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Crown of Ash: Monuments Preview | Is Bigger Better?

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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The undead armies of Crown of Ash are getting some powerful upgrades! In this Brains On Games preview, we’re taking a look at Crown of Ash: Monuments, an expansion that introduces new strategic possibilities through powerful Monuments, specialized Minions, and a mysterious new resource called Aether.

Players can now complete public quests to earn Aether, construct Monuments that provide powerful advantages, and equip their Minions with permanent Masks that unlock special abilities.

But do these additions create deeper strategic decisions, or do they add unnecessary complexity?

We’ll explore what’s new, how the expansion changes gameplay, and the cognitive skills involved in playing.

In this preview:

* Aether and the new resource economy
* Three powerful Monuments
* Four Minion Masks and their special abilities
* Public quests

What do you think? Which new addition sounds most exciting: Monuments, Masks, or Guardian Fighters? Let me know in the comments!

Find out more about the campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cardnoir/crown-of-ash-monuments-expansion

Subscribe to Brains On Games for board game reviews, previews, and discussions about the cognitive skills we practice through play.

#CrownOfAsh #BoardGamePreview #BrainsOnGames #MonumentsExpansion #BoardGames #TabletopGaming #StrategyBoardGames
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Onryō First Seal

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Can three ninja clans work together to trap a vengeful spirit before it’s too late? In this Onryō: First Seal board game review, I take a look at this cooperative strategy game for 1–5 players, where clever movement, spatial reasoning, and limited communication are the keys to sealing the Onryō.

Players must position their ninjas to manipulate the Onryō’s movement and eventually trap her, but every turn brings her closer to collecting the Yōkai she needs to win. The catch? You can discuss your plans, but you can’t reveal exactly what’s on your cards.

Is Onryō: First Seal a clever little cooperative puzzle worth adding to your collection? Let’s find out!


Campaign info is here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lemerygames/onryo-first-seal



#OnryoFirstSeal #BoardGameReview #BrainsOnGames #CooperativeGames #BoardGames #TabletopGames #SoloBoardGames #StrategyGames
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dnup Review | Your Worst Cards Could Become Your Best

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Can a simple card game surprise seasoned gamers? dnup does exactly that with one brilliant idea: every time cards change hands, they flip, transforming into entirely different values. That single mechanism creates a fast, interactive game full of clever tactical decisions and unexpected comebacks.

In this review, I’ll explain how dnup plays, what makes its rotating-card system so unique, the cognitive skills it encourages, and whether it’s worth adding to your game collection.

If you enjoy strategic card games that are easy to learn but reward clever play, dnup is definitely worth a look.

Publisher: Asmodee
Designers: Kei Kajino & Gilles-Romain Fonteny
Players: 2–5
Play Time: 15–20 minutes
Age: 8+

If you enjoy thoughtful board game reviews, previews, and videos exploring the skills practiced through play, please like, subscribe, and let me know your thoughts on dnup in the comments.


00:00 Intro
00:22 Complexity, Play Count & Victory Conditions
01:09 How It Plays
05:47 Skills
08:17 Final Thoughts


#boardgames #boardgamereview #BrainsOnGames #cardgames #tabletopgames #asmodee #familygames #strategygames
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SpyTails Preview | What Happens When Trick-Taking Meets Deck Building?

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Step into the world of espionage in SpyTails: Tactics in the Shadows, a clever strategy game that blends trick-taking, deck building, and hidden forecasting into a tense battle of wits. In this preview, I take a look at how players build their decks over the course of the game, predict the outcomes of missions, and use unique agent abilities to outmaneuver their rivals.

Can you accurately forecast your success while adapting your deck to changing circumstances? SpyTails challenges players to balance risk, deception, and tactical planning as they compete for influence in the shadows.

In this video, you’ll learn:
• How trick-taking drives the core gameplay
• The deck-building system and reinforcement cards
• Agent powers and asymmetric abilities
• How the handmade wooden meeples are used
• Mission objectives and forecasting mechanics
• Why this combination of mechanisms feels fresh and unique


More information can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/woodas/spytails-tactics-in-the-shadows

00:00 Intro
00:25 Complexity, Play Count & Victory Conditions
00:57 How it Plays
06:59 Skills
07:56 Final Thoughts

If you enjoy strategic card games, trick-taking games, deck builders, handmade wooden meeples, or games that reward clever prediction and bluffing, SpyTails: Tactics in the Shadows is worth a look.

#BoardGames #TabletopGaming #BrainsOnGames #BoardGamePreview #SpyTails #DeckBuilding #TrickTaking #CardGames #TabletopGames #StrategyGames
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Fruit Island Preview | A Clever Push-Your-Luck Family Game

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Can you collect the most fruit before the gorilla catches you?

