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Yogi, Skara Brae, 3 Chapters, 3 of a Kind, Ra and Write
by Andy Matthews on January 9, 2026
Yogi - Justin Bell I picked up a pile of party games from our friends at Gigamic at SPIEL Essen 2025. One of those was Yogi, a new release with 60 cards, a simple set of rules, and an interesting note: the rules indicate that the cards are waterproof. Why should that matter? Yogi is a ridiculous time at the table that asks players to simply draw a card and follow all the rules on that card. That might mean ongoing rules for the rest of the game, like “each time you draw a card, sing the words printed on that card” or “compliment another player at the table before you take your next turn.” Many more are physical, like holding your elbow above your shoulders while tucking a card underneath your chin before drawing a card, but only with a certain hand. If a player can’t keep up, they immediately lose the game, and remaining players keep going until only one remains. Is Yogi a game? I think so, but it’s a game that is a little hard to monitor, judge, rule, etc. because the conditions stack in crazy ways. When my son won our first family game, even he wasn’t sure if he should have been named the winner. “I… The post Yogi, Skara Brae, 3 Chapters, 3 of a Kind, Ra and Write appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
The Pillars of the Earth Game Review
by Abram Towle on January 8, 2026
Just because a game is old doesn't mean that we should overlook it. Thanks to a new gaming group, I'm getting some exposure to lots of older games that I normally wouldn't even think twice about. Our most recent foray was a five-player jaunt through The Pillars of the Earth, a worker placement euro that wasn't as stuffy as my initial cover-based assessment gave it. Together we built the fictional Kingsbridge Cathedral from Ken Follett's novel of the same name, although the process wasn't free from cutthroat resource battles. With twenty years of board game innovation between its release and the present, does The Pillars of the Earth still stand firm? The Pillars of the Earth Overview Over the course of the game, players assemble big, blocky, wooden pieces to form a central cathedral, which serves as a glorified round marker. During that time, they balance the need for employing Craftsmen and utilizing their talents to convert resources into victory points. Whoever has the most victory points at the end of the sixth round wins the game. After setting up The Pillars of the Earth—which involves a great deal of shuffling and deck-stacking—the game begins in earnest. In the first phase, players use their pool of workers and gold to send laborers out to gather resources or to hire… The post The Pillars of the Earth Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Time to Panic Game Review
by Kevin Brantley on January 8, 2026
Calm. Panik. IV Studio has a consistent reputation for making games that are unique in both style and play, such as Tend, Realm of Reckoning, and Veiled Fate. Just stop by their booth at any gaming convention, and you’ll see a construct that stands out amongst the crowd. I was excited to be presented with the newest title in their “small box” line, Time to Panic. At first glance, the box doesn’t reveal much—abstract art paired with a title that already manages to evoke a bit of anxiety. Open it up, though, and you’ll find a neat stack of cards with the beautiful foiling one would expect from a publisher that consistently goes the extra mile in design. [caption id="attachment_327015" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] 6...7??[/caption] The title itself is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that the time continuum has been messed up, and it’s up to your group to cooperatively (or solo) line the sequences back up. No Need to Panic, Yet Time to Panic plays over a series of turns until all cards have been played from both the players’ hands and the communal deck. The goal is simple: line up the numbered cards sequentially from lowest to highest. Any numbers that end up out of order count… The post Time to Panic Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
A Dragon’s Gift Game Review
by Andrew Lynch on January 6, 2026
There’s something about A Dragon’s Gift, Button Shy’s latest solo game from designer Scott Almes, that feels particularly pastoral. You can hear the opening strains of “Belle” from Beauty and the Beast as you open the Button Shy wallet and gaze upon these adorable illustrations. Then, just as the song explodes into hustle and bustle, the village's busybodies spring to life. Every year, the citizens of Adragonsgiftopia (I assume) come together and honor the dragon who guards the town with a gift. Different citizens have different ideas. The baker suggests a treasure chest, which seems a safe bet. The bard wants to write a poem. Typical. The sorceress is in favor of a My First Chemistry set, presumably to encourage the dragon to pursue a career in STEM or to foster a general sense of curiosity and wonder about the world around it. You draw one of the six Gift Cards and set it aside faceup. Once the gift is chosen, the town gets to work. The remaining 12 cards show the rest of the Village. Each card includes a winding set of roads around the periphery, a natural resource, and a business. The puzzle comes in lining up… The post A Dragon’s Gift Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Back in the Day: Trivial Pursuit
