Agency – Andrew Lynch
I relish the trick-taking fad in part because trick-taking is a perfect laboratory for experimentation. Games are quick, and the designs are typically so bare-bones that tweaking even a minor rule has immediate and identifiable impact on the way the game feels. They’re a great illustration of how finicky game design can be. Then there are the weird ones.
Agency is one of the weird trick-taking games, with hands set up on holders between players. You and your neighbors share hands, with some restrictions. Each hand is divided into three parts by brick walls, which have to be accessed before you can start playing the cards on the other side of them. It’s a novel idea that doesn’t quite work, in my experience, but an experiment doesn’t have to be fully successful to be worthwhile.
Ease of entry?
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?
★★★☆☆ – Wouldn’t suggest it, but would happily play it
Read more articles from Andrew Lynch.
Australis – Andy Matthews
One of the neat things about reviewing board games is that you occasionally just get a game that shows up on your doorstep: no fanfare and no advance notice. That was the case with Australis, from KOSMOS Games. And even more curious is that I’ve never even heard of it. But after spending some time reading about it and watching a few videos, I knew they’d sent this game to the right address! Dice drafting, area majority, engine building, track advancement, and turtles?! TURTLES?!
In Australis, you role play as a sea turtle riding the East Australian Current, except you also have to plant coral, gather fish, and battle with dice! Over the course of five rounds players select dice which allow them to collect cards to build up an engine, gather ever-increasing numbers of fish to earn points, moving along the current track to break ties and earn points, and plant coral in various beds along the sea floor to (you guessed it—earn points). And finally, with the dice you’ve collected that round, you’ll do battle against your opponents to earn even more points, and perhaps some food to feed your fishy friends.
For a game I’d never heard of until last week, Australis is pretty great. It’s got a solid mix of interesting things to do, all rolled up into a beautiful package. And it plays in around 45-60 minutes, which means it doesn’t overstay its welcome on the table. If you come across this one, don’t pass it by.
Ease of entry?
★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?
★★★★☆ – Would like to play it again
Read more articles from Andy Matthews.
Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game – Kevin Brantley
I’m a little late to the party, but I started reading the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson this year. I was ecstatic to hear there was a board game adaptation from powerhouse designer John D. Clair. Hold on, it’s a deckbuilder? One of my favorite mechanics! Is this too good to be true?
The good news is that no, it’s not too good to be true. This game is absolutely fantastic.
In the Mistborn series, “Mistborn” are individuals who gain superpowers by “burning” different types of metals. Each metal corresponds with an ability. For example, burning steel lets you push objects, while burning iron lets you pull them. The heroes of the story are the Mistborn who attempt to topple an evil empire.
The game does an excellent job of translating the novel’s themes into playable mechanics. At the start of the game, a player can only burn one metal type and must train to burn multiple metals. In classic deck-building fashion, players buy better cards and use metals to activate them, returning the metal afterward for future use. If you burn more metals than your limit, you “flare” them, exhausting the metal until it’s refreshed with a matching card.
Players can win by either reducing the health of other Mistborn or by completing three “mission” cards, which function like tech tracks and improve things like hand size and passive income.
The combat system is especially clever. One player holds the “target,” making them the only one who can be attacked. However, in King of Tokyo fashion, the targeted player hits back at everyone else at the same time. A targeted player can choose to give up the target after taking damage, creating an interesting push-your-luck element.
The deck includes a variety of cards that support different strategies, including allies. These cards absorb damage from other players, similar to outposts in Star Realms.
And then there’s atium—the king of metals. I’ll let you discover how wild atium is for yourself. In the books, it’s incredibly rare—just an ounce is worth a fortune. In the game, it leads to powerful, game-shifting actions.
In one session, three out of four players could have won in the same round, creating an epic finale of strategic card chaining and a photo finish. I immediately wanted to play again… and again… and again.
It starts off slow, like most deckbuilders, but the second half is a wild ride full of combos and tactical positioning. Oh, did I mention there are asymmetric player powers as well?
I’m not just saying this because I love the Mistborn books—it’s an absolute blast of a game, even if you don’t know the theme. Is it too early to call this another John D. Clair home run? I say no. And while you’re at it, do yourself a favor and read the book series, too. It makes the beauty of the game shine even brighter.
Ease of entry?:
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?:
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Elemental Clash – Justin Bell
During my first play of the prototype copy of the upcoming TCG-adjacent card battler Elemental Clash (2025, DarkDragon Entertainment), I had a bit of a reckoning. If you are going to release a game like this in the “right now”, the 2025 that includes not just many, but many dozens of exceptionally well-illustrated trading/collectible card and TCG-like games, you REALLY have to stand out to make waves and sell a new IP.
Elemental Clash casts players in the role of Generals who each deploy units to a battlefield with a hand of cards featuring soldier animals like [gulp] Wolf, Mole, and Beetle to battle the “Clasher” of other Generals, placed in the middle of the play area during each round’s set-up. Other cards are used to make “Fusion Pairs”, which introduce ongoing or immediate effects for that turn. The Clasher worth the most strength wins the round, and that General takes all Clasher cards into their win pile in an effort to collect two sets of elements first.
This sounded a lot like Pokemon and games of its ilk when I read the digital rulebook, and in practice, Elemental Clash feels like other lane battlers I have played or reviewed here at Meeple Mountain but with a shared deck instead of players crafting their own decks. As a game, Elemental Clash is only fine. Despite the lackluster card personalities and illustrations, there’s something here, but that something can’t overtake what so many other games are doing right now in this same space. (I truly can’t keep up any more: Disney Lorcana, Star Wars Unlimited, Digimon, Altered, and One Piece TCG have joined legacy greats like Pokemon, Magic, and Yu-Gi-Oh!. This space is so jammed right now!) I wanted to draft this article soon after this first play because the play details are already beginning to escape my memory. I’ll be curious to see what kind of noise Elemental Clash makes when its prototype is closer to completion.
Ease of entry?
★★★☆☆ – There were a few questions
Would I play it again?
★★☆☆☆ – Would play again but would rather play something else
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