Imperial Miners on Marta's BG Corner

March 2026 Plays

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

March was a really good month for board games, 15 plays across 10 games, two of them brand new to me, spread between home and a lovely local board game café. Let me take you through the highlights!

March 2026 by the Numbers

15 plays (compared to 13 in February 🎉)
10 different games
2 new-to-me games
Most played: Dice Throne Adventures (4 plays)

March 2026 in numbers

New Games Discovered

Dice Throne Adventures

Designed by Gavan Brown, Nate Chatellier, and Manny Trembley, published by Roxley.

The star of the month with 4 plays! Dice Throne Adventures is a cooperative campaign expansion for the Dice Throne universe, playable solo or with up to 4 players. The campaign has 6 chapters in total, alternating between three exploration chapters and three boss combat chapters. I’m currently halfway through, with Chapters 1 and 2 completed, two plays each, and already in love with it.

I have terrible luck with dice but Dice Throne Adventures gives you so many ways to manipulate your rolls that you never feel completely at their mercy. The adventure side adds a wonderful discovery element, and the rhythm between exploration and combat keeps things fresh. I’m playing solo with the Barbarian, and the game is challenging without feeling unfair, that sweet spot that makes you want to keep going. Can’t wait to see what the next chapters bring!

If you’re already a fan of Dice Throne, this is the expansion you need.

Dice Throne Adventures

Alhambra

Designed by Dirk Henn, published by Queen Games.

The other new game this month, and what a wonderful surprise! My partner and I tried it at a warm, cosy little board game café, the kind of place that feels like a perfect escape. We had no idea what to expect about the game.

What immediately won us over was how easy it was to get into: the rules clicked quickly and we were playing confidently within minutes. I had heard of Alhambra before but never watched a playthrough, so everything unfolded naturally as we discovered it together. We only managed one game before time ran out, but we are definitely going back for more. The puzzle of fitting your palace pieces together, combined with the point management pressure as the game progresses, is just fantastic. And it works really well at 2 players!

Alhambra

Games I Continued Exploring

Dawn of the Zeds

Designed by Hermann Luttmann, published by Victory Point Games.

Dawn of the Zeds is a 1–2 player tower defence game, and it is ruthless, in the best possible way. You play a group of ordinary citizens trying to hold back waves of zombies from reaching the town centre. If even one Zed gets through, it’s game over.

I played at the Outbreak difficulty level, and it is already quite hard, and I haven’t won a single game yet. But honestly? I don’t mind at all. There is something deeply cinematic about this game, every play feels like surviving the opening act of a disaster film, where things go wrong in the most plausible, horrible ways. The dice rolls are brutal, the events are relentless, and your characters feel appropriately fragile. I love everything about it except my dice luck!

Fair warning: this is not a game for players who shy away from rules. The rulebook is split across several levels of increasing complexity, and even at Outbreak level there are plenty of small details to keep track of. It gets smoother with plays, but it does ask something of you. Absolutely worth it.

Dawn of the Zeds

Viticulture

Designed by Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone, published by Stonemaier Games.

Viticulture is a game that I love. I played twice and managed to win one of the two games, but it was incredibly tight. On the last round I had to count every single point I could possibly gain before committing to my actions. A narrow win, but so satisfying precisely because of that!

I enjoy the balance between summer and winter, and the constant question of how to deploy your workers across both seasons: should I use this worker now in winter, or hold it for a summer action I might need more? With so few workers and so much to do, every placement decision carries real weight. If the winemaking theme has ever put you off, I’d encourage you to look past it, the design underneath is really beautiful.

I still want to try the challenges included with the base game, where you play eight games under different conditions and compare your results. That is firmly on my to-do list!

Viticulture

Aquatica

Designed by Ivan Tuzovsky, published by Cosmodrome Games.

I’ve already written a full review of Aquatica, you can read it here. It was great to revisit it this month. Sliding ocean cards under your board as you explore the depths remains one of the most satisfying mechanics I’ve encountered. Still a gem.

Aquatica

Legacy of Yu

Designed by Shem Phillips, published by Garphill Games.

A pure solo campaign game about constructing canals to hold back the floods threatening an ancient corner of China. Between managing construction, fending off barbarians, and racing against the ever-rising waters, there is a lot to juggle, and I am almost at the end of the campaign now! One of my favourite things is unveiling the story paragraphs as you progress and discovering the surprises waiting for you.

