TFG superfan Nick Martinelli joined our writing team in 2018.
Explore reviews and podcasts he has contributed to:
Hanamikoji is a beautiful compact game for two players from Deep Water Games. Win the favor of geisha by playing their favored items, but choose carefully! You’ll also have to give cards away to your opponent.
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If your friend orders fries, you may experience regret. But what if you stole some fries from your friend? They won’t notice, right? That’s the idea behind Fry Thief, a quick game for two hungry players.
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“What I love best about Sports Dice Football is that it plays in real-time; there are no commercial breaks or risqué half-time shows. The best roll makes the play. Rules are simple, making it appealing for new players.”
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In this group game, predict and out-think your opponents’ choices. Discard all but one of your ingredients and win. Listen to our wizards’ impressions in 5 minutes.
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Let’s go get some ice cream, with the Squeezamals Freeze ‘N’ Squeeze game from Big G Creative. Whether your kids already love Squeezamals or have never heard of them, they’ll have squeezy, freezy, frantic fun with this fast-moving game. Hear Nick & Izzy’s thoughts in less than 4 minutes, or read on below.
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Robots & Rockets: LIGHTSPEED is the second entry in the Robots & Rockets series from designer Sye Robertson. Now that you’ve mastered robot tourism, you must practice the art of building rockets. Did our rockets launch to lightspeed, or did this game fizzle out? Listen to our thoughts in under 5 minutes, or read on below.
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“In RobotLab, you’re a scientist racing to build your robot and win the coveted Devol Prize in Robotics! Along the way you’ll need to do some research, dig through the trash, deal with some faulty parts, and do your best to avoid the other scientists trying to stop you. Will you become the first to successfully complete your robot?” RobotLab
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In Mini DiverCity, divers work together against corporations to save archipelago from ecological ruin. All players win together by saving a set amount of species.
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BEEP – Get the most robot tourists to their destinations in Robots & Rockets. Nick & Izzy tell us what they enjoy about this fast family game.
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You’ve been invited to Dinoton Abbey for high tea; one of the most exclusive invites in all of Britain. Adorned in your finest attire, you stroll into the party and survey the room. Everyone is catching up on all the latest gossip and worldly affairs, while sipping tea and eating glorious cakes.
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Monster Crunch! is a ladder-climbing, trick taking game for 2-5 players, ages 9 and up. Monster Crunch! is published by Big G Creative.
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Let Them Eat Shrimp is a game for two to five fish. Players will swim, spawn and eat shrimp while trying to avoid sharks on the way to a sea worthy victory. During the game players will place fish tiles to collect sets of different types of fish to score points at the end of the game. The game is
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Chris Leder sat down with our roving reporter, Nick, to talk about Calliope’s big hit of Gen Con: The Mansky Caper. Ken Franklin is finally seeing his dream come true: The Mansky Caper, which he designed, is finally seeing the light of day. This is definitely not a cooperative game. Big Al Mansky is the biggest, meanest mobster in the
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Randy Hoyt from Foxtrot Games was kind enough to talk to Nick at Gen Con. Foxtrot Games big hit this year is Spy Club. Nick also asked about his first-ever trick-taking game, The Fox in the Forest. Spy Club This is a cooperative game for 2-4 “junior detectives”. Hand management and set collection to solve a mystery. You can play
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Jon Mietling from Portal Dragon Games talked to our roving reporter, Nick, at Gen Con. Palm Island Palm Island is a unique game that plays completely in the palm of your hand. Play solo, cooperatively, or competitively. Each card has 4 states (top & bottom on each side of the card), and there are only 17 cards in the entire
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At Gen Con, we talked to Maxime Tardif of Sphere Games. Sphere Games is a small publisher based in Quebec, Canada. Mini Diver City – in pre-release (will be available in October). 1-7 players are divers that save species from extinction. Plays in 15-20 minutes and only costs $20. Twist: you hold your cards face-out. You cannot see what is
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We talk to JC Dorais of FoxMind Games about what they were promoting at Gen Con 2018. Originally, FoxMind was known for educational games, but they’ve been increasing their catalog of family games. (Easy to teach, affordable, colorful.) Here’s some of their newest: The Potion – a microgame for 3-7 players. Deduction and bluffing, packaged in a small bottle! Acrylic
» Read moreNick talked to Ryan Laukat, of Red Raven Games. What were they promoting at Gen Con? Amber Mines expansion to Near and Far just released. This expands the mine for exploration and adds spells and new characters. There’s also a co-op mode, where everyone’s scores are added together, but as the game continues, the score needed is higher. Megaland –
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