Staff Picks

Finished your Pandemic Legacy campaign and unsure where to go now? Are you looking for something other than Catan for the millionth time for family board game night? Come check out our staff's favorite recommendations!

Nick: Conquest Lore Book

Conquest is the miniature game I play the most, and is probably my favourite at this point. But nothing brings a miniature war game together like the lore, the stories and history of the world truly bring the game to life and make you feel like you are fighting over something more than cut out plastic objective markers and around terrain made of carpets and mac and cheese boxes.

This is why I was so excited when I heard there was a lore companion for Conquest. If you have ever walked past the Conquest minis and asked yourself, "who are these strange Spires characters? Why are there Greek hoplites next to clockwork creatures? What the heck is a Mahabharati Initiate?" you will love this book. Almost every page is full of lore, history, factions within factions, and stories of the people within every released faction AND some that haven't been released yet. Alongside the lore there is lovely and evocative art that truly helps get you immersed in the world of Ea and the game of Conquest!

JD: Not Enough Mana

Jenn: Vantage

Your space pod (and up to 5 other players) crashes onto an unknown planet, separated from your other crew mates you must MOVE, LOOK, ENGAGE, HELP, TAKE or OVERPOWER your way through.

Vantage is an open world, solo or cooperative, choose your own adventure type of game, where you and only you get to view your vantage point. You may describe what you see and read the text on the card, but you cannot show other players what you are seeing. You also MUST NOT read any of the books until you are instructed to! "SPOILERS!"(other than the rule book of course.) On your turn you can choose 1 of the typically 6 options (unless told otherwise) on your vantage card, or you can choose to do an action on one of the cards from your grid of up to 9 cards (including your character card). You will also have objectives, missions and a destiny that you can choose to complete, but the main objective of the game is to finish your mission, achieve your destiny, or for an epic victory, both! Your mission will get chosen at the beginning of the game at random, but you may come across others while you play.

I AM OBSESSED with this game!! With around 800 different location cards, multiple choices you can make, and possibilities to run into the inhabitants of the planet while on your exploration, will make each playthrough feel different.

~ For an added bonus I like to put on some Sci-Fi Ambient music in the background to give it a more immersive experience. ~

Sebastian: Kinfire Council

Will you be able to come out on top in a battle of table politics and resource management?

Kinfire Council is an engaging worker placement and resource management game with a twist! You and your fellow councilors will have to work together to rebuild the city of Din'Lux, all while having thwart a cult threatening to rise to power. Despite having a common goal, only one of you can win! Through sending workers on missions, completing errands, and voting on laws that change the state of the game, you make your mark on the city. Will you remain true to the cause of rebuilding Din'Lux, or will you help the cult rise to power?