Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends

 

Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends is a 2013 game from Vlaada Chvatil. This guy is a genius. He made Through the Ages, Galaxy Trucker, Codenames, Mage Knight, Space Alert, and many more. Most of his games are very different from one another. Tash-Kalar too is very different form his other titles. He makes bold publishing decisions. 

The basic premise is you are two teams of fighters in an arena. There are several game modes, and I have only played one of them. You have pawns that you can deploy into the arena. There is a basic action of deploying a common pawn on any empty spot. Your fighters come in three levels - common, heroic and legendary. You can deploy common fighters directly, but heroic and legendary fighters can only be summoned by fulfilling conditions on your spell cards. One thing that's very unusual in this game is you can't move your fighters anywhere you like. Your fighters can only move as the result of triggering spells, and spells are triggered when you have fighters positioned in specific orientations. 

You have your own deck of cards, representing your faction. In your hand you will have basic cards, advanced cards, and a catch-up card. Configurations on basic cards are easier to achieve. Those on the advanced cards are much harder, but the effects of these cards are more powerful too. The catch-up card can only be used if your board position is much weaker than your opponent. 

You can activate a card when you have fighters on the board which fulfil the criteria. Some cards let you deploy fighters, or upgrade fighters, or kill enemy fighters. You rely on these cards to get yourself heroic and legendary fighters. Cards allow you to move fighters too. 

Red and green spaces on the board are sometimes relevant to card effects. Red means danger, and usually that's where fighters get killed. Green means life, and sometimes fighters get deployed or upgraded here. In the screenshot above you can see that the light green faction has all three levels of fighters. Most of the time fighters can only kill enemies of the same level or lower. If you manage to kill enemies on your turn, you score them at the end of your turn. You gain 1 point for every two common fighters, 1 point for every heroic fighter, and 2 points for every legendary fighter. In the game mode I played, we raced towards 18 points. 

This advanced card is quite hard to activate because two of the fighters in the configuration must be at least heroic fighters. You need to find ways to either upgrade common fighters in those positions, or somehow move heroic fighters into position using other cards. 

Tash-Kalar is certainly an interesting game. There are tons of team-based tactical battle games, but I have never seen anything quite like this. This is certainly refreshing. I wonder what it feels like to play this game at a higher skill level. When you know your own deck well, you will be prepared for the kind of configurations you will need. You will place your fighters in the patterns you expect to need, before you draw those cards. When you know your opponent's deck well too, you will try to place fighters to prevent them from making the patterns they need. In the game I played, since it was my first game, I played in a mostly tactical manner. I just tried to make use of the cards I had. I tried to use them under situations where their effects would be maximised, e.g. being able to kill an enemy fighter. It is satisfying to plan a combo play of your cards. You can use some cards to set yourself up to use other cards. It feels great to pull off those advanced cards. 

Tanglung

Tanglung is a 2-player abstract game by Mark William, published by Malaysian publishing house Luma. "Tanglung" refers to Chinese lanterns which are carried during the Mid Autumn Festival.  

I absolutely love the production of the game, especially the attention to detail. The insides of the box are decorated. I adore the art! 

A game is set up like this. The two corners will always be roosters, and the players each start on a rooster. Other cards are random, and the four central cards are face-up. On your turn, you must move your player pawn - the matchbox - to another card. You move based on the movement rule of the card you are on, or you can also choose to use the rooster movement (one step orthogonally). After you move, the card you were on is discarded. The board shrinks. If you move to a face-down card, you flip it face-up. 

There are several ways you can win. If your opponent is unable to make a move, you win. This might be because the board has shrunk too much, or you are blocking him. If you light the last lantern, i.e. you reveal the last face-down card, you win. If you bump your opponent twice, you also win. When you bump into your opponent, his pawn is temporarily removed from the board. Next turn, he must place his pawn on an empty space. 

