LIGHT AT THE END OF THE…

Did someone say tunnel?

This is our first issue of 2021 and we’re finally seeing some light at the end of that dark, dismal tunnel that was 2020, one of the worst years in modern history – and maybe one of the worst in ALL of recorded history! Too much heartache, too much pain, too much hardship… just too much! But now, multiple vaccines are on the way and hopefully, sooner rather than later, the pandemic will be a memory and life as we used to know it, will be a reality once more.

We have come so far in these tumultuous times but, being human, we tend to reach a point where we feel “enough is enough”. We tend to rebel against restrictions – even those in our own best interests. Those feelings can well up within you. “We’re going to get tough!” “We’re going to show that virus who’s boss!” Unfortunately, the virus doesn’t care! So what do you do?

Lots of things but certainly one of them is games.

In the scheme of such devastating times, gaming is a mere speck – but an important speck nonetheless. When folks are hunkered down due to the pandemic and experiencing isolation and depression, games, both physical and virtual, have served as a link to help maintain the human bond between us. Just as the vaccines developed are antidotes to Covid-19, gaming has served as an antidote to that isolation and depression. 

No surprises that new outlets have reported a resurgence in sales of games of all kinds! Games can – and  do – serve as outlets for those frustrations all of us feel and, in every issue of Gamers Alliance Report, we try to do our part in guiding our readers to the best of those needed and necessary escape valves. 

In this issue of Gamers Alliance Report, once again, we find some light at the end of that tunnel as we feature some games worthy of attention. We explore lost ruins, journey beyond the sun, and roll in Rome! Joe Huber shares some “Deep Thoughts”, Eric Brosius enjoys blue skies and Selwyn Ward plays nice. Despite travel restrictions, Pevans plays pirate, James Davis visits Versailles while Greg J. Schloesser revisits Crete! Andrea “Liga” Ligabue channels his inner Viking while Chris Kovac, as all of us, just tries to survive! Plus the Gamer’s Bookshelf returns! And of course, a whole lot more. 

Until next time, Good Gaming!

Herb Levy, President

Have feedback? We’d love to hear from you.

Other Winter 2021 GA Report articles

18EU

Reviewed by Joe Huber 18EU (DEEP THOUGHT GAMES, 3 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 4 to 6 hours, Free) 18xx games, for anyone not familiar, are complex economic ...
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BEYOND THE SUN

Reviewed by Herb Levy BEYOND THE SUN (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 90-120 minutes; $74.95) The next two hundred years have not been kind ...
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BLUE SKIES

Reviewed by Eric Brosius BLUE SKIES (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 30-60 minutes; $39.95) Commercial aviation is an intriguing subject - and it’s a ...
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DROP SQUAD: THE ESCAPE!

Reviewed by Herb Levy DROP SQUAD: THE ESCAPE! (Bush League Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 5 and up, 15-30 minutes; $49.99) One of the most successful game shows on ...
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DWELLINGS OF ELDERVALE

Reviewed by Herb Levy DWELLINGS OF ELDERVALE (Breaking Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 60-150 minutes;  Standard edition $99.99, Deluxe edition $149.99, Legendary edition $199.99) While the ...
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EDITORIAL – WINTER 2021 – VOL. 2 NO. 77

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FORGOTTEN WATERS

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GAME CLASSICS: KRETA

GAME CLASSICS: KRETA [Europe and America are separated by thousands of miles. When it comes to gaming, however, that distance often melts away. Throughout the years, many games first published ...
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GAMER’S BOOKSHELF: HOW TO HOST A GAME NIGHT by ERIK ARNESON

THE GAMER'S BOOKSHELF: HOW TO HOST A GAME NIGHT by Erik Arneson (Tiller Press, softcover, 171 pages, $15.99) Games are an interactive medium. Most of the time, to get those ...
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GOING RETRO: ESCAPE & SURVIVE!

GOING RETRO: ESCAPE & SURVIVE:  A LOOK AT A CLASSIC: SURVIVE & ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS by Chris Kovac Survive!, also known as Escape from Atlantis, is a 2-4 player family ...
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LOST RUINS OF ARNAK

Reviewed by Herb Levy LOST RUINS OF ARNAK (Czech Games Edition, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 30 minutes per player; $59.95) Ever since Indiana Jones hit the ...
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RAIDERS OF THE NORTH SEA

[During this pandemic, many of us have found the time to renew our acquaintance with games from the recent past that, for one reason or another, did not appear in ...
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ROME & ROLL

Reviewed by Herb Levy ROME & ROLL (PSC Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; £35) Roll and Writes are a relatively recent entry into the ...
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VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE – HERITAGE

Reviewed by Selwyn Ward VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE - HERITAGE (Nice Game Publishing, 2 to 4 players, ages 18 and up, 45-90 minutes; $139.95) Vampire: The Masquerade began its undead life ...
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VERSAILLES 1919

Reviewed by James Davis VERSAILLES 1919 (GMT Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 60-120 minutes; $89) On June 28th, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was ...
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