Perfectly Imperfect – Justin Bell
A dating game by designer Danielle Reynolds (Caution Signs, Tricky Kids), Perfectly Imperfect asks 2-8 players how well they know each other! On each turn, one player is the “Dater”, and the player to their left draws three profile cards with mock profiles of potential matches familiar to anyone who has ever opened a dating app, using internet profile samples created by Danielle and the team at the publisher, Randolph.
All other players, considering the personality types on each card, use voting cards to determine which of the three profiles are most aligned with the Dater, which one is sort of “meh”, and which one is a hard pass. Points are handed out after the Dater votes on which profile they would most like to date, and each round has a lot of laughs as players try to figure out which person’s quirks might not work for the Dater.
We laughed very hard during our four-player game of Perfectly Imperfect, and most of that is tied to the writing on the 100 double-side profile cards. Also, it’s fun to see what your friends do, and likely don’t, appreciate about a potential partner, even if they are already married. (Spoiler alert: I’m not a beach guy, and karaoke is not really my thing. Yet.) Playing this with as large a group as possible is the right move, and playing this with your best friends might also make the game too easy if your friends know you better than you know yourself. For a 15-minute party game, Perfectly Imperfect is actually pretty much perfect.
Ease of entry?
★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Read more articles from Justin Bell.
ROKR Dinosaur Lab Pinball – Will Hare
I’ve always had a passing interest in pinball machines. At one point, I started to get really into the idea of buying and restoring one, but my husband shut that down immediately because of the space it would take up (not to mention the budget). This made me insanely excited when ROKR launched a new miniature pinball machine themed around dinosaurs. It immediately conjured up memories of heading to the local pizza place after Little League soccer games growing up, where my dad would hand me a fistful of quarters and let me and my friends go wild in the arcade. I spent a ton of my dad’s loose change chasing high scores on the old 1993 Data East Jurassic Park pinball machine there.
The machine has an impressive table presence, sitting at just over a foot long. Note that the version I received was already assembled, so I can’t speak to what the assembly process might look like. I just had to pop a few trees on and we were ready to roll. Plug it into a USB-C power source and watch the board hum to life. It really feels like sitting at an actual pinball machine in an arcade. Lights light up, bumpers ricochet balls all around, and various actions trigger noises and other immersive effects. There are several toggles, namely the ability to change the volume levels and the option to play on easy mode or hard. Easy mode is a simple race to 1000 points, while the challenge mode involves specific missions and quests to hit certain parts of the board.
It never quite feels exactly like playing an actual pinball machine, I really missed having an actual score counter, and the shots aren’t quite as precise and smooth as a real machine. But again, those are massive and exorbitantly expensive. This is a great approximation of a pinball experience with enough replayability to keep you coming back to push the challenge mode. If the lack of score tracking doesn’t bother you, this would make a fantastic Christmas gift at $109.
Ease of entry?
★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?
★★★★☆ – Would like to play it again
Read more articles from Will Hare.
Genshin Tarot – Kevin Brantley
I sunk countless hours into Genshin Impact, the free-to-play action RPG available on just about every platform. It’s an anime-inspired adventure featuring “gacha” mechanics, essentially virtual blind boxes where players roll for a chance to obtain special characters or equipment. Though I never threw a ton of money into it, the game thrives on RNG, enticing players to spend their hard-earned cash chasing that perfect pull. Luckily, no loot boxes are needed in Genshin Tarot, where a generous roster of characters is available to take on various bosses from the Genshin universe.
In this solo/co-op deckbuilder, players start with a deck of basic cards mixed from four different characters. With enemies laid out tarot-style, players must battle through eleven enemies and defeat the boss before the eleven-round timer runs out. Along the way, they’ll stack elemental status effects on enemies to trigger chain reactions and spend currency to purchase stronger cards for their decks. Each round also introduces a unique Ley Line card, essentially an event that affects all players.