There is a fan in the game. Some cards let you place or move the fan. The fan blocks movement. It can be used to stop your opponent from moving. You can also force your opponent to go to a position where you can bump him. 

The gameplay feel is that of an abstract game. You have to think ahead a little about your opponent's possible moves. You do not have perfect information though, because of the face-down cards. You do know the card distribution and the movement rules of the cards. This allows you to plan somewhat. 

The pawns (matchboxes) are different on the two sides. The full health side shows a full matchbox, while the "injured" side after you have been bumped once shows only one match remaining. 

Tanglung is a short but thinky game. 

Playtesting with Simon

Simon Schmieder is the designer of Jakarta Traffic, Durian Smuggler and Food Alley. He is from Germany and currently lives in Indonesia. I got to know him through boardgame fairs around South East Asia. We were both in Bangkok for the Bangkok International Game Festival (BIGF) in August, and he, Jon and I met up for a playtest session. 

The Airbnb Simon stayed in was like a mini museum, with so many antiques. There were no other guests, so we had the whole place to ourselves. 

We took turns playtesting one another's games. The one I asked them to playtest for me was Rebels of the Three Kingdoms. I wanted to playtest the 3-player variant more. 

This is Simon's prototype You're CC'ed. It is about that one thing in the workplace everyone loves to hate - emails! Everyone has a secret identity. You know who you are, but at the start of the game no one else knows. Throughout the game emails will be generated, and you manipulate who these emails get sent to. As a general rule, getting many emails is bad because it stresses you out, and getting fewer or no emails is best because you can relax. You reveal cards in the play area. Some will generate emails. Some are paths through which emails will be routed. Some are inboxes of the various characters in the game. This is how they receive emails. In addition to the four possible player characters, there is also a CEO and a spam folder. Emails might go to the CEO or the spam folder. 

Here you keep track of how many emails are received by each employee, the CEO and the junk folder. This list must stay sorted. Depending on which card is on top (most emails received), the winning condition changes. If a regular employee is on top, then it is the employee with the third most emails who wins. The first two are burnt out from overwork, and the last is fired for being useless. If the CEO's card is on top, the employee with the fewest emails wins. The CEO is stressed out and fires everyone. You are fired but at least you are happy for having had the least work. If the spam folder is on top, it is the employee with the most emails who wins. This is because the CEO rewards you for being the most hardworking. Manipulating this ranking is crucial because you want to position yourself to win. 

Several things in this game are very relatable. Emails are bad, but if you receive funny GIFs, they balance out the emails you receive. Sometimes attachments are added to either emails or GIFs, doubling their effects. Sometimes emails bounce back to the sender. I find this game hilarious. I am amazed with the themes Simon pick for his games. They make the games highly enjoyable. 

This is Jon's Foundations of Rome, and it is now called Pillars of Power. He has been trying to find a non Roman theme for it, and he wanted a more serious theme. The theme now is political ideologies. I think this works better. 

This game is like a friend's child I've seen grow up over the years. I have played many versions and seen how it improved over many iterations. I still enjoy playing it. I hope it finds a publisher soon. This is a light strategy game and it is better suited for the international market, as opposed to the Malaysian market. I keep telling Jon I like this better than Castle Combo. 

This is Simon's prototype about introverts at a party. Although you are an introvert, you know you should be going out there to meet people. Throughout the game you will meet other guests and collect them. These guests you claim will score points in various ways at game end. 

The house is customisable. You can meet people only in certain rooms. You're not going to meet new friends in the toilet. At least not in this game. 

Some of these standee characters are the players, and some are their best friends. When you move about the house, whenever you meet your best friend they energise you. However if you meet other people, you lose energy. That's how introverts work. Energy is one of the resources in the game. In one of the rooms, you can smoke to regain energy. 

To collect a guest card, you need to spend resources. If you have something in common, the cost is reduced. For example you both like music. 

The art is done by Simon's wife, and I find it adorable. It's unique and it really gives the game character. 

