Thomas P. King, Author & Game Designer
banner
tpkingauthor.bsky.social
Thomas P. King, Author & Game Designer
@tpkingauthor.bsky.social
Writer and game designer. Fantasy/sci-fi/horror/historical fiction.
The Unseen World, a solo horror gamebook set in Japan is available now: http://bit.ly/3STdY5j
#WritingCommunity #RPGs #ttrpg #boardgames
https://thomaspking.com/
Catching up! We played Endeavor: Deep Sea for the first time recently. We had never played the original, but were interested in the new one. My brother seemed to like it the most. It's not bad. Maybe a bit random for a Euro (less than the first from what I hear?), but it's short.
#boardgames
November 10, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Our Halloween game went pretty well. A couple of deaths, but we were able to recover without much trouble. We played with the optional rule where gathered resources don't teleport to the house, you have to drop them off. It was getting dicey by the end of the boss fight, but we defeated Bonemass.
November 3, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Game 2 against Elder. Didn't go so well. I was often short on resin and couldn't light my weapon on fire until late, and spent so much effort getting resin, I wasn't as prepared for the boss fight as I wanted. Died in the battle.
November 3, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Always behind on games. Valheim came in, and I've played two solo games and one 3-player game. Really enjoying it so far. We played scenario 4 on Halloween (it's the swamp scenario with lots of undead to fight). Can't wait to play more. First session in photos.
#boardgames
November 3, 2025 at 7:31 PM
More catching up! It's October, so we brought out the Arkham Horror LCG with a one-shot scenario. It was quite brutal, which two of us liked, but my brother didn't enjoy it as much (he prefers winning on the first try). Hoping to play our second campaign next year.
#boardgames
October 24, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Still catching up. We played Sweet Lands 3p, and while I'm really enjoying the game, I recommend not playing any AP-prone players. It's agonizing. This was over 4 hours. Players need to make decisions and stick with them and not overthink it. Fun game, though!
#boardgames
October 23, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I'm behind on games again! We recently played Spirit Island. It was the first game for my brother and I and one of our friend's favorites. I enjoyed it more than I expected, mostly due to the card play, but not in love with it yet. Lots of stuff to trigger, some of it pretty minor.
#boardgames
October 22, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Played Sweet Lands solo last night. Pretty long, but it was a learning game (I have better storage solutions coming that should speed things up a touch). Just a first learning game, but definitely enjoyed it. Very crunchy, but the rules are actually quite smooth. Will play again soon!
#boardgames
September 30, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Sweet Lands arrived yesterday. I spent a while organizing pieces and figuring out storage solutions. I've got some small boxes on the way that should help with the tokens that form a general supply. Player pieces will just have to be in bags; no way to speed up setup. Amazed it all fits!
#boardgames
September 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Yesterday, we played Robinson Crusoe, the Encounter at R'lyeh scenario. While the main game is growing on us more (despite huge clarity issues), the scenario was a bit of a letdown. Really lacked the Cthulhu flavor. No monsters. No cultists. Just some wind? And seems to have errors. Felt unfinished.
September 28, 2025 at 5:16 PM
We had a couple of recent gamedays. Finally brought back out Fire & Axe. While still a fun game, it's really showing its age. I don't think it needs to be massively updated, but it could use a little more depth. After was some BattleTech CCG. My friend is still learning.
#boardgames
September 28, 2025 at 5:16 PM
After, we had time for Endangered. It's pretty light, but we all enjoyed it more. The dice placement can be tricky and definitely needs some cooperating. It was neat seeing the available actions grow during the game. My friend already has everything; he had been wanting to play for a while!
September 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Gameday yesterday. First was La Granja. Two of us had played before and enjoyed it, but my brother (first time) was really bored with it. It's surprisingly quick compared to modern Euros of the size (2hrs for 3p), but it's also quite random. Resources can be scarce!
#boardgames
September 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
We technically didn't finish VoE (ran out of time from starting it too late), but one more round would have ended it. I had a ridiculous combo that earned me 30 points, and I would have been able to do it again for 27 points thanks to one of the artifacts. Really enjoyed VoE.
September 2, 2025 at 6:28 PM
This past weekend, we played more Earthborne Rangers and Vale of Eternity w/Artifacts. We made a lot of traveling progress in EBR, but luckily were able to also finish the next part of our mission with 1-2 cards left in our decks. Close! Deck improvements have helped.
#boardgames
September 2, 2025 at 6:28 PM
We recently played Vantage for the first time (except my friend who played solo some in secret). I ended up enjoying it the most, and more than I expected. My friend actually liked it less than he expected. You really need to play for the exploration more than anything.
#boardgames
September 2, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Last weekend we played Tidal Blades. 1st impressions: some neat mechanics but rough around the edges. Seems like fighting monsters is bad until the last round of the game? And you could probably still do well never fighting them. Also might be a bit shallow and repetitive? It's... okay 🤷‍♂️
#boardgames
August 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Another classic (for me) that we got to the table was Core Worlds, a bit of a forgotten deck builder. Great crunchy game with tableau building and comboing. Just don't forget the optional rules! I missed out on 8 points and lost 😭
I'll have to try solo soon, too.
August 15, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Some recent games we've been playing (besides more Earthborne Rangers!): Yedo: Deluxe Master Set. It's a classic game, and really deserves to be in retail. A shame this seems to be the 'final version' with a truly awful rulebook. Great game, though.
#boardgames
August 15, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Day 2: First, Lord of the Rings TCG with our Mines of Moria decks. Gandalf/Moria vs. Dwarves & Aragorn/Uruk-hai. The goblins did little against the dwarves until the Balrog made a showing, then archers won the day at site 8. After, Star Wars: Unlimited, SotG sealed and JtL spotlight decks.
July 29, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Last weekend was another couple of game days. Lots of card games! We played another eventful day of Earthborne Rangers (got canoes!). We've arrived in High Basin, ready to tackle our mission. We've also progressed the other mission and are tracking vines.
#boardgames
July 29, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Had some time this morning to bring out Middle-earth CCG again. I made a simple deck for a quick game, a few factions, a palantir, and some fun items. The team got rocked by wolves, sadly. Dice were against us. 4 dead by the end! 26 points when I called it, 4 points lost to the dead.
#boardgames
July 23, 2025 at 6:40 PM
This past weekend, we played 2 more days of Earthborne Rangers. We're now in the downpour, and the fatigue piles up fast! Luckily, I've got great ways of healing everyone's fatigue, but we go through the decks quickly. Still knocking out missions, though!
#boardgames
July 22, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Today was Obsession. I love this game, but we probably spent 30-40 minutes total just looking up rules, trying to interpret rules, and looking up stuff online when nothing made sense. Man, there are problems. Still a great game in my top 100, but terrible rules/text descriptions.
July 13, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Games this weekend, first was more Earthborne Rangers! Long day 2. We did a bit more exploring, talking to characters, but mostly focused on the mission we picked up last time. We completed that but also finished a little sidequest for more rewards (ran out of time for a 2nd sidequest).
#boardgames
July 13, 2025 at 11:30 PM