Charlie Theel

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…

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...

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

Don't worry, I got yours.

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.

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.

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

Great game!

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…

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...

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.

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’...

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...

Hopefully it lives up to expectations!

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

Thank so you much! I appreciate you covering this.

Ha!

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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 …

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...

Yeah, it's decent.

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

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.

Nature Board Game Review - IGN Nature is a board game about creating and adapting species to survive in an ever-changing environment. It’s both accessible and rich, offering a large amount of additional content to liven up the expe...

Nature is the latest iteration of North Star Games' acclaimed Evolution. This is as much a system as a standalone entity, serving as a chassis for additional content. It seeks to capture the broad reach of Evolution's wider family of games. My review: www.ign.com/articles/nat...

Thanks, Dan!

Thanks!

Thanks, Mark!

This is a huge honor. My philosophy articles have not received many views and I had decided to steer away from think-pieces. Totally rad for one to be nominated. Thank you to the board and to whoever submitted my work for consideration.