Current Plays

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas explore The Guild of Merchant Explorers, a light strategy board game about charting new territories, building trade routes, and expanding your influence across a beautifully illustrated world.

With approachable rules and a relaxed pace, The Guild of Merchant Explorers offers an engaging experience without demanding a heavy strategic commitment. There are interesting decisions to make as you plot your routes and decide how to expand, but the game keeps things streamlined enough that you can sit back, enjoy the journey, and let the adventure unfold.

Sometimes you don't need a sprawling, brain-melting euro. Sometimes you just want to explore, make some clever choices, and have a cozy time at the table.

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas set sail down the River of Gold! With simple rules that belie a surprising amount of depth, this is a game that gets you playing quickly without leaving the strategic thinking at the dock.

And what a beautiful game it is. The production is absolutely gorgeous, the gameplay is fast and engaging, and the theme is right up our alley. River of Gold manages to pack plenty of interesting decisions into a streamlined package, making it easy to learn, quick to play, and surprisingly satisfying to master.

So grab your boat, chart your course, and get ready to see what treasures await along the River of Gold!

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas step into the arena with Duel of Meloch, the newest release from Stonemaier Games!

Imagine taking the DNA of Scythe and Expeditions, shrinking it down to an ambitious head-to-head duel, and setting two players loose in a race to accomplish competing objectives. If you know those games, Duel of Meloch feels wonderfully familiar while still bringing fresh gameplay into a two-player space. The design is clever, the gameplay is remarkably smooth, and the ability to mix and match components with its Stonemaier siblings adds a serious dose of value.

But there’s one question we can’t escape: as a stand-alone game, does Duel of Meloch have what it takes to earn a permanent place on the shelf, or is its greatest strength being part of the bigger1920+ universe? Let the duel begin!

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas delve into Golem, a wonderfully intricate euro where ancient magic, precious marbles, and a whole lot of very important decisions come together.

At the heart of the game is a fascinating action selection system that constantly asks you to weigh three competing considerations: which colour of marble you take, which action you perform, and how powerful that action will be. Getting one thing you want often means giving up something else, making every turn an exercise in finding the most satisfying compromise.

And that's only the beginning. Golem weaves its interconnected systems together into a challenging strategic puzzle where choices in one area ripple through the rest of your game. It's demanding without being punishing, rewarding careful planning while still giving you plenty to chew on as your plans unfold.

For Jordan and Thomas, Golem is exactly the sort of crunchy euro they love: clever mechanisms, interconnected systems, and just enough brain-bending decision making to make every marble count.

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas dive beneath the waves with Endeavor: Deep Sea, an uplifting game of exploration, marine research, and conservation. And while there may be plenty of ocean to explore, there certainly isn't an endless supply of actions, so making the most of every opportunity is key!

With limited action points, careful planning is essential, but Endeavor: Deep Sea rewards players who can also adapt when the underwater landscape changes. A new discovery, a shifting board state, or an unexpected opportunity can turn your carefully laid plans into something even better.

One of the highlights is building your tableau of specialists, assembling a talented team whose unique abilities help shape the direction of your expedition. As your specialists grow in number and capability, so does your ability to pursue the discoveries and conservation efforts that matter most.

Thoughtful planning, tactical adaptability, satisfying tableau building, and a wonderful sense of exploration make Endeavor: Deep Sea a game that gives Jordan and Thomas plenty to love. So grab your research gear, assemble your crew, and let's see what wonders are waiting beneath the waves!

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas check passengers in, prepare excursions, and try to build the most successful luxury vacation company in Galactic Cruise. Beneath its cheerful theme of interstellar tourism lies a richly deep euro game packed with interconnected systems, rewarding engine building, and meaningful decisions at every turn.

The hosts discuss how Galactic Cruise manages to earn its hefty BGG weight rating without ever feeling quite as overwhelming as the numbers suggest. That's largely thanks to the game's excellent thematic integration. Nearly every action feels intuitive because it aligns so naturally with what you're trying to accomplish. Need more tourists? Better destinations? A bigger ship? The mechanisms and theme work hand in hand, making even complex decisions feel logical and purposeful.

