Game Night – Chaos, Codemasters & Crystal Skulls

Sexy Minis

🕑 8 min read

Another cracking evening at Norwich Board Gamers, with a great turnout and a HUGE mix of games that really delivered - from tight cooperative play to full-on mind games and table-wide confusion.

Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a fun night. And of course, a big shout out to the ever-enigmatic Lewis, ring mastering the whole affair with his trademark energy and personality. The man who keeps the wheels turning.

Here are the games I managed to play...

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Sub Terra II – “Nobody Dies Today”

For those unfamiliar, Sub Terra II is a cooperative dungeon crawl where you dive into a temple, grab the artifact, and get out before everything collapses, burns you alive (or eats you). Simple in theory. Less so in practice.

Tonight’s team: John, Dave, and myself (GlenOneN), each running two characters.

• John: Foreman & Guide (Daddy)
• Dave: Priest & Inventor (Mummy)
• Me: Magician & Marksman (Annoying Child)

What made this game work so well was how naturally our strategies split - and how perfectly they complemented each other.

Dave took on the role of team anchor. Defensive, healing, shutting enemies down before they could
become a problem. A proper “hold the line” approach, protecting the entrance/exit and keeping everyone on their feet.

John had other ideas. Full forward pressure. He pushed deep, fast, and hard - exploring, opening paths, and forcing the pace of the game from well behind enemy lines. Exactly what he set out to do, and he did it brilliantly.

And then there was me.

Chaos.

The Magician/Marksman combo is just ridiculous when it clicks. Teleporting the Marksman into position, picking off enemies, then vanishing again - it felt like the minions didn’t stand a chance. Front line, back line, nowhere was safe. BANG - BANG. Gone.

We had a few moments where things got close. Heroes dropping to their last hit point, stunned and
looking very sorry for themselves… but never for long. The team response was instant every time. Pick them up, get them back in, keep moving.

Despite the pressure, it never spiralled.

Artifact secured.
All heroes alive.
Clean escape.

Great success.

And a quick nod to John as well - the miniatures on the table were all beautifully painted by him, which just added that extra bit of immersion to the whole experience. Gorgeous. 

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Codenames – “Confidence, Chaos & Clutch Plays”

We wrapped the night with three games of Codenames - the evergreen word association game that always looks simple… right up until it really isn’t.

Teams of four. One Codemaster each. Three guessers and two new players. Let the chaos begin.

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Game 1 – The Blue Machine

Blue came out sharp.

Every round - 2 clue, 2 guesses. No hesitation. No mistakes. Just clean, confident play.

Red never quite found their rhythm. A couple of small stumbles early on, and suddenly they were chasing.

They never caught up.

Blue team victory. Calm. Controlled. Ruthless.

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Game 2 – The Swing

New Codemasters. Fresh energy.

Blue went first again… and wobbled early. A slightly awkward clue, a bit of confusion - nothing fatal, but enough to open the door.

Red didn’t hesitate to walk through it...

BAM. A 3-clue play that landed perfectly and flipped the whole table. You could feel the momentum shift instantly.

From there, blue started to feel it. Clues got more stretched. More tenuous. That confidence from game one? Gone.

Red just built and built. Solid, composed, no risks needed - eventually, blue cracked.

Red team victory.

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Game 3 – The Decider

Blue swapped Codemaster again. Red stuck with what was working. Same setup. Same plan. They wanted the double.

Blue started strong - 2 clue, 2 perfect guesses.
Red matched it.
Back and forth we went.

No big mistakes. Just solid play on both sides.

But then the pressure crept in.

Blue needed to push further. Stretch beyond the safe plays. They tried - but kept circling back to the the same words. Picking up points, but leaving clues lingering on the board. You could feel it building toward something.

Endgame.

Red had 2 words left. Played it safe. Took one. Left the door slightly open.

Blue had no choice. Go for both - or lose.

They’d been hovering around those final words all game. Tapping them. Thinking about them. Setting it up for the perfect storm. 

The clue drops. Instant guesses. Both correct.

Game over.

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That last one? Proper tactical Codenames. Not just guessing - memory, positioning, patience. Loved it.

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Another brilliant night. Great games, great people, and just the right amount of chaos.

Same time next week. 

I don't wanna ask...

Buh bye for now. 

Ok. Now I do want to ask. 

Game Night at the Prancing Pony: The One Ring (RPG)

🕑 12 min read

It’s been a while since I last sat down at a table to properly roleplay - dice in hand, character voice ready, and expectations somewhere between chaos and storytelling magic. So when the opportunity came up to play a one-shot of The One Ring, I was in.

What followed was an evening that was equal parts promising, rushed, chaotic, and - ultimately - fun.

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The Setup

We had four players and a Loremaster (GM), running their first session of The One Ring. Experience levels varied: one new player, three experienced (two of us having run games ourselves).

The plan? Fit an entire adventure into 2.5 hours.

Ambitious.

I went in expecting:

• A quick narrative arc
• Limited encounters
• Maybe one meaningful combat

To the Loremaster’s credit - we got a lot done.

