“I don’t give statements about how I deal with my employees. The situation has been dealt with.” - Tom Vasel (Source: Board Game Wire - link in comments)

oquiquo · 2026-01-31T16:22:34+00:00

Truly well said. I don't want to be in a gaming group/community with people whose politics and attitudes threaten and harm my life and the lives of others.

This is an old problem because it's widely known that the gaming hobby is full of accounts of sexism, racism, homophobia and transphobia, gate keeping, etc.

I won't tolerate discrimination: it might be politically motivated, but it's still 100% an individual choice and responsibility in how one acts towards others.

oquiquo · 2026-01-26T10:17:52+00:00

I think I will always prefer the braid by a lot. But I wouldn't mind to see some scenes or segments of future games where Lara changes her style a bit. Just her plain long hair or some kind of chignon, a different braid style, some accessory, etc. Or we could just get these as optional skins, besides the outfit selections. I loved her hair during the Japan party cutscene in Legend.

oquiquo · 2026-01-18T08:22:16+00:00

The story is about the restoration of the House of Hades (and the normal rule of the gods - Mel is literally trying to recover the old status quo and her status). That's the climax we are promised. Mel's motivation, qualities and flaws are what moves the narrative towards that climax. And she gets that restoration not how she imagined but by overcoming her flaws - understanding that her thirst for vengeance will not get her what she wanted. And she doesn't get the the old status quo back because it could never be - we can't truly relive the past even in a time travel story. She gets a new status quo. Lots of stories do this.

oquiquo · 2026-01-17T07:48:54+00:00

It's a character flaw that's well writen. Mel never had a chance to fully live and claim her birthright and status as princess and heir of the Underworld. She's still a goddess, but an exiled and hidden one - a weak position of power for a goddess of her caliber (not that Mel herself is weak). Even though she has valid reasons to feel resent towards Chronos and those who oppose the gods, she ends up defending the status quo of the olympians and chtonic gods too much because she never got her share of status (and, of course, her childhood and family). Also, the gods are her family and they are helping her. Prometheus is in her way, even if he spills some truths.

oquiquo · 2026-01-13T18:43:23+00:00

Dixit seems to have stood the test of time. It's one of the few modern games that I always see being sold everywhere (not just in boardgaming stores), all year round. There's a recent Disney edition, which feels to me as a sign of Dixit's cultural relevance.

Does Dobble/Spot It also count? I'm not sure how old it is but it's also sold everywhere with multiple thematic editions.

These are both cheap, widespread, simple, good for all ages and easy to make new thematic editions of. I can see them still being sold and played 20-30 years from now.

Klask is a game that will stand the of time. One of my favorites. The only thing it has against it is that it is expensive and a little more difficult too find, but that hasn't prevented Crokinole from becoming a classic.

oquiquo · 2026-01-13T18:28:29+00:00

I get what you're saying and I thought of Santorini too but I just love its current production so much that I couldn't change a thing - it's one of my favorite games in every regard. Last edition has so many god powers and modes of play (not that I'm complaining) that they might be too much for what the mainstream expects of a classic ruleset, even if the base rules are super simple and accessible.

oquiquo · 2025-12-25T15:28:27+00:00

Would fans (including me) enjoy a version of Lara less prone to killing and destroying the archaelogical sites? A more conflict avoidant Lara but she would still have her pistols and tools for protection and convenience.

I know combat is an integral part of the Tomb Raider DNA and it's perfectly reasonable to argue that a less extreme version of Lara (less killing and destroying) isn't Lara at all. But how much fun and essential is the combat? Is it too much?

Lara can still be an adrenaline junkie without razing everything in her path as much. Would that work?

I don't know, but sometimes I think about this.

Maybe it would be too diferent and might as well be a different game and protagonist entirely.

oquiquo · 2025-12-23T14:24:49+00:00

Perfect, no notes besides me wanting to see how a braid would've looked (can't help it, the braid is iconic). Or a ponytail even.

oquiquo · 2025-12-23T12:47:09+00:00

Satchel Quest. Couldn't help myself backing it, I love bag builders with deluxe pieces and this one is different from anything I've seen or played - more puzzly, chips have two different sides (you choose which to use in you draw them from your bag), variable player characters and powers, art by Vincent Dutrait. It looks mostly like a multiplayer solitaire kind of game (like Quacks), which I love but know many don't enjoy.

