From High Atop Meeple Mountain We Can See Above and Below: Haunted, Blockers, and TRND

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July 24, 2025

Greetings

In a week where a coyote was rescued in Florida after getting wedged in a car's front bumper, where a Canadian woman broke two speed records on an old-fashioned penny farthing bicycle, where firefighters in Britain rescue four cows from quicksand on a riverbank, where an arcade in Cebu City in the Philippines installed the world's largest claw machine, and where the famous Rosebud sled from the movie 'Citizen Kane' was auctioned off for $14.75 million, we're still talking games here on Meeple Mountain.

The 30 Most Anticipated Games of Gen Con 2025

Join the Meeple Mountain team as we talk about our most anticipated games of Gen Con 2025, the hottest board game convention in North America, which takes place next weekend.

July 23rd, 2025

The Reiner Knizia Alphabet – The Letter ‘O’

Meeple Mountain celebrates Dr Reiner Knizia’s 40 year board game career by journeying through his game portfolio, from A to Z. Join us as we ogle ‘O’!

July 22nd, 2025

Blockers! Game Review

Justin reviews his biggest surprise this month: Blockers!, an abstract strategy game designed by Kory Heath!

July 21st, 2025

Scream Park Game Review

Swallow your fear and step into Scream Park, a devilishly delightful drafting game from DVC Games. Check out Andrew’s review for the details!

July 20th, 2025

TRND Game Review

Oink Games has the market cornered on clever, small box games that pack a punch. Check out our review of TRND, their newest card game and showcase your inner vintage collector.

Board Game News

What's going on in the tabletop industry?

Date	Headline
July 24th	Gamefound accelerates challenge to Kickstarter by buying veteran crowdfunding pioneer Indiegogo
July 23rd	Trump tariffs putting tens of thousands of board game industry jobs at risk, GAMA says, as it joins second anti-tariffs lawsuit it likens to “a sledgehammer” rather than “a scalpel”
July 21st	Board game retailer Zatu Games denies exploiting low-paid apprentices, ‘toxic’ work culture claims after wave of online criticism
July 16th	Board game industry professionals from Asmodee, Brotherwise Games, The Op among nominees in this year’s Wonder Women Awards
July 15th	Board game maker Panda to stick with new Brazilian expansion deal, despite Trump threatening country with 50% tariff rate

News courtesy of BoardGameWire

The Wayback Machine

Meeple Mountain has been publishing content since 2015. Take a look at what we released 5 years ago this week!

July 24th, 2020

Pandemic: Rapid Response Game Review

Make supplies in your crisis response plane and deliver them to cities in need in this real-time dice-rolling game. Read our review of Pandemic: Rapid Response to learn more.

July 27th, 2020

Boardgame Redux – War and Peace Comparative Review

Some board games will probably always be in print; Monopoly, Risk. But many excellent games are no longer available. Read our review of War and Peace to find out why this game deserved to be resurrected from the ash heap of history.

July 28th, 2020

Vinyl: Big Band Game Review

Talon Strikes Studio is looking to amplify the success of Vinyl with a brand new expansion. Is Vinyl: Big Band another classic or just a B-side? Find out in Ian’s review of Vinyl: Big Band!

July 28th, 2020

Steven Universe: Beach-A-Palooza Card Battling Game Review

Read Kathleen’s review of Steven Universe: Beach-A-Palooza to see if this card battle can please board gamers and Steven Universe fans alike.

Board Game Conventions

We maintain a comprehensive list of board game conventions all over the world. Here's what's coming up in the next 2 weeks.

Aug. 2-3, 2025 Palmerston, New Zealand Armageddon Expo Aug. 2, 2025 Joplin, MO, USA JoMoCon Aug. 2, 2025 Amarillo, TX, USA Ama-Con Aug. 7-11, 2025 Henlow, England Tokonatsu Aug. 8-10, 2025 Uncasville, CT, USA Terrificon Aug. 8-10, 2025 Washington, DC, USA Otakon	Aug. 8-11, 2025 Pflugerville, TX, USA TFest 2025 Aug. 8-9, 2025 Layton, UT, USA Utah Retro Game Expo Aug. 9, 2025 Birmingham, England Birmingham Anime and Gaming Convention Aug. 9-10, 2025 Newport, England Comic Con Wales Aug. 13-17, 2025 Katowice, Poland Planszówki w Spodku Aug. 13-17, 2025 Seattle, WA, USA WorldCon
You can find more upcoming conventions on our Guide To Board Game Conventions.

List your tabletop gaming event

Crowdfunding Roundup

Check out our extensive list of tabletop related Crowdfunding campaigns.

End Date	Campaign
July 24th	Grendel: The Game of Crime and Mayhem
July 24th	Kingswood $749 Game Table + GamePillar Storage Towers
July 24th	Homestead Hyperjump!
July 24th	Red Tides: A Tale of New Caribbea
July 24th	Sail Legacy
July 24th	Astraios: Starlight
July 25th	Shrine – Duel of Light
July 30th	STACCS
July 31st	The Coil
July 31st	Tabletop Inc: Crowdfunding Revolution
July 31st	“The Armada” & “Secession 1861”
August 1st	Mafia Blitz
August 1st	Rows & Bots

You can find more campaigns on our Crowdfunding Roundup.

Add your crowdfunding campaign

Coming Up This Week at Meeple Mountain

Here's what's on the calendar for the next seven days at Meeple Mountain.

Date	Title
July 25th	Pathfinder Monster Core Pawn Box and NPC Core Pawn Box - Abram Towle
July 25th	Clank! Catacombs - Abram Towle
July 26th	25 Words or Less - Justin Bell
July 26th	Age of Rail: Allegheny & La Pampa! - Justin Bell
July 27th	The Crew: Family Adventure - Andrew Lynch
July 27th	In the Shadows - Andrew Lynch
July 28th	Wine Cellar - Bob Pazehoski, Jr.
July 28th	Up or Down? - Kevin Brantley
July 28th	Pillars of Heracles - Kevin Brantley
July 29th	Dragon Clans - Justin Bell

Interested in writing for Meeple Mountain?

We’re looking for anyone who loves board gaming, tabletop gaming, or just about anything gaming related. That also includes traditional board games, party games, Dungeons & Dragons and other RPGs, wargaming, tabletop miniature games, and everything in between. We’re even looking for people interested in things like gaming news, short stories, art & illustration, crafting, and even non-traditional topics like how board gaming can contribute to an improved quality of life.

Come write for us!

www.meeplemountain.com

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