You start the game with three tokens for each of the four resource types. Whenever you use a resource, you flip it to the red side to indicate it is exhausted. This means for every resource type you can have at most three unit, unless you are able to gain more tokens. 

Game design is fun! 

10 to Leave

This game will probably always be called the mosquito game. This is a game from Taiwan, and players play the role of mosquito families trying to attack a sleeping guy and then escape without getting squashed. I certainly have not played any other game with this premise. 

Everyone starts with the same set of cards with exactly the same distribution. The only difference is the card colour. Cards represent mosquitoes. You will be playing cards to sting the sleeping guy. He will be waken up several times during the night and he will try to kill some of you mosquitoes, either with his bare hands or using something nearby he can grab. Some mosquitoes might get killed. Some will make a lucky escape. You play until everyone has played all their cards. You don't score points for the mosquitoes that managed to escape. Instead, you score negative points for those that are killed. The player with the least negative points wins. 

This poor guy is going to get very upset and won't be getting much sleep.

Cards are valued 1 to 6, and when a mosquito is killed, you lose points based on the card value. It is very painful to have your 6 killed. Notice that the 3's, 4's, and one of the 5's have a dot below the number. These cards are marked on the back. When you play one of these cards, your opponents know it is between 3 to 5. 

Some cards have icons on the back

A round of play is set up by placing a random weapon next to the sleeping guy. Let's call him Sam. Depending on how Sam is waken up, he might use the weapon to kill you. The weapon specifies the positions of the mosquitoes which will be killed. In this photo above, you can see the positions are I and III. In one of these rows, if your card is in positions I or III, it is at risk of getting killed. 

You will be playing cards into rows next to Sam, almost like queuing up. You will be able to manipulate the rows too. 

What you do on your turn is simple. Refer to the bottom half of this reference sheet above. You will definitely have to play a card, but there is one other action you can take. You may peek at another card, which can be done before or after you play a card. You can also move the first card in a queue to the back. This too can be done before or after you play a card. The third option is to wake Sam up. That means he's going to try to kill some mosquitoes. You can do this only if all the queues have at least 2 cards, and you can only do this before you play a card. 

When Sam wakes up, there are three possible outcomes for each of the queues. Refer to the top half of the reference sheet. You resolve the queues one at a time, revealing the cards one by one until the total reaches or exceeds 10, or until all the cards are revealed. If the total is less than 10, Sam kills the biggest mosquito or mosquitoes by hand, and the rest escape. If the total is exactly 10, the mosquitoes get lucky and they all escape. If the total exceeds 10, Sam uses his weapon and kills according to the weapon. Lucky mosquitoes are removed. Dead mosquitoes are placed before the owners so that you can keep track of your negative points. Sometimes there are unrevealed mosquitoes. These are now shifted to the front of the queues. 

This mosquito game is actually a queuing game! Almost like a guillotine game, because Sam is probably going to kill some mosquitoes. When you play this game you will feel like telling all your mosquito family members, "Survive! Survive!" Playing your 6 is always nerve-wracking. Should you play it early to get it out of the way? I think many people will be tempted to do that. You can collaborate with others to make those perfect 10's. You can talk about your numbers. But can you trust your opponents? Afterall, they are still your opponents. Also even if you line up a few cards to make a perfect 10, you can't stop some other uninvolved fella from moving the first card in the queue, messing everything up. 

10 to Leave teeters between giving you control and putting you at the mercy of other players. You have limited information because you don't know what cards your opponents have played. However you know the marked cards are 3 to 5. Also as the game progresses, you can card count. You get to peek at cards, and that's important information. This helps in making those perfect 10's. Yet you never know when someone else will move a card and spoil your plans. There are two ways Sam wakes up. A player can wake him up, or he wakes up when all queues have four cards. You try your best to position your cards well in anticipation for all queues getting full. However there is always a possibility of a player waking Sam before that. There are several tactics in the game. I like that balance between giving you control and subjecting you to the whims of others. There are skills to this. Also I believe the game experience can vary depending on the group you play with. Some groups may share more information and try to collaborate. Some may be secretive. Some may choose to lie about their cards. That creates a different dynamic. Overall this is still a simple and short game. I hear this game is doing well in Taiwan, and I can certainly see why. 

