You saved the best for last, @wesmolebash.com… way to stick the landing! Everyone else: go read the whole trilogy.
Mark Jackson
@akapastorguy.bsky.social
follower of Jesus, husband, father, former pastor, boardgamer, writer, blogger, Legomaniac, Disneyphile, likely to have the same Christmas list at age 62 as he did at age 12
My newest blog post on the Opinionated Gamers site - a recap of the wonderful time I had (and all the games I played) at Gulf Games 56 last week! opinionatedgamers.com/2026/08/02/c...
Convention Report: Gulf Games 56
Gulf Games started in 1998… and I’ve had the honor of being a part of it (on and off, due to living halfway across the country for a decade) for twenty-eight years. In 2015, I started b…
opinionatedgamers.com
I just backed Rebels Against Rebellion on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/mar.... Two reasons: 1. @djackthompson.bsky.social 2. as a resident of TN, it's an important part of the history of the state
Rebels Against Rebellion
From David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin (Undaunted, Resist!) a card game about a Tennessee county that battled secession.
kickstarter.com
Congratulations to @thunderworksgames.bsky.social on the two new expansions for Tenpenny Parks… both Innovation and Winter Lights & Spooky Nights add great twists without overwhelming the excellent base game.
Lost Revenant yesterday solo in a TIE against the Corrupted Crew. Dadgumit… Just means I’ll need to play again!
As someone who had the privilege of playtesting "The Game Makers" over the last two years... it's really wonderful to see the process to build/publish such an amazing game on film. Doesn't hurt that I just got my delivery notice for my own copy - it'll be here next week!
Bezier Games@beziergames.bsky.social · 4w ago🔥 Upcoming Documentary Every board game tells a story. This one tells them all. youtu.be/vQ5JLWLbGQ0
My newest post on the Opinionated Gamers site - a recap of all things Heroscape from RenegadeCon in June. @renegadegamestudios.com opinionatedgamers.com/2026/07/09/h...
Heroscape: RenegadeCon June 2026
Not quite a month ago, the good folks at Renegade Game Studios hosted yet another RenegadeCon – an online “convention” with new product reveals, painting videos, playthroughs, and…
opinionatedgamers.com
The newest blog post in my Reconstructing My Faith series... sorry it took so long to write. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/06/reco...
Reconstructing My Faith: Postmodernity, Bullies, and Uncle Carl
Well, you knew we'd eventually get to Mark Driscoll if we started talking about deconstructing and reconstructing my faith, right? [insert h...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
Fantastic first game of Kinfire Chronicles last night… birthday gift from my wife & sons. Well done, @kevinwilson42.bsky.social.
Playing Distilled… my son aged Rum with the flavor profile shown below. Me: “How can anyone drink that?” Son: “It’s alcohol. They will drink anything.” Did I mention he’s a college student? :-)
My recap of my top 100 games list (circa spring 2026) is now live on the Opinionated Gamers site. opinionatedgamers.com/2026/06/03/m...
Mark’s Top 100 Games: The 2026 Edition
Every couple of years (or so) I blog through my top 50 or top 100 games over on my personal blog, akapastorguy. In 2022 and 2024, I shared that list with our faithful readers here at the OG… and I’…
opinionatedgamers.com
After you climb the iconography mountain to figure out the game, Race for the Galaxy is an amazing adventure in hand management & reading your opponents' mind - made even better by clever card design & interaction as well as great sci-fi art. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/06/1-ra...
#1: Race for the Galaxy (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Race for the Galaxy BoardGameGeek rank: 94 rating: 7.7 published: 2007 designer: Tom Lehmann Print Status in print Why It's On The List Afte...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
This is the perfect collision of all the eras of my gaming life: it's got enough warfare & tactics for the chit-pusher in me, the gorgeous plastic bits remind me of the 1st day we cracked open Axis & Allies, & the speedy gameplay fits my current lifestyle. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/06/2-me...
#2: Memoir '44 (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Memoir '44 BoardGameGeek rank: 222 rating: 7.5 published: 2004 designer: Richard Borg Print Status in print Why It's On The List The best (a...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
This is a lovingly crafted and brilliantly designed open world fantasy adventure, full of surprises and grace notes and moments of real emotion. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/3-ar...
#3: Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread BoardGameGeek rank: 403 rating: 9.0 published: 2025 designers: Cody Miller & Ira Fray Print Status a secon...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
My favorite civilization-building game... the free-wheeling tech-tree and relatively simple mechanics make for an excellent play experience with 2, 3 or 4 players. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/4-cl...
#4: Clash of Cultures (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Clash of Cultures BoardGameGeek rank: 231 rating: 8.3 published: 2012 designer: Christian Marcussen Print Status the original edition is o...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
My newest Heroscape review on the Opinionated Gamers site - a pile of stuff released by @renegadegamestudios.com in April & May. Including the Kraken! opinionatedgamers.com/2026/05/29/h...
