Derek Bruff

It was also very fun to photograph!

It’s so beautiful! I had the chance to see it on a layover a couple of years ago. So cool.

A Birder Reviews Wingspan: Americas Expansion If you sometimes prefer birding from an easy chair, and you haven’t yet discovered the board game Wingspan, you really should. It’s the perfect board game accompaniment to your binoculars. And the new...

A Wingspan review that focuses on the nods I make to actual bird behaviors.

We saw that and kept expecting them to dance.

My wife is a marketer, and her theory is that ad-makers aren't used to making ads for general audiences. Ads are so targeted these days that they've forgotten how to creatively engaged a non-targeted audience.

I got SETI to the table last night. Figuring out this game is so much fun. I won, but with a score (167) that was a good bit lower than the last time I played, when I came in second place. Very excited to give this one another go and see if I can improve.

Bat Falcon spotted at the Mayan ruins at Chaccoben, Mexico

We enjoyed our first play of Wingspan Americas! I love the vibe of the hummingbirds flitting back and forth. I was also excited to see the Bat Falcon in the new cards—it was one of a few lifers I picked up during our fall break cruise to Mexico. Also, we ended with a tie, 103-103!

I can’t think of a reference for the former off the top of my head.

Math educator here. I think learning a sufficiently complex board game teaches a kind of logical reasoning. Learning specific QR skills depends on the game. I wrote about the latter for elementary age kids (e.g. multiplication with Kingdomino) during the pandemic: derekbruff.org/blogs/firstp....

A board game “review” which is really just a how-to-play. Sigh.

Who will be crowned as our favorite Unmatched fighter? Today on the podcast, we report on the second half of our Unmatched tournament, from the quarterfinals to the finals! Listen here: www.buzzsprout.com/2292265/epis...

Who will be crowned as our favorite Unmatched fighter? Today on the podcast, we report on the second half of our Unmatched tournament, from the quarterfinals to the finals! Listen here: www.buzzsprout.com/2292265/epis...

BG Stats 4 x 4. Play count: 6: Sleeping Queens; 3: Wingspan; 3: Unmatched Game System; 3: Cascadia Junior; 2: SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence; 2: Under Falling Skies; 2: Duel for Cardia; 1: Apiary; 1: Broom Service; 1: The Quest for El Dorado; 1: Ticket to Ride; 1: Tokaido; 1: Hearts; 1: Space Explorers; 1: Holly Jolly; 1: Kingdomino.

It was a very good month in gaming, even with the four day gaming weekend canceled due to snow and ice. Honestly, the weekend wouldn’t have added that many plays, since each of the plays would’ve been three hours long!

Four and a half days without power. Then the power comes on. Then Wingspan Americas shows up! Props to Trenton the FedEx driver for making it happen today.

Me, too! 🤞🏻

We’re determined to reschedule but with friends in three states, most with families, it will take some doing!

I hope the weather works for you! That’s a great line-up. I was looking forward to SETI and the Arcs campaign. :/

Yes, yes we did.

If it weren’t for our pesky wives and children, we would have gotten away with it, too!

Thanks to this winter storm, my friends and I have cancelled our long-planned board gaming weekend at a cabin in a state park near here. Sigh.

Here in middle Tennessee, we just don't have the infrastructure for snow and ice. And none of us wanted to get trapped at the cabin for days!

Ordered! Very excited to explore this expansion with Emily!

And tonight we finished our 2025 Unmatched tournament, only a few weeks into 2026! 😜

Stay tuned to the podcast to find out who our all-time favorite Unmatched fighter is!

Just two games at game night last night, but two very good ones! I might have shouted “I’m a brave prairie witch!” once twice.

Broom Service, which I hadn’t played in _ages_, plus Space Explorers with a few expansion modules and my fun playmat.

Glad I did a play through—and checked the BGG forums. I had missed that you immediately receive whatever bonus is on the card you tuck for income. That matters in a game where resources are this tight!

SETI! I’m playing through the solo game so I can make sure I know the rules. Later this month, I’m spending a weekend in a cabin with ten friends playing board games. I’ll definitely want to get this game to the table!

Drop some WHEELS

We got the 3yo Cascadia Jr. for Christmas, and he loves it! So do we. We can play it in 20 minutes, which is exactly as long as his attention span.

From Board Game Arena: "In 2025, you played an impressive 325 tables! This places you in the top 10% of all BGA players!"

I'm not sure if I'm proud of that or not. 😜

We got the boy Cascadia Junior for Christmas and he loved it! He also loved punching the cardboard. :-)

Thanks for the recommendation. It’s just the right level for him and not too long of a game.

Ooh, yes, that looks just right for the 12yo reader in my family!

The very first game I gave my nephew, I think back in 2016, was Ticket to Ride. We broke it out yesterday for my first play in a very long time. Naturally, he crushed us. I forgot you could get 67 points on the LA-Miami connection!