Monster Hunter World: Iceborne board game launches and quickly funds on Kickstarter
The campaign launch follows layoffs at UK-based Steamforged Games
Tag: board
Tesla shareholders elect former CTO, co-founder JB Straubel to board
JB Straubel is officially back at Tesla — this time as a board member. The former Tesla CTO and co-founder was elected by shareholders Tuesday as an independent board of director. A crowd of Tesla shareholders, who were at the company’s Gigafactory Texas in Austin for the event, cheered when the initial results were read […]
Tesla shareholders elect former CTO, co-founder JB Straubel to board by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch
: David Sacks to join Rumble’s board — after fellow ‘PayPal Mafia’ alum Peter Thiel throws support behind video platform
David Sacks, a tech entrepreneur and member of the so-called “PayPal Mafia,” is set to join the board of the video-sharing and social-media site Rumble Inc.
How Vin Diesel convinced Fast X’s director to get on board after Justin Lin dropped out
‘The relationship Vin and I had just on Zoom was so real’
Best Three-Player Board Games (2023)
There are plenty of solo board games and two-player board games, plus and many more that can seat up to four or five people, but a group of three can be an odd number in every sense of the word. Luckily there are board games that play very well with three people and sometimes are even best with that number.
There are cooperative board games that benefit from having a tiebreaker when debating what to do, or where three players will allow you to cover more key roles, and worker-placement games where three players provide more options on each turn than a full table, but stronger competition than a head-to-head match. No one will have to feel like a third wheel when you play these board games.
TL;DR The Best 3-Player Board Games
- Anachrony
- Azul
- Cascadia
- Cthulhu: Death May Die
- Lords of Waterdeep
- Lost Ruins of Arnak
- Raiders of the North Sea
- Splendor
- Vienna Connection
- Viticulture
Anachrony
An asteroid is going to hit the Earth and you have a limited amount of time to prepare to save humanity — but you want to be the one who’s in charge when the dust settles. The complex game lets you gather resources by deploying workers with their own abilities, including some that will be piloting mechs. You can also speed up your progress by using Time Rifts to grab resources from the future so long as you pay them back before time anomalies form. With many paths to victory and different factions to try, there’s plenty of replayability. If you want to add more complexity, you can pick up the Future Imperfect and Fractures of Time expansions.
Azul
Quick and easy to learn, Azul is a great board game to play with your kid or someone you’re introducing to board gaming. Each player is working to form the most beautiful mosaic by drafting tiles from the central market to place on their board, scoring points based on how many you can connect. Full rows, columns and sets of the same type of tile earn big bonus rewards. The beautifully detailed pieces are satisfying to play with as you slide them into place, carefully considering the best move of the moment but also what other players are likely to pick so you don’t lose points from getting stuck with tiles you can’t use.
Cascadia
This soothing family board game challenges players to build a thriving ecosystem based on the Pacific Northwest. Each session is different thanks to the variety of scoring goals, which reward points based on the relative placement of animal tokens. In one game you may try to ensure red tailed hawks are flying solo and in another that they have an unobstructed view to their potential mate. The tiles you draft not only represent where each type of animal can live but different terrain types, and building unbroken expanses of mountains, wetlands and forests can be worth just as much points at the end of the game as having the right animal patterns. Add in pinecones that can be used to mix up the token and tile pairs during drafting and you’ll have plenty to think about each turn.
Cthulhu: Death May Die
Most games based on Lovecraftian horror are about preventing Elder Gods from setting foot on Earth, but it’s already too late for that in Cthulhu: Death May Die. Instead your goal is to arm yourself well enough to be able to shoot the monster in the face. There’s a high level of replayability to the cooperative game thanks to the variety of investigators players can control and the threats of the different Elder Gods and their minions, who are represented through impressively detailed miniatures. Three players gives you a nice variety of character archetypes without making the game take too long, which can happen when there are five people choosing the best way to take their actions. You still need to be careful though, since the game ends if a single investigator is eliminated before the Elder is summoned.
Lords of Waterdeep
Lords of Waterdeep provides an excellent introduction to the worker placement genre and is especially fun for D&D players who will recognize the references to the Forgotten Realms. Players take on the roles of secret Lords of Waterdeep, each with their own strengths, and will try to establish influence over the City of Splendors by recruiting various types of adventurers to send on quests. Some quests provide powerful boosts that will make it easier for you to gain more resources throughout the game while others are worth a huge amount of points, so you’ll have to think carefully about your priorities as the rounds progress. Players can also build new locations on the map that they can use themselves and they’ll rake in rewards when a rival takes advantage of them. If you prefer a more competitive experience or want to play with a bigger group, pick up the Scoundrels of Skullport expansion.
