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Charlie Theel

@charlietheel.bsky.social
793 followers 112 following 688 posts

Board game critic. Bylines: Polygon, IGN, Ars Technica, Tabletop Gaming Magazine, Dicebreaker, Geek & Sundry, PC Gamer, Wargamer. Co-hosted the Ding & Dent podcast. cdtheel@gmail.com Most of my writing appears at my site, playerelimination.com

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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Grabble is a banger, a delightful 10-minute realtime activity of grabbing pieces and stuffing them into a can. The simple joy serves as a reminder of the power of play. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/10/05/j...
playerelimination.com
Jump in the Pit – A Grabble Review
Grabble sounds dumb. You take it off the shelf, remove the lid, and put the game box in the middle of the table. The box is the playing arena, so yes, I’m hitting you with the “place th…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I recently reviewed The Presence, a wonderful horror/deduction concoction with roguelike unlockable content. The trouble is that it was hard to track down due to a limited print run. Well, now the reprint and expansion campaign are live: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pur...
kickstarter.com
The Presence: Blood & Betrayal + Reprint
The board game of Victorian ghost horror returns, elevating dread and tension to new levels - now a killer may walk among you.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Blood Rage Valhalla-ing.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ivan Turner's This Game is KILLER franchise returns with Franchise of Fear. This iteration on the horror party game presents some new ideas, but unfortunately, I find the changes undermine the design's strongest qualities. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/09/28/t...
playerelimination.com
This Game is More KILLER – Franchise of Fear in Review
Ivan Turner is digging deep to bring us the third installment in his This Game is KILLER franchise. I was pleased with the initial offering, a riff on Ridley Scott’s Alien that took the form …
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Hell of a Deal is a boss battler where players sling cards against the devil. Interesting bets and nuanced communication make for a satisfying experience that manages to be both tense and casual. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/09/21/i...
playerelimination.com
I Met Death Today – A Hell of a Deal Review
You can pinpoint moments where things change, where ripples meet ripples and creativity shifts. Dominion concocted deckbuilding. Love Letter gave the microgame sex appeal. The Crew pulled trick-tak…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Kasper Lapp's Totally Human is kind of reverse Apples to Apples with hidden identities. It's weird and a little clunky. I dig it, most of the time. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/09/14/t...
playerelimination.com
They’re Just Questions, Leon – A Totally Human Review
Kasper Lapp, Voight-Kampff test, 10-minute social deduction game is the kind of pitch I hope to hear when riding the elevator. Lapp previously designed quirky hits like Magic Maze and That’s …
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Firing up Kosmika for a first run.
A 3D table of a derelict spaceship for the miniatures game Kosmika.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The Presence is a ghost story, one of visitors trapped in a haunted mansion. The fundamental mystery is whether the group is engaging in a fully cooperative or a one-vs-many encounter. It includes an optional campaign, roguelike unlocks, and nifty twists. playerelimination.com/2026/09/07/l...
playerelimination.com
Little Ghost – The Presence in Review
You’re stuck in a foreign place. It’s a prison of walls and darkness and fear manifest. Do you trust the unknown formless hand? Do you expose your vulnerability for a glimpse of truth? …
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Detectiving.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The only feeling that compares to rolling a bunch of exploding dice that keep chaining is successfully replacing a $20 part on your washing machine to avoid having to buy a new one.
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Dan Thurot @danthurot.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We're back with the fourth and penultimate chapter in my series on The Guerrilla Generation! Today we travel to El Salvador, where the murder of Archbishop Óscar Romero is about to precipitate a major challenge to the government. Read it here: spacebiff.com/2026/09/01/g...
spacebiff.com
Liberation Ludology, Part Four: El Salvador
At long last, we’re nearing the end. After Uruguay, Peru, and Nicaragua, El Salvador is the fourth and final scenario in Stephen Rangazas’s The Guerrilla Generation. We’ve seen ur…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Trials of Maya is a newcomer in the burgeoning tabletop MOBA theater. As an avowed fan of this genre (and team skirmish games), I discuss how it uniquely tackles the format and how it measures up against the best on offer. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/08/31/a...
playerelimination.com
The New MOBA – A Trials of Maya Review
This review is based on a pre-production copy of the game that is expected to be nearly identical to the final product. I love MOBA games. My time playing League of Legends and DOTA are well in the…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Abroad was a crowd pleaser.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Realm of Reckoning is part area control, part auction, and wholly homage. I expected this to enthrall me. Instead, it left me pining for the games it pulls from. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/08/21/t...
playerelimination.com
Tribute – A Realm of Reckoning Review
Releasing an album that consists entirely of cover songs is a risky proposition. For every Renegades of Funk there’s also a Thank You. IV Studio’s Realm of Reckoning is such a perilous …
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Getting in some Trials of Maya, a new MOBA/skirmish game, on this quiet Saturday afternoon.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Tag Team's second set is a logical continuation of its predecessor. This remains a smooth and satisfying card game that employs the auto-battler format to great success. Which is why my lack of adoration for this type of game continues to perturb me. playerelimination.com/2026/08/13/o...