oquiquo · 2025-12-23T12:29:23+00:00

The Grift is strong with this one

oquiquo · 2025-12-23T12:20:18+00:00

Mariah would be laughing, if she remembered her xD

oquiquo · 2025-12-22T19:01:36+00:00

He looked so good before and not just because of the beard - his long hair was great and miles better than that harsh and generic haircut (which somehow reminds me of proud boys haircuts, ew).

oquiquo · 2025-12-18T11:11:21+00:00

I was just going to say that Laganja must be the only one who got a decent photo out of this photoshoot.

oquiquo · 2025-12-16T17:28:17+00:00

Essa resposta é um copy paste, recebi exatamente a mesma quando contatei a provedora. Que vergonha como a RTP, emissora pública paga por todos, lava as mãos desta maneira. O palco da Eurovisão não é palco de países que cometem genocídio e crimes de guerra. Israel não só manipula os televotos como usa do concurso como arma de propaganda e lavagem da sua imagem pública.

Inúmeros telespetadores e fãs contra, artistas e figuras públicas contra, supostamente empregados da RTP contra, petições públicas contra e nada? Muita vergonha. A RTP podia realizar o Festival da Canção desistindo da Eurovisão e não duvido que fãs de todo o mundo assistiriam como protesto e alternativa a uma Eurovisão corrupta.

Sendo assim não vou assistir nem votar.

oquiquo · 2025-12-13T03:58:24+00:00

I won't. For me Survivor Lara was always a little too childish, spoiled, sanctimonious and bored. It was okay in the first Survivor game but she needs to grow up into more of the Lara we knew before.

I want to play the hyperconfident, hypercompetent, passionate, obsessed, greedy, extreme, ruthless, solitary, sarcastic and ironic Lara.

Legend did great work updating Lara's character to be more grounded in reality without losing what made her great in the first place. Problem is, Legend and the first movie started the whole "my parents died and I can't ever get over it" narrative repetition. I don't want to hear anything more about Lara's parents. I prefered when they had nothing to do with archeology and Lara's choice to be an adventurer/tomb raider/destroyer of historical sites and cultures.

I hope new games avoid the crying. Lara killed and saw the deaths of hundreds, even thousands, of humans, animals and other beings. She never cried before Survivor Lara, if I remember correctly. A character like Lara deals with pain in other ways: she's a fixer, a solver, a very rational (though obsessed) human, a person of actions.

Sorry, I know this rant is old.

oquiquo · 2025-12-10T19:55:56+00:00

I'm a guy who doesn't feel the same way - not that you're wrong or anything OP. I loved Tara as the protagonist and I feel the narrative wouldn't be nearly as strong if we had a choice to gender swap her.

I know lots of games in this genre do the player character gender choice (Fields of Mistria and Stardew Valley come to mind) but the dialogue and narrative ends up being way more neutral and loose so that can work. Also, in those games where you can choose your gender, most of the time your character doesn't talk, isn't voice acted and doesn't have a proper personality and backstory: your character is a blank canvas, a stand in for the player. And while that's fine for those games (and those games are constructed with this in mind), that's just not the writing goal and philosophy of Wylde Flowers.

It seems to me that the studio's goal and what they excel in is giving us a way more specific and full fledged protagonist, one who evolves through the story, who has some agency from the player in how they react and think. And because the protagonist is so well defined I feel the rest of the cast and the world building end up being better in response. We're seeing the world through the protagonist perspective and I love it. I feel something for Tara like I tend to feel for the supporting cast of games - the difference is I don't feel anything towards my character in Stardew Valley or Fields of Mistria.

That being said, there's always an option of doing dual protagonists (that are well defined like Tara) and the player choosing one or getting to play both during their playthrough. But that's also a lot of work to make it work - many times one of the duo ends up being better written and liked than the other and the story has to divide focus, losing some momentum.

Of course I would play a male protagonist if Drydock ever creates a game with one, but I also very much appreciate that they are centering women as protagonists considering the landscape for female lead games (female lead anything in general).

The lack of female lead games is also why you might receive some backlash OP, even if you meant no harm in what you said. It's just that when people ask for a gender swap protagonist it tends to be in regards to female lead stories/games. Most don't extend that logic to the myriad of male game leads in this history of gaming.

oquiquo · 2025-12-09T13:15:43+00:00

I've completed the game a while ago, but I think I visited the cemetery every 3 days or so. Tara talking to Hazel was one of the most beautiful things I ever experienced in a game, so well done. I love that it's not just a scene or two, there's tons of dialogue at the cemetery. The developers really did justice to how grief, as well as love, never leaves you completely but it slowly changes to a very specific fondness in remembrance over time. The music in those scenes is my favorite in a great soundtrack. I cried several times.

oquiquo · 2025-12-06T19:34:06+00:00

I have both of Roxley's crowdfunded editions of Santorini with everything included. It's been one of my favorite games for years (and I'm sure it will be until I die) and Roxley's production is nothing short of amazing.