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Fusing worker placement and deckbuilding, Lost Ruins of Arnak tasks each player with learning the secrets of a mysterious island. There are so many ways to earn points that it’s a real challenge to figure out which is best to pursue, especially since you’re directly competing with your opponents to be the first to nab bigger rewards. You can focus on exploring new areas and fighting fearsome guardians, conduct research, try to improve your deck, or recruit assistants that will make your work easier. The game board is tailored based on the number of players so it’s as well balanced for three as it is for two or four. There’s a solo variant if you want to play alone or are looking for a good way to practice strategies.
Raiders of the North Sea
Be a Viking with this worker placement game, where you’ll need to put together a crew and gather enough resources to successfully raid increasingly well-protected settlements. You’ll collect silver to hire crew members, who will help determine your strategy since they can give you bonuses when attacking specific targets. They can also die and become Valkyrie that will earn points you need to win. You also have to take the time to convert your plunder into offerings for the chieftain, though the amount of favor you’ve earned is kept a secret until the end of the game. Choose your actions wisely as the game can end quickly as players rush to make offerings and launch their boats deeper into the territories at the bottom of the board.
Splendor
This fast game is easy enough for kids to learn but satisfying for players of all ages, making it a good board game for families. Compete to build a thriving jewelry business by gathering gem tokens which can be used to purchase developments and win the favor of nobles. You’ll want to try to take actions as efficiently as possible, keeping track of what resources your opponents are gathering and when they are likely to purchase a development so you don’t miss the opportunity or get stuck waiting for them to stop hoarding a key resource. You also should plan long term, looking at the bonus gems needed to attract each noble since you can only pick up one per turn and their high point values can be the difference between winning or losing.
Vienna Connection
Feel like a spy with Vienna Connection, where players work together to uncover a mystery in Cold War Europe. While the game can be played solo or with two players, the difficulty is meant for three or more people putting their heads together to solve puzzles, which can involve cracking codes, remembering details from cards, and even conducting research on the internet into real world history. The game is played over the course of four interconnected missions so you’ll want to have a group that’s committed to seeing the case through to the end. You’ll store your progress with a companion website that also plays audio and video to make the gameplay more immersive.
Viticulture
You’ve inherited an unimpressive Tuscan vineyard and you have to build it up into something to be proud of in this charming strategic game that takes place over a series of seasons. In summer you’ll deploy workers to plant vines, build structures and sell grapes, while in winter you’ll harvest crops and start aging your wines. You can develop more complex and valuable varieties based on the types of grapes you grow and how much work you’ve done in your cellar, which you can then use to fulfill orders and earn more money to make additional improvements to the vineyard. Pop open a bottle of wine and settle in to learn a bit about how it’s produced as you play.
For a wide variety of additional roundups, check out our picks for the best board games for 5 year olds, plus the best Warhammer alternatives and the best war board games.
RTX 4060 Ti uses same board as 3060, due out end of May
Those rumoured specs still have us concerned.
My friends and I are sizes XS-XL and tried the same bikini – people say we’re ’10s across the board’
REGARDLESS of your body type, finding a bikini that makes you feel confident and sexy is no easy feat.
One woman said she sought to solve that problem by creating a swimsuit line that flatters all shapes and sizes.
Three women, all with different body types, tried on the same bikini and were thrilled with the results[/caption]
Chioma Ngwudo (@chiomanngwudo) is a lifestyle blogger who founded her own fashion and accessories brand, Cee Cee’s Closet.
One of her focuses is swimsuits – and with friends whose body shapes vary across the spectrum, she wanted to create a style that anyone could wear.
In a video, she demonstrated how the bikinis fit on different women.
The first woman, wearing a size medium, danced around to flaunt her curves in the $55 triangle top and $45 string bottom.
She later added sunglasses and the $120 matching cover up to complete the ensemble.
Wearing the same style but in a pink print rather than an orange one, another model appeared toned and confident in the size XS.
To show range, a third woman stepped out in a skimpy size XL, pairing the look with matching bright sunglasses and chunky heels.
All three women clearly felt good in the bikinis, styling them in ways that accentuated their features.
“Two prints and a world of fun,” the caption read.
Commenters were left enamored with all of the women.
“Gorgeous! 10’s across the board,” one person wrote alongside a fire emoji.
“They all fine,” another admired.
“Yessss why y’all so gorgeous?” chimed a third.
And a fourth was just happy to have finally found bikinis that would flatter their busty frame: “Omg def buying from you. I’ve been looking for good examples with women with bigger chests.”
Votes for Women Board Game Review
Back in 1993, an unassuming game about the American Revolution called We the People launched a revolution in historical board games. By adding a deck of cards that mimicked historical events and putting political control on par with military occupation it merged politics and warfare into one neat package. Its more recent predecessors have eschewed the war board game aspect to focus on the politics, and the latest in this line is Votes for Women, in which you’ll refight the struggle for women’s suffrage in America with cards and dice.