TOBE Game Fair Taiwan 2026

TOBE (Taiwan Original Boardgame Expo) will be held in Taipei 25-27 September 2026. This will be my first time exhibiting in Taiwan. I got into this beautiful hobby in 2003 when I lived in Taipei. 23 years ago, I could not have imagined that 23 years later I will be exhibiting at a game fair in Taipei as a game designer and indie publisher. Who's in Taipei that weekend? Come play with me! 

The Isle of Cats Duel

The Isle of Cats Duel is a 2-player polyomino game. You take turns claiming polyominoes from a common board to place on your personal player board. At game end you score points based on how well you have filled your player board.  

On the common board there are both polyominoes (cats in various colours and poses) and scoring cards. On your turn you must move the white cat token two steps. You then claim the item it is on or the item it has just passed through. Scoring cards specify various conditions. You score points if you fulfil them at game end. Cats are placed on your player board (boat). Every cat you place must be adjacent to an existing polyomino. 

Certain sections on your boat are rooms. Every room that you fully cover is worth points. Some spaces are rats. Any that you don’t cover will cost you points. You want to keep cats of the same colour together, because you score points for doing that. Certain spaces when covered by a cat of a specific colour give you extra polyominoes. That helps you fill your boat. During the game you can collect fish, which can be spent for special actions, e.g. you can move the cat marker an additional step, or you can make it jump anywhere. Fish give you extra flexibility. 

This game offers a spatial puzzle. You have multiple goals. Completely covering rooms, covering rats and grouping cats by colour are just the basics. The scoring cards give you many more goals. Sometimes you claim a scoring card for the sake of denying your opponent. The main board is refreshed three times. You don't always take everything. When both players pass in succession (passing means not taking any item), the board is refreshed. 

You will be constantly competing for items with your opponent. You have to watch out for what they need and which scoring cards are useful to them. Even though you can't directly interfere with their board, you can take the items they need, which can certainly spoil their plans. There are quite many polyomino games in the market and I have played many of them. The Isle of Cats Duel is decent but I did not find it particularly outstanding. If you like polyomino games and you often play 2-player games, this will work well. 

boardgaming in photos: #25 in the world?

I have been wanting to bring Faiyum to the table again for some time. Finally I did a 2-player game with younger daughter Chen Rui. She absolutely slaughtered me, even though it was her first play. She went into building and using workshops, and I didn't. There seemed to be few workshops so I thought it wasn't worthwhile to get into. I really enjoy how differently each game of Faiyum can develop. It depends a lot of which are the cards purchased by players, and how they collectively build on the map. 

Chen Rui likes the crocodiles in the game and can't help but play with the components. This above looks like some dark magic ritual, or maybe a zoo. 

She played crocodile stacking on the side

This is a more normal shot of the game

I have not started using the expansion yet. Even the base game offers much variability. 

I taught Shee Yun and Chen Rui Take Time. It is still very enjoyable, and sometimes still pretty tough to beat. We played Levels 1 and 2, and then skipped to try some missions in Level 5, and then Level 10. 

At Level 5, every segment must have exactly two cards. That is certainly restrictive and challenging. It is important to discuss a general strategy before every game. Once you start playing, you can't discuss strategy or cards anymore. 

It is nice that the game comes with card sleeves, and very pretty ones. I think these are promo items. I use them, but they don't seem to be very sturdy. They are already showing signs of wear and tear. If this gets worse and cards become marked, I will have to remove the sleeves and just switch to regular transparent sleeves. Well, I probably shouldn't be complaining about a free gift. The publisher spent money to give buyers something extra. 

