Game & gear reviews

We play at our own table before we write anything down. These are notes from actual sessions, actual builds, and actual purchases — not sponsored placements or press-kit summaries. If something landed well at the table, it gets a write-up. If it didn't, it gets an honest reason why.

MTG: Murders at Karlov Manor — Commander precons

The four precon decks from this set are surprisingly playable out of the box. The Revenant Recon deck (Sultai colours) has the most coherent mana base of the four, and its graveyard recursion theme actually does what it says it does by turn six or seven. The Deadly Disguise deck (Simic) is the weakest — the morph theme needs too many enablers that the precon simply doesn't include. If you're buying one, Revenant Recon or Deep Clue Sea are the ones to pick up.

Table verdict: Played all four in a round-robin across two evenings. The power level is balanced enough for a casual pod, but the Sultai and Azorius decks pull ahead consistently once the game goes long.

Dice tray review: leather vs felt lining

We've tested both materials across hundreds of rolls. Felt absorbs impact better and keeps dice quieter — important if you're playing in a shared space or late at night. Leather looks better and ages well, but dice bounce more and occasionally escape a shallow-walled tray. For a pure functionality pick, felt wins. For something you want on the table as a permanent fixture that develops character, leather.

Workshop note: Our own dice trays use felt for this reason. The felt can be replaced after a year or two of heavy use.

Board game night picks: gateway games that actually stick

Every group has the moment where someone suggests moving beyond Catan. Here are three games that have stayed in our regular rotation for over a year:

• Wingspan — Engine-building with a theme that non-gamers find approachable. Plays in 60 minutes once everyone knows it. The Oceania expansion adds the most without bloating the rules.
• Azul — Abstract tile-drafting. Plays in 30 minutes, scales well from two to four. The kind of game where you can hold a conversation while playing but still feel like you're making decisions.
• Root — Asymmetric area control. Steeper learning curve, but once your group has three sessions under its belt, this is the game that keeps generating stories. Needs four players to really work.

Mechanical keyboards for gaming: what matters

After cycling through six boards over two years, the things that actually matter for a long gaming session are: switch weight (lighter is better for sustained play), wrist-rest height matching the board profile, and key travel distance. RGB lighting and macro keys are nice-to-have but don't affect how a four-hour session feels on your hands. Our current daily driver is a 75% layout with linear switches at 45g actuation — enough resistance to avoid accidental presses, not enough to fatigue your fingers during a raid.

D&D 2024 Player's Handbook: first impressions

The revised Player's Handbook cleans up subclass progression in a way that makes building a character less confusing for new players. The weapon mastery system adds tactical depth to martial classes without turning every Fighter turn into a spreadsheet exercise. Spellcasters got minor nerfs across the board — mostly in concentration duration and some area-of-effect ranges — which brings them closer to where martials sit in the mid-levels. Worth picking up if you're starting a new campaign; less urgent if you're mid-way through one.

The verdict on acrylic vs wood deck boxes

We make both, so we'll be honest about the trade-offs. Acrylic is lighter, shows off the deck inside (translucent options), and doesn't react to humidity. Wood (walnut ply, specifically) is heavier, more tactile, ages with a patina, and feels like a serious piece on the table. Acrylic scratches more easily; wood dents but hides it better. If you travel to FNM every week, acrylic makes sense for the weight saving. If the box lives on a shelf between sessions, walnut looks better year after year.