Board Game Deep Dive

Wondrous Creatures 🐉

⚙️ Designer: Yeom.C.W
🖌️ Artist: Sophia Kang
📚 Publisher: .meeple

These cute magnetic meeples were the first thing I noticed and yeah, they got me immediately. You’ve got your dragons in your color, plus a rider with unique abilities that snaps right on top. It’s such a small detail but feels really satisfying on the table.

In this game, you’re placing your dragons on the map following placement rules, and you gain resources, eggs, or cards depending on adjacent spaces and icons. So every placement matters you’re constantly thinking about positioning and efficiency.

The art? I love it. It really matches the theme. The eggs, the nets, the creatures? it’s all super clean and colorful without feeling childish.

What I really like is how the card system works. You’re building your engine through creature cards with different abilities some are instant, some are ongoing, and some need to recharge. It gives you flexibility on how you want to play instead of just going one path.

There’s also a strong race element with objectives. As players complete specific goals, they claim trophies and unlock bonuses. That tension of trying to get there first for better rewards adds a nice competitive edge.

Collecting and hatching eggs is one of my favorite parts. It actually makes you think about timing when to hatch, what you’re aiming for, and how it connects to your objectives.

I also like that feeling of pressure making sure you complete goals early for higher points while still building your engine. It keeps everyone engaged the whole game.

Overall, we really enjoyed this game. It’s cute on the outside, but there’s definitely meaningful decisions throughout.

Thank you for providing this beautiful review copy. Can’t wait for the release of the new expansion 🙏🏻

My real life through ice and snow token ❤️

Through Ice and Snow 🧊🐺
⚙️ Designer: Fernando Eduardo Sánchez
🖌️ Artist: Pedro A. Alberto, Araceli Martín
📚 Producer: 2Tomatoes Games

First thing, this theme is close to my heart because of my husky. Playing Through Ice and Snow made me appreciate Arctic expeditions and also learn more about the knowledge and culture of the Inuit, who have lived and thrived in these environments for generations. The theme really pulled me in.

In this game you lead an expedition through the Arctic exploring the map and gaining prestige. It has a semi-cooperative feel since everyone is navigating the same journey. If you’re the captain for the round, you decide where the ship goes, but moving the expedition requires dynamite so if you don’t have enough, other players may need to contribute. If not you all die and get stranded.

I really enjoy the worker placement. You control three officers: the captain, carpenter, and scientist, each unlocking different actions. You can also recruit an Inuk guide, which can be very helpful for the expedition, especially when building sleds.

Resource management is tight, which I love. You’ll collect timber, dynamite, rifles, and sled dogs while also hunting animals. If you’re the first to document a species, you gain a nice 5-point bonus. You can also gain points by helping tow the expedition ship or contributing fuel to keep the journey moving.

But survival is just as important. You still need to manage oil, food, and morale to keep your crew going. If you don’t plan well, things can fall apart quickly.

Each player also receives an objective card that can give end-game points if you accomplish certain things during the expedition.

Overall, I enjoyed managing resources while trying to survive the harsh Arctic conditions. The chunky wooden pieces really stand out on the table and the theme feels immersive.

Thank you 2Tomatoes Games for the review copy. 🎲🙏🏻🙏🏻

March of Ants: Evolve Edition Board Game Deluxe

⚙️ Designer: Tim Eisner & Ryan Swisher
🖌️ Artist: Lina Cossette & Ryan Swisher
📚 Publisher: Weird City Games

First of all, the artwork and components in March of the Ants: Evolve Edition Deluxe are incredible! the wooden ant meeples, punchboards, and custom tokens really make the game feel alive. We tried it at 2 and 4 players, and the area control mechanics are so satisfying every decision counts.

This edition has multiple game modes in one box: co-op, centipede encounters, predator battles, and more. I also love how easy it is to understand, thanks to the clear player boards and reference cards.

