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TWAIBU AHMED ALLI/Kodi ma playing cards amasokoneza bwanji moyo wanthu wauzimu

TWAIBU AHMED ALLI.

Sharp playing cards 🃏

Sharp playing cards.

Unboxing - Year of the Horse playing cards by TCC

Every New Year, we embrace hopes and expectations, sending heartfelt blessings for the future. The 2026 Year of the Horse ...

Don't throw away playing cards with missing pages to make a simple and practical pen holder. You

Don't throw away playing cards with missing pages to make a simple and practical pen holder. You.

Dale Yu: Review of Natera: New Beginning

Natera: New Beginning Designer: Eric Fugere and Hugo Tremblay-Ledoux Publisher: Horizon Games Players: 1-4 Age: 14+ Time: 35min/player Played with review copy provided by publisher In Natera: New Beginning, you play as a sentient and intelligent animal tribe, exploring … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/18/dale-yu-review-of-natera-new-beginning/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Siberian Manhunt

Eventually, I replaced the deck with a draw bag, which proved far more practical than reshuffling a deck many times per game.(Left) The initial "Manhunt deck" (TTS version) vs (Right) the final "Manhunt bag"While I made some adjustments to the game mechanics (e.g. converting the Manhunt deck to the Manhunt bag, creating a market of Government assistance cards instead of just a draw pile, etc.), they stayed fairly consistent throughout the game’s development. Most changes involved balancing the g

Dale Yu: Review of Map Masters

Map Masters Designers: Ian Sebastian Bach, Cédrick Caumont Publisher: Captain Games Players: 1-5 Age: 10+ Time: 30-60 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher Map Masters is a dungeon-crawling card game in which you must create your … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/17/dale-yu-review-of-map-masters/">Continue reading →</a>

Alison Brennan: Game Snapshots – 2026 (Part 8)

New-to-me games played recently include … 12 RIVERS (2025): Rank 6164, Rating 7.2 12 marbles of different values drop down 12 chutes which gradually coalesce until there’s only 1 channel left. You need specific marbles to fulfil contracts … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/16/alison-brennan-game-snapshots-2026-part-8/">Continue reading →</a>

Dale Yu: Four recent Expansions – Heat Rocky Roads, Luna (Galileo Galelei), Terra Mystica Fan Factions, Cities: Achievement Boards and Theaters

So, just got a chance to play through a number of recent expansions, and I thought it would be nice to package up the previews/reviews in one piece. I’ll include the link to our review of each base … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/15/dale-yu-three-recent-expansions-heat-rocky-roads-luna-galileo-galelei-terra-mystica-fan-factions/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Clips

That is were the journey of Clips started.The Base FlowThe core idea of the game was quite clear: a collaborative card game where players could not see their own cards, could give and receive hints from the other players using the clothespins, and must play a card on each turn.Clipping immediately showed several key advantages. It allows players to add and remove information quickly. Clothespins can be read from both sides, as they are usually symmetrical, and they carry only a limited amount of

Dale Yu: Review of Behind

Behind Designer: Cedric Millet Publisher: KYF edition Players: 1+ Age: 10+ Time: 45-90 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher Analyze, assemble, admire — in Behind, you’ll find three scenes to solve, each with its own unique … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/14/dale-yu-review-of-behind/">Continue reading →</a>

Dale Yu: Review of Pinched!

Pinched! Designers: David Gordon, Jonathan Gilmour-Long Publisher: Mighty Boards Players: 2-5 Age: 10+ Time: 60 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3ZcfNzP Played with review copy provided by publisher As the wealthy flaunt their valuables, with their infinite money and … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/13/dale-yu-review-of-pinched/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Stupor Mundi

I read a few things from my father’s library and understood that I could not avoid starting to design a new game about the most astonishing character of that period.So, on a feverish night, while snowflakes were falling on the heights of the Sila, I locked myself in my studio-laboratory and created the first version of a game that would stay with me for a long time: Stupor Mundi, which at the time was more simply called Frederick II.The first version of the game was completely different from the

Dale Yu: Review of 7 Wonders Dice

7 Wonders Dice Designer: Antoine Bauza Publisher: Repos Players: 2-7 Age: 10+ Time: 25 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/480ZMlC Played with review copy provided by publisher Guide one of the seven largest cities of antiquity to prosperity in … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/12/dale-yu-review-of-7-wonders-dice/">Continue reading →</a>

12 DIYs that transform a deck of playing cards into stunning home decor

A deck of playing cards can provide you with more than just quick entertainment. With the right materials, they can become ...

