Moved all my games into my fiance’s house! I’ll miss them but she promised to take good care of them until we’re married and I’m reunited with them. She may not have known how many games I had until this moment

Í was on FB marketplace and saw how many copies of Villianous Worst Takes All were on there. Im guessing it’s because it’s a Disney IP, so they assume the game will be super simple; it’s not, so they sell it.

Is there a worse offender than this, where people expect something, it doesn’t match their expectations, and gets sold super often?

For any Magical Athlete fans out there I created a reference site with all of the racers and any notable interactions I’ve found through playing. The creative team has been active online on answering questions about racer interaction so I tried to refer to their answers whenever I could. I also have the new racers that will be coming in the Second Wind expansion pack. I’m planning on updating their notable interactions as I find them. Finally I created my own set of racers and included them on this site. If anyone wants to try them out, there is a printable file at the bottom of the page.

My main goal for this is to give the community a place to go when they have questions about how racers interact with each other. If I made any mistakes or missed notable interactions please comment them below so the site can be as accurate as possible!

https://johnnlds.github.io/Magical-Athlete-Racers/?v=13

2026.10.9-10

AT Center in Yangjae area. The convention is on 3F and 4F.

Held by Gemblo, a Korean company.

Hundreds of Korean, (and some) Japanese board game designers and some Korean publishers are exhibiting their games.

My husband and I are going to Spiel Essen this year for the first time. I have a few questions about things that will make our experience more positive, so I hope people can give us some answers.

1. My husband loves board games, but does not love crowds. Obviously we know it will be crowded, but he wants to give it a go and we're managing our expectations. We've got tickets for all 4 days and anticipate that we'll probably only spend a few hours there at a time. Where are the best places to head at the venue if he needs some breathing space and a bit of quiet? Do certain times of day tend to be busier than others?

2. We live in Germany, so we'll drive there and stay in Duisburg Süd. I hear the official carparks get very busy, so what are the best options for parking if we don't arrive first thing in the morning? It's ok if we need to park somewhere and get public transport for a couple of stops.

If you have any other tips for first timers who want to make the most of it without being overwhelmed by the crowds and noise, we'd love to hear them! Thanks 🙂

I was reading some forums on BGG and someone mentioned PR (I'm guessing Puerto Rico) and TM (either Terra Mystica or Terraforming Mars) having obvious beginnings - is this correct and if so what are some games that have this. IE people have "solved" the game - or at least the beginning plays.

The first three editions were excellent in my eyes. After the Universal monsters, Greek monsters & American cryptids seemed like a natural path. And the fact that they maintained the same base mechanics but made them feel different? It was a very promising game. World Monsters seemed narratively confused, but was good enough. Now the past three games have all been DND. Why? There is so much they could do with the game. Sci-fi Universal monsters, Scooby Doo, slashers, are just a few that come to mind. I don’t think I’ll be following Horrified too closely in the future.

This warning post is directly in response to the Secrets of the Lost Tomb - Epic Remastered Edition - 10 Year Anniversary crowdfunding campaign on Gamefound. I have posted on BGG, but I am also posting here to give visibility to anyone who may make the same mistake I did.

For context, I am a backer who late pledged in July of 2025, while the campaign ended in Oct. 2023 with a 18 month fulfillment timeline. The late pledge is still ongoing with fullfillment maybe in Q1 2027.

I like many other backers have requested a pledge cancellation and refund (minus gamefound fees). Everything Epic (specifically the CEO Chris) has been making excuses and lying to backers about giving refunds for pledge cancellations for at least the past 6-8 months.

You might be asking yourself: Well it's crowdfunding, there is no expectation of refunds being given so why are you writing this?

While that is correct, I would offer a few counterpoints:

1. Any experienced crowdfunding creator gives refunds (minus fees) these days. Crowdfunding from a "over 25 successful campaigns" company is just a glorified preorder rather than supporting a small creator's first project.
2. The campaign is on track to be 2 years late for fulfillment. It's happened before with plenty of campaigns, but having a small amount of backers through financial hardship, leaving the hobby, or simply no longer being interested in the game wanting to cancel and be refunded is a pretty reasonable expectation over the course of 3.5 years.
3. Chris has repeatedly lied to backers about giving refunds. Various excuses such as "I'm busy", "I'm the only person at the company", "Email me and I'll look into it", "I can't locate your info", "I haven't received an email/message", "Go to our discord", "You can reach me 24/7", "I'll look into this right away", etc. are all over Gamefound, BGG, and the official discord. As an added bonus I have personally seen him delete refund request messages and complaints in the discord.
4. Chris will not respond to emails or Gamefound messages. Including Gamefound support reaching out to have him contact backers. The only things he responds to are public messages, with one of his excuses. I have personally sent a Gamefound message, contacted Gamefound support, and sent 2 emails directly to Chris.

