Mark Jackson

It’s probably the most difficult AI I play with… but when I’m iffy about what it would choose, I just choose whatever would be worst for me.

Solotober - My Top 20 for 2025 Each October, the 1 Player Guild (1PG) votes on the top 20 solo games - here's my two cents. (Extensive commentary courtesy of my solo gaming recaps over on the [url=https://opinionatedgamers.com/?s=s...

The 1 Player Guild on BoardGameGeek votes each October for their favorite solo #boardgames... and I turned my entry into a Geeklist for all to enjoy.

boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/364...

September gaming… a good bit of solo play plus multiple BGA async tournaments. And the chance to try some oddball new stuff thanks to my son and some good friends.

Rocket Man: Galactic Cruise Solo I’m not going to bury the lede here – I’m enjoying the heck out of playing Galactic Cruise as a solo game. And since I started with a sly newspaper/journalism reference in the first sentence …

My latest review on the Opinionated Gamers site - the splendid Galactic Cruise.

#boardgames

opinionatedgamers.com/2025/09/30/r...

Age yourself w/a movie you saw in a theater as a kid.

My first movie(s) were Jungle Book and Charlie the Lonesome Cougar as a double feature.

Flamme Rouge: The Expansions It’s hard for me to believe that I wrote my initial review of Flamme Rouge (the cycling game) back in 2017. That’s right – eight years ago. (For those of you who can’t be bo…

My latest review on the Opinionated Gamers site - this time, I'm examining the three expansions for the cycling game Flamme Rouge. My main focus is on the newest expansion: Grand Tour.

#boardgames

opinionatedgamers.com/2025/09/27/f...

I like it a lot as solo or 2-player when you add in the By the Lake expansion.

He is, isn't he? Perhaps one could think about the mac'n "cheese" as the extended time of goblin fighting one must wade through to reach the precious treasure of King Tillamook.

Yea, many songs of glory are sung in the halls of Tillamook over bowls of his delicious desserts. :-)

Nashville - April ‘24

#MyPLMornings

The Ravens once more manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory... dang, it was fun to watch.

I say that as a long-suffering Titans fan who had three fantasy players in the 41-40 craziness last night.

Solo Gaming 2025: The First Eight Months I’ve been writing these solo gaming reports since March of 2020… yes, early on in the pandemic. This new era of well-designed automata and solo modes for multiplayer games, coupled with excell…

It's early September... so that means that it is time for my solo gaming recap from the first 8 months of 2025 over on the Opinionated Gamers site.

#boardgames

opinionatedgamers.com/2025/09/08/s...

Additionally, I find something really emotionally satisfying about physically playing a game: shuffling cards, moving pieces, seeing it all spread out in front of you.

And, yes, that includes the process of setting up a game with lots of components - it's kind of a zen-like experience for me. 3/3

But the cognitive load of multiple screens to see my personal hand, drafting rows, board positions, etc. on more complicated games is overwhelming and not enjoyable.

I do wonder if that's a function of getting older and my short term memory being a tad more limited. 2/3

My work involves a lot of time in front of a computer screen - thus playing a solo board/card game is a welcome respite.

I would agree that some board/card games are best on computer (BGA does great work here - esp. in games with complicated scoring mechanics). 1/3

If I remember correctly, he introduced y'all to me as "your gaming grandfather."

Dadgum smart-aleck whippersnapper. Get off my lawn. :-)

Tenpenny Parks: Innovations / Winter Lights & Spooky Nights Two exciting expansions for the Tenpenny Parks board game! Bring fresh, innovative entertainment to your theme park, and celebrate the holidays with spooky rides and holly-jolly fun for all.

I enjoyed Tenpenny Parks a lot... so I'm very interested in the upcoming KS from @thunderworksgames.bsky.social to add both variety and some additional depth to the game. (Plus, a way to store all of it together.)

thunderworksgames.com/products/ten...

Wait a minute. I think we have a mutual gamer friend who owns way too many cool woodworking & 3D printing toys.

I was his youth minister back in the 90s!!!

Battle of Hoth is really good…

I lost and I still enjoyed it immensely.

#boardgames

August was a big month for BGA gaming... and the discovery of Unstoppable & Sniper Elite. I'm working on reviews of Flamme Rouge: Grand Tour (excellent expansion) and Tales of the Arthurian Knights... and my every four month solo gaming report is just a week or so away.

It's impressive - and with the right crowd, the game is a hoot.

YouTube video by Kelly Jawhari Keep Moving Forward

youtu.be/LmW3H-EXYS0?...

Congratulations!!!

What's the verdict?
- interesting?
- failed experiment?
- life-changing snack yumminess?
- better than pie?

That's the way I feel about Wild Tiled West & Dune Imperium - I understood the basic thread of the games but it took 2-3 games to start to grok some of the subtler things you can do.

I’ve enjoyed all of Paul Dennen’s previous designs (Clank!, Dune: Imperium, Wild Tiled West, etc.) so I’m looking forward to Lightning Train with great anticipation!

I Bought A Zoo (Alternate Title: The New Zoo Review) – A Solo Review of Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game & the New Shores expansion We have a lot of family stories about our trips to zoos, aquariums, and animal parks. It was at San Diego’s Wild Animal Park that we discovered that the way to keep a 5 year old motivated for…

My newest board game review on the Opinionated Gamers site - Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game (and the New Shores expansion) from Treecer Games.

It's got cute wooden animals and some think-y strategic choices all rolled into one.

opinionatedgamers.com/2025/08/15/i...

How RFK Jr. Mastered Fake Science—and Screwed Us in the Process He’s Making America Great Again—for lethal pathogens.

How RFK Jr. Mastered Fake Science—and Screwed Us in the Process
www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-jr-ken...

"Eat them up - yumm."

Ah, Dr. Demento's radio show...

"Feel like you're slathered in rich creamy butter, just waiting for the maple syrup to pour over you. Essentially, we view as a stack of pancakes who can be sweet-talked into giving us large amounts of money for cheaply made T-shirts with extra adjectives."

July #boardgaming