by K. David Ladage on January 5, 2026
The first line in the description of Trivial Pursuit on BoardGameGeek reads: “Trivial Pursuit is the original trivia game that started it all.” It is really difficult to get your head wrapped around that line when you realize that this game originated in 1981. When a game is the original in a genre that seems as ubiquitous as trivia, being less than 50 years old does not seem right. Consider that this means that Trivial Pursuit is only 12 years older than Magic: The Gathering. Coincidentally, both Trivial Pursuit and Magic: The Gathering are games that started their respective classification (e.g., trivia games and collectable card games) and seem to have nailed it on the initial outing. Many, many companies have tried to catch the lightning in a bottle both of these games represent and have come up short. Some have come close (e.g., Pokemon). Few seem to have the lasting power of these two. Usually, it has to do with a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes the originals work. So let’s look at Trivial Pursuit and see if we can identify what that is. In our Back in the Day articles revisiting classic experiences, we won’t discuss how to play these games…they are old, and if you want to learn how to play, feel… The post Back in the Day: Trivial Pursuit appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Fresco Game Review
by Tom Franklin on January 4, 2026
Frescoes, or watercolor paintings over plaster, date back to ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. Perhaps the best-known fresco is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Micelangelo’s masterpiece is an example of Buno Fresco, or “True Fresco”, process. Before beginning work, the artist applies a rough plaster layer. Once in position (high above the ground, on his back) the painter would apply another, finer wet plaster layer. Then, working quickly before this new layer dried, he applied the pigments. In this way, the colors became a permanent part of the plaster. To create such grand works, the painter prepared only as much plaster and pigments as he could use each day. This meant working in small sections, or giornata, meaning “a day's work”. The size of a giornata varied based on the complexity, both in design and colors of the scene depicted. Over the centuries, the Sistine Chapel fresco darkened and was damaged by environmental elements. Whenever cleanup and repairs took place, fresco repair specialists did so, giornata by giornata. In Marco Ruskowski and Marcel Süßelbeck’s 2010 release Fresco (Queen Games), the Bishop has summoned you and your fellow players to repair the church’s prized fresco. Be the artist to best manage your workers, create the greatest selection of pigments, and repair the right giornata, and the… The post Fresco Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Masters of Crime: Shadows Game Review
by Justin Bell on January 3, 2026
“This might be the best one-shot mystery game we have ever played!” My wife and I had just finished a three-hour session of Masters of Crime: Shadows (2022, KOSMOS). We had now played the first three releases in the series, and I was nodding heartily in agreement based on this assessment. I’ve reviewed about 20 different titles in the single-play tabletop format (maybe more, because this is a sometimes difficult category to parse in our search system), and even halfway through the scenario presented in MoC: Shadows, I had to admit that KOSMOS had nailed it again. I’ll share a few spoiler-free notes on this title, but I just want to sit back and marvel at the fact that KOSMOS is crushing this category. I’ll also talk briefly about my main takeaway from this experience: why haven’t more people been talking about these games? It’s Time for a Heist Flick Masters of Crime: Shadows is a single-session mystery title that can be played by any number of players. (The box says 1-6 players, but the reality is that you could play it with almost any group cooperatively.) Like the previous two titles I have tried, Masters of Crime: Vendetta and Masters of Crime: Rapture, Masters of… The post Masters of Crime: Shadows Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Oddland Game Review
by Kevin Brantley on January 2, 2026
Small Box, Big Critters You gotta hand it to Allplay: their small-box games work overtime as both space savers and a smart marketing angle. Walk past their booth at a convention and you’ll see a neat, satisfying wall of matching boxes. Even those with a hint of OCD would feel soothed by the uniformity. As a friend once called it, it’s the “Pez Dispenser” of game displays. Oddland, the debut title from video game designer Dan Schumacher, fits right into this aesthetic. Inside its tiny box are colorful map cards and a parade of hybrid critters practically engineered to make you grin. Whether it’s the Owloose (moose + owl), Pangaroo (pangolin + kangaroo), or Grizzsleep (sheep + grizzly bear), the game’s tone is baked right into its cast. I also had the chance to try the upgraded components—handsome wooden versions of the cardboard markers—and if you’re picking this up, they feel like an essential add. The 3D pieces make scoring cleaner and more readable, and they elevate the tactile appeal. But be forewarned, they won’t fit in the base box! Quick Cartography Oddland unfolds over seven rounds, and your goal is to position your creatures in spatial configurations that maximize their unique scoring conditions. Each species has its own… The post Oddland Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Ruins Game Review
