Colin Brandt 🔜 PAX Unplugged
@cbgames.bsky.social
🎲✂️ Game Designer in the PNW
🎨🖥️ Product Designer at Microsoft
https://boardgamegeek.com/user/colinbrandt
🎨🖥️ Product Designer at Microsoft
https://boardgamegeek.com/user/colinbrandt
🎲✂️ I’ll be handing out some business cards at PAX Unplugged, featuring a roll-and-write game where you’re a game designer racing against the clock. Let me know if you want one (or just want to meet up and play games)! #PAXU
November 17, 2025 at 9:38 PM
🎲✂️ I’ll be handing out some business cards at PAX Unplugged, featuring a roll-and-write game where you’re a game designer racing against the clock. Let me know if you want one (or just want to meet up and play games)! #PAXU
First time playing the physical version of Root last night! I was the Keepers in Iron (badgers). I found the relic retrieval mechanism pretty fun, although I struggled to expand too much beyond my initial starting area. The crows had a runaway victory as their plot tokens were unchecked for too long
June 17, 2025 at 5:12 PM
First time playing the physical version of Root last night! I was the Keepers in Iron (badgers). I found the relic retrieval mechanism pretty fun, although I struggled to expand too much beyond my initial starting area. The crows had a runaway victory as their plot tokens were unchecked for too long
Pretty excited about these 3D-printed pika pawns for my prototype! 🎲✂️
June 3, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Pretty excited about these 3D-printed pika pawns for my prototype! 🎲✂️
Glad I got to try out Isle of Cats, which has an interesting game flow with its card drafting and polyomino tile placement. I like the variety of goals you accrue throughout the game, which keeps the strategies pretty fresh all the way to the end.
May 14, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Glad I got to try out Isle of Cats, which has an interesting game flow with its card drafting and polyomino tile placement. I like the variety of goals you accrue throughout the game, which keeps the strategies pretty fresh all the way to the end.
For those interested, here's the original sell sheet I sent to publishers for Search for a Giant Squid, which just shipped via MindWare.
🎲✂️
🎲✂️
April 12, 2025 at 4:58 AM
For those interested, here's the original sell sheet I sent to publishers for Search for a Giant Squid, which just shipped via MindWare.
🎲✂️
🎲✂️
Just got 5 copies of my first published board game! Super excited to check out the finishee product.
🎲✂️
🎲✂️
April 11, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Just got 5 copies of my first published board game! Super excited to check out the finishee product.
🎲✂️
🎲✂️
The hype is real—finally played Arcs, and it did not disappoint! The gameplay feels very unique, while still being fairly easy to grasp on a first playthrough. I particularly love the constraints within which you need to strategize each turn.
April 1, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The hype is real—finally played Arcs, and it did not disappoint! The gameplay feels very unique, while still being fairly easy to grasp on a first playthrough. I particularly love the constraints within which you need to strategize each turn.
Here’s a proper pic of one of the player mats.
March 30, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Here’s a proper pic of one of the player mats.
Solo 4-player playtest of my prototype Pika Peak. Trying to iron out some details before my next playtest with others, and I think it’s getting close! 🎲✂️
March 30, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Solo 4-player playtest of my prototype Pika Peak. Trying to iron out some details before my next playtest with others, and I think it’s getting close! 🎲✂️
Played some Thunder Road last night—amazing components and presentation, but I did find it a bit unforgiving. Vehicles were blowing up left and right, which is very on-theme and fitting, but I felt like the experience would have been better w a few less lethal hazards.
March 26, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Played some Thunder Road last night—amazing components and presentation, but I did find it a bit unforgiving. Vehicles were blowing up left and right, which is very on-theme and fitting, but I felt like the experience would have been better w a few less lethal hazards.
Foundations of Rome has some incredibly satisfying components. It’s an intimidating-looking game that is actually very streamlined and easy to learn—can’t wait to play it again!
March 22, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Foundations of Rome has some incredibly satisfying components. It’s an intimidating-looking game that is actually very streamlined and easy to learn—can’t wait to play it again!
Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate last night—happy to report that we defeated the traitor! It was interesting how long it took us to start the haunt. I’d say 70% of the game was pre-haunt, exploring and increasing stats.
March 11, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate last night—happy to report that we defeated the traitor! It was interesting how long it took us to start the haunt. I’d say 70% of the game was pre-haunt, exploring and increasing stats.
First game of Everdell last night - I enjoyed it, but we weren’t able to finish the game. Excited to play again with a better grasp of the card combos.
March 4, 2025 at 10:14 PM
First game of Everdell last night - I enjoyed it, but we weren’t able to finish the game. Excited to play again with a better grasp of the card combos.