playerelimination.com
Off With Your Head – A Tag Team: Arthur’s Legacy Review
Tag Team was a noteworthy competitor in 2025. Its combination of smooth card play with the unpredictable drama of auto-battling forms a compelling build. So compelling in fact, that it seized my af…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
If you have a dollar to burn and nothing better to spend your time on, I've written ~9,000 words on my plays at Gen Con across two Patreon posts. Some first impressions, some reconsidered thoughts on older titles. www.patreon.com/c/charlietheel
patreon.com
Get more from Charlie Theel on Patreon
Get more from Charlie Theel on Patreon. Join for free or become a member for just $1/month. I am a writer. It's still difficult to really call myself…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Was a very weird Gen Con for me. Came back with one new game (review copy of Totally Human) and did zero press events. Highlight was the John Company mega game which continues to evolve and flourish, like a young child off and finding their way.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Home and tired. Here's what I played at Gen Con.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Day 2 Gen Con vibes.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Gen Con hotness.
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Just Jenna (likely a witch) @jennakinkade.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Charlie is a thoughtful and articulate board game reviewer who never fails to give me ideas that improve my designs. If you love board games, I think you’ll enjoy and appreciate Charlie’s reviews. Sometimes ebullient, sometimes brutal, always fair.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Jenna Felli's latest is a joyful battle of cooperation against an evil coterie of witches. They just happen to be your mothers. It's weird, it's normal, it's a lot of things. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/07/21/r...
playerelimination.com
Rehabilitating Murray – The Witches of Willowspur in Review
After a decade of work, Jenna Felli continues to evolve and shirk a single design style. One continuing trait that has stuck around since her origin is an embracement of the bizarre. But even that …
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Cardboard Cinema returns with a bucket of chum. Today I'm picking apart Spielberg's magnificent film and the Prospero Hall board game that adapts it. Both offered a view of their creator's potential. Both are pure cinema. playerelimination.com/2026/07/13/c...
playerelimination.com
Cardboard Cinema – Sharkin’
Y’all know the difference between a bilge rat and a man-eater? I’m talking ’bout the bad fish. One that will swallow you whole. Roll you ’round in its jaws and squeeze the l…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Celebrating 4th of July the right way.
Forrest Gump movie poster.All the President's Men movie posterJaws movie posterThe Right Stuff movie poster
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Infernal Machine is an epic solitaire drama of building and manning submersibles during the American Civil War. Its subject matter appears to be the intersection of profit and war, but the underlying themes of progress and innovation peek out from the froth. playerelimination.com/2026/06/30/h...
playerelimination.com
Holey Diver – An Infernal Machine: Dawn of Submarine Warfare Review
War is morally questionable, at best a compromise between inaction and horrific aggression. The societal and human costs are often extreme. There are benefits, however. Achieving independence. Endi…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
I'm not talking about day sailing or pleasure boating. I'm talking about working for a living. I'm talking about sharking.
Jaws the board game, Quint stares down the shark.
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🥧 suzanne 🥧 @425suzanne.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
#BoardGame reviewers... Restoration has Thunder Road: Ignition coming out at Gen Con. We have a very few copies for media/review... we solicited our press list (hundreds of outlets long) and received zero requests from women reviewers.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
A 45-year-old game has been restored to fly once again. I discuss the game's unique perspective, the befuddling nature of its simplicity, and the way it harnesses player imagination. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/06/08/a...
playerelimination.com
Innovation and Immersion – An Ace of Aces: Powerhouse Series Review
Whenever people liberally throw around words like “innovative” or “unique” with recently published games, I can’t help but clench my jaw. It’s a difficult pothol…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Who are those guys?
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
DC Breakout: Arkham Asylum is a zany racing game from the Engelsteins. It shares so much DNA with Magical Athlete that I can't help but leverage this as my primary lens of critique. I discuss overlap, new tricks, and who will find it most appealing. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/05/26/m...
playerelimination.com
Magical Inmate – A DC Breakout: Arkham Asylum Review
Geoff Engelstein was influential in bringing Takashi Ishida’s Magical Athlete to the United States in 2003. It’s unsurprising that Geoff, alongside his children Brian and Sydney, have t…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Stumbling around in the dark.
Board game Maladum, dungeon crawling with two heroes waiting around a corner while a shambling undead wanders in their direction.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Cysmic is huge. It's enormous. It's obscene. It's also a breakneck area control game focused on combat, construction, and lavish pieces. This is the definition of a boutique passion project from a madman. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/05/19/a...
playerelimination.com
A Monument to Excess – A Cysmic Review
The instinct to build massive edifices, monuments, and works of art is primal. For animals like the Bowerbird, their elaborate mating parlors are practical. For humans like Jason Blake, their mind-…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
On the third day of Geekway we embarked upon a four hour game of John Company that ended in the final round with company failure, which assisted me winning on the windows tie breaker. Also played Vantage, DC Breakout Arkham Asylum, and a wonderful session of Worldspanner Factions.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Geekway day 2 was more running around, less gaming. Guards of Atlantis 2, Stationfall, Treasure Island, LotR Two Towers Trick Taking, lots of Werewords.
