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Mark Jackson

@akapastorguy

follower of Jesus, husband, father, former pastor, boardgamer, writer, blogger, Legomaniac, Disneyphile, likely to have the same Christmas list at age 60 as he did at age 10

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28.09.2023
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Latest posts by Mark Jackson @akapastorguy

Other dimension you won't let us answer that question.

07.03.2026 19:37 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#88: Battle Beyond Space (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Battle Beyond Space BoardGameGeek rank: 10,011 rating: 6.3 published: 2012 designer: Frank Branham Print Status out of print but not impossi...

This is such a great game design. What's the chance on getting a really swanky KS-ish production of this someday?!

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/88-b...

07.03.2026 14:10 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#89: Entenrallye (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Entenrallye BoardGameGeek rank: 20,473 rating: 5.9 published: 1988 designer:Β Walter MΓΌller Print Status incredibly OOP Why It's On The List ...

This is a polarizing game… but I still love it and its quirkyness.

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/89-e...

06.03.2026 12:44 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The Restoration version, yes. The original game has the cool marble stuff but the actual gameplay is very lackluster.

Age 7 would be fine - but they’ll need an adult to help with set-up. (Either version)

06.03.2026 12:11 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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#90: Lost Cities (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Lost Cities BoardGameGeek rank: 342 rating: 7.3 published: 1999 designer: Reiner Knizia Print Status in print? Why It's On The List I've pla...

I still remember the first time I played this... Sunday morning at Gulf Games 3 with Jay Tummelson. It instantly became a "must buy" for me... and 27 years later, my copy clearly shows how many times it has been played.

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/90-l...

05.03.2026 12:41 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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#100 - #92 of my top 100 games circa 2026.

New entries posted daily on my personal blog!

04.03.2026 15:11 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Discover HeroScape's Secrets of the Citadel Expansions Discover the new era of HeroScape with Secrets of the Citadel! Explore unique alliances, figures, and exciting gameplay set for July 2026.

My latest preview on the Opinionated Gamers site - news from @renegadegamestudios.com about the summer releases for my beloved Heroscape system!

opinionatedgamers.com/2026/03/04/h...

04.03.2026 12:54 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#91: SchnΓ€ppchen Jagd (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) SchnΓ€ppchen Jagd (Bargain Hunter) BoardGameGeek rank: 3,993 rating: 6.7 published: 1998 designer:Β Uwe Rosenberg Print Status out of print W...

Best. 3 player. Trick-taking game. Ever.

(Yes, better than Bottle Imp.)

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/91-s...

04.03.2026 12:34 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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#92: Thebes (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Thebes BoardGameGeek rank: 747 rating: 7.1 published: 2007 designer: Peter Prinz Print Status not sure it's in print, but relatively easy to...

Theme & game design in harmony = chef’s kiss.

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/92-t...

03.03.2026 14:14 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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#93: Zauberschwert & Drachenei (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Zauberschwert & DracheneiΒ  BoardGameGeek rank: 9,704 rating: 6.1 published: 2003 designer: Jochen Schwinghammer Print Status out of print Wh...

One of the oddballs on my top 100 list...

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/93-z...

02.03.2026 12:40 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#94: Sanctuary (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Sanctuary BoardGameGeek rank: 1,153 rating: 7.7 published: 2025 designer: Mathias Wigge Print Status inΒ print Why It's On The List A cleaner...

First new game on the countdown!

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/94-s...

01.03.2026 15:39 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#95: Die Schlacht der Dinosaurier (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Die Schlacht der Dinosaurier BoardGameGeek rank: 13,203 rating: 6.3 published: 1993 designers:Β Stephen Baker & Roger Ford Print Status very,...

Dinosaurs! Balls of lava! Eccentrically faced custom dice!

What's not to love?

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/02/95-d...

28.02.2026 13:23 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#96: 7 Wonders Duel (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) 7 Wonders Duel BoardGameGeek rank: 24 rating: 8.1 published: 2015 designer: Antoine Bauza & Bruno Cathala Print Status in print Why It's On ...

Such a wonderful 2 player implementation of a wonderful 3-7 player game.

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/02/96-7...