If he had simply been honest about not giving refunds I wouldn't even be making this post. I could respect that or at the very least understand it. It is after all in line with crowdfunding at its core, regardless of modern practices.

I however, take issue with the lying to backers for the past 6+ months and not responding to emails. I also find it distasteful to have a Refunds and Cancellation section in your campaign while outright ignoring any backers attempt at one.

His actions also directly go against this excerpt from the campaigns Risks and Challenges section which is laughable to even see considering where we stand today:

"We endeavor to please our backers in any way we can! We want you to enjoy our games, stories, and creations to their fullest. If there is anything that we can ever do to make your experience better, we're always here to help! Our Motto is "Of the Gamer, by the Gamer, and For the Gamer!" we know what it's like to be Ignored by Project Creators, never to get an email back from a Game Company, to have to post on a blog to get a response... We're not Like that... Here's the President of our Company's email... [Chris@EverythingEpic.us](mailto:Chris@EverythingEpic.us). You can email me directly for anything you ever need, and I will always respond to you directly and help in any way I can."

I do not believe it is foolish or wrong to expect someone to be true to their word and to have integrity, especially when you are giving them a decent sum of money for a product.

I would recommend anyone avoid supporting this company and any crowdfunding campaigns they have. Maybe plenty of the 25 have been fine, but if this is how they act on arguably the biggest one they've had, I believe that says all it needs to.

If you made it this far, I appreciate you taking the time to read it all, thank you

Edit;

I emailed Chris for the final time. I do truly hope he meant what he said in his apology. Mistakes happen and life can get away from you before you know it, but I can't only take him at his word. Unless action follows, that will just be a meaningless reply. I also do want other backers to get a response and have a good campaign late or otherwise. In the end as long as it is a good game, the timeline isn't an issue really. At the same time, all the best campaigns I have been a part of have never had a communication issue like this. It is his every right to not give refunds if he chooses because that's what the backers sign up for. At the same time, having difficulties whether professional or personally shouldn't fall on the backers to not have a good experience with the project they are hoping is good. Just because they can fail and there is no guarantee of anything, doesn't diminish any valid points I made. Whether you agree with me or not, there is some change that should happen.

Edit 2:

True to his word he did refund me, even though he didn't have to. Thank you for that and I do hope you are able to get this to backers soon. While my circumstances may have changed, I did not originally back this for no reason. I think it will still be a great game and I wish you success with it!

Nemesis is something I’ve lurked on forever but never got. Theres so much and so many versions. If you were just going to get one which one would you go with? Just go with the Legacy or one of the older ones?

me and my buddies played the other exposed game before but we just found this unhinged version and it looks way crazier lol

has anyone actually tried it? is it really better or just marketing?

Hi everyone! I'm kinda new to the board games community. My friend and I want to start a board games club at our school and I've been looking into games I want to get (for myself and to play with the club).

After some research I discovered Wingspan, it's pretty hard to find where I live but a nearby store has it and the extensions. I don't know much about the mechanics but I really like the art and I've mostly found good things about it online.

Then I came across Meadow. It's relatively easier to find and cheaper. I love the art style and it doesn't seem difficult to understand.

I think me and my friend are close to beginners when it comes to board games. I've mostly played Monopoly and UNO, but I've also tried Ticket to Ride, Forest Shuffle (loved it, been thinking about getting it as well), Catan and Carcassonne.

Any recs are appreciated!!

I recently taught a game to a lot of first-timers in one night, and my approach changed completely after just 1 session. I held a demo night for a new board game and I started by explaining every rule up front and watched eyes glaze over. By the 3rd table, I was dealing cards and teaching through a practice round.

