By Adam Roffel
We have been working our way through some games from Chip Theory Games, including The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era and 20 Strong. With the fulfillment of their latest Cloudspire Expansion crowdfunding efforts, we’ve been given the opportunity to check out this competitive tower-defense-esque experience.
Chip Theory Games provides board games that feel like video games, and, as with any video game, quality matters. Thankfully, Cloudspire is a Chip Theory Games production, so you know it’s going to be good.
There aren’t a ton of cards in Cloudspire, but they have that typical plastic feel to them that makes this game waterproof. Spill a drink on these cards? No worries, just wipe it off and it’s just as good as new. Obviously, sleeving these cards would be an epic waste of time; the quality is just so good here. There is one downside to these cards, though – they are really slippery, and regardless of which Chip Theory Game I play, there is a 100% guarantee that I’m going to spill cards everywhere as they slip through my hands. Production quality – A+; my ability to actually hold these cards without dropping them everywhere? Give me an F.
There is plenty of neoprene in the game. The faction mats are neoprene, as are the central mats you will use to create the board. I am a big fan of neoprene over regular boards, especially in games where you build out a map like Cloudspire. The downside of neoprene, which is not a Chip Theory-specific problem, is that I find its colors muted. It’s hard to find nice, vibrant neoprene mats. Thankfully, a dull color palette actually works in this game’s favor. The detail on the mats is phenomenal, giving it a nice table presence while also being very user-friendly. Top marks here.
I love that Chip Theory Games thinks about storage for every single little component. Even the little pegs you use in this game, have their own unique little container to hold them. This is great, and one reason I love big box games from the publisher. These trays extend to the dice and chips as well.
The dice here are like any Chip Theory custom die. They are perfectly usable, and while I have concerns about the screen printing wearing down with plenty of use, I won’t be able to confirm that until I’ve played the game a lot more. Out of the box, they look great, and if other Chip Theory titles are anything to go by, I expect them to hold up. Time will tell. They don’t feel like typical screen-printed dice – like the images are embedded under the surface – so I’m quite hopeful.
This wouldn’t be a Chip Theory Game without a bunch of chips, and there are plenty to play with in this game. All the chips have that premium poker-chip feel, except the health chips, which are made of thinner plastic. I’ve already put in an order to replace my health chips with premium chips, but I don’t think that is a necessary upgrade. The details on the character chips are phenomenal, with great artwork for each. The chips are what make Chip Theory Games what they are, and while everyone seems to want miniatures and acrylic standees, chips are my preferred way to play for sure.
Cloudspire, like all Chip Theory Games, is a premium production experience, one that is as much fun to unbox and look at as it is to play. Hats off, once again, to the company with the best production in the business.
Read our full Cloudspire review here.
Adam has been writing about video games since 2014 and board games since 2018. If he's not rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto FC, he definitely has a controller in his hand - probably playing on a Nintendo platform - or is sitting at a table playing a board game. Adam also has firm opinions on a few key topics: there are much better board games than Settlers of Catan, and Nintendo doesn't need to compete with Sony and Microsoft.
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