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The System: A Pleasant Surprise

Before diving into the story, it’s worth touching on the system itself.

The One Ring is refreshingly intuitive once you grasp a few core ideas:

🎲 Core Mechanics

• You roll a Feat Die (d12) + a number of Success Dice (d6s) based on your attribute
• The goal is to meet or beat a Target Number (TN)

⭐ Gandalf & Eye Symbols

• Gandalf rune (on the d12): automatic success
• Eye of Sauron: can mean trouble, especially under pressure or corruption

💪 Hope & Shadow

• Spend Hope to boost rolls using your attributes
• Accumulate Shadow through fear, corruption, or despair
• Too much Shadow leads to… problems (great for roleplay)

🧭 Journey System

• Travel is structured into roles (Guide, Scout, Hunter, Look-out)
• Rolls determine how well (or badly) the journey goes
• It’s designed to make travel itself meaningful - not just filler

⚔️ Combat

• Stance-based (Forward, Open, Defensive, Rearward)
• Fast, decisive, and surprisingly fluid
• Encourages narrative over crunch

The system clicked quickly for all of us, which is no small achievement for a first session.

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The Adventure (At Speed) ::SPOILERS::

We began, as tradition demands, in a tavern - the Prancing Pony.

Our group had apparently been travelling together for years under a shared patron. No real discussion, no character-building moments - just a narrative drop-in and a hint of an incoming quest.

And then… we were off. Or rather, ushered.

There was little room to breathe. Roleplay opportunities were minimal, not by design, but by necessity. With a strict time limit, the group (sensibly) chose momentum over flavour.

I did not.

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Axes are 'easy-mode'

The Dwarf Who Wouldn’t Shut Up

I played a dwarf loosely inspired by a more mercurial, opportunistic archetype - quick-witted, slightly self-aware, always ready with a line.

Or several.

I tried to:

• Spark conversations
• Draw out other players
• Inject humour

But the table dynamic leaned heavily toward:

“We’re on a mission. Let’s move.”

 

Understandable - but it did mean that much of the roleplay I enjoy simply didn’t have room to land.

So I adapted.

Badly, perhaps.

Leaning into the chaos, I began flirting with the edges of immersion - borderline fourth-wall humour, observational commentary, and a steady stream of dry remarks.

Not my most refined performance - but I was entertained.

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Encounters on Fast Forward

SPOILERS!!

The structure of the session became clear quickly:

• Travel roll
• Arrive at encounter
• Resolve quickly
• Move on

We encountered:

• Rangers (briefly, and then not at all)
• A dead horse in a circle of stones (intriguing, but fleeting)
• Goblin ambush (fast, efficient combat)

Combat, to its credit, was excellent:

• Quick
• Clear
• Satisfying

The Loremaster made a conscious effort to push outcomes forward, even stepping in to accelerate resolution. It broke immersion slightly, but kept us on track.

Given the time constraints, it was the right call.

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More Spoilers...

The Final Encounter

After effectively “skipping” several potential encounters (again, to save time), we arrived at a goblin cave.

Stealth failed spectacularly.

Combat began.

This time, we knew the system - and it showed. The fight was efficient, coordinated, and decisive.

Then came the boss:

• A massive she-wolf
• Big presence
• Strong introduction

And… she went down fast. Very fast.

I landed the final blow - clean, decisive, satisfying.

And just like that, it was over.

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What Was Missing?

Not through fault - but through time:

• Exploration
• Character development
• Meaningful decisions
• Looting (apparently no one robs corpses anymore?)

There were moments that could have blossomed:

• The circle of stones
• The dead horse
• The rangers
• The wolf’s speech

But each was trimmed to keep the session moving.

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The Loremaster

For a first-time run?

Impressive.

Strengths:

• 
  Well-prepared
• Confident with pacing
• Open to feedback
• Kept the session moving

Areas to grow:

• Delivering rules in-world rather than stepping out
• Letting scenes breathe
• Trusting player-led moments

At one point, I suggested:

“Let us describe what we want to do - then you handle the mechanics.”

He took it well. The game improved immediately.

That alone speaks volumes.

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The Fellowship

Final Thoughts.. 

Was it rushed? Absolutely.

Was it enjoyable? Yes.

Would it have been better over 2–3 sessions? Without question.

But that’s the reality of modern gaming:

Too many systems. Not enough time.

 

Game Night - Twilight Inscription : Roll-and-Write the Galaxy

🕑 10 min read

I recently managed to get not one, but two full games of Twilight Inscription to the table with the same trio of players (myself included), and it’s safe to say - this is a game worth talking about.

On the surface, Twilight Inscription presents itself as a fairly straightforward roll-and-write. Roll some dice, fill in some boxes, make some choices. Simple, right? Not quite. Beneath that approachable exterior lies an immense web of interconnected decisions. Every mark you make can ripple across your entire strategy, and it’s surprisingly easy to wander into blind alleys or create spiralling inefficiencies in your resource engine.