This month also gave me a good laugh at my own expense. I started one session and thought, hmm, this feels suspiciously easy. Something was off. Sure enough, I had completely forgotten to pay the provisions needed to fight the barbarians. That one small detail changed everything: the moment I started a fresh game correctly, the difficulty jumped right back up where it belongs. I had been suspecting something was wrong the whole time! 😅 The deck-building component woven through the whole game is genuinely clever and keeps things fresh even deep into the campaign.

Legacy of Yu

Imperial Miners

Designed by Tim Armstrong, published by Portal Games.

Another game I’ve already reviewed, you can find it here. Imperial Miners is all about building your mine card by card, finding clever combos, and enjoying some of the most charming illustrations in my collection. Always satisfying.

Imperial Miners

Coffee Roaster

Designed by Sung-Soo Choi, published by Sit Down! Games.

Coffee Roaster is a solo bag-building game about doing one thing perfectly: making the ideal cup of coffee. You start with raw beans, roast them across a series of rounds at increasing temperatures, and try to find the right moment to stop, because over-roasted beans will ruin your cup just as surely as under-roasted ones.

When you’re ready, you move into the brewing phase: you draw tokens from the bag one by one and decide whether to keep them in your cup or discard them. The final balance of values determines how good your coffee is. It’s tense, it’s fun, and it’s a perfect example of Push Your Luck done right. Will you squeeze in one more roasting phase and risk the bag, or play it safe with what you have? Best enjoyed with an actual cup of coffee beside you.

Coffee Roaster

Other Notable Games

March also brought some welcome time with two more games from the Oniverse series.

Sylvion and Castellion are honestly not my favourites from the collection, but that’s starting to change. After several plays I’m beginning to see the strategies, and I’m genuinely enjoying both more than I did at first. In Sylvion you protect your forest from a devastating fire; in Castellion you build up the defences of a city under siege. They’ll be getting more table time!

Sylvion

Castellion

Looking Ahead

April is shaping up nicely already. I want to continue the Dice Throne Adventures campaign and see what the next chapters bring. I also have a new acquisition I’m very excited about, Fromage, and I’d love to get it to the table soon. And more Viticulture is definitely on the plan. Wine and cheese: a perfect pairing on and off the table!

What About You?

Have you played any of these games this month? I’d love to know, especially if you’ve made it through a full Dice Throne Adventures campaign or found the secret to surviving Dawn of the Zeds! Come share your thoughts on Mastodon.

Imperial Miners – The Little Mine That Delivers

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

Today I’m bringing you a small family game where we get to step into the boots of dwarf miners. Imperial Miners is a light and satisfying tableau builder that surprised me with how much fun it packs into such a compact experience.

Game Overview

Imperial Miners is a 2023 release for 1–5 players, ages 10+, with a playtime of 30–60 minutes. It was designed by Tim Armstrong and illustrated by Hanna Kuik, and published by Portal Games. The French version is published by Iello.

Imperial Miners box

Theme

In Imperial Miners, we are building our own civilization of dwarf miners, mine by mine, floor by floor. Six unique factions, Scots, Barbarians, Egyptians, Japanese, Atlanteans, and Romans, are all competing to explore the underground treasures hiding beneath the surface. Each faction has its own personality and playstyle, and your goal is to dig as deep as possible, create the best combos, and collect the most Victory Points.

If the setting feels familiar, it’s because Imperial Miners is part of the Imperial Settlers universe, a world you may already know from Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North. More on that later!

How to Win

The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins. Points are gained throughout the game as you activate your mine chambers, and additional points come from completed carts scattered across your mine. The deeper and better connected your mine, the more points you can squeeze out of each round. In solo mode, you compare your final score against an achievement table, from humble Digger all the way to the coveted Underground King. It’s a small touch, but having a title to chase adds a surprising amount of motivation!

Gameplay

The game plays out over 10 rounds, each made up of two phases: the Event phase and the Mine phase.

At the start of each round, one player draws an Event card, which all players must resolve. Events come in three flavours: immediate effects that kick in right away, feature effects that modify what happens during the Mine phase, and end-of-round effects resolved after everyone has played.

Then comes the Mine phase, where all players act simultaneously. You reveal a card from your hand, pay its cost, and place it into your mine. Your mine is built downward from your Surface board, Level 1 cards go directly below the surface, Level 2 below those, and so on down to Level 4. Cards are placed offset, like a wall, so each card can connect to up to two cards above it and two below.

