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This is where you'll find my incredibly erudite insights into life, board games and stuff. And nothing says erudite more than triple emphasis and the word 'stuff'.

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The Benchmark Games

Some games become benchmarks. You know, you hear about or try a new game and you immediately start comparing it... is it as good as..? Is it as pretty as...? It's good but it's a shame the art isn't as good as.... or the rule book isn't as clear as... This is often more about the execution of the design rather than the game itself. It's not always a negative judgement, it can be a way of categorising games in my head - I often make comparisons when I like the game and just wish one area was more effective. So what are my benchmarks? My points of comparison? Art Work - Dixit I've yet to receive Fire in The Library and I am excited about how lovely it is, but for now Dixit remains my point of

Christmas Gift Ideas (spoiler alert: they're all games!!)

Christmas is a time for getting together - eating, drinking and being merry. Whether you're looking for a way of getting the family communicating this Christmas; trying to find common ground between a 5 year old, a 14 year old and a 90 year old or just fancy a change from your usual Christmas activities - these games will be just the ticket. A couple for all the family. Geistes Blitz One of the greatest things about Geistes Blitz is that it is a very levelling game -just because you are an adult, you do not have the upper hand here. This appeals to the truly competitive as you can beat your 5 year old with a clear conscience and the less competitive who often 'adjust things' to avoid younger

Temp Worker Assassins

When I was trying to expand my collection and on the lookout for unusual games Temp Worker Assassins caught my eye. I was attracted by the art work and the premise. You are a temp working at Bureaucrat Castle and you must use items from the stationery cupboard to bring about the demise of your permanent colleagues. Your weapons range from reasonably blunt pencils to a remarkably heavy calculator. I'm such an English teacher that they had me at these modifiers. The game is played over a week. (In game time - not in real life. It's not an insane version of Risk!). Each day has a power up which you may choose to claim using one of your four assassins. You start out with a basic hand of statione

Board Games Hauls and Piles of Shame.

My advertising posts often proudly announce the number of board games in my collection. (Currently 310). Like everyone else I prop up, retweet and add to the jokes about the piles of shame; question the necessity of taking clothes to Essen to when you could just fill your case with new games. However, I also see the danger of these throw away comments and jokes. Regularly I feel disquiet about owning games I haven't played while I'm still backing new ones on Kickstarter. Sitting around joking about how much money we can waste is a position of privilege that I don't even want to aspire to. Being part of the Board Gaming community is not about collecting and bragging. Or at least, it shouldn't

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