readers, in case it helps someone else.

BGB: You’re writing an advice column for the Treehouse now?! Can you help me out with something?

Chella: Sure – go for it.

BGB: Help! I’m a board game bitch!

Readers, I blinked a few times. We took the rest of the conversation to text messages later that day, in a conversation that the aforementioned ‘BGB’ has happily agreed that I can share.

Chella: So you say you’re a what now?

BGB: A board game bitch.

Chella: And you are happy for me to call you this in print?

BGB: Yes, I own it.

Chella: And let me just check, can anyone of any gender be one of these?

BGB: Oh definitely, but I claim the crown.

Chella: What are your worst symptoms of board game bitchiness? Bitchery? Bitchdom? Bitchhood? I am not used to saying this word. Please stop me.

BGB: My worst symptoms? Irrational squeakiness, incandescent fury, and lengthy sulking. I get far too mean and loud and competitive and make my husband hate me. We are only able to play Monopoly once a year. I just lose my temper and can’t control myself.

Chella: Okay… which games are your worst culprits?

BGB: Monopoly, of course, and Dobble and Snap I get far too into.

Chella: Well are there any games that I don’t know… soothe you?

BGB: Any that soothe me? Not sure I’ve really found any yet 😂 I do like Fungi though. Who can get angry about pans of butter?

Chella: That is an excellent point. OK, I think I can help you. Usually the letter is anonymised by me naming the person after an alliterative part of Sheffield, in traditional agony aunt style. Are you happy to be The Board Game Bitch of Broomhill?

BGB: Sure… close enough.

Chella: Very well, check the Treehouse blog for my reply.

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04/05/2025
New automation sandbox game Icaria fuses Minecraft and Factorio together

Back in the early heyday of Minecraft, what really kept me coming back were the mods that dramatically opened up the sandbox game’s building potential. Tekkit, and later Feed the Beast, introduced me to a world of pipe networks and automation long before I ever got into the likes of Satisfactory and Factorio. Now, new indie game Icaria combines the iconic blocky look of Minecraft with the ability to lay out intricate factory networks and program helpers to handle all your tasks, and it’s out now on Steam with a playable demo.

Much like Minecraft, starting a new game of Icaria drops you into a small section of a procedurally generated alien world, although developer Blindsight Games’ creations are more alien in nature than those of Mojang. From your initial spawn, you’ll gradually explore outwards, building out a radio network to give you a better perspective of the world around you.

Like all the best sandbox games, you must gather materials to start constructing, upgrading, and expanding your base, but your labor is just the beginning. Described by Blindsight as a “single-player colony builder,” Icaria really comes into its own as you learn to automate your factories and program robotic helpers. Anything you can do yourself can also be accomplished by your workers, and the bigger your base grows, the more important that becomes.

Using a clean set of visual tools to make programming approachable to anyone, and ways to quickly share your scripts with other players, you’ll be able to set up your workers and facilities to act exactly how you wish. Terraform the landscape, lay down power networks, assign trucks to transport materials across your ever-expanding colony, and unlock more ways to engage with the world.

Icaria is out now on Steam in early access, with a 15% launch discount meaning you’ll pay $21.24 / £17.84 if you buy it by Monday May 12. There’s also a free demo you can download and try before you commit. Blindsight Games is aiming for the early access period to last for “around a year,” but says it will extend that “if that seems like the best way to deliver a satisfying and complete game.”

Can’t get enough construction in your day? Here are the best building games on PC. If it’s the organization aspects that appeal most, we’ve picked out the best management games to play in 2025 as well.

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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04/05/2025
Festive Top Fives: Gifts for Board Game Geeks

Got a geek in your life who’s hard to shop for? Welcome to our latest Festive Top Five: Gifts for Board Game Geeks. The following are all fairly recent releases or slightly obscure so it’s unlikely they’ll already own them, and they are also all very good indeed!

The Red Cathedral is a bonified ‘small box stonker’ that manages to pack all the complexity, interest and replayability of a full-sized Euro game into a very moderately sized (and priced) package. The components and artwork are excellent too.

Welcome to the Moon is a full-blown sequel to the excellent Welcome To. This time, the box comes complete with ALL SORTS of goodies, including eight sets of different player sheets (all dry-wipe compatible) and a ‘choose your own adventure’-style campaign mode. Deciding where to write a number has never been so much fun!

Watergate is a super-thematic, two-player game in which one player takes on the role of the Nixon administration trying to bury signs of wrongdoing, and the other the free press trying to uncover what they’ve been up to. With great components, bags of tension, and stacks of historical detail, this game tells a memorable story every time.

Fort is a curious and characterful deck builder about making a cool fort, eating pizza and making friends – all the most important aspects of being a kid. Don’t be fooled by the theme though: there’s a grown-up level of depth and interest here, not to mention exceptional artwork on every card.

Quest is a remake of Avalon, one of our favourite hidden role party games in which loyal servants of King Arthur pit their wits against wily Minions of Mordred who are trying to secretly sabotage their effects without revealing themselves. Quest brings stunning artwork into the mix as well as a STACK of new roles to keep things spicy over multiple play-throughs.