by Kevin Brantley on January 2, 2026
A Brand Name I’ve always had a soft spot for John D. Clair games. I have fond memories of getting smoked by my father-in-law at Space Base, nights of pirate galavanting in Dead Reckoning, and shouting at my gambling friends in Ready, Set, Bet. When Clair’s name is attached to a game, my interest climbs, and so do my expectations. Following in Allplay’s “small box, big game” line of aesthetically pleasing (and space‑saving) packages, Ruins immediately stood out to me, and I had high hopes. Add in the fact that it’s a card‑shedding game, and I was basically sprinting to get it to the table. Over the past year, I’ve grown a real affinity for trick‑taking and card‑shedding titles. Some of my favorites include Scout, Tichu, Linko, and Things in Rings. Put all that together, and I was expecting a home run. But are these ruins worth exploring or better left untouched? Grab your handy‑dandy flashlight, and we’ll find out together! Discovery Diving Ruins plays over four rounds or until a player hits the winning score. Everyone is dealt a hand of cards valued one through ten. On your turn, you’ll play either a single card or a set of matching values. Each play must match or exceed… The post Ruins Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Meeple Mountain Year in Review – 2025
by Andy Matthews on January 1, 2026
Since our very first post, we’ve been focused on publishing high-quality board game related content, whether it’s written or video. We craft and discuss, parenthesize, spellcheck, and edit until we’re happy with it. And this year we smashed last year’s record for our biggest year ever, with 580 published pieces—more than ‌10 per week; that’s crazy for an all-volunteer team like ours. Let’s walk through the content and see what stood out. 444 Written Reviews We reviewed even more games this year than we did last year: 444 compared to 410; over 180 of which were released this year! And we continue to review games far ahead of most other review sites thanks to our team’s traveling to Essen SPIEL to pick up European releases early. By traffic, our biggest game review hits of 2025 were Slay the Spire: The Board Game, Feya’s Swamp, Gloomhaven Second Edition, Purple Haze (which generated quite a kerfluffle), and Earthborne Rangers. In 2025 our One Shot Mysteries series were the big hits, with only Unsolved Case Files: Jane Doe making it into our top 20. But that same top 20 also included popular games Vantage and Bomb Busters. 11 Videos Our video work… The post Meeple Mountain Year in Review – 2025 appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Meeple Mountain interviews Dr. Reiner Knizia
by Andy Matthews on December 31, 2025
To celebrate the completion of our Reiner Knizia Alphabet series, Meeple Mountain's Andy Matthews and Dr. Andrew Holmes interviewed Dr. Reiner Knizia, one of the most pre-eminent game designers of all time. Join our two team member as they chat, laugh, and delve into the 40 year career of "The Doctor". Reiner Knizia Interview Transcript And here's the transcript of the interview for those who are interested in reading along. AM: Hey, everyone, this is Andy Matthews with Meeple Mountain. With me is Dr. Andrew Holmes and the estimable Dr. Reiner Knizia, who has agreed to appear with us for an interview. We're going to be spending the next 30 to 45 minutes asking him some questions and we are extremely excited to have his time. So let's go ahead and get started. AM: Reiner, you're one of the most successful board game designers in the world. You've had 100s of games published over 40 careers, and we have been spending the past year celebrating your game designs with our Reiner Knizia Alphabet series, from A to Z. Looking back over your career, what would you say are some of your high moments and maybe even some of your low moments? Maybe when you… The post Meeple Mountain interviews Dr. Reiner Knizia appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Bare Bones Game Review
by Andy Matthews on December 30, 2025
A few months ago we received an email requesting a review of Bare Bones. It’s always a toss up when reviewing games from a publisher you’ve never worked with before, but I decided to dig a little deeper. I read the rules, and some other reviews, and as I found out more, I became more intrigued; ultimately deciding to take the plunge and get a copy sent to me. And boy, have I had a blast playing this. It’s equal parts Splendor (engine building), Dominion (deck building), and Roll for the Galaxy (dice rolling). Join me as I walk you through the bones of Bare Bones. Them Bones, Them Bones In Bare Bones, players purchase cards of varying cost from the central market, each card providing either a special action or the option of rolling six-sided dice of varying colors and values. Blue dice are cheap, at only 4 coins, but only have the numbers 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, and 4 on them. White dice are middle of the road in cost, at 6 coins, and have the numbers 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, and 5. While black dice are expensive, costing 12 coins, but feature 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, and 6. Bare Bones Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.