Today we’re taking a look at Fruit Island, a fast and clever push-your-luck family board game filled with tense movement decisions, gorilla mayhem, and just enough chaos to keep everyone laughing. As fruit trees fill up around the island, players race to collect and safely store fruit before the gorilla steals everything they’re carrying.

In this preview, I’ll cover:

* How the gameplay works
* The push-your-luck decisions
* Monkey movement and player interaction
* What makes the game stand out
* Who this game is best suited for

Fruit Island combines simple rules with tactical choices, making it a great fit for families, casual gamers, and anyone who enjoys light strategy with interactive moments.

Find out more here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/analoggamestudios/fruit-island

If you enjoy board game previews, reviews, and discussions about the skills practiced through play, make sure to subscribe to Brains On Games!


00:00 Intro
00:39 Complexity, Play Count & Victory Conditions
01:21 How It Plays
05:20 Skills
07:22 Final Thoughts

#boardgames #familygames #BrainsOnGames #tabletopgames #boardgamereview #pushyourluck #familyboardgames #gaming
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Castle Nightingale Review | A Tense Samurai vs Ninja Duel

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Step quietly into the shadows of feudal Japan in this review of Castle Nightingale by Sand Castle Games — a tense 2-player duel of stealth, deduction, and mind games. One player controls a clan of sneaky ninjas attempting to steal sacred relics from the castle, while the other plays a vigilant samurai hunting them through creaking nightingale floors and secret passages.

With hidden movement, asymmetric gameplay, and incredible tension packed into just 20–30 minutes, Castle Nightingale delivers a dramatic cat-and-mouse experience that feels like a tabletop stealth video game.

Is this one of the smartest hidden movement games of the year?

00:00 Intro
00:35 Play Count, Complexity & Victory Conditions
01:47 How It Plays & Asymmetry
11:22 Skills
12:41 Final Thoughts

#BoardGames #HiddenMovement #BrainsOnGames #CastleNightingale #BoardGameReview #BrunoCathala #Samurai #Ninja #TabletopGames
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Rising Cultures Review | A Smart Civilization Game in 45 Minutes

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Can a civilization game deliver meaningful strategy in under an hour? Rising Cultures from Capstone Games might pull it off.

In this review, I take a look at this fast-playing 2-player civilization game featuring asymmetric factions, engine building, military competition, and clever card management. The real standout for me is how differently each civilization plays—especially Egypt and the Abbasid Caliphate, which completely change the feel of the game from one session to the next.

I’ll cover:

* Gameplay overview
* Asymmetric faction design
* Egypt’s Nile economy mechanics
* Replayability
* Cognitive skills practiced through play
* Final thoughts and recommendations

If you enjoy civilization games but don’t always have 3–4 hours available, Rising Cultures offers a surprisingly deep experience in a much tighter package.

00:00 Intro
00:24 Play Count & Complexity
01:55 Victory Conditions & How It Plays
10:37 Skills
11:50 Final Thoughts

#BoardGames #CapstoneGames #BrainsOnGames #BoardGameReview #CivilizationGames #TwoPlayerGames #StrategyGames #TabletopGaming
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Nippon: Zaibatsu Review | The Perfect Euro?

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Is Nippon: Zaibatsu the perfect euro game? In this review, I break down why this industrial strategy game might be one of the most satisfying combinations of engine building, player interaction, and tough decision-making available today.

From managing your workforce and timing consolidation, to building factories, producing goods, and competing for influence across regions, Nippon: Zaibatsu delivers constant meaningful choices—and punishes mistakes in the best way possible.

If you love medium-heavy euro games with tight economies, clever systems, and real interaction, this might be exactly what you’re looking for.

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What You’ll Learn in This Review:

* How the worker system and consolidation timing drive the entire game
* Why the engine building feels so rewarding
* How player interaction sets it apart from other euros
* The biggest strengths and potential downsides
* Whether it’s worth adding to your collection

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Who This Game Is For:

* Fans of engine-building euro games
* Players who enjoy strategic depth and planning
* Groups that want interaction without chaos

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If you enjoy board game reviews that focus on the skills you build through play, consider subscribing!

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00:00 Intro
00:56 Play Count
02:11 Complexity & How It Plays
06:50 Skills
08:25 Final Thoughts

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#boardgames #eurogames #BrainsOnGames #boardgamereview #enginebuilding #tabletopgames #strategygames
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Threaded Preview | A Clever Tapestry Puzzle Full of Color and Strategy

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Threaded is an upcoming strategy game from Osprey Games that combines gorgeous Bargello-inspired visuals with a smart, satisfying puzzle. In this preview, I take a look at how players collect thread, manage assistants, line up patterns, and create tapestries while chasing commissions and points.

