Quinns: Perhaps you're aware of a little game called ECLIPSE? It erupted out of Finland two years ago like some dark alien life-form, intent on devouring the world's leisure time.

I am proud to say that I have done battle with this alien (is this analogy working?) and my review has JUST THIS MOMENT gone live on Eurogamer. It starts like this:

"This game was 2012's biggest release, and it couldn't be more deserved. Eclipse's masterstroke was in taking a genre with a portentous appeal - claiming star systems, climbing hand over hand up a grandiose tech tree, engaging in HOT LASER DEATH - and compressing it down into just two hours using the same dark Scandinavian genius that brought us flatpacked Ikea furniture."

...and it continues, using words.

In all seriousness, a lot of people called Eclipse 2012's single biggest release. If you're curious, you should absolutely go and have a little read. And then maybe have a little buy. Alright, a big buy.

But let me tell you- this one is absolutely worth it. Any of you guys tried the expansion?

August, 1942. The Germans begin their deadly assault of the Russian city of Stalingrad.

April, 2013. Team SU&SD assemble to recreate that fateful battle. But with more food. And arguably, more swearing.

The 2-8 player Overlord scenarios for featherweight wargame Memoir '44 are unbelievable fun. To recreate them, you'll need EITHER two copies of Memoir '44, or, as seen here, ONE copy of Memoir '44, ONE copy of the Operation Overlord expansion, and ONE of the official Battle Maps. Got that? Great.

WARNING: No amount of preparation will prepare you for this one.

[Since Mark Wallace's Actual Board Game Journalism went down so well, we've decided he's allowed to stick around. For now.

But he's not out of the woods yet, with his fancy words and professionalism. He has to earn his porridge, potatoes and time above ground, so we dispatched him to review Merchant of Venus, a gorgeous-looking Fantasy Flight remake we've had our eye on for a while. How might he fare... with a review?]

Mark: If you think of yourself as a certain type of freewheeling gamer, you’ll like the sound of an interstellar commerce game that comes complete with spacelane pirates, racial technologies, first contact with far-off cultures, and an alien salesman who needs a lift to the Volois’ system after waking up hungover on the Zums’ delicious chicle liquor.

Yes, you say to yourself, I’m ready to blast off into space! I can’t wait to buy low and sell high! I’ve been searching for a game of “space exploration and interstellar trade for 1-4 players,” as it says on the Merchant of Venus box (which happens to be decorated with some really outstanding art from someone called Alex Aparin). Let’s go!

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The very sixth podcast is here! Click! Click, and be TRANSPORTED to the magical land of widget players, iTunes links and direct downloads.

In this one, we're trying to make the podcast more professional. The result? A regular feature we can't decide on, musical stings we're wielding like cattle prods, and a special guest! Who is Brendan. Sorry.

On the plus side, we're serving up HOT CHATTER about so many new titles! Lords of Waterdeep, Tokaido, City of Remnants, The New Science, Police Precinct, Kingdoms, Netrunner (again), Relic (again), and A La Carte! Which is a cooking game for children from 20 years ago. Sorry.

As you can hear using your ears, we've used lots of the music you guys provided in the comments last time. Evidently, we're not kidding. So please, keep twanging away on your plucking instruments, and post yet more in the comments here. Fame is just a hosted .mp3 away!

Quinns: It's the games news! It can't stop moving or it dies! It has 3000 teeth arranged in sequential rows! It-- no, hang on, that's the great white shark. I always get them mixed up.

Above you'll see a photo of incredible team game Space Cadets, which Brendan and I took a look at back on our old site. Basically, you all control a different station, whether it's engineering, weapons, the helm and so on, and then a farce commences at lightspeed with everyone blaming everybody else.

This week saw the announcement of standalone game Space Cadets: Dice Duel. All the fun of crashing into asteroids in space, but in a team combat game! Oh, baby! But that's just to kick us off. We've also got the game of a Neil Gaiman short story, and the week's most exciting Kickstarters. Ensign, take us forward.

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Introducing the rare SU&SD DOUBLE FEATURE! Commence rejoicing, and insert babies and hats into your triumphant tossing machines.

First up, we've got Quinns reviewing Japanese-designed String Railway. Oooh, it's an irritatingly clever one that we're big fans of. THEN you'll all be able to enjoy the inaugral Board Gaming with Brendan. Which is... it... it's something you can watch.

Enjoy, people!

Quinns' latest Kotaku column is up! Our boy's talking about the joy of games-as-physical-objects, with nods to Netrunner, Tzolk'in, Memoir '44, String Railway and SO much more. Look at him go!

"Last weekend we played the epic WW2 swear-a-thon that is Memoir '44: Overlord, but my friend also brought two backpacks of his girlfriend's military equipment. We played wearing wobbly helmets and camo trousers of impossible size. Why? Because it was funny, mostly, but also because when you augment a game's components to such a ridiculous extent, you can't help but share something, and remember that game for the rest of your lives."

Has anyone else noticed that there's a power to this hobby? Quinns has, and he won't rest until he knows what he's talking about. Go read, people!

(After the SU&SD primer on wargames earlier this month, Brendan's refusing to go back to Matt Thrower's house, which is strange. He seems very nice. This time we sent Paul to visit, for a closer look at an adorable little entry wargame.)

Thrower: Do come in. You may leave your shoes on if you wish. I lost a caltrop earlier.

Paul: Thank you so much for the dinner invite! It smells delicious.

Thrower: You’re welcome. Some of my oldest survival rations were beginning to moulder.

Paul: I... oh. What’s that box, there, buried under the camouflage netting? Wait, why is there camouflage netting in your kitchen?

Thrower: I’m glad you asked about the box. That’s my newest game, The Last King of Scotland. I was hoping we might play while dinner finished.

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