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Grumpy Gamer
Zerbique
- Jan 7
Labors of Love
If game designs are labors of love, critics must be insensitive haters. Or are they?
344 views11 comments
Zerbique
- Nov 30, 2023
Sexist Fantasy Covers
Some of you may know I left the 1Player Guild (meaning more time to dedicate to Solitaire Times!), and in the end, that's all about a...
556 views6 comments
Zerbique
- Jul 27, 2023
Cash Grabs Everywhere!
Zerbique sings the praise for grumpiness against respectable industry representants and bloodsucker big boxes that want to eat you whole!
203 views4 comments
JW
- Jul 9, 2023
You Watch My Back and I’ll Watch Yours: Week July 9 to 15
Scratch that. Athena landed her promotion at work and immediately left for vacation. And now I’m stuck here without a note or whatever to...
305 views12 comments
JW
- May 2, 2023
Escapism: it's only natural
Fantasy and Science Fiction were the main two genres that used to offer us a way to escape reality. But lately a new theme has emerged...
232 views4 comments
JW
- Jun 11, 2022
Almost as if nothing ever happened…
Athena: HeroQuest sucks JW: Good evening to you too. Athena: It’s a children’s game for childish people. JW: Cool! Athena: Some...
305 views4 comments
Zerbique
- Dec 2, 2021
If in doubt don’t back… or screw that and do back
There is one thing that annoys me, and that’s echo chambers: when a small community starts to adhere to a creed and keeps repeating it on...
346 views1 comment
JW
- Sep 5, 2021
Never Getting Old: September Crowdfunding Grumpy
JW: “Hey kids, let me tell you how Athena and I first met. It was a few years ago, this very weekend, that I had posted something on...
191 views2 comments
JW
- Aug 2, 2021
So Bored: August Crowdfunding Grumpy
August is boring. The whole editorial alphabet, from Athena to Zerbique, left the office for a Summer Break. 😞 I've dusted the laptops....
191 views6 comments
JW
- Jul 1, 2021
Minimal effort
As you may know, I started collecting playing card decks last year. To make my plays of Patience more colourful, and also out of...
316 views2 comments
JW
- May 1, 2021
May Hotness: Crowdfunding Grumpy
JW: Athena, you look flushed! You're sweating. Have you been working out? Athena: No, I have a fever. I got my first vaccine dose...
185 views3 comments
Athena
- Apr 20, 2021
Slowing down, backing out, and yet...
I became a member of BGG in January 2017 and have been both growing and culling my games collection ever since. It now sits at 65 titles...
325 views24 comments
JW
- Feb 28, 2021
The Seal of Disapproval: March Crowdfunding Grumpy
JW: I don't remember allowing pets in here, what's this? I nearly stepped on it. Eeww, it smells! Athena: It's cute. JW: You know you'll...
292 views2 comments
JW
- Feb 3, 2021
Bummed: February KS Grumpy
Athena: I don't feel like doing a grumpy post. I don't feel like doing anything. JW: Yeah, I'm bummed too. I have no idea if it's the...
228 views8 comments
JW
- Jan 17, 2021
Raise the double standard!
Publisher Board & Dice decided to suspend all future collaboration and work with their top designer Daniele Tascini because of his racist...
1,198 views20 comments
Athena
- Dec 20, 2020
Underwater Cities vs. Terraforming Mars: worst components face-off
I just received Underwater Cities. In many ways it looks heavily inspired by Terraforming Mars which is one of my favourite solo games....
888 views7 comments
JW
- Dec 16, 2020
The Waiting Game
When I was young, so much younger than today, I already was crazy about dice. Custom dice, coloured dice, big dice, small dice, with dots...
229 views5 comments
JW
- Dec 12, 2020
Games of 2021 I'm furious about
This evening Athena sent me a list of games that are expected to launch on Kickstarter next year. Her suggestion was we'd both write a...
448 views6 comments
JW
- Nov 16, 2020
Unboxing Altar Quest
When Athena and I were discussing what new features we could add to our website now that it's rising in popularity, it suddenly hit us....
234 views2 comments
JW
- Oct 31, 2020
Halloween costumes: November KS Grumpy
Athena: Booooo! Boo, comrade! JW: *startled* Athena, what are you dressed up as? Athena: A ghost, obviously. JW: And why are you holding...
111 views1 comment
Athena
- Oct 1, 2020
Natural High: October KS Grumpy
JW (taking off his raincoat): It's cold, and raining cats and dogs outside! Let's have some herbal tea to warm up. And I'd like to chill...
178 views3 comments
Athena
- Sep 1, 2020
Doctor, doctor: September KS Grumpy
Athena: JW, something is wrong with me. I can't think of anything grumpy to say about the games that launch this month! JW: Have you...
213 views1 comment
Athena
- Aug 30, 2020
Protect me from what I want
Sometimes it's easy to tell if something is a bad idea: I know that if I wear a latex dress, I'll look like a sausage. So I'll never...
364 views9 comments
Athena
- Jul 29, 2020
When the Boss is Away: August KS Grumpy
Athena: JW, I'm getting ready to go on vacation but... there's a couple of Kickstarters I want to follow... and I won't have good...
173 views0 comments
Athena
- Jul 6, 2020
Things I dislike in solo games (sometimes without even trying them)
I've been nagging about this and that for a while, dispersing my silly complaints over a series of Grumpies. Now I compiled them into a...