What stood out to me right away is how Threaded blends cozy crafting vibes with sharp decision-making. The worker placement system has a fun queue element, the thread management is delightfully thinky, and the whole game is built around timing, planning, and making the most of limited resources.

If you enjoy puzzle-driven board games, beautiful production, and strategy wrapped in a fresh theme, Threaded is definitely one to watch.


00:00 Intro
00:24 Complexity, Play Count & How It Plays
07:33 Skills
08:25 Final Thoughts


#boardgames #boardgamereview #BrainsOnGames #tabletopgames #boardgamepreview #strategygames #workplacement #abstractstrategy #ospreygames
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Frosted Blooms Preview | A Gorgeous Tile-Laying Garden Puzzle

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Discover Frosted Blooms, a gorgeous tile-laying board game about building the most beautiful and valuable tulip garden. In this preview, I take a look at how the game works, what makes its drafting and placement systems interesting, and why its mix of cozy presentation and sharp decisions makes it stand out.

From clever tile drafting with the flower token to creating enclosed spaces for workers, barns, and windmills, Frosted Blooms looks like a thoughtful garden puzzle with plenty of tactical depth. If you enjoy tile-laying games, spatial puzzles, and board games with beautiful table presence, this is one to watch.

00:00 Intro
00:30 Play Count & Rules Walkthrough
07:51 Skills
10:59 Final Thoughts

#boardgames #boardgamepreview #BrainsOnGames #tilelaying #boardgamereview #frostedblooms #tabletopgames #strategygames #boardgaming
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Cloudspire: Harbinger Review | What’s New in This Massive Expansion?

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Cloudspire: Harbinger is a massive expansion for Cloudspire, and in this review I’m breaking down what’s new. I keep the overview of the base game quick and focus mainly on the Harbinger expansion itself, including the new solo scenarios, new upgrade chips, new market and landmark content, and the new neoprene map tiles.

If you’ve been wondering whether Cloudspire: Harbinger is worth adding to your collection, this review covers the expansion’s biggest ideas, what makes it interesting, and who it’s really for. Harbinger adds a lot for experienced Cloudspire players, especially if you enjoy solo play, faction variety, and deeper tactical puzzles.

In this video:
00:00 Intro
01:16 Quick overview of Cloudspire
03:24 What Harbinger adds
04:35 New upgrades and gameplay twists
07:25 Skills
10:01 Final thoughts on whether this expansion is worth it
15:27 Contact & Socials

Cloudspire is one of the deepest and most unique strategy board games out there, and Harbinger pushes that even further. If you enjoy heavy board games, solo board games, asymmetrical strategy games, and tactical combat games, this expansion has a lot to offer.

#Cloudspire #BoardGames #BrainsOnGames #ChipTheoryGames #SoloBoardGames #BoardGameReview #StrategyGames #TabletopGames
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Treeline Preview | Christopher Chan Breaks Down His Upcoming Game (Breakout Game Con)

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Get an early look at Treeline, an upcoming board game from Christopher Chan, in this interview filmed at Breakout 2026. Christopher breaks down the game, talks about the new things happening at #KTBG and Burnt Island Games, and shares insight into what players can expect. We also talk about Familiar Spirits, including an early preview of that game as well.

If you like designer interviews, board game previews, and behind-the-scenes discussions about new tabletop games, this one’s for you.

I sometimes refer to Christopher as “Chris” during our chat - I was at the conference with another Chris, and my brother-in-law is also a Chris, so all Christophers become Chris to me over time. Sorry Christopher!

00:00 Intro
00:55 Treeline
11:28 Familiar Spirits
16:15 Contact & Socials


#boardgames #boardgamepreview #BrainsOnGames #breakout2026 #treeline #familiarspirits #christopherchan #KTBG #Burntislandgames
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Roll’n Bump Duel Preview | The Designer Explains This Smart 2-Player Dice Battler

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

💾

In this preview of Roll’n Bump Duel, I sit down with designer Louis-Nicolas Dozois to talk about a clever 2-player game where dice rolling, card collection, and tactical grid building all collide. Players roll up to five dice, claim cards from a shared river, and build a 4x4 grid to maximize scoring through rows, colors, and point values.  

What helps Roll’n Bump Duel stand out is the way it mixes efficiency and disruption. You are not only trying to make the right dice combinations to claim cards, but also bump your opponent off cards they were targeting. Claims can come from matching faces or building sequences, which gives the game a blend of tactical flexibility and direct interaction.  

The scoring system also looks surprisingly interesting for a compact duel. Each row scores based on the total points multiplied by the number of different colors present, while bonus cards can either be used for powers during the game or saved for endgame points. That gives the game some fun little “use it now or keep it later” tension, which is delicious cardboard mischief.  