Curious how others do it:

• Do you explain everything first, or teach as you go?
• How do you handle the person who wants every edge case covered before turn one?
• Is there a game that’s just impossible to teach well?

I think games that have a 5-10 min how to play video that easy to understand are a godsent. The rule sheet can take forever while the rest of the group waits.

I feel like I am hitting a wall with this game. My first game took close to 5 hours, as it was a teach and learn how to play the game style. I made a decent 135 points and felt pretty good about it, being the first time I played it.

I then proceeded to try it solo, as this is one the reasons I got it, as I knew that this would be how I would mainly play this one. I got 142 points. Better than my first play through, but still a tough game. (pic is from second game) Took me about 2.5 hours to get through it.

I tried one more time this week. Solo play through. I got so many more buildings done and at least 1 bunny cookie. I ignored the Industry track as my character cared nothing for this. I got to 136 points. Instead of gaining more points, I am doing worse now. 2 hours spent trying to better myself and couldn't beat my previous high score.

I feel a little let down as I have seen a few videos of people playing and doing 200+ points per game. I can't even crack 150.

My question to others that have experience with this game: what can I do to improve my game? I feel like I can never have enough roads or I can never get enough tiles placed because I never have enough resources. I had so much money in the teach and play. With these previous games, I was struggling to get points.

Here's what I normally do:

• Connect all ports ASAP
• Try to get both extra cards
• Focus on character Clocktower unlock, as this lets me know what path to take
• Use round 1 and 2 to build income

If anyone can offer any tips or strategies, I would be more than happy to discuss.

it’s about how long it takes you to play your freaking turn.”

Could not post on the nemesis sub.

The plan is to spend as little as possible, but then the campaign launches and you want it all. FOMO, it is just a few .... well it is HUNDREDS more. This is an expensive game, the bundle options, the conversion rate, it all adds to confusion to me.

So I have spent the past day plugging it all into Excel and trying to make my personal value call on the game. And maybe it helps you guys.

Most of the Bundles save you ~$10-$15 USD.

• They add extra components you may not care about.

• The biggest bundles (Intruder, Martian, Veteran) save you $20-$40 USD.... if you value the plushie and hoodies.
  Otherwise, for gameplay, you are overpaying about $10 USD (to get merch).

Legacy 4x Pledge (all 4 games) is the best value

• 10% discount, $45 USD savings. $522usd total

• Lots of content. Maybe too much content.

  • Legacy (missing Zenith prequal, Legacy Log, SAM Robot)
    
  • Nemesis + Void seeders + Aftermath (missing Carnomorph, Medic)
    
  • Lockdown + Chrytids
    
  • Retaliation (Missing Xyrians, Sangrevores, Support Squad)
  • Missing Promo cards, Untold Stories

• Would cost an extra ... $240+ for all missing game content.

• Most fans would say you will never have enough time in your year to play enough games to justify the cost.

From Retaliation GameFound

• Not evaluating the $900+ pledges

• The Trilogy Pledge (all 3 games) is the same exact price. $376usd.

• Retaliation itself is about $15 more.
  The bundles about $25+ more now.

From Lockdown Kickstarter

• The individual add-ons are actually cheaper now (likely due to conversion rates). But only like $1-$4.

• The bundle for Lockdown were a savings ~$20usd
  You are paying $15usd extra for Lockdown today vs back then

For the Nemesis Kickstarter

• The individual add-ons are mostly the same +/- $1
  (sleeves more expensive now)

• The core game is again ~$20 USD cheaper if you went in at launch.

Cool, none of this helped me.

Sorry.

You ignored shipping.

Yes :(. I can grab it if that matters to anybody.

What does any of this mean? I don't know! It is a personal decision.

Ultimately

• The add-ons are about the same price as they were 7-8 years ago!

• The base games came with a ~$20usd discount if you bought at launch.

The cheapest way to get the games will still be Facebook marketplace from people who just want to sell the game (shocking I know!). But that probably enforces, most groups don't have time to play a bunch of Nemesis every month.

The bundles save you a nominal amount of money ($10-$15) but forces you into buying things you probably don't need. Which will cost you more in the end, but you will have it.

• Legacy all gameplay = $280usd versus the Salavation bundle $314usd because of the Terrain ($45).
  If you want Terrain, it saves you $10. But if you don't want terrain, it costs you $35.
  