1,267 views7 comments
Athena
- Jun 30, 2020
Everybody grab one: July KS Grumpy
Athena: JW, a heatwave is going to hit Greece in a few days. Not the best conditions for gaming... Are there any good Kickstarters to...
193 views3 comments
Athena
- Jun 24, 2020
When you are not hyped about Jaws of the Lion (but everyone else is)
What you go through if you are subbed in the Solo Gamers group on Facebook, and you are NOT interested in Jaws of the Lion: *scroll*...
352 views1 comment
Athena
- Jun 1, 2020
High stacks: June KS Grumpy
Athena: JW, would you be interested in playing a meta-game? Shelfie Stacker is about gamers with mild OCD stacking game boxes on their...
119 views0 comments
JW
- May 6, 2020
Innovative strategy game Wingspan wins BGG's Best Solo Game Award 2019 (and all other awards)
The results are in for the best new games of the year, as voted for in the Annual Golden Geek Awards on BoardGameGeek. Wingspan is Board...
389 views7 comments
JW
- Apr 29, 2020
Springtime Grumpy
Athena: May is blooming with Kickstarters, JW. Are you backing anything? JW: I am spring cleaning my collection. Only interested in games...
158 views5 comments
Grumpy Guest
- Apr 22, 2020
Variability vs. Randomness (by Kevin Shaud)
Our fellow 1PGer Kevin Shaud posted this article on his BGG blog (Kevin's Korner) yesterday and, upon reading it, we decided it makes...
183 views0 comments
JW
- Mar 31, 2020
April Fools
Athena: JW, does this pandemic signal the dawn of the solo gamer domination in the board game world? I read articles that say quarantines...
163 views3 comments
Grumpy Guest
- Mar 11, 2020
Guest post: Something like a CMONenon (by Kevin Shaud)
When 1 Player Guild-member and superbacker Kevin Shaud (kevinruns262) told us he had an idea for a post, we told him, sure, go ahead. It...
159 views4 comments
Athena
- Feb 27, 2020
Grumpily Marching on
JW: Well, we can act as if there are a lot of interesting games next month, but everybody will be backing Frosthaven, right? Because...
139 views4 comments
Athena
- Feb 11, 2020
Bloat
I recently watched a video by Daniel Davis (The Dungeon Dive YouTube channel) in which he talked about how his expectations of Secrets of...
300 views2 comments
Athena
- Jan 30, 2020
February yawns
Athena: JW, have you seen anything you fancy from the February Kickstarter list? JW: Not really. Athena: Nothing? It can't be. Let's take...
210 views0 comments
Athena
- Jan 1, 2020
It's lonely out in space: January KS Grumpy
Athena: JW, January sounds like your ideal Kickstarter month. It has not one, not two, but at least six sci-fi games launching. Not to...
244 views0 comments
Athena
- Dec 18, 2019
Ooh, that smell...
82,90 euro. That's how much I forked out to buy Zeppelin Raider: Imperial German Naval Airships. The theme appealed to me, I had never...
159 views0 comments
Athena
- Nov 27, 2019
Kickstarter deprivation
Athena, tearful: JW... December is almost devoid of Kickstarter campaigns!!! I knew this was coming but it still pains me... JW: We have...
108 views0 comments
JW
- Nov 22, 2019
CMON don't know what they just sold
Two months ago, the CMON Time Machine Kickstarter funded successfully. Part of it was the Time Vault. Backers could get access to...
555 views0 comments
Grumpy Guest
- Nov 11, 2019
VOPPed (by Maricel)
We are thrilled to present you our first female grumpy guest from the One Player Guild: Maricel (mtsedwards) Apex Theropod is headed for...
394 views3 comments
JW
- Nov 6, 2019
Pangea: the first shall be the last
In Pangea you try to save a group of animals from the Great Dying (the End-Permian extinction, some 250 million years ago). It takes...
183 views6 comments
JW
- Oct 30, 2019
Superbackers
Where we find ourselves in the virtual editorial office, discussing the November Kickstarters and kissing our money goodbye. JW:...
154 views0 comments
Athena
- Oct 24, 2019
A fool and her money
There is a demon that often captures (solo) gamers' souls: he lures them into purchasing a game, and when they give in and acquire it,...
221 views0 comments
JW
- Oct 18, 2019
The vast emptiness of space
That feeling when you open a new game box. It is hard to describe. It is mind-blowing. Awe-inspiring. We are so small and insignificant....
240 views1 comment
JW
- Oct 11, 2019
Narrative drivel
- I want to play a fantasy game, but I have no imagination at all. - No problem, we couldn't let a story emerge from gameplay and...
187 views1 comment
Athena
- Sep 27, 2019
A Couple of Grumpies: Relaunch
Discussing the Kickstarter releases of October with JW. Me: I remember you saying you didn't like 1066, Tears to Many Mothers as a solo...
93 views0 comments
Grumpy Guest
- Sep 25, 2019
Kickstarter Updates... (by govmiller)
Today we have the pleasure of hosting our fellow guild member, Eric Miller (govmiller). What is it with these creators? I mean, c'mon...
169 views2 comments
Grumpy Guest
- Sep 20, 2019
Is this Game Broken? (by Christian van Someren)
Our grumpy guest of honour from the One Player Guild today is Christian. While perusing BGG the other day, I came across a familiar...
153 views0 comments
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