Expand Your Game

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...

Primal Hex: BUZZ Review  Information: Mechanics:   Area Control, Dice Rolling, Programming Player Age:  10 +   Player Count:   2 - 4  Players Time to Play:   30 - 60 Minutes Game Designer:   Marcin Sokołowski Game Artist:  Michał Teliga Publisher :  Smart Flamingo Games Year Published:   2025 Disclaimer:   A preview copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Basics: Primal Hex is an action programming game that has players vying for control of tiles to gain points through global objectives (season cards), a hidden objective (advisor card), or by using an action to score on surrounding tiles up to five points. This is a demo copy and the final copy may include different art/components. At the start of a round players will simultaneously roll their 10 dice, gaining any result of 4, 5, or 6 as a success.  Each player will then plan their fate card (a card that will modify the game state, or state...

Mycelia - North American Expansion: Review Information: Mechanics:   Area Control, Engine Building Player Age:  10+ Player Count:  1- 5 Players Game Designer and Artist:  J.J. Neville BGG Weight:  2.52 Publisher:  Split Stone Games Time to Play:  40 - 130 Minutes  Year Published:  2025 Disclaimer:  A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Introduction: Mycelia is a game that I reviewed at the start of the year (click here). It is a smart engine-building game that has players competing for board supremacy while cleverly planning when the best time to decay and gain the action linked to the mushroom is. Once a player has a decayed mushroom under each spot the game will end. This expansion has added a fifth player, with no additional rule additions which is always great.  As well as 34  new mushrooms grown in North America. Some of these mushrooms have abilities that match core concepts in the base game, and ...

Jujuman: Buzz Review Information: Mechanics:  Roll and Write, Pr int and Play, Set collection, Sudoku Player Age:  8 + Player Count:  1 - 99  Players Time to Play:  30 - 60  Minutes  Publisher : Keepers of Fun Game Designer:  Arif Nezih Savi Game Artist:  Mustafa Gocmezler Year Published:  2025 Disclaimer:  A preview copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Basics: In Jujuman, players aim to collect ingredients in order to brew potions. There are five potion rows; two red, two black, and one green. On a turn, three dice will be rolled (one red, one green, and one black),  which everyone will simultaneously choose how to use. Players can choose to use one die, or any mix out of two and three, either adding or subtracting. This value will then be placed in the far left row matching the colour of one of the dice used. For example, a black four, green five and red one is rolled. You could use a five in the green row, have f...

Montoons: Clash of the Coral Isles - Kickstarter Buzz Review Information: Mechanics:  Roll and Write, Programming Modular Setup , Print and Play, Arena Combat Player Age:  10 + Player Count: 2- 4   Players Time to Play:  45 - 60  Minutes  Publisher : Mnstr Games Game Designer:  Andrew Delacruz, Devon Mettlin Game Artist: Chris Beck Year Published:  2024 Disclaimer:  A preview copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Basics: Montoons: Clash of the Coral Isles is a arena combat/roll-and-write game where players are traversing unique terrains in pursuit of diminishing each others health, or racing to complete four waystones. The waystone is completed using waystone actions when adjacent to the waystone marker on the map (more on this later). On each turn players will roll five dice simultaneously then select which actions they want to do when their turn resolves. You are allowed one movement and one attack, and a waystone action (up to...

Mich in the Downgeon: Buzz Review Information: Mechanics:  Flip and Write, Modular Setup , Print and Play,  Polyomino Player Age:  12 + Player Count:  1 - 5  Players Time to Play:  20 - 40  Minutes  Publisher : Rawr Games Game Designer:  Alexz Martínez Year Published:  2024 Disclaimer:  A preview copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Basics: Mich in the Downgeon is a flip and write game available as a print and play currently on kickstarter. It is being crowdfunded by the company that created Kaikoro. In this game you are exploring a dungeon (downgeon) by drawing the lines on the two cards that are flipped each turn. When drawing the lines you must follow these rules: - You are able to rotate the shape. - You cannot draw over a path that already exists, or draw through obstacles. - You must continue from the side or vertex of an already existing line. When exploring, certain shapes will be outlined on the map that will c...