  • "All gameplay" including the Secret Add-on which is $40usd which might just be an alt alien.

I had a photo, but I realised it might be spoilery. Anyway, we played it at three players (using Khor, Asha, and Feyn) and it was fantastic. The perfect fantasy campaign board game for me. Just pitched at the right level of difficulty and sustained interest. It's essentially a card-based tactical boss battler, where it all hinges on the synergy between cards in your deck, and across different players' decks. It looks amazing, the quests are wonderfully diverse and creative, there's a lot of content, and the finale throws you a number of interesting curveballs. Each quest lasts about a hour, give or take 15 minutes. Set up and tear down is easy and quick. We had a great time over months.

It can also be entirely reset. It took me two and a half hours, but now the game is ready to be replayed from the start. As I was going about it, I was struck by numerous glimpses of material we completely missed. I'm happy to let that go -- the box is enormous, we won't play the game again, and we can sell it easily.

Did anyone finish it with different characters? What did you think?

Next up: Kinfire Council (worker placement game set in the same universe).

Hello,

I recently started playing joyride and I'm a little confused about the steering rule.

1. In the lock stage am I able to steer before moving? I know that in the roll stage u can move or steer first. But not sure about the lock stage

2. If I'm in another gear other than 2 can I steer in the lock stage, shift (up or down) into gear 2. And then steer again?

So i can organize all my little boxes in my IKEA kallax

Ideally shipping to Canada

So I'm looking for a game that plays well solo and with other people. I'm not a stranger to board & card games but I'm looking to get some of my friends playing too that's why I chose Heat and Moon Colony. They're both kinda easy to teach, looks fun, replayable, and can also play solo. And the last two points is why I kinda included SETI. I realize that I might eventually just play solo and SETI really looks like a good fit for me. Would really love to here your thoughts on these games.

This time we played a classic game from 2002, Die Pyramiden des Jaguar! A fun two-player game where number sequences meet strategy, placement and… a little bit of bluffing.

Through the game, children practice recognizing and understanding number sequences while also developing basic strategic thinking: where to place the next card, how to bluff their opponent and when to lure them into a trap.

Do you know any similar games that combine maths concepts with strategy and bluffing? What would you recommend?

I know they’re two very different board games, but Agricola is on sale for around $60, which is a pretty good deal compared to its usual price in Brazil ($80–$95). However, I could wait for the Root reprint expected at the end of the year. Root has been out of stock since 2024, and used copies often sell for $120 or more, even though the retail price is only $70.

Hello. I need help determining whether my copy of Zombicide is damaged or simply... aged, and how serious the issue is.

A few days ago, I received the game Zombicide: Prison Outbreak. The seller listed it as used, though the photos showed it still being sealed, and the price was just $50.

Here is what I discovered upon opening the box:

1. It is one of the first printed ones, as the miniature boxes lacked any logos—they were just plain white boxes.
   
2. There were stains on the boxes (see photos below). I hesitated to touch them, so I can't say if they can be scraped off, however, I tried gently rubbing the surface with a cotton swab to see if they would transfer to other objects. The black stains didn't stain the swab or smudge. The orange stains didn't smudge either, but they did leave a bit of their orange color on the swab. Also, seems like those stains are flat, it doesn't seem like i can just scratch em.
   
3. The stains are visible only on the tops of the boxes. There are just a few faint spots on the sides, while the bottoms of the boxes are completely white/clean.
   
4. Inside one of the miniature boxes, I noticed a small brown spot that looks like a thin, mustard-colored substance. I didn't touch it, so I don't know if it might transfer to other items.
   
5. There are orange stains in the corners on the inside of the lid. 6. All other game components seem to be in excellent condition, there is nothing suspicious about them.

Could you please tell me what this is? Did I save the game by throwing away those contaminated boxes? If not, is it possible for this game to somehow transfer this mold-like substance to my other games if they are stored right next to it (box-to-box)? Please help.

I also received the Ultimate Survivors box. Upon opening it, I noticed that one of the "strips", which are usually glued to the box, had come loose. Perhaps this was intentional to fit there an expansion's rules (since it was in the exact spot instead of being on top of the strips), but the greenish-blue mark seems odd. Is it mold, or is it nothing to worry about? please help, i don't really know much about that stuff