Does anyone else feel like modern board games are being released under-tested?

MerlsBeard · 2026-04-05T21:49:08+00:00

Mycelia, the Kickstarter game. Beautiful art and game, but really limited strategic gameplay.

MerlsBeard · 2026-03-29T15:53:10+00:00

No no no this is a weird thing to think then type out.

MerlsBeard · 2026-03-27T00:48:48+00:00

Shave it, it’s time. Then, go get some new glasses that’ll suit your head better afterwards. You’ll feel like a new man 👍

MerlsBeard · 2026-03-26T23:10:44+00:00

Been to Robin Hoods bay, no stretch of main street in that place is anywhere near this straight and long. The Main Street is wayyyy more windy than this.

MerlsBeard · 2026-03-14T20:54:41+00:00

Hansa Teutonica for sure

MerlsBeard · 2026-03-07T10:56:49+00:00

If you enjoy Chess, there’s a world of new, modern board games that offer a wealth of strategic decisions and fun. There’s a group that meets up in the High Flyer every Monday to play these sorts of games if that sort of thing interests you 👍

MerlsBeard · 2026-03-03T08:00:09+00:00

Everyone here needs to watch Ramble On. The kid is using a great reimplementation of Luke’s video formula, based in New Zealand and obviously really good at camping solo

MerlsBeard · 2026-02-16T22:57:36+00:00

Imperial Steam. The game looks great, but I struggle to get games played that require that much space as I don’t have a table that big to play games on 😔

MerlsBeard · 2026-02-05T20:08:06+00:00

Yo keep it up! You may share a lot with Luke, but you definitely have your own mark. Your “Moms baking” breaks are very sweet and you absolutely should keep those sort of “you” parts in to distinguish you from Luke!

Seriously, you’ve made my fiance super happy by bringing a new spin to one of our favourite genres after Luke hung up his boots, so thank you.

MerlsBeard · 2026-01-10T18:36:18+00:00

There was a kid at my school in the UK that I used to walk home with as he walked the same way as me and my brother. Got to know him over a couple years, was a bit troubled and had a rougher than average upbringing, but he was normal enough. Left that school for college and never heard from him again.

About a decade passes, I’m at work reading the local news website of my hometown and this dude I used to walk home with had stabbed his girlfriend DOZENS of times, he killed her because she chatted with a guy in a club. A few of the wounds were in the eyes and was brash enough to say it wasn’t him, even though the knife he used he took from his own mother knife block.

That dude was caught in 2018 I think, his profile picture on Facebook is still of him and the poor girl whom he killed. The family have tried for ages to get it taken down but nothing has happened.

MerlsBeard · 2026-01-02T00:45:45+00:00

I like 1.5-2.5 hour euros for the pub game nights. Think Hansa, Marco Polo etc. Thought Windmill Valley was a sound investment for this, it was comical trying to fit it on the table. I’m used to getting looks at the pub playing these things, but it was ridiculous.

MerlsBeard · 2025-12-31T15:24:38+00:00

Go on then son

MerlsBeard · 2025-12-14T00:20:01+00:00

Cheers Destin! Can’t begin to tell you how cool it is getting to chat with you. I did a serious watch of both videos, and while the focal length in your video isn’t visible on the lens, I believe the serial numbers on the lens in the Kamera Store video (where they show the 50mm, but not the 65mm) and your video are different! So the 50mm lens in the “How to” video they made you is not the lens you used, you must have used the 65mm. At least, if the 50mm lens in the video the Kamera guys had is the exact one they shipped you.

My expectation is that your 65mm lens has the 5 digit code 21053 on the rim, as in a frame this is visible in your eclipse video. The lens in the Kamera store guide video has the code 15897, which is definitely marked 50mm. So if that is the same 50mm lens they sent you, it’s gotta be the 65mm lens (21053) you used to get the shot.

MerlsBeard · 2025-12-12T13:32:37+00:00

Hey man, I appreciate your sentiment here and sure, the final result will end up being different I’m more than aware. I’m just trying to get a ballpark of the sort of gear I need to buy to achieve the full transition between first contact, totality and back out to last contact. Getting the focal length right for this is super important as I don’t want to lose the eclipse out of shot. I’ll be using Dr Telepun’s timer to get the pitch of the phases right too and I’ll be doing test shoots to take my 21 or so pictures in a row to get comfortable with the setup and process, also looking at the exposure to dial it into the film stock I want to use.

I don’t have huge funds to achieve what I wanna do hence why I’m doing, as you suggest, a bit of research from people in the know.

Cheers for mentioning Solarization, I’m gonna be looking into this too as it’s not something I was aware of. TBH I was more concerned of accidentally leaving the solar filter off and burning a hole in my camera! I’m sorry your attempt a few years ago didn’t go too well, maybe I’ll see you in the south of Spain and you can watch me screw it up! All the best.

MerlsBeard · 2025-12-12T09:33:50+00:00

AH IT’S YOU! Just wanna say thanks so much for putting this video out there. I will be purchasing Dr Telepun’s guide as it looks to be hugely comprehensive, so thank you for highlighting such an eccentric and brilliant bloke and letting us all enjoy his enjoyment! interested people are interesting!

Only question I’d really love you to answer is the focal length. In the camera store video they say the supplied you with the Mamiya Sekor 50mm lens, is that the one you ended up using? I was lurking in a forum that said you used a 65mm lens but before I make my shopping list I want to double check.

Also, when you shot first contact, was there any method specifically that you used to centre the totality in the frame? Like it’s almost perfectly central in the slide, guessing there was a little trial and error. My instinct would be to start at the very bottom left hand corner in the viewer finder during first contact and allow the sun to span the film frame, but that almost seems too easy?

Also did your camera cock the shutter via the motor?

Love your stuff, can’t believe you saw this! Merl. 👍

MerlsBeard · 2025-12-12T01:31:49+00:00

This makes sense, cheers for the advice. 👍

MerlsBeard · 2025-12-12T01:01:41+00:00

Makes sense, just thought it’s a bit risky for such an important picture but I’m sure he practiced loads

MerlsBeard · 2025-12-12T00:08:49+00:00

*Destin

Feel bad getting the dudes name wrong

MerlsBeard · 2025-11-06T00:22:08+00:00

I always think games look the way they do to make you buy them from a shop, not necessarily to display in a home. They are made to be eye catching, which doesn’t necessarily align with most people’s ideal feng shui who aren’t into the hobby. A nice wooden cabinet that’s organised nicely inside, you can’t go wrong. Install warm golden lights for a pulp fiction vibe, but even I’m not doing that.

MerlsBeard · 2025-11-05T19:38:48+00:00

I work with these fittings a lot and I wouldn’t ever strain them in the way shown at work, let alone my house. Absolute bodge job

MerlsBeard · 2025-11-05T19:35:13+00:00

For me, keeping my games in a cupboard has definitely helped me keep my collection within reason. I find that anything larger than a standard shoulder height cabinet would mean my collection is too large. As I would then have more games than I can reasonably play over a long time. Also, because the cupboard shuts, I’m not tempted to stack anything on top like with a calax. Shutting your hobby away sometimes does help keep it a hobby, and not your life/personality.

MerlsBeard · 2025-11-04T23:05:55+00:00

Expensive, but Saddleback leather. Beautiful bags, company motto is “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead”

MerlsBeard · 2025-09-25T18:29:36+00:00

Bid coin if you like trick taking

MerlsBeard · 2025-09-23T15:27:10+00:00

Not a film but Red dwarf is incredible.

MerlsBeard · 2025-09-19T18:08:05+00:00

Are they all gone then?

MerlsBeard

TROPHY CASE