Alex Swift

I'm a board game reviewer and storyteller for The Outerhaven, blending sharp analysis with a love for immersive tabletop worlds. When not dissecting rulebooks or testing new mechanics, I teach my kids the fine art of strategic betrayal in tabletop and meeple form.
The Outerhaven •

Magic: The Gathering | Lorwyn Eclipsed – Preview

Wizards of the Coast has officially pulled back the curtain on Magic: The Gathering | Lorwyn Eclipsed, with a full debut revealed today ahead of the set’s global release on January 23, 2026.
If you’ve been waiting for Magic to revisit one of its most beloved and mechanically distinctive planes, this is the moment. Lorwyn Eclipsed brings players back to the shifting world of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor, where sunlight and moonlight aren’t just flavor, they fundamentally reshape the creatures, strategie...
The Outerhaven •

Cyberpunk 2077 TCG in Development: Here’s Everything We Know So Far

The world of Night City is getting louder again – this time without a console, controller, or expansion pack attached. According to multiple industry sources and a trail of quietly updated trademarks, a Cyberpunk 2077 trading card game is officially in development.
Yep. A full TCG. Night City, but in cardboard form. And honestly? It makes way too much sense.

CD Projekt RED hasn’t made a formal announcement (yet), but the signs have been flashing like a Tyger Claws billboard at 3AM:
Trademark up...
The Outerhaven •

Wizards of the Coast Reveals First Look at Magic: The Gathering - Marvel Super Heroes

Renton, WA – December 9, 2025 – Wizards of the Coast has pulled back the curtain on one of its biggest collaborations ever, giving fans their first glimpse at Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes ahead of its 2026 worldwide release. Shared during a global livestream, the reveal showcased an ambitious crossover set merging two titanic fandoms: the strategic depth of Magic and the iconic characters of the Marvel Universe.
And yes-The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The Thunderbolts*, Doctor Do...
The Outerhaven •

Altered TCG Review – A Fresh, Vibrant Adventure in the TCG World

Altered is one of the rare trading card games that doesn’t just tweak familiar formulas – it rebuilds them into something smoother, brighter, and genuinely refreshing. Created by Régis Bonnessée (the mind behind Dixit, Mysterium, Seasons, and Dice Forge) and developed at his French studio Equinox, Altered arrives with the backing of Asmodee, meaning this isn’t some experimental boutique TCG destined to vanish in a year.
It plays like a whimsical fantasy adventure, looks like a storybook come ali...
The Outerhaven •

Dragon Eclipse Review - A Co-Op Adventure Forged in Fire and Moonlight

Dragon Eclipse doesn’t posture or play coy. You open the box, and it immediately feels like an Awaken Realms title with a lighter heart: clean production, sharp art direction, well-sculpted Mystling minis, and a layout that says “set this up and play – you won’t be fighting with inserts for 20 minutes.”

What stands out first isn’t size or density, but intention. This is a compact 1–2 player game built around exploration, tactical combat, and a creature-taming system that feels familiar in the b...
The Outerhaven •

Bestiary App Brings Fresh Hunts to The Witcher: Old World

Go On Board has officially released Bestiary, a free mobile companion app that expands the gameplay of The Witcher: Old World. Available now on Google Play and the App Store, this new digital tool adds story flavor, tactical depth, and audio-driven immersion to the best-selling Witcher board game – all without charging players a single oren.

Bestiary arrives five years after the original crowdfunding campaign, proving that Go On Board is still committed to growing the game long after its retail...
The Outerhaven •

Let AI Review Their Own Games: Why the Gaming Industry Needs Humans More Than Ever

AI didn’t kill gaming.
Publishers did – by trying to replace half their studios with chatbots that can’t even land a punchline.
We’re in the middle of the weirdest transition gaming has ever seen: massive layoffs, skyrocketing budgets, and executives chanting “AI will solve everything” like it’s going to cook dinner and tuck the kids in, too.
But here’s a punchline:
After firing the artists, writers, and QA testers, studios are now asking AI to review the games they made with AI. Or allowing rev...
The Outerhaven •

The Top Board Games to Play (or Gift) This Holiday Season

From cozy family classics to table-devouring epics, here’s what belongs under the tree – and what’s coming next year to keep on your radar. Below are some of my favorites, I have many more so it was hard to narrow down a list.
The board-gaming world has been on a tear lately. 2025 is stacked, your shelves are crying for mercy, and publishers really want you to “accidentally” buy three games instead of one (which I do, need all the expansions). So here’s a curated list: the absolute standouts to...
The Outerhaven •

Riftbound Review – A Tactical TCG Where Champions Define the Battlefield

Riftbound doesn’t pretend to reinvent the collectible card game – instead, it sharpens the blade.
This is a Champion-driven, battlefield-control TCG where positioning matters just as much as what you play.

If you’re coming from League of Legends or Arcane, the tone will feel familiar: defined Champions, aggressive tempo swings, and a combat system where the smallest misstep can cost you the lane – or in this case, the Battlefield.
But Riftbound isn’t a reskin of any existing IP. It stands clean...
The Outerhaven •

The Price of Perfection: Is Deluxe Gaming Killing Accessibility?

