Tahsin Shamma – Board Game Quest

Deep Shelf Review

Tahsin Shamma — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:11:58 +0000

With formative years in the 1980s, this reviewer was exposed to some significant films all trying to duplicate the success of Alien (1979). It was a decade of renewed interest in sci-fi horror and just about every studio grabbed an available visual effects team, trapped some actors in a remote outpost, and let a ravenous […]

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Thoughts on PAX Unplugged 2024

Tahsin Shamma — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 14:15:19 +0000

I’ve been to a few conventions. I wouldn’t say I’m a “frequent” con-attendee but in the past couple of years I’ve gotten a chance to go to UK Game Expo, PAX East, PAX Unplugged, Dice Tower East, and Origins. I’ve also been to Gen Con a few times, probably about once or twice a decade […]

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Nexus Ops Review

Tahsin Shamma — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:56:55 +0000

Step into the time machine. That’s it. Get comfortable. The coordinates are all set for 2005. This trip is traveling to the late dark ages of board gaming, just before the beginning of the golden age. Catan was slowly climbing in popularity in the USA. Carcassonne was only five years old. Even the Ticket to […]

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Nova Roma Review

Tahsin Shamma — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 13:31:38 +0000

One thing that designers, and subsequently board game players, have come to rely on regularly are design patterns for games. How often have you seen a card row for card selection similar to Ticket to Ride? How often have you seen a player board that tracks the number of resources of different types? How often […]

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Daybreak Review

Tahsin Shamma — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 14:30:51 +0000

The first “environmental” game this reviewer recalls seeing is Vital Lacerda’s CO2 (2012). While admirable in its laser focus on semi-cooperation and the combination of planning, production and conversion of polluting power infrastructure, it sits proudly at the microeconomic level, engaging players not as specific countries or activists, but as CEOs of energy companies. Now […]

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Transformers Deck Building Game Review

Tahsin Shamma — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 13:30:05 +0000

For all the Michael Bay movie fans out there, sorry, but this is not the new Transformers. The game under scrutiny today is a blast from the 80s where the robots were more blocky and showed up after-school on a UHF channel. That means broadcast television for our younger readers perusing this article. Like GI […]

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Trench Club Review

Tahsin Shamma — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 13:06:50 +0000

Wargames come in many shapes and sizes. At their core, the common elements position players as commanders of armed forces in conflict with one or more other commanders. Decisions can be tactical like moving individual units or strategic with army-level command. They also usually involve some sort of map with or without terrain. On the […]

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Imperial Steam Review

Tahsin Shamma — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:26:31 +0000

Unless a more knowledgeable reader corrects this in the comments, so far as this reviewer has read, 1829 is the first 18xx train game. Published in 1974, that would make the concept and structure of 18xx nearly fifty years old, without many signs of dramatic alteration. They feature heavy economic decisions combined with route strategy […]

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Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy Review

Tahsin Shamma — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 14:10:24 +0000

Every game has an intended setting, tone, purpose, and audience. This isn’t to say that a game can’t be played outside of this configuration, but usually when a game meets the designer’s intentions, the theme and mechanisms chart the players through a narrative, social, or strategic challenge. Players should be cautioned against trying too hard […]

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In Too Deep Review

Tahsin Shamma — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 14:31:14 +0000

One of the hardest things in board game design is crafting different mechanical elements that allow for players to feel what a theme is trying to deliver. Many players enjoy “Euro” elements that originate from European designers focused less on outright victory and leaning more on points as a yardstick for players to measure themselves. […]

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