Ashton Wu

Board Game Expert

Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 45K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel.

Education

University of California Santa Barbara, BA, Economics,
University of California Santa Barbara, Technology Management Certificate

Professional Achievements

All Time Wrestling 2023 Finalist (Shelfside)
Primal Showdown 2023 Winner (Shelfside)
Storm the Block Tournament Commentator
WSBG 2024 Commentator
Fanime Yu-Gi-Oh Top 8
Has achieved 1st place at numerous local Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments
Created a board gamer personality test - https://www.shelfside.co/bgamer-personality-test

Favorite Piece of Advice

There's a board game out there for everyone! Use my board game personality test to find your perfect match: https://www.shelfside.co/bgamer-personality-test.

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Forum Comments (4)

How to Create Engaging Content for Beginners?

Authenticity and being respectful of your time are key! There doesn't necessarily have to be a unique topic to cover, like you could do a review on a popular game like Catan, and if it's done well, the views will come.

Also, you just have to keep making content and fall in love with the process! To start, I would just film with whatever camera you have and see where you go from there. The first thing to upgrade is audio.

Do you have recommendations for 2-player board games?

Here are some great 2-player games by category.

Shortform:

Patchwork
Splendor
Magic: The Gathering
Android: Netrunner
7 Wonders Duel
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
Wingspan
Splendor Duel
Earth
Cascadia
Jaipur
Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game
Hive
Hanamikoji
Sea Salt and Paper
Harvest
Evokers
All Time Wrestling
Summoner Wars 2nd Edition
Undaunted Normandy
Skytear
Solforge Fusion
Re;ACT The Arts of War
Blitz Bowl
Ashes: Reborn
Dominion (2nd Edition)
Monolith Arena
Parks
Takenoko

Longform:

Brass Birmingham
Twilight Struggle
War of the Ring
Caverna: The Cave Farmers
Dune: War for Arrakis
War of the Ring: The Card Game
Dune: Imperium Uprising
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Gaia Project
Quartermaster General: WW2

Cooperative:

Arkham Horror LCG
Eldritch Horror
Sky-Team
Lost Cities
Spirit Island
Mansions of Madness
Codenames Duet
Primal
ISS Vanguard
Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin
Skytear Horde (solo/co-op)
Pilfering Pandas
This War of Mine
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion
Suburbia

Here are some additional recommendations for different types of games:

Star Wars Rebellion: for a cat-and-mouse experience
Gloomhaven/Frosthaven: for co-op dungeon crawling
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: a good mystery for 2 people to go through

What are the best board games of all time?

This is totally subjective, but I love:

Brass: Birmingham
Star Wars Rebellion
Dune Imperium Uprising
Sid Meier’s Civilization 2010 (with 2 expansions)
Ashes: Reborn
Last Word
Twilight Imperium 4

How do people actually make money on Youtube?

Don’t rush anything! It’s best as a hobby, so start simple - just make content! Most importantly, it should be fun (because of how much work it really is), and you should figure out what your niche is. One more thing - audio is king if you want to upgrade anything.

Q&A Comments (6)

Are there any other tips when playing Ticket to Ride?

It's also interesting to note that during Ticket to Ride tournaments, the strategy initially adopts a conservative gameplay style. This involved amassing a considerable number of trains, surpassing the typical expectation of holding only a quarter to a third of the points compared to other players. Around two-thirds into the game, the winner shifted gears and became notably more aggressive. This strategic transition is fascinating because going all out in the late game allows for the efficient deployment of additional trains. Moreover, a clever tactic emerges: if you manage to exhaust your train resources before your opponents, the game concludes, providing an opportunity to stealthily secure a victory.

What's a great strategy for beginners?

Prioritize your main objective in Wingspan and delve into the underlying statistics that provide insights into the probability of drawing or encountering the desired cards. For beginners, focusing on laying eggs is a solid strategy. This approach ensures guaranteed points that spread across all your cards, serving as a foolproof method, much like employing a strong beginner's strategy in games such as Dominion. It provides a reliable baseline for starting out. As you become more familiar with the game, you can explore more intricate strategies. While my experience with the game spans several years, laying eggs is a fundamental tip I always emphasize for players of all levels.

Is Flapjack a two-player card game as well? How do we play it?

It is a two-player card game, and it involves speed and coordination as players try to build stacks of cards in ascending order from ace to king. The deck is divided evenly between the players, and they simultaneously flip cards from their individual stacks onto a central pile. When both players reveal cards of the same rank, a "flapjack" occurs, and the first player to slap the central pile gets to collect the entire stack. The real-time aspect of the game adds excitement, but it's essential to pay attention to card ranks to avoid penalties for incorrect slapping. While Flapjack may lead to some intense moments, its quick rounds make it a favorite choice. Alternatively, when opting for a more strategic and traditional card game, poker with a standard deck is our preferred choice during these gaming sessions.

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