The fun really starts with the chain reaction: when you place a card, you activate it and then cascade upward, activating one connected card per level until you reach the Surface board, where you choose one of three available actions. The deeper your mine, the longer and more rewarding the chain! And here’s a little detail I really appreciated: some cards have effects that trigger based on what you’re holding in your hand, adding a subtle extra layer to how you manage your cards turn to turn.

Alongside your mine, three progress tracks are in play each game, chosen randomly from six double-sided boards. Using actions from your mine chambers, you advance a marker along one track at a time, but you can only move forward, and when you finish a track you must switch to a new one. Each track offers a different strategic focus, so the combination in play shapes your options every game.

Imperial Miners setup

Components

Imperial Miners comes in a standard sized box. The bulk of the contents is a large deck of mine cards covering all four levels, plus a smaller event deck. You’ll also find several double-sided progress boards, one surface board per player in different colours, and a good variety of cardboard tokens, coins, victory point gems, machines, collapses, and cart markers. The tokens are of medium thickness, not the chunkiest you’ll find, but perfectly functional and good enough for the price point. The artwork on the cards is charming and funny, with each faction bringing its own cultural flavour to life, from the battle-hungry Barbarians to the mysterious Egyptians. It gives the game a lot of personality.

Imperial Miners components

Solo Mode

Imperial Miners plays identically solo, since there’s no interaction between players at any count, it is essentially a solo game at heart. After 10 rounds, you compare your Victory Points to the achievement table:

Score	Achievement
<35	Digger
35–45	Underground Laborer
46–55	Adept Miner
56–60	Underground Engineer
61–65	Veteran Miner
65+	Underground King

Chasing a better title is a great motivation to replay!

Replayability

Despite the event deck feeling a little thin after many plays, Imperial Miners has solid replayability. The three progress boards in play are chosen randomly each game, which changes the strategic focus every time. But more than that, I’ve noticed that each play makes you think a little differently, you start combining cards more deliberately, planning your chain reactions further ahead, and squeezing more out of every turn. There’s a real sense of getting better at the game. You can enjoy many great sessions solo or with the family before it starts to feel like you’ve seen it all.

End of Game

My Experience

I’ve played Imperial Miners a couple of times, always solo. It’s one of those games that clicks quickly, the rules are easy to grasp, and within a turn or two you’re already planning your next combo. The chain reactions when placing a card are genuinely satisfying, and I found myself thinking more carefully about card placement than I expected from such a light game. The progress tracks add a nice layer of tension too, do you climb all the way to the top and only collect the bonus on that final space, or stop earlier and grab a smaller reward now? Every step is a little negotiation with yourself. 😅

My Rating

Note: 8 out of 10

Imperial Miners is a lovely, breezy tableau builder that delivers a satisfying experience in a short time. The main reason it doesn’t score higher is that the event deck only uses 10 of the 18 cards each game, which helps with variety, but the pool still feels a bit limited after several plays and the game can start to feel familiar. That said, for what it is, a light, fun, combo-driven game perfect for solo sessions, it delivers very well.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a quick, accessible game that still rewards thoughtful play, Imperial Miners is a great pick. It’s approachable enough for families and casual players, but has enough depth in the combos and track management to keep hobbyists engaged. Don’t expect deep strategy or player interaction, just settle in for a satisfying little puzzle, round after round.

If you already own Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North, you’ll feel right at home in this world. Empires of the North is deeper, more complex, and offers significantly more variability, but Imperial Miners is a wonderful entry point into the universe. It’s easier to teach, faster to play, and perfect for family sessions. Once everyone is comfortable with Imperial Miners, Empires of the North is a natural next step.

Imperial Miners

Your Turn

Have you played Imperial Miners or any other game in the Imperial Settlers universe? I’d love to hear how deep your mine went! Come share your thoughts on Mastodon.

Videos

Imperial Miners - How To Play - How to play by Watched it Played
Imperial Miners - Straight Up Solo with John LaRuffa - Great solo playthrough

February 2026 Plays

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

February was a short month, but I managed to make some room to do what I really love — playing board games!

Let’s take a look at how it went.

February 2026 by the Numbers

13 plays (compared to 11 in January 🎉)
7 different games
3 new-to-me games
Most played: Proving Grounds and Harmonies (3 plays each)

February 2026 plays

Proving Grounds

Designed by Kane Klenko, published by Renegade Game Studios.

