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(Rules only, have not played): Fun design! I like its simplicity and the way it combines dice rolls, card value, and suit abilities- a nice twist on Rock, Paper, Scissors. I like the versatility of gold- it creates focal points on the board. I do wonder how much turtling could occur and if there is enough to do on your turn- as a skirmish game it arguably doesn't need much more, but I think one or two more options might be welcome. I also wonder about the roll and move aspect, though I appreciate the attempt to soften a 1 result. 

(Rules read and played once): I still think this game is cool. I love the theming, I love that the game gives you a few options beyond just "roll the dice." I love that the design includes difficulty levels. I think it produces a lot of great "ARGHH" moments when your strongest townie fails to perform at the level you needed them to. Of course, the core of the design is output randomness, so you have to have a decent tolerance for that. I do, so I had a lot of fun with this one- it's fairly simple but feels complete and highly polished. 

(Rules only- have not played): Wow, another really tight-sounding design. I love the flexibility the players have in placing workers (want to place on that card again? then place more cubes!)- a good twist on the usual blocking that occurs in the genre. I feel like keeping track of suit points might get a bit hairy but perhaps the numbers don't get that high. It definitely captures that feel of "I want to do THIS many things but I only have time to do THIS MINUS THREE of them" that I love in worker placement. I would love to try this one. 

(Rules only- have not played): This seems very sharp. The theme is unique, though I must admit it doesn't excite. However, it DOES connect well with the mechanics- bidding for contractors that are right for the upcoming job, choosing how long to keep them on contract, etc. All of those seem like tough, exciting decisions, and of course bidding is a great choice mechanically because it allows the players to balance the game for you in a way. This is a tight, appealing design. 

(Rules only- not played yet): Gosh I love this. I'm not even an RPG guy necessarily, but the theme just shines for me. I love Doomtown so using modified Poker as a resolution is familiar but still well-chosen and well-connected to the world of the game. The "suit as class" mechanics seem powerful and exciting, not to mention the connections to each suit feel intuitive to remember (Club as muscle, Diamond as mind, etc). I am so impressed by how fully realized this seems. 

(Rules only- have not played): As someone who barely tolerates poker but loves big robots, this one is deep in my wheelhouse. The design looks fun and manages to keep a surprisingly large amount of what I love about mechs while maintaining that hand-building poker resolution. Without playing I can't speak to balance, but reading the rules made me wonder if there was a part that was key to success (a high defense might still lose to a lucky die roll, which suggests pilot or speed is a better choice) as well as wonder if there was a viable "never spend a cube" strategy (which could be problematic, given that cubes are the measure of success). I also wonder if there could be more targeting (since you are building a hand from your mech, targeting specific cards rather than leaving it to chance seems like it could be a cool choice, particularly if it was harder to "call your shot"- a fun risk-reward possibility).  

(Rules only- have not played): This design has strong Button Men vibes, which I love. I always like games that allow players some control over when the game ends. Lovely rules doc too. All in all- I could totally see this one being a great bar game or opener/filler between longer games. It seems a very fun puzzle. 

(rules only- have not played yet): This theme cracks me up, and the gameplay in my head reminds me pleasantly of Black Sonata while having very different mechanics. Even though the theme is so fun I feel like some of the things player can do don't EXACTLY match up as well (am I beating up witnesses?). Still, this one feels like a solo puzzle I would REALLY enjoy playing, and I can very easily imagine myself finishing one game and immediately going back in to try and get closer to solving it. 

(Rules only- have not played yet): I really love this theme, and even though it is abstracted I can picture the sliders going up and down as I try to get the mix right- surprisingly thematic for me. I also like that players have some control over when the game ends as well as some interaction with each other in terms of activating/deactivating suits. I'd really like to play this one! 

(Based on rules alone- have not played): I really like the way this design leans into the component limitations; making a potential hindrance a key strategic consideration is smart design and it definitely makes me want to play the game. I'm a bit unclear as to why someone would pass and what exactly happens if they do (I assume that you keep the card and choosing to roll is more about scoring than "keeping") and I wonder if having no control over the outcome of the die rolls might eventually put me off the game, but for now I think this seems like a very clever, tense push-your-luck game.