Find all of the above and a whole lot more in our shop. We’ll be back with more ‘top fives’ in the next few days as the countdown to Christmas continues…

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01/05/2025
Dune Awakening is getting a “large scale” beta weekend, the last chance to taste the spice before the game launches

Are you tired of hearing or reading about Dune Awakening without actually being able to play it? Well, hopefully you’re not tired of reading about it… Either way, it turns out you’ll be able to play the game soon, courtesy of a free open beta weekend coming on May 9, and concluding on May 12.

To get access, you’ll need to either wishlist the game prior to May 9 for a chance to play, or grab one of the “thousands” of beta codes given out by the team during the weekend. So, it’s open, but only to those lucky enough to gain access. Semi-open. The door left somewhat ajar.

This beta just so happens to be a few days prior to the original release date of May 15, which was pushed back due to a delay so the team at Funcom could “cook” a little and make sure everything is polished and ready for the full release.

Players will be able to access the first two regions, which if thoroughly explored should make up the first 20-ish hours of the game. That means you’ll be able to explore a few Research Facilities, try out the early abilities for various classes, and a little bit of PvP in ship crash sites. A good taster of the experience. If you’d like our experience, we’ve got a new preview for Dune Awakening out today that covers this same slice of the overall experience.

Are you excited for this open beta? Let us know below!

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27/04/2025
Ticket to Ride UK card deck and Base game

The Ticket to Ride UK map collection comes with a new deck of train cards. The rules call out that the deck includes an additional six locomotive cards, but are there any other differences from the base set of Train cards?

Our base cards are a bit tired looking and could do with being replaced.

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26/04/2025
God Save Birmingham just became my most anticipated new zombie game

If you know the British Isles as well as I do, you’ll know that the fine city of Birmingham doesn’t exactly scream ‘potential videogame location.’ But what about if you take things back to the 14th century? And fill it with zombies. Now it’s got a chance. That’s exactly what God Save Birmingham is looking to do, and after watching around eight minutes of new gameplay footage, it’s just shot to the top of my ‘most anticipated zombie games’ list.

Now, I’ll admit that I usually prefer my zombie games to be co-op affairs that are full of massive, dynamic hordes and ludicrous weapons. Call of Duty Zombies. Dead Island 2. You know the vibe. For that reason, the likes of Killing Floor 3 and the concerningly silent John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando have been way up on my list of upcoming PC games that I’m looking forward to. However, I think God Save Birmingham just surpassed them.

This isn’t some co-op horde blaster where you can smack shamblers with an electrified baseball bat or suck zombies up into a portable jet turbine. I’ve seen snippets of gameplay before, but looking at the new extended trailer posted by IGN, it actually comes across as very The Last of Us-y with its third-person sneaking and meaty takedown animations. I doubt the narrative juice will be quite as potent in God Saves Birmingham, but when it comes to taking down zombs, it’s definitely got that TLOU flavor.

There’s also a big focus on using and reacting to the environment around you. Furniture can be moved to block doorways. Ladders can be repurposed as bridges for crossing gaps. Standing on chairs can help you jump up to ledges that would typically be too high. Everything (including you and the zombies) has realistic and reactive physics, and looks like a really fun sandbox.

The new trailer also shows just how deep its survival game mechanics go. Meters for hunger, thirst, fatigue, and panic can be seen. Trying to replenish these with items in your inventory will require real-time actions and menu scanning – there’s no pausing the action and instantly eating a loaf of bread here. Falling from a height inflicts a leg injury, which then hampers your movement speed. Objects can be disassembled for raw materials. There’s a proper cooking system too.

I think it all looks marvelous, and the medieval setting feels like a novel one for a zombie survival experience. God Save Birmingham is currently without a release date, but an early access launch is on the cards for it.

Be sure to check out our list of the best medieval games if, like me, you’re loving ye olde vibes of God Save Birmingham. Our upcoming PC games list is also on hand to show you what else is on the way in the near and distant future.

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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26/04/2025
playing cards – Variations of the game rubamazzo/rubamazzetto

In the game of rubamazzetto the cards are shuffled and four are placed on the table and then distributed among the players to the left, so each player has three cards. Each player takes a turn. When a card on the table matches the player can sweep it by placing their card above the card and taking it. Same goes if a sum of cards on the table sums up to a player card. The player can also take the other player’s pile if the top card matches the player card by placing the card on top of it and taking it (hence, the Italian name, ruba mazzetto AKA Steal Cards). There cards are placed back on the table when they finish and each player keeps on taking a card until all cards on the table are gone. At the end, the player with most cards wins.

I wonder what variations of this game exist.

Thanks.

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25/04/2025
New Star Citizen free event is the perfect chance to play big MMO and space game

Star Citizen has taken on almost mythic proportions over the years. Its creator, eager to outdo the visions of outer space offered by games like Eve Online, No Man’s Sky, and Starfield, has been working on fleshing out a wildly ambitious MMO simulation for more than a decade now, even as other projects in its wheelhouse come and go. Given how long the game has been in active production, though, it can be hard for interested players to know when to give Star Citizen a shot. Luckily, there’s no better time than now, since a current ‘free fly’ event makes it easier than ever to give the game a look.