Guards of Atlantis 2 lane battling.Stationfall in disarray.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
First day of Geekway to the West in the books. Ace of Aces, LA-1, Fate of the Fellowship, Wroth, Thunder Road: Vendetta, and Cysmic.
Cysmic board game set up mid play.Wroth, mid play.Fate of the Fellowship.LA-1, view of the city/board.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
This is a bummer. Let's talk about some of my favorite board games Osprey has published over the years.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
LA-1 is a Launius captained adventure game with a sleek Blade Runner vibe. On one hand it's a resurrection of Arkham Horror 2nd Edition, and on another, a skillful adoption of modern content-focused design trends. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/05/11/a...
playerelimination.com
AH-4 – An LA-1 Review
You’re stumbling through the labyrinthine streets of Old Angeles; your clothes soaked in rain and neon. The city is a mix of perpetual darkness and the unending belch of industrialization. Bu…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Re-watching Bugonia now that it's on Netflix. Impressed all over again. Stands up extremely well to a second viewing. Think it passes Killing of a Sacred Deer as my favorite Lanthimos film.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Barbarian Kingdoms is a taught and modest area control game that supports a large player count with a brief playtime. It has some nifty ideas regarding economy and war, but suffers from a restricted flavor profile. playerelimination.com/2026/04/27/t...
playerelimination.com
The BK Broiler – A Barbarian Kingdoms Review
Barbarian Kingdoms is the kind of modest board game that comes in a standard sized box with a small selection of cards, a reasonable number of tokens, and a surprising absence of miniatures. While …
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
*Wilhelm scream*
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Love the aesthetic and concept. Hoping this pops off and finds its audience.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Dodos Riding Dinos reaches for Mario Kart through energetic flicking, dropping, and smashing. As a disciple of the dexterity plus genre, this should fall squarely in my wheelhouse. In this review I spout about context, comparison, and obsolescence. playerelimination.com/2026/04/20/j...
playerelimination.com
Jurassic Kart – A Dodos Riding Dinos Review
Rubén Hernández’s Dodos Riding Dinos was one of those games people talked about. The kind of nutty activity that combines a longstanding tabletop genre with silly dexterity elements. I mental…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
It's been five years since we recorded our final episode of Ding & Dent. I was equally nervous and excited to get back behind the mic, appearing as a guest co-host on this week's So Very Wrong About Games. Thank you Walker for the invitation. Anyway, have a listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...
podcasts.apple.com
Fishing
Podcast Episode · So Very Wrong About Games · April 14 · 1h 5m
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
With the new chapter of Arkham Horror: The Card Game, I take a look at the LCG model and question whether it has actually fulfilled its promise. I also discuss the strengths of this design and how it exists as the one throughline to the FFG of old. playerelimination.com/2026/04/13/p...
playerelimination.com
Paupers, Peasants, Princes, and Kings – An Arkham Horror: The Card Game Review
Fantasy Flight Games launched the Living Card Game (LCG) format in 2008 with A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. It soon extended to a variety of lines, including Call of Cthulhu, Android: Netrunner,…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Dark Pact is Tom Lehmann's take on deckbuilding, of course fueled by explosive engine building and an unusual twist or two. This is Dominion supercharged to fly off the rails. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/04/02/t...
playerelimination.com
The Lehmann Multiplier – A Dark Pact Review
Tom Lehmann is one of the sharpest card game designers in the biz. Responsible for highly regarded engine builders such as Race for the Galaxy, Jump Drive, and Res Arcana, he has branched off to pl…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Cardboard Cinema returns. This is my series where I perform comparative analysis between a film and board game. This time I'm writing about one of my favorite games and its relationship to a film that is maybe the greatest achievement in cinematography. playerelimination.com/2026/03/26/c...
playerelimination.com
Cardboard Cinema – Lawrence of Arrakis
One thing a board game will never formally have, is an overture. The three hour and 47-minute epic Lawrence of Arabia begins with a four-minute piece that encompasses a medley of themes pertaining …
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Struggling with freelance work the past several months. Besides Tabletop Gaming Magazine, I have nothing going on. If anyone has a line on places accepting pitches for board game content, I'd appreciate the tip.
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Zurmat is designer Tim Densham's memoir of his time in Afghanistan. It's a small scale wargame concerned with uncertainty, efficiency, and winning over the local populace. I struggle with this one a little due to current events. playerelimination.com/2026/03/16/a...
playerelimination.com
A Personal Affair – Zurmat: Small Scale Counterinsurgency in Review
Zurmat is a small Pashtun district south of Kabul. In 2007, It was a tense region with a fragile sense of order. The Taliban moved throughout the villages and roads at night, issuing threats to dis…
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Charlie Theel @charlietheel.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Valkyrie is Black Orchestra in a half hour. Can it pull off the drama and tension of its parentage in a fraction of the time? Unfortunately, it's about as successful as Claus von Stauffenbergs assassination attempt. My review: playerelimination.com/2026/03/09/m...
playerelimination.com
Mission Impossible – Valkyrie: A Black Orchestra Game in Review
There are few acts of violence more righteous than killing Adolf Hitler. On July 20th, 1944, German Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg attempted to do just that. Not to spoil the 2008 Bryan Singer film…
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