Dale Yu: Review of Beastro

Beastro Designers: Matteo Uguzzoni, Jason Corace Publisher: Hello Mountain Games Players: 3-6 Age: 8+ Time: 30 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher Welcome to Beastro, where mythical beast chefs compete to make the best dishes! Beastro … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/11/dale-yu-review-of-beastro/">Continue reading →</a>

Dale Yu: Review of Carnuta

Carnuta Designers: Yohan Goh, Hope S. Hwang, Gary Kim Publisher: Repos Production Players: 2-4 Age: 10+ Time: 25 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher Welcome to the annual ceremony that brings together druids from distant lands! … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/10/dale-yu-review-of-carnuta/">Continue reading →</a>

Battlegroup Clash: Baltics - a professional wargame for a commercial audience

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=19169" >James Buckley</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8596236"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/oBnxPs9Ib14XggFjR1qqpA__small/img/hJVY3h1AMuGUICViI_jKTQRX9kI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8596236.jpg" border=0></a></div> As the geopolitical environment becomes more tumultuous, the use of digital and analogue games by professionals to understand, model, and prepare for the future is coming to prominence. Professional wargaming is having its moment in the sun. I moved into the world of professional game design having been the head of development at a hobby board game publisher. My first professional role was helping with the development and production of Battlegroup Wargame System (BGWS). The game was commissioned by the British Army to encourage the development of a wargaming mentality in the organisation. While there are plenty of commercial wargames that cover tactical level combat, few are interested in capturing elements that precede a real life engagement: planning based on mission objectives, force capacity, tasking against specific time lines and geographic boundaries, and map work. That’s why they are not used for training by the army. BGWS is interested in that. I believed that a commercial audience would be too. So I began work on transforming BGWS - an umpire led-game specifically designed for military professionals - into what was to become <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/434134/battlegroup-clash-baltics" >Battlegroup Clash: Baltics</a>. A professional wargame, designed for a commercial audience. A game you can read about on BGG. Step 1 - What To Keep The two essential elements from BGWS I wanted to port to Battlegroup Clash: Baltics were the use of grid-based, real world maps, and the requirement to plan your operations before the game begins. To my knowledge, no land-based tactical commercial wargame uses real world maps. Very few give much focus on operational planning, at least not how modern armed forces actually do it. Step 2 - What To Drop BGWS requires both an umpire and an understanding of military concepts and approaches that is beyond most civilians. It uses off-the-shelf 1:10,000 mapping, and off board cards to track lots of information on the units in play. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9385561"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/8HzvBkcdSpjLMoXaiVvw7A__small/img/GlVoz9rC1ng14kC5lf73DL5xUjE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9385561.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <center>User playtest by British Army junior officers of Battlegroup Wargame System, the game that inspired Battlegroup Clash: Baltics.</center> To make it playable beyond the classroom, these features needed amending, and the game overall needed streamlining. A first major decision was to move away from maps that require judgement to understand and parse. I commissioned the creation of bespoke maps, created by computer-aided design. These are real world, based on satellite imagery of Estonia, but with overlaid borders to identify key terrain types. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9371288"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/j0N5cteYQiw6ZtiBH023Hg__small/img/Iirb97CLqVmZfb6_Hewytk2972I=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9371288.png" border=0></a></div></center> <center>Map B from Battlegroup Clash: Baltics. The game uses 1:10,000 maps developed from satellite imagery from Estonia, with grid lines overlaid. </center> A second major decision was to move the stats for each unit onto its counter, rather than having them on a separate sheet. This significantly eases game play at a lower play count; everything is in front of the player on the map. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9371289"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Raykeo1W9E74T8ZlIPrFCw__small/img/TZxW4xTpmGl2tSxyFB1a4OhMufU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9371289.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <center>Battlegroup Clash: Baltics moves all the necessary information about the unit onto the counter (right). BGWS uses separate force cards for this instead of its counters (left).