Tabletop Features News, Reviews, Videos, Opinions – Big Boss Battle (B3)

Star Wars Unlimited – A Lawless Time Preview

Liam Freeman — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:42:09 +0000

Disney’s relatively new Star Wars: Unlimited TCG may have flown under the radar for some, as It certainly had for me, but I was delighted to have a chance to learn and play with the new A Lawless Time cards and build a deck to play against some of the scenes more veteran players at […]

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Club Manager – The most authentic football management board game?

Matthew Smail — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 12:00:57 +0000

Club Manager, designed by Colin Webster, is a football management game that aims to capture the long arc of running a club rather than the moment‑to‑moment tactics of a single match. It’s a game about seasons (up to ten), not an individual fixture; about shaping a squad over years rather than picking a starting eleven […]

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B3’s Ten Best Reviewed Board Game of 2025

Matthew Smail — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:00:20 +0000

2025 was an incredible year for tabletop gaming, with designers pushing boundaries in creativity, storytelling, and mechanical depth. Yet, it was also a year of reprints, re-imaginings and perhaps a retraction in the crowdfunding market that might just be a hint that both publishers and consumers are taking a more conservative approach to their spending. […]

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Best “Light” World War II board games to commemorate the 80th VE Day

Matthew Smail — Wed, 07 May 2025 14:00:41 +0000

War has never been a particularly lightweight topic, but it remains an important one. Human beings are fascinated by conflict and as a result, the global wars of the 20th Century remain some of the most popular themes for both board and video games in equal measure. Board games in particular seem to focus on […]

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Let’s Paint! Marvel United X-Force

Matthew Smail — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 13:00:46 +0000

For the novice painter, there’s nothing better than fairly large miniatures with overstated features and relatively few small details. Having good quality cast miniatures is also beneficial, and that makes CMON’s Marvel United series of games a perfect option for a newcomer to the hobby. In this guide, I’ll be painting all five models from […]

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11 board game adaptations on console that go beyond Catan and Carcasonne!

Matthew Smail — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 13:00:33 +0000

Once upon a time, video games were often based on board games — because believe it or not, there were people back in the day who thought that the tabletop was King, and that these newfangled “computer-things” would never take off. That was a long time ago, though, and board games have definitely ebbed whilst […]

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Let’s Paint! Halo Flashpoint: Spartans

Rob Covell — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:00:20 +0000

Double slapchop has you, surprisingly, do this twice. We’re going to paint our first contrast paint on, then dry brush white again, before applying another contrast paint over it.

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Let’s Paint! Maladum: Dungeons of Environ Beasts

Matthew Smail — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:00:31 +0000

I often find beasts and monsters the most interesting things to paint, since there’s a lot of room for artistic interpretation. Maladum: Dungeons of Environ recently made its way into our Top Dungeon Crawlers list based on pure merit, and yet I know it would be even better with painted models adding to the atmosphere […]

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Let’s Paint! Zombicide: Second Edition (Zombies)

Matthew Smail — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 14:00:23 +0000

Yes, if you hadn’t already guessed it — I’ve been painting a shedload of one of my favourite dungeon crawlers; Zombicide: Second Edition. The base game comes with ten survivors, four abominations and a huge number of walker, runner and brute zombies to paint, but worse still, I’ve foolishly thrown the Reboot Box stretch goals […]

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The TurtleBox3D Marvel Zombies insert finally makes CMON’s ridiculous Kickstarter playable

Matthew Smail — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 14:00:21 +0000

If you’re a dedicated Zombicide fan like I am, your house is probably chock full of boxes upon boxes of Kickstarter expansions filled with beautiful CMON miniatures. Having said that, no matter how much you love the game, I bet you don’t play Zombicide anywhere near enough — and I know exactly why, and I […]

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Let’s Paint! Hill Tribesmen

Rob Covell — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 14:00:46 +0000

In this article, I’ll be looking at painting a basic foot soldier equipped with a sword and shield. I’ll make reference to how to apply this to those with bows and spears as we go. Once again, contrast paints will make up the bulk of this guide as they will create a solid looking model without a huge amount of work.

