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Ridin' Solo.

As the Jason Derulo classic pop hit goes, "I'm solo, I'm riding solo, I'm riding solo, I'm riding solo, solo." They're complex and beautiful lyrics, I'll give him that, and they also perfectly introduce this small segment about playing games on your own. Double win! Over at Inverse, an article was published about the quiet, meditative joy of playing board games by yourself. The game example is Mage Knight, and as the writer proves (in a rather lovely way, I must admit), the trick is to not feel embarrassed or weird. You have to embrace the calmness of storming cities and killing beasts all on your lonesome - I don't wanna bum you out but when the apocalypse hits, you'll likely be separated from everyone you know and love. Best to be prepared and start slayin'! As Mr Derulo so helpfully points out, "Now I'm feeling how I should, never knew single could feel this good, oh." Thanks, Jason. Thanks a lot.

The 8 Best Licensed Board Games.

Are you the type of person who turns their nose up at Roller Cola fizzy drinks and Sorny television sets? Do you need the assurance of an established brand you know and love? Check out these 8 best licensed board games from Paste Magazine, including the Game of Thrones board game, the Firefly game, and Battlestar Galactica. Hey, I get it - I played that weird Games of Chair variation, and it didn't go down well. You know, the one where you get to play as Don Sleet, Tyrant Bannister and blonde one called Princess of Fat Lizards? I bought it off some guy down a dark alley. No wonder it was cheap.

The Rise & Fall of Pie Face.

Thanks to the original video (below) that went viral on social media, the Pie Face Game has been popping up all over the place. I'd argue it's a game of holding your nerve through severe tension that would test any man or beast to his limit, but others call it a fun game for children. Whatever. It's like winding up a jack in the box and seeing when it snaps - only this time, it throws a pie in your face. You have to the provide the pies yourself, which seems like a waste of good pastry. Not everyone's a cynic, though. The New York Post (!!!) wrote about the game yesterday. Clearly they needed a break from talking about Donald Trump and gun control. The video's been viewed about 40,000,000 times across the internet and Hasbro have jumped on the wave by re-releasing it and throwing it in as many faces as possible (quite literally). Unfortunately, with every great pie-based game comes the fall, and counterfeit products have forced Hasbro to withdraw the game from B&M Bargains stores across the U.K. You know what it's like - you see a pie getting popular, you want a slice of the action. Ba dum tshh. Ah, Hasbro. You win some, you lose some. That's just how the pie game rolls.

Board Game Bar Christmas Party - THIS MONDAY!

Join us for the biggest and best game night of the year! We're celebrating the festive season with an evening of games, beers, burgers, and baked goods in the shape of meeples. Yum. Last year's party saw about 90-100 guests (if I'm being honest, I lost count...) so we're hoping for an overwhelming feat once more! Come along to the Board Game Bar this Monday on the 14th, at Urban Tap House, 5-10pm, for £3pp. See you there!

And One More Thing...

This Year, Rules of Play would like...

Dear Father Christmas,

In the spirit of the season (and clinging on to the small shred of hope that you really do exist), we wrote our own Rules of Play Christmas Wish List! We want games, please. We'll kill your reindeer if you don't bring us the goods.

P.S. We know the games are actually in our shop, but we want them wrapped, stuffed down the chimney, and scattered around the tree like everyone else.

P.P.S. We're sorry this letter escalated so quickly, but you get so many requests, we thought we'd grab your attention. We're serious. We'll kill Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen...

Please see attached list. Move it, old man.

Love,

Your favourite board game shop, Rules of Play. xoxo

Hungover. Need Help. Send Games.

We love recommending party games for festive gatherings, but what about the next day, when the hangover hits? We put together a list of games that soothe the aching head and the wobbly tummy. Games that keep things calm and quiet and relaxed - before you eat a 10 piece chicken box and head out to Wetherspoons for round two. Check out our games for horrible hangovers!

New Games for Old Hats.

Are you a seasoned gamer who's played everything under the sun? We've gone and done a list (another one!) of new games to try this Christmas, and we included the dates they arrived at Rules of Play so you can see just how new they are! Spruce up that collection with some brand spanking new gamey goodness.

New Releases / Restocks / Coming Soon!

New Releases Coming Next Week! Jump in to head-to-head mage combat in Mage Wars Academy; brand new Pokemon Zoroark collector's packs with pins; more maps and arena locations with Steve Jackson's Car Wars Arenas; Neanderthal; Greenland (2nd Edition); Pax Porfiriana Collector's Edition; Pax Pamir; Ships; a restock of my personal childhood favourite Pass the Pigs; and a restock of the only game that's both wordy and nutritious, Bananagrams!

Got a question for us? Don't forget to get in touch over on Twitter or Facebook!