Welcome to The Game Shelf!

After getting into the board game hobby at the end of 2014, we've decided to share our thoughts on the games we're collecting on our shelves. The collection has certainly expanded over the last few years and we've been making up for lost time!

Sometimes our opinions differ, so Amy will be posting reviews every Tuesday and Fi will post on Thursdays. We hope you enjoy reading some of our opinions on board games - especially those for two players.

Get in touch by emailing thegameshelfblog@gmail.com

Friday, 24 July 2015

Over-thinking by the Yellow Meeple:- Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of GenCon 2015



So, since we live in the UK, any idea of going to GenCon is a dim and distant dream. Not only that, but I think that for me GenCon might just be too overwhelming, with too many people preventing me from really enjoying games. Nevertheless, GenCon 2015 is my beacon of hope that the year is about to come alive for me in terms of new games. I don’t think I’m wrong in saying that there is only one game on our shelves released this year and that’s X-COM: The Board Game. This can probably partly be blamed on the fact our collection has a lot of catching up to do in terms on filling in the gaps of the last 10-20 years of board gaming, but I also can’t help but feel that nothing has got me that excited so far in 2015.

So here is my opportunity to write my first top ten list! What I am most looking forward to being released at GenCon or am I simply more excited about writing the list?


My information about GenCon releases has come from a combination of the Gen Con 2015 Preview on BoardGameGeek https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/184821/gen-con-2015-preview and the Dice Tower GenCon preview videos. I cannot personally vouch for its accuracy.

10. At number ten is Mysterium, being released in English by Asmodee. I really enjoy the Portal Games edition of this game, but it only reaches number ten because so many people in my gaming group have already caved and bought the original game, so I quite frankly have plenty of opportunities to play the game. If we move away and need have no-one to play the game with, then we will definitely buy the game, but for now it is probably already my most played game in the last 4 weeks.

9. At number nine is Trambahn. This makes me happy because is it a small 2-player game coming from the same line as Patchwork by Uwe Rosenborg. I haven’t even had the chance to play Patchwork, but it’s one of the next on my list to buy and if I like it, I’m sure Trambahn will be soon to follow.

8. At number eight is Flip City. My only reasoning for being interested is really good reviews I’ve heard from the Dice Tower and also the game does sound like they’re trying to do something new with deck-building, which does peak my interest as some of my favourite games are deck-builders.

7. At number seven is Tides of Time. It’s really small and portable (something our collection definitely needs). It’s two-player. And it sounds like for a small game this one packs a punch. Given that I assume it will not have a hefty price tag, it’s definitely worth a shot for me.

6. At number six is Medieval Academy. I have simply been brain-washed by good reviews.

5. At number five is Legendary Encounters: Predator. After finally playing Marvel: Legendary last weekend we decided that we prefer Legendary Encounters: Alien to its Marvel counterpart. I possibly prefer the super hero theme of Marvel: Legendary but the Alien version is a better themed game, it seems like more of an adventure and it plays fully co-operative. If Legendary Encounters: Predator is more of the same then I look forward to seeing it on a gaming table near me soon!

4. At number four is The Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets. The base game is one of the first games we bought when we started getting really into board gaming after our first visit to a game night at a local gaming store. It is a firm favourite and the first expansion is hotly anticipated by our shelves.

3. At number three is Mage Wars Academy. It seems like I’ve been hearing about this game for quite a while and yet have only seen the front cover. Boardgamegeek was originally my main resource when it comes to deciding whether to buy games and Mage Wars is right up there in the rankings, however it is just too intimidating, so a simplified version like Mage Wars Academy sounds perfect for me.

2. At number two is Flick ‘Em Up. Again I’ve been pulled in by positive reviews in the gaming community. Dexterity games have not been on my radar so far in our short gaming career, so at this point, why not try the new hotness?

1. And finally number one...Firefly Shiny Dice! If you had asked me a month ago about the Firefly franchise I would’ve told you that I would never dream of watching it. But having bought Amy the DVDs, I couldn’t then refuse to watch with her as she re-watched one of her favourite series and I’m really quite into it. Having seen a 5 hour game of the Firefly board game play out, I was planning on staying away, but a quick dice game? Yes please!

So that’s it. My shelf is forewarned, my wallet is open and I await the arrival of some of these games on UK shores and at my front door. I really hope they live up to my expectations

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