Expand Your Game

Finspan: Rapid Review Introduction : Wingspan has been a global hit for Stonemaier with four large expansions and countless small accessories and expansions. Wyrmspan went for a deeper more complex experience than wingspan. Finspan is the third of the trilogy and went for a more approachable game than Wingspan. I personally find Finspan at the same complexity weight, while still creating a simpler flow. In Finspan the player is no longer going across a track, but are now diving deep as they go down a track. Finspan in its own rights is a widely popular game, that I have already missed the boat when it comes to a review. This review will instead be a rapid review, focusing on key parts that highlight what makes Finspan unique.  Altering from Wingspan: There are numerous small intricacies where Finspan alters, but first the focus will be on the two big changes the tracks and the resources. Tracks: The tracks still create engines for three paths one card focused, one egg focused and o...

Origin Story - Heroes and Villains: Review Information: Mechanics: Trick Taking, Engine Building Player Age: 14+ Player Count: 1 - 5 Players Time to Play: 45 Minutes  Game Designer: Jamey Stegmaier, Pete Wissinger Game Artist: Clémentine Campardou Publisher : Stonemaier Games  Year Published: 2026 BGG Weight:  1.50 Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Introduction : Origin Story is a trick taking game with a very unique difference. This game also focuses around enhancing a player's engine. Before each round players will gain a new hero card. These cards enhance the player's engine or create new scoring possibilities. One new story card has been included in this expansion. For the full review of the base game click here.  New Cards:  Each player will also gain two super heroes and choose one in the final trick. This gives players a strategy to plan towards when building their engine but a chance to p...

Dic3 Hip Hop: Rapid Review Rundown : Dic3 Hip Hop is aiming to capture the rush of the match three genre of games that is a quite common type of phone game. Players have 12 rounds to fill in as much of their board as possible. Each round five dice are rolled. These dice can be added and subtracted together to create any number between 0 and 12 to fill as many spots on the board as possible.  The dice can be used without altering to fill as many spots on the board per turn as possible. The core rule players need to remember is if you fill three in a row another symbol will be filled in anywhere on the board. Using these combos and other ways to gain wild fills, players will score at the end based on how much of the board they fill. There are three different maps with the first map being introductory (rhythm and flow) introducing the engine for the game through an abundance of possible matches. Where the highest difficulty is the block, which will require play...

Gold Country: Review  Information : Mechanics: Market Manipulation, Tile Placement, Shared Board Player Age: 8+ Player Count:  2 - 2l4 Players Time to Play:  30 - 60  Minutes  Game Designer: Reiner Knizia Game Artist:   Beth Sobel Publisher: Bitewing Games Year Published: 2026 BGG Weight: 2.05 Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Introduction : Gold Country is a reimagining of Reiner Knizia 2012 Spectaculum. This is a stock manipulation game masked by a fun theme of gold mining in the old west. Players have three claim tokens that they have to place each turn. These tokens will slowly close the available spots on the board while also manipulating the value of each mine.  Game Anatomy: Board: There are two boards included in the game the standard board.  As well a second side which contains rivers and tunnels.  As well as new tokens such as gems that score fiv...

Trails and Tails: Review Information: Mechanics : Roll and Move, Take That Player Age :  6+ Player Count :  2 - 4 Time to Play:  20 - 40 Minutes  Year Published: 2026 Basics : I have always enjoyed when current games bring back a mechanism from childhood. Mancala games or the games that do a twist on chess are easy examples. Trails and Tails takes the premise of snakes and ladders into modern gaming. More importantly Trails and Tails takes roll and move and really opens the decision space on the standard  not often used mechanism.  Trails and Tails has players moving up, well, a snakes and ladders board. This time there are no ladders but only falls (or animals eating).  To move players have a set amount of dice each round that they can add or minus two dice together each turn and move that amount. This counts for even negative values allowing the player to move backwards.  With two to four dice thi...