Heroscape: Release the Kraken! (and a whole lot of other stuff)
There’s been a veritable deluge of Heroscape over the past month and a half. The follow-up to the successful appearance of GI Joe (Go, Joe!) and Cobra in the realm of Valhalla is a wealth of …
opinionatedgamers.com
Despite my attempts to avoid Terraforming Mars for a number of years, this game sucked me in. It combines hand management, resource management, engine-building, leeching off other players, racing to complete goals, & even a bit of take that. And it works. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/5-te...
#5: Terraforming Mars (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Terraforming Mars BoardGameGeek rank: 9 rating: 8.3 published: 2016 Jacob Fryxelius Print Status in print Why It's On The List Despite my at...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
A completely immersive cooperative game that utilizes the "gimmick" of the tower beautifully, integrates the app into the game in ways that make the game more playable, and doubles down on the usual gorgeous production from @restorationgames.bsky.social. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/6-re...
#6: Return to Dark Tower (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Return to Dark Tower BoardGameGeek rank: 227 rating: 8.2 published: 2022 designers: Tim Burrell-Saward, Rob Daviau, Isaac Childres, Noah C...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
I have always described this game as "similar to playing Dungeons & Dragons with a DM who hates your guts" - it's a short (no more than an hour...and often shorter!), brutal & intensely fun experience game/dungeon crawl. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/7-du...
#7: Dungeonquest (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Dungeonquest BoardGameGeek rank: 2,411 rating: 6.8 published: 1985 designers: Jakob Bonds & Dan Glimne Print Status out of print... in all t...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
This is truly a sandbox game with epic scope - I liken it to FFG's Outer Rim but without any guardrails. Fantastic production values added to gameplay that encourages creating swashbuckling stories makes this one of the best pandemic purchases I made. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/8-xi...
#8: Xia: Legends of a Drift System (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Xia: Legends of a Drift System BoardGameGeek rank: 195 rating: 7.9 published: 2014 designer: Cody MIller Print Status in print (off and o...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
Heroscape is the ultimate blending of board game & miniatures game... and while kids can start with this one at 7-8 years old, there's enough going on that you keep playing it well into your adult years - in my case, age 61 & counting!) akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/9-he...
#9: Heroscape (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Heroscape BoardGameGeek rank: 570 rating: 7.5 published: 2004 designers: Stephen Baker, Rob Daviau, and Craig Van Ness Print Status in pri...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
Imagine if the designer of Race for the Galaxy decided to make a roll'n'move that both gamers & non-gamers could love... that combined some very Monopoly-ish elements with tactical board play. It's a hoot. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/11-f...
#11: Fast Food Franchise (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Fast Food Franchise BoardGameGeek rank: 8,576 rating: 6.3 published: 1992 designer: Tom Lehmann Print Status really out of print Why It's On...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
I'm currently 2/3s of the way through my most recent Missing Expedition solo campaign - the thematic elements are brilliant and the gameplay is even better. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/12-l...
#12: Lost Ruins of Arnak (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Lost Ruins of Arnak BoardGameGeek rank: 30 rating: 8.1 published: 2020 designers: Elwen & Min Print Status in print Why It's On The List Yes...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
Similar to the previous pick (#14: Galactic Cruise), this is a very enjoyable worker placement game with stunning production and top-notch integration of rules & theme. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/13-e...
#13: Everdell (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Everdell BoardGameGeek rank: 42 rating: 8.0 published: 2018 designer: James A. Wilson Print Status in print Why It's On The List Based on ...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
Galactic Cruise isn’t a huge step forward in gaming innovation – it’s a worker placement game with a variety of ways to score in-game and end game points. But the design accomplishes that with such style & thematic integration that I was instantly won over. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/14-g...
#14: Galactic Cruise (Mark
Galactic Cruise BoardGameGeek rank: 121 rating: 8.3 published: 2025 designers: T.K. King, Dennis Northcott, & Koltin Thompson Print Status ...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
A slightly more gamer-y 7 Wonders-ish card drafting game of civilization building. The difference is that you’re drafting a cards that you then use as resources or construction - the interplay can be fascinating and fast-moving... w/the right players. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/15-i...
#15: It
It
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
Take the drafting system I like from Kingdomino, use it to drive a tile placement game with thematic scoring (like Carcassonne but without arguing about farm rules), and provided the proper components to make a really enjoyable game experience. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/16-m...
#16: Minigolf Designer (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
Minigolf Designer BoardGameGeek rank: 3,602 rating: 7.8 published: 2020 designer: Alban Nanty Print Status in print Why It's On The List Tak...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com
Another game I love where I own the original game & all of the expansions... but would encourage you to buy the 2nd edition because they are all improved with better iconography, better player aids, and clearer rulesets. akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/05/17-7...
#17: 7 Wonders (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)
7 Wonders BoardGameGeek rank: 117 rating: 7.7 published: 2010 designer: Antoine Bauza Print Status in print Why It's On The List Card drafti...
akapastorguy.blogspot.com