I played Attika with Chen Rui again. We used to play this game a lot. I wondered why this 2003 title has not been reprinted, only to find out that it has actually been reprinted in 2018 as U.S. Telegraph. I like the original art much more. 

This is Guru Guru Labyrinth from Japan. You are dungeon explorers. You will go on three expeditions. Each trip you try to bring back treasures. You can do that only when you are able to defeat all monsters along the way. 

A round of play is set up like this. You create many stacks of just two cards. Cards can be good or bad. There are treasures which are worth points. There are monsters which will try to hurt you. There are also heroes who will fight the monsters. On your turn, you examine a stack of cards, and decide whether you want to take it. If the heroes in the stack are able to defeat all the monsters in the stack, you will score points based on the treasures and defeated monsters. If you can't overpower the monsters, you will leave empty handed. So normally you'd only take a stack if it is worth points. If you don't claim the stack, you don't place it back into the circle. Instead you distribute the cards to the subsequent stacks, like playing Mancala / Congkak, one card each. The cards must be distributed in ascending order, and the last card being distributed is turned face-up. The number of stacks in play will dwindle. The stacks combine to form larger stacks. You want to find and claim a high valued stack before time runs out. When there are too few stacks left, you will be forced to claim a stack. 

Blue cards are heroes, red cards monsters, yellow cards treasures. 

As a round progresses, you will get more and more information about the stacks in the game. There is a reference sheet listing the cards and their numbers. When cards are distributed, it must be done in ascending order. Based on the last card which is revealed, you have some idea what the other cards that have been distributed might be. There is a memory element in the game. 

This is a stack that will give points. There are five swords, which is enough to defeat that monster of five skulls. The monster is worth 10 points, and the gold coins 2 points. 

That large white marker is for marking where you have taken a stack from. If you decide to decline, it reminds you from where you should start distributing cards. 

I found the game so so. I think it's because I don't like memory games. There is some push-your-luck in this game. The longer you stay, the bigger the stacks become. But will you be able to find a lucrative stack before time runs out? Or will you end up stuck with no good stack? 

Mythic Battles: Ragnarok is a 2-player tactical battle game. You have a team of various Norse gods, mythical creatures and fighters. You win by defeating the boss of the enemy team, or by having your boss grab and consume four runes. 

Playing on BGA is much less sexy than playing the physical copy. The physical game has many pretty miniatures. 

Characters in the game have different stats and special abilities. As a character takes damage, their ability weakens. You slide that marker piece downwards to indicate damage taken. Characters are activated through card play. You need to have the right cards to activate a character. Some cards are not character specific and can be used in many ways. You need to use them wisely. 

This is a minor fighter

There are many characters in the game, and you can form many different types of teams. All characters are unique, and finding synergy between those you recruit to your team is important. In the game I played, I decided to focus on absorbing runes. I thought I did pretty well, but I was careless and my boss (the god) got himself surrounded and killed. Oops. 

I found out that that my blog on BGG is ranked #25 among all BGG blogs worldwide, according to this blog post: https://bgg.cc/blog/1412/blogpost/190594/bgg-blogs-circulation-2026. I have been blogging on boardgames since 2007, but always on Blogspot. I created a blog on BGG many years ago, but I did not use it. My blog serial number is 27. I started using my BGG blog only in Jan 2025. I post the same content from my Blogspot blog there. I decided to do this because I wanted to reach out to a wider audience. I think Blogspot is pretty obscure by now. I should go where the readers are. 

This blog ranking is calculated based on number of posts multiplied by number of subscribers. I am pretty sure I am ranked high mostly because of my number of posts. Indeed I have been writing a lot for the past year. Well, let's see if this analysis post helps to bring some attention to my blog, and I get a boost in readership. If you enjoy what I share on BGG and have not subscribed, please support me by subscribing.