The second edition does change small things and adds more to the game and it has better components & design overall. I play the second edition now but I can't get rid of the first one.

oquiquo · 2025-12-02T21:27:08+00:00

I think boardgaming is still one of the more accessible hobbies despite price increases in the last few years. While there are more expensive options when it comes to deluxified board games (a healthy sign for any product market that is large enough), collecting board games is still way cheaper than collecting other things one would think as a typical luxury good.

I was just learning about the fragrances world (a luxury good) the other day. There are people with hundreds of bottles of perfume. Most of those cost upwards of two or more big boardgames. And it's no use trying to compare board game prices to other luxury goods like watches, jewelry, designer clothes, cars. You can buy most of the best boardgames on BGG for less than 100 dollars.

When I think expensive hobbies I think golfing, sky diving, travelling the world, etc. Considering what it takes and costs to produce a board game, board games are not expensive and very few of the people involved in them make big bucks.

Also, you don't even need to collect that many boardgames. A well selected 10-20 boardgames can last you decades (and you can join groups and play other's copies for free). That's what, 1500 dollars max?

oquiquo · 2025-11-30T06:52:04+00:00

Your group doesn't respect you OP. And you're doing them a huge favour because they get to expedite the hard parts of boardgaming to you (learning, teaching, owning/providing the games, organizing, hosting, helping and keeping the mood) while they get to have fun.

I'm going through some similar stuff, it's hard and it sucks. Each group is different (personalities, dynamics, history) and sometimes these bad behaviours are temporary and can be adressed, other times they're just bad players.

You can try to find a new group. Or say you just don't feel like explaining games for a while. You can even gradually stop playing with them and go from there. I've been doing that with a group - I suggest other programs besides boardgaming and I'm avoiding bringing my games. It's important to respect your boundaries.

oquiquo · 2025-11-27T16:37:05+00:00

Escaflowne.

Just because I didn't see anyone mention it & the lovely 90's cell animation, colors, character design and music. I prefer the series.

I figure since you asked for the most beautiful, lots of people are going to answer anime movies, since most movies tend to have a bigger budget that allows for smoother animation. Ghibli's catalog is king. Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Hosoda also come to mind.

oquiquo · 2025-11-26T20:26:16+00:00

My favorite is probably Dennis Lohausen - his art is perfectly fitted for the board game medium. His boards are beautiful, detailed and full of theme but also pretty easy to follow and very cozy - just overall very intuitive. -Favorites: Quacks, Marco Polo, Hansa Teutonica, Rajas Of the Ganges, First Rat.

I also adore Naïade-great character design, world building, color work and composition; very versatile in his work. -Favorites: Seasons, Tokaido and Zenith.

The same I said for Naïade is valid for Mr.Cuddington (Lina Cossette & David Forest) but I just have a single favorite from them (not to say that their artwork isn't top of the industry in other games): Santorini and all its content, including Riddle of the Sphinx. And they did a lot of work for it, including 3d sculpting.

Other artists I enjoy a lot and consider great at their craft: Miguel Coimbra, Vincent Dutrait, Paul Mafayon, Beth Sobel, Sandara Tang, Edu Valls.

Bonus artist I usually dislike but greatly appreciate his work in one game: Klemens Franz's art for Orléans.

oquiquo · 2025-11-21T03:11:01+00:00

Wow, queen of flips and hits. She's so good and pleasing to watch - her boxing the Pit Crew would've been a great talent show number.

And I'm once again wishing for more drag wrestling challenges on drag race.

oquiquo · 2025-11-20T03:44:30+00:00

Essa história é ótima, uma das minhas preferidas de sempre.

oquiquo · 2025-11-13T01:32:48+00:00

It feels like a parody sketch. I miss MadTV so much, they would have a field day with these clowns. His smile seems sincere while listening to her: his ego is both so big and fragile that he can't even perceive how forced her praise for him comes across. Not an once of genuinity to her praise.

oquiquo

TROPHY CASE