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The B3 Guide to Painting Miniatures – for Complete Novices

Matthew Smail — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 14:00:29 +0000

Today, we’re going to write about something a little bit different to usual. We cover a lot of miniature board games here, but you may have noticed that it’s been a long time since any of those games had painted models. Well, that’s hopefully going to change — because I’ve started painting and I’d like […]

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Let’s Paint! Warriors of Rohan

Rob Covell — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:00:38 +0000

In this article, I’ll be telling you how to take them from grey to something that will look good in battle without too much difficulty. The majority of this will involve using contrast paints, which will increase the speed of getting them game ready by a considerable margin.

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The best tabletop games for the Serious Gamer in your Life

Matthew Smail — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:00:24 +0000

With board gaming becoming quite a mainstream hobby, the days of purchasing Catan or Carcassonne for your teenage children or gaming-adjacent friends are long gone. Those people are no longer interested in gateway games and lightweight filler, and this Christmas they are likely to be looking to the BoardGameGeek Hotness list or the Top 100 […]

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Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics!

Matthew Smail — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:00:40 +0000

Updated: 15/11/2024 – Two new entries added Animals have always made for a popular theme in board games, but did you know that not every game about animals is designed for younger players? Whilst some certainly are, some of the most complex and thoughtful games out there are actually based on cute, loveable critters. In […]

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Delivery Witches takes Mika and the Witch’s Mountain to your kitchen table

Jupiter Hadley — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 13:00:25 +0000

Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is a stunning video game that’s all about a little witch who is trying to deliver packages, upgrade her broom, and make it to the top of a mountain. It’s not a game that instantly screams “make a tabletop version” however, when I sat down to play Delivery Witches at […]

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Top Three Board Games at Draughts Hackney

Jupiter Hadley — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:00:23 +0000

Myself, my partner and three of our friends finally got along to Draughts in Hackney to see their impressive board game collection! Draughts have a primary location in Waterloo, and the Hackney building does look small from the front, but it opens up towards the middle, getting bigger and bigger, revealing a massive number of […]

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NeverRift is a spatially aware TCG with its own kind of magic

Matthew Smail — Mon, 20 May 2024 21:48:44 +0000

NeverRift is a Kickstarter that will launch on 28th May and offers the excitement of a collectible TCG alongside a number of unique gameplay elements that should enable it to feel as though it occupies a unique space in the market. We’ve received an early access copy of NeverRift, one featuring a playmat and a […]

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The Best 16 Dungeon Crawlers for When You Don’t Have Time for Gloomhaven

Matthew Smail — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 12:00:35 +0000

We’ve all been there — you’ve had a hard week, Friday is here and your mates are coming over for a games night. The thing is, whilst they might be expecting to spend four hours slogging through a heavy eurogame, you’re just not feeling it. Or perhaps worse still, they want you to drag that […]

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Gift Guide: Must have tools for new TTRPG players

Dann Sullivan — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 12:00:59 +0000

There’s no better time than right now to get into the TTRPG hobby, be that through the increasingly popular D&D 5e, or any of the thousands of other RPGs out there. That said there are a few things that you’ll likely need to get started with the hobby, regardless of what you, or somebody you’re […]

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Big Boss Battle’s Best 50 Board Games We’ve Ever Reviewed

Matthew Smail — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 14:00:25 +0000

Updated January 14th, 2024 – new games swapped and added. We review hundreds of board games, and with so many coming out, it’s hard to tell which the best of the best are. To help out with this, we’ve created Big Boss Battle’s Best 50 Board Games We’ve Ever Reviewed list. It may not be […]

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Azul: Queens Garden – a complex upgrade on the original

Matthew Smail — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 14:00:14 +0000

Here at BigBossBattle we have a long history with the Azul series. The very first Azul was perhaps our favourite game of 2017, featuring as our best light game of the year. We also loved the second game in this series, known as Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra, thanks to a big change in visual […]

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20 best board game stocking stuffers for Christmas

Jupiter Hadley — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:20:11 +0000

Updated on December 7th – added more games. Looking for a great board game to stuff a Christmas stocking? Look no further than our list of the best small-form-factor board games. The holiday season is just around the corner, with many people shopping and getting their Christmas gifts arranged now. When it comes to Christmas, […]

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Print-and-Play games: Featuring bees, drugs and deep space dreams

Jupiter Hadley — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 19:00:14 +0000

Stuck for a last-minute game to play with friends? This list of printable tabletop games might be just the thing.

