Adam Richards - Punchboard

Decko then. Often referred to as 'that game that's a bit like Balatro', and with good reason. I really enjoy this one, deck-building meets poker with really high quality components. punchboard.co.uk/decko-review/

I was exceptionally lucky to get hold of a preview copy of Ryugu, the new game from Snow Planner publisher 14Games. It feels a lot more polished, has a cool time resource, and gets really competitive. Read all about it here ahead of KS in November punchboard.co.uk/ryugu-board-...

At tonight's Japanese conversation class I brought along @huffnomore.bsky.social Flower cards (British hanafuda) and the teacher brought her own Hanafuda deck, and we ended up playing a variant of Koi-Koi. Good times.

I'd heard good rumblings about Zenith by @playpunk.bsky.social so I was keen to give it a go. I wasn't disappointed. Theoretically you can play four-player with two teams, but for me this is a 1v1 duel and a great one at that - punchboard.co.uk/zenith-board...

Another great night of games at Piranha Café in Truro. We played Masquerade Trick Party, Decko, Cascadero and even a game of Magical Athlete to finish things off.

Normalise printing this on every token you don't need. I wonder how many random white squares and discs are in my boxes somewhere... Thank you @alliesorenemies.bsky.social !

The unlikely site of a new Japanese conversation class I'm about to attend.

Life's been busy, which has pushed reviews to the back burner for a little while. However, I've been tippy-tapping on my keyboard and some words came out, so here you go - my thoughts on the rather delightful Snow Planner from 14Games. punchboard.co.uk/snow-planner...

Good times at the local games cafe tonight - Snow Planner and Masquerade Trick Party

It took a while, but thank goodness www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/exhibit/exhi...

@tettix.bsky.social newest and most devilish game just hit Kickstarter. It's a beaut, I loved my time with it. Go check it out now - www.kickstarter.com/projects/tet...

Got a long overdue play of Dominant Species: Marine in last night. Not everyone enjoys this kind of direction interaction, but this game is so good :D

If you picked up Saashi & Saashi's Railway Porters this year, you might like to know that they've released expert rules which you can download here - support.saashiandsaashi.com/railway-port...

I got fed up with the usual 'cosy' game recommendations, so with Autumn here, I came up with my own alternative guide to cosy games. What would you have in your own list? punchboard.co.uk/cosy-games-d...

Exciting new deliveries!

Here Lies came out of nowhere for me, and quickly jumped into my top 5 of the year so far. A superb deduction game from @dvcgames.bsky.social courtesy of @zatutrade.bsky.social , check out my full thoughts here - punchboard.co.uk/here-lies-ga...

I've been hammering away at Greylune since it arrived from @hachettebguk.bsky.social & @sorrywearefrench.bsky.social , and really enjoying it. There are a few things I think need tweaking, but on the whole this is more great stuff from @williamattia.bsky.social punchboard.co.uk/greylune-rev...

Spammy people trying to add gambling links to the site are getting super lazy now. At least proofread your nonsense 😅

I played with my heavy game group last night, and we played Zhanghuo: The First Empire. it was my first game in a couple of years, and it's another of those that makes me say "We really ought to play this more". It's a superb card-driven engine builder. Have you played this, or the original?

Good times at the Piranha Café tonight. War of Whispers, Here Lies, and In Front of the Elevator.

A cracking night at my local group night. In Front of the Elevator, more Greylune from @sorrywearefrench.bsky.social , and Three Witches from @allplay.bsky.social . Three Witches is so clever and fun, I have a soft spot for games for three players, and it's a good one.

Worker-placement doesn't see many changes in its basics, which is why it's nice when something like Salamandra, with its permanent worker placement, comes along. Long-term planning is rewarded with tasty combos and a sucker dart in the box! punchboard.co.uk/salamandra-r...

@44gi.bsky.social Kobayakawa's had a bit of a spruce up and is hitting shelves everywhere thanks to @oinkgames.bsky.social . If single-card poker with a flip-flopping river card sounds like your idea of fun, you should check it out - punchboard.co.uk/kobayakawa-r...

Excursions is @kinsonkeygames.bsky.social newest game in the Galactic Cruise universe, and I'm lucky enough to have a pre-production prototype to play with. I love Galactic Cruise, so I'm really keen to get this played.

I introduced three new players to @theoldkingscrown.bsky.social The Old King's Crown last night at a local games night. It all came down to the final battle, which naturally, I lost 😅 what's the saying? "Never with the game you're teaching". I did that superbly!

Today I'm learning Hunt For Blackbeard. It's a two-player asymmetric game of cat and mouse, one player as the infamous Blackbeard, the other hunting them. Fort Circle's other games like Votes For Women and Shores Of Tripoli are excellent, and early impressions of this are really good too.

Inferno was a nightmare for baggies and bits, so I set my tired old 3D printer off and a couple of days later, I have a satisfyingly well-fitted insert to tame it 😊

I love being part of a hobby where sentences like this are perfectly normal.

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

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.

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...

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...

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

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...

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

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...

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-...

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

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.