Scored 30☀️ in my first solo playthrough of @zakeidsvoog.bsky.social’s Confusing Lands—which I really enjoyed. Each turn is a meaty decision that feels very rewarding, the artwork is amazing, the rules are clear and concise, and the solo variant is great. What more could you want? Thanks, Zak!
March 2, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Scored 30☀️ in my first solo playthrough of @zakeidsvoog.bsky.social’s Confusing Lands—which I really enjoyed. Each turn is a meaty decision that feels very rewarding, the artwork is amazing, the rules are clear and concise, and the solo variant is great. What more could you want? Thanks, Zak!
Lost by just 3 points in Junk Orbit! First time playing - I really enjoyed the game. It felt so satisfying to jettison junk in one direction, achieve a remote delivery, then travel in the opposite direction to make a different delivery.
February 11, 2025 at 5:33 AM
Lost by just 3 points in Junk Orbit! First time playing - I really enjoyed the game. It felt so satisfying to jettison junk in one direction, achieve a remote delivery, then travel in the opposite direction to make a different delivery.
Started this spreadsheet for tracking tabletop projects, and it makes me happy
February 8, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Started this spreadsheet for tracking tabletop projects, and it makes me happy
After we dominated the easy mode of Flash Point, we got completely destroyed in the harder mode. Explosions everywhere, blowing out walls and indiscriminately killing people and animals. It’s pretty fun to lose at a co-op game and think through how you could improve as a team.
January 7, 2025 at 5:37 PM
After we dominated the easy mode of Flash Point, we got completely destroyed in the harder mode. Explosions everywhere, blowing out walls and indiscriminately killing people and animals. It’s pretty fun to lose at a co-op game and think through how you could improve as a team.
I do love that feeling when my brain is being pushed to its limits trying to solve a juicy tabletop problem – first time playing The Search for Planet X.
December 31, 2024 at 5:21 PM
I do love that feeling when my brain is being pushed to its limits trying to solve a juicy tabletop problem – first time playing The Search for Planet X.
Got last place in Architects of the West Kingdom last night, but it was still a great time! It’s interesting how the absence of a score track (compared to Raiders of the North Sea) obscures who is leading and prevents players from teaming up against 1st place.
#tabletopgames #boardgames
#tabletopgames #boardgames
December 17, 2024 at 5:28 PM
Got last place in Architects of the West Kingdom last night, but it was still a great time! It’s interesting how the absence of a score track (compared to Raiders of the North Sea) obscures who is leading and prevents players from teaming up against 1st place.
#tabletopgames #boardgames
#tabletopgames #boardgames
Raiders of the North Sea last night - really love the character illustrations. Great worker placement game where each decision has a surprising number of implications. #boardgames #tabletopgames
December 12, 2024 at 7:33 PM
Raiders of the North Sea last night - really love the character illustrations. Great worker placement game where each decision has a surprising number of implications. #boardgames #tabletopgames
December 4, 2024 at 7:08 PM
First playthrough of Wasabi! w the local game group. Really fun components like these wasabi dishes, and also enjoyed how much indirect player interaction there was.
November 26, 2024 at 9:52 PM
First playthrough of Wasabi! w the local game group. Really fun components like these wasabi dishes, and also enjoyed how much indirect player interaction there was.
Did my first solo playtest of a physical prototype the other day - it’s a game about pikas, which are adorable creatures that collect plants to prepare for the winter. I think it works! Excited to playtest more after ironing some things out.
November 20, 2024 at 1:32 AM
Did my first solo playtest of a physical prototype the other day - it’s a game about pikas, which are adorable creatures that collect plants to prepare for the winter. I think it works! Excited to playtest more after ironing some things out.
Just played Fit to Print by @peterlmcpherson.bsky.social and @flatoutgames.bsky.social! Besides having the absolute best name that combines the theme and main game mechanism in one concise phrase, it’s a great game with beautiful components and tense gameplay.
#tabletop #boardgames
#tabletop #boardgames
November 18, 2024 at 7:48 PM
Just played Fit to Print by @peterlmcpherson.bsky.social and @flatoutgames.bsky.social! Besides having the absolute best name that combines the theme and main game mechanism in one concise phrase, it’s a great game with beautiful components and tense gameplay.
#tabletop #boardgames
#tabletop #boardgames
Finally played Earth with the local game group recently. I went all-in on fungi and unfortunately did not win, but it was fun! Lots of things to keep track of, would definitely play again.
#tabletop #boardgames
#tabletop #boardgames
November 18, 2024 at 7:43 PM
Finally played Earth with the local game group recently. I went all-in on fungi and unfortunately did not win, but it was fun! Lots of things to keep track of, would definitely play again.
#tabletop #boardgames
#tabletop #boardgames