News

Game Of The Week - Libertalia. Sure, you've seen board games featuring pirates - but have you ever seen what I can only describe as pensioner pirates in a late-life crisis?! In this 2-6 player board game, players lead their own swashbucklin' crew. Each pirate is desperate to retire and kick back with a Slippery Nipple in a deck chair, but not before they've gone out in a blaze of glory! Before you can chill, you need to fight off your competition and 'protect your pension' by playing tactically and trying to be the smartest pirate. The game is split into 3 rounds of 7 days each (6 days lootin', 1 day snoozin') which each day is split into Sunrise, Day, Dusk and Night. These varying mini-levels bring new actions to be taken, new methods to be played, all played in order of pirate rank. If you're not yet convinced, you should know this game uses pieces called Booty Tokens. Oh yeah, now you're interested... Libertalia will be played on Episode 14 of TableTop, on May 21st, but until then, here's a review with Shut Up & Sit Down, and Starlit Citadel!

Love Is In The Board! Congratulations on your engagement! Sucks that you lost on your wedding night... In some rather brilliant news, it transpires that fiancés who game are now becoming couples who game by using the sweet, sweet love of tabletop gaming in their wedding! In lieu of a swing band or watching a nearby house burn down after releasing 30 Chinese lanterns, the new vogue is to incorporate board games into the theme, décor and activities. One wedding used them as the sugar icing cake topper - another used them as table settings. For a whole list of inspiration, including photos, click here! And if you do end up having a board game themed wedding, then I would like my invitation written on a wooden plank in River Dragons. Please and thank you.

Babies On Board! Now you're done with the wedding, it's time to make babies. Like, instantly. Right now. What are you doing reading this? Go, go! No, wait, come back! I need to tell you why it's awesome to have babies around board games! First of all, they'll never win. Ever. Babies are kind of stupid, so you'll never come last or be the worst player there. Second of all, their tiny little hands are too weak to flip the board when they try to rage quit. Get angry, yeah, scream, sure, they can do all that - but they can't scatter playing pieces across the floor and under the sofa, which is great. And third, they're fantastic for game breaks and time-outs. Is the pressure on but you haven't quite figured out your next move yet? Time for a nappy change! Babies won't tell the other players the truth, on account of not being able to speak, so you can buy yourself time to review your strategy. For an actual list with fairly logical points on why having babies doesn't stop the fun, click here!

Happily Ever After... Crikey, this has been an eventful time for you! Now that you're a modern family unit with an Ikea rug and a joint Netflix account, you'll need some kind of organisational system for your merging collections of board games! Carcassonne meets Sentinels! Agricola meets Hive! You've got too many to count and nowhere to put them, so before you FREAK OUT ABOUT THE FUTURE, drink some calming bubble tea and check out this handy 3 step guide from The Board Game Family on how to organise your board game collection. Make it a 'whole family activity' and get the newborn to help out - that's why you had them, after all. The article covers being honest about what games you should keep, whether to organise by box size or theme (I personally prefer a rainbow colour gradient - confusing as hell but it looks awesome!). Once you're done, sit down, chill out, pick a game for the evening and enjoy the beginning of the rest of your lives! Until one of you loses and all hell breaks out. Yay!

Come to our MTG 'Fate Reforged' Gamesday event this Sunday, 11-5pm! Come show off your new deck and see if you can be the true champion... 

We're back at the Board Game Bar on Monday, 5-10pm @ Urban Tap House, £3 entry. Last week we saw X-COM being played for the first time there, plus the brand new Machi Koro 'Harbor' expansion! Come along this week to play Sheriff of Nottingham, the game of bluffing and bribery!