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Fled challenges up to four players to escape from a Victorian prison

Dann Sullivan — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:00:05 +0000

From Mark Swanson, the creative mind behind the fantastic Feudum (which we rated incredibly positively when we got our hands on it back in 2018) comes Fled, a game all about gathering resources as well as taking big risks as you explore, and ultimately attempt to escape from a labyrinthine Victorian prison. Fled challenges 2-4 […]

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Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West is the perfect Christmas board game

Matthew Smail — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 12:00:44 +0000

These days, Ticket to Ride is the perennial choice for many families who play board games infrequently. With Monopoly less popular than it used to be, a new generation of gateway-level games has long since been established. But what if you’ve been dragging your copy out for a few years and you’re looking to challenge […]

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Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion is one to keep an eye on!

Aaron Jones — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 14:00:36 +0000

We’ve all experienced the disappointment of a ropey adaption. Be it from page to film, game to screen or when established fantasy worlds are transported into the board gaming universe. These sorts of things can often feel like cynical cash grabs, with no love lost for the source material (the Lost board game, dear lord) […]

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Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter Starter Decks Card Lists

Dann Sullivan — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 13:00:01 +0000

Shuffled your Lorcana deck around and need a reset? We’ve got you covered with this simple but effective resource that’ll let you reset your collection back to the starter deck format. Disney Lorcana is a perfect fusion of CCG and Disney’s iconic vault of properties; A combination that has already caused a massive surge of […]

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Disney Lorcana Rules & Getting Started Guide: How to Play

Dann Sullivan — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:00:22 +0000

Lost the rules, need a refresher or simply looking for some quick direction on how to play Disney Lorcana? Look no further. Disney Lorcana has, without a doubt, shaken up the CCG community by bringing Disney’s gargantuan back catalogue of cartoons, films and TV-shows to a new format. If you’ve ever wondered about Mickey Mouse’s […]

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Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game Pre-Kickstarter Hands on

Dann Sullivan — Mon, 01 May 2023 13:00:14 +0000

Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game takes the setting from Capcom’s 2019, Monster Hunter World expansion and brings it into the board game format as a lightly-compatible, playable stand-alone package following on from Steamforged’s phenomenal Monster Hunter World: The Board Game. Kickstarting this month, Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game builds directly onto […]

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Magic: The Gathering — Beginner’s Guide

Bryan Taylor — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:00:36 +0000

Magic: The Gathering is one of those games that has certainly stood the test of time. Thirty years later, it’s never been a better time to get in the game, even if you’re not familiar with the rules.

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Steamforged Games’ Elden Ring: The Board Game is incredible ambitious

Matthew Smail — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 14:00:08 +0000

Some people have accused the Souls series of feeling a little wooden at times, but Elden Ring: The Board Game feels great as cardboard. There is little doubt that From Software’s Elden Ring was one of the gaming phenomena of 2022, with almost 18,000,000 sales since its release. That’s a very big number — but […]

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February is 7 Wonders Month – Find out what makes this such a classic series!

Matthew Smail — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 11:07:40 +0000

With the excitement of Christmas long behind us and the chilly darkness of Winter still in full swing, February can feel something of a dower month at times. That said, as we look for the positives — like the fact that spring is just around the corner — there’s still plenty of long, dark nights […]

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Deckchairs on the Titanic has you trying to make the most tips

Jupiter Hadley — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 14:00:10 +0000

Deckchairs on the Titanic is a two to four player tabletop game all about trying to gain the most tips by placing strategic deckchairs on the deck of the Titanic, before the whole ship goes under! Before we dive into this hands on piece, I am going to point out that I played the jumbo […]

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Cake of Doom has you bribing countries with cake

Jupiter Hadley — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:00:41 +0000

Everyone loves a good cake, don’t they? In Cake of Doom, you have to bribe entire continents to be yours by giving them tasty, tasty cake. It’s a short game, for three to six players, that is full of sabotages, cakes to bribe and a lot of strategy within its cute cards. It’s a game […]

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Mörk Borg Explained

Dann Sullivan — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 13:00:08 +0000

Mörk Borg, which translates from Dark Castle in Swedish, is a dark fantasy, incredibly metal, Tabletop RPG. The rulebook itself is an artistic masterpiece, with everything down to the font and backgrounds taken into consideration on a per-page basis. I don’t think I’ve ever read a rulebook that has felt quite so much like somebody […]

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Video game crossover — Which tabletop games are best for digital gamers?

