Shelfside
We’re a team in NorCal making board game content! We’ve been playing board games ever since we met in Elementary School, and in 2019, we set out on a journey to make fun sketches, but also detailed and as unbiased as possible reviews with a scoring system. If we can help grow the hobby in the process, that’s a huge win.
We have an interview with the online magazine, BoldJourney, for more info!
Members of the extended Shelfside universe are featured below!
BoldJourney Interview!
Ashton
Was a Yugioh Tournament addict while growing up, and landed himself into board gaming. His favorite games include Brass Birmingham, Twilight Imperium 4, Star Wars: Rebellion, and Sid Meier’s Civilization (2010). Also has a soft spot for the party game called Last Word, and the cuddly cuteness of Takenoko. He’s also a Wikihow Board Game Expert, and board game commentator!
In his other non-Shelfside time, Ashton enjoys guitar, piano, DJ’ing, running, hiking, dogwalking, reading, longboarding, nerding out over movies, and all sorts of photography (portfolio here!).
Oh, he also dragged Daniel into the hobby.
Check out a full interview on BoldJourney here.
Daniel
The man who was at one point a top 500 NA legend in Hearthstone. His favorite games include Root, Oath, Gloomhaven, Twilight Imperium 4 (with PoK), Sidereal Confluence, and Argent: The Consortium. And he plays way too many types of games in general, whether it’s Dungeon and Dragons, Elden Ring, or Destiny 2.
When not poring over the balance and design of a game, Daniel loves to weeb out on anime and manga.
Alexander
Alexander began playing board games when he was introduced to Pandemic Legacy and started playing Magic online in high school. Now, he is a fan of all board/roleplaying/card games, particularly enjoying competitive storytelling board games, while also appreciating a variety of styles. His favorite board games include Twilight Imperium, Star Wars: Rebellion, Kingdom Death: Monster, and Hegemony.
Outside of board games, he is an avid game master for various role-playing games. He also enjoys playing video games, primarily grand strategy and first-person shooter/RPG games. In addition to gaming, he likes karaoke, going to the gym, and reading sci-fi and history novels, with his current favorite book being "Excalibur" by Bernard Cornwell.
Adam
Adam’s only major board gaming experience before joining Shelfside was playing Dominion online during the pandemic (and he was not very good). In high school, he played the usual fare of Ticket to Ride and Catan. He now enjoys a variety of board games, with his favorites being Parks, Twilight Imperium 4, Lost Ruins of Arnak, and Acquire.
When he’s not playing basketball with Ashton or Monster Hunter with Daniel, Adam enjoys trail running and playing Guilty Gear Strive.
Pranav
Pranav got into board games early in high school through Ashton and his game group. However, he really picked up tabletop gaming during the pandemic. On the benches at a local park, Ashton and Pranav masked up and played many, many games. Currently, his favorite games include This War of Mine, Spirit Island, Star Wars: Rebellion, and Captain Sonar. He has also built a few pieces of board game furniture on the channel.
Outside of board games, Pranav is currently a physics PhD student studying quantum many-body systems. If he's not doing research, he might be behind his computer writing code or configuring his operating system, currently NixOS. You could also find him building something in the wood shop, playing the flute, designing an escape room, or just reading a good book! If you want to read more about his projects, check out his website.
Guto
Guto has a day job as an engineer, but when he isn’t solving problems with code, he’s playing board games with his friends. He began his love board gaming in high school, with regular plays of Ticket to Ride, Dominion, and of course, Catan. Nowadays he prefers games with a bit more depth, such as Everdell, Lost Ruins of Arnak, and Parks. Guto considers Dune: Imperium to be the (current) best board game in the known universe.
Outside of board gaming, Guto also enjoys video gaming on his PC, with a particular emphasis on real-time strategy games. He also especially enjoys hiking in any one of the US’ many beautiful national parks.
Stephen
Although known locally as a Call of Duty/Halo legend, Stephen does enjoy board gaming on his off days! In fact, he’s made a mark at Storm the Block in Abu Dhabi, getting 2nd place twice in 2 tournaments: All Time Wrestling and Primal Showdown! His current go-to board games are All Time Wrestling and Catan.
His hobbies include marathon running, practicing martial arts (black belt!), and destroying people in online video games.
WSBG Photos by @ken_takes_pics