Star Citizen can be a bit daunting to approach, especially given how dense its take on the space game genre has become over time. The ideal way to dip into it is through one of its free trial events, which not only provide missions for new players to situate themselves in its sprawling world, but don’t cost anything to try.

The current free fly event allows anyone to check out Star Citizen by signing up for an account and downloading the game for free. After completing its introductory missions, players can sample some of the activities available in the massively multiplayer space sim, piloting a roster of six different ships or heading out on foot to explore the game’s far future setting. It’s a great opportunity for anyone curious to see what the space sim is all about, or to check in on how it’s been coming along over the many years it’s been available to the public.

Star Citizen’s current free event runs until next Monday April 28. You can sign up to take part in it at the official website right here.

Otherwise, you can find more to play with our lists of the best simulation games and best multiplayer games on PC.

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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22/04/2025
magic the gathering – Can a player force a game of MTG to end in a draw with an infinite amalia/indestructable wildgrowth walker loop?

The combination of Amalia and an indestructible Wildgrowth Walker always draws the game with an infinite loop once a creature explores, no matter what card is on top of the library.

For reference, Amalia has the text

Whenever you gain life, Amalia Benavides Aguirre explores. Then destroy all other creatures if its power is exactly 20.

and Wildgrowth Walker has the text

Whenever a creature you control explores, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature and you gain 3 life.

The keyword action “explore” and the event “explores” are defined in rules 701.40a-b:

701.40a. Certain abilities instruct a permanent to explore. To do so, that permanent’s controller reveals the top card of their library. If a land card is revealed this way, that player puts that card into their hand. Otherwise, that player puts a +1/+1 counter on the exploring permanent and may put the revealed card into their graveyard.

701.40b. A permanent “explores” after the process described in rule 701.40a is complete, even if some or all of those actions were impossible.

So, if a player controls Amalia and a Wildgrowth Walker, and a creature explores, then Wildgrowth Walker’s ability triggers, which causes the player to gain life, so Amalia’s ability triggers, and she explores, which triggers Wildgrowth Walker’s ability again, in a loop. The only choice any player makes during that process is what to do with the card on top of the library, if it is not a land.

However, because of the last part of rule 701.40b, the exploration happens no matter what card is on top of the library, and even if there is no card on top of the library at all. This means that the loop always continues, no matter what choice the player makes while exploring. Therefore, the loop is mandatory, so the game is a draw.

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21/04/2025
Oddities: A Peculiar Card Game Preview

Odd creatures are lurking in the woods. Your job is to collect these creatures and out score your opponents in this cutthroat card game from Twisted Branch Games. Let’s get to know these odd little creatures that make up this game.

An Odd Collection

Players are creating a tableau of cards from the carious woodland creatures they find during the game. Each round of Oddities is marked by a Season card which dictates which creatures they can collect in that round. Simple oddities are common and are the most common card that you’ll come across. Rare oddities have unique magical abilities that will help strengthen your collection.

At the start of your turn, draw the top card off the deck, adding a new card to your hand. Then, play a single action on your turn. You can “search” by drawing another card, “strengthen” by playing a card into your collection, “sabotage” lets you play a misfit oddity into another players collection, or you can “strike” which lets you play a quirk card.

A players collection sits in front of them, scoring a single point for each oddity. Specific oddities give additional points and misfits will add a wrinkle to your collection. The sabotage action adds some “take that” to the game. Ultimately, players are racing to be the first one to have six points in their collection.

Watch Out for the Misfits

Oddities gameplay is a quick teach and easy to understand. Each card has an icon designation that makes it easy to recognize the card type. There are four different seasons in the game that get drawn at the start of the round. During the Winter season, only oddities with the Winter icon, or the “any season icon” can be played. Keeping a variety of oddities in your hand gives you the flexibility to play into your collection across the various rounds.

Misfit cards can be played in any season and will target another player at the table. These cards are mostly inconvenient but can be removed through various rare oddity abilities or quirk effects.

Quirk cards are effects that immediately take place when they are played. Some of these cards can be down right mean when they wreak havoc on your collection. Some quirk cards can also protect your collection from your opponents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tIcQZ7bRIs

Final Thoughts

Oddities is a solid card game for families who are looking for a game that everyone can play. The cards are pretty straight-forward and the game supports up to eight players. Erin and I both enjoyed the game at two players, but noticed some balance issues. The team at Twisted Branch Games is addressing this by modifying the deck at that player count.

I really enjoy the whimsical look of the creatures in Oddities. The game is cute and even my daughters remarked on the art throughout the game. We had the most fun with Oddities at three to five players (we didn’t play at the highest count). Since misfit and quirk cards can target your opponents, it was nice having a couple options when choosing who to target.

If you’re looking for a fun easy to teach card game with charming artwork, Oddities is a game you should definitely check out.

Oddities is being funded through Kickstarter by Twisted Branch Games. Check out the campaign that launches on February 2, 2025.

A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.

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19/04/2025