This is a surprisingly solid deckbuilder that caught me and my group off guard. Even if you’ve never played the video game or aren’t a fan of anime, there’s a strong foundation here for an engaging deckbuilding battler. Early turns feel fairly bare-bones, but as you accumulate more energy and currency, the excitement ramps up quickly. What starts as a basic three-action turn eventually snowballs into satisfying combos, with free actions stacking on top of one another and massive bursts of damage flying across the table. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching your carefully constructed deck finally fire on all cylinders.
Because play is simultaneous, there’s also plenty of table talk as everyone works together to solve the puzzle of defeating their respective enemies. Many cards can aid teammates, making timing and coordination crucial to success. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a double-edged sword. With everyone operating at different speeds, one player’s chain reaction might benefit another player who’s already finished their turn. Better communication would certainly help, but I found the simultaneous play occasionally frustrating, especially when combos started getting complicated. For that reason, I actually prefer Genshin Tarot as a solo experience.
There’s a surprising amount of content packed into the base box, and the sheer variety of character combinations, enemies, and bosses creates a satisfying roguelite experience that keeps me coming back for more. Whether you’re a Genshin Impact fan or simply enjoy a good deckbuilding battler, Genshin Tarot is definitely worth checking out.
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 Kevin Brantley.
Fealty – Thomas Wells
I got to play one of my favorite chess variants the other night, and it’s always just a wonderful little treat, and it’s so good people don’t even think about it as being chess-y.
Fealty is played (my preferred setups described) across a number of square grid boards equal to the player count. The boards have roads, towns, mountains, farmlands, and forests. One player shuffles a deck of cards featuring their 9 different pieces and draws a hand of 3, announcing to the other players which 3 cards. Then, players simultaneously select a card and reveal. The player with the lowest numbered card goes first (there’s a simple tiebreaker mechanism as well). You can place a piece with some harsh restrictions. First, you can’t place one that shares a row or column with another of your pieces, and you can’t place a piece on the board that another player preceding you that round placed on. You also can’t place on mountains, or other player pieces, or your own. This happens 6 times, and then the game is over.
When the game is over the fun begins. See, Fealty is algorithm chess. At the end of the game, starting with everyone’s 10 pieces, control is evaluated. Then the 20s, 30s, ending with the 90. Each piece has an amount and type of terrain it grabs. If there’s a conflict with a same-numbered piece, the closer one gets it; otherwise, nobody does. You drop these little flag pieces everywhere to show you control a space. Normal spaces are 1 point; towns are 2. Most points win.
At 2 players, the game takes about 10 minutes, and every decision is simultaneous and has far-reaching, entirely deterministic consequences. That said, good luck parsing it all. It’s a hoot and a half, and there isn’t really anything like it. When people mention R. Eric Reuss’ Spirit Island, I always say, “You mean the genius who designed Fealty?
Ease of entry?
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Read more articles from Thomas Wells.
Horrified – K. David Ladage
I have been to many game conventions. I have attended GenCon when it was being held in Lake Geneva, WI; in Madison, WI; and (of course) in Indianapolis, IN. I have been to Origins, and others. No matter if they are big or small, my favorite has been the many, many times I have attended Congress of Gamers. It has a hometown, almost intimate, feel. Great people. Wonderful organization.
The most recent one (Oct 10-11, 2026) was no different. We had a great time! One of the guys who volunteers for the events is Leon. Since he is almost always working in some capacity, I try to get him over to join us for a game, or to play one of the games he has recently acquired. What he acquired this time was two copies of Horrified.
The first was Horrified: The Universal Studios Monsters (Frankenstein, The Wolfman, The Mummy, etc.) and the other was Horrified: The American Monsters (Bigfoot, Mothman, the Jersey Devil, etc.). We ended up playing three games of the Universal Studios edition. We had a great time! My wife loved the game as much as I did. Based on those plays, when I got home, I ordered a copy of the Universal Monsters and Greek Monsters editions. The mail cannot move quickly enough for these.
Ease of entry?
★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Read more articles from K. David Ladage.
