Excited to report that our new Kickstarter funded before we remembered to post about it launching! www.kickstarter.com/projects/pla...

Mexica // Bridges of Shangri-la // Gheos // Reel Rivals

Four renowned euro-style board games return with triumphant new editions.

kickstarter.com

Somehow I've managed to keep Punchboard running for six years now. I had a little dig through and pulled together a few interesting numbers and thoughts, and posted them to my supporters. Maybe you should be one too? Have a look either way - ko-fi.com/post/Six-Yea...

A teeny tiny review today, but a good one. Tally Up is a blast. I like it a lot. Play it. punchboard.co.uk/tally-up-gam... . Thanks @zatutrade.bsky.social for sending one my way.

Tally Up Review - Party gambling brilliance

Tally up is great, and for around £15 it’s really a question of why shouldn’t you buy it?

punchboard.co.uk

I'm up to 50 hours of learning Japanese with a tutor since January, and still really enjoying it. Yes, it's pretty expensive compared to an app subscription, but I have learned so much more that it's almost incomparable. Plus, I get to talk to my lovely teacher twice a week 😄

Inkwell has made ripples of excitement since it landed. @dvcgames.bsky.social game (courtesy of @zatutrade.bsky.social ) might not have hit all the high notes for me, but I think for new gamers and fans of games like Azul, there's a gorgeous new alternative - punchboard.co.uk/inkwell-boar...

Inkwell Review - For illustrative purposes only?

A beautifully made game in the same vein as Azul, but maybe not enough there for fans of meatier games.

punchboard.co.uk

Personal Demons is possessing Kickstarter on 22 September as part of the Witchstarter spotlight! Follow now so you don't miss out on the launch! www.kickstarter.com/projects/tet...

enshittification ouroboros

Tokyo Board Game Club ( @esperbgs.bsky.social ) are just knocking it out of the park with their interviews with Japanese game designers. Another good one today with Totsuca Chuo (Sweet Lands, Rosalie). The Uchibacoya method of developing games is really interesting www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA6c...

Cute Art, Heavy Mechanics: Designing Rosalie and Sweet Lands with Totsuca Chuo (Exclusive Interview)

YouTube video by Tokyo Board Game Club

youtube.com

I solved the daily #CluesBySam, Jul 23rd 2026 (Tricky), in 02:26 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 cluesbysam.com

Clues by Sam

A daily logic puzzle where you deduce who is a criminal!

cluesbysam.com

It's the big one. Eternal Sevens is Hiroken's follow-up to Eternal Decks. Competitive, rather than co-op, it's really something special. Picking a favourite would be like picking a favourite child. Find out more, including how to get it, here - punchboard.co.uk/eternal-seve...

Eternal Sevens Review - Seventh Heaven

Eternal Sevens does for Sevens what Eternal Decks did for games like The Crew or Hanabi.

punchboard.co.uk

This teeny device has helped me read again. Sounds daft for someone who writes a lot to say, but if I _try_ to read, like sit down and cut out time to do it, I find it hard to concentrate on the text. The tiny screen and quick page-flipping have really helped me enjoy it again (Xteink X4).

I got my hands on a copy of @stonemaiergames.com Vantage and spent some time wandering around its enormous world. If you're wondering if it's for you, I have a review waiting for you - punchboard.co.uk/vantage-revi...

Vantage Review - Wonderful wanderlust?

A review copy of Vantage was kindly provided by Stonemaier Games. Thoughts & opinions are my own. Vantage landed last year with a lot of hype behind it. Jamey Stegmaier’s baby, years in incubation…

punchboard.co.uk

Clue(do). Average deduction game hampered by roll and move got turned into one of my top 5 films of all time.

Wadsworth (Tim Curry) Shocked in Clue

ALT: Wadsworth (Tim Curry) Shocked in Clue

static.klipy.com

J.M. Berger@jmberger.com · 2w ago

What are your favorite adaptations that transcend their source material? Blade Runner springs to mind

More Eternal Sevens. The last time I played I used Casual mode, which was great. This time though I played the Gamer mode, which is even better. You walk a nearly constant tightrope trying not to give your opponents the upper hand. I think this is probably better than Eternal Decks...

I'm managing to keep up some steam behind my Play Something Old series of posts. This time I've taken a look back at one of my first, and still one of my favourite games - Citadels. The butterscotch gold tokens are too good, and the game still holds up today punchboard.co.uk/play-somethi...

