Polyhedron Collider Scholars of the South Tigris Board Game Review

Scholars of the South Tigris has a lot going on.  It’s the most complicated game yet published by Garphil Games and in short, it’s bloody brilliant.  

In a nutshell, the game is about translating documents; you are trying to run a path through various translators to end up with an Arabic version of your scroll.  Along the way you’ll hire translators to the library, you’ll add more, and a greater variety of dice to your bag, and you’ll do some action programming as well as doing some colour mixing.
Polyhedron Collider CoraQuest Board Game Review

Not to be grandiose in the introduction to this review, but, can we start by agreeing that the point of board gaming is to have a fun and engaging interaction with others?  Good.  Now, as a parent*, if I can do this with my kids, well that is fantastic.  That is to say, I too can have fun.  And not ‘vicarious fun’ through my children’s enjoyment, but to have an actual fun and engaging interaction with them.  Well, if you are a parent reading this, I think we can agree that is priceless.

Polyhedron Collider Episode 144 Kutna Hora, Ark Nova, and Blade Runner RPG Header

The Polyhedron Collider Cast is back with another episode packed with tabletop gaming chatter. 

In this episode, we tread the rain-soaked streets of the Blade Runner RPG, blow up dissident planets in Star Wars Rebellion, and explore the best Dungeons & Dragons adventures. But this is not before we take an in-depth look at the historical economic game Kutná Hora: The City of Silver from CGE and argue about zoo builder Ark Nova (aka Terraforming Zoos).
Polyhedron Collider Ahoy Board Game Review - Header
Roll some dice, place dice in action slots, perform actions and end the round. Repeat until the game’s end is triggered. That’s 80% of this game. It’s simple to teach, to learn and to play.  This makes Ahoy very accessible, even though it is quite heavily asymmetric. 

The other 20% of the game is the reason why Ahoy was shortlisted for the Polyhedron Collider Game of the Year.
Polyhedron Collider Episode 143 - Expeditions, Scythe, and Scholars of the South Tigris


The Polyhedron Collider Cast is back with another episode packed with tabletop gaming chatter. 

In this episode, our hosts, Steve, Andy, Sid, and Rory, bring us breaking news that's set to change the game – literally. We're talking about a new sponsorship deal with Kienda that's as exciting for the listeners as it is for the podcast. With a special QR code discount for board game purchases, it's a win-win for everyone involved.

But that's just the beginning. The episode takes a playful turn with discussions ranging from selling body parts for board games (yes, you read that right) to the possibility of wearing sponsored pyjamas. 

The meat of the episode, however, lies in the thoughtful and in-depth discussions of two board games that have captured the hosts' attention: 'Expeditions' and 'Scholars of the South Tigris.' 

We'll also be answering listener questions, including a trip down memory lane as we attempt to recall the very first games we played with each other. Expect a blend of nostalgia, confusion, and the usual banter as we try to piece together our gaming origins.


Polyhedron Collider Tiwanaku Board Game Review

Tiwanaku may look like a pretty Zen, meditative game.  It’s a game about striking a balance with Mother Earth as you explore the landscape and plant crops.  It has soft, pastel colours, and the simple “topography-line-art” puts me in mind of sand rake art.  Tiwanaku even sounds quiet not itself - but if you were to watch people play it, there would be lots of soft mutterings and long protracted moments of silence as players stare intently at the board.    

In short, Tiwanaku is quite a deep, thinky game.

Hegemony ​is ​a socio-economic euro-style ​game, ​and effectively, ​ ​each ​player ​has ​a ​different ​class of citizens they are attempting to lead to victory.  And by victory, we obviously mean, collect the most points.  One of the most interesting things about Hegemony is the ​dynamic ​between ​these ​four ​completely ​different ​classes and their ​goals; there's ​a ​lot ​of ​symbiosis ​in ​this ​game, ​and ​it's ​really ​clever and as clever as that may be, it’s by far and away not even the best part of this game.


Polyhedron Collider The Whit Castle Board Game Review
White Castle is an extremely tight euro dice placement game in which you take the role of a clan leader in Japan.  Throughout the game, you are going to send your Courtiers, your Warriors, and your Gardeners out into the land to curry favour with the Emperor so that you can earn your prestige.  The player with the most prestige at the end of the game wins.

The entire game lasts nine turns, so, in case you missed it in the first paragraph.  This game is very tight.
Polyhedron Collider Episode 142 - Peurto Rico, The Gig and Agents of Dune RPG

A relative return to normality at Polyhedron Collider HQ as we discuss the start of Rory and Steve's Top 100 challenge and the games we have played along the way. We then segway to some smooth jazz in rolle and write game The Gig and find spice in the desert in Agents of Dune RPG starter set, before asking questions about rulebooks and board games that use RPG mechanics.

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