Matthew Smail — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 14:00:07 +0000

We explore some of the games that have made the leap from the bits and bytes of the digital realm to the paper, wood and plastic of the dining-room table.

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The best food-themed board games

Dann Sullivan — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 14:00:28 +0000

Over the years we’ve reviewed an absolute mass of board and tabletop games, in fact, we’ve got over 400 tabletop reviews on the site already. What you might not know is that we’ve got a penchant for food-themed ones; We’ve actually reviewed over 25 of them over the past few years. As such it makes […]

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Top 5 Eco-Friendly Board Games – Protect Echo the Dolphin!

Rob Covell — Mon, 24 May 2021 13:00:07 +0000

Board games are not great for the environment. No matter how much you share, trade, and buy second hand, the market is saturated with huge amounts of processed plastics.

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Creator Interview: Sunil & Zoeya — I Built It

Hira — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 14:00:46 +0000

Discover the architectural wonders of I Built It with an interview of its founders, Sunil & Zoeya — and learn more about their highly successful Kickstarter project!

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Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition — Getting into the hobby

iwantpie — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 18:00:06 +0000

Games Workshop are back, once again, with the ninth edition of Warhammer 40k, the world’s most popular tabletop miniatures game, but what are the barriers to entry and how does a new player get around them?

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Risk and Reward is the common thread between board and video games

Jupiter Hadley — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 18:00:39 +0000

While there is more of a crossover between board games and video games than ever, as shown at most larger physical gaming events — like PAX, EGX and Gamescom — now feature board game sections. There are actually many more ties between the two than sharing space at conferences, and it is possibly best shown […]

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Gears: The Deck-builder is a cute but cunning deckbuilder now on Kickstarter

Matthew Smail — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 13:50:40 +0000

Gears: The Deck-builder is available to back on Kickstarter now and at the time of writing, has just a couple of days left to run. It has already hit the funded mark and so will be fulfilled, so if it takes your fancy, now’s the time. Following on from the success of SINS: The Deck-builder, (a […]

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Creator Interview — Dávid Turczi — Excavation Earth

Hira — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 13:00:58 +0000

Dig deep with an interview with Dávid Turczi, a prominent solo game designer — on his methods and his upcoming Kickstarter Game, Excavation Earth!

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Board Games to play in self-isolation; Coronavirus, and how I learned to love the meeple

Matthew Smail — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 12:00:15 +0000

As I write this, humanity is entering uncharted territory. I say this not just because we stand on the precipice of an unprecedented global health crisis as the direct result of the Coronavirus, but also because the knock-on effects it will have on businesses, careers, families and more or less every other aspect of our […]

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Creator Interview: Phoebe Wild — LudoCherry

Hira — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 19:00:13 +0000

We talk to Phoebe Wild about LudoCherry - a board game inspired clothing line that marries geek and vintage fashion.

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Vagrus: The Riven Realms is grim-dark caravan management at its most deadly

Dann Sullivan — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 14:00:52 +0000

Deadly spirit warriors, post-societal dregs, legionnaire-esque inquisitions and ash zombie-demons. After an hour with Vagrus: The Riven Realms you’ll have met the set. It’s rare that an RPG comes along with a setting half as deep as that of Lost Pilgrims’ Vagrus: The Riven Realms. There’s a reason for that. The post-apocalyptic, dark-fantasy strategy-RPG was […]

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Checkpoint: The Hearth, Osaka

Hira — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 11:00:30 +0000

The Hearth Board Game Bar and Cafe is a small but rich community. We wrote about the experience there in this article.

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Mob Sitters — Dangerous jobs for side money

Jupiter Hadley — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 13:00:57 +0000

Babysitting doesn’t ever pay enough. As a babysitter for the mob, however, there are far more chances to earn money. Mob Sitters gives those opportunities to you, but with those hopes of earning more cash comes a fear of getting caught by the police, or your boss. Mob Sitters is a very interesting three to […]

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Time of Legends: Destinies — Arc de Triomphe?

Matthew Smail — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 13:00:48 +0000

Hot on the heels of recent Kickstarter blockbuster Time of Legends: Joan of Arc reaching its fulfilment date, Time of Legends: Destinies is a brand new, joint venture between veteran publishers Mythic Realms and augmented reality experts, Lucky Duck Games. Destinies shared the world and setting of Joan of Arc, but offers a very different […]

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