[Ryan] I finally tried Innovation (the new Ultimate edition) for the first time, and it has left me completely fascinated by this design. While the board state is certainly chaotic as players trigger powerful effects across all of the unique cards, it remains a rich tactical landscape that is full of interesting a meaningful decisions. I played two 2-player games over the course of 3 hours and was left itching to play it again as soon as possible. So glad I didn’t let the talk about the game being too chaotic scare me away, as I really feel like this is a gem of a design.

[Daniel] It had been far too long since my wife and I last played Underwater Cities, and revisiting this gem reminded us why we love it. The game creates engaging decisions through a simple yet clever mechanic—matching your action selection with the card you play. It’s an easy rule to grasp, but it leads to a deeply satisfying game of optimization. We wrapped up our two-player session in just over 90 minutes, which felt like a great pace for such a rewarding experience!

[Ryan] The quest to thoroughly play all the series 3 content of Final Girl continues! Playing again Krampus in the Sunnydaze Mall was a somewhat funny thematic setup, and sadly Krampus got the last laugh. I do enjoy the mechanism Krampus uses to leave “gifts” around the board, and Sunnydaze Mall has a really distinct feel due to the “Savior” character that you want to persuade to help you, and that you cannot let die (i.e. the set Sunnydaze Mall comes in is literally the plot of Terminator 2: Judgment Day). Expect series 3 rankings and perhaps a playthrough in the coming months!

[Daniel] After several plays on Board Game Arena, my wife and I finally got to experience Sky Team in its physical form. We don’t typically gravitate toward cooperative games, but this one felt refreshingly different. The hidden, separate dice eliminated any risk of an alpha gamer, creating a dynamic back-and-forth of strategic action placement. The challenge of communicating through hidden dice placement is a clever mechanic that adds depth to every decision. Can’t wait to play this one again!

[Ryan] My 4-year-old Tobias has been struck with the Crokinole bug… We have been playing almost daily and it has been a blast. It is easy to level the playing field by giving myself fewer discs, but it is truly amazing how quickly he is getting better with repeated practice. We are to the point where he has beaten me with me only having a 2-disc handicap! We plan on doing a video of Toby’s top games of all time in the next few months, so we will see where Crokinole lands on the list.