Last year changed the way many of us thought about software. It certainly changed the way I did. I spent much of 2025 building, probing, and questioning how to build software, and in many more ways what I want to do.
Dimension 20 has primarily used Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition across its campaigns, with occasional side quests using other systems. The main cast has only deviated from D&D for the sixth campaign, A Starstruck Odyssey, which utilized an unofficial Star Wars system.
Square Enix is partnering with Google to integrate its AI large language model Gemini into Dragon Quest X, creating a Slime character that players can chat with. This character will respond with AI-generated text, offering tips, tricks, and advice as players navigate the game.
Everbound uses an 18-card construct to fill out the crew of a pirate ship. You start with your Captain and a twinkle in yer eye. And presumably a ship. Yarrrr. You'll take one of two actions per turn. Draw: Take a card from the Dock. Recruit: Play a card from your hand by paying its icon cost.
I wish this was a one-off blip in my regimented friendship schedule, but all through 2025 I played the world's slowest game of message tennis. I'd invite a pal for dinner, only for the world to turn, the seasons pass, grey hairs gather at my temples, before a date was finally locked in. This sentiment seems to be common among my circle.
In recent years, players have moved their hobby to pubs and cafés, transforming these third places into gaming spaces for a few hours. Dedicated gaming venues and series have also sprung up around Portland, inviting seasoned grognards and shiny newbies alike to the table.
TPK, a combo brewery and gaming space that opened in 2023, eases entry for newcomers and provides a soft landing for the socially rusty. "Especially coming out of the pandemic, we had a lot of people in their mid-30s [who] were like, 'I have no way to connect with anyone,'" says Elliott Kaplan, TPK's CEO and one of its three founders. "Well, we'll throw you at a table. All the social interactions will be overseen by a GM."
Welcome to this week's batch of crowdfunding campaigns. We have a variety of offerings here, so we hope you will find something that catches your eye. Also, if you want to chat with the BGQ team, join our Discord Server where we talk about games, movies, sports, and other fun stuff. Or, if Facebook is more of your speed, join our BGQ Gamers Facebook Group. Check it out and come chat about board games with us!
"Hermen Hulst, head of SIE, joked that 'Please do not kill [a] Tallneck (a giraffe-shaped machine),' and insisted 'Please take good care of Aloy. It feels like I am sending off my daughter at the aisle,'" Lee Seong-gu told Inven, based on a translation by Kotaku. Aloy seemingly won't be playable in the game but it's possible she could still appear in cutscenes.