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Charlie Theel

@charlietheel.bsky.social

680 followers 100 following 430 posts

Board game critic. Bylines: Polygon, IGN, Ars Technica, Tabletop Gaming Magazine, Dicebreaker, Geek & Sundry, PC Gamer, Wargamer. Co-hosted the Ding & Dent podcast. [email protected] Most of my writing appears at my site, http://playerelimination.com

playerelimination.com

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 2d

My series Philosophy and Board Games is back, this time discussing Mara van der Lugt's 2025 book Hopeful Pessimism. I relate its concepts to cooperative board gaming, framing the discussion around the merits of difficulty and challenge.
playerelimination.com/2025/10/06/p...

Philosophy and Board Games: Hopeful Pessimism

Philosopher Mara van der Lugt’s 2025 book Hopeful Pessimism challenges ideas of motivation and the role of despondency. It’s a revelation of sorts, especially for those plagued with ete…

playerelimination.com

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 6d

Hoping it's possible to lose Addie on a river.

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 7d

Don't worry, I got yours.

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 7d

Maybe I should re-watch PDL. It's been many years. I'm also not at all an Adam Sandler fan, with Uncut Gems being the only other film of his I've enjoyed. On another note: lasted about 10 minutes watching Happy Gilmore 2 before bailing.

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 7d

I didn't dislike Licorice Pizza. It just felt a little underwhelming and meandering, particularly for PTA. Phantom Thread is carried partially by Daniel Day Lewis and partially by its excellent cinematography.

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 7d

Really enjoyed One Battle After Another. Been a weak year for film, grateful for this and Anemone to land in succession. Anyway, my PTA ranking.

1. TWBB
2. Magnolia
3. One Battle After Another
4. Hard Eight
5. Phantom Thread
6. Boogie Nights
7. The Master
8. Punch Drunk Love
9. Licorice Pizza

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 11d

Great game!

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 13d

Age of Galaxy is a potent tableau builder that broadly hits all the notes of the 4X genre. Its achievement is focused around the fascinating asymmetric faction building and how it shapes the entirety of play. My review:

playerelimination.com/2025/09/25/a...

Three Cards, Four Xs – An Age of Galaxy Review

Jeffrey CCH, founder of Hong Kong publisher ICE Makes, has produced some wonky designs. Eila and Something Shiny is a narrative-driven card game that is emotionally poignant, Inheritors remains one…

playerelimination.com

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Reposted by Charlie Theel

Charlie Hall @charliehall.bsky.social · 14d

Friends, I finally am in the market for freelance work! It's a big year for things like Magic and D&D, so if you've got a hankering for some expert content get in my DMs. I'm also eager to discuss contract marketing and communications opportunities.

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 15d

Battle of Hoth is Star Wars Memoir 44. But it has a few tricks, such as a compressed board, heroic leaders, and two campaigns. Most importantly, it's a fun way to kill a half hour and sample the genre of wargaming.

Review at IGN: www.ign.com/articles/sta...

Star Wars: Battle of Hoth Board Game Review - IGN

Star Wars: Battle of Hoth lets you fight out the iconic conflict with cardboard and plastic. Containing lots of drama and little rules overhead, this is the type of game that hits the table and doesn’...

www.ign.com

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 16d

Hopefully it lives up to expectations!

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 21d

This is a fascinating piece of media. Highly recommended if you're interested in Cross Bronx Expressway.

Non-Breaking Space @nbsp1618.bsky.social · 22d

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
@gmtgames.bsky.social

Endnotes: Cross Bronx Expressway

Podcast Episode · A Non-Breaking Space · 09/16/2025 · 51m

podcasts.apple.com

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 21d

Thank so you much! I appreciate you covering this.

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

Ha!

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

Physically takes up an entire space, it's hilarious.

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

And you may very well find it awful. It's a game about watching silliness unfold. Like the resolution phase of Galaxy Trucker.

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

Don't put too much stock in the powers being optional, however, they're almost always executed. The level of decision making here is much closer to Hot Streak than to Formula De. Choosing your racer matters, but mostly in a sense that you save your best characters for the end.

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

Honestly, my review could probably use more detail around that. Might edit it.

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

I didn't think I'd want to get rid of my original edition either. It's gone. Not suggesting you dump yours, just trying to highlight how impressed I was with this new version.

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

35 I think in this new version. You use four per player (1 per race each).

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

I can't recall ever seeing a new edition of a game and genuinely feeling like there's no feasible way to improve it.

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

Magical Athlete is back after 22 years. This is board gaming reduced to its base elements, and the result is electric. The new edition from CMYK is perfect, maybe the best update of a game I've ever seen. My review: playerelimination.com/2025/09/16/g...

Going the Distance – A Magical Athlete Review

Takashi Ishida’s Magical Athlete is a quirky game about a cast of misfits in a foot race. First released in 2003 by Z-Man Games, its oddball nature and prototype-level production resulted in …

playerelimination.com

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22d

Yeah, it's decent.

Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 23d

Ha, Newsies is great, but it wouldn't be in my top 10 Bale films.

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 23d

Ford vs. Ferrari, Empire of the Sun, The Prestige, and I'm Not There. Could go even farther with 3:10 to Yuma and The Machinist.

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