The game has 4 rounds, each with 4 phases:
• Worker Phase: place your ants and gather resources.
• Soldier Phase: deploy soldiers to defend and expand your colony.
• Queen Phase: evolve your ants, produce new ones, and build ongoing powers.
• Slumber Phase: prepare for the next round, refresh cards, and anticipate the battles ahead.

My favorite part is the player interaction when you take an action, the players next to you can take bonus actions too, so you’re always watching what they’re building. Battles each round keep strategy exciting, and I love the ferocity system opponents can see your strength but don’t know your secret cards that give extra power.

The card placement and ant evolution mechanics are brilliant growing your colony and unlocking new abilities feels satisfying every game. There’s a lot happening, but it all flows smoothly and keeps everyone engaged.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves tactical, interactive Euro-style games.

Thank you for this board games review opportunity 🙏🏻

Wingspan: Americas Expansion

⚙️ Elizabeth Hargrave
🖌️: Natalia Rojas, Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo, Martha Clare
📚: Stonemaier Games

Review copy provided by Stonemaier Games.
Thank you Mr.

I finally got to try the Americas Expansion, and the first thing that immediately stood out to me were the hummingbirds. They’re honestly so cute, and the hummingbird garden board fits really well with the theme. It adds a nice visual touch to the table.

One of the main additions in this expansion is the hummingbird mechanic. Throughout the game you’ll gain hummingbirds, and sometimes you’ll return them to the hummingbird garden to activate the matching habitat track again and gain rewards. It’s a small system, but it adds another thing to consider when planning your actions.

The expansion also introduces nectar, which works as a wild food resource. This makes it easier to play birds because nectar can substitute for other food types. You can also spend nectar when playing birds, giving you a little more flexibility when you’re trying to build your engine.

I also really enjoy the variety of new birds from the Americas. Discovering new abilities and seeing how they interact with your tableau keeps the game feeling fresh. And visually, the green eggs are a really nice touch on the table.

For me, this expansion adds just the right amount of new decisions without changing the relaxing flow of Wingspan. It gives you more things to watch for in terms of scoring and resource use, while still keeping the game smooth.

After playing with it, I honestly don’t think I’ll be playing Wingspan without expansion anymore.

Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay 🏴‍☠️
⚙️ Designer: Eilif Svensson,
🖌️ Artist: Sylvain Leroy
📚 Publisher:

First things first, the theme and artwork immediately hooked me. I love pirate games, so sailing around an archipelago looking for treasure, building a crew, and fighting monsters is already a win for me.

What really stood out during my first play is how many different ways there are to score. I constantly asked myself
Should I deliver cargo?
Should I dig up treasure?
Or should I focus on positioning my pirates for end-game scoring?

That level of decision making kept my brain busy the entire game and honestly, I love that kind of puzzle in a strategy game.

One of my favorite parts is the event phase, where players can bid their hard-earned dablooms for items from the event cards that appear. Those moments create great tension and player interaction around the table.

Another thing I enjoyed is how the game naturally pushes you to sail across the map, triggering moments where you also have to feed your pirates. Managing your crew becomes important because reputation matters, and building the right crew can open up stronger actions.

The card system is also really interesting. You only have three cards in hand, and when you play one you need to make sure you have enough flags to place your pirates. That leads to great decisions like:
Do I recruit more pirates now… even if I’ll have to feed them later?

Combat also adds some fun moments. Fighting monsters across the map can give you valuable rewards once you defeat them, which makes sailing around feel rewarding.

Now I will say this: during my first plays, I went back to the rulebook quite a bit. There are a lot of systems and areas where you can invade or interact, so it can feel like a lot at first. But after a few plays, the flow started to click and the game became much smoother.

Overall, Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay offers a lot of strategic paths, strong player interaction, and a great pirate theme. If you enjoy games with multiple scoring options and a bit of tactical chaos on the seas, this game is for you!

Review Copy