Nick Dubs

2 days ago | gamingtrend.com | Nick Dubs

Most games have a clock of some kind, be it an overt round timer or inevitable game end condition, but not Galactic Renaissance. The first player to score ten points on their turn after hitting 20 (and thereby hitting 30) wins Galactic Renaissance, but if you miss the mark, you're reset to 20 and gotta try again once play gets back to you. "Well easy enough, just do the thing," you say. Oh, my sweet summer child.

2 weeks ago | gamingtrend.com | Nick Dubs

Let's talk about theming in board games, one of the most controversial spectra for people on the autism spectrum. For simulationist American designs, it's everything, at the cost of all else. In the dark ages of the 90’s, European games only used theme to help players learn rules and integrate mechanics. Nowadays, we've evolved to the point where most games hit a happy medium. Comic Hunters kinda lives there, but also not? Let me explain.

3 weeks ago | gamingtrend.com | Nick Dubs

When our team first saw TNT Laser Works’ Sage Stones back at the media first look at Origins last year, it was immediately apparent that the boards are works of art, up there with a nice crokinole set. When we got a review copy of the still rather nice leather scroll travel edition, I had to answer if it was a good game or not. After some serious critical consideration, I've landed on the extremely erudite position of: eh, kinda? Sage Stones plays as the lovechild of Go and Sorry!.

1 month ago | gamingtrend.com | Nick Dubs

Since I've started reviewing the LCGs that everyone's pumping out, I've been asked some variant of “is this The One, will it get a scene?” way more than I'd like. It's not that it's a bad question for people who are still brain poisoned by MTG, it's just that it's not one I'm interested in speculating on. What I'm interested in is finding that game that returns me to a time before PTQs, GPs, and the general crowd at competitive scenes sapped the fun out of card games for me.

1 month ago | gamingtrend.com | Nick Dubs

Social deduction is one of those genres that is just inherently fun and understandable. The foundation of a large group playing cooperatively while a smaller group tries to accomplish a diametrically opposed goal is simple and compelling in a way that additional complexity threatens to undermine. Avalon and Secret Hitler are prime examples: every round, the table elects a team that will advance the game state towards the good or bad side winning.