Board Game Arena

Friday the 13th? Please... The only thing we’re afraid of is a bad dice roll that ruins our entire strategy.
 
Okay, maybe we’re a little bit superstitious. But if the universe is going to throw bad luck our way, we might as well make it a game night! It’s the perfect day to face off against that one friend who always insists they’re “just playing for fun” while they plot your destruction.
 
Welcome to this week’s Board Game Afterwork!
 
Fantasy Tiles
Use your imagination to piece together your perfect kingdom or just make a beautiful mess. It’s the ultimate creative escape for when you want to avoid all the Friday the 13th spooky nonsense. Thanks to Bruno Cathala and Théo Rivière, the game designers, as well as the publisher, Next Move Games, and of course Mizutismask for the BGA version.
 
Libertalia – Winds of Galescrest
Ready to sail the skies and plunder your way to the top? It’s a pirate’s life, which is basically the high-seas version of Friday the 13th: everyone’s out to get you, and you’re probably going to betray your best friend for a pile of loot in this revisited and expanded version of Libertalia. No hard feelings, right? A tip of the hat to Paolo Mori, the game designer, to Stonemaier Games, the publisher and to KuWizard and ShaharHarshuv for the port on BGA.
 
Happiest Cat in the World
This game is the exact opposite of a Friday the 13th curse. It’s all about finding zen in the chaos, because even when the universe is acting up, your cat’s living their best life. Consider this game today’s official protection charm against bad luck. Let’s roll the red carpet for Oussama Khelifati and Olivier Cipiere, the game designers, as well as the Rebel’s cat lovers, and let’s not forget firgon for the BGA adaptation.
 
Crits & Tricks
Expect total mayhem in this trick-taking game as you become a daring adventurer heading into perilous quests equipped with dice and a motley crew of mercenaries. Your best-laid plans will probably blow up in your face, especially today. It’s all about outsmarting your friends with a mix of luck and absolute nonsense. Thanks to Pete Wissinger, the game designer, and to Inside Up Games, the publisher. And of course, to _j0hn for the BGA version.
 
RabbitZ & Robots
It’s a tower defense card game in which players become the Guardians of the Orchard, a group of brave vegetables who pilot combat robots and defend the Orchard from the invasion of the RabbitZ, a horde of mutant zombie rabbits. Probably safer than playing with ouija boards, but only just. No robots were harmed in the making of this game, we think… A huge thanks to Lorena Gestido and Javier Martínez Gómez, the game designers, and the Rocket Lemon Games team. And thanks to pegoletech for the BGA port.
 
Let’s not forget King of the Dice and Paladins of the West Kingdom that also made their way to BGA this week.
 
This is it for this week, enjoy today’s chaos and more to come next week (games, not chaos)!

The number of weekly releases is very pleasing!

I’m not a big fan of games being released this way because they miss out on having their own dedicated banner. One of the main reasons I try new games is because I see them advertised in the big banner whenever I visit the site. Sometimes it takes seeing a game featured a few times before I decide to give it a go.

On the other hand, I’ve never tried a new game featured in a “Board Games After Work” post. Games just don’t stand out nearly as much in that format compared to having their own full sized banner. I think giving each new release its own spotlight makes a big difference in getting people to actually try it.

chadrogers wrote: ↑13 November 2026, 23:46 I’m not a big fan of games being released this way because they miss out on having their own dedicated banner. One of the main reasons I try new games is because I see them advertised in the big banner whenever I visit the site. Sometimes it takes seeing a game featured a few times before I decide to give it a go.

On the other hand, I’ve never tried a new game featured in a “Board Games After Work” post. Games just don’t stand out nearly as much in that format compared to having their own full sized banner. I think giving each new release its own spotlight makes a big difference in getting people to actually try it.

I agree at 100%