</center> A third major decision related to narrative. I wanted to move away from a generic ‘blue’ versus ‘red’ approach to the real world. The presence of a British Army Battlegroup in Estonia made that an obvious choice, and the game became NATO versus Russia in a hypothetical invasion by the latter of Estonia. Step 3 - What To Add Emphasising the present day narrative, and in keeping with my desire to create something that stood out from other tactical wargames, I decided to concentrate a lot of the design for Battlegroup Clash: Baltics on drones and electronic warfare. The war in Ukraine has shown the degree to which drone warfare has changed the battlefield. Electronic warfare has been around for longer, but its intersection with drones and cyber attacks makes it now almost as important as kinetic effects on the battlefield. In the game, every action that would generate some kind of radio or electronic transmission has the potential to be intercepted by the enemy. Intercepted transmissions can be used to target units for direct or indirect fires. Each side also gains access to Electronic Warfare Chits, that can be used on the battlefield for a variety of effects such as jamming your opponent’s recon drones. This is important as reconnaissance drones, called UAS, completely transform the battlefield in the game, providing virtually unlimited line of sight for indirect fire. Another type of kamikaze drone, known as a first person video drone (FPV), can be used to directly attack enemy units, providing a more accurate, if less powerful, alternative to mortars and artillery. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9371291"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/0aMSll70HceqB2MGyZr9Kg__small/img/WplVj624b6OnzJWdHoiZ4iLP5Lc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9371291.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <center>UAS effect. In the game a UAS gives unlimited line of sight to the four adjacent grid squares.</center> Testing the Game I wanted my playtesting team to combine folks with experience in both professional as well as commercial wargaming, and through a combination of persistence and good luck I was able to get both. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9371311"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/htfvrxTc3JIaVwc7ibdPXg__small/img/tFDevZqwygGuDK_-i3u3DcepWs4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9371311.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <center>Prototype counters used in a play test.</center> While Tabletop Simulator played a crucial role in the development and testing process, I learnt from my time as a hobby game developer that digital is not a substitute for a physical prototype, so I had physical copies made and tested them both at home, at my local club and at conventions. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9371292"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/6vC8jns7wwclwxagMHQ_Dw__small/img/rq3g_ryElY7lW0YgkWBYO8uKJb4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9371292.jpg" border=0></a></div> Testing the two-mapper scenario at PunchedCON in Coventry, UK. </center> Making the Game Independent of the tariffs saga, I made a decision very early on that I wouldn’t get the game printed in China. China is funding Russia’s war in Ukraine, so it didn’t make sense to me to pay a Chinese company to make the game. Instead I chose EFKO in the Czech Republic. The price is higher than the Chinese alternative, but I can sleep easier with my choice. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9371312"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/qRnvYLKN_OTQQnVIG1rCXw__small/img/e2gx8eyYH_UBeOP4QZWhGxWdfug=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9371312.jpg" border=0></a></div> The box cover</center> Selling the Game Battlegroup Clash: Baltics is self-published, in the sense that I am releasing via my own company. I have sufficient experience of the board game industry to be able to do this, rather than having to use another publisher to release the game. This approach also allowed me to get the game to market very quickly. I considered using crowdfunding as the vehicle for selling the game, but I was concerned that the concept might not fly with customers from a professional background. Furthermore, I didn’t need funding to develop the game, just to print it, and decided that a simple pre-order system via the Sapper Studio website, which I use for my game development consultancy business, would suffice. I decided to make use of professional channels as well as traditional board game media to promote the game. This involved posting on LinkedIn and via the Fight Club Discord server, as well as hobby channels and events such as SD Histcon and Armchair Dragoons. The success of the game in terms of generating pre-orders very much exceeded my expectations. I had several hundred pre-orders within the first few months, meaning I could opt for a larger print run than I had anticipated. Now the game is out for general release, and it’s time to see if my customers agree that I have been able to create a professional wargame for a commercial audience. You can purchase a copy of Battlegroup Clash directly from Sapper Studio via this link <a target='_blank' href="https://www.sapperstudio.com/battlegr" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">https://www.sapperstudio.com/battlegr</a>. Alternatively check your with FLGS in your country that you know stock a good wargame selection.

Alison Brennan: Game Snapshots – 2026 (Part 7)

New-to-me games played recently include … SEERS CATALOG (2024): Rank 4270, Rating 6.9 Hand shedder where each player is dealt some secret powers to help shed. Which aren’t enough to help a bad hand and they slow things … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/09/alison-brennan-game-snapshots-2026-part-7/">Continue reading →</a>

Dale Yu: Review of EXIT: Adventures on Catan

EXIT: Adventures on Catan Designers: Inka and Markus Brand Publisher: KOSMOS Players: 1-4 Age: 10+ Time: 1-2 hours on the box (92 minutes IRL with our group of 4) Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4rEcP3j Played with review copy provided by Thames&Kosmos … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/08/dale-yu-review-of-exit-adventures-on-catan/">Continue reading →</a>