What’s in the Box
Votes for Women packs a lot into its slim bookcase box. There’s a sturdy board featuring a map of America with the states picked out using two-letter codes, which may confuse non-US players. There are also several thick decks of cards, one for the suffrage player, one for the opposition and one for solo play, along with some smaller decks. All are illustrated with photos and political cartoons from the era which do a great job of setting the tone.
There’s also half a tree’s worth of wood in the form of dozens of little wooden cubes in purple, yellow and red along with some male and female campaigner figurines in matching colors. Unusually, Votes for Women gives you plenty of spares in this regard, including offering a choice of figure poses so you can use which ones you like best. There are also wooden checkmarks and crosses to indicate states which have passed or rejected the suffrage amendment, a lovely touch which looks awesome on the board. A few wooden cylinders, variously-shaped dice and cardboard chits round out the play components.
As is common for historically-oriented games there’s a booklet of designer’s notes alongside the rules, explaining how the designer, Tory Brown, feels the mechanics of her game tie into the history. What’s far less common but potentially far more interesting is a sheaf of facsimile historical documents, from a replica of a New York Times front page to a sample ballot from Chicago. If you’re interested in the history of this era, they’re a delight.
Rules and How It Plays
As card-driven games go, Votes for Women is pretty straightforward. You get a hand of event cards and can bid “buttons” – an abstract resource approximating campaign funding and momentum – to get a bonus strategy card from a face-up selection. Then the suffrage player and the opposition take turns playing cards from their hands. After six of these, the round is over and after six rounds the game ends in a sudden-death victory where players roll off to see which side wins any undecided states.
Most cards will be played for their events and most events allow you to add or remove cubes from states on the map. If you don’t want to play a card for its event then you can use it to campaign, which involves rolling a die for each campaigner on the map and allocating that many cubes to their surrounding area, or you can move them to a new one by paying a button. You can also play cards to get more buttons or to influence Congress to allow Americans a vote on suffrage: if Congress hasn’t done this by the time the game ends, the opposition player wins automatically.
Once Congress has passed that amendment then getting four of your cubes in a state “wins” it for you with a cross or a tick. The opposition player has fewer campaigners and cubes but only needs 13 states to reject suffrage in order to win. The suffrage player, meanwhile, is hampered by having to use two cube colors, reflecting the reality of racist factionalism within the movement. Prior to that, getting four cubes in certain critical states can win you an extra card associated with that state which you can play to advance your campaign.
If you assess Votes for Women purely from a mechanical standpoint, it uses a shocking amount of dice for a modern board game. Many event cards give you random amounts of cubes, as does campaigning. Committing cards to influence Congress, which is often what swings it over the line, requires rolling a six. The roll-off is particularly problematic: you get to add the number of cubes you have in the state but it’s still very prone to huge swings of fate and can often determine the winner on a single die roll. You might imagine that would make the game feel like a glorified crapshoot, yet it rarely does.
There are manifold reasons for this. A key one is the sheer amount of dice you roll over the course of the game, so your luck evens out. The fact the whole thing wraps in about 90 minutes helps, too. Another important aspect is the fact you can spend buttons to reroll, which makes fishing for sixes a bit less of a blunt instrument and gives you some control over other risk-against-reward decisions. It’s often so exciting to shake, with so much riding on the outcome, that you forget to worry about whether you’re making meaningful choices and roll with the drama as well as the dice.
This immersion is thanks largely to the game’s theme. While we happily play military simulations that slaughter thousands with a single card play, Votes for Women has such an astonishingly personal feel about it that it features excellent solo and cooperative versions for those who don’t want to play the opposition to suffrage. And it’s true: an opposition win feels thoroughly icky, whether you’re on the giving or receiving end. The root cause of this is that the game models systemic oppression rather than individual violence, and that the lingering effects of that systemic oppression are still being felt today.
For those who want to marshal their resources against that oppression, the game has plenty of tools to aid you. While there aren’t as many effects that link together as there perhaps might be, there are enough that experience with the deck will improve your game. Learning when to shepherd your buttons and when to spend them is critical, especially in the thrill of bidding for those powerful strategy cards. Knowing when to push the track for Congress over the tipping point proves a surprising double-edged sword for both sides and demands good judgement, as does when and where to campaign.
Votes for Women is based loosely on an older card-driven strategy board game called 1960: The Making of the President. This used the same state-wide board on which players added or removed cubes to each state but there was no geographical strategy, cubes just came and went like a tally and it felt like a missed opportunity. Votes for Women improves on its predecessor in almost every way but, despite the brief early importance of capturing particular states for special cards, it still has this nagging lack of spatial meaning and it still feels like a missed opportunity.
Where to Buy
