Author: Laura Rodriguez

January 7, 2022 /

One thing that I truly love about the board gaming hobby is the ability to discover new games at nearly every turn. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, I come across a post on BGG or a social media game group that blows my mind. Either with unique…

January 3, 2022 /

As you’ve read in our previous reviews, we are BIG fans of the Valeria-verse games. Whether we have to recruit adventurers for quests, build a thriving village, or traverse the lands to protect its people from various Monsters, we are all about this realm. For this newest installation in the…

December 24, 2021 /

Gamelyn Games and Scott Almes have done it again. They’ve managed to create yet another Tiny Epic game with a combo of theme and mechanics that we just couldn’t pass up. When this Kickstarter went live, we were definitely auto-backing it. Now that it’s been fulfilled and we’ve had the…

December 22, 2021 /

When it comes to cooking, I am definitely no master chef. Up until recently, ‘cooking’ for me consisted of merely putting frozen food into the oven…. Don’t judge! I am taking strides to expand my culinary skills though, so slowly but surely I’ll become a (hopefully) decent chef. That being…

December 15, 2021 /

In the expansion review series, we take a look at a game expansion to discuss whether it is a necessary purchase/addition to one’s collection. This breakdown is for the Maps expansion for the game Tiny Epic Tactics. The Maps expansion for Tiny Epic Tactics offers players of the game 2…

December 10, 2021 /

I don’t know about you, but half the battle when choosing what game to play all comes down to the player count. Lots of games say that they can be played with 2-4 players, but sometimes the 2-player gameplay is lacking. So when I came across Duelosaur Island, a 2-player…

December 6, 2021 /

As you know, the world of board games is quite vast – there are so many games out there, I feel like I can barely keep up! So oftentimes when I come across a game, it’s not necessarily a new one. Enter Tides of Madness. It maaaay sound familiar, and…

December 1, 2021 /

If there is a mechanic that we at Purple Phoenix Games seem to really love, it is card drafting. One such game that has been a big hit for us (well, at least for 3 of us….) is 7 Wonders. Draft a card, pass the rest to your neighbor, draft…

November 27, 2021 /

As I’ve said many times before – I am a HUGE fan of the Valeria-verse from Daily Magic Games. From the OG Valeria Card Kingdoms, to even the small dice game Corsairs of Valeria, the world, lore, and gameplay have me hooked. So when I saw a Kickstarter for a…

November 22, 2021 /

When it comes to game mechanics, set collection is my JAM. Auction/bidding and push your luck, not so much….. So when Alderac Entertainment Group brought TEN into my life, I was a bit wary at first. A game of collecting sequences/sets of numbers? Awesome!! Add in bidding for Wildcards or…

November 19, 2021 /

A few months back, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jason Tagmire (founder of ButtonShy Games) and talk about the company and the gaming industry. In that interview, Jason had hinted at a cute little solo game that was in the works. And guess what… IT’S HERE! Read…

November 10, 2021 /

One neat thing about the board gaming hobby is how many new games are designed/created daily. So much innovation, creativity, and hype surrounds new releases and helps keep us gamers hooked! That being said, what happens to older games as time goes on? Can they still hold their own over…

November 5, 2021 /

What is the thing that first draws you into a game? Is it talk of the gameplay and mechanics? Maybe you’ve had a good experience with the designer? Or perhaps the artwork is what catches your eye? For me, I’ve gotta say it’s not only the artwork, but the components…

November 2, 2021 /

As a kid, one thing my siblings and I used to do was play a storytelling game in which we created a (usually) hilarious story, one word at a time. You know the kind. One person starts the sentence with a single word, the next person in line adds a…

October 28, 2021 /

Living in Iowa/Illinois, the saying is that we only have 2 seasons: winter and road construction. Our winters can certainly be brutal, and our road workers and civil engineers deserve major props for the work they do for our communities! Let’s put ourselves in their shoes for a minute. Can…