In this game, we play as Maia Strongheart, daughter of the Sun Queen, who has been accused of murdering her. To prove her innocence and reclaim her birthright, Maia must fight in the arena against waves of enemies.

This is a fully solo game where dice are at the heart of everything. It also comes with a companion app that provides both the soundtrack and a timer, and trust me, that combination does things to your nerves! Each round, you face 6 enemies, each associated with a face of the dice, and your goal is to defeat 8 enemies to win. Every round lasts exactly one minute, during which you roll and reroll your dice to find the best combination to injure your opponents.

It’s a really fun game, but genuinely tense. The ticking clock paired with the soundtrack will make your anxiety spike, in the best possible way. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves rolling dice (you’ll be doing a lot of that!) and can handle the pressure of the clock. 😅

Proving Grounds

Imperial Miners

Designed by Tim Armstrong, published by Portal Games.

Imperial Miners was a pleasant surprise, a quick and satisfying puzzle game where you build your mines to gather resources and diamonds, with the goal of collecting the most diamonds by the end. I played it solo, and it works really well in that format.

What keeps it from feeling repetitive are the events that appear each round, adding a little twist every time. The puzzling aspect is genuinely interesting, and the whole thing is easy to learn. If you’re looking for something light and quick with a satisfying brain-teaser feel, this one is well worth a try.

Imperial Miners

Sparks

Published by Surfin’ Meeple.

I only got one play of Sparks in February, and I still need one or two more before I can give a proper verdict, but my first impression is very positive!

In Sparks, you work in a robot factory with the goal of assembling robots. The components you use to build them are dice, and each robot has specific requirements, whether a number or a colour. It’s a clever little puzzle, and although the game supports multiple players, I played it solo this time.

The art is beautiful and the game is a pleasure to play. I’m looking forward to exploring it more.

Sparks

Merchants Cove

Published by Final Frontier Games.

Two more plays this month with two new merchants, the Oracle and the Innkeeper, bringing my total to 5 plays across different merchants and modules from the Secret Stash expansion. And after all that, I can say with confidence: I love this game.

It’s simple and quick once set up, though the setup itself is a bit involved. But when it’s all laid out on the table, it looks really great. The asymmetry between merchants is one of its biggest strengths, just be aware that some merchants are harder than others, and that’s very much part of the fun.

A full review is coming soon!

Merchants Cove

Other Notable Games

February also gave me some welcome time with games already in my collection, a mix of comfort plays and a couple of games I’m still figuring out!

Harmonies had a strong month with 3 plays, and I’m still not tired of it. This beautiful game puts you in the role of a nature architect, you draft tokens to build landscapes and attract animals to your map. The more you play, the more strategic you become, and the more you want to play again. Almost addictive in the best way. A full review is already up on the blog if you want to know more!

Harmonies

Conservas got one play this month. You play as a fisherman heading out to sea to fish and sell your catch, but you also have to be careful not to deplete the ocean’s species. The theme is really well executed, and there’s a fun mix of bag building and push-your-luck that keeps things exciting.

Conservas

Sylvion also got one play. In this one, your mission is to save a forest from a devastating fire, using only cards, it’s all about hand management and puzzle solving. It’s part of the Oniverse, and honestly? It’s the one in that family I struggle with the most. I’m not very good at it, and I suspect that’s part of why I haven’t fully warmed to it yet. I need to give it more chances, it deserves a fair shot!

Sylvion

What About You?

Did you discover any new games in February? And has anyone tried Proving Grounds, how did you handle the timer pressure? Come share your thoughts on Mastodon 😊.

Imperial Miners on Marta's BG Corner

March 2026 Plays

March 2026 by the Numbers

New Games Discovered

Dice Throne Adventures

Alhambra

Games I Continued Exploring

Dawn of the Zeds

Viticulture

Aquatica

Legacy of Yu

Imperial Miners

Coffee Roaster

Other Notable Games

Looking Ahead

What About You?

Imperial Miners – The Little Mine That Delivers

Game Overview

Theme

How to Win

Gameplay

Components

Solo Mode

Replayability

My Experience

My Rating

Final Thoughts

Your Turn

Related Links

Videos

February 2026 Plays

February 2026 by the Numbers

Proving Grounds

Imperial Miners

Sparks

Merchants Cove

Other Notable Games

What About You?