It starts the same way for most of us: you open a new deluxe board game, admire the velvet-smooth insert, lift a piece of metal coinwork that gleams like treasure – then check the receipt and mutter, “Wait… I paid how much for this?”
Board gaming has always been a hobby, but lately, it’s starting to feel like a luxury sport with the deluxe gaming aspect.
Every publisher seems to be chasing the next big deluxe edition – polished metal coins, dual-layer boards, stitched neoprene mats, collector’s...
The Outerhaven •

Everdell: Silverfrost Review - The Frost Never Felt So Warm

Journey south past the Spirecrest Mountains, and you’ll find Silverfrost – a land where winter never fades and the woodland critters of Everdell have learned to build warmth from within. Everdell: Silverfrost is a standalone game set in the same lush universe, offering the same cozy charm and strategic heartbeat as the original – only now with snow on its whiskers and a fire burning in every burrow.
Publisher: Starling Games
Designer: James & Clarissa A. Wilson
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 30-120 minu...
The Outerhaven •

The Strategy Renaissance: Why Board Games Are Outsmarting Video Games

As the world spins deeper into the digital age, one medium quietly resists the tide of data. For many, putting down the silicon addiction and rejoining the analog feels impossible – but you’d be surprised how thrilling it is to roll dice instead of scroll feeds. All it takes is one game to rekindle the spark, and that spark is spreading fast. The return to tactile, face-to-face play isn’t nostalgia – it’s evolution.
One board. Five friends. Zero save files.
Screens are everywhere – phones, PCs,...
The Outerhaven •

The Nemesis Trilogy – The Fear That Redefined Tabletop Horror

Before Nemesis, Horror Was Scary. After Nemesis, It Was Survival.
When Nemesis first launched in 2018, it didn’t just join the horror genre – it set a new standard for tabletop games.
Board games had flirted with fear before (Betrayal at House on the Hill, Arkham Horror, Dead of Winter), but Nemesis did something rare: it made dread mechanical. Every turn carried a consequence. Every noise token felt like a heartbeat. You weren’t watching a horror movie – you were inside one. And if you step too...
The Outerhaven •

Nemesis: Retaliation Review - The Dark Side Of Mars

Seven years after the first scream echoed through the Nemesis, the survivors have stopped running. This time, we’re not drifting in space or trapped on Mars – we’re bringing the fight to the nightmare. Nemesis: Retaliation closes the trilogy not with a whisper of terror, but with the roar of a squad kicking in the hatch, rifles drawn, hearts pounding.
For a franchise built on paranoia and panic, it’s almost poetic: fear has evolved into fury. You can smell the gun powder, feel the tension in the...
The Outerhaven •

Nemesis: Lockdown Review - The Dark Side Of Mars

If Nemesis is Alien, Nemesis: Lockdown is Alien 3: louder, meaner, and both confined to a facility on a planet with no visible way out.
You’re not drifting through space anymore – you’re trapped underground on Mars, surrounded by power failures, strange noises, and teammates who keep insisting they’re “definitely not infected”. It’s the familiar dread with a new flavor: claustrophobic isolation in the dark.
Publisher: Awaken Realms
Designer: Adam Kwapiński
Players: 1-5
Playtime: 150-240 minutes...
The Outerhaven •

Nemesis (2018) Review – Terror in the Void of Space

You wake up from cryo sleep. The lights are flickering. Someone’s already dead. Something’s moving in the vents, that’s definitely not the ship, and it’s getting louder. Nemesis doesn’t just want you to survive, it wants you to panic. Awaken Realms’ 2018 massive hit perfectly fused cinematic tension with brutal semi-cooperative gameplay, turning every session into your own unscripted Alien movie where something is in the ship with you, trust is optional and betrayal is inevitable.
Publisher: Awa...
The Outerhaven •

Gloomhaven Review – The Dungeon-Crawler That Redefined the Genre

Gloomhaven isn’t just a board game – it’s a lifestyle choice. Once you open that 20lbs box, you’re committing to a sprawling saga of tactical combat, moral decisions, and an evolving world that reacts to your every victory and your every mistake. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for those willing to dive in, it’s an unforgettable experience.
Title: Gloomhaven
Publisher: Cephalofair Games
Designer: Isaac Childres
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 30-120 minutes per scenario
Genre: Tactical dungeon-crawl...
The Outerhaven •

The Witcher: Old World Review – Become a Witcher andHunt Monsters in the Old World. | The Outerhaven

The Witcher: Old World isn’t Geralt’s story – it’s yours. It’s the smell of mead, steel, and monster guts on the table, where five witcher schools chase coin, trophies, and scars. You’ll need to train well and stock up on potions if you’re going to survive.
Title: The Witcher: Old World
Publisher: Go On Board, CD Projekt Red
Designer: Lukasz Wozniak
Players: 1-5
Playtime: 90-150 (Pretty accurate)
Genre: Thematic, Deck Builder
Release: 2023

Running the Continent
Each player will take on the role...
The Outerhaven •

Scythe Review – A Masterpiece of Art and Mechanics | The Outerhaven

When people talk about modern classics, Scythe always comes up – and for good reason. Designed by Jamey Stegmaier and brought to life through Jakub Rozalski’s incredible artwork, Scythe blends gorgeous visuals with deep, rewarding strategy. It’s part Eurogame, part alternate-history dieselpunk adventure, and somehow manages to make giant mechs and quiet farming villages feel like they belong in the same world.
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Designer: Jamey Stegmaier
Players: 1–5 or 7 with expansion...
The Outerhaven •

Everdell: The Complete Collection Review – Not Just A Board Game But A Table-Devouring Ecosystem Of Cardboard Beauty. | The Outerhaven

Everdell is the Mona Lisa of cozy board games – if the Mona Lisa came with resin, berries, and a pigeon running a post office. Since its 2018 debut, Everdell has grown through a forest’s worth of expansions: Pearlbrook 2019, Spirecrest and Bellfaire in 2020, and the releases of Newleaf and Mistwood in 2022, all finally gathered together in The Complete Collection of 2022.
Publisher: Starling Games
Designer: James A. Wilson
Players: 1-6 (Ideally 3 for base game and 4-5 for expansions)
Playtime: 4...