Thanks again to the designer for joining me to talk about the game and the ideas behind it.

Note: Louis and I have known each other for years, so I can’t be unbiased about his games.


00:00 Intro
01:22 The Game
04:11 How It Plays
05:00 The Bonus Deck
10:45 The River& Strategic Choices
23:50 Contact & Socials


#boardgames #boardgamereview #BrainsOnGames #twoplayergames #dicegame #tabletopgames #boardgamepreview
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All In: Predictions Preview | A Clever Poker-Inspired Prediction Game

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

💾

Can poker-style hand building become a clever prediction game? In this preview of All In: Predictions, I take a look at a fast card game that mixes familiar poker-style hands with table reading, timing, and smart predictions. If you enjoy accessible card games with a fun social layer, this one has a neat hook.

In this video, I talk about how All In: Predictions works, what makes it interesting, and why its mix of hand management, deduction, and predicting the winner helps it stand out.

00:00 Intro
00:39 Play Count & Complexity
01:00 Victory Conditions & Actions
06:01 Skills
07:40 Final Thoughts
11:20 Contact & Socials



#boardgames #boardgamereview #BrainsOnGames #cardgames #tabletopgames
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Birds of Play Preview | The New Perch Expansion Takes Flight

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

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Birds of Play Preview! Today I’m checking out Birds of Play, the new Perch expansion from Inside Up Games. This Kickstarter features a reprint plus 3 mix-and-match expansions for Perch, adding new ways for players to jump into this sharp, interactive bird battle game. 

In this video, I talk about why Perch is such a standout game and why Birds of Play looks like an exciting expansion for fans of tactical board games, interactive gameplay, and clever player conflict. The campaign runs through March 13, 2026. Find the campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/insideupgames/perch-birds-of-play

In this video, I talk about why Perch is such a standout game and why Birds of Play looks like an exciting expansion for fans of tactical board games, interactive gameplay, and clever player conflict. The campaign runs through March 13, 2026. 

#boardgames #kickstarter #BrainsOnGames #Perch #InsideUpGames #boardgamepreview #boardgamereview #tabletopgames #crowdfunding #strategygames


00:00 Intro
00:53 Module 1 - Seeds The Day
01:40 Module 2 - Points In The Sky
02:21 Module 3 - Pondemonium
04:17 New Creatures!
04:53 Thoughts About the Additions
06:55 Contact & Socials

#boardgames #kickstarter #BrainsOnGames #Perch #InsideUpGames #boardgamepreview #boardgamereview #tabletopgames #crowdfunding #strategygames
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Burgle Bros 3 Review | The Best Co-op Board Game Series Ever?

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

💾

Burgle Bros 3 is a tense, strategic co-op board game that blends teamwork, planning, and a clever heist theme into one of the most exciting cooperative board game experiences I’ve played.

In this Burgle Bros 3 review, I break down the gameplay, complexity, strengths, and weaknesses of this sci-fi board game, and explain why the Burgle Bros series may be the best co-op board game series of all time. If you enjoy strategy board games, teamwork games, and high-tension tabletop games, this is one to watch.

This review covers:
- what’s new in Burgle Bros 3
- strengths and downsides
- why the Burgle Bros games stand out among the best cooperative board games

What’s your favourite co-op board game?


00:00 Intro
00:50 Complexity & Victory Conditions
01:36 How It Plays
06:03 Skills
07:46 Final Thoughts & Why This Is The Best
17:35 Contact & Socials


#boardgames #boardgamereview #BrainsOnGames #cooperativeboardgames #burglebros #strategyboardgames #tabletopgames
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Tenby Review | A Cozy Town Builder With a Brilliant Turn Order Twist

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games

💾

In this Tenby board game review, I take a look at Tenby, a cozy town-building board game with a brilliantly clever action selection system and a smart turn order mechanism. If you enjoy games with charming themes and meaningful decisions, Tenby has a lot to like.

What really stood out to me is how your action choices affect turn order. That means every round becomes a timing puzzle: you’re not just choosing the best action, you’re choosing when to act now and how that may affect your position next round.


00:00 Into
00:36 Complexity & Play Count
01:40 Victory Conditions & The Point Salad
05:47 The Turn-Order Puzzle
07:06 Skills
09:22 Final Thoughts

Tenby looks cozy on the table, but it has a surprisingly sharp strategic core. If you like board games with hidden depth, drafting decisions, and clever timing, this one is worth checking out.

#boardgames #boardgamereview #BrainsOnGames #Tenby #tabletopgames #bgg

Thanks for watching!
If you enjoyed the video, please like, subscribe, and let me know in the comments:
Do you prefer cozy board games with hidden depth, or heavier strategy games right from the start?
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