Category: Peter Ruth II

Roleplaying and board games reviews, podcasts, videos and interviews

Dungeon Command–Sting of Lolth

Lolth Stings Your Wallet Due To A Lack Of Heart? By Peter Ruth II The key to every successful miniatures game ever made has been that it has the innate ability to create tension, to excite the players, and to draw them, as generals into the flames of the battle they are engaging in. It’s…
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Consumerism, Criticism, And The Bernays Effect On The Board Game Industry

There has been a great deal of hand-wringing about the lack of what people are calling “true criticism” in the board game industry, of late. What the hand-wringers are wringing wildly about is the idea that there aren’t enough truly in-depth reviews on games, or games that speak from a level of experience; from the perspective of someone who has either mastered the game or has a trained enough eye to be able to spot the flaws in the gem that is a boardgame without actually having played it to death.

Star Trek: Expeditions

I don’t hate to be wrong, but I really hate to be wrong like this. I broke my own rules, which was stupid in and of itself, and I deserve the outrage that I will be receiving from people who I told were wrong. So, here goes: Reiner Knizia can make an Ameritrashy adventure game. There. I said it. I’m even prepared to say that as highly improbable as it is, the game he made is not only not atrophy your testicles from boredom, it in fact is brilliant fun. I still can’t believe it myself, but it’s true. Star Trek: Expeditions (ST:E) is a really, truly fun, thematic co-op adventure game that not only adheres to its theme, but does so well.

iOS Spotlight: Battle Fleet

Now that I’ve finally advanced out of the dark ages and gotten an iPad and iPhone, I’ve realized that there’s a veritable sea of amazing board game ports and strategy games out there to waste time with. I’m firmly of a mind that eventually, all games will become digital, with only the most afflicted of Luddites still having the cardboard versions.

Dungeon Run

Dungeon Run doesn’t even attempt to take itself seriously; even the FAQ and easy-to-read rulebook is funny. If anything, it could be described as Dungeonquest Plus, because at the beginning of the game, your party of ignoble adventurers are mostly working together, but only as an alliance of convenience.