What really stood out was how quickly the game's many moving parts began to click. As the company grows and your plans become more ambitious, the game reveals a satisfying depth that rewards careful planning without constantly sending players back to the rulebook.

It's a big game with big decisions, but one whose theme does a remarkable amount of heavy lifting. By the end, our hosts found themselves less concerned with managing mechanisms and more concerned with running the galaxy's premier cruise line.

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas launch into the stars with Last Light by Roy Cannaday and Grey Fox Games, a lightning-fast 4X adventure where the fate of the galaxy can change in the blink of an eye. Expand your empire, explore the unknown, exploit precious resources, and prepare for the inevitable clash as rival civilizations race toward the last light in the universe.

The hosts discuss how Last Light delivers the grand feel of a sprawling 4X game without demanding an entire day to play. Beneath its approachable rules lies a surprisingly meaty strategic experience, where tactical positioning, careful timing, and clever planning all play a vital role. Every decision feels meaningful, yet the game never loses its brisk pace.

For anyone looking to capture the excitement of conquering a galaxy in a single evening, Last Light shines brightly. It's fast, strategic, wonderfully accessible, and proof that epic space empires don't always need epic play times.

This week on Current Plays, Thomas is away, so Jordan is joined by special guest Ryan from How I Roll on YouTube to wage a civil war in The Anarchy by Garphill Games. Set against the backdrop of 12th-century England's struggle for the throne, every decision carries weight as castles are fortified, influence spreads, and the kingdom hangs in the balance.

Jordan and Ryan share their appreciation for Garphill's unmistakable design philosophy, diving into the game's rich strategic choices, contrasting approaches to victory, and the constant ebb and flow of resources that makes every turn feel rewarding. Whether you're investing in your long-term plans or seizing an unexpected opportunity, The Anarchy keeps players engaged with meaningful decisions from beginning to end.

With clever mechanisms, satisfying resource management, and the signature Garphill depth that rewards thoughtful play, The Anarchy proves that even in the midst of a kingdom torn apart by civil war, great strategy can reign supreme. The crown may be contested, but this episode is one you'll want to claim.

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas descend into the fractured world of Revenant, Mindclash Games’ highly anticipated follow-up to Voidfall. As you might expect from Mindclash, this is not a game that hands out easy decisions. Every action matters, every resource is precious, and every turn presents a new puzzle to solve. In other words, it’s right in the hosts’ wheelhouse.

At its heart, Revenant is a heavy euro worker placement game, but one with a deliciously cruel twist: the action spaces themselves are unstable. They shift, disappear, and evolve throughout the game, forcing players to constantly reassess their plans and adapt to an ever-changing landscape. Long-term strategy is essential, but so is the ability to pivot when the galaxy refuses to cooperate.

The hosts discuss how the game creates a fascinating balance between cooperation and competition. Players must work together to keep the fleet from collapsing, yet it's fine if your opponent's favoured ships get destroyed, right? That constant push and pull creates a rich strategic experience where every choice carries weight and every success feels earned.

Dark, demanding, and brilliantly interactive, Revenant delivers the kind of intricate decision space that Mindclash fans crave, while introducing fresh ideas that make it feel distinct from anything else in their catalogue. Some games ask you to optimize. Revenant asks you to survive.

This week on Current Plays, Thomas is away, so Jordan is joined by special guest host Logan for a trip into the Marvel Universe with Marvel Dice Throne Missions. Together, they take on a series of standalone challenges that deliver all the fast-paced combat, dramatic dice rolls, and satisfying hero powers that make Dice Throne such a fan favourite.

Unlike the campaign-driven structure of Dice Throne Adventures, Missions offers bite-sized co-operative and solo experiences that are easy to get to the table while still providing plenty of excitement. The hosts discuss how the Perk Sheet system cleverly ties games together, rewarding players with new unlocks and goals as they tackle different missions and earn Perk Points.

Most of all, Jordan shares how much fun it has been playing Missions with Logan. Whether you're battling villains, chasing new perks, or just enjoying another excuse to roll some dice together, Marvel Dice Throne Missions proves that even Earth's Mightiest Heroes are better when shared with friends and family. Excelsior!