In many ways, it feels less like a traditional roll-and-write and more like a full-scale eurogame condensed into a writable format.

In short: it’s clever. Very clever.

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A “Short” Twilight Experience?

The game was designed to recreate the feeling of Twilight Imperium - a title I own but, like many, have yet to actually play - in a shorter, more focused format. “Shorter” is doing a bit of heavy lifting here, though. Both of our games clocked in at around 3 to 3.5 hours - long for a roll-and-write, and very much in line with what others report.

That said, it never felt long. The time genuinely flew by, which is always a good sign.

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Learning Curve & First Play

Before our first session, I read through the rulebook and watched several YouTube explainer videos. Even then, I could tell this wasn’t going to be a “learn once and go” kind of game. The rules lean heavily on keywords and iconography. While they’re generally consistent, edge cases and timing interactions can occasionally feel ambiguous, especially on a first play.

We did find ourselves referring back to the rulebook multiple times, and there were definitely moments where we questioned whether we were playing something exactly as intended. However, none of this caused major issues - we made rulings, kept the game moving, and, importantly, had a great time doing so.

Our first playthrough actually went quite smoothly overall. A few bumps here and there, but nothing that derailed the experience.

And despite those early uncertainties, one thing stood out immediately: you really do feel like you’re carving out your own strategy as the game unfolds.

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The Four Pillars of Your Empire

At the heart of Twilight Inscription are four boards - each representing a different aspect of your galactic empire:

Navigation – This is where you explore trade routes and connect with planets, forming partnerships across the galaxy. There’s a real sense of racing here, as players compete to reach key locations first.

Expansion – Focused on individual planets, this board is all about extracting commodities and resources. It’s a satisfying puzzle of efficiency, with a subtle row-and-column optimisation element.

Industry – Your engine room. Here, you consolidate power, unlock trade opportunities, and stockpile goods for future turns. Planning ahead is key, and a well-run Industry board can carry your entire strategy.

Warfare – The sharp end of your empire. Build fleets, develop technology, and - if your neighbours get complacent - punish them. There are strong incentives here for military dominance, with bonuses for fielding the most impressive forces.

Each board feels distinct, yet tightly interconnected. Neglect one, and you’ll feel it elsewhere.

Despite the presence of a Warfare board, direct player interaction is relatively light. Most of the game unfolds as a shared optimisation puzzle, with players largely focused on building their own engines rather than disrupting others.

Big dice. Feels good to roll. 

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The Event Deck – Driver or Passenger?

The game is structured around an event deck made up of six phases. While the order is randomized, the impact of that randomness feels… fairly light.

After two full games, it became clear that the event deck plays more of a structural role than a transformative one. While the order is randomized, the overall arc of a game feels broadly similar from play to play.

Each event allows you to spend resources on a chosen board, followed by a dice roll that all players use to develop their empires further. This shared dice system is engaging, but the events themselves didn’t feel like they were injecting a huge amount of variety into the experience.

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The Real Star: Factions

Where the game does shine in terms of variety and replayability is in its alien factions.

There are 24 of them - and honestly, I want more. The more the better.

Across our two games, each of us only played two factions, and I probably saw around five or six in total. Even within that small sample, it was clear just how impactful they are. Each faction subtly (or sometimes dramatically) shifts your priorities, nudging you toward different boards, different efficiencies, and different long-term strategies.

They’re not just flavour - they’re fundamental.

Your faction helps define how you approach the puzzle. Do you lean into Industry and build a powerhouse economy? Push aggressively through Navigation? Dominate Warfare? The faction you’re given provides that initial nudge and influences where your dice and resources feel most valuable.

It’s this layer that really elevates the game and gives it legs. With more factions, you’d get even more ways to “crack” the puzzle - and I’d happily see as many as the designers can come up with.

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So What’s the Game, Really?

At its core, Twilight Inscription is a game of layered optimisation:

• Racing for position on the Navigation board
• Maximising efficiency in Expansion
• Building and timing your engine in Industry
• Balancing aggression and defence in Warfare

All of this unfolds through shared dice rolls and resource management, until one player edges ahead on victory points.

It sits somewhere between lighter roll-and-writes and heavier titles like Hadrian's Wall, offering more structure and interdependence than most games in the genre.

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Final Thoughts (For Now)

After two plays, I can confidently say this is a game that rewards persistence. It’s not the easiest to learn, and it doesn’t always explain itself perfectly, but once it clicks, it delivers a deeply satisfying strategic experience.

Will I play it again? Absolutely - probably plenty of times.

That said, one of the group has just picked up Hadrian’s Wall, so it looks like we’re heading into a full-on roll-and-write phase over the next few weeks. And honestly, I’m all for it.

There’s a lot going on in Twilight Inscription - arguably more than you might expect from a roll-and-write - but that’s exactly what makes it stand out.

This is one I’ll definitely be karting over to a NoBoG evening. There’s still plenty to explore, refine, and (inevitably) get wrong before we truly master it.

And honestly? That sense that you’ve only just scratched the surface is exactly what makes it worth coming back to.