Play Something Old: Citadels

My battered old copy of Citadels still gets played, and it will continue to for years to come.

punchboard.co.uk

An actual shower thought this morning on the subject of adjective order. I've never known why some orders feel natural. E.g. the red, big ball feels very unnatural. Do we apply the most distinctive adjective contextually to the last in the list, or is there more going on? Linguists?

This is Inkwell from @dvcgames.bsky.social courtesy of @zatutrade.bsky.social . A gorgeous drafting game about completing illustrations on manuscripts. In reality you draft cubes to score points, in way not dissimilar to some of the Azul games. The Technique cards can ping off some great combos.

A learning play of Zenith tonight, from @playpunk.bsky.social & @hachettebguk.bsky.social . There's a pretty simple concept of playing cards with actions to tug-of-war the coloured planet tokens, but the research track and leader actions throw in just enough to keep things really interesting.

Fashionably late to the party, seeing as how the campaign has already launched AND funded, but here's my preview of @charliemccarron.bsky.social @kwanchai.bsky.social and @paverson.bsky.social latest Japan-themed euro, Ringyo - punchboard.co.uk/ringyo-game-...

Ringyo Preview - Pining for something new?

Ringyo (Ringyō / 林業) is a game about forestry in Edo-period Japan. Well, kinda. It’s more accurate to say that it’s a game where you’re a Daimyo in Japan overseeing a province covered in trees and…

punchboard.co.uk

Reposting to get some eyes on these. I really enjoyed these interviews and there are some genuinely fascinating insights into their design processes.

Esper Board Game Studio@esperbgs.bsky.social · last mo.

Aspiring board game designer or curious fan? 🎲 Check out our new interviews with Hiroken (creator of Eternal Decks) & Antoine Bauza (7 Wonders)! Watch now on the Tokyo Board Game Club YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@tokyobgc #gamedesign

Last 3 days on our Kickstarter campaign! Nine Tails is a cute game about japanese foxes searching for their tails in order to ascend to heaven. www.kickstarter.com/projects/adr... The artwork is by talented Japanese artist Eisue Gou, and every backer will get a pin badge of the starting fox.

I took my son to a local comic-con this morning. All the usual stalls, plus Chris Barrie signing stuff, which was pretty cool for Cornwall, I guess. I, however, found a Japanese lady selling Japanese stationery, which was superb. I picked up a notepad and this super-cute Totoro stamp.

It's been a little while, thanks to some crazy times at work, but today I published a review. It's a few years old now, but boy, is Joraku good?! Find out why I like it so much right here - punchboard.co.uk/joraku-review/

Joraku Review - Go West!

It’s a cliché to say that Japanese designers a) love trick-taking games, and b) do trick-taking better than anyone else, but when you play a game like Joraku you understand where it comes from.

punchboard.co.uk

Played a game of "Mofuchip" yesterday. This is a great little trick-taker. Very simple mechanics, yet somehow quite a lot of strategy. The artwork is fantastic!

I finished my Kokuyu Campus notebooks (which are great, btw) so it was time to treat myself to new stationery! Maruman Mnemosyne A5 notebook and a Uni Jetstream 3-in-1 pen. New stationery day is like Christmas 🤗

My little collection of Japanese games is growing and needs its own shelf now, so I obliged. There's an intruder, but I think it's allowed.

This is After You Beto-Beto San from Travel Games very own Mr Ben & Mrs Sam, with art by Hakushi. Super charming 4-player only trick taking game with double ended cards. Very clever, enjoyable game so far.

This is worth checking out. Amuri Studio's productions are gorgeous and Nine Tails is a really cute set-collector. For such a small studio, the stuff they're making is great.

Amuri Studio@amuristudio.bsky.social · last mo.

We are half way through our campaign, and only 11 days left to back "Nine Tails". www.kickstarter.com/projects/adr... Every backer of the campaign will be getting a pin of the main fox character in the game. Also, as add-ons you can get any of the other games we have published in the past!

What a lovely interview between @esperbgs.bsky.social and Antoine Bauza. Fascinating insights into his game design and inspirations. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eni...

Inside the mind of game designer Antoine Bauza (7 Wonders, Tokaido, …) - Post TGM2026 Interview!

YouTube video by Tokyo Board Game Club

youtube.com

We've all got shelves groaning under the weight of unplayed games, so let's play them. @gamingrules.bsky.social has conjured up International Unplayed Games Day just for funsies, so stick it in your diary, play something new, and let the world know how it was 😀 www.facebook.com/GamingRulesV...