27.02.2026 16:15 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Gulf Games: Unforgettable Board Game Experiences and Reviews Explore the thrilling world of Gulf Games, where board games unite families and friends in fun-filled adventures across nearly three decades.

My newest post on the Opinionated Gamers site… a convention report from Gulf Games!

opinionatedgamers.com/2026/02/26/c...

26.02.2026 13:38 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#97: Friday (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Friday BoardGameGeek rank: 583 rating: 7.1 published: 2011 designer: Klaus Teuber Print Status inΒ print Why It's On The List The first of tw...

It would have been really sweet if I’d timed my latest top 100 games entry to land one day later.

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/02/97-f...

26.02.2026 13:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#98: Im Reich der WΓΌstensΓΆhne (Mark's Top 100 2026) Im Reich der WΓΌstensΓΆhne BoardGameGeek rank: 9,031 rating: 6.4 published: 2008 designer: Klaus Teuber Print Status very out of print Why It'...

A little-known choice from the designer of Catan...

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/02/98-i...

26.02.2026 01:40 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#99: The Guild of Merchant Explorers (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) The Guild of Merchant Explorers BoardGameGeek rank: 360 rating: 7.6 published: 2022 designers: Matthew Dunstan & Brett J. Gilbert Print Stat...

The countdown continues…

Additionally, an apology: my Gulf Games report will be delayed until Wednesday due to work travel.

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/02/99-g...

24.02.2026 13:17 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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#100: Tobago (Mark's Top 100 - 2026) Tobago BoardGameGeek rank: 707 rating: 7.1 published: 2009 designers:Β Bruce Allen Print Status in print? Why It's On The List Couple a uniqu...

My countdown of my top 100 games starts today!

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/02/100-...

24.02.2026 00:18 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Doggerland: An Opinionated Gamers Preview I consider myself a history buff… but I’d never heard of the geographic area known as Doggerland before I received a review copy of the new board game named – appropriately – Doggerland…

I wrote a review/preview for Doggerland back in December 2024… β€œStone Age on steroids” is a fair elevator pitch.

opinionatedgamers.com/2024/12/21/d...

22.02.2026 22:09 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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All the games I played at Gulf Games… convention report coming on Tuesday on the Opinionated Gamers site.

22.02.2026 20:12 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Two days of Gulf Games… 2.5 more to go!

20.02.2026 12:06 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Top 100 Songs: #90-#81 I'm back with the second installment of my top 100 songs. #90: All Fall Down (Sarah Masen -1996) Released on Charlie Peacock's re:think rec...

This is the second of ten blog posts about my favorite 100 songs...

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/02/top-...

15.02.2026 13:47 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

You’ll want a storage solution inside the box (the included one is not great)… but the game itself is fantastic and easy to teach to new players! Excellent design from @philwh.bsky.social!

14.02.2026 22:53 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Top 100 Songs: #100-#91 I started pulling this together for a Facebook group I'm a part of... and realized that some of you might enjoy reading my musings and memor...

Welcome, welcome friends to the show that never ends... well, it'll end after 10 posts on my blog, but I couldn't resist the ELP reference. :-)

This is the first of 10 posts listing my top 100 songs as well as my musings & memories - enjoy!

akapastorguy.blogspot.com/2026/02/top-...

12.02.2026 12:40 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I've said it before, but you NAILED the vibe on this one. When I want to play a game that is calming and still interesting, it's my go-to.

11.02.2026 14:52 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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In 2024, Trump stated that only himself and Dan Scavino have access to his Truth Social account.

This contradicts Karoline Leavitt’s implication that some random, unnamed low-level staffer was to blame for posting the now-deleted racist Obama ape video.

06.02.2026 17:25 πŸ‘ 2241 πŸ” 801 πŸ’¬ 142 πŸ“Œ 71

An interesting internet rabbit hole, sir.

"Whenever I see an opportunity, I charge it like a bull."

02.02.2026 14:12 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

My younger son has a dream β€œdad & son” vacation in Germany:
- Essen Spiel
- Minatur Wunderland
- Starlight Express in Bochum

I’d be happy to join him!

02.02.2026 00:38 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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In-person gaming

01.02.2026 13:23 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Solo gaming

01.02.2026 13:23 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0